Collective "memory"....

So I read this fascinating article in Wired today which explains how memory works as well as how fragile and malleable it is and how it can be manipulated.

I say this because I am now all the more chagrined that it took me almost a week to kick off this post, which is a bit of an experiment in collective memory.

Last week I blew off a LOT of steam with a LOT of people at the Doomtree show (by last count 13?). Some of these people were kinfolk and others I just met that night.

At the Wugazi after show, those of us that were still around circled around members of Doomtree and mixed it up with strangers while outside sleet was going for some kind of local record.

Since we were broken into little groups strategically placed throughout the venue like a league of assassins (kudos to Joe for that analogy), I thought it might be interesting to see the experience from other vantage points.

To put it more directly: I would like to invite others that attended to share their thoughts and favorite moments of the night in the comments. Also, I have an extra download code of No Kings if any y'all are lacking - first come first served.

Conversation topics might include:

Dessa's role in the group - are they holding her back or providing her with a platform for greater exposure?

Is it possible for my brother to be out in public without attracting the animosity of strangers?

Did you dress appropriately for the occasion? How do you know?

Before I open up the floor I will leave you with one of my favorite moments of the night:

The show is over and I am giving Shane shit for taking too long to select what he wants at the merch table. The crowd waiting to make their purchases is getting thicker by the second and Dessa is trying to navigate herself to the far side of it.

As she squeezes past, I am suddenly aware of these two teenage girls that are standing right next to me because they make an spastic but enthusiastic attempt to stop Dessa in this narrow aorta of space. Dessa looks at them both and quickly assures them that she would love to talk to them, but she is trying to find a comfortable space at the outskirts of this mass of people and she will stay right there for a while so come and find her, okay? And then she moves fluidly to the edges.

These two young women, I will never forget the look on faces at that moment - in an flash, their eyes said everything about crushing adoration, fan worship, or whatever you want to call it. They were freaked out and a little worried they missed or botched their chance to talk to their hero while also instantly intoxicated by being in such close proximity.

Should they ditch their place in the merch line and follow her right now? one of them asked the other. Her friend looked panicked; she didn't know!

"You can stay in line," I told them. "Dessa will be hanging out for a while. She wants to talk to you as much as you want to talk her." I said this with a casual certainty as I motioned over to another corner of the merch crowd where Lazerbeak was signing a fan's record, then I pivoted my gaze to another section where Mictlan was holding court with a group of folks.

The two girls seemed so grateful for this simple assurance - their devoted attention had been well spent all those countless hours because THESE TALENTED MUSICIANS WERE ALSO COOL PEOPLE!

It is an axiom that is proven so often I wonder why our default mental setting in the presence of musical talent is to assume the person wielding it is a self possessed asshole. Why do we always breathe a sigh of relief when someone whose art we admire turns out to be an affable and good natured person?

Oh, and if anyone could help me identify the song toward the very end of the set where all the members of the crew went batshit crazy-dancing I would be very grateful.