For what it is worth, I do realize that not everything is about the abysmal state of the U.S. government. Sometimes, we can focus on other aspects of life.
Unless I start focusing more on the joy and beauty in life, my mental health will continue to deteriorate.
Clearly, not everything is shit. Sometimes, though, when so much of life is shit, I find it hard focusing on the positive.
Kindness is key. I am sure of this. Remembering to approach life with kindness in my heart makes it easier to focus on the positive instead of staying mired in anger, fear, and resentment.
Try it with me, okay? Just for this week, let’s try to remember to find our patience. Let’s remember to compliment people just for the sake of seeing them smile. Let’s remember gratitude, being thankful, and expressing our gratitude and thankfulness.
Running into life holding on to good things instead of clinging to what makes us feel bad seems like the smart thing to do.
Unless I’m wrong. Which, you know, is likely. I’m not an expert, you guys.
Maybe I’m right, though. Let’s do this. One week, focus on the good. I’m not suggesting there can be no complaining or staying informed. I’m saying we need immerse ourselves into the bullshit to the exclusion of everything else.
Perhaps, try finding ways to express your frustrations in a new fashion. Spend time thinking about what you need to say, and find unexpected ways to express your thoughts. A way which departs from your stand-by responses. Like this blog post. I asked Joey to crack my clever code which only took a few minutes.
****
Speaking of 45…
The Return of Randy and Mojo
Years ago, when my baby boy was actually a baby, Randy and I spent an entire summer going to a little bar, called The Overflow, every Wednesday night and watching Mojo Nixon perform. At the time, Mojo was a morning DJ at a local station.
After a few weeks, he would sit at our table before the show and between sets. I listened to Randy and Mojo talk about college and sing Clash songs.
One week, Mojo told Randy he wasn’t singing some of his songs because he couldn’t remember the words. The following week, he brought in a stack of lyrics and gave them to Randy. Mojo sang I Hate Banks by having Randy shout the lyrics to him. They actually pulled it off. It was fairly amazing and hilarious.
We caught a few of his shows a couple years after that summer run, the last one was around 17 years ago.
We went to see Mojo Nixon play live in a tiny venue last night.
The Southgate House Revival exists in an old church in Newport, KY. We’ve been there a few times before. Once to see Ray Wylie Hubbard and the other to see Southern Culture on the Skids. Both shows were in the sanctuary. Mojo’s show was in a room above the sanctuary and was about a quarter of the size. The sanctuary already isn’t huge, it’s not like the church was St. Paul’s cathedral or anything. Just a normal sized Methodist church in Northern Kentucky.
Mojo was easy to spot in his Hawaiian shirt and cut off jeans. The temperature last night didn’t get above 14. Anyone in shorts would have stood out, but add in Mojo Nixon, and you definitely have a larger than life human.
It has been 17 years since we’ve seen Mojo and it took him a second to place where he knew Randy from. You could see the “hey, I know you” look on his face. Randy reminded him about the Overflow gigs and it clicked. Mojo immediately talked about the time they sang White Man At Hammersmith Palais to me before a show.
My older son, Zach, and one of his friends met us there, which was cool because it was a fun show. I’m glad my kid was there. I mean, other than Mojo Nixon is nasty as fuck. I mean, super crazy nasty. My kid is 30 now, so it’s cool. Mostly. I just didn’t look at him during the super nasty parts.
I forgot my favorite Mojo song until last night. You Can’t Kill Me. I am oddly comforted by this song. I loved hearing it live at least one more time.
The best part of the show, however, was the end. His encore was mostly him singing “Donald Trump can suck my dick” over and over.
I am a sucker for heartwarming moments in rock and roll shows.
Mojo also worked references to the Resistance in his lyrics. At a show in Kentucky. One of the dudes standing next to me said “He’s about to piss me off.” You have to read that in a redneck northern Kentucky voice. Like the word “off” sounds like it has a “w” in it, but it is super hard to say exactly where.
The pissed off dude and his buddy flounced out before the show was half over. If you’ve never seen a redneck flounce, you are missing out.
Here is a picture of Randy and Mojo from 17 years ago and a picture of them from last night.
#Resist (But don’t forget to look for the happy)
This is awesome. I will admit that I am not at all familiar with any of this music or any of the artists you are referring to. Forgive me for being clueless about music. I am one of those hopeless types that can’t ever remember the names of songs I like or who wrote them. I blame my folks for driving a ’76 Chevy Impala station wagon with an am radio only. I wasn’t exposed to much music growing up. Just news radio 78.
Coach is the opposite- remembering lyrics, artists, etc., but he might forget the name of one of our kids or when they were born or lots of funny stories from long ago. I, on the other hand, remember all that stuff. So when our life is made into a movie, Coach can choose the music as the backdrop to all the shit I remember.
Haha…you are perfect for each other, then! Randy and I both lose memory on dates and stuff. Fortunately, neither one of us gets butthurt over it.
