Maybe you know the anecdote about the frog and the skillet. You drop a frog in a hot pan it jumps out. But you put a frog in a cold pan and then put a fire under it. . frog cooks. I’m telling you, it’s time to JUMP!
Aggrieved,
Matt Powell
Dear Matt,
Great artists reinvent themselves. Do they do this in order to disorient their fans? No. They do it so that they don’t die. They do it to keep their eyes and ears open. Why do so many great bands emerge when the members are in their early twenties? Because the musicians have just invented themselves. Why do so few of those bands endure? Because they try to maintain the status quo.
I am not the frog in your analogy. I am the pan. Cross is the fire. Think about it.
Best,
Arthur Pennyman
Pennymaker,
What are the chances he’ll play “Fountain-Headed Mistress” again? You said he played the opening bars last year in Savannah. Do you think that was a mistake or a tease? I’ve been eyeing the Ann Arbor stop. I keep thinking about that line, “she twisted her neck on Minerva Street.” There’s a Minerva Road in Ann Arbor! I used to live right around the corner. If I can swing a cheap flight I might go. Your thoughts?
Your friend,
A. R. Muniz
Dear A. R. Muniz,
I don’t think anyone expects him to play “F.H.M.” again. Before Savannah, he stopped midway through at the Vancouver Music Fest (8/12/95). Some people think he finds the song too painful to play. But he plays “Hours of Trespass” all the time and that’s about his brother’s death. I tend to think he doesn’t trust the song. I haven’t heard anyone place the song anywhere before, so I suppose Ann Arbor’s a possibility. If he plays it and you’re not there, you’ll kick yourself.
Best,
Arthur Pennyman
Fellow Traveler,
When will Mr. Cross come back Japan? It has been a very long time.
Sincerely,
Yukio
Dear Yukio,
You’re right. It’s been too long. I don’t follow the Japanese economy very closely, but hasn’t there been a recession? Perhaps the Powers That Be are waiting for the economy to rebound.
Best,
Arthur Pennyman
Dear Mr. Pennyman,
My name is Teresa South. I’m doing Performance Studies in the Anthropology Department at the University of Utah. Currently I am conducting research on fanatics (fans). A colleague directed me to your site. If you have a few moments, would you please answer the following questions? Your answers, unless you specify otherwise, will be anonymous. Thank you in advance:
How long have you been a fan of Jim Cross?
How many hours a week do you spend on activities related to Jim Cross?
Are you personally acquainted with Jim Cross?
Has your fandom affected your personal relationships?
Do you follow sports?
Do you think Jim Cross would recognize you on the street?
Can you imagine a circumstance that would cause you to stop being a fan? Describe.
About what percentage of your income do you spend on Jim Cross- related activities?
(Optional) Have you ever been treated for or diagnosed with a mental illness?
If you have any questions or concerns, I would be glad to answer them. If you wish to speak with my faculty advisor, I’m happy to put you in touch with them.
Thank you.
Teresa South
P.S. My middle name is Calico. And, yes, after “Calico Floozy”! My parents didn’t realize that most people know the song title, but aren’t aware that Calico is not a floozy, but very chaste.
Dear Teresa,
What an interesting subject. I am more than happy to respond to your questionnaire.
Like most people, I can’t really identify a time before I knew Cross’s music — it might surprise you to know that I haven’t always been a fan. In fact, I didn’t connect to his music until I saw him perform a live show.
The short answer is that I spend all of my hours on Cross, easily seventy to eighty hours each week.
I met Cross for the first time on 4/26/91, at a Mexican restaurant called La Noche in San Antonio. Sadly the restaurant has since been renovated into a cat hospital. He was having dinner with his stage manager and a woman I didn’t recognize. He was very friendly.
I don’t have space (and you don’t have time) for me to answer this question. The short answer is: profoundly.
I watch football games on occasion, but I would not say I follow the sport.
On the street? How about from a few blocks away. As of today I have seen Jimmy perform 2317 live concerts. He would probably recognize me even if I wore a disguise.
In 1996, I was in a car accident outside of Flagstaff, Arizona, that fractured my left tibia. I saw the show that night and the next day I drove a rental car to Las Vegas. Not to be insensitive, but the closest I’ve come to missing a show was after 9/11. Cross played Chicago on 9/10 and flew to Miami that night. I was scheduled to fly at midday the next day, but, of course, the flights were canceled. I would have missed that show, but Cross didn’t perform — there was a feeling that six thousand people under one roof for a concert would be disrespectful; plus we’d be sitting ducks for the terrorists.
I spent 100 % of my personal wealth following his tour. More recently, I have spent approximately 60 % of an inheritance to continue this project. Should Cross tour into his eighties, I will almost certainly be destitute.
I think you should reconsider whether you want to ask this question of your subjects. For one thing, if a certain number of people happen to answer in the positive, then you will find yourself in the position of reinforcing what I think to be a rather hurtful stereotype (that fans are nuts). Second, I don’t see how it relates to the other questions. It comes out of the blue. Has your advisor looked at this questionnaire? Does he or she approve? And why, if you’re going to bother asking, do you say it’s “Optional”?
Sorry if that the last question triggered such a strong response. Please don’t get the impression that I resented your email. This was a lot of fun!
Best,
Arthur Pennyman
There are also a number of emails that I do not respond to. I’ve included some below:
Jimmy smokes dog cock. Neil Young Rules.
(A bully, my father used to say, is a person who punches someone when they want to punch themselves. Neil Young Guy is a man in Oklahoma.19 He emails at least once a week. “Don’t point at the monkeys in the zoo,” was the advice offered by Captain Bisquick,20 my informal tour mentor during my first year on the road. In CB’s formulation, a “monkey” was anybody not on tour, while the “zoo” was the cage everyone’s life tended toward. One didn’t point because reminding the monkeys they were caged only inflamed them.)
Dear Mr. Pennyman,
We are writing to update you on our continued search for Kathleen Potts, our only daughter. As you may remember, she has not been seen nor heard from since July 8, 2002. Credit card records show she purchased a ticket for the Jim Cross concert that night (like you, she is a big fan of the musician). We know also that she had rented a hotel room within walking distance of the concert hall.
My husband and I have attached a picture of Kathleen to this email. If you see her, please call us immediately. There is a $15,000 reward for information that leads us to her. If you’d be willing, we’d like to send you more copies of the Missing Person poster.