Merle Saunders passed away this morning in San Francisco, CA.
Through his music both in partnership with Jerry Garcia and beyond, Merle spread great joy through his music and with an unebbing enthusiasm.
I saw him play a countless times in the 90s including my first, very memorable, trip to the Wetlands Preserve in New York City.
He will be missed.
Three weeks ago, on a Tuesday night, word flew all over the internet about the impending announcement of Phish’s return to touring. Wednesday, October 1st, it came to fruition. I’ve got to say, I was barely able to keep my seat at work that day. The excitement of a kid who just learned about Christmas comes to mind. Only bigger. Imagine if, at six years old- when Christmas is the biggest freakin day of the year- someone told you that Christmas was going to happen 20 times in the next year.
Bigger than that.
This is one of those, “if you know; then you know,” sort of things. If you don’t get it, it probably seems a little ridiculous.
But, it’s not.
Phish is coming back.
The implications of the reunion are broad. In 2004, as they played their final shows, it was stated repeatedly that this wasn’t like the previous “hiatus”. This was for real. This time it was for keeps. Problem is, the shows were abysmal. The near-toxic combination of drug addictions and depression hit members of the band; Trey in particular had been having a difficult year onstage (and, it was later confirmed, off.) The missed notes, flubbed cues, etc, made it all the more depressing that not only were we not going to see these guys again, but we had already lost them. Phish, as we knew it, was already gone.
In retrospect, that may have softened the blow. One could justify the loss as being “for the best.”
But now, despite their previous statements, Phish is returning to the stage. Trey has come through to the other side of a painful and public ordeal with a drug arrest and rehab. They’ve all explored solo projects (Mike Gordon’s recent tour garnered very positive reviews from the fanbase and Trey’s current solo tour is getting rave reviews) and, it would seem, they are intesested in being a band again. The question is, are they out for redemption and a new lease on life? Or are they reaching for dollars and nostalgia?
As a fan, I’m hoping for the former.
When Phish played what was their final song, I, like so many fans, was extremely sad. Not just because they weren’t able to play my favorite song correctly (that did not help!) but because I felt as if a chapter of my life had just been closed forever. Getting into parenthood early, I did not spend as much time on the road with Phish as many of my like-minded friends. For me, Phish became a long weekend, once or twice a year; sometimes close to home, sometimes not. Their music connected these ‘weekends’ to earlier points in my life like beads on a string. The end of Phish’s touring career meant the end of that string. Listening to a show on cd or watching it on dvd can never supplant the actual, visceral, live experience.
Now, as I see it, that chapter cannot be reopened. The past is past. But a future with Phish shows is a pretty good future, indeed.
In March, when the lights go down on the first show back, I’ll be there.
An acquaintance of mine who sits, shall we say, off to the right of center in the political spectrum, forwarded to me an opinion article from a paper whose editorial page has been called (by Bill Clinton) “more right wing and irrational than most of the commentators on Fox News.” Of course, the email couched the article as if it were a news report which, even from this particular paper, would have been worthwhile and generally, reliable and accurate.
However, the editorial page is the opposite of reliable reporting. Quality news reporting consists of the gathering, objective analysis, and reporting of facts. When composing an editorial article, one begins with a thesis then selects facts, generates hyperbole, disseminates misnomers and yes, even lies, to support the thesis. The disregard of facts is also a popular tool. Both wings of the spectrum do this and it should not be a shock to anyone.*
So what, you ask, does this nonsense have to do with “Why I’m Voting For Obama”?
The article in question attempted to scare the reader with promises of higher taxes under the plan laid out by the Obama campaign. I’m no numbers wiz but I have looked at the plans from both camps and I don’t see how I will see significant changes to my personal tax liability under either scenario. Frankly, my decision has little, if anything, to do with tax plans.
My vote is based on a belief that change must be more than a minor course correction. Our current POTUS has done more to shame the people of these United States than any holder of the office since Richard Nixon. He has driven us to wars for the sake of commodities rather than security. In doing so he has neglected the true front in the War On Terror: our national integrity, global standing, and economic strength. These are the things that were attacked on that terrible day in 2001. These are the foundations that our attackers sought to shake as they struck at the symbols of our economic and military might.
G. W. Bush, with the support of John McCain took their eyes off the ball, widened the so-called “War on Terror” into an imperialistic power-grab for a handhold in a region that does not want our presence. In doing so, we fomented and fueled the ranks of the terrorists and began to drive the well-being of our own nation into the ground.
John McCain believes that this was the right thing to do.
I believe that he is wrong. I believe that his hindsight being limited only to suggest that we should have done things differently rather than not-at-all shows a dangeous stubborness akin to that of the current POTUS.
I believe that Barack Obama is a man who would seek not to strike first; not to endanger American lives unless they are already in peril. I believe that Barack Obama wants to bring our soldiers out of Iraq as quickly and safely as possible.
On other fronts, I feel that Obama’s intent to invest in the lives of Americans meets with my beliefs (or as closely as any major candidate will get.) National Health Care is not a crazy notion. We could have funded it a number of times over with the money that we are throwing away in Iraq. In my opinion, every human on the planet deserves health care. It should never be a matter of finance. It’s a matter of common sense. The state of the U.S. health care system is presently a point upon which we should be ashamed. Sure, you may be doing just fine. But everybody deserves to be doing fine; regardless of their age, wealth, or employment status. And I’ll also add, a $5000 Tax credit will not go very far when the projected per-person cost of health insurance for 2009 is projected to be in excess of $12,000. That’s math I can understand.
Had I the time or inclination, I could probably go on like this all day but I do have lunch and a job to think about. So, I’ll leave you with the following message:
Vote Obama.
*This blog post is, of course, my opinion, fueled by facts, with as little lying as possible.
I often use this space to tell you what I’ve been rocking on my iPod. Thing is, it’s not always music. Lately, economics is on everyone’s mind and I’ve been listening to a few podcasts that have been a great help to my understanding of the current crisis. These are today’s topic. Perhaps a little bit dry but definitely worth your attention.
The first big one is the podcast of “This American Life“. Ira Glass and company put on a great show every week on all sorts of topics and I am always enthralled for the hour(ish) that I listen. A while back they ran one of their most popular shows to date, entitled “The Giant Pool Of Money“. This show detailed the ins and outs and wtf?s of the Mortgage Backed Security / Subprime Lending debacle. What’s more, they do so in a way that a college dropout, like myself, can grasp. They don’t just toss off buzzwords and technical terms without pausing to explain them in practical, layman’s terms.
That show was so successful, the two guys who did the show (Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson) have started a blog and a daily podcast of their own called “Planet Money“. They continue to address the economy in plain terms and, given the few eeeks that we’ve been having, they are very busy and doing a great job.
But that’s not all! A couple weeks ago, “This American Life” called Alex and Adam back to do a followup show. This one was appropriately entitled “Another Frightening Show About The Economy“. Here, they go beyond the subprime issue and explain how this has turned into a global economic crisis. Have you ever heard about Credit Default Swaps? You might have recently. Do you know what they are? After hearing this program, you’ll know; and you’ll be shocked. Check it out.
Oh, and if you haven’t signed up for the “This American Life” podcast yet… Here’s another reason. This weeks episode is back to standard form; several stories on a single subject. Two of the four stories address aspects of the current financial climate. Listen to it here.
