Moonage Daydreams, Four Funerals,a Wedding, and an Election

 

Joan Puchalski 📸 by Maureen Sullivan

 

Scenes from a moonage daydream, a wedding and a funeral. Bottom photos by Caroline Shepard

A friend, who used to baby sit the girls, invited us to her Bowie trapeze performance event in Williamsburg Friday, a highlight of the Bowie events I’ve been to this year as we’ve reflected on and relived some of the Bowie music of the last five decades. 

Lights shown across the room, colliding with projections, ascending bodies, hanging, dangling, gliding, cascading through the room. 

The aspiration to fly, to transcend our bodies, genders, and gravity itself, compelled and inspired the cheering crowd.

We clapped and rooted for each performer, in gold lame and glitter.

One performer after another climbed the trapeze, in homage to the space oddity, rock and roll suicide, and changes of this world.

It wasn’t really a funeral as much as an homage to art through time.

But it was still a goodbye and hello of sorts in this month of funerals and finally a wedding on Friday.

Our lives have changed.  Fifteen years ago, we were going to countless marriages. Now its flipped, and we’re going to the funerals of the people who attended those weddings.

Many of those attending the weddings are now divorced.

"Its the end of an era," Norman noted, "Angies married."  15 years ago we watched  the Bush recounts with her. 

Its another election cycle and the world is changing.

People trying to come to grips with what all this history means as we say goodbye for the first Black President here, wondering if he’ll be replaced by a woman, a corporatist, a socialist or a fascist.

I hope we can learn from each other and hear each other as we move forward through this engaging each other without insults.

“Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touched – criticism of writers and readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those led – this is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society.” WEB Du Bois.

Everyone needs to get involved.

If only we can listen and hear each other.  This democracy needs a dialogue with color and class and ideas and music.  Hopefully, everyone can participate.   And this democracy of ideas can become real.

I posted a note likening Sanders to McGovern and Eugene Victor Debs another, high minded socialist who ran for president. Debbs was incarcerated for his opinions.  The community of activists I know and love chimed in with all sorts of opinions, some supportive, some combative.  Others questioned why I thought Trump could actually win.  Well, the US loves pro wrestling, entertainment and fascist bravado. He changes the rule book.  I hope everyone is doing their opposition research, looking at his old speeches, divorces, and opinions. The guy does not play by the same rules.  And he'll red bait Sanders.  But its our mistake if we do not consider his appeal, his humor, and capacity to play to the masses and media.

Outside politics, the bountiful images were everywhere this weekend.

We started off watching She's Beautiful When She's Angry, an homage to waves of the women's movements and the men who did not listen enough.   The film literally shows men screaming at women to shut up an anti war rallies.  Its a messy world out there, everyone listen up.

Listen to each other.

Our world depends on it.

p

A bike ride on a majestic Sunday.