Blog Entries [530 - 539]Sunday, July 5, 2020
Weekend Roundup
The Wichita Eagle doesn't publish a paper edition on Saturdays any
more, so I had to scrounge around for something to read with breakfast.
Picked up the 4 June 2020 London Review of Books, and started
reading Eliot Weinberg's lead article, "The American Virus":
As confirmed American coronavirus deaths pass 67,000, the president
declares, in an interview with Fox News held inside the Lincoln
Memorial, where events are traditionally banned: "They always said
nobody got treated worse than Lincoln. I believe I am treated worse."
A Twitter wit writes that, for the massive marble sculpture looming
above, "It was the second worst thing Lincoln ever watched."
Internal White House documents predict three thousand American
deaths a day by the end off May. The president weeets: "Getting great
reviews, finally, for how well we are handling the pandemic." He
retweets that the Trump Turnberry golf course has been named by
Golf World magazine as the best golf course in the UK and
Ireland for 2020. . . .
Republicans continue the fight against voting by mail. (The
president has said that if this were universally allowed, "you'd never
have a Republican elected in this country again," though he himself
mails in his ballot.) In Wisconsin in April, the Republican-majority
Supreme Court had demanded that voters appear in person, leading to a
spike in infections. In Texas, which permits voting by mail for the
ill, the attorney general rules that fear of Covid-19 is an "emotional
reaction . . . and does not, by itself, amount to a 'sickness.'"
Signs at the many protests at state capitols against the lockdown,
where crowds wave Confederate and "Don't Tread on Me" flags and
(legally) carry assault riffles:
- FAKE CRISIS
- COVID-19 IS A LIE
- MY RIGHTS DON'T END WHERE YOUR FEAR BEGINS
- FAUCI IS NOT OUR PRESIDENT
- MY BODY MY CHOICE
- JESUS IS MY VACCINE
- KEEP TEXAS FREE FROM TYRANNY
- GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME COVID-19
- SOCIALISM SUCKS
- SACRIFICE THE WEAK: REOPEN
- ARBEIT MACHT FREI
- A WANT A HAIRCUT
In the ten days after the Republican governor of Georgia, Brian
Kemp, reopens gyms, spas, hair salons, tattoo parlours and other
essential services, confirmed coronavirus cases in the state rise by
42 per cent.
Of course, this is one news, but not very old. The death count has
nearly doubled since this was written (132,000 on Saturday; the 67,000
figure dates to April 25). The anti-lockdown demonstrations receded as
all states followed Georgia in re-opening non-essential businesses,
mostly with the same increase in infections. One thing that hasn't
changed is Trump's fetish for large statues, once again selecting a
large stone Lincoln for his July 4 spectacle. (See: Jordan Muller:
Trump seeks to claim the mantle of history in fiery Mount Rushmore
address.)
But the Fourth of July celebrations were a side show. The big article
this week is Derek Hawkins/Marisa Iati/Jacqueline Dupree:
Seven-day average case total in the US sets record for 27th straight
day.
Some scattered links this week:
Kate Aronoff:
David Atkins:
Universal basic income continues to gain mainstream support due to
COVID-19. By the way, I just finished Rutger Bregman's Utopia
for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World, which starts with
UBI, which pointed out that the idea was widely considered in the early
1970s: he cites Nixon's interest, but my recollection is more McGovern.
I recall reading several books on it back then, especially by Robert
Theobald (1929-99), best known for Free Men and Free Markets
(1963). For a new piece on UBI: Luke Savage:
Want to fight poverty? Give poor people money.
Why a movement like Trumpism doesn't have a future. The takeaway
from the Mt. Rushmore speech:
It is no accident that the same president who delivered this revanchist,
defensive Fourth of July message also could not articulate a single
second-term policy priority in front of a friendly interviewer. The
gauzy haze of nostalgia that it activates in the conservative mind can
be good at whipping up certain kinds of votes, but it cannot serve as
the basis for a coherent policy platform. It can encode certain
sentiments -- that America should be primarily for white evangelical
Christians and run primarily by older white men -- but those sentiments
are not only deeply unpopular, they run contrary to the actual words
of most of the country's founding documents and the majority of the
last century's constitutional jurisprudence.
Trump has failed on policy at every level because his vision is
difficult to translate into legislation, and when articulated almost
impossible to enact democratically. As a substitute for literally
Making America White Again, building a big wall, enacting travel bans
on certain countries or putting migrant children into cages is not
only unpopular and villainous, it's also difficult to do legislatively
and simply ineffectual in accomplishing the task. That's why these
sorts of right-wing populist jabs have historically been culture war
red meat designed to keep the bigots distracted while the rich people
in charge made off the loot in the form of subsidies and tax cuts. So
has it been also with Trump: his base gets to feel like they owned the
"libs," but in actuality the only structurally significant outcomes
have been tax cuts and giveaways for rich corporate executives and
a raft of corporate-friendly judges. Meanwhile, everyone else gets
the shaft economically -- including his own downwardly-mobile
supporters. . . .
Trump's vision has no future at all and cannot be negotiated or
compromised with. Even if it weren't morally repulsive, it would
still be a dead-end for what politics is supposed to be all about:
solving problems. During more frivolous times that might not be
seem like such a big deal: after all, in 2016 many people voted
for Trump out of a sense of "let's see what happens" bored amusement.
Many thought that the country essentially ran itself, so why not
put a showman in charge? Well, we've now seen what happens.
The Trump administration is giving up on fighting the pandemic:
The term narrowly considered, meaning the political operatives in and
near the White House: the conscious, political direction. But the term
is more often used to refer to the whole executive branch, which still
harbors countless anonymous bureaucrats who are merely doing their jobs,
or trying to (despite political obstacles). Mike Baker/Jennifer Valentino-DeVries/Manny Fernandez/Michael
LaForgia:
Three words. 70 cases. The tragic history of 'I can't breathe.' Dan Balz:
Trump turned July Fourth into a partisan event. The damage could be
long-lasting. William J Barber/Phyllis Bennis:
The police and the pentagon are bringing our wars home. Medea Benjamin/Nicolas JS Davies:
Trump's record on foreign policy: Lost wars, new conflicts, and broken
promises. Matt Bruenig:
The racial wealth gap is about the upper classes. James Bruno:
Netanyahu wants to annex the West Bank. Will Joe Biden stop him?
Argues: "The Democratic nominee needs to be clear: the move would come
with real consequences if he's elected." I doubt that: annexation will
be baked into "the facts on the ground" by the time Biden can take
office, and he has never shown any evidence of standing up to (or even
questioning) Israel. Moreover, while the US has given lip service to
a "two-state solution" for a long time, the US has never really done
anything to make it happen. The problem Netanyahu faces most immediately
is losing European support to BDS -- that would be a "real consequence."
Longer term, Israel risks losing its bedrock Democratic Party base --
not Biden directly, but people Biden will ultimately depend on, and
who will eventually follow him. Netanyahu may think annexation will
be the great finale of his career, but it will leave his successors
in an impossible situation, as a pariah nation with an unassimilable
and rebellious underclass. On some level, he must realize that every
Black Lives Matter placcard that's appeared all around the world the
last few months can easily be repurposed to point a finger at him.
Jonathan Chait:
Trump blames losing campaign on listening to 'woke Jared': "Trump
decides to ignore his son-in-law and focus on voters who fear he isn't
racist enough." Jane Coaston:
Social conservatives feel betrayed by the Supreme Court -- and the GOP
that appointed it. EJ Dionne Jr:
A vicious culture war is all Trump has left. Also: Zeeshan Aleem:
Trump is going all in on divisive culture wars. That might not work this
time.
In his speeches this weekend, Trump positioned himself as a guardian
of American identity, depicting protests against police brutality and
racism -- which have slowed significantly in recent weeks, and have
been largely peaceful -- in paranoid and cartoonish terms as a "fascist"
threat to the republic.
It should be noted that Trump's claims of the existence of "far-left
fascism" are fundamentally incoherent: fascism is a right-wing form of
ultranationalism calling for a rebirth of a nation or race, and that
has nothing to do with liberal and left-wing calls for an end to police
brutality and racism. But that didn't stop Trump from making it the
central message of his speeches, which aimed to sensationalize the
issue of protests and statue-toppling.
Speaking at Mount Rushmore, amid peaceful protests led by members
of the Sioux Nation meant to underscore the fact the monument was built
on stolen and sacred land, Trump promised that the South Dakota monument
"will never be desecrated." And he went on to describe the ongoing
re-evaluation of public symbols of racism in American life as a threat
to civilization.
W Ralph Eubanks:
The Confederate flag finally falls in Mississippi. M Steven Fish/Neil A Abrams/Laila M Aghaie:
Make liberalism great again: "Liberals around the world have let
right-wing authoritarians claim patriotism as their own, with disastrous
consequences. It's time to take it back." This is a long article, only
given a cursory glance, partly because while I'm not unsympathetic to
those who would like to present a progressive agenda in the context of
America's oft-stated, rarely-realized ideals -- cf. Jill Lepore's This
America: The Case for the Nation, backed by her longer These Truths:
A History of the United States, or (much better) Ganesh Sitaraman's
The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution -- I don't find it
very satisfactory to go to all that trouble only to end up with another
paean to old-fashioned, left-hating liberalism. But also, deep down, I
just don't care much for the idea of patriotism, which has been left to
the right to debase as knee-jerk militarist idolatry precisely because
both liberals and the left (who are really just liberals who emphasize
that universal rights means everyone, not just individuals) feel any
real need to limit their horizons to a single nation. Consequently,
much of the framing pushed here sounds like bullshit, more or less on
the same level as the right-wing's patriotic claims. Nima Gerami:
To defeat systemic racism, America must end endless war. Well,
America's systemic racism predates "endless war," even the sporadic
imperial wars against Mexico (1848) and Cuba/Philippines (1898),
which it colored and conditioned -- one can trace it back to the
Indian wars of the 17th century. Still, every new war gins up yet
another wave of racism, as we've seen clearly in Korea, Vietnam,
and the Middle East (despite the efforts of Bush et seq. to exempt
"our allies" in and around Saudi Arabia). By the way, "endless
war" perpetuates much more than racism. Most obviously, there's
gun violence. Also see:
Amy Goldstein:
Voters in deep-red Oklahoma approve Medicaid expansion. I have no
doubt this would pass in Kansas if the voters are given the chance.
Almost passed in the legislature this year, spoiled only by Senate
majority leader Susan Wagle refusing to schedule a vote. Graig Graziosi:
Trump ally Herman Cain who attended Tulsa rally hospitalized with
coronavirus. Of course, he didn't necessary get the virus there.
He also traveled to "a lot of places" that week, including hotspot
Arizona. Related?
Miranda Green:
It will take years to undo the damage from Trump's environmental
rollback: "Even if Democrats win back the White House and the
Senate, it will be a long struggle to restore the regulations the
Republican-controlled EPA has erased." Glenn Greenwald:
House Democrats, working with Liz Cheney, restrict Trump's planned
withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Germany. Jason Crow (D-CO)
co-sponsored the amendment with Cheney. This particular amendment was
approved 45-11, opposed by 8 Republicans and 3 Democrats. Ryan Grim:
National Review is trying to rewrite its own racist history.
One thing I've long been struck by is how virulently racist 1950s
conservatives were, especially William F Buckley. (Nancy McLean's
Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's
Stealth Plan for America has many examples.) Barry Goldwater
denied that he was a racist when opposing civil rights laws --
something I could never square with his supposedly principled
positions on individual freedom, but which made sense given how
inextricably the 1950s conservative project was bound up with
the support of segregation and white supremacy. Gabrielle Gurley:
This time, it's the Democrats' infrastructure week: "House Democrats
steered an ambitious transportation and infrastructure plan through the
chamber. Structured more like a wish list, it's dead on arrival in the
Senate." Bob Harris/Jon Schwarz:
Carl Reiner's life should remind us: If you like laughing, thank FDR
and the New Deal. The comedian died at 94 last week. He got his
start in a WPA class for would-be actors. The New Deal had a number
of programs to support the arts in the 1930s. A similar effort would
be a great idea today, but doesn't seem to be on anyone's agenda. It
is currently impossible for most musicians to make their usual living
performing, but they could be paid to record music and make it freely
available over the Internet. Jeet Heer:
Trolling Trump, the Lincoln Project also peddles militarism:
"The Never Trump super PAC makes entertaining ads that get under
the president's skin -- but progressives should take a closer look
at their agenda." When asked about the maxim that "the enemy of my
enemy is my friend," Richard Stallman noted that was, at best, an
heuristic. I doubt it's even that useful. It's easy to get seduced
by people who hate Trump for totally wrong reasons, like for making
conservatives look bad, or for failing to be a monomaniacal hawk
like John Bolton.
Writing in The Atlantic, conservative writer Andrew Ferguson,
no fan of the president,
criticized the Lincoln Project for fighting Trump with Trumpian
means. He described the ads as "personally abusive, overwrought,
pointlessly salacious, and trip-wired with non sequiturs."
This ethical critique has merit, but the real problem with the
Lincoln Project is political. To the extent that the ads articulate
any political vision, it is a desire to return to the hard-line
military aggression of the George W. Bush era.
On Tuesday, the Lincoln Project released an ad addressing
accusations that Trump hasn't protected American troops in
Afghanistan from a bounty on their lives supposedly placed by
the Russian government. The ad, titled "Betrayed," features Dr.
Dan Barkhuff, a physician and former Navy SEAL. "Months ago,
Donald Trump learned the Russians were paying a bounty for dead
American soldiers in Afghanistan and chose to do nothing about
it," Barkhuff said. "Any commander in chief with a spine would
be stomping the living shit out of some Russians right now --
diplomatically, economically, or, if necessary, with the sort of
asymmetric warfare they're using to send our kids home in body
bags." He added, "Mr. Trump, you're either a coward who can't
stand up to an ex-KGB goon, or you're complicit. Which is it?"
The article cites a bunch of liberals who applauded this ad.
On some level, I don't care why people decide to oppose Trump,
but I do worry about people who encourage Biden to be even more
hawkish than Trump, both because it's the wrong stance to take
and because I'm convinced that Hillary Clinton's commander-in-chief
posturing and long history of applauding belligerence cost her
the 2016 election. Biden's record is little better, which is all
the more reason to downplay his past mistakes. For some better
advise, see: John Nichols:
Anti-war groups push Biden and the Democrats to rethink foreign
policy. Sean Illing:
How Black Lives Matter fits into the long history of American radicalism:
Interview with Michael Kazin. Umair Irfan:
The "Godzilla" Saharan dust cloud over the US, explained: "The giant
dust cloud is part of a system that feeds the ocean, fertilizes the
rainforest, and suppresses hurricanes." Mugambi Jouet:
The Trump cult is loyal to an ideology, not the man: "A rise in
extreme polarization culminated in Trump -- and likely won't be
vanquished by Biden." This is an idea that's going around, but it
doesn't make much sense to me. Although some of Trump's followers --
someone like Steve Bannon -- could conjure up something that looks
like an ideology, Trump couldn't begin to articulate it. He's just
a rich guy who likes being in front of the camera, spouting the
received prejudices and irritable mental gestures he's picked up
watching Fox. His fans share those prejudices, and appreciate that
he's able to say what they can't -- they may even think that he's
fighting for them, but he's really just stroking his own ego. Once
he's gone, others will try to pick up the mantle, but I don't see
how anyone else can keep his movement together. On the other hand,
I doubt Trump will fade away like GW Bush did. He's going to rule
right-wing media until he dies or is incapacitated, so, sure, his
cult will be with us for a while. But it won't be an ideology. Jen Kirby:
Ezra Klein:
Natasha Korecki/Marc Caputo:
A Sun Belt time bomb threatens Trump's reelection: "Rising Covid-19
caseloads in Florida, Arizona and Texas raise fresh doubts about the
president's reelection prospects." Favorite line here: "Trump's campaign
accuses Democrats of exploiting tragedy." Josh Kovensky:
Trump admin scales back mandate that health insurers cover Covid tests.
Michael Kranish:
New York court sides with publisher of explosive book by President
Trump's niece. Kranish previously wrote about the book:
Mary Trump once stood up to her uncle Donald. Now her book describes a
'nightmare' of family dysfunction. Martin Longman:
What if Trump decides not to seek a second term? "It's not as crazy
of an idea as it sounds" -- but, really it is. Trump filed for reëlection
the day after his inauguration. Running for a second term is the only
thing he's actually wanted to do as president. He lets his underlings run
everything else, at least until they become too embarrassing, in which
case he makes them find more pliable and less competent replacements. So
what if he's going to lose? He stayed true to his blindest and dumbest
followers, and he certainly knows how to monetize whatever treachery
undid him. As for the Republicans, it's too late for them to find a
credible replacement. Sure, they could go with Mitt Romney, and piss
off his base. Or they could elevate Mike Pence, and bore them to death.
In any case, they're stuck with Trump's record, which is arguably worse
than the man himself (not that such distinctions matter to most of us).
Longman also wrote:
What happens when Trump stops believing he can win reelection?
Problem there is that the "chaos and malevolence" is coming anyway.
Trump can't help himself (not that he would if he could). Related:
Robert Kuttner:
Trump to Trump: You're fired!. Also not going to happen. Although
I did imagine that he might resign after getting reëlected, to get a
jump on cashing in. Or maybe after getting trounced, to give Pence a
presidential legacy, although he'd really just be running out the
clock, like a third-string quarterback. German Lopez:
Just 2 states meet these basic criteria to reopen and stay safe:
New York and Rhode Island meet 4 (of 5) criteria; 21 states and DC
meet 2 or 3; 27 states 0 or 1. Only 2 states and DC have "a sustained
two-week drop in coronavirus cases": Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Eric Margolis:
The coming ecosystem collapse is already here for coral. Alan MacLeod:
In 'Russia bounty' story, evidence-free claims from nameless spies became
fact overnight. A story claiming "Russia secret offered Afghan militants
bounties to kill U.S. troops" was planted in the New York Times and picked
up everywhere, including among liberals who figured they could spin it into
their favored story lines: that Trump is a Putin puppet, or (more plausibly)
incompetent and indifferent. My initial reaction was that the story was a
crock, meant purely to sabotage the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and/or
to ratchet up cold war tensions with Russia, and nothing since then -- an
investigation that found one soldier who might have been affected, or a
"confirmation" from the Taliban -- has changed my mind. There are lots of
good reasons for being critical of Russia, but this one makes no sense.
For more:
Louis Menand:
This fourth of July, consider Trump's lobster fib.
It's not hard to understand Trump. It is hard to understand the people
in his Administration who enable the blather and the misinformation,
who spin-cycle it to bleach out the most offensive or dangerous
implications, and who parrot it dutifully. For the first two years of
Trump's Presidency, some of these people were known as "the adults in
the room." To an admittedly remote observer, those people looked
indistinguishable from opportunists willing to suppress their opinions
in the hopes of becoming Presidential puppet masters. They were dreaming.
All of them have departed with their reputations scarred.
Stephen Miles:
It's bad politics for Democrats to be hawkish on foreign policy.
Cites Elliot Engel ("one of only two dozen House Democrats out of 1888
who ultimately voted against the Iran deal"), defeated in last week's
primary, as a cautionary example, but the point should be made much
more generally. Hawkish Democrats are especially suspect, not least
because they usually frame their interventionist appeals as acts of
humanitarianism, and such crises are numerous and inevitable. Besides,
there's nothing many Americans hate more than "helping" unappreciative
others. Republicans may be more supportive of funding America's imperial
overreach, but they usually withhold actual war until they can gin up
a popular desire for spite and revenge -- something Americans do believe
in. Ian Millhiser:
Jeanne Morefield:
'Never in my country': COVID-19 and American Exceptionalism.
Senator Bernie Sanders' reasonable suggestion that the U.S., like Denmark,
should nationalize its healthcare system is dismissed as the fanciful pipe
dream of an aging socialist rather than an obvious solution to a human
problem embraced by nearly every other nation in the world. The Seattle
healthcare professional who expressed shock that even "Third World
countries" are "better equipped" than we are to confront COVID-19 betrays
a stunning ignorance of the diversity of healthcare systems within
developing countries. Cuba, for instance, has responded to this crisis
with an efficiency and humanity that puts the U.S. to shame.
Indeed, the U.S. is only beginning to feel the full impact of COVID-19's
explosive confrontation with our exceptionalism: if the unemployment rate
really does reach 32 percent, as has been predicted, millions of people
will not only lose their jobs but their health insurance as well. In the
middle of a pandemic.
Over 150 years apart, political commentators Edmund Burke and Aimé
Césaire referred to this blindness as the byproduct of imperialism.
Both used the exact same language to describe it; as a "gangrene" that
"poisons" the colonizing body politic. From their different historical
perspectives, Burke and Césaire observed how colonization boomerangs
back on colonial society itself, causing irreversible damage to nations
that consider themselves humane and enlightened, drawing them deeper
into denial and self-delusion.
Anna North:
Roe v. Wade isn't safe: "The Supreme Court just struck down an anti-abortion
law. Here's why access is still at risk." JC Pan:
Democrats can't quit their addiction to big-money donors: "The
urgency of beating Trump in November has once again set campaign
finance reform on the back burner." After 2008 would have been an
ideal time for Democrats to clamp down on money in campaigning, but
Obama had raised significantly more money than McCain, and was
looking forward to repeating his dominance in 2012, and members of
Congress in both parties were united in their ability to raise more
funds than their opponents. Further complication comes from a Supreme
Court firmly committed to protecting corruption in at least two ways:
equating money with free speech, and making it virtually impossible
to convict anyone of taking bribes. Daniel Politi:
Washington NFL team launches review of racist nickname: You mean
the Redskins? I remember that name being questioned fifty years ago.
On the other hand, the proposed replacements, starting with Warriors,
are often worse. John Quiggin:
Trumpism after Trump. More notes and conjecture than an argument.
Quiggin has also signed up to write a book on
The Economic Consequences of the Pandemic. If, as he assumes,
Biden will be the next president, with a workable majority in
Congress, the real question has less to do with rump Trumpism than
his third assumption: whether "mainstream Democrats recognize the
need for radical change, and Biden will align with the mainstream
position as he always has done." Quiggin's book will presumably
argue for "radical change" under those conditions. David Roberts:
House Democrats just put out the most detailed climate plan in US political
history: "A new select committee report is perfectly in tune with the
growing climate policy alignment on the left around standards, investments,
and justice." Paul Rosenberg:
The secret of his success: Donald Trump's six weird tricks for authoritarian
rule: Interview with Jennifer Mercieca, author of: Demagogue for
President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. Daid Rothkopf:
'The most ignorant and unfit': What made America's worst ever leader?
Starts with a convenient quote from Michelle Obama: "Being president
doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are." Rothkopf sifts
through various historian surveys of the worst presidents ever -- poor
lists, if you ask me, prejudiced against the mediocrities of the 19th
century while omitting Nixon and the Bushes, whose only saving graces
were to be followed by even worse Republicans -- but ultimately settles
on a past leader more temperamentally (and cognitively) suited for
comparing Trump to: George III. Theodore Schleifer:
America has almost 800 billionaires, a record high. Well, 788, up
12% from a year before, or 27% (from 620) in 2016. That's 0.0002409% of
the US population (328.2 million). Maybe it would be fairer to divide
by US households (128.58 million): 0.00061284%, or 1 in every 163,174
households. That's an unimaginably tiny fraction of the total -- about
2 people in Wichita (who happen to be Charles Koch and Phil Ruffin,
something you may know even if you're not from here). But those 788
billionaires control $3.4 trillion in assets, up 14% since the end of
2018. Andrea K Scott:
The removal of a Theodore Roosevelt statue is a good first step in
rethinking America's monuments. Melody Schreiber:
The climate crisis will be just as shockingly abrupt. Dylan Scott:
How Trump gave insurance companies free rein to sell bad health plans.
"Obamacare wasn't repealed. Trump's deregulation is eroding it anyway."
I an think of few things that are more injurious than insurance plans
that don't actually protect you from unexpected health care expenses.
One thing Obamacare did so was establish minimum standards of coverage --
although they also allowed huge deductibles and co-payments, so a great
many people wound up paying more out of pocket, but at least they had
some coverage for major expenses. Trump is just a co-conspirator to
fraud.
Why a Covid-19 drug costs $3,100. This piece doesn't provide a very
good explanation -- it mostly muddies the water with insurance variations
like deductibles -- and the section "is this a fair price for remdesivir
as a Covid-19 therapy?" is mostly nonsense. (For instance, Gilead figures
that if their drug reduces hospital stays 3-4 days, their "value proposition"
should reap a significant percentage of the saved hospital costs.) Bottom
line is that Big Pharma is built on patents and extortion pricing. This
is an example, not an exception.
David Dayen:
Time to seize drug patents.
The entire pharmaceutical sector has been raising prices during the
pandemic: 245 drugs hiked up between January and June according to
Patients for Affordable Drugs, including 61 being used for COVID-19
treatment and another 30 in use in clinical trials. . . . Hilariously,
Gilead's stock fell in Monday trading because investors thought they
should charge more.
If remdesivir were sold at the cost of production, it would cost
$10, not $3,120. The "value" of the drug comes with the reduction in
admission length, and the savings to hospitals and patients. But even
that value, based on the known science, shouldn't go too far past $400,
according to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. You could
say that Gilead needs to recoup its research and development costs, but
of course the U.S. government financed much of that research.
Donald Shaw:
Biden sides with Big Pharma against affordable coronavirus vaccine
plan [Marh 19]. David Sirota:
The US public paid to develop this COVID-19 drug. It will cost $3,000
a dose. Title seems to have the price wrong ($3,100 for a 5-day
course of treatment, not per dose).
Similarly, bipartisan legislation passed in 1980 created so-called
march-in rights that empower the government to authorize another
company -- or the government itself -- to produce a lower-priced
generic version of a high-priced medicine.
The problem, of course, is that the government's health care
apparatus is controlled by former pharmaceutical industry executive
Alex Azar.
