Posted on 09/26/2005 4:23:05 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
Tens of thousands marched on Washington last Saturday to protest George Bush's war in Iraq. The crowd included college-age activists, veterans of Vietnam War protests, entire families united against the war, and parents whose children have been killed in Iraq.
It was the largest protest yet against this war. Larger ones will almost surely follow.
If there had been a soundtrack to Saturday's march past the White House, you couldn't pick a much more appropriate song to kick it off than Jefferson Airplane's "Volunteers."
Released in 1969 by one of the most politically acute bands of the era, "Volunteers" was a scorching anthem for America's activist youth:
Look what's happening out in the streets
Got a revolution
Got a revolution. . . .
One generation got old
One generation got soul
This generation got no destination to hold, pick up the cry!
Come on now we're marching to the sea
Got a revolution
Got a revolution
Who will take it from you
We will and who are we?
We're volunteers of America
Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America. . . .
I was just a kid when "Volunteers" was playing on alternative radio, but years later, I remember the passion in a college teacher's voice as he projected the lyrics on a giant screen and talked about the power of rock music to galvanize a movement and to reflect the times.
More than 35 years later, it's a different war and a different time, but the American voice of dissent is still strong -- and sure enough, I did hear "Volunteers" last Saturday as that protest was under way.
However, it wasn't blaring from a loudspeaker in Washington. It was on my television, during a break from a college football game, and it was the anthem for a Tommy Hilfiger commercial, with lots of beautiful people undulating around in the name of . . . fashion.
Of course, this sort of thing is nothing new. For years, I've talked about rock songs of protest and anger that have been turned into ads for luxury cars or themes for conservative politicians.
But this has to be one of the worst. "Volunteers" for Tommy Hilfiger? How do the writers for "Saturday Night Live" come up with parody commercials these days, when the real things are so often so ridiculous?
mailto:rroeper@suntimes.com
Sunshine Superman was good and Mellow Yellow was listenable but the moronic songs about Atlantis, the mountain, and his shirt are still among some of the worst music ever produced.
"that Jerry Garcia said something"
All those years, even seeing them live, and the only song they ever did that I halfway liked was "I Will Survive."
I remember when the MSM reported that Jerry Garcia was known as "Captain Trips" because he had taken LSD ten times.
It was a more naive age, in a lot of ways. Too bad that naivete translated into utter certainty in error.
The coverage I saw showed no tens of thousands of protesters.
It showed camera close-ups of 12-20 or so people....a sure sign that there was not much of a crowd there.
If the media could have shown a helicopter view of tens of thousands they would gladly have done so.
Too late!
Look on yonder misty mountain
See the young monk meditating rhododendron forest
Over dusty years, I ask you
What's it been like being you ?
Through all levels you've been changing
Getting a little bit better no doubt,
The doctor bit was so far out.
Looking through crystal spectacles,
I can see I had your fun.
Doing us paperback reader
Made the teacher suspicious about insanity,
Fingers always touching girl.
Through all levels you've been changing
Getting a little bit better no doubt,
The doctor bit was so far out.
Looking through all kinds of windows
I can see I had your fun.
Looking through all kinds of windows
I can see I had your fun.
Looking through crystal spectacles
I can see I had your fun.
Looking through crystal spectacles
I can see I had your fun.
Rebelling against society,
Such a tiny speculating whether to be a hip or
Skip along quite merrily.
Through all levels you've been changing
Elevator in the brain hotel
Broken down a-just as well-a
Looking through crystal spectacles,
Ah, I can see I had your fun.
Dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum dum
Dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum dum
Dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum dum
Dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum dum
Dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum dum
On the other hand, people are still doing covers of "Season of the Witch."
Oh, yeah - it goes without saying that Season of the Witch kicks ass.
Season of the Witch has been running through my brain since Cindy Sheehan appeared on the scene...
"When these idjits started trying to "re-popularize" these 60s and 70s protest type songs"
Yeah, but when the Doors are kicking on Roadhouse Blues they sound as good as anything before or after them.
The problem is, IMO, that nothing really new has happened in decades -- except rap, and that's a spiritual disorder, not music.
I am so sick of the lead-singer-lead-guitar-rythm-guitar-bass-drums-and-maybe-keyboards format that I could just puke.
The only things that have really appealed to me in years have been Charlotte Church and Norah Jones.
"Season of the Witch has been running through my brain since Cindy Sheehan appeared on the scene... "
Really? "Season of the Lame-ass Braindead Whiney Liberal Gink" has been going through mine.
Of course, that one wasn't as big a hit...
Sorry, had to stop right there. From what I was on C-SPAN, there were not any where near that many people. Looks like someone is exagerating a bit!!! (Quite a bit)
Of course, I had to redo the lyrics:
She's got to be a bitch
The fools are rolling in a ditch
Oh No!
Must be the Season of the Witch...
Jerry Garcia.... best song... "Casey Jones"
If you can remember the 1960s and particularly the lyrics of the protest songs you probably weren't there. My recollection of these hippie peace fests was the cloud of pot smoke and utterly stoned participants.
This old engine makes it on time,
Leaves Central Station 'bout a quarter to nine,
Hits River Junction at seventeen to,
At a quarter to ten you know it's travlin' again.
Driving that train, high on cocaine,
Casey Jones is ready, watch your speed.
Trouble ahead, trouble behind,
And you know that notion just crossed my mind.
Trouble ahead, Lady in red,
Take my advice you'd be better off dead.
Switchman's sleeping, train hundred and two is
On the wrong track and headed for you.
Driving that train, high on cocaine,
Trouble ahead, trouble behind,
And you know that notion just crossed my mind.
Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
Got two good eyes but you still don't see.
Come round the bend, you know it's the end,
The fireman screams and the engine just gleams...
I used to like "Catch The Wind" and he had a few others that were listenable -- "Jennifer Juniper" was harmless enough. But he did seem to become increasingly empty-headed as he went along, leading up to, as was mentioned, "The Continent Of Atlantis" or whatever the official title was. How about "I Like My Shirt." Not sure what hallucigen induced that one. Just thought of a few others -- "There Is A Mountain" and "Universal Soldier" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man."
"Catch The Wind"? I remember Donovan, the 2nd rate Bob Dylan.
I may even have had a Donovan LP, but I was more Rolling Stones than flower power.
Yeah, he just got smaller and smaller as he receded in the distance, off in the direction of loony land.
"Jerry Garcia.... best song... "Casey Jones"
Well, in the immortal words of Dr. Hook in their pre-hit days, "Some folks like ham hocks, and some folks like pork chops, and some folks like vegetable stew. Roland the Roadie loves Gertrude the Groupie, but Gertrude the Groupie loves groups."
I just went over and checked by original vinyl of the "Volunteers" album. I had forgotten that David Crosby and Stephen Stills perfomred on there, along with Jerry Garcia. Also have my "Surrealistic Pillow" and "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" albums, although I don't think I have listened to them in over 30 years. Now "3/5 Of A Mile In Ten Seconds;" there's one that isn't for everybody.
I couldn't help but smile when I first saw the commercial. LOL. A fashion song. Too funny.
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