When I was in law school in Athens, Georgia, during the late 1970s, the B-52s were just a regular part of the local scene. I didn’t quite realize they were about to become global behemoths until I put their first album on a turntable at a party in Baltimore, of all places, and everybody went nuts (some loved them, some hated them, nobody ignored them) from the first notes of “Planet Claire.”
In any event, there’s something quintessentially sweet–for lack of a better term–about this band that makes their appeal endure even though the New Wave thing is long buried. No musical act can evoke so much emotion, so quickly, in me, at least, with the possible exception of some really old country or gospel or civil rights tunes–or Bach.
Here are some not-so-sweet midday news/views treats:
* It’s complicated, but seems van Hollen and Mulvaney have figured out a way to throw sand into the congressional GOP’s plan to take increased defense spending off-budget by objecting to use of war appropriations for military construction.
* What is it with pizzerias? Seattle store claims new minimum wage will force it to close.
* Huffpost reporters spot clear disagreement with an important TPP provision in HRC’s latest book.
* At TNR Rebecca Leber positively compares Bernie Sanders’ environmental record to Elizabeth Warren’s.
* Greg Sargent notes work requirements might make Medicaid expansion more palatable to a bunch o’ Republican governors.
And in non-political news:
* Least productive time of day begins at about 3:00 PM. Sure does for me, since that’s usually about when I quit the day job after beginning at 5:00 AM.
As we break for lunch, here’s the B-52s with their first single hit: “Rock Lobster.”
