Ten Women (and Why does Poi Dog Pondering have Multiple Greatest Hits Albums?)

Pitchfork Media deemed the new Conor Oberst track “Ten Women” as “stultifyingly ponderous.” 

Perhaps I have poor taste in music, or just enjoy pondering as if a poi dog, but I think it is the best song he has ever released.  The concept is quite simple: he is reflecting on the time between the loss of someone he loved and the present day.  Despite what some sites say, this is not about cheating. 

The song’s narrator in the last verse says “if you come home again,” a reference to the fact that his muse has left.  Given the significant passage of time as reflected in the number of women (I considered that 10 women could just mean the narrator is a player, but he makes a “fool” of these women, “trusts,” “betrays,” “thrills” and “shames” them.  These are relationships not flings) and the reference to a cellar of wine, it safe to say that his muse left  a long time ago (this is also reflected in the fact that she is kissing someone else’s ring).  

 Establishing the passage of time is crucial given the song’s real meaning is an unfading love, as reflecting straight forwardly through the lyric “I want you the same.”  Further, the narrator wanted to change, he wanted to forget, the point of the 10 women.  In fact the “two faces” shows he has continued options that he keeps around to hedge his bets, but “neither are you,” you being the muse.  He follows the reference to neither are you to an admission that these two faces are not going to satisfy him, he will “never be true” with the two faces.  This is because truth is the the original muse for which his love has not changed, hence the invitation back and promise of continuity at the end of the song.  

The third verse, where the narrator pleads for a “witness” also serves to strengthen the emotion in the song.  The verse establishes a loss of trust with his muse, the narrator realizes he has no credibility to promise his muse continuity, hence the desire for a witness whose “eyes will not run,” someone detached enough to prove that the narrator is being honest.  And to establish that these ten women were not flings, but rather evidence of an unchanging love for the muse. 

Ponderous, yes, but also incredibly interesting.  Especially for a song that uses the phrase “ten women” 18 times on one song.  

All of this tells me that Mr. Oberst is a heck of a poet.  His music pales in comparison to Dylan, but his poetry is much more emotional than Dylan’s constant wordplay.   

Three Things

1) Radiohead switched from a good rock band to crappy experimental project when the robot starting talking on OK Computer.  

2) Jay Cutler’s double-chin and general out of shape appearance worries me in this photo.  Some blog I read refers to him as one of those in-shape guys that consistently looks out of shape.  I hope so.  

3) We will do nothing about North Korea.  The great unmentionable is that countries want the bomb because it serves as a deterrent to international punishment.  If Iraq had the bomb there is no way Gulf War II happens, I don’t even think Gulf War I happens.  North Korea’s deterrent is particularly effective because you get the impression that they may actually use their bomb.  

Wonderful Mediocrity: Joe Biden

Reasons he is mediocre:

• His endorsement of the ridiculously stupid Iraq (don’t call it a partition plan) partition plan.  
• 30 percent.  In a time where the U.S. economy needs consumer confidence, Biden puts the odds at just under a third that the stimulus will fail.  
• Benevolent Plagiarism.  Seriously?  And in that same article:
• “relatively poor grades in college and law school”
• Nepotism: Blago and Patterson are skewered for giving away a Senate seat for questionable reasons.  Biden smiles and keeps it in the family.  
• Delaware: Biden was the Senator of a state exposed as the asshole on the block.

Reasons he is wonderful:

• Like Kyle Orton, the guy wins.  He  is a heartbeat away from the presidency.
• Says whatever he wants and gets away with it.  He gets called out for comments like the Obama will be tested gaffe, but ultimately pays no political price. 
• Man rides the Amtrak and won his first political campaign on a platform of mass transit. 
• According to his wikipedia, consistently ranked among the least wealthy of all Senators.  I find that endearing.  

Banana Seat

Judging by my stats, the most interesting thing I have done on this site is mention banana seats.  How very sad for everyone.

God save the village green/Searching for Joe Dimaggio

Another dispatch from the future of news, CNN I-wire/life-wire style.  People are likely to marry people that are like their parents, for better of for worse.  Mildly interesting, and this nugget of everyday brilliance.  

the women share a love of cooking and talking on the phone.

