\u201cSoundcheck in ten,\u201d the booking agent said, checking his phone. \u201cTry not to start a war before doors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were just asking if war is hard wired,\u201d the bassist said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHard wired?\u201d the drummer laughed. \u201cLike a factory setting? \u2018Congratulations, you\u2019re human. Conflict installed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The saxophonist tightened the ligature. \u201cBetter question: is it inevitable or just habitual?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The booking agent looked up. \u201cFrom where I stand, it\u2019s seasonal. Like flu. Every few years someone books a bigger room for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s comforting,\u201d the bassist said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say it was good,\u201d the agent replied. \u201cI said it sells.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The drummer tapped a rimshot. \u201cSo we\u2019re doomed by marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re influenced by incentives,\u201d the saxophonist said. \u201cPower rewards aggression. Aggression repeats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bassist played a low note. \u201cBut not everyone goes to war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot everyone solos either,\u201d the drummer said. \u201cStill, the band has the option.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOption isn\u2019t destiny,\u201d the saxophonist said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The booking agent folded his arms. \u201cLook, if it were truly hard wired, you wouldn\u2019t see long stretches without it. People make choices. Systems make it easier or harder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s wiring plus context,\u201d the bassist said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNature and nurture,\u201d the drummer added. \u201cKick and snare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArrangement is everything,\u201d the agent said. \u201cYou book the right room, the crowd behaves. Book the wrong one, chairs fly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The drummer grinned. \u201cSo humanity needs a better venue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr better contracts,\u201d the agent said. \u201cClear terms. Consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bassist looked thoughtful. \u201cIf it\u2019s not hard wired, why does it keep coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause it works for some people,\u201d the agent said. \u201cShort term. It solves something, or seems to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUntil the set ends,\u201d the bassist said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then you load out,\u201d the agent added. \u201cCount the damage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cSoundcheck in ten,\u201d the booking agent said, checking his phone. \u201cTry not to start a war before doors.\u201d \u201cWe were just asking if war is hard wired,\u201d the bassist said. […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"Layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-rockbob","post-9430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-warfare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}