Seeing the Imperfect Candidate
My initial thoughts on this blog entry were going to center on the racial challenges facing the nation as it comes, at large, to grips with the prospect of Barack Obama as President. Essentially, the issues and views on the issues held by Obama would make him a very attractive candidate to me in an of themselves. His complex racial make-up and what that means in the context of our America is, to me at least, an added bonus. Others, of course, see his race as the only issue, a hindrance, either to themselves or to his prospects of becoming President, or both. Of this, I cannot say. The only thing I can offer in terms of understanding race and how it affects the Obama candidacy is this: If you are culturally isolated, you will probably hesitate to vote for Obama, regardless of the issues. Sad, but real. If you only surround yourself with white people, or all of your friends are old and Jewish, chances are at this point slim that you’ll be supporting Obama come November.
To me, he could be green for all I care. His position on the issues of the day make him far and above the best candidate for this or any other election.
So I was in the midst of this blog when I get a call from my buddy Birago. Did I want to go see Barack Obama today? He is speaking at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, which is down the street. Hmm, I was going to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Hmmm, Barack or Indiana, Indiana or Barack…. ok, I’m in! Let’s go.
The culturally isolated folks I mention above would do well to hang with my friend Birago. If you saw him on the street, you would probably call him “black”. But B is really what I call the new American, a blend of Caribbean and African cultures that can only get melded in a modern America. He is Dominican, Puerto Rican, with a dash of the Cherokee tribe thrown in. He has ancestors who were slaves in the south. He is highly educated, a teacher and computer programmer. He speaks fluent Spanish, is a practicing Buddhist and even hosts his own dance music radio show on satellite radio. Not to mention, he is the best griller I know. So, when attending a political rally for Barack Obama, who better to go with than one Birago Jones.
Idealism firmly in place, we arrived at the Bank Atlantic Center about 2 hours before Obama scheduled speech. I didn’t know what to expect from a South Florida crowd that is notoriously fickle and fair-weathered. Sports teams down here suffer from shaky attendance regularly, and if and when people do show up for an event, be it a concert or sporting contest, they are restless, inattentive and early exiters. My fear, for the campaign of Barack Obama, was one of these fair-weathered South Florida crowds would partially show up on the Friday afternoon leading into the Memorial Day Weekend.
Thankfully, I was wrong. When we arrived, there were, in my estimation, around 6,000 people waiting to get in. The crowd was as diverse as one could imagine: Big, small, young, old, black, brown, white, latin, asian, straight, gay, mixed mutts and at least one blind guy. We were all baking in the Florida sun, urging the occasional cloud to shade us. As more people arrived, conversations about politics, gas prices and the Bush crime family could be heard. Finally, around 2:30 PM, the crowd was rewarded for their patience and allowed into the wonderfully air conditioned arena.
In the interest of preserving security, I won’t get into the specifics of the screening and security process. Suffice it to say it was thorough and I was pretty impressed. I know I would have given someone like me a pretty good look, and they did. For that, I was thankful.
Birago and I found ourselves on the club level mixed in with a lot of diverse folks. Conversations were easy, and most of the people we ran across were well informed and as embracing of the cultural diversity as we were. Comments like “I have never seen a crowd like this” were often overheard. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there were a few whack-a-doodles in there too, people more drawn to personality than policy, but that can probably be said for any successful candidate.
At one point, some subversive passed around these misleading flyers, which must of cost a fortune to make. On one side, they had a picture of Ted Kennedy and Obama together. People saw this and clamoured for them, shrieking with delight when they finally got their hands on one. But, once one flipped it over and read it, they came to the realization that this was an ugly piece of propoganda, questioning the heritage, patriotism and motives of Barack Obama. It took a while, but most people caught on to it and got rid of theirs. Others, however, clutched it like a prize they had won. Curious.
In spite of that little buzz kil, the crowd remained in a positive mood. They had a great warm-up band playing, and as the time for the speech drew near, the crowd grew as did the energy level. Seats filled in, previously empty sections became packed (the crowd was estimated to be around 16,000 by time everyone got there) and, as can only happen in South Florida, people started doing “The Wave”. This was a funny thing, a wave at a political rally. Amazing. And just as Rep. Robert Wexler was ready to cash in on the moment and release the crowd into a frenzy, he announced that Barack Obama was running late.
So we wait.
We wait some more.
The people try another half-hearted wave.
Nearly an hour passes until Barack Obama finally arrives. There were moments in the lead up and throughout his stump speech that I got chills. Not from any particular thing he had said, as I had pretty much heard it before. The chills were from the energy exhibited by an enthusiastic and passionate crowd. Chills grown from the knowledge that I was no longer alone in my perspective. Many, many more people, beautiful people, open minded, forward thinking and talented who believed as I did that a better America existed. People who believe that a better America can be made, and that this man before us was the agent of that change.
