It has served me well. But 185,000 miles later, with brakes going out in front and back, a leaky oil pump, the timing belt going out for a second time and, well, something vague wrong with the carburator, the cost of fixing it is twice the current value of the car. But that is not really what I want to write about.
These past two days my wife, my infant daughter and I have had the distinct privilege of spending our time in the rarified company of car salesmen. Fortunately, my older daughter has been either at Day Care or spending the day with her aunt, uncle and cousin (she came home from her cousin's house with pink hair, but seemed happy). Car salesmen get a bad rap, and most deserve every single bit of it. And then some. I won't bore you with a description of all of the cars that I test drove, because I don't give a sh*t about cars. But the salesmen are fascinating creatures. When you drive up to the dealership, they are hovering like vultures, although they have clearly worked out a system and take turns approaching each new customer.
Salesman #1: Laidback ex-college football player who blew out his knee. Nice enough, and not all that pushy at all. In fact, the opposite of pushy. As I test drove the car, he hardly said a word the entire time and did not try and sell the car at all. Generally, salesmen have a particular route they want you to drive the car, but he didn't care. I think I could have driven to Houston and back and it would not have fazed him. They are also supposed to take your drivers license and make a copy in case you try and steal the car or beat up the salesman while you are on the road. But this guy could have killed me with his left eyelid, so he also didn't bother with my identification. Yet when it came time to talk a deal, there was a quiet menace that fell over him. When it became apparent that his dealership did not have the color I wanted and that I was going to look elsewhere in town, a darkness came over his entire body for a moment, and then he went back to not caring. "You'll be back," he said. (Really).
Salesman #2: The next guy did not speak very much English. This is a disadvantage when trying to sell me a car. He was very excited to show me how the bluetooth worked (I don't care) and how my wife could sync her phone to the car's system (I also do not care). It started because I asked how I could play my ipod in the car. He spent 15 minutes on the side of the road showing us how to sync up a smart phone to the car and play music. It was very confusing, and did not really encourage us to want the vehicle. I kept asking, "but what about my ipod?" He kept replying, "I showing you, it great, let me show you, boss" (he kept calling me "boss," which I kind of liked). My wife asked a very good question, "by hooking up my phone, how does that talk to his ipod?" "Oh, plug ipod here." 15 minutes later. That is all I wanted to know. Where is the plug for the ipod, not how do I control the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.
Salesman #3: He was a recent immigrant from the Philippines, and way too nice to be a car salesman. On our test drive, I noticed that there was a massive wreck on the highway that would be a part of our return route. So I took an alternate route. I can see how this made him very nervous, since he was new to town and did not know his way around. I told him we could take some "backroads" to get back to the dealership and avoid the wreck. So I took charge and drove way off his route, and he kept acting very nervous, as if perhaps I was driving him to my hidden torture chamber or something. But he did tell me a bit about his life as a diplomat for 15 years, and he has an engineering degree. Now "I'm selling cars" in South Texas, he sighed. I felt bad for him and kept reassuring him that I really was taking him back to the dealership and not to a vacant lot where I planned to dismember him.
Salesman #4: The opposite of 1 and 3. Picture Jay Mohr, but more obnoxious. Super cocky and way too false friendly, where everything I said he overly agreed with ("oh yeah, most definitely!") Halfway through our test drive I really, really, really wanted to punch him in the face. If I did, I bet he would still be overly agreeable. He told me my daughter was beautiful about five times. She is, but f*ck you. She could have been a troll and you would have said the same thing. "What I'm really all about is getting you into the right car, the one that you are meant to drive..." When we started to walk out, he pulled out the big guns and called in his manager, who actually blocked the door in the office. "What can we do to make this happen?" he asks. You can start by not holding me hostage in this little office.
