Leaving town can make you nostalgic, and whether you’re looking back fondly or no, you won’t be looking back long. As the highway rises in front of you what can you do but punch it, forward and move-go. 1,483 miles to Austin. 2 and a half days in sleepy Shepherds Town in our belt. Ben driving, jamming some Dylan covers record, and me beside, writing this. Boss in the back strapped in with all our gear. We’re driving into a panorama of large, lush trees. I feel fine but I could do better. Been juicing on the road, before coffee and smokes. Found a Sheetz in Shetown that sells Black Spirits for $6 a pack. These last 15 days, 10 states and over 2,000 miles have been a trial of sobriety, a wits-end, raw-nerved, white-knuckled keeping it together, and knowing that there’s nothing that can ever help you with the road. It starts to get into your bones and then you’re done for, just surrender, let it pass through you, bore you out and wear you down-exhaust you in the middle of a god foraken nowhere town somewhere in America and only taking solace in the fact that as bad as it gets out here it’s better than being back home. People are dumb everywhere, stuck in their own ruts, trying to survive in a cruel and dark world. But back home they know you. And there’s hardly any wiggle room in their perception of you. The streets sting, there’s nothing new around every corner, it’s familiar and staid. It’s the same out here, you can never outrun your demons-but you can try and exhaustion and frustration and the countless tests of dealing with people in their own arenas of dysfunction will have you reaching for it-sex, booze, cigarettes, sleep (if only you could!). You must bear down. There is no escape. The more I stay sober the more I realize that life is a series of jobs to do. You could fall off the grid for awhile, like I did for a sleazy decade in Philly, but there is a job to do and you might as well saddle up and get to it. Otherwise you’ll lay in bed thinking about it. Don’t do that to yourself. Jam that fucker until you have nothing left. Pack your gear. Load up your shit. Do the miles. The road awaits…you’ll sleep better at night and nothing helps cut through the bullshit more than a clock winding down, the sword of time. You’ll sleep better and your life will be your own.
Thank you for joining me out here in America. See you in Texas motherfucker.
Going for the Throat 
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