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| Josienne Clarke |
Most of the music I listen to is 40 years old. Or more. Trying to keep even a little current, I started seeking out recent artists. One day Apple Music served up a song called “Chicago” by British singer/songwriter Josienne Clarke.
Drawn by the title, I gave it a listen.
Now songs about Chicago tend to be very specific. The classic 1922 “Chicago: That Toddling Town,” for instance, not only mentions a particular street — “State Street, that great street” — but Judy Garland’s version names a certain chic restaurant, the Pump Room, and exactly what she’ll be eating there: “On shish kabob, and breast of squab we will feast ... and get fleeced.”
Clarke’s song is specific in its own way.
“It’s not Chicago’s fault,” she sings, in a subdued, precise voice, “that no one came to see me play.”
The moment I heard that line, I knew it had to be based on one very real experience. Nobody makes that up.
So what happened?
“That was the 17th of September, 2016,” said Clarke, when I caught up with her by phone at her home on the western coast of Scotland. “I had just signed to Rough Trade Records. One of the first things I did was go over to the States for a tour. We played New York, Boston, Philadelphia. We went into Canada, then to Bloomington, Indiana. Most of those gigs were fairly well frequented. Then we went to Chicago ...”
To Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont Ave., a beloved Roscoe Village dive bar/jazz venue.
To be honest, the room wasn’t completely empty.
“It’s kind of a lie to say that no one came, because there was actually one guy in the back in a red jumper,” she said, using the British term for a sweater. “I feel bad every time I talk about this song and then play it. His whole experience at that gig, I have erased.”
Then again, feeling bad is something of Clarke’s brand. Or as she put it: “Melancholy is a vocation in itself.”
She sang her full set to the guy in the red sweater. Then she went to the bar, ordered a big whiskey, and thought about what had just occurred. Here she was, a professional singer with a music contract.
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I'm reminded of the book Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy. If I remember correctly, the premise is that evolution created a variety of emotions for a reason and to obsess only on happiness, as we do in America, is to ignore some of mankind's most important adaptive tools. Melancholy is a frame of mind built for creativity.
ReplyDeleteGreat column as always.
This reminds me of the Roches and Big Nuthin', a song about when they performed on the Johnny Carson show...
ReplyDelete"I was on a TV show
That everybody said
Would change the course of my life that night
By the time I went to bed"
But of course it was a big nuthin, and a great song was born. :)
Present day pop star Billie Eilish sings some of melancholy songs but I'm not a fan.
ReplyDeleteOh, I like her. She has a lovely voice, and some interestingly crafted songs. She wrote and performed the theme song for the "Barbie" movie, "What Was I Made For?" that goes places, for a song ostensibly about a doll. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW8VLC9nnTo
DeleteShe won a Golden Globe for that song Sunday night, as Private refers to below, and gave a short, charming acceptance speech:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M8jf51VzD0
I wish I'd been there at the Hungry Brain to greet (and cheer) a fellow melancholic, but sad to say, it would have been as highly unlikely as sharing with her a "big whiskey" and some encouraging words.
ReplyDeletejohn
The only one I like of hers is that early one- Bad Boy but you have an interesting point.
ReplyDeleteShe just won a Golden Globe award for a song as well, with her brother.
ReplyDeleteSo grateful to start my day with you! Always thoughtful, entertaining, and insightful, this story so taps into my fear (maybe it’s universal) of inviting people to your party and no one shows up. BTW, a huge fan of Billie Elish — such a talented musician and courageous person who’s the epitome of being authentically self-expressed!
ReplyDeleteIn the seven years before her appearance, I drove past Hungry Brain a dozen times a year and never noticed the place. Listening to several of her songs just now, none were distinctive, despite her pleasant voice. There might be some hidden gems, her voice alone is worth the effort, so I will dig a little deeper. But the three songs I listened to all sounded the same. In their early days, WXRT would play new artists or obscure tracks, especially in overnight hours. Good DJ's were like movie reviewers for new artists. Tougher for new talent to break through today.
ReplyDelete