"The highest treason a crab can commit is to make a leap for the rim of the bucket." -- Steven Pressfield
I cribbed the title of this song from a Songfight challenge years ago.
I came up with the signature guitar riff ages ago, probably back in 1995, after which it just kind of sat there for two decades while I failed to write an actual song around it. I wrote the lyrics separately, but the two didn't really click until, once again, the Bob Mould concert and his performance of Sugar's "Helpless" which gave me the framework for how this song should sound.
When I wrote the first draft, Rebecca Black's "Friday" was ascendant and people were apoplectic over the thought of anyone so easily buying their way to fame. "Friday" was only three years ago but it seems almost old-fashioned compared to today's self-made Vine and Snapchat stars allegedly clearing $100K per month for mentioning Spaghetti-Os to their 7 gazillion subscribers. Ultimately, fame is not about you but how other people feel about themselves when they think about you -- in other words, fame is a pretty messed-up thing that I feel it's wise to avoid as long as possible. If you're chasing fame, you should probably consider chasing work instead, so when the spotlight does find you, your career doesn't fade away with it.
That's the end of the Car Trouble tunes. Thanks for listening!