Donkey Poo, Elephant Poo, Be Ye Flushed!

"If a third party emerges and survives someday, its symbol should be either: A) The toilet, or B) A pooper-scooper."
Teddy Roosevelt, 19something-something

Since I work in television news, everyday I'm exposed to more politics than I care to be. Most Americans get to turn it off after about 10-15 minutes. Not me. We hang on every cut, fade, commercial break, interview, satellite feed, and video clip that comes from the network. So every morning, I get to see recaps of last night's speeches about 10 times by the time I get to carry my sorry butt home at 1 PM. By that time, I have to say I'm no more convinced that the candidates have a clue what they're doing or that they operate of their own free-will than I did when the first clip rolled.

What makes me pout even more is that I actually hear people critiquing the speeches! For one, I don't believe the speeches to begin with. My opinion is that the power isn't with the people who vote...it's with the people who have billions of dollars at stake if this country sinks or floats in the global scene. So these politicians we see flapping their gums are really just yes-men. Secondly, these puppets are just copying the great speeches of yesteryear, because they know all the gullible rubes out there will eat it up in a fit of nostalgia. And, my last but not least point of contention about these speeches: THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME!

Of course I'm wrong, though, because they're not the same speeches, thanks to a handy little doodad called a thesaurus. Even moreso, I'm probably wrong because I'm not even paying attention to what's actually being said. Which is true. I'm not paying that much attention, because I know what they say won't make a lick of difference, in the end. It's all just poo. So I don't need to pay attention! I'll just keep spending my hard-earned money, in hopes that my heavenly forefathers, George, Abe, Alexander, Andy, and General Grant have got my back if I'm ever in danger of losing my life, liberty, or right to buy a gallon of gas for $20. That gives me a warm, toasty feeling inside large enough to overshadow the sorrow from knowing so many of my fellow Americans actually believe that Barack and "Blood & Guts" really do stand for different ideals.

Christianity and Reading

Of all the religions in the world, I wonder which one has had the most books written in relation to it? I'm very tempted to say Christianity takes the cake, because for YEARS, all sorts of books have been written about this or that part of Christianity. Whether it's Bible studies, Bible analysis, problems with Christians, problems with Hollywood being too sinful, Jesus hanging out in Utah with funny-colored glasses, etc. Let's not forget all the self-help stuff that's trickled out over the centuries and only recently exploded in the 1970s/'80s.

I think about all that literature about Christianity, and none of it appeals to me. I've read a few of these books and the last one I read was [i]Blue Like Jazz[/i]...which was a phenomenal book. But I'm wondering, what's the point? Don Miller's probably repeating something else someone else said, but that book's just not circulated as much or maybe it is, but Miller just kind of ran it through the gauntlet of his mind, reworking it so much he forgot where his ideas originated, and just wrote a book, thinking he'd stumbled onto something. How many Christian books--especially the multitudes of self-help books--are like that? How many of them are actually useful?

These days, I prefer classic literature or some good ol Hunter S Thompson to put some religion into me.

Soundiscovery Issue #1: Pink Floyd's The Final Cut

For the time being, this is the new home of a little venture I'm calling Soundiscovery. It's an "e-zine" of sorts, you could say (okay, it's a blog), dedicated to the music I feel very strongly about.

To kick off the first issue, I'm opening with some thoughts on an underrated album by the best band known to Man, Pink Floyd. First, a little history about it. The title is very appropriate, The Final Cut: A Requiem for the Post-War Dream - by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd, as it's the final album of the Roger Waters-era of the band. Roger had fired Richard Wright, Nick Mason was supposedly next, and David Gilmour was the only one left to stand up to him, as he was the only one who was still writing music that Waters could use in some diminished capacity. Basically, this is a Roger Waters solo album. If you listen to the succeeding solo albums, there's a definite theme: lyrics over music. The music takes a far backseat to the messages Waters tries to convey. They're all minimalistic, pretty much. And it all started with The Final Cut.

The impotus for the album was Waters's meditation on the circumstances that led to his father's death in WWII. Then it also examines how frivolously world leaders still throw away human lives when it comes to international conflicts, as if nothing was learned from the pain and loss of WWII, as if every war is just a game played by "overgrown infants". It's a powerful anti-war message that exposes the faults that are inherent with those in control. That being said, it's both an insightful look at the past and a prophecy of things to come, as long as the privileged are left to rule the world. The backdrop of the Falklands War is only a metaphor for the message Waters is telling us about human nature. Where The Wall takes a look at the self, The Final Cut takes a look at the world and the human race.

In terms of accessibility, The Final Cut throws up a wall of its own, isolating itself from most ears for the first few listens. It's not loud, it's not flashy, it's not catchy, it's just simply a reflection on humanity's darker side. Without all the bells, whistles, and theatricality of The Wall, this album is still a masterpiece. It's tough to concede to the indulgence of the man who broke up the greatest band in history, but his lyrics and sparing use of music created a great coda to an era, leaving us with an obscure masterpiece that will never gain the attention it deserves. Few people can reach this level of articulate and satirical songwriting, interpreting the world we live in with such original insight and brilliance. The Final Cut is, in conclusion, a modern classic comparable to the works of the great British satirists of the Enlightenment.