Eleven months into his self-imposed year of solitude, Stu Larsen was in the USA. With his project of writing a new song in a different location each month drawing to a close, Stu chose to stay in one of his favourite places: California.

November 2024

This time, he was living in a cottage on the outskirts of Nevada City from where he drove into the mountains only to be caught in some early season snow.

While nature was all around, Stu did have access to wi-fi this month which caused him to reflect on the craziness of the world and why so many people seem to pursue fame. His song for the month is titled If I’m Honest and includes the lines:

twenty seconds in a primetime slot
going viral for some dumb tiktok
there’s nothing really nothing less i want
if i’m honest

As Stu has said, his aim with his singing career has always been to make a living rather than to be famous. Of course, travel and experiencing new places also seems to be part of the plan. Here is my haiku inspired by Stu’s video for November:

winter
comes round again
still a vagabond

The haiku makes reference to the images in the video and an outlook that doesn’t seek fame, but it also refers to Stu’s 2014 album titled Vagabond. The first track on that album, San Francisco, is about a road trip in California and includes the lines:

My jeans are too tight and my hair is too long
You look at me like I’m a vagabond
Well maybe I am

Please enjoy the video below.