David Wilcox, Reverie (What Are Records?, 2010)

“I just like how a short song can start a long conversation.”

           Folk singer David Wilcox’s latest release, Reverie, should trigger some long talks about creedal certainty and authentic faith.  One of his songs,“Cast Off,” likens creeds to plaster casts, and goes on to link doctrine with idolatry: “if it is only the idols that matter, plaster would be all they need.” In another song, “Let the Wave Say,” present experience, likened to a rising wave, trumps rational scrutiny: "if you can't see where you are, trust the wave more than your mind." In "Little Fishes," Christians who sport the fish symbol on their cars, and are completely convinced of the truth of their beliefs, prefer an intolerant theocracy to a liberal democracy.

           If I could share a pot of coffee with David Wilcox, I'd like to have a long conversation about certainty and authentic faith, and offer up for discussion the thesis that his songs present a false dichotomy. Existential trust only makes sense when there is good reason for it. I will trust my surgeon, but only if I have checked her credentials and track record, and am pretty certain I'll wake up when the operation is over. Nor need my justified certainty, or near certainty, lead to intolerance. To the extent that I am convinced of my own fallibility and the historical legacy of intolerance, my certainty will lead  me to tolerance. Despite differing with some of the perspectives Wilcox expresses (N.B. Wilcox has gone on record stating that one should not assume that he endorses the message in every song), there is one view I agree with wholeheartedly: certainty needs to be leavened with lightheartedness; the opening track gets it just right, "It's the end of the world again, and everybody's certain of it one more time."