I thought to myself, this is someone worth meeting. He’s doing something new, something now, something funny, and something serious at the same time. I don’t know how I figured out that he was on the mezzanine, maybe Dave saw him first. We headed up the stairs. It quickly became obvious that this line was for autographs, or at least that’s how the fans were interpreting it. They were asking him to sign their tickets, their shirts, an arm or two. I was thinking maybe we could just have a conversation, to show that I don’t really care about autographs. Just a quick chat. I immediately came to my senses and realized I needed to preserve this moment. This was before smart phones so there would be no video, and no photos. The only thing that could survive this moment was an autograph. But I didn’t have anything to sign.
We were lined up next to the bar on the second floor. They weren’t serving any drinks but there was someone cleaning up since the show was over. I noticed them grab a towel from a stash below and start wiping down the bar. Cheap beer was in puddles everywhere where people had stood to take in the band. I couldn’t imagine someone listening the show without being able to see it. Or maybe they were carrying their drinks back into the crowd, easily losing significant amounts of beverage as they bumped and clinked their way back to their friends. Then it occurred to me. I needed to get one of those towels. I quickly asked the bartender and he was more than generous. He searched the stash for the driest towel they had and gave it to me, no questions asked. He immediately understood my needs. He didn’t have to do that, and I doubt most would. But this time, he did.
“DEAR JIM,
WE ONLY LIVE ONCE, AND LIVE WE WILL! THERE HAS NEVER [BEEN A] BETTER TIME TO BE ALIVE AND TO DO EVERYTHING! THIS IS OUR TIME—AND WE WILL NOT WASTE IT. WE ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE, AND WE WILL NEVER LET DOWN! THIS IS EVERYTHING.
YOUR FRIEND,
ANDREW W.K.”
The show was something to behold. It was essentially a heavy metal band, but playing songs predominantly in a major key, with keyboard lines that topped everything off like a dance track in a Tokyo nightclub. And the message? Just have fun. That was the silly part, but it also became a rallying cry. Why not have fun? Why can’t we have fun? Why are we not having fun? The conversations in my mind quickly became existential. There was actually something there, you could feel it, beneath the surface of these simple statements. It felt like it came from a place of depression, boredom, frustration. My favorite place to start looking for good music.
I didn’t get it at first. It started with Dave telling me, “you have to listen to this.” At which point I did, and walked away in judgement. “Yeah, I see what he’s doing here, but—.” But what? Eventually, I would come around, buy the album, and claim it as my own. I don’t think I ever gave Dave credit for this. Of course, my record collection—CD collection—was larger than I could manage. Hundreds of hours of music, not to mention downloaded material, that I could never come to fully appreciate. So what good was another album by a band that I had never heard of? It makes all the difference. It’s important to keep an open mind to what’s new. And it gets harder and harder as I continue to refine my taste in music. But stay on it somehow. Stay gold.
Unfortunately, in the current political climate in the United States, fun is not exactly top of mind, however there’s a parallel to this message. “We only live once…this is our time…we are not in this alone…this is everything.” It reads like a battle cry for what you believe in. Of course, it’s perfectly generic and takes no sides, and in doing that, lets you apply the message to whatever you want. But that’s the point beyond the point. It’s about taking control of your life, and living on your own terms. An anti-apathy. And so while fun is at the bottom of the list as we see the Republican party descend into Fascism, that’s the message we need to internalize. As many have said this week, enough is enough. Vote, speak, spread the message, protest, participate. Against gun violence, against racism, for human rights, for transgender rights, for reproductive rights, black lives matter, the list is overwhelming but… this is everything.