Pitchfork

As the legendary Mission of Burma make their way down the West Coast on a week-long trek, guitarist Roger Miller shares his tour diary with Pitchfork. Stay tuned for daily entries ("Of course, it depends a bit on free WiFi," Miller says.)

Here's part one, in which Miller takes us on his cross-country trip to start the tour.

Thursday, September 14: "From Boston to Seattle"

There's a window in my head...

OK, so we get to Logan Airport at a reasonable time. Did we all take the dangerous toothpaste out of our bags? Are the water bottles destroyed at the appropriate facilities? (The Good Christian Lord knows for certain that water is a True Source of Evil). It's just me 'n' Pete and Jimmy (Clint's brother who is our road manager and basically keeps this whole mess together) this round. Tomorrow Clint and Bob fly to Seattle. The usual 21st Century tedium of airports (the Heroic Age of America-- somewhere between the 40s and the early 80s is long gone and will most likely never return again).

Midflight to Chicago Pete was reading the Sky Mall magazine and found the unusual "Pet Head Decapitator" device for sale. A vacuum cleaning device also promised to "suck up unwanted cat heads" and "just throw the bag away when it's full." Not bad. Glad to be part of the Culture. Other than Pete's discovery, and Jimmy's gaggle of Dutch gals (whom he entertained with much aplomb), the flight was quite uneventful, if cramped. Book I purchased at Logan: Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler. Very interesting (starting with Sumerian)...

Jimmy, waiting for the van outside SeaTac airport, plots new ways to get our music played on Top 40 stations

We finally got to Seattle, a town I like. After deducing the location of the hotel, Pete and I and our allies Sharon and Izumi hit the streets for food consumption. Pete gave up after 10 blocks, but the rest of us kept walking for another 10 or more blocks. After sitting in an airplane all day, this is quite a fine experience. We finally spotted the Virginia Inn and I recall that this is one of my favorite pubs in Seattle. We go in-- great food cheap, great beer. The indigenous "Hale's Mongoose IPA", a favorite of mine, is on tap. While we eat, the Kinks' "Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl" comes on. Extra amusing because Clint did that song solo some years ago and I'd brought a CD of that show, which Sharon had recorded, to play in the van as we drive down the coast. A bit convoluted, but that's the world we live in.

Sharon's magnetic sticker contribution to our rental van

OK, so tomorrow there will probably be some actual rock...

Mission of Burma tour dates:

09-15 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café *
09-16 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *
09-17 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall *$
09-19 Sacramento, CA - Harlow's *
09-20 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
09-22 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *
09-23 San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick *#

* with 50 Foot Wave
$ with the Tunnel Kings
# with Kill Me Tomorrow