The Machine's Pump | Brave Combo

The Machine’s Pump Volume 23 – #9 – September 2020

Well, this big ol’ ship is heading right for an iceberg and no one has the power to stop it or change course. I guess this is what the super fearful, anti-Jesus evangelicals want, cause their man is the captain of the vessel. This is the way dictators and wannabe dictators behave. Their egos create bigger and bigger problems from which they can’t allow themselves to back down. And, ultimately, this is always how they fall. Once things are out of control, the voices of reason have been either eliminated or drowned out. And when things eventually do tumble, they tumble hard. I saw a picture of Mussolini this week after he’d been hanging upside-down and beaten in the Milan square for a few days, after dying via firing squad. The citizens of Italy had been pummeling Mussolini’s lifeless corpse with bats and sticks before he was cut down. All one could recognize about his face was one dangling eyeball. I’m not trying to gross out anyone here or add more miserable thoughts to all of your already miserable thoughts, but this topic is somewhat timely, considering how the authoritarian handbook is surprisingly the same everywhere and in every generation. And when our country’s “leader” openly praises and offers support to violent white power movements, we have already arrived at a very dangerous location. But I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Brace yourself!

Here’s another interesting thing to ponder. The live music industry is about to totally collapse (imagine sad music playing). The scene was barely treading water before COVID-19. Now, it looks like 90% of music venues may close for good, especially considering how long it will be before people are comfortable gathering in groups again. Live music needs live audiences to survive. Venues can have slow nights every week, as long as the place is packed every weekend. It could take years to just get back to crappy normal. So, what do musicians do? And what is the role of those who want to support musicians? That’s currently being examined and discussed non-stop, in the music world. Most performers are beyond freaked-out. They’re numb. The musician’s rapid descent from a once rock-solid pedestal has been shocking to lots of folks who thought they would be sitting up there forever. Whatever, this is where we are. And there are lots of questions with few answers. How important is music, in the big picture, anyway, in 2020? There’s a bunch of it out there, if you’re looking for it. Spotify adds about 40,000 new songs a day to their massive pile of creativity. How does anyone stand out and get attention? What’s driving the public’s taste, especially during a pandemic? As some aspects of our economy struggle with “coming back,” the live music world hasn’t even been given a number yet. In light of all this confusion and downer stuff, I have decided to become even more of what I naturally am, whatever that is. It’s not normal, but it’s real, and what better time for true weirdos to wallow in their weirdness? I don’t try to be different, but I know I am, in certain ways. I am very entertained by things which most people wouldn’t see; insignificant stuff. One of my dogs is slightly pigeon-toed. She gets around just fine. It’s subtle, but it cracks me up. I’m making up songs all day, in my head, and out loud. Songs about wearing socks around the house or how good Brussels sprouts taste. They come and go. Many happen only once. I’m not loud, in fact, I’m often sorta whisper-singing, especially if it’s a love song to Twitchie (cat). So what amounts to me not giving a shit anymore (ignoring things which used to rob me of sleep) I am trying to channel into making music and videos which reflect my current, hopefully unique, point-of-view. If this piques your interest, check on me and Brave Combo often.

Speaking of making music, it’s Oktoberfest time! Brave Combo has been playing some well-controlled live shows and more are happening between now and mid-November. We are being extremely careful and want to be sure where we perform public is a safe environment for the audience. Outdoors, with lots of social distance and masks is the only way to pull this off. I’m still pushing for someone to invent a bubblehead, similar to the space helmet I’ve been wearing recently. Actually, there are some inventors working on such things. I’ve seen some very cool prototypes with built-in fans and filters and microphones and speakers. I mentioned this a few times before and it’s still a valid idea; definitely not too late. Someone get busy doing something, damn it! Anyway, keep an eye on our itinerary. A Brave Combo show, live or virtual, could be one of the highlights of your week. I’ve been dancing a lot with that helmet on my head, if that makes a difference.

Speaking of Oktoberfest, below are two brand new videos of me singing two Oktoberfest favorites. “Tulips From Amsterdam” was written by several German composers in the early 1950s. A singer named Max Bygraves made it an international hit in 1958, after it was translated into English. I learned it from my friend, accordionist/singer Helga Beckman about 40 years ago. The other is “The Lorelei,” a German folk song about rocks on the Rhine river which turn into a mermaid, luring sailors to their death by her beautiful singing. Both of these songs have great melodies and feel good to sing. I ran my voice through a vocal processor and employed some funky elements here and there. But, best of all, I’ve included lyrics, so you can learn the songs and sing along. These are not your usual “have a beer” Oktoberfest polkas, but quite appropriate for a 2020 version of the celebration.

Okay, thankfully, I have no more to say. Keep doing what you know is right and, as much as possible, stay floating about 10 feet above everything. There’s power in perspective!

