When this is all over, one of the first things I want to do with my family -- as we emerge, blinking, into the sunlight -- is head over to the Cobble Hill Coffee Shop diner on Court and Sackett. We'll slide into one of their leather-cushioned booths, crack open their atlas-sized laminated menus, and order up some blueberry pancakes, Western omelettes, a Greek salad and oversized Reuben sandwich to share, a side of home fries (or, ooh, their giant onion rings with a slathering of ketchup), some iced tea all around, and, for me, a mug of steaming hot chocolate with whipped cream. (Why, yes, I AM consulting their online menu as I write this.)
And as we sit there inhaling all the food, I'll have this song playing in my head -- Martin Sexton's playful tribute to diners everywhere, with its delightful slice-of-life details.
I guess this can also serve as a reminder that, if you're in New York at least, many of your favorite local restaurants are still open for takeout and delivery (including Cobble Hill Coffee Shop). Wherever you are, be sure to keep supporting the places you love (if you can)! Someday we'll dine over those chrome and formica tabletops again.
BONUS: One of the amazing (and at times frustrating) things about Sexton's live sets is his endless capacity for improvisation; you'll never see the same Martin Sexton show twice. He'll throw in a beatboxing break here, slow down a verse there, change lyrics and melodies on a whim. If you go to a show hoping he'll recreate that studio track you love, or replicate that stunning live rendition you saw a couple of years ago, you're out of luck. But what you do get is something always new and tailor-made for the moment; Sexton makes you savor the here and now, which will never happen in quite the same way again.
If you have time, here are some live versions of "Diner" -- all variations on a theme, each showcasing his ability to read the room (and his own mood) and shape the performance that, for that audience and that setting, is exactly right.
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Listen to the Spotify playlist here.
Watch the YouTube playlist here.