His First Name is Homeboy

When Tom and Linda and I lived in Chicago, Tom used to greet each Independence Day by blasting X's song "4th of July" as soon as he woke up. It's a song I have to hear every year now come July 4th and when I do, I smile and wonder where Tom is now. That song was my gateway drug to X, Jon Doe and Dave Alvin.

John Doe's got a new album of root's rock out now (it sounds like this) and he was pushing it last night at Joe's. It was clear from the crowd--cameras flashing and requests flying--that I'm not the only one who enters Doe's music through the back door of memory and he's enough of a pro to fly with that, gamely finishing the set with an acoustic version of "See How We Are" because he promised it last time he was in town. Along the way he played a bunch of new songs and recovered nicely from a blown string ten strums into the set ("I knew I should have put new ones on this afternoon.")

And I thought of Tom and then I thought of Sonnet because if Tom hadn't introduced me to X, I never would have known to put See How We Are on that first mix-tape . . .