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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
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Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
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January 13, 2012
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January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 14, 2005
/ 5 Adar I Shevat, 5765
From barbarian to defender of the faith
By
Diana West
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It would be a hoot to hop into a time machine and travel 40 years back,
with press clippings of Paul McCartney's Super Bowl performance in hand,
and try to explain to the folks in 1965 the cultural changes that were
in store for them. Not that this would be an easy task. Who in 1965
could imagine, as Beatlemania was approaching its anti-Establishment
crescendo, that the day would come when Beatle Paul would be the one the
whole nation would congratulate, according to one review, for providing
"decent half-time entertainment," fulfilling a virtual "guarantee he'll
be innocuous," while not minding "his role as the Super Bowl's atonement
for past excess."
The fact was, once, "decent," "innocuous" and "atonement" were not the
first words associated with young Paul, John, George and Ringo. As The
Beatles, they, more than any other rock act, produced the heartbeatingly
familiar and practically worshipped 1960s soundtrack of rebellion and
collapse. Or was that peace and love? I always get them confused.
In any case, the Fab Four were still combustibly controversial with
barely prevailing middle-class culture back in 1965. They were still
seen as the flying wedge of rock culture that sundered families and
propelled generations along separate tracks. Indeed, The Beatles were
rather more likely to be banned from major venues (as they were in
Cleveland) than credited with raising the moral tone inside them.
What would help 2005 explain to 1965 the transformation of Paul
McCartney from barbarian at the gate to defender of the faith? I'm not
sure that simply appending the appearance of the Beatle to the
appearance of the breast would make much sense. But even if The People
We Used To Be acknowledged that The People We Have Become regard Paul
McCartney as mainstream-wholesome, it remains very hard to explain why.
Sure, at age 62, Paul McCartney is older. But it's worth noting that the
songs he played to be innocuous and decent in the 21st century were the
songs he played to be groovy and cool in the 20th. In other words, he
didn't change: We did.
Listening to Sir Paul the other night (note: don't forget to tell 1965
that Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 1997) was an unnerving experience
for a kaleidoscopic — dare I say psychedelic? — mix of reasons. He was
in fine, if paler voice, hitting every familiar note and lick (to the
point where one critic wondered if he had been lip-synching). It was as
though the performance had been frozen in time, his for the remixing.
This is one thing if you're 62-old Pavarotti singing "Pagliacci," or
even 62-year-old Noel Coward singing "Mad Dogs and Englishmen." But
62-year-old Paul McCartney singing "Baby, you can drive my car" is
something else again. Jingle-catchy though the song may be, there was
something more than a little pathetic about "Car/star/car/cuz baby I
love you" 40 years down the pike; ditto for "Get Back," with its once
... Shocking? Unsavory? Dangerous? Reference to "California grass."
Today, of course, soaked in the tepid wash of a toxic mainstream, we
consider it decent.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the hollowness of the McCartney
music was a little surprising. That hollowness was probably accentuated
by the music's place very much at center stage, and by its distance from
the psychodrama of the 1960s. Long ago, The Beatles sang the songs that
accompanied the upending of a civilization — the anti-war movement, the
sacking of the universities, the explosion of illegal drug use, sexual
experimentation, four-letter-language; the cultural and stylistic works.
Theirs was a songbook redolent of the revolution that has permanently
eliminated the barriers and boundaries that once regulated the
mainstream. That revolution, of course, is how we got to Janet Jackson's
MTV moment last year in the first place.
It's also how we got to Paul McCartney's performance-to-the-rescue.
Having rejected flesh, primetime has turned to "innocuous," a move that
reveals just how grossly limited the spectrum of popular entertainment
has become. It also shows how the injection of rage and revolution and
smut and self-pity into the cultural mainstream seems to have pretty
much dried the whole thing up. Certainly, the life has leached out. This
isn't to say Paul McCartney was "offensive." He was indeed quite
"innocuous." And he didn't seem to mind a bit his role as "atonement"
for past Super Bowl excess. Which, I guess, is about as good as it gets
these days in the muddy old mainstream. But frankly, I think 1965 would
say we told you so.
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JWR contributor Diana West is a columnist and editorial writer for the Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
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