The godfather/grandfather of sadcore has officially
left the 'underground music scene' with which he has been affiliated
for the last thirteen or so yrs. Perhaps that explains the packed
house tonight. "As Mark tunes his guitar, you can hear a
pin drop." And so he jokes. Mark Eitzel is performing
tonight as part of San Francisco's seventh annual Solo Mio festival
at the Cowell Theatre in Fort Mason. "Solo Mio -does that
mean masturbation in Spanish?" -- another aside from Mr. E.
From my vantage point, it appears that a large painting of Red
Skelton as Freddie the Freeloader is on an easel, sharing a stage
with Mark. What's with this clown thing, I'm wondering, but Mark
is rocking back and forth as he performs Everything is Beautiful
from 60 Watt Silver Lining. Austere in its moodiness, the
song is building to an almost palpable climax. And the audience's
reverence, concentration, adoration is so incredibly intense.
So intense…and this is only two songs into the show....
the train, boss, the train....what is this
sitting and waiting? Not in nyc, to be sure. shd i disembark at
powell or civic center? the 19 bus? for god's sake, what time
is it?…looks like 7:41 p.m., great. but it is a full, gorgeous
moon....
Report for the fashion conscious - Mr. Eitzel is
splendidly clad in one the season's color combinations..blue and
brown; a rich Guilden's Mustard shade for the jacket, brown for
the trousers. His pate is covered with a light brown porkpie (Eitzel
watchers will recognize that this is a new chapeau). Mark, in fact,
is so proud of his ensemble that he shares a yarn relating to
the purchase of his shirt. "I'm a singer, songwriter and -- storyteller." He postures, as he leans back in the rickety
chair in which he is seated. Some have termed him as sexy, others
say smoldering. Tonight, he is, however, the sexydorkyshyboy....He
doffs his jacket.
elevated btwn colma and daly city, BART finally
becomes rapid transport and i'm assimilating suburban san francisco.
civic center will get me to fort mason quickest, and a cab
may just be in order.
Gorgeous chord structure....it's The World
Is Held Together (Gena Rowlands' Hair)....but then suddenly
aborted. Some blather about advice, audience and cabbages…Instead
of resuming what he started (an Eitzel hallmark), he switches
into Saved. As he has recently commented that not only
is this song about a previous lover who admired Streisand, but
also that he didn't particularly like this song any longer, it's
a curious choice. But wait….he has changed the tense -- "your
warm embraces thrilled me." That's one way to recycle
a song. Then another story, that story, yes, of course, it's Cleopatra
Jones. "I'm an exile, and I've got no class" -- yeah,
Mark, and we love you for it. Despite wavering vocals and tuning
problems, Eitzel seems relatively focused, composed and warm.
up the stairs, on to market and 7th.
hmmmmmm…..this is...uh...erm...the CITY. winos, street people,
trash...urban squalor that puts comparable areas of manhattan
to shame. where exactly is the stop for the 19 bus? and just as
the absolutely sleaziest alleged human is telling me, 'looking
good baby -- where ya goin'?', my knight in a red, white and
blue cab drives up to the curb where i have shyly raised my hand.
quick conversation btwn us, and he informs me that it is 8:07...i notice geary street, as the driver speeds for me. it's too late
to see the sun, and are those girls working, walkman on?
This audience, I have decided, is not just reverential. Some are awestruck; others, I have discovered are here, no doubt, because it is a very Guardian thing to do. Who cares -- and then he sings:
and then he gets rid of it, quicker than you can
say "Tijuana abortionist." No, no, I was reaching that
beautiful pinnacle, you tease....He says "Do you all want
to be bummed out?" YES, I and a host of others scream. "Well,
here's six bummer songs in a row." Someone yells out, "Take
Courage". Mark toasts with a glass of red wine, and the song
begins. Such beauty, and to hear such a rarely performed song
played....
as my moonlight knight races furiously for his
lady in distress, at least i can visualize steve mcqueen. and
pacific heights seems pretty cool. cool, shit, I'm going to miss
elvia and the others...the 'flies....
"This next song is dedicated, no, um, I want
to say hi to the fireflies in the audience." Scattered applause
from the audience. Mark goes on to explain that this is a computer
fan group for him. He's been eavesdropping, and all the members
are smarter than he, and...the song is If I Had a Gun.
By this point, his voice is starting to waver a bit, and tuning
problems are abundant. Still, he's extremely composed. The next
song is probably the one that 90% of the crowd has waited for
- Apology for an Accident. The song is marvelous standing
on its own legs, but I keep thinking of Dan Pearson, or even Jeff
Farris....the bass line is the bloodline of this song. And
then it's "You're so pretty, baby/you're the prettiest thing
I know" - Firefly.
fort mason is before me, and so, is the water.
we must find the cowell theatre, and we do. my knight tells me
that it's 8:15, and i hand him the fare and an extra four bucks.
hold on...music...oh my god! i run....
Strong and unnerving on Everclear, The
Dead Part of You is even more so, as Mark emotes it tonight
in San Francisco. The dichotomy presented by this song is the
image of loathing yet loving, and the presentation of such is
remarkable. Despite technical glitches, and the increasing weariness
which runs in and out of Mark's vocals, it is one of the night's
standout numbers. The radio shack equipment finally wins the ongoing
battle with which Mark has struggled through all night. "I saw
Peter Tork do this once," and the guitar and voice are truly
absolutely unplugged as Mark sits on the edge of the stage and
performs I've Been a Mess, followed by Aspirin.
will call, will call, where is will call? maybe
that's an opening act i hear. sign reads ticket holders , will
call with an arrow beyond. rapidly I sign my receipt, grab my
ticket, and....
Now it has been a total of four hours in San Francisco,
and this performance has engraved itself upon my heart's monument
to the town. Had I additional time, perhaps I would have gone
to the location of the next song. Mission Rock Resort --
this is a brutal song, and still Mark approaches it as if he were
a lover caressing your bruised ribs. The austerity here works,
more so than any of the songs, because the words can be felt -
in their brutality, in their futility, in the frustration of caring
for someone so much that you hate the person for that self-abuse,
while loathing oneself even more for one's utter powerlessness
to stop the loved one's downward spiral. Mark is back on mike,
plugged, but as he covers his face with his hands, it's noticeable
that this show is so personally overwhelming.
'no one may come in during the songs....only
during the applause.' that's the usher or whatever she is speaking....i
want in NOW…and listen, it's...no!....sacred
heart....my favorite song, but for....
"This song is...," and Mark sings, once
more, "All her sweet mouth really wanted..." And
this, my friends, was all I really wanted....the full moon,
San Francisco and Chanel No.5. Simply classy and gorgeous.
Later Mark does three encores, an a cappella version of
On a Clear Day, sung standing on the edge of the stage;
Take Courage, and the extremely personal, The Thorn
in My Side is Gone. Overwhelming -- the music, the man,
the moment. We are all shaken. But still, there is a gorgeous
moon out, and new friends to meet. To San Francisco....