Posted by henrietta on April 20, 2006, at 20:04:55
lest anyone feel i'm anti-un american, i hasten to say this:
I think the USA has, through much pain, abuse, complicated tragedies, created the most important and most sustaining and most healing music of the last 100 years. listen to the beatles, ray davies, countless brits, canadiens, who talk about listening to african-american music, being inspired by it, wnating to emulate it, understanding that one can make music out of everydaY PAIN. Coltrane, Henricks, Elvis, the list is endless,wide-reaching, eclectic, and i'm not doing justice to it by any means. billie holiday,duke ellington, louis armstrong, errol garner, led zepalin, bob dylan, chuck berry... martha and the vandellas, django, leonard cohen, do you know the way to san jose? the Neville Brothers. The Temptations. Sam Cook. Marvin Gay.
The Kinks.
I can't of course list it all, but this, I think, is what we've given to the world in the last century. I don't know if we can safely say that the abuse is worth the gift, but it is what it is. It is, I believe, a very real gift, aand selfish or not, I am immensely grateful for this back=handed gift, this undeniably great gift.
Your pal, and a true patriot IMHO, hen
poster:henrietta
thread:635382
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060413/msgs/635382.html