Wounded World

I've been crazy busy the past few days and have spent like half my weekend getting the last post to the point where I feel like it's done, so I'm going to cheat for today and just put up this YouTube video of Roger Miller from 1991. This song wound up on the On/Off CD that the reunited Mission of Burma put out last year.

Mission of Burma were together during 79-83, which happened to be the same years I was in the Air Force. I was stationed near Boston and saw them 4-5 times. Other than their farewell show at the Hotel Bradford, which had maybe 300-400 people there, I don't think I ever saw them play to a crowd of more than 100. They were ahead of their time, and an amazing live show.

After they broke up, I became obsessed with Miller's next project, the completely different but also remarkable Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. Now Burma's credited with being the seminal post-punk band that inspired acts like Gang of Four and Sonic Youth and paved the way for the Pixies and Nirvana. There were a number of more recent videos online from after the reunion, but I chose this one because Miller looks so young and is so intense. He was even younger in 83.

WOUNDED WORLD
(Roger Miller)

I'm a puppet, you're a puppet too
A dancing fool, jiggle me at my joints
Once you were on my side
But I will make you wish that I had died.
I had died.

Thanks for all of your help and perfection, oh yeah
The machines we have built for the end.

Another year, another friend or foe
Burn their cities, scorch the earth below
The times have changed and so too have our needs
This time it's you on which the fire feeds.
Fire feeds.

If you laugh at my jokes you will pay for it, oh yeah
When your friends are enemies, you'll be sold....

Thanks for all of your help and perfection, oh yeah
The machines we have built for the end

Wounded. World. Wounded.