Happy Dad's birthday on "Juneteenth"

You might think I'd choose a photo of Dad in a music setting. Here's a refreshing departure: a racing speedboat, a pastime Dad loved! My parents had a custom Christmas card made one year that showed Dad in full acceleration, practically a blur! I'd say it was dangerous. He told me the story of how he once "raced" a float plane as it was taking off! Can you picture Dad doing that?

 

My late father's birthday happens to coincide with "Juneteenth." If I'm skeptical of the holiday it's because I think we have too many holidays. We could simply skip several of them. 

There was a time when we saw a push to transform Columbus Day into something else. Many re-imagined it as Indigenous People Appreciation Day. There was a concerted push to elevate "Juneteenth." You might say such efforts were "progressive." They were connected to grievance arguments. The historic injustices done to Native Americans and black people. Well, MLK Day fit in with it. 

My whole point about MLK Day has been that it's "condescending." The subtle message is that we need to appreciate the crusader Martin Luther King for helping ensure that black people got legitimate rights, i.e. rights they should have been entitled to all along. And of course MLK had to persuade the white people to adjust their ways. So in the end, "thank you white people for being amenable to this." 

Barry Goldwater perhaps expressed the best sentiment about MLK Day when it was proposed. "It's just another day when the mail won't get delivered." 

But now there is a fresh new problem or issue staring at us. Hoo boy, it is the president of the U.S. who wants to wipe out "grievance holidays" if he can. He is limited in some ways. But he'll try to do what he can. 

Trump wants to literally wipe out "DEI." And you might say that DEI is the basis or "brand" of our U of M-Morris. The concluding chapter of my father's career was with UMM. It wasn't far from where he grew up. He was an adaptable guy because he grew up in rural Minnesota outside of Glenwood, but then transformed himself into quite the big city person. I'm sure he stayed relatable to people from both backgrounds. 

He got his undergraduate and Master's degrees at the U-Twin Cities. UMM did not exist then. We had the West Central School of Agriculture out here at the Morris campus. 

Dad worked summers at Glacier National Park. He dressed like a cowboy during the day and then donned his tuxedo at night to lead the dance orchestra at the Lodge. Like I said, "adaptable." Although, I'm not sure how well he adapted to yours truly. 

My preschool years were when Dad directed music for the U of M-St. Paul School of Agriculture. Those were precious days in my life. They came before the pressures of public school and being around kids who weren't always the nicest. That happened here in Morris. "Adversity builds character?" Not sure if that's really true. 

Maybe I should have been sent to reform school. Maybe that was suggested and my parents fought it. They were in denial about my shortcomings. 

Here I sit today and I can at least claim that I made it to age 70. 

Dad definitely made his commitment for WWII. He floated out on the Pacific. Was lieutenant in U.S. Navy as we overcame the Axis powers. He visited Tokyo soon after hostilities ended, found the Japanese to be very passive and humbled. The city had been fire-bombed to a cinder. I guess the general behind that was Curtis LeMay who would later be VP candidate with George Wallace. 

Remember Wallace? I was sort of taken by him just because he made politics into a "performance art." His wife would later say "he didn't want a marriage, he wanted an audience." There is evidence to suggest that Wallace began spouting racism only because he was a product of his Deep South culture. And, that he really knew better. He was a judge at one time. And a black lawyer would say of him that "he was the first judge who ever called me mister in a courtroom." But boy the guy could certainly handle a campaign lectern. 

 

What a venture!

It is well-known how my father launched the UMN-Morris music program. Holy cow, all phases of it. That's an absolute fact because he was literally the only UMM music faculty in the institution's first year, its "maiden voyage." That was 1960-61. I was age five in 1960. and it is well-known that Dad scored lots of points for the fledgling (and according to legend frail) UMM. 

The year was 1962. Cuban missile crisis on everyone's mind. Beatles hadn't arrived as mega-celebrities yet. But the Minnesota Twins had arrived. In fact the Twins finished second in the American League behind the still-dynastic New York Yankees. Must have seemed like a miracle. Twins were only five games behind the Yanks in fact. But that was long before the expanded playoffs. Only one team advanced past the regular season in each league. 

 

The image at right is a rare photo of dad as a young boy. He was the youngest of five sons of Martin and Carrie Williams. He graduated from Glenwood High School in 1934. Lean Depression times, John Dillinger days. In baseball, Dizzy Dean was tops.

 

My father's trip to Seattle with the UMM men's chorus was significant for a reason I will remind you of. It was not so much to display UMM for the fairgoers, although that was nice. You see, UMM was part of a big musical contingent from around Minnesota. So all those musicians became vividly aware of UMM. Our chorus was high-profile because it opened the Minnesota Day program at the World's Fair. 

Elvis Presley did a movie that was set at the Seattle World's Fair a.k.a. Century 21 Exposition. 

Directing male singers was something my father became known for. He directed the Apollo Male Chorus of Minneapolis in the 1950s. You should see his scrapbook. He was quite the flamboyant guy. Not sure he was so flamboyant once he came to UMM. I remember him directing the original UMM Fight Song at the P.E. Annex, since razed. I watched UMM basketball there and also watched Cougar football at the old P.E. Miller field. That was out behind the present-day multi-ethnic building. 

 

On a tenterhook

The 64-dollar question these days for UMM is whether we can keep getting away with having DEI, a multi-ethnic building and other stuff like that. I wonder what the current status of such stuff is. Can I assume there are intense, maybe fearful discussions behind closed doors? 

Even as a little kid I could sense that having a male-only chorus at UMM could be a problem. Should I have counseled my father on that? Let's be clear: if I had tried counseling Dad on anything, I would have just screwed things up. Let the past stand as it is. When you see the little display honoring the old UMM men's chorus at the recital hall entrance, just reason: "Those were different times." 

Hey, no women's intercollegiate athletics yet! That's a tough one to swallow. And today we have Caitlin Clark! 

 

Long and full lives

My father passed away on February 2 of 2013 at age 96. Mom came within a month of her 94th birthday, so that's doing pretty good I'd say. Incredibly good. But death does come for us all. We lost Bunny Yerigan and Todd Hickman recently. The pages get turned, always. Life goes on for Morris and UMM. 

