16.

in its pursuit of a better world for its peoples, was to investigate the problems in the
Toronto area.  That these were fundamentally concerns that i had been involved with since July
1975 and had made many friends and acquaintances because of, was extremely helpful to me in
the course of these discussions and investigations.  I discovered many trends and 
characteristics of society that i was fearful of in my earlier studies and the most 
significant of them was a widening gap between the motivations and values of the various 
generations.  My friends who are senior citizens that i met when i first undertook certain
of these responsibilities remembered me and we still occasionally see each other for a drink
in the afternoon at local pubs.  The values that we decided were the ones that we wanted to 
pass on to our children have not wavered despite the unseen war that rages.  We all look on 
with regret when we see manifestations of this pressure turn another innocent maturing
person off in a direction that is an inaccurate embodiment of what is likely to be necessary
to carry him happily through his lifetime.
  I had promised these friends of mine from Vancouver that i would one day go and see them
perform but unfortunately contrary circumstances forced me to leave Vancouver and hitchhike 
back across the country to Toronto last October.  It was therefore especially pleasing to me 
that i was able to fulfill my promise to them at this later date here in Toronto and i eagerly 
went to see them perform.
The first song they did was a paean to the joys of being a Nazi which seemed contradictory 
to the Rock Against Racism sticker that Joey had on his guitar.  But then i recalled that
many of these young people had found the only acceptable role in society for them in previous
years had been as the embodiment of socially respectable citizen's(sic) youthful, nostalgic 
fantasies...they were paying homage to a tradition and a value that they had been 'assigned.'  
Joey looked at me at this point and then told the audience with a half-smile 'well it's good 
to be in Toronto.  I even see some faces i remember but hey, what the fuck?'  and he started
in on another of these noisy items that pass themselves off as songs these days.  It was once
explained to me that that was the point: traditionally, the value system that had prevailed a
generation ago that had spawned a value system that was only now being appreciated as having 
been all part of an extremely subtle master plan, had at first labeled rock and roll as just a 
bunch of noise...the music of love.
  Someone started throwing food at Randy.  They were doing a new song about rock against
racism.  Finally, his voice choked with emotion (definitely uncharacteristic of a generation 
that two years ago was wrapped up in an exciting new dance step that was an imitation of 
robotic movements), he said 'if you're going to throw food, at least throw it at my face.'  
The name of the group is D.O.A. (DEAD ON ARRIVAL).

I left after the set.

  The 1970's are drawing to a close.  The love and flower child generation that spawned the Me 
decade supposedly is preparing for a new crop of initiates.  The year of the child is drawing 
to a close.


TAKE YOUR NEXT FOOTSTEP HERE.




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