27: Blatant

Well shit. I have no words. And yet I must have words. It’s the only way to fight. Slowly this blog has been reporting less on my health issues and more on the music that I love (which benefits my health greatly) and the state of the country I live in (and the world) which really doesn’t benefit my health. Today is the start of Black History Month in America. Yesterday a few pretty major things happened. The first is that there was a flood of misinformation (and maybe a rapid backpedaling from the current president) stating that observances during that important time would be cancelled, as would the celebration of Martin Luther King day. Last night POTUS issued a proclamation (specifically naming Clarence Thomas and Tiger Woods, along with Frederic Douglas and Harriett Tubman) stating that BHM would continue to be observed. Now, to the best of my knowledge, no sitting president has ever had to reaffirm that observation in the last 60 years. The fact that CPOTUS (I will refer to him in this manner for now - Current President Of The US - it’s easier and I get not to sully my page with his name) had to do that speaks volumes on his policies and followers. I’ve asked supporters in the past why they think that Neo-Nazis and Proud Boys (etc.) support him if not for his blatantly racist tone and policies, and how they feel about voting for the same person. I’ve yet to have gotten a good answer. I’m still waiting. You can send me a private message, or post publicly in the comments. I really want to know. Secondly there was another plane crash, this time outside of Philadelphia. I find it hard not to blame the stressful aura of uncertainty that must hang over the heads of all government employees. And finally, what was Musk doing over at the Treasury yesterday? We, the people, deserve some answers on that.

So, I went into this morning’s listening session believing that BHM and MLK were canceled. I came out of it, read a little more and found that perhaps that’s not the case. I’ll wait and see what happens before pushing further on this. But it IS Black History Month, and I will focus - at least for a time - on important music of protest, mostly by artists who arose in (or celebrated) the civil rights era in the sixties and seventies. And over the course of the next few days, I’ll learn whether I’m doing it enraged or not.

Now as you all must have sussed by now, I’m not a religious man. I believe that I live as a good man, and have achieved without hurting. Some of you will banish me to hell because I’m an ethnic Jew (non practicing), or don’t go to church, temple or whatever. I want nothing to do with your religion, which is a religion of hate and fear. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand how anyone who claims to be a good, godly person can support the suppression and demonization of others, just because of the color of their skin, sexuality, or their personal faith. I’ll have no part of that, thank you. But out of religion also sprung people like MLK, and musical luminaries such as Mavis Staples (and family) whom we’ve discussed and will be discussing again in just a few moments, the Rev. Sekou, and the Reverend Al Green (and I know, you wanted to hear Let's Stay Together - so don’t say I never gave you anything!). In addition, many famous and beloved soul and r&b artists got their starts singing in church, including members of the drug fueled Parliament/Funkadelic (Listen to diaper clad Gary Shider singing Cosmic Slop starting at 5:40. That is a voice that comes directly from church. The song is about a poor woman who is forced to become a prostitute to support her family.) So, despite my general dislike/trust of the church, I can’t deny that some church music is great. Particularly the church music of the predominantly African American community.

Before they were political activists, the Staple Singers were a gospel group. They continued singing gospel songs, even during their Freedom Highway days (this album was recorded live at a church). This morning I listened to an amazing (and more recent) album by Mavis Staples called We'll Never Turn Back, from 2007. The album was produced (and features some amazing slide work) by Ry Cooder, who I can’t believe I skipped in my homage to southern slide players a few posts ago. This is a sparse record musically. But it seeps soul out of its entire being. Mavis is a legend, and the songs she’s singing here are legendary. We Shall Not Be Moved, Jesus On The Mainline, and This Little Light Of Mine are all staples (pun very much intended, thank you very much!) of the songs of resistance and of the gospel church. The real beauty of this album, besides the playing and singing, is that these historical songs are filtered through the life experiences of an incredibly strong and powerful woman who lived through them then, and sadly, is living through them again, as exemplified in the original song My Own Eyes, where Mavis quotes her father as saying

“Mavis I've seen this years ago when I was a boy

And I thought by now

All of this should have been taken care of long ago

When I was a boy I didn't think I'd be a grown man looking at it still…”

How heartbreaking is that? And true. The beautiful harmonies and background vocals on I’ll Be Rested as Mavis sings the names of many of those killed by racial violence and fellow activists in the movement who have passed are stirring. This is truly a prescient album for the times. Musically, lyrically and everything else. Today, it jumped into the “this is the best album I’ve ever heard” category. It’s not that really, but it is a very important record, and I urge you to listen to it and to digest what Mavis is saying here. And question why we’ve allowed that racism to continue - in fact to be reborn, stronger and meaner than before. What a way to wake up, and what an awful thing is happening around me. I echo Pops Staples. “I didn’t think I’d be a grown man looking at it still…” But I am. And I’m a little apoplectic about it.

