April 17th
1997 — I am not sure if I remember much about that year. I think I was living in New Jersey then. What was I doing, where I was working, with whom I was hanging out? Don’t remember. But I remember when on one Sunday evening listing on the radio to the “Idiot’s delight” — a last of the free form radio programs on WNEW hosted by Vin Scelsa — I heard music by Dan Bern from his just released eponymous album. I was mind blown, I thought that here he is a second coming of Bob Dylan — for the after-grunge era in music.
He wasn’t. I am sure that he had a nice career (looking at his Wikipedia I see he released an album a year and was extensively touring). I was obsessed by this album for a while, but then I moved on.
Today, while working in the garden, I saw this sight with my dog Frank and my cat Jules on the terrace:
And immediately I heard this song in my head, after god knows how many years, it came back to me. I know now why suddenly I remember it, of course it is this lyrics from this song:
You know, the best friend I ever had was a dog
It sounds like a cliché unless it’s happened to you
Some days that dog was the only reason I even got out of bed
Yeah, IT does sound like cliché, UNLESS it happens to you. For me if it wasn’t for Frank and Jules now, and many others dogs and cats I had a privilege of being the owner, I think I wouldn’t be here anymore. I did have to get out of the bed to take care of them, and by extension take care of me. I am a different person today, but for the way to get where I am now I will forever be thankful to Grosz, Gusia, Puszek, Augusta, Balbinka, Teodor, and Ptyś — all my dogs and cats that helped me to survive and overcome my depression over the years.
BTW — lyrics from this song below are a piece of extremely solid and inspired songwriting, that’s why I was obsessed by this music for a while:
You know, the best friend I ever had was a dog
It sounds like a cliche unless it’s happened to you
Some days that dog was the only reason I even got out of bed
That dog went everywhere with me and then I heard the crack addicts
Were stealin’ dogs and selling them for animal research
It sounded like an urban myth to me like the mouse in the Coke bottle
But I started leavin’ her at home after that
You know, Paula was my wife for a while
She ran off to Paris with the great grandson of Van Gogh
A cartoonist who did fashion graphics for Le Monde
When Paula left she took my dog, I never saw her again
Except in the court during the custody battle
She won and got to keep the dog
And I didn’t speak to anyone for months
