I’ve been reading David Byrne’s How Music Works and was pretty bummed out by the section where he addresses his anger, disappointment, anxiety, and sense of helplessness at the Bush Administration’s invasion of Afghanistan, and then Iraq two years later. I came across this passage right as the missiles were raining over Iran in the present day, killing state leaders and school children alike. Timing couldn’t have been better. I don’t know what I was expecting from this elder statesman of pop music. Maybe I was hoping there would be some…instruction? Some path forward for what to do when you live in a country that is just flagrantly committing war crimes like a bully, while asking you, “What are you gonna do about it, nerd?”
Keep in mind, David was living in New York City when the towers fell. He saw the aftermath from his bicycle. In his book, he mentions “revenge” as one of the disgustingly inappropriate reasons for invading one of the two countries—the one where the fighting lasted twenty years and resulted in the same regime that we apparently went in to oust, returning to power. This book came out in 2012. Poor David (while writing this) didn’t realize the war would rage on for another 9 years.
Sadly, Mr. Byrne had no advice for a lowly musician during such times. And God knows he tried. If you read the book, he includes one of the full-page ads he was taking out in both Rolling Stone and the New York Times, urging contributions to help stop the invasion of Iraq. Really putting his money where his mouth was. Not just writing dumb protest songs, which he bemoans the uselessness of. His take is that they do little more than provide catharsis for the artist. I’d argue for the listener as well, but the point stands. They sure as shit don’t stop the war machine.
In his book, he relents that despite a lot of legwork and money spent, it did nothing. America invaded Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost. The stability of the Middle East remained in flux.
I suppose it was naïve of me to assume the Scottish expat would provide something a musician could do that would stop such unjustified state violence, since grassroots organizing and writing music did fuck all. He certainly did not. The chapter trails off into some musings about home recordings.
Sadly, all I could gather from reading David’s assessment during a similar travesty is that it just sucks. This just totally sucks, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it. I mean, it doesn’t suck as much as it does for the civilians living in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and soon other countries catching missiles. Last time we were properly invaded was 1812 (1943 if you count Japan’s invasion of Alaska), so you’re not really gonna feel the direct effects of this war unless you drive a lot, or you or someone you know is an active service member. (Hey, that could be everyone soon if they reinstate the draft.)
So, I’ll try to do what David Byrne couldn’t and provide a list of three things you, a local Portland musician, can do in this next installment of America’s forever wars.
Don’t Pay Taxes
At this point, fuck it. If you can get away with not paying taxes, do it. It’s just going to the war machine anyway. Also, this regime can seemingly use this war machine however the hell they want, with no accountability from the public or even Congress. The last time Congress declared war was in 1942. Weird right? It seems like there have been a hell of a lot of wars since then, but as per the whole proper channels, nope. Last time we did it for realsies was apparently 1942. This might not apply to you, since, as a musician, you probably don’t make enough money to owe any taxes, you poor piece of shit.
Don’t Enlist in the Military
And if you are in the military, either resign or be a conscientious objector. I don’t know how it works since I’m a nudie mag writer. But since the draft isn’t instituted, you have the choice whether to be part of the war machine in return for a free college or whatever. Just don’t. Since you’re a musician, I assume you weren’t planning on it, but I just feel like I need to reiterate here. If you want your boss to be an alcoholic with nazi tattoos, go work at a gas station. And on that note!
Don’t Drive
You might not have a choice on this one. Gas prices are about to skyrocket if this keeps up. I’m writing this in early March (well past the writer’s deadline, I might add), so who fucking knows where those prices will be in April. Touring in your shitty, little band van is simply not tenable if gas is 12 dollars a gallon. Sadly, this has been the case for some time. I remember as long ago as 2006 in the Bay Area, bands were scaling back on touring because gas was getting too expensive. Oh, if only those poor souls knew how much worse it was going to get. Now remember, I didn’t say don’t tour. Just ditch the van. Apparently, it’s a thing in bigger cities and a huge thing in the UK. It’s weird reading about how Oasis got to their shows via the Tube, back before they were signed. Amps, drum cases, and all. And that seemed to be the norm for local bands since nobody drives there. Bands in New York take the subway to get to gigs. Seems weird, but I guess it’s better than finding parking. As someone who’s played San Francisco a few times, I can confirm...I would much rather roll an amp off BART than spend 2 hours looking for parking on a hill.
Whatever you do,
Don’t Write Another Fucking Protest Song!
