Marthas Vineyard - Thurs, Aug 21

A beautiful place, especially after Poughkeepsie which was not beautiful. Unfortunately I was too sleep-deprived after our allnighter to really enjoy Martha’s Vineyard properly, and sort of stumbled around in a daze in the afternoon after the radio show. It was sort of frustrating being in a place where normally one would be relaxed, have time to go for walks, enjoy the sun and sea, but knowing I had to deliver a good show later made one feel on duty 24 hours a day. On the verge of a good time. Such a beautiful place though. I felt quite at home in a bleary sort of way.

The club itself was packed with people. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, and were very loud, talkative, drunk. Young women wearing sequins and drinking and shouting and singing Luka and dancing. Still they had a good time. Mike repeated his dribbling water from his mouth during Solitaire, and a long strand it hung from his chin. Classy. “What are you doing!!!” I shouted and asked Timothy to get me a towel, so I could wipe his face. It was getting out of hand.

We were expecting Chris Mooncusser to come and film but to our surprise he didn’t show. We had taken an earlier ferry but since we were all completely unconscious in our bunks it wouldn’t have mattered what ferry we took. That was disappointing. Fortunately we have moved on from there.

After the show we talked about -- what to do if the audience gets too noisy? For a minute Mike said I should tell them to be quiet, but I disagree. What you have to do is be so dramatic or interesting or entertaining that you capture their attention. If you tell them to shut up that’s what they’ll remember. If they are having a good time but are being loud, they will still remember having a good time. One lady sitting at a table near the front of the stage was talking loudly, shouting “I LOVE Suzanne Vega! She’s FABULOUS!” while I was singing. It was funny.

[Next: Freeport, ME - August 23, 2004]