June 15 2014 (Crystal Palace)
Sat with dad in the garden at Somerset House watching a film on a huge screen. The film is about a boy with a telescope who discovers a new planet. He carries his telescope everywhere & tries to make friends by showing them the discovery through it. During the interval I realise that I have my guitar with me. I haven’t played for a while but I begin to pick out some notes & triads. They are strange & beautiful chord sounds. Dad begins to drum on his knees with his palms & soon enough we are locked into a kind of Stereolab/motorik rhythm! A woman sat in front of us turns around & winks encouragingly. The woman sat next to her turns around & I’m surprised to see that it’s mum. She says that she’s seen the film before. “In the end you find out that he hasn’t discovered a new planet at all. He just tells everyone that he has so that he can make new friends.”
June 20th 2014
Waiting for a bus on Charmouth High Street. It is the middle of the night. It is winter. On the opposite side of the street a group of people huddle together outside a cafe. They are waiting for a bus to go the other direction. We speak across the dark street. When I ask after Stefan H everyone falls into a sudden awkward silence. A man turns & points to a young boy inside the cafe & whispers, “That’s his son.” The boy has short, dark, greasy hair. Through the glass he looks to me to be (somehow) Russian or even Mongolian. He is pale & his features are soft. His cheeks are hollow. “Stefan & his uncle have been abusing him for years,” says the man. I am horrified.
The bus doesn’t arrive so I start to walk up the steep street toward Ben K’s mustard coloured house. The front door is ajar & I go in. The house is quiet. Everyone is asleep upstairs. I go into the kitchen. Susan W sits at the wooden table in the dark. She is talking to herself about her past. She doesn’t see me & so I begin to back out of the room. There are voices at the front door. I look down the hall. Stefan H & his uncle. I quickly go back into the kitchen & sit down with Susan W. She continues to speak & doesn’t notice me. I pretend to listen to her. But inside I am wondering how I should react when the two walk in the room.
June 22 2014
I am an old Cuban man. I live in an underground complex made of plastic. Jayne L comes to visit & is perturbed by the nature of the place.
nickreeves 