Sun Kil Moon: Linda Blair – újabb dal Mark Kozelektől az új album és a budapesti koncert elé

A kilencvenes évekbeli Red House Painters alternatív rock/slowcore kvartett kötetlen felállású utódzenekaraként az ezredfordulón indult Sun Kil Moon diszkográfiájában az eddigi legnagyobb publicitást kapó 2014-es, 2015-ös és 2017-es sorlemezek (no meg a Godflesh/Jesu-frontember Justin Broadrickkal közös Jesu/Sun Kil Moon és 30 Seconds To The Decline Of Planet Earth című 2016/2017-es duóalbumok) után érkező This Is My Dinner című új anyag egy része a tavaly novemberi európai turnén íródott, ahol Kozelek több szerzeményt azon melegében be is mutatott koncertközönségének. A 2017. november 16-án Varsóban debütált Linda Blair című 12 perces dalban például nyitásként arról mesél, hogy mikor az előző turnéállomásról, a norvégiai Oslóból a lengyel fővárosba repült, a gépen mögötte utazó csaj csúnya köhögéséről a Sátán által megszállt kislány hörgése jutott eszébe Az ördögűző című 1973-as horrorklasszikusból (a gyerekszerepet a filmben Linda Blair színésznő játszotta, innen a dalcím).

Kozelek a folytatásban bevallja, hogy bár lengyel származású (a családjának neve eredetileg Koziołek volt), nem sokat tud Lengyelországról, a helyi hírességek közül sem jut eszébe más, mint egy nehézsúlyú bokszoló, az egyszer még Mike Tysontól is kikapó Andrew Golota (Andrzej Gołota). Párszor már járt Lengyelországban, például a Jesu/Sun Kil Moon projekttel egy varsói metálfesztiválon, vagy szólóban a katowicei OFF-on, ahol megállapította, hogy a lengyel vidék eléggé hasonlít a szülőföldjére, Ohióra. A dal vége a szeretet fontossága körül forog, és Kozelek felidézi néhány kedvenc számát Neil Youngtól, az AC/DC-től, a ZZ Toptól, a Queentől és a Led Zeppelintől, legvégül pedig egy saját szerzeményét is.

a dal tavaly novemberi élő ősbemutatója Lengyelország fővárosában, Varsóban:

Seat 2C, Oslo to Warsaw, Norwegian Air
It’s 9 o’clock in the morning and I’m yawning
Next to a perky young girl with beautiful long blonde hair
She’s playing a game on her phone and chewing on her Danish
The girl behind me has a demonic cough
She sounds like Linda Blair in The Exorcist
“Blaaaaagh! Blaaaaagh! Blaaaaagh! Blaaaaagh! Blaaaaagh! Blaaaaagh!”
I hope it’s just a common cold and nothing serious
If she’s got a serious medical condition, I hope the lord blesses her

Last time I played Warsaw, I was with Justin from Godflesh
I couldn’t pronounce the name of the town or the venue
But we headlined a metal fest
The names of the other bands I didn’t know
But I do remember the aggressive sound of their names
Cryptdeath Cult Kill Baby Motherfuck Lord Kill Dogs Decapitated
“We’re a very scary band, raaagh! We’re a very scary band, raaagh!
We’re a very scary band, raaagh! We have sleeve tattoos and neck tattoos
And we’re a very, raaagh! scary band”

I don’t know much about Poland, other than Andrew Golota’s boxing style
He held his left jab out like a kitten trying to paw a bare sheet out to dry
Making his glass chin a very easy target to find
He quit after round two of Mike Tyson
He was on his ass, his old eyes all bulging with fright
And Lennox Lewis dropped him in round one
He looked like a scared kid being knocked on his ass by his daddy
When his daddy came home drunk
But I have a soft spot for Andrew because the great fighters, he never dodged
And I thought it was mean how his fans pelted him with garbage
On his walkout after he lost to Mike Tyson

Facing Tyson was a very brave thing to do, though he was overmatched
I found the audience’s behavior after the fight disgraceful and rude
No matter the flaws in local fighters, show them love and support
Take the high road towards Andrew Golota, be a good sport
And that Tyson fight, Golota’s brains might have become unglued
To be honest, I don’t have a clue
But those people who throwing things at him on his way out
Were despicable and bullying and its worst
He was fighting Mike Tyson and representing your country
And his fans added humiliation and more hurt to his hurt

