September/October 2003 Issue

Misfits, Celebrated in Song

Chronicling the lives of misfits, the Drive-By Truckers dwell on despair, but never give in to it.

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A bracing cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Flannery O’Connor, this quintet of self-described “big, loud Southern men” has produced a raw, riveting masterpiece. The Drive-By Truckers specialize in stark portraits of misfits who can’t get past their limitations but aren’t about to give up trying. It’s exhilarating to encounter the emotion of “Sink Hole,” a failed farmer’s tirade against the bank, or “Do It Yourself,” the angry response to a friend’s suicide, however grim the sentiments. Amid the turmoil, a healthy dose of wry black humor keeps despair at bay, just barely. Memorable lyric: “Rock ‘n’ roll means well / But it can’t help tellin’ young boys lies.”

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

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So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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