Facing annihilation
Elliott's free flow thoughts on commuting as an oppressive force and the economy
Last night I was half-cooked off two beers at home feeling inspired so asked Owen for the login to the Substack and he didn’t get back to me till today so I’m writing the entry now out of a sense of responsibility that at some point, I once thought that I had something to say.
We’re releasing a song next week called “Annihilation.” It is loud, like, when I listened to the final master I legit might’ve permanently damaged my ears. It sort of demanded that I turn it up and I obliged.
“Annihilation” is a political song of sorts but it is now about punditry or a political prediction. It is our gut reaction to what things that are indisputable. Everyone knows there’s a lot of pain held by each day. But despite the title, this song is less about impending doom than it is about what comes after the demise that we’re currently all watching go down
I’m writing this on a subway car that is stuck in a power outage. Everyone is sitting around fucking pissed that they’re held up. It’s funny to think about everyone having somewhere to be - each as responsible for someone or something as the next. Everyone muttering “fuck” and “shit” as the operator periodically comes over the PA. When I’m in public spaces I often wonder about people’s dispositions towards topics of apocalypse. It seems like something we’re all engaged with and somehow numb towards.
We were told service will resume shortly but honestly I don’t really give a shit about the announcement because I’m currently trapped in a car without power and all the lights are off so they can’t even open the door. It is kinda peaceful though in comparison to the usual crackle and hiss of the train when it is running.
I think of commuting as one of the most powerless spaces that we occupy under capitalism. At least when engaging with social media, popular culture, sports, all of these self-expressions that are inevitably commodified, we’re able to find joy, comfort, energy, catharsis. Who the fuck has ever had catharsis sitting in gridlock.
Owen keeps talking about how we’re going on the Annihilation tour during the election campaign and there’s this insane parallel between hauling as to play these gigs in Atlantic Canada and the routing that the candidates are taking on the campaign trail. Not really sure what to make of it other than that there’s a distinct feeling of anxiety that comes with entering a recession at the age of 29. Crazy how 24-26 years old for me was COVID and now we’re on the cusp of another global spasm.
The price of has was $1.18 yesterday. The lowest it has been in a while. Crazy to celebrate the wins of cheap oil but hey, we all gotta start somewhere to find a little joy.