... against Paul's decision to play at the White House. Not surprisingly, it comes down to politics. The argument is overwrought, but its heart is in the right place. Three brief quibbles (though I likely have more): 1) It's important to remember that Paul is not John and never was John. 2) We can't know with certainty if John would still possess his activist bent were he alive today. By the late '70s, he seemed to have closed the book on that part of his life. He even made disparaging remarks about the "radical" politics he espoused. 3) It's unfair to paint all Americans as indifferent to the bloodshed that the U.S. government inflicts. I'm friends with, and read the writings of, many concerned, even aghast (fellow) Americans. There are indeed many in this country who bemoan not only the continued loss of American life but also the horror visited on the innocent trapped in these conflicts.
Excerpt:
John Lennon would not have been singing to President Obama while President Obama was lying about his "having to" order all his thousands of new Hellfire Missile Predator and Reaper Drones to attack in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq still because of 9/11/2001. (Saudi Arabia is excluded from attack, though it was Saudi Arabians who flew the our airliners into the Pentagon and World Trade Center.)
. . .
I mean at what point does a musician say no, I can't perform if my performing is lending support for war on defenseless populations of poor people, nominally non White poor people, in former colonized, now neocolonized nations.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Great non-Beatles song...
... with a random Beatles reference. Correction: In the song, there are actually two Beatles references (two that are explicit, anyway), neither of which is random. How could they be when the band I'm about to discuss is Oasis? The Brothers Gallagher have always owned up to their obsession with The Beatles, and their music provides ample evidence of it. Oasis' body of work is indeed shot through with nods to John, Paul, George and Ringo. Mainly John, though. One of the group's finest songs, "Don't Look Back in Anger," houses a couple of unmistakable references to the man whom Liam once claimed he is the reincarnation of. (Chutzpah, thy name is....) First, the piano part that introduces "Anger" seems to have been lifted directly from "Imagine;" Wikipedia mentions "Watching the Wheels" as well. Second, Noel has confessed that he filched, from a cassette that contained musings of John's, the line, "So I start a revolution from my bed/Cause you said the brains I had went to my head." A bit shameless, yes, but I can't argue with the results: "Don't Look Back in Anger" is a classic of '90s pop-rock, and that chorus - "So Sally can wait...." - is all kinds of stirring.
The music: Piano introduction
The line: "So I start a revolution from my bed/Cause you said the brains I had went to my head."
The song: "Don't Look Back in Anger."
(If the video is removed, go here.)
The music: Piano introduction
The line: "So I start a revolution from my bed/Cause you said the brains I had went to my head."
The song: "Don't Look Back in Anger."
(If the video is removed, go here.)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
"In Performance at the White House"
Last month's concert in the East Room that honored Paul for his receipt of the Gershwin Prize is about to air on PBS. If you can't watch it tonight, it will be available online starting tomorrow. And no, Paul's dig at former President George W. Bush will not be part of the official broadcast.
(Update: Now PBS' website just says, "Check back to watch the entire show online.")
(Update: Now PBS' website just says, "Check back to watch the entire show online.")
Assorted John news
- Read the official preview of "John Lennon in New York," a new episode of American Masters that will air in November on PBS.
- I'm was not aware of this: After John's death, Paul and Yoko asked that fans never utter the name Mark David Chapman so as to deny him "the fame and notoriety he was seeking." You can see that I'm among the impious. Chapman is tucked away in prison and very well could be for the rest of his life. In my view, that's a just amount of obscurity in and of itself.
- Depending on the public's wishes, John could be the face on the next "Great Britons" coin issued by the Royal Mint.
- Liam Gallagher has fantasized that, out of all of Oasis' songs, John would've covered "I'm Outta Time."
- Finally, Sean Lennon and his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp-Muhl recently put out a single called "Jardin du Luxembourg" as part of their new project, Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
- I'm was not aware of this: After John's death, Paul and Yoko asked that fans never utter the name Mark David Chapman so as to deny him "the fame and notoriety he was seeking." You can see that I'm among the impious. Chapman is tucked away in prison and very well could be for the rest of his life. In my view, that's a just amount of obscurity in and of itself.
- Depending on the public's wishes, John could be the face on the next "Great Britons" coin issued by the Royal Mint.
- Liam Gallagher has fantasized that, out of all of Oasis' songs, John would've covered "I'm Outta Time."