And yeah, when Lennox dropped him in round one
I felt an even stronger connection with Andrew Golota
He went out there so determined, but like a lamb he got slaughtered
His weakness was that awkward footwork and that clumsy lead left
And those stupid little bulls, Tourettic bull
A legendary, he was just simply overmatched
He is imperfect, as we all are
Let’s face it, we’re all scared little girls and boys
So everyone right now, for Andrew Golota, make some fucking noise
So everybody right now, for Andrew Golota, make some fucking noise
So everybody right now, for Andrew Golota, make some fucking noise

Other than Golota, I don’t know much about Poland
I guess my ancestry is here, and I guess that’s saying something
I gotta admit, I never looked too deeply into it
Well this is the truth, before my name became Kozelek it was actually Koziołek
One time I played the OFF Festival in the summer, I played a seated venue
And a woman cooked for me Italian food and it was wonderful
And I’ve been to Italy more times than I can ever count
And that Polish woman cooked the best Italian meal I ever had
And that’s no fucking joke

Then I shared a taxi to the airport with Owen Ashworth and the band Wire
I said, “Owen, did you ever notice how Poland looks like Ohio?”
He said, “Yeah, it does” and that’s all he said
Owen Ashworth is a great songwriter from Chicago, Illinois if you never heard of him
Now everyone should show gratitude for all the beautiful things in this world
There are cornfields along the road and the meals the kind people cook for us
There are bands who come to our countries who play beautiful music for us
There are fans who come to our shows and pay money to listen to us

We’re in this life once, so let’s absorb what’s around it
And not make a fuss over the little things
We may live to be old or tomorrow we might get hit by a bus
I got a lot of love for all people
I got a lot of love, I got a lot of love, I got a lot of love
I got a lot of love for the imperfect low-blowing Andrew Golota
I got a lot of love for you, all you in Warsaw
If I had to be honest, there’s only one thing that I don’t love at all
It’s the music of Steely Dan, it makes my fucking skin crawl
Well if I had to be honest, there’s also one other thing that I don’t love at all
It’s the music of the fucking Eagles
That makes me wanna put my fist through the fucking wall

Now let’s sing about the songs we love very much
AC/DC’s “A Touch Too Much”
Now let’s sing about the songs we love very much
Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and “After the Gold Rush”
Now let’s sing a song that I, we all know and love very, very much
ZZ Top, “I Ain’t Asking For Much”
Now let’s sing a song by Queen, that I love very much
“I just need somebody to love, find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love, find me somebody to love, find me somebody to–”
Now let’s sing a song that everybody loves by Led Zeppelin
“A whole lotta love, got a lotta love, got a whole lotta love
I got a lotta love, I got a whole lotta love, baby, baby
Got a whole lotta love, ooh baby, baby, got a whole lotta love
Got a whole lotta love, ooh baby, baby, got a whole lotta love
Got a whole lotta love, baby, baby, got a whole lotta love
I got a whole lotta love, baby, baby, baby, got a whole lotta love”

Now we’re gonna sing one of my songs that I know you all love
It’s from my album Benji, it’s from my mom
And it’s called “I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love”

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az új Sun Kil Moon-albumra szintén felkerülő This Is Not Possible című dal berlini ősbemutatója tavaly novemberből:

If you’re traveling with the band and you get to Frankfurt
And there’s an icy feeling there and your feelings can get hurt
We got to the venue and asked, “Is there any equipment in here?”
They said, “No, this is not possible”
We said, “Well, it’s cold outside and it’s raining cats and dogs
Can we at least come inside and eat a Frankfurter hot dog?
Is this at all remotely plausible?”
They said to us, “No, this is not possible”
We said, “Well, we need to practice, and if you’ve just met
We need to get to know each other, and it’s cold outside and wet”
Then they said, “Hey, we’re not your promoters, he’s on vacation
I’m a bartender, he’s a bouncer in the merch trail
Let’s stop at the train station”
We said, “We can roll with this
But can you please be the slightliest bit hospitable?”
They said, “What do you mean, ‘roll with this’?
Are you from California, dude?”
We said, “No, we were just wondering
If you could be slightly more affable?”
And they said, “No, this is not possible”
I said, “Fuck you guys, this has been a waste”
And I headed out of that dreary-ass place

