Deep Throat!!!

Sorry, guys, not here to talk porn, that's Steve's site. Today, W. Mark Felt, the former #2 at the FBI in the late '60s and early '70s, declared publically that he, in fact, was the informant on "deep background" to Bob Woodward. For those of us who have read the book and seen the film, Deep Throat has always been that Mark Twain of a guy, Hal Holbrook, and in a sense, I've always pictured Holbrook being the guy in the parking garage talking shop with Robert Redford. Many names have floated regarding the anonymous informant such as White House counsel John Dean, speech writer Pat Buchanan and even White House correspondant Diane Sawyer (how's that for a title, eh?). As the news has broken, the history revisited and the naysayers trying to gain press as syncophants to the Nixon-era White House or Hoover-era bureau (why in Hell would you want to associate your...nevermind) the Bay Area has been inundated with reports as Felt currently resides in Santa Rosa. Hero or Brutus? Depends in what you believe in. Did this guy withold information that could have stopped a terrorist attack or another threat to national security or blow the whistle on a man's administration that neurotically pursued power at all costs, including the stability of the Constitution? I visited Nixon three years ago and asked him myself. Granted, Tricky Dick's been dead for eleven years, but I did stand at his grave and talk with the ghost, asking, "why were you so insecure that you felt that you could have sold the entire country for four more years?" That's like asking Judas something similar, only knowing the response that you'd receive would be one of utter truth and total bewilderment at the same time. All I hope for is a wave of interest into American history and that some of my students would do just a little more to investigate for themselves this fascinating era of our collective past.

Just received a copy of Bruce's Tower Theater show in Philadelphia from 5/17. Good recording, great to hear the live stuff. While he pulled out some true goodies (Iceman, Incident, Real World), I personally prefer the show that I caught. Mainly, because Bruce consisently forgot a chord in "Jesus Was An Only Son" that resolved each verse and brought about the true gospel beauty of the song. Also, there seemed enough frustration and anger in Bruce about the response of the audience and the tension between artist and audience made for some great music. I believe that the element of the viewer does play a part in the creation of art, especially popular music, and Bruce's music is no different. I believe that the newness of the Devils songs with the new arrangements of the classics kept the audience on edge, which gave the artist enough room to navigate a two hour show without having material that people were too familiar with. Each song kept the listener questioning, "what's coming next?". Anyone interested in a copy? Float me a line; as long as I receive your B&P by next Thursday, you're in luck.

McCullough's 1776 is an enjoyable read, and like his other books, I need a good 100 pages to be totally absorbed by the content. By the time I will have finished the book, I will be sad to have finished it. Reading John Adams from 2001, I was stunned and saddened of the news that Adams died an old man in 1826; I read about it like it had just happened. Only good writing can recreate such an experience or historical era such as the founding of the nation.

Speaking of writing on myths, I saw the latest Star Wars over the weekend. I think I liked it; at least I liked the experience of seeing another movie with the familiar group in it. Totally bad acting, terrible dialogue, stilted plot development, but overall, a fun time. I think I'll go and see it again, but this time, to see whether or not the special effects warrant anything to look at other than busy-bee eye candy that feeds most viewers' ADHD syndromes. My complaints are the sterility of Lucas' worlds and the pure lack of real human emotion in the characters. The emotional depth and breadth came straight from a sixth-grade production of Hamlet. Hell, a twelve year old could write more profound dialogue than George Lucas, but we must give him credit; he's created a media machine that will continue to draw viewers as long as new parts of the Star Wars saga comes out.

Only seven more class days...