- Finally, Sean Lennon and his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp-Muhl recently put out a single called "Jardin du Luxembourg" as part of their new project, Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
MDC up for parole
Mark David Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon nearly thirty years ago, will be up for parole in early August. It's his sixth bid. For each one, Yoko has submitted a letter to the parole board, stating her opposition to Chapman's release.
Excerpt:
In that letter, Ono wrote that if Chapman is released, "I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again. Myself and John's two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives."
She also wrote that Chapman, now 55, would not be safe if allowed back on the streets.
. . .
Robert Gangi, head of the prisoners' rights group, Correctional Association of America, doubts Chapman will be released because of the public outrage it would cause.
"Given that he commited a high profile crime and he killed one of the most famous and most beloved figures literally in the world, it's highly unlikely three parole commissioners would vote to grant him release," Gangi said.
Editorial note: While I identify with many progressive views on U.S. prison policy and would rather that Chapman's bid for parole not be influenced by the heated emotions tied to John's death, I do think there's a compelling argument to be made that Chapman would not be able to live a safe and secure life outside of prison. The day-to-day routine he now has might be the best he could reasonably hope for.
Excerpt:
In that letter, Ono wrote that if Chapman is released, "I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again. Myself and John's two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives."
She also wrote that Chapman, now 55, would not be safe if allowed back on the streets.
. . .
Robert Gangi, head of the prisoners' rights group, Correctional Association of America, doubts Chapman will be released because of the public outrage it would cause.
"Given that he commited a high profile crime and he killed one of the most famous and most beloved figures literally in the world, it's highly unlikely three parole commissioners would vote to grant him release," Gangi said.
Editorial note: While I identify with many progressive views on U.S. prison policy and would rather that Chapman's bid for parole not be influenced by the heated emotions tied to John's death, I do think there's a compelling argument to be made that Chapman would not be able to live a safe and secure life outside of prison. The day-to-day routine he now has might be the best he could reasonably hope for.
Monday, July 26, 2010
"Ahhhhh girl"
I've made no secret of my fascination with "Girl." Some songs can simply cast a spell on you, and this is what "Girl" has done to me. Much of its allure is owed to John's spellbinding vocal, which I touched on and praised here. I won't rehash those points; instead, I'll dig a bit deeper (by indirect routes) into one of the other elements that accounts for the song's magnetism. And that is the girl herself, the bewildering subject of John's tortured tribute. She makes you wonder: Why is it that John can't help himself? Why can't he see her for what she is? Why can't he rid himself of her once and for all? She must be some prize, albeit a poisonous one.
"She's the kind of girl you want so much/It makes you sorry/Still you don't regret a single day."
I love the formulation of that line, opening as it does with, "She's the kind of girl." It's how someone in real life might lament a girl who has bewitched and beset him. For instance:
She's the kind of girl you shouldn't forgive.
She's the kind of girl who doesn't believe in a straight answer.
She's the kind of girl you know everything and nothing about.
She's the kind of girl who might read this but never openly acknowledge that she did.
She's the kind of girl who lies to herself and the world everyday.
She's the kind of girl you just want to sit next to.
She's the kind of girl you can't quit.
Yes, "Girl" draws you in because of the familiarity of its emotions. The details about the girl may vary. As in, yours may not intend to be cruel like John's does, and yours may not possess her boldness of temperament. Yours in fact may be something close to the opposite: quietly charming, warm-hearted, and fragile. But when the end result is the same, when bitter frustration takes hold after she lets you in for several sweet, fleeting moments and then recoils from you afterward because that's just what she does, that's when John's emotions become your own. That's when you walk in his path. And you realize that all of the thorny and fraught sentiments on "Girl" could easily be reduced to that timeless lyric written by one of John's heroes: "I don't like you/But I love you." I doubt there are eight words which could better capture the vexing experience of love that so many endure.
As John and Smokey convey, it's an experience of limbo: you're caught between love and hate, heart and mind, what you want to do versus what you should do. At times, the problem seems irresolvable. You rightly conclude that, if your love for her has survived such turmoil, then it probably is indeed love and is worth pursuing. Denying it will solve nothing. But neither will attempts to directly address the underlying issues. Or so it seems, anyway. John could rebuke his girl for the abuse she administers, but she would probably find some measure of amusement in his action, only making him feel smaller. And what of our possible real world parallel? You could confront her about everything, but her response would likely be to maintain her insouciant pose. While sprinkling in bits of truth, she would avoid the crux of the matter and leave you feeling embarrassed by how much you've dwelt on her and how you refuse to let go of her and how dear she is to you even as she's offered you scant reason to believe she shares your emotions. She'd give the impression that most of these thoughts had barely dawned on her; you see, she's just been far too wrapped up in living life to trifle with these matters of the heart. And for that, you hate her. "I don't like you/But I love you."