Robert J Shapiro:
Trump's bungled pandemic response is crushing American incomes:
"New data shows the costs of the administration's failure to stem
the coronavirus outbreak."
The only force staving off desperate conditions for many households
was the one-time checks the government sent most Americans and the
temporary expansion of jobless benefits.
Now with the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, Congress has little
choice but to approve another round of checks and extend the generous
unemployment benefits. If Congress does approve a lot more help, millions
of American households will still face financial peril -- and if Congress
fails to step up again, tens of millions of Americans could confront
financial ruin.
As a dose of reality, the new income data show that our current
conditions are roughly three times as severe as the Great Recession.
All personal income fell 4.2 percent in May and 3.0 percent over the
three months from March through May. It took nine months for personal
income to fall that much during the Great Recession. Wage and salary
income actually increased by 3.3 percent in May, as the payroll grants
under the CARES program kicked in and businesses began to reopen. Even
so, wage and salary income fell 7.9 percent from March through May,
again more than during the entire Great Recession.
The reason that total personal income fell "only" 3.0 percent over
the three months -- the steepest drop on record -- while total wage and
salary income fell an astounding 7.9 percent in three months was due
almost entirely to those government checks and jobless benefits. After
setting aside government transfers, the BEA reports that total personal
income fell 7.5 percent in three months.
Apa Sherpa (as told to Emily Atkin):
I've climbed Everest 21 times. It's not the mountain it used to be.
Matt Shuham:
"Nothing is normal here": Trump campaign claims its NDA applies to
Omarosa's WH work. Jeffrey Toobin:
John Roberts distances himself from the Trump-McConnell legal project:
But (see Millhiser above) he still strikes me as a team player, casting
the deciding vote to uphold Republican voting restrictions. Occasional
votes that seem independent could just as well be calculated to retain
a shred of integrity for a Court that will increasingly curtail democracy,
especially if people don't panic and stop the flow of Federalist Society
judges. Nahal Toosi:
Human rights groups turn their sights on Trump's America. Sina Toosi:
How John Bolton and Mike Pompeo thwarted Trump's plan to get a deal with
Iran. More Bolton (not that you need any):
Alex Ward:
Donald Trump is vulnerable on China. So is Joe Biden. They're both
wrong, too, although that's not what they perceive as each other's
faults. Liz Essley Whyte:
Trump's favorite weapon in the coronavirus fight: Deregulation:
Well, his favorite weapon in every fight, regardless of aptness.
"Instead of addressing this crisis head-on, the Trump administration
appears to be exploiting the chaos of the pandemic by rolling back
critics civil rights regulatory protections and environmental
safeguards." Appears? Colin Woodard:
Woodrow Wilson was even worse than you think. Robin Wright:
To the world, we're now America the racist and pitiful. Matthew Yglesias:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, June 29, 2020
Music Week
June archive
(finished).
Music: Current count 33526 [33485] rated (+41), 211 [216] unrated (-5).
Last Monday of the month, so spent most of the day doing bookkeeping
for the monthly roll-up (link above). Five weeks this month, so the
total is up -- 193 records, or 194 if you count the Hal Singer regrade,
which I slipped into "old music" instead of "grade changes" for context.
About half old music, with dives into records I had missed when a new
one (or a death or a
reader question) tempted me to look
further or some other reference).
Speaking of questions, I field ones about David Murray and James
Carter, and duck one on jazz books, in
my latest batch. Use
the form to ask me more.
Recommended music links: No systematic search, but these
are a few things I had open:
Songwriter
Johnny Mandel (94) also died this week.
New records reviewed this week:
Al Bilali Soudan: Tombouctou (2020, Clermont Music):
Group, from northern Mali, their isolated town more commonly (these
days) spelled Timbuktu. Second album (at least from this NY label,
which specializes in music from the Sahara Desert), vocals shouted
over a swell of harsh strings and drums, a combo that feels so right
it overcomes my instinct to dismiss it as unbearable.
A-
Jehnny Beth: To Love Is to Live (2010, Caroline):
Stage name for French singer-songwriter Camille Bethomier, moved
to England in 2006, first solo album after recording as John &
Jehn (2007-10) and Savages (2013-16). A flair for the dramatic --
perhaps prefigured as her first solo project covered David Bowie
songs, and her first solo tour opened for PJ Harvey.
B+(*)
Don Braden/Joris Teepe Quartet: In the Spirit of Herbie
Hancock: Live at De Witte (2019 [2020], O.A.P.): Mainstream
tenor saxophonist, made something of a splash in 1995. Second album
with the Dutch bassist, who arranged 4 (of 6) Hancock songs, the
leaders adding one song each, plus a cover of "Yesterdays." With
Rob Van Bavel on piano and Owen Hart Jr. on drums.
B+(***)
Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher (2020, Dead Oceans):
Singer-songwriter, from Los Angeles, second album, also a principal
in (so far) one-album groups Boygenius (with Julien Baker and Lucy
Dacus) and Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst).
Mostly ballads, surprised I noticed as many lines as I did, even
wrote down "it's amazing to me how much you can say when you don't
know what you're talking about." My pleasure spots were mostly in
the drums, and there aren't enough of them, but the acclaim may
well be deserved. "I Know the End" winds up most impressively.
B+(**)
Daniel Carter/Matthew Shipp/William Parker/Gerald Cleaver:
Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 (2019 [2020], 577): Leader plays
tenor sax, trumpet, and flute, backed by a rhythm section that's great
on paper and bound to Carter by decades of friendship. Big splash up
front, tails off a bit toward the end.
B+(***)
Caterpillar Quartet: Threads (2019 [2020], ESP-Disk):
Brooklyn group, unknowns to me: Ken Kobayashi (drums), Henry Raker
(alto sax), Steve Holtje (piano, synthesizer), Jochem van Dijk (bass
guitar, effects). Postbop with some edge, blunted a bit by the soft
landing.
B+(**) [cdr] [06-26]
Whit Dickey Trio: Expanding Light (2019 [2020], Tao
Forms): Drummer, long associated with Matthew Shipp, played in David
S. Ware's Quartet for a while. Trio here with Rob Brown (alto sax)
and Brandon Lopez (bass). Brown is consistently terrific here.
A-
Beth Duncan: I'm All Yours (2020, Saccat): Subtitled
(back cover) "Duncan sings Tabilio" -- all songs by Martine Tabilio.
Third album for the singer. No idea about the "Dutch-born, Oakland-based"
songwriter. Jackam Manricks arranged.
B [cd] [07-24]
Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020, Columbia):
Old man, not much voice left, his songcraft ever more dependent on
slow blues shuffles. I never put much faith in his Nobel-certified
rhymes, and my ears aren't sharp enough to catch many lines here.
But every time I play this, "Crossing the Rubicon" mesmerizes for
7:22, and my interest remains piqued through the relaxed 9:34 of
"Key West (Philosopher Pirate)," and well into the even longer
"Murder Most Foul" (16:54). Probably just a mid-B+ before, but
I'll take it.
A-
John Finbury: Quatro (2020, Green Flash Music):
Composer, based in Massachusetts, website shows four previous albums.
This is mostly a vehicle for singer Magos Herrera, backed by piano
(Chano Domínguez), bass (John Patitucci), and drums (Antonio Sanchez).
Group suggests a Latin tilt, as do 4 (of 7) song titles in Spanish.
Can't say as I noticed that from playing.
B [cd]
Jean-Marc Foussat/Daunik Lazro/Evan Parker: Café Oto 2020
(2020, Fou, 2CD): French guitarist, plays synths and electronics here,
solo on the first disc, with two saxophonists on the second: Lazro on
tenor and baritone, Parker on soprano. Both are interesting, but more
is better.
B+(**) [cd]
Wendy Gondeln/Mats Gustafsson/Wolfgang Voigt: The Shithole
Country & Boogie Band (2016-18 [2020], Corbett vs. Dempsey):
Artists listed as "featuring" under the title, which could be the band
name if this really was a band, which doesn't seem to be the case.
Saxophonist Gustafsson seems to have laid down the initial tracks
(including piano mate and live electronics), then handed them off to
Gondeln, who added her bits (violin, electronic treatments and more)
and passed them on to Voigt (editing and mix), with some guitar and
lap top guitar provided by "special guest" Martin Siewert.
B+(***) [bc]
CeeLo Green: CeeLo Green Is Thomas Callaway (2020,
Easy Eye Sound): Seems to be an unwritten law that hip-hop aliases
will eventually revert to using given names, at least in a title.
Callaway started in Goodie Mob in 1991, went solo in 2002, sixth
album here, not counting his detour as Gnarls Barkley. First two
were pretty great, but he slipped from there, raps never, and his
soul ballads tend toward the grandiose and melodramatic.
B
Haim: Women in Music Pt. III (2020, Columbia): Three
sisters -- Alana, Danielle, and Este Haim -- from Los Angeles. Third
album, the others named differently. Producers Rostam Batmanglij and
Ariel Rechtshaid share most writing credits, and Paul Thomas Anderson
does their videos. Makes for a consistent well-oiled MOR pop machine.
B+(**)
Hinds: The Prettiest Curse (2020, Mom + Pop): Girl
band from Madrid, Spain, originally the Deers. Third album, sounds
like a crowd cheering section adding to their wall of sound. Messy
good fun.
A-
Jason Kao Hwang: Human Rites Trio (2019 [2020],
True Sound): Violinist, born in America but studied Chinese classical
music and added it to his jazz mix. With Ken Filiano (bass) and
Andrew Drury (drums). Sample title: "Battle for the Indelible
Truth."
A- [cd] [07-01]
Jumpstarted Plowhards: Round One (2019, Recess, EP):
Postpunk "group" -- joint effort between Tod Cofelliere (F.Y.P, Toys
That Kill, Underground Railroad to Candyland) and Mike Watt (bassist,
has a long and checkered career that started with the Minutemen).
Eight songs, eight different drummers, 18:49.
B+(*)
Corb Lund: Agricultural Tragic (2020, New West):
Country singer-songwriter from Alberta, topics range from grizzly
bears to Oklahomans including whiskey and lots of horses. Jaida
Dreyer joins in a duet, arguing for gin instead.
B+(**)
Benjamin Moussay: Promontoire (2019 [2020], ECM):
French pianist, three trio albums since 2002, this one a solo.
B+(**)
Bobby Previte/Jamie Saft/Nels Cline: Music From the Early 21st
Century (2019 [2020], RareNoise): Drums, keyboards, guitar, all
pieces jointly credited. All three have checkered histories dabbling
in fusion as well as more avant pursuits, so this foray into jazzed-up
noise makes sense. Of its time, if not quite the Zeitgeist.
B+(*)
Sonar With David Torn: Tranceportation (Volume 2)
(2019 [2020], RareNoise): Swiss ensemble, Stephen Thelen and two
others play tritone guitar/bass, plus there's a drummer. Ninth album
since 2012, third with guitarist Torn, also credited with loops.
Disciplined and understated, not a note out of place. May, given
more time, be as good as (Volume 1).
B+(***) [bc]
Alister Spence: Whirlpool: Solo Piano (2019 [2020],
Alister Spence Music, 2CD): Australian pianist, eighth album since
2012, has a couple recent albums with Satoko Fujii, is a less
commanding figure solo, but remains interesting.
B+(*) [cd] [07-24]
Dan Willis and Velvet Gentlemen: The Monk Project
(2018-19 [2020], Belle Avenue): Saxophonist (tenor, soprano, baritone,
EWI, duduk, zurna), several albums including Velvet Gentlemen
(2006), tackles eight Monk tunes. Band mostly electric instruments,
most notably Pete McCann on guitar and Ron Oswanski on Fender Rhodes.
Sounds a bit off, and not in a particularly Monkian way.
B [cd] [07-17]
Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Jazz Is Dead 001
(2020, Jazz Is Dead, EP): Hip-hop producers, Younge's discography
exploded from 2009, his trademark recycling 1970s beats for old style
feel, sometimes claiming artist co-credit (as with two Ghostface Killah
releases). The duo have several records together, starting with a 2016
soundtrack. Idea here is to tap into "the masters," each gets one track:
Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, Brian Jackson, João Donato, Doug Carn, Marcos
Valle, Azymuth, The Midnight Hour. Eight tracks, 29:51, the only one
over 3:05 is with Azymuth (9:27).
B+(*)
Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Jazz Is Dead 002:
Roy Ayers (2020, Jazz Is Dead, EP): Just Ayers this time,
resulting in much confusion as to how this is credited/titled. I've
heard a fair amount of Ayers but this funk mix is too contemporary
for me to recognize him here. Eight tracks, 26:01. Choice cut is
"African Sounds," which despite the label brings forth some jazz.
B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Willem Breuker/Han Bennink: New Acoustic Swing Duo
(1967-68 [2019], Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2CD): First album released by
the Instant Composers Pool (ICP label), a scratchy, tetchy duo,
sax (and other reed instruments) and drums (and other percussive
objects). Reissue adds a previously unreleased Live in Essen
tape, equally worthy, ends better.
B+(***)
Grayson Capps: South Front Street: A Retrospective 1997-2019
(1997-2019 [2020], The Royal Potato Family): Singer-songwriter from
Opelika, Alabama; got a degree in theatre from Tulane, living in New
Orleans until Katrina blew him back to Alabama. Ten albums 2005-17.
B+(*)
Neil Young: Homegrown (1974-75 [2020], Reprise):
Vault album, recorded between On the Beach and Zuma,
country-ish, no especially strong songs (although the title one is
catchy enough), feels like it never got past the demo stage. Still,
interesting that it's getting reviewed more enthusiastically than
any recent new Young release, or even his other archive projects.
Twelve songs, 35:08.
B+(**)
Old music:
Al Bilali Soudan: Al Bilali Soudan (2012, Clermont
Music): First album, group from Timbuktu, Mali, four members on the
cover. Fairly crude thrash and ululation, ultimately proving more
agreeable than you'd first suspect.
B+(**)
Don Braden Quintet: The Time Is Now (1991, Criss Cross):
Tenor saxophonist, first album, with Tom Harrell (trumpet/flugelhorn),
Benny Green (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Carl Allen (drums).
Three originals, three standards, jazz tunes from Herbie Hancock and
Jackie McLean.
B+(**)
Don Braden: Organic (1994 [1995], Epicure): Two dates,
one with Jack McDuff on organ and Winard Harper on drums, the other
with Larry Goldings and Cecil Brooks III, plus Russell Malone (guitar)
on most tracks, with scattered spots for Tom Harrell (trumpet/flugelhorn
on 3), Fathead Newman (tenor sax on 2), Leon Parker (percussion on 1).
B+(**)
Don Braden: Brighter Days (2001, High Note): Quartet,
with Xavier Davis (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass), and Cecil Brooks III
(drums). Tone seems a bit off.
B+(*)
Milt Buckner & Hal Singer: Milt & Hal [The Definitive
Black & Blue Sessions] (1966 [2004], Black & Blue):
Organ player (1915-77), in a relaxed, bluesy set with tenor saxophone
(more on Singer below), with Johnny Letman (trumpet), Tiny Grimes
(guitar), and Wallace Bishop (drums). Singer had moved to Paris in
1965
B+(**) Hyphy Hitz (2004-07 [2007], TVT): Bay Area hip-hop
compilation, no names I recognize although several have substantial
careers with dozens of records (Messy Marv, Keak Da Sneak, Mac Dre,
Twisted Black, Balance, Mistah F.A.B.). Fast-paced, overstated,
self-consciously ridiculous (or stupid seems to be the preferred term).
[PS: I see that Tommy Burns, aka Twisted Black, "was sentenced to life
in prison after found guilty of conspiracy to sell crack cocaine." He
was 30 at the time. His sentence was appealed and reduced to 30 years.]
B+(***) [dl]
Pharoah Sanders: Izipho Zam (My Gifts) (1969 [1973],
Strata-East): Three-cut blowout, a more avant group than the one that
cut Karma a month later, with Sonny Sharrock (guitar) the main
addition. Leon Thomas sings the opener, adds to the percussion section
(with Chief Bey on African drums and Billy Hart conventional). Title
cut runs 28:50.
B+(***) [yt]
Hal Singer: Rent Party (1948-56 [1994], Savoy Jazz):
Tenor saxophonist from Tulsa, survived the 1921 Massacre as a 2-year-old,
still kicking at 100. Had a big r&b hit with "Corn Bread," leading
off here. Recorded into the 1980s, and occasionally since. I was reminded
of him when he showed up on a recent list of
15 Essential Black Liberation Jazz Tracks, but I had to hear these
oldies first. Jukebox singles, the vocals pure rock and roll, the sax
always honking.
A-
Hal Singer With Charlie Shavers: Blue Stompin' (1959
[1994], Prestige/OJC): After sax r&b faded, Singer landed this
mainstream date with the trumper near-great and a rhythm section that
could swing hard -- Ray Bryant (piano), Wendell Marshall (bass), and
Osie Johnson (drums) -- blowing away them blues.
[Was: B+] B+(***)
Hal Singer: Blues and News (1971, Futura): Small
French label, cover notes "featuring Art Taylor [drums] and Siegfried
Kessler [piano/flute]," omitting Jacques Bolognesi (trombone), Jean-Claude
Andre (guitar), and Patrice Caratini (bass). One piece by Kessler ("Blues
for Hal"), five by Singer, including "Malcolm X" -- the piece cited in
the link above.
B+(**)
Hal Singer/Jef Gilson: Soul of Africa (1974, Le Chant
Du Monde): Another French album for the tenor saxophonist, sharing the
credit line with the French pianist (1926-2012, actual name Jean-François
Quiévreux). Group includes Jacky Samson on bass and a lot of percussion,
including vibes and a group called Malagasy Rhythm. "The High Life" is
a highlight, comparable to Dudu Pukwana's In the Townships.
A-
Hal Singer: Senior Blues (1991, Carrere): Recorded in
France, backed by piano trio (Bernard Maury, Eric Vinceno, Eddie Allen),
title cut a Horace Silver tune. Another very solid album.
B+(**)
Hal Singer & Massimo Faraò Trio: We're Still Buddies
(2001 [2005], Azzurra Music): Faraò is an Italian pianist, couple dozen
albums since 1995, with Paolo Benedettini (bass) and Bobby Durham (drums).
Singer was 82 at this point, relaxed and lucid. Durham sings two songs,
not very well.
B+(*)
Hal Singer: Challenge (2010, Marge): Ninety years old,
seems likely to be his last album, recorded in Paris, but his pick up
band for once is American, young, and pretty famous: Lafayette Gilchrist
(piano), Jaribu Shahid (bass), Hamid Drake (drums), plus Rasul Siddik
(trumpet) on two tracks, and David Murray (tenor sax) everywhere. The
latter more than earns his "featuring" credit, but the two-sax work
early on is pretty thrilling.
A-
Grade (or other) changes:
Hal Singer With Charlie Shavers: Blue Stompin' (1959
[1994], Prestige/OJC): See above.
[was: B+] B+(***)
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Ricardo Grilli: 1962 (Tone Rogue) [07-10]
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Weekend Roundup
Late-breaking tweet from @realDonaldTrump: "Nobody wants a Low IQ
person in charge of our Country," trying to deflect from the obvious
by adding that "Sleepy Joe is definitely a Low IQ person!" Sure, he's
never struck me as especially bright, but it's rather clever that
the Democrats are nominating someone Trump cannot attack without the
slanders reflecting back on him.
Trump's approval rate at 538 is down to 40.6%, with 56.1% disapprove.
That's the biggest split I can recall.
Onion headline:
Officials warn defunding police could lead to spike in crime from
ex-officers with no outlet for violence. When I mentioned this to
my wife, she already had examples to cite. Article cites "L.A. police
chief Michel Moore" as saying:
The truth is that there are violent people in our society, and we need
a police department so they have somewhere to go during the day to
channel their rage. If these cuts are allowed to continue, we could
be looking at a very real future where someone with a history of
domestic abuse is able to terrorize their spouse with impunity
instead of being occupied testing out new tactical military equipment
or pepper-spraying some random teens. The fact that these dangerous
attackers and killers are being gainfully employed by the LAPD is
the only thing standing between us and complete chaos.
By the way, there is a
new batch of questions
and answers, not all on music. Ask more,
here.
Some scattered links this week:
Zeeshan Aleem:
Hannah Allam:
Vehicle attacks rise as extremists target protesters. Isaac J Bailey:
We don't need to cancel George Washington. But we should be honest about
who he was. I agree with that. Washington, and for that matter Thomas
Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe are not just important figures
in American history, but can also still be inspiring. In some respects, I
could argue the same for Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson, to pick two
highly problematic characters who have received some critical attention
recently. Nor am I much bothered by statues of Christopher Columbus,
although I can't think of any redeeming qualities he had. Again, the
history should be made clear, but I'm not sure the icons matter much.
The Confederates are one exception I'll grant: the sooner we get rid
of these tokens of white supremacy, the better. And I hope some day the
deliberately orchestrated plot to names things after Ronald Reagan gets
unrolled. Nothing good can be linked back to his legacy. And if you
don't want to melt all that "art" down, perhaps store it in a musty
museum somewhere -- as long as it's treated with the solemnity of
Auschwitz. By the way, I'm totally cool with
John Wayne airport could get a new name that doesn't celebrate a
homophobic white supremacist.
Riley Beggin:
Steve Benen:
How the GOP gave up on governing in order to keep winning elections:
Excerpt from Benen's new book, The Impostors: How Republicans Quit
Governing and Seized American Politics. More on this "no governing"
meme below. Charles M Blow:
Can we call Trump a killer? Argues for "his culpability in the
neglectful handling of the coronavirus." That's a distinction I don't
find terribly interesting, but there are other cases where the evidence
is undeniable, like the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Suleimani,
which Trump has bragged about. You might object that all US presidents
order killings abroad, but that's no excuse let alone comfort. Obama
got his first taste of blood when he ordered the killing of a Somali
pirate, and that just opened the floodgates, leading to hundreds of
drone killings and the summary execution of Osama Bin Laden, as well
as the Air Force's casual slaughter of bystanders. You might object
that the sheer numbers lost to Trump's delayed Covid-19 reaction and
premature re-opening far exceed the drone kill count (perhaps not the
military offensives), and besides here we're talking dead Americans,
but negligence is always messy to prove. On the other hand, where has
Trump not been negligent and careless? The Mexico border and Puerto
Rico are two cases that leap to mind, and I expect you can find bodies
there, too. On the other hand, calling him Killer is too likely to be
taken as flattery. I'll wait for the ICC indictments. Max Blumenthal:
Jim Bovard:
The Korean War atrocities no one wants to talk about. Technically,
the Korea War is America's longest running war -- 70 years this week --
because the US never had the decency to acknowledge that it was pointless
and over. But that's hardly the only thing the US remains in denial over.
More on Korea:
Khang Vu:
Trump is wrecking South Korea's relationship with North Korea. Max Balhorn:
How South Korea's pro-democracy movement fought to ban "murderous tear
gas". Doug Bandow:
We should celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War by leaving:
"The US doesn't need to protect the south any more." More pointedly, the
US is keeping South Korea from negotiating its own separate peace -- as
such, the US presence is more threatening than reassuring. Dan DePetris:
Don't tie peace on the Korean Peninsula to denuclearization in the
North. We have managed to live with "hostile" powers possessing
nuclear weapons since 1950, and none have used those bombs against
us (unlike what the US did to Japan in 1945, when the US still had
a monopoly on such terror). The only thing that makes North Korea
different is that we've insisted on not formally ending the war
which de facto ended in 1953. The only way to lessen the threat is
to reduce the degree of hostility, which at present mostly takes
the form of crippling economic sanctions against the North, and
to open up formal lines of communication and trade. Recognizing
that North Korea has nuclear weapons and the rocketry to deliver
them is at this point common sense. Morever, it's clear that the
only reason they bothered to develop such useless weapons is to
force the US to recognize that they're too dangerous not to treat
with the basic respect that normal nations routinely show each
other. For more, see the Reckford article below, which also cites
the failure of sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela to produce
any results imagined as favorable to the US. Jessica Lee:
The Korean War started the trend of endless wars for America. How
do we change course?
The United States is not equipped to solve every global problem. No
nation is. In the case of the Korean War, our failure to close that
chapter of history has allowed mistrust to fester for so long that
détente seems impossible, despite the fact that lowering tensions
would protect U.S. interests in the region better than the status quo.
Owen Miller:
Uncovering the hidden history of the Korean War. Kap Seol:
The US didn't bring freedom to South Korea -- its people did. Seong-ho Sheen:
To have any chance at ending the Korea War, America must become more
flexible. Louie Reckford:
Why Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaigns are a maximum failure. John Cassidy:
Donald Trump's big problem with senior voters. Kyle Cheney/Leah Nylen:
Prosecutor says he was pressured to cut Roger Stone 'a break' because
of his ties to Trump. Sarah Churchwell:
American Fascism: It has happened here.
American fascist energies today are different from 1930s European fascism,
but that doesn't mean they're not fascist, it means they're not European
and it's not the 1930s. They remain organized around classic fascist tropes
of nostalgic regeneration, fantasies of racial purity, celebration of an
authentic folk and nullification of others, scapegoating groups for economic
instability or inequality, rejecting the legitimacy of political opponents,
the demonization of critics, attacks on a free press, and claims that the
will of the people justifies violent imposition of military force. Vestiges
of interwar fascism have been dredged up, dressed up, and repurposed for
modern times. Colored shirts might not sell anymore, but colored hats are
doing great.
Max Cohen:
Bernie's student army learns to live with Biden. Given time (and
Trump), stories like this were bound to appear. Aaron Ross Coleman:
Protesters win a new investigation into Elijah McClain's death. Nancy Cook/Adam Cancryn:
Trump team weights a CDC scrubbing to deflect mounting criticism.
Does he know anything about management other than "you're fired"? Ranjani Chakraborty:
What "defund the police" really means. Fabiola Cineas:
These protests feel different because they're shifting public opinion:
Interiew with Megan Ming Francis.
