If Ancestry genealogy is to be believed, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd earls of Arran are my direct ancestors. Which would make James II of Scotland a 16th-or-so great grandfather too. I should go try to claim the throne or something!
You don't have to apologize to me about that. To me there were only a handful who were "good" and even they have negative marks. Lincoln has been assisted by a significant PR campaign post-mortem
Oh absolutely, at least according to what I perceive the goals of policy to be, better said.. what they should have been. It was a very complex period of history with significant foreign influence on domestic affairs, including banking. However, most of what we are taught are ostensible reasons and motives, considering this I do not think the war was avoidable but desirable to remove particular groups of dissent. Unfortunately it is hard to discuss this with people because in common acceptable parlance this event has been reduced to being caused by a secondary, perhaps even tertiary issue. I have a few mid and late 19th century history books that paint a much different picture.
I keep learning more and more , why did Lincoln have a shirt father. His real dad was a guy name Sol , so he was named Abraham because his rich real dad got the maid woman pregnant , then paid Lincoln to marry the gal . Abe must have known and it is rumored he stopped Grant from dealing harshly with the carpetbaggers . Then there’s the Southern Secret Service , well here is the link
Freedom is about the absence of constraints, allowing for autonomous action. The same with political freedom. Remember Operation Iraqi Freedom? That turned out to be a farce for the Iraqis.
I'm a HUGE fan of improvisational Rock, Jazz and Fusion music.
Groups such as King Crimson with the amazing Robert Fripp, Mahavishnu Orchestra and the legendary John McLaughlin, more recently Umphreys McGee - these have all turned improvisation into an art form in and of itself. Even their prepared and recorded songs are never played the same. They are constantly reinventing themselves and their music. Perhaps there is a clue in there for the rest of us to allow ourselves the freedom to break free of our own constraints.
I will leave you with this brain-splitting re-imagining of the classic Lark's Tongues In Aspic Part I from the recent KC tour from 2021. https://youtu.be/nNMKAfAuKs4
I have tickets to see KC in Minneapolis this fall, very pumped for that. There's a great two part interview with Steve Vai about the tour on the Make Weird Music Youtube channel. Sad that I won't be seeing KC with Fripp, but what can you do.
The music comparison is a very apt one in regards to freedom of discipline. Despite having played for over 40 years and being a very competent improvisor, I still lament the fact that I would be so much better if I had the discipline to go far deeper into my theoretical knowledge and expand my bag of tricks. I am good enough that I can get away with being lazy and fool most people in a performance context, but I'm not fooling myself and I feel limited by my 'freedom' not to improve.
Tal Wilkenfeld played bass for Jeff Beck from an early age. Here is a interview with her where she talks about mastery and practice, being able to get to the point where you can translate what you hear in your head to your instrument.
I find the two different musical choices to be an interesting comparison of freedom of discipline, and freedom to decide.
Having played in a pipe band myself, the members of a world piping competition band are most likely open pipers, at the very top of their peers, yet while playing in the band there is absolutely no room for individual expression, at least not if you intend to win. Every step they take, every aspect of their uniforms, every note they play must be in perfect synchronization. The difficulty level is a 10 on a scale of 8, yet having been schooled in the art since they could walk, they do it as naturally as blinking their eyes. Their ability to play at that level is directly connected to their ability to play alone and free.
I tried to play the pipes, but I was eight years old and lacked discipline, and the desire to get really good at them was not in me. I did play a little, though, and competed once. But it fizzled out.
I didn’t start until I was 40. Very hard to take on at that age. The daily commitment was pretty burdensome. After 10 years, I had to hang it up. The band I played in was a police/fire funeral outfit. The reward was in the function. Never grew confident enough to compete, but I attended Winter Storm a number of times in Kansas City. Amazing pipers of all grades.
I hear you on that. I hear that argument too, like oh well not everyone's ready for freedom so it's best to accomodate them and keep the slavery system going.
