Politics Will Get You Gigs

Politics will get you gigs
Don’t let the rhetoric fool ya
If you wanna be a movie star
you don’t need to be Raul Julia
And if you wanna be an underground
independent rock star
all you you gotta find is that same old sound
and an engine to hook your box car to ’cause
Politics will get you gigs
One way or the other
Either you can sell your own soul
or else convince another to, and
when they get themselves in good
with all the crucial players
you’ll be opening up shows
for everyone from Cher to Slayer
Oh yeah but
politics can lose you gigs
though everyone denies it
but nobody gets airplay
unless somebody buys it
And if you can convince yourself
success is based on merit…
Well, if that were true I’d imagine you’d be
a little bit more anxious to share it
Yeah, politics will get you gigs
The proof is in the package
How the hell else do you think that I’d
end up on a bill between Unwound and C Average?

Oh yeah
Politics will get you gigs…

Oh politics will get you gigs
It oughta be accepted be expected
Whether your pond is small or big
you have to do just like Johnny Depp did

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“Politics Will Get You Gigs” was recorded at a benefit for the Capitol Theater Backstage in the summer of 1999 in Olympia, Washington. It feels like an appropriate “flipside” to “Hating The Haters”, the single I released last month.

The photo above is from my appearance at the last of the Ralph Nader Super Rallies at The Long Beach Arena in November of 2000. Other acts on the bill included Patti Smith, Jackson Browne, Jello Biafra and Michelle Shocked.

Every year I am more and more a Naderite, and less and less inclined to ally myself with the people who still ahistorically blame him for the election of George W. Bush and the wars and erosion of civil liberties that were supported by both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Bush and Cheney have, of course, been embraced by Democrats who still have tremendous hate for a true American hero like Ralph Nader. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so despicable.

Billy Bragg has a line in his song “Waiting For The Great Leap Forward” that goes, “If you’ve got a blacklist, I wanna be on it”. It’s not the easy road by any means, but I feel exactly that way.

“Politics Will Get You Gigs” is full of references both obvious and obscure to other artists on the bill for the Backstage Benefit in Olympia where this song was recorded, including Unwound, C Average & Mary Lou Lord. Some of the references will probably seem esoteric on a variety of levels, while others may have been distorted by time and events which I could not have foreseen (like the line about Johnny Depp). I hope this is a pleasantly disorienting experience.

Speaking of disorienting experiences, I was recently in Olympia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Transfused rock opera in which I played the role of Ze. My character’s song “Child Of Destiny” was one of the hits of the show and it felt important to share in the celebration of a production that was a big deal in Olympia and beyond, as well as for me personally.

The 25th anniversary event was hosted by The Olympia Music History Project. Two different friends in attendance (longtime Olympians like myself) asked if anyone from this project had spoken to me about my role in Olympia’s musical history. Until my friends asked, I hadn’t really thought of it. Of course, when people ask me where I’m from I say “Olympia”. It’s where I grew up and where I’ve lived most of my life. I’d still live there if I could, and I still keep my place there in the hope of returning one day. I’ve made two records specifically addressing the Olympia experience (”UnPop…” from 1995 and “Recognize, De-escalate & De-code” which features the song “Olympia’s Secret”) and written a book called “Accidental Initiations: In The Kabbalistic Tree of Olympia”, about the sacred architecture of my hometown. Frustrating as it is, the town inspires me. I created Radio8Ball on the local community radio station KAOS 89.3 FM which regularly featured Olympia songwriters as guests. For a decade, from 1993 until the early 2000’s I brought artists to perform in Olympia like Spearhead, Dan Bern, Chris Chandler, No Means No, Veda Hille, Kinnie Starr, John Wesley Harding and connected them with locals like Chris Sand, Senayit Tomlinson, Scott Taylor, The Mona Reels, Jenny Jenkins, Casey Neill and many others.

Maybe I’m Olympia’s secret.

It makes sense that 21st century music historians looking to the rosters of the local independent labels from the 80’s and 90’s might miss someone like me. Despite my proximity and involvement in so much Olympia music, my role (even when supporting individual artists) has been as an antagonist to “the scene”. I have never been interested in dressing the part or downplaying the aspects of my personality that tweak Olympia’s prejudices or intolerance. My records are hostile to the bullying and reactionary dynamics that make my hometown inhospitable to the kind of creativity that inspires me. This stance has made me  a target of gossip and slander from representatives of some of Olympia’s most beloved (and cliquey) arts and culture organizations. I take this as a compliment. I think this is the role of the artist, to challenge hypocrisy and in so doing, make hypocrites uncomfortable. Being popular with status chasing bullies may get you more gigs but it ain’t the life for me.

Which brings me back to “Politics Will Get You Gigs”, a song that reflects my experience of the Olympia indie rock scene of the late 20th century. If I had engaged in more of the interpersonal politics that flatters prejudice, instead of writing and speaking about topics that do not lead to easy agreements, I might have been booked for more and better gigs (like the one documented in this recording). I have no regrets in choosing the path I have. I don’t know another way to be. Regardless of how it affects me personally, I hope this snapshot of a moment in Olympia’s music history contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of the scene that birthed (and killed) so many talents.

For those who will be in Olympia on Friday, September 5th you can participate in Olympia’s continuing musical history by attending my performance at Michelle Peterson’s house…

THE STORY CONTINUES…

When this single was released I created a short video to post and boost through Meta on Facebook and Instagram. Both sites rejected the boost because it violated their policy on “politics and elections”

Here’s what my post said,

“Politics Will Get You Gigs” is the virtual B-side to my latest single, “Hating The Haters”.