louise on the left (coast)

I had a feeling Randy Newman would call us out for our human foibles during this 2012 presidential race, however did not expect to hear quite such a note of despair to his voice. At first Newman's ballad appears to be nothing more than a sweet, humorous lament. However as the melody unfurls we hear the deceptively simple harmonies limp awkwardly toward it's real message: We are forever bound in ugliness to a sinking ship of racism: And he makes this point not just musically, but by stringing together lyrics as funny as salt in a wound; Within a tune all but refusing to hummed. This is no amusing ditty; this is our historic demise. We do seem to be a nation of folks unable to heed either common sense or God's warning wrath. And I, too, am heartbroken by what I fear is our endless, tragic ignorance. When will we ever learn?

So, once again, the blog, jacked UP jazz has given this white lady something to really ponder by posting this clip from the little known short film called "The Session."* Check it out: Best line in the film clip: "Three negroes, two Saabs and a Volvo and a gallon of motherfuckin spring water ain't no tools for no revolution." Thanks, again, to jacked UP Jazz for finding more cool insights about our culture that, frankly, I may never have discovered prior to stumbling across this very cool blog . Could any of my posts make it more clear how much my favorite TV show was always The Mod Squad? (and never, never, never The Brady Bunch. Sorry, but it gives me the creeps to even think about that damn show.) Whatever. I still just want to be "Julie" when I grow up, and save the world. *More about this film: "This short film inspired the feature film "D.R.O.P. Squad" and was produced in 1988. Based on a short story called "The Depro