Retrospective Notes on Three 2010 Shows: Introduction

IWTAS honored and humbled me with a request to write about my three favorite shows of 2010. The assignment has grown in my mind and on paper much too large and verbose, so I'll post the full of what I have written and am writing here and submit to IWTAS a Reader's Digest version.

Introduction: A Helpful, Albeit Silly and Overwrought Metaphor

After 2010’s shortest day I spend part of 2010’s tallest night sitting at the Hideaway bar. I contemplate my assignment: pick three shows and write about them. The man at the piano plays Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” with a feel as if we are drinking in an Old West saloon. He segues into “Blue Christmas” and maintains the saloon feel. Whatever the feel in which he plays does not really matter. The patrons pay only half-attention. The piano man knows that all we are in the mood for is the melody, and the piano man delivers that with minimal affect. The patrons on occasion sing along with a line or two, and it’s proven that Billy Joel knows what he’s talking about.

I think that were we, these bar patrons, at a show, we would be in the mood for more than a melody. We would pay more than half-attention. Most apparent and immediate for each of us as an audience member would be the moment - the ecstatic state of seeing and listening. I devise a silly and overwrought metaphor to guide me in my assignment. The moment is a pearl-headed pin pressed into thick woolen fabric. To step back; to see so many pearls upon thick woolen fabric; to fashion constellations upon topographies; to spot three bright pearls upon peaks of woolen fabric. (It’s a silly and overwrought metaphor, but it helpfully guides my arriving at the following three pearls of 2010.)

Tomorrow: Meredith Monk & SLSO at Powell Hall - 03/13/10

Take a gander at my guest column at the Super Arrow blog.

I just finished reading Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving. According to the book (and I think that the book is on to something), loving one's neighbor requires "true humility, courage, faith and discipline." True love requires four basic elements: care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. All of these qualities seem so difficult to develop in our society - especially now that so much of our society communicates via inherently narcissistic social networking sites. I wonder if there is such a thing as an online persona consistent with these qualities. Perhaps there isn't. I am going to try, both virtually and really.

My Republican friend Tory (everybody should have at least a couple, right?) emailed me about my take on his former Dartmouth instructor Jeff Smith. Here is my response:

Hey Tory! How's AZ?

The whole thing is really sad. I mean, he deserves to go to prison, because he basically had a million chances to come clean but instead he lied to federal investigators and (worst of all) very explicitly counseled and encouraged other people to lie. That's a classic obstruction conspiracy. If he had come clean about it from the get-go, there would have been a hefty fine that his campaign committee would have payed, and that fine (and a little embarrassment) likely would have been the end of it. For goodness sake ... every campaign gets hit with these fines and they're considered to be basically the cost of doing business. (I think I read that both Obama's and McCain's campaigns had fines numbering in the hundreds.)

There are two sad things about it.

First, just about everybody in Jeff City - of all political stripes and persuasions - thought of Jeff Smith as one of the most talented, hard-working and intelligent legislators around. I don't want to be harsh, but the large majority of the folks up there - of both parties - are complete doofuses. It's a real loss for our state.

Second, Jeff Smith's state senate district geographically is about half-white and half-black. Unlike a lot of politicians representing St. Louis City districts with this kind of segregation, he really worked hard at representing and serving the entirety of his district. People on both sides of town liked and trusted him. His behavior undermines a lot of good work he did to begin uniting our city.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that I think a lot of people still do like and trust him. He seems genuinely contrite about what he did. Maybe he could make a comeback. I likely would vote for him if he did.

-matt

Local gastroblogs!

In addition to Eileen's Kitchen, I'm crashing this party now too.

August in the River City comes to a crisp close with the local nine up ten. The town already buzzes with playoff talk. What a month.

In September, big (as in 119-page) projects continue for the well-oiled machine that is the R&P MPO. We're rehearsing and fine-tuning the Strike score (premiering Sep 27 at Webster) while writing the Nosferatu score (premiering Oct 31 at Vanderbilt). Wyoming St. headquarters buzzes with bowed strings and horn flourishes. The Strike score is the most challenging and sophisticated work of Mssrs Lite and The Dean yet. If you're in the STL on the 27th, then don't miss it.

Here, like at twac, the hiatus is over. Bar exam taken. Camping trip taken. Part-time working. Results awaiting.

