Legs of Cement – New Song!

Click here for the new Popp Over America song: “Legs of Cement”

I’m a punk rocker that’s it. The title “singer-songwriter” doesn’t fit me but I find it the best way to describe what I am doing with Popp Over America – a guy playing an acoustic guitar and singing. This song represents the direction of the album I am recording that will be released in conjunction with the completion of the trailer in August. Fast, gravelly, and unpolished. No, I don’t Auto-Tune.

This song was inspired after Jenny told me about an incident where she fell going up the stairs in a subway station and people just walked around her as she was on the ground.

You may recognize the riff as it is the tune used in the Kickstarter video.

Legs of Cement
Did I stammer
Get me a jackhammer
I’ll try to explain
As you try to not understand

Needless pins
Stab into my shins
Please don’t ask
No, I don’t want your reprimand

Cruel slippery eels
Poisoning my sea
Distilled one by one
Into potent cruelty
I’m dying in this wool
Every watt of energy spent
Won’t somebody take
These legs of cement

Stairs to the sky
Makes me question why
Did M.C. Escher
Help out with the design?

A tumble then a fall
A whimper then a call
Ignored by masses
Cattle trotting by

Jenny Subway rectangle

Zen and the Art of not leaning on clichés

During an interview with The Pace Podcast conducted by the hosts James and Chris, I had an emotional moment when trying to communicate how I wanted to share my love of riding with my girlfriend Jenny. My voice shook as I tried to find the words to express the joy I experience when on a bike and I leaned on the old surfer’s cliché, “If I have to explain it, you’ll never understand.” Chris responded that he hated when motorcyclists use that saying, but softened his criticism by admitting the adage pretty much holds true.

I overthink everything. As days went by after the interview, I thought about the position Chris first stated about the old saying. I now agree – I hate it too. It’s a cop out. When I use it, I am basically insulting the person that is asking a valid question.

I’ll never forget the time my band played a well attended show at The State Theater in Saint Petersburg Florida. A young fan approached me and said, “That was the most awesome show I’ve ever seen!” In an attempt to appear humble I responded, “Nah, that was crap, we sucked.” The kid hung his head and uncomfortably shuffled off back into the crowd. My bass player Martin came up to me right after the exchange and scolded me. “Why did you say that? You just insulted that kid’s musical taste! He’s a fan! Next time can you just say ‘Thank you!?!'”

Martin was right. I had a beautiful chance to share this fan’s excitement and I deflated the moment by telling him he was wrong – that he didn’t understand.

Thinking about Chris saying how he hated the cliché, I came up with a new tactic when asked about why I ride. No longer will I go for the default “If I have to explain it…” bit. Now my response will be more in this vein:

Q: “Why do you ride that silly motorcycle? You are going to kill yourself?”

A: “I realize it is an activity with a high risk of injury, but let me try and explain the joy I get from riding. Motorcycling is the closest thing I imagine to flying in an open-cockpit biplane. I suffer from high anxiety and the feeling of the wind rushing past me provides a sense of calm I can find in no other activity. The g-force I feel when I take off from a stop is similar to being pinned back in the seat of a dragster. I really enjoy that sense of acceleration. Dipping into the curves is a direct parallel to riding the Cyclone at Coney Island where I have spent many a summer introducing friends to the adrenaline the wooden beast serves up by the plateful. Does this help shed a little light on why I ride?”

With this new mindset I smash another old cliché – “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Sure you can, if the dog is willing to listen. So a big thanks to Chris for his honestly and making me rethink a stock answer that I’ve used infinitely too many times. I’ve got a new answer now, and hopefully the effect will attract more people to motorcycling instead of pushing them away.

When emotions get the best of me…

I had the privilege of doing a very long interview with James and Chris over at The Pace Podcast. The talk started upfront enough as we discussed details of Popp Over America, bikes, and my history in motorcycling, but when  one of them asked if I ever rode with Jenny my girlfriend, I had a bit of an on-air breakdown. I was never asked this question and I thought about my idea for the last P.O.A. episode which involves me picking up Jenny in Brooklyn and taking her to the last gig on the tour.

Thinking about the final ride of the tour made me immediately well up with tears and my voice started to shake. I’ve done a lot of interviews in my days as a musician, but this is the first time I was moved in such a way. I guess it’s because when I am on a bike, everything makes sense to me, and as I discussed with the guys on the show, even when I am diving into a turn, motorcycling gives me a sense of calm that nothing else can. I so much want Jenny to feel that sense of calm. Her life is hard because of her battle with MS yet she soldiers on everyday, commuting to work while fighting the masses that are New York City.

The coolest thing about the interview? James and Chris understood why I broke down. They get the beauty of these machines we ride and desire to share that feeling. Motorcycles make sense to us when other things in the world often do not. I felt liked I blabbed too much and I danced around topics like a kid with ADD, primarily because I was so excited to talk to these two motorcycle aficionados about the show. I think they understood that too.

Please embrace you inner motorcycle nerd and check out their podcast. You’ll be glad you did. Their conversational style is refreshing in this prepackaged 22-minute bullet-pointed newscast world.

Thanks James and Chris. You guys made my week.

Click the picture below to race over to The Pace Podcast!

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