Volume 11 – #3 – March 2008
Although the movie, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, has nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus, it often pops up on TV around Easter. And, sure enough, there it was, on Easter Eve, all 234 hours of it. We had a gig, so I couldn’t catch it this time around (no fun to record something this long, just go rent it), but I do love the soundtrack, even if it doesn’t sound like any music that would come out of that part of the world ever. I learned the two main themes many years ago (pre-BC) and try to work them into live shows when I can. One is like a majestic, hopeful march and the other is just a pretty movie-style melody with God-ly chord changes. Our drummer, Alan, mentioned the other night that the scene with Edward G. Robinson encouraging the wild and horny mob to go on and worship the golden calf and give in to their primal, animalistic desires reminds him of an MTV video from Spring Break on South Padre Island (or anywhere similar). Bad, bad kids, huh? Well, when you think about it, most of us Americans live a somewhat self-serving, self-satisfying life day after day. We’re guided constantly by our need to feel good, physically, emotionally, financially, whatever. If we’re honest, this is, indeed, a country of people trying to become perfectly adept at controlled hedonism. It’s how we do things here. Then we come up with all kinds of ways to mask it and keep the truth from ourselves. And the means of perfecting this “me-centered” attitude is duly passed on to the kids by the parents. The American Way; scared, alone and always looking over your shoulder. The degree to which we, as a culture, allow ourselves to bask in good feelings is unique, you know? No other country on Earth enjoys the sense of entitlement we do. Why is that? Perhaps it’s just the code we live by. Do what we want and expect to feel good. One time a really terrible thing happened to the wife of a BC member and she was hospitalized with a very severe neck injury that threatened to paralyze her. A fan of Brave Combo in Japan gathered all of her own friends and family and made 1000 origami (folded paper) cranes, put them all together in a big ball and mailed them to the hospital where they were hung above the injured woman’s head. Legend has it that this act can bring magical healing. And miraculously, her broken neck re-bonded and even made a medical journal because her chances of recovery were less than slim. Needless to say, our Japanese fan felt good about this outcome. But some of her friends scolded her for doing something that would bring her good feelings, because that motivation is selfish and self-centered, not something you should flaunt or even work to attain in proper Japanese society. But in the USA, achievement, often at the expense of others, is all we learn and it seems that particular lesson gets louder and more defined year after year as the “right” way. Let’s face it, this is one schizophrenic place and we have the art of superficiality down like crazy. It’s just the way we do things. Everything is primarily image. If you screw up, hire the image doctors. No one trusts anyone anymore, anyway. Does real, solid substance still exist? What are the core things that never, ever, let image awareness influence? Do we focus on those things enough? Do we ever plan to? I even remember being taught that it doesn’t matter whether we win or lose, but how we play the game. Well, I guess it turns out that that philosophy is simply un-American. And don’t tell me it’s not. You can’t play the game in the United States and follow the golden rule or any of that corny old stuff. It seems, to me, we have fooled ourselves into a pit we can’t even see, much less climb out of.
On a lighter note, did you know that there are about seven million bands on MySpace? And we’re one of them.
In the early days of Brave Combo, when we would be driving away from a club (and a town) where almost no one came to the show. Lyle, our original bass player would usually say, in a husky voice, “They’ll never know what hit ‘em!” It was always funny and always made the crappy gigs a little easier to swallow. We knew we were doing something different, but sometimes it felt like we were also the only ones that had the knowledge. As established record companies and conventional methods of doing the record business crumble and as the tools of the Internet give everyone access to everything, the concept of band promotion has become a wild frontier. Lots and lots of clever folks of all ages are grabbing attention faster than anyone can keep up with. One cool little twist in thought can help you produce something that can, potentially, bring you more attention than ever imagined. Unfortunately, no one’s thought much about the possibility of sudden image fatigue overwhelming everyone and making visual razzle-dazzle yesterday’s news. This, of course will never apply to videos of funny things cats do around the house. Because of my line of work and Brave Combo’s need to make money, maneuvering through the mire of stuff generated by billions of computers is something I have to think about. And learning how to make it work for us, and not crush us under its cyber weight, is critical. And, it’s a law of science that adaptability is, in fact, essential to survival. In a way, all that’s left for performers, from a promotional perspective, is to be the biggest fish in a little pond. Big, long-lasting stars, may simply be dying off, like the dinosaurs. When they’re gone, they’re gone. Get ‘em while they fizzle!
Speaking of contrived stardom, our resilient singing sweetheart, Kristy Lee Cook, has made it to the coveted top ten on AMERICAN IDOL. Kristy sang harmony with me on one of our songs (“Precious Freedom”) on the CD, HOLIDAYS, and was a joy to work with. And now millions of people know her name and have witnessed her precarious climb to this position. We continue to wish her luck.
CAR TALK TV, which, it appears, may actually be titled, AS THE WRENCH TURNS, will officially and nationally announce itself and launch the media buzz at an event in New York City on April 4. The show begins airing this summer. We are now scoring episode #7. After this one, there are three more to go to complete the first season. The tension and excitement mount! I want every one of our fans to go buy a TV before this thing debuts. Okay? Promise?
The Accordion All-stars (mentioned in the February MACHINE’S PUMP) performance at the National Accordion Convention in Dallas a few weeks ago went splendidly. Wes Kucera (drums) and I (keys and bass) provided the rhythm section for accordionists,Danny Jerabek, Ginny Mac and Patrick Harrison. Each of these amazing players has his/her own style and the combination made for a great show. Check out these videos.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x98-3is8RE0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HZ00juCUWHw
My life is largely controlled by the needs of several animals that live with Jane and me. I’m not going to say much here, because, frankly, I’m tired of talking about it. But, I will say this. Neuter all of your pets, take care of them, don’t neglect them, keep your eye on them and if your fence is broken, fix it. Remember, when that puppy or kitty becomes an adult, it’s still your responsibility. Your neighbors will thank you for not being stupid. So, with that out of the way, I’ll say goodbye again. Come back next month, if you dare.