THE DAY AFTER MONDAY is a once a week missive in which ‘80s through 90s hold-over Tim Blevins misses the point in all this pointlessness.
Everything is going up late this week. I mean.. .the blog is only late because its deemed by its title “The Day After Monday” and.. well .. judging from the date stamp... its Thursday. But Thursday is more tied in with the weekly release schedule of 20th Century Pop! And that podcast, show notes and all, is normally available for streaming at 3:33 am eastern standard time (to keep the the west coast from getting ahead) But… here I am… at 11:41 am.. having just posted the episode in its entirety…after an overnight and then early morning marathon session of editing.
And it was unwieldy to edit. this particular conversation. There’s always some tweaking, after the fact, to the conversation Bob and I record. But this week… ugh… so much of what I was rambling about was garbage. And you can hear it. I was hyper aware i was recording myself .. needing to make the CONCEPT an episode (where we talk in depth about all 28 tracks of something) into ... what? Into a predetermined even .t.. or version ... or.. just.. jus a place holder? No.. the episodes are never (we’ll say rarely.. to cover pop assess) just place holders. Bu there have been deeper conversations for the duration than this one.. It hit a few worthwhile points but… woah….I certainly rambled.
I did far more editing than normal because... while two tired fan geeks tipsy on world events. might like assuring each other how sweet a track is … it doesn’t make for an engaging podcast. It’s not actual critique to say something is “so cool.” And I think i need to be reminded that.. despite the world falling down… I still have to stand as something.
And that’s what these shin splints are. And these sore calves. And this sudden reference to physiology. My body that is battered and beaten because. after multiple straight weeks of sitting here in the house… I took a walk to the laundromat the other day… and I’m still frickin’ ’ sore. But, with everything that’s going on world wide… the new normal of mental trauma… the social isolation..uncertain unemployment ... that’s all far more manageable than the physical toll. Because that’s just my body. And I’ve always stabbed my body wit alcohol, sugar, cigarettes… and all to varying levels of displayed bloated-ness. .
But I was on the mend … two.. months ago. Daily walks. Commuting partially on foot Changing diets (not cutting back on the binge drinking but… this post cant address everything). They were all daily practices that were being practiced. And results were surfacing. Until… well, … I hit the couch. Because the world got infected.
And i wish that could just be metaphor . But the actual analogue... which is not a word I’m using properly… is that I excercising the mental state far more than the physical one. And that’s not to say the cerebral work-out is a success but… I’m far more content dealing with.. the conceptual panic. The emotional disorder. I know how to loose myself in the existential narrative of an apocalypse. What I don’t know how to do is… walk around in it.
I don’t like acknowledging the physical. Or the tangible. Or the part that juts and spills into the fatigue of my indoors shape. And its easy to hide out here right now. Not advisable. Not healthy. But, due to circumstance… snd the 10 hours my parter is gone during the work week… I CAN lay low … adorned in headphones... editing podcasts... and claiming sanctuary.
At some point I’m going to be called upon to enter there word again. Either by previous employment or the need to to find something new. Also... to walk to the Post Office. To take public transportation. To see people. Shit. I’m going to have to interact and see people again. And there’s a mental aspect to that I can easily peg as socially anxious. But regardless of that self-diagnosis... this physical body ... has to get out there before then.
Thanks the current precaution of a worthwhile designation… I at least get to do that in a mask.
-sigh-
Tim
Tim is Tim Blevins, host of the 20TH CENTURY POP! and MÉNAGE ´A POP podcasts. He misses his Nordic track drying rack.
So as i sort of referenced up above, this week’s 20th Century Pop! was sort of a bear of a conversation. I still think think we got something out of talking about Guided By Voices’ “ALIEN LANES” even if it was about ALL 28 tracks. So maybe check it out?
I also launched my new podcast, MÉNAGE Á POP this past Monday with one of m closest confidants BOB CANNING. Two episodes of that are already up with one about the band 3RD BASS streaming tomorrow. I’m trying to get the word out on this one… build an audience… so if you had 16 minutes to check it out… that would be stellar.
You can stream this bonus episode of 20TH CENTURY POP Thursday at 20POPCAST.COM or, even better, subscribe to the show on APPLE PODCASTS, STITCHER and other ANDROID DEVICES.
You can also check out his upcoming 5 day a week deep dive into the discography of the Replacements with the official SHOW TRAILER FOR WHAT’S THAT SONG?.
Talk to TIM BLEVINS on TWITTER @subcultist
See what he’s seeing on INSTAGRAM @subcultist
Subscribe to his podcast 20TH CENTURY POP! (with co-host BOB CANNING) on APPLE PODCASTS, STITCHER and ANDROID.
Then follow them on TWITTER @20popcast and on INSTAGRAM @20popcast