I found a book called “How to live in your car”. An actual, serious, practical guide to living the four wheel dream to the full, taking it to its logical conclusion and accepting the fact that holding down a job and a mortgage in todays USA is impractical: a mug’s game. Live in your car. It’ll be great. Want to leave your partner but can’t afford to? Live in your car. Rent too high in your neighbourhood? Live in your car. Owe too much money and don’t want the Repo Man to find you? Live in your car. Just don’t try it in the Mid-west where the mosquitoes are apparently so cunning they will get in and eat you alive.

I’m walking through the Tenderloin district of San Francisco where most people would love to have a car to live in. The homeless problem in SF is a well known issue but the scale of isn’t apparent until you walk through here. I’ve seen an increase in people on the street in Paris and London in recent years but nothing on this scale. The human cost of letting financial and mental instability go unchecked is bound to prove too much at some point. Seattle was already bad but more and more drift southwards, understandably enticed by one of California’s only free commodities: sunshine.

I played in the Mission district last night. A cool venue known as the Rite Spot. They looked after me well and I knocked out a couple of sets to a crowd that I could divide into two equal groups. Those who were really into it and those who didn’t even notice I was there. There was also a dog, but given last nights fairly good attendance I didn’t feel the need to include him in the audience numbers, unlike in Portland where the dog, who even joined me on stage at one point, was a welcome boost to the figures.

I’m slowly making my way up to Richmond for tonights gig. The route will take me through the legendary district of Haight Ashbury. Tim, my West Coast partner in crime/roadie/fellow people-watcher, left for New York this morning and I feel the tour winding down. The playlist that two weeks ago seemed dauntingly long, now only has a few songs left…

Barton

French version published daily on the ROCK MADE IN FRANCE website:

October US tour day 14 – Live in your car : « Ce sera super »