America Through A Bug-Stained Windshield
America Through A Bug-Stained Windshield
Sometimes I wonder how my wife reconciles loving this wandering mess that is me. The unspoken fear of so many artists is the discovery of true love. Not the kind of love that burns hard and fast, but the kind that smolders with no end and wouldn't let you go if you tried. I can't speak for all writers, but I know I speak for many when I say that it is a secret fear amongst us that with this smoldering comes the death of an atomic dream. New love is easy art. In the stirring of discovery poetry grows from seed to sunlight in short blistering days. In the light of the unknown the mystery of another makes anything seem possible. In love we are reborn in a frenzied blaze of hyper existence. In the dissolution of love we are blown to pieces. Some pieces we collect in the fallout of moving on and others we leave behind; thumb tacks on the great maps of our personal histories, showing us all the places that we have been.
Last Friday, in search of something I began to drive. The preceding Wednesday, my band and I flew the old metal bird from Los Angeles to Richmond in the spirit of rallying behind a fallen friend. I have known illness, as most of us have, and sitting in a hospital room with a sick man's family is to know love. Not blistering love but real love. We spent two nights playing music and drinking, visiting on porches and watching nights turn to mornings, always reminded by the wages life can take from us in the moments we don't expect. In those days we couldn't stand to be alone, as if we were clinging to each other and the blessing of these long nights that we sadly could not share with our imprisoned friend. In the heat of a Virginia morning, on the heels of these sleepless visits, I rented a car and began my travel; one that would eventually lead me to this hotel room in the California/Nevada mountains from where I am now writing you.
What I ended up finding was a vision of America that I always knew existed, but never truly opened my eyes to. We live in a time so confused by the messages fed to us by our television sets and computer screens, that we so often lose sight of what is real. We live in a nation divided by our allegiances to politicians who often care nothing for us as individuals unless we've lined their pockets and bought the advertisements that lead to their election. Still though, for all our differences, we are simply people and the thread running through all of us is so very much the same. Where we are raised and what we see as children inform our futures in ways that leave some of us so lucky and others so wounded. The things we are told and the things we see as we're pulled from the ground like flowers, broken and beautiful, are so often are the things we become. Still what most of us seem to be searching for is love; this complex connection to another strange traveler. A wind that wakes us in the gloaming as the sun fades behind the hills and reminds us that some nights aren't meant to be slept through. To know another is to know a universe of others, and as I smolder here alone the words could not leave my fingertips fast enough. Sometimes a soul must wander to truly know it is home.
Whole Albums that pulled me through this great land:
(and yes, you'll recognize many of these as my old favorites)
Graceland- Paul Simon
Prairie Wind- Neil Young
Alphabetical-Phoenix
August and Everything After- Counting Crows
North Hills-Dawes
Low Vs Diamond-Low Vs Diamond
Far- Regina Spektor
Ooohs and Aahs-Say Hi
Steel Train- Steel Train
Wildflowers-Tom Petty
Miike Snow-Miike Snow
Greatest Hits-Neil Young
Anthology- Through the Years- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Great songs for the road mix:
I can see the pines are dancing- A.A. Bondy
Bruises-Chairlift
La vie en rose- Edith Piaf
Rocket Man-Elton John
Dreams-Fleetwood Mac
That's Some Dream-Good Old War
You Give Me Something- James Morrison
Stop This Train-John Mayer
The Boxer-Simon and Garfunkel
America-Simon and Garfunkel
Homeward Bound-Simon and Garfunkel
VCR-The XX
The High Road-Broken Bells
My Love- Erland and the Family
Blood-The Middle East
Young Bride-Midlake
Strong Enough-Sheryl Crow
Hey Jealousy- Gin Blossoms
Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)- Lissie
Tonight Tonight (Pumpkins Cover)-Passion Pit
Answer to Yourself- The Soft Pack
I saw the Light- Todd Rundgren
Fair Play- Van Morrison
Just Like Heaven- The Cure
Every Time I leave (I leave For Good)-Dave Smallen
Carolann- Dave Smallen
Over and Over- OAR (demo for upcoming album)
Into the Mirror- Minus the Bear
Currents-Treaty Of Paris
I Think Your a Contra- Vampire Weekend
Airplanes-B.O.B
Tthis means so much to me.I really love Jack's world.
Be sure to pay a visit to my dedicated fan blog brûleur de graisse i put all the tours date and pics i collect.
Cheers.
Tthis means so much to me.I really love Jack's world.
Be sure to pay a visit to my dedicated fan blog bruleur de graisse i put all the tours date and pics i collect.
Cheers.
So actually those nights in the hospital inspired you like that? This is absolutely great ! I once had the same revelation because of a doctor, Dr Shahram Salemy! I really don't understand how can a doctor or a hospital be our muse, but I was really satisfied about the piece, and I am sure you are about yours. Hospitals can really mark us, especially if we live life or death situations.
If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, i am nothing..
Loved the first paragraph. beautiful :)
I think I should start of book of Andrew McMahon quotes, and with Andrew's permission, publish it. Andy, you are a poet and you are just as powerful with a pen as you are with a piano. Amazing. And by the way, your playlist for the road is rockin'! I'm officially burning a cd for my car. I just heard the "Over and Over" by O.A.R., and I'll be honest, I think you should do a cover for it. With all due respect to O.A.R., you blow them outta the water.