But may I suggest a place when you’re jet-lagged as hell?
It’s twenty minutes outside of Frankfurt
It’s called the Romantik Hotel Schloss Rettershof
The Romantik Hotel Schloss Rettershof, in Schloss Rettershof
There are goats and sheeps and horses outside
And the lady at the desk is very polite
We said, “We know we’re here early but can we possibly
Get into our rooms early, if it’s not too troubling?”
And she said, “Yes, this is possible”
We went to lunch and the waiter brings three type of salts
And he politely and eloquently describes them all
I said, “Can I possible get a decaffeinated coffee with cream?”
He said, “Americano or espresso or latte, what do you mean?”
I said, “No, I just mean a decaffeinated coffee with cream”
And he said, “Yes, this is possible”
I went to bed, and I slept past 9 PM
The front desk said, “Sorry, you missed your dinner, sleepy man”
I said, “I traveled a long way from the USA
Could you check with your kitchen and see what they say?”
The kitchen guy came out and said, “I remember you from earlier
You’re the guy who likes the tagliatelle”
I said, “Yeah, that’s me, I liked the tagliatelle
May I please order it again?”
The chef said, “Yes, this is possible”

I woke up two hours late and my band members sounded mildly hostile
I said, “I know we gotta get to the road to Holland
But I’m hungry, do you mind if I eat as quick as possible?”
They said, “Sure, but we’re late, but your request is totally reasonable”
So they said, “Mark, yes this is possible”
I asked a waiter, “Can I please get a glass of water?”
And he said, “Perhaps a sparkling or a still in a large glass bottle?”
I said, “Sparkling please, if it’s not too much trouble”
And he said, “Of course not, yes this is possible”
And when we arrived in Utrecht, the hotel was delightful
Not like the one in Frankfurt, a fucking youth hostel
I said, “Can I please get a few extra blankets, maybe a pillow?”
And the Dutch woman said, “Yes, this is possible”
And late at night we went on a hunt for food
The place had many things to choose from
Burgers and shawarmas and falafels
I said, “Can I possibly get fries and a falafel?”
And the man said, “Yes, this is possible”
And then after I ate my falafel my stomach felt awful
I asked the lady at the front desk if she had some Pepto-Bismol
She said, “We have the Dutch version and it tastes very awful”
I said, “Can I have some, please?”
And she said, “Yes, this is possible”
As they say, “When in Holland, do the Dutch”
So I went to the whorehouse to feel a woman’s touch
I said, “Can I buy your time for an hour, if it’s not too much trouble?”
And she said, “Yes, this is possible”
But in the city of Rettershof right outside of Frankfurt

So the moral of the story is that in the country of Holland
Whatever they ask for, they say “Yes, it’s possible”
But in the city of Frankfurt, they say “This is not possible”
But in the city of Rettershof right outside of Frankfurt
There is a peaceful hotel that is amiable and comfortable
I recommend it highly, take your girlfriend there for a week
It’s dreamlike and magical and serene and quaint
Now if Germany calls and says “Hey, would you like to play a festival?”
I’d say, “Sure, if you could put my band in the Romantik Hotel”
But if Germany says, “This is not possible”
I’m gonna say, “Fuck you guys, this is not possible”
But if they ask me to see if I want to play in Berlin again
I’ll say, “Yes, this is possible”
Is it possible that Berlin is my favorite Lou Reed album?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that the band Berlin wrote a song called “Sex”
That gave me a raging boner when I was 18?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that my favorite meal is chicken and waffles?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that my favorite Jonathan Richman song is called “Hospital”?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that my favorite movie is Mission: Impossible?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that J.D. Salinger wrote my very favorite novel?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that I’m having a good time, singing for you in Berlin tonight?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that this is going to be on YouTube, three hours from now?
Yes, this is possible
Is it possible that despite all the negative press on me
I’m actually a very nice guy?
Yes, this is possible

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az album két további dala szintén a tavaly novemberi európai turnéról, rosszabb minőségű felvéten: a Soap For Joyful Hands. . .

. . .és a címadó This Is My Dinner, melyet Kozelek az oslói ősbemutató előtti éjszakán írt a hotelben:

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a lemez borítója és számlistája:

Sun Kil Moon: This Is My Dinner (2018)

This Is Not Possible
This Is My Dinner
Linda Blair
Copenhagen
Candles
David Cassidy
Come On Get Happy (The Partridge Family-feldolgozás)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer (AC/DC-feldolgozás)
Soap For Joyful Hands
Chapter 87 Of He

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A múlt héten megérkezett a számlista és a borító Kozelek következő albumához is, mely az utolsó David Bowie-lemezek dzsessz-szaxofonosával és a Dirty Three ausztrál instrumentális rockzenekar dobosával közösen készült idén február és augusztus között San Franciscóban, és a tervek szerint 2019. március 2-án jelenik meg hármuk neve alatt.

Mark Kozelek with Donny McCaslin and Jim White (2019)

Coyote
Day In America
L-48
Couch Potato
Cows
I’m Not Laughing At You
Bay Of Kotor