We’re living in serious times, but we’re reminded every now and again that there’s a strong case for some optimism. This mix is a reflection on this idea.
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Jim and I attended the rally in Grant Park, Chicago on election night last week, and it was a very moving experience. People hugged each other — a woman came up to me on the street and offered a hug — a real, warm, longer-lasting full bodied hug. The city of Chicago was just glowing on Tuesday night. People have been walking taller, noticing their neighbors more — I mean, it’s not all Pollyana and people still drive like a bunch of assholes — and Cubs fans? Well, they’re the worst (present company excluded, Jim).
Despite all the good times, the economy is showing signs that we’re still headed for shit. We’re no closer to getting out of Iraq or avoiding further confrontation in Afghanistan than we were before. Poverty, Health Care, Cancer, AIDS, Gay Marriage — I mean, there’s a lot of issues that require serious action and attention — yet even without doing anything, we’re reminded that as a nation whose wealth dwarfs that of almost every other nation, where the black community is a shrinking minority, we elect a minority to the highest office — something that all the other “western” nations have yet to do.
For the first time in a very long time, I actually have some sense that no matter what, we’re all going to be okay.
Some notes about this mix: The Lucero track was contributed by Jim, and it’s been one of my favorites for almost a year now. Since he never played it, I figure I have dibs on it. A fellow by the name of John Campbell suggested The Gossip after a Twitter discussion about Shazam (he used the service as he got a haircut and this cover of Wham! was what it pulled up). I had to throw a new one by The Cure, because it’s probably their best album since Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. And I don’t talk anywhere on this mix, so just pop it in your car on your long commute or drive and just enjoy.
This mix includes…
- Lucero – Tonight Ain’t Gonna Be Good
- R.E.M. – Supernatural Superserious
- INXS – Don’t Change a Thing
- Mark Ronson – You’re All I Need to Get By
- Stars – Take Me to the Riot
- Band of Horses – Is There a Ghost?
- ColdPlay – Lovers in Japan
- Keane – Spiralling
- Frightened Rabbit – I Feel Better
- The Cure – Only One
- Travis – Sing
- Radiohead – Reckoner
- Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
- The Gossip – Careless Whisper
- Muse – Map of the Problematique
- Liam Finn – Better to Be
- Deerhoof – Offend Maggie
- Beck – Gamma Ray
- Dan Deacon – The Crystal Cat
- Say Hi To Your Mom – The Twenty-Second Century
- The Arcade File – Rebellion (Lies)
Can you believe this podcast has been up for over a year? Four different hosts and sixty shows later, we’re still doing this and the shows are only getting better.