Short Takes
September 17, 2009
Sorry, We Can’t All ‘Get Along’
I wrote my review of the LeBron James memoir, Shooting Stars, the morning after Fox News, Drudge, Limbaugh and others of that ilk were having a field day over the beating of a white student by two African Americans on a St. Louis school bus. Police later decided this beating was not racially motivated — a fact of little interest to these pundits and networks. Why? Because dividing Americans by race is a core strategy in their campaign to de-legitimize Barack Obama.
My pledge, ever since I launched Head Butler in 2004, has been to keep politics off these screens; why did I write about “a few million aging whites who categorically demonize young black males as thugs but who don’t have a fraction of the character of LeBron James and his friends”? Because that, friends, is not a political observation. It’s a moral one. The sad fact: Very cynical people in the media are working stories like this without regard for the collateral damage that’s sure to come when some of those riled-up whites turn their anger on African Americans.As a kid in the ‘60s, I got involved in the Civil Rights movement. As a journalist, I occasionally wrote about race (see the New York Times story about the last lynching in Alabama). Now I believe I can be useful by endorsing a “shame and shun” policy — avoid media that promotes hatred, don’t buy products from companies that support these people, and call hate speech by its rightful name.I don’t intend to write about this often. But I refuse to hear "I want my country back" and pretend I don’t know what they’re talking about.September 12, 2009
Girls Like Us: the music of Joni, Carly and Carol — on stage
Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon — and the Journey of a Generation is one of my favorite biographies, delivering eye-popping dish and sharp analysis. Now, for one night only, some great singers — Liz Callaway, Capathia Jenkins, Ann Hampton Callaway, Jessica Molaskey and Barbara Walsh — will sing the music of Carole, Joni, and Carly, and, with author Sheila Weller, discuss what they meant to their generation. Monday, October 5, 8 PM, at the Merkin Concert Hall in New York. Click for information and tickets.
September 12, 2009
Reader Review: Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera
"I requested the Lumix camera for my birthday. When I showed it around the party, everyone said, ‘Panasonic? Please…’ Which is what N. said too. But that Leica lens is incredible — it just blows everybody away."
September 10, 2009
New York Kids: Where the Cool Things Grow
Nature rules at this 250-acre paradise just 20 minutes from the city. But not for long — it’s the last weekend for the Edible Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. Kids can dig in the garden and forage in the woods. And there will be cooking demonstrations by Lidia Bastianich and Emeril Lagasse, among others. Click here for information.
September 10, 2009
Mailbag: From Willie Nile
I guess he didn’t hate that rave review. In his bread-and-butter note, he writes: “Started a new album. Songs coming fast and furious. Having a ball. Just played to 40,000 in Lisbon. Who says rock n roll can’t be fun? It’s a lot more than money and fame.”