Balloon Juice - Music Archives

Late Night Open Thread: Lizzo & the Crystal Flute

by Anne Laurie| September 29, 202211:04 pm| 90 Comments

This post is in: Music, Open Threads, Popular Culture, Republican Stupidity

Lizzo twerks in the Library of Congress while playing James Madison's crystal flute:

"Sorry, James Madison and his wife, Mrs. Madison." pic.twitter.com/WUQCHMAGxc

— The Recount (@therecount) September 28, 2022

I popped up a quick post about Lizzo’s performance yesterday because I was genuinely charmed by the idea — here’s a classically-trained flutist (who happens to be a major pop star) helping the Library of Congress publicize its many-faceted holdings. There are people (not just at that concert) who didn’t know the Library of Congress existed, outside of a Nicholas Cage movie maybe. Heck, *I* didn’t know about the LoC’s instrumental holdings, and I love libraries!

And, yes, I assumed there’d be some sniping from the usual suspects… but not that it would be the Topic of the Day on political twitter. These dudes (just about entirely dudes) are definitely exercising their outrage glands in preparation for the upcoming election, and it’s good our side is also on alert…

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people complain lizzo doesn’t wear enough clothing yet they’re the ones showing their asses over her

— Jort-Michel Connard ?? (@torriangray) September 29, 2022

Again, this is the best fucking promotion the Library of Congress has ever done https://t.co/MVS0vmlBOR

— Lord Businessman (@BusinessmanLego) September 29, 2022

For those concerned about the flute: Music Division curators made sure it could be played without damage. This sort of thing is not all that unusual, in fact. Some of the Library's priceless instruments were donated with the stipulation that they remain functional & be played. pic.twitter.com/9F7SASQcvP

— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) September 28, 2022

What’s so sad about this reaction is here’s a famous person whose positive appraisal of history has the power to unlock its value for so many. Conservatives, usually fanatically interested in people getting into the era of the Founders … are now mad at this? pic.twitter.com/PmpRc98TXs

— Berny Belvedere (@bernybelvedere) September 28, 2022

Lizzo is a university-trained classical flautist, but she's Black and she's a rapper so obviously for her to briefly blow through an old flute under the supervision of its conservators is the death of western civilization.

Also, this.https://t.co/iEoaq3UNg1

— Warren Terra (@warren__terra) September 29, 2022

my reputation as a manly man now hinges on the sacred flute I just heard about https://t.co/tIc23OO5DK

— kilgore trout, death to putiner (@KT_So_It_Goes) September 29, 2022

The funny thing is, the "legend" behind this flute is that James Madison's violent alcoholic step-son whose gambling and crimes put his mother in poverty left it to a doctor to pay off his medical debt. Such a pristine history, how dare Lizzo play it.

— David Weiner (@daweiner) September 28, 2022

Whether it’s Lizzo borrowing James Madison’s flute from the Library of Congress or Trump stealing classified documents, both sides have issues handling government property.

— JP Dalton (@JPDaltonAZ) September 29, 2022

If a guy seated next to you on the bus said “Lizzo playing our hobbit-sized president’s secret crystal flute is a defilement of our ancestors and a humiliation ritual enacted by The Regime” you’d move several seats away.

— James K. Polk’s Kazoo (@Adamant_Actual) September 29, 2022

I'd like to extend an enormous thanks on behalf of our country to Lizzo for playing James Madison's magic flute, thus completing the ritual and sealing the Queen's vengeful spirit in the underworld for the next 200 years

— Hemry, Local Bartender (@BartenderHemry) September 28, 2022

Late Night Open Thread: Lizzo & the Crystal FlutePost + Comments (90)

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: History Progressing

by Anne Laurie| September 28, 20227:17 pm| 104 Comments

This post is in: KULCHA!, Music, Open Threads

Lizzo, a Black female superstar, collaborating with Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman Librarian of Congress, to use a flute from James Madison, the Founding Father who originated the 3/5 Compromise and also the Library of Congress itself? The symbolism!!! https://t.co/n5AQsjJwKH

— Tiffany C. Li (@tiffanycli) September 28, 2022

Lizzo’s a classically trained flutist, stop panicking, haterz.

And, while I doubt this is a scenario Jemmy Madison could’ve imagined, I doubt that the man who married comely widow Dolley Payne Todd would’ve been horrified by Lizzo!

A fun detail in the LOC’s press release about Lizzo’s visit: The instruments kept in the library are MEANT to be played from time to time!

— Chelsea Cirruzzo (@ChelseaCirruzzo) September 28, 2022

For many reasons, this event would not have been what James Madison or many of his contemporaries would have wished for or expected from the future. But this is the future now. We can make the future what we want it to be—more vibrant, more just, more equitable, more free.

