Happy Birthday Mr. Risk!

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Not to cast a cloud on the birthday wishes but.... Last night we attempted to watch Fahrenheit 451 but the damn dvd was scratched to hell. Then by accident Mr. Risk fell upon a documentary on PBS, "Strange Fruit" a film about the anti-lynching song written in the 30's by a Jewish poet, composer and teacher from the Bronx named Abel Meeropol. Most people best know this song as sung by Billie Holliday but I (of course) have always preferred the Nina Simone version by far.

I was really shocked that a full documentary could be made about one song, but there really is a lot of ground covered including the interesting story behind Abel Meeropol himself.

Personally I have great difficulty listening to the song. The words are fairly minimal but pointed. It pulls at my gut and twists me all up inside. Last night I could not sleep. I just could not settle down. The words kept repeating in my head. Sometimes I don't know how we as people aren't all running around in the streets in a state of utter madness. We continue to create such a fucked up world and come from such a fucked up history...