What I Did in 2006 (partial)
I'm sure I did more than this, but these are the important things, I think, excluding some (not all) private matters and pharmaceutical dosages. If all goes according to plan, 2007 will be far more about words than music, but one really never ever knows. In the meantime, thanks to those of you that made it a point to say hello this past years. 2006 was easily the worst year of my life, but also a crucial point of transformation. I hope it sticks. Much love to all.
2006
•Released Little By Little… twice (CD on Kill Rock Stars, vinyl on Skrocki).
•Released "Cream and Bastards Rise EP" (Kill Rock Stars)
•Released "Little Round Mirrors EP" (Barsuk)
•Toured with Harvey Danger for the first time since 2000 (SF, LA, SD, Mpls, Champaign-Urbana, Madison, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, Hoboken). Lost less money than anticipated. Some of the best HD shows of all time.
•Wrote a 33&1/3 book, Court and Spark, published 12/20/06.
•Made Nelson Sings Nilsson, a 15-track album of Harry Nilsson songs, with Mark Nichols after 5 years of thwarted attempts.
•Produced/performed the Nelson Sings Nilsson Live! show at Town Hall (never rent there!), with a 27-piece orchestra. Hardly lost any money at all.
•Sang on 6 out of 10 songs on Robyn Hitchcock LP, Olé Tarantula.
•Sang on 3 songs on The Long Winters LP, Putting the Days to Bed.
•Sang on 2 songs on The Minus 5 LP, The Minus 5 (The Gun Album).
•Sang on 2 songs of Racetrack’s final EP, Go Ahead and Say It.
•Sang on 1 song of The Decemberists LP, The Crane Wife. The song was cut from the album, and my part was cut from the song. Such is life.
•Co-produced “Awesome” EP sessions.
•Performed with Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 at the Crocodile and the Triple Door, was declared official 5th Venus 3.
•Performed with Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists at the Gorge.
•Saw Death Cab for Cutie headline the Key Arena. Heart still swollen with pride.
•Performed (unexpectedly) with The Rentals at Neumo’s.
•Served as Music Supervisor on Lynn Shelton’s breathtaking film, We Go Way Back.
•Covered the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for MSN Music, visited and photographed the lower 9th ward, where my mind was blown and my heart was broken, or vice versa.
•Saw Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band perform at Jazz Fest. Was finally convinced of Springsteen’s powers after years of people telling me and years of me not liking anything he had to say. Received sweaty partial man-hug from Springsteen backstage.
•Also saw Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, the Edge, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They were ok, too.
•Hired Robert Christgau to write his Consumer Guide for MSN Music, edited first installment, was thrilled.
•Licensed “Flagpole Sitta” to be the theme song to a third and fourth season of Peep Show, one of the best TV sitcoms in the UK.
•Became obsessed with British television comedy, particularly any shows involving Steve Coogan.
•Met and chatted divertingly with Steve Coogan, Zadie Smith, George Saunders, and Sarah Polley at New Yorker Festival closing night party.
•Met, traded songs, and chatted divertingly with Martha Wainwright, Ed Harcourt, Beth Orton, half of the Magic Numbers, Ira Elliot, and others at a McMansion in exurban Austin, TX one very bizarre, very late night.
•Interviewed Billy Bragg, Green Gartside, Regina Spektor, Graham Coxon, Martha Wainwright, Brazilian Girls, Guillemots, Metric, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Bobby Bare Sr., Meat Loaf (!!!), Lady Sovereign, Mates of State, Animal Collective, Rhett Miller, Serena Manesh, Celebration, Sheryl Crow, Tim Burgess from Charlatans UK, Erasure, DMC, Godsmack, Hoobastank (!!!), Big & Rich, LIONEL RICHIE, Morningwood, Allison Goldfrapp, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, T-Bone Burnett, Tom DeLonge, TV on the Radio, Wolfmother, and others.
•Visited Cannes for the first time.
•Separated, lived alone for the first time.
•Was diagnosed with liver disease.
•Beat liver disease.
•Invested heavily in therapy, with beneficial results.
•1200mg Lithium, daily.
2006
•Released Little By Little… twice (CD on Kill Rock Stars, vinyl on Skrocki).
•Released "Cream and Bastards Rise EP" (Kill Rock Stars)
•Released "Little Round Mirrors EP" (Barsuk)
•Toured with Harvey Danger for the first time since 2000 (SF, LA, SD, Mpls, Champaign-Urbana, Madison, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, Hoboken). Lost less money than anticipated. Some of the best HD shows of all time.
•Wrote a 33&1/3 book, Court and Spark, published 12/20/06.
•Made Nelson Sings Nilsson, a 15-track album of Harry Nilsson songs, with Mark Nichols after 5 years of thwarted attempts.
•Produced/performed the Nelson Sings Nilsson Live! show at Town Hall (never rent there!), with a 27-piece orchestra. Hardly lost any money at all.
•Sang on 6 out of 10 songs on Robyn Hitchcock LP, Olé Tarantula.
•Sang on 3 songs on The Long Winters LP, Putting the Days to Bed.
•Sang on 2 songs on The Minus 5 LP, The Minus 5 (The Gun Album).
•Sang on 2 songs of Racetrack’s final EP, Go Ahead and Say It.
