more words

"The problems of the human heart in conflict with itself alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat."

- William Faulkner

I couldn't have said better myself. I won't even try.

songs about girls

"Humanity has advanced - when it has advanced - not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious and immature."

- Tom Robbins

I am greatly offended by the ludicrous but widely held notion that self-righteous sociopolitical songs are any more important than love songs. Musical brilliance is not logical and premeditated; it is passionate and impulsive. And while I don't deny that political songs are often full of passion, they will never speak to ME like a good love song. An artist reaches his/her artistic zenith looking inward, not outward.

As such, you won't hear any topical tuneage from me.

It's not that I think music and politics should be mutually exclusive; it's simply that most so-called political bands offer little more than pandering catch phrases and an utterly contrived pretense of noncomformity. Too often, bands with a message are laughable self-parodies. Nowhere is this more evident than in the all ages punk scene, where a hyper-liberal ethos is routinely adopted simply to mask pathetically inadequate songwriting chops. Kids: if the tune isn't worthwhile, then neither is your message. Sure, I like to hear John Lennon sing about revolution, but Leftover Crack and Anti-Flag...eh...not so much. Preach if you must; ignorance is endemic in this country, so you'll always have an audience. But I, for one, need not be enlightened as to how war, rape, and social inequality are "bad."

In the meantime, I will stick to the essential insanities and continue writing songs about girls...doing my part to advance humanity.

P.j.

Master of subtlety?

The Hat has a new song up at Pure Volume:

http://www.purevolume.com/ruthshat

The three songs from that recent session - all available at the aforementioned address - may have finally captured our live energy. The libidinously bluesy "Show Me," in particular, was a blast to lay down. It really shows how far the band has come since the sloppy poppy days. More importantly, though, it reveals our consistency of purpose. We may be tighter and more refined as a unit...but we still just wanna shag you. Hell, I'm still chuckling because I said "unit."

When I played "Show Me" (the new tune) for my parents, my mother was confused.

"I don't get it," she said. "You show me yours and I'll show you mine?"
"Mom, you've heard that before...it's just one big euphemism."

Umm...everyone got it, right? We're not going to have to break into discussion groups to cut through the freakin' subtext in "Show Me," are we? It's about as subtle as a root canal, people.

Natalie, our eminently capable merch girl and Mike's muse, suggested that I actually call the song "One Big Euphemism." Funny, to be sure, but I think I'll stick with "Show Me" for now. My self-conscious streak has already tweaked some people, as evidenced by this review we received for "Hitchhiker's..":

"A fresh-faced, party-happy, indie pop band whose members think they're clever."

Hopefully we aren't too clever to be sexy. Because "Show Me," like rock n' roll itself, is pure sex. And if Mike and I perform it in the spirit it was intended, the cameras will only be allowed to shoot us from the waist up.

Oh yes.

If you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, just watch some old Elvis footage.

P.j.