Ms. Fish is one of the best. I stopped listening to music a while back, but couldn’t resist her today. Looks like I now have freedom to listen to her music again.
The ambiguity of “freedom” permits misuse of the word. Even the primary meaning, whether expressed positively—e.g., the ability to think, communicate, and act as one chooses—or negatively—e.g., the absence of external constraint or compulsion by another agent—can be interpreted in at least two different ways. “Freedom” and “liberty” may be treated as exact synonyms or “freedom” may be regarded as the more general term and be divided into liberty and license. In the latter case, “license” implies disregard for rules of personal conduct. The expression “The liberty to swing my fist ends where your nose begins”, which is popular among libertarians, implies a moral limitation on freedom. Since punching someone in the nose without provocation is a violation of a right of the victim, and a violation of such a right is an injustice, what the quoted expression suggests is that freedom is divided into liberty and license by the concept of justice. That implies that liberty is just freedom, license unjust freedom, which further implies that liberty and justice are mutually consistent.
For me, there is no instrument more emotionally stirring than the Bagpipes. I get goosebumps all over my body and the warm fuzzy on top of my head and down my neck/back. It's the instrument that speaks to my soul/spirit. I love it when the pipes sing!
Yes, freedom comes not from government. The government is in the business of constraint and control, not freedom.
"...let us consider the inner man to see how a righteous, free, and pious Christian, that is, a spiritual, new, and inner man, becomes what he is. It is evident that no external thing has any influence in producing Christian righteousness or freedom, or in producing unrighteousness or servitude."
Martin Luther, Treatise on Christian Liberty (1520)
"Christ set us free for freedom. Therefore stand firm, and do not again be held in a yoke of slavery."
One of my favorite things about Christianity is the personal focus. God is a person who took even more personal form. You are a person and you are to have a personal relationship with God. Salvation and judgement are personal, not group-based.
I love when songs take on new meanings depending upon the artist/interpretation. This one was covered so often and in so many different time periods that it pretty much runs the gamut. Other favorite versions of this song...
Love the bagpipe band!
I am glad! I know it's not for everyone.
I am always blown away by the syncopation of the snares.
they are so serious in those shirts!
It's serious business!
Yes, Scots are pretty serious about their clan tartans.
If Ancestry genealogy is to be believed, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd earls of Arran are my direct ancestors. Which would make James II of Scotland a 16th-or-so great grandfather too. I should go try to claim the throne or something!
At least 25% of my own ancestors are the other kind of Scots. Appalachian hillbillies. I call them the Celts that time forgot.
Nice essay. I am glad you called out FDR, man truly makes me nauseous.
"Freedom from want".. aka Death.
Things went really wrong with Wilson and FDR.
Yes they did. I usually think of Wilson as being the single worst US President. Although there are others who can throw their hat in the ring.
I am starting to learn things about Lincoln, I'm sorry to say…
You don't have to apologize to me about that. To me there were only a handful who were "good" and even they have negative marks. Lincoln has been assisted by a significant PR campaign post-mortem
I am learning that the War may have been very avoidable…
Oh absolutely, at least according to what I perceive the goals of policy to be, better said.. what they should have been. It was a very complex period of history with significant foreign influence on domestic affairs, including banking. However, most of what we are taught are ostensible reasons and motives, considering this I do not think the war was avoidable but desirable to remove particular groups of dissent. Unfortunately it is hard to discuss this with people because in common acceptable parlance this event has been reduced to being caused by a secondary, perhaps even tertiary issue. I have a few mid and late 19th century history books that paint a much different picture.
I keep learning more and more , why did Lincoln have a shirt father. His real dad was a guy name Sol , so he was named Abraham because his rich real dad got the maid woman pregnant , then paid Lincoln to marry the gal . Abe must have known and it is rumored he stopped Grant from dealing harshly with the carpetbaggers . Then there’s the Southern Secret Service , well here is the link
https://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/1993/eirv20n21-19930528/eirv20n21-19930528_056-simon_wolfs_role_in_the_assassin.pdf
History, I suppose, is rarely as simple as we are taught.
