Dream

I’m walking down the beach with Jack White. It’s a beach in Florida because to our left at the treeline are all these invasive Australian Pines.

He’s got surfer shorts on, and I’m wearing jeans. We’re barefoot, and walking just at the edge of the surf–half the time the tide reaches our feet, the other half of the time it doesn’t. There’s all this brown seaweed been washed up. He tells me he’s figured out every riff, ever–except for this one on a particular Mudhoney song.

Later on, I’m in a record store, and I see White has a split single with Mudhoney, each covering the other’s tune, and I think, “Ha! the sonofabitch figured it out!”.

Eagles of Death Metal merch manager Nick Alexander Killed in 11/13 Paris Attacks

First posted on my tumblr, but posts here have a permanence which seem warranted in this case

The first casualty with a name from this act of war.

I won’t call it a tragedy–a tragedy is an earthquake and then a tsunami, or when a ship capsizes–but it sure is fucking sad to think about this guy who, all he wanted to do was rock and roll, to go on tour and see the shows, and support the scene, and now because of that, he’s dead.

I know Josh Homme’s music, and I know the name Jesse Hughes, but I’ve never heard an Eagles of Death Metal song in my life.

Still, this feels like an attack on me personally, in a way that 7/7 or Mumbai or Madrid, or 9/11 or any of the other hundreds and hundreds of atrocities never did.

Because this time it was the music that was attacked.

Does that make me seem shallow, or selfish?

I’ve heard that EODM are cancelling the rest of their tour and coming back to America. Especially in the light of Mr. Alexander’s death, this is the only sensible or respectable thing to do.

I’ve also heard that Deftones–who were supposed to kick off a three-night stint at the Bataclan tonight–have cancelled their gigs at the Paris theatre, and that U2 cancelled two arena shows in Paris as well.

This also seems sensible. But is it really?

I’m sure that news of these cancellations when they reached ISIS ears caused some few smiles. And why not? It is another sign of their victory in the situation. Hollande has talked about France’s determination in meeting these foes–but apparently that determination won’t be exemplified by allowing a few rock and roll shows to be played, because after all, bad guys.

Listen, it’s easy for me to say this. Whatever danger in Paris still exists, it won’t be my ass on the line. And obviously I’m very far from the scene. So I won’t condemn anybody for saying “It’s not safe, and I’m not playing these shows.” But I do know that if I heard of anyone who said, “fuck it, and fuck them, we need to go about our lives, now more than ever, and we’re going to play these shows,” I would be applauding a courageous and principled stand very, very loudly.