eureka!

Over the past several Saturdays I have made a (ritual?) of spending the late nite and early morning hours watching anime on Adult Swim. Aside from growing more and more attracted to the vibe of these shows I’ve also grown particularly fond of this note which appears (classic [as] style, white on black background) before the broadcasting of Eureka 7.


"Just in case that last disclaimer wasn't enough, this episode contains extreme violence.
We would rather run this than cut the violence from the episode because we are American Cowboys."


And I like it because its real. Of late, I've been more aware of, if not more exposed to, the rough and tough American spirit. And I like it. Its growing on me. While I have a lot of beef with particular facets of American morality, that kind of burly, masculine, gung-ho, fu manchu business is pretty rad.

Prime Example: Teddy Brosevelt- our bombastic, energetic cowboy of a 26th president. The Bull Moose was a tough, mustached "Rough Rider", hunted large game (like humans), and was even once shot in the chest and insisted to deliver his scheduled speech (from a torn and bloodstained manuscript nestled in his vest pocket) before visiting the hospital. Although not necessarily the qualities we would want ourselves or our children to take on, his crazy and somewhat legendary characteristics are at least admirable if taken with levity, in a sort of wierd, fun way.

The particular “American spirit” that I speak of encompasses probably more than one attitude, mind-set, feeling, emotion, or personality, and can surface in a variety of situations in various forms and levels of intensity. However, when you experience it, you know it. And recently, it has many times and in many ways made itself known to my conscious mind, sometimes inconspicuously working through the subconscious first, and other times yelling through my eyeballs, electrically demanding immediate attention.

As portrayed in Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" this “American spirit” was embraced by the Merry Pranksters on their cross-country escapades and search for [ ]. ("A search that, I hope, will take me where I'm likely to find it"). Contrary to some of the other enlightenment seekers of the generation, there was something very American about these day-glo crazies, and that no-rules mind-set, the energy of that rough and tough, balls-out attitude, was often the vehicle for their many adventures Furthur into the human experience. Illuminated by Neal Cassady and Ken Kesey- big tough dudes themselves- they put everything "out front" and lived.

The hardcore music scene also tends to attract dudes that are into being tough, being interested in tough stuff, and giving killer bear hugs, because it's all about brodom, fun and rocking out. Oddly enough, the vibe seems often to be rooted in a [wacky?] sense of youthful Southern pride.

Also the word- blunt.

We all know them. And recently, I seem to have become more and more surrounded by them. Whether it be my guitar teacher and his kung-fu disciplinary methods, television's biggest bad-ass Anthony Bourdain, or the main character in Albert Camus' "The Stranger", a person who can demand that kind of honesty from himself is admirable.


or the words- brutal, raw.

Take The Godfather for instance-
How would you feel if you woke up, covered in horse's blood, in it, wet, with la cabeza,
lying,
eyes gaping,
at your feet?

Or recently, The Departed-
And who knew when that
elevator opened
not just one
or two
but three!
shots would fire?
in a fragment of time the entire world of that movie was flipped upside down.

Why such violence is so compelling I can't be sure, but I think it has something to do with a light-hearted understanding of the rough and tough American spirit, or the rough and tough Human spirit.

But, like anything else it's always best in moderation. Because sometimes, I like being a monk too.