With apologies to those who have seen this same list from me elsewhere.
Rivka, of the wonderful Respectful of Otters blog, on cognitive
dissonance and Hurricane Katrina, and
Tom Hayden, writing in the Nation, on what Iraqis really think of the
occupation.
Okay, so this has been something of a recurring theme for me lately, but…
Sometimes, there’s no experience quite like hearing a beloved old record for the first time in a really long time. Right now, I’m listening to “Big Plans for Everybody” by Let’s Active, a record I don’t think I’ve heard since approximately 1987 (i.e. a year or so after it came out). It’s not Let’s Active’s best record, but it has some amazing, heartbreaking songs on it, and hearing it again after all this time is sheer bliss.
I can understand people who say things like, “I hardly ever listen to new music anymore, I just listen to the old stuff.” Having just listened to a fine new record by the wonderful Canadian punk band the Constantines, I can’t say I share that attitude completely. But I do understand it—particularly right now, with this Let’s Active record tearing my heart to shreds in the best possible way.