The Thermals Are Wonderful
So is technology. Holy cow. I am full of boundless optimism. To be sure, my optimism would be more patriotic if I believed that only a massive federal program should stream music videos over the web. But I suppose that’s life.
Now that is the reason we log onto the Internets!!!! It’s especially awesome how they brightened the sky to make it look like a sunny day in Portland. Takes a few bucks to get the FX crew to handle that. Isn’t this a bit more rockin’ than we usually expect from Reihan? I mean, MGMT, sure, but Reihan digs a west coast punk band that wrote an album (ok, a brilliant album) about the idiocies of Judeo-Christian belief?
— citizen (world) · Apr 8, 10:11 PM · #
I’ve been a huge Thermals fan since “No Culture Icons,” sir. And though I sympathize with the devoutly religious, I am a self-styled “freethinker.” My sense is that there is a sharp political valence — anti-Falangism, essentially — to the most recent album. And I can get behind that, mostly.
— Reihan · Apr 9, 04:33 AM · #
First off an apology, this video was shot in New York, not Portland (though I’ll be darned if that doesn’t look a lot like the Willamette River). I’ll also accept that Reihan rocks more than a little. But, I’m still not sure how the “freethinker” style fits in with your generally pro-family politics. I mean, can we honestly expect the Thermals playing in the background during your book readings with Ross? In other words, do you separate your musical tastes from your politics (or maybe do you separate your pro-family policies from your “freethinker” ideas)? I always find questions like this fascinating, when a person’s cultural tastes seem to conflict with their political philosophy (it’s like finding out Ross has a huge Marilyn Manson collection).
— citizen (world) · Apr 9, 06:49 PM · #
One other followup to this. In what way is “The Body the Blood the Machine” any different from a Christopher Hitchens column? You’d never get caught supporting Hitch or Dawkins would you, even if they wrote a column with a truly awesome guitar rift.
— citizen (world) · Apr 9, 08:27 PM · #