Category: Uncategorized
Tom Squitieri, A Man in Full, RIP
I met Tom Squitieri when he was a young reporter for the Lowell Sun newspaper covering the Massachusetts congressional delegation, including Barney Frank, for whom I worked at the time.
We bonded at the 1984 Democratic Convention in San Francisco. He was covering the Convention and we tore up the town. He convinced his editor to let him do a story after the convention on Ken Kesey, the beatnik writer from Lowell who gained fame in the 50’s and 60’s as a precursor to the hippie generation. He got the paper to pay for a convertible that he drove down the California coast re-enacting some adventure that Kesey wrote about. Tom invited me to join him. It turned into a full page spread in the paper. It is one of the regrets of my life that I couldn’t go.
He went on from there to have an extraordinary journalism career, including stints as a war correspondent and cable news talking head during the Clinton Administration. After he left journalism, he took up poetry and gained renown, having many of his poems published. He also had some poems performed both live on stage with musical accompaniment and in at least one movie. He leaves his former wife and two children, who he adored.
He was a humble man who packed a lot in what turned out to be his too short life. He covered the breakup of Yugoslavia, which turned out to be extremely violent. I had a hard time imagining him in the middle of a war zone, like some real-life Rambo. But he did it at extraordinary risk to life and limb.
For all his courage professional accomplishments, Tom had a child-like reaction to praise. Watching him react to the deserved accolades for his poetry, he seemed genuinely abashed. Frankly, when complimented for his work in journalism or poetry, he would acknowledge it and quickly turn the conversation to his admiration of others, rather than drink in the praise for himself.
And what a sense of humor. Laughter came to him easily, and often at his own expense. I will miss his laughter. He had a face that begged to be caricatured. The thick hair, the bushy eyebrows and the broad smile. I can’t believe i won’t see that again.
While I knew Tom for 40 years, our friendship was episodic. We would connect for a while and then drift apart, sometimes for years. Our most recent reconnection, the one that endured to this day, happened some years ago when I saw him in Trader Joe’s. I spotted him from across the store and went over to say hello, thinking he was, like me, a shopper. I was surprised to see he was working the cash register. Another guy, with a career like his and not as comfortable in his own skin, might be embarrassed to encounter an old friend in this manner. But not Tom. He was in a situation where that was the job he needed at the time and he was grateful to have it. He claimed to enjoy the work and, particularly, the people he worked with. And he proved he wasn’t bullshitting because when he got back into journalism, covering the Pentagon, and kept the TJ’s gig.
I visited Tom in the hospital about a month ago when he was being treated for a sudden onset of leukemia. I was thrilled to get his text on August 3rd reporting that the cancer was gone and he was in remission. We were in the middle of scheduling a celebratory lunch when I got news of his passing. The leukemia came roaring back and took him. I’m still reeling.
Tom was a great friend. A good man who made an impact on the world, which will be a lesser place without him. And I have a hole in my life that can’t be filled.
Democrats Win in a Landslide. A Realigning Election
OK, I’m dreamcasting (new word I’ve just learned). But I really think it’s a possibility, albeit remote. I write it just to see it in print. And as a response to all the talking heads that are forecasting how this election is going to turn out.
I’m tired of hearing how close it’s going to be. Or what this or that state is going to do. Or how this or that development will have a minimal impact on the outcome. All of these analyses assume that the political situation is largely fixed and that we will only see movement by the electorate on the margins. What all this commentary does is normalize a political situation that is simply not normal.
I like reading the Hopium Chronicles by Simon Rosenberg. He is both optimistic and realistic. But his main case is that nothing will happen to Trump between now and the election that will help him politically. Trump has a high floor but a low ceiling. He’s never been above 50%. And the more visible he is, the less the voters like him. Things could happen to Biden that will help him politically, like a health issue or an international crisis. But Trump, for himself, is facing nothing but bad news, day after day, week after week, month after month. Combine that with the utter clown show that the Republicans are running in the House of Representatives, and it could be a perfect storm. Maybe political gravity will reassert itself.
It makes my head explode to see that the polls are tied now. The fact that half the country wants Trump back in the White House again is beyond stunning. It validates a good description of America passed on by my friend Luke as the United States of Morons. I just have to believe that the steady diet of information about Trump’s loathsomeness will take its toll. And, by the time November rolls around, the voters will come to their senses and reject Trump, MAGA and the whole Republican Party. I can dream, can’t I?