As she points out in her book, Civil Rights and the Making of the
Modern American State, the NAACP from 1909 to 1923 mobilized
state-building by first shifting public opinion, then creating change
within political and legal structures. And according to polls, opinion
is already shifting: In 2015, just 51 percent of Americans believed
racism is a big problem in the US; now 76 percent of Americans do.
The menacing symbolism of the noose: "Noose incidents are uncoincidentally
on the rise as protesters continue to demand justice for Black lives." Eli Clifton:
The hedge fund man behind pro-Trump media's new war on China.
Huayi Zhang, associated with Robert Mercer. Jason Ditz:
Tiffanie Drayton:
Global protests reveal that white supremacy is a problem everywhere.
John Feffer:
What will it take to defeat Trumpism? "Learning lessons from the end
of the Confederacy, Nazi Germany, and Saddam's Iraq" -- a mixed bag of
examples, all three thoroughly defeated militarily (Iraq least decisively),
then allowed to reconstitute themselves (the Confederacy most along its
original, white supremacist lines). It's much easier for a foreign power
to defeat a malevolent faction (slaveholders, Nazis, Baathists) than it
is to keep those ideas from re-emerging in the defeated populace. Still,
the relative success in de-Nazifying Germany has more to do with ethnic
unity (vs. the black-white divide in the South, and the Sunni-Shiite-Kurd
divide in Iraq), and the annihilated value of Nazism for the resurgence
of German capitalism. (A big part of the reason Germany recovered so well
was the imposition of worker participation in corporate boards, which has
mostly kept German corporations from turning into predatory profit-scrapers
like their American and British counterparts.) Still, I wonder whether
Feffer isn't making too much out of Trumpism. Given the incoherence of
its leader and the ineptness of its followers, it's likely after defeat
to break down into its constituent parts and crawl back into the woodwork,
festering, waiting for its next charismatic revival.
Feffer notes that "in West Germany in 1947, 55% of those living under
the US occupation believed that 'National Socialism was a good idea badly
carried out.'" The occupation of Germany at that time was still pretty
harsh, and poverty was widespread, but after the Bundesrepublic gained
independence in 1949, and the economy boomed with the European Coal and
Steel Community in 1952, Nazi sympathies faded away. The only sure way
to get rid of Trumpism is to fix the problems it arose to fight, or show
that those problems aren't real. Russell Arben Fox:
The coronavirus in Kansas: The first 100 days. Covid-19 cases have
continued to rise, with Sedgwick County topping 1,000 cases. For more,
see John Handy/Andy Tsubass Field:
Kansas communities see dramatic spikes in coronavirus cases. Andrew Freedman/Matthew Cappucci:
Historic Saharan dust event fouls air along Gulf Coast as next blast
enters Caribbean. Susan B Glasser:
Trump retreats to his Hannity bunker: "Beaten by the pandemic and
down in the polls, a President and his propagandist create an alternate
reality." Amy Goldstein/Emily Guskin:
Almost one-third of black Americans know someone who has died of covid-19,
survey shows: Compare to 9% of white Americans. Alex Henderson:
Respected marketing guru explains how Trump could 'monetize' a loss to
Biden in November -- and make millions of dollars from his far-right
MAGA base: Donny Deutsch. Eoin Higgins:
Why a socialized system like Medicare for All beats for-profit healthcare
in one chart of covid-19 infection rates. Gil Hochberg:
An anti-colonialist Zionist? Remembering Albert Memmi: "The great
prophet of anti-colonialism embraces Zionism without ever questioning
its colonial implications." Memmi was born in Tunisia, was Jewish,
wrote The Colonizer and the Colonized (1957) and many other
books, was "asked to leave" when Tunisia became independent, lived
in France until dying at age 99. Also on Memmi:
Jack Holmes:
There is no plan. There is no second-term agenda. Takeaway
from a Hannity interview, but just because Trump couldn't think of
an agenda doesn't mean there won't be one. Trump has long delegated
odious tasks like thinking and doing to the little people (mostly,
it seems, Pence and Kushner).
The fact is that the Republican Party hasn't been much interested
in governing the country for some time. They want to deregulate
industries whose executives pay the campaign bills, and cut taxes
on the donor class, and knuckle immigrants, but the idea of drawing
up a comprehensive set of policies to make life better for the broader
American public has long been anathema. (The Democrats often govern
incompetently, and with too much regard for the preferences of powerful
interests over those of working people, but they do seek to govern the
country.) Trump is merely the most garish expression of this, turning
the nation's highest governing office into a rolling circus act while
shredding the institutions of democracy, and while the termites of the
state go to work behind the scenes.
This thing about the Republicans not being interested in governing
has been making the rounds lately, and rather misses the point. The
Republicans are obsessed with grabbing and monopolizing power, but
they actually have a very narrow definition of governing. Their aim
is to use power to accumulate more power, so they mostly see the
government as a vast patronage machine that can be used to reward
their supporters and punish their enemies, and that's about it. The
closest thing any Republican had to a vision was Tom DeLay's K Street
Project, where they demanded that lobbyists support their culture war
in order to qualify for graft favors. But fear seems to drive them
even more than greed: by seizing power, they deny it to their mortal
enemies, the Democrats, who if given the opening would surely also
use their power to reward their supporters and punish their enemies.
That view isn't fair because Democrats habitually try to rule for the
benefit of everyone, whereas Republicans are much more discriminating
in who they help and hurt. Where Republicans most obviously fail is
in trying to govern in a crisis. They don't plan, they don't prepare,
their graft becomes visible, and quite often they simply don't care.
Trump is the worst ever in this regard, but you have to go back
generations to find competent Republican administrators. A big part
of this can be traced back to how the Republican campaign machinery
is designed expressly to do nothing but attack Democrats. Trump has
no agenda for a second term because he doesn't even comprehend what
he's been doing in his first term -- except, that is, relentlessly
attacking his numerous enemies. That's all he's got to campaign on.
Sean Illing:
"It's ideologue meets grifter": How Bill Barr made Trumpism possible.
Interview with David Rohde, author of a
New Yorker profile on Barr. Christopher Ingraham:
New research explores how conservative media misinformation may have
intensified the severity of the pandemic. Umair Irfan:
Why it's so damn hot in the Arctic right now. Related:
Alex Isenstadt:
Roge Karma:
4 ideas to replace traditional police officers. Ezra Klein:
Trump's reality TV presidency is being crushed by reality. Draws
a lot on Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney's chief campaign strategist in
2012 and author of It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party
Became Donald Trump, talking a lot about the incompetency and
incoherence of Trump's government. One thing Stevens says: "To me,
the only thing remotely like it is the collapse of communism in the
Soviet Union, because the dissonance between what the party was and
what it said it was was just so great."
In praise of polarization: "How identity politics changed the
Democratic Party -- for the better." Without the guiding hand of
identity there wouldn't be polarization, a subject that Klein flogged
to death in his book, Why We're Polarized. Carolyn Kormann:
A disastrous summer in the arctic. Paul Krugman:
Nicole Lafond:
Barr joins Trump effort to will antifa into existence with new 'anti-gov
extremists' task force. Eric Levitz:
The 'V-shaped' recovery has died of coronavirus. Wasn't going to
happen anyway, because the panic and lockdown changed buying habits
in ways that simply re-opening wouldn't (and couldn't) undo. Perhaps
at some point, if the stimulus remains robust and is widely distributed
people will feel a desire to spend some of their savings on big-ticket
items, but that's a while off. More likely, the Republicans will kill
off stimulus (except for the stock market) and we'll get a double-dip
recession instead. (Was tempted to say W-shaped, but still not sure of
the eventual upstroke.) Ryan Lizza/Laura Barron-Lopez/Holly Otterbein:
Why Biden is rejecting Black Lives Matter's boldest proposals:
"Activists want to defund the police. Biden won't even legalize pot."
This stuff doesn't bother me, at least not like his Venezuela tweet
did. He'll drag his feet, but he's at least somewhat open to reason.
And given the gauntlet that any sort of reform has to run, he'll
likely be there at the end, not leading but also not obstructing,
and that's probably where his broadest supporters want him. German Lopez:
Robert Mackey:
Josh Marshall:
Princeton drops Woodrow Wilson from name of public policy school.
Wilson was president of Princeton before moving into politics, so this
particular naming was an obvious choice at the time, and I doubt it's
being given up lightly. Wilson did several notably progressive things
as president. He also started two wars with Mexico, engaged in a lot
of "gunboat diplomacy" in the Caribbean, led the US into WWI, and ran
a very aggressive campaign against war dissenters -- notably jailing
presidential candidate Eugene Debs. He represented the US personally
in the talks leading to the Treaty of Versailles, making a promise
that David Fromkin turned on its head for his essential book on the
post-WWI Middle East: A Peace to End All Peace. Well into the
Cold War era, he was revered by Democrats for his internationalism,
and his opponents' isolationism is still a dirty epithet. Many of
these things should be giving us doubts about his legacy, but the
one that's finally catching up with him is explained by Dylan
Matthews in his 2015 article:
Woodrow Wilson was extremely racist -- even by the standards of his
time, which was written after Princeton students started objecting
to his name heading Princeton's School of Public and International
Affairs. Madeline Marshall:
Why America's police look like soldiers: "Why are the police bringing
military assault rifles to protests?" Dylan Matthews:
How police unions became so powerful -- and how they can be tamed. Media Matters: This could be an ongoing series, but for
now just a taste of how Fox et al. are handling the debacle:
Ian Millhiser:
Nicola Narea:
Ella Nilsen:
Progressive Black candidates swept key races on Tuesday. Results
don't look quite that weeping, although
Middle school principal Jamaal Bowman unseats Eliot Engel in New York
was a big story (and not close, despite Engel endorsements from NY Dem
leaders, not to mention AIPAC). Anna North:
Ricardo Nulla:
The coronavirus surge that Texas could have seen coming. Chad Painter:
1960s coverage of Stonewall shows that mainstream press has always
struggled to cover protests: "New Yorkers reading the local,
mainstream papers wouldn't have known that a new civil rights
movement was unfolding." William J Perry/Tom Z Collins:
Who can we trust with the nuclear button? No one. Cameron Peters:
Trump is holding a rally in one of the country's worst Covid-19 hot
spots: Next stop (Tuesday, June 23): Phoenix, Arizona, where
"cases in the state have increased by 174 percent over the past
three weeks, and the Arizona Health Department reported a record-high
3,600 new cases on Tuesday alone." Craig Pittman:
Can Trump beat the Florida convention curse? I didn't know there
was one -- Nixon won after Miami Beach conventions in 1968 and 1972;
the Democrats also did Miami Beach in 1972, McGovern losing to Nixon;
and Romney lost after being nominated in Tampa in 2012 -- but Trump
is bound to bring out the worst in the state. Andrew Prokop:
John Quiggin:
Modern monetary theory: Neither modern, nor monetary, nor (mainly)
theoretical?: Review of the MMT-based Macroeconomics
textbook by William Mitchell, Randall Wray and Martin Watts. Anita Rao/Pat Dillon/Kim Kelly/Zak Bennett:
Is America a democracy? If so, why does it deny millions the vote?
A series of articles in the Guardian on "the fight to vote":
Robert Reich:
Donald Trump's re-election playbook: 25 ways he'll lie, cheat and
abuse his power: "From now until November, opponents of the most
lawless president in history face a fight for democracy itself."
Things like postponing the election remain to be seen, and would
be hard to pull off. "Coddle dictators" sticks in my craw. Ever
since WWII, US foreign policy has supported dictators who were
deemed good for business, while opposing ones (and, by the way,
democracies) who weren't (e.g., Iran, Guatemala, Chile). The only
way Trump deviates from this is that he needs "good for business"
to be good for him personally. Whether the US cherishes or ignores
human rights depends strictly on which side of the good/bad ledger
a country falls. David Roberts:
Corey Robin:
Forget about it. The author continues to be shocked that others
can still be shocked by the latest Trumpian outrages, given how many
comparable examples even a cursory remembrance of history offers up.
I've been reading and writing about conservatism since the summer of
2000, when I interviewed William F. Buckley Jr., Irving Kristol, and
Norman Podhoretz for a Lingua Franca article. I was surprised
to hear how discontented these elder statesmen were now that the Cold
War was over. It was almost as if they longed for the United States --
or at least themselves -- to be back in the grip of murderous anxiety,
ready to embark on a terrible rampage. Since then, what has always
struck me is how turbulent and intemperate, how savage and ferocious,
the dream life of the right truly is -- even among, especially among,
its most staid figures.
When Trump became a contender for the White House, I saw him as an
extension or fulfillment of the conservative movement rather than a
break with it. Almost everything people found outrageous and objectionable
about his candidacy -- the racism, the contempt for institutions, the
ambient violence, the hostility to the rule of law -- I'd been seeing
in the right for years. Little in Trump surprised me, except for the
fact that he won.
Whenever I said this, people got angry with me. They still do.
For months, now years, I puzzled over that anger. . . . Historical
consciousness can be a conservative force, lessening the sting of
urgency, deflating the demands of the now, leaving us adrift in a
sea of relativism. But it need not be . . . Telling a story of how
present trespass derives from past crime or even original sin can
inspire a more strenuous refusal, a more profound assault on the
now. It can fuel a desire to be rid of not just the moment but the
moments that made this moment, to ensure that we never have to face
this moment again. But only if we acknowledge what we're seldom
prepared to admit: that the monster has been with us all along.
Charlie Savage/Eric Schmitt/Michael Schwartz:
Russia secretly offered Afghan militants bounties to kill US troops,
intelligence says: "The Trump administration has been deliberating
for months about what to do about a stunning intelligence assessment."
This is supposedly a big deal, but sounds like a total crock. While
Afghan government and Taliban have continued to attack each other,
US fatalities in Aghanistan have dwindled to practically nothing --
not just since Trump signed a cease-fire with the Taliban, but you
have to go as far back as 2014 to find a month with 10 US fatalities.
So if Russia is paying a bounty, they're not finding many takers,
and it's not costing them much. It seems much more likely that the
whole story was hatched by "deep state" figures to try to scuttle
the Taliban peace deal, to reverse US troop withdrawals, to gin up
anti-Russian sentiment for a new Cold War, and (what the hell) to
make Trump look bad by drawing out the Trump-Putin buddy meme.
This left me wondering whether the US had actually paid bounties
for dead Russians during the 1980s, when inflicting casualties on
Russians was the explicit goal of US support for Afghan mujahideen.
I tried googling that, but all I got were echoes of the NY Times
piece, like the Guardian's
Outrage mounts over report Russia offered bounties to Afghanistan
militants for killing US soldiers (and not wanting to be left
out or devalued,
Russia offered bounty to kill UK soldiers). Similar articles
were all over the supposedly liberal press (Google it yourself:
these are from the first two pages): ABC, Chicago Tribune, CNBC,
CNN, LA Times, MSNBC, NPR, Reuters, Time, USA Today, Vox, Washington
Post, Axios. Some bought the story but tried to put the focus on
Trump, as in Jacob Kuntson:
Trump denies report he was briefed on alleged Russian bounties on US
troops (my favorite line here was "The report was confirmed by
the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and CNN," meaning that those
organizations picked up and ran the story); also Bob Brigham:
Trump remained silent as Putin paid to kill US soldiers;
Peter Wade:
Back from golfing, Trump denies knowing about Russian bounties to
kill US soldiers. Isaac Sebenius/James K Sebenius:
How many needless Covid-19 deaths were caused by delays in responding?
Most of them. David Smilde:
Joe Biden should not try to out-hawk Trump on Venezuela. Biden's
tweet on Venezuela is one of the few things that genuinely disurb me
about his nomination. It is factually inaccurate -- Trump may "admire
thugs and dictators" but not Nicolas Maduro; he clearly loathes Maduro,
and is using the power and influence of the United States to overturn
Maduro's election victory and replace him with a pliable puppet. I"m
not even sure that Maduro qualifies as a "thug and dictator" -- not
that I doubt that power is seductive and tends to corrupt, but as far
as I can tell, most of Venezuela's problems have been imposed by the
US, and their propaganda is formulaic and suspect as usual. Biden's
vow that he "will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy"
shows, to put it charitably, how completely he has been taken in by
the propaganda. If you want a definition of "thug and dictator," what
about someone who would impose a puppet government on another nation?
If Biden had any respect for democracy abroad, he wouldn't be casting
his lot with Trump and the oil moguls on this issue. And if he had
even the slightest self-awareness of how much havoc and misery US
intervention in Latin America has caused, he would grasp the folly
of trying to force American views on others. Nor do you have to go
back to Monroe and Wilson for examples: the recent coups in Bolivia
and Brazil are currently creating human rights disasters that reflect
back on us. Biden needs to break with that legacy, not echo it. Emily Stewart:
The Georgia legislature finally passes a hate crime bill in the wake
of Ahmaud Arbery's death. When signed, that will leave only three
states without hate crime laws (the others are South Carolina, Wyoming,
and Arkansas). Rachel Stohl:
Defense industry cheers as the Trump administration is poised to loosen
restrictions on drone exports. Critics complain that "the Trump
administration appears to be sacrificing long-term security goals for
short-term economic gain" -- i.e., for the arms merchants, not for
those who foot the military budget. Of course, if selling arms leads
to an arms race, the industry would see long-term economic gains as
well, and we would all wind up less secure. Lawrence H Summers/Anna Stansbury:
US workers need more power: Good title, but don't fear, he's not
really offering much. No talk about co-determination, let alone making
companies fully employee-owned, which is the direction we should be
moving in. Matt Taibbi:
On "White Fragility": Review of Robin DiAngelo's book, "a few
thoughts on America's smash-hit #1 guide to egghead racialism,"
one of which is it "may be the dumbest book ever written." I
rather doubt that, if for no other reason than that I recall
Taibbi's review of Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat. Michael Tomasky:
Biden's journey left. Nick Turse:
Pentagon war game includes scenario for military response to domestic
Gen Z rebellion. "Gen Z" is defined as those born after 1996. Peter Wade:
Trump can't name one thing he'd prioritize if re-elected: Good. Paul Waldman:
Alex Ward:
The head of US broadcasting is leaning toward pro-Trump propaganda.
Biden would fire him. Michael Pack, head of US Agency for Global
Media (USAGM), which runs "Voice of America, Middle East Broadcasting,
Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and the Office of
Cuba Broadcasting," so is already neck-deep in the propaganda business.
Pack, a close ally of former top Trump strategist Steve Bannon, began
his three-year tenure just this month and wasted no time making dramatic
changes to reshape the agency. Last week, within hours of introducing
himself to employees, he purged four top officials from the agency's
media organizations. The two chiefs of Voice of America (VOA), the most
prominent outlet in the agency, had already resigned earlier over Pack's
appointment.
Related:
The real villain of John Bolton's Trump book is John Bolton. More
Bolton book:
How Trump's China obsession could derail nuclear arms control, in one
tweet: "Bolton makes clear President Trump's foreign policy is
absolutely terrible -- but Bolton's is much, much worse." /Nicole Narea:
The US military will stay on the US-Mexico border, even with migration
falling. Matthew Yglesias:
Trump is rescuing Maine lobstermen from himself, and blaming Obama:
"The lobster bailout, explained."
Martha McSally's bailout proposal for the travel industry, explained:
"The Arizona senator wants to give each US adult $4,000 to go on vacation --
but only if you're not too poor." The bottom line is that this is another
Republican tax cut for the rich, albeit limited and dressed up funny.
Trump's reelection polling is looking really bad. Why does he always
have to note: "After all, Michael Dukakis was up by 17 points in mid-July
1988"? Not only is that a bummer, there are lots of reasons why this year
is nothing like that year.
Trump's catastrophic failure on testing is no joke: "The president
is continually more focused on good numbers than good policy."
Why it feels like there are a lot more fireworks this year. No,
I hadn't noticed. I don't think I've heard a single firework bang so
far this month, or maybe this year. No doubt I will hear some closer
to the 4th, but probably less than usual. The old Lawrence Stadium
used to shoot off fireworks at least once a week, but they tore it
down, built a new ballpark, and have yet to play a single game there.
Wichita is not traditionally hostile to fireworks -- although the
Fire Dept. had a lot more say in the matter when I was growing up
than in recent years. I went out driving one July 4th and identified
at least 20 places that were shooting off major fireworks (of course,
the big one was downtown, which we could watch from out front lawn).
Then I drove down Main St. toward where I grew up, and it looked like
a war zone with all the debris. My mother especially loved fireworks,
but I'd be just as happy never to see or hear any ever again. Li Zhou:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, June 22, 2020
Music Week
June archive
(in progress).
Music: Current count 33485 [33449] rated (+36), 216 [215] unrated (+1).
Don't feel like writing much here. Started the week thinking I'd
track down some records by the late Keith Tippett, but quickly got
sidetracked by Stan Tracey, an older British pianist who did some
duet records with Tippett c. 1977. I then picked up some old World
Saxophone Quartet records, adding them to my
David Murray Guide.
I probably should have done this anyway, but someone on Facebook
commented on my missing Revue, which he teased was some
kind of consensus pick as the greatest jazz album of the decade.
The old Gary Bartz records came after reviewing his new one. I
should note that Harlem Bush Music, which combines the
two albums before Juju Street Songs, was previously A-.
Didn't do much on new records this week. Started most days with
golden oldies, then when I sat down at the computer, switched over
to old jazz rather than going through my new queue. Best reviewed
new records this week were by Bob Dylan and Phoebe Bridgers -- who
got more favorable reviews than Dylan this week (32 to 22 in my
metacritic file.) I'll
check out both soon, but was more curious about Black Eyed Peas
(AOTY critic score 50/1, user score 83/30). Not great, but much
better than that, with a choice cut called
News Today.
New records reviewed this week:
Ambrose Akinmusire: On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused
Moment (2020, Blue Note): Trumpet player, from Oakland,
sixth album since 2008 (30+ side credits), quartet with Sam Harris
(piano), Harish Raghavan (bass), and Justin Brown (drums). Good
player, wide range, still he's never blown me away.
B+(**)
Gary Bartz and Maisha: Night Dreamer Direct-to-Disc Sessions
(2019 [2020], Night Dreamer): Alto/soprano saxophonist, long career
starts in early 1960s, led albums since 1967. Backed by drummer Jake
Long's British band (minus saxophonist Nubya Garcia), on five songs
(35:20), vamping freely over an appealing rhythm.
B+(***)
Black Eyed Peas: Translation (2020, Epic): Seems like
they had a perfectly functional hip-hop/funk album on tap for summer
release, then wound up adding a most atypical and remarkable topical
song, "News Today."
B+(***)
Chromeo: Quarantine Casanova (2020, Chromeo, EP):
Canadian electropop duo, six albums since 2004, threw this together
quick, donating proceeds to Know Your Rights Camp's COVID-19 Relief
Fund. Five topical songs -- "Chlorox Wipe," "6 Feet Away," "Stay in
Bed (And Do Nothing)," "'Roni Got Me Stressed Out," and "Cabin Fever" --
18:01, padded out with instrumentals of same (another 16:41).
B+(**)
Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: The Intangible
Between (2020, Smoke Sessions): Pianist, raised in Philadelphia,
couple dozen albums since 1995, including at least four with his big
band, twenty strong. Didn't really mesh for me until "Tough Love,"
where the narration gave the musicians something to get worked up
about.
B+(**)
Fra Fra: Funeral Songs (2020, Glitterbeat): Group
from North Ghana, voices and percussion, billed as "field recordings"
so hard to say how old these are. Pretty raw.
B
Mike: Weight of the World (2020, 10k): New York rapper
Michael Bonema, remains nearly impossible to google despite at least
six albums and more singles and EPs since 2015. Partly, I suppose,
because his beats and rhymes are so far underground one rarely notices
them.
B+(*) [bc]
Aaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man
(2019 [2020], Ropeadope): Pianist, from Seattle, half-dozen albums
since 2008 (plus a couple as a teenage prodigy). Quartet with guitar
(Greg Tuohey), bass, and drums, plays some electric keyboards, strong
focus on beat and flow.
B+(**)
Perfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
(2020, Matador): Singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas, fifth album since
2020. I've never gotten anything from his records, but he has a
story, and if you're young and male you might appreciate someone
who's had it even rougher than you and tried to make something
beautiful out of it. Which, in a way, he has.
B+(*)
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Sideways to New Italy
(2020, Sub Pop): Australian jangle pop group, second or third album,
when they turn wistful they sound a bit like the Go-Betweens, but it's
hard to figure out why (beyond Australian, obviously).
B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Misha Mengelberg/Peter Brötzmann/Evan Parker/Peter Bennink/Paul
Rutherford/Derek Bailey/Han Bennink: Groupcomposing (1970
[2018], Corbett vs. Dempsey): Piano, three saxes, trombone, guitar,
drums. One 42:38 piece split for LP. Feels improvised.
B+(*) [bc]
Old music:
Gary Bartz Ntu Troop: Juju Street Songs (1972-73
[1997], Prestige): Alto saxophonist, a powerful bebop player with
a taste for funk rhythms, formed this group in 1969, recording
seven LPs through 1974. This combines the 4th (Juju Street
Songs) with the fifth (Follow, the Medicine Man) on
one long CD. Quartet on the first, with Stafford James (bass),
Howard King (drums), and Andy Bey (electric piano/vocals). Second
adds guitar and replaces Bey on 2 (of 7) tracks. The vocals don't
help the jazz, but the jazz adds to the funk. From a time when
the world seemed big enough for both.
B+(**)
Gary Bartz Ntu Troop: I've Known Rivers and Other Bodies
(1973, Prestige): Double album, from a live performance at Montreux,
quartet with Hubert Eaves (keyboards), Stafford James (electric and
acoustic bass), and Howard King (drums), with Bartz vocals -- well
enough that the title cut could find a home on an obscure funk best-of.
Still more impressive when he blows.
B+(***)
Gary Bartz: Shadows (1991 [1992], Timeless): Cover
lists Willie Williams (tenor sax), Benny Green (piano), Christian
McBride (bass), and Victor Lewis (drums).
