I recorded this album almost a year and a half ago with my old friends the DIY Bandits. The place that many punks end up in their old age. But based on his trajectory and latest interviews, it is reasonable to speculate that he is making his way further to the right, and closer to the top on the political compass. He only just recently retired so knowing where he stands politically is impossible until new statements come out. He even started to portray belief in a higher power ⁽¹²⁾ as a positive thing ⁽¹³⁾, when at first he scoffed at it ⁽¹⁴⁾ and (ironically) hailed satan ⁽¹⁵⁾. Similar to the way a recovering alcoholic shares their most embarrassing stories ⁽¹⁰⁾ for the sake of cathartic introspection ⁽¹¹⁾, and so that others in recovery can benefit from the lessons learned. Furthermore, his earliest songs ennobled suicide and self destructive behaviors ⁽⁸⁾, whereas his more recent stuff portrayed those lifestyle choices remorsefully and with sprinkles of motivation ⁽⁹⁾ thrown in. Nevertheless, all of his songs are anti-government and advocate revolution, albeit his later works do so in a more realistic/peaceful ⁽⁷⁾ manner.
But as years progressed and he went to rehab, he sang about bettering oneself through sobriety and coming to terms with the fruitless actions ⁽⁴⁾ of a “teenage anarchist ⁽⁵⁾” throwing a “temper tantrum ⁽⁶⁾.” For example, his earlier acts such as “Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains” are drenched in nihilistic ⁽¹⁾, hedonistic ⁽²⁾, and violent ⁽³⁾ motifs. He has performed in various acts, and similar to Dead Prez, toned down his rhetoric as he matured in life.
“Pat The Bunny” (Patrick Schneeweis), was an integral part of the folk punk scene for about two decades before retiring.
0 kommentar(er)
