Foto: Neil Motterdam

BART DAVENPORT

Kaliforniska fel

Ni som inte känner till Bart Davenport har en intressant upplevelse framför er. Förutom att han levererat ett par finfina soloalbum med tidlös kalifornisk popmusik, byggd på lika delar kulturarvsförvaltning som intellektuell smarthet, är han en synnerligen sympatisk person. På sitt senaste album 'Maroon Cocoon' tyckte jag mig se lite sprickor i fasaden, ett försiktigt ifrågasättande gentemot California – the State of mind. Men uppenbarligen hörde jag fel. När Revolver bad Bart lista 5 Kaliforniska dystopier kom ett vänligt mail där han frågade om det inte gick lika bra med 5 utopier. Efter väldigt mycket övertalningsarbete fick vi slutligen följande:

Text: Petter Persson   

This is tricky because I love California. I really don't know if I want you to portray me as a complainer. I think the good things about this state I live in far outweigh the bad. I am in love with the west coast and its way of life. But there are some things that bother me. I suppose that if you promise to publish this article in Scandinavia ONLY, I will be ok with letting you in on a few dystopias of my beloved state.

1. SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and Hummers

The number of over-sized, steroided cars on the roads of California is sickening. They use up tons of gas and they are UGLY to look at. Some have televisions in them. Why? Hummers are actually modeled after some kind of military vehicle. As if we need more of that shit in our lives!

2. Brutish men

Sometimes I wonder what the fuck has happened to the state I grew up in, where there once were lots of hippies, surfers, punks and intellectuals. Don't get me wrong, There are still some of those. But increasingly, there are these gel haired, super-buffed, misogynistic, SUV drivin', sex on the beach drinkin', pushy, ignorant, low-carb diet, Republican, rowdy and rude frat/jock/brute types everywhere. (They also come with "Girls Gone Wild" female counterparts.) It's like in Bush's America might is right and the supply of testosterone is over flowing. Most of these guys are gay-bashing, homophobes. But the ironic thing is.. they don't even realize how gay they look in their pink polo shirts and hair products. I'm glad there are still places in California where these people don't go. You don't see so many in the bay area, where I live. But head east or south of here and look out. They can all jump in the ocean and drown for all I care. They probably listen to Coldplay.

3. Arnold Swartzenegger

He is one of these guys. I cannot believe the people of our blue, democratic state were foolish enough to elect this asshole.

4. LA music venues and promoters

It never fails. In Los Angeles I always encounter hostility from soundmen, bouncers, bar tenders, door people and yes, even other bands. Why are people down there so irritable? And what can I do to ease their pain? Clearly, beautiful music is not enough. I try to go there with a positive attitude and be as friendly as possible. But it doesn't take long before somebody gives me some unwarranted, hostile vibe. It's like unless you're famous, like the Kings Of Convenience, they don't have to be nice to you - even if you are the headlining act! They may choose to vent on you for some other ungrateful, narcissistic musician who got on their nerves the night before and had to be tolerated. But hey, don't I work there (at least for the night) just like they do? Why is it that a bar tender gets more respect from the staff then the actual performers? (who are the only reason anyone has paid the lousy cover to get in!) There's this unspoken thing like, "Hey, this is LA and you're lucky to even have a place to play here". It's as if you're some hungry little dog who will do ANYTHING for 15 minutes of fame. Maybe so. But in San Francisco, music venues are much more friendly and there is often a sincere camaraderie between the house staff and the musicians. I don't know if I've ever seen this kind of mutual respect in LA. If you have... then tell me where and I will book a gig there. Meanwhile, forget ever getting paid what you deserve. Promoters are known to shamelessly steal the musicians money. And there's nothing you can say about it because you need to play and be seen in LA, the entertainment capitol of the world. The be fair: audiences down there tend to be super-nice and appreciative. And they like to have a good time and spend a lot more money on merchandise, drinks etc than let's say... people in Portland Oregon. So I always go down there for the people. I've got a lot of good friends there. And you really should drive on Sunset Blvd a few times if you want to understand Forever Changes.

5. Illegals

Anyone who complains about illegal immigrants from Mexico is a hypocrite. The fact is that Mexicans are the backbone of California's economy. We would fall apart without the work they provide. Already, half the state's population is hispanic. And very soon, it will be the majority. People should remember that this place was settled first by the Spanish and for a long time belonged not to the United States but to MEXICO. Many chicano and latino families have been here legally for generations - much longer than a lot of anglos. Some families go back to a time before the borders changed and this was Mexico. And those who have the courage to cross that border today are trying desperately to make a better life for themselves. Wouldn't you? Obviously we can't just leave the borders open. But Californians should understand that it's a very complicated issue and they should use some sesitivty when speaking about it. Most of our cities have Spanish names. And yet Spanish language is not required taught in our schools.

Publicerad 29 augusti 2005