Salesman #5: This entire dealership was the most amateurish establishment I have ever been in. The salesmen we got looked like he was in high school, had borrowed his uncle's shirt and tie that was too big for him, and tried to make himself look older by greasing his hair back and growing a little man/boy mustache. He was showing us the car, and could not figure out how to put in the cover in the back that hides your belongings. My wife and I had to show him how to do it. We went inside, and at the desk next to us, the sleaziest salesman you have ever seen was trying to work over this poor young couple. My wife and I listened, transfixed, to his pitch. This was a scene that you think is only in the movies when they are trying to portray the most cliche, sleazy car salesman you could possibly imagine. The kind that you dismiss when they are onscreen, nobody is really like that. Yes they are. He pulled out every old trick, like looking at the young man and saying that he would not put his own daughter in the car they were considering, oh no, they need to be looking at this (more expensive) one over here. "I'm just bein' straight with you, I'm just telling you like it is." In fact, he said, his daughter "wept in gratitude" after he steered her to the right vehicle. This young couple reminds him of his own daughter, you see. My wife kept telling me to get out my phone and record this guy, he was that incredible. Then we go out to test drive our car, and our little salesman starts the engine and has to run back in and get something. The car dies. He returns. I told him the car is dead. It ran out of gas. The freaking car we were going to test drive ran out of gas in the car lot. He looked confused. We left.
Return to Salesman #1: Recall that he told us "you'll be back." Many hours later, I sheepishly walked back into his dealership and told him he was right. He just nodded knowingly. It is the patient fisherman who reels in the prize catch. My wife then proceeded to haggle with him for, really, six hours over everything imaginable. She is so awesome, I would have given in hours before out of boredom. They spent the last hour only $200 apart, but she got us a great deal. I did get to talk with him for awhile, and he is a former corrections officer. Of course. He then told me about some incredibly graphic crimes perpetrated by the inmates he used to guard. He told me that some tried to get chummy with him and said they would come to his house and hang out with him after they got out, and he told them "if you come within 10 miles of my house I will shoot you in the face." In his office, along the wall, he had about 20 different types of gun shells on display. I went out to change the baby's diaper, and when I returned I walked in to him finishing telling a story to my wife about some inmate who raped someone with a screwdriver. She was just nodding silently. He also told me that he was thinking of returning to the prison system. But we came to a deal and I bought a car from him. I liked him.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Dez Record Guides: Genesis
From Genesis To Revelations (1969) **
Wherein they do not know who they are yet, recording a largely acoustic record of folkish ditties. That Gabriel dude is already really weird, giving the record an off kilter character.
Trespass (1970) **
OK, they think they know they are a progressive rock band now. But they still don't really know how to make great progressive music yet. "The Knife" rocks and "Dusk" is pretty.
Nursery Cryme (1971) ***
So, this is how to do it. Uneven, but "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" and "The Fountain of Salmacis" really work, and "The Musical Box" is their first stone cold prog masterpiece.
Foxtrot (1972) *****
Live (live) (1973) ****
Selling England By the Pound (1973) ****
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) *****
Genesis Archive, 1967-75 (compilation box set, live) (1998) ****
The peak for this band and also a high point for progressive rock in general. My friend ANCIANT once said he thought Foxtrot was their best, and I disagreed with him at the time. I was wrong. Foxtrot is absolute perfection in progressive rock music. From the mellotron goodness of "Watcher of the Skies" to the stunning array of characters Gabriel invokes in the fascinating class warfare study "Get 'Em Out By Friday" to the 23-minute opus "Supper's Ready," progressive rock doesn't get any better than this. Live is great, featuring some superior versions of already great songs, but cannot be definitive as it is missing "Supper's Ready." SEBTP continues the streak, "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight," "Firth of Fifth" and "Cinema Show" are all brilliant extended pieces, while "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" was the closest to a hit the Gabriel-era ever got. Only "Battle of Epping Forest" and the Collins lead vocal debut "More Fool Me" don't work. TLLDOB, like many double concept albums, makes little narrative sense. But no matter, the individual songs are just outstanding. Sometimes "Carpet Crawlers" is my favorite Peter Gabriel song. Gabriel shocked the band in the middle of the Lamb tour by announcing his immenent departure. This '72-'75 stretch is why Genesis is important. The Archive box set is mainly live material from the era and some rarities, uniformly excellent. It includes a complete live performance of Lamb.
