When The Husband and I first started dating, he'd take me to a lot of ska shows. And yes, I joined skanking circles because it was fun and nobody cared that they looked like idiots. I was one of those idiots. Ska has a big place in the Southwest musical scene, where most of my friends and family live - partially because of the Spanish influence in third wave ska (aka ska punk). Even though most of the big names come from Southern California, there's still quite a considerable scene in Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. For example, we saw Authority Zero (from Mesa, AZ) more than once. El Paso had a lot of local ska bands, too, like Liquid Cheese, the Casual Fridays, and Fixed Idea. Aside from one fairly traumatizing experience, I enjoyed most of these shows. You usually saw the same people and it was a community of sorts. At some point, though, we stopped going and I kind of miss that.
The other thing this song reminds me of is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," because that's where Save Ferris gets their band name. The first time I saw that movie, we were staying overnight at my Uncle Danny's - he was giving my grandparents a break from hanging out with my sister and I. Usually, we'd watch him and my Aunt Viv play softball. Afterwards, we'd stay the night and watch movies. I have a lot of good memories of my Uncle Danny and I miss him a lot some days. Anyway, before I go down that rabbit hole, I have to admit it's been kind of an emotional day for me. And, though I may have seemed fine, it was the most anxious I've been in a long while. It's weird - I'll be perfectly fine for weeks at a time and then, suddenly, I'm hyperventilating and my heart is racing and I've got these intrusive thoughts that won't go away. Which is why I wanted to bring up Ferris Bueller, and specifically, a film theory centered around "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
These people 'round here
Wear beat down eyes sunk in smoke dried faces
They're resigned to what their fate is
But not us, (no never) no not us (no never)
We are far to young and clever
Remember
Too ra loo ra too ra loo rye aye
And you'l hum this tune forever
For those not familiar with the movie, I'll briefly summarize - golden boy Ferris Bueller decides to play hookie. Throughout the movie, he drags his best friend, Cameron, and his girlfriend, Sloane, all over Chicago on outrageous - and nigh unbelievable - adventures. All the while, his envious sister and suspicious principal are trying to prove that he's not really sick. However, there's a theory that Ferris Bueller is just Cameron's alter ego - a projection he uses to cope with his bleak reality. Sort of like Tyler Durden in "Fight Club" (also one of my favorite movies). Ferris Bueller has loving parents, a beautiful girlfriend, and everyone in the school loves him. Conversely, it's pretty clear that Cameron's father is neglectful (if not downright abusive), he's constantly depressed, and everyone else pretends he's invisible. There are two sides to this theory - Side A is that Ferris Bueller's Day Off didn't actually happen and it's just a fantasy in Cameron's head. I don't buy that. Side B is the Fight Club theory - Cameron is Ferris. No one sees Cameron because whenever he's around people, Ferris comes out. When he's Ferris, he's cool and funny and has no limits. Some people assume the climax of the movie is when Ferris is racing to get back to his bedroom before his mom comes home. But really, that's all denouement - what needs to happen to wrap up all the loose ends. The real climax is when Cameron destroys his father's car. At this point, he realizes he has no choice except to face reality. At the same time he has to accept responsibility for his actions, he also needs to stand up to his dad and set boundaries. Surprisingly, this isn't as easy as it sounds in real life and it's telling that we don't actually see that happen in the movie. John Hughes just leaves us to assume Cameron faced his demons but the movie ends with Ferris still getting away with his same old shenanigans.
Someone recommended that I read "Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe" by Yumi Sakugawa. The book is exactly what it sounds like - a lot of pictures with some sound advice on living life. One of the suggestions is to sit down and have tea with your demons. Give them personalities. A wardrobe. Decide what kind of tea and treats they prefer. And then talk to them, to get down to what your core wounds are, why you have them, and how to cope. Rejection. Control. Et cetera. The point is to get comfortable with them so that when you're triggered (and start having a panic attack or a fit of rage), you recognize them and won't react to them in negative, self-sabotaging ways. Ferris's demon name is Attention-seeking. He wears the biggest smile and acts like the coolest guy to hide the fact that he doesn't really like himself and needs external validation to build up his self-worth. Best not to have cake or tea around - he might throw it in your face to get a laugh. Anyway, I thought it was a cool idea and thought I'd share it. Having tea with your demons is a lot easier than going into a dissociative fugue state and starting an illegal fight club or singing "Danke Schoen" on a parade float.
That rant is over but just a few notes on the song - it's basically about this guy trying to fuck a younger girl that he grew up with. Sorry to say it's not much deeper than that. But it is catchy as hell. You're welcome.
Save Ferris Version
Dexy's Midnight Runners Version
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