My visit to play for the peeps at the Juvenile Correction Center in San Francisco

Three weeks ago I was asked by a friend of mine to go and play some songs and talk to the kids at the Juvenile Correction Facility in San Francisco on twin peaks... the peeps there are all from the ages 13-17 for some it is their first offense for others they have been in and out every few months and for others they will be there for their entire childhood b/c they've committed some serious offenses. When she asked me if I'd like to play, my first reaction was: what the hell would they want with some white guy who plays and sings songs on his acoustic guitar? she laughed and said she thought the same thing but that the song that she wanted me to play is the one called suffer... if you've seen viv live in 2003 then you might have heard this song... it will be on the next album that we are releasing in jan 04. (next month) anyway, i decided to try it so i got up at 7 am (ughhh) and drove myself and my guitar down there... she asked me to type out the lyrics and i did... then she made copies and we walked over to lockdown... they took my keys, my cell phone and my guitar stand from me and said that i was not allowed to pass around cd's or bring any writing instruments in there... all of them could be used as weapons... apparently someone has used a broken cd as a knife in a fight once ( sad but true)... so after walking through the maze of locked doors... signing logs and being stripped of anything dangerous i made my way to b-5 (the maximum security division of Juvi ... i walked into an open area and then into a class room with my friend and two of her colleages... we sat down and waited as the guards called roll and then allowed the inmates (kids) to enter the classroom very carefully in some unknown but intentionally systematic way. I was sitting on a desk with my guitar.. i looked down and wore neutral colors so i wouldn't challange any of them... i was scared. i knew there were some bad ass crimes committed but i was not told if those guys were in isolation or if they were in with the others who were now sitting all around me staring at the white kid with the acoustic guitar. the teacher introduced me as the front man of the band viv. he said i was an independant musician and that i was here to play some songs and then i would answer questions... the teacher was hoping to spur interest in his upcoming class on putting together a band... (his clever way of teaching them much needed economics)

he said this is matt... i looked up and waved shyly and said what's up guys... then i started to play my song and sing... the room fell silent and all eyes were on me... soon i saw some of the kids rocking in their chairs and the guards came over to the glass window... when i finished instead of hearing them say that sucked they all clapped and hooted then said "that shit was deep" and "you got skills man" some of them asked if i could play another song, others asked if they could play my guitar and others asked if i was famous... the hour went bye so quickly that the only thing i remember was that i was no longer afraid because i realized i was in a room with a bunch of children and that they had been thrust into this situation that was chaotic and truely nightmarish without any sense of reason at all. they were going to pay for their mistakes and they all knew it. one more thing: they were all more scared then i was. after the class i kept remembering this one kid, he had a kind and gentle face, he was big and a little chubby and he seened to be about 15 or 16 years old... out of everyone in the room i thought to myself.. if any shit goes down that guy would be there to save me... the teacher pulled me aside and said, see him right there, and i said yea... he's in for murder... he beat someone to death with his hands... but he was still just a kid...