B+(**)
Gary Bartz: The Red and Orange Poems (1994, Atlantic):
Quintet, with Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Mulgrew Miller (piano), Dave
Holland (bass), and Greg Bandy (drums), plus extra percussion on two
tracks.
B+(**)
Joe Harriott Quintet: Swings High (1967 [2004],
Cadillac): LP released by Melodisc in 1970, reissued by Cadillac on
LP in 1989, CD in 2004, and "glorious downloadasound" in 2020. I'm
crediting the CD here, but listening to the digital, and will list
it as a 2020 reissue in the list(s). Recent covers add featuring
credits for Phil Seaman (drums) and Pat Smythe (piano) -- not all
that famous, but sure, more so than Stu Hammer (trumpet) and
Coleridge Goode (bass). Vibrant hard bop, even if it sounds a bit
old-fashioned compared to his other 1960s work.
B+(**) [bc]
Dudu Pukwana & Bob Stuckey: Night Time Is the Right Time:
60s Soho Sounds (1967-68 [2010], Cadillac): Alto saxophonist
from South Africa, left for Europe in 1964, settling down in London,
ranged from kwela to avant-garde. Stuckey plays organ throughout: 9
tracks with Pukwana, guitar, and drums, plus 4 tracks with different
guitar and drums.
B [bc]
Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestra: Live at Le Mans (1998
[2009], Edition, 2CD): Big band effort, for better (parts really swing
hard) and worse (gets messy and loses direction. I count 18 pieces
(including tuba, two drummers, and Paul Dunmall's bagpipes), plus 3
singers.
B
Stan Tracey: Showcase (1958, Vogue): British pianist,
toured with Cab Calloway and Ronnie Scott in the 1950s. First album.
The leader plays vibraphone on three tracks, piano on nine, backed
by bass/drums, plus guitar on three tracks. Standards, few out of the
ordinary.
B+(*)
The Stan Tracey Quartet: Jazz Suite: Inspired by Dylan
Thomas's Under Milk Wood (1965, Columbia): He composed
this album based on a 1953 BBC broadcast of the play. Quartet
with Bobby Wellins (tenor sax), Jeff Clyne (bass), and Jack Dougan
(drums). A 1976 recording added narration, but you don't miss the
story line here. Widely regarded as a classic of British jazz --
beautiful at first, then gets even better.
A
Stan Tracey/Keith Tippett: Supernova (1977 [2008],
Resteamed): Piano duo. Tracey (1926-2013) was a generation older,
more conventional (cited Ellington and Monk as his main influences)
but worked with a number of avant-garde musicians (e.g., Evan Parker).
Tracey and Tippett intersected several times in the late 1970s. This
live tape from ICA in London is a good example.
B+(**)
The New Stan Tracey Quartet: For Heaven's Sake (1995
[1996], Cadillac): As the pianist gets older, the band gets younger:
Gerard Presencer (trumpet/flugelhorn), Andrew Cleyndent (bass), and
Clark Tracey (drums). Tracey and Presencer each wrote one song, the
rest standards, three sharp ones by Monk.
B+(***)
Stan Tracey: Solo : Trio (1997 [1998], Cadillac):
Five solo piano tracks, six trio with Andrew Cleyndert (bass) and
Clark Tracey (drums). Ellington and Monk are touchstones.
B+(***)
Stan Tracey & Danny Moss: Just You, Just Me
(2003 [2004], Avid): Moss (1927-2008) was a tenor saxophonist, played
other reeds, recorded with Ted Heath 1952-56, probably ran into
Tracey there. He liked standards, so that's what they play here --
most from Ellington and his crew.
B+(***)
Stan Tracey Quartet: Senior Moment (2008 [2009],
Resteamed): Pretty lively album for 82, the pianist is joined by
Simon Allen (saxes), bass, and drums.
B+(**)
Stan Tracey Quintet: The Flying Pig (2013 [2014],
Resteamed): Seems to be his final record, released shortly after
his death at 86 in December 2013. With Mark Armstrong (trumpet),
Simon Allen (saxes), Andy Cleyndert (bass), and Clark Tracey (drums).
B+(***)
Ben Webster/Stan Tracey: Soho Nights Vol. 1 (1968
[2008], Resteamed): Live shot from Ronnie Scott's, tenor saxophonist
backed by a local piano trio: Tracey, Dave Green (bass), Tony Crombie
(drums). Tracey was already pretty well known by then, and given his
Ellington love an inspired choice.
B+(***)
Ben Webster/Stan Tracey: Soho Nights Vol. 2 (1964
[2012], Resteamed): An earlier quartet, with Rick Laird (bass) and
Jackie Dougan (drums), also at Ronnie Scott's in London. Webster
sounds especially debonair here, and the pianist is an ideal
accompanist.
A-
World Saxophone Quartet: Steppin' With the World Saxophone
Quartet (1978 [1979], Black Saint): If this was their only
album I'd use the names on the cover as the artist credit: Hamiet
Bluiett (baritone sax/flute), Julius Hemphill (alto/soprano sax),
Oliver Lake (alto/soprano sax), David Murray (tenor sax/bass
clarinet). But they recorded 20+ albums, starting with a 1977
debut on Moers, then five albums on Black Saint, a major label
move to Nonesuch, then from 1996 on Justin Time (like Murray).
Hemphill dominates, writing 4 tracks vs. 1 each for Lake and
Murray, but the whole approach to harmony was his -- something
he pursued on his other records, but kept especially pure here.
I've always found their limited monophonic range unpleasant, but
this is more dynamic than most.
B
World Saxophone Quartet: W.S.Q. (1980 [1981], Black
Saint): Hamiet Bluiett steps up here, with two short pieces (or five,
as his "Suite Music" is broken into five parts), vs. 3-2-1 for Hemphill,
Lake, and Murray.
B+(*)
World Saxophone Quartet: Revue (1980 [1982], Black
Saint): Hemphill wrote four pieces, the whole first side. The others
split the second, with Murray offering "Ming" and "David's Tune,"
and Lake and Bluiett offering hymns. Hemphill's side is the more
cohesive, which doesn't necessarily make it better.
B+(*)
World Saxophone Quartet: Live in Zürich (1981 [1984],
Black Saint): Bluiett riff pieces open and close, brief at 1:40 and
1:30. In between it's all Hemphill, six substantial pieces, played
slow and soft enough to focus on complex harmony rather than indulging
in the thrash that gladiators are prone to.
B+(*)
World Saxophone Quartet: Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music
(1985 [1986], Black Saint): More of a group effort, with Murray's "Great
Peace" longest at 14:58, but Hemphill gets the last word.
B
World Saxophone Quartet: Four Now (1995 [1996], Justin
Time): Julius Hemphill became ill, stopped playing, left the group in
1990 (between Rhythm & Blues and Metamorphosis), and
died in 1995 (age 57). (He continued composing. His 1993 Five Chord
Stud, played by six other saxophonists, perhaps the best of his
sax choir records, and a sextet in his name recorded a good Live in
Lisbon in 2003. He had a profound influence on many saxophonists,
notably Tim Berne and Allen Lowe.) The other three sax giants kept WSQ
going through 2006, running through a series of alto replacements
(Arthur Blythe was the first, but it's John Purcell here) and adding
other musicians as opportunity arose. The cover notes: "With African
Drums" (Chief Bey, Mor Thiam, and Mar Gueye). They make a difference,
inspiring a vocal on the Thiam's closer, "Sangara."
B+(**)
World Saxophone Quartet: Takin' It 2 the Next Level
(1996, Justin Time): The four saxophonists (Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver
Lake, David Murray, and John Purcell) get a full rhythm section for
backup this time: Donald Blackman (keyboards), Calvin X Jones (bass),
and Ronnie Burrage (drums). All but Jones contribute pieces, and
they're all over the place.
B
World Saxophone Quartet: 25th Anniversary: The New Chapter
(2000 [2001], Justin Time): After a decade of trying new things, back
to the well -- just four saxophonists harmonizing, no bells or whistles
(or African drums). Before this came their look back, Requiem for
Julius, their tribute to founder and visionary Hemphill. Here they
look forward, dressed on the cover in white tuxes, John Purcell way out
front, pictured with saxello but credited with alto. Once again, I get
it, but don't especially enjoy it.
B
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Jeff Cosgrove/John Medeski/Jeff Lederer: History Gets Ahead of the Story (Grizzley Music) [07-17]
- Dan Willis and Velvet Gentlemen: The Monk Project (Belle Avenue) [07-17]
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Weekend Roundup
All in all, not a very good week for Donald Trump. It started off
with Supreme Court rulings that the 1965 Civil Rights Act prohibits
discrimination against LGBTQ people, and that Trump's revocation of
the DACA program was invalid because the Trump administration failed
to explain why. The marches continued, as did the police outrages
provoking more demonstrations, but also a few reform stories, and
even some indictments and/or dismissals that show that, despite the
fury of Trump and the right, protest is getting somewhere. Trump
spent much of the week threatening and/or suing his former national
security director and his niece for writing books showing some of
the many ways he is incompetent and/or vile. And just as we're still
processing his recent purge of federal inspectors for trying to do
their jobs, he goes off and fires a US attorney who had opened
investigations of some of his cronies. He's finding Covid-19
infection rates still on the rise in nearly half of the states,
including virtually all of the "red" ones in the South. He expected
to finish the week on a high after resuming his campaign rallies in
one of those states, only to find the Tulsa arena half-empty (and
considerably less than half-masked). It's hard to see how that turns
into a win.
Even before the rally, most polls show Trump losing badly to Joe
Biden. See Nate Silver:
Our new polling averages show Biden leads Trump by 9 points nationally,
which shows a bunch of 2016 Trump states flipping: Michigan, Florida,
Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, but
not quite Iowa (where Biden is -0.6) or Texas (-0.7). Trump's approval
rating is 41.4% (vs. 55.2% disapprove). The generic congressional ballot
is at 48.4% Democrats, 40.4% Republicans. Of course, too early to count
your chickens. The one thing I'm most certain of is that the rest of the
2020 campaign season is going to be the nastiest in American history.
Quite a few sublists below, usually starting with the first piece
I found on a subject, so you'll have to scour around to find ones of
personal interest. In fact, quite a lot of everything.
Some scattered links this week:
Sasha Abramsky:
Zeeshan Aleem:
Katelyn Burns:
Seattle's newly police-free neighborhood, explained. Marc Caputo/Matthew Choi:
Klobuchar shuts down VP speculation, urges Biden to pick woman of
color. Article describes this as "a blow to the chances of
Massachusetts' Sen Elizabeth Warren," but that assumes that someone
who didn't rate high enough to still be a contender has somehow
gained influence by pissing in the punch bowl on the way out.
Leaves me with the feeling that not only does she want to torpedo
the much more progressive Warren, she also can't bear losing to
her fellow midwestern prospects (most often mentioned are Gretchen
Whitmer, Tammy Baldwin, and Tammy Duckworth). Matthew Chapman:
Trump claims his niece signed an NDA, threatens to sue her over tell-all
book: report. The niece is Mary L Trump, PhD, the book Too Much
and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous
Man. Also:
Fabiola Cineas:
The disappearance and death of activist Oluwatoyin Salau, explained.
Sean Collins:
Police killings can be captured in data. The terror police create
cannot.
Jesselyn Cook/Nick Robins-Early:
Inside the dangerous online fever swamps of American police: "Cops
have a far-right media ecosystem of their own, where they post racist
memes, spread disinformation and call for violence against antifa."
Daniel Denvir:
Donald Trump is a menace to American democracy. But he didn't come out
of nowhere. "His rise was only possible because of a Republican and
Democratic political consensus that has ravaged American politics and
society for a generation." Long article, touches on a lot of things.
It's certainly true that politics have become more polarized, especially
on the very ideological and aggressive right, and Trump in many ways is
a logical extension of where the right was already going. Still, I wonder
if it might be more fruitful to look at how businessmen have become more
imperious and arrogant (and, no coincidence, much richer) over the last
30-40 years. Trump may seem like a major break with previous politicians,
but how different is he from the last few generations of CEOs/financiers?
(Insert long list of names here, like Jack Welch, Carl Icahn, Charles Koch,
Sheldon Adelson, etc.) Trump's instincts are certainly authoritarian, but
they strike me as more like despotic monarchs, who grew up in worlds where
everyone deferred to them, and fascist (or mafia) strongmen, who came to
power by snatching it, and kept it by intimidation.
Tom Engelhardt:
The age of disappointment? Or how the American century ends. These
TomDispatch articles get reproduced on various websites, often with
slightly different titles. AlterNet calls this
The American century is ending decisively with a pyromaniac in the
White House.
Mara Gay:
Why was a grim report on police-involved deaths never released?
Elena Goukassian:
Who really was Roy Cohn?: Interview with Ivy Meeropol, who directed
a new documentary on Trump's mentor, including his role in getting her
grandparents executed, in what Alan Dershowitz thinks "was one of the
greatest miscarriages of justice ever in this country."
Constance Grady:
Black authors are on all the bestseller lists right now. But publishing
doesn't pay them enough.
Glenn Greenwald:
Jeff Halper:
Israelizing the American police, Palestinianizing the American people.
Elahe Izadi/Paul Farhi:
The standoff between owners and journalists that's eviscerating Pittsburgh's
biggest newspaper. Newspapers are businesses, owned by rich people, who
are often tempted to impose their political views on their reporters -- here
the signal is the charge of "bias." Free press is a nice concept, but doesn't
exist in America -- least of all, evidently, in Pittsburgh.
Sarah Jones:
Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein:
Letting private equity billionaires rob worker retirement funds: "A
new Department of Labor rule allows private equity to get into 401(k)
plans. One expert estimates a $13.7 billion annual wealth transfer from
workers to Wall Street tycoons."
The government can afford anything it wants: Review of Stephanie
Kelton: The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of
the People's Economy. I must admit that I've never understood
MMT, although I have noticed that the predictions of "deficit scolds"
have rarely (if ever) come true -- so it wouldn't surprise me if
there is more flexibility for deficit spending than is commonly
assumed (e.g., by those bemoaning how Bernie Sanders could ever pay
for his proposals). Consider:
"The problem we have today," Kelton writes, "is that economic policy
is often prescribed by people who, despite holding advanced degrees
in economics, possess no real understanding of how our monetary system
works." The idea is that a basic understanding of how money works, of
MMT precepts, could empower any citizen to fight for a better world.
But this will only happen once we reconcile what the country is capable
of and what the people are willing to do. "Austerity," Kelton writes,
"is a failure of imagination." So what kind of society do we want to
imagine, if we unshackle ourselves from the language of taxpayer-funded,
deficit-diminishing government? Are we willing to stop shoveling resources
into the military (and its domestic paramilitary offshoot, police
departments) and start diverting them to working-class communities?
If everyone deserves to be safe, housed, and prosperous, let's instruct
the Federal Reserve to start marking up some different accounts.
Seung Min Kim:
Top State Department official resigns in protest of Trump's response to
racial tensions in the country: Mary Elizabeth Taylor, assistant
secretary of state for legislative affairs..
Jen Kirby:
Remember Brexit? It's still not over.
The 7 most disturbing allegations about Trump in John Bolton's forthcoming
book. Bolton didn't get to start any major wars during his brief tenure
as Trump's national security adviser, but at least he got a book out of it,
The Room Where It Happened, and enough publicity that it's likely
to be a bestseller (assuming a
Trump administration lawsuit fails to quash it), setting himself up
for a return to the limelight should Tom Cotton or Marco Rubio or some
similar reptile become president. Subheds (which really aren't more
disturbing than what you already know):
- Trump asked Xi for help with his electoral prospects -- as
if he ever thought about anything else.
- Trump told Xi to go ahead with the internment of Muslims in
China -- as if Xi cares what he thinks.
- Trump learns about nukes . . . Trump didn't know that the UK
has nuclear weapons, but (unlike the US) they've never used them.
- . . . and about geography -- well, Finland used to be part of
Russia, and the US actually did land marines in Venezuela, and later
effectively owned its oil industry.
- Trump wanted to withdraw from NATO with a dramatic made-for-TV
scene
- Trump had some issues with the Constitution -- like wanting
to execute "scumbags" who rat him out; this is a polite way of saying
he doesn't understand why a president shouldn't be able to do things
any self-respecting mob boss would.
- Meddling in Ukraine, yes, but so many other things
More reaction to Bolton:
Nancy LeTourneau:
John Bolton didn't tell the truth when it mattered most: "Instead,
he kept his mouth shut until he could cash in on a book deal." This is
the popular line among people who are eager to grasp at any cudgel to
attack Trump, but we should be clear that Bolton always had his own
private agenda, and it always included concern for his bottom line.
Even before his book deal, Bolton has long made an unseemly amount of
money by consistently hewing to the most hawkish line allowed at any
given moment, even as each of his arguments has proven disastrous.
That he occasionally finds Trump insufficiently belligerent is more
of an indictment of him than of Trump. That he occasionally finds
Trump to be stupid, vain and petty just shows that he can marshal
ordinary perceptions into passages that make himself look smarter
and more principled, if only by comparison. Theodore J Boutrous Jr:
Why Trump's lawsuit against John Bolton will fail. Jonathan Chait:
Trump: I didn't realize Bolton supported Iraq War until after I hired
him: "A small slip-up in the vetting process"? What vetting process?
Did Trump ever make his own concerns known? Bolton not only supported
the Iraq War, he never stopped defending it. It's impossible to imagine
a job interview, even by someone as inattentive and uncurious as Trump,
failing to raise red flags. Matthew Chapman:
Trump is determined to get John Bolton jailed. Matt Ford:
John Bolton: American coward. Andrew Gawthorpe:
There are no heroes in the John Bolton v Donald Trump story. Josh Gerstein/Kyle Cheney:
'The damage is done': Judge denies Trump administration request to block
Bolton book: "but he warned the former national security adviser
could face criminal charges." John Hudson:
Bolton book exposes rare fissures between Trump and Pompeo. Steven Nelson:
Trump: I should have fired John Bolton for botching North Korea nuclear
talks. Yes you should have. No you didn't. Moreover, it was totally
obvious when you appointed him that he would do everything he possibly
could to make sure no agreement was reached. Same could be said of your
boy Mike Pompeo, although he did a slightly better job of pretending he
was with the program. Trump should rifle back through what remains of
his memory and identify all the people who recommended Bolton to him,
and fire them too. By the way, I wouldn't say that Trump's own words
were especially eloquent or insightful, but for once their pith finds
a deserving target:
"When Wacko John Bolton went on Deface the Nation and so stupidly said
that he looked at the 'Libyan Model' for North Korea, all hell broke
out," Trump tweeted Thursday. "Kim Jong Un, who we were getting along
with very well, went 'ballistic,' just like his missiles -- and
rightfully so."
Trump added that Kim "didn't want Bolton anywhere near him."
"Bolton's dumbest of all statements set us back very badly with
North Korea, even now. I asked him, 'what the hell were you thinking'"
He had no answer and just apologized. That was early on, I should
have fired him right then & there!" Trump wrote.
William Rivers Pitt:
It's Trump vs Bolton, and I'm rooting for a meteor. Frank Rich:
The folly of Trump's Bolton lawsuit. Zoë Richards:
WH trade adviser slams Bolton book as 'deep swamp revenge porn':
Peter Navarro. Eugene Robinson:
John Bolton is a weasel in a party of weasels. Jennifer Rubin:
Trump's Bolton problem is nothing compared with Senate Republicans'
woes: "We knew Trump violated his oath. Now we're certain Senate
Republicans did, too." Jon Schwarz:
John Bolton is telling the truth, but let's not forget his horrible,
dangerous career. Tierney Sneed:
DOJ goes all in on trying to block release of Bolton book.
Ellen Knickmeyer:
US drops planned limit for toxin that damages infant brains.
Bonnie Kristian:
Another General wants forever war in Iraq: Meet CENTCOM Commander
Gen. Kenneth F McKenzie Jr.
Jill Lepore:
The history of the "riot" report: "How government commissions became
alibis for inaction."
Nancy LeTourneau:
The ongoing struggle between two American ideals: liberty and equality:
"Inside the biggest fault line between the two parties in American politics
today." The conservative mind-trick here is defining liberty as something
that only a few people can enjoy because it's taken at the expense of
others. But you never can get to "liberty and justice for all" that way,
which makes me wonder if it isn't better to think of liberty as something
equality makes possible. Even conservatives should be satisfied defining
liberty as the ability to choose one's course of action without being
compelled by economic constraints. Why can't everyone enjoy such freedom?
The real "fault line" has nothing to do with liberty, which all pursue,
but with equality, which conservatives deny and despise. Sure, they have
their rationalizations, but even if true -- and I'd argue they are not --
why would a democracy prostrate itself to their vanity?
Why are conservatives so threatened by equality? Subhed says "It's
the toxic and irrational fear that more freedom for LGBTQ Americans
infringes on their own," but isn't that just a way of admitting that
they believe that their freedom comes at the expense of other people?
And not just LGBTQ -- there's also race, class, sex. They believe that
unions are picking their pockets. Each plank is rooted in a sense of
privilege, and a belief that force can safeguard their privileges.
After all, we might all agree to be equal, but there can never be
agreement (hence there can never be peace) that one class is entitled
to rule over all others.
How Republicans convinced themselves that Trump will win in a landslide:
"Delusional thinking often goes unchallenged when you're living inside
a cocoon." Also:
John Hinderaker:
The landslide of 2020? Someone recommended this link as the funniest
thing he had read in quite some time. Doesn't quite qualify as a review of David
Horowitz's Blitz: Trump Will Smash the Left and Win because he
admits that he hasn't read the book, but he believes Horowitz ("one of
the most perceptive observers of the current scene") blindly.
The current environment reminds me of 1972, and a conversation I had
then with a friend who was, like me at that time, on the left. The
contest then was between Nixon and McGovern, and my friend said,
"Nixon will win because he is for America, and McGovern is against
America." He and I didn't see it that way, but we knew that was how
the race was coming across to most voters. That is true in spades
this year: McGovern was wrong about a lot of things, but he was a
sincere patriot. Today's Democrats, in contrast, really are
against America.
The cognitive disconnect in the last sentence is so hard to
process that the simplest explanation is that people who utter it
are stark raving insane. Yet we hear this line repeated endlessly
on the far right, especially since Obama won the presidency in
2008. (Sometimes at book length, as in David Limbaugh's The
Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic -- the
most explicit title from a long list I compiled in 2012, which
I summed up as "uninspired and empty.") The thing is, there's
never been a shred of evidence that Obama or any other mainstream
Democrat wanted to harm America. Maybe you can accuse a few fringe
leftists (maybe even myself) with being insufficiently obeisant
to the militarized symbols of American power, but Obama, Biden,
the Clintons, Pelosi, Shumer, et al., have become the last true
believers in American exceptionalism: the steadfast belief that
this country remains a beacon of light, of hope and opportunity
for the rest of the world. Even those of us who have become
thoroughly disenchanted with America's long history of racism,
militarism, colonialism, corruption, and economic plunder, tend
to express our concerns by referring to the historical moments
when Americans seemed to aspire to something better, and we can
frame our solutions in terms which promise to help the majority
of Americans. But while we believe that further left solutions
would be better for Americans than what mainstream Democrats
have done, the fact is that when given the power, Democrats have
made the economy more prosperous, have reduced the harm done to
less fortunate Americans, have blundered into fewer wars, have
treated the environment better, and have responded to disasters
more effectively, than Republicans have done. So how can people
like the author here say such things? I considered the possibility
that their definition of America was just so exclusive -- as Todd
Snider put it, "conservative Christian, right-wing Republican,
straight, white, American males" -- that maybe their paranoia was
grounded in something real. But I know many such people, and I've
never seen them actually hurt by things Democrats have done (even
where they've felt outraged). So, I have to conclude, the depths
of their delusion far exceeds my ability to explain. David Siders:
'We're thinking landslide': Beyond DC, GOP officials see Trump on glide
path to reelection: Quotes Phillip Stephens, a GOP county chairman
in NC: "The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies
support for Trump. We're calling him 'Teflon Trump.' Nothing's going to
stick, because if anything, it's getting more exciting than it was in
2016. We're thinking landslide." Paul Waldman:
Trump supporters already know he will definitely win by a landslide.
Martin Longman:
Two stories that show why Trump's unfit for office.
The are two lightly reported stories in the news that really highlight
the norm-breaking and criminality of the Trump administration. One
involves the nation's inspectors general and the other the administration's
treatment of science. Anyone who might care about these subjects is most
likely already in Biden's camp, but they should get wider circulation
because they ought to inform how people will vote.
The stories Longman cites (though neither are isolated incidents):
Joe Macaron:
The 'Caesar Act' has no teeth and is not about Assad. Evidently
"Caesar" is an anonymous photographer who documented human rights
abuses by the Syrian military police, providing the basis for a
report (known as "The Caesar Report") written by ICC prosecutors,
and hence a law which allows the US (sworn enemies of the ICC) to
levy sanctions on Syria, adding fuel to America's psychotic love/hate
relationship with Syria. While I would have been pleased if the
Assad regime had fallen and disappeared in Syria, at this point
continued war is far worse for all concerned. Instead of figuring
out ways to inflict further pain, the US would be well advised to
make peace with Assad, and use whatever good will that produces to
help the Syrian people recover from the war the US (and its nominal
allies) did so much to protract. Related: Shahed Ghoreishi:
The next US administration must fix our broken Syria policy.
Notice that at this point no one has any hopes the present
administration can fix anything.
Dylan Matthews:
A new paper finds stimulus checks, small business aid, and "reopening"
can't rescue the economy.
Bill McKibben:
How public opinion changes for the better.
Peter Miller:
Policing or occupation? Crowd control practices in the US and Palestine.
Ian Millhiser:
Peter Montague:
Trump wants to create election chaos by killing the Post Office:
On March 30, Trump spilled the beans himself when he said, if it were
easier to vote in the U.S., Republicans would never get elected. The
president made the comments as he dismissed a congressional Democrat-led
push for reforms such as vote-by-mail, same-day voter registration and
early voting to help states run elections safely during the COVID-19
pandemic. "They had things, levels of voting that if you'd ever agreed
to it, you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again,"
Trump said. "We don't want anyone to do mail-in ballots," the president
said in May.
