I wrapped up a live interview with jazz drummer and singer Jamison Ross about 60 minutes before writing this. While that was happening an outgoing president was giving a speech that, judging from my Facebook feed, left a lot of people in tears. Meanwhile an
incoming president was defending himself against allegations of sexual misconduct in the company of certain Russian women, none of which have been verified (but remind me never to go on 4chan to research anything, ever again). Earlier today I went on YouTube and watched a couple of simulated enactments of what the BBC would air in case of a nuclear attack. There were a couple of them because they had to "update" the original due to the Brexit vote and the new prime minister. Meanwhile, not only are teens in Chicago not trying to elude justice, they're putting their hate crimes on Facebook. Meanwhile in South Carolina an unrepentant waste of oxygen and epidermis got sentenced to death for
his hate crimes. Some of my friends think it's wrong to punish a killer with death himself and I understand their point, but what the hell else are we going to do with him? Meanwhile the unbearable suspense that started the night of November 8 is building up to a money-shot climax that's starting to feel more and more like a natural catastrophe that will involve a global Mexican standoff with leaders who haven't gotten that itch in their fingers looked at.
In the midst of all that I paused to listen to Jamison's cover of "Bye Bye Blues," which comprise the last two songs on his 2015 debut album. There's an inherent sadness to the tune that Jamison acknowledged when I spoke to him. It's what I felt walking down Rainier listening to it. The first part sounds like he's singing to get released to a higher plane, the second part sounds funereal, that the release he needs is only going to come after at least one more terrible trial.
Probably not the last time I'm going to be playing this to myself over the next ten days.
