I mean, we're still gonna be ripping off Lifetime, but we're gonna try and rip off some other bands
The song “order form” starts with a political message on the other hand it ends with becoming more personal. What was the idea behind writing it?
It was simply a message to someone I love. Political and personal just happened to be part of it. Obviously I believe everything I say in it, but I didn’t set out to do anything more than convince one person about something. I am really glad it has been received so well. Fundamentally, I think it boils down to the separation of church and state and that the difference between the two is very blurry right now.
The song “first lunch than war” states that there is no god watching and tracking everything, so you don’t need to please him, is that right? How did you come up with the metaphor of your life being a bridge?
I think the message is basically that if you believe in god that’s fine, just don’t involve yourself in other peoples business (for instance, in trying to make access to emergency contraceptive impossible for women and couples). I think I borrowed that metaphor about life being a bridge from something else. I swear I had heard it before. I used it because I feel like a lot of people who believe in heaven and all that seem to treat life like a bridge to that place. As if what happens to this place doesn’t really matter. But there are a lot of people who work hard in this life and care about what happens in it because they aren’t expecting something after. They are making do with what they got. Dig?
Related to that song “Penn Cove Muscles” ends with “we’ll place ourselves right where we want to be. we’re right where we need to be”. In how far do you think that people have their fate in their own hands?
I guess that’s a tough one. Being a white male, I think its easy to say that I have my fate held tight around the neck. But I know that’s not really the case for most of this world. This song isn’t really about taking control of fate, but more to be ok with where fate has taken you. I am of the thought that a dog wont stand to be beaten forever. I think humans operate in the same way, to a degree its simple self preservation, but ultimately it manifests itself in each of us realizing that we are where we are, because we want to be. Negative or positive stimulus acts on us and we change to cope or eliminate those forces, and where we are everyday is the result of all those changes, for better or for worse. Does that make sense? It really is just a relationship song.
In “so grown up” you write “gods won’t fill the void within”. Do you have an explanation that despite all the progress in technology and economy so many people turn toward religion again?
That song is really about the complication of your average life. It seems like its so hard to be simple. Technology isn’t the answer. God isn’t the anwer. I think that’s one of those real classy numbers where there is no answer. I got a bit too broad reaching with that one trying to tackle too much at once. The impression you got isn’t wrong by any means, there is just more to it. I guess you could say in trying to impart simplicity I was quite wordy.
You criticize the passiveness of people (e.g. in “SMRT”), that they take many things as “god-given” and they don’t even try to change it. Why do you think that this complacency has spread? Do you see it changing any time soon?
You know, I don’t think its spreading. The interesting thing to me is that I wrote that because I had a conversation with my uncle about the housing market and how I thought it was so ridiculous that the people who maintain a city, who do the dirty tasks, could not even remotely afford to live in it (or very close to it). My argument was that it was not sustainable and that anyone who just thought it would go on that way was living in a fantasy. That was about a year before the mortgage crisis started. I’m no Rasputin, but I do feel a little bit of vindication for arguing that just because the housing industry was always viewed as sound, does not mean will always be that way. With the actualization of this argument, I think a lot of people by default have not gotten so complacent about things they once held as concrete. Which is good. Gotta have the pot stirred a little. That was a pretty adult answer, and I am sorry for that. The moral…… uh.
Another thing in your lyrics (e.g. mexico 4-life, ink pen shopping spree) is that it seems that you want to life more in the moment, forget decisions you have to make in the future. I guess many people would like to do this, what in your opinion is keeping us from doing this and for example living a simpler life in the countryside? Or is it just a naïve/romantic perception and totally unrealistic?
Naïve/romantic probably sums it up best. I think that’s what most of what I write could be filed under. I do think that we have come to think that life should to be more complex than it needs to be. Let me tell you, I am an offender. I am also pretty bad at planning ahead so it easy to say just plan for today.
Thank you and do you have any last words, recommendations etc?
Thank you sir! Final words- Eric Wallace sucks. Damn that sufjan stevens and his infectiously Christian hits. Black breath 4 song LP.