Freedom is about the absence of constraints, allowing for autonomous action. The same with political freedom. Remember Operation Iraqi Freedom? That turned out to be a farce for the Iraqis.
Right. Another terrible abuse of the word "freedom."
Freedom for Dick Cheney and his Halliburton bunch to steal all of Iraq’s oil. 😏
I'm a HUGE fan of improvisational Rock, Jazz and Fusion music.
Groups such as King Crimson with the amazing Robert Fripp, Mahavishnu Orchestra and the legendary John McLaughlin, more recently Umphreys McGee - these have all turned improvisation into an art form in and of itself. Even their prepared and recorded songs are never played the same. They are constantly reinventing themselves and their music. Perhaps there is a clue in there for the rest of us to allow ourselves the freedom to break free of our own constraints.
I will leave you with this brain-splitting re-imagining of the classic Lark's Tongues In Aspic Part I from the recent KC tour from 2021. https://youtu.be/nNMKAfAuKs4
Listening now. I had no idea KC was still touring!
I have tickets to see KC in Minneapolis this fall, very pumped for that. There's a great two part interview with Steve Vai about the tour on the Make Weird Music Youtube channel. Sad that I won't be seeing KC with Fripp, but what can you do.
Did you ever hear any of David Sylvian and and Robert Fripp as a duet? "Jean the Birman," "God's Monkey" and all that?
Have you ever hear Daryl play Heroes with Fripp ?
https://youtu.be/Qbe2_TYliTo?si=Ms3ebwdBvSQSRUpm
Listening now. Groovy. Tho' I am kinda surprised that Daryl Hall's house is completely clad in 70s wood paneling!
One of my fav live pieces from them and Trey Gunn
https://youtu.be/l0Cj5LS_gc8
listening now!
No I have not, I will have to check it out, I will listen to anything with Fripp, but the guy has done so much it's hard to keep a handle on it. Lol
Listening to God's Monkey right now. Very cool, thanks for that.
Messaging you…
Ahh, I was confused for a moment. Yes, I believe they are calling themselves Beat.
Vai, Tony, Adrian and Danny Carey.
I'm passing as it is my least favorite period of KC music, but even at that, the personel are certain to put on a great show.
The music comparison is a very apt one in regards to freedom of discipline. Despite having played for over 40 years and being a very competent improvisor, I still lament the fact that I would be so much better if I had the discipline to go far deeper into my theoretical knowledge and expand my bag of tricks. I am good enough that I can get away with being lazy and fool most people in a performance context, but I'm not fooling myself and I feel limited by my 'freedom' not to improve.
There are so many levels—always another one beyond this one. Each of us must decide how far to go.
And going all the way carries its own drawbacks.
Tal Wilkenfeld played bass for Jeff Beck from an early age. Here is a interview with her where she talks about mastery and practice, being able to get to the point where you can translate what you hear in your head to your instrument.
https://youtu.be/iYlDDTgTnEg?si=fKJzQMDJAeFSkM4V
Thanks!
I find the two different musical choices to be an interesting comparison of freedom of discipline, and freedom to decide.
Having played in a pipe band myself, the members of a world piping competition band are most likely open pipers, at the very top of their peers, yet while playing in the band there is absolutely no room for individual expression, at least not if you intend to win. Every step they take, every aspect of their uniforms, every note they play must be in perfect synchronization. The difficulty level is a 10 on a scale of 8, yet having been schooled in the art since they could walk, they do it as naturally as blinking their eyes. Their ability to play at that level is directly connected to their ability to play alone and free.
Thanks Christopher!
Well and rightly said!
I tried to play the pipes, but I was eight years old and lacked discipline, and the desire to get really good at them was not in me. I did play a little, though, and competed once. But it fizzled out.
