I wasn’t able to get away from work and attend in person, but my good friend, and former bandmate, Pete Larson, who often leaves comments on this site, was awarded his PhD on Friday afternoon. I am incredibly proud of him. A lot of people that I know bemoan how shitty their lives are, but very few have the follow-though to actually do something about it. To see Pete, over the course of the past dozen years or so, go from working a job that he said was killing him, to become an authority on the prevention of infectious diseases in Africa, has been an incredibly inspiring thing to see unfold. And I could not possibly be any happier for him.
As for Pete’s PhD defense, he’s lucky that I wasn’t able to attend, as my intention was to blast the following once the papers had been signed and everything had been made official.
That’s Pete singing, for those of you who didn’t already surmise as much. The piece is called “Alright,” and, if I’m not mistaken, it’s one of the first songs that he and I wrote in the basement of 502 Catherine Street, along with Dan Richardson and Matt Krizowsky, as Prehensile Monkeytailed Skink.
As I’ve never seen anyone get their PhD, I don’t know exactly how it happens, but I imagine that it’s something like that scene at the end of The Wizard of Oz, where Oz the Great and Powerful hands the Scarecrow a diploma, pronounces him a Doctor of Thinkology, and explains to him that it’s receiving the credential that makes one educated. (I have this wonderful image in my mind of Pete being handed his diploma and suddenly putting his extended index finger to his temple and reeling off all kinds of technical jargon as though it’s just come to him in a flash.)
At any rate, I thought that I should mention this recent change which Pete’s undergone, as his comments on the site from now on are likely to be exponentially more brilliant and insightful than they have been in the past.
One more thing… I don’t know if Pete will pursue it, but he and I have been kicking around an idea which we think may cut down on the spread of malaria in Africa. The idea arose out of a conversation that we had over lunch a few weeks ago, upon his return form doing field research in Kenya on the use of insecticide treated bed nets. During the course of our conversation, Pete mentioned that, according to his research, a surprisingly large percentage of people don’t use bed nets because they feel as though malaria is spread by way of witchcraft, rather than by mosquito. Well, upon hearing that, it occurred to me that, if you could convince people that bed nets actually served as barriers to witchcraft, that the end result could be increased usage, and decreased instances of malaria. As I scientist, I don’t know that he so much liked the idea of playing upon superstitions, and marketing something as “witch-proof,” but he conceded that it might be a test worth running. And, from there, we began talking about other possibilities, such as imprinting the nets, which are given away freely by a number of non-profits doing work in the country, with images of famous football players, revered spiritual figures, and musicians like Bob Marley, who, according to Pete, still has quite the following in Africa. At any rate, Pete and I pitched the idea on Friday night, over coffee, to a the director of a Japanese research group doing work in Africa. I suspect it’s highly unlikely that we’ll get any traction with it, but, as I very much like the idea, I thought that it was worth mentioning here… just in case anyone from the Gates Foundation might be reading.
Those interested in getting to know Doctor Larson better are encouraged to check out his website, which, among other things, contains some great information on African heavy metal. And, if you still want more, a video interview that I did with him not too long ago can be found here. And, if it’s the music that you want more of, here are links to two more of the songs we recorded back in ’92 or so: Anarchy is Stupid, Face Like A Piranha. Both, I think you’ll agree, are classics.
Good work, Pete.
18 Comments
I’m so proud of our boy. He’s all grown up. (Seriously, congratulations! I would still like to throw you a party or at least treat you to beer :))
You should have all been given PhDs for your work in Skink.
And this, by the way, is the first image that comes up when you Google “African witch”.
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/wp-content/blogs.dir/472/files/2012/04/i-7b9f07b8f2ede4f5f9a1fb08b658da21-African_witch_doctor_poster.jpg
Thanks, Mark, this is really kind. I must admit that I am in open competition with all of the members of Prehensile Monkeytailed Skink, except for Matt, who is the clear winner.
And Patti, I’ll have to take you up on that.
Now, all I need is a job!
Was I the only one disappointed by Dr. Larson’s comment? I was expecting his first post-PhD comment to be heavily footnoted, mostly in German, and including several references to obscure academic proceedings.
Usually, when you’re confronted by a Soundcloud track, you can see some variation in the volume/intensity. This track, however, is just a solid block of grey. Should I be afraid to listen? Is it just one long, protracted scream? Do I need to leave my office and listen in the parking lot?
You know who else had a PhD from Michigan?
I would totally watch a reality show shot in Africa called “Dr. Peter Larson – Witch Hunter.”
Clearly a Skink tour of Africa is called for.
Word is that people will be gathering at 8:30 tonight at Old Town to grill the good Doctor on his research.
Could you also infuse your bed net with technology that would prevent penis theft? If so, you might really be on to something.
Read more:
http://www.psmag.com/magazines/march-april-2013/genital-theft-africa-central-african-republic-53341
“Kapooya!”
Congratulations, Peter!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLX2tAPy0jU
And, whatever you do, don’t shake Peter’s hand at Old Town tonight. Your penis will shirk.
Congratulations, Dr. Larson!
It’s not just penises that shrink around Peter Larson. It’s been my experience that lady bits shrink as well.
This, however, takes nothing away from his awesome accomplishment.
Congratulations, Peter.
Coincidentally, Pete’s old bandmate Jim Magas (Couch) likewise just went though a transformation. He called a press conference in Chicago to let the world know that he he was embarking on a new direction.
Apparently, according to him, audiences no longer wanted to hear his voice.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-28/entertainment/ct-ott-0301-magas-local-sounds-20130228_1_electronic-music-instrumental-music-songs
Thank you, everyone.
Magas is the new Madonna.
I saw the address 502 Catherine in your blog, and I did a quick doubletake. My very first apartment ever was a summer sublet at 602 Catherine back in the summer of 1992, right before my junior year at U of M. What year did you live at 502? (I spent a second realizing that our Catherine St. in Ypsilanti does not have addresses in the 500’s, so you were definitely talking about the Deuce).
…And it was cool to find this blog as I have been enjoying Peter’s comments for a little while now and didn’t know ya’ll are old skool friends. :-)
Mark, you deserve an honorary doctorate in “Shootin’ the Shit.” lol Thx for all the great blogs. AT first i didn’t read your page cuz i thought you might be one of those pretentious, wanna-be yuppie republicans in sheep’s clothing trying to take over the town, but now i c u r the antithesis of that. :-)
Check out these YouTube Channels for gr8 info (i am not affilitated in any way with): TheLifeRegenerator, OKraw, FullyRawKristina, DurianRider, FreeleeTheBananaGirl, TannyRaw, HappyHealthyVegan, & VegetablePolice. Peace!
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