Live music is not my best friend. It’s loud and local and sloppy and right there in front of you as long as you go to the right place at the right time. Recorded music has a volume control, an equalizer, and travels almost everywhere. It has an off switch and won’t greet you as Des Moines when you’re really Dubuque.

However, if you really want to feel the art, as the artist feels it, you have to actually go to the live show. By “you”, of course, I mean “me” (or “I” or whatever is grammatically correct at the time). I usually don’t. I care about the artistry and want people of all levels to create and share their art. I just can’t always bear the experience.

I was listening to an interview with Jello Biafra recently. I can’t tell you which one because I don’t remember. It’s not a secret. The only secrets are those my left hemisphere is keeping from my right. In listening to Jello Biafra, I realized I want to be like him or sound like him just for one day. His quivering singing voice and his constant sarcasm just sound like someone who always feels strongly or passionately about something, even his own victimhood. I don’t need to share the reasons for his feelings, but wouldn’t it be nice to legitimately feel such passion and then, a day later, return to the boring mundane life?