Thax Douglas in the Trib Today

[NightOfJoy]

"""A long, irate posting on a Wilco fan site by Thax did not help relations (when confronted by the band, he originally denied writing it).""""

 

Is this confirmation that the ranting post supposedly placed here awhile ago by Thax was indeed by him?

 

Good luck to you in New York Thax.............I....uh.... hear NYC is much more accomodating to aspiring artists and cheaper to live in than Chicago ever will be.

[solace]

while i agree Thax's attitude towards getting a "real" job in which he can support his true love is a bit off...

 

it's no different than the tens of thousands of young bands who just want top lay music for a living (something that is much more possible than writing poetry for a living). having had that dream come and go throughout my almost 30 years, i can fully understand the desire to not want to work a "real" job, and to just do what you truly love. in fact i still struggle with that on a pretty regular basis... do i give up my fairly decent paying job to do what i truly love (not music), even though i know it won't pay nearly as well starting out, even though the possibilities for earning more than i do know exist, it's a huge risk, and one i don't know that i'm willing to take at this point in my life unfortunately.

 

hell, the lead singer for Tapes N' Tapes, one of the more buzzed about bands of the year, is in a similiar position, he has a really good job at a HealthCare company here, that likely pays a lot more than the music thing will be over the long run for him & his band (sad but true). it's not always as easy as it sounds, to give up one for the other...

 

i always enjoyed Thax's readings, even if i didn't always "get" his poems, he's much more of an institution than say Beatle Bob, and doesn't seem to expect nearly as much in return than Bob as well. i know i'd be sad if we had someone like that in Minneapolis who was leaving, that's for sure.

[jff]

it's no different than the tens of thousands of young bands who just want top lay music for a living

 

 

I think it's a lot different.

 

The vast majority of people in bands DO have jobs. When they lose a job, they get another one. Thax has been out of work for 9 years, according to the article.

 

Thax does not want anyone to have any authority over any aspect of his life. He shows up at gigs and does a 30 second reading and then watches bands for free. That's easy.

 

Bands have MANY responsibilities. They have to maintain respectful relationships with a LOT of people in order to play gigs. They have to follow orders set by club owners, soundmen, bartenders, etc. They have to maintain their equipment and vehicles with which they transport their equipment. They have to buy strings, sticks, heads, cables, and other things that regularly wear out. They have to take precautions to make sure their instruments are not stolen or damaged. That stuff is not easy, and it requires a lot of money...certainly more money than the vast majority of bands make from playing music. Pads of paper and writing utensils cost peanuts.

 

Thax says he is unappreciated. I wonder how much appreciation he has shown to all the bands whose coattails he has ridden.

[j4lackey]

There are not many other poets who can go up onstage and be somewhat of an opening act, or benediction, especially for some of the people for whom Thax has done this. It has taken talent, perseverance, and a bit of maneuvering and networking to get to this point, so he has been working. And maybe he does have a spot of mental illness, or at least, you have to admit after reading that piece, that he is wired different than most folk.

 

He's got some points for him, and a few against. But he's trying, and I think he's actually a pretty good poet. It is idealistic to think you deserve to make money for poetry, but being a poet in the first place is an idealistic act, for sure.

 

Maybe someone in the Chicago music scene screwed him over, or just hurt his feelings. Either way, I give him points for trying. Sounds like it's been a rough ride.

[solace]

I think it's a lot different.

 

The vast majority of people in bands DO have jobs. When they lose a job, they get another one. Thax has been out of work for 9 years, according to the article.

you missed my point almost completely

 

my point was the struggle that artists make between finding time to focus on their art/craft and working jobs they hate, it's not a matter of not wanting to work necessarily, it's a matter of focus, and i've been there myself (i currently am actually). i know from experience, t's not very easy to try and focus on your music/art when it's convenient and when you can find the free time. you spend your waking ours at working dreaming/thinking about doing what you love, and your work often suffers as a result, ie: the struggle.

