Coyote Roy’s Notes from the Subterrestrial Rim:

Further Thoughts on the Art of Songwriting.

There once was an artist named Ken Kesey. He was a writer and used metaphors in his work.

Ken Kesey participated in a study of hallucinatory drugs. He became interested in the mind expanding qualities of these drugs and conducted his own study. The results were not published in any medical journal, but did attract a lot of volunteers. The volunteers were called The Merry Pranksters.

Other artists like Tom Wolfe wrote about The Merry Pranksters. Whether he intended it or not, Kesey became more famous as a counter culture guru than a writer. He used metaphors in his art.

Back in the day, The Pranksters rode a school bus named “Further.” Further took Kesey and The Pranksters to many places. The places were not important. The important thing was whether one was “on the bus or off the bus.” It was a question Kesey might ask you in any context: “Are you on the bus, or off the bus?” Kesey was not asking if you wanted a ride to Woodstock.

Once upon a time there was a person called The Kid. TK wanted to write his own rock and roll songs. Although he didn’t call it that (nobody called it that), what he was trying to do sounded a lot like art. He wasn’t using brushes or oil paint or nothing. But TK really wanted to express something in his own way and maybe other people would hear it.

After a few years, TK became frustrated at the lack of progress. TK took a seminar, paid for it actually, where they told him he had to set goals and take steps to achieve those goals. TK thought maybe playing in some local clubs would be doable.

TK studied the problem. First he found out none of the musicians in local clubs were playing original music. The successful people were playing other people’s music. It also turned out the local club owners were really looking for a Cajun band. People who like Cajun music drink a lot, and the club owners really wanted them in their bar!!

TK never really thought about Cajun music, but found some other musicians, learned some Cajun songs and put together an act. Soon he was playing in local clubs. However, he wasn’t playing rock and roll, wasn’t playing his own songs, and it didn’t feel much like art.

The Kid got somewhere, but somehow got off the bus getting there.

Back in the day, The Pranksters rode a school bus named “Further.” Further took Kesey and The Pranksters to many places. The places were not important. The important thing was whether one was “on the bus or off the bus.” It was a question Kesey might ask you in any context: “Are you on the bus, or off the bus?” Kesey was not asking if you wanted a ride to Nashville.

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