For a couple of hours on friday night, I got to feel like I was 18 again.
Billy Bragg was in town, playing the the State Theatre, before going on to Ithaca, where is playing the State Theatre tonight, strangely enough.
Billy was on form.
Mostly political Billy, not so much the romantic Billy, but funny and engaging, not the angry Billy.
I first saw Billy Bragg in concert at the Student Union at Sussex in the autumn of 1983. It was the first gig of an extraordinary lineup of up-and-coming bands that the Ents Committee had managed to book, best year since they got this unknown american "Hendrix" guy to come play a gig 25 years before.
It was the kick off gig for Billy's first tour, with "Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy" having just come out, and Billy had just convinced John Peel to play the first single off the album on Radio 1.
It was a transformative experience - and not just for his impromptu cover of the guitar solo from Ziggy Stardust, done in the style of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, but for the lyrics and the attitude. Billy is one of the best lyricists alive, and a very good guitar player, and there ain't nobody who can sing like him, that's fer sure.
I saw Billy again on several occasions, including in LA at the time the Berlin Wall was coming down (Michelle Shocked opened for him, the LA Times took note) and in the UK for the "New Labour" tour.
We actually ran into Billy before the show, he was having dinner at Herwig's.
Herwig's Austrian Bistro.
"Where bacon is an herb!"
Voted best ethnic restaurant in State College.
Had a quick chat, just general pleasantries and expressions of awesomeness, then it was time for the concert. It was homecoming weekend (46-17! Hah!), I had just driven straight back from Michigan and the kid's were having a sleepover.
The State Theater is small, and the crowd was definitely more "Woody Guthrie covers" than "Riff Raff" fans. I'm pretty sure that, apart from Billy and Wiggy themselves, I was the only one there who was at his first tour, oh so many years ago.
Opening act was a Kentucky country act, the Watson Twins - good singers, did an amazing cover of a Cure song, country style.
Watson Twins:
The main act followed, opening with "Help Save the Youth of America".
The banter was on the financial crisis, prospects for a depression - which he worked well into the Guthrie covers, old favourite sloppy romantic songs, and a couple of new covers suited to the times.
His treatment of "Ingrid Bergman" was superb, first time I had really appreciated the song.
No Power Without Accountability was particularly poignant, and he did yet another improvisation on "Waiting for the Great Leap Forward".
The audience was older, more country than punk, and relatively quiet, despite a couple of brave attempts by some front rowers (who I am guessing were "workers' union" fans, not "old punks", "guthrie/wilco" or "gay anthem" fans).
The "Old Clash Fan Fight Song", and the story of how it came to be, was absolutely extraordinarily good.
We did manage a bit of a singalong on the chorus for the final rendition of A New England.
Strangely, that was just like uni - when the guy with the guitar riffed A New England and the few people still conscious sang-a-long, it was time to break up the party and go home with your partner.
After buying the obligatory T-shirt (for the revolution, natch) and tea towel.
(Tea towel!? Autographed Billy Bragg Tea Towel?!? Soon to come, the Billy Bragg Oven Gloves), we stuck around for a chat, probably over lengthy chat (sorry patient people waiting in line behind us).
It was a lot of fun, and a good night.
So... I've heard the spiel, I know the issues, I listened and nodded at all the right places.
And then, Billy got me, again.
He told us: it is important to vote, it is an important election, there are important issues, and there is one thing that can destroy it all.
Ah, I thought (and the lady few rows back who shouted it out), "apathy".
But, no. It is worse than apathy...
It is cynicism.
Ouch. Guilty as charged.
I am cynical. It is sometimes the only thing that keeps us sane.
But, he is right, it is corrosive, it destroys hope and occludes vision of progress.
It is what will have so many of us muttering that even if he wins, there won't really be any real change... even after he wins.
I. Must. Not. Be. Cynical.
Not too much, about some of the more important things, for now.
So, having found a new affirmation of purpose, I can face the next 17 days again.
It is a good show, go get some tix if you can.
And don't be a cynic.
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Did I miss something? I thought you weren't a USian, in which case, why not be cynical about the American election...
Well, agm, believe or not, there is a procedure for non-USian's to get USian citizenship and even vote. It takes forever, but it is possible. I know, you would think, based on some people's campaigns, that the only people who should vote are small town farmers or something.
And, if I remember correctly, Steinn's kids are citizens of Los Estados Unidos....
worse than that
I got taxation, without representation!
if that doesn't make you a cynic I don't know what does
the sheeple will never be able to fight something like that.
my statement is made on more than 12000 years of history
they never did
they never could
the public, J6P and the masses always lost throughout all of history
why on earth would people`s own interests come before the governments`? they are not as powerful, that is why...
democracy was never real, it was always an illusion.
the system is too big
too big too fail:)
and if you think a revolt and total system change would last?
search deeper!
humand mind and evolution evolves around egocentrism and preservation of the dna.
YOU WILL ALWAYS BE SLAVES
esclaves de la societe
You're absolutely right, Steinn (and Billy). The key ability is to discriminate between the politicians who do dastardly things (e.g. Sen. Coburn) and those who don't. The kind of cynicism that's dangerous is that which says there is no difference--e.g., that Gore and Bush are just the same.
Saw the Braggster earlier this year at Rough Trade in Brick Lane. Absolutely on form. Linky here and click from there to some roundhouse vid too.
The kind of cynicism that's dangerous is that which says there is no difference--e.g., that Gore and Bush are just the same.