Oh, how freakin’ delightful.
But frankly, I’m not all that surprised. I’ve long argued that the real heroes of the counterculture — those pressing for individual freedom, not the poseurs who dressed the role to try and get laid, but later turned into the very brownshirts they pretended to be fighting against — should naturally find themselves on the classical liberal side of the political divide.
And yet today, the celebrity hippie leftovers still extant throw their weight, such as it is, behind a political party that presumes to tell us what to eat, how to flush a toilet, what kinds of light bulbs we have to use, what kinds and colors of cars we have to drive — and has so entangled us in regulations and ordinances (Dennis Hopper had better put on a motorcycle helmet!) that we can hardly move or breathe. The federal government’s regulatory boot, as they put it in a moment of candor, is on our collective necks.
Hey Hey, Ho Ho, sodium-heavy foodstuffs sold at sporting events in public schools has got to go!
Honestly. I’m embarrassed for them. Though not enough that I won’t luxuriate in their misery when they find out that Bob Dylan is something of a hardcore libertarian.
The times, they are a changin!
I would’ve thought it should have been George.
I love this shit. I still feel all warm and fuzzy inside about the fits of apoplexy that were caused in the NY music world over the discovery that Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground is a Teabagger. Team wingnut really needed a drummer.
Not that hard to sell a hippie on Saving The Planet At All Costs.
…he was really sour on Jimmy Carter.… Mr. Gifford noted that Mr. Lennon was captivated by the Gipper’s charm and “looked absolutely enthralled” talking to Mr. Reagan.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he went all classical liberal; it could mean only that he was easily entranced by natural charisma, which is still consistent with leftyness.
I’ve long argued that the real heroes of the counterculture — those pressing for individual freedom
What actual oppresion they were fighting? My recall is that they were rebelling against daddy more than anything, because daddy wouldn’t let them say certain words on the air or show their naughty bits in the cinema or grow their hair long or expand their minds with LSD.
Not to mention daddy made them go fight a war against Communists, who were the real good guys, unlike the Nazis or Imperial America.
I met Moe tucker at the alma GA post office in 2005.
My parents are from Alma, Georgia. I’ve got to go down there in the next few weeks to pick up some furniture from my grandma’s house. Maybe I should run by Douglas, Georgia and check on the family farm…. and maybe drop in on the neighbors. Never knew that was where she ended up. Holy shit.
Here is an article about Lennon’s change in beliefs using interviews he gave in 1980.
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/stop-imagining/
Ah, the fascinating Dylan autobiography. “I had very little in common with and knew even less about a generation that I was supposed to be the voice of” Dylan wrote. Seems that even though he reveres Woody Guthrie as a musician, Wobblies make him wobbly. I get the impression that he was sympathetic to those “unaccountable-looking characters” and “gargoyle-looking gals”, he just didn’t have time for such trivia.
This isn’t so odd really. To the great artists and musicians the art is an end in itself and achieving mastery of their medium is all they care about — they wouldn’t be great artists if this weren’t the case. Dylan makes it clear that he pursues his art for art’s sake, not as a means to some other end, and he follows his muse wherever it might lead, even if that means [gasp!] electric guitars.
I think that’s what I found most interesting about the book. He wasn’t selling out folk music when he plugged in, he was following the muse. If his fans didn’t like it, well too bad, he had to do it, he had no choice. Likewise, it explains what some of his fans have found most exasperating about him, that he changes the songs. He doesn’t perform the same song the same way night after night, he tries something different. Sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn’t. This strikes me as the difference between Van Gogh’s “sunflowers” and the guy at the artist’s fair who paints another knockoff of “sunflowers” every day and sells them for $75. One is a singular work of art, the other is just another painting.
A fascinating look into the mind of a unique artist. I’m looking forward to Volume 2.
It’s been pointed out that the Vietnam war protests didn’t kick into high gear until the student deferments and such were taken away. They didn’t so much object to war or to the draft as they objected to being drafted and sent to war.
I lived in alma for a year Stephanie.
Yesterday,
Alma troubles
Seemed so far away.
Fixed that for ‘ya.
(No, really. I had to listen to someone the other day who was convinced that sports in the school system was a bad idea for “young people”. You know, that whole aggression and competitiveness thing. Instead, she was pushing for mandatory calisthenics each morning, and a mandated run in the afternoon instead, in order to combat obesity…)
I had that figured out in 1968 when he wrote a song called “Revolution” that urged personal enlightenment rather than societal upheaval, as a response to the simpleminded “yeah, let’s tear stuff down” anthems of the Rolling Stones.
