Not to brag or anything, but I totally met Mark Everett—E to his friends—Friday night. His band The Eels (just E and buddy The Chet) played the Sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church March 28, and it was a great time. Now, when I say I “met” him, I don’t mean we shook hands. Or traded witty anecdotes about our prolific sexual adventures in Paris. Or hit up Wawa together. Or even made eye contact, now that I think about it. But after that night, I can say I know E like a friend. The Eels came to town as part of their “Meet the Eels” tour, and the show lived up to the title. A low-budget, multimedia extravaganza set amongst stiff wooden pews, chandeliers and turquoise walls, the event kicked off with a screening of an award-winning episode of the BBC documentary series Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives in which E appeared. His father, Hugh Everett III, just so happens to be the quantum physicist who proposed the concept of parallel universes.
The documentary follows E’s journey to meet some of his father’s colleagues, as well as disciples of his theory. E clearly still doesn’t know how to feel about the father he only mildly had, and he occasionally squirms underneath all the excitement people have towards him over a subject he barely comprehends. The episode is at times humorous, informative and touching. Oh, and mind-blowing. Alternate dimensions are very, very mind-blowing.
Parallel Worlds provided a great base for understanding E’s music, most of which deals with the deaths of his parents and sister. Now, my girlfriend is the real Eels fan; I was only a marginal listener until this night. But by the time E took to the stage, solo, grizzled and dressed like a gas station attendant, I felt like I had known him for years.
Even if he hadn’t screened Parallel Worlds, though, I still would have been drawn into E’s performance. His Virginia twang shines through his music, in his bluesy guitar playing and gruff-ish vocal delivery. Calling to mind Bruce Springsteen circa Nebraska more than he does ’90s alt-rock, E yelped and strummed his way into the crowd’s good graces with tunes like “My Beloved Monster” and “Flyswatter.”
The “Meet the Eels” theme was spelled out further for the crowd when a booming voice informed E that “this is your life.” He shrugged it off and played catchy tunes like “I Like Birds,” “Dirty Girl” and the always true piano ditty “It’s a Motherf-----.” Sideman and multi-instrumentalist The Chet accompanied on many tunes. The highlight of their partnership was when they switched positions on piano and drums mid-song during “Trouble With Dreams” without missing a note.
The Chet took the spotlight for two passages from E’s autobiography Things the Grandchildren Should Know. These readings offered two more brief glimpses into E’s life, specifically his first days trying to “make it” as a musician in California and the days following his sister’s suicide.
While most of the songs performed had a bluesy low key quality to them, the duo amped up the grunge on popular single “Novacaine for the Soul.” After two encores and an assertion of “You did good kid” from that mysterious booming voice, E and The Chet bowed out for good. There were no Missy Elliot covers (le sigh), but there were plenty of intimate good times. “Meet the Eels,” indeed.
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