Raise Your Skinny Fists

That’s right, Raise Your Skinny Fists. When you saw this written, were you curious, did you find it odd, question what it could be all about?  If you did, you were not alone.  I have a friend who owns a company in the city.  He makes neon art work.  A couple of days ago he comes to work and decides he is going to go through the back door.  This means gain entrance via the alley out back. He doesn’t typically go this way.  When he reaches his door to the store, he finds, “Raise Your Skinny Fst” spray painted across it. 

                                                                        

He looks around to see if he can see the possible perpetrator.  No one in sight.  He immediately covers it up with paint.  He sits there wondering, why was that sprayed on my door?  Was someone sending me a message?  He raises his fists to observe them, my fists are fat not skinny, he says to himself.  Hmmm he thinks. He is stumped. 

                                                                                                                                             

My buddy and I talk via email everyday.  (Our boys are the same age and have competed together in their sport for years).  So he hops on the internet and sure enough sees me on his buddy list.  He starts a conversation, Robin, Hi, I respond.  Guess what.  I respond back What.  I knew something was up, I could feel the suspense rising, as I wait for his next message.  Then step by step he fills me in. He tells me the whole deal, how the door was painted, how odd it was he even chose to enter by the back alley way and he wonders if someone is trying to send him a message of some sort. I am loving it.  He is part of a mystery in the making.  I mention this would be great for a movie.  So, I tell him to look up the words on search and see if anything comes up.  Sure enough…He finds out it is a band from Toronto.  His first thought is relief that it does not stand for something worse.  Then we both thinkToronto…how bizarre. Not a band close to home. We both are chuckling that “hahahahaha” way on our IM messages.

            

His next thought is what to do next.The Irony of it all is... He is the “Music Man“.  So that the phrase was a band just blew both of us away.  Mr. Music Man knows more history and facts on musicians and bands than anyone I have ever met.  His life is about Music. He plays a guitar and so does his son. When I asked him what the words he lived by were,  his response in turn was,  I don’t have words I live by, I have songs, and quickly rattled them off. He didn’t even need time to think.  I was impressed.  Maybe you can appreciate the list:

                                                                                                                

           you wear it well    rod stewart         discovered great music

          big country          big country          saw them in England during my new wave stage

          after the fall         ray davies          music to set my life to

          nothing is wrong    gomez               drum beats guitars fuzz control vocals

          spitting games      snow patrol         nothing better to cruise down the highway with

          louisville               damnwells          love song long distance

                                                                                                                  

But I digress…..

                                                                                                                     

Combining his love of music with the bands name written across his door…he is looking for a reason for this occurrence. This guy sees bands at least twice a week, year round, all over the country. He has hung out with many groups after the shows.  We both agree it could be an omen of some sort…. Possibly a message sent by the spirits. It makes life much more exciting to think of it this way.  I say check to see if the band is playing in town. He  couldn’t find anything.  The next thought is that maybe some street artist that spray paints walls about the city was inspired by the band so much, he decided to express his esteem for the band by writing it on Music Man’s door. 

We are both still wondering..if they were meant  to meet, this street artist and Mr. MusicMan.It is days later and I have checked with my buddy, The Music Man, to see if there were any updates to report.  Nothing yet he says.  We are both waiting for the next sign of what is to come of “Raise Your Skinny Fist”.  So he decides he will write the next line of the lyrics across the door, “Like Antennas up to Heaven,” and see if the street artist comes back once again.

                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                    

If you know the whereabouts of Raise Your Skinny Fists, it would be well received on behalf of both of us.  We are looking for a spiritual connection or possibly not so spiritual connection to the words written upon his door and where it will lead Mr. Music Man to next.   

Comments

[Robin Rottman]

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, the much-anticipated follow-up to Godspeed You Black Emperor's Slow Riot, is a double-disc achievement of four works (each with multiple parts): "Storm," "Static," "Sleep," and "Antennas to Heaven." It is an album to a band.

[LeOgAhEr]

I Love you girls

Buy