I'll probably write more formally about some current music I'm digging the in the Sounds section of this site, but I wanted to think out loud about it a bit here.

What I've been listening to the most lately is King Crimson--specifically, three old live recordings from their staggeringly powerful 1973-74 lineup (Heidelberg and Mainz, Germany, and Central Park, NYC). It occurred to me this weekend that I tend to listen to Crimson the most when I'm in a learning or self-discovery mode. Listening to them is a form of education on both emotional and intellectual levels. There's an exhilarating quality to the sheer muscular power of their music, especially in the '73-'74 lineup with the monstrous rhythm section of John Wetton on bass and Bill Bruford on drums. Inseparably combined with that energy, though, is an edginess, a discomfort, an almost chilling quality to the music. It strains and struggles against its limitations, the grinding of its internal tensions coming through loud and clear. The result is exciting and disturbing, and as such is a good, compact emotional laboratory for life. The result is also, for me, very conducive to focus, concentration, and discipline. Also to self-analysis and responsibility. The philosophical approach of bandleader Robert Fripp has also been a growing influence on me, which is a subject for another time.

Along with providing fuel for general introspection, it also makes me think about my own artistic ideals, which I keep so close and under wraps that I even end up hiding them from myself too much of the time. I think about the ongoing struggles these musicians have engaged in against the mediocrity of mainstream culture and the boundaries of the genres they've worked in, and I ponder the current state of such struggling, and whether I have any potential role in it. I've spent far too much of my time not playing music, not participating in that struggle which is far and away the most meaningful and rewarding to me. The reasons are complicated, too tangled for me to sort out in one session or to try and describe here. But my latest round of Crimson-ing has got me thinking about it. What are my motives, what are my ideals, and what are my options? It's exciting and disturbing at the same time. And I doubt Fripp himself would have it any other way.

Labels: Music

As I write this, Hurricane Katrina is looming off the coast of New Orleans, its advance guard of wind & rain already raking over the Gulf coast. I'm hoping, along with everyone else, that this "once in a lifetime storm" will weaken and start to break up overnight, though most forecasters are doubting that possibility. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this, and somehow I'm feeling glad that I gave blood this week.

One of the most telling stories to come out at this stage is the estimated 100,000 or so inner-city (read: poor) residents who don't have the means to leave the city--no cars, not enough money. I saw some news footage tonight of hundreds or thousands of people streaming into the Superdome, and most were obviously poor, and most of them were black. As I thought back to the images of thousands of cars and SUVs streaming out of town on the interstates, and compared it to this, I felt sad. Sad largely for those unfortunate people who once again come up short in the game of life, who are left in harm's way due to the socio-economic factors stacked against them. This storm is a more overt example of the fact that thousands of people there, and untold millions everywhere else, are at risk all the time. The next time you think how much affluent white people need tax breaks, think about the people who don't have social and economic levees to protect them.

Of course, I feel a great sadness for all those who were able to evacuate; I can only imagine what it must feel like to know that there may be nothing left when you return, and of course they'll be suffering great losses over the next few months. But I can't help but feel greater sorrow for those trapped with the dual helplessness of not being able to flee this approaching monster, and also having to deal with the aftermath of loss. These poor folks, with less income and less insurance, will be last in line again in the recovery phase. Not being either the prime business movers nor the prime consumers, they will no doubt be overlooked long after the storm as passed.

We can't do anything about the storm, but we can control what happens afterward. Here's hoping no one is overlooked.

Labels: Culture

Percentage of US troops killed in Iraq to date:

Since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished": 93%
Since the capture of Saddam Hussein: 75%
Since handover of power to Iraq: 53%
Since initial Iraqi elections: 22%

In case that last number sounds hopeful, that's 22% of our fatalities taking place in 19% of the total length of the war so far—more than two years after the start of the war.

Think about this the next time you hear rhetoric from the president and his administration. The point of this isn't a personal attack on Bush, but instead a profound expression of disappointment and dismay at what our misguided policies have wrought. We can do better as a country, and better as a world, and that's why I oppose this president. He has failed us.

UPDATE (Sept 4, 2005): The last two percentages above have risen to 54% and 24%, respectively, with the current death total at 1,886. That adds up to 24% of our casualties taking place in the most recent 19% of the war--which means it's gotten slightly worse.

UPDATE (Nov. 12, 2005): A full 30% of U.S. military deaths have occurred since the Iraqi elections, and 58% since the handover of power. To what end?

Labels: Politics