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13 Ways of Looking at Aretha Franklin’s Inauguration Hat

Excerpts, with apologies to Wallace Stevens

I
Among a surfeit of hats that dazzling day
The only hat that moved
Was the one with the oversized bow

II
I was of many minds
Like her hat
A story made of rhinestones

III
The hat held its pose in the winter light
It melted monuments and choreographed the crowd

IV
The voice and the song
Are one
The voice and the song and the hat
Are one

V
I do not know which to prefer
Her entrance with the hat that was both somber and whimsical
Or the way the hat punctuated her closing
The image of the embellished bow
Or the trace it leaves behind

VII
O suited men of Foggy Bottom
Why do you imagine thin hatless singers?
Do you not hear how the ample voice of Aretha
Sanctions the brave chapeaux
Of the women around you?

VIII
I know regal crowns
And endless caps and predictable berets
But I also know that Aretha’s hat is involved
In what I don’t know

XIII
It was morning all day
It was glittering
And each moment wriggled free from the last
The grey hat
Clinging to the contours of the renewed nation

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Richard Dawkins to Give Invocation at Obama Inauguration

Wouldn't it be great if noted atheist Richard Dawkins was giving the invocation at the Obama inauguration. And with it, perhaps the 21st century could begin. Surely one can dream.

Yet Obama remains committed to using a homophone and gynophobe, a name I won't mention, giving this man publicity and legitimacy that he doesn't deserve.

If Dawkins is booked for the day, I have other suggestions for religious scholars and practitioners who might be available:
--Rev. Canon Martin Brokenleg, Director of Native Ministries Programmes and Professor of First Nations Ministry and Theology, a gay episcopalian
--Reverend Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, a ministry serving the glbt community
--Vivianne Crowley, High Priestess of the Gardnerian coven of the Wiccan faith
--Robert Thurman, Je Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, and father of Uma
--Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, the leader of New York’s Congregation Beth Simchat Torah and a lesbian.

Nashville

Last weekend I was in Nashville for a conference and I had a chance to discover parts of the city. It is quite a unique place and has really succeeded to brand itself as "Music City" for the tourist. I daresay I found the city really ugly and was never able to stumble upon a charming neighborhood but that just could have been how the city is laid out and where I was staying.

One can see the dueling strands of the city pretty clearly--around the corner from the sprawling "Christian Store" (I was afraid to go in, but I imagine that it was chock full of vibrant bibles and new testament kitschery) one found "Hollywood Hustler"--one of the largest porno shops I ever seen (I felt far more comfortable going in there, but you already knew that). Endless rows of dildos, edible undies, DVDs. Indeed as much as it is a God-fearing town, it is also a hard-drinking one and I noticed some serious partying, foot stomping, and hips gyrating happening both on Honky Tonk Row and the gay bar/restaurant I had dinner in. The drinks were strong (and watch out those of you on a low-sodium diet for the food was salty!).

One can also see this contradiction in Ryman Hall, the beautiful home of the Grand Ole Opry during its heydey (I was not so interested in going to the Opry theme park near the airport). Ryman Hall was built as a tabernacle for a rising preacher in 1892--and the seats are still pews--but it became a concert hall where now the likes of Margaret Cho come and perform. So even as Nashville may be the buckle of the bible belt it is also the place for undoing that restrictive belt so that one can show just a little bit--or even more--of one's undergarments...

I loved going to the Country Music Hall of Fame. A very great homage to Kitty Wells ("It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"). I got goosebumps when I saw the scrap of paper she used to write those lyrics, bless her. There was also an exhibit on the Williams Family. I am much more interested in Hank Williams Senior of course especially as Junior followed McCain around and was happy to learn that Senior did a few spoken word recordings under another name. I was very pleased that a rather friendly docent convinced me to take the tour to Studio B, which is where Dolly recorded Jolene and Elvis recorded countless hits after moving from Memphis. It is truly a historical landmark of American popular culture and I shivered in the presence of that honky tonk piano and vibraphone. Its also a conflicted place because the producer who worked there Chet Atkins was determined to increase the popularity of country music and in so doing he took out its twang (the banjo) and replaced it with strings (bringing in the schmaltz), which is probably why I don't like too much country music beyond the 60s.

Nashville is also home to some of the "great" works of the sculptor Alan LeQuire http://www.alanlequire.com/. He created the gigantic Athena that is housed inside the replica of the Parthenon. It was closed when I went there, but I have seen photos of this bejeweled towering beauty who apparently is wearing lipstick. Athena is clothed, unlike the Bacchantes dancing in abandon in LeQuire's other controversial project "Musica", which is at the roundabout at the entry to Music Row (where all the recording studios are located--including Studio B as well the one where Dylan recorded "Nashville Skyline") As these youthful dancers are naked and bronze and tall (and lets face it quite campy), the Christian right has become upset with the display of genitalia and nipples--but to me this controversy sums up the conflict that makes Nashville dynamic. Of course I hope the Dionysian abandon wins out over the censorious, harsh voices of the Christian sect, but I am not convinced it will. The battle over Nashville rages on.

I asked people how come McCain won Tennessee--they shrugged their shoulders as if to say they didn't want to go there, but announced with pride that Nashville county was the only one in the whole state that voted for Obama.

What If Barack Obama Really Was A Socialist?