I think I know one Mojo Nixon song (I’m not going to google this before typing it): “Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child,” maybe. (Jeez, if he doesn’t sing that, I’m going to look really weird.)
And Southern Culture on the Skids sings “Put Your Teeth Up on the Windowsill.” (Back before the days of the internet, I heard this song on a community radio station and spent years wondering who sang it…)
Good for you for looking for the happy. I am trying to make sure I don’t get pulled into that pit of misery that (ahem) someone seems to want to spread over the whole world. Music is a good way to keep things on a positive note.
Yes! He opened with that song! Hahahah.
Thank you. 🙂
I so agree with you….I NEED to focus on the positive as the negative that bombards as every day is overwhelming. Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you! Thank you for reading!
What a hoot! I have to admit I don’t think I have ever seen a redneck flounce but it sounds like this was a good thing before he spoiled your good time.
Haha..yeah. I was actually getting a little nervous.
This is awesome fun and those two look made for each other 🙂
I would have LOVED to have witnessed the ‘lyric throwing’ show. How could an audience NOT love that kind of easy frivolity-for-serious-performance sake?
I’m so happy you and the ‘Boys’ were able to have a fun and reminiscent night. We ALL need that, one way or another, and for a ‘dopamine’ re-upper, can’t be beat 🙂
It really was a fun time and it was awesome to revisit it this weekend.
Good grief! I almost missed the best part!
Anybody else see the letters of the first words of the paragraphs, coming down the side?
*sizzle*
Girl? You is on fire, today!!
<3
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So…I was looking for the word ‘sizzle’, and I was thinking, ‘That’s weird”, my page doesn’t say ‘sizzle’, it says..um…F…T…., and it totally was an omg moment. Good job, Michelle, and good job Lisa K for figuring it out!
I get disgusted with myself for checking Twitter and looking for all the people who are posting stuff against that man. (I do love your choice of re-tweets, though)
Then I realize I’m passing by the humor, beautiful sunsets, thoughts, nature pics, elephants, etc. So, I try to limit myself to only 5 posts about him and then the rest is gravy and positivity.
Love the pics and your story. Thank you. 🙂
Cindy – I WISH I could take smarts credits 😉 Michelle’s the crafty one <3
Lisa, I’m pretty sure we’re all crafty since we wisely read Michelle’s blog! 😀
I love you guys.
Thank you so much. The older picture? Was actually a snapshot and all we have is the physical image. Randy had to take a picture of it with his camera for this post. I think it worked out okay.
I thought I was a music junkie until I met you and realized I don’t know shit about music!
Mine comes from Randy. Or at least a lot of it does.
I’m just happy to know that there is a happening place in Northern Kentucky. We moved to Florence (well, Union) a year ago from Western New York, and the culture shock was WAY more than I thought it would be. I’m missing the locally owned restaurants and shops. Still finding our way around…
Oh, there are a LOT of awesome places in this area to visit. Have you been to the art museum or the Krohn conservatory in Eden Park? Highly recommend. There are a lot of little independently owned restaurants. If you want specific recommendations, hit me up through my contact page and I will give you some. 🙂
Just this morning on my way to work I was listening to “Elvis Is Everywhere”.
I’m kind of sad to say that isn’t as much of a coincidence as it might seem. Yesterday on TV there was something about the day being the 45th anniversary of Elvis’s Hawaii concert so Mr. Nixon’s fine tribute to The King has been running through my head for at least twenty-four hours. And also that song is so damn catchy it’s been popping into my head regularly in the thirty or so years since I first heard it. A friend had just purchased a copy of “Bo-Day-Shus!!!” and because my house was closer than his we stopped and listened to it in my basement and then inexplicably he went off and left it with me and it was pretty worn out when I finally returned it to him two days later, but that’s another story.
You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you find out an old friend and a new friend are also friends, when you find out that in fact they have this amazing history together? You know how it feels when worlds collide in the most fantastic way possible?
Yeah, I can’t remember that ever happening, but I’m guessing this is what it feels like. It feels really good.
Of course cracking your code feels pretty good too. I love acrostics.
‘acrostics’
Thank You, Christopher… I had no big words this morning 🙁
And I LOVE colliding worlds, too… Universal High Fives all around <3
Big words and universal high fives! Whoo hoo! Polydactyly everywhere!
That you were actually JUST listening to Mojo is amazing.
I wish I had taken notes for all those shows we went to of his because there would have been a blog post for every single one of them. One of my favorites was a night where a douchy dude came in and started playing pool with two women at the pool table right in front of the stage. It was distracting and uncalled for. First, Mojo tried to drive them away with the song “you can’t buy cool”…in the end it was “Tie My Pecker To My Leg” that drove them out. It was glorious.
Thank you for suggesting a kindness campaign. I have made the effort many times to change my response to one of kindness when I realize I am defaulting to a defensive, combative state. I absolutely blame politics for bringing out the worst in everyone.
