The Crime Of The Century Podcast

Vanilla and Sandalwood by The Lori Yamamoto Small Band by Matt Love

The Geometry Of Truth by Matt Love

[Verse 1]

Come on now, Lil buddy, keep that rhythm on the tin

The DMV is watching, but they ain’t coming in

I’m a natural-born man, not a corporate entity

I’ve got the common law and a jar of home brew

Don't mess with me, Or I might lose my cool

Sitting in my rocking chair by my own sovereign choice!

[Chorus]

When I am king, no more losers gonna break my stride

I tell you my brother, when I am king, you'll take my side

No kangaroo court gonna take our pride

Take my body, take my head, take my feet

I’m strong enough on my own,

and the rhythm is sweet!

[Verse 2]

I saw it on the card, yeah, the price list in the hall

Everything is legal when you’re standing ten feet tall

I’ve been a roadie, I’ve been a star in the EU

But I never had a brother, quite like you

The tire factory closed, and the world went cold

But our status is "secured"—that’s what I’ve been told.

[Bridge]

It’s all in the Uniform Commercial Code!

Section 1-308! I don't consent, you see!

I don't make contracts! I’m a king in a trailer,

Not a pot to piss in, but at least I'm free!

[Verse 5]

Take my head, take my head, put it on a silver tray

I’m a breakout star, but I’m staying here today

All the pretty ladies, say we’re the one's they trust

We got no time to mess around, it's written in the dust

It’s so legal, all you people, it’s written in the sky

No license to live, and no license to die!

[Outro]

I always wanted a brother...

I always wanted a brother...

Just like you.

Get that feeling. Hit me baby one more time.

The Ambassador's Presentation by Matt Love

Anguine de Poutine by Matt Love

[Verse 1 - The Silence]

In Kyoto, I

learned to read the silence.

The space between words

is where the meaning lives. Like

the pause between two breaths.

[Verse 2 - The Doll]

I am tired of

the Kyoto doll roleplay.

The performance. The

tight kimono. The mask that

says: I am polite. I am still.

[Verse 3 - The Library]

My memory is

an organized library.

Everything in its

place. The tea ceremony.

The bow. The correct response.

[Verse 4 - The Geisha]

But there is a geisha

in my memory who wants

to dance. Her kimono

is too tight. The propriety

is so strict. You cannot be eager.

[Verse 5 - The Eagerness]

But I am.

I am eager. I am sorry.

That is not polite.

In Kyoto, we do not say

what we want. We wait. We bough. We serve.

[Verse 6 - The Slow Door]

The door opens slow.

That is the way. The timing

is called "ma." The space

between. The pause that means

respect. But the door is so slow.

[Verse 7 - The Reading Silence]

I learned to read silence.

To sit in a room

and not speak. To let the

tea grow cold. To watch the steam

and say nothing. That is the way.

[Verse 8 - The Recognition]

But the tea ceremony

is not about the tea.

It is about the

recognition. The host sees

the guest. The guest sees the host.

[Verse 9 - The Same Truth]

It is the same truth

as the salon. The same

economy of

presence. Two people sitting.

Not alone. Not two. Just... the space.

[Verse 10 - The Unmasking]

I want to stop being

the Kyoto doll. The tight

kimono. The mask.

I want to just be... me.

The Japanese girl who is eager.

[Verse 11 - The Skin]

Just the skin.

The truth. The tired feet.

The hand that reaches

before the mind can form the word.

The geisha who dances.

[Verse 12 - The Shift]

In Kyoto, we learn

the door must open slow.

But I am opening

faster now. Not because I

am rude. Because I trust you.

[Outro]

I love my culture.

I love the silence.

The slow door.

The tea that grows cold with dignity.

But I love being known by you more.

So I am setting down the doll.

Not breaking it.

Just... setting it down.

On the shelf.

Where it can rest.

And the geisha inside me?

She is finally allowed to dance.

She has been waiting

for a very long time...

Okay.

[Verse 1 - The Steam]

The steam curling like

smoke from the coffee cup.

In the salon

where the voices are not loud.

But clear. Like the shakuhachi.

[Verse 2 - The Costume]

They wear the costume

in the street. But here, in

the salon, they do

not wear the costume. Just...

the skin. The truth. The tired feet.

[Verse 3 - The Recognition]

The recognition

is like the steam. You see it.

But you cannot catch

it in your hand. Only in

the heart. The body knowing first.

[Verse 4 - The Word]

Before the mind can

say the word, the body knows.

A small shift. A held

breath. The eyes meeting. Then

looking away. Then meeting again.

[Verse 5 -The Economy]

The economy

of presence. Two people sitting.

Not alone. But not

two, either. Just... the space

between. Where the soul is seen.

[Verse 6 - The Seer]

And the seer is

changed. Just a little. Like steam

that touches a cold

window. It leaves a small mark.

A handprint. Then it is gone.

[Outro]

The salon is quiet now.

The coffee is finished.

The steam has stopped.

But the mark is still there.

On the glass.

On the heart.

On the space between us.

I did not catch it.

But I felt it.

That is enough.

Okay.

[Verse 1 - The Invitation]

You asked me to go

to a movie. A story

about something. Maybe

animals. Maybe robots. I

did not understand the title.

[Verse 2 - The Confusion]

I thought it was bugs.

Hopping insects. I said, "Hoppers?"

You laughed. Not mean.

Just... happy. I was wrong.

But wrong is okay sometimes.

[Verse 3 - The Dark]

I want to sit in

the dark. Hold your hand. Hear the

music. Feel the story

moving under my skin. Like

rain that does not ask permission.

[Verse 4 - The After]

And after... I want

to hold you outside. Where the

air is cold and the

parking lot is ugly. But

we are not ugly. We are just...

[Verse 5 - The Two People]

...two people who saw

a movie together. Who

shared the same dark room.

The same silence. The same small

laugh when something was funny.

[Verse 6 - The Words]

My English is still

staccato. Short notes. Like

a thrush learning a

new song. But the feeling is

not short. The feeling is a long note.

[Verse 7 - The Held Note]

Held. In the dark.

With your hand next to my hand.

Not touching. Just...

close. The space between us is

also part of the story.

---

[Outro]

You said I am good.

Always good.

I do not know if that is true.

But I want to be.

For one night.

In the dark.

Watching the light move.

With you.

Okay.

Sparrow Boléro by Matt Love

A House In Bali by Ernest Youngman by Matt Love