I hate being mean, but who shares a love of talking on the phone?  Even if many do, I don’t want to read about it on CNN.   

I long for the quaintness of foreign news desks.  Oh, and the life-wire report ends with suggestions of how to make your life better, things like talking about “life-issues.”  I could handle this on CNN if I didn’t see my local big-city paper slowly transitioning from hard news to tripe.  I am probably on the wrong side of history with my love of the paper, but come on, talking on the phone?

 

Sara Palin clogged my toilet

Who does “Joe the Plumber” appeal to?

The same people who write this:

Palin became the embodiment of every dark fantasy the Left had ever held about the views of evangelical Christians and women who do not associate themselves with contemporary feminism, and all concern for clarity and truthfulness was left at the door.

and

Palin never actually boasted of ignorance or explicitly scorned learning or ideas. Rather, the implicit charge was that Palin’s failure to speak the language and to share the common points of reference of the educated upper tier of American society essentially rendered her unfit for high office.

In Levin’s defense, his conclusion was not horrible:

Either way, the Palin moment shed a powerful light on the power, the potential, and the ultimate inadequacy of a conservatism grounded solely in cultural populism. It also exposed the vulnerability of the Left to a challenge to its most cherished claims—as the sole representative of the interests of the working class and the only legitimate path to political power for an ambitious woman.

I agree that their is a need for more diverse political representation of variety of constituents.  However, Sara Palin’s Republican party is not it.  Palin was gibberish, a joke, a stain on the legacy of John McCain, and confirmation that the Republican party has become all it is accused of being.  One cannot govern on populism, appealing to the superficial power of crowds and bandwagons guarantees non-action.  It is all reactive.  

I defended Palin when she was nominated, the executive of a state seemed qualified for the vice-presidency, more-so than a Senator.  Then she talked.  Her appeal was not anti-elite, it was pro-ignorance.  Hence the drop of my defense.

Irish Socialism is good Socialism

The Irish protest against the possibility of paying for college.

At least he signed the order to close Gitmo

Victor David Hansen is way over the top, but it has been a sputtering start for President Obama.  So many nominees with tax problems is embarrassing,  but the nomination of Daschle was just stupid given Obama’s no lobbyist pledge.  For the record, I think the no lobbyist pledge is a low-brow populist appeal, but still one that Obama made.    

Then Obama maintains the renditions policy .  I was surprised that the action “did not draw major protests, even among human-rights groups.”  Perhaps I am missing something, but I think there is something inherently wrong in abducting people for interrogation in “friendly” (read: authoritarian) countries.  

Then Obama’s appeal to fear in the Post . “Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.”  This sounds kind of like give me a blank check or your livelihood is in jeopardy.  Reminds me of a couple guys named Rumsfield  and Cheney warning of vague future assaults on liberty post 9-11. 

Come on Mr. President, get it together.  I think and hope this is opening night jitters.

Afghanistan II

Andrew Sullivan writes:

 The hefty shift of forces from Iraq to Afghanistan does not make a lot of sense to me.

I have written on this topic before, and I still agree that Afghanistan is not the war we ought to be fighting.  Strategically, Iraq, whatever your thoughts on how it started, is infinitely more important than Afghanistan.  Iraq has the potential to be a successful democratic ally in the Middle East.  Afghanistan has no such potential.

Michael Phelps Gets High

Better than a DUI, oh.

Tim at From a House in the Joshuee Tree breaks the  stunning story that a  23 year old smoked drugs on a college campus once. 

He also challenges my whole world view with a rundown of some famous athletes:

Charles Barkley drinks and drives, Michael Jordan gambles, Michael Vick tortures dogs, Plaxico Burress carries guns and dresses poorly to night clubs, Roger Clemens does steroids, John Rocker is a bigot, Bobby Knight chokes a kid, some douche referee sold his calls, Pete Rose bet on his own team, Ty Cobb was an outright racist, Mickey Mantle was a drunk, Babe Ruth was a womanizer.

Thank goodness for the Mannings.