Volume 11 – #7 – July 2008
As it turns out, citizens of the United States are not the only people in the world who feel that they should have some control over their lives and culture. Except for a few totally desperate spots around the globe where almost everyone has given up hope, inhabitants of the Earth generally seem to embrace realistic desires about how they want to spend their time and, believe it or not, those desires may not have much to do with how Americans choose to live. We are all born somewhere, around certain influences. Over time we all seem to figure out what we like and dislike, whether we live in Texas or Ukraine or Bolivia. Much of the stuff that turns us on is linked to elements that are specific to certain cultures, including history, location, language, religion, food, dress, tradition, attitude and philosophy. In most countries, the roots of all these things are way deeper than the roots of anything in the USA. This is a pretty hard pill to swallow for some who truly believed that the world revolved around the USA and was prepared to provide whatever we needed to fulfill our dreams for the future. My parents’ generation lived through the depression, World War II and the Korean War. A utopia full of modern conveniences and diversions (space-age kitchen appliances, cars with rocket ship dashboards and, of course, television) was their reward and seemed to be an eternal state, at least until Jesus showed up again. Well, I guess every other country was continuing to create its own history, equally important to them. This would ultimately hinder our obsession to become more and more prosperous. Don’t get me wrong. I love my country. Other than the occasional overseas jaunt, North America is really about all I know. So, for me, my way it the way I’m comfortable and the way I want it. Denton, Texas makes sense to me. I know where I can get things and we all walk the same way. And, on a national scale, I consider myself an authority of the highest level when it comes to the true nature of our interstate highway system. I know what’s out there. But it’s all pretty local, whether it’s in Portland East or Portland West or six blocks from my house.
Anyway, as our awareness of the rest of the world grows, it seems natural to wonder about how we’ve been conditioned to think a certain way based on hard-wired expectations. And undoing those expectations is really difficult because they include goals (graduating from schools, getting married, buying a home and a new car, having children, finding the perfect job and succeeding at it, investing wisely and saving lots of money and dying after having left a big ol’ footprint) that act as guidelines to help us gauge how we’re doing with our allotted time here. We all seem to want to be able to look around and see that our lives are, at least, average, especially since our country doesn’t like failures. In the really, really big picture, though, all humans are just trying to make sense of their predicament, whatever and wherever it is, and there may not be a place anymore for a super power trying to make itself the “greatest thing ever” for all time. As oil and gas prices continue to rise and everyone is literally forced to change wasteful patterns, perhaps the idea of even bigger changes will creep in and we’ll eventually abandon our addiction to material things altogether. Is this too ambitious to imagine? Well, a few years ago, I imagined a highway system uncluttered by giant SUVs, Hummers and pickup trucks, which seemed unlikely, especially in Texas. Guess what?
I came up with a new word for “civilization.” It’s “silly-visation” and applies to just about everything. Use it for a few days and then try to say “civilization” again. After that, print this page, hold it up to a light and stare at it for one minute. Then look at a blank, preferably white, wall and a picture of honest Abe Lincoln or the Virgin Mary will miraculously appear.
Denton has experienced, at the time of this writing, twenty-plus days of “over-100” temperatures. This is one reason Brave Combo likes to travel away from Texas in the summer. We’ve been so many places already and have many more to go. Check our itinerary often and make your plans to attend one of our happy hoedowns. It will change the way you listen to noise.
AMERICAN SPLENDOR creator and writer, Harvey Pekar, came to our show in Cleveland recently and presented us with ten copies of the September 2008 issue of AMERICAN SPLENDOR (DC/Vertigo Comics), which contains a story that includes two references to Brave Combo. This blew our mind. I’ve been a fan of Harvey’s work for a few decades and it’s very gratifying to be able to count him as a fan, as well. In related news, the August 2008 issue of TEXAS MONTHLY magazine has a column with some questions for Carl Finch and some answers by Carl Finch. The column heading says “Carl Finch.” Seek it out and learn for yourself.
My journeyman percussionist cohort, Mike Dillon, and I are finally returning to the studio to continue work on our highly anticipated, if not totally forgotten, collaborative project. It’s time to do the vocals and move on! Two or three of the songs from the album will definitely become big hits. Be prepared to see us all over VH1. We’ll be dancing with our dogs and eating tofu in the park. Mike has been out with Ani deFranco and Les Claypool, as well as several of his own concoctions, in recent months.
Okay. It’s time to step out into the sunlight. I’ve enjoyed the confines of the BC cave, but errands must be run and they’re all outside, unfortunately. Remember to be yourself and accept that others are trying to do the same, but it’s hard. Love and Peace, Brothers and Sisters.