A Trick of the Tail (1976) ****
Wind and Wuthering (1976) **
Seconds Out (live) (1977) **
And then there were four. Music fans often forget that between the Gabriel-led quintet and the Collins-led pop trio there was a quartet, with guitarist Steve Hackett still in the band. ATOTT is nothing less than a triumph, with Phil Collins stepping out from the drum seat and taking the lead vocals. They had auditioned a slew of candidates to replace Gabriel, but finally settled for someone within their ranks. This material is still firmly progressive rock. WAW has its fans, but I find it really dull.
…And Then There Were Three (1978) ***
Duke (1980) ***
Abacab (1981) ****
Three Sides Live (live) (1982) ****
Hackett soon bolted as well. This is the awkward transition phase between progressive rock and more straightforward pop/rock. I'm a big fan of the period, though. Duke is where it really starts to happen. It is the first time where the progressive tunes now sound more out of place next to the more confident pop/rock faire. That punchy, horns-laden "Phil Collins sound" first appears on the ridiculously catchy "Misunderstanding," while "Turn It On Again" is also an undeniable hit. I think Abacab may be the strongest Collins-era record, where most everything works.
Genesis (1983) ****
Invisible Touch (1986) ***
We Can’t Dance (1991) **
The Way We Walk, vol. 1: The Shorts (live) (1992) ***
The Way We Walk, vol. 2: The Longs (live) (1993) ***
By the 1980's, Genesis had morphed from progressive weirdos to pop juggernaut. As unlikely as it was, they were one of the most commercially successful bands of the decade. All the more impressive was Phil Collins' simultaneous solo career that was even more successful, rivaling, in record sales, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Prince. I've got a real soft spot for Genesis, as it is where I originally got on board. "That's All" is one of the catchiest pop songs of the 80's, a real gem. IT sounds really dated now, but it was their biggest seller.
Calling All Stations (1997) *
Once Phil Collins decided to leave as well (temporarily, he would return for a reunion tour in '07 before the band retired for good), I guess you can't blame Rutherford and Banks for wanting to soldier on. But it was just a little late in their careers for a real reboot. New singer Ray Wilson gives it a go, and you can't blame him for this record, as most of the material was written before he signed on.
Turn It On Again: The Hits (compilation) (1999) ***
Genesis Archive 2: 1976-92 (compilation box set, live) (2000) NR
Platinum Collection (compilation) (2004) ****
Live Over Europe (live) (2007) NR
The Platinum Collection is the best compilation out there, three discs where thankfully one disc is dedicated to the hard to anthologize Gabriel era.
I mentioned above that even though Genesis was one of the biggest bands of the 80's, Collins' solo career actually eclipsed them in sales and popularity. It started almost by accident. Genesis was on hiatus, Phil was separated from his wife (who ran off with the home decorator while he was out on tour), and so he had some time on his hands. He recorded a bunch of new songs by himself at his home studio, and passed the tape on to Ahmet Ertugen at Atlantic, almost as an afterthought. Ertugen insisted that it be fleshed out and released, and that was Face Value (1981) ****. My personal favorite of his is his overlooked sophomore effort, Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982) ***, and then there is No Jacket Required (1985) ***, the 5th top selling record of the 1980's. The rest of his solo work is negligible, though.
