If producing “The Abbey of the Lemur” for 20 years has taught
me anything, it's that people will cue up like it's the ticket line
at Disneyland for the opportunity to be offended so they can clutch
their pearls in outrage. That sounds hyperbolic, but I'm not joking.
One amusing upside to our beating Bob Emenegger's 2003 Obscenity Rap
(prompted, according to some, by actors within the Fayetteville City
Government, and most definitely spurred on in the public eye by some
of their close allies in the local print media) was that it gave
people a rough education to the Miller Obscenity Test---because
nobody could fathom the fact that we knew and were able to follow
those guidelines. People had begun calling in to Fayetteville's
Public Access station asking for copies of the Miller Standards in an
effort to play amateur District Attorney and try to bust us for
Obscenity (it never worked).
While my goal has never been to actively offend audiences (more
to entertain, inspire and stimulate----offensiveness is just
sometimes a natural by-product of these other goals) the will to
provoke has always been in my DNA. When Mike McAdam and I formed the
S.E. Apocalypse Krew back in the 80s, some of the paramount things
firing me up were the puritanical machinations of the PMRC in their
efforts to censor music. Kicking against the pricks is just so deeply
ingrained in my nature it's just going to come out of me no matter
what the hell I'm doing.
So we knew, back in the 80s and 90s, when we wrote a lot of these
songs, that they had potential to push some buttons. Now, in these
hypersensitive times, it feels like the potential is more ripe than
ever. On our album cover, we proudly boast “No Trigger Warnings”,
but in the interest of fairness, because some folks rove around with
a score card, if you're punching your ticket for this wild ride,
here's a laundry list of trigger warnings, your last shot across the
bough----and if pearl-clutching happens to be your pastime-of-choice,
we gotcha covered----there's something for everyone.
“Threats and Warnings”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Authority figures of all stripes, parents, educators,
politicians and media.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: A demonic ripdown of all things good, decent and
respectable.
WHAT
IT IS: Angry polemic against all authority, censorship, safe spaces
and people who like to try and candy coat the world.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: All the aforementioned.
“Time Bomb”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: People who are comfortable, in charge and invested in a
system where people fall through the cracks, PC types, pleebs,
neoliberals and winners.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Portrait of a man on a rampage---it's bad news bears,
man....
WHAT
IT IS: Portrait of a man hitting his last straw---and if that scares
you, maybe it should.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: All of the above.
“Kid Eternity”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: The overly sensitive, parents, suicide survivors,
cutters, histrionics, censorship types, do-gooders, the psychiatric
community, people who have no sense of humor.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: An abomination---a tasteless, sick joke.
WHAT
IT IS: A lampoon of social hysteria, moral panic and emotional
necrophilia with a special dash of disdain for those who
opportunistically blame music, movies or video games when a kid goes
off the rails.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Those who opportunistically blame music, movies
or video games when a kid goes off the rails.
“Medicine Cabinet”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Uptight adults, straight edgers, M.A.D.D., D.A.R.E. And
the Just Say No Crowd.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: A song that advocates drug abuse.
WHAT
IT IS: A song that talks about drug abuse and addiction in an
unapologetically non-judgmental fashion.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Anyone who can't get past propaganda.
“Waiting for Melissa”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Easy listening fans, Led Zeppelin.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: A smokin' hot instrumental.
WHAT
IT IS: A smokin' hot instrumental.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Absolutely no one.
“Jesus on a Stick”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Religious people, bigots, conservatives, alt righters,
PC liberals, the kinds of SJWs that take everything literally, Trump
Supporters.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: A questionably-humored appeal to bigotry and
violence.
WHAT
IT IS: A savagely humorous indictment of religious bigotry and those
who abuse it for fun and profit.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Xenophobes, Christians who are bothered over
being equated with xenophobes (and, you know, y'all really SHOULD be
bothered!)
“Melissa”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: People with delicate sensibilities, feminists, SJWs,
PC-types.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Senselessly misogynistic, hateful garbage that
implies violence.
WHAT
IT IS: Senselessly juvenile, obnoxious racket wrapped up in puerile
contempt for no good reason and to no good end.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: You. Yeah. You.
“Pig”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: People who think songs should be nice, unobjectionable
and provide good examples for young people.
WHAT
IT APPEARS TO BE: Pure, unbridled hatred and hostility.
WHAT
IT IS: Pure, unbridled hatred and hostility but it's kind of
laughing up its sleeve over the whole thing.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Your mama.
“Rise”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Meek people with delicate sensibilities.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Advocacy for aggression and insensitivity.
