Are You Dave?

Sure, he takes his shirt off for no reason. Sure, he has a cold and isn’t a native speaker of English. It’s the tempo change at the chorus that sells this thing. Say what you want, this guy does more with his little keyboard than I ever did with mine. 

Caution, explicit lyrics.

Remember this quote from Obama’s inauguration speech?

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is ‘yes,’ we intend to move forward. Where the answer is ‘no,’ programs will end. 

(Of course you remember it. You’ve memorized the thing by now, haven’t you?) Good stuff, right? Well, this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, I heard the interviewer* asking a Republican lawmaker whether the whole “too big/too small” question had really been answered. I clenched my fists. Can NPR really be misquoting the President already? He didn’t say the question had been answered, you cretin, he said it was the wrong question. 

Argh.

And then the Republican went on to criticize the President for giving money to study Global Climate Change (people are still using the misnomer “Global Warming,” and they should please stop) when he said he’d be helping the economy. That’s like criticizing me for putting on my shoes when I said I’d be putting on my shirt. It’s all gotta get done, mac.

(Part of his criticism was that the CIA had already been given money to study the climate, to which I can only respond “HUH?” What’s next? The Parks Department studying campaign finance reform?)

It’s disheartening that the criticism and misquoting have hit full-force — on NPR, no less — on Day 3. We all knew that the mainstream media is a huge part of the problem with this country’s political system. I’m just very disappointed that my trusted NPR is in on it.

Dave

* I’ll look up the actual names later.

I just watched President Obama’s inaugural address and I have to admit, it made me a little misty. It was a powerful speech (made moreso by the speaker’s clear voice and gift with rhetoric, a gift that’s been missing in the White House since… well… err….)

The standout word I heard was “we.” I don’t think the president used the word “I” more than a half-dozen times in the entire speech. He’s never claimed to be the Superman that some see him to be, and frankly I think those who put him on that much of a pedestal are way off base. He’s one man who knows the importance of family, of community, and those are the values he’s hoping to model and spread for the next 4 years. The entire thrust of his speech was: “We’re in this together; I can lead you but I can’t do it all for you.” I really hope people get the message.

Oh, and speaking of values, how many times did he mention accountability and honesty? More than a few. I admit, part of me is itching to hold the previous administration accountable for what they did or failed to do to create the various messes that President Obama alluded to in his speech. But that’s a petty and hollow approach.

Better still, I want to see people (starting with that handsome fellow in the mirror) holding themselves accountable. I want to be able to look at my family and bandmates at the end of the day and say “yes, I did my chores, I practiced my guitar, I wrote a new song, I spent my time creating value today.” Sure, that sounds like something you’d want to hear from your teenager, but I’m going to have a teenager in about 10 more years and if I don’t model these things for him no one else will.

Other things I dug from The Speech: the mention of *gasp* science, and of curiosity as a core American value. Does that mean it’s safe to teach evolution again? I sure hope so. Does that mean I can enjoy my relationship with my Higher Power without feeling like I have to declare war in my Higher Power’s name? I think so.

Oh, and I loved the idea that it’s important to help one another not out of charity but because it’s the way all of us will improve. Now that’s a radical thought. And his message to those who would employ terrorism against the U.S.A.: we will outlast you. That’s powerful. I would have liked to have heard him say “we’re not afraid,” maybe even quote Roosevelt instead of Washington, but hey, it’s his speech, not mine.

I’m a little euphoric and scattered right now, sorry if I am sort of rambling. I’m going to find a transcript of the speech later in the week and post a more complete commentary, in a stab at making this blog even remotely relevant. But for now, I have an hour in which to download the tablature for “Hawaii 5-0″ so I can learn it in time for band rehearsal tonight. Accountability… adding value… here goes!

I’m posting this as an update now that life has picked up a tiny bit, and to bump me to the top of the Jimmasphere.

So now I’m back at work and the Fuzzy Lemons are back in the saddle, so I’m out of the winter doldrums a little. Plus, I went and saw the Sippy Cups on the 10th (is it creepy that a 36-year-old man went to a kiddie-rock show by himself?) and got to say “hey” to Paul and Rudy after the show. So that was fun.

The guy next to me at the show (who was there with his son, thank you very much) works for Bar None records, a label that’s famous for being (a) the first home of They Might Be Giants, and (b) located in Hoboken. I e-mailed him after the show about the Fuzzy Lemons but he hasn’t written me back. Oh well.

Almost nothing has happened since Jan.1. The Fuzzy Lemons have had one rehearsal, and a songwriting session. My classes don’t start until Jan 13. I’ve done some laundry, and unloaded the dishwasher a few times, and played with my kid after school.

Sooner or later I should start doing my vocal exercises: When classes start next week I’ll go from no singing at all to 12-14 hours of singing a week. It’ll hit me hard if I am not prepared.

Here’s a picture of me midnight sledding at my parents’ house in CT over the holidays:

Night Sledding

From my friend Tom:

Be at war with your vices, be at peace with your neighbors, and let the new year find you better than the last.

Dave