Possibly we don’t know how far we’ve slipped away from values like that until we’re challenged to restore them. So, thank you, it’s a really healthy thing to do.
I’m enclosing a ridiculously long link to a picture of one of our favorite singers of 50’s and 60’s music – Spanky and (his son) Dino. Tell me that Spanky and Mojo aren’t brothers! Don’t know why the link is so long, but just copy & paste it and be amazed. Or I need new glasses!
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
Holy shit..talk about a doppelganger. Wow.
You win Best Story in the Blogosphere for today!
Also, your code was fiendishly clever. I had it at the second paragraph. 🙂
You rock like frozen crazy, my friend.
Agree we all need to take a break from the constant rage. It’s exhausting glad you had a fun night out.
We really did have a good time. It was nice to get out on the weekend. Weird. We’re homebodies.
Good one, Michelle – the code that is. I love it. But also your kindness campaign – we could definitely use some more kindness these days. And since we can’t expect to get it from our ignoble leader or any of his minions, then it’s completely up to us. And you know what I learned a long time ago? It doesn’t hurt. Not even a little bit. Being kind, especially when it’s random, is completely painless.
I am trying so hard. So so hard. I am, by nature, standoffish. It’s not for any reason other than humans freak me out. I am trying, though, to be extra friendly.
I will try to do as you suggest this week and I usually succeed but I do live with Mr. grumpypants so THAT will be my challenge.
Tell Mr Grumpypants to turn that smile upside down. hahahahaha
When Marcus, a musician friend of ours in the mid-eighties, came back from a trip to NYC, he brought some tapes (it was the eighties) with him, and copied two of them for us. One was a live performance of a band nobody had ever heard of who called themselves “Jane’s Addiction” and the other one was a live performance of Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper.
What I mostly remember from that tape are the MTV song, about Martha Quinn, and another song about calling in sick to work because “I’M SICK OF WORK AND I’M GOING TO A PARTY AT THE BEACH”.
I’m not sure what made Marcus think we needed those pieces of music, but he did, along with a few other bands I wouldn’t know about if not for him, like the Chameleons, The Cult, Sisters of Mercy, Love and Rockets, Bauhaus (and thus Peter Murphy) and a few others I can’t remember off of the top of my head.
I am definitely leaning hard on music right now to protect what’s left of my sanity.
And I would like to post a quote that gets to the heart of a positive attitude about politics, from a hero of mine, who also said that we should remember to have fun being political because we don’t always win and sometimes the fun is all we get:
–
“So keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds,
but don’t forget to have fun doin’ it. Be outrageous… rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through celebrating the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was!”
― Molly Ivins
–
I would dig a video up of her saying this, but as she said it almost every speech she gave, let me just say there are many on YouTube to choose from. And in the spirit of your coded message, here’s a video of what someone projected onto the front of Trump Hotel in DC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9UtXB5uukw
Hahaha stuffin Martha’s muffin. I LOVE LOVE LOVE what people are projecting on buildings. It does my heart good. I didn’t think anyone would get me secret message!
So sweet. My Randy is in a band, actually several. In some cases, he’s played with the same musicians for decades, one or two from college. It lovely seeing these gray-haired dudes still love music as much as ever. Any art is a true gift for a lifetime.
We need art so bad right now. So so bad.
I love that we both have Randys. Randys are awesome.
I found the secret code. Didn’t even need a ring to do it. I’m sharp like that.
Seriously, though, you’re right. It’s important to look for the good in the world. Not let ourselves get bogged down by the shitstorm is part of good self-care, and good self-care is essential to being a good activist. You can’t resist if you don’t have the strength to do so, after all.
Send you lots of love.
Also, so cool that you know Mojo Nixon! Holy shit!
When we were going every week to see him, it was adorable to watch him and Randy talk. Two peas in a pod.
Cool piece. *grinning*
Thank you!!!!
I’ve been working semi-regularly on a 30-day project to Love My Life. There was a day the other day, where the assignment was to “send love”. We’re already supposed to be DOING random acts of kindness, but on that day, it was to rephrase everything in a loving context: dipshit cuts you off in traffic, and you say “please drive more safely; I’d hate for you to get into an accident; I love you”… you’re in a hurry at the grocery store and don’t really want to give anything to the panhandler waiting outside, but instead of just ignoring/avoiding her, you offer her a banana from your bag when she asks for “any help” (and then silently say “please eat at least one healthy thing today; I love you”)… your doofus in chief does a stupid thing, so you… um… uh…
…
sorry, I got nothin’. 😉 But I DO love YOU!
I AM RIGHT THERE. OMG, I read this and thought..oh yeah, I need to do this. This is lovely….but trump? Fuck. No. I don’t have it in me. And I love you, too!
caaaaaaaaaaan you feeeeeeeel the loooooooove toniiiiiiiiiight? 😀