But Paul Simon represented to me, the new version of the folk music that I'd
been listening to since 1952. I hope you heard his little song on the video,
Funny! I was listening to what I defined as real folk singers in the 50's,
Sseeger, Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie. The folks who came along in the 60's like
Peter Paul and Mary, were to me, slicker, dressed up versions of authentic folk
music.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2017 9:18 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: `FW: I saw this column and thought of you
Interesting. OF course at 82, I was not a product of the generation Simon grew
up in, but I knew when I heard it, that there was great unrest showing up in
our music. Tin Pan Alley was being overrun by these guitar swinging, mouthy
young, brash musicians. Finally Black America began to crawl out of the
ghettos and broken down bars of the slums, and be heard. In Seattle places
like the Birdland and the Black and Tan became the hangout for the "in"
generation. My old haunts, The Door, The Place next Door, Dave's Fifth Avenue,
and even the Ebony Club, along with Pete's Poop Deck all cool jazz joints,
slowly became ghost rooms filled with more emptiness than with cool jazz
lovers. What turned the young people on were the words. More than the music,
at first, were the words. Jazz was "Cool", but pointless. Guys like Bob Dylan
had something to say. Somehow we've allowed the new version of Tin Pan Alley
to rise up and smother our brains with garbage lyrics. At least over the
Commercial Media's outlets. And I never once thought about why I had moved
from my favorite protest songs, to the Stand Up Comic of today. Thanks for
this little brain fart that got my juices stirring again.
And now it's off to the hospital. Cathy's mother is doing very poorly. I fear
she may not see her 91st birthday this July.
Carl Jarvis
On 5/25/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This was sent to me.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: David F [mailto:scopist65@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 7:07 PM
To: 'Miriam Vieni' <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: I saw this column and thought of you
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Lefsetz [mailto:bob@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 4:06 PM
To: scopist65@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Paul Simon And Stephen Colbert Are 'Feelin' Groovy'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI2PXkXZPfk
Maybe you've got to be 75 not to give a fuck.
That's right, Paul Simon was 34 back when SNL launched, when he made
fun of himself, when he was still a soft rock superstar as opposed to
a world musician, before he infected a younger generation via MTV and
Chevy Chase in the eighties.
The seventies were a weird era, we had sixties hangover, we knew we'd
been though something that would never return, we were looking inward
instead of outward, testing our own personal limits, and that's what
SNL was about, not an institution without impact, but a clubhouse for
a generation, whose sensibility said we're not part of the mainstream
and we can make fun of not only them, but ourselves and our culture.
Not that Mr. Simon has been able to have an impact recently, times
have changed too much, his records get reviewed but his audience only
wants to hear the oldies and the younger generation is impenetrable so
it's like he's in the rearview mirror, he's even toyed with
retirement, and then he goes on Colbert and blows away all the youngsters a
third his age.
You see a baby boomer has a viewpoint. Scratch under the surface, get
rid of the BMW and the fancy meals, all the lifestyle stuff, and a
boomer remembers what once was, when we were all on the same page,
against the war, when if you weren't questioning everything, you weren't
conscious.
Very different from today's generation. First and foremost it's split.
Many are left and many are right. And a whole bunch of them feel
unheard, like they don't even matter, as their parents and the press
keep shitting on them, deploring the ethos of the millennials. And
their best and the brightest are mercenary fucks like Zuckerberg and
Spiegel, if you think Facebook and Snapchat are equivalent to the
Fillmore East, the gigs of yore, you never went. There were no
cameras, no selfies, it was about the music, like-minded people coming
together to celebrate the elixir of life.
But it hasn't been that way for a very long time.
And then Paul Simon goes on Colbert and captures the zeitgeist.
This is not Chris Stapleton and Kevin Bacon imitating ZZ Top on
Fallon, that's just supposed to be funny, this clip has a VIEWPOINT!
First and foremost you're stunned that Simon can actually play, he
starts picking and your heart melts, this is the sound that had you
addicted to the radio, going to the show way back when.
And when Paul starts crapping on "59th Street Bridge Song"...it's the
antithesis of today, where everybody's boasting, trumpeting their
accomplishments, worried if they don't claim every bit of their CV and
more they'll be left out in the scrum of life. Hell, ever read
anybody's bio today? You'd think they're President! Oops! A blowhard
self-promoter IS President!
And now my inbox is gonna go wild. That's what you don't realize if
you're not in the game, the gotcha people who breathe down your throat
anytime you take a left wing position. Hell, the media missed it,
because the reporters are faceless and don't engage, but play on the
internet and you see the real America.
But you cannot be afraid.
And Stephen Colbert is not afraid. Which is why his show just won the
season war, beat Fallon. Because it's not about appealing to
everybody, but SOMEBODY! Just by playing you're gonna alienate so many
people, by having a viewpoint, ignore them, those aligned with you
will be titillated and will double-down.
"Hello lamppost, nice to see ya
We might get bombed by North Korea
We're gettin' close to World War III
So run for the shelters
Feelin' groovy"
This is the sixties ethos, this is the essence of the SNL of yore, you
take something innocuous and with a bit of creativity and insight you
turn it into something cutting and poignant, it resonates with the
audience, your intelligence shines through, and in the internet era
nothing is more powerful, take that fashion and makeup!
"The Arctic’s meltin'
The seas are boilin'
These aren't the first pants that I'm soilin'
We won't survive the century
We're all doomed
I'm feelin' groovy"
Simon is not afraid to participate, he doesn't put all the weight on
Colbert, he's willing to do the heavy lifting, unlike today's wankers.
Furthermore, who doesn't like some toilet humor, especially boomers
who were scared shitless the first time around, who hid under their
desks to prevent the carnage of a nuclear war.
"Kellyanne Conway makes no sense
And even if Trump goes we're stuck with Mike Pence But he might win
the big one in 2020 Nevertheless, all is groovy"
Name names, take your shot, don't play nice, have a viewpoint, how
come Colbert and Simon know this and the younger generation does not?
But comedians are more powerful than musicians today, not only do they
sell tickets they speak truth, about our society, Netflix is all over
them, the specials are abundant, from edgy people like Chappelle and
Norm Macdonald and soon Chris Rock. TV is willing to take a risk, musicians?
And whether consciously or unconsciously, Paul Simon is acting
positively in the now. It's not about sitting at home concocting
perfect albums for three years that are ultimately ignored, but being
in the game, taking chances, creating all the time, taking a shot at going
viral.
And so far, this clip has not.
But the truth is it's not like the old days, there's a delay, the word
doesn't spread so fast, it takes time to percolate.
This clip made me smile and feel good, made me feel that I am not
alone and I'm a member of a team which may be losing today but could win
tomorrow.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU ASK FOR?
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