Tag: recession

Springsteen’s “Whoop-Ass Session on the Recession” in Greensboro (Guest Post)

Springsteen Setlist for Greensboro NC March 2012

The following is a Guest Post by Brad Risinger, reporting on last night’s Bruce Springsteen concert in Greensboro, North Carolina:

“Old friends,” the late Harry Chapin wrote, are special because “they see where you are, and they know where you’ve been.” The Wrecking Ball version of the E Street Band, even on night two of its tour, has figured out that old, and new, suit them just fine. Bruce Springsteen fondly recalled departed friends Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici for the Greensboro crowd: “If you’re here, and we’re here, then they’re here.” And then Jake Clemons, Clarence’s nephew, belted out the Big Man’s solos on “Promised Land” and “Thunder Road” with a fresh, charismatic vibe and style that are likely to make him a break-out rookie on E Street.

The Wrecking Ball songs are tightly interwoven into Springsteen’s catalog, and it is much more apparent when played live in a big place with a full band. “Jack of all Trades” recalls the Darkness and Tom Joad records, with a weary resilience that underlines despair with an unshakable hope. But the cathartic beat and lilt that is so resonant in the Seeger Sessions material is there, too, particularly in “Shackled and Drawn.” Springsteen noted that “My City of Ruins” from the post-9/11 The Rising album, was penned before Occupy Wall Street. Yet the song fits thematically with the new material and book-ends nicely in the show with the renewal of “The Rising.”

There is a healthy hit of Wrecking Ball in the show, with nine of the thirteen songs from the new CD making the cut in Greensboro, enhanced by the terrific horn section that Jake Clemons helms. Still, the shows in this early part of the tour span the Band’s decades. Springsteen dusted off “The E Street Shuffle” and “Rosalita” and the Band infused them with a raucous party vibe that’s a full, rich sound that at first you attribute to just the horns until it becomes apparent how much this E Street iteration feeds on and enjoys each other. “Thunder Road” got a tender opening with Springsteen and longtime keyboardist Roy Bittan alone; “Because The Night” rumbled, looking for trouble; and “Born to Run” was a lights-on, full-speed celebration.

“Seeds,” the 80s tale of a family searching the Southwest for work, and for hope, seemed the perfect bridge between E Street eras. It is a well-known song because of its appearance on the 75-85 Live compilation, but it has a resonant fit with Springsteen’s take on a new generation of American workers betrayed by corporate misdeed and greed. “How many times can you get up after you’ve been hit?” sounded resigned in the mid-80s. But here, paired with the anger of “Death to My Hometown,” “Seeds” gets a revived punch and meaning. The “Seeds” guitar work sounds as if the frequent guest shots of Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello have rubbed off. Springsteen’s playing was electric, and Nils Lofgren’s wild accompaniment was only overshadowed by his even-wilder frayed jacket. Fans still buzz about Morello’s influence on live versions of “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” and it will be fun to be in the audience on the occasional nights when he appears to shred through the Wrecking Ball material as he did with the Band on the recent Jimmy Fallon appearances.

Springsteen promised a “whoop-ass session on the recession” early in the show, and the Wrecking Ball material stands firm with the E Street premise that it does matter whether Americans care about something beyond their own backyard. “We Take Care of Our Own” may get political play in the upcoming election — a topic in the air, but not discussed in Greensboro — but its message is clear: Whatever the politicians do, the work of building and nurturing a country gets done by the people, and for the people.

“We’ve been traveling over rocky ground,” Springsteen sang in a highly charged duet with Patti Scialfa collaborator Michelle Moore, but “there’s a new day coming.” In Greensboro, the “new day” included an elementary school daily double with a young boy’s chorus on “Waiting On a Sunny Day” and a stunned little girl’s impressive moves on “Dancing in the Dark.” And thank goodness that the “old day” was there too, movingly marked by a thunderous “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” ovation for Clarence when “the Big Man joined the band.”

