The Zeitgeist

                      

Poster to the 1968 film “Wild In The Streets,” Tunisians being wild in their streets, deposed Egyptian despot Hosni Mubarak (center) hopefully soon to be deposed Libyan strongman Muamar Ghadaffi ((third from left), author Yehuda Avner as an advisor to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the cover of his book, “the Prime Ministers (right).

Wild In The Streets

There was a movie out in 1968 staring Hal Holbrook, Ed Begley (Sr.), Shelley Winters, Richard Pryor and a whole host of other character actors that was labeled as “Science Fiction/Horror” called “Wild In The Streets,” the premise of this B-movie was that America is taken over by the majority of the then U.S. population – namely the baby boomers who were all under 25. The young folks put everyone over 30 in concentration camps and forced retirement on LSD. (See trailer here – hysterical -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRLwV2xafpk). The theme song of the film was (Nothing Can Change the) “Shape of Things To Come” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqsxF_zt700&feature=related) which is a fairly good tune actually. While the film was a fictitious major exaggeration, the U.S. was in fact then dealing with a disaffected “youthquake” in the late 60’s which really did see a lot of wild protests in the streets and campuses. The country was in an upheaval that led to socio-cultural changes that have had lasting ramifications right up to the present day and those baby boomers are still a plurality of the U.S. population.

The Middle East has been experiencing their own 60’s-type of revolution lately. First Tunisia, then Egypt, probably Libya will see the end of Ghaddaffi real soon. Rioting in Yemen, Bahrain and other places (too bad Obama didn’t lift a finger to help the Iranian street protestors a year and a half ago, a wasted opportunity to trash the Ayatollahs…) These “people power” revolutions are being fueled mainly by the majority populations in these countries, specifically, the young people. Most Arab and Muslim nations’ populations have far more people under 30 than over it and these folks are tired of being oppressed and repressed by the Mandarins and geezer septuagenarian dictators (notwithstanding their “Just For Men” dyed-black hair) along with no personal freedom, no economic opportunity and the ancient Levantine way of graft, corruption and embezzlement. Generations often feel the need to shape their world according to their own vision and want a chance to do so. When this is indefinitely bottled up, the pressure will invariably build and explode the top right off. The Chinese Communists have been cynically brilliant in allowing personal expression (just not political expression) and economic opportunity functioning as steam pressure valves enabling them to they cling to power. The Arab despots generally have offered no outlet for their young folks.

JFK in his inaugural address spoke about “the torch being passed to a new generation,” which at that time referred to the ascension of "The Greatest Generation” (the WWII babies) to power over the WWI and Roaring 20’s generation. If there is never a sharing, let alone a passing of the torch, eventually the young will erupt in some way, shape or form. This happened twenty years ago in the former USSR, in Iron Curtain countries like East Germany, Poland, Romania, etc., especially as Western popular culture permeated the stifling censorship of the dictatorships. The big mistake of the Arab despots has been allowing the Internet in and also allowing U.S. television and movies and music in. Once people see there is a better world out there and that their world is stuck somewhere in the Middle Ages, atavistic repression doesn’t stand a chance against cell phones, laptops, blue jeans, dance music, YouTube, Hollywood, McDonald’s and more. Hopefully, as in Eastern Europe this will auger in a better democratic free society. The rub here will be ensuring (and I hope the Obama Administration is listening and won’t pull a “Jimmy Carter” vis-à-vis Iran) that Islamic theocracies don’t take the place of the current secular fascist dictatorships. But even in this country, young people need to see opportunities for economic, career and personal advancement because when hopelessness prevails, unrest won’t be too far off.

