Song of the Day – “Down Rodeo” by Rage Against The Machine

Man, these guys is angry!  I understand the issues that Mr. de la Rocha is singing about.  I’ve got a bookshelf full of books that make me angry.  I can’t even read them any more, they make me too angry.  At this phase in my life I need to be happy, and I need to carry the happiness I find with me, so I just can’t go delving deep into those depressing issues like I used to.

I still read the news though.  And I can console myself that I’ll probably be dead by the time the human race destroys itself.

That’s me!  Mr. Shimmering Optimist!

Today’s ditty is pretty.  It’s not a nuanced, poetic argument about the state of affairs in 1996 America so much as it is just a song about driving down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and killing rich white shoppers.  With a shotgun.  These people ain’t seen a brown-skinned man since their grandparents bought one.

I used to hear that line as “since they grabbed hair and bought one”.  Equally grim.  I mentioned earlier that I can enjoy someone’s music while disagreeing with their politics.  I’ll go one further and say that I can enjoy some music while disagreeing with the lyrical content.  How many of us can say that we would actually approve of someone driving down a crowded shopping street and killing people?

Man, this post is a drag.  I wonder if I should shift gear on you all and just start making wacky jokes and zany observations.  Nah.  I think I’ll just end it.