"Juneteenth" is a Federal holiday ensconced on the calendar, but celebrations have become muted. You know why. We hear about mounting resistance to "diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives." Such political backlash looms. Our nation has elected DJT twice. An asterisk: The first time in 2016 he got three million fewer votes than his Democratic opponent. Just thought I'd mention it. 

I was not emotionally close to my father. But I'm proud to remind of his exciting and productive life, reflected primarily by the existence of our campus out here. 

Maybe we are such a remote place that Trump, Stephen Miller and the others will not even notice us. Maybe that's our best hope. It appears that Torrey Westrom and Paul Anderson are not actively joining their party's leader in fighting DEI and grievance causes. 

Pssst, happy Juneteenth. And happy birthday to Dad up in heaven.

And hey Mom, I remembered to make a new dentist appointment today!

My father Ralph E. Williams is at right, visiting with an old U of M student friend of his. That person happens to be Malcolm Moos who at the time of photo was University of Minnesota President! The photo was taken at installation of Jack Imholte as UMM Provost. "Provost" was then the term for UMM's top person. Now it's "Chancellor." And the person now is Janet Schrunk Ericksen. The Morris paper had Janet's name spelled wrong in a headline at the time of inauguration. Of course I'd have been tarred and feathered for that misstep. I must say, a person can get somewhat confused dealing with the middle of her three names. Is it "Schrunk" or "Shrunck?" I don't think it's "Honey I Shrunk the Kids." As journalists we have no excuses (especially if your name is Brian Williams). I'd be called a dumb whatever. An event at UMM led to my downfall in the Morris print media. That event was the goalpost incident. You know, I don't think the UMM higher-ups appreciate any reference at all to that event, no matter what the reason. So it was not a "teachable moment."
  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

"The Longest Day" (1962) skirted reality

Mitchum, Fonda, Wayne

There is so much I can reflect upon having grown up as a "boomer" and with my father having WWII experience. You would think our dads would resist any attempt by popular entertainment to present the war. Think of the war's obvious horror and suffering. But they were strangely indifferent. Maybe they just chose not to pay a lot of attention to it. So it sort of floated over their heads while they attended to the real priorities in their lives. There, is that sound analysis? 

Our fathers were into "DIY" so they had a habit of collecting "tools." This trait has gotten attention in the TV series "The Wonder Years" and the movie "Gran Torino," the latter with Clint Eastwood of course. I believe the Eastwood character's background was in the Korean War. The "mysterious" Korean War, I might add. Success or not? Heck I can't answer that. We got the country divided in two, was the best we could do. 

We tried the same in Vietnam and failed. I should say "failed miserably." The media today will not hesitate to call Vietnam a totally failed venture. How can I as a boomer ever forget what that did to my generation? Boys had to stare "the draft" in the face and could be so distracted by this, they could not get into their desired career path or footing. Such a distraction it was, it had to affect the economy. 

World War II was so much more easy for us to understand. Such clear moral lines drawn. Good vs. evil, freedom vs. tyranny. 

It's easy to generalize too much about anything. Hollywood after WWII showed the "Allies" as such clear moral heroes. Well of course we had to win. But were the German people - I mean the broad populace - imbued with such intrinsic evil? Well of course not. We are surrounded with people of German stock today and we think nothing of how these folks once fought for Hitler. We view the Germans today as being the equals of all. No suspicions held, right? 

So it must have been some mass delusion that built up in the '30s and reached its horrific peak in the early '40s. The submarine movie "Das Boot" was excellent because it showed young German military members in WWII as sympathetic and human. Of course they had to be. Young men bear the brunt of war because they are expendable, or so their governments dictate. 

Wars are actually fought between governments. The governments develop propaganda to make the common people passive and accepting of what's going on. 

The fathers of my generation did not object to a whole lot of war movies from Hollywood that showed the carnage. But with an asterisk: carnage that was heavily sanitized. I have to believe that everyone knew that war was more violent and tragic than what we might gather from the movie screen. 

Maybe I'm wrong on that? 

 

Don't forget the Russians 

So my fellow boomers who were teeming in numbers of course flocked to the theaters in the early '60s to see "The Longest Day." The turning point of WWII? The decisive difference in the war? That's a popular conception. Would be nice if true, but D-Day for all its success was really more like a complimentary move. 

The Russians were so heroic and determined as they resisted and then pushed back the Germans. But it was very rough-going and slow for them. Something had to be done. So the D-Day invasion served to divert the Germans from their efforts to resist the Russians. The Nazi resources got spread out more. 

And surely the U.S. with the likes of Patton did its job. Patton was the general who "Ike" could call on when a pugnacious effort was called for, an effort entailing significant "good guy" casualties. Andy Rooney of CBS had a problem with Patton because of that. 

Patton had no qualms about rolling his sleeves up. Don't think there was no skepticism among the U.S. people about our pugnacious actions. A large number of Americans were losing their sons. In the Pacific, the Tarawa conquest served to get many Americans agitated and most dour. 

Post-war we increasingly wanted to just bathe in our success and by extension, glory. Glory? No way. 

 

Knock off this term

WWII has come to be described in a perverse way as "the good war." We can debate whether all the casualties were required. Hitler in order to hold his efforts together, was having to execute his own generals. So when Donald Trump compliments Hitler's generals on their "loyalty," I have to wonder how much war history he knows. 

Rommel was executed. And then he got a big state funeral. We see Rommel portrayed in "The Longest Day" (1962) setting up Germany's defenses at Normandy. He eventually wanted to see Hitler taken out. 

Hollywood's "The Longest Day" with its "star-studded cast" greatly entertained the boomer generation boys. The girls? I would guess not. Women are nurturers while men are destroyers. Can you name a single national leader or general in WWII who was a women? Well I guess not. 

The toy industry came out with military facsimile stuff that boys could use to "play army" in their neighborhoods. I have personal memories of that, like of a plastic grenade that would "explode" using caps as with "cap guns." Cap guns? A real-looking pistol that makes a sound like it's being fired? Oh how absolutely unacceptable for today - the cops could come along and shoot your child dead. Boys got Christmas gifts of this type. While their fathers just sat there and I guess "capitulated." 

