What follows is from an email I just received from my good friend Carsie Blanton. You know her as the singer/songwriter of “Smoke Alarm,” the tune that wraps up pretty much every episode of my podcast. Reading her email, I thought, “I should write something about this.” But then it occurred to me. She already has. So here’s today’s guest-writer, Carsie, with a story about how jazz (the freest musical form ever) was born from an impulse to control and repress. Funny how that happens sometimes.
"Your biggest problem is the people who live here. We are creative. We are ingenious. We are irrepressible."
Let's hope she's right. Let's hope you won't be overrun by the other part of your population. Let's hope the US still does have more resilience against facism than my country had in 1933. I hope, but I am not really optimistic.
I love this. Thanks for sharing. I lived in New Orleans for a few years a decade ago because I wanted to be closer to the source of the music that shaped my life. It really is the birth place of something truly great about America even though it was born out of a horrific past. I try to remember to remind myself of our unique cultural contribution to the world when I despair of our current state, which is pretty often.
Beautifully written
"Your biggest problem is the people who live here. We are creative. We are ingenious. We are irrepressible."
Let's hope she's right. Let's hope you won't be overrun by the other part of your population. Let's hope the US still does have more resilience against facism than my country had in 1933. I hope, but I am not really optimistic.
I love this. Thanks for sharing. I lived in New Orleans for a few years a decade ago because I wanted to be closer to the source of the music that shaped my life. It really is the birth place of something truly great about America even though it was born out of a horrific past. I try to remember to remind myself of our unique cultural contribution to the world when I despair of our current state, which is pretty often.