culture of protest: gil scott heron and other memorials

Posted by rflacks on: Wed 1st Jun, 2011

We've got two hours on the air this week. In hour one, starting at 6 PM pdt we'll be remembering Gil Scott-Heron who died a few days ago at 62. He was one of the most influential politically conscious musicians of the last 40 years, creating a unique synthesis of spoken word, jazz and funk. We'll play a number of his memorable performances including tracks from his long awaited recent CD which came out not long before his death.

and in hour two:

Memorial Day just passed, and the aniversary of D-Day is just ahead. A great way to observe this conjunction is to listen to the great radio program by Norman Corwin called "On a note of triumph"-- a program heard by 60 million Americans in 1945 when the war in Europe ended. It's a masterpiece of poetry and sound that explores the meaning of the 'good war' and the hope for a new world in its aftermath.

culture of protest thurs 6/2/11 6-8pm kcsb 91.9fm www.kcsb.org

Tags: gil scott heron, world war II, Norman Corwin

1 Comment

Comment by Rachel on Thu 2nd Jun, 2011

i will be listening, thank you!

About

Dick Flacks here...sociology professor emeritus at UCSB. Budget cuts mean that I can't continue my annual course on political sociology. Maybe a blog will be a space for me to continue to ruminate and pontificate. And maybe (as a veteran teacher on these matters) I can offer some ways of thinking about what's happening nationally and locally that will be useful, as we struggle to make sense of the tortured complexities of these times. I've been a leftwing activist for more than 50 years. What we've been struggling for all these years is full democracy--to increase the opportunities for people to have real voice in the decisions that affect them. Step by step over these years we've made some gain...but it is a long march, and one that never ends. The big barrier to democracy in our society is the concentrated power of corporations. At the same time, democracy is undermined by the felt powerlessness of people in their daily lives--the persistent belief that our problems are only our own personal concern. It's a strong cultural theme--such individualism--constantlly reinforced by mass media and everyday circumstance. But the current big crisis of the economy maybe makes it more possible for more people to understand that we've got to have social reform and economic reform. So my writing here is aimed at helping us figure out what to think and act on that so that we can hope for new democratic possibilities. WE'll be talking about the local and the national. The blog name comes from an old labor union hymn: Step by step the longest march can be won. Many stones can form an arch...singly none. And by union what we will can be accomplished still. Drops of water turn a mill, singly none, singly none. For 27 years I've had a weekly radio show on KCSB (91.9 fm. www.kcsb.org) It's called the Culture of Protest. It's comes from my fascination with music and social movements. I collect 'political' and 'protest' music and that's what we play each week (Thursdays 6-7 pm). So sometimes here we'll share and talk about that. I'm worried about one thing about the blogosphere. And that's the way that some people use the blog comment space for anonymous nastiness. I'm sick of the kind of political blather that assaults the motives of others, and sees dark conspiracy behind every thing one doesn't like. This kind of stuff is helping to poison the political atmosphere. So I'm going to strive for a civil tone to whatever interaction may happen on this blogsite.