5 Bumperstickers
An interview project that offers glimpses of American culture and society, by asking people about bumperstickers.
5 Bumperstickers
Paul Safar - Peace Through Music
Exploring the narratives behind bumper stickers reveals deeper connections to our identity, artwork, and community. Paul Safar and I unpack the meaning of these expressive stickers while discussing the importance of valuing artistic work, community, and shared experiences in Eugene, Oregon.
• The cultural significance of bumper stickers in Eugene
• Artwork means work: The value of artistic professions
• Humorous takes on parental pride revealed through stickers
• Community engagement and friendships fostered in Eugene
• Anecdotes about UFOs and shared mysteries
• Final reflections on music as a powerful connector
https://paulvsafar.wordpress.com/home/
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Here we are with Paul Safar, a great piano composer from Eugene Oregon. And yeah, besides music, I also would like to ask you. So, Paul, do you have a bumper sticker, like behind your?
Speaker 2:car. That is so funny. You ask that I used to have bumper stickers on my cars various cars when I was younger. Oh, and a number of them, I think. I maybe remember a few of what they said, a few of them. But the last 10 years or so I have gotten away from that. I don't have them anymore, and I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it felt too much like a billboard, or I'm trying to be less political, because sometimes they're political.
Speaker 1:I don't know. Yeah, you mean like when you're driving, like, driving around, like you kind of want to be a little bit uh, just uh going by and not not. Yeah, not like.
Speaker 2:I find them. I find them interesting, though we're not on other people's cars, on others, yeah yeah, this is why, uh, so it's.
Speaker 1:I've been in eugene almost, uh, nine years and, um, actually I didn't look for bumper stickers, but they, they came to me. You know so because, like, for example, when there is a red light, yeah, so I see a bumper sticker in front and I and I say wow. So this person in front is trying to express me something and, uh, it allows me to um enter, even like in the, the way he or she thinks or the way he's here. They or they see the society, the place where they live. Are they okay with where they live? Or are they just saying, hey, you are here in the worst town in America, or you are so lucky because we have all these mountains.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's interesting, yeah, and some cars have piled on many, many bumper stickers right, lots and lots of them, and some maybe just have one important something to them perhaps.
Speaker 1:And I found also someone that they just bought the car so the bumper sticker doesn't really like say anything about them. It was the previous owner.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:But anyway. So yeah, we're going to do. This interview project is just basically to like if we were walking around, or driving around Eugene, yeah, like if we were walking around or driving around Eugene.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I think that every city, every state, even every area and even any you know, even in Barcelona, you would find different bumper stickers. So the ones that I found and we're going to talk about are just basically in Eugene, oregon, okay, so, for example, if I turn around here, I find one that says this one, for example, says it could be related to you. It says artwork means work. So what do you think that this person would put this? Is it just an artist trying to say, hey, hey, you think I'm not working? Yeah, I'm actually working. And you, you as an artist also.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've not seen that one, but that resonates with me because I think it is easy in this society for the general public to say that artists, you know, if somebody defines themselves as an artist of any type musician or painter that it's kind of more of a hobby kind of thing and you're not really serious and you're like no schedule, yeah, and maybe and perhaps you shouldn't necessarily make money off of it or people shouldn't pay accordingly. You know what I mean. So to me that bumper sticker maybe is empowering to artists to say, hey, we, we should be worth, you know, spending the money.
Speaker 1:If you hire a pianist for a concert, you know, pay them well or a lesson, or yeah yeah interesting yeah, maybe he or she was a painter or somebody that that felt, yeah, somehow the the situation one time when they said, hey, go to work, what are you doing, why are you painting of this? And then, but so did it happen to you, using this bumper sticker, for example? Um, when you decided to be a well, an artist, a composer, is it something that you always wanted to do? Or or it just uh came, oh, that's another question.
Speaker 2:yeah, no, I think I'm one of those rare people. Maybe I've been doing very similar things. You know, it's evolved over my life, but I've basically been a musician, you know, my entire life and I think I even remember in high school saying you know, I could picture myself being a small scale, not world famous, but kind of a small town jack of all trades musician. And, lo and behold, it seems like that's kind of what I've become.
