The patriotic feelings continued at the Paramount Theatre Friday evening where Brent, Popop, Aimee, and I went to hear Ani DiFranco. The amazing Utah Phillips fired us up with droll political commentary and encouraged us to sing along with him on classic folk songs about hobos and bums before ceding the stage to the wee Ani and her guitar. She seemed a little bit tired on this particular evening, but that didn't keep her from singing and playing non-stop for an hour and a half. She flip-flopped back and forth between old familiars and brand new material, including a song about a moth that was unanimously voted by my crowd as one of the best things ever. She had no backing band whatsoever at this gig, which meant that the power of her lyrics went completely unobscured, and her emphasis was quite firmly political. For her encore she came back onstage with Utah and Toshi Reagon in tow for a rousing rendition of "Dump the Bosses" (sung to the tune of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus").

After the show Brent and I hauled ass over to the Starry Plough, and we arrived just in time to catch Dandeline play a trio of murder ballads by Doc Watson, Porter Wagoner, and Tom Jones. It seems like I haven't heard Sheila and Dan play electric since the days of Tiny (though perhaps at Sheila and Jon's wedding party...?), and tonight they were joined by Jon on bass and Pat Spurgeon on drums. Good homicidal fun.

Basically this week was a good week to be a peace-loving liberal in the Bay Area. Brent and I met Sheila, Aimee, Sophie, Popop, and a handful of L.A. Mamatron friends Saturday morning to join 40,000 other people who don't want our country to attack Iraq in marching down Market Street. I felt incredibly encouraged by the turnout and the quality of messages displayed on signs by the participants. My personal favorite: "Bush is a dumbass." Every once in a while a roar would tumble clear from one end of the crowd to the other, but otherwise the protest was calm and, erm, peaceful.

Saturday evening Brent and I processed to the First Congregational Church of Berkeley to hear Sandra Cisneros read from her first novel in nearly 20 years, Caramelo. She had both of us completely under her spell, and I almost bought the book right there on the spot before I remembered my commitment to the public library. It's so great to hear authors read their own work, and even better to hear them talk about their writing process. The latter in particular starts to give me inklings about whatever the hell it is that I'm doing.

Finally, for Brent's benefit I arranged an excursion to DNA for Om Records' Halloween party. I did not wear a costume. I don't believe in Halloween. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the blend of house being spun by Galen and Solar, which means I might start having to believe in house. We secured a table by the wall and grooved on the tunes and the people-watching. My brother pointed out that people in San Francisco have no sense of rhythm. I should take him to a gay club sometime.

the sun is setting on the century
and we are armed to the teeth
we're all working together now
to make our lives mercifully brief
and school kids keep trying to teach us
what guns are all about
confused liberty with weaponry
and watch your kids act it out
and every year now like christmas
some boy gets the milk fed suburban blues
reaches for the available arsenal
and saunters off to make the news
and the women in the middle
are learning what poor women have always known
that the edge is closer than you think
when the men bring the guns home
look at where the profits are
that's how you'll find the source
of the big lie that you and i both know so well
by the time it takes this cultural
death wish to run it's course
they're gonna to make a pretty penny
and then they're going to hell
he said the chickens all come home to roost
malcolm forecast the flood
are we really going to sleep through another century
while the rich profit off our blood
yeah it may take some doing
to see this undoing through
but in my humble opinion
here's what i suggest we do
open fire on hollywood
open fire on mtv
open fire on nbc and cbs and abc
open fire on the nra
and all the lies they told us along the way
open fire on each weapons manufacturer
while he's giving head to some republican senator
and if i hear one more time
about a fools right to his tools of rage
i'm gonna take all my friends
and i'm going to move to canada
and we're going to die of old age

Bowling for Columbine
Paramount Theatre
Utah Phillips
Sandra Cisneros
PacificSound