"Thee Oh So Protective One" - Girls
(Amazing little pop song with great sixties sounding horn riffs -- a little like someone ripping off Elvis Costello ripping off Burt Bacharach. And I mean that in a good way. Here's a live version too.)
I feel like I should write about the stunning activity shaking the Arab world from Morocco to Yemen, and particularly in Libya, which may be the most amazing development of all; alas, I don't really have any particular expertise in this area and I usually steer clear of subjects where I don't have any depth of knowledge. [I spent a week in Morocco in 1989 -- I was struck by the moribund economy and the fact that there were so many young men who were hanging out trying to act as guides to the tourist. We hired one young man who was in his early twenties and could speak English, French and Spanish -- he was a lovely guy and he dreamed of leaving the country but could not afford to do so. There was something incredibly sad and frustrating about seeing this kinds of energy and intelligence squandered, but that, unfortunately, seems to be a common theme throughout these countries.]
Anyway, I hope that peaceful change will prove possible and that Qaddafi gets thrown out on his ass (or the Ceausescu treatment -- it wouldn't really cause me to lose sleep). It's a remarkable development and it will be fascinating to see where it leads. But beyond my good wishes for the protesters, I can't really offer much insight.
What are you all thinking about?
