We are the world
The glory of connection, via the World Cup--plus my weekly shareables
Two announcements to start off the day:
If you’re in or around Charlotte on Wednesday, don’t forget that I’m talking to Denise Kiernan about her book OBSTINATE DAUGHTERS at 7 p.m. at Park Road Books. I promise you will learn a lot about the history of the American Revolution that you didn’t know! You will be able to dazzle your friends come July 4.
Also, Happy Father’s Day to all dads and dadlike objects (uncles, moms doing dad stuff, favorite cousins, etc.). If it turns out you have forgotten a gift for the dad in your life—or if you want to get him a little bonus—might I suggest a subscription to the Writing Shed? We definitely talk a lot of dad stuff here.
One more Father’s Day tidbit: Today is the annual renewal of my favorite social media thread, thanks to the great Ryan Nanni:
Do yourself a favor and read the thread. And if you have any Dad Things you’d like to share with our group, leave them in the comments. I for one am still proud of reorganizing our pantry shelves in a way that gives us easier access to the things we use the most. It saves so much stress on our backs!
Now to the main topic of the day …
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“We Are the World,” on paper, is not a great song. Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson wrote it in about a week and finished the night before the first recording session in January 1985. They tweaked it along the way. It could have used some more tweaking. In the end, it didn’t matter.
What makes “We Are the World” something special are the people who came together to make it. They pulled damn near every major recording artist of the time into the same room for the recording session. Listening to the song is like watching an NBA highlight reel. Cyndi Lauper’s “yeah yeah Yeah YEAH!” on the bridge. Springsteen and Stevie Wonder’s call-and-response. Ray Charles bringing it all home. Hell, even Bob Dylan sounds good (after Stevie reminded him how to sound like himself).
If the right people show up, they can redeem anything.
America is not singing a great song of itself right now. We seem to enjoy one another’s company less than we have in, say, 160 years. Our global reputation is on the level of a used car salesman. The Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument is full of green gunk, and if that’s not a symbol I don’t know what is.
We needed a jolt of joy. And the world has brought it to us in the fans of the men’s World Cup.
Set aside for a moment that the U.S. National Team looks like an actual contender—after just two games, they’ve already won their group and qualified for the knockout rounds. That’s a bonus.
The real thrill has been watching fans from all over the world getting a kick out of our country and bringing the best of theirs.
You’ve probably heard the stories about how Scottish fans drank Boston dry. But have you see the duet between the bagpiper and the busker playing five-gallon buckets? Have you seen the Norwegian fans doing the Viking Row on the escalator? Have you seen the Japanese fans praising Texas barbecue or the Dutch fans gobsmacked by Buc-ee’s? Have you seen the Spain supporter and the Cabo Verde supporter who swapped jerseys and hugs in the stands after a 0-0 draw?
It’s not like we don’t know how to celebrate here—just this past week, New York City went crazy over its NBA champion Knicks and Raleigh threw a huge party for the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. But those fans celebrated because they won. Our World Cup visitors are celebrating wins, draws, valiant losses, and mostly just spending time in this country full of wonders.
We forget that part so often. Our country IS full of wonders—not just Yellowstone and the Statue of Liberty, but Waffle Houses and Juneteenth parties and kids cruising the main drag on Friday night. Sometimes our country feels less stable every day, but it is still more stable than so many of the countries here for the World Cup. We might feel our freedoms are in danger, but we are still more free than many of the countries represented at the Cup have ever been or will ever be.
Sometimes it takes a guest to remind you how nice your home really is, despite all the flaws you know it has.
There’s a story about “We Are the World” I read in Dave Marsh’s book THE HEART OF ROCK & SOUL. There was a symposium of music critics where they spent a good bit of time trashing “charity rock”—“We Are the World” was the American follow-up to “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” a single by British all-stars to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Apparently the music critics spent hours harping on all the flaws in “We Are the World,” all the ways it was trite and cheesy and ignored systemic problems.
Then they played the video.
It was quiet in the room. You could hear sniffling. Then one of the critics spoke up: “Dammit, the bastards always get you.”
That’s the way I’ve been feeling watching the fans at the World Cup. We have so many problems, so much frustration, so many reasons to give up. But dammit, those fan videos get me every time.
Sing it with me: We’re all a lot more alike than we are different. The world is better when people mix and mingle. If the right people gather, they can redeem anything.
If this edition of the Writing Shed is meaningful to you, consider sharing it with others. That’s how you can help our community grow.
10 things I wanted to share this week:
My earlier post this week was about trying, and failing, to be a morning person.
A poem for those of us who struggle in the morning: “Late Bird,” by Angela Narisco Torres: Count me among the noon risers who stumble, / dazed and bad-haired, from the nest midday … (Poets.org)
My friend Kim Cross has an amazing new story out on a girls’ water polo team in Hawaii, how they battled for equal treatment, and the complicated history of Title IX. I talked to Kim as she worked through this story, and I can testify that she put her heart into this one. (Long Lead)
I mentioned above that the Carolina Hurricanes are your new Stanley Cup champions … I’m not a hockey fan, so I never knew the Hurricanes’ uniforms have a shoulder patch featuring a cartoon pig named Struttin’ Stormy. What the hell? My friend Jeremy Markovich (not just a Canes fan, but a hockey player himself) has the story. (NC Rabbit Hole)
RIP Mark Singer, who wrote tons of brilliant stories for the New Yorker over the years … my favorite is his 1993 profile of the magician Ricky Jay. The first section, where he describes two of Jay’s tricks, is one of the great magazine story ledes of all time. (New Yorker)
Speaking of rabbit holes, if you REALLY want to go down one, search for Ricky Jay tricks on YouTube. Every time I watch him do the cups and balls, it makes me cry.
Perfect headline on this story: “Gosh! The cast from ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ bought a baseball team.” (MLB.com)
Euro mystery update: We dropped the ball on SLOW HORSES when it first came out … the main plot that year involved the potential beheading of a hostage, and that was a little too dark for us at the time. But we picked it back up this week and it’s so good—especially Gary Oldman as the brilliant Jackson Lamb. Highest recommendation. (Apple TV)
By the way, Jackson Lamb is known for his frequent and deadly farts. You need to know that to understand this clip with Oldman and Stephen Colbert. Oldman’s reactions are just a delight.
One of the fan chants you hear at most every World Cup game (and most sporting events, for that matter) is the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” That always reminds me of when the band Pomplamoose mashed up “Seven Nation Army” with Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This.)” I fall in love with the bass player every time I watch this video.
Have a great rest of your weekend, everybody.
—TT
My books DOGLAND and THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM are available in all formats pretty much everywhere books are sold.
If you haven't seen it, the documentary on the making of "We Are the World," entitled "The Greatest Night in Pop," was excellent. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD3oU1gowu4
No Scotland! No party!