Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco, CA, 13.04.2002

You remember the Will with the Heart on his sleeve? Well, I saw him last week and he seemed fine. It was in church, and he introduces us to his friends from back east. There was this boy named Guy who called himself Entrance. He sang like a campfire; licking at the air then snapping back to embers. And you know, a guitar shouldn't be played like that. Extraordinary.

Will's mouth too made funny expressions like he was about to testify. Or start speaking in tongues. The snake he was handling were his songs. You knew they were snakes but he changed their skins to colors you didn't know them to have before. So it took you a while. To see them, I mean.

And all that night, up to before he began, the seat right in front of me was empty. It was really nice seeing everything so well. Then this tall and blonde and obviously Somebody sat in it. Big yellow hair and picture posture perfect. I had to lean left and right just to see anything then.

He sang directly to her.

But it looked like he was looking at me.

Copyright © 2002 Alice Kenner