Sara Morrison:
The Trump administration's flawed plan to destroy the Internet as we know
it: "Following the president's lead, Republicans are trying to chip
away at Section 230."
Yascha Mounk:
Is Donald Trump a danger to democracy? Review of new books by Masha
Gessen (Surviving Autocracy) and Eric A Posner (The Demagogue's
Playbook: The Battle for American Democracy From the Founders to Trump),
by the author of The People Vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger
& How to Save It (2018). All concerned are fond of analogies, so
their books run the gamut. I think it's important to make a distinction
between Trump with his authoritarian impulses and the Republican Party's
greedy schemes to subvert democracy. Trump is reprehensible but dangerous
only to the extent that the Party supports and defends him. The real
threat is the Party, but I suspect that the authors would rather indict
individuals than look into the profoundly anti-democratic beliefs of
modern (or, indeed, any) conservatism.
Ellen Nakashima/Shane Harris:
Elite CIA unit that developed hacking tools failed to secure its own
systems, allowing massive leak, an internal report found.
Nicole Narea:
Trump fires the US attorney investigating his allies: "Attorney
General William Barr tried to fire Geoffrey Berman on Friday, but
he refused to step down. So the president stepped in."
Jonathan Chait:
Barr trying to purge the last prosecutor who can still investigate
Trump. Josh Marshall:
A remarkable turn of events:
The Trump administration, with its most effective enforcer, Bill Barr,
is looking at an uphill reelection campaign, a range of still unfolding
civic catastrophes, and trying to make the most of its executive power
while it still holds it. Abusing the powers of office look like the
clearest path to retaining those powers past next January. But since
the rampant abuses are now adding to the marked deterioration of support
for Trump's presidency the incentives for bad acting only grow more
perverse, the need to keep doubling down or upping the ante only grows.
As I noted above, Berman's public refusal is itself a sign of Trump's
ebbing power. It all points to a perilous six months of mounting
instability, wrongdoing and criminality in which Trump, his lieutenants
and toadies see the need to keep rolling the dice, fomenting chaos in
the hopes some version of it works in his favor.
Renae Merle:
Trump's pick to run Manhattan US attorney's office defended prominent
Wall Street firms for years: Jay Clayton, previously SEC chairman,
another obvious perch for serving his past (and future?) clients.
Terry Nguyen:
Aunt Jemima and the long-overdue rebrand of racist stereotypes.
Anna North:
Morgan Palumbo/Jessica Draper:
Knockout in Washington: "A monumental lobbying battle over American
foreign policy -- How the Saudis, the Qataris, and the Emiratis took
Washington." I'm tempted to argue that the US hasn't had a coherent
foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. Maybe GW Bush thought
he had one with his Global War on Terrorism. Maybe Obama thought his
"Pivot to Asia" would fill the void left by abandoning the hapless
GWOT. But really, US foreign policy just reverted to what it had been
before rabid anti-communism added its ideologial veneer: favors for
interest groups with business abroad. Before WWII, those favors were
for US companies, especially in Latin America. More recently, the
companies became multinationals, and sovereign nations got into the
act, all working through the usual lobbyists. Trump's innovation was
to drop the pretense that foreign policy was ever about anything but
money. So if Saudi Arabia, for instance, wants to bomb a neighboring
country, or kill an American journalist, all they really have to do
is to make sure the checks clear, and America will be their ally.
Steven Pearlstein:
The Fed is addicted to propping up the markets, even without a need.
Why, exactly, the Fed feels it necessary to inject more dollars into
the corporate credit market is hard to fathom. The interest rate at
which investment-grade companies can borrow on the bond market is now
below 4 percent, about as low as anyone can remember. And the pace of
bond issuance so far this year, at over $1.2 trillion, has been double
that of last year's torrid pace. Indeed, there's so much capital
sloshing around that investors are lining up to lend money to companies
such as Boeing and Macy's and the cruise-line operator Carnival, although
these companies' revenue has plummeted with along revenue in much of
the travel and retail sectors. . . .
The best explanation for this confidence is the widespread belief
on Wall Street that the Fed will do "whatever it takes" -- that is,
print money to buy as many bonds as necessary -- to keep credit flowing
to the business sector, no matter the risk. By placing a floor under
bond prices, the Fed makes it possible for over-indebted, sales-starved
companies to borrow even more to cover operating losses, or refinance
existing loans, allowing them to avoid, or at least delay, the day when
they cannot pay their bills.
Cameron Peters:
Trump's executive order on police reform, explained.
Brad Plumer/Nadja Popovich:
Emissions are surging back as countries and states reopen.
Ari Rabin-Havt:
Mitt Romney is not your friend.
Adam K Raymond:
One of the officers who shot Breonna Taylor is getting fired.
Rebecca Rivas:
Feds dismiss incitement charge against Michael Avery. As near as
I can tell, Avery (a "Ferguson activist") was charged for making posts
on Facebook criticizing St. Louis police. Greg Magarian commented,
"Winning malicious prosecution suits is nearly impossible, but Avery
should go for it, and [prosecutor Michael] Reilly should have this
abomination hung around his reputational neck for the rest of his
professional life." Another piece from the St. Louis American that
Magarian pointed me to: Chris King:
New video shows Florissant cop swerve to hit fleeing man with SUV.
King's follow up story:
Florissant cop charged with felony assault, armed criminal action.
David Roberts:
A national US power grid would make electricity cheaper and cleaner.
Dylan Scott:
David K Shipler:
The racial stereotypes infecting American police departments.
David Sirota:
Republicans are hypocrites. They happily 'de-funded' the police we
actually need.
Emily Stewart:
One of America's worst acts of racial violence was in Tulsa. Now, it's
the site of Trump's first rally in months. More pieces on Tulsa,
past and present (some before and some after Trump's event):
Zeeshan Aleem:
Trump falsely suggests wearing a mask at his Tulsa rally could be
harmful: "He anticipated a 'wild evening' where 'people do what
they want.'" Russell Berman:
The 'Silent Majority' didn't show up for Trump. Bob Brigham:
"Pitiful turnout": Trump mocked for "hilariously weak" attendance at
Tulsa comeback rally. Matthew Chapman:
Six Trump campaign staffers in Tulsa test positive for COVID-19 ahead
of indoor rally. Eugene Daniels:
Trump campaign blames protesters for disappointing turnout at Tulsa
rally. Robin Givhan:
Trump's rally looked like his vision of America. Limited and pitiless.
It was a long, rambling performance with the president lamenting that
he surely must have saluted some 600 times and by God, it was so hot
that day and the ramp was like an ice-skating rink and he was wearing
leather sole shoes. As far as he was concerned, he really should have
been cheered for making it down that ramp unscathed instead of being
mocked in the media. So perhaps it made him feel better when the Tulsa
crowd -- his crowd -- applauded after he theatrically drank a
glass of water onstage with only one hand and didn't dribble any of it
on his tie.
It was Trump's crowd. Everything is his. Everything is because of
him. "We -- I -- have done a phenomenal job," he said about
the federal government's response to the pandemic. "I saved hundreds
of thousands of lives."
Virginia Heffernan:
Trump's Tulsa rally is shaping up to be a coronavirus petri dish inside
a wrecking ball. Astead W Herndon:
Black Tulsans, with a defiant Juneteenth celebration, send a message to
Trump. Annie Karni/Maggie Haberman/Reid J Epstein:
How the Trump campaign's plans for a triumphant rally went awry:
"Instead of offering President Trump a glide path back into the campaign
season, Saturday's rally in Tulsa has become yet another flash point
for a candidate who has repeatedly displayed insensitivity about race." Paul Krugman:
Tulsa and the many sins of racism: "The ugly story didn't end with
the abolition of slavery." Eric Lach:
Donald Trump's empty campaign rally in Tulsa. Taylor Lorenz/Kellen Browning/Sheera Frenkel:
TikTok teens and K-Pop stans say they sank Trump rally: "Did a successful
prank inflate attendance expectations for President Trump's rally in Tulsa,
Okla.?" Osita Nwanevu:
This is how Trump plans to beat Biden: "In his latest campaign kick-off
rally, the president maps his desperate plan to overcome the national crisis
he enabled and win re-election." Caitlin Oprysko:
Trump accuses critics of attempting to 'Covid Shame' upcoming rally.
Mary Papenfuss:
Dr Anthony Fauci warned White House that Tulsa rally would be dangerous.
Amber Phillips:
5 takeaways from Trump's Tulsa rally:
- Trump elevates violent rhetoric against protesters
- 'Kung Flu,' a testing slowdown and other flippant comments
about the coronavirus
- No attempt to salve racial tensions
- Explaining 'the ramp and the water'
- Weaving old with the new for a 2020 campaign pitch
Randy R Potts/Victor Luckerson:
A Trump visit lays bare two Tulsas, a mile and a universe apart. Bret Schulte:
How Tulsa's Republican mayor found himself at the center of America's
debate on race. Walter Shapiro:
Trump is terrorizing America: "His reelection campaign is going to be
all about one thing: fear. The Tulsa rally was just the beginning." Brent Staples:
The burning of Black Wall Street, revisited: "Nearly a century after the
Tulsa Race Massacre, the search for the dead continues." Marc A Thiessen:
Trump must reach out to black voters. His Tulsa rally is the place to
start. I don't normally read him, even given that his columns
inevitably appear in my home town paper. In fact, he strikes me as
the single most reprehensible political pundit in America. So I can't
tell you whether this is more tone-deaf than usual. But I can assure
you that Trump didn't deliver the hoped-for breakthrough message in
Tulsa.
Matt Stieb:
Facebook removes Trump ads with Nazi symbol used to identify political
prisoners. This story is so weird on many levels that I skipped over
it many times before noting it.
Matt Taibbi:
Why policing is broken: "Years of research on brutality cases shows
that bad incentives in politics and city bureaucracies are major drivers
of police violence."
Astra Taylor:
A new group of leftist primary challengers campaign through protests
and the coronavirus.
Zephyr Teachout/Shaoul Sussman:
Amazon's private government: "A new patent cements the company's
aims to use its power over sellers to consolidate control." Hard to
tell right now how big a deal this is, but several questions leap to
mind: Should this technology even be patentable? If so, isn't it
dangerous to assign it to an unregulated private company? If the
service is really valuable, wouldn't it be much better to build
it as a public utility? Many parts of Amazon (e.g., Marketplace),
already raise this question.
The patent, for a form of blockchain ledgering technology, will
allow Amazon to oversee the collection of an unprecedented amount
of data about the business operations of its sellers, including
their entire supply chain. In essence, the patent fulfills Amazon's
plans to create a private regulatory regime, where it uses proprietary
information to create a "certification" bureaucracy: a private,
for-profit alternative to the Food and Drug Administration, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Trade Commission.
Unlike governmental agencies, however, it will have no public
oversight, and can use its certifying power to squeeze sellers
and consolidate control.
Brands and companies that use Amazon's technology would have
to list the manufacturers, couriers, and distributors they use.
Those entities will have to corroborate that they indeed sell to
the brand. Amazon will know where and when every single sweater,
earplug, and frying pan sold on its platform was made, and by
whom. The patent states: To certify an item, a verifiable record
for the item indicating, for example, what materials were used
to make the item, where the item was made, who made the item,
when the item was made, and so forth, is needed.
Jason Tidd:
Kris Kobach's guns stolen from truck at Wichita hotel. Kobach is
running for US Senate. He says he always carries a gun for protection,
and he left a few more in his car, planning on campaigning at some
shooting event. "There were 255 guns reported stolen from vehicles in
Wichita in 2019." Kobach may be the dumbest person running for Congress
in Kansas this year, but don't sell his main rival, Roger Marshall,
short. See Abigail Abrams:
GOP Congressman says the poor 'just don't want health care.'
Alright, he was quoted out of context. The full quote was: "Just like
Jesus said, 'The poor will always be with us.' There is a group of
people that just don't want health care and aren't going to take care
of themselves." Marshall, by the way, is a M.D., whose recent publicity
stunt was to prescribe hydroxychloroquine for himself and his family.
Latest piece on his is:
Roger Marshall was convicted of reckless driving in 2008. Here's how
it was erased. Turns out it helps to have the son of a business
partner in the prosecutor's office.
Craig Timberg:
As Trump warns of leftist violence, a dangerous threat emerges from
the right-wing boogaloo movement.
Alex Ward:
Adam Weinstein:
Florida man leads his state to the morgue: "Ron DeSantis is the
latest in a long line of Republicans who made the state a plutocratic
dystopia. Now he's letting its residents die to save the plutocrats."
Also:
Philip Weiss:
Trump is pushing annexation as political tool to cast Dems as anti-Israel,
says J Street expert: Interview with Neri Zilber. /James North:
It sure looks like Trump and Adelson have cut a deal on annexation.
Sheldon Adelson, the Israel-loving, Iran-war-craving casino baron,
talks to Donald Trump all the time, and for good reason, he and wife
Miriam are the biggest Republican donors, poised to give as much as
$200 million this year. Now that the White House appears to be lying
down for the Israeli government as it moves to annex portions of the
West Bank despite a growing chorus of international condemnation,
the focus should be on Adelson. He has always been a strong supporter
of Israeli expansion, a man who says, "There's no such thing as a
Palestinian."
So far, the Adelsons have gotten everything they've wanted from
our transactional president: tearing up the Iran deal, moving the
embassy to Jerusalem, defunding Palestinians, recognizing the Golan
annexation, treating settlement expansion as legitimate, even a
presidential medal of freedom for Miriam, etc. Right up to yesterday --
a Trump attack on the ICC in the name of Israel. As Trump once said
when a Republican rival was getting Adelson's money, Adelson wanted
a "perfect little puppet."
Sean Wilentz:
The disgrace of Donald Trump: "Was the battle of Lafayette Square
the beginning of the end of his presidency?" Why call it a battle?
Doesn't that imply two sides were fighting? (As opposed to one side
using excessive force to drive people who were legally and peaceably
assembled away.) As a historian, Wilentz can think of past events
like Herbert Hoover's routing of the "Bonus Marchers" during the
Great Depression, which was one of many things that led to Hoover's
1932 defeat.
Stephanie Wykstra:
The fight for transparency in police misconduct, explained: "New
York's repeal of section 50-a -- which allowed police to shield misconduct
records -- is a big win for activists, but there is more work to be
done."
Matthew Yglesias:
The End of Policing left me convinced we still need policing:
Critique of Alex Vitale's book. I've cited several Vitale pieces and
interviews recently. I agree, although (as with ICE) I also think that
some organizations are so rotten it might make sense to restart from
scratch. The best thing I see coming out of the "defund" argument is
a rethinking about what police should (and should not) be doing. But
we're still stuck the the trials of the modern world. We need laws,
and we need order, and we need a system to enforce that as fairly and
as charitably as possible. In short, we need reform, but we still need
to come out the other end with something, even if it too is imperfect.
More pieces:
Donald Trump is defunding the police: "He's proposed cuts in budget
after budget, and is holding up needed fiscal aid." Meanwhile, it's the
Democrats who are pushing federal aid to cities and states hit hard by
revenue shortfalls
But the larger and more significant budgetary context is that the HEROES
Act passed by House Democrats and stalled by Senate Republicans appropriates
$900 billion to state and local governments.
With that kind of fiscal support, cities that don't want to defund
their police departments wouldn't have to. And cities that do want to
experiment with shifting funding out of law enforcement and into mental
health, drug treatment, and youth services will have the opportunity
to do that.
Republicans, meanwhile, have characterized this idea as a "blue state
bailout" and say Congress should instead consider changes to bankruptcy
law that might allow states to shed their pension obligations in bankruptcy.
Li Zhou:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, June 15, 2020
Music Week
June archive
(in progress).
Music: Current count 33449 [33418] rated (+31), 215 [214] unrated (+1).
British avant-pianist
Keith Tippett
died last week, at 72. He was a major figure, although having never
sorted out his scattered discography, I can't say how major. I can
say that on occasion he rivaled Cecil Taylor for explosive invention.
One issue is that while he recorded several albums with Mujician
as a title, he also led a group (with Paul Dunmall, Paul Rogers, and
Tony Levin) by that name through seven 1990-2006 albums. Another is
that he dabbled in a wide range of music, especially along the prog
rock fringe. He married pop singer/actress Julie Driscoll in 1970,
and she changed her name to Julie Tippetts (meanwhile, her husband
dropped the 's'), continuing a long career that veered far from the
pop charts. She survives him. Also on Tippett:
I'll look into Tibbett a bit more next week, but as I'm writing
this I've headed off on a Stan Tracey (1926-2013) detour.
One other death last week I should note somewhere is
Carl
Brewer, a former two-term mayor of Wichita. He was a moderate
black Democrat, always seemed to be in tune with local business
leaders but always seemed like a decent guy, never had a whiff of
scandal, and never embarrassed us. (I'd like to say never did
anything blatantly stupid, but I have to question his support for
Lyndy Wells in the latest mayoral election.) People I know who
knew him liked him a lot. None of those traits were common among
the recent run of Wichita mayors.
Robert Christgau published his
Consumer Guide: June, 2020, with an A+ for Run the Jewels RTJ4
(an A- here last week); an A for the Wussy album below; A- for Princess
Nokia's Everything Is Beautiful, Serengeti's Ajai, and a
Fats Domino live album I previously gave good but somewhat lower grades
to; an A- for a Malian record I haven't found; a B+ for the Hamell on
Trial album below; and a few more things -- I tried Westside Gunn, and
even went back two previous releases, but nothing really stuck with me.
I'm not conceding that I screwed up, but I've often had trouble catching
rap lyrics (especially given limited plays), and that may be at work
here.
Christgau asked me for some info on David Murray (occasioned by an
Xgau Sez question), so I
pasted a chunk of my
Jazz Guides into an email. It occurred
to me that I could add that to my Village Voice
David Murray Guide (2006).
The file turned out to be a mess, so I cleaned it up from "unpublished
draft" and notes to incorporating the
published edits. But rather than appending the more extensive
reviews, I created a
separate file. I also used
the occasion to pick up a few records I had missed, as well as Kahil
El'Zabar's new one, just out. Started a list of "other records" as a
self-check, but haven't gotten very far with it.
After all my pleading, I only have
one question answered
this week. More, please.
I did get one more piece of mail via
the form: Piotr wrote in to inform me
that he's created a Wikipedia page for
Tom Hull (critic). It's a very substantial page, with a lot of
biographical detail, all properly footnoted (most based on my
RockCritics.com interview). I've written him with a few corrections
and clarifications, so no need to itemize them here. Besides, most make
for slightly better myth than reality.
Two of the three new jazz A-list records this week were reviewed the
old-fashioned way, from CDs. Probably helped get them the attention they
deserve. I missed the A- Murray album because it was a mere Penguin
Guide ***, but turns out it features El'Zabar as the magic beans.
Found the old Joe Harriott records after noting the new vault release.
Been wanting to hear them for a long time, but none match Free
Form (1960).
By the way, I've been keeping the
metacritic file reasonably
up to date. Run the Jewels' RTJ4 made a strong run for the top
spot, but is still one point behind Fiona Apple's Fetch the Bolt
Cutters. At AOTY and Metacritic, the latter has slightly higher
scores, but fewer reviews. Waxahatchie's Saint Cloud is third,
then there's a substantial point gap before you get to Caribou, Dua
Lipa, Perfume Genius, Tame Impala, Thundercat, Yves Tumor, Lucinda
Williams, Charlie XCX, Shabaka and the Ancestors, and Soccer Mommy.
New records reviewed this week:
AuB: AuB (2020, Edition): British quartet, "pronounced
ORB," tenor saxophonists Tom Barford and Alex Hitchcock, backed with
bass and drums, most also credited with synthesizers.
B+(*)
César Cardoso: Dice of Tenors (2020, self-released):
Portuguese tenor saxophonist, third album, a tribute with such sax
standards as "Giant Steps" and "St. Thomas." Octet, with Jason Palmer
(trumpet), Miguel Zenón (alto sax), trombone, vibes, piano, bass,
and drums.
B+(*)
Elysia Crampton: Orcorara 2010 (2020, Pan): Electronica
producer, originally from California, has some interesting records. This
is an ambitious piece that comes off way too heavy for my taste.
B
Whit Dickey: Morph (2019 [2020], ESP-Disk, 2CD):
Second of four drummers in David S. Ware Quartet (1993-96), cut
his first record with Matthew Shipp in 1992 and remains his most
regular trio partner. Dozen albums as leader since 1998, with this
his second straight 2-CD affair, although it could just as easily
be split into two releases, each disc even having its own title.
The first, Reckoning, is a duo with Shipp, the piano so
dense I didn't notice that there was no bassist. The second,
Pacific Noir, adds Nate Wooley (trumpet), with one of the
more impressive outings of his career.
A- [cd]
Dion: Blues With Friends (2020, Keeping the Blues Alive):
Last name DiMucci, lead singer in white doo-wop band the Belmonts, put
his (first) name out front around 1960, scored big hits for a few years,
had some success with a folkie phase up to 1965, has tried other things
to avoid just being an oldies act, most recently blues (e.g., 2007's
Son of Skip James). Eighty now, looks and sounds younger (not
necessarily a compliment for blues musicians), lists 17 friends on the
cover four 14 songs, ceding lead vocals twice (Van Morrison and Paul
Simon, but Billy Gibbons and Bruce Springsteen just play guitar).
B+(*)
Kahil El'Zabar Ft. David Murray: Kahil El'Zabar's Spirit
Groove (2019 [2020], Spiritmuse): Chicago percussionist, leads
a quartet with Murray on tenor sax, Justin Dillard on keyboards, and
Emma Dayhuff on bass. The leaders have history, but it's been a while
since their 1997-2000 albums. Both have slowed down, gotten sentimental,
which is why I forgive El'Zabar's singing, and treasure what's left of
the saxophonist's chops -- not awesome, but still inspiring.
A-
Hamell on Trial: The Pandemic Songs (2020, self-released):
R-rated folksinger, decided to fight pandemic boredom by writing 15 songs
in 15 days, cut this down "the best 9 I think," about disease and masks
and social distancing and murder and mayhem and MAGA hat fans getting
what's coming to them ("got no problem with that"). Runs 30:11.
A- [bc]
Daniel Hersog: Night Devoid of Stars (2019 [2020],
Cellar Live): Trumpet player from Vancouver, doesn't play here,
composed all but one piece and leads a multifaceted big band, with
Frank Carlberg (piano) and Noah Preminger (tenor sax) the ringers.
Didn't really catch my attention until "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
came wafting through, after which a lot of intricate details began
to emerge.
B+(**) [cd]
Norah Jones: Pick Me Up Off the Floor (2020, Blue Note):
Singer-songwriter, plays piano, famous father Ravi Shankar, grew up in
Texas with mother Ann Jones after age 7, eighth album since 2002 (the
mega-selling Come Away With Me). I'm reminded how appealing her
voice is.
B+(*)
Ute Lemper: Rendezvous With Marlene (2020, Jazzhaus):
German singer-actress, first recorded appearance was on the original
Vienna production of Cats, quickly found her niche with Ute
Lemper Singt Kurt Weill and Life Is a Cabaret, so of course
she has a Marlene Dietrich songbook -- she's lived it for decades, but
specifically cites "a 3-hour phone call and exchange between Marelene
and Ute in 1988 in Paris" as the basis for this production. I found
the theatricality a turn off at first, but ultimately was won over.
Mostly in German, bits of French and English, often sliding from one
to another line by line -- the German bits of "Blowing in the Wind"
are genius, as is the intro to "Falling in Love Again."
B+(***)
Madre Vaca: Winterreise (2020, Madre Vaca): "Dynamic
collective of artists, three "founders" among the eight musicians here:
Jarrett Carter (guitar), Jonah Pierre (piano), and Benjamin Shorstein
(drums). Music is by Franz Schubert, words by Wilhelm Müller (not a
big deal), arrangements by Shorstein. Starts semi-classical and moves
toward Latin.
B [cd]
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Hero Trio (2020, Whirlwind):
Alto saxophonist, major, decided to do an album of covers here, not
clear whether it's the band or the subjects (Charlie Parker, Stevie
Wonder, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Johnny Cash, Ornette Coleman,
Charlie Parker again, and again) who are the heroes. Trio with
François Moutin (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums), the rhythm section
from his quintet Bird Calls -- probably the most popular and
my least favorite of his albums. This one is more fun, probably
because his Parker is so upbeat. Recorded avant le deluge, but
couldn't be timelier.
A- [06-19]
Stephen Riley: Friday the 13th (2018 [2020],
SteepleChase): Mainstream tenor saxophonist, from North Carolina,
roughly one album per year since 2005. Quartet with Kirk Knuffke
(trumpet), Jay Anderson (bass), and Billy Drummond (drums): all
standards, most from 1950s/60s jazz musicians. Horns do a nice
job of shading each other.
B+(***)
Dua Saleh: Rosetta (2020, Against Giants, EP):
Minneapolis Rapper, born in Sudan, came to US as a child. Second
EP (6 tracks, 17:36). Rejoined by Psymun, scoring the music, which
slips by without quite registering.
B+(*)
John Scofield: Swallow Tales (2019 [2020], ECM):
Guitarist, playing songs by Steve Swallow, who joins on electric bass,
along with Bill Stewart on drums. Tricky songs, nice tone.
B+(***)
Sara Serpa: Recognition (2019 (2020), Biophilia):
Vocalist, eighth album including three duos with Ran Blake, this
mostly music composed for a film, originally appearing silent with
live music. With Zeena Parkins (harp), Mark Turner (tenor sax),
and David Virelles (piano). High, lonesome soprano, tends to be
arty and/or arch, but the variety helps. Choice cut: "Queen Nzinga."
B+(**) [cd]
Walter Smith III/Matthew Stevens/Micah Thomas/Linda May Han
Oh/Nate Smith: In Common 2 (2020, Whirlwind): Tenor
saxophonist, debuted in 2006, Bandcamp page co-credits this (and
2018's In Common) to guitarist Stevens, but the others (new
on this volume) follow in same type, on piano, bass, and drums.
