Evelyn Evelyn, Amanda Amanda, Jason Jason, and Sxip Sxip

Went to a great show last night. Evelyn Evelyn played at Park West. They are conjoined twin sisters who play piano, guitar, accordion, and ukulele. They aren't just musicians. They don't just play music on stage. They are theatrics personified. It was almost like watching a musical. I feel how I imagine the first audience to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch felt. Accompanying them was Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley, and Sxip Shirey. Jason Webley has a bit of a Tom Waits vibe and even in a venue like Park West he kept his street performer history alive. A good musician and entertaining as hell. Sxip Shirey is this incredible mix of hip-hop and traditional Eastern European music. I think he would collaborate nicely with Saul Williams.


Amanda Palmer, well, I am in love with this woman. Her lyrics have the poetry of Leonard Cohen. And she's hot.

Right? I mean, right? 

The show opened my eyes to something. This was my first concert I went to where everyone was sitting down. During the performances people would creep into the aisles and take pictures with their cell phones. I almost wanted to take a picture of those people with my phone, but I said no. I would enjoy this show without the use of any camera. 

Here's the problem. As a person I judge these people for seeing every experience through a camera. The same thing happened in Alaska. Everyone wanted to capture every little thing. They saw their whole boat trip through a lens and probably don't remember it. 

On the other hand, I see events as a writer. While I judged those photographers for their lack of experiencing, I thought about how I would write this blog post. I had to constantly check myself to make sure I was conscious of the event. I see everything as a story or a part of a story or a character trait. I wonder if my writing would be better if those thoughts didn't enter my brain until I was sitting down to write. I wonder if any writer is capable of doing that. I'm going to try I think. 

How do you deal with this aspect of your life as a writer? Do you cage the writer? Do you keep her on a short leash? Or, do you let the writer roam free and see the entire world as a story to be put on a page?