Welcome to Club XIII

[Kudzu Guillotine]

[brettac1]

Right now "Forged in Hell and Heaven Sent" is #1 w/ a bullet for me. What a beautifully crafted and sung song.

I reckon I'm in the same boat.

[litdimly]

Hey Glenn - If I think of a few fun ones, I’ll send them your way. Don’t you think as Heathens the proper form of the question should be “What the fuck is…?”

Forged… I was on a quick road trip for work somewhere in the middle of south Georgia having a Millers Cave moment, listening to the album on repeat and I rolled up into some small town while this song was playing, turned a corner and there was a billboard with a baby on it (picture of a baby, that is) proclaiming “Heaven Sent” and it was literally at that point in the song. Had to laugh. I think the billboard was advertising ultrasound services.

[Swamp]

I thought that was Cooley's geetar, at least it was back in the day.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I thought that was Cooley's geetar, at least it was back in the day.

I'm pretty sure it still is. I'm not sure what led to Patterson playing it here.

[Clams]

Hey Glenn - If I think of a few fun ones, I’ll send them your way. Don’t you think as Heathens the proper form of the question should be “What the fuck is…?”

Right now "Forged in Hell and Heaven Sent" is #1 w/ a bullet for me. What a beautifully crafted and sung song.

I reckon I'm in the same boat.

Interesting (to me at least) that the liner notes for this song contain a dedication "for Kari (June 6, 2012 - office)"
I have no idea who Kari is and I wonder if she's the long lost friend who was in the accident and is walking a little bent.
Also curious if the date, 2012, indicates that this is an older song, because it sounds to me like one that was written more recently.

[Clams]

Interesting (to me at least) that the liner notes for this song contain a dedication "for Kari (June 6, 2012 - office)"
I have no idea who Kari is and I wonder if she's the long lost friend who was in the accident and is walking a little bent.
Also curious if the date, 2012, indicates that this is an older song, because it sounds to me like one that was written more recently.

Ask and it shall be answered

From P Hood:

Kari is indeed an old friend from the Star Bar days. She and Rebecca used to be close.
She was in a horrific motorcycle wreck and had serious brain injury.
She spent day w us in 2012 and I wrote the song that afternoon after she left.

It was in consideration for English Oceans but I never could make the bridge work.

Jay and I worked up new bridge on summer 2019, hence it finally getting recorded. It fits this album better anyway.

We still haven’t worked up the definitive live version yet but are chipping away at it.
It will prob be different from the album since it was kind of a lightning in bottle moment. We’ll see.

Glad folks are liking it all.
I’m real darn proud of this one.

[beantownbubba]

Thanks, Patterson. And Clams.

[glennrwordman]

Hey Glenn - If I think of a few fun ones, I’ll send them your way. Don’t you think as Heathens the proper form of the question should be “What the fuck is…?”

Why, yes. Yes you should.

"Who the fuck is Miss Trixie?"
"Why the fuck is whiskey hard to beat?"
"Where the fuck is Highway '72?"
"How the fuck do shit shots count"?
"What the fuck are grievance merchants?"

I think we have a framework...

[PonyGirl]

Haven't really been following DBT lately. I've moved onto different music, interests, people, but I did see them when they came through Toronto recently. I was buying tix for Amyl and the Sniffers who played at the same venue a few weeks later and when I saw that DBT were coming I thought that they would be the perfect, most epic, first post-lockdown show and when, on the evening of, I walked by Cooley standing in front of the bus alone, on my way into the club, my excitement and enthusiasm for the show grew exponentially.

Unfortunately the sound quality was absolutely atrocious. I'm sure the band played as well as always. We know that on their worst day, they reach a level in their live show that many bands never achieve, but on this night there seemed to be a forcefield made of invisible mashed potatoes between the band and the crowd, so I was unable to give these new songs any consideration. I was very, very frustrated by this. The sound for Amyl was equally shit. I didn't think it would bother me as much as they aren't nearly as nuanced a band as DBT, but it really did. I guess I'm precious about sound quality. Also, wtf Danforth Music Hall?! Do better!!

Recently I was asked by a friend how I liked Cooley's song about Montreal. To which I was like, "What song about Montreal?"

He played a song at the Danforth that I was unfamiliar with, but the words were so garbled and unintelligible, that my new friends and I on the rail were like, "Maybe that's his solidarity anthem with Ukraine, sung in Ukrainian." Jokes. But that sound...

So this Maria lady... I've never heard of her. I went to the band's sight and read the lyrics and then I did a search here, using "Maria's." I can't tell you how weird it is to read about the Hotel Dieu in the words of an Alabamian.

So many perceptions about the history and dynamics of my hometown.

Please allow some context. At that time in Montreal, there were 3 main groups of people; the French, who were Catholic, the English who were Protestant and the Indigenous population, made up of many different nations.