“You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know that you can count me out
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We’d all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We’re doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
You say you’ll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it’s the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right”
Pretty obvious if you ask me.
Damn, Donald. What in the world did you do to deserve that? I always thought staying with grandma for a month in the summer was torture enough. Once I turned 16, I knew enough to at least escape to Waycross for fun (not that I wasn’t driving around town when I was 14, but grandma wouldn’t let me take the car all the way to Waycross til I was ‘legal’).
We gotta talk. I know we know people in common. Innit about time for the PW Southern Swing Annual golf outing?
Next time you are coming this way, drop me a line and we’ll at least line up lunch. Or drinks. Lots of drinks. Or I could head that way after rounding up B Moe and we could hit some sleazy dive on the south side with you and McG ;)
Bacon again. Ummmm, Bacon.
“Instead, she was pushing for mandatory calisthenics each morning, and a mandated run in the afternoon instead, in order to combat obesity…)”
seig heil
in commie land the “workers” plight would be talked about then:
““Instead, she was pushing for mandatory calisthenics each morning, and a mandated run in the afternoon instead, in order to combat obesity…)”
then to the gulag
My minor contribution to lefty head asplosions.
Beautiful tone serr8d
I had a client back when I sold computers that lived there. He had a country band that played at Little Knights.
Anywhoo, I went down on my way to Daytona one night, dropped in, picked up some chick (I’ve done that exactly twice in my whole life), met former Georgia qquarterback Todd Williamson, and just generally rocked. We got to talking, and next thing I knew I quit my job and moved down to build the biggest computer dealership in the area (I know you’re laughing at that),
It didn’t work out, but I had given the branch out thing on my own a shot and I knew I’d keep trying till I did. That was 1991.
Spondivots! I know people.
The company I quit was owned by some great guys. I was driving their van picking up stuff, but the main reason I was there was to play softball.
After a while I got a job at the post office: I had gotten my foot in the door! That’s what they say you know. After the first orientation meeting, actually when I walked in the door, I knew it wasn’t for me.
I ended up going back to my buddies who let me start coming in on days off and after work to help the sales guys do their quotes (I can type really fast and I was an english major) with the idea that maybe even I could maybe be a salesman one day. I did that for 18 months. I would get up, be at the bulk mail center till 12:30, run home clean up, the work as late as they would have me.
One day this guy died right at his desk. Boom. They gave me his clients and I quit the po the next day. I never looked back. My mom was horrified.
Godspeed, Ronnie.
Godspeed, Johnny.
Spondivits it is. Now we just need Bmoe and McG and we’ll be set. Anytime y’all want to do this, I’m game.
Small world Donald. I have a feeling i was with you when we traded Neal Boortz his first laptop for some ad time.
Let’s see! There was at that meeting, me, Bennie, Bob, Pete, and Bill.
If I remember.
Did I get lucky or what!
You, Karl and I did the show where we met Neal.
Do you stay in touch with the old gang?
Mike called me today. Like 5 minutes after I read your post. We’re not close anymore, so that was surprising.
As I recall bt, at that moment it was me, karl, and bill.
Mike just told me that bill passed. And you ain’t karl. I remember Paul and Steve working at that show (Toys for Adults!).
I just checked your website. I apologize that I can’t pin you down. Funny thing, i was umpiring today and drove past Los Reyes #2 today. Oh, and #1 now that i think about it. Hint please.
Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I’m the Bill that you remember. Semi retired in the Jacksonville area, for about a year. I did have a series of heart attacks (5), which Ann was aware of, did business with her in 05, but i survived. Maybe that is where Mike got that idea from.
Doing networks and web services mostly now. Did serve a stint as a councilman and mayor pro tem in a small North Fulton town which was interesting.
Drop me an email to BT at debategate.com if you want to catch up.
Bill!
I have wondered a million times what would have become of me if you hadn’t said, “come in tomorrow, wear a tie”.
You, and the rest of those guys didnt have to that and i’ll never forget it.
Thanks, thanks, thanks!
I mean, I didn’t even knowhow to tie a tie.
forks in the road
Dylan is more like Radley Balko than like any random Red. I’d be surprised if Dylan wasn’t an instant fan of Balko’s.