I don’t have a long interesting story for this song. I wrote it with the first band I joined in Sacramento in 1998 which featured Darryl Zuber on Guitar, Ron Meyer on Bass and Dave Cates on Drums, who was later replaced by “Mitch” Mitchell.
We had recorded our first album in a Tough Shed in Dave’s backyard, but this song came after the album and Dave’s departure. The main riff came --- which is mostly in a 15/8 time signature, so pretty progressive — came from Darryl and I put together the lyrics which are essentially a “Diss” song about someone you’ve grown to hate, but also about self-loathing as the worst thing the protagonist can imagine is becoming like the antagonist - which is likely a relative, a sibling or a close relationship.
It’s a yin/yang relationship with someone you clearly can’t stand, but you also love - and can’t manage to remove from your life, just like you can’t remove a limb.
Years later, this nation is now in exactly that kind of dysfunctional relationship with itself - where we can’t stand each other but we still have to live and function together.
The walls between us seem insurmountable, and maybe they are. We don’t even function in the same practical reality. What one side says is up the other side says is down and vice versa. I do understand what Justice Alito meant when he said “We just have to win.”
One side of the other is going to win. I don’t know. I mean, there can be a way of working, of living together peacefully. But it’s difficult, because there’s a difference on fundamental things that really can’t be compromised. They can’t be compromised. So it’s not like you can spit the difference.
I know what he means. I know how he feels. We are AT WAR. Simple basic facts are beyond our grasp to express. Evidence is useless. Sources can’t be trusted. Pictures, video and audio can be doctored and faked with AI.
What is it that we can believe? Who is it that we can trust?
This is a Gordian Knot we need to untie. This is a problem we need to solve.
I’ve been told that reaching out with empathy, gaining a level of emotional trust is the way that you can break through the factual blockade. I have to trust that that’s true - I know that it has worked with people being pulled out of cults, and people tied up in radial movements like the Skinheads or Neo-Nazis. It’s much like trying to reach and addict - trying to get them to open their eyes when they’re literally main-lining a string of delusions and lies.
I try to listen to people who have escaped things like the Moonie movement, such as Steven Hassan.
You can’t argue someone out of a cult. You can’t LOGIC them back to the truth. As Steven says, they’ve indoctrinated to expect to be ridiculed and persecuted. In many ways, they have to have their own moment of clarity, their own “Ah ha” where they come to recognize the programming themselves. It’s not that they‘re “dumb”, stupid” or “evil” — they’ve been systematically trained to believe as they do. It’s not an accident and it’s not at all “natural.”
As Hillary Clinton has said - much of the country need deprogramming.
Supporters of Donald Trump may need to be “deprogrammed” as if they were cult members, Hillary Clinton said.
“Sadly, so many of those extremists … take their marching orders from Donald Trump, who has no credibility left by any measure,” the former first lady, senator, secretary of state and Democratic nominee for president told CNN.
“He’s only in it for himself. He’s now defending himself in civil actions and criminal actions. And when do they break with him? Because at some point maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the cult members. But something needs to happen.”
Frankly, she’s not wrong.
I hope his and their experience and wisdom can be helpful in guiding us forward. There has to be hope. There has to be some way out of here.
Vyan
Original Song - Not Like U