Lisa Ann Wright: Blog, Etc.

An acquaintance of mine once reminded me, after I had just done a gig for an appalling crowd of suits, that they, too, were "just people." I disagreed, of course, since bucking against ANYbody's prevailing thought has always been my default MO...which is unfortunate sometimes, I suppose. But my friend's lofty "just people" thing rankled, and still does, for, to me, "some people" (i.e. conservative rightwingnut hawks, kneejerk anythings, religious freaks) seem to be fairly lesser "people" than others. That's what I really do think in my currently unevolved state, despite my pretentions of tolerance and general humor in most situations--so help me Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Good-News Jesus and the Dalai Lama.

My friends Mike and Diana's band Honky Tonk Confidential with Bob Schieffer battled Tony Snow's band Beats Workin' last year in a fundraiser at The National Press Club. Tony was, in my view, the most human face of the Bushies, (not so much the opportunist, turncoat or robot as his fellow press secs), and I'll concede that meeting people, even rightwing wingnut spokespeople-- sometimes makes them a little more "just people." He made a point of saying hey to us (I was one of Bob's backup singers) , and sick as he was, he played the flute admittedly quite well. And he, like Bob, performed with humor and grace.

I am against just almost everything that this current administration has stood for, and I have mixed feelings about fawning eulogies for a man whose integrity was compromised (like Colin Powell's) by consorting with Bush's criminal cronies. But I feel what I feel, and I'm not ashamed to admit I did shed a tear for a guy who liked music and took a few hours out of the very few he had left to play his flute and to be -- not Bush's press secretary or a Fox News anchor-- but just a person.

So I do have ONE gripe about I-Fest. But only one. A lot of Ithaca folks worked their yoga-toned butts off to make a whole lot happen in those four days--and had to roll with rain and lightning and managing the traffic for a human peace sign. I've thanked and thanked and still can't thank the volunteer powers- that- be for their amazing organizing skills. NO COMPLAINTS from me...but...there is this ONE thing...

OK, so what is THE DEAL with these little sawed-off ferrit/chipmunk/flying squirrel wannabees from Australia that guys in shorts (looking like multiple reincarnations of Steve Irwin) were hawking at the festival?? Now come ON, you entice hundreds of Ithaca kids to your booth and send them off with a five HUNDRED dollar Sugar Glider pet and cage set?? WTF?? Um, shouldn't we be reminding parents that there's a recession going on, and that expensive pets are a VERY POOR impulse buy for families on budgets...and that hundreds of existing cats and dogs need homes already? Or that these cute little buggers live so long it is YOU PARENTS who will be responsible for them while Junior is in college puking in the dorm?? I predict a huge Freecycle glut of sugar gliders in 2018.

The Sugar Glider booths seemed, to me, in very poor taste for a festival promoting Ithaca's ethics. I wonder what the PETA folks are thinking about all this. Yes, yes, these little pets are adorable, there's no denying that. (Much more attractive than those house weasels--ferrits. I think ferrits are the only animals I see frequently on Freecycle. That tells you something.) And I'm kind of against the whole idea of exotic pets. I guess that comes from mildly traumatic childhood experiences. My cousin Pearl's spider monkey ran wildly around the house and my little brother had two chameleons show up dead in the mail. DOA.

There is an exploitative, (not to mention highly commercial ) element in having persuasive young men tell moms and dads that for half a thousand dollars little Kaitlyn can have the pet of her dreams. Two cute little yellow kittens named Wayne and Wilson are at the Tompkins County SPCA, waiting for someone to take them home for free. http://www.spcaonline.com/

Marsupials, (like Rhonda Byrne and her idiotic"Secret"), should stay in Australia where they belong.