“The Prime Ministers”

Yehuda Avner had a long and storied career in Israel’s foreign service stretching over several decades. He worked on the staffs of four prime ministers, including Levi Eshkol (during the stressful days of the Six Day War), Gold Meir (during the stressful days of the Yom Kippur War), Yitzhak Rabin (during the stressful days of the Entebbe rescue) and Menachem Begin (during the stressful days of the Lebanon War). Avner, an immigrant from Manchester, England to Israel in 1947, chronicles the first forty years of the state from some of the most insider perspectives possible – the proverbial “fly on the wall” right in the inner sanctums of prime ministers during critical moments, crises and challenges. Avner was present at meetings with several U.S. presidents, European prime ministers and royalty. He also served for a time later in his career as Ambassador to Great Britain. Because Avner kept a daily diary for most of his life along with copious notes of key meetings, he gives the reader actual verbatim dialog of discourses between prime ministers and presidents, ambassadors and cabinet members, celebrities and the celebrated. Weighing-in at over 700 pages, “The Prime Ministers” is not a read for the faint of heart and the hardcover is quite a hefty tome (I actually took this to the beach in Florida for several days, demonstratively impressing people with my supposed intellectualism and/or penchant for weight training) and it will take you a while to get through, but every page is a delight and a surprise, like unwrapping unexpected gifts at holidays or birthdays. Avner has a great storytelling style that is engrossing and entertaining. Probably one of the top five books ever written on Israeli history and politics, it is a must for anyone interested in the first decades of the state.

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The Zeitgeist

           

 

Yes, there are beautiful women who are wonderful human beings. Daylight Savings Time returns in less than a month. The late Len Lesser in “Kelley’s Heroes” and with Jerry Seinfeld as Uncle Leo. The façade of a Swiss Bank (literally and figuratively) and Volkswagen’s great commercial, “The Force.”

 

Clarification and Amplification

My short piece last week entitled “Pretty is as Pretty Does” generated a whole lot of bi-polar reaction, by that I mean that the men loved it and agreed with it and nearly all the women were either grievously offended at worst or irritated at best. Venus and Mars. Let me just state for the record that this was a broad personal generalization backed by not a scintilla of scientific data. It was also meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek. Moreover, I did state quite clearly in there that my observations were “prevalent not universal.” There are pretty women whose personality is wonderful and saintly  and there are non-attractive women who are horrible human beings. This is equally true. But here’s a song on the subject we all can laugh at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9ZZgDqzAg.

Warm Weather

Basking in today’s near tropical heat in New York (about 60 degrees) made me realize that aside from Spring, there is something else in the offing – in less than a month we’ll see the return of Daylight Savings Time (in the midst of our recent Siberian winter, I just about plumb forgot there ever was such a thing as Daylight Savings Time). On Sunday morning March 13^th we’ll see the return of “summertime,” which means for those of us among the Jewish Sabbath observant that on Saturday, March 19^th, here on Long Island the Sabbath will end at 7:46 p.m., which is insanely late considering it may very well still be cold outside with limited options to enjoy the extended daylight. It also means really late Passover Seders on April 18^th. But the good thing will finally be being able to leave work in the light and leave for work in said light. Nothing like living like a mole for several months here in New York. I also broke out my leather coat today, foregoing the various down-filled get-ups I’ve been encasing my svelte frame in since late December. I think we’ve seen the last of the sub-freezing temperatures (hopefully) even if we get into the high 30s here and there…

Len Lesser OBM

Many of you have heard already that Seinfeld’s “Uncle Leo,” played by Len Lesser, passed away yesterday at 88. Although he only appeared in 15 episodes of “Seinfeld” his was an outstanding comedic presence. The character was an amalgam of so many New York Jews of his generation (I had some relatives like Uncle Leo…). The “Greatest Generation” is losing people each and every day now and these folks can never be duplicated or replaced. Lesser also had a prolific career, according to the Associated Press: “Lesser's lengthy list of television credits included parts on "Get Smart," "That Girl," "The Munsters," "The Monkees," "The Rockford Files," "thirtysomething," "ER," and "Everybody Loves Raymond," which featured Lesser in a recurring role as the arm-shaking Garvin. His film credits included "Outlaw Josey Wales," "Kelly's Heroes," "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Death Hunt." He most recently appeared on the TV drama "Castle." I loved him as the bridge-building engineer in Kelley’s Heroes,” which is one of my all time favorite WWII movies. He will be missed.

