Photo by Luiz Fernando Reis (Bealtes cor 36 on Flickr)
Creative Commons License -https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Image courtesy of niteprowl3r Flickr page - beatles: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sreichenbach/3025971406/in/photolist-5BoTSN-6Kp6DG-9oQPyZ-6Kp8vw-6Kp9oJ-6KjXm4-6KoV2S-6KjVca-eC4tTE-6Kp3Qm-6Kp3hq-6KoWdy-6KjLZg-6Kp5yf-6KjUgt-6Kp6TN-6KjXdM-6Kp45N-6Kp1WY-6KoUGs-6KoVYG-6KoUx9-6Kp153-6KoX3q-6KoZUu-6KjLoH-6KoVv9-6KoXvh-4vA8mP-6Kp4SW-6KjWq6-6Kp4xm-6KjVXZ-6Kp4hS-6Kk1G6-6KkdtD-6KjMRH-6KoVS5-r1ZqRn-6KjZfx-6KjMrx-6KjZue-6KjYzt-6Kp7D9-bCr2k3-aWjPYX-6KvxqP-6Kp7R7-aUXW5n-6KjZW8
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
You know, when I look around at the world today, it is hard to face everything that seems to be going on.
We have the living embodiment of everything that is wrong with the country serving as president. Literally, he is the poster child for everything that our country is, but should not be.
I have mentioned this next quote several times before, but feel it should be mentioned time and time again, so that people understand that Trump not only is unpopular here in the United States, but rightly viewed as a buffoon around the rest of the world, to boot. One of the quotes that I feel best encapsulates that is from Paul Thomas of the New Zealand Herald in an article ("The Greatest Threat to America? Republicans") from July of 2015, well before Trump was even the Republican nominee, let alone the elected leader of our land:
"Trump personifies everything the rest of the world despises about America: casual racism, crass materialism, relentless self-aggrandisement, vulgarity on an epic scale. He is the Ugly American in excelsis."
That seems to perfectly encapsulate this embarrassment of a "leader," in my opinion. When you have to prepare yourself every day for the new headlines, and you still cringe that such an idiot could ever have been elected into the White House, you know that our national standards have lowered, possibly to a point of no return.
And that's just here in the United States!
We have other maniacs in other countries, such as North Korea and now the Philippines. Iran is the same as always, which is not a pleasant or comforting thought. And now, there seems to be tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as if that region needed still more tensions. Of course, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ongoing, with no real improvement or breakthroughs in sight. Outright slave auctions were recently discovered in Libya, there are tensions over elections in Kenya, and even though there is general and genuine pleasure with the removal of Robert Mugabe as leader of Zimbabwe, what happened there still is, for all intents and purposes, a military coup d'état.
Sometimes, I sound like a pessimist, but many people feel that I am actually an optimist. Yet, with all of those news items dominating the headlines, and with the alarming rise of waves of nationalism and fascist movements, particularly in Europe and North America, it is enough to shake anyone's desire to keep up with the news.
That means that sometimes, we need to give ourselves a break. And that is why I sometimes switch gears.
A couple of days ago, I wrote something about the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles "I Am the Walrus" album in the United States.
The Beatles have been one of my favorite groups since I can first remember listening to music. I still get a pleasant feeling while listening to them, and different songs, and even entire albums, remind me of other times and other places of my own life. The Revolver album reminds me of my grandparents home in Liberty, NY, and the generally good memories that I have from then. Rubber Soul reminds me of the trip up to Canada (Montreal) that my grandparents took my brother and I on in the summer of 1983, where we stopped at Lake George, specifically, where I picked that album up (a cassette copy!). Abbey Road reminds me of Marly-le-Roi, a suburb of Paris, because when my brother and I spent a week there with a relative, that was the only rock record that I remember her having, and so naturally, it was played to death. And there are some other albums that remind me more generally of France, or other memories, that would frankly be too long too list here.
The strange thing with the Beatles is that they are just about the only major rock band that I can think of which I never grew tired of hearing, even briefly. There are other bands which I love, obviously, including some that I was a fan of during my childhood, and some that were more recent. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of Pearl Jam, for example, as well as Soundgarden (and anything associated with Chris Cornell). I love Nirvana, too. Loved the music of the Animals, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who, and Pink Floyd, to name a few. Was really intensely into the Dead Kennedys, Metallica, Anthreax, Megadeth, Voivod, and some others while growing up during middle school and high school, and early into college. But I tired of all of those bands at some point or another, to some degree or another, except for the Beatles. Considering that the Beatles are still heard often on the radio, I think that is something worth mentioning!