I almost wish I had a serious health complication to report. I’d love nothing more than to get away from the news, and the general horrorshow that is happening around me. All I can say at this point is this: If you voted for him, and are appalled at the way things are being done - the blatant racism and discrimination, the cuts to programs, the loss of jobs, the empty threats of tariffs, the environmental threats, the lack of lower food costs, etc. the only thing you can do right now is start talking about it. Make sure that the people that you know that thought this administration would be good for the country know that you don’t. And why. And have conversations about it. Point out the pain being caused and the lack of good being done. Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a chance to right some of these wrongs in two years. I, for one, am extremely uncomfortable with Elon Musk having access to the treasury department and all the personal information contained within their systems. I’m uncomfortable with people losing jobs that they’ve done well for years. I’m just uncomfortable. If you, like me, need to know what’s going on around us, there’s only one person to ask. Unfortunately he’s passed on, so we’ll have to check the historical record. Let’s go back to 1971 and ask him.

“Marvin,” you ask, ”What's going on?” Well, according to the golden throated Marvin Gaye, what’s going on is war, oppression, ecological damage, and poverty. He cries out in pain. He is anchored by one of the strongest bass players of all time, James Jamerson ,who is on fire here throughout. This is an uncontested masterwork. Even if you don’t agree, thematically, with what’s going on lyrically here, you can’t fight the music. And you know the songs. The title track, which is as strong an anti-war / pro understanding song as there ever was, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), a haunting cry for the betterment of our planet’s resources (which worked for a time, but now we get to watch CPOTUS dismantle the EPA and return the planet to a smog infested place with non-potable water, all in favor of lining the pockets of corporations) and the song that anybody who claims to follow any of the teachings in the Abrahamic religion (that’s Judaism, Christianity and Islam, by the way) needs to listen to each morning. God Is Love should be enough. I’m putting the words here in case for some reason you don’t like the music - you can still get the benefit of the teachings:

Oh, don't go and talk about my Father (Ah, talk about my Father)

God is my friend (Jesus is my friend)

He made this world for us to live in (He made this world)

And gave us everything (Lord gave us everything)

And all he asks of us (Peace!)

Is we give each other love, oh, yeah

Don't go and talk about my Father (Don't talk about, oh, no no)

'Cause God is my friend (Jesus is my friend)

He loves us whether or not we know it (Just loves us, oh yeah)

And He'll forgive all our sins (He'll forgive our sins), oh, yeah

And all He asks of us, oh, yeah

Is we give each other love, oh, yeah

Love your mother (She bore you)

Love your father (He works for you)

Love your sister (She's good to you)

Love your brother (Love), your brother (Love)

Don't go and talk about my Father (Talk about, He's good to us)

God is my friend (Jesus is my friend), yes He is

And when we call on Him for mercy (Mercy, Father)

He'll be merciful, my friend, oh, yeah (Oh, yes, He will, yes, He will)

All he asks of us, I know

- [segues into Mercy Mercy Me…] -

Now, as we all know, I don’t subscribe to the Abrahamic teachings - but there’s a philosophy innate in these lyrics that moves even me, the hardened non-believer. And if you’re a believer and can’t immediately get on board, I suggest you look pretty deeply into the nature of your faith. You should also be able to recognize that these teachings are being defiled right in front of you by a mean spirited corrupt group of politicians.

What’s Going On is a concept album. One could argue (successfully) that it is really just one long song. It’s also as prophetic and timeless as any selection of music ever made. The final song, Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler), which returns you right to the refrains of the opening (and title) track bemoans the crime and desperation that poverty brings on, while squarely placing the blame on the rich for hoarding at the people's expense. This record, friends, is what protest music should be. It’s a powerful statement, with uplifting music (perhaps too many strings for my taste - but it’s Motown…) and some of the sweetest vocals ever committed to wax. What a joy to listen to, and what a tragedy that it still needs to be addressed.

