Two Sides to Every Story

The August 30th issue of "Rolling Stone," features a candid interview with Dave Matthews. The nuts and bolts of the interview have already been reviewed here, but there are a couple of other noteworthy points that I found interesting.

Warning, this article contains political themes. Not suitable for all readers!

First, Dave mentioned that he and violinist, Boyd Tinsley, "may not be from the same planet." I was surprised to see that many fans seemed surprised by this. To me, it's been increasingly obvious, just from attending shows, that the chemistry between Dave and Boyd is strained. No, I don't have scientific proof of this theory, but, to me, there's a noticeable aggressiveness when Dave and Boyd do that guitar vs. violin thing that they do. Also, Dave has never given quite as many props to Boyd as he has to, say, Carter, who we all know he adores. Now, that's not to say that our frontman and violinist don't work well together. In fact, it may be good for the band to entertain a little discord. And what healthier way than through the music could there be to purify any negative energy? But let's not ignore what is there either.

And speaking of not ignoring, I'm sorry, but I have to bring this up. There is a teeny-tiny thing called an election coming up in a few months, and many of us have very strong opinions about it. I know this isn't a political page, so I'm going to do my best to be polite here, but, in the past many people have tried to convince me that Dave is a Republican, which I have found baffling considering Dave's involvement in the Vote for Change tour, among other things. Anyway, in my most grown up voice, I just want to say to all those nice people that, "I told you, so!" No, but seriously, I am hoping that Dave's declaration that, "I'm a raging, pink-batted, flailing arms liberal," can put all of this nonsense to rest. That and the fact that many of Dave's lyrics center around saving the environment, recognizing that we are all one, helping those in need, and not believing that war leads to peace, all of which are typically "liberal" ideas.

Interestingly, most musicians, artists, and creative types tend to support the Democrats. Maybe that's why the Republicans had to make such a big deal when Clint Eastwood came out in their defense. I didn't have the heart to tell such Republicans that once an actor is making car commercials, his endorsement doesn't really count.

But, seriously, one of the many reasons that I love Dave is because he is politically aware, and even though he is probably in the tiny percentage of people who would benefit from the Republican's tax reforms, he does not let that deter him from voting for the ideals that he believes in.

Now, I'm sure that despite my warning, I've gone and offended some of you. Feel free to tell me how ignorant and media brain-washed I am. Believe me, I wish that I could go back to my younger years when I just didn't care. It's true, "when I was young, I didn't think about it, now I can't get it out of my mind." But in the end, whatever our beliefs are, hands and feet are all alike, so let's not let gold divide us.

Hayley Bauman, Psy.D.