Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

“No I really don’t want to die/I only want to die in your eyes.”
“How To Rent A Room”
David Berman wrote those words a little more than a decade ago, and I was one of those that considered Berman’s most depressive period to be his best creatively. There was a certain amount of guilt with that, given the circumstances, as you never want someone to actually harm themselves just for the sake of your own record collection.
Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea is one of those “happy” David Berman albums, and one that I disliked the first time I heard it. But after seeing them live, I got a different perspective. The songs came off a lot less polished than on record and I could actually see Berman’s happiness. The interaction with other band members, the obvious love of his wife, and the energy that he fed off of from the audience.
A live setting and the sterile confines of the studio are two polar opposite locales. And if Lookout Mountain suffers from anything, it is the sterility. The sense of playfulness is occasionally lost and there are times when the lighthearted nature of the recording overshadows any hint of Berman’s wordy humor.
What a shame, as there are more than a few tracks that are slyly hilarious and one cut, “San Francisco B.C.,” which is one of the best songs Berman has ever written.
In it, David creates a tale of criminal activity, infidelity, and mystery. It’s plot is as exciting as any screenplay and you’re glued to the proceedings like any good movie.
Unfortunately, it’s not good enough to place Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea alongside such greats as American Water or The Natural Bridge. It is, however, good enough for me to consider Berman’s bright side and not get sad when he’s feeling so good.

Dry Docking The Party Barge

I know I’m supposed to be happy for David Berman’s recent announcement that he’s disbanding the Silver Jews and going to focus on writing. I’m an only child, so forgive me for being a bit selfish when I say that I pouted for most of today.
He is a man of enormous lyrical talent that faced addiction and suicide before finding love and consistent recorded output. He was supposed to keep going. He promised Iowa City that he would come back.
In retrospect, especially now, the Joos ticket that Costello scored for me was a great and memorable show. Here is a public “Thank you” for that evening as I left it a bigger fan of the Silver Jews than when I walked in.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it sure seems now that the entire festivities…the lengthy set, the endless thank yous, the courteous hand-shakes that Berman provided to fans after the show…was indeed some kind of a farewell. I’m still holding him to his promised return, only now it will be minus a guitar. It now looks like it will come at a book signing/reading or some other means.
Personally, I think its bullshit. I think that his recent announcement is more like a self-imposed exile, one that allows him a chance at dealing with the issues surrounding his father. Once that’s dealt with and he’s gotten a few words under his belt, he’ll miss the music and, fortunately, he’ll have a spouse still in it that can round up a few Jews and begin again.
Like they say, nothing stops a party barge.

Silver Jews Live In Iowa City

I think there’s still a reason for concern about David Berman. From my vantage point, he’s still a little “off” and, given his previous struggles, which could be a little worrisome. At the same time, he did appear happy and genuinely content being on stage in Iowa City. The lights were low to accommodate his wishes and avoid the literal spotlight, but he did seem to relish the adoration that many people were providing him that night.
There was to obligatory song calls from the audience and a few excited fans, but for the most part, they were subdued and respectful, clearly paying homage to a writer they appreciate and admire.
They were also bookish. This was the type of crowd that makes up a busy day at the Prairie Lights bookstore. The kind that hits the Deadwood immediately afterwards, waxing on about Herbert Selby.
What is it about writers and their bipolar tendencies? If they keep this up, they’re liable to run the risk to lead us to think that their suicides, successful and otherwise, are nothing more than the attempts at creating a lasting legacy. To ensure the sales of their creative works is marketed with better returns.
No, I’m not suggesting that Berman is a phony and making his condition up for the sake of sales. I’m sure the sales aren’t even that impressive and that his condition is severe enough to warrant continual attention. I just think the lineage between genius and mental health is such a fine line in many cases and, yes, I think it’s warranted to place David in that upper echelon of people with high IQ’s. How do you explain some of the caliber of his work?
He gets bonus points for hanging out on stage and interacting with some fierce fans that simply needed to speak or shake his hand after the performance. This is a good indicator that he’s getting comfortable with his stage presence and that his stability is well enough to interact, even with those that may be out in the fringe alongside him.
The “off” comes from weird stage banter, throwing out dedications to who knows and advising us to keep an eye on the date “11-7” just like we do for “9-11.” The only thing I could come up with is that was the date W won the election…er, stole the election…in 2000. Berman sounds like a political guy and I’m willing to bet that he takes issue with the Bush administration.
Or he could just be a rambling savant, blessed with a wicked pen and unconventional stage mannerisms. Whatever it is, he was curious enough and the band good enough for me to want to see them again.
Besides, I wish now that I would have gotten that signed copy of Actual Air.
Check out those weird eyes in the photo. That's even after the red-eye removal feature.
Full write up coming later here