Why did Michael Jackson have to get so creepy? The wire, season 2…. I’m behind.
It was simply a message to someone I love. Political and personal just happened to be part of it. Obviously I believe everything I say in it, but I didn’t set out to do anything more than convince one person about something. I am really glad it has been received so well. Fundamentally, I think it boils down to the separation of church and state and that the difference between the two is very blurry right now.
The song “first lunch than war” states that there is no god watching and tracking everything, so you don’t need to please him, is that right? How did you come up with the metaphor of your life being a bridge?
I think the message is basically that if you believe in god that’s fine, just don’t involve yourself in other peoples business (for instance, in trying to make access to emergency contraceptive impossible for women and couples). I think I borrowed that metaphor about life being a bridge from something else. I swear I had heard it before. I used it because I feel like a lot of people who believe in heaven and all that seem to treat life like a bridge to that place. As if what happens to this place doesn’t really matter. But there are a lot of people who work hard in this life and care about what happens in it because they aren’t expecting something after. They are making do with what they got. Dig?
Related to that song “Penn Cove Muscles” ends with “we’ll place ourselves right where we want to be. we’re right where we need to be”. In how far do you think that people have their fate in their own hands?
I guess that’s a tough one. Being a white male, I think its easy to say that I have my fate held tight around the neck. But I know that’s not really the case for most of this world. This song isn’t really about taking control of fate, but more to be ok with where fate has taken you. I am of the thought that a dog wont stand to be beaten forever. I think humans operate in the same way, to a degree its simple self preservation, but ultimately it manifests itself in each of us realizing that we are where we are, because we want to be. Negative or positive stimulus acts on us and we change to cope or eliminate those forces, and where we are everyday is the result of all those changes, for better or for worse. Does that make sense? It really is just a relationship song.
In “so grown up” you write “gods won’t fill the void within”. Do you have an explanation that despite all the progress in technology and economy so many people turn toward religion again?
That song is really about the complication of your average life. It seems like its so hard to be simple. Technology isn’t the answer. God isn’t the anwer. I think that’s one of those real classy numbers where there is no answer. I got a bit too broad reaching with that one trying to tackle too much at once. The impression you got isn’t wrong by any means, there is just more to it. I guess you could say in trying to impart simplicity I was quite wordy.
You criticize the passiveness of people (e.g. in “SMRT”), that they take many things as “god-given” and they don’t even try to change it. Why do you think that this complacency has spread? Do you see it changing any time soon?
You know, I don’t think its spreading. The interesting thing to me is that I wrote that because I had a conversation with my uncle about the housing market and how I thought it was so ridiculous that the people who maintain a city, who do the dirty tasks, could not even remotely afford to live in it (or very close to it). My argument was that it was not sustainable and that anyone who just thought it would go on that way was living in a fantasy. That was about a year before the mortgage crisis started. I’m no Rasputin, but I do feel a little bit of vindication for arguing that just because the housing industry was always viewed as sound, does not mean will always be that way. With the actualization of this argument, I think a lot of people by default have not gotten so complacent about things they once held as concrete. Which is good. Gotta have the pot stirred a little. That was a pretty adult answer, and I am sorry for that. The moral…… uh.
Another thing in your lyrics (e.g. mexico 4-life, ink pen shopping spree) is that it seems that you want to life more in the moment, forget decisions you have to make in the future. I guess many people would like to do this, what in your opinion is keeping us from doing this and for example living a simpler life in the countryside? Or is it just a naïve/romantic perception and totally unrealistic?
Naïve/romantic probably sums it up best. I think that’s what most of what I write could be filed under. I do think that we have come to think that life should to be more complex than it needs to be. Let me tell you, I am an offender. I am also pretty bad at planning ahead so it easy to say just plan for today.
Thank you and do you have any last words, recommendations etc?
Thank you sir! Final words- Eric Wallace sucks. Damn that sufjan stevens and his infectiously Christian hits. Black breath 4 song LP.
Why did Michael Jackson have to get so creepy? The wire, season 2…. I’m behind.