So the song is Cooley's way of making fun of the reaction to all of that? Specifically the ones who stated they had a problem with it?
If I'm understanding this right, he's basically calling a bunch of people obsessive, overly emotional, and comparing them to a woman slinging a "hissy fit."
Cole Younger wrote:So the song is Cooley's way of making fun of the reaction to all of that? Specifically the ones who stated they had a problem with it?
If I'm understanding this right, he's basically calling a bunch of people obsessive, overly emotional, and comparing them to a woman slinging a "hissy fit."
Ouch.
I think it's worth laughing off, even if you are on the hissy fit end.
I gave this a bit of thought last night.. If indeed Cooley wrote this to address all the hoopla about that republican gig that got everyone all fired up, my hat's off to Cooley. Even if the song was cranked out in 20 minutes w a 4 track and drum machine, it's classic (and quite witty) to use a 'woman' in place of a broader group of people (3DD, facebook fans, etc)- Casually addressing the fans but under the guise of speaking to a girlfriend? I love it.
Cole Younger wrote:So the song is Cooley's way of making fun of the reaction to all of that? Specifically the ones who stated they had a problem with it?
If I'm understanding this right, he's basically calling a bunch of people obsessive, overly emotional, and comparing them to a woman slinging a "hissy fit."
Ouch.
I think it's worth laughing off, even if you are on the hissy fit end.
Gaetzi wrote:I gave this a bit of thought last night.. If indeed Cooley wrote this to address all the hoopla about that republican gig that got everyone all fired up, my hat's off to Cooley. Even if the song was cranked out in 20 minutes w a 4 track and drum machine, it's classic (and quite witty) to use a 'woman' in place of a broader group of people (3DD, facebook fans, etc)- Casually addressing the fans but under the guise of speaking to a girlfriend? I love it.
I thought it was pretty funny what he had as a heading for it over on their website; "The Is What I Do In My Spare Time."
That question was posed and discussed here not so long ago. Just kind of goes right back to that, "Maybe yall a little too obsessed." narrative that seems to be part of what was behind the song.
Like I said, I think it's really, really funny. And the fact that some of the people he was talking to are laughing is even funnier.
I've been meaning to post on this since the song came out, but I've been slammed at work (and continue to be).
I appreciate the fact that Cooley acknowledged the issue. For someone who eminates the I don't watch the webisodes or listen to our records or share much of anything outside of the songs vibe,* getting a response was great. The we care / the band cares circle is what makes us a family.
*This isn't an insult, as much as I believe it's totally genuine, it's also his role. If we had two Pattersons writing us all the time and giving a ton of background on everything, it wouldn't be as cool. I need a better analogy for this, but the good cop / bad cop routine they have together is a huge reason the band works so well.
So Cooley's response has two sides for me.
1. The "Hard to make it happen, even harder to love it, Trying to be the Boss on a Beaver Brown budget" line is fantastic and every reason why I love Cooley's writing. I also agree with it, and is why I was ok in the end with them playing the gig even though I thought it went too far on the "selling out" spectrum.
Making a living from a rock and roll outfit that 99.99% of the time goes out of its way to be true to itself must be beyond difficult. The two lines perfectly encapsulate how hard it must be to be on the road and then be living hand to mouth to show for it. With a family. Who wants you home. And has bills. That's a tough life to live, and that made me understand if they wanted to take a gig that would help them out financially. Ps - what a cool freaking line!
2. Now please read this to the end. My honest first reaction to the spoken words was "Fuck you." Don't analogize the portion of the fan base, which I was part of, to the bitch in a bad and demeaning relationship (who actually had a legitimate gripe, kind of like the people who thought it didn't make much sense for DBT to be within a ten foot pole of the RNC).
While I initially thought the line "Cuz see baby there are things in this world bigger than me, There are things in this world bigger than you" was just a bunch of platitudes meant to confuse and stifle the crying mess regarding her "hissy fit" (which would really work so well in real life, again hat tip to Cooley), I now read them to conform to the "Beaver Brown" stanza. In other words, we need money and sometimes we have to suck it up and make it. That's how I saw the situation in the end so that's what I'll go with. Further, maybe the guy in the song was running the cathouse, which would make the interpretation more apt.
