Dear Friends,
I wonder why every year I seem to have to make a trip to the Rangeley Medical Clinic. This time, I got some water up my nose when I jumped in the lake last week and I’ve felt kind of crappy ever since. I think I have a lingering infection of some sort.
Yay.
We have a big early part of the week next week, so I want to feel tip top. Otherwise, I would probably just ride it out as I haven’t felt that bad. Yesterday, though, I didn’t feel good at all. Just kind of cruddy.
Hopefully today will be better and if there is some type of crud knocker outer they can give me, I’ll happily take it. I’m not here long enough to put up with more days of feeling like crap. The humidity hasn’t helped.
*****
A lot of complaining…ha! I hate it. I did accomplish binging some TV yesterday. I watched all the episodes of the show, Con Man, by Alan Tudyk. Both seasons are available to stream on Prime and for fans of his, I highly recommend it. There is a lot of really funny stuff in there, so even if you’re not a fan of him or know his work, it’s a quick watch and highly entertaining.
*****
I’m almost caught up on the site, too. I pooped out yesterday morning, but I’m within about 30 posts of being up to date. Maybe today…
The internet is kind of spotty here, so when the work gets super slow, I’m going to step away. I should be able to add a page in a minute or so, but the internet sometimes makes it a five-minute affair.
There I go complaining again. I am super thankful to be here in the woods. I love it, actually. Life is slow and nice.
*****
I was lucky enough to see Die Kreuzen in 1986, I believe, at Prisms. I’m thinking it was ’86 because of who I was dating at the time. She made appearances in my life in 1987, too, but that was usually to fuck things up, but I digress. Die Kreuzen is a good memory, and they made an impression on me.
At the time, I don’t know if I had seen a band that made such an impression on me yet also kind of baffled me. They were not like the other bands I was into, and it took a little bit of time for them to really marinate in my mind. It kind of went like this…
Me, in 1986 out loud: “I really like that Die Kreuzen band.” While inwardly, I was wondering, “What the fuck are they doing and what are they about?” In those days, I didn’t know how to articulate being blown away by a band but also being super confused by how fucking good they were.
I didn’t pick up a copy of the Cows and Beer EP for at least another decade, if not 13 years or so. I wasn’t until after meeting one of the dudes, and forgive me for not remembering his name, when he did sound for us at Headline Records in LA in 1999 when Hillbilly did an instore appearance there. Small world, I suppose.
We were talking with him after we played and he was super cool and complimentary to us, then he dropped that he had played in a band called Die Kreuzen. I was floored. I think Shane was floored, too, and Steve was like, “Who?”
So, I picked up Cows and Beer and that was that.
This 7” is powerful. It’s also less than seven and half minutes long. It will take you about the same time to read this as you would to listen to the EP. I suggest queuing it up on YouTube now.
“Hate Me” goes into “Pain” and then “Enemies” on side one. “Hate Me” is just a blast of punk rock fury. The opening riff is just straight up bad ass, too. I love this side of punk music. If you can’t say what you need to say in 45 seconds, you must have a lot to say.
I’ve never been in a band that could really master the short song and it is a regret of mine. Listening to the Cows and Beer EP just taunts me. I always wanted to do something like this but never really got to do it.
“Pain” is a little over a minute, but it seems like longer and by that, I mean that it doesn’t seem like there is anything missing. It’s perfect, just the way it is, as is “Enemies.” There is something about the last song on side one that is so great. These Millwaukee dudes were pissed off and I love it.
“In School” starts off side two and it is another barn burner. I realize that I’m using all the euphemisms here, but damn, this 7” rules. I should listen to it every day. Maybe I will.
If it wasn’t for the copious amounts of swearing, I would make my students listen to it, too, but that would be the end of my teaching career. “In School,” in particular, probably would get me fired for the profanity alone.
“Think For Me” is fucking brutal. I love it. Same for “Don’t Say Please.” Cows and Beer is a perfect punk rock record. It should be shot into space so that aliens know better than to ever come here and fuck with us like they always seem to do in the movies.
Cows and Beer could save lives. I mean it.
*****
See you tomorrow.
pretty obvious, Ai...pretty obvious.
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