I've been E and T again---I seem to be away quite a bit. We went to Athens, GA for the weekend to see my beloved musical hero, Van Dyke Parks, play at a music festival there. It was a great new venue, and we went with my best friend and Van Dyke's nephew, who is also a dear friend.
This was the end of the very first tour he's ever done. When we saw him in Ohio, he seemed very tired and hadn't hit his stride performing live yet, but the Athens show was fantastic.
I also highly recommend the group he's been touring with: CLARE AND THE REASONS. Fun, unusual music performed by talented musicians, most who live in Brooklyn. Very nice people, too!
We spent several hours with Van Dyke afterwards; he was in rare form and very funny!