In the end, I like the production (I loved the guitar (probably Neff?) on top of the beat, and Cooley's voice and delivery are just unparalled), even if part of the message rubbed me the wrong way.
I hope I can finish / explain my thoughts if need be later. And sorry for the stream of consciousness writing that probably makes no sense.
Back to the coal mines (which sucks because there are a bunch of other threads I want to get to).
Sterling Big Mouth wrote:I've been meaning to post on this since the song came out, but I've been slammed at work (and continue to be).
I appreciate the fact that Cooley acknowledged the issue. For someone who eminates the I don't watch the webisodes or listen to our records or share much of anything outside of the songs vibe,* getting a response was great. The we care / the band cares circle is what makes us a family.
*This isn't an insult, as much as I believe it's totally genuine, it's also his role. If we had two Pattersons writing us all the time and giving a ton of background on everything, it wouldn't be as cool. I need a better analogy for this, but the good cop / bad cop routine they have together is a huge reason the band works so well.
So Cooley's response has two sides for me.
1. The "Hard to make it happen, even harder to love it, Trying to be the Boss on a Beaver Brown budget" line is fantastic and every reason why I love Cooley's writing. I also agree with it, and is why I was ok in the end with them playing the gig even though I thought it went too far on the "selling out" spectrum.
Making a living from a rock and roll outfit that 99.99% of the time goes out of its way to be true to itself must be beyond difficult. The two lines perfectly encapsulate how hard it must be to be on the road and then be living hand to mouth to show for it. With a family. Who wants you home. And has bills. That's a tough life to live, and that made me understand if they wanted to take a gig that would help them out financially. Ps - what a cool freaking line!
2. Now please read this to the end. My honest first reaction to the spoken words was "Fuck you." Don't analogize the portion of the fan base, which I was part of, to the bitch in a bad and demeaning relationship (who actually had a legitimate gripe, kind of like the people who thought it didn't make much sense for DBT to be within a ten foot pole of the RNC).
While I initially thought the line "Cuz see baby there are things in this world bigger than me, There are things in this world bigger than you" was just a bunch of platitudes meant to confuse and stifle the crying mess regarding her "hissy fit" (which would really work so well in real life, again hat tip to Cooley), I now read them to conform to the "Beaver Brown" stanza. In other words, we need money and sometimes we have to suck it up and make it. That's how I saw the situation in the end so that's what I'll go with. Further, maybe the guy in the song was running the cathouse, which would make the interpretation more apt.
In the end, I like the production (I loved the guitar (probably Neff?) on top of the beat, and Cooley's voice and delivery are just unparalled), even if part of the message rubbed me the wrong way.
I hope I can finish / explain my thoughts if need be later. And sorry for the stream of consciousness writing that probably makes no sense.
Back to the coal mines (which sucks because there are a bunch of other threads I want to get to).
Great write up and I agree with your thoughts. I really like the song, REALLY respect the band and think I know where they are coming from. My political views are (I think) very aligned with PH and MC but I understand that people gotta make a living and imo, a private event NOT endorsing the RNC is not a sell out. At the end of the day, they are just as afraid of "right wing politics" as I am but they weren't selling their souls to make a few bucks. If they were willing to hold their nose to make some $$ to help their families and keep on truckin', well that is perfectly cool with me. They have earned out respect. They have mine.
Great post, SBM (and Headhunter). I agree---I loved PH's response but it is good cop/bad cop. Had some negative feelings about being talked down to in the song, which is a wonderful distraction, though, very slick
Sterling Big Mouth wrote:I need a better analogy for this, but the good cop / bad cop routine they have together is a huge reason the band works so well.
If DBT were Occupy Wall Street, Patterson would be the guy who writes the manifestos and Cooley would be the guy holding the sign that says, "Things are bullshit and all fucked up."
The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be
Since I didn't have a clue who or what The Beaver Brown Band that line went way over my head first time I heard. Even after I googled it and found out about the band I didn't make the connection to The Boss either. I guess my associations went more in a, how shall we put it? Freudian direction, given the context of that "conversation".
