A documentary, The Elephant 6 Recording Co., directed by Chad Stockfleth and produced by my friend Lance Bangs, was released in 2022. I finally got around to it on Saturday after reading about Hart’s passing. It’s a quick hour-and-a-half watch that took me back to my days in the DIY scene, filled with house shows, potlucks, zines, outsider art, bad clothes, and body odor. Nothing groundbreaking happens. Everyone is in multiple bands. They make a lot of music with four-track recorders, scrape by on very little money, lie to Rolling Stone about living in a cult-like compound, and sleep on strangers’ floors on tour. They are simply fully dedicated to making the art they want to make without compromise. It made me realize that this lifestyle, which many of my friends participated in, just doesn’t exist anymore. You can’t live in a converted warehouse with ten people, work at a health food store, and spend the rest of your time making music. Things are too expensive, society has made ambition the North Star, and distractions are too prevalent.
Whether you like any of this music or not, the uncompromising dedication to the craft is commendable, if not aspirational. Today, it feels like everyone is doing everything to get recognition. The art or craft is secondary. Maybe it’s because things are too easy; you can do anything from a laptop and upload it for public consumption immediately. Part of the charm of Elephant 6 and that period in general was the sheer effort required to make something. When you listen to these records, you hear real people; the recordings are covered in fingerprints that make them feel human and imperfect. I am not suggesting we go back to this. You cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube—but maybe if we romanticize it, some of the ethos will seep back in.
I am to blame as much as anyone else. I am driven by ambition and the desire for more and more, and I’m not sure if that continues to get worse or lessens with age. Hart’s passing and the documentary made me remember when I only thought about creating stuff with my friends. It will never be like that again, but it’s inspiring just to be reminded of a simpler time. I am glad music can still do that.
