"Lovecraft In Brooklyn" The Mountain Goats

It's rare that a song heard once at a live show etches it's self deep into the recesses of your mind, taking up the same real estate that radio hits do. It harkens back to my favourite episode of The Adventures of Pete and Pete, in which little Pete becomes obsessed with trying to rehear a song he happened upon a band playing in their garage.

Since May 11th I've periodically been submerged in the fruitless desire to hear a Mountain Goats song that John Darnielle played at a Soundfix record event that evening. The song was a whitty yarn about being out of place called "Lovecraft in Brooklyn". The title is of course a reference to noted eccentric genius(eccentric racist is more like it) H.P. Lovecraft who spent a year away from his secluded lifestyle makign a home in the Redhook center of Brooklyn. While there Lovecraft became financially and emotionally dispondent. The song uses the chorus line "I feel like Lovecraft in Brooklyn" to articulate the narator's (probably Darnielle, though I'm apprehensive to read so deeply into something I've only heard once) own sense of alienation.

Musically the song is nothing revelatory, it's not melodicly or structurally too different than "Diliaud"(of course it was all guitar and it is a bit longer if I remember correctly), however that night standing at a show that was more packed than I think any I'd ever been to, wearing my dressy work clothes in a crowd of hipsters and sweaty hippies, the song struck a nerve that is uncommon for it's connection to me in that moment.

Alas, there seems to be no recordings of that show or any since where this song has been played. This song might have just sold me a ticket to the next local Mountain Goats show, so help me god I might shiv him in the kneck if he doesn't play it.