June 4, 2020: Grievance (Read on The Porch, Episode 58)

Hi Jessi and Kate,

I am admittedly behind on your episodes, but I did take the chance to listen to your episode on the song "Sad." To premise this, I have found it difficult to stay connected with the things I have enjoyed the most since the pandemic started and now after the death of George Floyd. I've found that music and especially Pearl Jam has always been therapeutic when I have faced times of distress, but it was more personal than global. The infamous image of what occurred in Minneapolis is burned into my memory. A lot of outcry we are seeing was ignited on Memorial Day, but there have been countless other times in this country's history we have gone through the viscous circle of pushing back against the equality of our society and then things calming down and seemingly going back to a status quo. Racism and inequality has struck a nerve with me most of my life and it's long overdue for so many of us to look in the mirror.

Strangely enough, "Sad" led me to another song that I once considered my favorite on Binaural and find it so fitting in this current climate. I listened to the original track listing of Binaural to get a feel of where "Sad" was placed and how it fit in the original track listing. Just a quick take, I wholeheartedly agree with Kate's opinion on how much more rich and full Binaural would have been with this list of songs. I listened to "Sad," then "Rival" which was an interesting placement and then the lyrics started blistering my ears.

Pledge your grievance to the flag
Cause you don't give blood... then take it back again
Oh we're all deserving something more.

I found on Wikipedia the lyrics of this song were more pertaining to the technological change at the end of the 20th century and how society was being thrusted into something it wasn't ready for. Twenty years later, I see it more as a concept that not everyone in society has acknowledged as an issue. We are not all treated equal in the United States. It's an outcry that has been made in so many ways, and no way has seemingly been appropriate in many individuals eyes. It's time to stop allowing the effect to distract us from the cause.

I Pledge My Grievance To The Flag,

Chris

Comments

October 17, 2010: RIP Mozart for Guitar

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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

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

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