If not, i guess i will have the benefit of having lived to witness the decline and fall of a once great country.
Come and Get Your Love, Chapter 2
A couple of years ago, I did a series of posts on great musical moments in movies. These were scenes in which the movie incorporates a piece of music into a scene that captures and emphasizes the emotion that the movie is evoking. I absolutely love it when a movie does that well. I am invariably moved to tears and not necessarily because the scene is sad. It is just the artistic power of combing storytelling with the exact right song that touches me so deeply.
One of my favorites of these kinds of moments is from the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie begins with the main character as a 10 year old child at his mother’s deathbed. He refuses to take her hand and runs out of the house in grief. He is then beamed up to a spaceship.
The scene switches to a very dark ominous place, some kind of ruin, with a spaceman character walking cautiously through the rubble. Suddenly, the mood changes and the song Come and Get Your Love blasts on the soundtrack and the credits start rolling.
I’ve already spoiled too much, so I’ll stop there. But it’s a brilliant use of music to set the tone of a movie. Click here to read the post and watch the scene.
Well, here we are, two years later and we have “the rest of the story,” as old timey radio man, Paul Harvey, used to say.
The song, Come and Get Your Love, was recorded by a band called Redbone in 1974. The band was comprised of American Indians. In order to mark the 50th anniversary of the song, NPR did a story on the song and the band. It’s a fascinating account of how the band was formed and some challenges they faced due to their heritage. It also has a link to a video of the band performing the song that begins with one of the band members doing an amazing tradition Indian dance.
The endurance of the song is reflected in the fact that they only did an official music video after the movie. That is posted above and includes references to the movie and the band’s Indian heritage. Funky, but good.
A Morning Walk with Rozzie
Today, I walked with Rozzie in the park. Listened to the Irish novel called Bee Sting. A Luke recommendation. I enjoy Irish novels, mostly due to the brogue on the audiobook. It’s about two teenage girls in Dublin. Both are wealthy, though one, the main character, is on the downslope. The other is a superficial pretty girl. Hijinks ensue.
A Visit to One Vanderbilt Summit
One Vanderbilt
As part of our GRE meeting, the Council did a little field trip to a new skyscraper called one Vanderbilt. It is described as an “immersive experience.” When you arrive, you are herded through some lines into a dark tunnel. You watch a loud video on a surround screen that shows the construction of the building. You wait in another line for an elevator and the immersive experience begins.
The Elevator
The elevator has mirrors all around, walls, ceiling and floor. As it ascends,there are loud sounds and flashing lights. The motion of the elevator is barely perceptible, but it must be moving fast since you get to the 91st floor in less than a minute. You exit the elevator on to an observation deck that is all mirrors and stainless steel….and people. The view of New York City is spectacular.
The Observation Deck
You walk around wide-eyed, trying to orient yourself. Your brain has trouble processing what you’re seeing. There are a number of rooms and levels. One room is full of silver balloons that people are batting around. Another exhibit is a huge screen depicting rolling clouds that form into the faces of the people viewing the exhibit. That one’s pretty creepy.
It was a great experience. I found out later that it cost $46 a person. Good as it was, I would never have paid that out of pocket. But it was a good take and I got some pretty good pictures.
The Best Artist Interview Ever
Steven Colbert’s interview of Paul Simon was the best interview of an artist I have ever seen or heard.
I came across an interview that Stephen Colbert did with Paul Simon yesterday that really moved me on a number of levels. It is posted above. It is worth watching in its entirety.
Colbert starts out asking Simon about his artist inspirations. Simon talks about the song that introduced him to Rock and Roll at 12 years old. Then he talks about his effort to educate his father, whose musical tastes were very sophisticated, about early rock and roll through the song Earth Angel.
I love watching Paul Simon. He is clearly a genius, but he has such a humility about him. It’s very touching.
Then Colbert asks him whether, in the process of writing a song, the song goes in a different direction than he intended. At that point, Simon describes the process of writing a song called Darling Lorraine, a song I’ve never heard. It was beyond brilliant. He starts out light and by the end of the story, Colbert’s audience was in stunned silence and i could feel tears welling up in my eyes.
