My latest in PJ Media:
Van Morrison (“Brown-Eyed Girl,” “Gloria,” “Domino”) is 75 now, but he is more anti-establishment than ever. However, instead of posturing about being marginalized while enjoying elite status like so many on the left today, who like to pretend that we still live in Eisenhower’s gray-flannel, button-down America of leftist myth, Van the Man is bucking the real establishment: the authoritarian woke nanny state that is the idiot stepchild of the hippie culture for which he was once a foremost voice.
Morrison’s just-released new album, the utilitarianly-named Latest Record Project Volume 1, speaks real truth to actual power, in sharp contrast to today’s legion of multimillionaire singers and Hollywood stars who strut around pretending to be defiant outcasts. Morrison skewers them, too, singing:
Where have all the rebels gone?
Hiding behind computer screens
Where’s the spirit, where’s the soul?
Where have all the rebels gone?
Why don’t they come out of the woodwork now?
One for the money, two for the show
It’s not very rock and roll
Where have all the rebels gone?
What does Morrison want us to rebel against? The social media oligarchy that exercises near-total control over the public discourse, for one thing:
Why are you on Facebook?
Why do you need second-hand friends?
Why do you really care who’s trending?
Or is there something you’re defending?
Get a life, is it that empty and sad?
Another target is the “journalists” who have transformed the establishment media from a news source to a manipulative and deceptive propaganda organ for the far-left, in the song “They Own the Media”:
They tell us that ignorance is bliss
I guess by those that control the media, it is
They own the media, they control the stories we are told
If you ever try to go against them, you will be ignored…They control the narrative, they perpetuate the myth
Keep on telling you lies, tell you ignorance is bliss
Believe it all and you’ll never get, never get wise
To the truth, ‘cause they control everything you do
Predictably, the leftist establishment is enraged at all this, and is out to destroy Morrison for daring to step outside what it has set as the acceptable parameters of public discourse. The ugliest aspect of this has been accusations of anti-Semitism, based on…absolutely nothing. The Los Angeles Times leveled this accusation even in the act of admitting it was baseless: “And about ‘They Own the Media’? While the song doesn’t explicitly name Jewish people as its ‘They,’ it does elevate an anti-Semitic trope that has recently been revived in an even more malicious form by QAnon followers.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
Why do his lyrics not rhyme? Songwriting ought to be cleverer than simple bloviation.
Infidel says
Poetry not rhyming is now at least 30 years old
BrizRon says
Having learned Anthology at school 60 years ago, I can assure that non rhyming poetry is as old as speech itself.
Thus the difference between rhymes and Poems.
As for the interesting comment on Morrisons ability, I ask…. have you done better in your teens as he did ?
Infidel says
I was never into poetry, literature or the arts (except History and Geography). My majors were in Electronics, and before that, Physics and Math
gravenimage says
Mark, some great rock music has rhyming lyrics, some does not. You really have to hear the song in order to be able to judge.
The classic “Brown-Eyed Girl” does not hve rhyming lyrics, and much of “Domino” does not rhyme. (Although “Gloria” does). It depends on the song.
I’m willing to give it a chance.
somehistory says
It’s more difficult to write a good song, one that goes through the mind, without rhyming words. And there are a lot of excellent ones that aren’t rhyming nearly every line.
Grace says
All poetry does not rhyme.I do not always write my poetry in rhyme and the rhythm is picked up by following the punctuation, not the line breaks. Read Shakespeare’s “Portia’s Speech”, from The Merchant of Venice.” Read it two or three times and you will pick up the rhythm
Infidel says
Sounds great. Dunno whether I’ve ever heard any of his music: my favorite still is the glam/hair metal from the 80s & 90s
gravenimage says
Rock Icon Van Morrison Bucks Woke Establishment, Left Goes Nuts
……………..
Hear, hear!
I’ll be buying his album.
somehistory says
Many singers his age have lost the ‘touch’ and their voices waver. I’ll have to see if I like his voice now.
Evidently hasn’t lost the ‘courage’ to stand out as different.
Giacomo Latta says
Singers grow old like everyone and their voice deteriorates even when they have not spent a lifetime smoking and drinking. I witnessed a performance of his some five years ago and there was no sparkle in his voice. Still, computers in studios can correct anything thee days.
As for the content of his songs, it appears that Robert Zimmerman and Grace Slick are not the only ones who has gained wisdom over the years.
tim gallagher says
“The left goes nuts” – that seems to happen a lot. I hear about how the fascist left do go mercilessly after anyone who steps outside of the views about everything that you have to have these days. The conservative commentators that i listen to and watch here in Australia often mention this ferocity with which the left attack any dissenters. I imagine that these commentators would be on the receiving end of plenty of ferocious and threatening attacks. I know that one of them, Rita Panahi, has mentioned copping foul abuse, but she laughs it off. She is tough enough to not really give a damn and good on her. So I am not surprised that Van Morrison is copping abuse. Probably because he is 75 years old, he wouldn’t care all that much. I think younger artists (actors as well I’m sure) would worry more because, if they dared to step out of line, their careers could be destroyed by the feral mob. Much later in your career it wouldn’t matter so much. This seems to be a very intolerant age where not going along with all of the woke type agenda results in very fierce, hate filled abuse.
