Toupe did a gig on saturday night at a local hall that was raising money for some Christmas lights for the street where my shop lives.
We did it the usual Toupe way, we weren't drunk, we were laughing around with the audience who helped us guide our set with indications of their enjoyment with laughter, or smiles or dancing. It was great fun. Thanks to the people that came out for it.
Then one of the sound guys (who got paid) emailed the organisers of the night (which I was one) to complain about the content of our songs and demanded changes be made to all of music to ensure that children don't play it (the support bands were really cool young bands) or enjoy it (there were youths in the audience) and that censorship should be strictly enforced before a band is booked so that the whole world wouldn't be offended.
Yes, we did some Hitler jokes. We made jokes about the BNP too.
Yes, we told the story of the Christian woman Knoxville, TN who wouldn't be a slut with me because I didn't believe Jesus is my saviour.
Yes, we did Fuckin', which had an awesome battle of pop music with the guys from Canada Water - where they pulled out Beyonce and Toto into the mix.
And yes, all of the audience left the show with a smile on their face. None of them felt like wielding knives and killing each other. None of them walked away believing anything different. None of them walked away with a black depression that held their every thought and dragged it down into a deep state of despair.
I got to hear of this email after we'd left saying the sound was excellent, even out front. The sound man made no effort to communicate his unhappiness to us at the time. Though he did look away when I High Fived him at the end of the night.
I'm sure every sound man out there agrees that it's not their place to opine about the songs the bands play. We're all there together to put on a show that the paying audience would enjoy. So I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Just enjoying the higher ground of knowing that if we offended someone they were either:
a) a fascist.
b) someone who thinks sexual content should be disguised in songs so children simple can't understand them because they're so dumb. (Let's Get Rocked)
c) a Christian who cannot turn the other cheek, nor express forgiveness.
Win? Yeah.
Gloating? Hell yeah.
We might not have brought down the ignorant horde that continues to make the world a obstacle course of nonsense. But it feels good and whilst I have a few more minutes before I have to leave for the bookshop, I thought I'd write it down.
Go easy in to your future, peeps.
Comments