1. |
Louie Knit A Scarf
02:36
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It’s strange to acknowledge that I once thought
That this shit mattered at all
Like I would write a song
And folks would be like “Wow!”
And they would be so stoked that all the problems are finally gone
But now, when Louie tells me he knit a scarf
Man, I’m like, “Holy shit, that’s the real stuff!”
I gotta get some skills
Lest I remain
The kind of person
I am today
The naivety of the utopian self
I thought I was the one
I could run the perfect house show
I could hold myself accountable
The shit-talking arrogance
Like I know better
Like I understand
And you’d all do well to just follow directions
It takes a lot of not listening to think you always have the answers
“I’ve already done my work you see
There’s nothing else that you can teach me!”
But I don’t really know what you aim to be
When your clout replaces your integrity
And your need to be trusted
Leads you to defend your character
Even when you fuck up
Or even when you do fucked up things
Or even when you talk shit ‘bout the people who surround you
‘Cause it makes you feel real powerful
It pumps your tires
To be the most correct
To be the only one who gets it
Listen to how dumb that sounds
Are you the only one who gets it?
The hubris of believing
That you’ve got something to say
Is an essential component
Of self-actualizing
But what happens when you get comfortable?
And confident?
And popular?
And great?
Well you had better stare into the mirror
And decide if you like what you see.
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2. |
29
03:16
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Two old friends called out of the blue
And I bloomed, I bloomed
Later corner of the party like I’m 15
And I can’t feel alright
Yea Friendship does it usually
But some comforts illusory
So take it to the courts and learn that fair is not the metric we use
Hey gloom
It’s already bad
Take a good day
Make my eyes wetter
Drive to Portland
Drive to Pittsburgh
Drive to Philly
Still feel depressed and Ill still
Insinuate myself into your favorite shirt that wears with use
Become ephemera from youth
A postcard from a Disney cruise
I don’t remember that conversation but I believe it when you say it changed you
I miss you
What’ll you do when your new friends leave too?
What’ll you do when your new friends leave too?
What’ll you do when your new friends leave too?
Buckle up, I’m 29 now
Build a home, try to find out
What to do with the knowledge that things are gonna change
The spots where you hang out, the communities you cultivate
The people you see on the regular, the places you live as the rents rise up
The music you hear on the radio, the things that young people say to you
The love that you give out freely, and the hurt that comes just as easily
The security blanket of family, the streets of my hometown in Jersey
The dread and the sadness that hangs above, the red iron burn of a passionate love
Your health if you’ve got it initially, The clout you command in the music scene
The fictional futures you’ll strive for, the torturous weight of a loss borne
Satisfaction with how you are living, and a durable sense of identity
Yea all this and more is impermanent
A fluid in motion you float within
Predictions aren’t worth what you wrote them in
Secondhand ink from shitty pen
So I’m gonna try out more listening
And I’ll take all the blows as they come to me
I’ll live and I’ll love my community
Then I’ll disappear into memory
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3. |
Careerism
01:10
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Maybe the only suitable path now
Lays through the brambles of careerism
I could get that PhD dissertation written within
Five to seven years depending on how fully I commit to it
If I did another Master’s in something like administration
I could be a high school vice principal
With a pay bump and the same vacation
Or I could do the higher ed thing
Or I could keep my current position
And try to supplement my pay
By working hard at being a musician
In point of fact, it’s quite easy to measure your life in a series of benchmarks
Got the job and the house and the dog and the spouse and the brand new lease on car
Maybe it’s a stupid life
I buy that
But It’d buy that.
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4. |
Easy Conflict
02:08
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Trevor walks out of the grocery store
I bought an avocado
I wonder where it came from
I wonder if it matters
Inasmuch as my consumer choices make the world around me
I’m not sure if I buy it, like individually
Is it a neoliberal lie to think decisions that I make are that important?
Cause following that line of thinking leaves me hopeless
Theorizing liberation while I order a meal online, I’m feelin fine
But to complain of comfort in the revolution in the abstract while disappearing gradually into the middle class is played and boring and devoid of critique
And I’m no longer convinced that it’s not self serving too
‘Cause I believe in unions
I believe collective action can make things better
I believe in the power of the people
But also I acknowledge that we aren’t all gonna be on the barricades
Most folks just wanna live
And there’s only so much consciousness that you can build
Some folks are gonna go to work and raise their kids
And I wonder what your social revolution would do for them?
Easy conflict to have when you’ve got your food
East conflict to have when you’ve got a roof
Easy conflict to have when you get to choose
Not much of a conflict when you’re born to lose
Nothing new
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5. |
Porcelain Vase
01:34
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Saturday morning
I stepped in a pile of dog shit on the walk to the red line
It was looking to be a pretty good day
I’m always down for surprises
But never ready for plans to change
I used to think that songs had to mean something
So I tried to be original and penetrating
But Connor used the word derivative, and meant it, and get this, he was right too
Yea man, they did it all in the sixties so what’s left for me and you?
Gimmie four walls and a porcelain vase and a dresser
I’ll give ya the impression of a happy life
Gimmie a microphone and a public address system
I’ll give ya thirty minutes of reasons not to sleep at night
Keep it together!
Never to wake up from this
Meteor returning to earth kind of break up shit
You were hiding your bike in the trees
While I was shaking my wallet for quarters for the meter
Keep it going!
Head to the door
With parties like this what’s my empty apartment for?
You were kickin’ up dust in the scene
While I held it all in and then pissed in my jeans
Hallelujah!
Gimmie a one and a two and a three
And I’ll bet the next digits even
Gimmie a five and a ten and a fifteen
And I’ll give ya pretty nice lie to believe in
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6. |
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Maybe I’ll write a song that purports to reflect life as we really live it
The Real People, capital P baby!
And all of us are coal miners
Or carpenters
Or in the navy
I’ll paint you a picture of a barbeque on the Fourth of July
Unfurl the flag
Let it fly, let it fly
Beer and fishing
And descriptions of women’s dresses in the summer heat
All that real authentic stuff that generates a sense of national identity
So pour another one
We are on the beach
Or, like, maybe on the back porch
We are flipping burgers on some land I have the deed for
We celebrate family, community, and passports
We are xenophobic
But we dress it up like love, so…
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7. |
May 2019
04:16
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Early morning feel my belly bulge
Disused sponge-eyes puckered in their holes
In damaged ears it’s resonating
“time to stand and fill some spaces”
But I don’t wanna know
How this shit unfolds without you
Lonely summer
Bakes a crust on me
Aching histories underneath dead skin
I know it’s you by the patterns of my phones vibrations
I just can’t take this
I make me sick
I’m dipping out of the gig
On the porch with the scenesters talking all this shit
How they tripped on acid like I’m cool with it
The late comers coming up the stairs
I came here to breathe my own air
So I’m out here waiting
Now stuck for a while
You inside patient
With a kind smile
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The Michael Character Boston, Massachusetts
It's political music, whatever. Based in Boston, MA. Absolutely willing to drive very far to play for you and five of your vaguely alternative friends in your combination kitchen/laundry room. Hit me up. I'm fully serious.
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