I spent much of my life on bandstands
all over this country. As a drummer, I sat in the back, up nest to
the wall. Or in a corner, often on a riser. When you’re not
singing, or singing harmony, there’s not a heck of a lot to do, but
watch people. These are some of my observations.
People come into bars to have a good
tine, and search for mates. It’s a very natural thing for humans to
do.
It’s very interesting to watch the
young women dance. Almost always, they dance with their arms up over
their head. The object is to release pheromones to attract males.
Sometimes people just come to drink, dance, socialize and relax. But
that's not the main reason for the honky tonk. They are assignation
stations.
Those bar rooms are absolutely filled
with the aroma of sexual attraction. The musicians are usually
higher than the crowd, and receive the full effect. That attraction
is overpowering.
As a virile male, it is nearly
impossible to resist, and once triggered, normal lust is virtually
impossible to resist. It is sex. Just sex. Nothing more, nothing
less. The love aspect, the faithfulness aspect, the fear, shame, or
illegality have nothing to do with it. It is the overpowering human
instinct to mate.
It is as natural for the male to
become aroused, as it is for the female to me alluring.
When we are children, one of the
favorite games is “Boys chase the girls”. We have all played that
game, whether wittingly or unwittingly. If you watch any schoolyard,
you will see that game.
The boys in the band get caught up in
it. There you are, a young man, and when you look at it you will see
that working musicians are usually younger than 35 or 40, caught up
in the swirling scent of 60 to 100 young women in heat.
Very often they surrender to that
natural urge. After the brief encounter, they go home. The wife, or
girlfriend can smell the sent of another woman. Then there are
accusations, fights, separations and unfortunately, divorce. I
suppose this is a natural part of being a human as well.
I don't think that in cultures where
men and women live separately, ths is as much a problem as it is in
our “civilized” society.
Do I believe in monogamy? I'm not
sure. I am, and intend to stay that way. Our Christian teaching
pretty much requires it of us. It is a way to keep the bloodline
pure. Women understand that, even if they don't realize it. Therein.
as Shakespeare said, lies the rub.
Is there answer? Probably not. It has
been going on for millennia. Will it ever stop? Not as long as there
are animals, and humans are, after all, animals, and in the stated
situations revert to that state.
Just something that crossed my mind.