Sunday, 13 September 2015

HUMAN WRECKAGE

A Letter to a Friend Who Lives Around the Corner (and Has Netflix)

Dear Derek,

Hey, how are you? It’s been a while. Don’t believe we’ve seen you since July (possibly the 26th – Mick Jagger’s birthday), just a few days before we left for Prince Edward Island and long before you headed off for to Quebec’s Laurentians for a couple of weeks. Hope you had a great trip. Here we are almost mid-way through September. I suspect you’re up to your eyeballs at the university.

Last time we spoke you said you had treated yourself to three new Dylan albums because you felt he was under represented in your collection. The reason I mention that is because I had a dream about Dylan last night although I can only remember a fragment: I was with him and he was making ‘fluffy pineapple ice cream.’ Not sure what that means, but, hey, you’re the psychologist, not me. Oh, and he was bare-chested, but wore a black top hat, one of those squashed, hourglass-shaped ones, not a stovepipe.

Was it early June when we dropped by your place unannounced just to say hello and drink your beer? I remember listening to your fabulous Exile-centric Stones iPod mix as you extolled the virtues and convenience of your recent Netflix subscription. A special box or something, wasn’t it? Or did you just need one of those HMV thingys connecting your Commodore 64 to your Sony Trinitron? It all sounded complicated; I require no less than two remotes to turn our set on to watch sports.

I’m mentioning this because last Friday I received an e-mail from Keith Richards. Cool, eh? We’re like this, mates for life, like. Crosseyed Heart, his first solo album in something like two decades, will be in stores next Friday, September 18. Bit of an event for me – as you may well guess. On the same date Keith Richards: Under the Influence, a documentary about his musical life, will debut on, get this, Netflix. Imagine that. However, I’m unsure of the broadcast time. Maybe eight o’clock?

In closing, just a short note to let you know we’ve been thinking about the two of you, wondering how you’re doing. We would love to get together soon, perhaps toward the end of the week? I know people’s schedules and commitments can get goofy, especially with the fall semester underway; you don’t have to tell me. Just glanced at our calendar and it appears we’re wide open this coming Friday, the 18th. Seems like a perfect opportunity for all of us to catch up, have a laugh or two in front of your TV.

Trust this missive finds you well. Desperately hoping to see you soon, really, really soon.

Cheers,

meGeoff

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