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about

While this is a single track on the album, it’s meant to be thought of as a “suite” of sorts, with 3 individual pieces all taken from the book of the same name. The pieces correspond to the names within the parenthesis…

#48

A man, whom upon bringing a woman home on a first date, when he feels the time is right, will ask the unsuspecting woman how she would feel about being tied up by him in his bedroom. He does this with every woman he brings home. He is not interested in a relationship. He promises complete safety; no harm will come to the woman. It is something he simply enjoys to do, and swears it has nothing to do with asserting power over the woman. While some women upon the suggestion get very nervous and leave, others get very nervous and giggly and can’t believe he has suggested it—but they don’t want to leave or to cut the date short. And some women, a significant percentage actually, are into the idea and allow him to tie them up in his bedroom. Up until the point of them being completely bound, the man is nice, flirty, and careful. He is mindful and reassuring. Once he has them tied up, however, it all stops. While most women who allow things to get to this point are along for the ride and highly aroused, sexual intercourse rarely happens. What does happen is the man becomes sad. He sits on the edge of the bed and weeps, sometimes mentioning something about his mother under his breath. He begs the women for forgiveness and never wants to see them again. The women are confused, naked, and bound to the bed by their wrists and ankles. The man lets them go, untouched and unharmed.

#46

A woman in her 20s walks home alone one night. She is grabbed at knifepoint and gang-raped by a few men. At the end of it, they insert an empty bottle of Jack Daniels so far into her anus that the bottle shatters inside of her and ruptures her kidneys along with other internal damage. She survives the attack, but is subjected to dialysis for the rest of her life. Now in her 40s, her attitude and disposition toward life are remarkably well-adjusted. She considers what happened to her a “life experience” that affords her a unique insight into the world and the dark corners that exist in it. Almost to the point that she feels “above” others because of their lack of experience and knowledge, and feels that perhaps something horrible should happen to everybody so they will learn.

Adult World

A man is addicted to masturbating. Everyday, several times a day. His penis is constantly red, raw, and ravaged. He is married and still has sex with his wife, but she wonders what is wrong because when they have sex he acts like he is in pain. She feels like it’s somehow her fault. She is not aware of his addiction, and never sees his penis because he insists on it being dark when they have sex. She wonders why her husband always seems to be leaving for “work” at all hours of the day and night. The husband secretly buys oils, lotions, and other masturbation aids at an inconspicuously named sex shop on the other side of town. These purchases show up on his credit card bill, which the wife sees, but she doesn’t think twice about it because the business name doesn’t make her suspect anything. This goes on for years until finally the wife can’t take it anymore. She meets up with an ex-lover for lunch and he is clearly still in love with her. They agree to meet at a hotel. On the way to the hotel the woman drives by the sex shop that her husband frequents, and she recognizes the inconspicuous name from his credit card bills. Her heart nearly stops as she realizes that it is a sex shop, and in the process she also drives right by the hotel where she is supposed to meet her ex. Her ex-lover watches from the parking lot as she drives by, and he begins crying because he thinks she has changed her mind about their rendezvous. She drives home and confronts her husband, armed with her new knowledge. They talk about it, and she learns of his addiction. For now, they decide to not do anything about it and instead start thinking about having kids.

Aaron Kerr:
So the first story, #48, was the one story I thought I remembered from somewhere. I had read about half of Brief Interviews at one time, but it had been a while ago and I didn’t even have the book around anymore. Furthermore, the story was hand-written and paraphrased by Tyson, so it reminded me more of an urban myth. These three short stories were a nice diversion from the previous letters as I didn’t feel like I had to compose something huge. My apologies to everyone for the ending to “Adult World” - I did a little bit of “tone painting” (to coin a phrase from classical music theory). After writing so much conceptual music I felt the need to be somewhat literal, hopefully in a funny way.

credits

from To Combat Loneliness: Compositions Based on the Works of David Foster Wallace, released June 21, 2019
Aaron Kerr--acoustic and electric cello
Tyson Allison--guitar, percussion, synth, piano, bass, drums, chimes

Produced by Tyson Allison and Justin Deleon
Recorded at IPR studios in Minneapolis, MN
Engineered and mixed by Justin Deleon
Mastered by Tom Garneau at AUDIOACTIVE in Minneapolis, MN
Copyright 2019 Humble Mumblings ASCAP

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Emperor Penguin Records Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Emperor Penguin Records began in 2003 in St. Paul, MN and later moved to Milwaukee, WI in 2015. The label is run by musician/producer Tyson Allison. EPR enlists and caters to singer/songwriters, introverts, experimental weirdos, bookish people, and crafters that paint pictures with words and toy with your emotions on a well-placed chord. Thank you for your interest! ... more

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