Lou Reed- "Coney Island Baby" (1984) Live, Capital Theater, NJ
Almost exactly 8 years to the day later, I saw Lou Reed during the Magic and Loss tour with Little Jimmy Scott at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles the night of the infamous '92 street riots.
mother, that was a very strange time in Southern California. I worked out in a suburb (Claremont) about 38 miles from L.A. and people there were terrified that an angry horde was going to march the 40 miles and invade their little college town
Fear and rage are fatal when they find their way into a crowd. I remember watching it on TV and I recall a sense of shock and disintegration, not only - not exactly - from the images on the screen, but in the air, on people's minds, implicit.
I hate to say it, but I've become quite cynical when it comes to politics. I used to be very involved politically (I went to school at U.C. Berkeley for god's sake!), but over the years, I've seen it accomplish so little or if something is accomplished, it's reversed a few years later. Sometimes, I too feel like taking to the streets and smashing windows and over-turning police cars. I doubt I'll ever figure it out. (I really hate sounding this cynical- sorry about that!)
I was at this concert in Passaic. One of the loudest and best shows I have ever seen. Run DMC opened. Jim Carroll came on stage and sang "People Who Died".
LEn, thanks for the comment. Sounds like an amazing show. I would love to have seen Reed in the late-seventies-early eighties, but he was pretty damn good in the early nineties too (that's when I saw him) :)
You know, yesterday I was reading about NWA's album Straight Outta Compton and the '92 LA riots were mentioned.
ReplyDelete... and I love Lou Reed's Velvet very much.
mother, that was a very strange time in Southern California. I worked out in a suburb (Claremont) about 38 miles from L.A. and people there were terrified that an angry horde was going to march the 40 miles and invade their little college town
ReplyDeleteFear and rage are fatal when they find their way into a crowd.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching it on TV and I recall a sense of shock and disintegration, not only - not exactly - from the images on the screen, but in the air, on people's minds, implicit.
mother, yes, I remember it too; you describe the feeling quite accurately
ReplyDeleteHey, how strange is it that only a few days after our comments riots started in the UK?
ReplyDeletemother, I was thinking the same thing. I guess we're always sitting on a powder-keg in certain ways
ReplyDeleteI guess so, but, for our sake, we should be able to figure it out, somehow. I haven't yet. Have you?
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but I've become quite cynical when it comes to politics. I used to be very involved politically (I went to school at U.C. Berkeley for god's sake!), but over the years, I've seen it accomplish so little or if something is accomplished, it's reversed a few years later. Sometimes, I too feel like taking to the streets and smashing windows and over-turning police cars. I doubt I'll ever figure it out. (I really hate sounding this cynical- sorry about that!)
ReplyDeleteI was at this concert in Passaic. One of the loudest and best shows I have ever seen. Run DMC opened. Jim Carroll came on stage and sang "People Who Died".
ReplyDeleteLEn, thanks for the comment. Sounds like an amazing show. I would love to have seen Reed in the late-seventies-early eighties, but he was pretty damn good in the early nineties too (that's when I saw him) :)
ReplyDelete