John Wayne in "The Longest Day"

"The Longest Day," while entertaining, avoided depiction of graphic violence. I have read "minimal blood and gore." But was there any blood and gore? There was a limited focus on individual suffering. The emphasis instead was on overall operation and strategies. So it was sort of like watching sports. Well yes. 

We can observe "camaraderie" among the U.S. service members. Even among the German commanders too I suppose. Hitler himself is not presented. The Germans actually speak German. The "camaraderie" had the effect of making boys excited, perhaps, about the prospects of someday being in military service. I remember expressing this thought once as a kid and then a neighbor boy two years older and wiser got me over it. 

"The Longest Day" showed us clean deaths and lack of lasting injuries. Characters often die instantly. No agonizing groans or debilitating wounds.

Well, along came "Saving Private Ryan" years later as if this movie's purpose was to correct all that. Did we really need to be hit over the head? And my God was this really entertaining? Aren't we more entertained just watching John Wayne and Robert Mitchum? 

 

WWII legacy 

D-Day may have planted the seeds for future U.S. delusions about war. It caused us to overestimate our capacity to win foreign wars. 

So D-Day was the turning point for overcoming tyranny? Well it surely was not so simple. The Russians were ferocious coming from the east and they made the Germans more amenable to surrendering to the Allies. 

But my goodness, post-war we were obscured from appreciating the Russians because the Soviet Union had become our enemy. Our children were led to think that the U.S. all by itself had saved the world. And so we felt that henceforth everyone was going to have to get out of the way of our military. Iraq? Afghanistan? Those were misadventures. It really is not so easy. We might have avoided all of that. 

Remember, no WMD. 

"The Longest Day" is considered a cinematic achievement. Well my God it's three hours long. Parts surely could have been trimmed out. But the movie was so "important," so epic. "America saves the world." Look at all those young American men making "buddies" in the Army and then taking on a foe en route to "victory." So inspiring. 

But wouldn't it have been wonderful to just avoid all of it? All those men killed in the war: How would their lives have turned out? Think of their gifts, how they could have built families, had descendants among us today.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Instability with interest rates an omen?

So many cheerleaders for "rate cuts"

We're into June and the rhythm of the seasons continues. Is it reassuring for you? Or do you begin making your rounds each day scared of discovering the higher prices for everything? Inflation does not come out of the ether. Economics is a science and there are causes. 

I grew up during the very pernicious 1970s inflation. Eventually we discovered there was a solution, as Paul Volcker took over at "the Fed." He made us take our medicine. He pushed up interest rates one whole point sometimes. Oh, a lot of people bemoaned that of course. Inflation got snuffed out so completely, it became rather out-of-mind. But I never forgot what we had been through. 

And I had to be thankful for one thing: my certificates of deposit at the banks performed quite well during the period of "taking our medicine." I'll sometimes bring this up when I'm around people like at church coffee, and people can be resentful. Even in the present time they might make a face. 

I guess the farm crisis of the 1980s was a pretty serious thing. I had no influence to affect anything but I did have some CDs in the banks. 

 

Uncertainty

Wouldn't it be ideal if we didn't have to gravitate to extremes? I stopped acquiring Meals on Wheels because I was asked to fill out a form. The government always seeks data, even government under conservative leadership. Maybe especially government under conservative leadership. 

The form asked me my income. Well that's a problem. 

For a while I was able to get some pretty good "CD specials" at the banks. Interest rates floating up around five percent in fact. Well I'll take the best I can get. But you know what the norm has been over the last few years. Quite a few years actually, even going back to Obama. We had the "2008 financial crisis." Odd type of crisis because it was not an act of God. It came on because of the fallibility of human beings. 

Mistakes? Or shifty moves prompted by greed? Was there substantial incarceration of the guilty parties?  Well no. We saw this in Iceland which had women in powerful positions in government. We needed that here. Instead the "good old boys" with their status and deep pockets just bamboozled us. 

Hank Paulson, former treasury secretary

So on comes Hank Paulson holding his three sheets of paper with hands trembling. Time for TARP. The well-heeled crowd had gone to the usual well for support. Well, a "bailout." And of course that well was the government. I laugh. Who else was going to support these people? Where else could they go? The Federal government can create new money. Bring on "quantitative easing" or "QE." 

The high rollers of Wall Street act like they are such conservative folks. Heaven forbid anyone comes forward as "liberal." As conservatives they decry "big government" and government spending. But when the excrement hits the fan for them? We know the routine, all carefully cloaked in rhetoric that makes it sound necessary. George W. Bush got bamboozled but that shouldn't surprise us. He told us that "economic advisors" told him that without the bailout and QE, "our economic system would collapse." 

I looked around me at the routine of our local businesses and professional people and it seemed life was going on as usual. So everything was going to "collapse?" That's what Bush told us. Was that really the fear, or were the well-heeled elite folks wetting their pants over getting crushed in "the stock market." 

Ah, the stock market. When I was a kid you didn't hear the common folks talk about the stock market. They knew about it but did not think it was their thing. They figured it was a "playground" for the rich people. This implies that rich people didn't care about being careless with their money. The opposite is true: rich people pull every string to guard their wealth. Such folks knew where to go when the storm clouds of this apparent "financial crisis" formed in 2008. Do we really know how bad things were? The media just began hitting us over the head with this notion. Today we'd call it a "meme." 

So there stood Hank Paulson with hands trembling as he held the three pieces of paper for the bailout. Mostly we saw America shrug about this. "Well, just one of those things." "You know how it goes." 

 

Terrible for savers

So we got this extended period of QE where people with money "in the bank" simply got screwed. Then upon the re-opening after the worst of covid, we got the stimmy checks which experts said would cause inflation. This led to a major upswing in what banks could offer savings customers. But to take advantage, you had to sign up for this thing called a "CD special." And yours truly had to twist arms to get paid monthly interest instead of "annual" or "at maturity." 

I have had some good results from this. But it could all come to an end quickly. Our president is really strong-arming "the Fed" to try to get interest rate cuts. This totally violates the unwritten rule about how the president isn't even supposed to talk about the Fed. Well, so what? The U.S. was stupid enough to elect Trump twice! So why care about any unwritten rules in Washington D.C.? 