Bottom Line: The trilogy of Foxtrot, Selling England By the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway are absolutely essential for any progressive rock fan. A Trick of the Tail is great prog rock as well, and is one of the finest examples of a band stepping up to the challenge after losing a seemingly irreplaceable member. Abacab is the best of the Phil Collins years, and Genesis is worthwhile as well. Platinum Collection does a fine job anthologizing the band's many incarnations.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Day 4: August 29, 1786
Daniel Shays was like many Revolutionary War veterans, struggling to make a living in the Western part of his state, Massachusetts. Times were tough after the euphoria of defeating the world's greatest superpower wore off. Now we need to govern this sonofabitch. A depression hit hard, credit was tight and states were instituting what common people saw as draconian taxes and debt collection policies. The image of greedy businessmen from the East Coast foreclosing on struggling farmers in the West, many of whom were veterans like Shays, was hard to swallow for many Americans. Shays and several other men started to speak out and instigate unrest in the Massachusetts interior in the great incubators of revolt, the local pubs. They eventually semi-organized a rebel ragtag army and began their revolt on August 29, 1786. One of their first actions was to shut down several courthouses (by threatening to hang the judges if they held court proceedings) to prevent further debt collection and foreclosures. The new federal government was powerless under the terms of the Articles of Confederation to respond. It was up to the governor of Massachusetts and several wealthy businessmen to organize their own private army to stand up to the perceived anarchy threatened by what was to be called Shay's Rebellion. The state militia defeated the rebels when the rebels tried to take the federal armory at Springfield. They never really recovered from the defeat, scattered, and most either returned to their farms or were arrested. Shay's Rebellion was over.
Why It Is Important:
As usual, some background is necessary. After our stunning victory in the Revolutionary War, there was the equally daunting task of creating a new country. The states took the first crack at writing constitutions for themselves, but eventually the Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and agreed upon as the new structure for our loose, very loose, union. Remember, the Revolution had been fought upon principles of natural and individual rights with a strong suspicion of any sort of central authority. The Articles reflected that, they were a loose confederation of states. Each of the thirteen states was essentially their own sovereign nation, with their own money, army and tariffs. It was chaos. There was one branch of government, Congress. And Congress basically only had power to make treaties and run a post office. There was no power to regulate commerce between states (so each state raised tariffs against the others, making fluid trade impossible) and no power to tax or raise revenue. The best they could do was ask the states for "voluntary contributions." You can guess how successful that was. Congress had no power over the states in anything, and they could not act against any citizen of individual states. It wasn't all bad, the Articles did settle the sticky question of how to handle the Western lands with the Northwest Ordinance, which probably avoided an early East vs. West civil war.
But by the mid-1780's, things had really deteriorated. There was a depression, states refused to fund the federal government, U.S. credit abroad was a joke because there was no unified economy. Each state continued to issue their own worthless money, making the economy worse. There were sometimes violent border disputes between states. Britain refused to even send an ambassador, with one British official joking that they would not know where to send him, they would have to send 13 of them. It was becoming apparent that the Articles were not sufficient as written, and a movement arose amongst many of the elites to tweek and amend the Articles. (Problem: the Articles could not be amended unless there was unanimous consent amongst the states, and these thirteen states never all agreed on anything).
It was in this environment that Shay's Rebellion erupted. Many historians believe, as do I, that Shay's Rebellion was the final push that was needed to do more than merely tweek the Articles. Shay's Rebellion shook the elites of this country to the core, there was a real fear of anarchy and mob rule. We had too much of a good thing, too much freedom, too much republicanism. It was less democracy and more mobocracy. Alexander Hamilton had already proposed a meeting in Philadelphia to revisit the Articles, but the experience of Shay's Rebellion and the spector of more unrest, and the image of an impotent federal government powerless to deal with it, pushed many of these important men going to Philadelphia to go further than merely making a few changes to the Articles. In reacting to the oppressive British government, we had gone too far in the other direction in making an exceedingly weak federal government for ourselves. Shay's Rebellion, in large part, showed us that we needed more of a balance between state and federal power. These remarkable men met in secret and agreed immediately to scrap the Articles altogether and start over. This was beyond their mandate from the states, but no matter, the Constitutional Convention was underway.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
RIP J.J. Cale, 1938-2013
"Laid back." If an artist's sound is described as "laid back," more often than not, they will also be compared or contrasted with JJ Cale. The Oklahoma singer/guitarist/songwriter practically invented what it means to be "laid back" in rock and roll. But that can be deceptive, because at least in Cale's case, that rarely meant being boring. His artistry was never in your face, but as Neil Young said eariler this year, the two greatest guitarists he ever heard were Jimi Hendrix and JJ Cale. Pretty high praise, but if you listen closely to Cale's work, his fretwork will indeed impress, and you can hear his influence in players like Mark Knopfler and post-Cream Clapton.
