Primal Screamers

Los Angeles 1983

playing drums in a 5-piece with me

were Rick on bass Arthur Janov's son

and Barry a New York shrink on lead guitar

both employed at the pseudoscience

Primal Center in Santa Monica

(another black hole if not for clients)

where unfazed seeing nothing amiss

about gazing daily into the abyss

there was endless self-examination

sitting on the sofa or slouching on a couch

encouraged to neuroses extermination

patients were heard to scream yell

and shout it all out in a padded cell

on 4th July after playing our last song

with the final notes ringing still hanging in the air

hoping both their heart and soul they'd bare

and the rehearsal all wrongs and wounds would heal

I asked the band's two psychotherapists,

"How does that make you feel?"

Whereupon I was strongly instructed immediately

in a two-word response to kindly depart the vicinity

Mark  —  Martin  —  Rick  —  Tony  —  Barry

vocals — drums — bass — keyboards — guitar

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