Hey, let's throw the baby out with the bathwater. And heavens, what is this all going to lead to? 

I thought "conservatives" were free-traders. But we have a president with an absolute tariff fetish, so unstable with the application that it is pure comedy. 

"TACO?" 

The president's trick is to divert and distract enough to keep a certain type of (mainly male) American supporting him. He advises Republicans "don't talk about 'trans' until a week before the election." 

He's right for getting Republicans elected. But will the U.S. under his leadership turn into a house of cards? Really, are you prepared for that? Prepared for the ramifications of tariffs and possibly plunging interest rates? More inflation without a doubt. 

And this while scores of the working poor will lose Medicaid? People will probably declare personal bankruptcy which means the health care providers/professionals won't get their money. Obviously DJT does not care. 

Has our own congressperson Michelle Fischbach ever second-guessed anything that DJT has done or said? Even once? So you're all good with this? You must be. You probably get reinforced when you attend church on Sunday. Republicans win on the cultural issues. This is their trump cared so to speak. 

We completely put aside the science of economics. We completely disregard how the cutting of Medicaid and even Medicare is going to have calamitous outcomes. But as Joni Ernst reminded us, showing Republican wisdom, "we all die." So let's get on with it.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Not as old as I thought: Elvis Costello.

Elvis Costello

I would guess nearly all of us are familiar with the name "Elvis Costello." The first name just like Presley. But this other guy does not have the over-arching fame. I use present tense because he's still alive. No date of death on the Wikipedia entry. 

My first thought upon hearing the name goes back to one of the "Austin Powers" movies, I think the first one. Of course Austin Powers was all about propping up the 1960s. So is this a name we should associate? Elvis Costello? If so, the guy would have to be quite up in years. 

I remember the '60s well and I'm up in years (70). We can feel tremendous nostalgia if we try to blot out the Vietnam war. That's quite the heavy lift. But what's done is done. The war happened and countless lives were shattered. If we can be entertained by a big Hollywood blockbuster about the D-Day invasion ("The Longest Day"), then we can have less-than-ghoulish thoughts about lots of things that are separated, compartmentalized, whatever. 

Erase Vietnam and we can remember the advance of such uniquely appealing popular music. Many of us can rattle off names. These were good and talented people but they had more help than we realize. The big record companies made sure the artists put out the best product. And so there were elaborate studio operations and "studio musicians." The genius of these folks was surely known by the record execs, not so much by the fans, especially the young fans. 

It was a commercial machine brimming with talent and commitment. Kudos to all. 

How many people could tell you something substantive about Elvis Costello? I would guess that outside of name recognition, not much is really top-of-mind. A special talent without a doubt. So how old is the guy now? How about that: he was born in the year before yours truly. I'm 70, born in '55. Mr. Costello came into the world in August of '54. I'm five months younger. He grew up in the same milieu of experiences as me. 

We have recognizable spots, people our age. We were imbued with more than the usual cynicism when young. The war definitely fed into that. The "generation gap" was surely a reflection. Our favored music was a stark departure from our parents. So different that it's almost mystifying to consider. 

Rock 'n' roll was controversial in the 1950s. The surface impression of America was that surely our citizens were not going to countenance this new pulsating music that reflected - gasp! - African rhythms! Elvis Presley could only be shown on TV from the waist down! 

I cited "surface impression." Cultural changes and evolution so often get developed below the surface. Such was the case of the "counterculture." Rock 'n' roll was suppressed for a time, to a degree anyway. We called the older generation "uptight." But they were going to pass from the scene as all generations do. The new standards made strides. 

The counterculture was attached to "The New Left" for a time. That's a political reference of course. Historians note that the counterculture survived quite fine and thrived. But the "New Left" did not. My generation has blamed capitalism for the Vietnam war. Capitalism is in fact the best economic system there is for lifting up our standard of living. No, I don't think the raw principle of capitalism was at fault, rather it was largely the "military industrial complex" which President Eisenhower had pointedly warned us about. So we're still talking profit motive. 

I guess the military industrial complex was a legacy from WWII. It spilled into new military adventurism while Americans were not paying enough attention. Too many of us associated war with glory and success. "War is hell," not that General Sherman spoke those exact words. It's a famous quote which is actually a paraphrase. It's an accurate paraphrase. 

 

Talent across the board

Elvis Costello is an English musical whiz with involvement in several phases of the entertainment craft. My, he would have been a mere 16 years of age when the decade of the '60s ended. So I'm not quite processing why Michael Myers in "Austin Powers" was eager to put him forward. Burt Bacharach, yes most certainly. 

Costello is a singer/songwriter and actually quite a bit more. He turned out his first album at age 23. It was called "My Aim Is True." He became a groundbreaker with "new wave." His biggest hit in the USA was "Veronica" from 1989. He has had hits with covers of songs. Even more impressive, his own original songs have been recorded by many others. The "many others" might read like a who's who. So his resume is stellar, even though I do not think his name is a household word. The name "Elvis" grabs your attention because of the likeness with the more famous guy. 

 

"My Brave Face"

Costello's collaboration with Paul McCartney fascinates me. McCartney had extensive experience writing music as part of a collaboration of course. That was with his fellow Beatle John Lennon. Costello fit right in as a fellow Brit. Lennon left us too soon of course. And his split with McCartney was unfortunately not amicable. 

McCartney and Costello worked together to craft "My Brave Face," a song I love. Here I'll confess that back when it was current, I could not have told you much about it. A common condition with music fans: enjoying the "sound" of a song while never really exploring the lyrics at all. 

A further confession: I could not even make out the words "My Brave Face" from the refrain. The song had the unusual touch of beginning with the refrain. In this respect it's just like the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love." 

If you're listening to the song for the first time and you don't know the name, can you really make out the words "My Brave Face?" And keep in mind that my generation grew up consuming so much music from the radio which meant that the sounds were in the background of our lives. Our attention could be diverted. The music might have to compete with background sounds. 

Today if we really like a song, we can access it from our online device, replay it and analyze it all we want. My generation did not have these luxuries. We'd listen from the radio and buy our vinyl records. People ought to feel real spoiled today. I doubt we realize, as change proceeds slowly and we embrace the new norms. 