What’s your impression of the shows so far in the new tour? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Is Your Job Your Life?: Lessons from A Folk Singer & Al Pacino

    U.S. Department of Justice
    The New Yorker recently published a sad story by Jeffrey Toobin about the prosecution of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and how the fallout from the case affected a young Justice Department lawyer named Nicholas Marsh, who committed suicide. (Casualties of Justice, Jan. 3, 2011).

    The media is all over a story until suddenly the story disappears, and it was that way with the Sen. Stevens prosecution.  There was extensive coverage of the case against Ted Stevens, who was charged with failing to report gifts of reduced rates on renovations to a house. While the case was pending, Stevens lost reelection in 2008. Then the media coverage died down. But the Stevens case did not result in a conviction, and the Attorney General’s Office ultimately asked for all charges to be dropped against Stevens because prosecutors breached ethics by failing to disclose information indicating Stevens may not have been guilty. Stevens died in a plane crash in Alaska in 2010.

    Nicholas Marsh was one of the prosecutors in the Alaska investigation that resulted in nine successful convictions revealing corruption in the state political system. Although Marsh participated in the Stevens case, Toobin wrote that apparently Marsh had nothing to do with the unethical actions by his fellow prosecutors. But because of Marsh’s involvement in the case, officials removed Marsh from his high-esteem position and moved him to a lower-prestige department. Meanwhile, the Office of Professional Responsibility continues to investigate the conduct of the Stevens prosecutors.

    Even though Marsh may ultimately be cleared, the stress from the ongoing investigation took its toll on him. Depressed and unsuccessfully fighting his demons, in September 2010 he hanged himself in the basement of his suburban Washington, D.C. home. Married less than five years, he did not leave a note for his young wife.

    It is tragic to think of Marsh feeling his life was crashing down as his career identity was crumbling. Maybe he could have left town and started over again and eventually been happy again. But one suspects that for whatever reasons he felt like he could not get away.

    In an earlier post about life lessons, Chimesfreedom discussed Ernest Becker’s Pulitzer-Prize winning book, Denial of Death.  In the book, Becker explained that people identify with things — be it possessions, esteem, organizations, sports teams, etc. — to give meaning to their lives and to give us defense mechanisms against our fears.  Many of us identify ourselves by our jobs. And, as has happened frequently to far too many people in the last several years during the recession, if we lose a job we feel we lose our entire identity and our defense mechanism against our fears.

    Railroad Workers The story about the Stevens case reminded me of a song by folk-singer and activist Charlie King.   King is an excellent performer, full of stories and good songs about social issues.  One song, entitled “Our Life is More than Our Work,” has common-sense lyrics reminding us something we often forget when we get wrapped up in our own worlds: “You know that our life is more than our work / And our work is more than our jobs.”

    The song reminds us that we are not our jobs.  Additionally, we each have work to do during our lives that is beyond our jobs. But even that broader work is not the whole of your life.

    The New Yorker story about the Alaska prosecution also reminded me of Insomnia (2003), a movie that focuses on a criminal case in Alaska involving questionable professional ethics that haunt the lead character. Insomnia is a very good movie about a Los Angeles detective played by Al Pacino who goes to Alaska to investigate a crime. While there, he is unable to sleep from the constant daylight and from being haunted by his past choices. The movie, directed by Christopher Nolan, features excellent acting by Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, and a creepy Robin Williams. It reveals how our jobs can take us down a well-worn path where we feel we do not have control.

    Most likely, there were other factors contributing to the Nicholas Marsh tragedy besides the ethics investigation, and it is ridiculous to think that lessons from an action movie or a folk song could save a life. But music and movies can make us think about our lives and maybe change our attitudes a tiny bit. And that’s something. As Charlie King sings, “Think how our life could be, feel how our life could flow / If just for once we could let ourselves go.”

