Rate that anthem

(photo by Molly Burgess, U.S. Navy)
Denver is ablaze over jazz singer Rene Marie’s switcheroo of the national anthem preceding Mayor John Hickenlooper’s “State of the City” 2008 address. Instead of “The Star Spangled Banner,” she arranged the lyrics from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to the tune of the traditional national anthem. (Lyrics here)

Much of the debate locally is around the use of what is called “the black national anthem” in place of the official version. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a beautiful and sacred song. I’ve taught my children to stand when it’s played (but I don’t think they know the first verse). And for the record, in my National Baptist Hymnal, it’s #477 and listed as “National Negro Hymn.”

But they also know the purpose and the decorum around the national anthem. You stand. You put your hand on your heart. You take your hat off. (Even in another country, the least you would do is stand in respect to your hosts.)

But at this public event, oh, the outrage! And for good reason. Ms. Marie’s artistic interpretation was an indulgence, poorly placed during a official city event, and she abused the privilege. She insulted the unifying national sentiment (the purpose of the national anthem). She embarrassed the Democratic mayor on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. In my book, she also insulted “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by blending it with the Francis Scott Key anthem. But hey, that’s art for ya.

The blame is flying around, but there is one unnamed member of the mayor’s staff that is shaking in his or her boots this morning. They should have known what they were getting. Rene Marie is a self-proclaimed activist. From an interview at JazzReview.com she describes herself as “devil’s advocate and sometimes a rabble-rouser. I bring up things that I’m passionate about. I’m a renegade.”

In her creative flow, she once blended the words from Billie Holiday’s lament to southern lynchings “Strange Fruit” with the tune of “Dixie.” That's creative! Colorado’s Governor Ritter says she performed the exact same rendition of “Lift Every Voice” to the anthem’s tune at the Colorado Prayer Luncheon to a standing ovation… but I doubt it was billed as the national anthem. Expectations are everything.

I would like to see her in concert or at a jazz club. I might be entertained, but not when I’m ready to sing the national anthem. She is all set in far left circles, but she won’t be invited to any more official sing-alongs.

I think that somebody in the Mayor’s office is pretty lax about official decorum. Patriotism is about more than gestures, but symbols matter, especially in the media age.

Now, to other famous renditions of the national anthem, and you vote, good or bad:
Jimi Hendrix’s guitar instrumental at Woodstock (1969)
Marvin Gaye’s blending of “The Star Spangled Banner” (1983) (NPR story)

Roseanne Barr’s screech at the Padres - Reds game (1990) (YouTube)

Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV (1991) (YouTube)

And if they are not billed as the anthem, are we OK with Ray Charles unforgettable “America, the Beautiful” and Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” (1938). Who’s writing the new hymns?

Reconciliation Blog

I spent a fair amount of time in the 90s promoting the notion of "reconciliation," mostly racial. Some have taken the issue to the next level. My friend Ed Gilbreath has written on the subject; his latest book is Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity (IVP, 2006).

Race relations is always ripe fare for bloggers and talk shows, but Ed goes deeper into human relationships. "Thoughtful" and "articulate" would be overused, hackneyed adjectives, but they fit. Thankfully, Ed's ideas and words are always fresh. His is an important voice as the nation navigates across so many divides (red state-blue state, dominant culture-multi-cultural, religious-secular, etc.).

The subtitle for his Reconciliation Blog is from a scripture verse: "so from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view."

It's good conversation. Check it out!

75 skills men should master

MSN’s Lifestyle:Men's channel really rocks it with Tom Chiarella’s article “The 75 Skills Every Man Should Master.” The Esquire POV is classically worldly, so the list reflects the “importance” of sex, liquor and gambling. But the list is not entirely without value to the American man who is grappling with measures of modern manhood.

These skills remind me of the importance of 4-H (missed it), boy scouts (made it to Webelos before quitting), the military (missed it), and listening to old men (I’m getting there, and soon I’ll be old myself).

I’d be bragging to tell you how many of these items I have locked up. Better and more gracious to point out the items I would like to master, but am still working on.

#4 - Score a baseball game. “Scoring a game is about bearing witness, expanding your own ability to observe.” Even as a journalist, I aspire to sharpen up on this one.

