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Ghost of an Action

from Black & Orange by vonHummer

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"Ghost of an Action" dates back to maybe November of 2001. It was kind of a post-911-why-isn't-somebody-doing-something song. That kind of anxiety may seem a little precious now to some (or maybe not) but I felt a lot of it then. A plane couldn't fly overhead without me wondering if it was headed for a building nearby. Come to think of it, I STILL do that.

The idea that politicians are invested in pantomiming for us, in seeming to do instead of actually doing isn't all that original for a song, but I like how this one is a first person open acknowledgement of how they operate. At the time I thought, "Well those fakers in DC running the show are probably debating this way now...'We can't do nothing. We dare not do something...What kind of fakery are we willing to pull...Or do we dare even address the problem squarely?"

Okay, you can take the lobster-headed fellow out of DC, but you can't take the DC out of the lobster-headed fellow. But looking back, it looks like I called it right: they deputized inanimate objects (Homeland Security), authorized a study of pie in the sky (the 9-11 Commission), set up shooting ducks and decoys (Iraq and Afghanistan) for the pop guns of the good ol' boys (defense contractors.)

I would have left this tune back there with other current events tunes in the dust of history, but I think this kind of debate happens a lot in our personal lives, too, whenever we're about to be exposed as phonies in some regard or other, at work or in love.

So it started as a 9-11 tune, but to me it's more a personal choices song now.

I cheated a little bit on this one (talk about exposing a phony!) due to a technical goof. It was my intention to record the album so that I could re-produce it live, with a drummer. So even though it sounds like there's a couple of guitars, it's usually only one bass played once. On this song, unfortunately, I did a good take and on playing back found that I accidentally hadn't recorded the high string (which has it's own track and effects.) The high string is the one you hear kind of mewling along there in back. Rather than go back and play it again, I decided to just record the high string by itself. Doing that allowed me to cheat a little bit and play a fancier part than I could rightly do live. Seemed destined so I kept it.

lyrics

"Ghost of an Action" [vonHummer]
Now that we/all agree/something drastic must be done/What ghost of an action/will we now be taking, son?/

Now that we all agree/that the truth needs saying loud/What ghost of a message/will we stand outside and shout?

How many inanimate objects/will be deputized?/How many studies of pie in the sky/will be authorized?/How many sitting ducks,/how many decoys/will we/deploy point-blank/for the pop guns of the good old boys?/

Now that we/all agree/lives are being jeopardized/What sublime pantomime/of a plan will we devise?/

How many inanimate objects/will be deputized?/How many studies of pie in the sky/will be authorized?/How many sitting ducks,/how many decoys/will we/deploy point-blank/for the pop guns of the good old boys?/

What ghost of an action are we ready to take?/What ghost of a difference are we willing to make?

credits

from Black & Orange, released October 6, 2010
Vocals: vonHummer
Bass: vonHummer
Drums: vonHummer

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vonHummer Portland, Oregon

vonHummer is a Portland music/cable access legend whose career spanned from Fall of 2001 to Fall of 2011, during which he recorded a hundred or so songs for use in his absurdist show (and feature film) and played only a handful of concerts. Currently retired, his work shines on for the ages. Or will he someday return...? ... more

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