The Tao of Wu
by Jason Fladager - flash@cabooze.com - The Big Wu
Let's do it again...
Saying let's is the key word here folks. Let's. Meaning Let "us" do this
again. I'm speaking of the last concert we put on. Maybe it was doing 11
straight shows through Colorado, maybe it was something else...but by the
time we got to Madison it was like ahh...the theatre. The first theatre
concert. The graduation part of this whole exciting thing. 7 years of
beating your brains and your ears and here it finally is...the real sixth
member; this huge audience. I'm shore someone came up with that before me
so
whomever it was kudos...it just felt good to say. The sixth member was
firing all night at the Barrymore last Friday. It felt great. Walked out
to
hear an audience make noise for what you do rather that walking out onto a
barstage and hearing nothing but clanky bottles and chipperchat. Fires
you
up. Kinda felt like someone stuck the ol' adrenaline needle right through
the heart. I was happy to be there and not thinking about much. Wasn't
thinking about being nervous or about what would happen if it sucked ass.
Just sorta in this spacedaze from the previous weeks of playing and
bombarding yourself with noise and weird sounds. I think we play better
when
that happens. When you've racked yourself so far, dove so deep, plunged
into
the profound. Its like a calm spot. Better than being really high and
playing is being really exhausted and playing. A little self discovery
there. When all the members are there and the sixth member is there...its
a
magic thing. Here are people who drove miles and miles, prolly hopin'
not
to get pulled over, to be part of something. Part of, for sure. You have
to
be if you come to a real music concert. I'll tell you why.
I can proudly say that I've never smiled at anyone on stage and not meant
it. So what if just standing there frozen on stage is boring as hell, its
whats seepin through the holes in the side of your head that matter.
Nothing
irks me more that detecting people on stage smilin' with this big fake
grin
that you know was for sure, plastered on there the night before. How
dull.
This one band at the Cabooze was so into their routine that the only part
of
their show that differed was the sign mentioning what city they were in at
the foot of the lead singer. I think of Mr. Rourke saying "smiles
everyone,
smiles..." Yuck!
There is this huge thing going on. A quest for reality. Folks are
beginning to reject the big grins and plastered, pasted, same ol' same
ol'.
Its happening everywhere. People don't want to see that big ol' fake grin
up
there on stage. Cripes, you might as well break out the top hat and cane
and
do some Bob Hope tapdance while your at it. People have been faked out
and
lied to so much in the entertainment world. I think people are fed up
with
whats being forcefed to them. This kind of music is great because you
know
your gettin' the real deal everynight. I mean we all look like five big
nerds on stage. Its the trying part that is what matters. People feel
inspired to be at a show. They know they aren't getting faked out or
SENSATIONALIZED to death. This one kid told me once that he liked going
to
see us play because he was a novice guitarist and it felt good to hear us
fuck up so often. Inspiring isn't it? I think the Dead screwed up alot
and I
loved every part of it because "to err is human" and being part of this
big
human experience was what sold me on the whole deal. I knew when the
magic
peaks hit me that they actually were coming from a real live breathing
creative human being. I love being able just to walk on stage, make the
funny noises and walk off stage not having to change into costume. Think
about if Madonna really messed up a lyric on stage... she'd prolly turn
into
a big blonde pile of spooge from the pressure. That would be the kind of
entertainment I would pay good money for. The Kiss masked phase won't
last
long in my humble opinion.
If I was a member of the audience at one of our shows, I think I would
have
this feeling that I'm actually part of what's goin' on. Not like at
Aerosmith or something where you feel like your not even from the same
world
or your contributing in ANY way to whats goin on up there. When was that
last time you actually felt as though YOU were contributing to whats
happening on stage? The big nerds can't make the magic shows without the
audience when it comes to this kind of music. The fake smilers can
because
they are Its something different that your run of the mill. Its too real
for
some to digest. That same kid who said he felt inspired to keep
practicing
the guitar, said at Phish he felt like throwing the guitar into a hot
crock
of boiling sulfuric acid just so to watch it slowly dissolve away. I know
exactly what he means. Your too damn good and deserve everything that
comes
your way! There is something about it that seems unreachable. Guyute?
C'mon...you gonna go home and sit down and try and learn that? To feel
connected and within reach of something is another form of appreciation.
Don't get me wrong, I love those guys and support them whenever I can but
I
still need the heart trip that the Dead left void in me. That feeling
that
despite my lack of talent or lack of this or that...I can still shine in
my
own way. To "try" is not lame as much as the perfectionist want you to
believe. No make up.
This whole Barrymore show was a bit overwhelming for me because it felt so
real. The audience was as genuine as was the music that was being played.
Its great when you get that much good energy in one big room. Crazy stuff
sure can happen. Hopefully the trends will continue and we all can do it
again. muchos gracious.
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