UNDERGROUND Page 20
EASTSIDE
March 2012
Courtesy of Brett Netson
Brett Netson’s new album, Simple Work For the Dead, speaks out against many of the issues the United By Jack Braunstein (‘13) in response to the growing corpowas really talking about stuff. Eastside Undergrround Editor rate presence in the field of creThat’s [cussed] up.” ative expression. Instead of sitting idly while the Netson grew up in the greater “The rape of independent arts world came crashing down at his Boise area, not exactly the crossculture is one of the most disgustfeet, Netson decided to take whatroads of the world. Nonetheless, he ing things I’ve ever seen in my lifeever action he could, adopting a life experienced plenty by way of cretime,” said Netson. “There’s just a of activism and making political ative expression, spending his time string of barbaric infantile satire videos on the Internet, and in the scenic wilderness of the masochism that is in human culhosting a local radio show called American Northwest and playing a ture that keeps, again and again, High, Wild and Free all for the key role in the burgeoning punk destroying everything that’s good.” sake of, in his words, “keeping peorock scene. The music itself conveys a more ple talking.” “I’m just lucky,” said Netson. unified theme than most of the gui“It’s taken a lot of anger and “Lucky to have grown up in an outtarist’s previous output, but feelings of impotent rage for me to door-sy part of the country, to have Netson did not just sit down with realize that, at this point, if everybeen able to grow up spending a lot an acoustic guitar one day and one did the least they could, things of time in nature, as well as to write a group of preachy protest would be a hundred times better. enjoy a lot of that hardcore subversongs. Instead, Doing the best sive culture around to see it all go he pulls togethwe can means down.” er demos from leading an Netson joined forces with the the past ten examined life two other founding members of years into both and practicing Built To Spill in 1992, going on to a deeply percritical thinking release a slew of critically sonal narrative and not believacclaimed albums and carve themand more wideing in romantic selves a position in the canon of scoped look at ideas about who indie rock. the socio-politiwe are and “It’s a pretty ideal situation cal turmoil of where we ve where I can play for a significant the ‘00s. come from and amount of people but I don’t have “The record where we need to be famous,” said Netson of the is supposed to to go.” success of Built To Spill. be going As for the Netson entered 2012 with his beyond real life present, howevfirst solo album, Simple Work For everyday stuff, er, Netson finds the Dead, opting to release it under getting into himself identifyhis own name rather than with his more nonverbal realms, not just ing with the Occupy protests, a other highly regarded Idaho rock babbling and bloviating. The grassroots movement that broke incarnation, Caustic Resin, for record is designed to be an answer out on Wall Street in New York simplicity’s sake. to that. To be something where you City and spread like wildfire over “It was kind of awkward to use can really get in there and feel the entire globe through social my real name, but I don’t think the alone.” media. world needs another [cussing] According to Netson, the coun“Finally there’s a movement band name. And part of the whole try went in a cultural tailspin after which has framed the argument. project was to eliminate noise the terrorist attacks of September Saying ‘this is the argument we’re mental noise and narcissistic 11, 2001. having.’ As opposed to people on noise and advertising noise.” “There was such a totalitarian, TV saying here’s the argument Netson released Simple Work authoritative, fascistic lockdown we’re having,’ which is wrong,” he For the Dead on a small west coast on the media and everything, and said, placing blame on both Fox label with sporadic solo concerts there was a long time when nobody News and more liberal networks
“It’s a matter of the national conversation. The conversation has to be started from a place that establishes the uncompromising position before the debate even starts.”
States has faced since 2001. like MSNBC and CNN. “It’s a matter of the national conversation. The conversation has to be started from a place that establishes the uncompromising position before the debate even starts,” he said. Aside from the beauty of what Netson refers to as “a movement on the offense,” the Occupiers bring something else revolutionary to the face of global protest. “I was young, I saw a little bit of the late ‘80s punk rock movements, and there was a coolness to it, a sort of self-congratulatory aesthetic. The opposition felt like they owned the opposition and it was all leather jackets, there was an aesthetic to it. And now you have Occupy Wall Street, which has no aesthetic to it at all, which is probably the most subversive thing about it in this day and age of aggressive brand management and marketing,” he said. A committed anarchist, Netson often expresses his disdain for the American government, but he realizes that while it remains in place, the people need to learn how to make it work. “A president has to understand that we will have his back if he were to do something controversial. It really bothers me that people haven’t gotten that idea: they’re not leaders, they’re representatives. We have a responsibility to tell them what to do.” In Netson’s eyes, this responsibilty extends beyond direct political action, and into the realm of daily interaction. “Compassionately, as a brother’s keeper, keep educating people. I think that’s what people have to do: gently educate each other. We have a lot to learn.”