One of the few joys in traveling for business is seeing the parts of the world that you didn't know you knew, that you simply heard of in a snippet somewhere until you see it's real, but it's not really real until you are there. While I was in Dallas last week, I watched the local weather report with interest, hoping they'd talk about the storm that was driving its way east and threatened my flight back to NJ, but they didn't, they only talked about the weather in Texas. And on the map were two towns that I didn't know that I knew, until I saw them on this map showing the weather in northern Texas. The first town was Corsicana, TX, a town I'm almost certain I didn't know just a few months ago, but it's the hometown of Wesley Johnson, Syracuse's star forward who has led them to a #1 ranking and earned himself the nickname "The Corsicana Kid".
The second town was Denton, TX, and it took me a half-second to remember where I'd heard of the town -- in the classic song by The Mountain Goats, "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton," which was featured on their All Hail West Texas album. So when I got home it gave me the chance to find the song in my collection and play it again to relive the joy of John Darnielle's musical genius, and to realize that while there's nothing quite like being home, there is a little bit of joy to be found in going out and exploring the world.
- Here's Darnielle talking about this song in on Emusic:
"Obviously -- or I'd think obviously -- the work I used to do in psych
hospitals and residential treatment homes is what informs this song.
People ask me sometimes if Jeff or Cyrus are based on anybody, and of
course the answer's "no," but only because of course they're dozens of
guys. I knew a dude in high school whose girlfriend didn't know he'd
been locked up until he'd already been gone for half a day: by the time
she found out, he was in Utah, not to emerge for, I think, a year or
two.
To take somebody's adolescence away is to deny that person some of the
closest looks at God's face that we ever get on this planet; I try not
to hate the parents who, as misguided as confused, take young men and
women away from their friends and their lives to send them away. But
it's hard. I try not to excuse the destructive things adolescents
sometimes do to express their pain, but in my gut, when I write a song
in which a couple of teenagers vow to take revenge on the grownups
who're fucking up their lives, well, I cast my lot with the teenagers.
They may do wrong sometimes, but their hearts aren't rotten yet, and
the light is strong within them."
Hail, hail.
the best ever death metal band out of denton
were a couple of guys
who'd been friends since grade school
one was named cyrus
the other was jeff
and they practiced twice a week in jeff's bedroom
the best ever death metal band out of denton
never settled on a name
but the top three contenders
after weeks of debate
were satan's fingers and the killers and the hospital bombers
jeff and cyrus believed in their hearts
they were headed for stage lights and lear jets
and fortune and fame
so in script that made prominent use of a pentagram
they stenciled their drumheads and guitars with their names
this is how cyrus got sent to the school
where they told him he'd never be famous
and this was why jeff
in the letters he'd write to his friend
helped develop a plan to get even
when you punish a person for dreaming his dream
don't expect him to thank or forgive you
the best ever death metal band out of denton
will in time both outpace and outlive you
hail satan
hail satan
tonight
hail satan
hail, hail
Download The Mountain Goats -"The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton".mp3
Download Mogwai - "Travel is Dangerous (live in Austin, TX, 2006)".mp3
Download Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go (Bonus_BBC_Maida_Vale_Studios)".mp3
Exploring the world what a nice word.Umm... All Hail West Texas. I have heard the song.
Agree with you, it gives a feeling like that you have felt. And thanks to the whether report on Texas, unless I can not find this post to write some words on John Darnielle's musical genius.
Posted by: paper writing service | June 26, 2011 at 12:13 PM
still love every scrap I have left in my stash and ever project I've done with it! Thanks for sharing.
People are always telling you what to do, but what's right for them may not be right for you.
Posted by: Coach outlet | September 10, 2011 at 02:56 AM