You're Talking Loud, but Saying Nothing

Dateline: September 25, 2006

Location: Flying to New Orleans

A couple weeks ago, I was hanging at Vaughan’s with contractors, congressional lawyers, and the hoi polloi when Kermit Ruffins started the strains of James Brown's “talking Loud, but saying nothing”. I was possessed by the spirit and made my way to the front of the dance floor so as to be closer to the radiance of the vibe, and started moving my feet in cohesion with the sister to my right, doing my best imitation of a jazzed funeral march. A nod from the master trumpeter assured me I was not out of place, not that anyone is ever out of place in the Bywater as long as the Crescent City motto of “Be Nice, or Leave” is obeyed.

As I got lost in the soulful music which said so much without lyrics at all, I was slowly recharged as the music built to crescendo….my thoughts ranged from what I was doing in NOLA, to what made me want to speak Truth to Power. As Dr. King postulated, it is always the Right time to do the Right thing, which makes it always the right time to stand up to dishonesty, corruption, collusion, cronyism. This holy spirit of righteous feeling was not available to those who had been co-opted, to those who are seeking power just for power’s sake. Yes, they could hear notes and melodies, and could probably even concoct a quick quote on the spot “of what a really, really great artist Kermit is who exemplifies all that is wonderful about New Orleans” but they could not feel, not understand and certainly not absorb the energy. In fact, if they really watched and listened, their hearts may start to shrink, and their brains start to fear this vibe of truth, harmony, exuberance that has not a whisk of time for their ill gotten structures, just as a hurricane blows over without hindrance corruptly built levees.

Yes, that was Kermit playing the National Anthem before the Saints/Falcons game on MNF tonight.