#23 – Be loyal. “You will fail at it. You already have. It is a currency of selflessness, given without expectation and capable of the most stellar return.” I have also succeeded at it, but I don’t trust myself with loyalty. Episodes of selfishness overwhelm me often. So I’m still working on this one. God help me.

#44 – Ask for help.

#46 – Tell a woman’s dress size. Husbands get this.

#47 – Recite one poem from memory. As a poet, I know that you don’t really impact your audience until you can drop it verbatim from your mind. Men of the Spirit should have some of David’s Psalms or Solomon’s proverbs under their belt (within easy reach). Countless passages in the Torah, the Prophets, the Gospels, and the Epistles also are worthy of committing to memory.

#51 – Build a campfire.

#69 – Tie a knot. Yes, it comes in handy when your trying to get that mattress or bookcase home on top of your car.

#75 – Negotiate a better price. “Be informed. Know the price of competitors.” Which will help me keep up with my wife as she conscientiously compares prices.

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Better still to solicit your additions to the list. I might add:

#76 - Know all the sizes of your wife’s wardrobe, not just the dress size.

#77 - Carry a pocketknife and know how to use it. Remember the game mumbletypeg? (That’s one of the things I hate most about post-9/11 airport security.)

#78 - I know a young man who just made Eagle Scout. I want to ask him if he can start a fire without matches like Tom Hanks in the movie “Cast Away.” That’s just cool.

#79 - Give anonymously. Total stealth. Secret night missions. Shell companies (within the extent of the law). Trusted third-party intermediaries. The fact is that the more you give in secret, the more treasure you build up in heaven. Jesus said that.

Your entries?

Iron Man - industry meets conscience

(IMDB.com)

The morality tale behind the spring blockbuster Marvel film Iron Man is this: self-absorbed industrialist meets his comeuppance, grows a conscience/compassion for others, and puts his engineering genius to work righting wrongs. No spoilers there.

I go into most films to be entertained. Comic book movies are designed to be "eye candy," so I'm not expecting any great revelations when I go into the darkened theater looking for a superhero. Iron Man does not dissappoint in this regard. Even the preachiness (the evil weapons dealer) was in a small enough dose so as to not bog down the story or action. And guess what? Iron Man still fights. He doesn't go all pacifist on us.

Effects, technology, and action met the standard. Gratuitous sensuality was a bit much for my conservative leanings, so be advised if you're going to push the envelope with youth under the PG-13. I feel like guidance is appropriate up to 18, and many "R" films should be "NC-17." But, hey, you're reading "The Old School" blog.

Talking to our youth pastor, he and I couldn't figure out why Hollywood has to be so graphic with its sensuality. It's not like kids need any encouragement. Teen lust needs no assistance from media to get all the body parts and hormones functioning. Back in the day, filmmakers allowed the imagination to carry more of the weight... zoom on the ankles as clothing drops to the floor, giggles, feet walk to the bedroom, show the doorknob closing, fade to black. Tony Stark's tussles, I get it already!

Actually, the modern world is super-sensual, and the Hefner revolution that sought to celebrate sex by putting it into the mainstream has actually cheapened the act. Here's how I'd write the Tony Stark character - I'd let him keep pursuing women, conquering femme after femme, but getting less and less satisfaction out of it. He might even try to remember his girlie's names. Eventually, he'd settle down with you-know-who. Then Marvel would have to put its creativity into the relational angst within marriage (a la "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). There's a sub-plot for ya.

In a world at war, and with Iron Man's role expanding as a member of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel can and should pursue various moral questions related to war, force and weaponry. Rich ground there, and no easy answers, just the way Marvel likes it.

Sailors - you do that for me?

(to a friend who appeared in the Denver airing of the PBS show "Carrier")

OK, so you look pretty good in your navy blue Navy uniform. And you were always a good manager of time. Maybe it’s the military training.

The nighttime landings on the USS Nimitz pitching in high seas like that... deeply moved me. I get that they have to practice dangerous manuevers because you never know when you'll have a hot mission. But you guys do that for me? For the country? For duty? For your families? For the constitution?

I don't really feel worthy, but I'm damn glad you do what you do.

Full disclosure: my dad was a Navy man, repairing aircraft carriers in San Diego in World War II.
I shoulda known it was an Icon /Mel Gibson production. Really, really good TV.