Happy Holidays
. enjoy
Wilco – I Might
Battles – Futura
Lower Dens – I Get Nervous
Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words
The Books- Deaf Kid
Dr. John – Saints
Iron and Wine – Your Fake Name is Good Enough For Me
Drive By Truckers – Everybody Needs Love
Radiohead | The King Of Limbs
When I think about my favorite records, I often find myself associating them with a particular time in my life. In the tension between Jeff Tweedy’s cultural critique and the release of a Jay Bennett solo on Wilco’s Ashes of American Flags I find the awakening of a particular political fervor, before Bin Laden was dead and the wounds of 9/11 were still fresh. As the opening chords to Everything In Its Right Place drench the speakers of the car stereo on a hazy drive to high school, I remember being awoken to the absurdity of this life. Your favorite records reverberate with both time and place, but more than that they reveal themselves as both equally rewarding and fresh upon each listen.
If the The King of Limbs were released by any other band, I doubt I’d be saying it was just average work by a superb band. Radiohead records, as cliche as it sounds, seem so far ahead of their contemporaries (save a few) in terms of production, pacing, texture, and since Kid A, tremendous musicianship. The King of Limbs, lacks in none of those categories. Yet it lacks the binding cohesion found on seminal Radiohead albums In Rainbows and Kid A.
Make no mistake, with each new listen a new wrinkle unfurls. The utterly classic Radiohead build up of tension followed by cathartic release rears its head in Jonny Greenwood’s drum sampling on ‘Little by Little’. Swirling psychedelia is sprinkled in the dense layers of ‘Lotus Flower’, and the pulsating off-beat funk drumming of Phil Selway on the closer ‘Separator’ all demonstrate the tenacity and vivacity of Radiohead’s work.
For the critics, tired of music created in the way of sampling, Radiohead need not answer. Music, like most art, should never remain static. And if this is the band to lead us to the future, I will happily enjoy that ride.
Health Care Matters
Back in the summer of 2009, while I was traipsing unfamiliar regions of the earth, the United States Congress engaged itself in the strenuous process of addressing its broken* health care system. Despite case after case describing the misused resources and cost inefficiency of United States medical care, the national mood seemed to reflect the position of keeping health care private. President Obama and the Democratic controlled chambers of congress came under extreme scrutiny reflected in the mid-term elections of November 2010.
By 2011, Congress shifted gears toward the complex issue of the National Debt. Several suggestions followed. The President appointed a bi-partisan debt commission, co-chaired by Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, that released a center leaning solution that hacked at financing important to both sides of the isle. The left, fresh off a crushing election and waiting in the wings, suggested attacking the Pentagon’s budget. And on the right, Paul Ryan touted a plan that he said would cut the deficit in half by 2020. Mr. Ryan set his sights on the pentagon budget, pairing back government agencies, and entitlement programs.
Then along came a congressman who had trouble keeping his shirt on in pictures he was sharing with a woman on craigslist. Chris Lee, Republican congressman from an entrenched Republican district in Western New York state, resigned and a special election was held. Last night, a Democrat won the seat throwing out several notions that have gained prominence since the mid-term elections.
First and foremost on that list, the idea that voters are not interested in reforming and protecting entitlement programs like Medicare. Make no mistake, the national debt is a serious and complex issue but Senator Ryan’s proposal appears to have been rebuked in an election that turned out to be a litmus test of the national mood as we head into the elections of 2012.
As the competitor’s to Barack Obama begin to emerge, it is important to keep in mind the President’s ambition as he launched a campaign who’s goal was to reinvigorate hope in what some call a superpower on the decline and change the way that Washington functions. His accomplishments may not be in line with the initial aspirations of his base. Yet on his overall goal to change the way we address issues through constant engagement with those issues often involving deeply held idealogical stances, the President has followed through. His goal of leading by confronting issues that he openly discussed as being politically unfavorable, and in many cases just downright hard, is what separated Mr. Obama from the traditional, entrenched Washington politician.
Almost a year after the return from my summer trek, I submitted a letter to the editors of the Daily Herald’s opinion pages. I called out a columnist named Cal Thomas. I felt that Mr. Thomas was being demagogic in an unfair way. In particular his abuse of the familiar and extremely popular right wing criticism of left wing politicians. I felt that Mr. Thomas was only interested in espousing a position that made people fearful of those with opposing positions. In attempt to clarify my position, I used the analogy of raising a child. I, for one, said that I would never want to raise a child in fear of doing something because they might be called ‘un-American’. I equated this to the style of the Republican leaders who swung voters in the mid-terms not through leadership, but through petty blame and blind hatred.
Had I waited until the election of Kathy Hochul, the position I was attempting to carve out in my brief letter might have been better understood. Had I waited, I might have been able to use a gem of a quote like this:
“While the pundits and political strategists, many of whom don’t even live here, will talk about what we should or should not have done in this campaign, I just want everyone to know that I confronted the issues head on. That leadership isn’t about ducking from the issues, leadership isn’t about running away from what you believe in.” (Kathy Hochul, May 24, 2011)*While I would have preferred not to use the word ‘broken’ to describe the United States’ health care system, it was preferable (and certainly more concise) to: ‘the not up to world standards health care system’. Of course it would be unfair to mention the health care system in the United States and the low standards of its efficiency, without acknowledging the cases where its quality is unmatched (United States medical care and research institutions continue to rank among the world leaders).
*Yeah I know, the word adult is a little demeaning.
Standing with Wisconsin Workers
The debate over public sector cuts in Wisconsin feels like a critical juncture in the national conversation. Finally, both parties are actually staking out their positions on real solutions to the long term fiscal health of the United States. Despite my ambivalence toward unions, Governor Walker’s legislation takes an outrageous position on labor relations. If Mr. Walker’s legislation passes, the unions that represent public sector workers will cede most of their collective bargaining power and force the low and middle income earners that comprise those unions into a position no one would envy. Paul Krugman’s Op-Ed in this morning’s New York Times nails it on the head:
“In principle, every American citizen has an equal say in our political process. In practice, of course, some of us are more equal than others. Billionaires can field armies of lobbyists; they can finance think tanks that put the desired spin on policy issues; they can funnel cash to politicians with sympathetic views (as the Koch brothers did in the case of Mr. Walker). On paper, we’re a one-person-one-vote nation; in reality, we’re more than a bit of an oligarchy, in which a handful of wealthy people dominate.
Given this reality, it’s important to have institutions that can act as counterweights to the power of big money. And unions are among the most important of these institutions.
You don’t have to love unions, you don’t have to believe that their policy positions are always right, to recognize that they’re among the few influential players in our political system representing the interests of middle- and working-class Americans, as opposed to the wealthy.”
Pronto
Going about in pity for yourself is far too easy. Somewhere on that journey, from the shock, reminiscing, and rediscovery of old friends, the things that are important become much clearer. Turns out that things aren’t as clean as we had hoped they would be. Discoveries like this never fail to leave you feeling dim-witted. You learn how easy it is to ride without the training wheels or turn without hearing “hand over hand”, and eventually you learn to grow up. Once all the regret has subsided a lingering feeling remains: maybe you’re not alone. Pronto is a band led by Mikael Jorgenson (best known for his day job as a member of Wilco). Their first full length “All is Golden” was released in 2009 on Contraphonic Records.
Ol' Maestro 