I don't believe there is any of Neff's playing on this. Sounds like Cooley to me.
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were a band from New Jersey (where Springsteen's from) that attained a certain level of popularity back in the 1980's. They had a couple of hit singles, The Dark Side being the biggest, which were mostly the result of their providing the soundtrack to an 80's movie called Eddie and the Cruisers. I was in high school when that movie came out and I can still remember seeing it in the theater with my friends. It wasn't as bad as you'd expect - I actually rememeber enjoying it at the time. Anyway, it was pretty obvious that John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were modeled after Springsteen who was in the middle of his Born in the USA-heyday. Working class guys from Jersey, brooding looks, old jeans and white tee shirts, guitars and sax, etc. They were basically a poor man's version of Springsteen and the E Street Band. Thus Cooley's line "trying to be the Boss on a Beaver Brown budget."
The Beaver Brown Band was from Rhode Island, not jersey, and it wasn't just the movie - they sounded an awful lot like Springsteen & the E Streeters. I remember when "Dark Side" first came out a lot of people actually thought it was springsteen. But yeah for purposes of Cooley's song, "poor man's Springsteen" is the main point.
I saw them a few times in the 70's when they were playing the New England bar & campus circuit. They put on a really good show. When I was running the entertainment at my college, they owed us a free show due to a problem the year before and i've never forgotten that even though they weren't being paid, they went all out.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were a band from New Jersey (where Springsteen's from) that attained a certain level of popularity back in the 1980's. They had a couple of hit singles, The Dark Side being the biggest, which were mostly the result of their providing the soundtrack to an 80's movie called Eddie and the Cruisers. I was in high school when that movie came out and I can still remember seeing it in the theater with my friends. It wasn't as bad as you'd expect - I actually rememeber enjoying it at the time. Anyway, it was pretty obvious that John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were modeled after Springsteen who was in the middle of his Born in the USA-heyday. Working class guys from Jersey, brooding looks, old jeans and white tee shirts, guitars and sax, etc. They were basically a poor man's version of Springsteen and the E Street Band. Thus Cooley's line "trying to be the Boss on a Beaver Brown budget."
Thanks for elaborating. It took BTBs thread about the Springsteen show over in the other forum for all the pieces to fall into place. Yes, I admit I am a bit "slow".
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were a band from New Jersey (where Springsteen's from) that attained a certain level of popularity back in the 1980's. They had a couple of hit singles, The Dark Side being the biggest, which were mostly the result of their providing the soundtrack to an 80's movie called Eddie and the Cruisers. I was in high school when that movie came out and I can still remember seeing it in the theater with my friends. It wasn't as bad as you'd expect - I actually rememeber enjoying it at the time. Anyway, it was pretty obvious that John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were modeled after Springsteen who was in the middle of his Born in the USA-heyday. Working class guys from Jersey, brooding looks, old jeans and white tee shirts, guitars and sax, etc. They were basically a poor man's version of Springsteen and the E Street Band. Thus Cooley's line "trying to be the Boss on a Beaver Brown budget."
Eddie & the Cruisers is actually a pretty damn good movie. But stay away from the sequel.
I love the song, laughed my ass off and I freely admit to being a Drive By Trekkie; one who spends entirely too much time thinking about these things. I didn't interpret the song as a total bust on the Drive By Trekkies. After all, Cooley still loves us, baby, even if he doesnt quite get us. I probably do spend way too much time thinking about music but I am basically harmless, I only want good things for my favorite bands and when I do find myself in their presence I try to at least offer a small gift like a case of sodas, a dvd or something along those lines. On one hand, it is probably a bit creepy to have a contingent of obsessive fans. On the other hand, a devoted cult following is better in terms of being able to make a living. Fans like that will still come out to shows and buy records years after everyone else has stopped paying attention. DBT probably won't ever end up like Southside Johnny; not enough fans for the band members to make a living through touring and not enough interest to be able to record a new album every couple of years. Southside Johnny pretty much plays municipal fairs with the occasional club date thrown in.