The hiatus did little, however, to stop the inexorable growth of the blogroll. There's the aforementioned twac, and Zettwoch's Suitcase (where you can find a nifty sketch of camping me) bringing up the caboose of an impossibly long link train. Meanwhile, calm found new refuge at Wordpress. The Schnoktol Sentinel decided to synchronize with its url and become don't click it dude. The things I miss while I am away.

One thing I didn't miss while away was television, particularly of the 24-hour cable news variety.

I came back from my venture in the wilderness to tea partiers effectively shutting down "town hall" meetings by constant shouting and displays of intimidation.

Democratic processes are inherently fragile, and easy to disrupt by intimidation through political theater. Take the "Brooks Brothers Riot" during 2000 Florida recount, for instance.

Fast-forwarding to 2008, the American people elected Barack Obama their president more decisively than for any candidate in twenty years. Targeted political theater and thug tactics weren't going to disrupt and paralyze the 2008 vote-counting like they did so effectively in 2000.

So, here come the April 15 and July 4, 2009 "Tea Parties." They were incoherent with regard to a single theme or message, but it's becoming increasingly clear that a single theme or message never really was the point. Unabashedly promoted by Fox News and funded in large part by corporate entities including the insurance industry, the "Tea Parties" now appear to have been a way to identify, recruit and use people for later.

Later as in shutting down civil and democratic discourse through fear and intimidation. Adel Stan of Alternet lays out the program pretty well here. It's the right-wing way - disrupt and paralyze democratic processes when and where one can. Not only does it often work in intimidating politicians and their supporters, the "town hall" disruption is irresistible to television media. "Brooks Brothers Riots" all over the country.

The GOP staffers and campaign workers flown in to Florida to "riot" in 2000 knew that they were actors in a piece of political theater. But what about the Teapartiers? They believe it's for real.

Frank Schaeffer on Maddow:



Things seem very dangerous to me right now.

Last Days of Man on Earth says goodbye to the 70s.

I'm just a caveman, but I do know this - there's some good stuff on the internets lately.

calm starts off a South City band series, and starts it off right.

A bunch of very smart people write about a very smart book. Writers include the book's very smart author.

Corresponding Fractions is on heavy rotation.

seeyoulaser is exponentially more fun than studying.

InfoMash dog-paddles on the sea of information.

For the next couple of weeks, things are going to be kind of quiet 'round these parts. Today starts the last week of law school classes and papers, and the week after is my last week of law school exams ... ever.

I get hooded on May 17th*, which will be 1022 days since I started this piece. Each of those 1022 days has been difficult or challenging in its own way. I think that if you speak to anyone who has gone through law school, that person will tell you how difficult of an experience it was. Aside from the intellectually challenging inundation of work and reading, there are many, many days of deep self-doubt and loneliness.

It's a difficult piece, with a coda yet to be performed. Still, I made it this far and I am still playing. The unwavering faith, love and support of family and friends are the reasons for that.

See you in a couple of weeks.

*-Knock on wood.

A slice of rock and roll history: Confluence City reunites with Jack Endino. 1, 2, 3 ...

As a college student in the 90s, it looked to me like cultural studies was going to take over everything. But then it didn't. Michael Bérubé explains why.

Apparently, Dick Cheney still thinks he's in charge of something.

This one goes out to the DoeBrain.

The UEU314 crew go on adventures not unlike those pursued by the Goonies.

Today's Fuck You, Penguin post might just be my favorite: Jaded hipster owls think they've seen it all.

In the tradition of my learned and respected colleague ...

Joaquin Phoenix is lame.

That's all there is to it.

Trashcanvas (Tim) will post over the next several weeks the libretto for the May Day Orchestra's work Songs for Lucy Parsons. I've heard it performed now a couple of times and it's beautiful music beautifully done.

The work is about the Haymarket Massacre, among other things. And the way the music and words work is kind of like Richard Buckner's The Hill - different stories and voices interweaved with different musical motifs in one, whole constant musical piece. I agree with Tim ... it's a folk opera.

So check out Trashcanvas over the next couple of months and get yourself lyrically ready for the big record release of Songs for Lucy Parsons.

The release date is May 1st, of course.

I am entirely too busy at the moment to provide anything other than mildly amusing video. Sorry. Fortunately, two of my favorite St. Louis City librarians each have started a blog which puts mine to shame. Read them. Regarder le Vide. Trashcanvas.

I wish I could draw, or had a comic, or a job, or a bathroom door, or could cook because I got nothin' today.

Nothin'.

The Doodler returns!

Congratulations, Mr. Lite. Why not spend the next hour or so over at the Hoot-Bot hut?