Well it’s a chilly yet sunny afternoon in Hoboken. No Manhattan today, no thanks. No new York. Staying out, staying local, staying alive. Ha ha ha I’m staying alive staying alive. Pretty mellow. Last night I watched Wristcutters: A Love Story which I liked a lot more than I expected to. I’d give it four stars out of five. Patrick Fugit is the lead. I last saw him in Almost Famous, a five out of five stars movie. He played the Cameron Crowe character. He was adorable in that and he still looks good.

I won’t give too much away in telling you that the story takes place in limbo and all the inhabitants are people who killed themselves. Now that you know the premise I think it would be worth your while to check it out. Tom Waits is also in Wristcutters and that was fun to watch, though when Tom appeared I had to put the subtitles on so I could decipher what he was saying. I like Tom Waits. My sister was into him first back when he was on Asylum Records, but didn’t quite get his stuff. It wasn’t until I was sharing an apartment with Jimmy Lee that I actually got into him.

That was with Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits first release on Island Records. Tom was producing himself and using various household objects as musical instruments, which definitely got my interest. I remember hanging out with Jimmy Lee and I was moved to tears when the song In The Neighborhood played. Not a terribly sad song but an air of melancholy and day dreaming throughout. Almost mournful horns playing in the background. The bladder moved up to the eyes.

After Swordfishtrombones, came Rain Dogs and that seemed to be a record that everyone I knew had. I saw him on tour for that album, mid-eighties at a theater on Broadway. A celebrity studded audience, we had better seats than David Byrne. A great show, or rather a concert. Tom was a bit theatrical on stage, quite magical actually. I’d love to see him should he tour again but last time he was in New York the tickets were quite pricey. David Byrne pricey.

Walked around Hoboken for a spell this afternoon. Walked up to the Burlington Coat Factory where they just had a grand re-opening. That means they moved a few racks around and added some white paint on top of the depressing battleship gray inside. It was a confusing visit. Almost bought a tie but wound up buying a pair of black jeans for 20.00 since the blue jeans I was wearing had developed a nasty tear right in the crotch.

I walked back home after that, running into a neighbor who has a singing engagement on Tuesday and has a very scratchy throat today. I wished her well, telling her to break a leg. Just watched Waitress which was cute but ultimately sad. Sad because of Adrienne Shelly who was murdered soon after she directed the movie. It’s definitely light fare and would play nicely on Lifetime.

Here are some Hoboken snaps.
Me and my shadow

Someone loves Jim

Spring springing forth