It really is a vote for a lot more than just policy and party affiliation. It’s a vote for the very conditions that foster free artistic expression and hopefully does get us closer to that radically wild, diverse, and free place that you mention. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say we’re voting for the very soul of American democracy and I can only hope that enough people who care about democracy and the possibility inherent in the future, will turn out en masse in Tuesday. I’m trying not to let my anxiety about it all overwhelm me. Scary times. But hopefully the goodness of the country will prevail. Thank you so many times over, Jeff! Harris/Walz all the way!
Well said! I’m especially concerned about restoring women’s autonomy and safeguarding medical facilities that specialize in women’s health. In the mid-seventies to until she retired, my mom worked as a nurse for Planned Parenthood in Arkansas and Texas. These clinics did not offer abortions, but instead provided gynecological expertise at a reasonable rate (based on ability to pay) to women of all walks of life (including me). Throughout the years, misinformation about PP has been astounding. My vote has been cast, and my fingers are crossed. This one is for women like my Mom!
Thank you, Jeff. I just posted an episode from Wilco the Podcast discussing Wilco on the subject of America in our Facebook group A Shot in the Arm. They analyze in depth three of your songs (Ashes of American Flags, All Lives You Say and Cruel Country) and I prefaced the share with the comment that you express yourself most powerfully in song. But this post reminds me that you do a beautiful job of that in words as well.
Worthy of emphasis: "a lot of people are being seduced by the notion that the world would be perfect if everyone would just agree to agree—as long as it’s 'you' agreeing with 'ME!' And anything short of complete uniformity of thought is intolerable."
"There’s more of THIS than there is of that. There always will be. There is more of THIS(pointing around at the crowd), than of whatever THAT is. If you show up, put yourself in the middle of a crowd and sing, there's more of that. There is more of this, than there is of that!”
"Imagine what our country would look like if all of our citizens had been able to vote from its inception?" I have thought about this often, especially as of late. <3
So well put. This election is about the future of our democracy but it is also about all the little corners that the light of democracy protects. Thank you, as always!
I dig the artist Patrick Dougherty too. He lives in Chapel Hill so I have been lucky to have some of the sculptures quite nearby. They are magical. The other one I quite like is Thomas Dambo. Basically sculptures made from some source of wood are my jam. Have a good day. The next couple weeks are gonna be crazy here in the US of A.
I was lucky enough to help Patrick Dougherty build some structures like this when I was in college. He is incredibly nice, and working with him was one of the most rewarding parts of my entire college experience.
That's awesome you got to have that experience. It is always great to hear an artist one admires is incredibly nice too!! My whole family are fans. We really loved the one in Hillsborough (relatively recent.)
They took the Hillsborough one down. I think there was one at UNC Botanical Garden and Duke Gardens at some point. Check out his site - they're awesome!
Thank you, Jeff. Like so many people, the upcoming election day and what may come after have been simmering on the back burner of my brain during all my waking hours for many months. I grab onto any lifeboat of hope - a poll, an op-ed, or a talking head opining. You're right, in the end all we can and must do is vote for democracy and believe that there are enough fellow citizens who will do the same. We are fortunate to live in the United States and have these conversations. We will always be a work in progress, and can never stop working together towards the common good and a more perfect union.
I'm bbqing & smashing the patriartchy gently with a spoon on my private autonomous cat lady raft, let me know if u want a hot dog I'll swim over with one for ya 🏝 🤣
Jeff, well said as always. It's so easy to just reflexively, defensively want to tune-out when presented with the unimaginable: the prospect of a convicted felon who laid siege to the Congress being elected again as President. It's disturbing and discouraging how fascism constantly reinvents itself and reemerges in a slightly different guise. As soon as most of the "Greatest Generation" who beat back fascism 75 years ago (at great cost) has passed, we're once again inundated with dangerous autocrats like Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, et al, who have no regard for anything or anyone beyond their own, warped vision of the world. The choice is a simple one: give up or continue the fight, no matter how tired we are of having to constantly re-wage this battle.
On a more inspirational note, thank you for the three great solo shows in Menlo Park earlier this week. What a great intimate venue and sensational set lists; it was a wonderful couple hours' respite from all of the above angst and worry.
We share similar outlooks. I realized long ago that chances are slim to none that I’ll get to vote for candidates that align with my leftie utopian ideals. And honestly? That’s as it should be. Candidates who are my idea of perfect would likely fail to represent a lot of people and I don’t want that either. So this Illinoisan has also voted for Harris and Walz.
