Arrested Development: Song examines Merle's life of crime as a juvenile: Welcome Bucknicks to new virtual coffee house!
Welcome all Buckniks from the New Buck Beat Generation. You have arrived at the Bucknik Bunkhouse (a virtual retro, culture/genre-bending coffee house) for those Bakersfield sound fans that want to mix it up a bit, drawing a bit of retro culture from the Bakersfield sound era in Kern County and integrating it with the Beatnik culture and the Beat Generation of the early 60s.
This is a special virtual coffee house series where I serve original songs, and where you get inty (new Bucknik slang for intellectual) by direct, interactive involvement in blog 'n' roll discussions about the history Bakersfield sound and about its enduring influence on modern music from a psychological, sociological and philosophical perspective.
Today, for our first Buck-in (slang for hanging out at the Bucknik Bunkhouse and engaging in trippy song talks). It's time to get rippy (Bucknik talk for redneck hippy).
Here's the song we're going to get "primed" with (prime being Bucknik slang for being exposed to a discussion-generating prelude or springboard). It's the new song from my forthcoming CD, From Buck Owens Blvd. to Merle Haggard Drive (due for a TBA September '08 release).
Dr BLT web site
Your "playwork (Bucknik slang for fun homework)":
Listen to the song, Arrested Development, by yours truly, about Bakersfield sound legend Merle Hagggard's troubled teen years, and then propose hypotheses about the antecedents or factors that may have contributed to his troubled past.
Tie your hypotheses in with a theoretical orientation. For example, you could emphasize a genetic theory, an environmental one, a behavioral theory, or a psychodynamic one, in which you would emphasize the years from 1-5, the concomitant psychosexual stages of development, and the role of early parental interactions.
Be sure to draw upon the new slang introduced here today, and make up and propose suggestions for new slang reflecting an integration of country music culture of the Bakersfield sound variety, and the beatnik culture of the early to mid 60s. A glossary is in the works.
Let me summarize: In the comments section below, discuss your thoughts on the song, introduce theory-based hypotheses for Merle's behavior as a youngster, and then offer new slang, oh, and any other suggestions you might have for the Bucknik Bunkhouse.
Are you ready? Set? BLOG N ROLL (Bucknick slang for interating music and blog content and using music as a "primer").
Here is a sample of the audio, along with the lyrics to:
Arrested Development
Dr BLT
Download | Duration: 00:03:42
words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008 Nu Bako Sound Recordings/Krocker Records
Arrested Development
words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008
he lost his father when he was a young boy
and loss of dad can be a terrible thing
who knows if that provides an explanation
for the life of crime
that his young life would bring
he caused his mother so much grief and heartache
rebellion nearly was his middle name
he'd ride the rails of central California
escapin' from the things that caused her pain
arrested development
that is how his time was spent
his home became a prison cell for teens
arrested development
whiskey-wet and trouble-bent
someday he'd turn this nightmare
to a dream
some folks may say the kid was
hyperactive
some folks would will tell you
crime comes with the genes
some folks would say this town
just drove him crazy
so hot and bored
it made him wanna scream
whatever was the reason
for his trouble
he found it and it filled his heart with gloom
one day he was released from old San Quentin
the day I released from my mom's womb
arrested development
that is how his time was spent
his home became a prison cell for teens
arrested development
whiskey-wet and trouble-bent
someday he'd turn this nightmare
to a dream
somewhere on the road he found redemption
he searched his soul
and found and found a brand new song
somewhere down the road
he broke the chains and
took what once was weak
and made it strong
arrested development
that is how his time was spent
his home became a prison cell for teens
arrested development
whiskey-wet and trouble-bent
someday he'd turn this nightmare
to a dream
Merle Haggard’s parents loved him when he was a baby. When Merle Haggard got older he respected his parents. He probably loved his dad a lot when his dad was alive. My hypothesis is that when his dad passed away Merle didn’t know what to do with himself. He lost his dad and he acted out. He became a rebel after his dad passed away. His dad probably was his role model and his dad passed away and it shattered his world. His dad wasn’t there to guide him. I based my hypothesis on the behavioral theory because it seemed like his parents were involved in his life. His parents probably set rules for him to obey and took care of him the first 5 years of his life. Then his dad passed away and he probably didn’t have structure in his life anymore so he went wild. Fortunately he turns his life around and became a singer.
I like the song a lot; it was creative. I like the part where you said that the day he got out of jail was the same day that you were born. I don’t have any made up words. I can’t think of any words. The virtual coffee house sounds like a great idea.
