Dear Bob Forrest,

It’s somewhat daunting, being the first Bay Area in-city resident to see you live since the Thelonious Monster hey-days, to write about your set last night at Cafe du Nord. I dislike that venue intensely, but your solo acoustic set was refreshing compared to the bands that attempt high volume rawk there.

Your take on Newman’s “Louisiana” was so good it made me like the song even more, and I’m a pretty decent Newman junky. I expected “Rainin” to be your hurricane tune, but the cover was enough. “Cereal Song” was excellent, and your build up (the stories of your adventures as a drug counselor) was spot on. “Stormy Weather”, with your son on guitar, was better than the recorded version. “Off Street Parking”, the best breakup song ever, was first rate, and hey, we all forget lyrics. I threw you the last line when you asked for it; thanks for the nod from your perch. It was odd that more in the crowd didn’t know “You Come and Go Like a Pop Song”, but there you have audiences in 2005; unaware of one of the best records of our lifetime. The finale of “Sammy Haggar Weekend” was so damn riotous it made me sad I hadn’t seen you in the Berkeley Square days, when certain Areans caught you frequently. I liked the two new songs as well; you said you’re going to record and then practice, but I’ll wait another five years for a new record. Take your time.

Your set, with the commentary and the tunes, was good fun. Normally I would have tuned that banter stuff out and fondled waitresses, but there you were, alive and delivering. I don’t know why you haven’t brought the full Monster up here, but it sounds like you have a full plate, and music seems to have taken a back seat, as it should, as staying clean matters. It matters more for you, as you’re one of the best songwriters going, but even non artists need to catch a break. Some of the set was a bit too Dean Martin-esque for me. It was cool coming home with those Bicycle Thief tunes in my head. I’m gonna listen again all this week, and I won’t be disappointed about what you left out, only anxious for you to gear up and blow the doors off this godforsaken burg. You and the band can stay with my friends, tell them what assholes they’ve been...

Dick Dodsworth