Pitiable Victims
I caught the Indigo Girls on a repeat from MPR's morning show yesterday.
I've been listening to them since their debut EP in 1986. I can take a few of their songs, leave a bunch of the rest - but they are very good at the basic blocking and tackling of doing really good, tight harmony, and they have a way with a hook that after 20 years of alt-rock spotlight is as effortless as their social/political screeding is strained.
I loved this bit - and I'm paraphrasing closely, since I didn't have a digital recorder handy (although MPR did - it's a streaming audio file: the Dixie Chicks bit starts at 31:20 into the interview): In talking about the Dixie Chicks, one of them noted:
They've always had pretty left-wing values - and I think it was that one moment of saing something, and the audience saying "wait, we don't want you to have opinions, we just want you to sing"
Now, I can't stand Laura Ingraham's "Shut Up And Sing" meme. I don't care if "stars" babble whatever politics they want from the stage; most of them are idiots, and every time they open their mouths it shuts down another lefty voter.
And I don't even care that they have big stage to talk from; on a good day, as many people read this blog every week as attend any given Indigo Girls concert (they sell out Northrop, which holds about as many people as read this blog in a day), so I'm not even going to bitch about that. Let 'em say what they want - I'll talk back. Everyone wins.
But c'mon, Em'n Amy - nobody's saying anyone can't have their opinions.
It's just that opinions have consequences. If I went to an Indigo Girls concert and stood up and said "leftist lesbian coffee-house folk music bores me stiff!", I'd probably have some blowback to deal with - right? At least in that room?
(And "Goodbye Earl" was a strong feminist message? Your husband's a jerk, so kill him is "strongly feminist?" Ohh, my wheels are turning...)
Posted by Mitch at
July 17, 2006 07:49 AM
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Mitch, “Goodbye Earl” was about a physically abusive husband who beat his wife rather than one who was just a jerk. You may not have caught that from just hearing the song on the radio but the music video with David Franz made it a little more explicit.
Posted by: Thorley Winston at July 17, 2006 01:47 PMRight. I know the song well - I've heard it at a billion karaoke nights.
I'm not aware that:
* "Earl" committed any capital crimes, or that
* Murder and dismemberment are "feminist"
I'm thinking if someone did a song about a guy murdering an abusive girlfriend/wife, it'd be labelled "sick".
Posted by: mitch at July 17, 2006 01:54 PMNow I don't keep up on blog numbers, but the IG just sold out two shows here last week. Last year they sold out two shows and Northrup. They are constantly on tour and play around the world.
No offense Mitch you know you are my boy, but I'd be willing to bet your actually number of individual readers is well below the number of people who see the IG in a week, much less a month or a year.
Posted by: CCK at July 17, 2006 02:38 PM"(they sell out Northrop, which holds about as many people as read this blog in a day)"
Nice try on the addition, but Northrop holds well over the 733 visits your sitemeter says you get in a day.
Posted by: CCK at July 17, 2006 03:18 PM"(they sell out Northrop, which holds about as many people as read this blog in a day)"
Nice try on the addition, but Northrop holds well over the 733 visits your sitemeter says you get in a day.
Posted by: CCK at July 17, 2006 03:18 PMstupid lag double post.
I just can't let you bash the Girls Mitch!
Posted by: cck at July 17, 2006 03:19 PMFor starters - the ad code on my site is fouling up, breaking the page before I hit the site counter. I get closer to 3K visits a day according to my site logs. I mean, not that it matters - I'd do the blog for five people a day - but just saying, my sitemeter doesn't really tell the tale.
And I'm not bashing the Grrls - I tried to make that clear. Just dinging one of the things they said.
Posted by: mitch at July 17, 2006 04:01 PMOK I forgive you then.
What is your favorite album? Personally I haven't cared for pretty much any song after SO/1200 Curfews
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