I’m reading M Train right now — my way to push back on the news by diving into someone else’s struggle to live in the act of making work that cuts. Just now, with the luck of the ‘net, my YouTube bot popped this into my recommend list:
I am much moved by Smith’s break on stage and more so by her return.
The song is obviously on point, the setting is surreal, and Smith herself is a walking, talking, ain’t-bragging-if-you-can-do-it lesson on turning a life into its own artform — as that same life spins its art into the world through all the moil and misery (and those flashes of joy!) that go into walking this earth.
It’s not all Trump and evil out there. I strain to remember that every day, and some days are harder than others. (Yesterday! Worse than the chicken at Tresky’s.)
But it’s true, and I thank Patti Smith for the reminder.
Top of the evening open thread for all here — with a thick layer of improbable acts with oxidized farm implements to our enemies!
rikyrah
I read on Twitter that the CIA has released the document that Ferret Head tried to slander them with, proving that Shrub and company totally lied on their own.
Think about that…the CIA is declassifying documents to refute the President-elect of the United States.
We live in interesting times.
Mart
Made me puddle when listened to earlier. Wife walked by and wanted to know why I was crying.
raven
I went to see the Dali Lama at Emory and Patti was there.
mai naem mobile
I find nobody likeable on Lumpy’s people. Not one. I don’t remember if I felt that way about Dubbya.I can’t stand Kellyanne,Melanoma, all the kids,Kushner,Pence,his idiot mouthpieces. Not one I don’t want to punch hard.
petesh
@rikyrah: Yup, we used to need Dan Ellsberg to do that. Seriously, one of the lessons of the Pentagon Papers was that CIA’s intelligence gathering wasn’t bad (not so much the “covert actions”) but the political bosses cherry-picked, as indeed they did in Cheney’s administration.
Yarrow
Evelyn Farkas who has worked in the defense community for the past 20 years, the past three as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia:
Puppet!
Jeffro
@rikyrah: Good for the CIA. The Right declared war on its fellow citizens a long time ago…they deserve everything they have coming to them.
Yarrow
Like none of us knew….
These people are sadists. They are coming for the country.
JPL
@rikyrah: that is great. Is there a link to the document?
Trentrunner
Sort of on topic:
Has anyone heard from either Bernie or Warren on Russia?
I follow both on Twitter, and perhaps I missed it, but I’ve heard nothing.
Bernie’s scheduled for a pre-recorded town hall on All In in 4 minutes, so maybe Chris will have asked.
If they haven’t said anything, weird…right?
Thornton Hall
It’s a way to live your life:
Amaranthine RBG
Was this arranged and cleared with Dylan beforehand.
If not, it seems a tad disrespectful to step in and sing one of his signature songs after he explicitly decided to skip the ceremony.
(And, yes, I know it was “legal” and ll that.)
rikyrah
@JPL:
Here is the article
JPL
@rikyrah: Thanks. Pelosi recently made a statement saying the same thing on her twitter feed.
Yarrow
@rikyrah: The date of that article is March 19, 2015. It’s not a new release by the CIA unless there’s something else new.
MobiusKlein
@Thornton Hall:
QFT
PVDMichael
I couldn’t help myself. Sometimes I have moments of doubt – worries that I’ve drunk the kool-aid.
So I clicked the link for for a Breitbart article: “10 Ways the CIA’s Russian Hacking Story is Left-Wing Fake News”.
The misdirection, lies of omission, reference links that don’t check out… *sigh*
raven
@Amaranthine RBG: You are kidding right? Do you think she just flew there and showed up?
Yarrow
@Trentrunner: I don’t think they’ve said anything.
Davis X. Machina
@Yarrow: Bernie’s on MSNBC right now, IIRC, with Chris Hayes.
debbie
Ah, Patti, you sang that better than Dylan ever could! I don’t think that was just nerves. I’d bet Fred was there with her.
laura
I held Patti Smith’s hand in both of mine.
Her version of Oh Holy Night guts me every time.
Patti would remind us that people have the power. Now, more than ever.
JPL
@debbie: I agree.
SiubhanDuinne
Because it’s an open thread, I need to do a couple of mildish rants.
I had a manicure today, which I do every 5-6 weeks (the last time was the day before the election). My manicurist was and is a Hillary supporter and detests Trump and is terrified by all he stands for, and of course that’s fine. But that said, I am just completely tired of endlessly talking about Trump in every casual conversation, and I tried to make it clear from the outset that I did not want to discuss the election results or anything related. But she kept going on and on and on. I finally had to be rude and just say, “I need to change the subject, what are you doing for the holidays?”
Earlier in the afternoon, I went to a matinee of “Miss Sloane.” I think I would have found it very interesting except for the fact that (a) when I got to my seat holding my Seat F-5 ticket stub, there was a couple already comfortably ensconced in F-5 and 6. The theatre wasn’t full so I moved a few seats down rather than disrupt things. But during the film the two of them talked and provided commentary, and then RIGHT AT THE DENOUEMENT, the woman’s phone rang and instead of putting it on mute or at least walking out of the theatre to take the call, she just fucking sat there and chatted. I glared and said “Shush,” but to no avail.
After the movie was over, I waited outside and when she and her husband came out I sarcastically said “Thank you for ruining what could have been an enjoyable afternoon at the movies.” Instead of apologizing, they started berating me. In this state, I never know if people are open carrying so I didn’t want to engage — it’s not my style anyhow — but I was pissed and upset.
I’ll bet they both voted for Trump.
Ruckus
Tom, I am a little heartened by discussions I had today with vets at the VA. A fellow I sat with was asked by a passing friend how he was doing and his answer was, “OK, I’m still black!” It helped to focus my angst a bit and we had a wonderful discussion till our days sent us in different directions. The world is still here and while we may find out what it’s like to have a government destroyed from the inside by stupid and evil and many/most of us will suffer from a little to way too fucking much, there is still a lot in this world to enjoy. I was delighted by Patti Smith singing a great song and at the same time it was, as you said, a perfect piece to celebrate the moment and show why Bob Dylan deserved a Nobel.
Ruckus
@SiubhanDuinne:
Rude, boorish and proud of it Even if they didn’t vote for the shit gibbon they deserve the label.
I once sat next to a couple on a plane and he was reading the latest rush limpballs book and she was complaining about having to be in steerage, “We should have gone First Class!” I wanted to ask why didn’t they, too cheap, too late, too poor, too stupid? But I had the window seat next to her and didn’t feel like a fight, and I was still traveling a lot for business and getting banned off that airline wouldn’t have worked very well for me. They were loud and obnoxious enough that the surrounding passengers may have just defended me, but you never can tell.
Ruckus
@debbie:
Dylan may have written it but she performed it.
Mnemosyne
@petesh:
Daniel Ellsberg got taken in by Russian operative Ed Snowden, just like a lot of the left did.
trollhattan
Wow. Patti now owns that like Ray Charles owns “America the Beautiful.” Thanks for the link.
gogol's wife
Watch that video and say he doesn’t deserve the Nobel Prize for literature. I dare you.