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I am sure that the death of Merle's father at a young age had an incredible impact on him. If you look at his rebellion from a behavior theorist angle his rebellion probably symbolized his feeling a loss of direction caused by his father's death. I also think his behavior may have been impacted by his environment. Merle grew up in a town that was incredibly small and there was not very much to do. It wouldn't take much for a kid feeling bored or feeling lack of direction to come up with things to do that aren't necessarily the most positive. I am sure his mother loved him and did the best she could but not only was she responsible for trying to raise Merel right but also for providing for the family. With only 24 hours in a day I am sure there was plenty of time where she just couldn't be home and he probably had a little too much unsupervised time on his hands. Even though he ended up in jail, he was able to pick up his life eventually and turn it into something positive. In his case, he also showed that while a person's childhood certainly has an impact on his life it does not have to define it. If one's childhood completely defined one's life then Merle would have ended up back in jail or maybe even dead instead of becoming a country music singer. His childhood and young adult experiences while difficult also helped him become a person who could become the legend he is in country music. I haven't been able to come up with any words for the new slang dictionary but if I think of anything I will add another comment.
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Thanks. Your comments offer a great deal of valued reflection.
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So here I sit at my first Buck-in. My boots are off and I’m coolin my doggs on the desk…yes…kickin back and ready to do some serious playwork. I’m all primed-up and I have my sights on psycho-buckniking the classic Mr. Merle.
His life and times were especially hard…getting rippy didn’t seem high on Mr. Merle’s list. In fact, I’m guessing that E. Erikson, the Big Daddy of psychosocial development, would probably label Mr. Merle as having maldevelopmental tendencies. But let’s give this Bucknik a break. Rebellion might have been Mr. Merle’s way of coping with the hard knocks of life…but, come on…when you’re primed with mistrust and doubt at a young age… well, you can’t blame the guy for withdrawing from society’s norms and being trouble-bent.
After all, to quote Dr. BLT “the loss of a dad can be a terrible thing.” Grief’s playwork cannot be ignored and escapin’ the pain on the “rails of central California” is only a temporary fix. Denial is a pretty big horse to ride and…well, eventually its going to kick you in the Buckaroo Butt. I think Mr. Merle would attest to that one.
But here’s the thing…resilience and redemption can chase away the whiskey-wet gloom of inferiority and role confusion. You see…the Big Daddy of psychosocial development was also an optimist who believed that all Buckniks have the potential to grow and gain the ability to choose differently. Mr. Merle, the cool dude that he is, took Big Daddy up on his challenge and “broke the chains.”
Freedom to get a little rippy took its rightful seat in the life of an all time great Bucknik when he realized that basic weaknesses are not a death sentence…just an opportunity…to become strong.
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Merle Haggard’s story is one of sadness, rebellion, grief, struggle, pride, accomplishment, and triumph. Merle lost his father at the young age of 9. He strongly rebelled and his struggling mother was left to send Merle to juvenile camps and schools. I have never been partial to just one developmental theory. I believe each of them, including Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, can be helpful in explaining the reasons behind some of our behavior. Looking at Merle’s troubled teenage years and early 20’s many of the theories help raise questions and possible reasons for Merle’s behavior.
Was Merle experiencing conflict in terms of control? Was he conflicted in his inability to control his emotions or his family life? If so, Freud might determine that it was rooted in his early childhood during the “anal” phase. Or was Merle experiencing the “Inferiority” role according to Erikson? He seemed to be incompetent in mainstream society, possibly feeling inferior to others more fortunate either by finances or intact families. Is it possible that his behavior was due to some kind of conditioning? Had he gotten the feedback that he was craving from his mother or society by acting out in a rebellious nature? Maybe he saw his punishments as a type of reward. Merle’s behavior was repetitive, fitting the definition of operant conditioning; he must have found the consequence to be of some benefit. Perhaps, Merle lacked the capacity to understand and cope with his loss. The loss of his father may have been his first experience with death and loss and he had nothing to build on previously to help make his world make sense. According to Piaget this would be called, “Cognitive disequilibrium,” serving as the catalyst to a long period of destructive behavior.
In considering the many different developmental theories to attempt to explain the root of Merle’s behavior I feel the sociocultural theory is a partial fit. I don’t know much about Merle’s life outside of a brief biography I read about him. From that I learned he was the product of a family who, like most at the time, was struggled through the Great Depression. They lived in a renovated boxcar. Merles education was limited, especially after the death of his father. The remainder of it was conducted in high security juvenile centers and San Quentin Penitentiary. I imagine his early life being one of great struggle, with possibly both of his parents working menial jobs for little pay. I also imagine the great pain and struggle the death of his father must have been on his mother. Who possibly couldn’t address the emotional state and confusion Merle was experiencing. Maybe his rebellion was built from behaviors he witnessed and imitated early on in life. I believe somewhere in our past is the explanation for many of our current behaviors and thought processes.
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You've added a wealth of knowledge and insight to this discusssion, Lindsey. Thanks!
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