Speaking of Clapton, Cale has Eric Clapton to thank for a career. JJ Cale was born, raised and breathed Oklahoma. He is given credit for being the prime originator of the "Oklahoma Sound," a loose and, uh, laid back mix of blues, jazz, folk and rock. He moved to L.A. in the 60's (didn't everybody?) and worked primarily as a sound engineer in a studio. That engineering experience was crucial, as one of the most distinctive qualities of his most celebrated work is also the production and recording. He failed to break through as a performer and returned to Oklahoma intending to move on to a different line of work, when Eric Clapton had a hit with Cale's "After Midnight." Cale the songwriter is much more commercially successful than Cale the performer, his songs have been recorded by Clapton (several times over, "Cocaine" was also penned by Cale), Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and the Allman Brothers.
But you really should check out his work, especially from the 1970's. I think the purest representative of the Cale sound is his debut, 1972's Naturally. I'd recommend starting there, then checking out Troubador from '76. Critic Richard Cromelin really nailed it when discussing Naturally, he said Cale's music is a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists." As Cale said himself, "I think it goes back to me being a recording mixer and engineer...I came up with a unique sound." He was never bothered by the fact that most casual music listeners have never heard of him, saying "What's really nice is when you get a check in the mail. (Fame) elevates your ego to the point where you start believing your own sh*t."
RIP JJ Cale.
ABOVE: Cale and band performing "After Midnight" sometime in the early 70's. As entertaining as the music are two things: notice how Cale keeps his cigarette going throughout the song, and then the band's fashion sense, especially the two keyboard players.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Dez Record Guides: peter gabriel
Peter Gabriel (aka 'car,' I) (1977) *****
Gabriel's solo debut sounds like a man released from creative restraints. Not that he wasn't able to express himself in Genesis, but Genesis was a true democracy of a band, and now Peter is able to call all of the shots. And he makes the most of the newfound freedom and authority. Opening with a look back at his prog sound ("Moribund the Burgermeister") he then dives into the future, with what may be his signature song, ode to madness/declaration of independence from Genesis "Solsbury Hill." Some have criticized this record for jumping around to different styles, but Gabriel's genre-jumping creative joy and freedom shines through and unifies it all.
Gabriel working with Robert Fripp sounds like a no brainer, but Peter's sophomore effort is lacking for some reason. The opening salvo of "On the Air," "DIY" and the gorgeous, fragile "Mother of Violence" is incredibly strong, but then the record flounders a bit. Some good stuff here, but lacks the punch of the debut and the masterpiece to come.
Overall, this is Gabriel's crowning achievement as a solo artist. While ANCIANT and I can debate about the origin of the gated drum sound, there is no question that Peter's third solo record has been far reaching in its impact. Listening today, it still impresses with both innovation and quality of songs, that most elusive combination that can make truly great records. Innovations in production, recording and instrumentation are combined with great songs and a daring spirit, including Gabriel's first real forays into his use of world music elements in Western pop music. So is his perfect pop/rock record, but this is his perfect record as a real artist.
Security (1982) ***
I go back and forth between really liking and being left a bit cold by Gabriel's atmospheric 4th album. It includes his first big radio and MTV hit, "Shock the Monkey," but the rest is decidedly un-radio friendly.
Plays Live (live) (1983) ****
‘Birdy’(motion picture soundtrack) (1985) ***
Plays Live is a near perfect (where's "Games Without Frontiers," though?) live summary of Gabriel's pre-So music. Birdy is his first tentative soundtrack attempt, and it is a nice, moody record in its own right, although he does not venture too far from what he had already done, even using some themes from previous songs as instrumentals.
