Learn To Swim
02.19.07 (9:05 pm) [edit]
"Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see Armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this
Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of
Freaks
Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA
The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
Any fucking time. Any fucking day.
Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona Bay."
- Tool
"You see, I'm an entropy fan. When I first heard about entropy in high school science, I was attracted to it immediately. When I found out that, in nature, all systems were slowly breaking down I thought, 'What a good thing! What a good thing - perhaps I can make some small contribution in this area myself.' " - George Carlin
"Folks: It's time to evolve ideas. You know, evolution didn't end with us growing thumbs. You do know that, right? Didn't end there. We're at the point, now, where we're going to have to evolve ideas. The reason the world is so fucked up is we're undergoing evolution. And the reason our institutions, our traditional religions, are all crumbling, is because … they're no longer relevant. They're no longer relevant. So it's time for us to create a new philosophy and perhaps even a new religion, you see. And that's okay 'cause that's our right, 'cause we are free children of God with minds who can imagine anything, and that's kind of our role." - Bill Hicks
Tool has seldom left my player in the past few days. I've been a fan for a long time, but Aenima has recently become my nighttime-driving catharsis mechanism. I like their other albums a hell of a lot (10,000 Days is in right now, and it fuckin' kills) but Aenima is THE SHIT. (Poetic little phrase there, eh?)
I love what I do with my band. I love what I'm working towards Friday night. But if I could find a god-like crew of deranged rhythmic misfits into aural carnage on a bone-crushing level, I'd JIZZ MY JOCKEYS to be able to play twisted prog-metal shit like this.
I hadn't been paying enough attention to the lyrics, though, and even though I've owned a copy of Aenima for years, it was only a few days ago that I found myself hitting rewind and almost screaming "DID HE JUST SAY WHAT I THOUGHT HE DID???"
"Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona Bay."
I was in awe.
I already knew they were BIll HIcks fans. Shit, you can't miss it from the the samples of him on Third Eye. But when I realized what Maynard was singing on this tune (and by the way, I'd give a nut to science to be able to sing like that guy) I about lost my shit laughing and crying at the same time.
Last night, I decided to nick their influence of Hicks' influence, and make up that CD I mentioned in my last post. Bill Hicks will be heard Friday night in Marion, Indiana while I do terrible things with delay pedals.
I used to sit in my room and think of music in purely aesthetic/mathematical terms. These days it's a direct extension of my personality and emotional state, and it's a bazillion times more fun for that. When a band like Tool hits my eardrums with BOTH the skull-pounding angst AND the intellectual interest, I'm fucking THERE, baby.
They're on tour now but not anywhere near here. They're gonna be headlining Bonnaroo this summer. THAT should be a fucking hoot and a half.
I can't imagine why you wouldn't welcome any change, my friend,
Dougie
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The detachment I feel these days from American society feels somehow much more tolerable witha little help from my friends. With spiritual allies like Tool and Hicks, who gives a fuck about enemies? Evolution, bitch. Embrace it or die.