Someday, Rodney DeCroo — an American singer/songwriter living in Vancouver — might write about all the things that bother him about his native land.
Things like the deepening polarization between the liberal left and the “imperialistic” right, which is steadily gaining ground in the U.S.
“There’s a lot of hate” — whether directed against gays, Muslims, illegal immigrants or Democrats, said DeCroo — “and I feel very uncomfortable with that.”
The roots singer, who performs on Monday and Tuesday at The Vat in Red Deer, can’t believe the Tea Party has become a “major, national movement.”
Its Montana chapter president was recently ousted after joking with a Facebook commenter who suggested gay people should be hung like fruits. There were later suggestions he could be reinstated after gaining some membership support.
“The country’s insane down there. It’s gone completely nuts,” said DeCroo, who was born 43 years ago in Pennsylvania but followed his Vietnam War vet father when he fled into the British Columbia wilderness to avoid redeployment.
The singer, who briefly returned to the U.S. to live with his mother, ultimately chose to reside in Canada, even though “the U.S. is an exciting place, full of some very caring people.”
He explained Canada is “kinder” and more culturally aligned with his own sensibilities.
While he prefers not to write “didactic” songs, DeCroo did pen an anti-war tune called War-torn Man, which was dedicated to his father. And he doesn’t rule out tacking political subjects again someday.
In the meantime, there’s Minotaur, from his latest album, Queen Mary Trash. Read into it what you will, said DeCroo, with a chuckle.
The song was inspired by an ancient myth about a king who broke a promise to sacrifice a white bull to the god Poseidon. In retribution, Poseidon made the king’s wife fall in love with the bull. The Minotaur was the unnatural offspring of their union — a half-man, half-bull “monster,” who was hidden away in a maze by the shamed king.
“There’s the idea that some people get demonized unnecessarily because society needs to do that sometimes,” said DeCroo.
This could apply to any number of minority groups that have been feared and hated over the years, including gays, immigrants or Muslims — or even individuals like Pee-wee Herman, said the singer, referring to the children’s entertainer who lost his career in 1991 for masturbating in an adult theatre.
“Sometimes we project our own shadow on someone else and people get sacrificed.”
Queen Mary Trash is a double album of 24 songs recorded in DeCroo’s friend’s house, because the singer hates the impersonal nature of recording studios.
The title track was inspired by a streetwalker and a Montreal strip.
Among the other tunes are Paris Spleen, which takes a shot at all the “poseurs” in the music industry who give newcomers a hard time, and Napoleon Hill, named after the author of a how-to-get-rich book.
“Of all the things in life to write about — how to grow rich? For me that’s another kind of addiction,” said DeCroo.
He performs with Carolyn Mark at about 9 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com