Someone here implied that this is an American story. It's not. Everything is not about you guys. There was a war. We won. Montreal is ours. You're welcome to Drake or Nickelback as consolation prizes, if this is painful for you. Sorry about your education system.

Secondly, it's not a story of anti-immigration. This Maria person seemed to have written her book from the perspective of a protestant person and the English (Protestants) were actually the last to arrive. The Indigenous were obviously first, then the French, then the English. There's no way this could equate to being, "Mexicans are rapists" type of rhetoric because the timing does not allow for that. However it's only fair to concede that these groups co-existed with a great deal of mutual antagonism, so it's not inconceivable that propaganda could have been circulated, but I can't see what its purpose would be because the divisions were solidified by ethnicity.

Thirdly, the Catholics killed loads of children and babies, historically. This claim can be backed up by an actual body count, that at this time continues to grow.

Just look at the homes for unwed mothers in Ireland. One of these institutions is located on a property on which the bodies of at least 800 babies, toddlers and children were found in unmarked graves. Most of these weren't blatantly murdered, but some were. Many died from abuse, neglect and malnourishment. Apparently, the belief was that children born out of wedlock carry with them inherent sin, so it isn't that big a deal to kill them or let them die (but oh fuckety, don't try to abort them!).

The residential school system in Canada was run by the state and the church. Many Catholic churches were involved. This system was predicated on the kidnapping of as many Indigenous children as possible and incarcerating them in these schools with the goal of indoctrinating them into a more white, Christian way of life. Many children and babies lost their lives in these hell holes from neglect, hunger and beatings. They've begun scanning properties where residential schools were located and so far they've found roughly 2,000 bodies of babies, children and toddlers in unmarked graves, with more to come inevitably. This is one of the most heinous, egregious and disgusting chapters in Canadian history and the Catholic church was explicitly involved.

Do I think that priests were having consensual and non-consensual sex with nuns and then murdering the babies with assembly-line regularity? No. Do I think it was somewhat common? Without a doubt. Absolutely.

Do I think it's fair to compare this to the messages of Q'anon or even Tucker Carlson and his ilk? No way.

Please consider how outlandish and sensationalistic it is that Hillary Clinton lead a pedophile ring in the basement of a DC pizza parlour that doesn't even have a basement. It's preposterous.

Please consider how fucking historically commonplace it has been for the Catholic Church to hurt people and get away with it. We read new reporting of this every day.

As I said, I don't know Maria and I don't know her book, but from what I'm reading on-line, her story is plausible, though possibly an exaggerated version of events. Really.

And of course her story was proven to be a hoax. How did they prove it, I wonder? And in what world does a wacky, lobotomized chick go up against a behemoth like the Catholic church and win? Did this not give anyone pause for consideration? That's a battle with beyond David-and-Goliath-like proportions (I like to use biblical references when I slam the church). She would have had no chance.

I think Cooley got this exactly the way the church intended him to get it.

[beantownbubba]

Hey, PonyGirl. Always great to see you and to enjoy your passionate insights and perspective.

Sounds like you're about to write us off (or maybe already have); I hope you reconsider. As Patterson might sing, have a seat and stay awhile.

I'm disappointed for you that the Toronto show was such a let down. I hate when that happens. I hope it's not your last rock show.

I admit that I haven't given "Maria's Awful Disclosures" a lot of thought or attention because with the exception noted below, I don't find the song interesting or compelling. I know nothing about Maria's story other than your post and the wikipedia entry for Maria Monk, nor do I have the background to comment on the long history of antipathy and worse between Protestants and Catholics. Based only on the wiki entry, Cooley's take doesn't seem out of bounds, which is not to say he's right, only that his POV doesn't appear to have come from nowhere. I agree with you that it's more likely that Maria was truthful than the QAnoners spouting conspiracy theories about pedophiles led by Hillary Clinton operating out of non existent pizza store basements. But that doesn't tell us whether Maria was truthful in whole or part. Whatever the truth of the matter, your unique voice is a welcome breath of fresh air, so thank you or, as some might say, merci beaucoup

Whether Cooley's right or wrong on the history, the song does give us this classic Cooley line, which applies pretty widely: "If some know nothing, nothing's keeping some from knowing it all."

While not directly relevant, I do like the DBT connection arising from the wiki entry's mention of Hofstadter's "Paranoid Style in American Politics" which brings us around to Elizabeth Nelson, principal of The Paranoid Style, ace critic and DBT fan who has dubbed DBT an "American institution."

[Swamp]

I can't tell you how weird it is to read about the Hotel Dieu in the words of an Alabamian.

As a former Alabamian, I had to chuckle when I read this. Kinda reminded me of when that Canadian wrote a couple of great songs about the bad shit that went down.

[Clams]

Kinda reminded me of when that Canadian wrote a couple of great songs about the bad shit that went down.

Yes the Gordon Lightfoot song about the boat that sank!

[Mundane Mayhem]

Haven't really been following DBT lately. I've moved onto different music, interests, people, but I did see them when they came through Toronto recently.

What are you listening to now instead? Aside from Amyl and the Sniffers, who are also great.

Someone here implied that this is an American story. It's not. Everything is not about you guys. There was a war. We won. Montreal is ours. You're welcome to Drake or Nickelback as consolation prizes, if this is painful for you.

The story itself is not (U.S.) American, but my limited Wiki-heavy reading suggests that a lot of the book's impact was felt here in the good old US of A, and did indeed align with anti-Catholic (anti-immigrant by extension) sentiment that was widespread at the time. The Bible isn't an American story either, but that doesn't keep it from being deployed by Americans with their own agendas. The Wikipedia page refers to the Hofstadter essay suggesting that Awful Disclosures was the most widely read book in the US until Uncle Tom's Cabin. It seems like Maria (and/or the folks around her who stood to make huge profits) might have realized they struck a nerve south of the border, since so much of Maria's later life and subsequent "work" seems to have taken place in the United States. Grifters gonna grift.

Sorry about your education system.

Yeah. If you think that's bad, you should see our healthcare system!

Secondly, it's not a story of anti-immigration.

Maybe not in Canada. But here in America, that seems to have been a large part of its appeal, since in our case the Protestants were "here first" and culturally hegemonic. It's true that not everything is about us, but borders are porous things and to paraphrase something Cooley has said before, "that's what section my seats are in."

As for the rest, I certainly don't dispute the atrocities the Catholic Church has been guilty of historically. I think Cooley's point is more like "look at the lightly sourced bullshit people will believe if they want to believe it." Does that make it as absurd as Comet Ping Pong or whatever? Maybe not. But the credulousness is a common thread. Goes back to that education system, right?

[Tequila Cowboy]

The book sold a shit ton in the US and was definitely used as part of the anti-Catholic sentiment here. I do absolutely see the different view from the Canadian side, though. There are four or five scholarly papers online that expound on the whole issue and I got sucked down that rabbit hole for a couple of days. Maria very well might have had something, ahem, awful happen, but she didn’t write the book. That was two men who either exploited her situation or made it up out of whole cloth and used her as the face of something more sinister. It depends on the particular account you read. It was the latter scenario Cooley is responding to and equating it with conspiracy theories. In any case, the lyrics are brilliant.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

Sad to see that Wilder Days hasn’t been played since homecoming. Seems like it’s already been shelved.

That's too bad. One of the standouts for me.

From last night. First time since Homecoming?

[Zip Up to Michigan]

It took me a while to get around to this album but I finally did and I really like it. Easily my favorite since the Big To Do, to be completely honest. Only one trash song (the title track) with everything else clocking in at solid to very good on my radar. Looking forward to seeing some of these live on Sunday.

[glennrwordman]

It took me a while to get around to this album but I finally did and I really like it. Easily my favorite since the Big To Do, to be completely honest. Only one trash song (the title track) with everything else clocking in at solid to very good on my radar. Looking forward to seeing some of these live on Sunday.

I swear to Dog I am not being provocative, but can you explain why "W2CXIII" (the song) is "trash"? To me, it's not at the level--the very high level--of much of the rest of the record, but it's a catchy damn tune, and good, dark fun.

Curious if "trash" might be a bit harsh?

[Zip Up to Michigan]

It took me a while to get around to this album but I finally did and I really like it. Easily my favorite since the Big To Do, to be completely honest. Only one trash song (the title track) with everything else clocking in at solid to very good on my radar. Looking forward to seeing some of these live on Sunday.

I swear to Dog I am not being provocative, but can you explain why "W2CXIII" (the song) is "trash"? To me, it's not at the level--the very high level--of much of the rest of the record, but it's a catchy damn tune, and good, dark fun.

Curious if "trash" might be a bit harsh?

I think they lyrics are incredibly cheesy and weak and the music is so throwaway and "crunches" in a bad way. Just something I feel Patterson probably wrote in 5 minutes Perhaps that was the goal but it just doesn't work when surrounded by such excellent material in my opinion. Like, this is the follow up to the song "We will never wake you up in the morning?" . I also think it does a very poor job in tying the record together as a title track.

I'm just imagining if Cooley could have anted up one more tune and it replaced this one. You might have the most consistent DBT album ever !

[glennrwordman]

I think they lyrics are incredibly cheesy and weak and the music is so throwaway and "crunches" in a bad way. Just something I feel Patterson probably wrote in 5 minutes Perhaps that was the goal but it just doesn't work when surrounded by such excellent material in my opinion. Like, this is the follow up to the song "We will never wake you up in the morning?" . I also think it does a very poor job in tying the record together as a title track.