Live in Athens (live) (1987/2012) ****
Peter's commercial breakthrough, where he brings his pop sensibilities more in balance with his artistic ambitions. One of the great pop records of the 80's for smart people, it was also helped by other mediums. The groundbreaking videos on MTV drew many new fans in, and the iconic use of "In Your Eyes" in 'Say Anything' certainly helped as well. The live set from the So tour was released recently with the deluxe reissue of So, and it is a fantastic show from the era.
Passion ('Last Temptation of Christ' motion picture soundtrack) (1989) *****
I have long been a booster for this record, I think it is the finest melding of African and Middle Eastern traditional music with Western melodies and technology. Whereas other important records that use world music (Paul Simon's Graceland) are rooted more in the West but use world influence and textures, this is great because it is really rooted in Africa but with some Western influence and textures. It is mostly instrumental, but I find it captivating throughout.
Shaking the Tree – 16 Golden Greats (compilation) (1990) ***
Gabriel's first hits collection is a bit odd, and cannot be taken too seriously since it omits "In Your Eyes."
Us (1992) ****
Secret World Live (live) (1994) ***
Gabriel took awhile for a real proper mainstream follow-up to So (a pattern that he continues, as you will see), but at least this time, it was worth the wait. Us lacks the sense of discovery of So and also does not include a mercenary hit single like "Sledgehammer" or even "Big Time," but otherwise it picks up where So left off, and also offers a more personal set of songs. It is a nice combination of So's pop sensibilities but with some of Security's atmospherics.
OVO (soundtrack) (2000) *
Long Walk Home ('Rabbit Proof Fence' motion picture soundtrack) (2002) ***
Up (2002) **
Hit (compilation) (2003) ****
Things really do go off the rails, musically speaking, post-Us. Gabriel's music always was in danger of being too ponderous, but he used to be able to temper that with some wit and fun and a saving pop hook here or there. Those saving graces seem to have left him after the early 90's. After almost a decade of distracting multimedia projects, Gabriel finally returned to music, sort of, with OVO, a soundtrack to the Millennium Dome Show in London. It is a dull mess, featuring so many guests that Gabriel's presence is hard to even discern. Funny, his most compelling music since '92 has been his moody soundtrack to 'Rabbit Proof Fence.' Up was his proper follow-up to Us, and you can hear all ten years in the making. Every moment is so densely recorded and worked over that all life is squeezed out of these tracks. Hit is the best compilation available, but I don't like the random sequencing over two discs.
Scratch My Back (2010) **
New Blood (2011) ***
Live Blood (live) (2012) *
Eight years later he returns with a record of...covers. The concept is cool, he works with an orchestra with no electric instruments. Also, he wanted to release two records simultaneously, one of his covering others (Scratch My Back), and then a second record of the artists that he covers each covering one his songs (to be called, you guessed it, I'll Scratch Yours). ISY has yet to be released, though, because many of the artists have yet to deliver their end of the bargain (although some did, like Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Bon Iver) or flat out said they were not interested (Bowie, Neil Young, Arcade Fire). Radiohead supposedly was so disenchanted with his handling of their "Street Spirit" that they backed out after hearing it. These songs are all very subdued, some to the point of being comatose (although Gabriel's glacial take on Bowie's "Heroes" is fantastic, I think). He enjoyed the subsequent tour so much that he inevitably decided to give the same treatment to his own back catalogue on New Blood. Perhaps with his own songs he felt freer to take more risks, as some of these renditions are quite good and interesting. Then a pointless live record from the tour with note for note copies of what already appeared on Scratch My Back and New Blood.
Bottom Line: Peter Gabriel 1, Peter Gabriel III and So are the essentials. Hit is a workable compilation. Passion is one of my favorite pieces of music, but be warned it is not really a rock or pop record.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Day 3: February 10, 1763
What Happened:
When I teach this period of American history, I always tell my students that the American Revolutionary period started in the key year of 1763. Not 1776, not the Boston Massacre in 1770 or Tea Party of 1773, not Lexington and Concord. It was the end of an earlier war that accelerated us down our path towards our own war for independence. Between 1688 and 1763, there were four "world" wars between Britain, France and Spain that dealt, in part, with jockeying for Empire around the world. While Britain had control over what we refer to as The Thirteen Colonies along the East Coast, France and Spain technically controlled the majority of territory in North America. With Spain, by the mid-1700s it was mostly in name only, but France had a real foothold in Canada and the interior of what would become the United States. The worldwide British vs. French struggle often spilled over into the New World as well, mainly through guerilla skirmishes between the British colonists and French fur trappers and their Indian allies.