Swiss Bank Accounts

With the demise of Hosni Mubarack of Egypt, we learned that he managed to squirrel away some $80 billion from his country over the course of his 30 year reign. How much of this came from U.S. taxpayers (indirectly) I wonder? Anyway, the Swiss in their sanctimonious self-righteousness announced that they were freezing his assets now that he’s been deposed. This begs the question – why do the Swiss accept these huge deposits from private individuals who are leaders of despotic regimes in the first place? Nothing fishy about someone who is an official of a country wiring in a few billion into their personal account? Where can you get a hold of this kind of scratch if not illegally or immorally? When the Swiss publicly announce that any president of a country walking in with ginormous amounts of cash will be turned away at the get-go, then I’ll be impressed with Swiss banking integrity. Oh, and their holding onto all those Holocaust victim accounts…?

Cute Commercials: 

There are a few TV commercials right now that are really pushing the boundaries of creativity and humor. I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you:

First up is Volkswagen’s Super Bowl spot called “The Force,” very funny and touching all at the same time. I don’t know if it will sell cars but hundreds of millions of people have seen this spot both on TV and YouTube. Best VW commercial ever, probably. http://www.youtube.com/vw#p/a/u/0/R55e-uHQna0. Also great right now is a spot for Jim Beam Bourbon called “Parallels,” which is about “bold choices” in life. Shot in black and white and featuring the famous actor Willem Dafoe it shows how we are the sum total of the choices we make in our lives for better or worse. Great art in 60 seconds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Ofjm2TKUE&oref=http://www.youtube.com/results%3Fsearch_query%3Djim%2Bbeam%2Bbold%2Bchoices%2Bcommercial%26aq%3D

Next up is a spot that is so camp and also so insidiously annoying that its incredibly effective, worming it’s way into your brain. It’s Taco Bell pushing a burrito with “Four Times The Steak” with a lounge-lizard approach that is funny and effective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcixlBtZGmA. Here is a commercial touting Mercedes Benz’s amazing traction in snow and ice. The commercial is called “Not In This Weather,” and is so provocative that it has been flat-out banned from being aired on TV. It is also about choices and morality but is so eloquently and artfully done as to make you really think. It’s also funny.  Exceptional: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi47UcyK4Ms. Finally, although I’m not putting the link here, what about the new Windows Phone commercial that shows a guy using a Blackberry at a urinal and actually dropping it into said urinal with the guy next to him saying “Really?!” Let me just say this is funny because I’ve actually seen men at urinals in restaurants, ballparks and such using their Blackberrys and similar devices. I think there is a line for Blackberry use that ought not be crossed, and the men’s room is certainly right there…

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The Zeitgeist

          

HBO’s new dpcumentary on Ronald Reagan (right). FX’s “Archer” and “Justified.” Bruno Mars on the CD cover of “Grenade” (third from right). The latest cover from The Vaccines and the CD cover of the Neon Trees’ “1983.”

Back in the Saddle

Sorry for last week’s ultra-brief Zeitgeist (although some of you might have deemed it a relief….) but I’m firmly back in the saddle again this week so here’s an extra-length Zeitgeist which has everything I’ve been wanting to share with you all for the past few weeks. First, let me extend my deep and sincere thanks to all of you who called and emailed with your good wishes on behalf of my brother Shane. Special thanks to those who mentioned him in their prayers. I’m happy to say that he, too, is back in the saddle, having been sent home from the hospital in what appears and what we all hope was a successful procedure. Time will tell, but we’re optimistic.

