Slept well last night, although I woke up at 3:30 and had some difficulty getting back to sleep after that. While I was awake I heard some familiar "coupling" sounds from next door - at 3:30 AM ! This happens to me quite a lot on the road and arouses in me some complex emotions. I will spare the reader the full details of my various freudian traumas - I will only note that it rubs in my single status. It's often great being alone, but not always easy.
When I got up I had a nice conversation with a lady called Belmira. She tried to place my accent and thought I was Australian. Later on, when I was asking someone for directions on the outskirts of Athens, he couldn't understand me at all ! People in Georgia are really thrown by my accent, which I haven't encountered elsewhere in the US. The ones who can understand it really love it, though.
I drove to Athens south along I85 and then east on highway 316. After parking I walked round for a bit and had lunch in a nice old-style pub called The Globe. Then I went into a record shop, which had loads of vinyl but not many CDs. They were playing a track by Galaxie 500 which had an over-familiar two-note post-U2 bassline but an interesting guitar solo. I might buy something by them, although I find that that sort of music doesn't last well due to the limited song structures and minimalist rhythm sections. I always like to try out new things, though, so we'll see. I also walked through the University of Georgia, which had some good architecture. Athens is an arty, bohemian town which is quite attractive - very studenty.
Drove back through a bit of rain and then some heavy traffic in Atlanta. Investing in a Satnav was a good move. Took me an hour to get from the outskirts of the city to the hotel. This, though, gave me an opportunity to see more of the city without going out in the stifling heat. The weather has been really oppressive here and I was very dehydrated after my day out in the heat yesterday. My plan for tomorrow is to drive to Macon, where the Allman Brothers came from.
Music : I started this morning with "The Dirty South" by Drive-by-Truckers. This is an intensely political album about unemployment and family breakdown, together with other southern topics such as Sam Phillips and Richard Manuel. Then I played a bit of Canned Heat, including the Woodstock classic "Going Up The Country" as I approached Athens. On the way back it was Tom Petty all the way - another Southerner of course. His songs feature sharply-observed lyrics set to attractive pop-rock music with lots of guitar. Great stuff. Then I entertained myself with The Beatles through the Atlanta traffic. I particularly enjoyed "We Can Work It Out", a very adult lyric with subtle time-changes in the music and great collaboration between John and Paul.
Off for a beer and some supper. It is indescribably exciting to be in this wonderful country.
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