(Muhammad Ali said that, and so do I.)
Go Randy!
From Pitchfork’s new interview with Randy Newman. Check out the whole interview here. Meanwhile, here’s something I found apt:
Pitchfork: You’re one of a very few songwriters to implicitly or explicitly address race or race relations in your music.
RN: Over and over. That’s why they’ve improved so much. It’s like I wrote in that song ["A Piece of the Pie"], only Jackson Browne has stayed interested. Really, all that fervor and good will of the late 1960s and early 70s, it went away. Things were left to remain the same. My kids just went to a camp where they worked with Hispanic and African-American kids in shelters. I mean, they come from another world. It was a fantastic experience, but, boy, their experiences were very different. And the black kids had it worse than the Hispanic kids. A lot of the Hispanic kids had cohesive families, at least a little bit. The black kids didn’t. It’s the saddest thing going. But people get so scared. When the Republicans say the Democrats are going to tax and spend… I mean, things look shitty! I don’t know about where you are, but the roads are shitty, the schools are shitty….
Pitchfork: Oh, it’s pretty shitty everywhere.
RN: It’s because we’re not taxed like other Western countries are. They lowered my taxes! How can a country countenance lowering taxes on the upper income? I can’t believe it!
Register to vote for 15% off!
Yessiree! Step right up and register to vote today for 15% off your Standard Recording order. Just click here and follow the leftward link to get your 15% off coupon code. Pick up our pals Everthus the Deadbeats or Marla Hansen while you’re at it. Them’s good records that we like!
While I’m at it, if you’ve not heard the piece on NPR’s All Things Considered you can listen to it here.
NPR’s All Things Considered
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
As you likely already know, my new album (with Jefferson Pitcher and J. Matthew Gerken) is out and about in the world. You can order it from www.cdbaby.com (my webstore), www.standardrecording.com (the label), or iTunes (digital).
But that’s not even the point of this e-mail. The point of THIS e-mail is to tell you that you can hear us discuss the project TONIGHT (Wednesday, October 8th) on NPR’s All Things Considered. That’s right TONIGHT on NPR’s All Things Considered. It’s broadcast live at 7pm EST, but check your local listings to find out when it’s playing in your area or listen to it here: www.npr.org.
A NOTE ON THE PROJECT ITSELF
Just so you know, over 100 artists, musicians, printers, and do-gooders have been involved in this mad project and it shows. Alan Sparhawk (Low), Califone, Rosie Thomas, Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Monahans, Stephen Yerkey, Bill Callahan (Smog), and many others have guested on this. The 106+ page full color book is amazing with 43 individual portraits of the Presidents by artists who drew, painted, and assembled such portraits just for this project.
AND here’s the deal: 3 CDs, 106 page book for under $30. I say it again: Oh! Hell yes!
PRESS AND RADIO FOLKS
If you are press and/or radio and would like a copy of this project, please send your inquiry to mark@standardrecording.com. He’ll set you up!
EDUCATORS/SCHOOLS
Also: If you are an educator or school interested in potentially using this in a classroom, please e-mail mark@standardrecording.com for a special educator price. Yes!
That’s all this time and it’s a lot. Dig it.
Best,
Christian