Tulsa has a similar spooky stick art piece, sort of on the opposite end of downtown from Cain’s. I’ve hidden in it a few times. Highly recommended.
So so so very well said... I must confess, my comment is because I agree. But I'd like to think I'd love this just as much even if I didn't agree. Alas, I'll never know for sure.
I am voting for Harris/Walz, too. My reasons are my own but you've so eloquently articulated many of them.
As for the process of democracy, it is grinding and slow by design. Which can be frustrating as hell. When change does come it can seem like it happened all at once. But there are people participating in the democratic process by volunteering, running for local office (school director here 🙋♂️) and advocating for their disenfranchised neighbors. Vast numbers of individuals are donating small amounts money in hopes of countering the firehose of cash from well-heeled, self-interested individuals and corporations.
The work goes on year after year -- and it never ends. Nor should it. We all have a part to play in the progress towards a more just, verdant and equitable society.
This election seems huge and historic. We're not the first ones to face enormous stakes in an election. There were grave circumstances in 1860, 1932, and 2008, for example. Americans chose wisely in each of those elections and I believe that we will in 2024. That's not to say that anyone is perfect -- the men who I referenced were humans, flaws and all. The often-cited analogy of democracy being like a bus is a practical way of looking at things. You get on the bus that gets you closest to where you want to go. Advocate for expanded service if it doesn't go the whole way to your desired destination.
Music and art have always been ahead of the progress of the nation. So you bet I'm with you -- let's get out for the next Woody, Bob, Alisha, Aretha, NWA, Ray, Sam, Elvis, Prince, Alynda, Merle, etc, etc!!!
I was emotional voting yesterday. It means so much to have a participant democracy, imperfect as it may be… This election is so important at every level. I don’t want yesterday to be the last time we have the right to vote in the US.
It really is a vote for a lot more than just policy and party affiliation. It’s a vote for the very conditions that foster free artistic expression and hopefully does get us closer to that radically wild, diverse, and free place that you mention. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say we’re voting for the very soul of American democracy and I can only hope that enough people who care about democracy and the possibility inherent in the future, will turn out en masse in Tuesday. I’m trying not to let my anxiety about it all overwhelm me. Scary times. But hopefully the goodness of the country will prevail. Thank you so many times over, Jeff! Harris/Walz all the way!
Well said! I’m especially concerned about restoring women’s autonomy and safeguarding medical facilities that specialize in women’s health. In the mid-seventies to until she retired, my mom worked as a nurse for Planned Parenthood in Arkansas and Texas. These clinics did not offer abortions, but instead provided gynecological expertise at a reasonable rate (based on ability to pay) to women of all walks of life (including me). Throughout the years, misinformation about PP has been astounding. My vote has been cast, and my fingers are crossed. This one is for women like my Mom!
❤️🩹💜❤️🩹💜❤️🩹💜❤️🩹💜❤️🩹💜❤️🩹
Thank you, Jeff. I just posted an episode from Wilco the Podcast discussing Wilco on the subject of America in our Facebook group A Shot in the Arm. They analyze in depth three of your songs (Ashes of American Flags, All Lives You Say and Cruel Country) and I prefaced the share with the comment that you express yourself most powerfully in song. But this post reminds me that you do a beautiful job of that in words as well.
Worthy of emphasis: "a lot of people are being seduced by the notion that the world would be perfect if everyone would just agree to agree—as long as it’s 'you' agreeing with 'ME!' And anything short of complete uniformity of thought is intolerable."
"There’s more of THIS than there is of that. There always will be. There is more of THIS(pointing around at the crowd), than of whatever THAT is. If you show up, put yourself in the middle of a crowd and sing, there's more of that. There is more of this, than there is of that!”
Thank you Jeff
"Imagine what our country would look like if all of our citizens had been able to vote from its inception?" I have thought about this often, especially as of late. <3
So well put. This election is about the future of our democracy but it is also about all the little corners that the light of democracy protects. Thank you, as always!
I dig the artist Patrick Dougherty too. He lives in Chapel Hill so I have been lucky to have some of the sculptures quite nearby. They are magical. The other one I quite like is Thomas Dambo. Basically sculptures made from some source of wood are my jam. Have a good day. The next couple weeks are gonna be crazy here in the US of A.
I was lucky enough to help Patrick Dougherty build some structures like this when I was in college. He is incredibly nice, and working with him was one of the most rewarding parts of my entire college experience.
