These Days: Sunday, March 19th, 2017
Death: if you were a Black American man born in 1929, you might too have distrusted and disliked a white American society whose primary reason for existence was to enslave you, and when they couldn’t do that, subjugate you, insult you,imprison you, and rob you blind. That isn’t the subtext of rock and roll, that is the text. From “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” to “Back In The USA,” “Promised Land,” “Let It Rock.” “Almost Grown,” these are songs of protest. RIP Chuck Berry. You wanna know why he sucked live everywhere but not at his club in ol’ Saint Lou look no further.
The News: Helen Bach writes “Why do I watch morning news? Yesterday I saw the end of meals on wheels today is the halting of funding for afterschool programs. Fucking the elderly and the children- right on.”
Sports: This is why I gamble on sports so rarely. I could have sworn Villanova were going all the way but in a game like college basketball, miss the wrong net at the wrong time and you are out of business. How far can Wisconsin go?
New Music: “People like you more when you working towards something, not when you have it,” Drake claims on his “Playlist” More Life, a Drake and superstars new album released yesterday. A trip through 21st century Black pop. Grade: B+
Old Music: All Chuck Berry all the time. If you are wondering where to start, start with The Great 28, which misses some stuff, like “Tulane,” but gets enough to matter. If you just want an album try Berry On Top but really you need everything, even the blues stuff that should be better than it is.
Concerts: Clapton tomorrow and “Wee Wee Hours” is a self-evident truth but will he delve deeper?
POTUS: You have to wonder what his problem is. Why can’t he get out of his own way, Trump does more harm to himself than the rest of the world combined.
The World: And so we are back in Korea, where every choice is a bad choice. Will the US attack? They will if they feel threatened enough which should terrify South Korea and Japan. And if you wanna see what’s wrong with North Korea simply compare in to North Korea. The same country, split in two, one a third world nation with a wastrel leader, the other a vibrant democracy with a thriving economy.
