Tendency No. 2
“Otium”
the tendency to seek comfort
A few years ago, I moved to Brooklyn, with not much money and only an ambitious but vague grant application essay for direction. In my time there, I learned lots about music, life and cockroaches.
But New York is not a great city to live in if you’re feeling unsure. Everyone else is completely sure, and, unless you are firm about where you’re headed, you end up squished like playdoh between confident passers-by.
My initial reaction to this onslaught was to retreat to my little corner of The Farthest Brooklyn, and listen very quietly for what I might write next. Most of this show was daydreamed during these first few months. Curling up in bed and imagining songs beats homesickness better than any glass of warm milk.
“Otium” is a song that flips between a simple, sure pop-ballad, sung by Jennifer Ryan, and a waffling two-step, played by the clarinets and soloed over by William Carn.
To be performed in one week!
