Volume 6 – #3 – March 2003
WAR IS HELL AND IT’S CONFUSING. Wow. What a mess. I wanted to wait until war either started or was avoided before writing this newsletter. I felt like any other topic would seem trivial, but I also knew that any opinion I could have about it wouldn’t be too original either. To be honest, I don’t know what to say. As I understand it, The United States is invading another country because we believe they have particularly bad weapons and are afraid they’ll figure out a way to use them on us someday. Also, we worry that since they’re an “evil” Middle Eastern country they’ll join forces with a sly terrorist mastermind like “you know who.” Obviously, most of us are convinced that another major attack on our country is a real possibility and that Saddam Hussein will have something to do with it. I know we’re scared. Being scared makes sense. And I wanted to believe that Iraq was a real threat to me. And now that there are US soldiers all over that poor country I hope they find the proof that justifies the invasion. But there’s nothing I can say about the situation that’s unique or even particularly insightful. I feel lost on many levels right now concerning this. If I were a political leader, I think all I could come up with to say to my fellow Americans would be, “Don’t be stupid. Think for yourself. And don’t put pride before compassion.” One more thing and then I’ll move on to another topic. I guess no one was shocked or awed, huh? That’s great though, because it pulls the rug out from under the media event aspect of this. Why does everything have to have a cool catch phrase? The term “shock and awe” embarrasses me. Speaking of shock and awe, I guess the Dixie Chicks learned that most of the people in their audience are right-winged flag wavers. One more thing, how come the company that snagged the multi-million dollar contract to clean up and repair the oil wells in Iraq has undeniable ties to Dick Cheney? This is screwed-up and people are dying.
Speaking of polka, I was thinking about “The Beer Barrel Polka” the other day and wondered how many times I’ve played it. I couldn’t come up with a number, but I knew it was more than any other song. It’s probably the most recognizable piece of music in our entire repertoire and in a class by itself. It was originally a song about lost love. Then the composer (Vejvoda) turned it into a raucous polka, glorifying drinking, and it became a huge, huge hit. It’s been my trusty companion since the beginning of Brave Combo. I even met Mr. Vejvoda’s extremely beautiful granddaughter once. And the lyrics are great, especially at the beginning. “There’s a garden. What a garden. Only happy faces bloom there. And there’s never any room there, for a worry or a gloom there.” That’s heavy and light at the same time.
It’s almost time to open that Pandora’s BOX OF GHOSTS. We’re going to be wealthly beyond everyone’s imagination.
BEHIND THE SCENES. There’s a mindless period after sound check, before the show, that I really enjoy. Sometimes it can last two or three hours. You might call it down time and if you’re in a touring band it’s important to learn to deal with it constructively. Dinner may occur during this period, but I don’t like to eat before a performance, so I usually trance out for a while, think about the set list, make a few phone calls, write in my notebook, walk around, change my clothes, dwell on something worrisome for a minute and trance out again. This can be a good time to greet people, if I don’t have to talk too much. I might change my guitar strings if I feel motivated to be constructive. Eventually the show starts and the music takes over, but I often feel that responsible use of down time, even if it’s just sleeping, makes for a better show. I’m a good boy scout when it comes to being prepared. Although, a nifty motel waiting for us down the road beats a pup tent at an RV park.
Speaking of camping, in the old days all of the members of Brave Combo would pile into one cheap motel room to sleep or we would stay at friend’s or fan’s houses and not sleep. Either way, now is better. Modern Brave Combo spells comfort with a capital “C.”
I’ve often wondered, what if Brave Combo was a diner instead of a band. We could call it The Brave Combo Diner or Polkalicious or Last Chance To Eat Before The World Ends In One Massive Fireball. Let’s see, we would need a cook, a waiter, a cashier, a bus boy, someone to seat the guests and flirt with the ladies, someone to mop the floor and clean the restroom, someone to order food and stuff from the warehouse, someone to feed the cats hanging around outside, someone to take care of the shrubs, someone to write the specials on the chalk board, someone to buy 45 rpm polka records for the jukebox, someone to design newspaper ads and proofread the menu, someone to pay bills, someone to pay off the cops and someone to pay off the health inspector. Man, it takes too many people to run a diner. I think a band would be easier and you rarely have to pay off cops. By the way, my computer is trying to tell me that “polkalicious” is not a word. Stupid computer.
Speaking of stupid, it’s more important than ever to not be. Let me repeat my advice from earlier. In the days and weeks (maybe months) ahead try really hard to think for yourself and put compassion before pride.