— Tiffany C. Li (@tiffanycli) September 28, 2022

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: History ProgressingPost + Comments (104)

Late Night Open Thread: Snippets From the ‘Incursion’

by Anne Laurie| September 26, 202212:44 am| 109 Comments

This post is in: Music, Open Threads, Russia, War in Ukraine

(John Deering via GoComic.com)

Rap is not my area, but this is actually kinda catchy:

Fuck Ze Greyt Rashen Kalchar, fuck Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and ballet, but Oxxxymiron is a legit great rapper, the closest Russia has to Eminem, and his new antiwar hit "I Killed the Empire in Me" is just a solid, solid piece.https://t.co/JdCfCuFuMv

— Slava Malamud ???? (@SlavaMalamud) September 22, 2022

Russia probably shouldn’t have invaded. Dumb move. https://t.co/WcFFiJkRKO

— Pomodoro (Dad Joke Era) (@ilpomodoro2) September 20, 2022

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Late Night Open Thread: Snippets From the ‘Incursion’Post + Comments (109)

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Congratulations, Sir Elton John

by Anne Laurie| September 24, 20225:50 am| 136 Comments

This post is in: LGBTQ Rights Are Human Rights, Music, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

Among the 2,000 people in attendance tonight at the White House celebration of "everyday history makers": Malala Yousafzai, Ruby Bridges, Billie Jean King and Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White's mother https://t.co/xA7gaJHHSo

— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) September 24, 2022

Elton John sings "Tiny Dancer" at the White House. pic.twitter.com/vubtvpgzNd

— CSPAN (@cspan) September 24, 2022

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At the White House, Elton John says he wants to end AIDS by 2030. “Let’s keep the fight on.” pic.twitter.com/fsoeayZFhW

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 24, 2022

At the end of the show, President Biden surprised the singer with the National Humanities Medal, for his songbook and his long legacy of advocacy. https://t.co/JzRrstx8ug

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 24, 2022

A beautiful moment to see the great Elton John awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Biden: for his joyous music, & for his work to end AIDS & “to advance the simple truth that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity & respect” pic.twitter.com/RrEhSrkcdj

— Ben Phillips (@benphillips76) September 24, 2022

Biden with his arm around Elton John:

"It's all his fault we are spending $6 billion in tax payer dollars on HIV and AIDS this month" pic.twitter.com/Hql7RfxEsL

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 24, 2022

Congratulations to my friend Elton John, who has received a National Humanities Medal from President Biden for “for moving our souls with his powerful voice…and who found purpose to advance a simple truth: that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.” pic.twitter.com/w4p3iyeMEE

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 24, 2022

It was an honour to perform @whitehouse and be presented by President @JoeBiden with the National Humanities Medal for my contribution to music and the work through @EJAF to end AIDS!

We’ve reached over 100m people with HIV and we couldn't have done it without our supporters?? pic.twitter.com/YiZM8eUQme

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) September 24, 2022

Now that Trump is gone, A-list celebrities, including Elton John, have returned to the White House… via @NYTimes https://t.co/5SevlkHQI9

— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) September 24, 2022

Here’s a recording of the whole thing; Sir Elton’s performance starts at approximately the 23:00 mark.

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Congratulations, Sir Elton JohnPost + Comments (136)

Well…This Is One Way To Deal with The Guitar Shortage…

by Tom Levenson| August 27, 202211:18 pm| 16 Comments

This post is in: Music, Open Threads, Respite

This smacked my gob.

'Billie Jean' a 8 manos y una guitarra – Barcelona Guitar Trio & Dance pic.twitter.com/8Q30WY6LQM

— escribano (@tuidelescribano) August 12, 2022

If you need respite, this will help.

And yeah…this just might be an open thread.

Well…This Is One Way To Deal with The Guitar Shortage…Post + Comments (16)

Entertainment Open Thread: Wild, Wise Women

by Anne Laurie| August 25, 202210:30 pm| 60 Comments

This post is in: Music, Open Threads, Popular Culture, Women's Rights Are Human Rights

Rocker Melissa Etheridge has found a new stage: The Grammy- and Oscar-winner will unveil a solo show mixing her music and stories off-Broadway.

“Melissa Etheridge: My Window – A Journey Through Life” is set for 12 performances starting Oct. 13. https://t.co/PuLyo0V7OB

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 15, 2022

(Doubt it’ll happen, but I’d pay money for a video of one of these performances, or even a livestream… )

What do @kimkardashian, @gloriasteinem, @theestallion, and @janegoodallinst all have in common? They're gutsy.

Join us for intimate conversations with some of the world's boldest and bravest women.#Gutsy premieres September 9 on Apple TV+. pic.twitter.com/1XZzXyQvBt

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 23, 2022

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Cyndi Lauper talks about the return of “Kinky Boots” to New York, so-called cancel culture and the role of artists now that some rights are being rolled back. https://t.co/L0XLk5qYhD

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) July 26, 2022

… The Cyndi Lauper- and Harvey Fierstein-created musical landed on Broadway in 2013 in the middle of the Obama administration, a big hug of acceptance, tolerance and love. It reappears off-Broadway now at Stage 42 as same-sex gains and privacy rights seem under threat.

