Toxic Assets: A non-joke band of biz-schoolers
Courtesy Morris Davis
Morris Davis, presumably exploring the bass guitar as vigorously as he does housing prices.
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Who says business school doesn't rock? Pretty much everybody, actually, and with the endless media onslaught on the decline of the economy, it's likely that economists are near the top of most people's shit lists. So what business does a bunch of business professors and economists have playing in a rock band? Turns out it's serious stuff—at least according to Morris Davis of Toxic Assets, a band comprised of UW-Madison biz-school faculty. Decider spoke with Davis about playing Rock Your Stocks Off, a b-school throwdown coming up on Sunday at the High Noon Saloon.
Decider: So Toxic Assets has only been around for a few months?
Morris Davis: Yeah. In its current form, we've only been around a few months. That's why we're all covers. We first had to learn how to play the instruments, and then had to learn how to play a few songs.
D: On your website, you've got a cover of "Panama" by Van Halen. Do you stick to '80s metal for your covers?
MD: It's a mix. There are three types of music. One is '70s hard rock, so we have some Led Zeppelin songs we play and some Neil Young songs we play. Then there's some '80s rock like Van Halen and some Blondie. Maybe some Pat Benatar, but we're still thinking through that. And then we do some indie stuff, so we're doing some Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Pixies and The Kills.
D: Most people don't ordinarily associate business school with rock 'n' roll. How do you guys justify it?
MD: What can I say? Most people are totally lame. It doesn't matter where they work. I can't help the fact that most people are lame. Especially working in business schools, I mean, talk about a lame group…. There are two types of economists. There's the sort of economist who just looks like they've been bullied their whole life. We all know exactly who they are; they're most of the profession. And then there's another smaller group of economists, and they go to the pub. They walk around with some swagger, and some of them can actually play an instrument. And those are the guys that I know, and a few of them work here.
D: So you don't think of this as a joke.
MD: I don't have enough time to be in a bad band. I don't. I'm busy. Look at my visa. I'm always traveling and giving papers. I testified before the Senate. I do not have time to fart around doing some half-assed project. This is a serious endeavor. Whether or not we're any good on [Sunday], we just haven't been together that long. So, there's a chance it may not be that good because we don’t know each other that well yet. But we have the potential to be a world-class band, and I'm hoping that everyone that hears us on [Sunday] thinks the same thing.
