17. I Can't See Anything

DAY EIGHTEEN.

I love my friends.  I want you to meet them.

Jeremy, EHP, Jim, Jocelyn: Really, we can't see anything without our glasses.

Jocelyn Mackenzie: Glasses-wearing, drumming, lyricist-to-the-stars-improv-ing, rap-geniusing, angelic-voicing, uber-knittering, glock-hitting, shaker-ing, member of Pearl and the Beard.

Jeremy Styles: ALSO glasses-wearing, bartending, ladies-manning, guitar-strumming, sometimes drum-hitting, and sexy-vocal-tantalizing member of Pearl and the Beard

Jim Altieri: ALSO glasses wearing, computer-knowing, violin-sweeping, sweet-composering, Jocelyn-loving, temporary accordion-squeezin’, for Pearl and the Beard’s Mercury Lounge show, January 23.  (This Saturday!)  *Jocelyn and Jim are also in the band Poo Poo Jim and Pee Pee Girl

Jeremy, Jonathan, EHP, Jim, Jocelyn!

These three lovely people came over tonight for a rehearsal for our show coming up.  Yet again, captured artists + EHP needs a song for today = collaboration with Pearl and the Beard, Jim Altieri and Jonathan Clark!  YESSS!  I told them we were going to write a song in 15 minutes and record it in 10, so they agreed to do it, and I do believe we actually did it in that time. In fact, we may have written it in less than 15 minutes (considering the words are minimal!)  I had come up with the words and melody for “I can’t see anything, anything without my glasses,” a few weeks ago and had planned on doing it with someone.  I shouted it out, and that’s how the song came to be.  I love doing songs like this with lots of minds thinking and lots of care free grabbing of instruments.  I even made a shaker out of Tupperware and rice!  I am happier because this songs exists… I love you guys so much.

This is Jocelyn Mackenzie. This is Jocelyn Mackenzie’s word salad.  Jocelyn is improvising here.  (I get so jealous she can do this!)  I mean, “Don’t kiss ‘em under a waterfall cause those glasses will get fogged by waterfall droplets”?!  This totally kills me.   This is nothing, friend.  Just wait until you catch her in full-force.  She can unleash an improvised rhyme or verse on you at any moment so hard that your face will melt to the ground!  (I haven’t even attempted a rap yet. To be sure, I will do it with her.)  And, as I mentioned yesterday, today’s song marks the first song within the 365 to contain: A SWEAR WORD! Get ready!

Also of personal note: I am playing the shaker!  And one of my favorite parts is hearing Jonathan and Jim come in with their low and grumbly registers starting a chorus…yessss!

Yet again, another hilarious and entertaining evening creating the 365.  We did two versions for you: an mp3 and a video version.  The “lyrics” below are from the the mp3.  See you tomorrow!

I Can’t See Anything

instrumentation: Jocelyn Mackenzie: glockenspiel; Jim Altieri: violin; Jeremy Styles: guitar; Jonathan Clark, omnichord beats. EHP: shaker

I can’t see anything, anything without my glasses

Jocelyn:

Yo, girl, you know sometimes when you’re walking down the street or whateva

And your glasses fall offa your face and you can’t see nothin’, girl

Well, that don’t mean I don’t love you cause I can’t see you

Even when I can’t see your face you’re beautiful.

I want to kiss you on your face

But especially I want to kiss you when I put my glasses on cause I can see you better

The visually impaired have one problem and one problem only

and that is that they can’t see shit without their glasses

So, get your lover, get your glasses, get your lover’s glasses

Find the person nearest you wearing a pair of glasses

Kiss ‘em right on the mouth

Don’t kiss ‘em under a waterfall

Cause those glasses will get fogged by waterfall droplets.

Okay, everybody, so I’m just sayin’ I love you girl, you’re beautiful

I can’t see you without my glasses, girl, but that don’t mean I don’t love you.

I can’t see anything, anything without my glasses.

Jim:

…At all…