11 months ago IMArlo wrote in the song comments "Bill just mentioned that they might put this song away any year now, permanently, due to its political incorrectness. My PI radar might be out of tune. What does he refer to?", to which someone responded that it was Arlo's use of the word "faggot" (as meaning something other than a bundle of sticks).
For the sake of clarity: that post was written by a user whose name is "iMario", not "IMArlo". Whether or not Bill "mentioned" what that post alleges is not clear either, though the later speculation is there. I never thought much of that song anyhow, and into married life, the mandatory Thanksgiving listening usually exacerbated the tension of the holiday for me.
You are correct sir! I should have done a copy and paste and shame on me for not recognizing AliGator!! (If I were really punctilious, I would have at least tried to look up Bill's mention, although it may have been spoken, in which case I couldn't find it.):
Posted 1 year ago by AliGator:iMario wrote:Bill just mentioned that they might put this song away any year now, permanently, due to its political incorrectness. My PI radar might be out of tune. What does he refer to?
Vox.com runs a lot of articles that provide perspective or backstory to events...and they've done it again. I suspect most of us know the story behind the song, but what the hell.
There is something to be said for the shared experience of having us all listen to something together, especially something with shared associations, but that's becoming less & less of a thing. Increasingly, by using our pause, skip, and cache features, our RP experience has become less synchronous. There's a loss in that, but one that is more than compensated for (in my opinion, anyway) by the convenience of those features.
I agree that the new features are great but I get the sneaking feeling that RP members aren't writing on the song comment areas as much, perhaps because the smartphone apps bury access to the comments and offer only a bare-bones text editor. Part of the greatness of RP is the ability to talk with people about all sorts of things and share experiences. The possible decline of the song comments section raises the issue of the decline of the RP community, as does (in a smaller way) the end of a shared, scheduled airing of "Alice's Restaurant."
Though I sure hope that Alice's Restaurant remains part of the "thoughtfully-crafted and diverse musical flow". For many of us the song is iconic even if I would have personally dumped Arlo's ass in jail for dumping garbage.
Sorry for any Arlo letdowns. Could have posted something about this in advance.
Over the past few years, we've gradually stopped doing holiday-centric music. Christmas was the first to go — several years ago — and this year we stopped doing Halloween blocks, and, as noted, the Thanksgiving airing of Alice's Restaurant.
These days there are so many ways to hear music that is specific to your current experience. If I want to hear "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" or "Thriller" or, yes, "Alice's Restaurant", all I have to do is tell Alexa, or open the Spotify app, or go to YouTube.
There is something to be said for the shared experience of having us all listen to something together, especially something with shared associations, but that's becoming less & less of a thing. Increasingly, by using our pause, skip, and cache features, our RP experience has become less synchronous. There's a loss in that, but one that is more than compensated for (in my opinion, anyway) by the convenience of those features.
RP is also very much a global station, so US-specific holidays like Thanksgiving or the 4th of July naturally receive less of a focus.
The bottom line is that while there are lots of places to scratch a specific musical itch, there are very few places where you can find a thoughtfully-crafted and diverse musical flow. That's our niche, and that's where our focus is.
That said, I hope you all had a great time yesterday — whether it was Thanksgiving or just Thursday :-)
I was not a member of the generation that gathered around the AM console radio to listen to Little Orphan Annie or Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, but I think there were echoes of this communal experience in going to a friend's house and listening to one or more sides of an album, sharing music (and whatever else was on hand) for social bonding or mind enlarging experiences.
As you correctly point out, nostalgic/song specific experiences are readily available online, at least to those with minimal tech savvy. My adult children are now much less embarrassed by and more willing to openly enjoy listening to Mr. Guthrie's anti-establishment hymn every November. Anyone who longs for the communal experience of shared entertainment, whether modern or nostalgic, can always leave their apartment/house/boat and go see a play, go to the movie theater, go to a reading, go to a live music performance, etc.
RP can't be all things to all people all the time, and I think your focus on continuing to be what it does best (human-directed streaming music) is quite appropriate.
11 months ago IMArlo wrote in the song comments "Bill just mentioned that they might put this song away any year now, permanently, due to its political incorrectness. My PI radar might be out of tune. What does he refer to?", to which someone responded that it was Arlo's use of the word "faggot" (as meaning something other than a bundle of sticks).
For the sake of clarity: that post was written by a user whose name is "iMario", not "IMArlo". Whether or not Bill "mentioned" what that post alleges is not clear either, though the later speculation is there. I never thought much of that song anyhow, and into married life, the mandatory Thanksgiving listening usually exacerbated the tension of the holiday for me.
Sorry for any Arlo letdowns. Could have posted something about this in advance.
Over the past few years, we've gradually stopped doing holiday-centric music. Christmas was the first to go — several years ago — and this year we stopped doing Halloween blocks, and, as noted, the Thanksgiving airing of Alice's Restaurant.
These days there are so many ways to hear music that is specific to your current experience. If I want to hear "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" or "Thriller" or, yes, "Alice's Restaurant", all I have to do is tell Alexa, or open the Spotify app, or go to YouTube.
There is something to be said for the shared experience of having us all listen to something together, especially something with shared associations, but that's becoming less & less of a thing. Increasingly, by using our pause, skip, and cache features, our RP experience has become less synchronous. There's a loss in that, but one that is more than compensated for (in my opinion, anyway) by the convenience of those features.
RP is also very much a global station, so US-specific holidays like Thanksgiving or the 4th of July naturally receive less of a focus.
The bottom line is that while there are lots of places to scratch a specific musical itch, there are very few places where you can find a thoughtfully-crafted and diverse musical flow. That's our niche, and that's where our focus is.
That said, I hope you all had a great time yesterday — whether it was Thanksgiving or just Thursday :-)
It's just a nostalgic song from a 60's hippie. Controversial? Offensive? As if it doesn't take a leaf blowing by the window to cause ridiculous arguments around here.
I hadn't missed it in 12 years. A shame.
Oh yeah....Happy Thanksgiving.
What? No giblet gravy? No cranberry sauce? No magic lamp? All gone? Just like that?
It's just a nostalgic song from a 60's hippie. Controversial? Offensive? As if it doesn't take a leaf blowing by the window to cause ridiculous arguments around here.
I hadn't missed it in 12 years. A shame.
Oh yeah....Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy T-Day.
The song found a way to be played at my table. I'm not proud, or tired. Gotta stop war and stuff.
..... Hmmm... I'd say the overall message of the song as an anti-war ballad is stronger than a single use of a now inappropriate word. But I've always been overly sensitive to bombing women and children.
Bombing grandfathers never held much appeal for me either.
The USA did help clinch victory in WW II by deliberating targeting civilians in German and Japanese industrial cities. If not so much the Imperial Japanese army, the Germany Nazi regime clearly posed an existential threat. Justified.
The American and Israeli War on Terror though leaves much to be desired. Both countries should erect monuments to terrorism as terrorism played a key part in both countries' nation building processes.
The 'War on Terror' is just another indication of how easy it is manipulate ordinary folks. Curious how those who support the 'War on Terror' often readily support political violence. or the deliberate targeting of civilians under the guise of the so-called 'War on Terror'.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Nov 22, 2018 - 3:39pm
laozilover wrote:
11 months ago IMArlo wrote in the song comments "Bill just mentioned that they might put this song away any year now, permanently, due to its political incorrectness. My PI radar might be out of tune. What does he refer to?", to which someone responded that it was Arlo's use of the word "faggot" (as meaning something other than a bundle of sticks).