December 13, 2006
To be honest, I’m getting frustrated with edublogs deleting posts that I write, so I’m going to put this up as a test to see if I can figure out what’s happening (without having to do too much work at my end).
So, without any further ado, please enjoy a live performance by one of my favorite bands, John Zorn’s Masada.
December 9, 2006
Jay McShann probably wouldn’t be nearly as well-known as he is today (you’ve heard of him, right?) if he hadn’t given a very young Charlie Parker his big break. Parker, of course, went on to be one of the most important jazz musicians and American cultural figures of the 2oth century, developing bebop into a major form and inspiring countless musicians and authors. As Charles Mingus put it in the title of one of his songs, “If Charlie Parker Was A Gunslinger There’d Be A Whole Lot of Dead Copycats.”
Anyway, the NYTimes has a nice obituary for McShann that’s worth reading. And when you’re done, track down some of his music.
December 8, 2006
As promised…here they are in convenient link form.
December 7, 2006
So in the past three hours (while I was out at a band practice) you guys wrote something like 50 posts and comments. That’s pretty dramatic.
I was writing comments on people’s satire blogs, but I’ve decided to give up and go to bed. First, though, let me point you to a few interesting posts.
Patty, who wins the Distinctive Blog Post Title of the Week Award (to be given out at the Hollywood Bowl in January), says that
When a person makes satire and especially when they are well written it can really help open peoples eyes and look at the bigger picture, which is why satire is a good thing.
Sam, meanwhile, has this take on satire:
Satire makes making people feel like jerks an American pass time. Just look at South Park. Its one of the best examples of satire around. Not only does it make fun of absolutely anything that breaths, but it has managed to gain both loyal fans, and mortal enemies. Like good old Tom Cruise and his Scientology friends.
And I think Joe really sums it all up:
You have to be very clever to write satire.
It looks to me like you folks are getting it. The reason I asked why, say, Scary Movie doesn’t count is to drive home the idea that satire has to have a socially redemptive purpose. Even if you don’t agree with the author’s view (perhaps starvation in Ireland doesn’t bother you, or you think Scientology is A-OK, or whatever) the intent has to be to bring public attention to something that can be improved in the culture. Comedy doesn’t have to be satirical to be funny; it’s perfectly fine to laugh at something that’s just hilarious (most of my favorite movies are comedies and very few of those are satires).
I’m looking forward to seeing how you folks handle “The War Prayer” tomorrow.
December 6, 2006
I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy Child well Nursed is at a year Old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome Food, whether Stewed, Roasted, Baked, or Boyled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a Fricasie, or Ragoust…A Child will make two Dishes at an Entertainment for Friends, and when the Family dines alone, the fore or hind Quarter will make a reasonable Dish, and seasoned with a little Pepper or Salt will be very good Boiled on the fourth Day, especially in Winter.
Jonathan Swift’s famous essay “A Modest Proposal” is a classic example of satire. The genre remains popular today. Television shows like The Colbert Report and The Daily Show and websites like The Onion and The Brushback attract some of our most talented writers. And Borat’s been a massive box office hit.
So why is satire so popular? Why are so many people and groups interested in using humor to criticize social problems? How come something like Borat or “A Modest Proposal” is considered satire, while Scary Movie isn’t? Is satire something you enjoy, or does it just annoy you? What are some of your favorite examples of satire?
The Terryl Lee Band