Sunday, August 26, 2018

When a Leader Doesn't Understand Civility

The country lost a great statesman this weekend. Senator John McCain exemplified what we think of as the American politician - he was principled, patriotic, compassionate, a war hero, well-spoken, a bit of a maverick, and not afraid to speak his mind. His response to 5 1/2 years of captivity and torture was to become a public servant, when he easily could have been defeated by what was a horrific experience that left him unable to lift his arms enough to comb his own hair. He was proud to serve his country both in the Navy and in politics. He was a decent human being, who was friends with his fellow politicians, regardless of party, and was able to move on twice from crushing defeats in presidential elections to be friends with the men who defeated him.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a liberal progressive, and will understand when I say that I didn't like John McCain's politics, and he disappointed me plenty of times. But I can also say that I felt like I could trust him.

Anyone who knows me also knows that I think that I am appalled by President Trump. Apart from his administration's policies, I am simply appalled by his lack of leadership. It is never more evident than in his treatment of John McCain. 

One of the hallmarks of American politics has always been the notion of civility. That idea that the men and women elected to federal office maintain the civility of the nation by modeling civility, and that role is especially critical to the President. It is an example first set by President Washington, and is as much a part of the fabric of the country as the notion of individualism and freedom. President Trump either does not understand it, or rejects it. Either way, it is appalling.

President Trump is the man who mocked Senator McCain, saying he is no war hero because he shouldn't have been captured in the first place (and later said he did not regret saying it). Then, shades of Lady Catherine deBourgh, claimed that, if he had gone to Vietnam, he would have avoided capture. He is the man unbothered when a White House aide remarked that what John McCain had to say didn't matter because he'd be dead soon, anyway. And in his latest knuckle headed move, rejected plans for the White House to issue a statement praising John McCain at his death. The sitting president refuses to issue a statement praising one of the longest-serving, most faithful members of the party he is supposed to head. 

A hallmark of American life is that when someone is dying, or passes away, the notion of civility leads us to end the criticism, and reach for dignity. We shift our thoughts to their humanity, to the people who love them, and we allow our compassion to guide us. Our past presidents and other prominent politicians have issued eloquent statements focused on his many accomplishments. Sadly, our current president doesn't understand civility.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

My Life and Times: Hunting for Treasure

My Life and Times: Hunting for Treasure: Years ago, a friend of mine convinced me to audit a poetry class at the University of Minnesota on the poetry of Tin Pan Alley songs. (That ...

Hunting for Treasure

Years ago, a friend of mine convinced me to audit a poetry class at the University of Minnesota on the poetry of Tin Pan Alley songs. (That course was the foundation for a book.) In between spirited debates about whether or not song lyrics can (or should) be separated from the music, we learned a lot of early 20th century pop culture and slang. The lyricists embedded clever puns and rhymes that often flew by unnoticed, all within the confines of a rigid 32-bar ABA structure.
Every so often, you can also hear a musical reference to great classical composers or fellow Tin Pan Alley songwriters, and I'm willing to bet that they aren't all accidental. Long before mashups were a thing, my brain used to mash up  "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and "Stormy Weather." I have often wondered if Harold Arlen was inspired by Jerome Kern's melody, or if it was a result of a snatch of melody stuck in his unconscious.

I was listening to a "special" podcast of The West Week Weekly, an interview with The West Wing fans Lin Manuel Miranda and Tommy Kail, (creators of the hip-hop musical, "Hamilton"). They got to talking about TWW references in "Hamilton." Lin said there is only one deliberate reference, the drum roll, but that fans are constantly finding TWW references in it. (There enough that hashtags and Tumblr pages are devoted to them.) 
photo from MacArthur Foundation
 As often as I hear "Hamilton," there is always something new. Just this week, I heard variations on "Daydream Believer" and "Don't Rain on My Parade." Lin said that when he was writing "Hamilton," he purposely embedded it with as many musical and cultural "ins" as he could to help the audience accept it. Many of them he annotated in the published libretto, Hamilton The Revolution, but more are unconscious, like those TWW references the fans keep finding.

Like the great Tin Pan Alley writers, Lin's genius lies in the subtlety of the rhymes and references. He often references the middle of a lyric or musical phrase. "Hamilton" is a musical treasure hunt.