Riehl World View

A Fitting Close

Courtesy of Mr. Ray Charles. Happy Birthday, America.

That's The Way Of The World

File under unfortunate, but unavoidable, perhaps.

Charles Johnson versus a large number of conservative blogs, some of whom call him a "former conservative," or something.

I'm not in the mood to take a side on this one, though I do believe some of CJ's particular criticisms of Beck have it wrong from what I've read. A few thoughts, though.

Neither Conservatives, nor Republicans should be taking advice from items like this Cohen piece at Politico. They come with an agenda of their own.

As for the feud mentioned above, WTF have people been smoking out here all this time? Much of the Right side of the blogosphere, as it came to be defined, was never about Conservatism. It was about 9/11 and later fighting a war. The actual politics of several thus aligned blogs and bloggers were never Conservative, so it is inaccurate to call them turn coats now. Argue with them if you wish, debate them, whatever. But don't call them names they are not.

Make what you will of this perhaps former conglomeration of Conservatives, hawkish moderates, libertarians and perhaps even hawkish liberals. But for heaven's sake, have the intelligence to understand it for what it is. Failing to do that only makes you look dumb.

This split is utterly predictable and was predicted by many bloggers over the years including me. With the WOT slipping from the headlines and a new administration, people are simply being who they always were politically. How this all ends up is hard to say just now. But it's a shake up, or a re-alignment that has always had to take place one day.

That day has arrived. As the post title and the song below both say - that's the way of the world. Deal with it - hopefully as constructively as you can.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Because I can.

Elmore James

Elmore James had the misfortune of drinking himself to death just before the late sixties explosion in Rock that gave many black Blues performers the recognition they deserve. While James is certainly known, I think his rep is actually stronger among musicians than it is with the public as he wasn't around to perform and there's little if any video of him. There isn't even much in the way of pictures. Check out the singing on the cut in the video below - It Hurts Me, Too - if nothing else.

The story goes he started out on a one string diddley bow and built his own electric guitar while working at a radio repair shop. His grave: King of the Slide Guitar.

YouTube has some great cuts that speak to his influence:  Done Somebody Wrong,  One Way Out,- two the Allman Brothers covered.  The Sky Is Crying, Long Tall Women, Every Day I Have The Blues, Got To Move. Too many to list.

Good Morning America

I've been pretty sick since CPAC but haven't wanted to say much about it. Just a bug, but it morphed and took a couple different antibiotics before, hopefully, it's finally started being rooted out. Started with the Flu, I guess - and went from there. That's why the light posting and ornery disposition when I have, probably.

Anyway ... here's a little ditty from The Highwaymen with some interesting history. Part of the back story certainly makes Arlo Guthrie look like a freaking jerk. If it wasn't for Guthrie's Father Woody, we wouldn't have had to endure the mostly untalented fool. Figures he's a Paulbot. Goodman battled Leukemia throughout most of his career.

While at the Quiet Knight, Goodman saw Arlo Guthrie, and asked to be allowed to play a song for him. Guthrie grudgingly agreed, on the condition that Goodman buy him a beer first; Guthrie would listen to Goodman for as long as it took Guthrie to drink the beer.

City of New Orleans:

A Saturday Sampler

Featuring Natalie Merchant.

Kind and Generous

Give them what they want - a better musical version here without Stipe

Slow News Day?

Not quite silent, but I haven't posted any music in a while and nice to take a break from it all, especially given what I imagine we're in for right ahead - non-stop campaigning with no punches being pulled.

Thanksgiving 1975 - get passed the turkey bit for The Boxer. Ha. When it came out I still remember being able to go to the local deli that had magazines and you could see the word "whores" in print in Words and Music. My, haven't we come a loooooooooooong way? Shame, really. Actually, a better version of it here, though. The original is here.

Anyway, you can enjoy the Central Park version of this next piece here. I like the harmony in the original below.

Another one from, I believe, the concert in Central Park.

Actually, They Booed Elvis

via an Instapundit link to Mickey Kaus:

(Elvis’s death in 1977 rated two paragraphs in People Magazine.)

I like Presley's music well enough, but I've never forgotten the night Elvis died, not because I'm an Elviphile, but because I was in a dance club in Seaside, NJ when the DJ stopped the music long enough to announce it and the assorted John Travolta wannabes, Barry Gibb poseurs and their babes all started to boo and hiss. Within seconds Donna Summer, or maybe the Star Wars theme re-mix, or perhaps it was the Latin Hustle was again incessantly and inanely pounding its way out of the sound system.

Had it been Lionel Richie or any of those named above who had died, People Magazine would have had a huge spread - same goes ten or so years earlier had it been David Cassidy, 20 years earlier Bobby Sherman, and so forth. Anyone who thinks the celebrity culture started with Princess Di may know about celebrity today, but they know very little about the history of American culture.

About The Hendrix Clip, Your Mother

Someone asked - what's the big deal about Jimi Hendrix, yadda, yadda. I understand, frankly, without a studio and sometimes a lot of post production, his stuff can be pretty raw. But he broke barriers and I made the argument that was his genius, upon which others built. Check this out from SVR below - you'll see what I mean. And then check out Hendrix playing it in 1968 after writing it for his Mother in 67 - and look at all the artists who have covered it.

Speaking of which, here's a potential little rock bummer, if you weren't aware - ever think 3AM by Matchbox Twenty was, at the time, a funky-kinda tune about a young crazy funky kinda chick? Sorry, that was written by Rob Thomas for his Mother. As a child, he supposedly took care of her when she was sick with cancer. She survived.

And Somewhere A Queen Is Weeping

Well, I covered the feminists, might as well cover the queens, too - this is what I was actually thinking about when I wrote this header. This is actually the better, produced version, but there's no video.