Hello Chicago, Illinois
John Hughes was a fan of mine
One time we got on the phone
We talked for six hours
Then at the end he said "Mark, why are you callin'?"
I said "John, I'm so sorry to ask you this
But could I please borrow 15 thousand dollars?"
He said "Sure Mark
But hey, you could have mentioned it earlier in the conversation"
I said "Yeah, but I like your behind-the-scenes stories of National Lampoon's Vacation
And Ferris Bueller's Day Off and 101 Dalmatians"

Then we got off the phone
And I'll forever be grateful for John's contribution to my life
For he released Red House Painters - Songs for a Blue Guitar
He said "Mark, I believe in you
You are a bright shining star"
I said "But hey, you're the guy who made the movie Home Alone"
He said "But you're young and on the rise
And I'm just an old man living in Chicago"

Then I heard the news that John died
Just as I was walking on stage in New York
And in honor of his passing
I played his favorite cover of mine, All Mixed Up
John Hughes made wonderful movies
That the whole family could enjoy
So for John Hughes
Everybody in Chicago make some fuckin' noise
John was full of love for his family
And he loved music deeply
He used The Smiths - Back To The Old House in Pretty in Pink
That movie with Ducky
John believed in film making
And film making certainly believed in him
And I lost a piece of my heart
When John Hughes' life came to an end

Anyhow, now I'm gonna get on to something else
It's time to join together now
Forget about planet hatred-hell
Take a moment to notice something nice about someone
And pay them a compliment
Don't be an aloof fucking deadbeat
With your feet stuck in the cement
Put your phones away
Smell the roses and quit all this hating
It's boomeranging back into our faces
And now the earth is quaking

Get in bed with your lover tonight
And shut off that laptop
And start making love, not war
For this could be the last day you're living
And if you don't believe me, then ask Mr Leonard Cohen
Or the young boy who fell off the cliff last summer
Or Exodus who died on a treadmill
The daughter of Mike Tyson
Or Jose Fernandez who died in a boat crash
If I'm not mistaken
And if you're thinking "I don't know what this guy is talking about"
Someday you'll get a call that's your worst nightmare
And then you'll figure it out
So let's be kind and quit spewing all this negative hating
Quit pouting like babies on Twitter
For it just keeps ricocheting hatred around the planet
And it's destroying our nation and causing alienation
Fuck the media
All they are doing to you is provoking
Taking your money and getting ratings and your attention
And they leave you confused and heartbroken

You want to do some good
Go out into the street
And find a person who is suffering in the gutter
Give them a hug and say "I love you"
For they are your brother
Get out into the street
And find a person who is lonely
And dying of hunger
Tell them you love them
For they are your sister or your brother

And if you got a brother or a sister
Who is suffering from sickness or depression
Hold them in your arms
And tell them just how much you love them
Cause one day you might call them
And they might not pick up the phone
Somebody else will answer and say "I'm sorry
They've left the world
You better come home"
Now I'm gonna steal a line from the band The Young Bloods
"Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now"

Now I'm gonna steal a line from The Hollies
If I may steal another
"He ain't heavy
He's my brother"

It's nice to be here in Chicago, Illinois
Rest in peace, Leonard Cohen
You're an angel above us
With a mockingbird soul
So are you, John Hughes
You both brought us so much happiness, inspiration and joy
I'm gonna read a letter from a fan
That I got the day after that show in Chicago

"November 16, 2016
Robert, I just wanted to write a brief letter to say how grateful I was to see Jesu/Sun Kil Moon in Chicago on Sunday
I had driven about 5 hours from St. Louis to be there
The death of Leonard Cohen a few days before had affected me so much that there was a question of whether or not I would be emotionally up for the trip
But I had never seen Mark before, someone who I admired just as much
And it was that thought that got me into the car and up to the venue
I was one of about 3 or 4 die-hards who were standing against the stage when Jesu set up and began to play
Mark came on stage and asked everyone to draw in closer which immediately made the room feel like a safe and intimate place
The newest verses of Bombs that led into their cover of Famous Blue Raincoat touched me very deeply
In retrospect, it wasn't something that I was prepared for
But it hit me very hard, and from then until the end of the night I was either in tears or not far from them
Someone else in the audience mentioned that the show was immediate and direct, and that's exactly what it was
In the last few years there's been increasingly less and less distance between Mark's experiences and the words that he writes
Leaving the emotions uncovered and there for us all to tap into
He and Justin were in perfect sync
I'm sure it's hell to put yourself out there like that
But it meant a lot to me and the people who were all there that night and after 3 hours of it all I was a total snotty mess
But Mark reached out to clasp my hand on the last chord of the last song, Beautiful You, and thanked us for being there
I'll never forget that
I don't need a response but if you could pass this on to Mark and Justin I'd be grateful
God bless
Greg"