Speaker 1:So you really, you know, yeah, kind of sticking with it.
Speaker 2:I'm stubborn. I'm stubborn, you know, and I do. Regarding that bumper sticker, you know I value my role as a musician. You know my day job is teaching piano lessons, but I also carve out time in my schedule like even just meeting you here yeah, the last hour. You know when I'm in the morning I'm fresh. I do whatever work I need to do, whether it's composing or arranging or kind of more the business end of my music and trying to get my music out there.
Speaker 1:So I view it like a like anybody else's job, self-employed so you would agree, you would agree with this bumper sticker, that all right? Bueno, pues, at least yes, because, uh, with paul we practice our spanish and and he's learning not just catalan but also the catalalan melodies. So, if we keep on looking, for example I know, and this is just all random, you know for example, that's what I love from bumper stickers that you are really in your box, you know, box with wheels, with your problems.
Speaker 1:And then, pam, there's this one that says hey, oh, sorry to interject. No, no, no, my mind sometimes moves too quickly.
Speaker 2:I remember seeing a bumper sticker, maybe 20 years ago, and I'm sure you've seen it too, and it says not all who wander are lost or truly lost. I haven't, yeah, I haven't. That inspired me to write a song. Oh my gosh, it's not a fantastic song, it's like a pop song I wrote again maybe 15, 20 years ago, and that's the first line. It's something like Not all who wander are truly lost. I can't remember.
Speaker 1:I have to dig it out of my archives Of course I do want to put because I do want to put under the interview some link of your music, music, thank you. This is going to be, yeah, this one, uh, uh, um, it goes also with uh, like keep it wild, or something, or yeah, in in order. Actually, the last interview, um, uh, we did talk about this one, yeah. And there is another one that I find here that says on my way to cry near a lighthouse, on my way to cry To cry, on my way to cry near a lighthouse, wow, so isn't it? And it probably was heading to the coast. So it's like is it somebody that is not having a very good day? Huh, is very sad.
Speaker 2:Well, maybe, or my first reaction could be that it's um sad, but but that's a therapeutic thing. Right To maybe go like that.
Speaker 1:The lighthouse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Maybe the light or the, you know it's romantic or or kind of a place of healing on the coast.
Speaker 1:We keep on driving around Eugene, you know, we find several bumper stickers like, for example life is good, life is good, is life good for you?
Speaker 2:I think almost every town that has a little bit of a progressive feel, like Eugene or Portland, or maybe like Austin, texas. They probably all have the bumper sticker that says keep blank weird right. Like keep Eugene weird, keep Portland weird, keep Austin weird.
Speaker 1:I found Austin here too. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So what does that mean to you?
Speaker 1:Well, it's interesting More than the word. Weird is like keep it, like, let it be, you know, Like if Portland is like this who are you, who is somebody to change the way, the character, the character of the city, you know? Yeah, and there's another one that says proud parent of a D student.
Speaker 2:That's nice. Oh, that reminds me of some of the ones I've seen with the mileage of marathons.
Speaker 1:Oh, I haven't seen them.
Speaker 2:Do you know well, they're not really bumper stickers, but they just have the number of miles, like 20, what is it 21? I should know I've run a half marathon 13.1?, so it's 13.3, whatever it is. Yeah and then they write them there, yeah it shows that, that I think it shows that the person driving the car has done the marathon, or maybe it's 100 miles. You know, like those ultra runners, they'll have like 50 or 100, or maybe in kilometers, so anyway, but some of them have 0.0 like I was having my my coffee there, like I'm not.
Speaker 2:I'm not a runner, I'm not gonna be one, and I'm okay with that you know like I'm proud to like you don't have to. To me it's kind of like an in your face thing a little bit maybe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I like it because these bumper stickers, they allow you to uh turn the thing around, you know, like, for example oh uh, daughter, I'm sorry, mother of a daughter, you know, state champion right, yeah, the straight a student and then the d student and then yeah, yeah, it's, it's allows you.
