October 22, 2008

i thought that if you had an acoustic guitar...

MP3: Temporarily Not the K-Man (5.4 mb)


With all due respect to Pete Seeger, I'm not a big fan of folk songs or protest music though I can certainly see their purpose. Maybe it's just those 'round the neck harmonica holders...they look like evil orthodontia from Patrick Bateman's closet to me.

I initially intended this blog entry to examine my feelings about the current political climate and discuss the role of perspective in shaping our beliefs. But, much like folk music - yeah yeah workers' rights, teach the children blah blah blah - it became a little tiresome. And I'm anything but ambitious.

So instead of diving into how watching the History Channel makes me think the history of man is nothing but the history of war, or how reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States might lead one to believe it's all about the oppression of the lower classes, or how it all often seems to just be about Booty and the Beat, I'll just say that every opinion is colored by what one believes, which in turn is influenced by one's point of view, and so on in circular fashion - and facts are often manipulated to serve a purpose. Why do I believe what I believe, in other words.

I'll also avoid wondering if corporately-owned news outlets that cater to their owner's vision are as dangerous as government-controlled news agencies, or if it seems wrong that during recent record-high gas prices one of our oil companies posted the highest profits ever by any company in US history, or whether it's more important to be loyal to your country than it is to mankind or the world as a whole. I don't have enough hair or weed to get into all that, but I think you can tell where I'm coming from.

Instead, I'll leave you with this raggedy folk song, based on a friend's true adventure. The opposing viewpoint is just as valid sure, but it's not as vital or song-worthy. As I said, I don't particularly go in for this sort of protest stuff...it just seemed the right platform for the subject matter, and it was kind of fun & sloppy.

Be sure to Subscribe so you don't miss anything!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a bigA the MarbleTea versions of folk songs. And you left out one AHEM... Bob Dylan, who I KNOW you love!

I love this song!

Anonymous said...

I meant, 'A BIG FAN OF', not "I'm a BigA'

KBJ said...

Thanks, Erika! Don't you love it when you notice a typo after you've posted something? That happens to me all the time. I appreciate the clarity...I still think you're a big A though...Angel, that is!