Dear Big Mr. Tough-Guy Pickup Driver Who Insulted Me Today Because You Almost Hit Me and Blamed My Obama Bumper Sticker For It,

I was getting a bit too complacent, I suppose, thinking that here in Ithaca I was insulated from rubes like you. Thank you for pissing me off so much that I now recognize, that even here in my liberal bubble, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Sincerely,

The “Emotional” Woman You Almost Hit and I Wish You Had ‘Cuz I’d Sue Your Big White Derriere You Impolite Clodhopping Redneck Boor

Rant 1 I guess it's overdue, but I admit I've been uncomfortably numb or otherwise sedated, now living in my bubble of unreality in Ithaca, NY. But OK, Myanmar's cyclone has wiped out the equivalent of a medium-sized American city's population, and Chinese rescuers are digging up thousands of dead children. Can someone please explain to me, when there are matters of life and death, war and peace, environmental catastrophes, oil crises and monetary collapse --HUGE issues that should take ALL our focus--that anybody, that any freaking body should have the ENERGY to give a flying HOOT whether gays marry or not??? Let 'em marry and be done with it!! What is the BIG DEAL? Why should gay opponents have such a big problem with California's ruling? Why aren't these "religious" wingnuts working for the Salvation Army or Red Cross right now instead of using their apparantly endless reserves of energy to hassle gays??

Rant2 Who cares if Obama says working class folk are bitter? They sure as hell are. I wish Obama would just snidely say something like, "Well, I'm an uppity black man and I still say you proles are bitter." I'm sorry. Nascar Dad had his chance and he f*d it up by voting for W. My hat's off to Joe Bageant and other sincere and honorable working class sympathizers, but this political kissing up to them must stop. Clinton acted like an idiot in PA, and Obama was right to call her Annie Oakley. Somebody sold working class people a bill of goods telling them ""LLLLLLLiberal" government is BAD BAD BAD!!" (Usually some rich hypocrite like Rush or Hannity.) So even now, with working people have no health insurance, no homes to live in, and no future--they need uplifting with REAL education, NOT "edumacation" that's best left to Sunday school class. Science. Remember that? You know, based on EVIDENCE and PROOF and DISCIPINE. I digress. Thanks, guys, for voting for the class clown. Thanks for joining in the collective US little-head response called "The War on Terror" that benefits Halliburton and Co. immensely, and chews up YOUR kids and spits 'em out. Thanks a lot!

Time was, working class didn't mean stupid, nor did it mean overtly crass, Roseanne Barrish grossness. It meant proud, maybe union, and independent minded. Now, to be independent minded is downright unpatriotic. Let's all watch the same crap on TV and talk about the same dumb celebrity antics and eat the same crap food and listen to the same crap music so we all have the same crap kids grow up to be the same crap fodder for the same crap regime wars than benefit the same crap rich folks. Can we wake up, already?

Sometimes I wish I could do that. I read a couple lines from some groovy, kind and gentle Christian blogger and I think of "Godspell" Jesus and lions laying down with lambs and pre-Bush non-vengeance good newsy Christianity. The problem with such simplistic bumper-stickerist religiousity as "Let Go and Let God" is that ya gotta know which "God" you are talking about. God of Love or God of Wrath? I would choose God of Love, but I don't get all hung up about it, since I'm kind of out of the mainstream God conversation loop anyways.

Still, you look at the suffering in Myanmar and China, the hundreds of thousands of people killed and suffering, and whether you call it God or Love or secular humanism, Buddhist compassion, or Bonobo Social Instinct, the urge to help is, in my view, what makes life worth living.

Salvation Army takes online donations at:https://secure.salvationarmy.org/donations.nsf/donate?openform&t=US_USC*USE*USS*USW

And Red Cross at:

http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ggl_main&s_subsrc=DonateToRedCross&s_src=F7FWE001&gclid=CM_1n5nMoZMCFQoFGgodAndnng

In a little write-up in March, speaking of my "folk" songs , the author said "Wright is perhaps little more of the old day folk tradition when the working class and social issues played a role in the music." Just goes to show how far folk music has strayed from music about real folks. Suburban dittoheads in cowboy hats who've never lifted a bale of hay let alone ridden a horse are "country" singers, and overly educated folkie poseurs (pun intended) feign the workingman's weariness; a posture better befitting the coal miner, grease monkey or housekeeper he/she holds in remote yet earnest "esteem." (I guess "I Got Them Spoiled Middle-Class Broken-Fingernail Blues" doesn't quite cut the musical mustard...)

