social circkle

OK, today I saw Social Circkle at ABC No Rio and I was really into it. Here's why:

-- 10 minute set
-- obviously playing below their collective talent level
-- no "fashion" (you could almost remove the quotes)
-- no mosh parts (and this coming from Boston!)
-- no premature crappy 7"s (I'm looking at you, Splitting Headache)
-- their fans were friendly and cute
-- totally DIY
-- playing a timeless style, which at the same time is totally unexplored by US bands since the 80s
-- obviously care about what they were doing, but were not "professional" or fake-careless

So, I'm into their songs, and their style, etc. But what I'm REALLY INTO is how they are running the band. No bullshit, no cellos, no Jade Tree, no splits with Agathocles, nothing to remind you it's 2006, no "unique" vocals, no myspace, no "rock" guitar parts, no substituting band shirts for real influences; their whole deal seems thoughtful, if not explicitly a manifesto, and I wish more bands would be as right-on as Social Circkle.

Part II:
See below post, see above (about Social Circkle)-- your life is a manifesto of how you think life should be lived. There are people with more talent, more creativity, etc., than I-- and there are people less privileged than I-- but all things being equal, without (always or necessarily) a value judgment, the way I live my life is not some accidental series of whatever-strikes-my-fancy, but is pretty much a principled existence. Of course, what life ends up being is a combination of principles, circumstances, abilities, "choices," etc., but I would like to make clear that for the most part, my behavior is not some random series of actions that could have gone the other way.

Easy example: I don't do drugs. I think drugs are bad.

Intermediate example: I don't go to Misshapes parties, I prefer movies. While I would like to meet cute girls as much as the next person, and, having long ago made a conscious decision that I am not "above" fun (a character trait I despise as woefully Brontëan), I certainly find hipsterism and vapid socializing ultimately unfulfilling. And I would prefer to share a cultural interest with someone, instead of a mutual love of dance kitsch. If someone went to such things, and even had a good time, I wouldn't judge them. But if someone partied nonstop and didn't have time for seeing classic or interesting movies, I would probably think that person was a bore.

Other examples: I don't vote for Democrats, I don't eat meat, I am DIY, I am not a Christian, I write lengthy reviews of punk records, etc. I think Democrats are bad news, meat is murder, DIY or die, Christians are self-delusional, I think punk is worth thinking about at length. This doesn't carry over into all aspects of life, but in all of the above examples, I do not feel like I could meet someone half-way. The way I act is how I feel about it-- if I thought eating meat was sort of OK, I would do it sometimes. If I thought Democrats were sort of OK, I'd vote for them sometimes. I don't. These are maybe too-political examples, but I dunno-- It's hard to give examples of daily life without getting into tedious minutiae, and moreover, I think I've made my point. Anyways, I don't want to seem like the most dogmatic person in the world, but I would like to set this in stone: wherever possible, when not trying to get ahead, or get laid, (and even then), I would like to say of my actions, that is how I think things should be done.

The joke is on me, of course, because no one takes my example seriously. But then, the joke is not on me, because (allowing for self-rationalization and excuses), I run my life in a way I respect, and not as some random free-for-all. So, believe it or not, however fucked up you think I am, for the most part, that is how I want to be and have gone to a lot of trouble to be.

(two emendations: 1) this ought to include the obvious necessity of personal growth, dialectical maturation, etc, and therefore *must* include a good number of mistakes, errors. 2) this comes across as weirdly "moralistic" when basically I just think a lot of stuff is "lame" and not "wrong" per se.)