February 20, 2005
Falling Down
2 years ago this week I was up in Minneapolis with my friends, Apocalypse Theater. It was a long and cold and drunk weekend. I recall waking up one morning an V telling me about the stampede down at my hometown Chicago where 12 people were stamped to death when they all tried to run out of the Epitome Nightclub. I told him that morning, things were abut to change. The powers that be would use his as an example to get even more heavy handed with concert goers. Whatever happened to Women and Children first. I think the motto for the Bush era is "Me First". That sure seems to be the case in manners in all walks of life anymore certainly not excluding driving. Hit and runners boggle me. Now I know why people in California shoot each other on the highway. In Chicago handguns are outlawed, so only those who are either "above the law" or "outside the law" possess guns. The cops here aren't much better.If you lived here and saw the evidence of police brutality lately you'd be flabbergast. It seems nobody really cares unless it's a minority getting roughed up. Last week an off duty police officer was drunk, ran a red light and killed two people. And also this week a cop was taped on his dashboard camera roughing up a lady who he thought had been in a drunk driving accident when her SUV went into a ditch. He handcuffed the 260 lb. 5'4 woman, beat her against her wrecked vehicle, and threw her to the ground. Turned out she was impaired due to her prescription medication. These are only two examples that say, they are as human and have the same faults as the rest of us. But feel they are above us because of their position.
Today is the two year anniversary of the Great White Concert fire in Rhode Island, and that one really did a number on us. Again, the stupidly of a cub-owner by not putting the correct money into safety precautions cause a lot of people to die which resulted in the "security" professionals at music venues to get even louder and more uptight with those who pay top dollar to enjoy a show.
Sometimes I feel as though I could snap the way the character William Foster/D-Fens played by Michael Douglas did in Falling Down. Has anyone else ever felt that way?
I miss the way a lot of things used to be and feel. I miss my friends in Apocalypse Theatre, I miss real rock n roll, I miss when Police brutality wasn't only regarded as a hate crime, I miss the way I used to be. Today more than anything, I miss riding my bike in the Chicago summer, traveling down Lake Shore looking at all the pretty girls. I'm missing it in a bad way.
But I'm looking forward to this summer more than any other. If for any other reason to make up for the hell that was last summer.
That's where I am this Sunday, a day beofre I see my friends in DANZIG.
Posted by Alex Zander at February 20, 2005 10:19 AM