One more thing. Register and Vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Machine’s Pump Volume 23 – #8 – August 2020

3 Comments

Hello friends. 2020, “The Wretched,” is well beyond its halfway point. In November, we citizens of the United States can decide if we want to embrace fear and welcome four more years of chaos and division or try to embrace hope and start to heal a fractured country. I know which one I will choose, because I wake up to a weird, unsettling alien environment every day. Unbelievably, we live in a country whose leader desires the approval of Vladimir “Divide and Conquer” Putin, rather than the population he’s sworn to protect. All Americans would have considered this unthinkable and dangerously crazy at one time; that the “head” of the United States would cozy up to anti-democracy dictators for advice and guidance. But, as it turns out, a lot of folks are just fine with using an obnoxious bully as a weapon against their neighbors. America, and all that makes it unique and special, is falling apart and about 40% of us are cool with continuing in that direction. Too many people are enjoying and encouraging the darkening of their hearts, just like Italy in the 1920s and Germany in the 1930s. Humans have a great capacity to rationalize and ignore and to be led by ego. We’re insecure by nature and also profoundly driven by convenience (bad combination, btw). We don’t like to be hassled because our own lives are MOST important. This is understandable, but it’s also a very low bar, and makes it too easy to see someone else as sub-human. It takes a lot more effort to look outside and put the needs of others ahead of our own because we’re constantly being pulled back to a place where it feels way too comfortable being the worst version of ourselves, eventually preferring hate to love. It’s quite easy to gather a tribe around what you dislike. Complaining and bitching are so simple. By the time we’re 5 or 6 years old, we have ‘em both down. You know, it’s ironic that those who fear and detest the “sub-human” often become the definition of sub-human. Is our collective mindset moving toward kill or be killed? Could be. Life, itself, is a slippery slope. When you combine guns with Jesus anything goes. I wonder if hard-core evangelicals ever ponder how much they have in common with the Taliban. Jeez, Devo was so right. Besides, it’s hard work to not settle for being lowest common denominator. Everyone is aware I love my pets but I also know we people gotta constantly work to be more than animals, more than just eat, drink, sleep, poop and pee, if, for no other reason, so we’ll be capable of taking care of animals. Cats and dogs, without responsible human intervention, can wreck a place pretty fast and not give a damn. They don’t know that the order we provide contributes to their chances of being happy and healthy. Or do they? If we put a stack of clean clothes on the bed in our house, guess where the cats want to sleep. Guess who would rather eat every snack out of a completely clean bowl. Guess who, apparently, would prefer to wait until the litter box is 100% clean. Hmm, okay, my point is sorta floating around a little, but I think you get it. I suppose if all efforts to right our ship fail we should, at least, feel privileged to be alive and witness the collapse of the country. Is that a silver lining?

NOT BAD NEWS. Brave Combo will be performing a real-time, live-streaming concert on Friday, September 4 from the beautiful grand stage at The Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, Texas. The show starts at 8:00 pm (CST). So, please tune in and watch us horse around for a couple of hours. The production will be fantastic, so you can stream us to your 80” TV and crank the volume and pretend you’re about a foot in front of us. If you run out and get a fog machine it will be even better. Did you know you can get a decent fog machine and a gallon of the fog juice of your choice for about $100-125? Add a couple of little lasers and a strobe light and you’re in business. Just a suggestion on how to make time at home more fun. I read that people are getting tired of making sour dough bread and visiting by Zooming, but don’t let it get you down. The novelty of staying at home all the time doesn’t have to wear off yet. Work that brain! Think harder. Get creative! Stay strong. Fighting the virus is our generation’s war and it involves literally everyone. That’s a pretty big event and there are ways to be an active participant in whatever the battle might be, like wearing a mask. At the very least it’s real-life entertainment. We can either cower on the sidelines or jump in the fray. We can either sit on the edge of the pool in fear or learn how to swim. The first step is, of course, to tune in on Friday, September 4 at 8:00pm (CST).

MORE NOT BAD NEWS. Okay, our calendar took a bunch of hits, but some festivals and concerts are still going to happen and new dates are actually being added, with all of the safety measures in effect. All shows will be outside. Some will be drive-in wing-dings, some will have squares or circles to stay within and some will require audience members to fly around with jet packs. So, check our itinerary often.

As I write this it’s 95 degrees outside (feels like 103) and very humid. I’m happy to be in my office and not on the way to Walmart. After this I plan to work on a couple of new videos which may upset some fans and make them leave the Brave Combo universe. If that happens, it’s still a free country for a little while, so I certainly respect your decision to bail and wish you the best. It’s unfortunate political differences are as raw and inflamed as they are, but someone in a position of power doesn’t know anything else and keeps stirring the pot. I’ll just leave you with this question and your answer will tell you all you need to know. Are you more MLK or KKK? Happy trails, everyone.