July 15, 2004
the features of freedom
I couldn't decide whether to call this song 'The Horny Republican' 'cause that has a sort of special ring to it, or 'Democracy in America' which is, perhaps, a bit more apt. I decided to go with the latter, though it is not against the rules for the name of a song to change. Opinions welcome.
Why Alexis de Tocqueville?
This is a very good question because I never would have dreamed that I would write a song involving de Tocqueville. Not that I am anti-him or anything, just that I tend to not be overly involved in theoretical political discussions.
So how did this come about? I was hanging out with a friend on the UCSC campus several months ago and I was trawling for things to record. An unsuspecting student sat down near me to study in an outdoor seating area of a café and the trap was set. I ended up just asking her to read out loud what she was studying so that she could both help me and get a good grade all at the same time. I am very thoughtful. Unfortunately, I never got her contact information (actually, I think I lost it), so if you are out there, Lulu, please let me know and thank you! I hope you got an A.
Are you a de Tocqueville expert?
Not at all. But I will provide a good example in support of the maxim 'it's not what you know, but who you know'. I am lucky enough to have a good friend who is an expert on all things philosophically political as well as politically philosophical. She is such an expert that she has three copies of 'Democracy in America' on her heavily laden shelves and has taught the book to scads of impressionable Harvard undergrads. I am really upset at her though because she refused to lend me her copy of the *best* translation. I mean, how can I create without the absolute best inputs?!?
S-girl was kind enough to give me a crash course in AdT which I recorded and you'll hear her words of wisdom throughout this song.
Some of the trumpet sounds pretty accomplished. Are you playing all of it?
No. There are actually three different trumpets in this piece: my own playing, a synth patch, and a bit stolen from another recording of mine (any guesses?!)
What's your favorite part of this song?
I'm not sure if this is my absolute favorite, but I really like the xylophone part that comes in on the repeat of the final 'verse'. It's funny (and fun) like most xylophone parts.
Have you read all of Democracy in America?
God, no! That thing is like 750 pages. And my translation sucks...(!)
Who would you put your money on in a celebrity death match between George W. Bush and Alexis de Tocqueville?
AdT - what about you?
