Friday Punk Older Person Music Nerd Word Party
On Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Crass. Sexual abuse in church. Christ haters. Please go see Cambodian Rock Band because it's important! Also, don't you forget about REM.
Good morning! It's Friday! I'm in love. No surprise there! I'm always in some kind of love.
I woke up in San Francisco this morning at James' place after heading there to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor during their 5 day run at The Chapel, which is my favorite place to see a show in San Francisco. A 5 day run! Sold out! Who knew GYBE was so gigantic? I did not. I didn't look up what their deal is with this tour - is it all long runs at small venues? That seems like a nice way to visit a city and work there for a week. Maybe GYBE is a band full of musical nomads? I cried through many of the songs, like damn. And I bought a book at their traveling table of progressive punk literature - a book I didn't even know existed!
Did you know that The Story of Crass is out there, in book form? You probably did if you are someone like my friend Rick Webb. But me? I missed that one! I moved to Seattle and got married when it came out, in 2008. So I was probably busy? And maybe in 2008 I was so wrapped up in my new city and new love that I didn't much care about historical anarchic punk ethos. That seems fitting. I was planning a gigantic wedding and it was anything but anarchic because my parents were deeply involved and I was trying to be a Very Good Adult who Adulted and Got Married in a Beautiful Way and was totally In Control. It was actually a really good year for me. I was being very real and very committed to setting up family. I didn't remember for a good 10 years that I am, at heart, a brazen and forthright rocker. Anyhow, I can't wait to read the book.
I have amazing memories of hearing Crass for the first time in the red closet in my friend Jason Glover's room. I was 16. I AM NO FEEBLE CHRIST, NOT ME. HE HANGS IN GLIB DELIGHT ON HIS CROSS, ABOVE MY BODY. I was shocked at the time! This was even beyond Sinead O'Connor ripping a photograph the pope on SNL and asking us to "kill the real enemy" - destroying her career to take a stand against the horrors of the Catholic Church. At the time of all this, I was fresh from 10 years of Catholic school and just beginning to question the safety of the church. The ask that I obey. Little did I know that the priest who was pastor at my church, and so many others, were being protected from any complaint of children whose trust and youth had been stripped away. Who were asked to obey. I could go on - but do want to remain sensitive. It's very triggering and amazing stuff. I was called a Christ Hater by my little sister once. We don't speak any more! I have no need to be a Very Good Adult who Obeys these days. I won’t link Asylum here, which that line above comes from. I still find it a triggering and fascinating listen.
It’s not just the Catholics, of course. Did you know that it's a ridiculously great chance that your child is sexually abused by a christian youth pastor - and not by a trans person? Did you know that most sexual abuse of young persons comes straight through the Christian pipeline? The police pipeline? These structures set up to ask that you obey? The authorities that ask you to stand quietly and just take it? If you're reading this, you probably know. If you're one of the many people in my extended familial community who don't follow anyone who you deem a christ hater and you stand behind a shroud of cult "protection" and don't engage with activism, rock and roll or the outside world on a whole - you probably don't realize the danger of the structure you're living within. I sure didn't. Anyhow, thanks be to Crass! I'm sure it'll be a great read. For the record, I never hated Christ. I think it's great that he was a belligerent hippie who stood up for his rights. I don’t agree that Jesus died for his own sins and not I think it's great that he turned water in to wine. In the immortal words of King Missile, "Jesus was way cool." He probably had good love with a woman named Mary who was a little slutty, who knows, and he was all for anti-establishment Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. I’m sure there was some juicy queer love going on between the apostle band of bros. Not sure why his followers today are so down with the opposite of all that love. Feels so no brainer to me.
Which brings me to the play that I saw last week! FRIENDS! If you are local and you have a chance, you should 110% go to see Cambodian Rock Band at the Berkeley Rep. It's amazing. Like, truly epic. The talent of the cast was mind blowing. Not only can they play amazing psychedelic rock music! Not only can they act! But they can ALSO have crazy stage combat scenes and take you on a high and low of rock and roll AND genocide. It's an intense watch. So much elation and so much evil. And there's a very healthy dose of odd family dynamic and generation trauma running a ribbon through the whole thing. Damn. It is so great!
Really made me reflect on totalitarianism and how Republicans don't want folks to make art. I keep thinking of Ted Cruz and the night he didn't win something or other. What was it that he lost so bigly? Why was I even watching? I just remember that the performers in his camp that night were so awful. Wretched, even. There was no soul in any of the music they played. If you don't allow queerness or blackness, you can't have art. That's just how these things work! I'm not sorry.
I hope you have a terrific weekend! I hope you make art. I hope you turn any rage you have into something so beautiful, so big, and so loud that everyone who needs to hear you hears and understands how human you are. How human we all are. How we are all one. I hope you are filled with PLUR. I hope you turn it up and make some noise! Please drink lots of water so that your feelings move through you with ease. I can't stress that last sentence enough. I love you. Thanks for loving me!
Here’s a song I’ve been listening to on repeat, while crying and thinking about memorizing it at age 15 next to my stereo and thinking about how I want to learn it on my banjolele to sing to my kids. Remember this song? Kids today are not into REM. I’ve been chatting with my friend Adam about it over the past few days. REM just never got on the nostalgia capitalist machine. Their teeshirts are not for sale at Target, and sadly, this punk ethos shows. Maybe if I play a song on the banjolele for my kids, they’ll remember REM when they are older and intellectualizing their childhood a bit. I’ll probably be dead by then. That’s ok.