Short post today, though I may have more later.
Searching around to watch something with the family on Wednesday, we happened on Rango, which we missed when it came out in theaters. It was funny and seemed a Chinatown with cartoon animals and a happy ending. Johnny Depp was the voice of Rango, so its humor was a little off center, which I rather liked.
On Thursday, the kids went to see the local fireworks show while my wife and I went to a Billy Bragg concert. I was surprised that I saw fourteen people I knew there, especially since many were folks I would not have expected to be there. The first half of the concert was his Woody Guthrie/Mermaid Avenue songs, while the second half was made up of his other work. The crowd was a mix of ages, though generally white, and a higher percentage of folks over 40.
Three quotes of his I rather liked:
- socialism is organized compassion
- the cynicism that is our enemy is our own cynicism
- our enemy is not capitalism, or conservatism, it is our own cynicism
The last quote not withstanding, he is still very much the socialist and a fine musician and song writer at that.