McCartney and Costello are credited as co-writers of the song "My Brave Face" from the 1989 album "Flowers in the Dirt." The song is known for sounding very "Beatle-y." Man, that would seem to be a huge strong suit. 

"My Brave Face" was McCartney's last Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 until his 2014 collaboration with Kanye West. It was the last Billboard Top 40 hit by any former Beatle as a solo artist. The passage of time makes it harder. Pop music is really the province of the young. 

McCartney would say that it was Costello who pulled the song in the direction of being Beatle-ish. Linda McCartney is heard on background vocals. 

 

They have to make the grade

Don't think that big names in the music field are a slam dunk for having their compositions succeed! No, they can be humbled by rejection like anyone else. But they probably don't get knocked down much. That's because they have a passion for what they do. It has been said of pro athletes that they "have no fear of failure." I suspect it's the same in the music world. 

So Costello was probably able to recover fine when a tune he wrote for Agnetha Faltskog got rejected. Costello had long admired ABBA. Costello submitted a track "Shatterproof" for inclusion in Agnetha's second album, "Eyes of a Woman." The album was released in 1985. 

"Shatterproof" did not go quietly into the night. Billy Bremner of "Rockpile" released a super version. 

Now maybe you're curious about what "Shatterproof"  is about. Well. . . The song portrays a couple living in a rented apartment, constantly patching up the cracks and pretending to be happy. "Shatterproof" refers to the longing for a genuine, unbreakable home and relationship, contrasting with the fragile rented apartment. Can you relate? 

 

Bremner kills it

Well, I just love the driving sound of "Shatterproof" as performed by Billy Bremner. I'm not sure if it would have worked for Agnetha, but we'll never know. 

"Shatterproof" would describe Costello's faith in his own songwriting talent. He and McCartney sure clicked on "My Brave Face." 

I believe I have read that "My Brave Face" is the last McCartney hit from a particular phase in his career. Let's say it's his last song from his young adult prime. Subsequently to be "retro." So you might say the album "Feathers in the Dust" rode the coattails of "Wings." I was 34 years old when "My Brave Face" was current. I guess I was set to evolve into a new and older phase myself. 

Pop songs are of course markers in our lives.

 

Addendum: In "Shatterproof," I think the little clause "unaccustomed as I am" has Costello written all over it! 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Rhythm of life continues in Morris, with hiccups

The "good old days' of a standard full band for the UMN-Morris graduation. Yours truly took the photo in 2010. The director is Martin Seggelke. For so many years we were treated to UMM musical talent in this fashion. The scene in the image is no longer repeated. Gone forever? What can we count on? The enrollment at UMM now is what? A thousand? And from that we can't put together a band like this? Students should be enthused about the opportunity. They do not have to be serious music students at UMM IMHO. How about an extracurricular type of attitude? Certain people might tell me my thoughts about this are hogwash.

 

The UMN-Morris academic year ends sooner on the calendar than it used to. The graduation is a signal that things will be slowing down in Morris. I think this used to be more noticeable in past times. And then when the high schools have their graduations, that really paves the way for the subdued summertime. 

The first signal that my church of First Lutheran was in decline was when we decided to have just one Sunday service "in the summer." Of course this was to be followed by the complete end to the two services routine. 

My family used to weigh: early or late service? I remember as a kid, Mom saying that communion would be held at only one. So she preferred the other service. Communion is a rather odd ritual, don't you think? "The blood of Jesus." Might strike a kid as a little creepy. That part hardly registers with me but I have a separate issue: the logistics of going up to the front and handling the tiny piece of bread ("the body") and the tiny cup of, well, grape juice. And then you put the empty cup in a basket held by an acolyte. 

Hey, no one is compelled to go up for communion. I have opted not to at times. When you're done you are expected to go back to your spot in the pews. Oh and it would be easy to lose track of that, right? So I'll set something in my spot that I can recognize as I come back, maybe my reading glasses. Oh my, the embarrassment of taking someone else's spot! 

Go ahead and skip communion. 

Standing up when the pastor requests this, is also voluntary. A friend who watches services on YouTube noticed that I wasn't always standing up. He nudged me on that. Is this a societal faux pas? My excuse is that my parents did not stand up in their fading years. They'd have communion brought to them. I'd stay seated too and be served that way. 

Attending church at all is of course a voluntary thing. I often remind people of when First Lutheran was really in its prime and we had "UMM Sunday" in the fall. A little group of UMM students would be present and would address the congregation. And then there was the big "pot luck" lunch. It really was a big deal in its prime. 

First Lutheran Church (B.W. photo)

But then you know what happened. The once very proud and robust First Lutheran with its two Sunday services suffered erosion. Rather slow but I sure noticed it. In one sense I could relax more - the decline made everything seem more informal. One got the sense that what was left of the place appreciated everyone who came. 

In the last year of "UMM Sunday," the number of people coming downstairs for the pot luck was no more than if we had our standard coffee hour. Without a doubt the writing was on the wall. "New Wine" ended. Eventually the church choir had to be discontinued.

(The catalyst: gay rights.)

 

Brethren with Federated

Looks like Federated Church which has also experienced erosion is hanging in there with a choir. They were our guests last Sunday. This as the rumors circulate about how maybe, maybe, First Lutheran and Federated will join together as a two-point parish. For a while I accepted this as fact already. Depends on who you talk to of course. When I was with the newspaper I had standing that allowed me to get a heads-up with "official" news. Oh my, today I just go out and about and "talk to people." You can swear something is a fact and then. . . 

I told a church leader last Sunday that I approved of the two-point parish thing with Federated. He knew what I was talking about. So the proposal did not come out of thin air. 

I suggested we proceed quickly with this. If we don't, we will have an unsteady and slipshod arrangement to get pastoral services, not that many of these people are not good. I feel better with an anchor pastor who we know will be there on most Sundays. Just as, I was an "anchor" representative for the newspaper once, showing up all over the place. I still feel like a fish out of water, not being able to do that any more. I'll never get over it. It's who I really am, or was. 

The last newspaper owner I worked for ended up leaving town. Not the most classy operation. 

