Ballard’s turned into Capitol Hill
I hate that place and I always will [oh-whoa]
there’s no place to park.
Everyone walks around like they’re some kind of movie star.
But I didn’t come to play for the rich and the beautiful
I’m-a playin’ drunk music for my drunk people.
Following the Your Real Capitol Hill site’s battle against the gentrification of Broadway/Pike/Pine/etc. we noted earlier this week, we’ve found somebody else who has a beef with Capitol Hill. Portland music artist Colin Spring. Here’s what the translinguistic other blog had to say about his lyrics to the song Drunk Music for Drunk People, above:
First, I would like to point out the mean-spirited, classist negativity in this song to the people who are giving it airplay, just in case it changes anything.
Second, I would like to encourage Colin Spring to ditch the gas-guzzling land yacht for a weekend, hop on the Amtrak Cascades and come see how much fun he has in Capitol Hill without his car. It’s no Corvallis, but we do have lots of taxidermy and PBR. And homeless people.
We’re not sure we can join in the call to ban Spring from KEXP for his anti-Hill sentiment. From the sound of things (as the TO blog notes, you can listen to the song on Spring’s MySpace page), the musician just needed a convenient rhyme. What we’re really looking forward to is watching Spring coax a witty line that rhymes with demand responsive pricing.
Photo: Colin Spring MySpace
the lack of parking and the number of insane homeless are the only 2 things I hate about the hill
I have argued against residential parking zones for 20 years because I do not think it is fair for someone to have to pay to park in front of their own door, but I am also the first to admit that RPZ’s make parking a LOT easier. Capitol Hill is covered in RPZ’s and parking is infinitely easier than it ever has been in my 30 years here.
“I do not think it is fair for someone to have to pay to park in front of their own door”
Why not? Not fair to whom and why?
The only reasons that this quack is getting airplay on KEXP is because he is from the Pacific NW and he wrote a song mentioning neighborhoods in Seattle. It’s not like the people at the station actually listen to music! It’s yet another example of our local station’s blatant homer-ism. Instead of playing quality music (that could come from any part of the country or world) they play this garbage. It’s ok to support local artists, but please hold them to the same standards you do everything else.
I’m glad Capitol Hill doesn’t have more parking than it does because more parking comes with other indirect costs that the actual user’s of those spots don’t have to fully bear. Now, whether or not the parking we do have is efficiently managed is a different story…
Some of you who have lived here longer may know that Colin worked at Hillcrest Market for a number of years. Those of you who knew him, will remember that he had a great sense of humor. I love the Hill and am not offended by the song in the least, it’s a work of humor. We would do well to laugh at ourselves every now and again.
Portland is a giant vortex of suck. Nothing anyone from there says should be taken seriously.
Sorry, but KEXP is The fucking Lord. The Lord KEXP is good, and great etc. Thou shalt not talk that way about The Lord. Your sin shall not be forgiven.
I wrote that post about the lyrics, and I’m certainly not calling for a ban on playing the song on KEXP! Also, I’ve heard many defenses of Colin’s music from people whose opinions I respect. Just because I think the lyrics to one song are counterproductive doesn’t make me opposed to giving his other stuff a second chance.
As I mentioned in the comments thread on the post in question, the song starts out with a pretty powerful image about mansions snuffing out the campfire flames of the homeless on Cannery Row. This image is quite good, and it makes me start out on his side. But then he resorts to [what I hear as] a bourgeois complaint about parking convenience and it makes me lose my sympathy.
At most, I hope Colin sees my criticism as a challenge. At the very least, I hope he appreciates the free press he’s getting from the “controversy.” (And enjoys the satisfaction of having some snotty Capitol Hill type vindicate his disdain for us.) ;)
I thought Ballard was turning into Belltown.
I thought Belltown was turning into Compton
We need less subsidized parking for cars and more pricing of it. Along with bike parking and other bike, pedestrian, and transit facilities. We’re very walkable internally and to downtown. We have lots of bus service. We have a streetcar line coming in 2013 and light rail in 2016. These are the main reasons why I chose Capitol Hill to live in and enjoy it so much.
KEXP lost me long ago. It was better when it was KCMU.
ALL BOUT DEM BICYCLES PEOPLE
really, insane homeless people would be so much more tollerable with decent parking