Reading my news feeds today, two things struck me as noteworthy and somewhat related to this and this recent posts. First, amid the current stress on "When will Trump loyalists acknowledge that he lost?" -- and that refusing to acknowledge it means at minimum flirting with complicity in, if not actively fomenting, a literal fascist … Continue reading P.S: Another Note to My Senators
cultural politics
Attempting to Talk to My Republican Senator
Counting my home in East Tennessee and a small summer cabin in Wisconsin in an old pasture where my Mom grew up, I have four Senators and two Congressional Representatives. By extension I have skin in the game in one swing state (where I wish I could vote) and another state that one day might … Continue reading Attempting to Talk to My Republican Senator
Another Day in America
"Ah, America. We saw it. We tipped it over, and then we sold it." One of many unforgettable lines burned into my soul by this Laurie Anderson song from Homeland. Here's another: "And you, who can be silent in four languages; your silence will be considered your consent." That one tells the actual story of today's … Continue reading Another Day in America
12 (plus 1) Songs for Christmas: “When You Go Down” and “Starting Over”
"When you go down, all the children will sing. When you go down, the bells of freedom will ring. One two three four five six seven. John Lewis is gonna shout from heaven....When you go down." I've featured this before, but this is definitely the song we need for today. Thanks, grassroots Georgia organizers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCKoNBDpPRk … Continue reading 12 (plus 1) Songs for Christmas: “When You Go Down” and “Starting Over”
12 Songs for Christmas: I Got So High That I Saw Jesus
Little by little, I have come to a realization that (as a commentator on a youtube thread articulated it) “Holy shit, I think I’m a Miley Cyrus fan.” It’s been a long time coming, and by no means implies interest in everything she’s ever done. If you think this sounds absurd, click on this link, … Continue reading 12 Songs for Christmas: I Got So High That I Saw Jesus
12 Songs for Christmas: Dejlig Er Jorden (Beautiful is the Earth)
It turned out that the concert by Harald Haugaard and Helene Blum that I have been writing about inspired me to create not just one, but two new lyrics that are roughly “translations”—singable free paraphrases—from Danish. Both might possibly introduce some worthwhile music to culturally-deprived Americans. Today's song triangulates with what I recently wrote … Continue reading 12 Songs for Christmas: Dejlig Er Jorden (Beautiful is the Earth)
12 Songs for Christmas: Heavy Balloon
I said that my “12 Songs for Christmas” would be unranked. But that is with an asterisk because there is zero doubt in my mind about the album of the year—and with clear separation from everything else I've heard. For a change this is by consensus—pretty much all the critics agree. I was getting … Continue reading 12 Songs for Christmas: Heavy Balloon
12 Songs for Christmas: Christmas in Washington
“It’s Christmas time in Washington, and the Democrats rehearse. Getting into gear for [an upcoming] year of things not getting worse. Republicans drink whiskey neat and thank their lucky stars. [Thanks to Senate minority rule, with Wyoming voters weighing 68 times more than Californians] There’ll be no more FDRs.” So said Steve Earle, more or less, … Continue reading 12 Songs for Christmas: Christmas in Washington
12 Songs for Christmas: Kanye’s Christmas Opera
A year ago, Kanye West was in the news because he had premiered a high-concept and well-publicized Christmas “opera” at Lincoln Center. I wrote about it then, and today I am bringing this earlier reflection back so that people have another chance to find it. I do this, in part, because of how interestingly this … Continue reading 12 Songs for Christmas: Kanye’s Christmas Opera
A Lament for How We Live Now
Recently I asked my dentist—with whom I have made small talk about teeth and sports teams for years—how long he thought it would take his office to get back to normal in light of the COVID vaccines that are rolling out. He responded with a bitter tirade about how things might be OK fairly soon…. … Continue reading A Lament for How We Live Now
Hegemonic Half-Truths: Why 9/11 Did Not Necessarily Strengthen the Religious Right in the Long Run
(This post is cross-published here on Narrative Paths Journal) Last week I fielded a query from the University of Tennessee campus newspaper about legacies of 9/11/2001. Its reporter asked: “How did 9/11 strengthen or weaken the religious faith of Americans? How did it change the way people think about mortality, evil, and hope? In what … Continue reading Hegemonic Half-Truths: Why 9/11 Did Not Necessarily Strengthen the Religious Right in the Long Run