B+(*)
Westside Gunn: Hitler Wears Hermes VII (2019, Griselda):
Alvin Worthy, from Buffalo, seventh mixtape in this name series (plus
several more, albums, bunch of EPs).
B+(*)
Westside Gunn: Flygod Is an Awesome God (2019, Griselda):
Third album, title a sequel to his debut Flygod.
B+(*)
Westside Gunn: Pray for Paris (2020, Griselda): Rapper
Fourth album. Sounded promising, but lost me about half way through --
probably in a skit.
B+(*)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Joe Harriott Quintet: Jazz for Moderns (1962 [2020],
Gearbox, EP): Jamaican alto saxophonist (1928-73), moved to UK in 1951,
short but innovative career, developed what he called "free-form" but
also played vigorous bebop. This is a previously unreleased BBC set,
4 tracks (13:17), with Shake Keane on trumpet, Pat Smythe on piano,
plus bass and drums.
B+(**)
Wussy: Ghosts (2006-19 [2020], self-released): Odds
and sods mixtape, two tracks previously unreleased, the others from
EPs, singles, and side-projects, available as a free download, "created
to thank Wussy fans." Fans who love everything the band does seem to be
delighted with this. I was most impressed by the live "Shunt," a song
from one of their better albums.
B+(***) [bc]
Old music:
The Channels Featuring Earl Lewis: Golden Oldies
(1956-59 [2014], Essential Music Group): New York doo-wop group,
sometimes lead singer Lewis got top billing, not sure how long
they lasted, but Discogs' singles listing gets iffy after 1959.
No big hits, sound varies, padded out with covers.
B+(*)
Joe Harriott & Co. Feat John Dankworth & Tubby Hayes:
Helter Skelter: Live, Rare and Previously Unreleased Recordings
1955-1963 (1955-63 [2017], Acrobat): Alto saxophonist, 44
when he died in 1973, enough of a legend that there's still interest
in rediscovering and repackaging his work -- e.g., the 2-CD Killer
Joe (Giant Step) and the 4-CD The Joe Harriott Story
(Proper). This combines four sets, starting with a lively 1955 EP,
ending with some unreleased live shots (Dankforth and Hayes appear
on 4 tracks from Paris 1963, as does Humphrey Lyttelton and Kenny
Ball). The big band cuts aren't that interesting, although they
rise to the occasion in "A Night in Tunisia."
B+(**)
The Joe Harriott Quintet: Abstract (1961-62 [2015],
J. Joes J. Edizioni Musicali): The alto saxophonist's breakthrough
album was Free Form in 1961, followed by this adventurous
venture. Recorded in two sessions, "Oleo" the only non-original.
Quintet with Shake Keane (trumpet), Pat Smythe (piano), bass and
drums, plus bongos on two cuts.
B+(***)
The Joe Harriott Double Quintet: Indo-Jazz Suite (1966,
Atlantic): Cover credit continues: "under the direction of John Mayer."
Mayer (1929-2004), was an Anglo-Tamil composer, born in Calcutta, wrote
all four pieces (35:38), played violin and harpsichord, directing the
Indian musicians including sitar player Diwan Motihar (whose 1967
Jazz Meets India was another pioneering world jazz fusion work).
Seems a bit tame now, but was pathbreaking then.
B+(***)
Ranee Lee: Seasons of Love (1997, Justin Time): Jazz
singer, born in Brooklyn but based in Montreal since 1970, recording
a dozen albums 1980-2009. Tenor saxophonist David Murray gets a "with
special guest" credit on the cover, but only plays on 4 (of 12) songs.
Otherwise backed by piano, guitar, bass, and drums, all very deliberate.
B+(*)
David Murray: Let the Music Take You (1978, Marge):
Tenor saxophonist, early quartet, with Lawrence "Butch" Morris (cornet),
Johnny Dyani (bass), and George Brown (drums), live shot from Rouen,
France. Strong performance, wobbles a bit.
B+(***)
David Murray: Intergoogieology (1978, Black Saint):
The tenor sax great's first album on the Italian label that first
established him as a star (and, more than any other label, rescued
the American avant-garde by providing an outlet for their work).
Quartet with Morris, Dyani, and Oliver Johnson (drums), plus Marta
Contreras vocals on two (of four) tracks. "Blues for David" is the
only cut that really catches fire.
B+(**)
David Murray: The London Concert (1978 [1999], Cadillac,
2CD): Quintet in August, Morris again, plus locals on piano-bass-drums.
Album appeared as 2-LP in 1979, reissue adding two long songs (46:27).
B+(***)
David Murray Quartet: A Sanctuary Within (1991 [1992],
Black Saint): With Tony Overwater (bass), Sunny Murray (drums), and
Kahil El'Zabar (percussion, voice, thumb piano) -- names featured on
the cover, each bringing a song (Sunny 2, leaving 5 for Murray). His
sax runs are often brilliant, and El'Zabar can chant "song for the
new South Africa" as long as he keeps the beat.
A-
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Juhani Aaltonen/Jonas Kullhammar/Christian Meaas Svendsen/Ilmari Heikinheimo: The Father, the Sons & the Junnu (Moserobie)
- Beth Duncan: I'm All Yours (Saccat) [07-24]
- Jason Kao Hwang: Human Rites Trio (True Sound) [07-01]
- Noshir Mody: An Idealist's Handbook: Identity, Love and Hope in America 2020 (self-released) [07-03]
- Corey Smythe: Accelerate Every Voice (Pyroclastic)
- Stephane Spira/Giovanni Mirabassi: Improkofiev (Jazzmax) [06-19]
- Lou Volpe: Before & After (Jazz Guitar)
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Weekend Roundup
No intro this week.
Tweet of the week, from paulo. (@itskingapollo):
If the police did their jobs, everyone would trust them. Ain't no song
called "Fuck the Fire Department."
Also, from Rhys Blakely (@rhysblakely):
A 70-year-old man in Seattle survived the coronavirus, got applauded by
staff when he left the hospital after 62 days -- and then got a $1.1
million, 181-page hospital bill.
Some scattered links this week:
Sasha Abramsky:
Georgia primary sends us a warning -- November could be a voting rights
disaster. On the other hand, interest in voting seems to be record
high. See Dareh Gregorian:
Voter turnout soared in Georgia despite massive primary day problems.
Zeeshan Aleem:
Bocar Abdoulaye Ba/Roman Rivera:
Police think they can get away with anything. That's because they usually
do. Zack Beauchamp:
Trump: "The concept of chokehold sounds so innocent, so perfect". Alleen Brown:
Iowa quietly passes its third ag-gag bill after constitutional
challenges. Katelyn Burns:
John Cassidy:
Economic reality bites Wall Street and Trump. Jonathan Chait:
Michael Flynn writes op-ed confirming he's definitely insane. Fabiola Cinaes:
Trump postpones his MAGA rally planned for Juneteenth. Trump's
first rally in months was scheduled in Tulsa on the anniversary of
the 1921 massacre, where "a white mob destroyed the affluent Greenwood
District of the city, known as Black Wall Street, burning down 35
blocks, including 1,200 homes, and killing 300 black people in the
process." This was long referred to as a "race riot," but like all
similar events of the period, it was white people "rioting," much
like the pogroms Czarist Russian authorities organized against Jews.
Tulsa stands out in memory because of the sheer size of the massacre,
but also because it was the first instance of using airplanes to
firebomb an American neighborhood. Speaking of Trump in Tulsa:
Trump's new recovery plan resists sweeping police reforms.
The police shooting of Maurice Gordon, a black man killed during a traffic
stop, explained.
The sexual assault allegations against an officer involved in Breonna
Taylor's killing say a lot about police abuse of power. Also note:
"the Louisville Metro Council banned no-knock warrants with new
legislation called Breonna's Law." Obviously, a few months too late
for Taylor. Aaron Ross Coleman:
Aaron C Davis/Carol D Leonnig/Josh Dawsey:
Officials familiar with Lafayette Square confrontation challenge Trump
administration claim of what drove aggressive expulsion of protesters.
Igor Derysh:
Melania Trump delayed move to White House as "leverage" to renegotiate
a better prenup: report. Dish from Mary Jordan's upcoming book,
The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump. Also:
CNN rejects Trump campaign's demand for apology over polls showing him
losing to Biden by 14 points. But CNN's actual response was pretty
clueless: "[authoritarian demands] have typically come from countries
like Venezuela." But authoritarians (regardless of whether Venezuela
qualifies as an example) typically understand the limits of their
authority, which they'd undermine by demanding something they're in
no position to enforce. Trump's demand is pure PR: rejecting the poll
results so emphatically his supporters will hear and believe him, but
expecting nothing further to come of it. Normally, the next step is
to threaten a frivolous lawsuit, but CNN's pockets are deep enough to
get that dismissed, and their own PR department would spin such a
thing into an attack on free press. Dan Diamond:
White House goes quiet on coronavirus as outbreak spikes again across
the US: "It's been more than a month since the White House halted
its daily coronavirus task force briefings." Masha Gessen:
Constance Grady:
How 70 years of cop shows taught us to valorize the police:
I've watched a lot of them, starting (as this article does) with
Dragnet (and from that era I'd add Andy Griffith and
Gunsmoke, which rounds out the picture considerably), and
while I appreciate the positive image most shows attempt to project,
I'm pretty doubtful that I've learned much if anything about the
real world of police work. Nor have they made me any less fearful
of interactions with the police, or the "justice system" more
generally. Maggie Haberman:
Trump's halting walk down ramp raises new health questions. Also
see Philip Rucker:
Trump tries to explain his slow and unsteady walk down a ramp at West
Point: "Elements of Trump's explanation strained credulity." Fred Hiatt:
Why the Republicans' 2020 strategy is to keep as many people as possible
from voting. I'm not very worried that a fair election will give
Trump a second term. And I think that efforts to suppress the vote tend
to backfire, at least up to a point. Still, the Republicans have been
working hard to trim and shape the electorate to their tastes, and it's
not unreasonable to worry that they may ultimately be successful -- for
one thing, look at how they've managed to gerrymander districts.
What does it say about a political party when its chief strategy is
to prevent as many people as possible from voting -- and its leader
admits as much?
That is where Republicans find themselves heading into the 2020
election.
For the latest, breathtaking example of this pathology, look at
Iowa. On June 2, Iowa held a highly successful primary, with record
turnout -- and Republicans in the state legislature immediately
initiated action to ensure the success is not repeated in the fall.
James Hohmann:
Trump poised to accept GOP nod in Jacksonville, Fla., on 60th anniversary
of 'Ax Handle Saturday': After schedule Trump's Juneteenth rally in
Tulsa, of course this comes next:
On Aug. 27, 1960, a mob of 200 white people in Jacksonville, Fla. --
organized by the Ku Klux Klan and joined by some of the city's police
officers -- chased and beat peaceful civil rights protesters who were
trying to integrate downtown lunch counters. The bloody carnage that
followed -- in which ax handles and baseball bats were used to club
African Americans, who sought sanctuary in a church -- is remembered
as "Ax Handle Saturday."
Sean Illing:
Umair Irfan:
2 new studies show shutdowns were astonishingly effective. Bruce Jackson:
Buffalo cops -- and all the other cops. Fred Kaplan:
The generals are turning on Trump: "Mark Milley's apology for the
church photo-op is a major escalation."
West Pointless: "Trump made cadets return to campus during a pandemic
to listen to his dull platitudes." First line in article is "It could
have been worse." Hard to imagine the next paragraph ever being written
about any other president:
President Trump's Saturday morning commencement speech at West Point
was merely dull rather than abhorrent, incendiary, or flagrantly
self-aggrandizing, except for a couple of passages and -- significantly --
the fact of the speech itself, which was designed entirely as a video
clip for an upcoming reelection campaign commercial.
Sure, they'll cut out the bit where he waddles down the ramp. And
to think how annoying I found it that every time GW Bush spoke you
first had to watch him walk up to the podium. (OK, it was kind of
sick-funny the time he made Ariel Sharon do the same.) But at least
then we had a president who could walk -- not to mention read a
teleprompter without his eyes glazing over. Who imagine those would
some day be skills we could fondly reminisce over? (Even when
performed by a major war criminal?)
Trump's support for Confederate base names has nothing to do with
respecting the military. Roge Karma:
Why this moment demands radical politics: Interview with Eddie Glaude
Jr., author of Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American
Soul and Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons
for Our Own. Catherine Kim:
The fatal arrest of Manuel Ellis, another black man who yelled "I can't
breathe," explained. Jen Kirby:
The "kettling" of protesters, explained. Aline Kominsky-Crumb/R Crumb:
Bad diet & bad hair destroy human civilization. Robert Kuttner:
About those improved unemployment numbers:
As the Economic Policy Institute's Elise Gould explains in
this indispensable short piece, if you add to the officially unemployed
statistic those workers who were staying home for health or family reasons
but reported themselves as employed, and workers who reported that they
had left the labor force but would seek work if it were available, the
adjusted unemployment rate for May is 19.7 percent.
The clincher is the number of workers still drawing unemployment
compensation, which was just under 30 million the week of May 16,
according to the same BLS report.
Dahlia Lithwick:
Trump's use of the military does not create the "appearance" of abuse.
It is abuse. Martin Longman:
David J Lynch:
Ripple effects of downturn show pandemic's early economic toll was
just the beginning. Branko Marcetic:
"Defenders of democracy" aren't bothered by its end in Bolivia. Ruth Marcus:
If you don't believe systemic racism is real, explain these statistics.
Dylan Matthews:
Pandemic unemployment insurance is expiring soon. This economist has
a fix for it. "Ioana Marinescu would allow people who've lost jobs
to keep collecting $600 a week even after getting a new job." Jane Mayer:
Ivanka Trump and Charles Koch fuel a cancel-culture clash at Wichita
State. Meridith McGraw:
Trump loses 2 pivotal allies in his anti-kneeling crusade: NASCAR and
the NFL. Ian Millhiser:
Nicole Narea:
Timothy Noah:
The black wage gap matters: "The grim state of racial economic inequality
should sicken our consciences." Anna North:
White Americans are finally talking about racism. Will it translate
into action? JC Pan:
The preachers of the austerity gospel are back: "Though we're in the
midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, calls for budget-tightening
have reliably restarted." Brian Resnick:
"Totally predictable": State reopenings have backfired. James Risen:
Donald Trump is an autocrat. It's up to all of us to stop him.
Yeah, sure: not a position I'm going to argue with, or get bent out
of shape over.
Dictatorships are built on denial. Dictators take over gradually;
each incremental step that erodes civil liberties and the rule of
law can be justified and explained away. Sometimes a would-be dictator
is laughed off as a political buffoon who shouldn't be taken seriously.
While it is happening, no one can quite believe that they are on the
road to serfdom.
I might have skipped mention of this piece but wanted to save this
paragraph-plus (more explicitly blood-thirsty than Tom Cotton's famous
op-ed) for posterity:
On Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and Trump acolyte,
offered a typical Republican response to the protests when he called
for all the lethal tools of the global war on terror to be brought
home and turned on American protesters. "Now that we clearly see
Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the
Middle East?" Gaetz tweeted Monday. Twitter restricted access to the
Gaetz tweet, labeling it a glorification of violence.
By advocating for an end to the rule of law, Republicans like
Gaetz will find themselves surviving at the whim of Trump. That's
when the jokes about drones and Gitmo won't seem so funny to them.
David Roberts:
The Tom Cotton op-ed affair shows why the media must defend America's
values: America has values? The New York Times should decide what
they are? I agree that Cotton's proposal to flood American cities with
the same troops that tried so fitfully to quell protests in Baghdad
is something one should oppose, but by recent evidence it's hard to
say what he's proposing is un-American. For a couple more general
pieces that take off from the Cotton op-ed:
Travis Sawchik:
Do baseball's labor fights drive away fans? Well, Well, I used to
read box scores every day, but haven't followed MLB at all since the
1994 lockout. That's just one data point, but it's a pretty hard one.
The article refers to "the 1994-95 strike," but all I remember is the
owners' lockout, and that's where I put all the blame. Walter M Shaub Jr:
Ransacking the Republic. Isaac Stanley-Becker:
Fox News removes manipulated images from coverage of Seattle protests.
Jennifer Steinhauer:
Trump's actions rattle the military world: 'I can't support the man':
"The president's threat to use troops against largely peaceful protesters,
as well as other attempts to politicize the military, have unsettled a
number of current and former members and their families." Mark Joseph Stern:
Republicans attack Republican official for expanding voting access. Taylor Telford:
Democrat accuses OSHA of being 'invisible' while infections rise among
essential workers. One would think that OSHA would be the key agency
consulted on all questions having to do with re-opening businesses.
As of Thursday, infections tied to meat plants had surpassed 18,500 and
worker deaths were approaching 70, according to the Midwest Center for
Investigative Reporting, which is tracking industry outbreaks through
local news reports. Grocery workers have been similarly hit hard, with
more than 5,500 testing positive for the coronavirus and more than 100
dying of covid-19, the disease the virus causes, The Washington Post
has reported. Front-line health-care workers have gotten sick in even
greater numbers, with more than 60,000 infected and more than 300 dying
of covid-19, according to new CDC data.
Alex S Vitale:
"Policing is fundamentally a tool of social control to facilitate our
exploitation": An interview by Mike Uetricht with Vitale, who wrote
The End of Policing back in 2017. Alex Ward:
Erik Wemple:
Forgive Tucker Carlson for his panicky desperation. His world is
collapsing. I don't watch his show, but clips I've seen recently
are extremely unhinged. Also see:
Matthew Yglesias:
Study: Police killings traumatize high school students and hurt academic
performance.
Study suggests Democrats should be running more ads about Biden, fewer
about Trump. What I'd rather see is more ads that work for the whole
party, not just Biden vs. Trump. The Democratic majority in the House,
for instance, has passed a lot of bills that Republicans killed in the
Senate, so those are good opportunities to compare parties. You can
also point out differences between states with Democrats in power vs.
Republican-run states, especially on metrics like how many people don't
have health insurance. I don't see that running a lot of ads on how
Biden's going to lead us to the promised land will have much traction,
although you do want to suggest that you're not embarrassed by him as
nominee (although I rather am).
Joe Biden has a really big lead in the polls. Compares his recent
polls to Clinton's in 2016. The thing that always struck me about 2016
was that no matter how low Trump sunk, Clinton never could hit, let
along top, 50%. ("Even on October 18, Clinton was only at 46 percent
in the polls with Trump doing terribly at 39 and plenty of undecided
and third-party voters.") The CNN poll not only gives Biden a 14 point
margin, his actual figure is 55%. Li Zhou:
"The protesters had to deescalate the police": Demonstrators are the
ones defusing violence at protests.
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Music Week
June archive
(in progress).
Music: Current count 33418 [33378] rated (+40), 214 [209] unrated (+5).
Cutoff was Monday evening, after I wrapped up
Weekend
Roundup, so that has a bit to do with the above-average count.
Shifted back to new music last week, starting with some
Phil Overeem recommendations, and ended with rummaging through my
tracking file (jazz subset),
with a few asides along the way. (One of Cliff Ocheltree's Facebook
posts mentioned If Deejay Was Your Trade and Hyphy Hitz.
Couldn't find the latter, but the Blood & Fire compilation was so
good I wanted to hear more from Big Joe.) Still, didn't bother with
my promo queue at all. It had been near-empty, but has recovered to
the extent I need to pay it some attention.
I reviewed Thank Your Lucky Stars' Girl in Her 29s last week,
noting that I couldn't find anything via Google on the CD. I'm told that
this website will help. I also received a hand-written letter from
Ben Barnes, which reads in part (or I think it does, as my eyes and
his handlettering don't always mesh; I also spared you the all-caps,
and added a link I'm almost 100% sure of and italics for the album
title):
As for the mysterious online presence I vowed long ago to only spend
time and money on the things I love and never try to profit from
them. Whenever someone asks about buying a disc I ask them to
contribute to
Mikey's Chance Canine Rescue
and then I happily mail them Girl in Her 29s.
Looking back at last week's "review," I realize I didn't finish it --
by, like, saying something about the record. Meant to, but ran out of
time and decided to run what I had anyway, and still haven't gotten
back to it, so sorry. I will re-run the album cover.
On June 3, Robert Christgau
tweeted:
I try to be shrewd about this stuff, not show my hand before I publish
my review, but it would be just wrong to deny that it's been A LONG
TIME since I felt like a new album was just what I'd been needing the
way the new Run the Jewels does.
I had the same reaction to RTJ4, although I didn't explain
it very coherently below -- written after two plays before I saw the
tweet -- no doubt because I always have trouble following rap lyrics.
But even I caught enough to realize that this was the time. (Link
above is to the whole feed. Even now the tweet in question is well
down, but it won't hurt you to scroll for it.)
The Ogún Meji Duo album was reviewed by Karl Ackermann as a new
release at
All About Jazz. Ackerman wrote: "The album makes a powerful statement
that could have been a response to Emmett Till in 1955 or George Floyd
in 2020." True enough, but it actually dates from the Michael Brown era.
I might have graded it higher, but tired of the lecture, and got annoyed
by the Soundcloud-like website streaming. But drummer Mark Lomax and
saxophonist Edwin Bayard are awesome as usual. I should note that Lomax's
400 Years Suite is currently number one on my
2020 list, and his 12-CD 400:
An Afrikan Epic was number three on the
2019 list.
In non-musical matters,
Crocodile Chuck
suggested a Weekend Roudup link: Jack Rasmus:
Confronting Institutional Racism. Rasmus is an economist in
California, subtitles his blog "Predicting the Global Eonomic Crisis,"
has a bunch of books on economics (keyword: neoliberalism), as well
as some stage plays and DVDs. I
noticed one of his books in 2010 -- Epic Recession: Prelude to
Global Depression -- but missed six since then. Most evocative
title was Obama's Economy: Recovery for the Few (paperback,
2012, Pluto Press). First book was a big one: The War at Home:
The Corporate Offensive From Ronald Reagan to George W Bush
(2006, Kyklos)./p>
I got one question following last week's
Questions and Answers post. I'll take a stab at answering it
later this week. Meanwhile,
ask me more.
New records reviewed this week:
79rs Gang: Expected the Unexpected (2020, Sinking City):
New Orleans Indians: Big Chief Romeo from the 9th Ward, and Big Chief
Jermaine from the 7th. Doesn't break form, which is ok with me, but
also doesn't swing as hard as the ancients did, especially when the
Meters were in the studio.
B+(***)
Sebastien Ammann: Resilience (2018 [2020], Skirl):
Swiss pianist, based in New York since 2008, third album, quintet
with Michaël Attias (alto sax), Samuel Blaser (trombone), bass, and
drums.
B+(**) [bc]
Lucian Ban/John Surman/Mat Maneri: Transylvanian Folk Songs:
The Bela Bartók Field Recordings (2020, Sunnyside): Romanian
(or perhaps I should say Transylvanian) pianist, studied in Bucharest,
moved to New York in 1999, ninth album since 2002. With reeds (bass
clarinet, baritone/soprano sax) and viola. Based on field recordings
Bartók made when Austria-Hungary still controlled Transylvania.
B+(**)
Will Bernard: Freelance Subversives (2020, Ropeadope):
Guitarist, originally from Berkeley, based in New York, records since
1998, likes a nice groove, often with organ (three players here, with
John Medeski on two cuts).
B
Body Count: Carnivore (2020, Century Media): Rapper
Ice-T (Tracy Marrow) launched this heavy metal group in 1992. He
alternated albums through 1999, then leaned this way, with only
one more rap album (2006). Seventh Body Count album. Second song,
recorded in 2019, is about police violence. First is about meat,
and fourth is a Motorhead cover. Normally I can't stand metal, but
turned this down and moved away and still found things to admire.
B+(**)
Daniel Carter/Patrick Holmes/Matthew Putman: Whoadie
(2018-19 [2020], 577): Two clarinet players (Carter also credited with
saxes, trumpet, flute) and piano, three members of the Telepathic Band --
shows you how much they need that rhythm section.
C+
Emmet Cohen Featuring Benny Golson & Albert "Tootie" Heath:
Masters Legacy Series Volume 3 (2019, self-released): Pianist,
had a couple albums before he hit on the idea of showcasing old-timers.
First two albums spotlighted Jimmy Cobb and Ron Carter. Annoying lack
of information on this session, like who is the fourth person on the
cover (presumably a bassist)? The headliners are legends, Golson (now
91) a major songwriter as well as a leading tenor saxophonist, Heath
a widely traveled drummer, including a stretch in Golson's most famous
groups. Some reminiscences, lovely music.
B+(**)
Emmet Cohen Featuring George Coleman: Masters Legacy Series
Volume 4 (2019, self-released): Tenor saxophonist, started in
the 1950s, played for Miles Davis before Wayne Shorter took over, has
a few good-to-great albums under his own name. With bass and drums
(Russell Hall and Bryan Carter). Monk tunes, blues, "On Green Dolphin
Street" -- strong stuff.
B+(***)
Dinosaur: To the Earth (2019 [2020], Edition): British
jazz "supergroup" -- Laura Jurd (trumpet) and Elliot Galvin (piano) are
the ones I recognize elsewhere, bass and drums not so much (Conor Chaplin
and Corrie Dick are the names). Third album, a very respectable postbop
effort.
B+(**)
Dave Douglas: Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie at Zero
Gravity (2019 [2020], Greenleaf Music): Nominally a tribute
to bebop trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie, not that I hear it much on
the originals that sandwich the two covers in the middle ("Manteca"
and "Pickin' the Cabbage"), the difference mostly in the rhythm,
although the same guitar-piano-bass-drums play throughout. No extra
horns other than a second trumpet (Dave Adewumi), less for chops
than to polish up the brass.