•Sang on 1 song of The Decemberists LP, The Crane Wife. The song was cut from the album, and my part was cut from the song. Such is life.
•Co-produced “Awesome” EP sessions.
•Performed with Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 at the Crocodile and the Triple Door, was declared official 5th Venus 3.
•Performed with Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists at the Gorge.
•Saw Death Cab for Cutie headline the Key Arena. Heart still swollen with pride.
•Performed (unexpectedly) with The Rentals at Neumo’s.
•Served as Music Supervisor on Lynn Shelton’s breathtaking film, We Go Way Back.
•Covered the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for MSN Music, visited and photographed the lower 9th ward, where my mind was blown and my heart was broken, or vice versa.
•Saw Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band perform at Jazz Fest. Was finally convinced of Springsteen’s powers after years of people telling me and years of me not liking anything he had to say. Received sweaty partial man-hug from Springsteen backstage.
•Also saw Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, the Edge, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They were ok, too.
•Hired Robert Christgau to write his Consumer Guide for MSN Music, edited first installment, was thrilled.
•Licensed “Flagpole Sitta” to be the theme song to a third and fourth season of Peep Show, one of the best TV sitcoms in the UK.
•Became obsessed with British television comedy, particularly any shows involving Steve Coogan.
•Met and chatted divertingly with Steve Coogan, Zadie Smith, George Saunders, and Sarah Polley at New Yorker Festival closing night party.
•Met, traded songs, and chatted divertingly with Martha Wainwright, Ed Harcourt, Beth Orton, half of the Magic Numbers, Ira Elliot, and others at a McMansion in exurban Austin, TX one very bizarre, very late night.
•Interviewed Billy Bragg, Green Gartside, Regina Spektor, Graham Coxon, Martha Wainwright, Brazilian Girls, Guillemots, Metric, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Bobby Bare Sr., Meat Loaf (!!!), Lady Sovereign, Mates of State, Animal Collective, Rhett Miller, Serena Manesh, Celebration, Sheryl Crow, Tim Burgess from Charlatans UK, Erasure, DMC, Godsmack, Hoobastank (!!!), Big & Rich, LIONEL RICHIE, Morningwood, Allison Goldfrapp, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, T-Bone Burnett, Tom DeLonge, TV on the Radio, Wolfmother, and others.
•Visited Cannes for the first time.
•Separated, lived alone for the first time.
•Was diagnosed with liver disease.
•Beat liver disease.
•Invested heavily in therapy, with beneficial results.
•1200mg Lithium, daily.
posted by Sean Nelson at 4:16 PM
14 Comments:
Creativity is the thearapy that you and I both need. Keep up the creative spirit; your art brings a beauty into my life. Sean, thank you for that.
Have a happy new year!
And you were saying last night that 2006 sucked?
(Well, okay the liver disease definitely sucked)
Really, with all that under your belt in 12 months, overall I'd say you had a pretty damned GOOD 2006.
Here's hoping '07 is even better.
Thank you for releasing "Little by Little" on vinyl. I would thank you for many more things, but I swore never to be that creepy-stalker-type (erg). Cheers!
Whoa! That is a really impressive list. I was going to complain that you had not blogged in a while, but then I read this and I'm shocked you had time to blog at all in '06!
Here's hoping that I'm not being stupid and idealistic when I say that horrible times are always the most educational. And that 7 will prove to be a lucky number. Happy new year, and thanks for all the lovely music.
Sean, I hope your ought seven is better than your ought six.
Please never ever stop making music.
And maybe play a show in England sometime?
Devoted UK Fanboy
Miles
Sean, Thank you so much for making a third album and I am really hoeing you will make a fourth. Harvey Danger is my absolutely favorite band of all time and would absolutely adore more of it. I would have loved to go to one of your live shows in California but Me being still in high school and living literately smack dab in the middle of LA and SF i didn't have the time to make any of them.
I listen to your music essentially non stop and I really appreciate that you made it (and I hope that you will continue to do so). It means a lot to me.
Have an awesome 2007
That was the Thrilling Conversation I was Waiting for.
wOOt!
An inspiring year's work and play for sure, thanks Sean.
Good work, my man, good work. I mean especially the part about getting well. You are not alone in having gone off the rails in '06 and used it for good. Here's to mental health in '07 [clink].
Thank you for a fantastic HD record, which makes an appearance on my weblog, and kept my blood moving during many car trips with the kids in the back seat of the Subaru. Thanks also for the heart-warming smile you gave to the person standing behind me at the bar of the Showbox at the SAM benefit. Your expression was wide open and you looked genuinely happy. I couldn't help smiling myself.
Cheers,
Susie
You got my vote, Congressman.
Here's to more and better in '07.
Liver disease? I bet that's no good for the drinky, drinky.
Hey. Your fans are anxious for an update... hope you're doing well so far in the new year.
thought you might be interested in this post from jefito blog - it's called the idiot's guide to harry nilsson: http://jefitoblog.com/blog/?p=1048
ciao,
Taylor
* kicks Sean as he is lying on the lawn underneath the tent dreaming of turtles whilst chewing a grass stalk *
Get up you hippie! If you are going to smoke the weed don't waste it, get up and post something!!
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