poem – michael jarmer

#787: L is for The Lemon Twigs

When brothers Brian and Michael D’Addariofirst started making records, they were 19and 17 years old, respectively. Today, neitherof them are out of their twenties, and in theintervening decade, they’ve released six fulllength albums and one e.p. of music as The Lemon Twigs, one cover album of songs written by their dad, and Brian has releasedContinue reading “#787: L is for The Lemon Twigs”

#786: An American Sonnet after the Billie Eilish Concert Film

For a 1:40 showing on a Monday, I sat alone, the only person insidethe neighborhood multiplex, theater #8, to watch the Billie Eilish concert film.No 3D available here, I watched it binocularly, with my own glasses.Even without stereoscopy, I was still movedby the spectacle, the music, the magnitudeof it all, the tears streaming down faces.ThousandsContinue reading “#786: An American Sonnet after the Billie Eilish Concert Film”

#781: K is for The Knack

As popular as The Knack was, as big of a splash as they made with their debutalbum, my understanding is that they, relatively soon after their meteoric rise to rock stardom, got some extreme push-back to lyrics that were pretty much blatantly pedo adjacent. What am I saying? The fact that “My Sharona” was writtenContinue reading “#781: K is for The Knack”

#780: Found

In the yard, just lying there in the green grass, about five or six feet from the curb, a day after garbage pickup, I found three pages of text ripped from the middle of a trashy novel, ripped from the middle of the pages, so no heading was discernible, no way of deciphering what theContinue reading “#780: Found”

#779: K is for Klark Kent

It’s alphabetized under Klark and not Kentbecause this is more of a project namethan it is the name of an artist. It is the pseudonym, the stage name, the appellation, the moniker, the sobriquet, used on the first solo album by the most famous drummer of the most famous band of the 80’s, one ofContinue reading “#779: K is for Klark Kent”

#776: K is for King Crimson (72-74)

After making five albums with Yes, Bill Bruford, drummer extraordinaire, migrates in 1972 to King Crimson, John Wetton joins on bass guitarand vocals, and a new lyricist showsup, one Richard Palmer-James, the guy who would eventually co-foundthe supergroup Supertramp. On their first outing together, the strangely titled Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, it appears that RobertContinue reading “#776: K is for King Crimson (72-74)”

#775: K is for King Crimson (70-71)

There are certain recordsI have bought, entire collectionssometimes, in boxes no less, costing hundreds of dollars, of music that I have never heard, but nevertheless feel compelled, not only to hear, but to hold, to own, to possess. The literary equivalent: I’ve never read Moby Dick, say, but believe I should have, and vow toContinue reading “#775: K is for King Crimson (70-71)”

#774: K is for King Crimson (1969)

In the 80’s, there was an SNLknock-off on ABC called Fridays. On one episode, the musical guestwas a band called King Crimson. I don’t remember if, at the time, I had any awareness of this bandor if I was hearing the name for the first time, but I do know thatthis was the first timeContinue reading “#774: K is for King Crimson (1969)”

#772: K is for The Kills (with a Bonus Preamble About Kansas)

Preamble: Four Kansas albums in one dayproved too much for me. Especiallysince last night we attended The Dear Hunter concert and consumed even more prog rock. We got our daily prog allowance, I can tell you. So this morning, a quick preamble before The Killsabout the last Kansas album, The Absence of Presence. In short,Continue reading “#772: K is for The Kills (with a Bonus Preamble About Kansas)”

#770: Interlude: An American Sonnet Before the Letter K

I couldn’t bring myself today to startat the top of the letter K listening to Kansas records. I’ve listened to the entire collection alphabetically up through the letter J and I need a break. Since October I have written 78,000words about music in these poem-like-things. But I couldn’t bear to break my streak, oddly, ofContinue reading “#770: Interlude: An American Sonnet Before the Letter K”