A visitor to the HMmag.com site named Anthony posted me a question about the Galactic Cowboys, asking me about “the meaning behind” a few Galactic Cowboys songs. That whole area of lyric interpretation gives me the willies, but I commented. And then he asked me if he could post my comments, which was a nice compliment, but I knew I had to be careful, so I added commentary to my comments. Then I realized, ‘This could be a blog post,’ so here it is…
Here’s his first post (after he wrote the cool little article at left about the Galactic Cowboys (who, by the way, released the best album in the entire universe with their self-titled debut. Just sayin…)
I was wondering if you can clarify something for me….I thought GC’s ‘If I was A Killer’, ‘I’m Not Amused’ & ‘Kill Floor’ were all anti-abortion songs……. I’ve been told Kill Floor is not, merely dealing with a guy in a slaughterhouse who goes mad (I still thought there may have been a double meaning there???) how about I’m Not Amused, is that song about abortion? I know If I Was A killer is….. thanks!
Sincerely, Anthony
After I replied, his response was:
can I quote you in the comments section? (or maybe you can add an editors’ note) just to clarify….I know you are an expert in all things cowboys and I don’t want to put out any incorrect info, thanks!
So, I said, “Okay, but let me edit them real quick (right now, scroll down)”:
I cannot speak for the band, nor should any of us fans ever presume to “know” what the writer is talking about. Using my insight and memories from interviewing the band and reading press releases, I will comment below:
i’m not amused was written about the occult/ritualistic killings in Matamorus, Mexico in the late 89 or 1990 time period . these might have been satanic murders or even someone “dabbling” in the occult like some adolescent experimentation or game, but lives were lost and the writer of the song “was not amused.” the other two you are right. written so as to be openly interpreted (multiple meanings), but no doubt written from a pro-life heart. just coyly and never presented as such (and thus reaching more people and getting past the biased filters that exist in the media and entertainment world).
wise as serpents
artistic as rembrandt
dougly as vanpelt
I remember seeing the Galactic Cowboys at a panel at the Foundations Forum convention, along with members of Fear Factory, King’s X and others, (right after a guy from the Jim Rose circus, maybe Jim himself, doing tricks with his genitals onstage as “entertainment”). it was ’96, i think, and an election year. someone asked Ben Huggins what his policital bent or preference was and he answered, “I don’t think anyone here cares.” he even asked the audience, “Do you care who i’m going to vote for?” (pointing to the response) “See! No one here cares who I’m going to vote for.”
While some might say that’s fearful, chicken or whatever, I think it’s smart to pick and choose your battles. If all of us went around and told everyone who would listen all of our opinions on everything, we’d all end up sequestered and cornered off in our own little worlds, little groups of like-minded people who never thought, debated or interacted with anyone else in another “camp.”
I bet you $10 that, if he had chosen to, Ben would have stated “Republican” in 1996 and that would have made people that might listen to his band immediately “boo” them at that moment and turn their listening habits away from the band forever.
I remember seeing Michael Stipe at an awards show (GRAMMYS, maybe, maybe something to do with MTV, i don’t remember) and R.E.M. won an award and he took off a t-shirt that said this (maybe GUn Control) and that, and then another and then another and i think the last one was PRO CHOICE. I still hold that against him to this day (and that was probably 20 years ago). It’s hard for me not to like him, because I instantly formed an opinion of him as being a liberally-caused/play-to-the-popular-crowd political guy. That’s not fair to REM’s music that I do that, but I have this bias against the band now and that kind of keeps me from enjoying the music they make. I’m being honest (and vulnerable, like an idiot that wants people to attack him) here. People like me can be dumb.
That’s why a lot of Christian rock never gets heard. The people that control the flow of media have a pre-conceived notion that “this song is going to be about this, ‘Accept Jesus as your personal Savior or else’ message, or a pro-Republican message or an anti-gay message or an anti-abortion message’ (try to get a media person to say “pro-life” instead of “anti-abortion” they won’t do it).
When we reveal our cards in the great poker game of life, there’s no taking it back. There’s wisdom in hiding your cards, people. If you’re on the front lines and you’ve revealed all your cards (and getting beat up and attacked constantly), you’ll resent me for saying this, because it might keep people from joining your cause. I’m sorry, but I think this is true.
I think Jesus kept His mouth shut at certain times. That’s right, He didn’t even tell people He was the Messiah or the Living Son of God sometimes. Are we going to attack Him and call Him a chicken for not standing up for the truth? He IS the Truth. Check out the book of Esther. Hiding your cards doesn’t mean you don’t lay ’em down in the last hand. She waited “for such a time as this” and laid ’em all out … and saved a nation.
I’m not promoting cowardice or muting our voices for all eternity. But, like the preaching of grace, if you don’t give license to sin and the abuse of grace, you’re probably not really preaching real grace. Wisdom is not stupidity, but it can be perceived as such (or as cowardice). I must apologize to AC for making this a blog, but it just happened. and also an apology for not using proper punctuation. i was really just intending this to be a quick type it out and send it email, but look what happened…
🙂
—Doug Van Pelt
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