from Rickie Lee Jones

Why I Love To Share The Films I Love

Lady In White, from a larger writing…

Most of the actors in this film are Italian American. Little Frankie’s family is portrayed as a happy, normal family, with troubles, sure, but lots of love. Kinda like Leave it to Beaver but with Italian food and rhythm and names. This is the kind of thing that helps teach people how we are alike, by showing that what is different is wonderful, not destructive or threatening. It’s important. It is a lesson all of us must learn or we grow up harboring fantastic fears, (you can see it everywhere nowadays) and we grow terrible molds and spores made of rumor and conjecture and convenience, until we are racist, and sexist, and spoiled to happiness. Understanding these simple lessons that films can bring a kid is timely. Different syllables in names can seem like they are insurmountable differences. In the heart of us, we are living the same lives in America. Well, we were, anyway. I believe that we are connected by a common love of one another that is simply not celebrated nearly enough. Films are a way of reminding us how much we value our common legends and history.

Rickie Lee Jones, Fish Sticks, 10/21/2024

Newport Folk Festival 2020

As described in our “About”page, this blog was born out of the experience that is the Newport Folk Festival. The idea was to spread the festival’s pervasive sense of joy, good will, and community as widely as possible, throughout the year. Of course, this year the “folk family” stayed home. Nevertheless, via social media, the tremendous efforts of the Festival Foundation, Jay Sweet, and numerous other organizers and musicians, we all managed to be together even while apart. Thank you Jay Sweet, Caps, and everyone else for making the weekend happen.  

quote from Bradley Whitford

“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.”Bradley Whitford

new song from Wilco

“Love conquers all, but not when it’s used as a sedative, right? I worry that I’m often comfortable and placated by my ability to recognize and feel the love that already exists around me. What I see in myself and others is a struggle to summon sufficient outrage to act and then retreat into the delusion that the love that exists will eventually triumph. But it won’t! For love to triumph I believe we’re duty bound to create more of it, and for more people – people we don’t know, even people we don’t like! And that takes courage I don’t always have. The song is a reminder to myself to act with more love and courage and less outrage and anesthetized fear.” –Jeff Tweedy

quoted from NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast