6 Links

1. So, E and I are fans of a blog called Slimbolala. I became familiar with it after its author said some nice things about LfNO (in the hard-to-remember pre-Katrina era), and have been enjoying it ever since. It's become one of those weird things where I feel like I sort of know the guy, even though, in point of fact, I don't. Anyway, Slimbolala has lately been posting a nice series of pictures from a recent second-line parade, and also from the Super Sunday Mardi Gras Indian event. The shot at left was apparently taken on MLK in New Orleans. I wish that shot was in my Flickr pool!

2. Anyway, in a recent post, Slimbolala mentioned a story that I'd also seen, in The Nation. It's by Mike Davis, and it's a pretty Nation-esque take on the New Orleans situation. I don't have much to add, besides observing that it's disappointing how many outside observers have used the distressing situation in New Orleans to support whatever political opinions they already had.

3. Meanwhile, AnimaMundi (always worth a visit) points out an article from the conservative American Spectator that was recently reprinted in The Gambit that's actually pretty thoughtful. But aren't the author's arguments another example of someone using New Orleans to re-affirm previous beliefs? Yes, but, in this case, I believe the author is trying to get readers to change their minds, not simply pandering to them. Toward the end it echoes some points about the non-trivial need to get N.O. back on its feet, made shortly after the hurricane in New Orleans: Geopolitical Prize. Anyway, I'm frankly bummed out to find myself liking an American Spectator story more than a Nation story. What does it mean?

4. The Slim Shady Essay, by Robert Christgau, from The Believer

5. Fascinating NPR story about "imposter bands" (as Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (!) calls them in the piece), and the legal implications of having an estimated 80 or more groups performing under the name The Platters.

6. Free MP3 download of a nice, beautiful- and sad-sounding song called, appropriately, "Everything Is Beautiful and Sad," by Richard Leo Johnson, courtesy of All About Jazz. Johnson is a friend of a friend, but I'd like this cut without that indirect link. Makes me want to buy his CD, and at some point soon I will. Check it out.