Todd Snider Road Journal: Volume 1, January 2003
Yesterday’s News
“me and my friends used to listen to you in high school”
said the southwest airlines girl as I handed over all my shit.
And that’s how I started my trip to Hollywood
yesterdays news.
I am now sitting in the back aisle seat of a southwest airlines airplane on my way to sing on the craig
kilborne show. Beer run.
I have taj mahal on my head phones.
I’m writing my first letter to the web page in a little green notebook as we rumble and take off.
Television.
For me television has always been touch and go…
that gac debacle was an embarrassment to my entire family and community…
there have been others but I cant recall¹em specifically…
I vaguely remember talking to luke duke of hazard but that coulda been a dream oh well… here comes
the drink cart…
(pause)
ok, now im in room 938 at the top of the Roosevelt inn on hollywood blvd…
I have an excellent view of the city…
rhett miller was in town at some club last night…..
damn…. tonight there’s nothing…
i’m gonna call home and go to sleep…. (second pause)
now I’m in the CBS green room with my publicity guy Jim Walsh and my tour manager Sam Knight were
watching tv and drinking the free Heinekins in the fridge…
theres a bigger green room where the crew and other guests are hanging out but were shy and nervous…
it really is harder to remember all the words to one song than it is to remember a whole shows worth…
i cant make my head stop going over them…..
fuck craig kilborn
fuck that kangaroo chick
and fuck that Dallas mavericks guy
fuck the camera man and fuck the weather man
fuck the government and fuck the police
fuck everybody that was ever mean to me
fuck everybody that was ever nice to me
fuck everybody and everything fuck this
fuck me
fuck you
ok… now I feel better …
what’s the big deal?… it’s beer run…
and don’t get me wrong… I actually like all those people I just mentioned its just that sometimes I cant
do anything until I say fuck everything…
its like a superstition. Now that I feel better I think I’m going to go over to the big green room And see if
I can grift a few free Dallas mavericks tickets.(pause)
(un pause one hour later) well that didn’t take long…
i walked out during the commercial…
the crowd was yelling at me…
…it was the first time I saw Craig Kilborn he nodded and smiled I yelled “thanks” over to him…(for
having me on).
the crowd was still yelling and standing and then some one yelled “were back” over a bull horn…
craig yelled some shit, then turned and looked at me…
I figured it meant go…
Now I’m back in the green room …
From here we’re going over to bob mercers house.
The plan is to listen to van Morrison.