The Seven Years War (it was longer than seven years, and in the colonies it was called the French and Indian War because that is who we were fighting here) was the latest of these "world" (the world consisting of the important countries at this point) wars.
We focus on what we call the French and Indian War, but it was part of a much larger global war (the largest in history up to that point) being fought in America, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. It involved Britain and Prussia vs. France, Spain, Austria and Russia. The French were spread too thin, and concentrating more on the European theater, so they did not adequately defend North America. The British Army, along with colonial militias, defeated the French in North America and the Treaty of Paris was signed on 2/10/1763. French aspirations in North America are really over at this point, and Britain is the dominant power in North America and the most powerful navy in the world. Everything is hunky dory for the Brits now, right? Well, no. This is a case of winning the war, but losing the long term struggle for North American empire. Things will now be different between the British colonists here and their cousins back "home."
Why it matters to us:
There are many roots to the Revolution, so some background is necessary. It is important to remember that even far along into our Revolutionary War, there was no "us and them." The colonists still saw themselves as British, it was a family struggle for rights until Thomas Paine and other radicals argue that maybe we should fight for more. Britain established these overseas colonies in large part to practice Mercantilism, where wealth = power. At that time, wealth was often measured by the gold and silver in the treasury, so you need to export more than you import. Colonies are key, because they provide raw materials. You can then manufacture goods and sell them, in large part, back to your colonies as a captive market. The colonies exist primarily to make the Mother Country rich. Sure, the colonies benefited from protection and being part of a thriving Empire and market, but the colonies were clearly second class. The mercantile system prior to 1763 was acceptable to the colonists in part because it was not really enforced. Through "salutary neglect," the British government allowed the colonists to do their own thing, didn't really collect many of the taxes supposedly owed, and tolerated a thriving black market where the colonists regularly traded with the French and Spanish "outside" the Empire. Plus, the great distance across the Atlantic made many rules and regulations virtually impossible to enforce effectively anyhow.
It was revolutionary in the first place to even come over here and settle. In Europe, things were accepted as they were. Here, everything was possible and new. So new ideas that might have been seen as radical and fringe in Europe were more easily accepted here, because the people here were more radical and fringe to begin with. There was no aristocratic class here, there was already widespread political involvement on local levels. Republicanism was becoming a popular political ideology. With its roots in Greece and Rome, Republicanism depends on the virtue of the citizens to put the good of society above selfish interests. It is anti-authoritarian, because it depends on citizen involvement in public life. Also back home in England, the Whigs were fighting to check the power of the King and his ministers, and would be a sympathetic power base for colonial complaints throughout the Revolution.
The French and Indian War gave the colonists confidence and crucial military experience. They fought side by side with the British Army, learned their tactics, and crucially learned that the British military was not invincible after all (Braddock's blunders, etc.) Fighting alongside each other, the British and their colonists had clashed. The British commanders showed open contempt for the colonial militia leaders (like Washington). In fact, the British leadership showed open contempt for their colonial cousins generally, as these were people who had "failed" back home and had to come here to start over and make something of themselves. The colonists, of course, saw themselves differently. They saw themselves as entrepreneurs and business leaders willing to take bolder risks. While the colonists wanted accolades for helping to defeat the French, the British authorities started to get pissed off about the thriving Black Market (trading with the enemy). Many colonists refused to fight unless bribed. The French threat was gone, and so the colonists had even less incentive to cling so tightly to Mother Britain for protection. The French, resenting the loss of a big chunk of Empire, stoked colonial resentments against the Mother Country as well.