Indeed, there is still a pleasant feel - and not just nostalgia - when I see or hear something about the Beatles. It could be when they come on the radio, or when there is something on television that comes on about them (I missed the Ron Howard film that aired on PBS this past weekend, annoyingly enough). If one of the band members is being interviewed, I generally make a point of stopping whatever I was doing in order to watch and listen. Hell, I even read some books by the Beatles, including a book of poems by John Lennon and another one by Paul McCartney!
So, having just mentioned the 50th anniversary of a great album, I am reminded that George Harrison died on this day, back in 2001. I was saddened, and especially annoyed with myself for not having seen him when the chance was there to do so. He seemed too young to go, and that was such a depressing time, so shortly after September 11th. But it seems fitting to honor his memory today, on this, the anniversary of his death.
Yet, there are still two former members of the Fab Four who are still alive, and are still playing music, as well all know!
Indeed, there is still a pleasant feel - and not just nostalgia - when I see or hear something about the Beatles. It could be when they come on the radio, or when there is something on television that comes on about them (I missed the Ron Howard film that aired on PBS this past weekend, annoyingly enough). If one of the band members is being interviewed, I generally make a point of stopping whatever I was doing in order to watch and listen. Hell, I even read some books by the Beatles, including a book of poems by John Lennon and another one by Paul McCartney!
So, having just mentioned the 50th anniversary of a great album, I am reminded that George Harrison died on this day, back in 2001. I was saddened, and especially annoyed with myself for not having seen him when the chance was there to do so. He seemed too young to go, and that was such a depressing time, so shortly after September 11th. But it seems fitting to honor his memory today, on this, the anniversary of his death.
Yet, there are still two former members of the Fab Four who are still alive, and are still playing music, as well all know!
One thing that I made a point of doing as a father was to take my son to see the last two living members of the Beatles, while they are still around and playing music and touring. Just a couple of months ago, we saw Paul McCartney in Brooklyn. It actually was not the first time that my son saw him, although he was way too young to remember the time that we saw him in Québec City, back in 2008, when he gave a free concert on the Plains of Abraham for the 400th anniversary of that city. In fact, he was sleeping for most of that show, although he was awake for the first few song, as well as for the entirety of the 45-minute or so warm-up, which we were one of the privileged few to have seen (most people never got to see this in person, because they had not yet opened the gates to the public).
Last year, however, I took him to see Ringo Starr. That was up in Massachusetts, up in Worcester. It was a nice weekend, where we obviously did more than just go to that concert. Yet, going to see Ringo was obviously the highlight of that extended weekend!
Ringo is one of the greatest drummers in rock history. In fact, the Beatles were thrilled when he first joined the band, and felt that he lent them credibility and experience. Of course, he had to shave his beard to match their clean-cut image, but this he did. And he became a member of what would be the most legendary rock band in history.
Yet, for a long time, he has been kind of seen as the black sheep of the band, for reasons that are not altogether clear. Sure, he seemed a bit goofy at times, and people poked fun at him for this. There was that famous Saturday Night Live clip when they were offered $3000 for a reunion (a paltry amount even then which was jokingly offered for the band to reunite). And many seem to feel that he just got lucky.
Ringo Starr is one of the great drummers of all time, and it sometimes annoys me that he does not get the credit that he so richly deserves. But it seems that, finally, he might be starting to get credit, and this recognition is long overdue!
Take a look at the LA Weekly article (see link) below:
Last year, however, I took him to see Ringo Starr. That was up in Massachusetts, up in Worcester. It was a nice weekend, where we obviously did more than just go to that concert. Yet, going to see Ringo was obviously the highlight of that extended weekend!
Ringo is one of the greatest drummers in rock history. In fact, the Beatles were thrilled when he first joined the band, and felt that he lent them credibility and experience. Of course, he had to shave his beard to match their clean-cut image, but this he did. And he became a member of what would be the most legendary rock band in history.
Yet, for a long time, he has been kind of seen as the black sheep of the band, for reasons that are not altogether clear. Sure, he seemed a bit goofy at times, and people poked fun at him for this. There was that famous Saturday Night Live clip when they were offered $3000 for a reunion (a paltry amount even then which was jokingly offered for the band to reunite). And many seem to feel that he just got lucky.
Ringo Starr is one of the great drummers of all time, and it sometimes annoys me that he does not get the credit that he so richly deserves. But it seems that, finally, he might be starting to get credit, and this recognition is long overdue!
Take a look at the LA Weekly article (see link) below:
Quote on Trump taken from the following article:
The greatest threat to America? Republicans by Paul Thomas, 17 Jul, 2015:
People Are Finally Recognizing Ringo Starr as One of Rock's Great Drummers SCOTT TIMBERG | NOVEMBER 27, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment