THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
“The artist must bow to the monster of his own imagination.”― Richard Wright
Besides it being my Mom’s birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!) it is also the “birthday” of the American flag. The year was 1777. On June 14th the Congress had voted to approve “The Flag Resolution” which stated that “the flag would be made up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white, five-pointed stars on a blue field representing a new constellation” (I appreciate the pre-technological focus on astronomy). Each colony would be represented by an identical star (so no colony would seem greater than the other) and a star would be added for each new colony. All fairly obvious. On this day in the same year the flag, for the first time, was ordered to be flown in battle during the Revolutionary War at Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware…a battle that the rebels lost and were forced to retreat to Pennsylvania to meet up with a general named George Washington.
It is not the past history that is interesting to me, but the present and how the flag is thought about in our current chaotic, divisive reality. 244 years after the flag was first flown in the name of freedom, that same flag…now with dozens of more stars and a much more square constellation…has been co-opted to stand for a conservative America……flown proudly during our recent moment of insurrection…riding the backs of trucks as they convoy through our highways demonstrating against the Presidential election results…representing an America that this week saw the Texas anti-abortion law upheld by The Supreme Court. Our flag has been used as a brazen signal by many dangerous groups threatening a scary vision of our country that could come true.
Merry Prankster Ken Babbs recently commented on social media about this reality: “I've always loved how the Pranksters flew the American flag. It's important to take back the flag as a symbol for people like us, instead of the Tea Party and conservatives. We flew the flag all the time! We were in Phoenix when Barry Goldwater was running for election. We painted "A Vote For Barry Is A Vote For Fun!" on the side of the bus. We waved flags with the sound system blaring. The flag belongs to us all. It isn't owned by a particular group of people. Especially not people who have rules about the flag. I have a flagpole in my yard and people say, "You can't fly the flag all the time. That's against the rules." I say, "But you can do it when you're a ship at sea. I'm at sea all the time. I never know what the hell's going on."
I know and respect people who shun the whole idea of any type of nationalistic pride showcasing. AND I love Babbs’ historical framing here and with it, the idea of taking the flag back sounds like a pretty good one. Freeing the flag from the current dogmas and once again waving it while the stereo is blasting and the cannabis…now legal…is being passed out and “take back the flag as a symbol for people like us.”
My friend (and now New York Times best selling author) Roger Bennett reminded us on Late Night with Colbert recently what Langston Hughes talks about in his poem Let America Be America Again: that this country will always be an ideal that we have never achieved that we must strive to meet. And since this week has been a true affront to anyone fighting for personal freedom and since this weekend we are celebrating Labor Day “to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States” it seems like a good time to think about the people, moments and symbols that helped build this country, including the flag, and own this inheritance to continue to push towards a better reality for this land we call home.
Funkadelic :: Cookie Jar | Live at the Sugar Shack, Boston, 1972
Another type of freedom: 10 minutes of early Funkadelic. Who does not want to have that in their day…and trust me, it will psychedelicise your your maggot-brained mind.
Thomas Hardy documentary to chart his life and work
As a huge Thomas Hardy fan this new documentary “Thomas Hardy: Fate, Exclusion and Tragedy” sounds fantastic…but it is also somewhat of an enigma. There are sites on-line that say it came out last year….but there are no trailers…not reviews….and now it is being shown on Sky Arts in the United Kingdom. This article offers great details into it’s contents…but I guess it will be a while until I can actually SEE it.
You Won’t Bleed Me: How Blaxploitation Posters Defined Cool & Delivered Profits @ Poster House, NYC
AS the title of the article says, these posters are COOL. Want to check out the whole exhibit. The 70s really were a great designed time.
Vintage Circus Photos from the Sanger Circus Collection
For those into the genre of circus freaks….this photo exhibit is not full-on Todd Browning, but it is compelling to see a glimpse into the distant past and the greatest shows on earth.
WEEKEND LISTEN: Forgotten Songs And Unsung Heroes by John Kay
I have been on a Steppenwolf trip as of late listening to their second record over and over and going back to my favorite songs from the first LP as well. I had never heard John Kay’s debut solo record from the time, which featured many players that would eventually find their way into the Steppenwolf line-up. The record (not on Spotify but on YOUTUBE) is killer outing finding the lead singer more stripped down but just as bluesy, just as soulful. From the first track, his signature voice grabs you and throughout the guitar playing of Kent Henry is just perfect. It is one of those records that gets better and better with every listen.
Sunflower Sonnet Number 2
By: June Jordan
Supposing we could just go on as two
voracious in the days apart as well as when
we side by side (the many ways we do
that) well! I would consider then
perfection possible, or else worthwhile
to think about. Which is to say
I guess the costs of long term tend to pile
up, block and complicate, erase away
the accidental, temporary, near
thing/pulsebeat promises one makes
because the chance, the easy new, is there
in front of you. But still, perfection takes
some sacrifice of falling stars for rare.
And there are stars, but none of you, to spare.