That's awesome you got to have that experience. It is always great to hear an artist one admires is incredibly nice too!! My whole family are fans. We really loved the one in Hillsborough (relatively recent.)
I need to check these out! I'm in Pittsboro, grew up in Hillsborough.
They took the Hillsborough one down. I think there was one at UNC Botanical Garden and Duke Gardens at some point. Check out his site - they're awesome!
Great comments here, and valuable conversations like these are always important. That being said, I’m writing in Scott McCaughey.
Thank you, Jeff. Like so many people, the upcoming election day and what may come after have been simmering on the back burner of my brain during all my waking hours for many months. I grab onto any lifeboat of hope - a poll, an op-ed, or a talking head opining. You're right, in the end all we can and must do is vote for democracy and believe that there are enough fellow citizens who will do the same. We are fortunate to live in the United States and have these conversations. We will always be a work in progress, and can never stop working together towards the common good and a more perfect union.
"I grab onto any lifeboat of hope"
This is the perfect phrase for me and most everyone I know these days.
I'm feeling like I can see land from here in my little lifeboat, hope you're feeling the same!
I'm bbqing & smashing the patriartchy gently with a spoon on my private autonomous cat lady raft, let me know if u want a hot dog I'll swim over with one for ya 🏝 🤣
Cat and dog ladies unite! I'm always up for a hot dog!
Yasss!! 🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛
Most days I do, yes.
Jeff, well said as always. It's so easy to just reflexively, defensively want to tune-out when presented with the unimaginable: the prospect of a convicted felon who laid siege to the Congress being elected again as President. It's disturbing and discouraging how fascism constantly reinvents itself and reemerges in a slightly different guise. As soon as most of the "Greatest Generation" who beat back fascism 75 years ago (at great cost) has passed, we're once again inundated with dangerous autocrats like Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, et al, who have no regard for anything or anyone beyond their own, warped vision of the world. The choice is a simple one: give up or continue the fight, no matter how tired we are of having to constantly re-wage this battle.
On a more inspirational note, thank you for the three great solo shows in Menlo Park earlier this week. What a great intimate venue and sensational set lists; it was a wonderful couple hours' respite from all of the above angst and worry.
We share similar outlooks. I realized long ago that chances are slim to none that I’ll get to vote for candidates that align with my leftie utopian ideals. And honestly? That’s as it should be. Candidates who are my idea of perfect would likely fail to represent a lot of people and I don’t want that either. So this Illinoisan has also voted for Harris and Walz.
Tulsa has a similar spooky stick art piece, sort of on the opposite end of downtown from Cain’s. I’ve hidden in it a few times. Highly recommended.
So so so very well said... I must confess, my comment is because I agree. But I'd like to think I'd love this just as much even if I didn't agree. Alas, I'll never know for sure.
Thank you all the same.
I am voting for Harris/Walz, too. My reasons are my own but you've so eloquently articulated many of them.
As for the process of democracy, it is grinding and slow by design. Which can be frustrating as hell. When change does come it can seem like it happened all at once. But there are people participating in the democratic process by volunteering, running for local office (school director here 🙋♂️) and advocating for their disenfranchised neighbors. Vast numbers of individuals are donating small amounts money in hopes of countering the firehose of cash from well-heeled, self-interested individuals and corporations.
The work goes on year after year -- and it never ends. Nor should it. We all have a part to play in the progress towards a more just, verdant and equitable society.
This election seems huge and historic. We're not the first ones to face enormous stakes in an election. There were grave circumstances in 1860, 1932, and 2008, for example. Americans chose wisely in each of those elections and I believe that we will in 2024. That's not to say that anyone is perfect -- the men who I referenced were humans, flaws and all. The often-cited analogy of democracy being like a bus is a practical way of looking at things. You get on the bus that gets you closest to where you want to go. Advocate for expanded service if it doesn't go the whole way to your desired destination.
Music and art have always been ahead of the progress of the nation. So you bet I'm with you -- let's get out for the next Woody, Bob, Alisha, Aretha, NWA, Ray, Sam, Elvis, Prince, Alynda, Merle, etc, etc!!!
"Adjust your eyes to the light
Let them roll with pride
Focus your mind on the fight
And keep your hand in mine" ❤
Thank you for this post, Jeff. ❤️
I was emotional voting yesterday. It means so much to have a participant democracy, imperfect as it may be… This election is so important at every level. I don’t want yesterday to be the last time we have the right to vote in the US.