8) TO GET THRU

I paraphrase the great comedian and philosopher Bill Hicks when I say, 'When yer tripping over homeless people every other block do you sometimes think to yourselves maybe the experiment has failed?' To try and avoid specifically talking about politics when talking about this album will be difficult. The album, with the exception of calling out Jeff Bezos or Tucker Carlson by name doesn't really overtly mention anyone in a negative way. I try to keep things a tad more objective. No, really. I don't have any political party I feel any affiliation with. No label that fits me in an air tight way. I would like to believe, and I ain't being flip here, that when given a particular scenario or situation I lean towards justice. Maybe we all feel that way. As a matter of fact I don't have any particular passion for politics. If I never heard most of these bastard's names again it'd be swell by me. Hunter Thompson has a book titled 'Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie' I can guarantee you I don't think politics is anywhere near as good as sex. I'd rather masturbate with a handful of sand than endure the very sight of Ben Shapiro again. Sex with a Cameroon goat seems infinitely more enjoyable than  listening to anything Ted Cruz has to say. Or Ron DiSantis. Or Greg Abbott. It's showbiz. It's despicable and devoid of moral conscience. And to.put even the word sex, the barest whisper of lust or intimacy in the same sentence as Marjorie Taylor Greene, I might be inclined to choke on my own vomit. So, no, I'm no political junkie. Given the choice to listen to, talk about, read about music vs politics there is no contest. I'd much rather discuss the merits of Bonehead from Oasis, a highly underrated variable in the equation of the band's success than, idk, Rudy 'Failed Grecian Formula ' Giuliani. But were I to get a bit more specific re: a possible influence on this song I might have to mention Bernie Sanders here. Now, I'm not now, nor have I EVER been, an outspoken advocate for ANY political figure. I found the Bernie phenomenon interesting. He was drawing like a rock star by saying stuff like, 'Health care should be available to everyone!' or 'The minimum wage should be raised to $16!' or 'Advanced degrees and higher education should be affordable' 'Prescriptions should be affordable', and the biggie: ' A person shouldn't have to work 40 hours a week and still not be able to pay their bills.' That one really got people thinking. That one resonated with people so hard Hillary changed her whole campaign. 'Wait... people are exhausted from working their ass off and barely keeping their noses above water? And a lot of times failing at it? Through no fault of their own? Oh, I'll switch to those talking points.' Anyway it all made too much sense almost and then the opposition made a cartoon out of Bernie, then it got tiresome and we go back to being outraged by school shootings, (also becoming tiresome) and the planet burning up. (Bye!) And we know who won that election. Way to go democrats. Brilliant.

This little tale about trying to make ends meet was recorded several times. Once with a live drummer even. I ended up playing everything. Again, big fun. If the outtakes and B-sides ever get released you'll hear this song recorded in several different styles, all of  which I kinda dug, my children if you will, just trying to find the right fit in the context of the record. Plus the record company president, head honcho Jeff Smith of Hickoid and ass crack fame responded to this particular version so that was a helpful nudge in the choice.

In regards to personal integrity and dignity, where we draw the line with humiliation, these are the issues an individual is faced with in tough times. And I ain't talking about Jim Carroll letting old men blow him in the Port Authority men's room. That was a heroin addiction. I'm talking about living a righteous life more or less, working a couple jobs and still facing a possible eviction. How far are you willing to go to save your butt not to mention your children? And who is anyone to judge? In 'the greatest nation in the history the world'.  These are the choices our lady friend in the song has to face. Could have had several more verses, could have followed her like Fiona from Shameless. Does our protagonist have a date with the landlord? Does she get a good paying job? Does she get evicted? Does she win the lottery? Get a student loan and return to school? Get caught stealing at the grocery store and have six months of probation? We'll never know the answers to these questions but I can guarantee you one thing: she absolutely knows what items work with the kids at the Dollar Tree. And you can laugh about them raising their price from a buck to a buck twenty five but that means only four items for your five bucks instead of five, 8 indeed of 10 for $10. And that makes a difference cuz Little Wally loves those Kettle Chips and Suzie loves the mini pizzas and something has got to give. And the end of the month is approaching and that little hint of terror is making it's way down the vestibule of your building and if that fucker from the collection agency calls again yer going to drive there and strangle him and you didn't think they took the direct deposit out until the 12th and they can't repossess the car if they don't know where you live now, just figure out a way to keep the phone on or you're fucked. And on and on. Or so I've heard. As my friend Alejandro Escovedo once said to me, 'Oh. Good credit rating. That's something you white people care about.'