The next high point was when Colbert described an incident when he was 13 and a Paul Simon song gave him a profound insight into his mother’s life based on her reaction to it.
Finally, and appropriately, the interview ends with the most profound question of all, ‘Do you believe in God?’ Simon answers the question as mostly yes, but turns it on Colbert and Colbert gives an answer for the ages.
Just watch it.
Storytelling by David Sedaris
https://images.app.goo.gl/6kCVBswoxGveR6rS6
I love listening to David Sedaris. To the extent I ever imagined myself to be a writer, I would want to be like him. He tells brilliantly funny stories that are full of self deprecation and insightful commentary.
On a crazy whim, I bought a subscription of MasterClass for Christmas. I justified it to myself by taking advantage of a special deal that got you two subscriptions for the price of one. And I gave one to my daughter, Bridget. She just left her job at Soccer Without Borders and was entering a period of change, self improvement and reflection. I thought she might benefit from classes taught by famous people. It’s only two months into the subscription, but I think I was wrong. I don’t think she’s watched a single one. And I haven’t watched as much as I thought I would.
Tonight, I watch two classes by David Sedaris and I really liked them. He has inspired me to write more to this blog….at least temporarily. I do got through ebbs and flows when it comes to writing. Mostly ebbs. But maybe this time it will be different.
My plan is to write little stories about things that have happened in my life. That should give me some material. And I’ll try to incorporate David’s sensibility. The way he finds the humor in every day experiences.
Maybe I’ll get a rhythm and also post photography.
We’ll see….
A Visit to the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum
I went on a field trip to the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport yesterday. The main purpose was to expose my grandson, Kieran, to the wonders of human flight. It turned out better than I expected. They have a truly impressive collection of equipment, from the origins of flight on bicycles with wings to the landing on the moon. It is kind of amazing that the time distance from one to the other was about 60 years.
In any event, here’s a gallery of pictures from the visit.
My Friend Samer
In the late 1990’s soon after the Oslo Accords that provided some hope for peace in the Middle East, I participated in a program designed to teach political communications skills to young political leaders from Israel and the Palestinian areas. We met in Paphos, Cyprus, followed by visits to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. There were eight “delegates” from each side drawn from the Fatah Party for the Palestinians and the governing Likud Party from Israel. It was an extraordinary group of young people who were willing to explore the possibilities that Oslo provided. The whole experience was life changing for me.
The leader of the Palestinian group was Samer Sinijlawi, a truly extraordinary young man in his twenties, wise beyond his years, who showed a zest for life and a world view that was both realistic and optimistic. His leadership skills were very apparent, even at that young age. Let’s just say that the group of Palestinians were very passionate and he had his hands full as their leader. He seemed destined for great things in the new circumstances that Oslo promised. I haven’t seen him in decades, but I’ve often thought of him while watching developments in the Middle East. Frankly, I worried about the safety of him and his family. And I wondered if he had maintained his positive attitude in the face of so many set backs since we’d last met.
Then, last week I read the attached op ed in the New York Times, bravely written by Samer. Like anyone who cares about the people in Israel and the Palestinian areas, I grieve deeply about recent developments. The suffering on both sides is unimaginable. It is a horrific situation that has, I assume, caused many people in the region to simply give up on peace. But apparently not Samer. His extremely well-written and courageous column actually gave me hope. And reminded me of my deep admiration for Samer. He remains a true leader. I hope and pray that his voice is heard by all people of goodwill who can still see the light in these very dark times.
Fuller Bike Adventure 2023 Take 2
This is the first time I’ve done two Fuller Rides in one year. As I write, I’m on the train from Boston to New Rochelle, NY to join the ride.
I honestly don’t know what pulls me back to these rides. The cause, the “living simply” experience, the camaraderie of my Fuller friends all play a big role. Honestly, the riding itself, while enjoyable (mostly) plays a smaller part of it.
This ride is different in a number of respects. It’s shorter than others. I usually do two weeks. This is only one week. Three hundred and fifty miles. I will be riding through my home region, New England, though not close to Boston, sadly. One big positive difference is that I don’t have to pack my bike in a box for air travel. I’m joining and departing the ride by Amtrak. Packing the bike is literally my least favorite part of these rides. It’s a huge relieve not to have to disassemble, pack, unpack and reassemble the bike twice, which was the case for almost all the other rides.