 

also, it doesn't sound like Thax has many other skills that would translate into a decent paying job outside of Poetry, "living wage" in this country is a total joke, but that's another argument for another day. there comes a point where you get fed up with just struggling to get by, and it sounds like Thax is definitely past that point. like i said, i do agree that his attitude towards working a "real" job might be a bit sketchy, but i do agree that people such as Thax are often taken for granted. getting a "real" job certainly takes less guts and sacrifices than it does trying to do what you love for a living, even if you know it's never going to pay all too well (which i'm sure Thax realizes he's never going to be rich, but just would like to be able to get by on his poetry). if it was the 60's i'd imagine Thax might actually have a decent chance if he was part of the whole beat generation, etc., sadly he's a man out of time.

 

also, reading about all of the other shit he went through growing up, that also plays a lot into my thoughts about Thax as well.

[Spawn's dad]

there really are two issues interplaying here. thax as a guy who thinks the world owes him a living to do what he loves, and thax to whatever extent he has mental/emotional issues and his ability to fit into a societal model of earning income. in the first case it seems it's simply tough boogies on him, though in the second it would be sad and unfortunate that a guy like that was falling through the cracks of the system or was outside the system all togther. I don't know him or much about him so I'm certainly in no position to judge. i'm not a fan of what he does, but I don't begrudge the guy his niche if people enjoy seeing him. as a guy who skirts the poverty line to follow his dreams, i recognize that I've made lifestyle decisions that necessitate me forgoing certain things I want. it's a drag at times, I question what I'm doing often but I also get to enjoy a life that's relatively off the grid. it has pros and cons. same as any other lifestyle choice. I know (and have been) people who work a zillion hours a week pulling down big bucks with tons of stress and no free time. you don't have to worry about paying the rent but your hair tends to come out in clumps. at least from where I sit one makes their choices in life and lives with them. if they don't work out one has the ability to make other choices and try something new. Thax seems to be doing that with New York, though I'm not clear why he thinks it'll be easier in NY. It's super expensive and it would seem that he'll be starting over with making new contacts.

[solace]

^^ i agree w/ you that the moving to NY thing doesn't seem like the easier move. but as i said above, i think Thax may be just out of touch w/ reality in terms of being able to make it as a poet in 2006.

[Dude]

My advice to Thax is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir! The bums will always lose -- do you hear me, Thax? The bums will always lose!

[cubsfan77]

I can't really believe that none of these bands haven't helped him out at all. The guy from the Redwalls wishes him well, how about a couple bucks. I'm really kind of disgusted by the whole article. He's a decent poet who's become a novelty. How many people have been to a show and heard him read a poem, and not many understood what he was saying, but some dumb fuck starts cheering because he's known as "the weird guy who reads poetry before indie rock shows". I feel sorry for him, but I guess I don't feel any more sorry for him than any other destitute person. I feel that he's kind of been made a mockery of by the bands that let him go on stage.

[mchchef1]

My advice to Thax is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir! The bums will always lose -- do you hear me, Thax? The bums will always lose!

That film seems to have had quite an impact onyou?

Long live Joel and Ethan

[candyfloss1214]

I can't really believe that none of these bands haven't helped him out at all. The guy from the Redwalls wishes him well, how about a couple bucks. I'm really kind of disgusted by the whole article. He's a decent poet who's become a novelty. How many people have been to a show and heard him read a poem, and not many understood what he was saying, but some dumb fuck starts cheering because he's known as "the weird guy who reads poetry before indie rock shows". I feel sorry for him, but I guess I don't feel any more sorry for him than any other destitute person. I feel that he's kind of been made a mockery of by the bands that let him go on stage.

 

What do yo mean they "haven't helped him out at all"? They've given him a stage, an audience, exposure...isn't that helping him out? Now they are supposed to pay his way as well. Well, how long can that go on before it gets old? The people in these bands have their own bills to pay and are working hard in order to do it. It seems to me that Thax started to wear out his welcome because he expected more than just an audience for his poetry. If he was that good of a poet, don't you think his career would be a little more progressed at this point? Good luck to him in NY-god knows it won't be any easier there!

[bjorn_skurj]

Just what Gotham is crying out for - another homeless person.