My wife is a wonderful human being, let me just start with that. Generous, kind, brilliant beyond comprehension (though humble and a bit mystified why I say such things about her, but it's all true). She saw it fit to grant me an early Christmas present and gave me a VIP pass to Thomas Dolby's show, The Invisible Lighthouse, in Portland, November 19, 2013 at the Alberta Rose Theater (all appropriate who's, what's, where's, and when's touched on: check; moving on...)
Now, I love Thomas Dolby. Not in any sort of sexual manner, I don't swing that way (and I don't believe he does either, not that it's any of my business); just in an overall "awe of a given artist" kind of way. As some of you know (and as I've pointed out before in these ridiculous, inconsistent ramblings of mine), I'm a bit of a music nut. Ok, scratch that, I'm an obsessive music whore, who will listen to anything that catches my fancy. However, in this particular case, I can say I'm an honest fan. I started listening to Thomas' work back in 1985, when a friend of mine exposed me to The Golden Age of Wireless, and specifically the single She Blinded Me with Science. I fell madly in love with the music, with it's quirky ideas and new wavy keyboards, and electronic wiz-bangery. And apparently, I have a passing resemblance to Mr. Dolby, or at least HAD in my youth. After being married less than a year, I visited my parents in Spokane and made my way to see my friend who started me on TD in the first place. When I got out of the car, the first thing out of his mouth was "Oh my god, it's Thomas Dolby!" To which my new bride said "I TOLD you!" (She has Casandra Syndrome. We don't talk about it much...)
Anyway, I've managed to garner most of his work over a number of years, and never thought I'd see him live. To be honest, I didn't think he was touring, thought he'd given it up to pursue other interests... like changing the face of mobile phone technology, or interactive music, or whatever thought popped into his head. We'll, he was doing all that... and still touring.
I saw him for the first time in July of 2010. A friend of my wife's (an old high school pal) asked if I was interested (knowing the answer), and we got to see him in a very intimate setting called the Bing Lounge in downtown Portland. Here it is (in it's basic entirety):
Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY8WBjfTRls
Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqxSLE1faGs
Part three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbNTQFO9gYI (I still get goosebumps hearing that opening bass riff)
Part four: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul4NbBaiBIo
Part five: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj54WDbLj8M
Now, three years later, is the opportunity to see him again in another intimate setting. This time out, he's touring, not an album, or a MMORP game, but a film that he's put together about a lighthouse near his home on the coast of England. But the story is far more complex than just that. It's about history, nostalgia, memory (real or imagined?), influence, conservation, and conspiracy. Very complex, heady stuff!
Here's the trailer for the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFxbkZqznB0
What makes it all the more brilliant is that it's a unique multimedia presentation, with live music, lighting effects, and Foley sound (performed by Blake Leyh)! And that's just the film portion of the show!
Part two was a Q&A, first with Thomas and Blake, then with some local artists. In our case here in Portlandia, we got Storm Large, who I'd heard OF but never HEARD (until this concert - WOW, she's got pipes!), and Rachel Brice, an internationally known belly dancer (who is actually a part of the film but didn't know it!). Thomas said that as he was touring this show, he had interviews at every venue, sort of as a pilot for a possible TV show, a kind of James Lipton kind of format, as opposed to Letterman or Leno. Basically a known musician interviewing other musicians (known or lesser known) about the craft in a respectful, knowledgeable manner. I think it'll be a hit if he goes forward with it.
Part three was more music... and dance... and fun!
And then the main event was over, and the VIP's got him to themselves for their own Q&A and signing session. I wish I had been a little more forward, but I could see that the man was very tired, so didn't want to hold him up too much (he had a bunch of other people to interact with yet).
But I came away from this "concert" thrilled that I had been there, but a little sad that here was this great man, a musician and "explorer" and now film maker, presenting his work and giving of himself, and the fans, while respectful... we're all still vampires. Yes, he's getting paid, make no mistake about that, I KNOW he's getting paid. But this is what he does. This is his job or career or calling or whatever you want to call it. But still, have you ever gone to your job, looked around, and gone "What the hell am I doing here?" I do it all the time. And I can't imagine it can be any easier for someone like Thomas (who's "known" but not "mainstream"), or Adam Levine (who's "beyond mainstream") or Lady Gaga, who work ridiculous hours, for ridiculous pay, and have to put up with ridiculous fans. This is not the first time I've noticed this. I experienced the same thing when I saw Howard Jones, back in 2007, when I got his autograph after a three hour show. He was polite, but obviously very tired.
So, yes, I was entertained, nay enlightened to some degree ("Thomas, what do you mean, you don't PRACTICE?!?!") and I loved every moment I was there. But I hope that whatever Thomas does gives him some level of joy to keep him going. We, the fans are vampires, and he, the artist, spills his life for us. I hope we don't suck him dry. He's a treasure worth savoring.
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