Obama’s speech was a bit short, but I expect he was making up for being a bit off schedule at our expense. That’s ok. I had waited longer in worse conditions for things that mattered far less. I came away hopeful that with a few more months of campaigning, with a Summer of imparting his position on policy to a mentally malnourished nation, the substance of Barack Obama would make its way to the forefront and captivate those who aren’t paying attention. Given time, I have confidence that it will.
CODA
As Birago and I were leaving the event, we got stuck in traffic. Seems there was only one exit open, and as he tried to be a polite driver in horrendous parking lot traffic, we were saddened to find ourselves confronted with the usual assholes not letting us in, or blocking the way.
Amazing. I always thought the assholes on the road were all Republicans.
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That’s How I Would Drive…
It’s not how Kyle Busch gives an interview, or comes across on television.
It’s that I say to myself: “That is how I would drive a race car.”
No commentsRADIOHEAD: A Live Review
Last night was my fourth Radiohead experience. As usual, the band put on a phenomenal performance, this time kicking off their North American tour at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Outdoors, a little overcast, a packed lawn and a couple of beers in the tank set up the night.
First thing I had to do during the week or so leading up to the show was really, really listen to “In Rainbows”. If you read my earlier blog on the album, you know that I really didn’t “get” this album at the get-go. Look, I’ll admit, most Radiohead records don’t jump off and grab you right away, but “In Rainbows” was really a challenge. I knew if I listened enough, the subtleties would rise up and greet me, but here it was five months into it and I STILL wasn’t getting terribly moved by the thing. Maybe it really is a failed product of un-monitored self-indulgence, I begin to worry. So here I am with my Friend Big Tall Geoff, sitting in terrible traffic on the Florida Turnpike, in the middle of “All I Want”, and it starts to make sense, grow on me even. By the time we got into the venue, I was pretty OK with the “In Rainbows” material.
In conveying my show experience, one must understand my situation. I am legally blind, in case you don’t know. I have a little telescope that I spy on people with, but from where we were it was useless. If you are looking for me to tell you whether Thom was wearing an Obama shirt, I can’t. There was a Tibetan flag on stage apparently as Thom referred to it. He had a clever little bit about being on South Beach for 3 days and finding himself “proud to be white, pale and English, which is rare.” That was it for crowd interaction. The stage, from what I could tell, was a colorful affair, with shinny, lit vertical, shit; I don’t know what you would call them. Lots of lines of light, video behind it - nothing too exciting. Maybe I can’t see. Maybe I am desensitized to all that fancy gadgetry and would rather see them on a barge. Big Tall Geoff shrugged when I asked him about the visuals. “Kinda cool, but nothing special,” he said, adding that the video was somewhat obscured by the vertical light board. I’m sure you can find pics somewhere.
Ok, so what did they play? “In Rainbows” was pretty well covered, with the set opening with “All I Need” and followed with “Bodysnatchers”. The set took a turn with bits like “There There” and “Morning Bell”, but it was when they broke out “How to Disappear Completely” that I realized how this band was challenging the audience. There would be no “Kharma Police” tonight, which was ok with me, but I don’t know about the rest of the South Florida crowd. In other words, there was plenty of texting going on during the middle part of the set.
“Weird Fishes” presented a really weird moment where the band played the last section over again once the song ended, like a rehearsal. Thom then made some remark about how you’d think they’d get it right after all those rehearsals. That was fun.
The rest of the set was a mix of material from “The Bends” and “Kid A”. In the encore, they played the beautiful “Faust Arp” which still mystifies me musically. I don’t know HOW they keep count of that one. For the real hardcore fans, Thom took to the drums as they played “Bangers and Mash”, a fitful b-side from the Limited Edition “In Rainbows” package. Manic and probably over this crowd’s head, but rewarding for the 50 people in the crowd who recognized it.
There is one thing that I will say about Radiohead: They are the best SOUNDING band I have ever heard. I am amazed at the array of sounds produced by these guys, the execution, and the precise adherence to format, no matter the time signature or complexity. It always sounds so solid, the subtleties all there, a great sonic demonstration. I find myself just closing my eyes and drinking in the sound, and it’s never disappointed me. Ok, when I saw them open for REM many years ago, that wasn’t so good. But this show, like the previous 2 I have seen here and in Atlanta, the audio is about as good as it gets live. Maybe a bit more volume would have been cool, as my ears aren’t ringing today!
All in all, a great live show for Radiohead fans. Was I left longing? Yeah, of course. I mean, they probably could have played another hour and still not satisfied my craving for another nugget from “The Bends” or something like that. But it’s Radiohead - for me, it can never go bad.
Here is the Radiohead setlist from 5/5/08 at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach:
All I Need
Bodysnatchers
There There
Reckoner
The Gloaming
Morning Bell
Nude
How To Disappear Completely
15 Steps
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Idioteque
Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was
Where I End And You Begin
Airbag
Everything In Its Right Place
The National Anthem
Videotape
ENCORE 1:
Optimistic
Just
Faust Arp
Exit Music (For A Film)
Bangers + Mash
ENCORE 2:
House Of Cards
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Cylon Theory
I must digress into a bit of Battlestar Galactica geekyness here. I love the re-imagined series - it’s the best thing on T.V. that doesn’t involve racing. There is a mystery involving the identity of the final Cylon, and here is my take on that, and Cylon theory in general.
