Gratitude

Back in 1621 the white man shared the first Thanksgiving feast with the Wampanoag Indians.  It was basically an act of gratitude because without the Wampanoag, those stupid white folks would have all perished of exposure, scurvy and contagious disease outbreaks before half of them even set foot off the deck of the Mayflower.  Those Indians brought five deer to the party and I am sure they enjoyed themselves very much.  Good thing too, because a short century later they would be victims of early Germ Warfare when Jeffrey Amherst would supply them with small-pox infected blankets.  And everyone is aware of the controversial reality of modern Native American reservations.  But, that's neither here nor there.  Grab yourself some Green Bean Casserole and put some extra whipped cream on that slice of pumpkin pie while you enjoy:

5 Songs About Native American Indians

1.  "White Man"  Queen - A Day at the Races

A Night at the Opera is well known because the album includes the overplayed song Bohemian Rhapsody.  I think the companion album, A Day at the Races is much better.  It has one of my favorites, a track called "Drowse" that absolutely encapsulates a lazy Sunday afternoon and the feelings from those teenage days when your innocence is long gone but you are not yet faced with the burden of being an adult.  White Man, written by Brian May is the second track on side B.  It's definitely not his best and it's pretty heavy handed with the cliches but still confirms that Brian May is one of the most underrated guitarists of all time.

2.  "Indians"  Anthrax - Among the Living

In Junior High I wore a denim jacket regardless of the weather.  I ran the earphones from my Walkman up the sleeve and I would cup them in my palm and then rest my head in my hand with my elbow on the desk in a typical bored classroom position.  It looked like I was paying attention but really I was rocking the fuck out!  No wonder I suck at math and geography.  Among the Living was a tape I pretty much wore out along with Megadeth's Peace Sells... But Who's Buying and Eddie Murphy's Delirious.  Indians is pure thrash metal goodness with Joey Belladonna shrieking shit like "Even though they know how much their live are really missin, we're dissin them".

3.  "Run to the Hills"  Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast

Iron Maiden!  It's awesome that Iron Maiden's twin guitar assaults are paired with lyrics that have been inspired by history, film and literature instead of some typically asinine doom/gloom/sex metal bullshit.  The Number of the Beast was Bruce Dickinson's first effort with the band after replacing Di'Anno.  Run to the Hills is an epic song with lyrics depicting both sides of the war between Native Americans and the evil White Man.

4.  "Castles Made of Sand"  Jimi Hendrix -  Axis: Bold As Love

This album was playing the first time I ever smoked pot.  Track two, Side two of the Album is Castles Made of Sand, known for it's insanely weird backwards solo.  I love the second verse about a young Indian Brave whose dreams of becoming a fearless Indian Chief are cut short.

5.  "Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky"  Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk

I almost didn't include this one because I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I used to like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Whatever, fuck it.  This was the first album of theirs that I bought.  I still liked them through Blood Sugar Sex Magic then I pretty much woke up.  Hearing anything from their current, radio friendly abortions, makes me want to grab the nearest implement I can find that can be used to stab my fucking eardrums into ruin.  You would think that although I no longer like this band, I could still go back and at least get some nostalgia listening to those old albums.  Not the case at all.  When I listen to Mother's Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magic or Uplift Mofo Party Plan, I fucking cringe at how terrible that shit is.  They are the embodiment of everything that sucks about mainstream music.

SHP Bonus Video:  This song is less about Indians then it is about making sweet love to those hot, all-natural 70's chicks.  Check out the full Indian feather headdress Steve Priest is rocking.  So good.