Most people don't realize that a four or five piece band really only has room for one music obsessive and the majority of musicians are more concerned with the actual performing and recording of music than being a hardcore fan. Most of the guys I've worked with over the years have owned maybe a milk crate or two of vinyl and a single rack of cd's. Too many music obsessives in a band means that rehearsal time is wasted arguing about things like Krautrock, whether Pil became irrelevant after Jah Wobble left the group or Steve Levine, or whether the alt. country movement began with The Cowboy Junkies or The Jayhawks. Patterson seems to be the music obsessive in DBT. But Cooley is more typical of your everyday guitar slinger.
Actually, I think DBT does a good job of "managing" their cult following while maintaining boundaries. They acknowledge us, make us feel special without letting us take over the party. And through the internet we have our own thing going that is independent of the band. The major motivation for me going to Athens is not that I need to catch a DBT show again but that there are people from 3DD who I haven't met yet that are going to be there. Without 3DD or any of the other groups an obsessive fan might catch three or four shows a year. With the community we catch ten or more. To me, hanging out with and getting to know new people is more important than hearing "The Great Car Dealer War", though hearing that song would make the road trip even more special.
I thought playing the RNC gig would have been a mistake but I understood the argument in favor of taking the gig. In Cooley's own way he sort of acknowledges the argument against it -- someone like The Boss would never play it -- but basically says they are making Beaver Brown money. Springsteen can turn down gigs like that because he is a gazillionaire.
Now the RNC brouhaha is part of DBT history, legend and lore. Whether or not it is the actual case, the appearance is that they cancelled a good paying gig because the hardcore fans were upset. No, that isn't exactly what happened but if that is the story being told it is pretty cool. Nice rock and roll legend about a band who, while not famous, has a special relationship with its listeners.
I have nowhere else to go. There is no demand in the priesthood for elderly drug addicts
Today is the first time I've had a chance to listen. As bad as it sounds, I don't get to check 3DD very often at home, and I hadn't had headphones at work till today, so I didn't listen till a few minutes ago. I don't think my co-workers would understand me blaring "trying to be the boss on beavertown budget"! I'd have way too much explaining to do.
The song reminds me of "Your Woman is a Living Thing" becuase of the spoken word style. Cooley's voice is perfectly suited for this; I'd like to hear a song in this style on a full albulm sometime. I'm having a hard time seperating my opionions of this song from the potential Republican gig. After reading the posts on the site for the past couple of days, then listening to the song I had difficulty listening unobjectively. If this is a response to the group's thoughts about the possible GOP gig, I guess we should feel honored. Maybe someone should write a lyrical response back to Cooley?!?! By the way, I don't fault the boys for playing for any auidence; they need a paycheck just like I do, but I think their refusal to play the show speaks a lot for their integrity.
I also thought about how "Your Woman" was often played before the band came out at concerts before it was released, and that fact makes me wonder if this song will be played before the band enters the stage this weekend.
I'm extremely pumped for tomorrow in Ashville, but I just checked my credit card statement....I'll have to remember not to party like the Boss, becuase I still have a Beaver-town budget!
Maybe I should change my name on 3DD from Beaverdam (my hometown) to Beavertown?!? If I only had a "Living on a 'Beavertown Budget'" tee shirt everyone on here would know who I am when I arrive at the show.
beantownbubba wrote:Hey, Beav? You may want to read this tread a little more closely. Cooley''s singing "beaver brown." Have a great time this weekend!
beantownbubba wrote:Hey, Beav? You may want to read this tread a little more closely. Cooley''s singing "beaver brown." Have a great time this weekend!
Yours,
Wally
Ward, I think you were a little too hard on The Beaver last night.
I have nowhere else to go. There is no demand in the priesthood for elderly drug addicts
RolanK wrote:Since I didn't have a clue who or what The Beaver Brown Band that line went way over my head first time I heard.
It's funny I'm of the age and too much of a rock 'n roll obsessive that I got the reference but I assumed there would be people who were younger or less obsessive that wouldn't know what the Fuck Cooley was talking about.
By the time you drop them I'll be gone
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life
Beaverdam wrote: I also thought about how "Your Woman" was often played before the band came out at concerts before it was released, and that fact makes me wonder if this song will be played before the band enters the stage this weekend.
Give the Beav a cigar! Well done, sir!!
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard