Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools muses on the popular culture that moves him.
Books: “Gould’s Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish,” by Richard Flanagan, is possibly the best book I have read in the last decade. This book is literary in a classic sense, yet it has a distinctly modern twist. It’s based on the life of a Tasmanian prisoner and his travails recording fish in paintings for a sadistic prison doctor with scientific leanings … or is it??
TV: If I were fresh out of college, I would be sending résumé after résumé to Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim,” which runs late at night and features the improbable and hilarious “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.” Birdman actually uses antique Hanna-
Barbera cartoon characters in litigious situations, most notably when Shaggy and Scooby need Birdman to defend them after they are busted for suspicion of smoking marijuana in the Mystery Machine. I have always been a fan of great animation, and although no one can replace Bugs Bunny in my mind, these guys at “Adult Swim” are onto something good. Where do I sign up?
Music: Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938-1997) was a jazz musician/bandleader from Lagos, Nigeria, who defined the ability of music to affect spiritual and social change. Known for his lengthy polyrhythmic compositions featuring amazing call-and-response vocals between Kuti and his singers, who were, by the way, his many wives, he actually ran for president of Nigeria and continued performing despite vicious beatings at the hands of the “police.” Check out the double-CD compilation, “Music Is the Weapon,” which features many of his best-known pieces of music, as well as a 45-minute documentary made in 1982.
Technology: I love my iPod. How can you argue with 18 days of continuous music in a device no larger than a pack of cigarettes … and I only have the 40-gig model!
Music videos: I hate this medium and blame it mainly for lowering the standards of popular music to frighteningly non-musical levels. You can hear better songs in commercials and Tarantino movies than you can on any of the so-called “music video” channels! So, in order to make a small attempt to neutralize the damage, I feel that repeated viewings of “Tom Dowd and the Language of Music” should be mandatory for one and all. This amazing and informative documentary traces the career of Dowd, who was recording jazz and R&B sides for the fledgling Atlantic records by night and (unbeknownst to him at the time) doing his part to build the atomic bomb by day. He later went on to record such artists as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cream and The Allman Brothers, in addition to revolutionizing the electronics of modern recording techniques time and time again. All of this is documented in this film, which can be enjoyed by anyone. By the way, he was a bass player as well!
Sleep: It’s often highly overated, but the older I get, it seems I need sleep more. Preferably in a dark and quiet location where the process is not repeatedly interrupted by housekeeping’s attempts to freshen my towel supply! Good night, Denver!
Widespread Panic plays three sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater tonight through Sunday. The band returns to Colorado Sept. 1-2 at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass festival. Tickets are available via WidespreadPanic.com.