Seriously, one of a kind. and no matter what song i listen to, i know that i can automatically feel better just by listening to your music. the jack's mannequin concert in august last year in vancouver was definitely the best i've ever seen... and it got me through quite the rough year of my best friend dying from lymphoma. songs like dear jack, diane the skyscraper and there there katie, all got me through my own experiences in the hospital, and helped him through his. it is my dream to meet you, just once, and talk to you about all you've been through. you are such an inspiration to me, seriously, and always will be. thank goodness for jack's mannequin and something corporate, thats pretty much all i can say. so thank you
"Still what most of us seem to be searching for is love; this complex connection to another strange traveler." I definitely agree with you Andrew. People are empty without love. Actually love gives us the essence to live.
Truly, brewmariannie@ basic scrubs| colored lab coats|
Happy birthdayyy! So... 28? Very cool :) I know I'm wishing you a happy birthday a tidbit early, but I'm currently in Spain , so technically, your birthday has already happened here! Woohoo! Have a great one, and make it count. Still a top fan, and let's see if I can get some people in Granada to fall in love with Jack's Mannequin ;) Shouldn't be hard!
Sincerely,
Janelle
Hi Andrew, I just joined the site and I love the blog! I've been a fan since the Glass Passenger came out. I used to go on long, wandering walks for hours around the city every night in those days, and the Glass Passenger kept me company. Those are some of my fondest memories. And of course, after that I discovered Something Corporate and the rest of your work, and loved it all.
Now, I'm older and I have a fiancee and a career and such, but I have a problem. I'm getting married next April, and my fiancee and I have decided that we want "Annie Use Your Telescope" to be her wedding march. But since it's a wedding march, we thought it would be better without the vocals, just the instrumentals, you know? Because they're beautiful, and I can just picture her walking out right when the music swells! It would be amazing!
The problem with that is that I've spent weeks trying to figure out a way to remove vocals from a song. Apparently it's pretty close to impossible. But I don't want to give up on this, because it would be beautiful, and because it would be another treasured memory with a Jack's Mannequin soundtrack.
So I was thinking of another way to approach the problem, and I realized that if anyone has access to a track of just the music in this song, it's the creator! I know that this is probably weird, and you might not read it at all, and maybe you actually don't have any way to get the instrumental track. But at least I'll have tried. I already love your work and respect the hell out of you, but if you can help me out with this you'll be my hero forever, man. Seriously I would tell my grandchildren how one of my favorite artists ever helped make my wedding perfect. So i figure its your site, I'm sure you can contact me if you decide to help me out. Please think about it. Thank you!
Chance
Moving and powerful! Youve certainly got a way of reaching people that I havent seen very often. If most people wrote about this subject with the eloquence that you just did, Im sure people would do much more than just read, theyd act. Great stuff here. Please keep it up.
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Andrew, you're all soul. Your entire perspective of life is not just an artist's, but a poet's and a romantic's. We're lucky that you have the ability to express it in writing, so we can catch a glimpse of the world painted in colours no ordinary eyesight can percieve.
Thank you for this nice article......
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Thank you for writing that first paragraph because I have been wanting to ask you that question for 8 years now. I don't know why, but it has always intrigued me to know an artist's perspective.
Thank you for another amazing concert last night in Minneapolis, and for taking the time to reminisce about when you broke your ankle or foot (I don't think I ever found out) at Warped Tour in Denver..that was the first time I saw Something Corporate and I was amazed by your performance. Your music won me over way before the show but your performance stood out from any band I've ever seen.
..And again, thank you for another picture. It puts a smile on my face to know you still come out after shows after all these years...(side note: seriously, where has the time gone?)
If you end up reading this, please tell Brian and Clutch thank you for chatting as well.
I visit your blog for first time. I found very interesting stuff for me to visit you very often. Thanks for sharing this interesting stuff.
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Hey, Andrew!
I absolutely loved your blog post. Some of your statements were so insightful. It is so refreshing to hear the leader of a band post something like this; you are sincere and true to yourself where most are more concerned with their public image instead. I know that what you said about love is true for me - that most of us search for it, that "some nights aren't meant to be slept through". I tire of my search, but as one of the other fans posted, just because love is not fulfilled, its strength does not diminish. Thank you for your music. It is truly inspirational to me as a life-long pianist myself and keep it coming! Hope to see you in Philly sooner rather than later! :)
Scott P
I'm really glad you posted this because I was at that concert on Thursday night, a gift given to me from my brother, and last Friday I caught up on this blog. I was so inspired by Dear Jack, your music and your writing that I started to write in a journal every night. I also took up piano again when my brother introduced me to Dark Blue, one that you played on Thursday. You have truly been an inspiration that has impacted me to not only express emotion through music and writing but to keep a positive outlook. Thank you!
Hey Andrew!
Its great to find your status! I hope you and you band are enjoying the life to its fullest!
This was a great list that you have displayed on this post!
Regards,
momo
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