This Is My Rifle: Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself Posted by Jason James on 10/31/12 | Filed under This Is My Rifle, Opinion

As most of you may already know, I have decided to include a collection of articles I’ve written for Refined Hype in the form of an ebook with my upcoming album, “Pyramids In Stereo”.

As of this moment the album is on its way back from mastering, scheduled for release on November 28th, 2012. And because this is where it all began, I want to give the regular readers here the first official look at the cover and introduction. Basically, what I need is your input. Since this book will be going out for free download with the album, there will be a lot of people reading it who have never come across “This Is My Rifle” before and are unfamiliar with me outside of my music. So what I’m asking you to do is read the introduction below and dissect this shit to the bare bones. If you think it sucks, please by all means let me know. You can leave your opinion in the comments, tweet it to me, email me or send it as a hand written letter to my home address. However it has to be done, please do not hesitate to hate. This is my first attempt at putting a book together and I have to admit; I only kind of know what I’m doing.

Ok. Here it goes……

When I was first asked to contribute to RefinedHype.com as a weekly columnist, I was excited by the opportunity to submerge myself in the literary ocean and take on a new art form. As an avid reader of everything from geopolitics to metaphysics, I had always imagined myself someday growing beyond the boundaries of music and exploring my talent for writing in a much wider realm. At times I felt like music was too constrictive, a narrow dimension where rhythm and rhyme patterns were just as, if not more important than the message itself. In the years leading up to my debut as a columnist, I dabbled in writing blog entries on MySpace and Facebook but I usually only sat down and indulged myself when either frustration or anger would burn inside of me to such an intense degree that they would spill out onto my computer screen in a convoluted mess of spastic energy. But it was through those chaotic bursts of passion that I developed my own specific style of writing and began to understand proper grammatical structure. In those unbearable moments of disdain I learned how to focus that energy and present my ideas with fluidity. And to be perfectly honest, being a writer wasn't something that I actively pursued, much like my need to create musically, it was an obsessive compulsion that slowly evolved into a runaway train racing along the rails of my mind traveling to the pockets where my principles vigorously mold my identity.

I chose to name my column, "This Is Rifle" because it is my belief that the written word is the most powerful weapon known to man. It can be used to build, strengthen, enlighten, teach and enrich, but it can also be a tool for hatred, destruction, degradation and oppression. I have always been fascinated by the duality of language and the freedom it brings to the human species. I oftentimes find myself wondering where we would be without it or if we would even exist at all. How many monumental events in our history would be lost in the fabric of time had somebody not spoken about them or written them down. But I'm also aware of the limitations, cruel anomalies like trying to explain color to the blind or sound to the deaf. Perhaps the greatest measure of this would be the Holy Bible or the Qur'an; two magnificently written books that have positively inspired us for centuries while at the same time unleashing incomprehensible evil on our planet. This is, in my opinion, a shining example of both the excellence and arrogance contained within the human character.

The book you are about to read is not a cohesive story, rather, it is a collection of fragmented thoughts captured during a two-year period of my life. Although my perception of some of the topics I've covered has changed, I've resisted the temptation to go back and edit anything. I want this body of work to be a thorough analysis of not only the various subjects I chose to discuss, but of myself as well. I want you all to know me less as an artist and more as a person. While both of those titles are in strong relation to each other, there are aspects of my personality that are hard to convey in song and are easier to translate when outside of the restricted spaces between a kick and a snare drum. You will not always agree with what I have to say, I may even offend some of you, but I can promise that every single one of these articles was written with a great amount of effort and research.

In areas where I drift off and lose you in the thick haze of conspiracy, my good friend Joe "Masaro" Gianoglio has provided artwork to better illustrate ideas that might otherwise be misconstrued as paranoid schizophrenic delusions or a slight case of mental retardation. I have also included hand written lyrics from the songs on my latest album with Rodney Hazard, "Pyramids In Stereo". Aside from their natural relevance to the articles, I wanted to personalize the experience and bring you into my world completely.

Plus it drives me batshit fucking crazy when people misinterpret my songs and attempt to write out the lyrics. So here you go, no more guessing.

Sincerely,
Jason James

(Jason James is an artist, freelance columnist and writer for RefinedHype.com. You can listen/download his most recent album, "Marvelous World Of Color", here and you can contact him here and here.)

See Also: This Is My Rifle: The Death of My Hero, Russell Means