The Tony- and Olivier-winning musical is about a staid British shoe factory on the brink of ruin that retrofits itself into a maker of footwear for drag queens and embraces its queerness.

Lauper, whose hits include “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time,” has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ community, starting the nonprofit advocacy organization that would become True Colors United in 2008. She also backs abortion rights and just reworked her 1993 song “Sally’s Pigeons,” which she wrote about a friend who died from a botched abortion.…

AP: “Kinky Boots” is all about acceptance and reaching out. Do you worry about the tone of the country now that many seem to be opposed to that sentiment?

LAUPER: Who died and left them in charge of everything? Well, I’ll tell you: If you didn’t vote, you left them in charge. As soon as you didn’t vote, they’re in charge. They’re changing the laws.

AP: Why did you release a new version of “Sally’s Pigeons”?

LAUPER: Because I think that we have forgotten what it was like when “Sally’s Pigeons” was a common story. Not a lot of people remember that because they didn’t live that.

AP: Do you think the right represents the wishes of most Americans?

LAUPER: In my mind and in my heart, and in the people I have sung to all around this country, Americans are mostly fair-minded people. We have been put to the test with this COVID thing. We had been put to the test with finances. But do you really want to lose your democracy?…

Cyndi Lauper & Laura Dern ?? pic.twitter.com/jsy5Bpmwv7

— THOMAS???????? (@ThomasRichmond) May 16, 2022

It's the Summer of Joni!

Beloved singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s renaissance picked up even more speed when Berklee College of Music awarded her an honorary doctorate. https://t.co/A5ZHKU4be5

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 25, 2022

Entertainment Open Thread: Wild, Wise WomenPost + Comments (60)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Don’t Stop Believing

by Anne Laurie| August 19, 20229:27 am| 159 Comments

This post is in: 2022 Elections, Music, Open Threads, Proud To Be A Democrat!, Repubs in Disarray!

(h/t commentor Origuy)

We have four new polls from two new states from Fox News pic.twitter.com/MKz73VfEm7

— Political Election Projections (@tencor_7144) August 18, 2022

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The other big problem is the main stuff the party in power has done is stuff people like

— 90k IRS SpecOps of Joseph Biden (@lampsofgold) August 19, 2022

Mitch McConnell has a sad!

So he’s saying his operation did a crappy job of candidate recruitment & support. https://t.co/aF7GHIppIx

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 18, 2022

Analysis: McConnell’s grim 2022 expectation-setting https://t.co/tkg1LnsqAM

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 19, 2022

The expectations-setting for the 2022 midterm elections is off to an early start, and this entry is a doozy.

In an appearance back in his home state of Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) downplayed the odds of Republicans reclaiming the Senate — and, by extension, him reclaiming the title of majority leader. In doing so, he suggested that “candidate quality” was a key factor…

In one way, this merely acknowledges an emerging reality. The generic ballot has tightened in recent weeks, and polls show Republican candidates struggling in some states — such as Arizona, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania — that are key for McConnell’s path back to majority leader. Some prognosticators now have Democrats as favorites to keep their majority.

It’s also convenient for McConnell to set the bar lower in this way, such that an adverse outcome on election night is laid at the feet of those specific candidates (or perhaps someone who endorsed them), and is not seen as a referendum on the broader political strength of his party.

But viewed another way, it’s pretty striking that McConnell’s even in this position — that is, of having to manage expectations. And it’s abundantly clear that he’s not particularly happy with it…

"my shit doesn't work when you idiots nominate maniacs everywhere" https://t.co/wpG6kBjvWK

— post malone ergo propter malone (@PropterMalone) August 18, 2022

That deep keening sound you're hearing is historical tendencies—& conventional wisdom as of last month—groaning under the weight of all the actual evidence we have about how the election is going (at least in the Senate)

— chatham harrison is tending his garden (@chathamharrison) August 18, 2022

it feels awkward to unironically use that emoji like some Boomer but how else am I supposed to react to Republicans dropping $28m to defend Ohio in a year where they’re trying to flip the Senate by netting literally one seat

— Marbury v. Mad Online (@NickTagliaferro) August 18, 2022

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Don’t Stop BelievingPost + Comments (159)

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

This fight is for everything.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

The revolution will be supervised.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Late Night Open Thread: Lizzo & the Crystal Flute

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: History Progressing

Late Night Open Thread: Snippets From the ‘Incursion’

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Congratulations, Sir Elton John

Well…This Is One Way To Deal with The Guitar Shortage…

Entertainment Open Thread: Wild, Wise Women

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Don’t Stop Believing