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Show B-SI- . v. t DE continued from page R4 understand what we're talking about. FED: How do feel about mixing music with politics? KP: I just feel like these are r I ... i NBL DIAMOND I .P" j Co n n n U LTV VJj b U!1(1Li U .U; ( c -- In the Closet- J ( 1 1 K- -:J rrs n n J by JAMES SEAMAN CTp3ime for a confession. Lock f I the doors, hide the chilli dren and prepare yourself a Jack and Coke. On second thought, better just make that Jack. What deed of mine could necessitate such boozing? I recently caught myself doing something disgraceful and strictly forbidden. Caught with my hand in the cookie jar, only worse. Imagine the feeling that kid had in American Pie when he got busted for sodomizing a pastry. My crime was comparable, only decidedly less pelvic. "Your Honor, people of the court, I admit it. I recently spent quality time more than mere minutes alone with a Neil Diamond CD." 7ou beast. You have disgraced your generation and your manhood! I know, it was pretty awful stuff. When I came to, I had a sense of bewilderment and intense guilt. It resembled waking up on the floor, face down in a pool of Keystone beer and vomit; Or that feeling where your head weighs more than the rest of your entire body, your legs are Jell-- 0 and you have no idea how you ended up next to a total stranger. How could I look at myself in the mirror? Even worse, how could I ever again see my Smashing Pumpkins poster, wear my or listen to my Nirvana Clash albums? Somewhere, at that moment, Joey Ramone was weeping for me. I felt so dirty that I took a shower. Then I went back to the 2 n Li stereo and did it again. How on Earth could something like this happen? Let me tell the story. It happened over the Christmas holiday when I visited my parents. I always give my dad books as gifts. He loves reading stuff and then calling me to propose some theory that he claims to have recently concocted, but that obviously came from one of the books I gave him. My mother, on the other had, likes music. The Doors, Simon & Garfunkel and like all women of her generation Neil Diamond. So I bought her the new Neil Diamond Greatest Hits CD. Before we proceed, let me say could I look at myself In the mirror? Even worse, how could I ever again see my Smashing How Pumpkins poster, wear my Nirvana or listen to my Clash albums? T-s- hirt that Neil Diamond is a disgusting man. When I was young, I used to look through my mom's records and would always come upon d these pictures of some cretin sporting a shirt, revealing a hideous tangle of chest hair. "That," she would say, "is a beautiful man." "What about daddy?" "Well, your father is very handsome also." I was convinced my mother was having a secret affair with Neil Diamond. She used to rent the movie "The Jazz Singer" and sit in front of the television with the lights dimmed. But the terrifying sight of that crooner didn't I loved listhat fact the change "America." to My brother tening I and had this tape that played dark-haire- half-buttone- home-wreckin- g d T That night, with my parents sound asleep my mother's head undoubtedly filled with visions of Nasty Neil in one of his sparkling shirts I A crept downstairs. I knew it was wrong, but something possessed me. I grabbed disc one (Neil has too hits for i a single many CD compila tion) lustfully, caressing it for a moment before thrusting it into the stereo. My ears overflowed with the forbidden sounds of hot passion: "Cherry, Cherry," "Solitary Man," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Song Sung Blue." Then I reached for disc two and climax! "America" tore through the air as I achieved a state of bliss. Since that night I have spent many hours with a bottle of whiskey. Yet drowning my sorrows cannot relieve the guilt and regret that hang like a pall over this shattered life. And still I smile faintly, sometimes, in between sips. For the truth is that Neil treated me well and, shameful though it is to admit I enjoyed much of that evening. Neil made both my mother and I very happy. For my dad, though, such contentment remained elusive. Until the other day, that is, when my mother said something peculiar to me over the phone. "Your father has been acting strange lately." "Oh yeah?" "I just saw him going out into the backyard with a shovel and what looked like a CD case. WTiat do you think he's up to?" "Couldn't tell you Mom. Really couldn't tell you." A the song continuously. We'd jump on our beds as it played over and over. Neil would bellow "We're comin' to America" and I felt a pulse of energy rip through my body as I screamed "Today!" "Mommy! This song is about the pilgrims!" "What? No it's not" "Yes it is. In school I learned that the pilgrims came to America and there was a storm." "OK sweetie, I'm sure that's very nice." She couldn't argue with me. She might somehow blow her cover and betray the secret of the affair. I also remember the time when my mom forced my father to take her to a Neil Diamond concert for her birthday. Apparently, my dad hated the experience because it was too loud he will only listen to church music by this guy named Carey Landry. But I knew the xeal reason my dad hated that show. It was because my mom went to make out with Neil Diamond. Now, all these years later, I had to discover my roots. It was like crisis, returning having a mid-lif- e to your hometown after decades of running from the past. It was like setting out to discover your real parents, locating that lost part of yourself. And while I don't know what any of those things feel like, I'm sure this was a similar phenomenon. On Christmas morning I watched carefully as my mom opened her gift, studying her face for any hint of lingering memory. "Oh Jimmy! This is my favorite." "I know Mom, I know." iamesred-mag.co- m i it '.it T I f" V i t s times right now when you r.efd to take the opportunity to uplift it's musically, lyricalwhatever... ly or To play in front of all these people, I just wouldn't want to waste my time by singing about some shit that doesn't mean anything... J?D. What do you attribute your political consciousness to? KP: There's a lot of movements and a lot of struggles that just inspire me the Zapatista movement, Chiapas....! created a whole album inspired by that movement. J?D. Is that the Culture of Resistance? KP: Yeah...There's a lot of politics everywhere you go...especially as a Latino. When you're out there, you just get exposed to a lot of different prejudice and a lot of ignorance. Our people are so oppressed there has to be something done, you know? RED: Definitely. Has the aftermath of the Sept. u tragedy affected the way people receive the Players' message? KP: We're not playing to a lot of people we were doing so good. The band was at this level of elevating that was just beautiful. Our shows were getting bigger and bigger and bigger and the vibes were getting better. Our crowds were getting more diverse, and all of a sudden, "Boom" the Sept. n thing happened, and it's like almost we were a new band again. We had to start all over again. But as far as people vibing the message and all that, we're still singing about the same things we were singing about before this. There is a war all around the world...there is tragedy all around the world, and when it hits home like this, people don't know how to deal with it...The album came out on Sept n. RED: The Movement album? KP: Yeah, that's like the worst...it was a lot of pressure for us. J?FD; If you could send a message to the world right now, what would it be? KP: Just to wake up man, 'cause there's a lot of sleeping going on and there's a lot of unconsciousness and walking dead.That's just it wake up. Right now, man, there's a lot of brainwashing going on with this whole war on terrorists...those are our people over there in Afghanistan, those are our brothers and sisters...This is definitely an anti-wa- r movement you know, Players, so we're not down for any of that shit. We're not down for killing innocent people. Next thing you know, there's going to be a war on our families in Mexico. There already was: The indigenous people in Chiapas getting fucking murdered out there...that wasn't on the TV. RED: Yeah, and that's happening everyday. KP; That wasn't on the news, people weren't trippin' on that RED: Any comments or statements? KP: This band is the hardest workir.g band out there. We just travel, and we love to play, and we love to open minds and make people feel good about themselves out on the dance floor. We're just excited to get back out on the road "cause that's what we do. RED: Are you looking forward to the Salt Lake show? KP: Yeah, man, we always have fun out there. Slightly Stoop id will open for the Players on Jan. j$ located at i:$ lous- RED MAGAZINE I at Club e, 'erf Temple. S. - red-ma- g com JANUARy 10, 2002 R5 |
