Three video versions of “Stand by Me.” First the original and then the Lennon version (with a “Hey Jude” moment) and then U2 and Bruce Springsteen performing the song together with Bono’s arm in sling and the Boss and Edge duel with their guitars. Enjoy!
Three video versions of “Stand by Me.” First the original and then the Lennon version (with a “Hey Jude” moment) and then U2 and Bruce Springsteen performing the song together with Bono’s arm in sling and the Boss and Edge duel with their guitars. Enjoy!
Three video versions of “Stand by Me.” First the original and then the Lennon version (with a “Hey Jude” moment) and then U2 and Bruce Springsteen performing the song together with Bono’s arm in sling and the Boss and Edge duel with their guitars. Enjoy!
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Why do I post these videos? Because it’s all part of a healthy eat-breathe-dream soccer diet.
I think Eucharisto challenged me back in 2006 on this, and so I have to face the facts: the current Democratic led congress sucks. It has caved into Bush’s demands several times, and the leaders of congress are either wrapped up in their presidential races or they are yellow-liver weaklings who can’t lead. Some are both.
I think that most Americans want a more liberal, stronger congress, and according to the RealClear Politics poll index congress has a lower approval rating than Pres. Bush.
I thought things would change, but they haven’t.
As kids we played on vacant stairs;
I stood on the bottom
and called upwards,
quoting garbled nursery rhymes,
And listened to the
helix of your voice
and echoes.
You sang “Happy Birthday” to me
in the middle of July,
But the hours pooled,
and as days happened,
you slowly descended,
and slowly, warily
I climbed the stairs,
unsure of who
I was going to meet
and how you would seem without
the echoes in between.
A I have to confess that I have only seen two films of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. But in the upcoming weeks I would like to better educate and entertain myself. Let’s put this plainly: Bergman was a genius. Despite this he seems to have fallen out of favor; Ebert in re-review of The Seventh Seal, said that the movie is now unfashionable. That particular movie came out in 1957 so there have obviously been fifty years between that film and his death, but he had already been directing for 10 years, and so he had almost a half century of directing. That is more than enough time to become an old fogey and your grandparents’ favorite art house director. Plus some of the aspects of the movie, the whole idea of Death playing chess was consistently parodied and somber monks and hyperpsychoanalytical closeups found their way into Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Take all of that away and you are present with a masterpiece. A masterpiece that may inspire you to get drunk, but only because of its unrelenting pursuit of the truth that lies at the end of life by a death pursued knight. He tries the church, death and his fellow pilgrims, but Death is catty, and when the knight comes to give his confession, Death is the only one listening. The priests and monks are too busy crying the end of days to listen to one’s confession, too busy demanding repentance to actually listen to it. His friends are not helpful, too bound to the earth, to notice opening graves, or like the pseudo-witch too bound into their minds and the minds of others to offer any revelation.
In the end, the mystery is not something that is knowingly understand and grasped and carried. It is given wordlessly and it is a while before anyone understands what has happened. Death is only delayed, but the delay still has a glint of hope. A knight would make a bad savior.
The other film is Wild Strawberries and is about an old man going to the university to accept an honorary award and along the way he makes peace with his past, daughter in law and son. It is not entirely that simple, but is a gentle masterpiece like a Renoir film.
I would like to write about it more in upcoming days. 
(I need to watch it again!)
But please watch these movies. Especially if you’re the person who doesn’t ask questions. Also, if you want to read more about these and other films by Bergman go to Greencine and browse through the post on Bergman.