Snarkiness aside, I take exception to the idea that somehow working class and social issues are not as relevant today as, perhaps, old-timey worship and singer/songwriter's navel gazing are. Still, though I may take exception, I do agree the folk tradition is in danger of becoming a precious medium appreciated mostly by graying NPR audiences ...so maybe some of us should stop navel-gazing and do something about it!

"I'm in an abysmal world trying to figure it out." Mike Tyson

Mighty Mike Tyson who fell from grace, wracked and wrecked by his demons and addictions, is to me, a strangely sympathetic character. As a woman I abhor his weaknesses, but I can't help but admire his honesty. Talking about his troubled past he was quoted as saying, "I didn't know how to be any other way. I felt like one of those barbarian kings just coming to conquer the Roman Empire. I was crazy."

It's vanity and hubris that eventually becomes the downfall of kings- kings of the boxing ring as well as the free world. Who would have predicted that Mike Tyson would become the perfect metaphor for America-- a tired, faded superstar forced to see his true face in the light of day. But unlike our delusional President Bush, Mike Tyson recognizes and states the painful truth in his words, "I was crazy." And truth is where redemption begins.

It's a chilling feeling to get a call on my cell from a friend on the edge. Groggy and drugged, the strange yet familiar voice asks me how I am and I know from her voice that she's not okay. She's in the hospital now, and the call for help has been answered with a response of concern. But was she just lucky this time? Her friends got her to the hospital on time, thank goodness.

It's a weird, upside down world we live in. I've seen seemingly strong people crumble in the tumult of their lives. So many people tossed about in a tide of uncertainty and lost hope. If only they could learn to dance on the shifting sands.

This email we have, the calls and text-messages we send -- these ways of reaching out do help. No, it's not the hug or the human presence we may crave, but it is something. But there needs to be something more fierce and protective in our love for one another as we make our way through these tough times.

A saxophone player, between sets, told my son and me something that I couldn’t agree with more. He said, referring to Eliot Spitzer “If that’s the best and brightest, then I don’t feel so bad for being just a regular guy.” My dad used to call folks like Spitzer “educated fools.” Not that my dad was without major imperfections, but I think it might be fair to say he had, at times, a talent for apt criticism.

Condi Rice. Scooter Libby. Colin Powell. Paul Wolfowitz. Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton. Spitz. No lack of brain cells or IQs here—just a lack of common sense. I wonder if all their moms and dads forgot to read “Pinocchio” to them when they were kids. Who hasn’t learned by age seven that telling lies just leads to erosion of character? Educated fools ain’t got nuthin’ on the regular guy.

Remember way back when Al Gore –and not so way back, when John Kerry debated W? And how the press and public excoriated Gore and Kerry for appearing “too smart?” How dare they look intelligent! This is "'Merica", dammit!! We didn’t care if our children is edumacated or not, we just wanted to get them homos and condoms out of our schools and God into the science books. After 911 it was towel-heads we wanted to shock ‘n awe, and how easy it was for W to get the population behind his bloody anti-Muslim oil crusade.

Al Gore has won a Nobel Prize and Bush’s illegal war and poor economic stewardship has put us into a recession. Our armed forces are strapped and struggling, and there is no end to the “War” in sight. Just read today’s papers.

There are educated fools and just plain fools. A majority of “regular” Americans voted for Bush in 2004. Perhaps these “regular” Americans need to take a good look in the mirror. When it comes to finding blame for today’s current crises, educated fools ain’t got nuthin’ on the regular guy.

I promised myself I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t take the bait. Not again. Not this time. But I did it. After over a year of deliberately NOT reading David Brooks’ column in the New York Times online, what did I do? I clicked on it. I had to. The title of the column, "Pitching With Purpose" piqued my interest....why?? Well, initially it was like this....conservative windbag...baseball....George Will...that sort of thing. My brain said something like "David Brooks the wunderkind is getting OLD and writing in baseball metaphors...or worse, is becoming a baseball factoid freak like Will. Then my brain says...no...the title "Pitching With Purpose" is a FARM metaphor...and Brooks is talking about pitching all the horse manure out of his writing stall that has accumulated over the last seven years....

