As far as ‘liminal spaces’ go, the ferry terminal is a much overlooked but particularly potent zone of transient pergatory. This recently reissued tape from Chicago’s Erik Kramer — perhaps unintentionally I should add — perfectly captures the atmosphere of these stations out by the water, instantly transporting me back to damp afternoons in the late ’90s, waiting to make the crossing over to a Scottish island.
Crockery clatters as half-drank teacups are cleared off the table. The rain lashes down on the plexiglass windows. A CRT mounted on the wall struggles to show the local news as the wind outside beats against the aerial. There’s a few old boardgames stacked in the corner along with a small shelf of travel books, Tom Clancy novels and a dog-eared paperback of Gary Snyder poems. And somewhere in there, there’s music.
Roman Candle Magazine 