An Aesthetic Experience: Analysis of a Cowboy Mouth rock concert through the philosophies of Plato, Nietszche and Dewey

    An aesthetic experience is the opposite of a self-centered experience. It is a time
during which we perceive for the purpose of perception. There is no interest in personal
gain or advancement. The experience, in the case of aesthetics, is both the means and
ends.
    There is one experience which I have had several times had that stands out in my
mind as an ideal aesthetic experience: rock and roll concerts in general, but specifically
those of a band called Cowboy Mouth. The events put on by this band from New Orleans
incorporate several of the forms of art. Music performance is clearly the most recognizable
form, but the dancing of both the crowd and the performers creates a second form.
Further, many of their songs tell a story, just as literature might, and the words themselves
are undeniably poetry - thus making a total of four forms of art at these concerts.
    Plato says that we should teach children two things: music and gymnastics. These
are two lessons that Cowboy Mouth seems to have learned well. All four members of the
band have the ability to be a lead singer of a band, and three of them have done so. There
is no lack of music talent or skill; and, they don't exactly stand skill while they play their
music. There seems to be some gymnastics in the background of each as they move. Fred
Leblanc often leaves stage with a portable mic and runs through crowd, climbing over the
rail and scurrying across the balcony hanging over the crowd below. The physical stamina
required to keep with the band, either as audience or performer, is considerable - and it is
frowned upon to not be physically active. As they sing, "You're not allowed to sit and
stare / We'll do our best to make you care."
    They require of the crowd, and exemplify themselves, the Dionysian ecstasy that
Nietszche speaks of. Their performance embodies triumph over passive Appollonian
dreams in a great frenzy of irrational energy. As drummer Fred Leblanc explains, "You're
seeing Cowboy Mouth from New Orleans, Louisiana tonight. And that means one thing
and one thing alone. Throw your hands in the air, find your heart, find your soul, and
scream as loud as you can and dance like your life depends on it because tonight ladies and
gentlemen your life does depend on it!"
    This experience is very sublime. It has no form or boundaries. For me, it is hard to
tell where the concert begins. On the way to the concert, no matter where it is, I begin
encountering people also headed towards the concert and the Dionysian dye of Cowboy
Mouth is already bleeding from them, into me, and from me into others. We aren't even
there yet and already we are experiencing the concert. When we get there there will be an
opening band and we will celebrate them as if they were Cowboy Mouth because that is
what we are primed for. Still, the concert itself has not begun. But, then, they come out on
stage and the concert, objectively, begins. We experience it for the entire 2 hours, or
more, of their performance and then they leave stage. But, all those in the crowd still reel
from the non-alcoholic drunkeness that the show creates. We go home still tapping to
Cowboy Mouth rythyms and wake up with our head ringing with Cowboy Mouth
melodies. Days, weeks, and months later our heart still beat out the spiritually altruistic
message of the concert we had experienced and we realize that a Cowboy Mouth show
never really ends.
    Dewey values intrinsic experiences over extrinsic experiences. Intrinsic experiences
are done for the sake of doing them - we do not make money from them, earn good
grades, gain a reputation, or acquire any other personal gains. In extrinsic experiences, we
do personally benefit in a tangible way for personal purposes. Dewey says that it is best
when we can have an intrinsic experience that we value for purely intrinsic reasons that
coincidentally benefit us extrinsically. One example of this would be if we learn everything
taught in our classes at school because we enjoy the process or learning; but by
experiencing that learning we earn good grades - an extrinsic benefit. I think it is clear that
a Cowboy Mouth show could be an intrinsic experience. If it is experienced for the
sublime pleasure of Dionysian ecstasy, surely it is aesthetic. It is possible that someone
could go to a show for the purpose of gaining popularity, to collect information for a news
story, or with intentions of trying to grab some piece of memorabilia; but barring these
cases we will assume intrinsic value. However, I believe that it is still possible for extrinsic
and intrinsic values to meet in the experience of a Cowboy Mouth show. Even though we
have to give up money, not gain it, to go to the show and we are not likely to earn any
material ends directly from the show, it will benefit us indirectly as the aesthetic
experience of the concert will make us happier and free of stress, thereby making us more
able to perform well at work or in school and therefore earn greater extrinsic benefits.

