Self Destructive Zones – Drive By Truckers

The Drive By Truckers first post-Isbell record, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is one of their best. There are plenty of songs to highlight and it was hard to choose just one for today’s post, but before I got into this album in it’s entirety, “Self Destructive Zones” was a favorite Truckers tune of mine. Penned and sang by my favorite Trucker, Mike Cooley, who I’ve written about a good bit on the blog, “Self Destructive Zones” is a song that I have spent a good deal of time on pondering the lyrics. I still am not really sure myself, but one of the few interpretations I’ve seen (Not from anyone in DBT) that I think hits fairly close to the mark is taking the song as the story of an ever evolving music scene in a small southern town, or area, more likely. (The Shoals) With that in mind, the first three verses are a masterpiece of story telling.

It was 1990 give or take I don’t remember
When the news of revolution hit the air
The girls hadn’t even started taking down our posters
When the boys started cutting off their hair
The radio stations all decided angst was finally old enough
It ought to have a proper home
Dead fat or rich nobody’s left to bitch
About the goings’ on in self destructive zones

The night the practice room caught fire
There were rumors of a dragon headed straight for Muscle Shoals
“Stoner tries to save an amplifier”
And it’s like the dragon’s side of the story is never told
When the dream and the man and the girls hang around long enough
To make you think it’s coming true,
It’s easier to let it all die a fairy tale,
Than admit that something bigger is passing through

The hippies rode a wave putting smiles on faces,
That the devil wouldn’t even put a shoe
Caught between a generation dying from its habits,
And another thinking rock and roll was new
Till the pawn shops were packed like a backstage party,
Hanging full of pointy ugly cheap guitars
And the young’uns all turned to karaoke,
Hanging all their wishes upon disregarded stars

The Truckers, as a unit, are so good at telling stories through their albums, all the while retaining each songwriter’s unique style. Patterson’s words usually are straightforward, raw, sometimes shocking, with no holding back. (Much like his vocals) His lyrics have just as much impact, and possibly more prominence in certain albums. (The Dirty South, SRO) Isbell takes a more “refined” approach as a writer; I’ve gushed about him before. I truly believe he will be remembered as a John Prine-like figure. I would consider him a master songwriter these days, having honed his craft during his time with the Truckers. He was writing some of his best while in the band, all before he even turned 30. (Outfit, Goddamn Lonely Love, Decoration Day) Since his departure, he has only ascended even higher in my book. That brings us back to Cooley. Mike Cooley keeps the Truckers grounded. He retains their southern identity. The more I listen to Cooley, the more I tend to lean towards labeling him as one of the most underrated lyricists that hail from the South, maybe even the whole country. He is almost a blend of Hood’s and Isbell’s respective styles into his own thing—or thaang, rather, if we want to be technical. Songs like “Zip City” or even today’s pick, “Self Destructive Zones,” are great examples of this mix of styles, but there are so many examples of just absolutely incredible lines throughout his catalogue. Perhaps one day I’ll dedicate a post to my favorite lines from the “Stroker Ace.”

The final verse of Self-Destructive Zones differentiates itself from the rest of the song, but still is one of my favorites.

My Grandaddy’s shotgun is locked in a closet
And it never shot a thing that could have lived
An old man decided that you couldn’t choose your poison
Till you’re nearly old enough to vote for him
They turned what was into something so disgusting
Even wild dogs would disregard the bones
Dead fat or rich nobody’s left to bitch
About the goings on in self destructive zones

Audio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aBHGMW00gQ&list=RD5aBHGMW00gQ&start_radio=1

Live full band – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVvCS26Uyn0&list=RDIVvCS26Uyn0&start_radio=1

Live acoustic trio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wOwdzpV-6k&list=RD4wOwdzpV-6k&start_radio=1