Over the last decade or perhaps two I would google search and whatever else search John K Samson’s name in hope of new music I hadn’t heard. This would usually work every so often, but it hasn’t in the last few years.
He was interviewed for something maybe in the beginning of the year but I don’t know when and mentioned how writing new songs wasn’t for him and it mentioned cell phones being at shows being something he doesn’t like.
It made him sound like a normal human trying to find happiness and peace as opposed to this idol who is perfect in every way, which is good I guess, as I always assumed he’s perfect in every way and that’s not really fair.
None of this has any meaning to anyone that I can properly convey, but that’s okay.
Before I came to Japan, I listened to the Little Pictures EP all the time. It reminds me of a person I was then, and the hopes and dreams I had then, and how I don’t have those hopes and dreams now.
It reminds me of a life that never was where I rode my bicycle across Canada and got with the girl who liked me and I liked instead of staying in Japan forever. I sometimes look at the emails I sent her over the years and it’s a little embarrassing. (She’s doing good now I think, as am I.)
He wrote a poem called In Transit or something which featured the world liminal. I used this for a high school speech contest in 2009 or so, and Japanese high school kids were spending hours trying to recite it the best way. And this makes me so incredibly happy to think about. My fellow teacher and friend thought the whole thing was done, as he chose Charlie Chaplin’s Great Dictator speech for kids to do.
I shared the CBC sessions or whatever version of Utilities with another class, and I think they made fun of me for it. It was so weak and sappy maybe, but it’s a great song.
I guess John K Samson also reminds me of the four years I was a high school teacher in the countryside of Chiba.
There’s a Facebook friend I have who I have never really been close to, but we both like books and John K Samson and when I post a song of his she likes it and if she ever did I did the same. She comments when I posted the above mentioned article. We both wish him the best.
I haven’t properly listened to his music in many years. I bought two Weakerthans albums on vinyl, but I haven’t lost myself in them. I just listened to some songs of his old recordings that I must have illegally downloaded on Soulseek in 2004 or so.
Anyways, I’m going nowhere with any of this.
The people who are 15 years older are the heroes. I think I said that recently. I imagine he is 15 years older than me.
His last record, Winter Wheat has a line which I think is considered one of the better lines on the record and I felt the same without knowing that.
“We know this world is good enough because it has to be.”
But there’re many good lines.
From Little Pictures, Farewell Faded Memory sticks with me the most.
Just navel gazing as I put off showering and going to bed.
Thank you John K Samson for all the beautiful music. I wish you the best in everything you do.
Klingsor's First Winter 