David Thomas taking flight

Reading Greil Marcus' Shape of Things to Come, a tribute to the chilling prophetic voices of Davids Lynch and Thomas among many, stirred up a powerful memory of the time I saw David Thomas perform a lecture like a methodically staged séance at the Experience Music Project Pop Conference. It was 2009 and I had gotten to Seattle a few days early to take the air and survey the food. As a result I was glad to be able to act confidently as a restaurant sherpa when Thomas and my old U of Chicago WHPK friend Dave Grubbs were trying to figure out where in the neighborhood to get something reviving before the afternoon. We made it to a small Italian place and had lunch, and I remember hanging back a little in quiet awe. 

Later that day Thomas he gave a gorgeous, utterly disorienting talk about shamanism and rock music. As his talk progressed by stages he conducted a series of mildly startling moves, from removing layers of clothing to changing his stance and the tone of his voice. As he hit the depths of his talk--I remember him making a case for things beyond the present and the individual in creativity and saying something like "my thesis is that man does not THINK" and as his voice picked up pitch and speed he seemed to physically take flight. I didn't know what the fuck was happening or how to fully understand it but that I would always remember it. I'm still thinking about it.