An Email to Mike Doughty: The Harrisburg Show and "Super Bon Bon"

Mike,

I was at your free show at the Abbey at Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg over the weekend. I've been a fan since the Soul Coughing days -- I doubt there's been a record over the last year that I anticipated more than Golden Delicious -- and have been lucky to see you twice in central PA over the last few months (thanks for that -- it seems like no one ever comes to the mid-state at all, and here you are twice).

I really enjoyed the set at ABC (and was very psyched you and Scrap played "Madeline and Nine" since you didn't in Lancaster), but I have to say I was bummed by some of the in-between song comments you made. Since you didn't seem to be playing off a playlist, lots of people shouted song suggestions in between songs, and you'd respond by saying "yes," "no," "maybe," etc. From the live recordings I've heard of your shows, and from the show in Lancaster, I'd say you're one of the best musicians around when it comes to interacting with the crowd. You respond to fans' comments, joke around, etc. It's so much more fun than watching a guy who just stands on stage, plays his songs, and then leaves, and it really makes people in the crowd feel more connected to you and to the show.

At least two different times on Saturday, though, you responded to people shouting out requests for Soul Coughing songs by slagging the songs. And not just by saying something like "naah, I'm not gonna play that," or "man am I sick of that one." I believe you referred to "Super Bon Bon" as the worst song you ever wrote, said you were embarrassed by it, apologized to America for writing it, and would never play it again. Or words to that effect.

Obviously I don't know anything about the inner workings of Soul Coughing, so I have no idea of the particulars surrounding that (or any other) song. Obviously it wasn't a positive experience for you, and judging from your most recent blog entry this is far from the first time that you've gotten upset at the crowd for requesting that particular song.

From my standpoint as a fan, though, I love that song. "Super Bon Bon" has long been one of my all-time favorites of yours; it's got a great beat and you can dance to it, and it's taken on a whole new meaning for me recently now that my three year old daughter loves it too. She starts dancing and singing along whenever it comes on. It's awesome and it puts you on par with Gustafer Yellowgold and Ramones in her eyes -- heady company indeed.

In an essay published after Kurt Cobain's death, New Yorker music writer Alex Ross wrote this:

"Music is robbed of its intentions and associations as it goes out into the great wide open; like a rumor passed through a crowd, it emerges utterly changed. Pop songs become the property of their fans and are marked with the circumstances of their consumption, not their creation."

My brother, who is a musician, disagrees with Ross, and I imagine you might too. But as someone who hasn't created any art which has made it out into "the great wide open" but has consumed his share, I think there's a lot of truth in that statement. I get that you aren't happy with some of the songs you wrote -- I doubt any artist is happy with everything he's created -- and if you don't want to play them, that's cool. But even the songs you dislike have lots of meaning, and positive associations, to me and other fans. The act of listening to a song is only a small part of the experience that surrounds the song, an experience that changes with every interaction with the song, whether it's listening to the original CD, or hearing it live, or done by someone else, or used to market a TV show or a video game or a drug-addled blowhard on the radio.

The next time I put on Irresistible Bliss will I be thinking, "which other songs on this record does Mike hate"? Maybe. Ross might say that's just another circumstance that influences my consumption, and he'd be right, but it'll still be a bummer.

Don't get me wrong -- I had a great time at the show. I hope you guys enjoyed playing the Hbg and the next time you're on tour you'll consider the ABC again. If you do, I'll be there digging whatever you play, and if you don't, I'll go to whatever venue in a two-hour radius you do end up at. And I feel weird writing an email to you in which I'm basically whining about what was a really small part of show that was awesome overall. I just wish you hadn't felt compelled to share those particular comments with us on Saturday night -- it was the only downer moment (for me) of a great evening.

Best,

Christian Ruzich