I'm just imagining if Cooley could have anted up one more tune and it replaced this one. You might have the most consistent DBT album ever !

I feel differently, but I get your POV. I also mentioned in my "review" of the record that it seems like no coincidence that there's 15 full seconds of space between "WWNWYUITM" and "W2CXIII". HAS to be intentional.

Sequencing this particular group of songs must've been really challenging.

[beantownbubba]

Sequencing this particular group of songs must've been really challenging.

I've been thinking the same. I haven't quite grasped Patterson's approach on this one, in contrast to most other DBT albums, where understanding the sequencing is generally one of the pleasures of getting to know and fully appreciate a DBT album.

I, too, see Zip Michigan's point on the title track. My initial response leaned in that direction a little bit though not nearly to the same degree. But I have to say the song has grown on me along the "catchy good dark fun" rambunctious reminiscence that you suggest, glenn.

[Tequila Cowboy]

I feel differently, but I get your POV. I also mentioned in my "review" of the record that it seems like no coincidence that there's 15 full seconds of space between "WWNWYUITM" and "W2CXIII". HAS to be intentional.

Definitely intentional, but I think it's just because it's the break between sides on the record recreated, as it were, digitally.

[Jonicont]

Everyone needs a fuck

[Clams]

Everyone needs a fuck

Randi heard Welcome to Club XIII on outlaw country and she said they edited that line

[cortez the killer]

Everyone needs a fuck

If you had a fuck buddy, you would satisfy both parts of the lyric.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

From Geoffrey Himes for Paste. This is among my favorite articles I've read on the new album.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/dri ... club-xiii/

[beantownbubba]

From Geoffrey Himes for Paste. This is among my favorite articles I've read on the new album.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/dri ... club-xiii/

Really good. Thanks for posting, KG. Minor quibbles and major questions:

This is not the first time that Matt Patton has been referred to as Mike. It's an apparently easy mistake to make though I'm not sure why.

No mention of JTE re We will wake you up. I think this is an oddity w/out any substantive impact but I always find those kinds of details and connections interesting and am surprised that more than one reviewer hasn't mentioned this one. Special to mundane mayhem: The capitalization (or lack thereof) of the song title continues to be obscure to many.

Substantively and surprisingly, I don't get the statement that Goode's Field Road is about illegally buying beer and hosting keggers to make money. My best guess is that PH was talking about the State Line Gang's control over the clubs and liquor sales in TN while talking about his experiences buying beer as an underage teen and something got lost in translation but if this was meant literally I don't get it.

Would one rather make a "masterful" album or be "an American institution"? I guess the answer is why not both?

[Tequila Cowboy]

From Geoffrey Himes for Paste. This is among my favorite articles I've read on the new album.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/dri ... club-xiii/

Really good. Thanks for posting, KG. Minor quibbles and major questions:

This is not the first time that Matt Patton has been referred to as Mike. It's an apparently easy mistake to make though I'm not sure why.

No mention of JTE re We will wake you up. I think this is an oddity w/out any substantive impact but I always find those kinds of details and connections interesting and am surprised that more than one reviewer hasn't mentioned this one. Special to mundane mayhem: The capitalization (or lack thereof) of the song title continues to be obscure to many.

Substantively and surprisingly, I don't get the statement that Goode's Field Road is about illegally buying beer and hosting keggers to make money. My best guess is that PH was talking about the State Line Gang's control over the clubs and liquor sales in TN while talking about his experiences buying beer as an underage teen and something got lost in translation but if this was meant literally I don't get it.

Would one rather make a "masterful" album or be "an American institution"? I guess the answer is why not both?

I think the Mike Patton mistake came in the editing process as Kudzu suggested on Facebook and Patterson agreed with it being a possible cause. On the JTE thing, I have noticed that Patterson has carefully avoided saying the song was written about him in various interviews. In one he said it was written about a specific person and then shortly after he realized it could also apply to another person. Not sure why this is but it's been a recurring theme.

[Mundane Mayhem]

From Geoffrey Himes for Paste. This is among my favorite articles I've read on the new album.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/dri ... club-xiii/

This is a good one. I know Himes is one of our preeminent DBT boosters in music journalism and have enjoyed his work on that topic.

I have a hard time with him after the inexcusable piece he wrote about "Afro-Americana" that Paste ended up having to memory-hole. I frankly couldn't believe it got published at all. Feels like his editors let him down on that one.

Neither here nor there I suppose; it's just unfortunate that that is now my first association whenever I see his name. Cancel culture, Woke mob, etc.

[beantownbubba]

I have noticed that Patterson has carefully avoided saying the song was written about him in various interviews. In one he said it was written about a specific person and then shortly after he realized it could also apply to another person.

Thanks. I was not aware that there was any question or ambiguity about this.