Monday 10th October - Nashville

Writing this shortly after having arrived in my hotel just outside Nashville. Left Louisville c. 9:00 in a bit of a foul mood due to a text I received from England. While recovering from that I made a very English mistake at the petrol station. I had to go inside to "pre-pay", but then drove off without actually filling the tank ! Realised this about 15 mins down the road, then turned back and got the petrol. Just shows how ingrained some habits are - in England you always fill up before you pay. The guy at the petrol station was very pleasant - we discussed the economies of England and Detroit.

I lunch about 30 miles North of Nashville and had a brief chat with a group of Christians - baptists from Texas. Again this was largely on the economy and the fact that neither England nor America manufactures anything anymore. I then reached Nashville and realised that I'd totally misinterpreted the map showing where the hotel is - I'd gone way down Interstate 24 to the South East. I eventually managed to find the place, despite an interesting litle drive (totally lost) through the middle of the downtown district before I eventually found the place. The hotel is a bit shabby - you know I fully expected a better hotel from Nashville - but it will do for the next couple of days, and it's within my budget !

Musically I started with The Kinks singles - I often resort to these when I need cheering up as they are wall-to-wall classics. "Waterloo Sunset" and "See My Friends" are both favourites of mine. Then I heard some Johnny Winter - mainly for a couple of his 12-bar blues. He is probably the very best player of a straight 12-bar in rock music - his playing is astonishingly fast and full of feeling. Then it was a bit of the J. Geils Band (a bit knowing and arch for my taste), following by Wilco's "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel". This is a muted, pained, and wierd album which suited my mood well. Finally I played "River" and "Seed Of Memory" by Terry Reid. He is a remarkable singer and songwriter, and the latter album in particular is yet another of those "forgotten classics".

This is the first time I've ever kept any sort of holiday diary - if it wasn't for technology I wouldn't be bothering as I tend to remember chronological events very clearly. My old family holidays were all documented by my "ex" in her diaries - these entries (the ones I was allowed to hear read out) consisted mainly of observations about what she'd eaten plus the scenery. Mine consists mainly of musical musings as that's what I think about most of the time. That's why I'm here in Nashville. I'm in the mood for some classic "tears in my beer" country weepies. While I do like the independence of being on my own, some female company would be nice....Oh well. Paul McCartney is getting married again, so there's hope for us oldies yet !