Anyone who thinks that Cowboy Dan represents "the American spirit" or "freedom" or anything like that has said the pledge of alleigance one too many times. There's certainly never been anything inherently pro-American or nationalist about Issac Brock's writing. Cowboy Dan is one of the most dispicable characters evoked in Modest Mouse's music. He represents everything that Brock hates about white people in the modern day west; overconsumption, arrogance, greed, and cruelty. The image of a "cowboy" gives Dan a truly all-American persona; a beer swilling, barfight-starting manly man. The song is an indictment of Americana, not a diatribe in its favor.
@utter imbecile Unless Cowboy Dan is actually a Native American. The song can certainly be read that way. The only lines that I view as more than 'individual' in nature are "He's gonna start a war" as in he's going to drink on the reservation and start a war between the tribe and the nearby community of (mostly) white people but that's pretty much the only line I view as directly hinting at some sort of larger narrative or larger meaning behind the Cowboy Dan character - everything else is purely internal - I think Isaac definitely feels the way...
@utter imbecile Unless Cowboy Dan is actually a Native American. The song can certainly be read that way. The only lines that I view as more than 'individual' in nature are "He's gonna start a war" as in he's going to drink on the reservation and start a war between the tribe and the nearby community of (mostly) white people but that's pretty much the only line I view as directly hinting at some sort of larger narrative or larger meaning behind the Cowboy Dan character - everything else is purely internal - I think Isaac definitely feels the way you assume about the things you mention, but I don't think Cowboy Dan is where he's voicing it.
Anyone who thinks that Cowboy Dan represents "the American spirit" or "freedom" or anything like that has said the pledge of alleigance one too many times. There's certainly never been anything inherently pro-American or nationalist about Issac Brock's writing. Cowboy Dan is one of the most dispicable characters evoked in Modest Mouse's music. He represents everything that Brock hates about white people in the modern day west; overconsumption, arrogance, greed, and cruelty. The image of a "cowboy" gives Dan a truly all-American persona; a beer swilling, barfight-starting manly man. The song is an indictment of Americana, not a diatribe in its favor.
great comment
great comment
@utter imbecile Unless Cowboy Dan is actually a Native American. The song can certainly be read that way. The only lines that I view as more than 'individual' in nature are "He's gonna start a war" as in he's going to drink on the reservation and start a war between the tribe and the nearby community of (mostly) white people but that's pretty much the only line I view as directly hinting at some sort of larger narrative or larger meaning behind the Cowboy Dan character - everything else is purely internal - I think Isaac definitely feels the way...
@utter imbecile Unless Cowboy Dan is actually a Native American. The song can certainly be read that way. The only lines that I view as more than 'individual' in nature are "He's gonna start a war" as in he's going to drink on the reservation and start a war between the tribe and the nearby community of (mostly) white people but that's pretty much the only line I view as directly hinting at some sort of larger narrative or larger meaning behind the Cowboy Dan character - everything else is purely internal - I think Isaac definitely feels the way you assume about the things you mention, but I don't think Cowboy Dan is where he's voicing it.