Yes. Sadly. It is us. This era of music is from a time when, as fractious as it was, had a certain cultural bind that has long vanished. I’ve been supporting these artists still (I’m a cusp boomer so can still afford to go to live shows) but I noticed a tipping point when the greatest collection of these artists appeared at the Desert Trips gathering in Coachella (“Oldchella” for the haters). This was right before Chump’s first election and I witnessed white baby boomers yell out at Neil Young with “don’t go there, Neil” when he said something mildly political from the stage. A lot of angry white privileged assholes in attendance. I thought to myself, “have you not listened to these artists’ lyrics over the past 40-50 years?”
Thus, when Roger Waters took the stage the last night and had Chump’s face on the flying pig with a swastika on it, I chuckled at the number of assholes who were likely losing their minds at that moment.
This music still has much salience to me. There are artists like Wilco and My Morning Jacket still carrying the torch but to a far smaller crowd. Corporate Country and manufactured pop music has been ascendant for decades now. The music industry is very much like it was before the Beatles changed everything. That was a time and place that won’t come back in my lifetime.
Yup, the magic. Somewhere along the line, the mysteries of these artists, their music, words, personal lives all started spilling forth, revealing what used to keep us up at night, trying to find that complete set of Basement Noise. Thanks to Garth we have them now. It's great to learn these mysteries before we leave this world. But it all chips away at the magic. Some things are better left just felt, just heard. I've always wondered how John Fogerty and his bandmates dealt with all that creativity in John's head and the rest of the band playing his magic. Had to be some rough spots along with pure magic. Well, in the end, do I need to know how they got along? Do I really need to be aware of how often Dylan brushes his teeth? For the most part, the mystery helps sustain the magic and Bob can be left alone to do his thing, John can play it like he means it. I'm just lucky to have heard it, to have felt it at all.
Yes. Sadly. It is us. This era of music is from a time when, as fractious as it was, had a certain cultural bind that has long vanished. I’ve been supporting these artists still (I’m a cusp boomer so can still afford to go to live shows) but I noticed a tipping point when the greatest collection of these artists appeared at the Desert Trips gathering in Coachella (“Oldchella” for the haters). This was right before Chump’s first election and I witnessed white baby boomers yell out at Neil Young with “don’t go there, Neil” when he said something mildly political from the stage. A lot of angry white privileged assholes in attendance. I thought to myself, “have you not listened to these artists’ lyrics over the past 40-50 years?”
Thus, when Roger Waters took the stage the last night and had Chump’s face on the flying pig with a swastika on it, I chuckled at the number of assholes who were likely losing their minds at that moment.
This music still has much salience to me. There are artists like Wilco and My Morning Jacket still carrying the torch but to a far smaller crowd. Corporate Country and manufactured pop music has been ascendant for decades now. The music industry is very much like it was before the Beatles changed everything. That was a time and place that won’t come back in my lifetime.
Eloquent, Frank. I’m working on a book about the magic of that period and how we’ll never see that again. Thanks for the comment.
You must have missed Blue Moon Swamp. Some of his best.
Liked it. It wasn’t Creedence
Don’t forget John’s fabulous “Blue Ridge Rangers”
Great record. I love “Jamabalaya”.
Yup, the magic. Somewhere along the line, the mysteries of these artists, their music, words, personal lives all started spilling forth, revealing what used to keep us up at night, trying to find that complete set of Basement Noise. Thanks to Garth we have them now. It's great to learn these mysteries before we leave this world. But it all chips away at the magic. Some things are better left just felt, just heard. I've always wondered how John Fogerty and his bandmates dealt with all that creativity in John's head and the rest of the band playing his magic. Had to be some rough spots along with pure magic. Well, in the end, do I need to know how they got along? Do I really need to be aware of how often Dylan brushes his teeth? For the most part, the mystery helps sustain the magic and Bob can be left alone to do his thing, John can play it like he means it. I'm just lucky to have heard it, to have felt it at all.