B+(**)
Lajos Dudas: The Lake and the Music (2020, JazzSick):
Hungarian clarinet player, long based in Germany, in Überlingen, on
the north shore of Lake Constance, opposite Switzerland. Ten standards,
backed by guitar, bass, and drums, with appearances from Karl Berger
(vibes) and Gerd Dudek (soprano sax).
B+(***)
Freddie Gibbs/The Alchemist: Alfredo (2020, ESGN/ALC/Empire):
Rapper, from Indiana, last name Tipton, eighth albums, half collaborations,
half of those with Alchemist (Daniel Maman). Has a little gangsta in the
sauce.
B+(*)
GoGo Penguin: GoGo Penguin (2020, Blue Note): British
piano trio -- Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (bass), Rob Turner
(drums) -- fifth album since 2012. Strong groove pieces, more like EST
than Bad Plus.
B+(***)
Human Feel: The Tower Tapes #5 (2019 [2020], Jazz Club
Ferrara): Two sax quartet, with Andrew D'Angelo (alto + bass clarinet),
Chris Speed (tenor + clarinet), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar/electronics),
and Jim Black (drums/electronics), released a good album in 2019
(Gold). As with all of these tapes, consists of two sets, no
song breakdown, something the Club is doing to tide itself over.
B+(**) [bc]
Anne Mette Iversen Quartet + 1: Racing a Butterfly
(2020, Bjurecords): Danish bassist, lived in New York 1998-2012, was
co-founder of Brooklyn Jazz Underground, dozen albums since 2004,
always struck me as a composer first, but has been working with this
group so long they've achieved a lovely balance. Group includes John
Ellis (tenor sax), Danny Grissett (piano), Otis Brown III (drums),
with Peter Dahlgren (trombone) the "+ 1."
A-
KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl (2020, Keiya): Chicago-based
neo-soul singer, production murky, but seems to have something to it.
B+(**)
Lady Gaga: Chromatica (2020, Interscope): Pop star,
started off as a gay icon, later moved into acting, not sure where
her duet album with Tony Bennett belongs. Reverts to hard dance pop
form here: hard beats, strong words, arena acoustics. Reminds me of
Madonna, a bit too much.
B+(***)
John Law's Congregation: Configuration (2018 [2020], Ubuntu
Music): British pianist, regarded as an avant-garde figure in the 1990s
(e.g., Extremely Quartet), has largely escaped my attention ever
since. Emerges here with a quartet -- James Mainwaring (saxes, guitar,
electronics), Ashley John Long (bass), and Billy Weir (drums) -- with
strong beats and powerful riffing.
B+(***)
Little Simz: Drop 6 (2020, AWAL, EP): London rapper,
Simbi Ajikawo, had a major album last year in Grey Area, returns
with a 5-cut, 12:49 quickie lockdown EP, lost me at the end.
B+(*)
Sabir Mateen/Patrick Holmes/Federico Ughi: Survival Situation
(2018 [2020], 577): Holmes plays clarinet, as does Mateen (credited first
with saxophones, also with flute, farfisa matador, and voice), with Ughi
on drums. Rather hit and miss.
B+(**)
Medhane: Cold Water (2020, TBHG): Brooklyn rapper.
A little murky.
B+(*) [bc]
Medhane: Full Circle (2020, TBHG, EP): Came out a bit
earlier. Same concept. Might be something here.
B [bc]
Mike and the Moonpies: Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary
Stewart (2020, Prairie Rose): Austin band, Mike Harmeier sings
and usually writes, called their first record The Real Country
(2010), their second one Hard Way. The guys at Saving Country
Music are big fans, but I've never been that impressed. It helps here
that they've got their hands on a batch of Stewart's songs. Would help
more if they were all as good as "Smooth Shot of Whiskey."
B+(**)
Eva Novoa: Satellite Quartet (2017 [2020], Fresh Sound
New Talent): Pianist, born in Barcelona, based in Brooklyn, handful of
albums since 2010. Quartet with guitar, bass, and drums -- nothing
challenging the pianist.
B+(*)
Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio: Angels Around (2020, Heartcore):
Guitarist, originally from Philadelphia, based in Switzerland, over a
dozen albums since 1996, many more side credits. Trio with Dario Deidda
(bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums).
B+(**)
Run the Jewels: RTJ4 (2020, Jewel Runners/RBC/BMG):
Rap duo, El-P and Killer Mike, fourth album, released a few days early,
because "fuck it, why wait." Hard thrash, can't say as I'm following
it very well, but complaints about police violence don't appear to
be tacked on. Likely to remain one of the signature albums of 2020.
A-
Matthew Shipp: The Piano Equation (2020, Tao Forms):
Pianist, turning 60, decided to celebrate with a solo album -- not
my favorite party treat, but a major pianist with a lot on his mind.
B+(**)
Sunwatchers: Oh Yeah? (2020, Trouble in Mind):
New York quartet, more instrumental rock (psychecelic?) than jazz,
Jeff Tobias on alto sax/keyboards/whistling, others on guitar, bass
guitar, and drums. Six pieces, the last running 19:53.
B
Chad Taylor Trio: The Daily Biological (2019 [2020],
Cuneiform): Drummer, trio mates Brian Settles (tenor sax) and Neil
Podgurski (piano) get a "featuring" credit on the cover and wrote
most of the pieces (2 and 4 vs. 3 for Taylor). First group album,
although all three were friends at New School in the 1990s. Feels
balances with strong leads all around, and a lot of momentum.
A- [dl]
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Bobby Shew/Bill Mays: Telepathy (1978 [2019], Fresh
Sound): Trumpet/piano duets. West Coast players, intersected a lot,
each producing a couple dozen albums without me noticing. This was
one of their first, two joint credits here, the rest standards, easy
going and elegant.
B+(**)
Old music:
Big Joe: Keep Rocking and Swinging (1977, Live and
Love): Joe Spalding, from Trenchtown, recorded a couple dozen singles
1972-79, this his first album, produed by Striker Lee. Influeced by
roots reggae and dub, hints at a classic without quite being memorable
enough.
B+(***)
Dave Burrell: Black Spring (1977, Marge): Solo piano.
Title cut features a still poem, written and read by Hart Leroy Bibbs.
B+(**)
Emmet Cohen Featuring Jimmy Cobb: Masters Legacy Series Volume
1 (2017, Cellar Live): The first of four (so far) volumes,
reminds me that when Branford Marsalis started his own series of
Honors albums the first musicians on his list was also Cobb.
The veteran drummer died in 2020, his career spanning hundreds of
albums, a few (mostly recent ones) under his own name, but most in
groups -- the one invariably mentioned is Miles Davis' Kind of
Blue. With Yasushi Nakamura on bass, Cobb does what he always
does: makes everyone else sound better. Godwin Louis (alto sax)
adds to two tracks.
B+(***)
Emmet Cohen Featuring Ron Carter: Masters Legacy Series
Volume 2 (2017 [2018], Cellar Live): Bassist, joined Miles
Davis in 1963, part of his "second great quintet," Wikipedia credits
him with 45 albums (some co-headlined, including three recent ones
with Houston Person), but he's also garnered more side-credits than
anyone ("2,221 recording sessions," per Wikipedia). With Evan Sherman
on drums.
B+(**)
Emmet Cohen Trio: Dirty in Detroit (2017 [2018],
self-released): Piano trio, with Russell Hall (bass) and Kyle Poole
(drums). Mostly standards, with Monk and Waller multiple sources,
ending with a rousing "Handful of Keys."
B+(**)
Lajos Dudas: Radio Days: Birthday Edition 75 (2016,
JazzSick): Hungarian-German clarinet player, celebrating his 75th
birthday, several dozen albums but many are missing from Discogs,
so no credits or discographical details here, other than one tune
from Attila Zoller, the rest originals. He sent me records over
several years, so I was surprised to find out how far I had fallen
behind. Some bright ensembles and remarkable leads here. Wish I
knew more.
B+(***)
Lajos Dudas: Some Great Songs Vol. 2 (2017, JazzSick):
Sequel to his 1998 album, quartet with Philipp van
Endert (guitar) and two percussionists. So many great songs I have no
idea why he chose these, though occasionally he hits on one I would
have picked ("Smile," "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat").
B+(**)
If Deejay Was Your Trade: The Dreads at King Tubby's 1974-1977
(1974-77 [1994], Blood & Fire): Minor reggae stars from the heyday,
only ones I don't recognize are Big Joe and Little Joe, and the former's
"In the Ghetto" leads off and steals the show here.
A-
Mister Charlie's Blues (1926-1938) (1926-38 [1970],
Yazoo): Old-time compilation, label did a lot of these but this one
doesn't look like it ever made it to CD. Front cover shows two white
guitarists, one in blackface, the other painted even whiter. Main
artist I recognize is Sam McGee, but Dick Justice, Buster & Jack,
and South Georgia Highballers also get two cuts. Fine picking.
B+(**)
Ogún Meji Duo: #BlackLivesMatter (2014, CFG Multimedia):
Duo -- Edwin Bayard (tenor sax) and Mark Lomax II (drums) -- based in
Columbus, Ohio, the essential core of Lomax's larger groups. Narration
means to give you an education in black history, the speeches errupting
in sax fury and drums, starting with a severely distorted "America, the
Beautiful." Comes with a supplemental reading list.
B+(***) [os]
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Caterpillar Quartet: Threads (ESP-Disk) [06-26]
- Whit Dickey: Morph (ESP-Disk, 2CD)
- Jean-Marc Foussat/Daunik Lazro/Evan Parker: Café Oto 2020 (Fou)
- The Mark Harvey Group: A Rite for All Souls (1971, Americas Musicworks, 2CD) [07-17]
- Alister Spence: Whirlpool: Solo Piano (Alister Spence Music, 2CD) [07-24]
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, June 8, 2020
Weekend Roundup
While this week was unfolding, I've been reading a book by Sarah
Kendzior: Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and
the Erosion of America. She is a journalist based in St. Louis,
with a Ph.D. in anthropology and a specialty in post-Soviet Central
Asia and its descent into mafia capitalism and oligarchy. She sees
Trump as part of a vast criminal enterprise, anchored in Russia,
which she insists on describing as "hostile to America." I think
she has that analysis ass-backwards. Capitalism's driving force
everywhere is greed, which constantly pushes the limits of custom
and law. The only thing that separates capitalists from criminals
is a democratic state that regulates business and enforces limits
on destructive greed. The former Soviet Union failed to do that,
but the United States has a checkered history as well, with the
major entrepreneurs of the 19th century known as Robber Barons,
and a sustained conservative assault on the regulatory state at
least since 1980. Trump may be closer to the Russian oligarchs
than most American capitalists because of his constant need to
raise capital abroad, but he is hardly Putin's stooge. Rather,
they share a common desire to suppress democratic regulation of
capital everywhere, as well as an itch for suppressing dissent.
Arguing that the latter is anti-American (treason even) ignores
the fact that that's a big part of the program of the reigning
political party in the US.
Kendzior's arguments in this regard annoy me so much I could go
on, explaining why the supposed US-Russia rivalry is based on false
assumptions, and why Democrats are hurting themselves by obsessing
on the Trump/Russia connection. I was, after all, tempted at several
points to give up on the book. But I stuck with it: it's short, and
anyone who despises Trump that much is bound to have some points.
Also, I lived in St. Louis a few years myself, so was curious what
she had to say about her battleground state. My interest paid off
with her discussion of the 2014 protests against police brutality
in Ferguson, a majority-black suburb just north of St. Louis with
a predominantly white police force that was largely self-funded by
arrests and fines. This is history, but it's also today in microcosm
(pp. 164-166):
Understanding Ferguson is not only a product of principle but of
proximity. The narrative changes depending on where you live, what
media you consume, who you talk to, and who you believe. In St. Louis,
we still live in the Ferguson aftermath. There is no real beginning,
because [Michael] Brown's death is part of a continuum of criminal
impunity by the police toward St. Louis black residents. There is no
real end, because there are always new victims to mourn. In St. Louis,
there is no justice, only sequels.
Outside of St. Louis, Ferguson is shorthand for violence and
dysfunction. When I go to foreign countries that do not know what
St. Louis is, I sometimes joke, darkly, that I'm from a "suburb of
Ferguson." People respond like they are meting a witness of a war
zone, because that is what they saw on TV and on the internet. What
they missed is that Ferguson was the longest sustained civil rights
protest since the 1960s. The protest was fought on principle because
in St. Louis County, law had long ago divorced itself from justice,
and when lawmakers abandon justice, principle is all that remains. The
criminal impunity many Americans are only discovering now -- through
the Trump administration -- had always structured the system for black
residents of St. Louis County, who had learned to expect a rigged and
brutal system but refused to accept it.
In the beginning, there was hope that police would restrain
themselves because of the volume of witnesses. But there was no
incentive for them to do so: no punishment locally, and no
repercussions nationally. Militarized police aggression happened
nearly every night, transforming an already traumatic situation into a
showcase of abuse. The police routinely used tear gas and rubber
bullets. They arrested local officials, clergy, and journalists for
things like stepping off the sidewalk. They did not care who witnessed
their behavior, even though they knew the world was
watching. Livestream videographers filmed the chaos minute by minute
for an audience of millions. #Ferguson, the hashtag, was born, and the
Twitter followings of those covering the chaos rose into the tens of
thousands. But the documentation did not stop the brutality. Instead,
clips were used by opponents of the protesters to try to create an
impression of constant "riots" that in reality did not occur. The
vandalism and arson shown on cable news in an endless loop were
limited to a few nights and took place on only a few streets.
National media had pounced on St. Louis, parachuting in when a
camera-ready crisis was rumored to be impending, leaving when the
protests were peaceful and tame. Some TV crews did not bother to hide
their glee at the prospect of what I heard one deem a real-life Hunger
Games, among other flippant and cruel comments. The original protests,
which were focused on the particularities of the abusive St. Louis
system, became buried by out-of-town journalists who found out-of-town
activists and portrayed them as local leaders. The intent was not
necessarily malicious, but the lack of familiarity with the region led
to disorienting and insulting coverage. Tabloid hype began to
overshadow the tragedy. Spectators arrived from so many points of
origins that the St. Louis Arch felt like a magnet pulling in fringe
groups from around the country: Anonymous and the Oath Keepers and the
Nation of Islam and the Ku Klux Klan and the Revolutionary Communist
Party and celebrities who claimed they were out of deep concern and
not to get on television. Almost none of the celebrities ever
returned.
In fall 2014, the world saw chaos and violence, but St. Louis saw
grief. Ask a stranger in those days how they were doing and their
eyes, already red from late nights glued to the TV or internet, would
well up with tears. Some grieved stability, others grieved community,
others simply grieved the loss of a teenage boy, unique and complex as
any other, to a system that designated him a menace on sight. But it
was hard to find someone who was not grieving something, even if it
was a peace born of ignorance. It was a loss that was hard to convey
to people living outside of the region. I covered the Ferguson
protests as a journalist, but I lived it as a St. Louisan. Those are
two different things. It is one thing to watch a region implode on
TV. It is another to live within the slow-motion implosion. When I
would share what I witnessed, people kept urging me to call my
representative, and I would explain: "But they gassed my
representative too."
By the way, here are the latest section heads (as of 7:37 PM CDT
Sunday) in The New York Times'
Live Updates on George Floyd Protests:
- Majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledges to dismantle the
Police Department
- Trump sends National Guard troops home
- New York's mayor pledges to cut police funding and spend more on
social services
- Democratic lawmakers push for accountability, but shy away from
calls to defund the police
- Barr says he sees no systemic racism in law enforcement
- Romney joins protesters in Washington.
- Protesters march through Manhattan, calling for an end to police
violence.
- Thousands turn out in Spokane, Wa., to protest "a virus that's
been going on for 400 years."
- Biden will meet with the family of George Floyd in Houston.
- The view from above: aerial images of protests across the
country.
[link]
- A Confederate status is pulled down during a protest in Virginia
- Global protests against racism gain momentum.
- An officer shot an anti-bias expert who was trying to end a clash
at a protest in San Jose, Calif.
A couple items there look like major breaks with the past. While
the "progressive" mayors of Minneapolis and New York seems to have
spent much of the last week being intimidated by the police forces
that supposedly work for them, the balance of political forces in
both cities may have shifted to viewing the police as the problem,
not the solution. I started off being pretty skeptical of the
protests, and indeed haven't been tempted to join them. But it
does appear that they're making remarkable progress. And while I
abhor any violence associated with the protests, one should never
allow such noise to distract from the core issue of the protests.
Indeed, given that so much of the violence the media likes to
dwell on is directly caused by the police and the government's
other paramilitary forces, it's hard not to see that the only
way this ever gets resolved is by restoring trust and justice --
which is to say, by radically reforming how policing is done in
America.
I expected such sprawl at the start of the week that I decided not
to bother organizing sublists. Still, some fell out during the process,
but I haven't gone back and organized as many as might make sense.
In particular, there are several scattered pieces on the "jobs
report": the one by Robert J Shapiro is the most important, but I
got to it after several others.
This wound up running a day late. Only a couple links below came
out on Monday, and I tried to only pick ones that added to stories
I already had (e.g., I added Yglesias' piece on economic reporting,
but didn't pick up the one on Biden's polling).
Here's a piece of artwork from
Ram Lama Hull occasioned
by the recent demonstrations. I pulled this particular one (out of
many) from his
Facebook page.
Some are also on
Imgur.
Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that has come up a lot
recently, as it makes it very difficult to hold police officers
liable for their acts, even the use of excessive or deadly force.
For example:
Parting tweet (from Angela Belcamino):
Who else but Trump could bring back the 1918 pandemic, the 1929 Great
Depression, and the 1968 race riots all in one year?
Some scattered links this week:
Anne Applebaum:
History will judge the complicit: "Why have Republican leaders
abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous
president?" Why does she think "Republican leaders" have principles
any different from their president? Applebaum is especially concerned
about Lindsay Graham. I can't find the reference, but have a clear
memory of Graham, when he was in the House in the 1990s, explaining
that Republicans have to secure as many long-term posts of power as
possible, before demographic changes make it impossible for R's to
win fair elections. So he was always a practical, anti-democratic
schemer. Back in 2016, Trump may have offended his sense of what's
possible, but by winning he sealed his case, and won Graham over.
Applebaum asks, "what would it take for Republican leaders to admit
to themselves that Trump's loyalty cult is destroying the country
they claim to love?" The answer is catastrophic defeat at the polls,
so bad it sweeps all of them out of office. Losing the Senate seats
of Graham and McConnell in 2020 would be a good start. David Atkins/Dante Atkins:
Trump thought brutalizing protesters would save him. He was wrong.
"His gamble on creating a militarized culture war has done the opposite
of what he hoped for."
Even before the brutal killing of George Floyd by officers of the
Minneapolis Police Department, Trump knew that he would need to
maximize his culture war appeal to non-college whites to make up
ground lost to the faltering economy. There can be little doubt
that Trump saw opportunity in the protests that followed to dust
off the Nixon playbook, vowing to restore "law and order" in a
country furious that the law seemed to protect only some, while
enforcing a brutal order on others. If Trump's actions threatened
to turn the culture war into an active shooting war, that would
just be collateral damage on the road to his political recovery.
The Trump orbit considers the iconography of jingoistic militarism
and the violent suppression of protest to be a political winner. . . .
Trump, like Nixon before him, uses "law and order" as a way of "talking
about race without talking about race." In this narrative, a president
who supports American "traditional culture" and stands strong against
people who agitate for racial justice will win over a "silent majority"
of people who just don't want to be disturbed and want to have some
peace and quiet from their politics. . . .
In one sense, [Trump]'s right: people are exhausted with chaos, and
they do want a respect for law and order. The problem for Trump? The
chaos is in large part of his own making, and insofar as it isn't,
he's in the way of solving the problems created by institutional
racism and overlapping hierarchies of oppression. The massive wave
of police brutality has woken even many previously disengaged white
people up to the need for true equality under the law, and an order
in which everyone, including police and the president, are held to
account. And many of the same people Trump is trying to persuade now
believe that kicking him out of the White House is a necessary
prerequisite for making that vision a reality.
Dean Baker:
The jobs report was good, but the economy is still bad. But see
Shapiro, below. Peter Baker/Maggie Haberman/Katie Rogers/Zolan Kanno-Youngs/Katie
Benner:
How Trump's idea for a photo op led to havoc in a park. Kevin Baron:
Trump finally gets the war he wanted. Katelyn Burns:
John Cassidy:
Trump represents a bigger threat than ever to US democracy. Sean Collins:
Tray Connor/Lisa Khoury:
Every Buffalo cop in elite unit quits to back officers who shoved
elderly man to ground. Two officers were suspended for attacking
a 75-year-old protester, cracking his head against the ground and
leaving him bleeding. Fifty-seven quit to protest the suspensions. Mark Danner:
Moving backward: Hypocrisy and human rights. Derek Davison/Alex Thurston:
Expect more military "liberal interventionism" under a Joe Biden
presidency: My first instinct was to play this down, but the sheer
number of likely foreign policy mandarins mentioned, as well as Biden's
alleged desire to hire anti-Trump Republicans, makes me nervous. One
reason I doubt we'll see more interventionism is that I think the
current generation of military leaders, many burned from Afghanistan
and Iraq (and Syria and Libya), are likely to resist -- especially
pleas on "humanitarian" grounds. Also, as I recall, Biden pushed for
a more minimal policy in Afghanistan under Obama. On the other hand,
his career in Congress always supported the hawks. People do tend
to get more cautious with age, so there's that. But I do agree there
is reason to fret over his personnel decisions. Elizabeth Dwoskin/Nitasha Tiku:
Facebook employees said they were 'caught in an abusive relationship'
with Trump as internal debates raged. Ariel Dorfman:
Trump isn't a dictator. But he has a dictator's sense of impunity.
Rob Eshman:
What the old Jewish radical taught me about George Floyd: Our friend,
Marsha Steinberg. Franklin Foer:
The foundations of the Trump regime are starting to crumble.
Over the course of his presidency, Donald Trump has indulged his
authoritarian instincts -- and now he's meeting the common fate of
autocrats whose people turn against them. What the United States is
witnessing is less like the chaos of 1968, which further divided a
nation, and more like the nonviolent movements that earned broad
societal support in places such as Serbia, Ukraine, and Tunisia,
and swept away the dictatorial likes of Milosevic, Yanukovych,
and Ben Ali.
Matt Ford:
The police were a mistake: "Law enforcement agencies have become the
standing armies that the Founders feared." Masha Gessen:
Donald Trump's fascist performance.
Donald Trump thinks power looks like masked men in combat uniforms lined
up in front of the marble columns of the Lincoln Memorial. He thinks it
looks like Black Hawk helicopters hovering so low over protesters that
they chop off the tops of trees. He thinks it looks like troops using
tear gas to clear a plaza for a photo op. He thinks it looks like him
hoisting a Bible in his raised right hand.
Trump thinks power sounds like this: "Our country always wins. That
is why I am taking immediate Presidential action to stop the violence
and restore security and safety in America . . . dominate the streets . . .
establish an overwhelming law-enforcement presence. . . . If a city or
state refuses . . . I will deploy the United States military and quickly
solve the problem for them. . . . We are putting everybody on warning. . . .
One law and order and that is what it is. One law -- we have one beautiful
law." To Trump, power sounds like the word "dominate," repeated over and
over on a leaked call with governors.
Chip Gibbons:
Donald Trump's "Antifa" hysteria is absurd. But it's also very dangerous.
I have a lot of trouble with "antifa": I'm not sure they exist, but if
they do, I'm pretty sure they aren't part of the left -- which I'd define
as the movement to universalize equal rights, secure peace, and enhance
community through cooperation. Fascists hate the left for just these
reasons, but more often than not they also hate other people, often for
very arbitrary reasons (like race, religion, or favorite football teams).
So it stands to reason that there are people who don't have any particular
commitment to the left but still hate fascists -- because, well, hate
begets more hate. After all, we live in a society that still puts a lot
of stock in violence.
Susan B Glasser:
#Bunkerboy's photo-op war. Constance Grady:
A reading list to understand police brutality in America. Garrett M Graff:
The story behind Bill Barr's unmarked federal agents. Also see:
Washington DC now controlled by gunmen under William Barr's command, and
William Barr's unaccountable nameless army suppresses dissent and
threatens democracy, which starts off with Chris Murphy tweeting
"We cannot tolerate an American secret police." Alisha Haridasani Gupta:
Why aren't we all talking about Breonna Taylor? Could be that this
particular case is complicated by the "war on drugs," which allowed
police to "serve a no-knock warrant" in the middle of the night, and
guns: she was killed after her boyfriend shot at a suspected intruder,
which turned out to be armed police who returned fire massively and
blindly (or at least that's how I understand it went down). As both
the reason for the break in and the firefight were deliberate choices
made by police, it's hard not to think that this could have been
handled differently, in a way where no one got shot, and it's hard
to dismiss the idea that racism didn't factor into those choices,
even if the police never saw the person they were killing. But doesn't
this also raise a key question about guns? A big part of the common
rationale for owning a gun is the idea that you can use it to defend
your home from invasion -- but clearly that doesn't work in cases
where the police are the invaders. Maybe that rationale isn't as
smart as its advocates think? Sean Illing:
Will he go? "A law professor fears a meltdown this November."
Interview with Lawrence Douglas, who has a book on this: Will He
Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020. This strikes
me as something not worth worrying about now, although that anyone
can raise such questions reminds us that Trump has no regard for the
Constitution and the rule of law. I can't imagine that anyone in a
position of power would support Trump in spite of a clear electoral
defeat.
Why the policing problem isn't about "a few bad apples": "A former
prosecutor on the fundamental problem with law enforcement: 'The system
was designed this way.'" Interview with Paul Butler, Georgetown law
professor, former federal prosecutor, author of Chokehold: Policing
Black Men. Quinta Jurecic/Benjamin Wittes:
The law-enforcement abuses that don't bother Trump: "The president
believes that those who oppose him should be punished, but that those
who support him should be free to do as they please." Fred Kaplan:
Roge Karma:
Chris Hayes on how police treat black Americans like colonial subjects:
Interview with Hayes, who wrote a very clear book on the subject,
A Colony in a Nation.
