

The first time I saw Cat Power was back in….I guess it was 1998 or 1999. Sometime in there. It was at a small club in the Meatpacking District. I believe it was called, The Cooler (sorry, I’m multitasking and don’t feel like looking shit up right now). If memory serves, Chan Marshall was opening for John Fahey. I hadn’t heard of either of them, but my “in the know” friend, Brian, convinced me to go. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember a lot from that night (substances may have been abused). I do remember this — Chan Marshall was crazy and I loved her voice. She stood on one foot while playing guitar and twirled the other foot around in circles. John Fahey was also beautifully crazy. Brian and I left before the show ended, because Fahey wouldn’t stop playing. It felt like hours had gone by and I’m pretty sure he was only playing one song the whole time. Oh, and I also remember that Thurston Moore was at the club that night. Not playing, just watching. I’ve seen Cat Power a bunch since. I still love her music, but after the last show I went to (2006 – Knitting Factory – LA), I vowed never to go to another live show. I wasn’t a fan of her whole, keeping-the-lights-off-forgetting-the-lyrics-to-my-own-songs shtick. I hear she’s sobered up now and puts on a better show, but I don’t know…I make myself a promise, I try to stick to it. I never had another opportunity to see John Fahey. Sadly, he died a few years after the show at The Cooler. I have, however, found a lot of amazing “raw music” through his record label, Revenant. Thurston Moore…I still think he’s great. I’ve never seen him play live, but I’d like to. I recently needed to make space in my tiny apartment, so I threw away a bunch of old tapes. It was a particularly sad day when I threw away my Sonic Youth tape, Dirty.
Cat Power – Nude As The News
Cat Power – Cross Bones Style
John Fahey – Gamelan Guitar
John Fahey – Sunflower River Blues
John Fahey – Requiem for Molly (Part 3)
Sonic Youth – Drunken Butterfly
Sonic Youth – 100%

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