 

Rev. Matt Orendorff

Rev. Orendorff

The two-point parish would be served by Pastor Matt. He was a mass communications major in college just like I was. He matriculated at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. That's the home of the "Blugolds." Me, I got my mass communications degree at St. Cloud State. Huskies!

Isn't it crazy how SCSU is making the news these days? I'm sure there's nothing the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce can do about it. Cascading decline. Insult added to injury with a whole list of buildings set to be torn down. 

I can understand some of the dormitories being razed because clearly the entitled young people of today wouldn't accept living in the 1960s style of dormitory. We weren't exactly fans of that ourselves. The idea was just to crowd kids in. A common bathroom on each floor. 

Outside of the dorms, I think it's sad and really not defensible for some of the other major buildings to meet the wrecking ball. In the wake of all that, more "open space?" Is that all? I have read that touted as being nice. However, open space in and of itself is nothing, does not produce anything. I would say potential for new residential development is nil because the neighboring part of town is run down to the extent that I've read you wouldn't want to take a walk after dark. 

 

Shift outward

The nice new residences of today are built on the periphery of communities. Commuting has been made so routine due to cars being built to be so much more dependable. Cars don't even come with spare tires now. Detroit got competition. 

In the days of the Detroit primacy, there was a norm of trading your car every four years. Technology has sure sharpened and transformed that industry, as it has everything else. 

Well, I hope St. Cloud enjoys its new "open space." Doesn't sound too good for the tax rolls. Meanwhile, as the wrecking ball goes to town at SCSU, our Morris campus is trying to get an elevator for the multi-ethnic building.

 

On the edge maybe

Multi-ethnic building? Can we really risk continuing to have such a thing? Surely you have read about the intense crackdown on "DEI." And the Supreme Court, bolstered by the DJT appointees, has shot down affirmative action. Can we survive with our Native American policy? 

Two ways of looking at the policy: It's good in that it keeps our enrollment up or at least stable or at least not shrinking so fast. Fine, but the Natives do not pay tuition. It's an old policy meant to remedy the serious injustices done to Natives. Well, all of affirmative action has as its foundation the cause of remedying past injustices. That's the whole point. But the Supremes have said "no more." 

I think affirmative action and DEI have really done a lot of good. So I frown on the door being slammed on it. Even if you frown too, you must acknowledge where the power is now. Republicans have more than a foothold now. We're really not used to this. Many of us assume the pendulum will swing back. That is merely an assumption or wishful thinking. 

Republicans on the basis of naked principle do not approve of publicly-funded education. 

So whither UMM? We'll have a long summer to think about it. Let's look forward to the "welcome UMM picnic" at East Side Park next fall. Will East Side Park be preserved "as is?" Can we get more use out of the Killoran stage? It's too bad how feelings developed over the recent proposal for the place. Intentions were good. 

What makes such matters so sensitive is that the residential neighborhoods are so close. Sometimes I'm scared of the expansion of Superior so close to my place. But what a burgeoning company that is. There is always a trade-off with industrial development. The environment always suffers in some way. 

 

Music really matters

Is anyone besides me really concerned that there is no longer a band for the UMN-Morris graduation? I mean a real bona fide band with all the usual sections composed of current students. It sure was the norm for a long time. Just as First Lutheran Church went through stages of decline, are we left whistling past the graveyard in connection to UMM? 

What if the affirmative action thing really bites us at some point? What if the no-DEI policy really comes at us? I think these things are more likely than not. Can the State of Minnesota give us a protective umbrella to a degree? We really answer to the state, don't we? 

I'm just saying we need to be scared. Or vigilant. 

Everyone assumes that the UMM enrollment is a thousand give or take a few. A thousand students, and then can we assume that a good percentage of the kids played in their high school band? So why can't UMM come up with a band again? Does it have to be composed of serious music students? Like music majors/minors? Or could it be treated more like extracurricular? You'd have to let the students pick up some credits for their efforts. The experience would be fulfilling for them and enhance the overall campus atmosphere. 

 

The concept was floated

I remember when a UMM student caused some controversy maybe ten years ago by pushing the idea of an "intramural" jazz band! He had an op-ed in the campus newspaper. The experiment started but was met with resistance by the music discipline. So determined these young people were, they tried a rehearsal in the HFA hallway, whereupon an opponent in the music department contacted campus police! 

I found the email address of the student promoter (instigator?) and told him I endorsed his project. But I think it disappeared. His op-ed noted how so many UMM students had been in high school jazz band but were not music majors in college. They'd really enjoy the outlet. 

And allow me to whisper here: maybe this "intramural" group could sharpen its style to where it'd be on the same level as UMM's official jazz group? Uh-oh, maybe even better? Competition is always good for people. The higher the standards the better. 

But then there's the bureaucracy. I could not see my late father objecting to this "rebellious" idea. Let there be music! 

But now we have to settle for a mere small group - not current UMM students? - performing for graduation. "Pomp and Circumstance" does not sound right unless it's played by a full "band." Hancock High School can do it. In fact they do it pretty well.

 

Addendum: Why not a UMM pep band too? Just a big enough band to produce the desired sound, not real big. Play for football and basketball. It won't be all things to all people. The perfect is the enemy of the good. 

My father, as the original UMM music faculty, directed a pep band for basketball at the old "P.E. Annex" which has been razed. He directed the original UMM fight song. I think if we adjusted the second line of lyrics in the song, it could be resurrected. May lightning strike me for suggesting that. But I'm just trying to revive it. I have long had a suggestion for the adjustment. Me? Well, the song isn't doing anyone any good if it isn't used. It is my assumption that the second line of lyrics is the problem. But I always venture forth with my ideas. My blogging doesn't cost me a penny. A friend tells me I probably have "lurkers" on my blogs.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

The chameleon-like nature of actors

The image shows Leslie Nielsen in the comic "Dracula, Dead and Loving It." 

 

Actors can go from being bad guys to good guys. Would anyone want to do it the other way around? It has been said of Vince Vaughn that he has a problem of not being able to vary his acting technique. 

An actor can be so impressive in a role, the role sticks in our head in a way that makes it harder to accept new roles by the actor. With me I'm thinking of Matthew Broderick. And no, I'm not thinking of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," I'm thinking of "WarGames" which also gave us Allie Sheedy in an equally appealing role. 