We're seeing tactics of policing that are usually used on people that
are outside of view: pressure, harassment, and ultimately domination.
I think the word domination is so remarkable. The president has been
explicit on this: The goal is domination. And what does domination look
like? It looks like a knee on the neck. In fact, a boot to the neck is
like the oldest trope we have to represent domination and represent
tyranny. What is the flag of the colonies? It's a snake that reads,
"Don't tread on me." Do not step on me. Do not place your foot on me.
That is domination. And if you do, I will react.
Annie Karni/Maggie Haberman:
How Trump's demands for a full house in Charlotte derailed a
convention. Amit Katwala:
Sweden's coronavirus experiment has well and truly failed. Philip Kennicott:
The dystopian Lincoln Memorial photo raises a grim question: Will they
protect us, or will they shoot us? Catherine Kim:
Jen Kirby:
The disturbing history of how tear gas became the weapon of choice against
protesters: "The chemical weapon was originally marketed to police as
a way to turn protesters 'into a screaming mob.'" Interview with Anna
Feigenbaum, author of Tear Gas: From the Battlefields of World War I
to the Streets of Today. Ezra Klein:
America at the breaking point: "The social upheaval of the 1960s
meets the political polarization and institutional dysfunction of the
present." I don't have time to write about this piece, but probably
should refer to it at some point when I finally try to sum up what's
going on. I've always hated the notion that the 1960s divided and
broke America. Rather, events exposed hypocrisies and weaknesses,
but rather than heal them, political reaction took over and turned
us into fantasists. That the same fractures have returned -- sure,
plus some new ones -- should remind us that failure to heal can only
be ignored for so long. Elizabeth Kolbert:
How Iceland beat the coronavirus. Paul Krugman:
Donald Trump is no Richard Nixon: "He -- and his party -- is much,
much worse." The subhed is critical, because is less the leader of his
party than the vessel into which fifty years of megalomania and cynicism
has been poured, the creature grown out of such vile soil. The first
comparison I recall between Trump and Nixon concerned their respective
convention acceptance speeches in 1968 and 2016: Nixon's was much more
concise, and much more cunning, a carefully constructed pitch to the
American people that exploited their feelings while betraying little of
Nixon's real ambitions, whereas Trump's was, despite being scripted, an
incoherent mess. Their presidencies have followed from those initial
premises, but they started out from different places, and to my mind
that makes Nixon more culpable for the ensuing disaster. In fact, when
Trump apes Nixon's law-and-order rants, he's not just repeating past
mistakes but testifying to Nixon's continued legacy. So I really don't
have much patience when liberals like Krugman point out that Nixon
put his signature to some pieces of progressive legislation (like the
Clean Air Act) that Trump has sought to trash. Nixon was smart enough
to bend with the wind, but he was also devious enough to put Donald
Rumsfeld in charge of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and subvert
LBJ's "Great Society" programs from the inside.
Trump takes us to the brink: "Will weaponized racism destroy
America?" Heather Long/Andrew Van Dam:
The black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968: "14
charts show how deep the economic gap is and how little it has changed
in decades. The covid-19 recession is also hitting black families and
business owners far harder than whites." German Lopez:
How violent protests against police brutality in the '60s and '90s
changed public opinion: "The backlash to unrest in the '60s gave
the country Richard Nixon, one study found. But we don't know if that
will apply today." One thing not noted here is that we tend to conflate
two different things when we remember "violence in the '60s": "race
riots" which flared up in various cities from 1965-68, most often in
response to local police acts; and the police riot against anti-war
demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Neither
of these should be framed as "protests against police brutality" --
sure, they were occasioned by and exemplified by police brutality,
but they weren't organized as protests. I've long felt that the
former were pent-up explosions of anger, a release of pressures
that had built up over decades of racism and impoverishment, as
I noted that it was very rare for any city to "riot" more than
once. Repeated experiences were prevented not by police dominance
but by community leaders organizing bases of political power.
(Also helpful were cases where white political leaders responded
by getting out into the streets and making their concerns visible,
as John Lindsay did in New York. RFK, campaigning in Indianapolis
when Martin Luther King was killed, was also effective as keeping
anger from turning into riot.) It is true that Nixon cultivated
a backlash against blacks and anti-war protesters, but one thing
that helped him was that he was out of office when the "violence"
happened, unlike Trump. Of course, Nixon was responsible for much
of the violence after he became president in 1969 -- in America,
and much, much more around the world.
How to reform American police, according to experts.
- Police need to apologize for centuries of abuse
- Police should be trained to address their racial biases
- Police should avoid situations that lead them to use force
- Officers must be held accountable in a very transparent way
- On-the-job incentives for police officers need to change
- We need higher standards -- and better pay -- for police
- Police need to focus on the few people in communities causing chaos and violence
- We need better data to evaluate police and crime
Kate Maltby:
Viktor Orbán's masterplan to make Hungary greater again. Peter Manseau:
The Christian martyrdom movement ascends to the White House: "A
former professor of Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's new press secretary,
explores her enduring obsession with religious persecution and death." Branko Marcetic:
American authoritarianism runs deeper than Trump. Josh Marshall:
Dylan Matthews:
How today's protests compare to 1968, explained by a historian.
Interview with Heather Ann Thompson, author of Blood in the Water:
The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. Ian Millhiser:
Terry Nguyen:
There isn't a simple story about looting. Tim Noah:
Donald Trump is celebrating the wrong economic accomplishment: "The
president wants credit for a largely illusory blip of improvement in the
job market. He should be going all-in on the $600 sweeteners." Anna North/Catherine Kim:
These videos show the police aren't neutral. They're counterprotesters.
Osita Nwanevu:
Tom Cotton and the elite media's dalliance with illiberalism. The
New York Times published an op-ed by the Arkansas Republican called
Send in the troops, demanding that the US military "restore order" --
a task that same military has repeatedly failed to do in Afghanistan
and Iraq (indeed, a sober analysis would recognize that the US military
only made those situations worse, and not for lack of arms or brutality).
The Times justified printing Cotton with its commitment to airing "all"
voices (meaning conservative ones)
Alice Miranda Ollstein/Dan Goldberg:
Mass arrests jeopardizing the health of protesters, police. Richard A Oppel Jr/Lazaro Gamio:
Minneapolis police use force against black people at 7 times the rate
of whites. Alex Pareene:
The police take the side of white vigilantes: "Over the past week,
cops have shown that they share a coherent ideology." Daniel Politi:
Linda Qiu:
Trump's false claim that 'nobody has ever done' more for the black
community than he has: "The records of Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon
B Johnson, among others, beg to differ." Assuming pre-Lincoln presidents
are ineligible, I thought it might be easier to list the ones who had
done less (or who had done more harm). Andrew Johnson was more blatantly
racist than practically anyone. And Woodrow Wilson did major harm in
segregating the federal government. But beyond that just makes my head
hurt. David Remnick:
An American uprising: "Who, really, is the agitator here?" Brian Resnick:
Rubber bullets may be "nonlethal," but they can still maim and kill:
"The dangers of 'nonlethal' police weapons -- like rubber bullets,
flash-bangs, and tear gas -- explained." As I recall, Israeli soldiers,
who use a lot of rubber bullets on Palestinians, like to aim for eyes.
The group found 26 studies on the use of rubber bullets around the world,
documenting a total of 1,984 injuries. Fifteen percent of the injuries
resulted in permanent disability; 3 percent resulted in death. When the
injuries were to the eyes, they overwhelmingly (84.2 percent) resulted
in blindness.
David Roberts:
The coronavirus crisis has revealed what Americans need most: Universal
basic services. Interview with Andrew Percy, co-author with Anna
Coote of The Case for Universal Basic Services. Katie Rogers:
Ivanka Trump blames 'cancel culture' after college pulls her commencement
speech: She was scheduled to address graduates of Wichita State
University "Tech." (What is this "Tech"? Looks like the former Wichita
Area Technical College [WATC], which is to say it it's not even the
real third-tier state college in Kansas. I attended WSU for a year
back when my only credential was a GED, and parlayed that into a
scholarship at a much fancier college. WATC was originally an adult
extension of the Wichita East High vocational program.) I'd like to
know more about how this got contracted (and what the kill fee is).
If Ivanka wanted to look for a prestige spot to speak, she settled
pretty low. On the other hand, I can't imagine anyone there thinking
she's just what WSU Tech needed to burnish its image -- unless, of
course, one of the Kochs (who have a lot of pull at WSU) whispered
in their ears. How it got canceled is no mystery. It was such a
patently stupid idea, all it took was for one of the faculty to
circulate a petition, which damn near everyone signed. "Cancel
culture" is another new one for me (although evidently not for
Vox). Controversial figures often get scheduled for events
then canceled, but it's almost never due to a vogue for canceling.
Usually, some hidden power (like the Kochs) stomps on the autonomy
of some student group. Or sometimes, as in this case, a popular
uprising spoils some shady insider deal. For more, see Daniel
Caudill:
WSU Tech reverses course; Ivanka Trump will not be a commencement
speaker. Main additional piece of news here is that WSU Tech
President Sheree Utash "serves on the American Workforce Policy
Advisory board," giving her a connection to Ivanka, probably via
Mike Pompeo (Trump's Secretary of State, formerly US Representative
for Wichita area). Philip Rucker/Ashley Parker/Matt Zapotosky/Josh Dawsey:
With White House effectively a fortress, some see Trump's strength --
but others see weakness. Also by Dawsey, with David Nakamura/Fenit
Nirappil:
'Vicious dogs' versus 'a scared man': Trump's feud with Bowser
escalates amid police brutality protests. Noam Scheiber/Farah Stockman/J David Goodman:
How police unions became such powerful opponents to reform efforts.
Michael Shank:
How police became paramilitaries.
That beat cops so often look like troops is not just a problem of
"optics." There is, in fact, a "positive and statistically significant
relationship between 1033 transfers and fatalities from officer-involved
shootings," according to recent research. In other words, the more
militarized we allow law enforcement agents to become, the more likely
officers are to use lethal violence against citizens: civilian deaths
have been found to increase by about 130 percent when police forces
acquire significantly more military equipment. . . .
Law enforcement has, in fact, been training for a moment like this --
specifically by learning techniques and tactics from Israeli military
services. As Amnesty International has documented, law enforcement
officials from as far afield as Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts,
North Carolina, Georgia, Washington state, and the D.C. Capitol have
traveled to Israel for such training. These programs, according to
research backed by Jewish Voice for Peace, focus on exchanging methods
of "mass surveillance, racial profiling, and suppression of protest
and dissent."
Robert J Shapiro:
No, the unemployment rate didn't really drop in May: "Donald Trump
bragged about a bogus jobs number and defiled George Floyd's name in
the process." This strongly suggests that the BLS cooked the books to
give Trump a number (13.3% unemployment) he could brag about. This did
this by not counting 9 million people who weren't working but could be
construed as still having jobs (e.g., unpaid furloughed workers). The
true number is closer to 19.0%. Rebecca Solnit:
As the George Floyd protests continue, let's be clear where the violence
is coming from: "Using damage to property as cover, US police have
meted out shocking, indiscriminate brutality in the wake of the
uprising." Jeffrey St Clair:
Roaming charges: Mad bull, lost its way: I don't particularly like
him, and rarely read him, but some weeks deserve one of his laundry
lists, and he notices somethings that few other people do. For instance,
he dug up a headline from 2003: "Rumsfeld: Looting is transition to
freedom," adding: "Perhaps Rumsfeld will write an amicus brief on
behalf of the more than 10,000 protesters arrested for rioting,
looting and just pissing off cops." Yeganeh Torbati:
New Trump appointee to foreign aid agency has denounced liberal democracy
and 'our homo-empire': Meet "Merritt Corrigan, USAID's new deputy
White House liaison." Emily VanDerWerff:
America's contradictions are breaking wide open: "On Donald Trump,
standing outside a church, pretending to be strong." Vox's TV critic,
but isn't it all TV these days? Alex Ward:
Adam Weinstein:
This is fascism: "Trump is sending an unambiguous message to a country
in turmoil -- and his armed supporters, from cops to vigilantes, hear it
loud and clear." Philip Weiss:
Jordan Weissmann:
Here's what happens if Republicans let those $600 unemployment benefits
expire. Robin Wright:
Is American becoming a banana republic? Matthew Yglesias:
Gary Younge:
What Black America means to Europe. The size of the protests has
surprised me everywhere, but especially in Europe. Still, as a placard
in a photo here says, "The UK is not innocent."
George Floyd's killing comes at a moment when America's standing has
never been lower in Europe. With his bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia,
ignorance, vanity, venality, bullishness, and bluster, Donald Trump
epitomizes everything most Europeans loathe about the worst aspects
of American power. . . . Although police killings are a constant, gruesome feature of
American life, to many Europeans this particular murder stands as
confirmation of the injustices of this broader political period.
It illustrates a resurgence of white, nativist violence blessed
with the power of the state and emboldened from the highest office.
It exemplifies a democracy in crisis, with security forces running
amok and terrorizing their own citizens. The killing of George
Floyd stands not just as a murder but as a metaphor.
Li Zhou:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Friday, June 5, 2020
Questions and Answers
I asked Michael Tatum to take a look at my first batch of
Questions and Answers.
He helped flag some necessary edits before I posted them early this
week. He also suggested that instead of just linking to them (as I
did again above), I should have included them directly in the blog.
I don't plan on doing that as a matter of course, but this time I
reckon they could use a little more exposure. For one thing I got
zero new questions (here's the
form) since they went up.
I imagine there are hundreds (if not thousands) of similar offers
scattered around the web. I've felt a need for some kind of feedback
for a long time, but found that comment systems were more work to
maintain than they're worth. Two features are direct antecedents to
mine: Greil Marcus's
Ask Greil), and Robert Christgau's
Xgau Sez.
Joe Levy suggested the latter as a way of generating some public
interest in Christgau's then-new Duke University Press essay collections,
Is It Still
Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism 1967-2017 and
Book Reports:
A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading.
Joe suggested "Ask Greil" as a model, but when I looked at the
implementation, I had some second thoughts. I adapted the news
roll code to display the Q&A in 15-unit chunks, most recent
first, stringing earlier pages together. ("Ask Greil" is in flat
files, one per year.) I added tags to the data file, thinking
that someday I could support more search options. (I'd like to
eventually put them into the database, but didn't want to have
to update it more often than I do.) I also added a
captcha to cut down on spam questions. I recently adapted
the Christgau code for my own site, adding a few more tags (but
still not making good use of them).
My main change was to add a "keywords" field. I expected (or
hoped) to get a broader range of questions than the music queries
that predominate for Christgau and Marcus, and thought it would
be a good idea to be able to easily sort my answers into topics.
Still, four of the first five questions were on music, including
one of those potentially tedious requests to elaborate on grades.
A sixth question, which I didn't answer here, was really more of
a tip (Whitney Rose) -- more properly answered in last week's
Music Week.
While my
email is elsewhere on the site
(and still works best if you want a direct answer),
feel free to use the form for tips, comments, or occasional kind
words.
I rather hope to see wide-ranging questions, one that provoke
me to think, maybe even do a little research, although I'd be
happy enough with ones where I can just rattle off experiences
and opinions. I like to keep an open mind about where this is
going. And I'd like some feedback to prod me along. Thanks, in
advance.
[Q] Combining two of your interests, music and politics (maybe
next time for food), is a Geoffrey Himes
column about how songs about blue collar life are ignored. or
misinterpreted, by the audience they depict. "Born In The USA",
possibly the most egregious example, may not need to be listed but I
do wonder how you interpret this music/audience disconnect. It's
weird, don't you think? -- Gregory Morton, Caldwell, ID
[2020-05-25]
[A] I'm not sure I think anything about this, other than that
stereotypes are worse than worthless, and generalizations leave out
all meaningful detail by definition. Songwriters start with what they
know and feel, which includes class and race and sex and a lot more,
and it rarely reduces to just one thing. Their cohort may recognize
themselves in such art, or not, just as other people may relate to it,
or not. Add politics to the mix if you dare. Unfortunately, many
people tend to straitjacket themselves to only like or dislike things
they perceive as politically correct, and lose touch with the muddle
we call life. I've known more people like this on the left than on the
right, but I know more people on the left, and people like this on the
right stay away from me, so it'd be wrong to generalize. What I can
say is that when John Prine died, outpourings of grief came from all
across the political spectrum -- even though you and I know he was one
of us. One of my pro-gun, anti-abortion, Trump-loving relatives
forwarded my link to
my review of Fair &
Square, even though I could hardly have been more explicit
about both my and Prine's politics. Perhaps she didn't understood me?
Or perhaps she misunderstands her own politics? Regardless, I love
her, and politics has nothing to do with that.
[Q] Do you listen to music differently when you are trying to
"grade" an album, trying to figure out whether it's any good or not?
If so, do you find that type of listening enjoyable? How much of your
listening is done trying to suss out the merits of a work, as opposed
to just enjoying it?
Those came out as very specific questions, but my question is
broader than that, but I'm not sure how to ask it. Which is to say, if
you answer this, feel free to take it broadly. -- Matt Crawford,
Pacifica, CA [2020-05-19]
[A] I don't do anything special for grading, or listen any
differently when I know I'm going to grade a record. Grades are always
provisional, just a note to myself, a crude of measure of how much I
enjoyed a record, and not much else. I don't have any fixed aesthetic
standards. Bad execution and/or lack of inspiration may count against
it, but that's mostly because such things detract from enjoying a
record.
Back when I was writing assigned reviews, I took more extensive
notes, looking for details I could use in a review, and I kept playing
a record until I finished writing. That's a lot of work, and I rarely
put that much into a record any more. If I had to write at greater
depth, I wouldn't be able to get to nearly as many records, and my
sense of comparative value would suffer. The downside is that I regard
most of words I do wind up publishing as crap: not exactly useless,
but lacking in insight and craft. Probably why I tend to denigrate my
skills as a reviewer.
I started grading just as a memory aid. I was very familiar with
Robert Christgau's grading scale, so that gave me a framework with a
few thousand data points. But whereas he insists that "grading is hard
work," and has minimal standards of how many times he has to play a
record before grading it, for me it's just data -- necessarily
approximate at first, better considered over time, not that I have any
way of making that distinction. (I toyed with the idea of using two
numbers for grades: one for level and a second fraction or degree of
certainty, but decided that would be way too much trouble.)
[Q] Found you by looking up who made the Robert Christgau
website. I love it! It really captures the internet in the '90s. Was
curious, did you make all of the websites you have linked here, or are
these just things are recommended? i.e. did you make the original
website for FiveThirtyEight and Glenn Greenwald?
Thanks! Also wanted to add that I love this website:
http://carolcooper.org/ --
Naif Alrayes, San Francisco [2020-05-19]
[A] I built
Robert Christgau's website
in 2001, and
Carol Cooper's a bit later. I
had the idea of creating a portal toolkit for music writers based on a
more generalized revision of the Christgau website code. Several
writers expressed interest, but Cooper signed up first, so I rushed
a site together for her, and when I didn't develop my proposal
further, her prototype stuck. I've done several other websites,
including one for
Carola Dibbell, but not the ones
you mentioned, or anything else in the "Links" list on most of my
pages. ("Local Links" directs you to various spots in my own website;
"My Other Websites" points you to other websites I maintain, although
the current version of
Wichita Peace was designed by
someone else -- I built an earlier one using Drupal.)
Hullworks was intended for other
people's data, but mostly contains my
Jazz Critics Poll pages.
I suppose the "Links" list is also attributable to me being stuck
with a 1990s web aesthetic. I used to have a whole "Links" section,
but found it impossible to maintain, and got increasingly annoyed when
website maintainers wrote me begging to get included. On the other
hand, I've never gotten into the habit of using my browser's
bookmarks, or for that matter a RSS reader, so the links still help me
get around.
I have on occasion gotten complaints about the "1990s look" of my
websites (but never from Christgau or Cooper -- their interest has
always been in their words, so the lack of graphics has never bothered
them). Some of those principles I still regard as valid, and I still
don't see much value in JavaScript, or in things like cookies. But it
has become clear to me that some degree of design changes are
necessary. About a year ago, I announced that I was going to do a
redesign, and I set up a mailing list for people who would like to
consult. Lots of things have slowed me down, so I have little progress
to show at present, but if you'd like to be included in the list, and
especially if you think you could help, please
drop me a line.
[Q] You obviously listen to a lot of music and read a lot books
on politics, but I wondered if you also read a lot of music books. For
instance, Rolling Stone just published a list with The 50
greatest rock memoirs of all time: are there many on it you have read?
As for myself I am specially fond of books with references to other
records, like the Questlove book. Speaking of Questlove: he published
a list last year with his favorite albums. I was pleased to see
Coltrane Plays the Blues on it, a personal favorite. But I also
noticed some jazz albums you haven't graded as far as I know (by Ahmad
Jamal and Max Roach), something I didn't think was possible for some
one with such an jazz affliction. -- Ziggy, Amsterdam,
Netherlands [2020-05-13]
[A] I'm not a very fast reader, but I've read steadily since I quit
high school in 1966, and keep plugging away at it. After losing my
tech job in 2001, I thought I'd focus on writing, and figured the
subject I knew the most about, and had the most to contribute to,
would be political philosophy -- a pursuit my wife, who's always been
a political obsessive, encouraged. Ever since then I've focused almost
exclusively on political topics, as you can see from my list
here. As fate would have it,
I've written a lot more about music during this period -- even made a
little bit of money off it -- but I really haven't read many books on
music. In particular, I haven't read a single one of Rob Sheffield's
The 50 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time. The only one I've even
been tempted by was Patti Smith's Just Kids. The Questlove book does
look promising, and Luke Haines' Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Role in Its
Downfall might be fun. The one music memoir that I did read recently
was Ani DiFranco's No Walls and the Recurring Dream, which
surely belongs on Sheffield's list. I've written a good deal about
DiFranco before, and I
had a personal interest, in that I have family in Buffalo who knew her
growing up. Indeed, for me the later music/career parts were less
interesting than her childhood and emancipation.
The Questlove list appears
here. Should be easy to see how I've missed some jazz albums. I
don't have any real idea how many jazz albums have been released. My
first swag was 100,000, which would be 1,448 per year since 1950. Then
I thought I'd try
Discogs, which comes up with the number 1,159,285, but that
includes reissues and singles. Hard to extrapolate from that, but
it certainly doesn't suggest that my swag is too high.
I currently have 17,966 jazz records
(including pop vocals) rated, so that's what? 12-18%? I've made
several attempts to come up with a sample size over the years. Even
with promos and streaming in recent years, I doubt if I've ever heard
more than 25% of all the new jazz being released.
Looking at my
2020 music tracking file,
I've heard about 40% of all the jazz I've taken the trouble to list.
I've omitted at least as many jazz albums as I've listed, reducing
my share to 20% or less.
So far, I've heard 11
Ahmad Jamal records
(2 A-), out of 24 in my database (but he's released more like
80). I've heard 9
Max Roach
records (1 A-), out of 31 in my database (that's just records which
list Roach as leader; I have 10 more rated with Roach as co-leader,
including 5 at A/A-; with co-leader records he's released close to 100
records, plus side credits on another 100+, some as monumental as
The Amazing Bud Powell and Sonny Rollins' Saxophone
Colossus). I'm not a big fan of piano trio or drum ensembles, but
those are major artists, and I'll check out more of their work when I
can.[1] But there are lots of jazz musicians I've barely sampled (if
at all). That's just inevitable.
[1] I listened to a bunch of Roach records in the following week,
so the numbers above have roughly doubled.
[Q] Your reception to Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville and
Whipsmart mirrored that of the critical establishment at the
time, but something changed for you circa Juvenilia, and you
outrightly panned Whitechocolatespaceegg despite Christgau's
positive reception to both albums (A- and A respectively). What
changed for you, especially as it relates to
Whitechocolatespaceegg which Christgau treated as a comeback of
sorts? -- David [2020-05-06]
[A] Those albums date from 1995 and 1998. I wasn't writing about
music then -- at least not in any systematic way -- and I wrote
nothing about Liz Phair until Funstyle in 2010 (which I liked
much more than Christgau did: A- vs. *). I vaguely remember
Juvenilia as being short and rough, a step back, so I'm not
surprised I found it wanting. Those tracks are probably all in the
3-CD box The Girly Sound Tapes (2018), which I graded more
generously (***), but 25 years after her masterpiece, it probably sets
somewhat differently in my mind. I don't remember the other album, or
for that matter her 2003 Liz Phair (a B+ which Christgau graded
A), at all. I did start to stream White*egg after this
question, and shut it down three tracks in. Maybe it's a tad better
than B-, but not so much I felt I needed to figure it out.
You previously asked me this same question about two other records:
Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks and Robert Cray's Strong
Persuader. Those I remembered, not only the records but the exact
point when I decided I couldn't stand them any more. I suppose the
reason I can remember them so vividly is that I quickly grasped their
appeal, before something else turned me off. I won't go into what --
one thing I never want to do is to spoil a record that you like just
because I don't, and you should never let me. But part of the story
thers is that I've always had an anti-hype reflex. (I don't recall
much hype behind the Cray or Phair albums, but they sold well and the
former won a Grammy, so must have had hype beyond Christgau.) It's not
that I don't like Dylan, but I've often been out of sync with whatever
the critical consensus is on him. The best known cases where my
initial reaction was heavily influenced by anti-hype are Bruce
Springsteen and Charlie Parker. I've since made my peace with both,
although at a lower level than they are generally accorded.
But back to the Phair album(s). Christgau wrote not just capsules
but feature reviews of
White*egg and
Liz Phair. I don't know whether he did that because he
initially thought them important, or thought them newsworthy and wound
up deciding that he really liked them, but either way he spent a lot
of time with the records, whereas I played them once or twice and
decided I had wasted my money. Maybe I played them more -- I often do
that with records I initially panned that Christgau came to like (most
don't move much, but one that really did was Randy Newman's Harps
& Angels).
Ask a question, or send a comment.
prev -- next
|
