So this came in my e-mail today. "American Land" Premiers On CMT and CMT.com The video for "American Land" premiers today on CMT and CMT.com– showing again how Bruce’s music transcends all genres and musical boundaries. " And I didn’t have time to look at it – I really didn’t. But I looked. And you should too. Here. It’s just so much fun. Maybe it’s better because it’s been raining all day – but I think it’s just a pleasure on its own. What do you think?
SO LONG GOVERNOR RICHARDS
When I worked at the TODAY SHOW as political producer I had a deal with both parties that they would call and give me a heads up when they named their keynote speakers. That way I could call and book them to be on the show the morning of their speech — and get them before the other shows. In 1988 I got a call on a Saturday morning to let me know that the Democrats had chosen Texas Governor Ann Richards. I was frantic. It was a weekend. How would I find her? How would I get her phone number? I called the NBC affiliate in Austin. They had no home number. I called the AP. Ditto. I called a couple of political friends – no luck. So then, on a lark (you can guess the end of this story I bet) I called information. Yup. She was listed in the phone book! I called, she answered, and we got her first. She was a riot on the phone, too. I asked her about listing her number and she seemed genuinely amused- why shouldn’t she list her number like everyone else? Governor Richards died yesterday, September 13, 2006 at 73.
Probably that speech was one of the high points of her career. Funny and a bit mischievous, it pushed class angles to differentiate between the parties, and it’s remembered far beyond Michael Dukakis, the candidate who eventually lost to the first President Bush. Bush himself often seemed awkward. Said Richards, “Poor George, he can’t help it — he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” She brought down the house.
But President Bush’s opponent, Michael Dukakis, lost resoundingly. Richards was elected governor in 1991 (12th of the only 28 women ever to serve at governors) and served one term – losing her bid for re-election, ironically – to the son of the man she had so mocked – George W. Bush. In her later years she worked for a lobbying firm that included several tobacco accounts, to the dismay of many of her fans.
But this self-made country girl, recovering alcoholic ( and biker – see this photo) led her state with imagination and humor, wrote a wonderful autobiography that made the Depression come alive and set a great example for the emerging crew of women politicians. Those who followed her gained much from her pioneering leadership – and we’ll miss her.
9/11
Today is hard. I have been working to let bloggers know about the CNN free re-broadcast online of their 9/11/2001 coverage and so it’s been on my mind for weeks. Even so I can’t get past the awful feelings to anything resembling wisdom.
I just posted to Mom-101, written by Liz Gumbiner, whose birthday is today. Can you imagine carrying that around? I met a kid around 10 with the same birthday and when I asked him his birthday his response was positively apologetic. He already knew.
Instead of me writing what everyone else is writing, I’m going to send you to Liz. Her words say it all.
AUDREY HEPBURN AT THE GAP
OK. I have six deadlines in the next week and I shouldn’t be writing this but I’m struggling with my loyalties here. I have loved Audrey Hepburn since I was a kid. As only a short, kind of rounded young woman can look up to a sleek icon with a heart. AND I love the Internet. And technology. And sampling. And now, I don’t know what to think.
The Gap has taken a scene from Funny Face, when Audrey Hepburn, the young existential book store clerk turned model, on her first trip to Paris, runs off to a smoky coffee house where her philosopher hero (of course he’s a fake and a bit of a cad) hangs out – and decides to dance. The Gap has taken this essentially sweet scene and sampled it, mashed it up, stuck it into hip hop and multiple-image edits and generally made a cute little commercial about black pants. It isn’t disrespectful to her – just jazzed up. And it isn’t in bad taste. Or anything. It’s even clever. It’s also the first time I’ve been this ambivalent about altered images. I hate colorized movies. I love sampling in music. I’ve heard Larry Lessig speak and think he’s right about a lot of his Remix theories. But this one seems to bring out all of the above. Here’s the link – what do you think?
WEATHER REPORT
It’s Monday night – tomorrow summer is gone, gone, gone. I used to hate the heat and DC humidity but somehow I’ve come to love it. I think it’s partly because of the light summer breezes and the wonderful sound of the train that goes by near here just at dawn. It’s whistle is so evocative wafting through the sunrise. And in summer it seems even more romantic. It’s gone now.. until next year.
Even so, there’s lots to look forward to – both good and challenging. Good is knowing that once more the trees will be turning. I live in a neighborhood in Northwest Washington with big old trees along every street and in fall the leaves are amazing. Spring too because of all the azaleas and winter — but the fall looks good and smells good and reminds me of the first day of school.
This is not a filibuster about the weather – I’m just kind of mind-numb from the three-day weekend and many hours spent at the computer catching up on work for clients. I’m sure entry into the first week of un-summer (I guess it isn’t fall yet even though it isn’t summer either) will pick up my brain again.
TOO SAD, TOO TRUE
As usual, Ms. Sweetney is onto whatever a person should be onto in the morning. This is a remarkable editorial — maybe a it too long but worth watching. I started to write a long essay to go with it and decided I sounded like a parody, SO I’m not going to say any more. Except that I totally would have missed it without Tracey – I NEVER watch that show. Maybe I should start…..
