I realize, pretty much every time I return from doing a festival show, I write about it. But I suppose there is a reason for that. This weekend, I took a trip to a festival an hour outside Austin, Texas. Aside from the typical festival disarray that comes with every Hippie/electro event I’ve ever performed at, it was actually pretty nice. Since I don’t have a particular story to tell about it, I figured I just give a power point run down of random thoughts and events that went down.
1)This was the cleanest festival ever.
In general, the festivals I play have a noticeable layer of filth covering them. This is because, well, they’re usually held in the woods in the middle of nowhere and the majority of the attendees are hippies on a shit load of drugs. That combination tends to lead to less than pristine grounds. This show, however, looked like a painting. I don’t know how they did it, as the clientele was certainly no different than other festivals, but I applaud them. It was almost enough to make me wanna get a tent and actually camp out. That is, if I had even the slightest interest in that kinda shit.
2)How to not bond with me
I’m a fairly lax dude in real life and I never really get into it with people. Truth is, I’m just not easily offended and fairly passive. However, there are a few stupid things that get under my skin and will occasionally lead to an awkward conversation with someone I don’t really know. Embarrassingly, many of my personal issues have to do with other people and how they talk about New York City. I realize this is childish and lame but , what can I say, there’s really nothing else I relate to and hold close to my heart like being a native New Yorker. Far beyond my stupid ancestry , my family or my music , I’m a new yorker first. So, when people who aren’t from there speak ill towards it, it immediately pushes my buttons. With that said, I’m also not unrealistic. I realize NYC is not for everyone. It’s certainly got a shitload of faults and I’ll never deny that. But here was a situation that rubbed me the wrong way.
So, anyway, I was talking to this girl in Austin. She was a driver for the event I was playing. She was a friendly, short girl in her mid 20’s who was obviously very involved in all things artsy. She mentioned being from new york and I immediately was curious. She kept referring to herself “being from New York” and how , now that she lives in Austin, it’s a different ball game . Cause, you know, she’s a New Yorker and New Yorkers do New York shit. Listening to her talk, I assumed she meant she grew up there. Looking at her, however, I didn’t really pin her being from there. Not in a bad way. She was perfectly nice. It’s just there aren’t really a lot of native new yorkers out there who are heavy into Burning Man. Even our biggest artsy hipster types don’t play that shit. So, I ask her a few questions and it turns out she’s actually from Pennsylvania and lived in NYC for 7 years prior to moving to Austin a year ago. Well, this is one of those things that drives me insane. People who moved to and lived in NYC claiming they are , in fact, New Yorkers. As we all (should) know, this simply means she lived there , after growing up somewhere completely different and , therefor, will NEVER be an actual New Yorker. nope, she’s just some girl that lived there for a little bit. Sorry. But that is the rules. Now, if I was some dude from another place who had never lived there myself, this would obviously not bother me. But being that I am a native, the shit made my blood boil. Well, my head then almost exploded when she told me she hoped the place burned down to the ground. WHAT????!?!?!?! This is a person who had lived there for 7 fucking years…and apparently hated it. Keep in mind, her complaints about NYC were all valid. It’s way too expensive. Yes, there are roaches and rats. But why would you stay somewhere for 7 years if you hated it due it’s high prices? it’s not like she had a serious job. She’s a starving artist. I realize this all seems super petty but this girl stepped over two lines, shitting on NY and , at the same time, claiming NYC as her home. Get the fuck outta here with that shit.
So, for the record, now you know how to immediately piss me off if you ever meet me. Speak out of your ass about the city I love. Aside from that, good luck for , otherwise, I’m a brick wall of dead emotions.
3)Burning Man
Whenever I do these festivals, the question “What do you mean you’ve never been to Burning Man?!?!?!?!” comes up. This boggles my mind. I understand why they’re asking , as it is the norm for people in the scene to be all about that shit and , to no fault of their own, they really don’t know me. However, if they did really know me , they would know how hilarious the idea of me attending Burning Man is. There are few things lower on my “to do” list than that. It’s a few notches above “Eat a shit omelette” and “Skinny dipping with my family”.In fact, one of the top things on my Bucket list is “Never go to burning man”. So, if you’re one of these Burning Man people ,with all due respect, allow me to clear the air so there’s no need to discuss this any further
1)I don’t camp
2)I don’t do hard drugs
3)I don’t dress like a molested pixie
4)I sweat a lot so a boiling hot desert is not a good look
5)I don’t like any type of music that generally plays there
6)I’m a fan of comfort. I like having internet access and Tv. Phone service. Food with no sand in it. You know, the simple things.
and to the people who ask me why I don’t play there, well, they don’t pay you. As far as shows go, I’m way past the “doing it for the love of the game” portion of my career and if I’m gonna put myself through some shit like Burning Man, I’d have to come home with money pouring out of my asshole.