After The French and Indian War (and the subsequent Indian war, Pontiac's War), the British were convinced that more troops were needed in the colonies to keep order and to stabilize Indian relations. The colonists, on the other hand, felt that fewer troops were needed now that the French were no longer a threat. The British government also, reasonably, felt that since the British military did and continued to protect the colonists, that maybe the colonists should help to foot the bill through taxes. The British had won the war, but were now hemorrhaging with debt. This had been acquired in part to protect the colonies, so the colonists should help to pay it off. (To be fair, even into the Revolution, people back home always paid more in taxes than the colonists did). Also, to avoid further clashes with Indians, the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763, establishing the Appalachian mountains as a natural border between colonial and Indian country. Colonists were not to settle West of the Appalachians. The colonists promptly ignored the Proclamation and continued to flood West. Why the hell did we just defeat the French in the interior if we couldn't take the territory? Did we fight a war just to give the land to Indians?
I picked this date because the end of the French and Indian War is where the colonial relationship with Mother Britain fundamentally changes, and things quickly unravel and escalate from that point forward, culminating in our war for independence. This is when the Mother Country decided to instill some discipline and obedience in their unruly teenager. But this teenager has grown up used to being able to do as it wishes, and is going to rebel against the sudden imposition of rules and constraints. I believe our Revolutionary period starts here. In order to clamp down, pay debt, protect interests and actually collect taxes owed (want to know where the deep American resentment against taxation comes from?), The King and Parliament impose a series of new laws, The Sugar Act of 1764, Quartering Act of 1765 and Stamp Act of the same year. Colonists push back, Britain clamps down even harder. Colonists start to question why these taxes are needed and why British troops are necessary at all in the New World. This feeling of "we can take care of ourselves" grows. Radicals start to popularize ideas such as "no taxation without representation," why should we pay these taxes when we do not have the same representation in Parliament as do the citizens of London? (British authorities respond with the dubious theory of "virtual representation").
It escalates and escalates, haughty British troops and colonial mob violence result in the Boston "Massacre." Tea Parties are organized in revolt against monopolies granted to the British East India Company, and the British respond to the destruction of property with the Intolerable Acts and closing of Boston Harbor, resulting in colonial unity in solidarity with that radical wasp nest of Boston (if it can happen to Boston, then it can happen to the rest of us too). Colonists from different colonies start to meet and discuss common ground and common complaints and make some reasonable requests of an angry and resentful King, George III, who ignores them. Local militias form in response to actions by British troops...then Lexington and Concord. It all unravels as a result of the state of the colonial world at the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, when Mother Britain was forced to finally pay attention to their unruly colonial teenager. And that teenager had gotten quite used to doing things his own way.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Texas Safari
Yesterday I took my family into the wilds of the Texas hill country. Near New Braunfels is Natural Bridge Caverns and its accompanying Wildlife Park. They try and set it up like a safari, where you stay in your car and drive around and view various animals in their habitat. I guess a little more humane than a zoo, since they are free roaming and have a lot more space. They have giraffes, and giraffes are my daughter's favorite animal (although her favorite ocean animal, she is quick to point out, are whales). Since our local zoo currently has no giraffe (the one they had died a year ago, and they still have not replaced it), I thought we could go out to the Wildife Park to see some giraffes. This place turned out to be much more than I thought it would be. My wife, oldest daughter, infant daughter, my niece and I packed into the car to go on safari. All pictures are ones I took from our car.
You can buy food to feed the creatures from your car window. The only rule, really, is don't get out of the car.
The giraffes are kept at the entrance, and the look of absolute wonder and excitement on my daughter's face at seeing a giraffe up close and in person was worth the drive and cost of admission. The rest would be gravy. But it turned out to be a hell of a lot of gravy.
These animals are obviously used to being fed from car windows, as they are not afraid at all. I got some pretty remarkable photos...
This place was awesome. As a former lawyer, I cannot imagine the liability, but that's Texas for you. And so what, that is what makes life fun. I cannot recommend the place enough. Go if you are ever in the area, here is their website: Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch.
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