STEP-BY-STEP WITH A WORLD-CLASS SONGWRITER
Carol Bayer Sager (you know, the songwriter*) and AlAnon – in the same blog. It turns out she’s been going to meetings for years — and in this post on fearlessness she describes how it has helped her deal with the fears and phobias that emerged from her tough childhood.
As she quotes the slogans and lessons of this amazing organization, I recognize the power of this support program for those with alcoholics or addicts in their lives. It IS about fearlessness, and about ending the ridiculous urge to control everything — mostly to keep things safe because so much of life with an addict is so chaotic. If the program were not described as one "of attraction, not promotion" I would write lots more about it but respect for the privacy of others and the effectiveness of the low key love and fellowship the program offers demonstrate the wisdom of this non-evangelizing attitude.
Anyone who knows Jenn Satterwaite’s amazing Mommy Needs Coffee knows the power of addiction and of 12 step programs; I’m sure there are dozens of similar blogs that I don’t know about. It’s so funny, too, because so often I’ll see people acting the way that I used to (and still do, in moments of "relapse") and think "boy, they should go to a meeting." Of course, it only works if you choose it on your own – but when it works – boy does it work.
This paragraph is being written later – I actually just came from a meeting. It always amazes me how much pain is gathered in the room of an AlAnon meeting – and how much help people are to one another just be being there. I am a bit shy about writing in specifics but I’m all with Carol Bayer S – It’s a real gift.
*Songs by Carol Bayer Sager include: Blueberry Pie", "My One True Friend Don’t Cry Out Loud, Through the Eyes of Love, Nobody Does It Better That’s What Friends Are For, It’s My Turn
WHOSE LIFE IS IT, ANYWAY? (PART 2)
I just found the ultimate wise woman post for how to deal with a teenager. Respectfully. Apportion responsibility gradually. Etc. It dealt with something I posted here a couple of days ago about blogging and our kids. And their privacy. And just who owns whose life? Everyone loves Grace Davis anyway, but this was just such a great thing. Take a look.
When I worked at iVillage Robert Schwebel, who is still their resident child psychologist and a wonderful man, told me he sees successful child rearing as "the gradual transfer of power." Doesn’t that make perfect sense? And what Grace did, with such, well, grace, was to transfer, to her daughter, power over her own story and respect for her privacy. I’m just so impressed.
AND THE EMMY GOES TO…
When I was in high school, there was a TV show called EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE. It starred George C. Scott as a social worker with a black female co worker. The show portrayed the pain and injustice that was part of inner city life in the early 60s. Once, and this is the show I remember most of all, the baby of a young black couple was bitten, in its crib, by a rat. Desperate to get the child the a hospital, they were unable to get a cab to stop for them – – cabs didn’t stop for black people.
It had an enormous impact on me and helped to form my political and social perspectives. So even then TV sometimes had a powerful and positive impact. [EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, by the way, social impact and all, was cancelled after one season. I later learned that the black-white work environment kept the show from being carried on any southern TV stations – which reduced its ratings and knocked it off the air.]
In general, TV somehow seems different now. Even the awards shows are better.
The Emmy Awards used to be kind of trashy and dull. The show tonight isn’t bad, though. Besides, these days, television offers more quality than feature films, as far as I can tell. I love popular culture and can watch plenty that isn’t great without embarassment, but right now there’s so much that’s really amazing. With the power of EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE in 1963, I’ve seen West Wings, Six Feet Unders and Sopranos that take your breath away and acting that does the same. Heartbreaking stories and hilarious ones. Classy characters, righteous outrage transformed into great drama, provocative ideas and just plain fun.
In fact, TV news, where I used to work, has in many cases sunk far below what’s on fictional TV. Sure there’s trash too, but the good stuff is so good, and there’s so much more of it. If the news folks stuck to their guns as well as the drama and comedy producers do, reporters wouldn’t rank so low in public opinion polls.
Is TV better now or do I just watch better shows now? What do you think?
WHOSE LIFE IS IT, ANYWAY?
At BlogHer there was a great debate among the “mommy bloggers” about how much to reveal about one’s children. Much of what was best in my career (as well as, of course, my private life) came from my kids – literally. They’re why I finally wrote a book [for kids.] They’re why I got interested in kids’ books and began writing book reviews for the New York Times and Washington Post and eventually served as early children’s book editor at Amazon. They’re the reason I did some of my best TV pieces – about kids learning to ski, learning disabilities, etc. You get the idea. BUT
Once they were over 7 or so I always asked before I mentioned them in anything I wrote. I kind of felt that it was my gig and they had their own lives. Now this is a problem. Michael Chabon says:
“Telling the truth, when the truth matters most, is almost always a frightening prospect. If a writer doesn’t give away secrets, his own or those of the people he loves; if she doesn’t court disapproval, reproach and general wrath, whether of friends, family, or party apparatchiks; if the writer submits his work to an internal censor long before anyone else can get their hands on it, the result is pallid, inanimate, a lump of earth.
He’s right I think – I can feel myself hanging back when those “other people’s secrets” begin to emerge — and if affects my writing. It’s true even of the most innocent things: something really lovely was said to me this week by one of my kids but it would expose HIM and I can’t do it.
Granted, most moms who blog have far younger kids than my adult sons but it’s an interesting question. Any thoughts?
Whatever we think about this though it gave me an excuse to share one of my favorite Michael Chabon quotes. (of very very many…)