Civilization is but a thin veneer stretched across the passions of the human heart. — Bill Moyers

Property is theft! — Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

Ask for work. If they don’t give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread. —  Emma Goldman

It doesn’t take much to set people off. If one without wealth believes that their never-existent possessions were stolen from them on a rigged roulette wheel, then the justification for burning down the casino is self-evident. The Zippo Lighter of Justice is always clutched in the pocket, ready to be whipped out and applied to society.

In the hot summer of 1977, a simple power outage ignited widespread civil disobedience in New York City. Looting and arson were among the frequently-enjoyed activities among those out for an evening stroll. But – tugging on a more pleasant bit of twine – the liberation of sound equipment, turntables, and mixing boards has been credited with providing an economic stimulus for the nascent hip-hop genre.

Wild Flowers of America joins in the urban immolation with ‘Freak on the Street,’ an ode to joyous anger driven not by socioeconomic aspirations – social revolutions are, by definition, a group activity – and more by the personal weirdness of the garden-variety crazed loner. After burning down the candy store, they want to proudly plant a salvation store sneaker on the smoldering ashes and say I did it my way.

Just light a match
And let ’em all burn down
‘Til I’m the only one
Left in this town

‘Freak on the Street’ is an anthem that rebels of all stripes, from Robert La Follette down to the kid who refuses to do his class presentation because PowerPoint is the tool of the corporate patriarchy, can happily sing in the shower.

Things I love about this song… The clicking rhythm guitar, from a planet orbiting somewhere between ‘Baba O’Riley’ and every song from the Cars first album. The massed vocals, perhaps a mob storming the bar with the best craft-brewed IPA or maybe the several personalities of the singer. The Farfisa organ. I mean, you have to be a really bad person not to love a Farfisa. And the drums that hit with the urgency of a British brigade low on ammo and late for evening tea.

Wild Flowers of America is the solo project of Perry Shall of Philadelphia PA. ‘Freak on the Street’ appears on his new ten-song album, Lost in the Salvation Army. The album was produced by the good folks at Crutch of Memory, aka America’s most elusive musical enterprise. On Lost in the Salvation Army, Perry (vocals, lead and rhythm guitar) is joined by COM’s Amos Pitsch (bass guitar, drums, lead and rhythm guitar, percussion, vocals), Julia Blair (keyboards, vocals), and Colin Wilde (drums).

Lost in the Salvation Army is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Be sure to follow Perry Shall and Wild Flowers of America on Twitter and Instagram. And check out other releases from Crutch of Memory, including albums by Tim Buchanan, Dream Interpreter, and Black Thumb.