So I needed to assuage my curiosity. I HAD TO!! And to save anyone else who might read his column a few minutes of tedium, let me sum up with this nugget from the Bantam Bard of Bourgeois Bilge:

" In fact, it’s easiest to change the mind by changing behavior, and that’s probably as true in the office as on the mound."

Now I know why Brooks stopped writing like a Bushie lapdog!! Because if he stopped writing like one...he reasoned he might stop thinking like one! No need to soberly review past errors, just pick up the ball and throw. Throw a few thousand pitches, and odds are, one or two might make it over the plate.

"WAYCROSS, Ga. (AP) — A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job and assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward, police said Tuesday."

When I first heard about this story I dismissed it as typical media hyperbole, til I read the AP story which said these kids had orchestrated a plan to hurt their teacher using handcuffs, duct tape and a knife. The little red gloves were--in my view-- the most chilling. And, horrifyingly, they had assigned tasks, among them, "clean up."

What have we become? These are 8-10 year old kids. I remember a kid in fourth grade who tried to put a thumb tack on our teacher's chair and the chorus of tattlers saving her matronly rear end. The Whoopie cushions, the cruel drawings of teachers... the "pranks."

But what are we seeing now? These are not "pranks". These kids and their families need immediate and thorough psychotherapeutic therapy and intervention. The teacher needs individual, heartfelt apologies--and a teacher's aid (hopefully a huge, scary-looking guy).

The school has an obligation to walk into the heart of this juvenile darkness and to get these kids into the light before it's too late.

Okay, not officially so, but I did see a robin today. That's official enough for me. AND I saw a red-winged blackbird yesterday! So I'm calling it Spring.

Another fall from grace. Oh, Eliot, say it ain't so. Well, Mr. Clean...ain't. And his little woman trotted out faithfully by his side as he did that politician's "take responsibility for my actions" press conference thing....you know the schtick. "I apologize most of all to my wife and family...I hope to regain their trust...blah, blah, blechhh!!! Well, one thing for Eliot, though, at least he didn't go dragging The Lord God into it. Still, it's all the same damn thing. Republican, Democrat--some folks just can't handle power.

What I wish...is that ol' Silda and Dina and Hillary had just taken notes from Lorena Bobbitt, and I am quite certain they would have been saved from their public humiliations. Not to actually maim their man...but y'know, to gently threaten him, that's all....by keeping a nice big pair of scissors on the bedside table..."for sewing, honey"!! Sewing while you're out sowing!

Seriously, I could care less what people do. Whatever. Free country, consenting adults, all that. But I think there's a special place in hell for the sanctimonious, hypocritical bastards who have the gall to expect any sympathy as they publicly "apologize" for their actions-- only after getting caught.

Another middle class suburban twit gets caught fabricating a gangbanger book. This time it's Margaret B. Jones whose review in the NYT last week sent my BS detector blinking faster than Anton Chigurh's radio thingie. Seems Jones' real last name is "Seltzer" which is fitting since her book is turns out to be a bubbling gasbag of fiction.

Not sure who is dumber...Margaret for thinking she could get away with such a fantastic lie... or Penguin books FOR NOT FACT- CHECKING YOU IDIOTS! It would SEEM (I'm channeling Lewis Black here) THAT A FU***ING PUBLISHING COMPANY WOULD BE MORE CAREFUL AFTER THE FU***ING JAMES FREY FIASCO!

I mean, so Oprah was duped--she's not a fact-checker nor is that her role. But there's really no excuse anymore for these ridiculous fake memoirs. Sheesh. What's next? Some old goofball trying to pass off a story about being raised by wolves or something?

