DAVID HAERLE – DEATH VALLEY – ABOUT THE SONGS
I Want To Be Like Him
Kelly Jackson was one badass dude. A true outdoorsman, we met in Boy Scout Troop 10. Ours was a serious backpacking troop. One of my earliest trips was hiking the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail, around 220 miles all in all.
Kelly, who was just a few years older than me, was my hero growing up. He stood for something greater than himself. He respected nature and was willing to do what it took to protect it. I think we all saw him as a natural leader. He was calm under pressure and that made you feel safe with him. It also made you willing to go into battle with him.
In the song, Kelly confronts a group of backpackers who had left their camp a “big ole’ mess”. Every one of us backed him up. Those fellows got it, apologized and turned back to clean it up.
I wanted to be like Kelly Jackson. Still do. And that incident taught me there are moments when one has to stand up for things that are right, when risks need to be taken. He, along with my dad, were responsible for imbuing me with a love of the High Sierra’s in California and an appreciation for the great outdoors. It’s good to have heroes.
The Free Show
When my longtime partner Erica sees a sunset or an exquisite cloud formation she’ll say, “Look, a free show!” When we take the time to look around us and really see, we find ourselves surrounded by amazing things.
A profound free show for me are these magenta flowers that I pass on a walk I take near my office. The color is so vivid and so vibrant that I find it mesmerizing. Their radiance makes me feel hopeful, optimistic and even sentimental. I can’t help but lean in for a closer look every time I pass by. The free show is not just a gift of nature either. Living in Los Angeles, there’s always an interesting face, outfit, tattoo or hairstyle ready to turn your head. Or a low rider event that might cross your path like it did mine the other day. A Chevy in Chartreuse, a Van Gogh Sunset, the world is asking us to take it all in. As the song says about these free shows: “many show times today, and there will be more tomorrow.”
Edendale
Edendale is the historic name for the section of L.A. that is now Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Echo Park. I began living in this area at the age of 3. For me, Edendale isn’t just the physical place but a state of mind. A personal Eden. It’s that internal space in our head and heart where we find peace.
The song questions how we often equate achievement, approval or winning, with happiness and security. I think it’s always a good idea to question any inner belief that goes something like, “I’ll be happy when/if…. or “I can relax and be at peace when/if…” Nothing is certain in this world, so learning to accept uncertainty is a real blessing. Sometimes there is a price to be paid for the choices we make. Is it worth it? Another good question to ask.
In the song’s chorus, I’m referring to selling our peace of mind in exchange for false beliefs about the true nature of happiness and contentment. Here’s the good news: if we find that we’ve gotten away from our Edendale, we’re welcome back anytime we want.
Go Do That With Sharon
The song’s kind of an inside joke between me and my partner Erica. We have a very good friend, Sharon, who likes to do things some people might find a little offbeat or kooky, like the international UFO convention she just attended. When Erica and I are travelling, say on Interstate 15 and I exclaim “I’d love to go explore that abandoned water park over there,” something she has zero interest in, she’ll say “go do that with Sharon.” Even in the best of relationships there will be interests both parties don’t share, so to be able to have other friends you can “go do that with…” is a healthy thing.
Romy and Michele
The movie Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion changed my life. Ok, it didn’t change my life, but Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow are beyond adorable in the film. I’ve found myself calling up scenes on YouTube when I just wanted to relax, feel good or laugh. The song is about having a movie that you go back to over the years because it holds that special place in your heart. Romy and Michele put me back in touch with something innocent, light and good. Your movie might connect to your youth or allow you to escape real life for a little while. As an aside, I played in a cover band called Fred Harvey for several years, and I jumped up and down with delight when friend and lead singer Bess Harrison informed me she was in the movie!
Forgiving Myself
To err is human, to forgive divine. We learn early on that we’re supposed to forgive others but forgiving ourselves can be a harder lesson. I’m inclined to feel I need to be and do things perfectly in order to feel OK and safe. I don’t think I’m alone on that front. We’ll I have some news: we don’t. Forgiveness is not something that can just be willed into being, as it’s not completely in our control. It’s more something we cultivate, aim for. Keep asking for help from your higher power, God or the universe, whatever you’d like to call it. But regularly trying to forgive our own missteps and mistakes is a recipe for a better life.
