My late brother, Dwayne, was what is colloquially known as an outlaw biker. He once talked to me about the feeling of power riding motorcycles gave him. Riding a motorcycle and firing a powerful gun gives one a sense of power like no other thing he declared. I disagreed. That is, I added playing a loud electric guitar on stage with a hard rock band is comparable to the feeling of riding a motorcycle or firing a weapon.
He argued that there is a sense of danger to riding or shooting that playing a guitar doesn’t have but I argued that the danger in making a fool of yourself is much more terrifying to some people than the fear of falling off a motorcycle and unless you’re on the receiving end of a hand gun, the danger there is in the kick, maybe a ricochet or a jail term.
All three things involve loud sound, violent vibrations and the ability to make an impression on anyone who happens to be watching or listening. All three things, if done right, can be considered a skill and even a form of entertainment. Examples would be Evel Knievel and motorcycle stunt riding and rodeo and sharp shooting exhibitions.
I read a lot of rock star biographies and it’s surprising how many “peace and love” rockers also love to carry handguns. They don’t do it for protection but because they find it “cool”. The original hippies started in Virginia City, Nevada, out of the Red Dog Saloon they were trying to renovate into an Old West attraction along with the rest of the town. They were known for carrying firearms every bit as much as the longtime local residents who were real cowboys. Hippies with guns; Richard Nixon’s worst nightmare.
Jerry Garcia, David Crosby and Kurt Cobain are just three examples of people you would think would be anti-gun but were actually owners. Kurt obviously owned a shotgun despite his song lyrics, “no, I don’t have a gun.”
Guns, motorcycles and guitars are all very male oriented and macho with the users of all three sure to attract attention whenever they use them. The big difference is when you misuse a guitar, unlike the other two, no one ends up dead.
He argued that there is a sense of danger to riding or shooting that playing a guitar doesn’t have but I argued that the danger in making a fool of yourself is much more terrifying to some people than the fear of falling off a motorcycle and unless you’re on the receiving end of a hand gun, the danger there is in the kick, maybe a ricochet or a jail term.
All three things involve loud sound, violent vibrations and the ability to make an impression on anyone who happens to be watching or listening. All three things, if done right, can be considered a skill and even a form of entertainment. Examples would be Evel Knievel and motorcycle stunt riding and rodeo and sharp shooting exhibitions.
I read a lot of rock star biographies and it’s surprising how many “peace and love” rockers also love to carry handguns. They don’t do it for protection but because they find it “cool”. The original hippies started in Virginia City, Nevada, out of the Red Dog Saloon they were trying to renovate into an Old West attraction along with the rest of the town. They were known for carrying firearms every bit as much as the longtime local residents who were real cowboys. Hippies with guns; Richard Nixon’s worst nightmare.
Jerry Garcia, David Crosby and Kurt Cobain are just three examples of people you would think would be anti-gun but were actually owners. Kurt obviously owned a shotgun despite his song lyrics, “no, I don’t have a gun.”
Guns, motorcycles and guitars are all very male oriented and macho with the users of all three sure to attract attention whenever they use them. The big difference is when you misuse a guitar, unlike the other two, no one ends up dead.
Unless your John Rostill or Keith Reif.........
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