7 Comments

It is possible to write a good summary of the show and highlight the moronic contemporary review without revealing your political distain for the people living in flyover country. Try it next time.

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First of all, it's a great write up. Second, he's a critic and critics frequently explore socio-political contexts in their writing. Third, I'm pretty sure he called this one right down the middle. Checks out to me.

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Agree w/ Chase... my politics? probably more like RD Guidry -- but one of the reasons Rob Mitchum's writing and Phish essays are so good is because they contextualize and meld the entire show experience with a point of view about the band's musical development and how, over time, things change (like Deer Creek and the cornfield to suburban strip mall observation) on many different levels; that's what 'critiques' do. Excellent essay.

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Aug 10, 2022·edited Aug 10, 2022

His essays are good. That’s why I read them. In this one, he asserts that the people in flyover country are nice (in general they are) but then posits that it’s a false facade as evidenced by the fact that the populace votes red. Here he inserts his political opinion by smearing residents of the Midwest as being inauthentically nice. I found that objectionable. Music and locale review A+.

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Wow, my newsletter's first comment section argument, I"m honored. For the record, I've lived in Illinois most of my life, so any references to "flyover country" are very tongue-in-cheek. However, I also defend my constitutional and Substack-given right to call Indiana "creepy as hell."

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So you’re saying you agree with him politically. Got it.

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Indiana just passed a law prohibiting the right to an abortion for people more than ten weeks pregnant. That seems pretty intolerant to me.

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