    King, Charlie – Our Life Is More Than Our Work

    {Our Life Is More Than Our Work – Charlie King}

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    Book Stores Close: A Cash Brothers Song for Workers

    Borders Book Stores Closing

    Cash Brothers – Night Shift Guru

    {Night Shift Guru – The Cash Brothers}

    The Closings. In a previous post, Chimesfreedom wrote about the closing of a CD store and the losses from changes in technology. That post concluded by reminding us that at least we still have bookstores. But Borders just recently declared bankruptcy and announced it is closing most of its stores.

    While I enjoy smaller independent bookstores, there were two Borders stores that I sometimes visited because of their location and selection. Both of them are among those closing. Although you may get anything you want through the Internet, there is something about seeing the physical objects in a store. I have found a number of my favorite books while browsing a book store, and I never would have found the books online. For some people, Borders was the only book store in their area. So, yes, I am sad about the closings. And I felt like a vulture picking through the going-out-of-business sale.

    The Workers. But there are other casualties. As I stood in the long winding line, annoyed that I had to wait for so long to get my 20%-off books, I noticed the two cashiers struggling to handle the extra load. The customers were annoyed that the long line was so slow, the store was a mess from everything being out of place, people where complaining that the store would not take coupons, etc. It must be horrible to work under those depressing conditions as you face unemployment. One of the cashiers who had been working since early in the morning was trying to arrange with a supervisor to be able to take a lunch break before 4:00 p.m.

    Someone who works at a Borders told me that the employees are not getting any severance pay or anything — just declining working conditions until the final day when they become unemployed. It may be hard to blame the company because they are in bankruptcy. There have been some articles arguing that Borders executives mismanaged the business and that had they been more creative they would be doing better, as is Barnes & Noble. I do not know if that is true, but I am sure that they did not want to go out of business when they were making the decisions. Still, it really sucks for the workers, while usually the executives end up okay.

    We have seen too many of these types of layoffs in the last few years during the recession, even though people lose jobs in good times too. So, if you happen to be shopping in a store that is going out of business, take a minute to acknowledge the workers and say a kind word as you grab up your bargains.

    The Song. There are various songs about the working life, and one of my favorites is “Night Shift Guru” by The Cash Brothers. The above song, while not about working in a book store, is about working in the service industry waiting on people.
    Cash Brothers How Was Tomorrow
    Oh I know my job’s just working in a store
    I’ve got an L on my forehead and a stupid uniform
    It’s 7/11, it’s twenty-four seven
    I’m the night shift guru, made to serve you
    How do you do

    The Cash Brothers are two brothers from Canada, Andrew and Peter Cash. They had separate careers, including Peter’s work with the Skydiggers. But after they sang a song together, they decided to form their own band in 1996. Once you hear their voices together you will understand why. Several years ago, I heard The Cash Brothers perform at a free outdoor performance at Lincoln Center in New York City. It was a small affair, and I was able to talk to them about their guitar pedals, etc. I also bought another copy of a CD I already owned and a t-shirt that was too small for me because I wanted to support their music.

    “Night Shift Guru” is off of their album How Was Tomorrow (2001), which is one of my favorite CDs. If you like their sound on “Night Shift Guru,” check out the entire album as all of the songs are outstanding. For Chimesfreedom readers who are Springsteen fans, you might be interested in the song “Nebraska” off How Was Tomorrow, which is about driving around listening to the Springsteen Nebraska album. Their other albums are good too, although I suggest starting with How Was Tomorrow. You may hear Nebraska and some of their other music on free mp3’s on the website. [Sept. 2011 Update: The Cash Brothers website is no longer available.]

    Unfortunately, like Borders, the Cash Brothers appear to be out of business, or at least they are on hiatus. The last music I have from them is from a 2006 collaboration with the Skydiggers. The Cash Brothers website is up but does not have any recent news. Andrew Cash has his own up-to-date website and is recording his own music, working as a journalist, and recording television soundtracks. Peter Cash also has his own website, with plans to add music and more information soon. So even if it is unfortunate they no longer perform together, at least they are still working — unlike the Border employees who are losing their jobs.

