Day 8: The appeal of MTH

"Don't you ever forget us! We'll never forget you!" -- outro to The Saturday Gigs (1974)

Pretty much all of us who are traveling from the United States to the United Kingdom for the MTH reunion shows next week (!!) have gotten the same reaction from friends who aren't as attached to the band.

They think we're nuts.

I've gotten that look. Probably you have too.

Why are you going all the way over there? Who?

And there's no point explaining. They never heard of the band, don't know the songs, aren't interested. Their idea of loyalty to a band is paying $200 for a second-deck seat to see U2 in a football stadium.

In a perverse way, though, those cockeyed looks we get are part of the appeal. This band is ours, not everybody's. While others, many others, were banging their heads to Deep Purple or meditating to Yes, our hearts were touched by this band.

Not interested? Your loss.

MTH were not the finest musicians, were not larger-than-life characters, certainly were not trendy. For so many of us in the U.S., they broke up just as we were taking notice.

But Ian Hunter's songwriting lasts because he gave of himself in the lyrics. Back in the '70s, songs like "I Wish I Was Your Mother," "Hymn for the Dudes," "Through the Looking Glass," I knew reflected Hunter's thoughts and experiences. They were more than just words that rhymed, more than lyrics meant merely to shock, more than profound-sounding lyrics that upon reflection meant nothing (Tales from Topographic Oceans, anyone?).

And so they meant more to me.

There was always something wise about MTH, a knowing, often bleak view of the world. There was an "It's all going to hell, but we can still smile a bit" feel -- surely you've heard "Pearl N Roy?"

And the earthiness of the MTH members created a special bond. These were people just like us, except on the stage, not sitting in front of the stage. And so, we tried to climb on the stage. And hey, we got thrown off. So what?

I liked Hunter's remarks in Mojo magazine to the effect that MTH fans have always felt just as responsible as the band for the success of a performance. If they have a good show, we all do. If they fail, we all do. That's the way it will be next week.

I return to outro of "The Saturday Gigs," the farewell song of 1974, specifically the "Goodbye!" sequence that must put a lump in your throat if you care about the band:

"We're just going to sleep for a while.
You be good, right?
See you again sometime!"

Finally next week, that sometime is here.

They've kept the promise.

And we've kept the faith.