    I would put forth the theory that Cowboy Mouth does oppose, perhaps
unknowingly, most of the ideas and forces of existentialism. I will discuss this theory using
what I believe to be five generally accepted points which can be thought of as the basis of
existentialism:
    1. You are a concious being and as such you cannot be predicted or manipulated.
    2. We are afraid of nothingness and this causes anguish.
    3. Existence is absurd; we confront the world and it is indifferent to us.
    4. Our most authentic moment is death.
    5. We are alienated from society and every person is alienated from themselves; we
        must seek to overcome this alienation.
The ideas which I am attempting to contrive into a philosophy of Cowboy Mouth would
only accept entirely the first of these five points. In regard to number 2, I think that
Cowboy Mouth would propose that we let nothing cause us anguish. Further, I think they
would tell us not to fear nothingness as we are surrounded by great things of monumental
importance: self, love, life, etc. As for number 3, I think there are members of the band
who would jump up and down in excited disagreement to the idea that the world is
indifferent to us and that existence is therefore absurd. I think the reason that they tour
and work as hard as they do is because they believe that they are having a greatly positive
effect on the world and that the world appreciates it. I think they would say that there is a
great force of positivity within the world that is to be harnessed and embraced by us all.
As they say, "No matter what anybody says to you; No matter what anybody thinks of
you; As long, as long as you believe in yourself, Anything is possible!" I'm also quite sure
that they would struggle to keep people from believing that death is our most authentic
moment, disupting number 4. This pessimistic fatalism goes against the grain of Cowboy
Mouth's preachings to live well now because at some point you will die and you should
make your feelings known at all points because of that fact. In this, they embrace
Heidigger's idea that we must always remember that we will die and must therefore live
well now. As for the fifth point, I believe they would agree that we must fight to overcome
any such alienation; but they would say it more optimistically - not that we are alienated
and must overcome that, but that we are not united enough with society and our true
selves, and must increase that bond.

    As a bit of description: the events can be looked at with all 6 views of art. The
music itself is largely mimetic, as the songs' authors have surely borrowed time
measurements and musical notes that have been used many times before. There is surely
an amount of imitation in the dance as well.
    Cowboy Mouth, being a very passionate band, expresses a lot of emotions in their
songs. As a few examples, no fan would be surprised to hear them singing of the pain of a
relationship ending or the empowerment of loving one's self.
    For me, they often speak of different realities. In a song called, "Hurricane Party,"
they are singing about being holed up in the shelter of a local bar as a hurricane is
approaching their port town; everyone is very drunk from alcohol and is having a great
time. Being someone who does not consume alcohol, this is an experience I have never
had and it therefore introduces a different reality to me which changes the way I perceive
similar things, and all other things too.
    They frequently editorialize about the nature of reality. It is common to hear the
lead singer, Fred Leblanc, scream, "Isn't it great to be alive!" They create and advocate the
idea that the world is a fantastic, vibrant place and that reality is something to be
celebrated.
    In this they create a unique form of spirituality. In a way, their form of spirituality
is similar to Plotinus searching for "the One." That is what Cowboy Mouth tells us to do
too, but Cowboy Mouth expects us to find it within ourself as they, I think, believe that
we are the One that Plotinus speaks of.
    There is symbolism in their music as well. They may sing words that denotate one
thing, but really are intended to have a different meaning. For instance, lead guitar player
John Thomas Griffith sings the words of "Everybody Loves Jill" - "She's got red heart /
She wears on her red sleave / She's got a red wine / She eats with her red cheese / And
that's why everboy loves Jill." Now, JTG may be singing about some real individual named
Jill who exists somewhere in the world. Or, the character in itself may be a symbol for
something, perhaps, as the rest of the song suggests: conceited, self centered people in
general. But, it is clear that the red is a symbol and that its meaning probably changes
throughout the song. In this excerpt, it may represent the urgency with which the spoiled
drama queen Jill sees her life.

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