I must have had time on my hands when I saw "WarGames" because I saw it twice. So when Broderick showed up in subsequent movies like "Godzilla" and "Glory," I couldn't help but remember "WarGames." 

Versatility as an actor: Just think of Leslie Nielsen! He played both serious and comical roles in his long career. The comedy came in the closing stages and he was an absolute master. My generation of the boomers really couldn't get enough. It started with "Airplane." Such an impression was made, was it literally impossible for the guy to play a straight role again? 

 

Try this

A curious phenomenon is when you have occasion to watch an older movie with Nielsen "straight." We are highly distracted. The best example is "The Poseidon Adventure" because Nielsen looked the same as in "Airplane " and his subsequent comedy roles. He of course played the top officer on the ship. And as we anticipate each new line, we can't help but anticipate an absurd comedic line, maybe a pun. 

"You can tell me, I'm a doctor" (from "Airplane"). I would argue it is impossible for many of us to resist an urge to have our attention disrupted this way. 

Will Nielsen be remembered best as a comic actor? If my generation has anything to say about it, yes. Boomers' perceptions carry lots of weight. 

Nielsen wasn't alone in putting his serious persona aside. These guys were told by the director to say their (comedic) lines just as they would always say their lines. And of course that was a big part of what made it funny. "And don't call me Shirley." 

The boomers had troubling impulses in their movie-watching IMHO. They wanted to see old concepts made farcical. It's like they (we) wanted to tear everything down. Maybe we did, in a sense, because we saw aspects of our parents' values that we questioned. Well, first and foremost, for U.S. forces to go over to Vietnam. It went beyond that to outrage over racism and sexism. 

It has been said of "Woodstock" that it was primarily a "multicultural celebration." We refused to countenance racial or ethnic stereotypes. A women's place was not in the kitchen. The attitude carried over to entertainment where we really let our hair down. It reached troubling levels IMHO. 

I have read that the movie "That's Entertainment" with narration by Frank Sinatra had a purpose of trying to get people to pine for the previous era when things were taken more seriously. Things like movies. 

Deconstructing the western

I mean, movies had devolved to where "Blazing Saddles" was a sensational hit. Not that Mel Brooks himself was like the boomers, he just had a sense for mining the boomers' attitudes. It was a reflection, as is much of what Hollywood gives us. 

"Young Frankenstein" made a joke out of what was really a serious sci-fi story. The horror movies of an earlier time, at least outside of low-budget, were to be seen in a serious light. Let's assume the actors then were all just professionals coached on how to deliver a product. 

And in this vein I'll remember Rodney Dangerfield from about 1980. He became huge in the eyes of the boomers. But I vividly remember watching him at the Minnesota State Fair and seeing obviously that he was fed up with his silly boomer audience. It became not so subtle. 

Dangerfield had a background just like Sinatra. The boomers got turned on to Dangerfield in various ways but mostly from the movie "Caddyshack." "Caddyshack" catered to the boomers at their irreverent best (i.e. worst). Make people look like idiots, especially the older (vain and stuffy) people. 

The young people of today are so different: they do not poke fun at traditional images or at the older folks at all. 

I sensed the weakness of my generation at the time but hardly dared to say anything about it. The peer pressure was enormous to go along with it, like to laugh almost continually through "Blazing Saddles." The movie gains increased notice today for how it used  objectionable racist terms (but did so actually to demean racism, to cheapen it). You simply CAN'T DO THAT today. 

P.J. O'Rourke did the same thing for humor effect in his famous newspaper satire "Dacron Republican-Democrat." It has been called the Rosetta Stone of newspaper satires. The metropolitan daily newspaper was at its peak. Hey, are newspapers still around? 

 

Neville Brand as "Reese"

Neville Brand in "Laredo"

Finally, let me cite a prime exhibit of an actor going from bad guy to good guy. This is Neville Brand. He had a long acting resume before taking a role in a 1960s TV western. A prime time network show back then made the actors huge stars, gave them defining roles even if those roles weren't totally consistent with what they had done previously. 

Brand was on call to play the "heavy" for a long time in movies such as "film noir." He was perfect for film noir, an example being "Kansas City Confidential." 

The boomers learned who Brand was in the late '60s TV western "Laredo." It happened to be my favorite western. It often had a light tone. And there was Brand who emerged with his crusty nature. He was a character actor. 

He made such an impression, I'm sure this was why he was enlisted for a cameo in "Tora Tora Tora," the movie about the Pearl Harbor attack. My generation could embrace Mr. Brand as a likeable, hero kind of guy. Good for his legacy. 

A footnote about Brand is that he was one of those celebrities who had commendable military service in WWII. Unfortunately he was a heavy smoker. In "Laredo" he played the character "Reese Bennett." "Laredo" came along when the Vietnam war was at its worst for America. Ironic how so much good cinema and music could be created during the worst of Vietnam. But it's in the record. 

"Laredo" came along toward the end of the primacy of TV westerns. The cutoff was in 1970. Brand made his mark in the genre. 

Today we are reminded of westerns with the movies "Horizon" and "Rust." I'm glad the genre is now taken fully seriously, unlike what "Blazing Sales" gave us. Boomers, hang your heads in shame over having been entertained so much by totally irreverent stuff.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

East side, west side, all around Morris

Days of yore in west Morris: "La Grand Hotel"

West Morris is getting the radio station now. A friend informed me the station is re-locating to the "Just Chillin' " building. It's just on the other side of the railroad tracks. 

Need we be conscious any more about a sense of separation between east and west Morris? There was a high level of awareness early in the town's history. 

Right now the tracks separate the ELCA Lutherans of Morris. This denomination was once so mainstream, so unquestionably high-standing. But along came gay rights to muddy the waters. Was it worth the trouble or fuss? The issue sent the ELCA division into distress. Has it now stabilized after the worst of that? The ELCA churches have so much trouble finding pastors these days, they might someday be highly thankful that gays are available. 

I have long felt that if pastors can keep their private lives private, well then so what? What we don't need is open gay activism, any more than we would want heterosexual sex to be acknowledged. Then again, the Victorian sense of shame we associate with sex can harm young people. The young people at least need to know what it's all about. It can be difficult to deal with even then. 

