In 2002 Eugene Robinson wrote a feature for Vice Magazine about how to get beat up. I go back and read that article from time to time - usually before a job interview or going on a first "date" with a stranger I just met in the internet men's restroom, aka the M4M section on Craigs List. Advice like, "In other words, relax. Exhale. Like you would for a bicycle crash or an anal rape" and "If, by any sheer luck, you end up standing behind him, it’s time to choke the fucker" is just too timely and universal to be forgotten. Like momma's kisses.
In addition to dispensing wisdom on how to get your ass handed to you, Eugene also fronts a band called Oxbow.
As the vocalist of Oxbow, Eugene is quite a sight to behold. The first time I saw the band perform was in front of an Isis crowd in a small venue in West Hollywood. By the time the last Oxbow note was played Eugene was standing on stage in nothing but his fruit of the looms, a knife strapped to his side, and the front row, mostly young Isis fans who had no idea prior to the show even what exactly an Oxbow was, were wiping spit out of their hair and not looking stoked at just having had the cotton covered crotch of a certain Oxbow ground into their face for the last 30 minutes.
In print Eugene is often just as ferocious as he is on stage. I still love reading the old Oxbow newsletters. Genius! His recently released novel, "A Long Slow Screw", is about a down and out nobody who, tired of busting his ass with nothing to show for it, takes matters into his own hands. It's bloody, violent and down right engrossing. The American dream as seen from the business end of a big fucking hand gun.
Eugene will be in Seattle October 16th to perform and read from "A Long Slow Screw". Accompanying him on stage at the Comet earlier in the day (4pm, $7, 21+) will be Great Falls, Get Down Syndrome and Mercy Sounds. Later in the day at the Black Lodge (8pm, $7 or $5 w/ a stamp from the previous show, all ages) he'll be joined by Madraso, The Family Curse and Mercy Sounds.
Oxbow doesn't tour much these days because, well, not enough people give a shit so get out and see Eugene while you can. I've seen him on stage several times and no two shows are the same. The saying is true: I went to a street fight once and an Oxbow show broke out!
Words by Roy Culver
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