You Know, I Wish I Had Somebody to Help Me Sing This! Sunday, June 13, 2004

Listening to Brother Ray. Call me a philistine but I really love his Beatles covers--I know, I know, there's better stuff out there but goddamn if his "Eleanor Rigby" doesn't make Macca's sound positively quaint. And forget about what he does with "Yesterday"--a barn-burner, a beast.

Instructive note today on another blog I contribute to. Reagan came up, and in the middle of the exchange one fellow wrote:

I just genuinely find that stuff interesting because, well, I honestly never believed conservatives actually hold anything dear or care about anything but money.

Wow, it's like he read my mind!

The gent who wrote this is up-front and funny, and I suspect he's got his tongue in his cheek. To the extent that he's serious, it's a valuable point. (News flash: Ray and Les Femmes are doing a scatty bit in French now on "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma." Tres bien!) I started this journal, at least subconsciously, to let people know what I think about something besides music, movies and sci-fi, which is generally as far as I go in conversation. I get flustered fast and stay angry a long time--not a winning way when most of your friends are wishing on a different star, as it were.

The point here is not so much to proselytize people--you can find any of my political arguments spelled out better at the links to your left--but to show that you can hold right-of-center views and not eat babies for breakfast. Or even, God forbid, that you can hold those views and still have cogent things to say about art and culture.

Part of me is glad of the chance to open up a bit. Another part--the one that only cares about money and holds nothing dear--is a little less generous about the presumption of ogre-tude. It's a nifty challenge, but also wearying, to have to prove your good faith in every single argument. As John Waters said on "The Simpsons": "Well, Homer, I won your respect and all I had to do was save your life. Now, if every gay man could just do the same, you'd be set."

It's a leap, but you get the idea. Come to think of it, that could be the motto for this blog. I will stop short of saying I want that on my tombstone. Top contender for that is: I sent queries to the reporter. OK if I take off?

Goodbye already! It's a school night.

@ 10:07:00 PM, ,