East Morris has First Lutheran, the west side has Faith. And both are seeking a full-time pastor at the present time. Welcome to the club. I hear of a shocking number of ELCA churches in this boat. The Lutherans did not even allow female pastors until 1970! Can you imagine church life without them today? Can you even stomach the idea of such blatant discrimination against the female gender? Well I assure you, "there was a time." When I was young you'd still hear jokes circulating about "women drivers." Echhh, 

I remember that after Pastor Todd Mattson left my church of First Lutheran, we got thrown into a "searching" scenario and had a high-standing rep from the synod visit one Sunday. This individual - a woman! - advised us strongly to not rule out "gays and lesbians" as candidates. Also, not to rule out pastors from a foreign background who might have a difficult accent. Well, we are a rainbow of cultures and nationalities nowadays. 

 

Faith Lutheran Church, west Morris

Could gloat for a while

Hey, it seemed for a time that Faith Lutheran "had it made" with a pastor who was theoretically "permanent." 

I guess permanence means there are no short-term limits on that person's service. Faith Lutheran was justifiably proud. So we had "Pastor Emmy." I attended a couple services with her presiding. 

Of course all kinds of complications can arise. Morris is not the most attractive place to settle, it really isn't. Special amenities? No, there really aren't any, although we're thankful for how relatively quiet and safe we are. This is while headlines roll at us from the Twin Cities like after the George Floyd incident. 

Pastor Emmy left because her spouse got a prime job opportunity in North Dakota. I wondered why she couldn't just stay here while her husband could take any job he might find. Easy for me to think that - I live alone, keeps the costs down, at least up to now. The cost of living appears to be a more daunting challenge all the time. 

Pastor Emmy and her husband seized the opportunity and I guess we can't blame them. She had the opportunity here in Morris to potentially establish herself as a very important and appreciated leader for years and years. Would seem a good enough arrangement for me. Pastor Emmy's experience here is now just tucked into her resume. Another "hitch" on the way to wherever. 

On the way to Minot I guess. BTW that's where the North Dakota State Fair is held. I remember when Bruce Burnes left the UMM faculty and Chancellor Imholte announced this at graduation. "I had a hard time getting that out," Imholte said after making the announcement of Burnes' departure for Minot State. Leaving for Minot would hardly appear to be a plum. In Morris we have the bona fide brand of the U of M. 

I'm not sure at present we should feel that confident about UMM's future. We might need a little sleight of hand. Politicians are of course known for pulling this off. But can we pull it off in the face of such strong national leadership coming out of D.C. that seeks to wipe out "DEI?" Here's a little secret, or maybe not: the Republican Party does not favor publicly-supported education at any level. Nor things like libraries. 

 

It won't stop there

And now major conservative leader Mike Lee out of Utah wants to ban pornography. Here we go again. Let's start by trying to define "pornography." I think maybe it's becoming a dated term. The porn industry itself prefers "adult videos." Which of course you'd never watch, right? You'd feel nothing but disgust about them? Nice public front you can put on. 

I have long asserted - does anyone listen? - that progressive women (once called "women's libbers") should be thankful for adult videos or "AVs." I'll state the reason should be obvious: the easy availability of free porn works to "desensitize" men. This is absolutely true. So, their urges get way toned down. Thus they are far less likely to "objectify" women. And what could be more in line with progressive notions for the interests of women? 

Am I desensitized myself? You can speculate. But if the answer is "yes," it's a positive thing. There, now many of you would want to grumble in disgust about me. 

And after the Republicans attack porn online, don't think they'll stop there. Why not just leave the Internet alone? Parents can put filters on their computers. 

 

Morris and Benson diverged

East and west Morris were originally set up to be co-equal. We'd be like Benson. Benson followed the original plan. You probably want to frown about that. Morris instead gravitated to the east side when it came to commerce. West Morris became a bastion for the residential life. The problem is that many west side neighborhoods have become rather rundown, sorry. 

Faith Lutheran had to make a big plea to the city council to try to get the area around their church cleaned up. There was even concern about a potential rodent uptick. You'll note that's how Gene Hackman's wife died. 

A friend tells me the city is finally responding to the pleas. Action is being taken. It took a while and it took special pleas, which means what? Everything means something. It means that the interests of west Morris don't rank that high because of its lower standing in terms of quality of residence. I guess I'm thinking of the residences closest to Pacific Avenue and certainly Pacific Avenue itself. 

This isn't to say there aren't a lot of happy people living in the homes over there. Let's not get too materialistic. The area around the cement plant produces what I would consider to be some "noise pollution." I notice that because I sometimes shoot baskets at Wells Park. However, I think the people deal with that just fine, just like the people living in the apartments right by the railroad tracks (e.g. in Sarlettes' building). My point is that people get used to the sound. 

Morris residents by and large did not get used to the infamous "cemetery chimes," though. What a chapter in Morris history. 

 

Wells Park of west Morris

Topics flare up, alas

We have some new chapters going on right now, one being the mess by Faith Lutheran which is getting addressed (belatedly). Another chapter involves the public library. And another involves East Side Park of course. West Morris has Wells Park. 

Is Wells actually a larger park than East Side? It seems much more low-profile. It has gotten famous as the home for Little League baseball. I personally question why so much space has to be devoted to the two ball diamonds. Many big cities have been removing the ball diamonds from their parks. It's not so much a preferred activity any more. 

Little League baseball was developed to "ape" major league ball back when baseball was king. It no longer has that prominence. The kids try to "ape" the pros but mainly they just stand around. Hardly any exercise. So I'm just not seeing it. High school softball was played there often in the days before this "complex" thing over by UMM. 

The "complex" is problematic. Wells Park actually seemed superior in some ways. But life goes on and we adjust to Morris the way it is. "There's a million stories in the naked city." Will we ever get the full story about the library? If not, we can write this off as another befuddling spectacle, probably involving personality conflicts. 

I see no need for conflict among the town's ELCA Lutherans. The Catholics have it made: one church, one building. Lutherans have always been in disarray. I think all of Christianity will be better off when it detaches from Donald Trump.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com