I didn’t start until I was 40. Very hard to take on at that age. The daily commitment was pretty burdensome. After 10 years, I had to hang it up. The band I played in was a police/fire funeral outfit. The reward was in the function. Never grew confident enough to compete, but I attended Winter Storm a number of times in Kansas City. Amazing pipers of all grades.
Lemluaths, crunluaths…it takes more skill than most realize.
(Don't be impressed by me competing when I was 8. I was the only one in my age class and I was terrible.)
I’ve had some of the hardest jobs around in my life. Learning to play the bagpipes was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
🤯
Wonderful reminders that even when there is freedom what each chooses to do with it are usually vastly different! Great post!
Thanks.
It drives me a little nutty when people use the fact that not everyone uses their freedom well as some sort of argument against freedom itself. I talk about it at the beginning here: https://christophercook.substack.com/p/sir-sly-material-boy-modern-malaise
I hear you on that. I hear that argument too, like oh well not everyone's ready for freedom so it's best to accomodate them and keep the slavery system going.
"like oh well not everyone's ready for freedom so it's best to accomodate them and keep the slavery system going."
YES. Well said!
Ms. Fish is one of the best. I stopped listening to music a while back, but couldn’t resist her today. Looks like I now have freedom to listen to her music again.
I am glad to hear that. Enjoy—music is important!
The ambiguity of “freedom” permits misuse of the word. Even the primary meaning, whether expressed positively—e.g., the ability to think, communicate, and act as one chooses—or negatively—e.g., the absence of external constraint or compulsion by another agent—can be interpreted in at least two different ways. “Freedom” and “liberty” may be treated as exact synonyms or “freedom” may be regarded as the more general term and be divided into liberty and license. In the latter case, “license” implies disregard for rules of personal conduct. The expression “The liberty to swing my fist ends where your nose begins”, which is popular among libertarians, implies a moral limitation on freedom. Since punching someone in the nose without provocation is a violation of a right of the victim, and a violation of such a right is an injustice, what the quoted expression suggests is that freedom is divided into liberty and license by the concept of justice. That implies that liberty is just freedom, license unjust freedom, which further implies that liberty and justice are mutually consistent.
I really like all of that! I may do some updates at some point…
For me, there is no instrument more emotionally stirring than the Bagpipes. I get goosebumps all over my body and the warm fuzzy on top of my head and down my neck/back. It's the instrument that speaks to my soul/spirit. I love it when the pipes sing!
That was wonderful 🙏🏻
They're not for everyone, but the people who dig 'em usually really dig 'em!
Yes, freedom comes not from government. The government is in the business of constraint and control, not freedom.
"...let us consider the inner man to see how a righteous, free, and pious Christian, that is, a spiritual, new, and inner man, becomes what he is. It is evident that no external thing has any influence in producing Christian righteousness or freedom, or in producing unrighteousness or servitude."
Martin Luther, Treatise on Christian Liberty (1520)
"Christ set us free for freedom. Therefore stand firm, and do not again be held in a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1-2
One of my favorite things about Christianity is the personal focus. God is a person who took even more personal form. You are a person and you are to have a personal relationship with God. Salvation and judgement are personal, not group-based.
I think it is unique in this way.
I love when songs take on new meanings depending upon the artist/interpretation. This one was covered so often and in so many different time periods that it pretty much runs the gamut. Other favorite versions of this song...
https://youtu.be/ua2k52n_Bvw
https://youtu.be/jy7Q1nt-4PE
Could Screamin' Jay know what he had started?
It's an amazing legacy. That's for sure!
"Discipline equals freedom." -- Jocko
I'd also like to point out how hot Samantha's tone is. I bet in a live setting she absolutely rips your face off in all the best ways.
I wonder if she still plays live…
https://www.samanthafish.com/tour/
She keeps one hell of a touring schedule. I wish she would venture to my neck of the woods.
Thanks!
I love the fact that she is playing in Bonner, MT. I miss Montana!
Excellent exposition on the different meanings of "freedom".
Thanks!
Love the bagpipes!
And they love you.
😆