Speaking of saddles and cowboys, HBO released a nearly two-hour documentary on the life of Ronald Reagan to coincide with the 100^th anniversary of his birth last week. You can order it on HBO On Demand or catch it on one of the seven HBO channels as they’re running it a lot. The first 60 percent of the doc is expertly researched with tons of archival footage and photos tracing Reagan from his birth through his election as Governor of California in the 1960s. There are interviews aplenty with family, friends, former staffers and pundits. A real paean to the former Prez. Then there is the back 40 percent of the documentary: The glow of nostalgia gives way to a fairly even-handed but heavy critique of his governorship and especially his presidency. Now, there is a tendency, especially among Republicans to beatify or canonize Reagan as the best there ever was, but the fact is he was only human and did make human mistakes and not everything worked out the way he wanted it to. Nevertheless, the HBO people focus just a tad too much on his shortcomings at the expense of his legacy. On the whole, Reagan was probably the best president we’ve had since JFK. The economy boomed as never before. We won the Cold War. After the malaise of the Carter years, he restored the spirit of America and of Americans; he restored our standing in the world and he was an inspiration to an entire generation. Well worth seeing. Kind of like how I enjoy “Ben-Hur” for 80 or 90 percent of the movie until they get mired in all the Jesus miracle stuff towards the end. This is just the opposite, at the end the producers try and bring Reagan back down to earth but it’s still a moving story.

Keeping with the cowboy theme, back on FX for a second season is “Justified,” the story of quick shooting U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens and his adventures in Harlan County, Kentucky which stars Timothy Olyphant (formerly Sheriff on HBO’s critically-acclaimed but short-lived “Deadwood”.)  in the role he was born to play. This is tongue-in-cheek, quick-talking charming “good ‘ol boy” stomping around a Red State, white bread heartland but with the kind of characters (good and bad) who because they are such characters, remind me of all the guest stars on the old “Rockford Files.” This is aw-shucks detective work with an edge of skin-tight and 10-gallon hat sex appeal. The good guys always win but the bad guys are often adorable too. Like living in a Jack Daniel’s or Jim Beam commercial but the writing and acting are so good that even us Northeastern city-slickers can appreciate it. One of the best shows right now on series television (as are many of the productions on FX) so much so that I don’t mind the commercials. But you can DVR it and zap through them. Wednesdays at 10 on FX.

Secret Agent Man

The above sub-head(line) references the famous hit Johnny Rivers song of the same title which spoofed the whole James Bond secret agent movie and TV explosion in the 60s. (Rivers sounded black, kind of the way Dusty Springfield did, but he and Dusty were white. Here’s the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXGAif4dKhs) Spoofing the secret agent genre of the 20-teens is “Archer,” also (like “Justified” on FX) also back for it’s second season on Thursday nights. This show may be animated (as in it’s a cartoon…) but it is definitely, positively not for children. It is high camp married to high debauchery with a side of heavy locker room/U.S. Navy aircraft carrier-at-sea-for-a-year type of misogynistic humor which is also hysterically funny specifically because it is a cartoon. The show’s central character is secret agent Sterling Archer who whips out the puns with the speed of an Uzi submachine gun. Great supporting cast as well including Judy Greer and Jessica Walter among others. DVR it. Second season so far is just as funny as the first.

Pothole Patrol

At the end of the last great Ice Age, the glaciers that retreated from New York gouged huge craters in the landscape. Some became giant bodies of water like the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, some created big valleys like the Hempstead Plain. As the Ice Age of 2011 starts winding to a gradual conclusion (Global Warming, really???) and the ice retreats, craters are being left in the ice’s wake taking the form of multitudinous potholes in the asphalt. There are some places that are so bad this week that I feel compelled to share their locations with you if only to spare you the jarring agony of front axle breakage at worst and wheels out of alignment at best.

