The Machine’s Pump Volume 25 – #8 – August 2022

So, here we are, another month into our new reality, our alien world. My mother used to scold me for saying “what if?” too much. But I HAVE to wonder. What if Covid-19 had never happened? What if our weather wasn’t going berserk? What if the riotous January 6th insurrection attempt had never happened? What if no one had challenged the 2020 election results? What if there had been no mass shootings in the last couple of years? What if Russia hadn’t invaded Ukraine? What if the Supreme Court hadn’t overturned Roe vs. Wade? What if white supremacists were not feeling empowered? I know a lot of other bad stuff would have happened instead, but this is, indeed, a plateful of worry! It’s too much for us to manage, on top of normal day-to-day challenges.

So, if life and the world around you can’t seem to stop thwarting your efforts with stumbling blocks AND freaking you out, in the process, what are you supposed to do? How do you move forward with any level of optimism? How do you make enough sense of it all to feel like there’s a point to anything? If you find yourself singing Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” way more than you should, and not because it’s a great song, how do you find peace? Is it possible to remove yourself enough, on occasion, to laugh in the face of the horrors unfolding around you; to view us all as ridiculous beings, constantly doing ridiculous things? Jeez, have you seen any of the recent images from outer space? The universe is a pretty big place, as it turns out. And believe it or not, there’s quite a bit more going on in the universe than Jennifer Lopez’s most recent wedding. Or anybody getting married, for that matter. So, so, so many, many, many galaxies and stars and planets, and, yet Putin just could not control his ego. He just could not do it. And, of course, we all had to fight about masks and vaccines. And, apparently, teenage boys are desperate to have sex with AR-15s, while gleefully creating havoc for everyone else. Oh, the joys of youth! And the irony is we LOVE being attached to Earth and our simpleton Earthly ways, but we’re reluctant to do what it will take to protect and preserve it. Damn, I’m sorry, but humans are, generally, self-centered idiots. And I’m sad to say, it’s in our nature to be this way. One must work at not being one, which means trying not to be so attached to one’s ego. I’m speaking from experience. I know how shallow I can be, I know how self-centered I can be and I know how stupid I can be. I do dumb things every day and tell myself how dumb I was to do whatever dumb thing I did. BUT then I try to laugh, take some solace in the fact that everyone is a fuck-up, realize that perfection is unachievable and attempt to see the humor in the day’s unfolding follies.

For instance, if you have several dogs and cats and you desire order and some acceptable level of cleanliness, you better learn to make light of your situation, because acceptable won’t be easy to achieve and your four-legged buddies will definitely not help make it better. But you know what else? Who cares? I like being constantly entertained and it cracks me up that each of these little critters is unique and separate from all other beings, with likes and dislikes and it’s my place to understand them and respect the specialness of each one. To me, it’s super fun stuff. I really want to make a train out of all the Chewy (very popular pet food home-delivery company) boxes and put one animal in each open-top train car (Chewy box) and pull them all around the backyard, while making choo-choo sounds. Who wouldn’t want to do this? I’m sure lots of insane animal lovers have thought about it.

But hanging out with dogs and cats all day doesn’t get the job finished, unfortunately. Eventually, I must do something, like issue a contract or make a promo video for a gig or schedule a rehearsal or buy a new fog machine or write a newsletter or a song or both! And even then, so what?

And, that, is why polka is so important! It makes fun of our pride-drenched foibles and injects positive energy at the same time. And within that combination of elements is the answer to everything. Polka requires you to make up your own mind and then make light of your predicament. It allows easy access to the magic of tension and release. So, to sum up, think for yourself and submit at the same time. YOU decide, all alone, what’s cool or hip or appropriate and then, without fear, give in to it. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks, especially since that’s one of the deadly sins!

Speaking of music, that’s what we do. Brave Combo plays music and I ramble. And we will be playing and rambling a whole lot in the next few months. It’s polka season and everyone’s pretty revved-up about it. Please check our itinerary and pick out a couple of gigs and come out, with a good attitude! In the meantime, I also plan to start releasing my backlog of brilliant music videos any day now.

Okie-Dokie, an avalanche of Brave Combo live shows is about to be upon us. Almost all are outdoor safe, so no excuses! Check our itinerary often. Dates are being added even as you read this! Which means you will have myriad opportunities to look at us (and listen to us) and to try to figure us out! Good luck and remember to think for yourself.