walk.dont.run

today is a david day. news of his first show in nyc came out this morning and i got a copy of his dvd documentary of the making of his 2005 album, 'if god had curves'. it's called walk.dont.run and is only available in his online store and at some shows this autumn. i was really looking forward to this dvd since he was posting on his website that it was a very personal and raw look at the writing/recording process of this ablum. and yes, i'd have to say that pretty much nails the description down.

if you're reading this and you haven't seen the dvd yet.... be warned that i will touch on some parts of the dvd... beware! proceed at your own caution! turn back now! it's not too late.... heehee - that puts in my head the scene with the stones from labyrinth where jennifer connelly's character sarah chooses a certain path on the her search for jareth (adroitly played by mr. david bowie). there - enough space wasted.... ok... on i go....

from the early moments of the dvd where you are in the bathroom with david (wow, that camera is close! and, 'is that a plaid robe you're wearing over your chest with no shirt on it?') you are sucked right into the artist's world. so into the world that you can sit there and wonder how on earth does he get any work done with that counting child in the next room? he tries and fails to play a song several times before he stops and says something blaming his own short comings. he must have the patience of a saint when it comes to his kid. proof positive that i should never have one! i could not stay that serene...

while there is an early sense of, 'wow, am i seeing too much here?', that discomfort soon gives way to the rapture of new york which is presented as a very present backdrop to not only david's life, but to the album itself. you can see the ease with which david lives in this city. sitting on the subway, walking through central park, stopping at restaurants, all without one person staring at him or asking him for some of his time. in other words - he is our beloved canadian rockstar - but living in a city where he can just be without a persona. very nice.

some highlights :
we see the recording of several tracks and are a fly on the wall for some rehearsals
it's nice to see jeff and kevin (the moist boys) and some of their comments made me laugh out loud
the little story about contacting leonard cohen to see if he would sing on the album
the ongoing saga of trying to get gloria steinham's lawyers to clear a sample for 'love will save the day'
the humble hope that tegan from tegan and sara would consent to sing on a track.

all in all - this is a wonderful gift from an artist i respect like i do few others.

and best of all - for the nyc show on october 30th - david will be trying out some new material before he begins recording it. apparently it's going to be more acoustic guitar with a little electronic kick. how much will new york cost. just how much will it cost to not be there?

[music | david usher, "souring"]