A Trauma Surgeon and a Mathematician Validate Each Other’s True Love — Heavy Underground Music.
The story I am about to tell you is true, but I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I was making it up.
I landed in Austin last week for RippleFest, a four day music festival. It was my first festival in exactly 20 years. I am still writing that recap/reflection for Metal Talk. Soon as that becomes available, I will link it here.
The story takes place over two days. But, as you will see, it’s a story that will never have an end.
It all began, inconspicuously at a live music venue called Sagebrush, on the more deserted end of Austin’s famous South Congress Avenue. The first night of the festival was also the official book release party for Sonic Seducer.
Starting from soon as I got in through the doors at Sagebrush, just past 6 pm, the energy of the music and people was felt. The music was intense right from the get go— Vermillion Whiskey made sure of that — but so was the communal electricity of human beings who absolutely love each other — regardless of the fact that many would be meeting people for the first time.
This is what this music — stoner/desert/doom — does to everyone. You have no choice but to relent to the weight of its sound and soul, organically becoming open to giving/receiving hearty handshakes and even heartier hugs.
Around 8 pm, as the frenzy of music and people arriving at Sagebrush was beginning to swell, a man in his 50’s came up to me to purchase a copy of my book. He asked me to sign it to “DJ” with his skin marker.
DJ is a trauma surgeon from Scottsdale, Arizona. He has spent 30 years stopping people from bleeding. Those were his words. He also told me he worked in the Navy for a decade and has taught young doctors about trauma surgery.
All this is being conveyed to me as Houston’s Fostermother is tearing up the Sagebrush stage.
Naturally, I was not expecting a trauma surgeon to be one of the first people to purchase a copy of my book. But, the universe had other ideas.
I met many other people that evening. Each amazing in their own way and how the music brought them to Austin at the end of the summer. I bumped into DJ a few more times during the night — each glance, high five, and half-hug being an affirmation that both of us were in the right place at the right time celebrating the greatest rock and roll since the Age of Bowie.
A statement which was written into my book — at least mentally, right at the beginning.
What happened the next day is something I am still pondering. Truth be told, will never stop pondering.
I arrived at The Far Out Lounge just before 6 pm. The Texas heat was becoming less oppressive. The Far Out Lounge feels like the coolest backyard party that you would ever find in Austin. Now add some of the greatest bands on the planet — yes, planet — and you have all the ingredients for the fuckin’ time of your life!
When I got there, I was almost immediately told by Brittany Garney, wife of Ryan Garney — festival organizer/lead singer of High Desert Queen — that someone wanted to buy 20 of my books. She also told me he was eager to find me, but couldn’t recall his name.
His name, as you might have guessed, was DJ. About thirty minutes later, he found me. I was sitting near the yellow stage in a turquoise Muskoka chair, savoring my first cold beer. My kindred spirit/photographer, Melanie Webster, was sitting right beside me.
He came over, crouched down, and grabbed my right forearm as he spoke — trembling a bit to find his words. He told me he didn’t want to come tonight. That sentence didn’t register at all. Why would he not want to come to the very reason he came here?
It turned out that DJ had been reading my book last night — and got halfway through it. With just that, this is what he told me.
Nobody in his entire life — that includes family and friends — has validated his life more than what I wrote in my book.
He rarely let go of my arm as he spoke, almost trying to ensure that his what he communicated with his words was earnest, but also hard to share.
It wasn’t only him that was feeling this raw, hard to comprehend validation, it was me as well.
My math world has rarely given me the same consistent validation that I have received from the music/bands in this scene.
Not. Even. Close.
This isn’t speaking negatively about my math connections — it’s speaking to the depth, candor, and vulnerability of my music connections.
The way I see mathematics is the way I see music — vibrant, beautiful, poetic, dreamy, psychedelic, and eternally human. That’s not the space of math education.
That’s why I went to Austin. For that dose of reality, and the potential of humans to be at their creative and personal best — and just simply, love each other.
That’s why DJ is went to Austin. That’s why all my new brothers and sisters went to Austin.
That’s why we will all return back to Austin every September for RippleFest — the greatest music festival in the world!