    I found How Was Tomorrow while browsing through a record store. That store is now closed.

    Update (May 2011): Andrew Cash was recently elected to Canada’s House of Commons.

    What do you think about Borders closing? Leave a comment.

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    Our Great Recession & “The Company Men”

    Works of art must struggle to be able to say something about major historical events close in time to the events. While the events are occurring, we lack perspective, so movies often fail to give us much insight into our own time periods.

    Company Men

    For example, although the United States was involved in escalations in Viet Nam since at least the early 1960s, the first great Viet Nam War movie was 1978’s The Deer Hunter (and to some extent Coming Home from the same year), which came out about three years after the fall of Saigon. Apocalypse Now (1979) came out a year later, but most other excellent movies about the period came another decade later: Platoon (1986), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Hamburger Hill (1987), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). One of the few movies we remember that was released during the war was The Green Berets (1968), a movie that has a much different perspective than the later movies.

    Similarly, we have not yet seen great movies about the events of September 11, 2001. There are capable movies, like World Trade Center (2006) and United 93 (2006), but those movies do not give us much new perspective on the events. My favorite movie about 9/11 is not really about 9/11. Spike Lee’s beautiful 25th Hour (2002) is about a man in his last day before he has to report to prison. But the film is set in New York not long after the 9/11 attacks and does an outstanding job of showing indirectly what New York was like in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

    A few movies have had some success showing their own time period. Best Years of Our Lives (1946), while not above criticism, does seem to fairly reflect the lives of American men and their families when the men returned after World War II. I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932) shows the terror and suffering of the Depression while that economic crisis was still ongoing. But such movies are an exception.

    The Company Men (2010), like 2009’s Up in the Air, attempts to show America during the current recession. The film’s perspective is through the eyes of three men struggling after their corporate employer lays them off in massive downsizing. The movie features some excellent actors, including Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Kevin Costner — who has a small role but almost steals the movie in every scene where he appears. The movie shows how the layoffs impact the men because, like many of us in the modern world, their identities are connected to their jobs. So, they struggle to find meaning in their unemployed states, while also struggling to deal with bills and family relationships.

    One may criticize the movie for focusing on high-level corporate workers instead of the many working class women and men who have lost their jobs in the last several years. The movie wants us to feel sorry for Ben Affleck’s character because he has to sell his Porsche after getting laid off, making us wonder if the film-makers are that disconnected to the suffering of most people during this recession. But the Porsche-selling serves a purpose in showing how the character tries to hold onto the various status trappings even as the rest of his world falls apart. Also, I suspect that part of the reason for focusing on corporate workers was to show them directly interacting with the corporate owners who are making the decisions. But there is something too simplistic about the movie to focus on the bosses being evil caricatures, while the other main characters have somewhat predictable story arcs.

    Still, the drama is entertaining, and one must give the movie credit for attempting to show some of the human costs of the Great Recession. Although movies about current historical events often fail, we need help in processing the meanings behind those events. While relative failures like The Company Men, The Green Berets, and United 93 are not going to be remembered as great movies about their respective time periods, I am glad these movies were made and that I saw them. In many ways, they make way for the great movies to come by testing the waters and raising the questions that will be addressed later.

    A great movie has yet to be made about the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, but there have been many more attempts on those subjects than has been made about the Great Recession. And each movie about the wars start to tell us a little more about those events and about ourselves. And because those wars have been around longer than the current recession, there are some good movies on that topic, such as The Hurt Locker (2009) and In the Valley of Elah (2007). So keep trying Hollywood. You will get it.

    Conclusion? The Company Men is an entertaining movie. Although it is not a great movie and is somewhat predictable, the high quality acting and realistic story about current events is worthwhile viewing.


    What do you think of these movies? Leave a comment?

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