WHAT
IT IS: Anthem and rallying cry for the Dreg Movement.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: The complacent, people on victim trips, those who
benefit from complacency and victim trips.
“Keep Walking”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Sensitive types, SJWs, Red Pillers, people who get laid.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Bitter, resentful Incel angst.
WHAT
IT IS: An anthem of hope and empowerment for guys and girls who
aren't getting any.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: If you think you might be, you probably should
be.
“Truth is Dead”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Politicians, professional liars, punditry, poll takers
and self-help gurus.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Jazzy music wrapped around a rant against media,
politics and lies.
WHAT
IT IS: Jazzy music wrapped around a rant against media, politics and
lies.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: People who think any of this shit matters.
“Fear and Hate”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Probably anyone in earshot.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: A barreling, abrasive blast of foulmouthed, hostile
invective for no discernible reason; Harmful, hateful screaming and
threats. Ooooh, angry is bad!!!!!! Stop that!!!! Don't be angry!!!!!
WHAT
IT IS: An unsettlingly cathartic swipe at Bully Culture in any and
all forms.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: The top of the food chain.
“23”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Bad Parents, bad lovers, people who like good singing.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Ethereal angst.
WHAT
IT IS: Ethereal, ambiguous angst.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Abusers, manipulators, gaslighters.
“Black”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: People who think songs should be happy.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Doom, gloom, paranoia and despair, a piece of music
that unfortunately gives voice to disenfranchisement.
WHAT
IT IS: Doom, gloom, paranoia and despair, a piece of music that
fortunately gives voice to disenfranchisement.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Anyone who happens to be a part of the problem.
“Outsider”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: The fortunate, elistists, neoliberals, exploiters, the
well-adjusted, the ignorant, homeowners.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: The story of a loser on a rampage.
WHAT
IT IS: The story of a loser who's probably not doing a goddamn thing.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Most definitely the homeowners.
“The Candidate's a Religious Man Talking Blues”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Republicans, Democrats, the Establishment, the Punditry,
Washington Insiders.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: An ignorant folk song that lampoons the leaders we
hold sacred.
WHAT
IT IS: An irreverent throwback to the classic protest song.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Politicos of all stripes, spin doctors, social
climbers, people who think any of this sad spectacle means anything.
“First Stare”
WHO'LL
BE OFFENDED: Pop fans, censorship types, PC feminists, SJWs, weenies,
people with dainty palates, twee types, fans of love songs,
romantics, dorks.
WHAT
IT SEEMS TO BE: Vapid ballad that slides abruptly into a barrage of
noise that advocates violence against women.
WHAT
IT IS: A goof on asinine top 40 love songs.
WHO
SHOULD BE OFFENDED: Humans.
RISE will be released soon. Stay tuned right here for details.
############
PIG
MAN LEVEL TWO: As a lot of you know, late-ish last summer my entire
life fell into a hole (in my heel) and I've been struggling to get
out ever since. In week two after the skin graft I went back to the
doctor to check my progress. I was told the graft had slid but it was
still an improvement and what happened wasn't on me. I've
been off my foot 95% of the time, and they've told me to just keep
doing what I'm doing. Because this happened, of course, I'm inclined
to double down on the whole Staying-off-the-foot thang. So I might be
scarce 'round these hyar parts for the near future. Don't
panic.....still here.
WHAT
I'M READING:
A
big struggle I've had over the past several years is one that no
writer should have to admit to: My snowballing inability to get
through a book. Because we're Culture Vultures
in this house, the stack of books we've accumulated (that I haven't
read) has just grown and grown. And it's not that the books are
bad----it's just a bug in my own brain. Which is to say, sorry,
fellow scribes, for this egregious infraction----it's not you....it's
me.
My latest exercise
(over the past several months) has been trying to apply the Japanese
business concept of “Kaizen” to my life.....kind of a gradual,
incremental improvement model. Take baby steps. Read a page a day.
Do an exercise. Try to build on that foundation.
I have good days
and bad days, but the gradual rebuilding process is not going badly.
So here are some of the books that I'm using to help pull myself up
out of the literacy “basement”:
HARLAN
ELLISON-I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM
RICHARD
BRAUTIGAN-TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA
RICHARD
BRAUTIGAN-THE PILL VERSUS THE SPRINGHILL MINING DISASTER
ALAN MOORE AND
J.H. WILLIAMSON III-PROMETHEA VOL.1
I'm gettin' there.
THISWEEK'S
PLAYLIST:
BLUE OYSTER
CULT-Agents of Fortune
POESIE NOIR-Pity for
the Self or We'll Teach You to Dance
ALICE COOPER-Love it
to Death
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