The Fitzgerald family are fourth generation Irish with a dash of Cherokee. They're originally from the Burren, a bizarre rockland in the west of Ireland that, from above, looks a little like the pieces of a cracked ceramic plate sprinkled on a table. Now they live in Barstow and operate the Syline drive-in where Station to Station landed tonight.Of all the locations visited on this rail ride, the drive-in will be far and away the most memorable and most beautiful place we've made camp in.
The Fitzgerald family are tough, gritty, desert folk, they've seen a thing or three living out here. Barstow is the crystal meth capital of California after all. We're under strict instructions to not go out alone after dark. And think twice about it during the day too.Cat Power's had a strange trip. On stage she's been underperforming, but tonight in front of a Californian crowd who love her with the patience of a single mother she performs beautifully. There's some tears out there in the desert but for the uncomfortable out there they can be blamed away on the dust and sand.But tonight's show where a space ship will arrive in the night sky and wink down upon Beck dancing like a robot while he covers James Brown might top even that. The alien ship wouldn't have missed out on the fact that Beck was a Scientologist. Not because both came from the stars but because the spaceship was dragged overhead by a helicopter driver who had to know.
Between each show, the giant screens of the Skyline played video pieces. One of which was an 180- photo long piece from Stephen Shore shot in and around Winslow. Winslow's a town that's peaked long before we ever made it here. Apart from that Eagles song, it's not got much going for it anymore. Shore's video manages to pull a kind of inert beauty out of the dust. Or if not beauty, some kind of hope at least.
The next morning our train pulled out of Barstow and this 'nomadic happening' pushed on towards LA. As ridiculous as LA is, it's the real world again. No more hokey, ghost towns where a round of six drinks costs less than a pack of New York cigarettes. Roads came along side us, strip malls replaced the dust and sand. We caught our first sighting of a natural body of water in over a week.For everyone who's been on this train since the beginning three weeks ago, there's a certain reluctance to get off. It's been an almost complete break from news, connections and daily routines. And while it's been a tough pace, it's never stopped being exhilarating.
Yesterday a rumor circulated around the train. A rumor that no one could clarify on account of the spotty internet on board. Barack Obama had mentioned Station to Station in an interview. He'd called it an example of the ceaseless potential of the American people. This is a naive and dreamy world we're living in out on the rails and I for one believed that rumor till we discovered it was as bogus as the flying saucer.To check out the rest of the collaborations and contributors, go to http://levi.com/makeourmark
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