And we need to address it before There's A Riot Going On. (OK. That was a reach - sorry!) Now, where Marvin was eloquent and even pleading in his desire for change, Sly Stone’s world is bleak. This is a dark dark record which bade goodbye to the sixties and their optimism, with a dense mélange of murky funk. From 1969-1970, mental health issues and drugs had brought Sly down. He was missing gigs, and alienating himself from the band, The Family Stone. Under obligation from the record company, he went into the studio, and with some little help created what has become known as one of the great American funk albums. This record epitomizes the struggles of the black man in the post-sixties world. It also shows that the mental health issues often associated with stardom are colorblind.

Recording technology in the early seventies was not what it is today. Sly recorded most of Riot by himself, overdubbing (brilliantly) many dense layers of music. He relied on drum machines, which did not have the sound or programmability that they do now, so Sly recorded layer upon layer of sound creating a murky soundtrack to a murky time. Perhaps unknowingly, he recorded the soundtrack to the end of an era. Even the hit single, Family Affair, with its peppy tone, ends on a bleak note -

You can't leave 'cause your heart is there

But, sure, you can't stay 'cause you been somewhere else

You can't cry 'cause you'll look broke down

But you're cryin' anyway 'cause you're all broke down

From its recording to its lyrics to its musical content, this is the statement of a man in crisis, and pessimistic about his future. It is still valid today. We are a country in crisis, and I’m quite pessimistic about its future. I never imagined a leader ruling by threat and intimidation for America. Divisiveness is the rule of the day, and I fear for our long term viability. So, Sly was not wrong, he was just years ahead of his time.

And that, friends, is my takeaway from all this music I’ve been listening to thus far. The issues of the past 50 years (and longer) are still with us. How can such an allegedly smart creature be so damn stupid? When will we find a process that will bring us together, and how much more pain do we have to inflict on ourselves (and others) before we’re willing to stop being ruled over by hate and by liars? We can and should be better than that. The first step is complete accountability and the return of power to people who actually want to help, rather than enrich themselves at the expense of the populace.

Let’s listen now, to the powerful words of singer and poet Gil Scott-Heron on his seminal 1971 album, Pieces Of Man. Pieces is an extremely powerful album, occupying the same space as the Sly Stone album above (albeit without the druggy haze) in terms of documenting the trials of being a black man in America during those turbulent years. It poses many of the same questions asked in What’s Going On, but from a more grounded perspective - no wistful prayers here. The title track, a stunning ode to a man, breaking down because he’s lost his job, Lady Day and John Coltrane, a reminder that music can be the healing power that you need, and The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, an insightful poetic look at the materialistic nature of society (which was written in response to the Last Poets track When The Revolution Comes from the previous year) and Home Is Where The Hatred Is - a bleak look at the life of a junkie, all challenge the status quo of what is lyrically acceptable on a record. No more love songs, here, only expressions of despair, with a vague sense of hope offered in the track Save The Children

And if you're driving through the country on a lazy afternoon

Or you're watching your children playing after school

They seem to be so unaware of, I know

The things that they'll soon have to take care of, see

We've got to do something, yeah, to save the children

Yeah 'cause soon it's going to be their turns to try and save the world

Right now, they seem to play such a small part of, I know

The things that they'll soon be right at the heart of, say, say, say

Sadly, it seems, many of the children (and their children) have squandered that opportunity, and are gleefully basking in the material world offered to them via social media and product placement - while still not being able to afford to purchase (or in some cases, even rent) a home of their own. We have built, friends, a world that is not one for the common person any longer. And it’s only getting worse. The richest (by far) man in the world has seized control of the US government, which is being run by an ineffectual puppet who is content just to shake his tiny withered old man penis at our closest allies, gaining nothing. If you think the tariff threats are working, rest assured that they’re only a smokescreen to cover up what unelected immigrant Musk is doing. He and six millennial unelected “team members” have taken control of the treasury, the office of personnel management, and many other vital parts of our country. Thousands of people have lost their jobs, and our very country is at stake. And all the while, our elected officials are sitting idly by, quietly doing nothing that we ask of them - which is just to get some checks and balances back into the process. We need some change here friends, and quickly. (And rest assured, I’m not talking about Democrat v Republican - I’m talking about a people's uprising. And it needs to be televised so that the world can see.

And ending on that note, I will report that I had infusion number 12 yesterday. All went well. My health is generally good, and my spirits, despite being utterly dumbfounded by the world around me, are high. Tonight I’m going to see long time favorite guitar player Bill Frisell play here near me. Judging by the song played here, Bill and I are pretty much on the same page! We must overcome this crap. (But it's been a lot of years, as the music discussed here shows, and we haven’t overcome it yet… Why? What’s Going On?

Thanks for reading,

Dy