Speaker 2:You can see really who is really, who finds their own bubble and is super proud of more conservative, of what the driver thinks and says, like, don't get close to me because I have a big pickup, you know yeah, I remember when I when I was younger and I had more bumper stickers and maybe I was more aware of similar ones with people driving around because I've lived in Eugene 30 years Mine tended to be more environmental, environmentalism. You know, live simply so others can simply live, or anti-war things, or there's an. Einstein quote. I forget what that is, but yeah, or mines are like parachutes they only function when open.
Speaker 1:You know a quote like almost quote like hack, hack, three, three hager yeah yeah, yeah, because this is this what made you uh it was a big part of my identity.
Speaker 2:I mean it still is decide eugene to stay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, to some extent.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, the the forests, saving the old growth forests. Here I was not terribly active, but my heart was very much in that movement when I first moved here, and now I don't do that much, but maybe I'll raise money at my concerts for the organizations that do the work or things like that there's one that says be community, just like this, be community.
Speaker 1:Do you think that nowadays, well, or is it important to be community? And where do you live? Do you feel like you have a good community? I do.
Speaker 2:I feel very lucky with that. Yeah, very much, very much. Very much so yeah, and Eugene and Oregon itself too. But as I get older, you see, the whole world is kind of small in its own weird way. You know, like coincidence. Well, even meeting you. Yeah, you know, gentleman from Barcelona. Yeah, yeah, gentleman from.
Speaker 1:Barcelona. Yeah, yeah, the community for us, for the Catalans, has been also very important always, because it's how we just, you know, usually you live in this flat that uses all your life, all your days, like in the street, festivals, festival shows all that, yeah, and it's, it's, it's from what I say.
Speaker 1:Everybody says that Eugene compared to other cities. I mean I've been still, there's still communities still that I've been lucky compared to other communities that Eugene is or used to have these it comes actually from all this hippie culture to know that it was that it created a lot of community here yeah, I think a combination of my experience is that a lot of people are very, just, naturally friendly here, maybe because of that influence, I don't know very open.
Speaker 2:You know you like to talk and they kind of befriend you easily. Plus, I think there are a lot of I mean, I think all I think there are a lot of I mean I think all I think really honestly, a lot of places in America are similar. Okay, even in small town, harder and bigger towns maybe, but like Eugene's, a nice medium sized city, and there are a lot of organizations and groups that try to build community. You know include people and work and help, help each other out. And build community. You know meaning include people and work and help each other out and non-profits and you know arts groups and things like that. So I guess that's a big discussion right there.
Speaker 2:What defines community what?
Speaker 1:defines. Yeah, because nowadays even you can have community in your cell phone you know like how many likes you have.
Speaker 2:I'd much rather it be in person. Yeah, for me for me.
Speaker 1:Uh, that's why I like this project, because it's about having a conversation with somebody and and not just uh.
Speaker 2:You know, uh like, like uh talking, having this tea, and uh, and I find it and I find it hard to have a conversation like in the context of a social media, yeah, like at least on facebook or something like that where it's like you put something out there, but then yeah, you're not, you're not, it's.
Speaker 2:It's no wonder that people have disagreements and misunderstandings. Yeah, it's kind of like you're just putting it out and putting it out and it's hard to actually have physical eye contact to respond in a way to make to discuss rather than debate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when I saw, for example, when I saw these bumper stickers, I could have gone and said okay, an Instagram account where they. Today I saw this bumper sticker. What do you think? And then like something fast and short, but for me, as it happened with the first bumper sticker, the one about art and work, I think that I like Morimoto Meets Me more to just talk about one and see where it takes us and have a conversation just from one concept.
Speaker 1:But well, sorry, you are supposed to talk more than me. This is a great idea. I got abducted at the McMinimins UFO Fest.
Speaker 2:You know, I've always wanted to go to the UFO. I mean the UFO festival at McMinimins. It's up, I think, in. I think it's at the Grand Lodge, one of their. You know who the McMinimins brothers are.