You wish you could be steadfast in the former so as to gradually kill the latter. You try to fool yourself into thinking that what is there actually isn't. Your head stages a coup against your heart. It calls to mind a poignant line from Franz Ferdinand's "Walk Away:" "I cannot turn to see those eyes/As apologies may rise/I must be strong and stay an unbeliever/And love the sound of you walking away."
To no surprise, each coup is foiled. You remain a believer. You press on, clinging to hopes that are fed by the faintest signs of requited affection. Limbo continues.
"And she promises the earth to me/And I believe her/After all this time I don't know why."
Why? That is where John and so many others find themselves stuck. They wonder, "Why must you be the way you are? Why can't our almost-romance be a joy instead of a hardship? Why can't you let me care for you without all of these entanglements rearing their head? If nothing's there, why can't you just say the word and end this?"
Why?
"She's the kind of girl you want so much/It makes you sorry/Still you don't regret a single day."
I love the formulation of that line, opening as it does with, "She's the kind of girl." It's how someone in real life might lament a girl who has bewitched and beset him. For instance:
She's the kind of girl you shouldn't forgive.
She's the kind of girl who doesn't believe in a straight answer.
She's the kind of girl you know everything and nothing about.
She's the kind of girl who might read this but never openly acknowledge that she did.
She's the kind of girl who lies to herself and the world everyday.
She's the kind of girl you just want to sit next to.
She's the kind of girl you can't quit.
Yes, "Girl" draws you in because of the familiarity of its emotions. The details about the girl may vary. As in, yours may not intend to be cruel like John's does, and yours may not possess her boldness of temperament. Yours in fact may be something close to the opposite: quietly charming, warm-hearted, and fragile. But when the end result is the same, when bitter frustration takes hold after she lets you in for several sweet, fleeting moments and then recoils from you afterward because that's just what she does, that's when John's emotions become your own. That's when you walk in his path. And you realize that all of the thorny and fraught sentiments on "Girl" could easily be reduced to that timeless lyric written by one of John's heroes: "I don't like you/But I love you." I doubt there are eight words which could better capture the vexing experience of love that so many endure.
As John and Smokey convey, it's an experience of limbo: you're caught between love and hate, heart and mind, what you want to do versus what you should do. At times, the problem seems irresolvable. You rightly conclude that, if your love for her has survived such turmoil, then it probably is indeed love and is worth pursuing. Denying it will solve nothing. But neither will attempts to directly address the underlying issues. Or so it seems, anyway. John could rebuke his girl for the abuse she administers, but she would probably find some measure of amusement in his action, only making him feel smaller. And what of our possible real world parallel? You could confront her about everything, but her response would likely be to maintain her insouciant pose. While sprinkling in bits of truth, she would avoid the crux of the matter and leave you feeling embarrassed by how much you've dwelt on her and how you refuse to let go of her and how dear she is to you even as she's offered you scant reason to believe she shares your emotions. She'd give the impression that most of these thoughts had barely dawned on her; you see, she's just been far too wrapped up in living life to trifle with these matters of the heart. And for that, you hate her. "I don't like you/But I love you."
You wish you could be steadfast in the former so as to gradually kill the latter. You try to fool yourself into thinking that what is there actually isn't. Your head stages a coup against your heart. It calls to mind a poignant line from Franz Ferdinand's "Walk Away:" "I cannot turn to see those eyes/As apologies may rise/I must be strong and stay an unbeliever/And love the sound of you walking away."
To no surprise, each coup is foiled. You remain a believer. You press on, clinging to hopes that are fed by the faintest signs of requited affection. Limbo continues.
"And she promises the earth to me/And I believe her/After all this time I don't know why."
Why? That is where John and so many others find themselves stuck. They wonder, "Why must you be the way you are? Why can't our almost-romance be a joy instead of a hardship? Why can't you let me care for you without all of these entanglements rearing their head? If nothing's there, why can't you just say the word and end this?"
Why?
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