Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense
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Most sales to date of this double CD set are based on the appearance of Pearl Jam. You are missing the point! What happens when you get the thing home and hear Jello doing a little spewing — do you scratch your goatee in confusion? Rattle your chain-wallet, sag your pants a little more and pick belly button lint? Even on the mostly safe streets of Salt Lake City, women and men are not arriving home alive. We won’t speak of the perversions committed against small children in this state behind closed doors. Since we are speaking of closed doors, how about the white male patriarchal mentality ruling this place?
There are homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals, along with more liberated heterosexuals, speaking their minds all over both CDs. Rape and violence directed towards women, children and those of a different racial or sexual orientation is not condoned! Every time I listen to this set a different song gives me a shock and an opportunity to look at my own prejudices and sexist attitudes. Everyone has them, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you don’t.
The person passing the disc to me wasn’t much into the punk rock presented. I forced the dude to listen to a few of the tunes. Of major interest is the Nirvana live cut, Cristien Storm’s poetry backed by minimal musical accompaniment, The Supersuckers’ “She’s My Bitch” and 7 Year Bitch’s “Mad Dash.” The highlight of the set is undoubtedly Tribe 8’s “Frat Pig.” You go girls, “Let’s play gang castrate.” Or how about Bobby Miller? Be prepared for some truth. “I want to bend each one of them over and fuck the misogyny out of them. To wash their mouths out with my dick and let them feel the collective humiliation of women everywhere.” If the Utah State Legislature ever found out about that piece they’d call an emergency session to ban it from the borders. Pearl Jam doing roadhouse? You buy the disc for that? Have you listened to the lyrics? How about Los Hornets doing pure garage? Can you “Dig It!”
On the second disc the standouts (personal preference is in order) are spoken word. Andrew Horwitz with “4th of July,” Wendy-O Matik with “Theory of Mutation,” Kristen Kosmas with her untitled statement on holes and Tamara Paris with “Scared of Your Shadow” are shocking examples of truth. Go now and buy a copy of the CD. Listen to it and if you are male (especially if you are Utah born and bred) take a good look at your attitude towards women. At the same time, think about the countless hours of volunteer work that went into bringing this project to fruition. The only activism comparable to it in Utah is that demonstrated by ward-house organized armies of homophobes or the Eagle Forum. The mountains keep the smog in and thoughts out. As long as you are white, male and wearing funny underwear, you are safe — barefoot and pregnant qualifies nearly as much, except in “this is the place” children are more at risk than women. Poor female minorities (sexual, religious or otherwise) live with the constant threat of not arriving Home Alive. Congratulate Seattle on their efforts, and how about a similar program in Utah? MIAs die on our streets constantly. Have you read the news today?
All proceeds from the sale of the CD go to the Home Alive Collective. They offer classes in self-defense and workshops on how to stay safe on the street. In Seattle women do go out alone. These musicians all donated their art to the project. —Wa
