I’m leaving tornado country and as a last reminder I pass a building that is half factory half accordion; the entire right hand side is folded in on itself in a way that would make a modernist architect proud. Further down the road is the roof of a house, but no house in sight.
I’m back on the road, Chicago bound and I’m once again in a diner. I’ve ordered the healthiest thing on the menu: pancakes. In front of me are three TV screens. The one on the left is showing Fox News reporting the latest supreme.court story and last nights televised political debate. The one on the right is showing the exact same story on CNN. Neither could qualify as journalism. The bias is incredible. The only screen I can believe is the middle one which is tuned to the weather channel. I feel a little like Elvis even though I believe he watched more than 3 TVs at a time. He did eat a lot of pancakes though…
My main entertainment whilst driving has been the billboards along the highway which on some stretches outnumber the trees. Candle warehouse? Who needs that many candles? And I’ve lost count of the number of ads for fireworks. Do these ads only pop up close to the fourth of July or are they here all year round? I just hope that customers who buy both don’t, one night in the middle of a black-out, light the wrong one by mistake. But rest assured, I’ve also seen billboard ads for lawyers who are more than ready to sue companies should such an event occur. They really have thought of everything….
After last nights gig in Eaton I went down the road to bar that required ID. I pulled out my passport and before I knew it I had a crowd round me. They’d never seen a passport. I’ve long since left the parts of the county where a large percentage of the people are from somewhere else or have moved around. One lady tells me she was offered a job in California but she turned it down because it’s another country. I would have to agree with her…
Barton H

French version published daily on the ROCK MADE IN FRANCE website

USA Day 12 – Coincé au milieu : « Exactement la même histoire sur CNN »