Skip to main content

July 13, 2019: Blackout Weaves Its Way... (Read on the Porch Episode 24)

Hi Jessi and Kate,

I know you two took off next week, but it feels much longer than that since your last episode!  I look forward to a new dropping this upcoming week as I have been feeling the withdrawals.  Your last song covered, Bu$hleaguer, is a great topic.  
 
Back when I ranked my favorite/least favorite tracks on Riot Act, I had elected this song as my least.  It's not that I don't enjoy this song and the chorus always gets stuck in my head from time-to-time.

I remember when you sang
That song about today
Now it's tomorrow and
Everything has changed

When this song came out, I had just turned 21 and really didn't have a strong feeling either way on the political landscape.  It took me until my late 20's until I started to feel more strongly the way that I do now, and most of my core values back then were more liberal and progressive.  Talking politics back then, especially after 9/11, was a very uncomfortable thing for me.  If I had been at a show during the Riot Act tour and saw Eddie come out in the Bush Mask, I may have felt awkward at that time. 

Fast forward to 37-year-old me, where the proverbial gloves have come off and I don't make it a secret that I am a registered democrat.  I do find the left extremists and those who would rather just argue than have conversations with those on the right who are willing, very annoying however.  However, I do not find Eddie taking advantage of his platform annoying at all.  I loved his response to the crowd at the Nassau Coliseum.  Rather than act in a brash way, he spoke of his willingness to have conversations about his views and not a right/wrong argument.  It's the biggest problem we have in this polarized society today.  I'm proud to know my morals and politics largely align with his and the rest of the band. 

Lastly, I want to reaffirm something I wrote in to the Brads a while back after Jeff.  His reaction to the crowd at the Nassau Coliseum is priceless to me.  That personifies the band for the most part as they will make the music they want, interact with the media as they want, and use their platform as they want.  This band is authentic to its core and it's a huge reason why they are my favorite.

Forced to endure, what I could not forgive,

Chris

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

October 17, 2010: RIP Mozart for Guitar

Hi Brad and Brad, I first want to mention that I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did while listening to you two and Clint Wells go on about spoonfuls of flour and uncooked spaghetti.  I almost had to pull my car over as I was driving home during that part of the episode!   Since Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6th, I've been listening to a lot of Van Halen.  I didn't really get into them until 10-15 years ago, but I consider them to be one of my favorite bands of all-time.  Eddie was truly an innovator on shredding guitar solos and may be my favorite lead guitarist ever.  I saw Mike's comment on Pearl Jam's Twitter feed referencing how he began playing guitar shortly after their first record came out.  He goes so far to say "it sounded like Eddie was from another planet" and "Eddie was like Mozart for guitar.  Changed everything and he played with Soul." I know the guys have covered Van Halen here-and-there and I looked
Post a Comment
Read more

December 26, 2020: Someday at Christmas

Hi Brad and Brad, First, I hope you guys have had a Happy Holidays.  Secondly, I really enjoy your solo episodes.  They have a deejay format to them which also feels personable in getting to know each of your lives and what has influenced you to be who you are now. I hadn't taken the time to get to know Someday at Christmas until after listening to BradB's recent episode.  Pearl Jam does a great job in covering the song, and I prefer Stevie Wonder's version over the Jackson 5.  Especially, after reading the lyrics and reading some interpretations of the song.  At the time the song was released, the Vietnam War was still underway.  The lyrics seem to voice opposition to the war itself, but also express the hope for racial and economic equality.  Unfortunately, that message still resonates strongly.   Stevie Wonder was one of the artists that shaped my musical interests when I was a teenager.  I'm very glad the guys chose to cover this song for a Christmas single and have
Post a Comment
Read more

December 31, 2020: Low Light

Hi Jessi and Kate, I have been way behind on my podcasts the last several weeks.  The main reason is because myself and a friend started our own podcast!  It's not Pearl Jam themed , however it's consumed a decent amount of my week preparing for each recording.  So we now have a hit on the Dink-O-Meter for both of you.  First Jessi and now Kate!  I can't remember if I have proposed the Dink-O-Meter to you yet, but I have it as a three-tiered system: Dinky: Just your average dinky, will only skip if streaming Rinky-Dinky: Automatic skipper, even when listening to vinyl Stinky-Dinky: It's like nails on a chalkboard to you Based on Jessi's response to Parachutes, I have that somewhere between Rinky-Dinky and Stinky-Dinky.  I would have to let Jessi be the final judge on that.  For Kate's remarks to Low Light, I have it somewhere between Dinky and Rinky-Dinky, however I'm inclined to believe it's closer to Dinky because I wasn't able to note as many hot
Post a Comment
Read more