Ithaca Women Agree to Remove Hats in Church After Men Complain

Now, would I lie to you??
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E00E4DE1231E233A25753C3A9669D946096D6CF

She's a melding of Shirley Bassey, Diana Ross playing Billie Holliday, Janis Joplin, Laura Nyro and Yet-Another-Self-Destructive-Kid-With-Too-Much-Money. Love her or hate her, the package deal we saw last night at the Grammies was something different from the "usual" tepid, unispired drivel.

There's imagination there...and it was wonderful to hear those fat horns and a swinging melody. And I want three guy backup singers. too! How cool was that? Should I be disgusted with myself for liking it? If I had a choice between watching squeaky clean Faith Hill singing a duo with her cowboy hat, I'll choose the talented crackhead kid with the bad hair.

And Herbie Hancock's surprise win puts a smile on MY face. Of course everyone wants Amy to clean it up, so when she's Herbie's age she can go out on the red carpet like Natalie Cole and tsk tsk about the next self-destructive talented kid coming up.

Saw the legendary RT's touring show last nite.

Talk about an ambitious project!! 1000 years of song, at Ithaca's ( Big Drafty )State Theatre-- with just RT and two others. Well, truth be told-- it wasn't the best show I'd seen-- I got the feeling it was as "off" night for the crew onstage-- but there were glimmering moments. His gal vocalist Judith seemed a bit hoarse (although her lower register was marvelous), and as for RT, I think a Brit trying to do honky tonk is stretching it-- even more so than doing 16th Century Italian dance tunes!! I imagined my pals Mike Woods and Geff King getting up there and showing him how it's done. I guess I also wanted RT to tear it up more-- he pretty much seemed like he was saving his best energy for the big show tonite in NYC. Well, a performer's gotta do what they gotta do. The polished stuff was wonderful. The new songs, however, (they were reading words and forgetting some) were shakey--and at those moments I confess to feeling that $35.70 ticket-stub burning a hole in my pocket...

Still, he was funny and charming and it was a nice night. And, OK, I confess--it's comforting to know that "Legends" can have an off-night now and then.

Well, the Washington Area Music Award Ballots are out...and I can't believe I got FOUR nominations! Contemporary Folk Vocalist, Contemporary Folk Recording, New Artist, and Debut Recording. I'm up against some really nice, talented folks so I'm just happy to be nominated at all. What a nice Christmas surprise! (Not like those other Christmas "surprises" I saw at Rite-Aid... you can buy a Polar Bear, a Penguin or a Moose who craps jelly beans.)

To my fellow singers/musicians/songwriters -- a suggestion. A song or two for the miners of all nations who share the same dangers and sufferings. August has been a horrible month for mining, from the Crandall Canyon miners in Utah to the miners of Huayuan Mine in China. It's a poor man's job, dirty and dangerous. Remind your friends with soft hands and cushy desk jobs of the working people's struggles. They are all but forgotten these days.

To quote the recently deceased Willian Coffin: "..to show compassion for an individual without showing concern for the structures of society that make him an object of compassion is to sentimental rather than loving."

Show some love, folks. In your songs and at the polls.

Peace.

George Vecsey, columnist from the New York Times wrote of the Tour de France doping scandal: "Lying is lying. When will the people by the side of the road have enough?"

In light of the currently internationally disgraced bicyclists, we may once again be mindful of the biggest domestic liar of all, Mr. George W. Bush, (a biker who famously rode away his pre- Katrina blues). He who says 'Merica is safer now, and that the economy is doing great. To snarkily paraphrase Chris Hitchens and James Carville, ""The economy is NOT great, stupid."

Well, perhaps "trickle down economics" has a similarly "trickley" moral cousin--where the bar for decency in sports and politics has been brought down so low and with such bald-faced gall that the deceptive players are skipping over the limbo stick and declaring themselves winners.

As the recently deceased David Halberstam wrote:

"...the most dangerous time for any nation may be that moment in its history when things are going unusually well, because its leaders become carried away with hubris and a sense of entitlement cloaked as rectitude. The arrogance of power..."

Indeed, when WILL the people by the side of the road have enough? Not too soon, we can be sure of that.