Ms. Bell
I saw a beautiful picture on Facebook of a classmate of mine from early elementary school. A photo of her with her husband, and their lovely children. I don’t have kids myself. It’s a choice I am good with, but it is a choice that can bring up some mixed feelings from time to time. There are joys and adventures I won’t experience because I’m not a parent. This song looks at those moments in life, where you imagine, just for a few seconds, a different life. As I say in the song: “Every choice brings, the potential for wonderful things, but can preclude avenues, there are songs that I’ll never sing.”
Smoggy Days
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1970s and 80s, the air was practically brown from the air pollution. But summers were the best because summer vacation meant we could run wild, play and skateboard to our heart’s content. By the end of the day it would hurt to breathe because of the smog. Those were days of great happiness, but sadness too, as my parents divorced when I was in my mid-teens. But as I sing in the song “I can borrow what I know today” to look back on those times. I see how they made me who I am. A hazy, smoggy day in L.A. can send me back in time and I’ll admit, sometimes my glasses carry a tint of rose. Maybe it is not so bad to wear rose-colored glasses once in a while.
Tellers
Have you ever been taken hostage at a party or a gathering by someone who is only interested in what they have to say? A whole conversation might take place without them ever asking a single question about you. That’s what I’m talking about in this song. There are some tools I use with them. Approach 1: gently steer them into a topic that is of some interest to me. Approach 2: don’t wait for them to give me a cue. I can always jump in offer up some things about myself or my own observations. Approach 3: I may need to limit my time with them which ultimately might involve getting away or ending the conversation, gracefully if possible. There’s a 4th option: if the relationship is important enough you can them about what it’s like to be on the receiving end of their monologue. Tellers are not a problem unless I allow myself to feel trapped. But I prefer spending time with folks who are interested in having a real conversation.
Self-Made Man
The concept of being a “self-made” man is questionable in my view. I think we can take some credit for working hard, persevering, getting up when we are knocked down, etc. But I believe if most of us look honestly at what it took to get where we are, it would include help from others and some lucky breaks. If you were born in a middle-class family in the United States, you probably have a lot of advantages over many other people in the world. If you’ve inherited gifts, well you can thank your forebears. And then there are all the folks who touched our lives, maybe gave us a lift when we were low. We can look up to our historical leaders and those who fought and sacrificed to create positive change in society. We are a global community, a local community, and no one’s success is an isolated success.
The Groove of the Record
I was at a storytelling event called Strong Words and Larry Dean Harris shared a story called New York Subway. There is a line that goes “and the groove of the record was worn and was weary” which jumped right out to me. I almost immediately thought that would be great in a song. See, I am in recovery from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) so I have plenty of experience gettting stuck in a groove. Repeating rituals that once worked or seemed to work but have now become self-defeating or even destructive. This song touches on the ways we all get stuck in our lives and how at a certain point we have to reach for a new record. For me, I do my best to try new behavior in the face of self-defeating patters. That new behavior is almost always highly uncomfortable or anxiety producing – at first. But I’ve found that such feelings subside over time, and it often creates a better life. Thank you, Larry for providing inspiration.
Perfect Lover
A song for anyone who has ever daydreamed about an old friend or acquaintance becoming their lover.
Run and Be Free
This song draws from my childhood in Los Angeles and my second home in McMinnville, TN, where my grandparents had a farm. I grew up knowing the hustle of the big city as well as the joys of riding motorcycles, driving tractors and floating down the river in the country.
When childhood ends, life happens. Ambition can take over and sometimes drive us 100% of the time. Who isn’t “busy” or trying to be more “productive?” Our obligations and responsibilities seem never ending. We attach our happiness to outside factors beyond our control. The time to “run and be free” that we had as kids slips away. I’ve learned it is a good idea to make time to run and be free, whatever that means to you.
Death Valley
It’s a love song. Love of a special person and love of a special place. Death Valley’s my favorite place on earth. It makes me feel hopeful and alive. Its beauty and vastness astound me and provide perspective about my place on earth and on my life. I have been going there since I was a kid, at first with my dad and family, often taking German relatives to sightsee. We’d go there in the summer since that is when those relatives came to California! I like that kind of heat, it’s a real experience.
Eureka!
I started out wanting to be a guitar hero. Think Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Richie Blackmore. Well, now I get to be one to close the album. Just for a moment. In my little universe. Rock On.