"A nation with their freezers full,
are dancing in their seats,
while outside another nation
is sleeping in the streets."
Released in 1986, I remember purchasing this recording on cassette tape in the late summer of 1987 just prior to leaving for my freshman year of college. While I dug the music on Billy Bragg's Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, I had little idea (yet) of just what he was so bent out of shape about--things seemed pretty hunky-dory in my neck of the woods. It didn't take too many weeks in college to begin to realize that not only was there a whole wide world outside my neighborhood, but also that it could be an unfriendly and sad place for many.
The logical question which one might ask next is "so, what did you do about it?" At the time, like most my age, other than having a head full of vitriol (and participating in the occasional letter-writing campaign) the answer would be "not much." Of course, things would never change at all, even incrementally, if the answer was the same for each of those who ask themselves the same question. Fortunately, better folks than I attempted to make inroads, but to just what effect is debatable.
As for Billy, he continues to try to open minds with his music. The video above is from Bragg's 1987 tour of the Soviet Union... years before glasnost. Even if you don't care for the music, the footage is fascinating, especially in light of our current understanding of the Soviet Union.
Perhaps it is once again time to ask oneself the question, "What am I doing about it?"
No comments:
Post a Comment