Homeward Bound from Deutschland

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
9:15 AM (ET), 3:15 PM (Germany)

the southern coast of Greenland passing by as I write

My body isn't sure what time it is, but it seems to know I'm going home. It's been a great three-week tour in Germany, with good shows, good adventures, and best of all, good time with good friends. Long dinners late into the night, featuring healthy portions of red wine and laughter. Leben ist schön. Life is good.

The flight home is about twelve hours long, and after dinner with friends last night, packing, reviewing the tour with Kenny (my German booking guy and tour manager), etc. I ended up lying down about an hour before I had to get up. I guess that beats the old Monty Python skit where the guy claimed his childhood was so hard that it was the other way around. Actually, I have nothing to complain about; There was just more life to be lived than would fit into that day.

The tour consisted of thirteen shows and a couple of school workshops, and it was great to see a lot of familiar faces, including a couple of guys (Christian and Patrick) who are creating a very cool German fan page at www.davidlamotte.de. They interviewed me before the show and took bunches of pictures. Here's us mugging for both websites:

I worked hard on learning a little more German this year, and it was fun to be able to speak at least some during the shows. I started each night by giving a little speech explaining that though I don't speak much German, I would be playing the guitar in German all night. Yep, the jokes are just as bad in any language. The plan is to do this again next year about this time, so I'll have another chance at the language (if not the humor). I love languages, and enjoy the actual study as much as anything. It's also good practice in the very important art of laughing at myself. I kept saying "sleep well" (schlaft gut) when I meant to say "tastes good," (schmeckt gut) and vice versa. People looked at me a little strangely when I sat down to lunch and wished them good sleep.

One very special bonus for this trip was that my sweetheart Deanna came over for the last few days. It may seem a little silly to come over for such a short stay, but her work kept her from making the trip longer, and it was a wonderful decision to come over anyway. We spent some fantastic time with friends there and squeezed in a tiny bit of sight seeing.

the after-show hangout at Mayence Acoustique in Mainz

My biggest news for today, though, is from the other side of the world. Rachel sent an email saying that we've just confirmed a booking as a headliner at the Auckland Folk Festival in January of 2004. I love New Zealand, especially in January, and it's quite an honor to be a featured act at this well-respected festival in the capital city. Playing at the National Folk Festival in Australia was one of the highlights of this year for me, and it's nice to have plenty of time to look forward to this next trip down under.

Strangely, the biggest news for the rest of the world is also on the other side of the planet. The bombing in Bali is a tragic crime, and I mourn with the victims and their families and nations. Violence so often leads to more violence, and I hope that the people of the world will continue to demand that their governments refrain from continuing this cycle. The power of the government really does lie in our hands, and it is encouraging to me that the letters to US Senators and Congressmen are running 9 to 1 against making war on Iraq. Of course, it is equally discouraging to find that the government is moving forward with these plans anyway. We can't afford the luxury of cynicism, though, and I pray that opponents to violence will not lose heart, but will raise voices louder and stronger until change comes. I read a quotation recently from the Indian mystic Sri Chin Moi Gosh, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power then there will be true peace." That day has come and gone before, and I look forward to its coming again. Though it may not stay, I believe it's worth working toward.

For today, though, the thing I look forward to most is a different kind of peace associated with sleeping in my own bed. There's no place like home. Two old friends have had new babies in the last four weeks, and I'm eager to meet the little guys. It's hard to miss so many special times at home, but I'm accumulating some pretty wonderful memories on the road, too. Leben ist schön.

I've got a couple of new songs that I test drove in Europe. The Water's Gonna Win and Chances. The former is a groove song I wrote in Montreat just before I left the country, and the latter a love song I've been working on with Chris Rosser for a while now. I think we've about got it polished up well enough to try it out on you, so I'll be doing that at the next shows. Coming up in the next five weeks: GA, NC, AL, WY, CO, MO, AR and TN. Hope our paths will cross somewhere along the road.

Peace,
David