In its broad strokes, McCains life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. […] In one vital respect, however, the comparison is deeply unfair to the current president: George W. Bush was a much better pilot.

— "Make-Believe Maverick" in Rolling Stone discusses McCain's "disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty."

★★★★☆
Review

Spring Awakening

I went in purposely knowing nothing about this show, but it helps a lot to have a little bit of context. A retelling of a play written and set in 1890s Germany, Spring Awakening recounts the experiences of a group of young teenagers coming to grips with their sexuality in a highly repressive society. They swoon, they dream, they giggle, they lust, and they explore their own physicality, all with minimal understanding of the meanings and potential consequences of their actions.

And also, they pull out microphones from their 19th century costumes and burst into rock ballads whenever they have cause to tell the audience what they’re feeling.

The goal, apparently, was to retell an old story as it might be told today, and, perhaps, to be the next Rent. They did win the Best Musical Tony, which isn’t nothing…

There is a lot I could say about the show. I could go into great depth about the ups and downs of the book, the changes made compared to the original (which was banned in Germany). I could comment on the energy and spark and talent of many of the actors involved. I could mention the cool set and inspired lighting choices. I could wonder at the point of the gimmicky audience seating on the stage, and of the chorus members who sat with them but never did more than provide background vocals. I could talk about how the rock songs are catchy but jarring, and how easy it is to get through one and realize you have no idea what was said and, frankly, can’t tell if it was really useful in moving the plot forward.

But what it comes down to is the story. Highly controversial and incredibly socially relevant in 1891, Spring Awakening has little resonance today. And where one might have expected some sort of attempt to connect the struggle of the teens in the show to our modern times, not a shred of social commentary is forthcoming. This is a musical that was revised and rewritten and extensively workshopped for seven years, and yet what appeared on the Broadway stage is a show where nearly half the songs seem superfluous (and sometimes, downright irrelevant), the story is utterly predictable, most of the characters are two-dimensional, and, in the end, the themes are simple and banal. Sure, it sucked back then, for a variety of reasons, and adults often treated children very badly, and lives were ruined due to, oh, the lack of widely available and effective birth control. So? The year is 2008, the place is New York, and the audience is us — what are you trying to teach us? What are you trying to say?

Nothing, it seems. A powerful and moving story with nothing to say. And that is a darn shame.

Update: See also this review from KCRW’s Theater Talk, which offers similar sentiments. As well as a (spoiler-filled!) NY Times review which is more charitable.

I was gobsmacked to hear a reference to “JetBlue” in the soundtrack for Legally Blonde just now, but apparently product placement in Broadway musicals is nothing new, dating back to 2005 (or earlier).

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

— The Cab Ride I’ll Never Forget (via Kottke)

Last night I finished re-reading A Wrinkle In Time for the first time since elementary school. Not nearly as good as I remembered, and woah, where did all that religious stuff come from?

Guilt-free SUVs

Is the Honda CR-V, which puts out less CO2 than a Mini Cooper, has good visibility, and is fairly low to the ground, a guilt-free SUV? Not entirely, but it is better than most. Regardless, “it just feels like a jacked-up hatch.” He says it as a put-down, but since I was looking for a hatchback to begin with…

Longer post on this whole process forthcoming, once everything is wrapped up.

A brave new world of digital intimacy

Clive Thompson’s New York Times Magazine piece is notable for its thoroughness, straightforward explanations, and for using the awesome term “ambient awareness” to describe the sorts of online interactions that are so commonplace today. The powerful and evolving online social world has gone beyond the silly “social network” or “microblogging” conceit to become something far more: a way to keep in constant contact, a way to stay loosely connected to a larger social environment, and also a powerful tool for self-reflection and growth.

For years now, they’ve told us that we can’t afford — that the government providing healthcare to all people is just unimaginable; it can’t be done. We don’t have the money to rebuild our infrastructure. We don’t have the money to wipe out poverty. We can’t do it. But all of a sudden, yeah, we do have $700 billion for a bailout of Wall Street.

— Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

NASCAR Cancels Remainder Of Season Following David Foster Wallace’s Death

A tribute as only The Onion could write one. See also their previous entry, Girlfriend Stops Reading David Foster Wallace Breakup Letter At Page 20, a dead-wringer for his prose style. I had serious, serious trouble slogging through Infinite Jest and gave up circa page 150, but I’m increasingly feeling that I need to sample one or more of his less intense works. Just as soon as I put aside an uninterrupted week to pick my way carefully through Neal Stephenson’s latest tome, Anathem.

“Palin Power” isn’t just about making hockey moms feel important. It’s not just about giving abortion rights opponents their due. It’s also, in obscure ways, about making yearnings come true — deep, inchoate desires about respect and service, hierarchy and family that have somehow been successfully projected onto the figure of this unlikely woman and have stuck.

— "No Laughing Matter" by Judith Warner

It’s one of the biggest challenges in the digital age: When you can bombard people with everything, it’s tempting to do so. That’s why taste, restraint, and editing are so important. Sometimes it’s about throwing out the 35 bad shots and revelling in the one great shot.

— Matt at 37signals reveals the secret to why people think I am a good photographer. If I take 300 shots, about 10 of them end up on Flickr.