And All the Bells were Ringing...

Are you angry? Are you frustrated? Sad? Feel all alone? Well you aren't. Lots and lots of people feel the way you do. It's a club with no meetings. Consider yourself a member! There's no rules in this organization. I would hesitate to even call it an organization. It's more like a cult. The thing about people in cults, is that they seldom realize they are in a cult. Cult is a word used by people who aren't in the organization being referred to as a cult. Maybe cult shouldn't be such a dirty word, (though it is very close in spelling to a very dirty word).

"Hey! Do you want to be in my cult?" Somehow that phrase just doesn't sound like the type of thing you say to your neighbor as you pick up dog poop or trim the bushes. It seems like people who join cults don't know they are joining cults. Again, the word cult and all the baggage that goes with it are bestowed by folks outside the cult. Are there any good cults? What about the "Cult of Personality" as described by the band Living Colour? Is that a bad cult?

Cults seem to be ill-received by the general public (not the band General Public, btw) so maybe there's a better word to descibe the unaffiliated brotherhood of the lonely. Gang? "Hey Phil, would you like to be in my Gang?" Um, no. I think gang has a little too much baggage as well. Although, I have often thought that given the opportunity to see a concert by the Cult or the Sugarhill GANG, I would have to see the GANG. I would probably go see Gang of Five too.

Gang of Five makes me think of the FOX televsion series 'Party of Five'.. or wait a second... maybe the worldwide collective of melancholy frustration could be classified as a PARTY. Um... nah. Party has too positive a ring. Asking people to join the party makes me think there's a hot tub and beers and loosened morals. Hey that sounds like the kind of thing you could interest your neighbor with, though once he realized the true nature of the "party'" it would be all over.

Are we an Order? Like the Loyal Order of Waterbuffaloes? Who needs another civic organization? There's plenty of old orders like the Lions Club, the Elks, the Moose... who needs a new order... wait... NEW ORDER. Why are the names of bands creeping into my post today?

Maybe we are a League. That sounds pretty good until you think about other leagues. There's just too much responsibility attached to being a league. Little League expects you to play ball. Justice League expects you to save the World. Major League expects you to watch Bob Uecker. I can't go for that, no. No can do.

Is it an Association? Another band name... ugh... wait a sec...

We're a Band. That's all. We don't play any music. We're just together apart everywhere all through time. Cavemen included. Whew. At least there's not a band called "The Band"... oh wait... crap...