a relatively shallow entry to get me started again

[gordonzola]

Hello LJ friends. I’m back in town and have so much to write about I don’t know where to start. First off, thanks to motel666, queenbeanna, and goodbadgirl for helping to entertain me in Seattle, Sara and Steve (too cool for LJ, those two) for hosting me for a night in Portland, and all the other people without an online presence who took me in or otherwise amused me.

Much will be coming in the future, including, but not limited to:

-Why I’m over punk houses
-Ideological problems with "Thomas the Tank Engine"
-Musings on "The Left" and the anti-war movement (If you haven’t read jactitation’s piece here you should right now
-Grand generalizations about Portland and Seattle
-Why Goths amuse me
-The cheese schmoozefests and related events I’m currently attending

But the first thing I’ll write about is the drive. Nothing really makes me feel more American than driving a huge white Pontiac Bonneville (free upgrade from the compact I reserved) 800 miles in a day. I’m not saying that in an ironic way either. I really do love it. And since I brought about 30 CDs (I try to over pack in every aspect of my vacations) it was a loud and fast drive too, my favorite kind.

So loud, in fact, that I blew out one of the speakers with my "Too Popular for their Own Good" mix CD. In the same way that I like to listen to Hank Williams and Wanda Jackson when I visit Germany, I figured that since I’d be traveling through some of the whitest parts of the country I needed the equivalent of KMEL (outside SF read as "Clear Channel urban format station") to help keep things in perspective. I think it was "How Many Licks?" by Li’l Kim that did it. All of a sudden, no more bass.

Luckily, I’m punk so I was well prepared. If there ever was a musical style that disdained bass it’s that of my chosen subculture. And while it’s satisfying to pull into rest stops with the bass thumping so loud that the bathroom trolls come outside to see what’s going on, I think the constant short-fast-loud cut an hour off my trip by raising my adrenaline level. Driving down I-5 at 85 MPH screaming along to Blatz* just made me so happy. . . I felt like I had finally relaxed after a week off of work.

Unfortunately, there’s that hard-to-rationalize, nagging thought that my (and most Americans’) ability to find such joy in driving alone is, on more than an individual, consumerist level, one of the reasons a whole bunch of people are going to die in Iraq very soon.

Sigh.



* Confidential to The Punx: I bought the new/old Blatz/Filth CD in Portland that packages all their records onto 2 CDs. I came to the conclusion that if you think of yourself as punk, and you don’t love Blatz, well, you must have no heart. "Homemade Speed", "Lullaby", "Fuck Shit Up", and "Berkeley is my Baby and I want to Kill It": pure classics.

Comments

[lemon-says.livejournal.com]

Darlin', just try to remember that people would find some reason to kill us or for us to kill them, regardless of your road trips. There were wars before SUVs and V-8 engines, and if they made cars run on air, we'd fight over whose air it was. Maybe I shouldn't talk about it today; I'm even a politics geek, and today I am really wanting to pull a Scarlett O'Hara and say, "War, war, war--any more of this talk of war and I'll go in the house, I will!" as I flounce into the house and hide.

Driving across the country is one of the best ways to get a little peace of mind, isn't it? Now you're making me want to hop into my car and go...

[tarynhipp.livejournal.com]

classics? i call them "oldies". ha! :)

[candywarhol.livejournal.com]

Blatz is way the fuck up there on my list... but yeah, how can people not love em? What is there not to love?
xoxo Candy

Why goths amuse ME

[fluxions.livejournal.com]

LJ community gothmakeuptips. It always amuses me.

damnit

[misscallis.livejournal.com]

i was going to write a post berating you for buying blatz on cd. WWAJT? (what would Anna Joy think?) but then i went to go find my vinyl bought used at epicenter in 1993 and it was GONE! and then i looked to see if some brain hemorrage made me file it under Filth and it was still gone! and now i'm upset because i'm obviously not punker than you (as i thought) because evidently i sold my copy or some little rat got it in the great vinyl custody battle circa 1996.

has it really been that long?

now i'm upset.

[jactitation.livejournal.com]

Are you going to be able to separate "grand generalizations about Seattle and Portland" from "why I'm over punk houses"? (And might you add, "old-fart self-justifications" to that assemblage?)

And let's take apart that oil thing a little. Yes, there's something about promoting that driving alone in a gas-guzzler that is connected to ridiculous oil over-consumption (which is only part of resource over-consumption in general), but do you really think it's drivers who are the main over-consumers? Of course you know that it's industry. That doesn't mean that there's not a cultural component, but do you really think that your love for your car and driving alone is what's driving the war, or was that just a little tease for us?

sigh

[(Anonymous)]

late night greeting card sessions in front of the copal....its good to hear your voice G -K

[arasay.livejournal.com]

"Homemade Speed", "Lullaby", "Fuck Shit Up", and "Berkeley is my Baby and I want to Kill It": pure classics.

At least two of these were on the mix you made me (the one that helped me survive Texas). I should find it - I think the Berkeley song might have a different resonance now.

Glad you're home.

[mala106.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, there’s that hard-to-rationalize, nagging thought that my (and most Americans’) ability to find such joy in driving alone is, on more than an individual, consumerist level, one of the reasons a whole bunch of people are going to die in Iraq very soon.

...and everyone just dreams of themselves anyway, don't they.

[goodbadgirl.livejournal.com]

I only wish I could have amused you more. :) Next trip then.