Speaker 1:Yes, I know it's a great interesting chain of several restaurants, but it doesn't look like a chain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's two brothers who, actually, they were instrumental in, I believe, in the early days of the micro-brewing industry here in Oregon.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:And wine. They do wine making too, but they started, I think, with beer. They were deadheads. See this? All kind of converges. I know that they were deadheads. This is probably like in I don't know 80s or something in Oregon. But I love how they take these old buildings that maybe would be slated for demolition and they renovate them and turn them into some either you know, brew pub or a hotel with you know like a bed and breakfast, or a hotel with brew pub and and uh, movies, theaters. They've got so many in the Northwest and they and the way that they hire the, the local, you know, craft artisans, artisans, to play.
Speaker 2:Or also for concerts. You mean Exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah, the Edgefield, yeah, I think I've seen some concerts at places. I went to a wedding once at one of the places, yeah Anyway, but apparently there is a. I used to be kind of Again when I was younger, I was kind of that was the question Do you believe in the UFO?
Speaker 1:You know that's funny that you mention that Felix UFO fest.
Speaker 2:I used to be quite interested, you know, and maybe more believable I still believe that we've probably been visited, but why not? You know there's more to me than meets the eye out there.
Speaker 2:But I do have two little anecdotes to share, nothing earth shattering. One was and I was just mentioning it to my wife this week for the first time. I remember back when I was about 20 years old, dating my ex-wife, and we were driving in Ohio, in the farmlands, in the flatlands, late at night maybe one in the morning, late at night, maybe one in the morning and we see something really weird, this weird light pattern out in a field that's just sort of like floating there, and we were both convinced that it was a UFO. I don't know. I don't know, we just couldn't explain it away.
Speaker 1:So you did have an experience. Maybe, we weren't abducted.
Speaker 2:Wow, but we saw something.
Speaker 3:I mean it could have been something else, it could very well have been something else.
Speaker 2:Bring you to a melody no.
Speaker 1:No, no, it didn't Wow.
Speaker 2:And then my other anecdote is that I had a good friend from grade school and into high school who we have parted ways. I've not been in touch with him but I know that shortly after high school he lived out in the Southwest, in Arizona and New Mexico, and he apparently went to Roswell I don't know if you've heard of that, a little town in New Mexico that apparently there was an incident that's unexplained. One of the famous UFOs oh really yeah there was something incident that's unexplained.
Speaker 2:One of the famous ufos, oh really, and yeah, there was some, something supposedly crashed there, you have to look that one up I'll look at this one. And and he he had. He told me that he met this old-timer guy, this old, you know old person, who was around during the 40s when this incident had happened. And and he said this guy swears that this happened. He was an orderly at the hospital there when they supposedly had aliens. Or some unidentified.
Speaker 2:You were like goosebumps, yeah, anyway. So my friend said this guy is not the kind of guy who's going to joke around about this stuff. He didn't want to but he just said it was a cover-up.
Speaker 1:So I was kind of believed, I was very believed. Yeah, when you find somebody that you see that his mission is not really to become a to use this, but that is really honest and has a normal life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that kind of stuck with me. It's like oh, that kind of stuck with me. It's like, oh, maybe this is something.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Hey, so with this uh UFO, I think that we, I think that we, we, uh, we've, we've really gone and seen a exam and a great example of of uh bumper stickers in Eugene. Example of bumper stickers in Eugene. Thank you so much, paul. One thing that I always have to ask at the end of the interview is which one is, or which one would you be, your bumper sticker? But why not? Why not? I was thinking, is there a melody or something that you could play short, that kind of defines you, like if it would have been your bumper sticker or anything.
Speaker 2:A melody on the bumper sticker.
Speaker 1:Or I don't know, like a melody that you could play for us, or why not, if we are trying to define YouTube.
Speaker 2:Well, I know, I used to have a bumper sticker that said peace through music. Oh so that would probably define that me. As far as a bumper sticker goes, I I believed it 20 years ago and I believe it even more now that with with the arts and my music, or anybody's music, the real reason to do it, the music is not just the music, it's the connections with people.
Speaker 1:Wow, so right now we actually have a piano right here next to and. Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah, if you can play, this would be a great way to finish the interview. And thanks, paul, for the your time piano plays softly. Artwork means work. I got abducted at the McMinimons UFO Fest on my way to cry near a lighthouse. Life is good, be community.
