Kasher has a very close relationship with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. They grew up in Nebraska together, went to the same Catholic high school, Creighton Prep. It is rumored that Tim taught Oberst to play guitar. In the Bright Eyes song, "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" Oberst sings, "yeah Tim I heard your album and it's better than good. When you get off tour I think we should hang and black out together." (referring to the album Black Out by The Good Life, released in 2002 on Saddle Creek Records.) Furthermore, Oberst later sang backup on the song "Staying Alive," from Cursive's 2003 effort The Ugly Organ.
Kasher temporarily disbanded Cursive after the departure of guitarist Steve Pedersen (who left to pursue a law degree at Duke University. He now leads the Saddle Creek band Criteria). He married and moved to Portland, Oregon. According to interviews, Kasher went through a bitter divorce in 2000, which led to the regrouping of Cursive, as well as providing the inspiration for The Good Life album Black Out, and Cursive's Domestica.
The Good Life was originally planned to be a solo project. Kasher wanted to experiment with different types of lyrics and melodies. He released Novena on a Nocturn on Better Looking Records. He then recruited Ryan Fox, Roger Lewis and Stephanie Drootin into the band and released Black Out, Lovers Need Lawyers EP and Album of the Year.
Kasher created a another record with Cursive which was released in August 2006, entitled Happy Hollow. In 2009, Cursive released their latest effort, 'Mama, I'm Swollen'. The Good Life, despite a near breakup in late 2005, returned to the studio to release the album, 'Help Wanted Nights' in September 2007.
Under his own name, Tim Kasher recorded a song called "Stranger Than Strangers" which was released on a compilation CD called "My Favorite Songwriters." He released the solo album 'The Game of Monogamy' in 2010, and a follow-up disc of songs from that session called 'Bigamy', in 2011.
American Lit
Tim Kasher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And though I'm not sure what it is
I'm sure it's funny as hell
And tragic and dramatic
And personal and universal
It's about a boy with stars in his eyes
Or, maybe just a man whose
Whichever one it is
It's essential I get it just right
Because we are great Americans!
Our novels need to be written
My point of view must be heard
I'll set my soapbox on the mountaintop
And bark out every word
And the echoes will bellow and billow
Over this great Earth
Or, am I missing the point?
A view from the top
Could overlook the hoi polloi
In the trenches with the henchmen
Is the benchmark of experience
Because we are great Americans
Our novels need to be written
And then the book becomes a film
And then the film becomes
A modern masterpiece
(This is my acceptance speech)
And when our bones are burned to ashes
And great, great grandkids are doing acid
They'll give two shits about all this
Insipid brilliance
But don't get angry, don't get discouraged
Our constant efforts are more than worth it
We have our voices
Singularly we sing:
"Yes, we are great Americans!
Our novels need to be written!"
So what if they end up with a microfiche
At least they landed
In the annals of our libraries
And then the book becomes a film
And then the film becomes
A modern masterpiece
(This is my acceptance speech)
The song "American Lit" by Tim Kasher is a commentary on the American Dream, and the desire of individual expression and success through creativity. Kasher talks about someone who has a story to tell, but isn't sure what it is exactly. They might be a boy or a man, but what is important is that their point of view must be heard. He sees writing and storytelling as a way to simulate the American Dream, to make one's self heard, original, and distinctive. But do others care, and will he reach the top of the mountain, or will he be just another writer adding volume to the library's ghost shelves, even if so, the effort is worth it.
Kasher reminds his listeners that while individual voices can be lost in time, the sense of creation is itself a purpose. It gives life meaning, even if it is temporary, and that makes it a worthwhile endeavor. It is a commentary on the cyclical nature of writing and creativity. The desire for artistic self-expression is never-ending, but what is important is that people strive for it anyway, whether if they manage to reach their target audience or not.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a story to tell
I have something to say
And though I'm not sure what it is
I don't know exactly what it is yet
I'm sure it's funny as hell
It's going to be humorous
And tragic and dramatic
It's also going to have serious elements
And personal and universal
It's going to be relatable for many people
It's about a boy with stars in his eyes
It's a story about someone with big dreams
Or, maybe just a man whose
Or maybe it's about someone who's already grown up
Dreams were never realized
And they never got to achieve their goals
Whichever one it is
Either way, it's important that I tell it right
It's essential I get it just right
It's crucial that I tell this story well
Because we are great Americans!
It's important for Americans to write great stories
Our novels need to be written
It's important that we create written works of art
My point of view must be heard
I have a unique perspective that needs to be shared
I'll set my soapbox on the mountaintop
I'll make sure everyone can hear me
And bark out every word
I'll speak my truth loudly and confidently
And the echoes will bellow and billow
My message will reverberate far and wide
Over this great Earth
All around the world
Or, am I missing the point?
But maybe I'm not seeing things clearly
A view from the top
Maybe speaking from a position of power isn't the right approach
Could overlook the hoi polloi
It might make me miss what really matters
In the trenches with the henchmen
Sometimes it's important to be down in the thick of things
Is the benchmark of experience
Because that's where true perspective comes from
And when our bones are burned to ashes
When we're long gone
And great, great grandkids are doing acid
And future generations are living very different lives
They'll give two shits about all this
People won't care about what we've done
Insipid brilliance
Even if our achievements were great at the time
But don't get angry, don't get discouraged
But that's no reason to give up
Our constant efforts are more than worth it
We should keep trying regardless
We have our voices
We have the power to speak up
Singularly we sing:
Each of us has our own story to tell
"Yes, we are great Americans!
We should take pride in our national identity
Our novels need to be written!"
And we should create great works of art
So what if they end up with a microfiche
Even if our stories become forgotten over time
At least they landed
At least we created something
In the annals of our libraries
And it will be preserved for future generations
And then the book becomes a film
And our stories may become adapted into other forms
And then the film becomes
And those forms may become iconic works of art
A modern masterpiece
And we may create something great that transcends time
(This is my acceptance speech)
This is what I would say if I was being recognized for creating a truly great work of art.
Contributed by Micah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kilgore Trout
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Kilgore Trout
Yay!