Music, Food, & My Owie!

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2003 - 7:45 a.m.

Thanks to JJ for turning me on to this...

Did you know that Diaryland has an official theme song? It's very cute and clever.

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Yesterday and today, I have asked the following question of six people, one of which was my husband.

I warned them that it was one of those existential bullshit questions, but they all said okay and to bring it on.

The question was four words long: "Do you need me?"

The kind of answers I received ranged all the way from an unequivocal YES, in under thirty seconds with a single-sentence clarification that had a charm and an openness that left me in tears, to an evenly concocted mixture of vaporlock and verbiage that took three quarters of an hour to impart the phrase "there's no easy answer to this."

I'm grateful to the people who were able to answer me. Especially the one(s) who answered before their scheduled caffeine intake.

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Paul Schultz sent me more salsa! Nummy nums! I had myself a little moment there when I first opened the box -- and discovered that yes, there is in fact somebody on the planet even more retentive than I am when it comes to preparing a package for mailing.

As I shoveled through the peanuts and newspapers and styrofoam, it was as if I'd found somebody else on a deserted island.

I don't think that salsa would have shattered if it had been dropped out of an airplane.

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I've just seen this come across the wires:

MANAHAWKIN, N.J. (AP) - Jethro Tull is off the playlist of a classic rock station after the band's frontman criticized displays of the Stars and Stripes.

"I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon, out of every SUV, every little Midwestern house in some residential area," Ian Anderson was quoted as saying in an interview published Sunday in the Asbury Park Press. "It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism. Flag waving ain't gonna do it."

The verdict from listeners of WCHR-FM's "The Free Beer & Hot Wings Morning Show" was swift.

"The reaction of our audience has been 99 percent in favor of the ban and 99 percent incredulous that he would say such stupid things," said Phil LoCascio, WCHR program director and on-air personality. "He is a smart guy. As far as we're concerned, this ban is forever."

He said the ban isn't censorship because "our listeners' right to ask us not to play the music is equal to his right to say what he wants."

I don't disagree with the station's decision to ban the music of a given artist.

But the thing is -- Ian Anderson was right. He spoke the truth.

And sometimes, the truth hurts.

The flag of any given nation is just a piece of cloth. What makes any given flag particularly special is what the flag represents.

In this case, I think what Mr. Anderson was railing against was not the flag itself, but rather, the group mentality that was causing people to purchase flags and hang them from everywhere if they wouldn't have done so otherwise. He's right. Flag-waving ain't gonna do it.

And the fans of that morning show may as well burn their flags, as they don't seem to understand or accept the concept of free expression -- especially if it forces them to think.

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And finally -- Owie Alert: Here's what my burn looks like three weeks after it happened. I think the scar will be around for awhile, but otherwise, this officially ends Blister Watch 2003. :)

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7 of my readers commented on this entry

jj
yay! it's all better! and i need you. what would i do in the morning if i couldn't read my bindyree?
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John
Your comments re: the American flag are right on. I get such a great sense of patriotism and community when some dork speeding around town in an SUV covered with American flags nearly runs me and other pedestians down because they're too busy yakking on their cell phone -- NOT! I can't disagree with Ian Anderson's assessment of the current wave of phony patriotism. It's what the flag represents that's important, not the piece of cloth itself.
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KittenBrat
It is good to hear from an American that some Americans can go way too far with the red white and blue. I'm a proud Canadian and I think that it's cool for Americans to be proud, but some people just get foolish in their displays, and don't have the real patriotism/nationalism to back it up.
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Jamie (loopyboi)
I'm already lloking forward to BlisterWatch 2004! Wait a second... Scratch that... ;o) ~ Jamie
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Jamie
looking, too. :D
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Bindyree
I *did* scratch it! That's probably why it didn't heal sooner!
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Glenn
I couldn't agree more and yes you're right, the truth hurts.
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