Look out on the Northbound Cross Island Parkway where it meets the Long Island Expressway, the ramp in particular to the LIE is a Swiss cheese like maze of holes, with more holes than pavement, Tiptoe through the potholes. Also, Searingtown Road Southbound from Northern Blvd to the LIE has some really bad pavement right around the Americana Mall. Francis Lewis Blvd in Rosedale just North of Sunrise Highway is an absolute mess as is Brookville Blvd between Francis Lewis and the Cross Island entrance which has more holes than pavement. The Belt Parkway between Exits 11 and 14 (Pennsylvania Ave and Flatbush Ave) has both construction (when, pray tell has this road NOT been under construction during the five decades of my lifetime?) and a whole lot of holes and bumps. And lastly, the Grand Central Parkway Westbound towards the Triboro/RFK Bridge and by LaGuardia Airport has construction and holes/bumps aplenty. Lastly, the Cross Bronx Expressway -- what's up with the no lights at night for the past year? Nothing like having a giant truck on your tuches in the left lane at 11:00 pm with no road illumination! Forewarned is forearmed.

Valentine’s Music

OK, some new tunes and some oldies to get you going on this romantic weekend. Feeling desperate? Can’t compare with Bruno Mars who has a song out called “Grenade,” where he professes such intense love for the object of his affections that he is willing to fall on a live grenade or endanger himself in other grizzly ways to demonstrate the depths of his feelings. Mars is after just the kind of “taking and no giving” type of girl I write about above. Mars (who looks a bit like a young Michael Jackson in his pre-nutty days) is a 26 year-old Hawaiian who attained recognition as a writer and vocalist on such recent hits as (I Want to Be a) “Billionaire” with Travie McCoy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aRor905cCw) and “Right Round” by Flo Rida. He’s up for seven Grammys (the awards are this Sunday night). Check out “Grenade” with 74 million hits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR6iYWJxHqs.

From the really Old School is Bobby Vinton who is still going strong at 76 (50 year difference between him and Bruno Mars) who had a string of early 60s hits like “Blue Velvet,” “Roses are Red (My Love),” “Mister Lonely” and “There I Said It Again” which went Number One in 1964.. Vinton's version of “There! I've Said It Again” is noteworthy for being the final U.S. Billboard Number One single of the pre-Beatles era, deposed from the Hot 100's summit by "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Vinton had a whole bunch of hits through the 60s and 70s but this is one of his biggest of all time and a great love song for Valentine’s Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJBMp18TT9g

Rocking back to 2011 there’s a very new British group called “The Vaccines” who will be releasing their first album on March 21^st (“What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?”). I first heard their new soon-to-be-hit on BBC Radio 1 (Channel 11 on Sirius and Channel 30 on XM) where so many new new new things can be heard well in advance of what American radio is playing. The name of this song? “Post Break-Up Sex.” You read that right. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU9hrd35Dsg&feature=related. “It’s that post break-up sex that helps you forget your ex.” This song rocks and will be a huge hit here in two months. You’re hearing it here if not first then at least early. Click on this link. You’ll love the song.

Hurtling down the break-up trail is a 1978 oldie from Brit Chris Rea who sold 30 million albums in Europe and the UK in the 70s and 80s but only had limited success here in the U.S. His ballad “Fool If You Think It’s Over” got all the way to Number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Save Your Cryin’ for the Day…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26iubAguHu0. “This teenage dream is such a tragic scene…” Sends me right back to college and some of the slow dances we did back then…

Finally, The Neon Trees, a Utah-based band of Mormon American rockers have a new album and single out called “1983.” Now that was a significant year for me. I graduated from the University of Miami with a Masters in Publishing Management and also got married to my first wife (which lasted just under two years, that’s another story for another time). I was 24-25 and just really starting out in life in a serious way. This song doesn’t talk about my experiences. The Neon Trees had a big hit in 2010 called Animal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY--Yu4kzz0) which I praised very highly last Spring in this column. “Animal” went Platinum and hit Number One on the U.S. Alternative Rock chart and Number 13 on the overall charts. Now they’re out with a new soon-to-be-hit “1983,” “1983 is callin’ and I’m on my knees and crawling back to you…” This tune has a New Wave 80s retro beat that just gets you right out of your chair and off the couch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j51LRUjIdnE. “Me and you, you and me, let’s go back to 1983…”

Here’s a P.S. – great 80s love song, “Mad About You” by Belinda Carlisle, if you haven’t heard it in a while, you should: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmdtJWmR9zQ