please ignore me and pass by as you were

it is now just over 25 minutes since i witnessed THE MOUNTAIN GOATS perform an impassioned encore rendition of "this year" from their sunset tree release. i am currently sitting in the student computing centre on the 4th floor of union house at the university of melbourne struggling to compose my thoughts. four floors below me in north court for the lunch hour on this tuesday the 11th of april, peter hughes and john darnielle were kind enough to entertain we feeble students in a free concert on the eve of their corner hotel show tomorrow night. the ever-banterful darnielle immediately endeared himself to the "college" audience beckoning us closer and regaling us with anecdotes and insights into his song-stories all the while wringing volume and pathos from his instruments (both voice and guitar). his self-confessed manic energy was contagious, gleefully responsing to requests from the audience (only one honoured, the predictable palmcorder yajna) and consuming beer in the afternoon sun. we heard of his fascination with the villainous ox baker, pro-wrestler, who would teach us "a certain lesson" and scowl thoughtlessly, of the driveway of a typical south claremont home adorned with the cacti and gardenias which didn't quite fit the planting scheme and the four door honda civic with a left hand steering column ("cos that was where i grew up") which featured in a midset song. he told us of his aversion to outdoor gigs, which he avoids like the black plague - the last of which he believed to be in 1997, and his dread at approaching today's event. so apparently overwhelmed was he, he related a conversation he had with his wife this morning and her instructions to "quit whining, you fuck, and go to work" to which he reaponded "be nice to your husband, etcetera.." he confessed the quiet, comtemplative ones were stuck in his brain ("always a risk"), but performed only one reading the mood perfectly. he vigorously strummed, obviously in his element, and proved himself a consumate performer in addition to an incredible songwriter. there were songs about having the sex you shouldn't have whilst residing in dormitories and the one about what to do when you're stepfather starts beating your mother. and surprisingly few from last year's record that no doubt raised the band's profile in this country (absent both were broom people and up the wolves). in their sted the duo drew from an imcomparable catalogue but again refrained from fan-favourite going to georgia. but these hardly amount to gripes on my part; in fact having chatted to peter hughes for some 15 minutes before he went on stage and securing both his and john's autographs subsequent to their performance, as well as engaging john on his interest in the classical languages (relating my current studies of the elegy of tibullus and the historian tacitus) and peter on his opinion of the pitchfork website and my inclusion of both his and bobby wratten's band's on a mixtape for my partner, i have never felt so engaged with an artist subsequent to appreciating their work. while no doubt reading over this later will provoke embarrassment on my part at my obvious sycophancy, right now it occurs to me that i have failed to capture as eloquently, elegantly and precisely what just one of john's songs can convey. but hopefully, amidst this torrent of words, thoughts, ideas and emotions currently coursing through me, and my desperation to record every detail and nuance, the sheer thrill and excitement that was elicited from me is evident to all. and i hope in some small way i have fittingly celebrated the transcedent and tireless nature of music . thankyou, john and peter - it was a most remarkable thing you did today