So anyway, I think this, Battlestar Galactica’s final season, is all a set up for the backstory driven “Caprica” series scheduled to be piloted this Fall. It is my belief that the basis of the conflict between humans, the Significant 7 and the Final 5 is all tied back to the creation of the Cylons themselves. From what we understand, the Adama’s and the Greystone’s will be the prominent families in Caprica, and I think the Cylon factions we see now represent the differing philosophies these families had when creating the Cylons. That’s right, I think the Adama’s and Greystone’s were either the creators of, or had a significant hand in the legislation that brought about the Cylons. Of course, there had to be some conflict, some philosophical difference between how these two families viewed Cylons, artificial intelligence in general and automatons and free will. It is easy to imagine a camp who believed that the Cylons were designed simply to serve (hence the “one God” monotheism held by the Significant 7), and another camp who saw them as living creatures, an evolutionary step entitled to rights and maybe even citizenship. I think the latter would be represented in the Final 5, or at least the four we have seen. The last remaining Cylon - who knows. That may be reserved for a clone of the creator of that line. We’ll see.
I think this explains how these Cylons are so different. The Final 5 that have been revealed seem to be inherently more human, more flawed and susseptible to illness. There is no philosophical quest driving them, at least to this point. The Significant 7, on the other hand, are obsessed with things that are inherently human - procreation, religeous ponderings, and what it is to “feel” something. Much, much more primative. Of the final 5 we have seen, they have demonstrated a bredth of human emotions - love, grief, hope, fear. There is little doubt that they are more evolved, or at least more “human” than the other Cylons.
So the conflict, the idea that the significant 7 can’t think or talk about the Final 5 makes sense if it was a programmed aversion, placed there by a creator who is a rival of the Final 5 creator. This means, I suspect, that the conclusion of BSG is also the culmination of another series, Caprica, with the family rivalry getting it’s final play in the quest for Earth.
Back to this idea of who is the final Cylon, I dunno. Whoever it is, I think there is another layer to it. For instance, if it were Doc Coddle, he is probably more than simply Doc Coddle. He is probably tied to the actual creation of the final 5. Or if it is Baltar, I like the idea that he programmed his own ignorance and that the 6 in his head is really a manifestation of his own guiding subconciousness, pre-programmed by him years prior. Maybe it IS an Adama, but not Lee, Zack or William… rather Grandpa Adama, perhaps the creator of the Final 5 Cylons themselves. If the Adama’s are in some way responsible for the whole Cylon mess, well, can you say “redemption”?
No commentsNEW SONG: Another American Anthem
I met a guy from Finland once, and after a long involved conversation that spanned world politics, his country’s perchant for producing World Rally racing champions and the comparative qualities of Finnish porters, he stopped mid-sentence and questioned my upbringing. I told him I was a local product of the public school system, good parantage and a couple semesters of community college. He paused and mused that he was puzzled, because I wasn’t like most of the other American’s he had met. I wasn’t consumed with pop culture or the amero-centric worldview that had characterized the American’s he had met here or overseas. A friend on the fringes of the conversation used that moment to chime in, telling my new Finnish friend that indeed, George shouldn’t be confused with any other American.
To me, a fine complement personally, but a sad indictment of the state of America and its perception internationally. I am not that unique, I’ve since decided. There are plenty of well-read, informed introspective and outwardly open Americans who don’t see the world atlas starting with our country at the center of all things. There are thoughtful, kind, empathetic people surrounding us, overworked to distraction maybe, but they are here. I know this, because this describes myself, my family and many of my friends. If we strip away the agenda-driven issues at the margins further, I would submit that MOST Americans are a decent people, willing to work hard, endure sacrifice and entertain tolerance in order to build a better society.
But the refrain, about not being confused with some other American, stuck with me. So late one night, lubricated by a belly full of domestic craft beer and a head filled with Keith Olbermann, I struck up a progression in the inventive key of “G” and this song was born.
“Another American Anthem” builds on the idea of there being more to America than its consumer trappings. We don’t all agree with the privatized, unfeeling imperialism of our current administration. We can’t all be distracted into compliance, amused into apathy. I’m not that fat American tourist in the James Bond films, choking on indulgence and self-centered desires. If we break out of our pigeoned-holed, corporatly programmed interests, tear down the fences of party, religeon and musical genre preferences, we can make it a better thing for all.
I really believe that, as naive as it may seem. Rise prols, unite. Take back your country, your destiny. String up the fuckers while you’re at it. But most of all, think. Then think some more. Because there is nothing more useless, more sad, than a dumb democracy.
Enjoy the song. Pass it around. And while you’re at it, smile at a stranger…It just may make your day.
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