You know, I went home last night and thought about what I wrote about the Brian Jonestown Massacre show in Columbus this past Saturday and decided that I hated it. I didn't quite get across the point I was trying to make. So here's another shot:
In America, life as we know it began with the Puritans.
Life began with guilt, shame, finger pointing and hypocricy. These are folks who drowned weird people in public displays.
I like to think that my family has been working our way as far from this past as possible. So it is amazing to me when I see people who still wallow in that depressive state.
America was supposed to be about total freedom and instead it became the place where the most people are locked up in jails than any other country in the world.
People in America love to judge. They love to make you feel embarrassed. You are always wrong in America.
So how in the hell can I relate what I just wrote to a Brian Jonestown Massacre show in Columbus, Ohio?
Easy.
Because Anton Newcombe, like it or not, just happens to symbolize to many people the entire purpose of Rock N' Roll these days. The fucker is 40 years old and he embodies Rock more than people half his age.
So when he walked into Carabar Saturday he did what he does best: Disrupt shit. He walked in and owned the place. He bossed around the bands. He bossed around the staff and he bossed around his band. He took off his shirt and played some music. Then, when he went to Cleveland, he did the same thing.
I would be surprised if he didn't. The man's moto is "Keep Rock Music Evil" for god sake.
But when some people see this behavior of bravado, they think it should be stopped. They label him nuts, so they can define him. Never mind the fact that Rock N' Roll is about rebellion. Let's forget that the golden age of this music came out of an unjust war, a country run by bat shit crazy Republicans and a total twist back toward our roots of Puritanism.
In other words, he walked into their house, as they giggled like lovestruck girls trying to create some emotional tie to him, an when they didn't get the nice chummy vibe from him back, they got mad and trashed him.
So when I hear about people bitching over a goddam rock musician acting like a rock musician should, it makes me sick.
When people talk about egotism, balls and anger as if they should be ashamed of it, I think: George Bush is winning. I also think that Carabar might be a cool place, but for national bands it sucks. There is nowhere for someone like Newcombe to go and hang out away people trying to get a piece of him. There's no backstage at all.
To everyone who thought Anton should keep his mouth shut and play his guitar: Go find your balls. I think Jesus hid them for your own protection.
And Columbus?
You're on notice.
2 comments:
Cleveland wasn't better. Same problems with Anton yelling at the band, audience members trying to set Anton off (and Anton yelling at them), and inexplicably excessive downtime in between songs. And there was an hour wait between the last opening band and BJM. It was the worst BJM show I've seen. Even worse than one a few years ago where Anton was losing his voice.
I guess I always think of those lulls between songs as a kind of boiling pot (intentional or not, by Newcombe). The minute a song stops he's talking to people in the front row, shouting orders at a guitarist, or fiddling with a beer or something. Something happens that I think is hilarious. Some people get mad he's taking so long and start being loud. Other people find it amusing and interesting. Either way, the walls of your typical show fall down and Newcombe creates this situation where anything can happen. It's total chaos and that's why I love going to his shows.
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