Anti-folk singer/comic book geek Jeffrey Lewis’ recent post on the New York Times‘ Measure for Measure songwriters’ blog — “My 2008 in a Nutshell” — broke our hearts with its familiar plot.
The short version (without all of that silly touring with famous bands business): Brooklyn guy hearts Brooklyn girl but refuses to move in with her after two years of dating. Girl tells boy they have to break up; he claims to be so busy with touring that he doesn’t care. Boy reunites with the girl, but only on stage because she has a new boyfriend. Boy loses his mind. There’s some confusion about whether the girl might still love the boy — but then decides that she’s definitely in love with her boyfriend. Boy can’t finish his new album. Boy decides that he has a ruined life but is glad that Obama will be president.
Yes, it would have been much easier — and more aesthetically pleasing — to just cut and past his comic here, but we’re pretty sure that would have violated fair use laws. But what we can show you in the New Age-y yet oddly soothing love advice that Lewis’ piece inspired, from a commenter with the handle ‘muleboy’.
“Wow.
It does suck.
All of those chemicals, and electro-chemical responses, flowing through your body leading to the sensation of pain. ‘Ache.’ ‘Devastation.’ ‘Emptiness.’ ‘Hole.’
Try to keep your intellect on top of the idea that you hurt because you can’t have something that your body very much wants. But you’re still whole, and complete, and able to do amazing things on your own. And eventually, new chimcals [sic], and electro-chemical reponses [sic], will create new feelings.
You’re just a collection of fluid and trace elements, baby…”
Where was he when we had to read this in order to get out of bed most days?