What's Chick Up To?

Ready to go?

Yeah. What’s Chick up to?

I don’t know. She’s just sitting over in that tree listing to music through her headphones.

What’s she listening to?

Guns N’ Roses “Don’t Cry.”

That’s odd.

Yep.

Just that song?

Over and over.

She doesn’t want to go down to the river with us?

Nope.

Huh.

Yeah.

Guns N’ Roses?

Yep.

Didn’t see that one coming.

A Lot of Game Shows

Did you watch Deal or No Deal the other night?

No. I don’t watch a lot of game shows.

You don’t like them?

Every once in a while when nothing else is on I’ll watch one for a little bit but I really can’t stand them. I don’t understand how they can still be around. I can understand putting them on tv back when television was new and studios were trying to figure out what people wanted to watch. But it’s 2006. What do I care if someone chooses the briefcase with all the money? I don’t have anything better to do with my time? There must be some kind of social-psychological reason for their existence. Like giving hope to the masses by demonstrating that everyone has some chance of winning lots of money. I think they’re just a great big scam.

I think they’re fun to watch.

I like to root for the contestants to lose.

Where’s the kindness in that?

What kindness?

I bet you hate carnivals, too.

I do hate carnivals.

Making Money Beyond the Grave

You ever get into Nirvana?

Yeah. What makes you ask that?

A couple weeks ago I saw that Kurt Cobain overtook first place on the highest money making dead celebrity list from Elvis. What’s your favorite Nirvana song?

"Heart-Shaped Box." You?

"Lounge Act," "Sliver," "On a Plain" and "Heart-Shaped Box."

I didn’t know I could say more than one.

Oh. You can if you want.

Thanks.

Do you think Elvis is still alive?



No.

Me neither.

Under the Eye Patch

What would you do if you came across a dead person with an eye patch?



Uh...what do you mean?



Would you look?



Under the eye patch?



Yeah.



Is this because you just watched Goonies?



No. Maybe a little bit, but no.



I wouldn't look.



Aren't you curious to see what's under there?



There used to be a guy in my town who had gotten shot in the face when he was a young gangbanger. He had these crumpled shadows instead of eyes. And the shadows oozed puss and some kind of white matter. Sometimes he wore sunglasses. Sometimes he didn't. He was a great guy, but when he didn't wear sunglasses it was very difficult to maintain visual contact.



Geez. Maybe I wouldn't look. I don't know.

I'll ask Chick.

She's not around.

Back to the Trees

Do you ever feel like no matter what words you put together you just can’t say anything important?

All the time.

I think I need to work on my vocabulary.

It’s not the words.

What is it then?

Life in the modern world, my friend.

What does that mean?

It means we live hand in hand with computers, machines, robots, satellites, mass hyper-communication, global travel, wars, massive industry, riches and poverty, religion and the unreligious and unstable world politics all with an increasingly uncertain future. In the face of all that our words feel insignificant.

Huh.

Do you listen to Wolf Parade?

No.

They have a song called “Modern World.” Let me play it. It's cool.

Modern World

I'm not in love with the modern world
I'm not in love with the modern world
It was a torch driving the savages back to the trees

Modern world has more ways
And I don't mention it since it's changed
While the people go out and the people come home again

It's gotta last to build up your eyes
And a lifetime of red skies
And from my bed saying your haunted hissing in my bed

Modern world don't ask why
Cause modern world will build things high
Now they house canyons filled with life

Modern world I'm not pleased to meet you
You just bring me down
Modern world I'm not pleased to meet you
You just bring me down
Modern world I'm not pleased to meet you
You just bring me down
Modern world I'm not pleased to meet you
You just bring me down

Cool song. "Savages being driven back to the trees."

Yeah. They're a cool band.

Where are they from?

Canada. Canadian bands are bringing it.

They really are.

My beloved Islands were in town two nights ago but I didn’t make it.

What happened?

Oh, you know, wife and kids. And I’m old. It’s hard to justify. Plus every time I go to a show I’m so excited and everything and even when I try not to have expectations, there are some expectations, you know? But I almost always come away from it unimpressed. Unfulfilled. Sometimes at the end of it I feel more empty than when I came. Like instead of getting something out of it I had something taken from me. Whatever that means.

No, I know the feeling.

So I don’t really go to shows anymore. I usually just end up staying home. I hang out with my wife and kids until they go to bed then I fall asleep listening to music with headphones on. You can usually find some video of concerts on YouTube or the artists’ websites, anyway. Just as good as going out. But you don’t have to go out.

I rarely go out anymore, either. I hate the movies because people in the audience bug me too badly. I hate going to restaurants because I can't stand putting out good money when I can just eat at home. I don't like driving. I don't like going to stores. I just feel crowded wherever I go.

Exactly.

~~~~~

Four seconds pass in silence.

~~~~~

I just realized something. We are the savages.

What?

The savages from the Wolf Parade song. We are the savages. You don't go to shows anymore. I don't go out anymore.

We are being driven back to the trees.

Yeah. We are.