Dennis Hollingsworth

What More Can I Say?

Back home after a night out, I don the ear buds and crack open the laptop.

Tonight Kiko asked me if I painted while I was drunk. That's not an easy question, replying either yes or no is misleading. Plus, a straight answer leads to a lot of personal indulgement... er, divulgement, and you don't want to experience that. People like ambition but they don't want to see you break a sweat. Don't worry, you won't see the butt ugly here, too much of life misses this blog to let you see me get all sweaty. Like i said, this isn't transparency, no matter how it looks.

I wrote the last blogpost as if my head was packed with cotton, sleeping most of the days since the return from Z?rich to get back into that old place, head space again. Normality is a major feat, not to be taken granted.

But I'm a little drunk right now, yes... that's right. And I am writing this with my senses altered. Yep. Drunk. It's four thirty in the morning, we've had a nice evening with Kiko. We took him and Terese to dinner to say thanks for looking after our dog Juno.

Soon the morning will break and the last few minutes of the late evening, early morning are best spent flashing down these words... what the hell, huh? A semblance of real life for you.

Steve Earl: "John Wesley Harding lost his roll shootin dice..."
Steve Tyrell, "The Way You Look Tonight"
Steeley Dan: "Home at Last"

"...Could it be that I have found my home at last?

Home at last..."

But the real deal on the "do you paint whilst inebriated" question is that my work is alla prima, to paint within the drying time of paint. So, my work is accomplished in the several mental states I happen to experience in the time I am painting. Which is everything.

Take this moment for instance. Several whiskeys and wine. And I type this here blog just fine, thankyouverymuch. We went to El Pirata first after the restaurant. And whoops, I'm a little tipsey! Cuff me, Dan-O.

Moroccan Spirit" "Music For 1001 Nights - Outro"
Dionne Warwick: "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?"
James Brown: "Lowdown Popcorn"

At El Pirata, Pepa, the wife of the family who owns the bar was dancing to CD's the pretty Slovakian girl was spinning behind the bar. Xerlo is there, he's a stately figure, a solid chunk of Catalan manhood. T-shirt and jeans, he's older than I, still vital. In a good way. Tanned, wearing glasses... his hair longish and cut perfectly. He and Kiko are planning to sail to nearby islands next summer, talk of getting thier licenses to sail across the Mediterranean. Who knows what would happen?

We clinked glasses and promised we would do it. (Fingers were crossed the whole time.) Visions of the Raft of the Medusa flashed to my inner eye.

V. Menuett: "Suite No. 2 in D Minor, S. 1008 -"
James Brown: "The Popcorn"

Glasses of NO CAN DO's... whiskey. Ice.
Pepa was dancing in the doorway, Teresa is clapping.... it's wonderful here that they get into the music and become part of it, bodily . The August summer moon hangin' over Codolar. The sea is cloudless, the moonlinght painting Nacho's road over the sea. Hips had started to rotate. Kiko gets up and dances with Pepa. They know the words. I nurse my drink. Kiko orders more, accomodating me by pouring my whiskey into his and Xerlo's.

James Taylor: "Walking Man"
"Ah but who would want to listen to you, kissing his existence goodnight..."
"any man stops and talks... but not the walkin' man..."

Ibrahim Ferrer: "Herido De Sombras"

It's almost five in the morning, and I can't think of anything better than to scribe a few lines to my pals so far away. Cheers to you guys in Hop Louie. Cheers to the guys in Z?rich. Kiko was nice enough to let us get away, playfully buying us the next drink: "Let us talk about going to Tu Rai after this drink.", glasses clink, brindis. Stephanie and I had to draw the line. No discos tonight. So we stumble home, Juno all beside herself when we arrive.

Tony Fernandez: "Sweethearts on Parade"
"...and now I find, as they pass me by, I will never be a sweetheart on parade..."
The Lightning Seeds: "You Showed Me"
Tim Eriksen: "Am I Born To Die?"
Tom Sachs: ""Japanesmo"

(If you haven't figured it out yet, music I am listening to here in my iTunes music and listing the songs for you as they play in random order, for what it's worth to you)

I turn up the volume when the Japanese girls sing.

We had a great time in Z?richland. I would like to live there. I like the people.

Stevie Wonder: "Visions'
"...would I live to see the milk and honey land where hate is a dream and love forever stands... or is this the vision in my mind?"

"...I'm no one who make believes, I know that leaves are green... they only turn to brown when autumn goes around... I know just what I say, today's not yesterday and things have an ending...."

As the earth spins and my head spins and the edge of twilight moves West towards the Pacific, here we are in Spain, thinking back to our life in California. We kind of miss it (Cali), and despite this feelling, we are building something new here... and we would miss this life here too, if we would leave... but no worries.

We are moderns now, we can do more with less.

Luscious Jackson: "Soothe Yourself"
The Soggy Bottom Boys: "In The Jailhouse Now"
Bebe: "07-El golpe"
India.Arie: "Simple"

"...it's oftly different without you, don't get around much anymore...."