I realize this all sounds harsh but , honestly, it’s just not for me. If you’re into that shit, have fun. It’s just funny that not once, in all the times I’ve been asked why I don’t go, someone has responded “Ah, yeah. i can see how you wouldn’t be into that”. Not once. In fact, my indifference towards it has only been met with jaw dropping shock from whoever asked the question. The thought of someone NOT comprehending how someone might not be into that kinda shit is pretty hilarious to me but, hey, more power to them. It’s just a great example of their dedication to what they hold dear.
4) These fucking names!
I literally met a dude named “Paper” last night. That was his birth name. I asked. Amazing.
It feels like every other person I meet at these things has a name I’ve never heard before. Which leads me to believe that , when naming your child, there’s a good chance that name will define their existence. For instance, if you name your kid something like “Todd”, there is a good chance he will end up wearing a vertically striped shirt and drinking Jager. But if you name your kid “SunDoodle”, you can rest assured that that motherfucker will be tripping on Molly at an electro/hippie jamfest at some point in his/her life.
5)Being the outcast
Without fail , when at these festivals, I’m WAY too normal looking. Jeans, t-shirt sneakers and a hat , might as well be a polo shirt , pleated dockers and boat shoes. I’m looking like it’s a tuesday evening at home and there are people walking around looking like a cross between Braveheart , candy corns and Pharrell on Extasy. And those are the tame ones…It’s strange to be so far removed from something and thrown right into the center of it. I feel like I’m an explorer infiltrating some bugged out rave based inuit culture that’s never been seen by outside eyes. It’s actually pretty interesting and, as the search engine of this blog will tell you, very fascinating to me.
No matter how many of things I go to ,they’re always a trip. And as much as they are all the same, they all manage to be their own machine. This kinda shit makes me feel like a low level sociologist…and I like that.
In the end, I can’t be mad at any of this shit cause I imagine my lifestyle is just as strange to them. The difference being that some of them might actually be open minded enough to see the good of where I’m coming from, while I’m old and pretty much over everything so, that shit isn’t flying over here.
hahaha…paper!
Can a person who was born and raised in NY state still call themselves a New Yorker even if they didn’t grow up in the city? I’m curious to know what you think cause if you say your a New Yorker people automatically assume your talking about NYC.
Yeah, that’s a tough one. Obviously, people born in NY state are new yorkers and , therefor, can call themselves that but I think they should make the distinction. like “I’m from upstate new york”. I’ve definitely heard people from upstate, long island and jersey all try and front like they’re from the city. But it’s really only an issue when talking with actual New Yorkers.
The only point of contention I have with NYC is the Yankees, Apart from that, it truly is a world class city.
I mean, that’s fine. I understand Yankee hate for sure. But what the yankees do and don’t do really has no bearing on what it’s like to be in and live in NYC.
I don’t live there so I can’t say for sure. But from the outside, The Yankees seem to have a great deal of influence on NYC culture.
Nah, it’s just a baseball team. The city is way too big to be influenced that much by a baseball team.
Blockhead,
This is totally unrelated to the above post. There is a new bing commercial which plays either 1) a remix of grape nuts and chalk sauce or 2) the original joint that you sampled. What do you know about this, if anything? I apologize if I attributed it to the wrong song, I only heard about 1.5 seconds of the commercial before it went away.
It’s my song “Not so Ok Corral”.
Was it at Apache Pass? That is a cool venue actually. You are talking about burnside right? I never would go to that but heard good things as far as the setup. I live in a filthy festival setting and have it down to a science. I also hate ravers. But I like how all the chics just run around in there undies.
yeah, apache pass. it was a really awesome set up. Best I’ve seen. The party was called “art outside”.
also, definitely a lot of girls in their undies running around. can’t front on that.
What the hell? An unincorporated “community” named Downtown Texas, Texas… I’m baffled. May I ask what drew you to such a weird place?
I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not…but, all I can say is that I go where the offers are.
No sarcasm. I figured that was would be your answer. Just the fact a group of people got together and decided to name their almost city, Downtown Texas is hilarious.
HA! I didn’t even realize that was a real thing. I recall seeing signs for it and thinking it was a misprint.
where does guru fit in all of this? you know, the brooklyn thing, even tho he’s from boston. personally, its cool with me cuz guru was dope.