Barack Obama is not a socialist. But what if he were...

1. We could have a National Health Service like much of the developped world.
2. We could really have a safety net.
3. The extremely wealthy could actually begin to pay taxes like they should.
4. We could nationalize telecommunications industries--an industry that is really profitable--so that the government could get out of debt swiftly.
5. We could fund public higher education education so that we have an educated populace with professional skills.
6. We could work on ending the homeless population and begin to decrease the prison population.
7. We could extend democracy and begin to decrease the power of multinational corporations--or at least they would have to come to the table to negotiate.
8. We could stop involving ourselves in imperialist wars and realize that we defeat terrorism via intelligent propaganda and law enforcement and that any military involvement increases the likelihood of recruiting new terrorists.
9. We could make America officially bilingual.
10. We could overthrow the tyranny of the oil companies, develop new eco-friendly industries, and slow down global warming.

Barack Obama and the Presidential Voice

Barack Obama and the Voice of the President
Edward D. Miller

The voices of the candidates are a crucial part of their campaigns’ brand identity. Sarah Palin’s use of folksy expressions and her regional accent has energized party loyalists and has received much attention in the media—and indeed Tina Fey not only looks like the candidate but sounds like Governor Palin and mimics her accent and cadence expertly. Yet it is Barack Obama’s voice—not only on the campaign trail but also during the debates—that has proven most successful. I am not referring to his choice of words (and indeed they are well-chosen) but to the pitch, volume, and rate of his vocal delivery.

Presidents are usually baritones (as well as being tall) and Obama’s vocal range is soothing not only in what he is saying but in how he is saying it. He speaks at a relatively slow WPM (words per minute) and his moderate rate is matched by the use of predictable pitches. McCain varies his tempo as well as his tone–he goes up and speaks fast and loud when he appears angry or excited. His vocal qualities reinforce the Obama campaign’s use of the word “erratic” to describe him. Though Obama’s voice is deeper than Franklin Roosevelt’s and less revealing of his social class, Obama uses his voice similarly. Like Roosevelt, Obama invokes confidence in the deliberate pacing of his vocal delivery. During the third debate Obama’s rate was often below the 120 words per minute that is desirable for talking heads on media (radio DJs speak faster, especially right wing talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh). In the last debate McCain’s rate was usually far above 120 words per minute and the pacing of his delivery was not consistent--McCain’s performance was probably better suited to radio than television. Obama’s speech patterns during the debate offered a respite from anxiety in the very sound of his voice. The way in which he lingers on the conjunctions “and” and“but” as he collects his thoughts serves a similar purpose to Roosevelt’s elongated vowel sounds. They reassure the American people. Obama’s voice reinforces a message that he does not have to repeat in the meanings of his words. The message that he is trustworthy is enunciated in the measured way he speaks. Whereas McCain’s outbursts that he can tackle the economic crisis or find Osama bin Laden are undermined by the fashion in which he utters these reassurances.

Obama employs very different vocal techniques on the campaign trail. He quickens his tempo toward the end of his campaign speeches as he heads toward the climax. Yet even as his rate and volume increases, he does not vary his pitch much (certainly not as much as McCain), which suggest that he is still in control. Obama uses anaphora to great effect (the repetition of clauses at the beginning of sentences), which serve to involve his audience. When he tells the story of meeting the Republican owner of a diner where he ordered dessert, Obama also uses epistrophe in the repeated use of the word “pie” at the end of a series of clauses. Such repetitions add rhythmic intensity to his speech, and satisfy the listener’s expectations. In using these rhetorical flourishes, Obama provides assured tonalities at a time of economic uncertainty; his vocal style proclaims that he knows what he is doing. The resonance of his voice and the patterns of his iterations combine in an attempt to persuade voters. Not only does he have the bearing of a leader, Barack Obama also sounds presidential.

Phone Calls for Obama

Last Sunday, after K and I raced from an excellent yoga class taught by F to go see Beverly Hills Chihuahua (very cute!), we headed back downtown to make phone calls for Obama. We went to the very swanky Bowery Hotel at 3rd Street. Even though the Bowery has been gentrified in the last 10 years, it still stands out among the flop houses and rundown buildings that surround it or face it. Yet I loved the second floor lounge that we were stationed at--it aspired to a hunting lodge or a ski lodge, very comfortable, with a sense of humor, and a roaring fireplace to warm us. The campaign workers were very organized and were able to quickly train us on what to say and how to record our phone calls.

We were calling Pennsylvania, which is good but I don't think the campaign should take the state for granted (or Ohio either) now that polls say Obama is leading in Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, and other states the Democrats have not won in the last two elections. In my mind, Pennsylvania is still a battleground state. The people were more receptive in Pittsburgh than they were in Allegheny, and when the exchange numbers seemed to be move into a black neighborhood I was met with enthusiasm. I think I might have recruited some people to volunteer for the campaign which I hope will help in getting the vote out. One guy really didn't like Obama and I politely bid him adieu and a few resented that I had blocked out my number before I called.

I was impressed by the diversity in the people who were calling and though I met with mostly answer machines, it helped to alleviate the anxiety I feel about this election. Mind you, I also feel very excited that McCain will lose. Personally I don't mind if Sarah Palin keeps the clothing the RNC has bought for her.