Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da and the Blues

So remember that book I was telling you about?

The saddest book in the world. It's called...let me think...

"Half a Life" by Darin Strauss.

That's it.

So I finished it, and, man, it was just fuckin' great. It got me to thinking 'bout a whole mess of stuff. Like, remember when I said to you that I drawn to sadness?

I remember, farmboy.

I don't think that's all, but I'm not clear on it yet. I just know it's more than just sadness.

Then I also get to thinking about sadness and how we're all constantly running away from it. Which kinda sounds good, but...well, you're gonna get sad sooner than later and it's good to maybe know a little something about it.

I don't know, exactly. I'm still getting there.

It's interesting...

It's kinda like, you know, how people are always, like, "I can't read this book or listen to this song or see this movie 'cause it's too depressing." Well, fuck, you know...Townes Van Zandt once said that there's two types of music: Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da and the Blues...I mean, I like "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da" a lot; I sing it with my students. But, fuck, man, you need the blues, too.

Anyway, I really got into the Darin Strauss book. He's an amazing writer. There's, like, no sentimentality, he never tries to manipulate your emotions. He'd make a good songwriter.

It takes one to know one, farmboy.

Indeed, man.