I Love guru but he’s from boston. You could actually hear it in his accent sometimes. There’s also something to be said for people who have lived in the city for like 20 plus years. I’d say that makes you a real new yorker…just not a native.
i love festivals.. well.. the urban ones.. you can see all your favorites artists a walk away.. Lollapalooza this year was amazing.. and it helped that it was in the middle of Chicago.. not in the middle of the woods where poeple dont shower for like 3 days *cough* bonnaroo *cough*
Yeah, the option to not have to sleep there is a huge difference maker.
Do native new yorkers have a hatred for new people coming in to live in the city? kind of like ok were already over populated.. stop coming..
the downside of NYC is its landscape.. theres no more room to expand but to just keep going vertical
Kinda. I mean, sure, it would be awesome if people stopped moving here but that’s not realistic. I think we hate people who move here and immediately think they’re new yorkers. As long of implants know their place, it’s all good.
Ha!! I love it!! And if I may.. I’ll just requote what you wrote about Burningman next time people ask me why I don’t go- I get that alll the time since I belly dance and have tattoos- Sorry Tony.. you have to start going to all the baseball games since you wear the hat!! (I’m the chick who danced for you at the Parish last time you were in town, and sat w you while you’re new New-Yorker frienemy screwed you out of a ride this weekend). I love my friends.. even the ones with names that wouldn’t even appear in the Hitchhiker’s Guide.. but I also feel somewhat removed from those events when I participate - when I wear jeans and prefer to sleep in my camper-van or not stay the night at all… That said.. I had a great time at this one and loved that it was so close to home!! From a fellow New-Yorker (um, ha-ha… I grew up in Shandaken in the Catskills.. I wouldn’t know how to flag down a cab in the city! But I could tell you how to “get lost in the woods”). BTW.. FB me if you remember.. I tried to w you, but since we have no mutual friends FB said I was try-in to scam!
It was definitely a cool event, I’m just on some serious fish out of water shit when it comes to them. It’s sooooooo removed from my reality that it never ceases to boggle my mind every time I go to one.
(BTW, I obviously wasn’t referring to you in here! Your little non-NY by way of NY homegirl though…she needs a geography lesson.)
i grew up in new rochelle which is westchester county. all my life i’ve had to contend with the ‘i’m from new york but not the city’ thing.
westchester county is NOT upstate. you gotta give some people a break. upstate is buffalo or albany.
Fair enough, but anywhere above 33rd st is upstate to me!
I’m kidding but there does have to be something that differentiates people from there from people from the city. “Upstate” is a touch extreme but saying “the places right outside the city”seems like a bit much.
wait, you’re song is in a Bing commercial? I’d be really interested to hear how that came about. And are you ready for the Heat to start their run toward 73 wins tonight? Anyone who thinks they will not be amazing is a retard in my book.
Yeah. It’s in a bing commercial. Honestly, these type of things just happen. It took a while for the song to be cleared (we had to replay samples and change things a little) but, after going back and forth with the microsoft people, it finally worked out.
as for the Heat, I think they’re have a great season if they all stay healthy.I have a feeling Wade is gonna go down for a while at some point. I also think they can be beaten by both the celtics and the magic (and the lakers) in a 7 game series, so we’ll see.
2) I’ve never been to new york and really the only way I know how to view it is from the words of wu-tang-esque artists lol, and movies (spiderman) etc. Denver has a city but is literally like a few blocks compared to the sheer size of NY. I would love if you wrote more about NYC, because I think many people are somewhat clueless or misled as to how that city really is. I mean for instance when I think of NY, I think of the classic shit; pizza, starving artists, rappers, and people with shitty attitudes (usually in some sort of italian or Jersey-like accent) “EH WHADDYA DOIN’ PARKIN’ OVA DEA EH? ITS DA STREET SWEEPIN’ DAY EH?!” and so on. But it’s purely just ignorance, as I’ve never been there, I’ve literally heard people say that they think of Denver being farms and shit like that. Sure there are farms but it’s not like the mid-west, and there are a few buildings lol. All in good fun block. And sorry for saying shit about your city that you were prolly mad at, I’m pretty sure I have before.
3) hah man, gotta love you’re steez. Hilarity. I feel you; you don’t like to camp, do crazy drugs, your name isn’t raindrop, you don’t wear bunny outfits, and you at least think about what you eat. It’s hilarious that people see you and are like “oh he does music so he must be into…” I think it may have to do with your music being not easily definable, or have a genre for it. Sure “triphop” I guess, or downtempo, but even those names aren’t really defined. I know about you from production on aesop’s albums first off so I think I kinda get a better understanding of you.. whereas someone who hears you open for a “deadmau5” type of artist, or a “pretty lights” type of artist, they will prolly think of you similar.
4) I get it, and would rather not see you wearing a “raver” type of outfit.
spiderman is exactly what new york is like
also i’m pretty sure out of town dickfarts have a lot to do with the state of faggetry that this city is in