Andrew Blackadder says
Tim: I grew up listening to the music made by great men like Van Morrison, THEM was his first Band that made a mark way back when.
I have always loved his music and Im glad to hear him speak out against the fascism thats happening today and just like him, I do also, and in that process have lost every friend I ever had from the 60s and 70s because I dared to suggest that Trump will fix America, clean out the swamp, and I refused to call him a mother***ker, and for that I was called a racist, fascist, nazi, and of course my all time favourite… an islamopho… you know… the thing…
Those that follow Biden and the Far Left DemocRATic Party are the new Masters of War that Dylan sang of all those year ago, though i suggest they have always been part of the war machine and Biden proved that by bombing Syria in the first few weeks in Office, while they denigrated Trump for taking Troops OUT of that county.
The people that control the War Machine were pissed off at Trump for not engaging in War and they backed the Harris-Biden ticket 100%.
Its rather insane that The Left hates a President that doesnt want War…
Its an upside down world after all..
GOLDMANN says
They were not your friends really .Mr Blackadder forget them. You are better off. ? They will find out one day you were right ???
Andrew Blackadder says
These were people whom I went through a lot of stuff with, even lived with, and I have sadly forgotten them as life is too short for me now to hold a grudge or hold on to anger, I just let it roll.
James Lincoln says
tim gallagher says,
“This seems to be a very intolerant age where not going along with all of the woke type agenda results in very fierce, hate filled abuse.”
Absolutely true, tim.
Although sometimes the “abuse” is more subtle; not getting invited to certain parties, gatherings, etc…
tim gallagher says
James, I agree with what you say. The term that i have heard used over the years for the freezing out of people is “being sent to Coventry”. I should look it up, but haven’t done so. It is being treated like one of those lepers from the Bible. Frozen out socially. It has happened to me, but, I am, by temperament, such a loner that I haven’t cared all that much. I wouldn’t want to be in the company of many people anyway. Just a few friends and family are enough for me.I guess that the ferocity of the attacks by the bullying left these days is also a lot to do with the social media. I can only imagine how ferocious and threatening the abuse that the conservative commentators cop as they constantly refuse to fit in with the fascist left wingers’ view of things. I admire these commentators. You would need to have a thick skin to cop the abuse they continually receive.
tim gallagher says
Thanks for the comment, Andrew. I have mentioned quite a few times here that most of my siblings and friends are fairly left wing. We get along reasonably well and they tend to see me as a fairly pleasant person, but one who just happens to be a right wing nut case on political issues (you know, off to the right of Genghis Khan). I tend to see them the same way. Very pleasant people but left wing idiots on many issues. I do find that, on Islam, these formerly politically correct left wingers, have gradually woken up and are beginning to see islam the way that I have done for years now. I have one friend who sees the world from a conservative point of view and has just as strong views as I do. On Trump, there was definitely what I heard many commentators describe as “Trump derangement syndrome”. I was a fan of Trump. I’m 71 years old so I can remember that, back in the time when Reagan was president, and I was working among lots of left wing clowns, they used to ridicule Reagan (who I think was a great President) in a similar way to the way Trump was ridiculed and hated by the left wing idiots out here. On Van Morrison, I do think it would be harder for a young artist to go against the lefties’ flow. They would have their careers destroyed. I imagine older artists could tell the PC brigade to stick it up their arse.Their careers cannot be destroyed. On getting along with moderately left wing friends and siblings, I agree that life is too short to be too bothered. I think my left wing friends tend to avoid politics with me and I tend to do the same with quite a few of them..
Andrew Blackadder says
I read that some people thought Van was singing against Jews as the old bullshit myth that “They own the media”, which in-itself seems rather crazy as the media seems rather anti-Semitic these days and 100% against The State of Israel, so if it was true that “they” own the media then they aint doing a very good job of it.
Van was singing about what is known today as The Left, who own the media, and who like to call themselves Progressive and Liberal when in fact they are more Regressive and Fascist these days.
He, and Eric Clapton, are speaking out, singing out, about this nonsense thats going on and I am glad to see it, as what The Left is today is nothing like what The Left was in the 1960s, trust me on that, I was there, or so they tell me… Ba-boom..
I never really left The Left however these days The Left most certainly left me a long time ago.
“If Fascism ever came to America, it will come disguised as Liberalism”… Ronald Reagan.
GOLDMANN says
It is OBVIOUS he is talking about leftist loons ?? I have never heard of VAN MORRISON BUT l love that song brown eyed girl from the 80s l think?. Good for him GOD BLESS HIM AND KEEP HIM ✝️❤️❤️❤️ MR Spencer l wish l was as clever as you in speech ❤️ you make me laugh . God bless you Jesus keep you safe xxxx❤️
OLD GUY says
The far left is NUTS.
Rick Spencer says
A great song:
https://youtu.be/zfWl3ijpmrQ
Van’s still on the ball in his mid-70’s.
Rock on!
Rick Spencer says
https://youtu.be/zfWl3ijpmrQ
Valkyrie Ziege says
; If “Jews” don’t control the media, therefore, any accusations of the media controlling the narrative isn’t “anti-Semitic”. Let Than Sink In.