I went to the Bill Callahan / Sir Richard Bishop show at The Echoplex in Echo Park, CA on Friday, October 5, 2007.
Here is my review:
The concert-goers were all adults. It was refreshing for me. I came in on the last song of Sir Richard Bishop. What the fuck? That sucked. Seeing him live is a good journey. He sounded awesome. People were saying, however, that he told a horrible joke, pulled a comedy routine and it wasn't any good. That actually was residual Sun City Girls behavior.
Someone kept shouting, "Chosen One!" Really? You're an ass. But I can't decide if it would've been worse if the fellow was shouting, "Star Wars!" Bill was good about it. As the show began to wrap up he finally replied, "Not tonight. I mean no insult." Or some kind of, "I'm not saying you're an idiot in front of all these people but somebody's got to shut you up, you idiot, and since you think I'm really going to consider your cat call, I'll have to tell you, 'No. Shut up.' But all nice-like because I'm wearing a suit."
I was tired. He was great. He played beautiful music. But it was a sit down show. It was. When music is performed that's better to intellectually consider rather than rock out to, it's better if you're sitting down because nothing is moving you. Rather, nothing is holding you up. Your mind's just wandering along with the songs. Better also if it's a Friday night and you're just tired. But I was able to sit at the end. Found an ottoman in the back. I literally lied down. And like I was saying, this was bliss. The venue has speakers all over so you can enjoy from any spot.
Then I really heard him and he was great. He really made me smile and gave me hope with his poetry. I love that with so little orchestration and so little traditional construction, you can really feel like you're witnessing a life in art. He's also a character. Facial expressions that made him look like the words were being pinched out from all over his face. It made me think of listening to Nashville Skyline for the first time. "Why're you doing that? I think I like it." When you hear him sing on the record, it doesn't sound like that's what's happening. When you see it live, you want to love him. And think, "Is that because of Joanna?" When I would see him in the early '90s and it was Cindy Doll, I kinda just remember a guy that I wished were my boyfriend but since I was no Cindy Doll, that would never happen. Ah...the esteem of our 20s. But I don't remember facial mechanations. And then I missed my early '90s boyfriend.
Friends that I met at the show said he looks like he got a little botox. You know...they were actually right. They said it's very popular with the indie crowd now. I thought that was really funny.
The indie-lovers were a little annoying. The couples just bugged. So much tender touching. Uh. No. I totally don't want to see that. It makes you think about the indie-penis of that guy, and you just don't want to. "Look at me. I'm so deep, loving my alt-signifgant other at the Bill Callahan / Sir Richard Bishop show. I work at a record label."
Love,
L
