Deafening Silence

If the sudden cessation of the usual stream of comments from my friends here is any indication, my last post must have been a bit over the top. Please know that my criticism is of the culture at large. There were no hidden jabs at my own family or any other family or individual. Really.

Also, I hope that there is a positive subtext there. It is possible to reject the way that we've been led to believe that Christmas must be. We can always choose to do it differently.

Christmas Day 3

Traditionally, Christmas was a twelve-day feast that started at sundown in Christmas Eve and went on through the Epiphany-- January 6th. People would hang out, eat food, sing to their neighbors, attend services, give a few simple gifts day by day, and generally have fun and take it easy.

Our consumer/capitalist culture has transfigured this very human affair into something with a very different time table. The first harbingers of the assault make their appearance in late August, just after the "Back to School" festival has ended. The first wave is subtle, after all-- the market days of Halloween and Thanksgiving are not to be eclipsed. Still the net is cast early, for every dollar is dear.

By careful orchestration, the festivities really take off the day after Thanksgiving, which now has its very own name, "Black Thursday". With this day of communal gathering at the local mall, the whole thing begins to ramp up to a fevered pitch that ends at precisely 11:00 AM on December 25th when all the purchases have at last been shorn of their concealing wrappings and an air of quiet disaffection begins to settle in.

Sometimes we extend the self-inflicted misery by volunteering to cook many complicated dishes for the Christmas meal. The stress causes us to become snappish and worried, the meal (however well executed) cannot make up for the deficiency of good karma. And then there is a mountain of dirty dishes to contend with. Fun!

The message here is mainly a negative rant. Fear no "Jesus is the reason for the season" agenda here. That particular blandishment really makes me wince. In a mere ten syllables it cheapens the whole thing just as badly as that awful image of a hatless Santa kneeling at the side of the manger.


My point here is simply this--- something that was supposed to be for us and for our benefit has been twisted into something that benefits a monstrous system--- and usually at our personal expense. It is hard to remain immune to its depredations.

Roots of the Dentones-- 1983

Satsy learns first guitar chord during senior year of high school.
Satsy moves to Austin and enrolls at University of Texas. Most time spent listening to Who records and trying to learn to play mother's Yamaha classical guitar. Learns some more chords and about 30 Beatles songs from songbooks.

Po, Mooky and Papoose are, by this time, the core of a budding band. Various people they play with include Pod, John Christy, and Chris Walker. Days Go By: Roots Rock Eventually they form "The Paisley Ascot" with James Moore.

Pod buys first electric guitar, an Aria SG copy and Peavey Bandit amp, from Glen’s Pawn shop on the square.

Pod buys Black and white telecaster from Snackplate. Snackplate tries to teach Pod his first chord and shakes his head in dismay and says, “Man, I don’t know” because Pod’s hands are too weak to make a barre chord for the first E chord of “Can’t Explain”.

Pod sells Aria SG and buys yellow 1972 Fender Stratocaster after chance encounter with person at Prodigal Sound Music. As of 2008, this is still his primary electric guitar.

Pod begins to hang out and jam often with Snackplate, Lonnie Gann, Joe Bleese, Jeff LaForte, Scott Marder, Craig Enos, (and a couple of times with Micheal Fabrizio, later Vegetarian Bluejay of Austin) mostly playing two hour versions of “Down by the River”.

Pod attends NTSU in the Fall and meets Kipp Schwalm in English class, they begin playing regularly and recording with a Fostex four track recorder.

Roots of the Dentones-- 1982

Spring- Po sees the Mudflaps (with Mike Austin, Les Black, and Donal Hinley) play "Suffragette City" in the DHS auditorium and is impressed by the sound of the bass guitar, which he had never before heard in a live, loud setting. Po (tuba) tells Mooky (trumpet) that if Mooky ever buys a guitar, Po will buy a bass.

DHS talent show also includes Matt Johnson’s band that plays “Freewill” by Rush.

Fall-- Po's brother Deeb buys a beginner's electric guitar and amp. Po is surprised at how cheap rock n' roll gear can be.

Late Fall, Po begins to buy a Kay bass guitar from Trey Darby on a payment plan. Mooky buys a guitar and an amp. In December they begin playing with BM and The Toy in an unheated shed in BM's backyard. The inside walls are covered with old, hippy-ish paintings from kids of the previous owners of the house. The Toy uses pots, pans, a Sprite bottle, and his motorcycle helmet as a drum kit.

Mudflaps play New Years Eve party at Pod’s house, put on by his brother D'Erik; hardwood floor is permanently damaged.

You're Joking!

At about noon today, as the family Thomassen was driving through the wilds and arid scrubland between San Angelo and Austin, Onni wanted Mila and me to entertain her with tales of our childhoods. "What theme?" I asked.

"Being lost." she entreated.

"Okay," I began, "Years and years ago, before I married Mommy, my family was in Germany. Daddy and Bump Bump and Granny Dolla and Uncle Deeb and Uncle Bunny were all driving through Germany..."

And here she interrupted with a tone of incredulity, "How many steering wheels did your car have?"

Roots of the Dentones-- 1981

1981
Satsy sees live band play at Michael's Arcade. Band consists of David Hineman, Robert Van Cleve, Eric Moorehead, and Scott Marder; plays "Summertime Blues" and "Breakin' the Law."
Po meets Pod in August when both are members of the Denton High School marching band. That same month, MTV debuts on cable television. Pod and Po remain only acquaintances for years. MTV slowly devolves into something that has little to do with music.

Roots of the Dentones- the 60s and 70s

Note: Most entries are in the words of the person they are about.

1964
Satsy and Pod born in Denton, Texas

1965
Po born in Atlanta, Georgia. Interesting note: Po is younger than Sandy Marshall.

1968
Big A born in Stillwater, Oklahoma

1969
Satsy given first guitar by father. Between now and 1983 would learn to tune.

1971
Po moves to Denton, Tx.

1974-75
Po takes piano lessons and writes his first song: "Cristobalito".

1975
Pod begins trumpet lessons with member of NTSU 1 o’clock lab band on his old high school cornet.

1976
Satsy attempts to write songs. At this point knows how to play recorder and some musical notation. Nothing ever completed. Nothing survives to present.
Pod plays trumpet in Woodrow Wilson Elementary School band, continues playing trumpet and taking lessons.

1977
Po begins learning trombone in the Frank Borman Elementary School band.

1978
Following his interest in lower tones, Po switches from trombone to tuba.

Feelin' Pink!

Last Monday at about 8:00 I got sick. It was like some invisible hand had hit a switch. Fine one moment, sore throat and a bit woozy the next.
I went to school Tuesday. It takes SO long to prep for a sub, that and Pops always taught us to play hurt. No wimps in the Thomassen household, by gum! We Norskies didn't....uh.... (what did the Norwegians do?)...uh... invent the paperclip by lying around sick in bed like a bunch of people who couldn't do something like that. Oh!

Mila, who had gotten sick a few days earlier with similar symptoms, went to the goctor on Wednesday (I think) and ere long was reaping the benefits of modern anti-biotics. I put off going. My goctor is far away and it was the holidays and, besides, how long can something like this last, anyhow?

Day 8 started today, and I woke up with pink eye and feeling quite low on energy. Headache, mild chills, sore throat. The last three I could deal with, but pink eye is supposed to be wildly contagious.

Okay. I complained.