On Facebook I was asked to list my top ten all-time albums that most influenced me. Since I can't list anything without a huge explanation, this is it. Not only that but I'm writing about my Top 19 instead of my Top 10.
Here's what I wrote on Facebook today, "Here's another quick story: first off, this is a comedy CD. Secondly, when I bought it in the spring of 2003, I was familiar with David Cross (mostly from the seminal sketch show, "Mr. Show with Bob and David") but I didn't know his stand up act. I think that I listened to this CD front to back, probably 10,000 times. It crystalized everything that I was thinking (politically) at the time. And not only was Cross able to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with the country at the time, but he was able to do so in an uproariously funny way. If you haven't heard it yet, do so; "Shut Up You Fucking Baby" is the best."
2002 was a weird time. We were still really scared about terrorism, the year prior the towers came down and we started fighting in Afghanistan. The Bush administration was taking away our freedoms in exchange for our safety and his conservative cronies were clamping down on America and trying to turn the country into their vision.
For the most part, no one really said anything. The reason was that there was so much patriotism, you worried about being labeled a traitor if you brought up that maybe the White House shouldn't be torturing prisoners or maybe we shouldn't be killing innocent people or maybe letting the President and the Vice President do what they want whenever they want however they want might be kind of shitty and maybe all of this flag waving, rah-rah, 'MERICA FUCKING RULES jingoism isn't really the best road to go down.
Aside from a few comics, like Jon Stewart, this was some thoughts that were just bubbling under the surface. I heard them, and they started to germinate in my brain. But I wasn't completely on board until I heard "Shut Up You Fucking Baby".
Let me step back, for the most part, I've identified myself as an Independent. However after listening to Cross, the idea that any Republican had my best interests in mind went out the window. This double album was scintillating. The way that Cross railed against the people in power--specifically the Republicans--and how they were using 9/11 as a cover to loot this company and reshape it into something that resembled the 1950s was absolutely astounding.
Cross is able to deliver his message without sounding preachy. There is a thin line between comedy and whining. Cross never jumps over that line. He comes close some time, but he always slams it home with a joke. I have all of his concert albums and I've seen him live at least three times--like I said he's my favorite comedian--but nothing that he has done compares to this two-disc set. He's still awesome, but he's not as transcendent as he was here. That's a high bar to reach, BTW, I don't expect him to do so.
After listening to this album, it became obvious to me that David Cross wasn't just the guy in the t-shirt and cargo shorts who stood next to the suit-ed Bob Odenkirk on Mr. Show. David Cross was a firebrand who spoke truth to power. This album literally shaped the way that I viewed public figures for the rest of my life. I haven't listened to this album in a long time, but I should revisit it. I didn't think that things could get much worse than the G.W. Bush administration, but it obviously has.
I think that I need to listen to this again.
No comments:
Post a Comment