Saturday we will “celebrate” the 244th year of America being…. well what is it actually? Is it a collection of States who are all unique, a collective that acts as one, or is it an idea whose idea has come and past? It might feel like this is a new question, with all the stresses that we are undergoing currently – but take heart. I don’t plan to resolve this question this week – as I think that is unlikely. These questions existed before and after the Declaration, along with some myths we now call “Fake News”. And as much as I enjoy a good discussion about politics, the current season is too charged to really add much, actually similar to the times when this great country was founded. I think there are some interesting observations that we should invest our time in to guide us this week… directly from the middle …. Kansas…
… the state. The exact center of the geography we call The United States is about 2 miles northeast of Lebanon, Kansas. I haven’t driven through there, but I have driven through much of Kansas, highlighted by a Turnpike that had a sign “Next Exit 90 miles”. As the wheat literally was flying past me, I began to realize just how big this country is. I invested the time to drive across the whole thing with my son (we went just north of Lebanon through Nebraska), and it is something that I think every American should do at least once. Particularly as you get further away from the coasts, the terrain, and a lot of the divisions flatten out as the time and miles roll on. It is sad that it is now labeled “Fly Over” Country, and maybe with the virus more will actually drive through it and start to understand it. It was one of the things they tried to design in – how to allow those differences to continue where they could…
Kansas, the band, is one of my favorites. I was introduced in college by my roommate Wes who was from neighboring Oklahoma, and many hours were spent listening to them on travels up to Tulsa and back, 5 hours each way. Like many of the stories, they met in High School in and around Wichita(which we did drive through) and Topeka – an easy 2-hour drive – common to anyone from the midwest. People invest the time to actually go see each other, to really get to know the other person. That drive would be reasonable for a good dinner and time with friends… both directions. They eventually merged into what became the band that went on to have 7 in a row Gold albums, 2 of which were Quadruple platinum. But to get there, they had to be signed to a label, and that meant getting someone to come out – to Ellinwood Kansas – 2 hours the OTHER direction.
In the early days, they would travel in a station wagon – 6 of them – AND their equipment. And they were completely broke. I remember a story that they learned they could get by on corn dogs – every day, every meal. All that time they honed a sound that was really unique – particularly for a band that had a violin player and word coveralls.. and didn’t play country. They sent a demo tape to New York, and it landed with Don Kirschner – the man that produced the Monkees (and the Archies), and their unique sound caught their ear. They were taking the time to fly out to see them. The problem is – their crowds were – their families mostly 😉 So to make it appear they had a following, the identified that town in Western Kansas had an old Opera house – with great acoustics. And they could rent it – for $150… leaving money for them to offer Free Beer. Within 200 miles, every telephone pole had a sign, and for that one night, those fans invested their time (in at least the beer) and they had the following they needed.
Think back to those 56 men that gathered on the East Coast. A fun myth is the men that signed it were “old and wise”… actually their average age was 44, and a dozen were under 35. They also spent time together when a day’s ride was maybe 40 miles… more like 25 if the terrain was hilly as was the East Coast. So many many miles and days to get to Philadelphia – the middle of the “colonies” Leveraging the many different approaches and talents, with time they slowly found a direction that could be taken – together. They forged a common voice, a clear vision, and like Kansas, enough guts to try. And like the very first beat of the very first Kansas album, it is a sound that is still rippling through each of us… our collective ability to talk through conflicts – by taking time to see and hear each other. “If you expect the Freedom, that you say is yours, prove that you deserve, help to preserve it, or being free will just be, words and nothing more” Can I Tell You?
