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Simon finds solace with taut skins
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When Dr. Louie Simon, assistant professor of English, isn’t teaching, or preparing for classes, or grading papers, or writing academic articles, you’re most likely to find him playing drums. In addition to his full-time life as an instructor, he tries to keep alive a life-long dedication to music. “My work is so cerebral, but playing drums is so physical and intuitive; I need them both to keep things balanced,” he explains. Balancing his love of teaching, music, art, and literature keeps Simon busy. “That keeps things exciting. For me, music, literature, art, and politics are all interconnected anyway,” Simon said. Working with students at BSU also inspires him. “I love teaching and working with the students here; they’re the best students overall that I’ve encountered in my eleven years of teaching.”
Simon came to Boise from the Midwest four years ago. He completed his Ph.D. in English at Loyola University in Chicago in 1998 and began teaching at Boise State that same fall. His areas of expertise are 20th-Century British Literature, Literary Theory, Postcolonial Studies, and Postmodernism. “I’m a twentieth-century kind of guy. I’m not sure how I feel about this new millennium,” Simon said. A political commitment to “progressive social change” informs Professor Simon’s teaching and his other interests. He sees a vision of society in which there is more cooperation and less hierarchy.
“The polyrhythmic nature of African music reflects a cooperative model of society. But our American society is really based on selfishness and competition.” He doesn’t believe in the popular conception of music and musicians, in which the orchestra is led by a single conductor or the rock band by a single lead singer; instead, he’s attracted to music and other social practices in which a collective effort values each person’s individual contribution.
“Music is similar to my interest in postmodern theory, which draws from a bunch of different disciplines. The best contemporary music reflects the eclectic nature of our society, but we have to be careful to not allow one dominant vision of music to crowd out the others,” Simon said. Simon thinks we need to be aware of “cultural imperialism” in music and literature.
For most of the ’80s and early ’90s Simon worked with his band, Proof of Utah, which he co-founded with fellow musician Mike Brosco. They released five albums, three on their own Smiley Turtle label and two on the German label, Recommended Records. Simon has appeared in Spin magazine’s The Trouser Press Record Guide, and “a bunch of indie music magazines.” The group has had heavy rotation on college radio stations. He put out a solo CD last fall, Work in Progress-the title is a reference to James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake (the CD is available locally at the Record Exchange and Borders). He’s working now on a new Proof of Utah album with Brosco and a “techno-ambient” project with Grammy-nominated composer Tim Story.
Simon lives to question the status quo, and this questioning includes looking critically at the ways in which politics affect our everyday life. “I think one of the problems with our current idea of the university revolves around the need to draw distinct disciplinary boundaries so that people can be competitive and protect their turf. Why does competition need to be such a major part of education?” Simon said.
“Perhaps this is why we can hire a football coach who makes eighteen times what an English professor makes. But is watching a football game going to have a bigger influence on your existence than reading a life-altering book or being moved to social action by a work of art? Unfortunately, it’s all about generating money.” Simon’s current writing projects include a book about “literary experience and altered states of consciousness” and another book about the drug war and fascism. He believes there’s no such thing as the “ivory tower.” “The educational system both reflects and perpetuates the best and worst in our society. Teachers and students share a unique responsibility to initiate positive and critical social change.”
Tina Elayer