Audiogrammes

I’d forgotten what it meant to have a life-changing moment.
Yesterday I got to see Jeffrey Lewis live in a tiny bar in Berlin.
I’d always thought he had great lyrics and listened to what people might call the hits (
Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror, Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song) and his Crass cover album.

He’s a smart and very witty, self-deprecating genius.
Concert was meant to be at Festsaal Kreuzberg, but the place burned down less than a week ago. So I got to see him at Monarch. Bought the ticket at the door (12 euros!) and was 3 meters away from him during the whole show.
Cozy venue. People smoking indoors (a friend told me later it was hard for her to believe Lebanese were actually smoking on the sidewalk while Berliners were all inside). Fogged up windows, U-Bahn passing on the bridge… You get the picture.

No lyrics today: listen to the songs!
I won’t post any of his words so you get to discover them slowly as he sings them. Just like I did.
I recognized 3 songs during the whole set

This Crass cover

This classic. Check out the Michel Gondry hand-picked student-made video

And Midnight was actually coming on a Monday night when someone in the crowd shouted out for this one

All the others were new to me:

Water Leaking, Water Moving

When You’re By Yourself

To Be Ojectified

Seattle

Time Trades

There were also a couple of low-budget films (a biography of Alan Moore and an After Dark sexy comic) and a few new tracks that have yet to be released.

It was a brilliant performance. I love this guy.
And yes, the Daniel Johnston comparisons you’re trying to voice are not totally unfounded.

and yes they’ve already played together