Albert Hickman
&
Izaak Opatz
From ANDRAS JONES: ALBERT HICKMAN of Albert & His Dreamboats joined our Pop Oracle session with his friend IZAAK OPATZ by phone from Asheville, North Carolina where he was backing up Josh Desure as the openers for the band Midland on a tour of the south eastern part of the U.S. This is probably what inspired Albert’s question about regional toiletiquette.
POP ORACLE Song of The Day (June 12, 2019): MUDCAT “Candyman”
East Of Barstow
I’ve been grinding my teeth, and clenching my jaw
I’ve been chewing on the inside of my cheek the way my sister does
I’ve been holding my breath changing lanes, with my fingers crossed
Wasting my prayers on yellow lights and parking spots
If I can just get east of Barstow, I know I’ll be OK
I don’t really have a reason, I just need to get away
I just need to see the stars again, despite it being a cliche
If I can just get east of Barstow, I know I’ll be OK
I’ve been wincing at crescendos, airplanes out of sight
My overheated heart falls backwards into a bucket of ice
Helicopters stringing overhead, their metronomic spider eye
blinking red through the Demi-dark, saturated city night sky
Even in the middle of the night, when I’m just lying in bed
I can hear the infinite squall of pavement and tire treads
Madness filling up the blank space, that’s the circular breath of the interstate,
it’s the reason and the way I think I want to get away again