Welcome to this month's reading group selection. David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908. At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades. Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society. I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran. Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, not...
I need to get some Mose Allison CDs. I love his voice, and am pretty sure I have friends who have played with him.
ReplyDeleteOne of the advantages of being a life-long student is that I can take advantage of the student discount at Apple -- which has amazing screens in their laptops. I've totally worn out my Dell, so have decided to make the switch. And it comes with a free IPod Touch, so I'll have music wherever I go. Mose Allison would be a good first addition, I think.
You can't go wrong with Mose. He's still going strong. I love these anthologies that Rhino has done over the years.
ReplyDeleteRhino has resurrected many a great musician!
ReplyDeleteDo we have a consensus on a book or books yet? Or are we waiting for the new TR, which is fine with me. I'm swamped at the moment.
Seems not. Although interest seems to be shifting toward Dylan.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is way off topic, but for those of you in the Bay Area who are fans of Shel Silverstein, one of my old music friends who used to play with Dr. Hook is part of a musical memorial to the great songs of Shel Silverstein this weekend.
ReplyDeleteFriday night at the Make Out Room in the Mission, 7:00-9:00. Should be a GREAT show. Wish I could be there.