The Late Greats
I feeling idealistic this evening so while I recognize the seemingly insurmountable odds against a world without war; I can not deny the allure of such a society. Einstein is quoted as having said, “The pioneers of a warless world are the young men who refuse military service.”
The most ruinous casualty of war is obviously the loss of life and it is disturbing to ponder the greatness squandered on battlefields.
Most people have heard of Impressionism and the group’s more prominent painters such as Monet and Renoir but another budding artists named Frederic Bazille was a promising member of the group until he was killed fighting in the Franco-Prussian War.
Perhaps he would have been a friend, brother, son or father and that loss would be tragedy enough but maybe the world lost out on great works of art that would inspire numerous people throughout the world for years to come.
Wilco has a track entitled “The Late Greats” which makes think of Bazille and the countless others like him would had something to say but were robbed of their opportunities.
The song actually is much more light hearted and fun than my connection makes it seem but at the same time the theme is about missing out on something and to that end it is prudent to ponder what the true cost of war is.
Perhaps more appropriate would be Wilco’s track “Comment” which is more thought provoking about the ways of society so make sure and check it out as well while you are taking in “The Late Greats”
Two additional thoughts - First, Wilco is an absolutely amazing band and everyone should listen to the album “Kicking Television: Live in Chicago” at least once. There isn’t a bad track on the two disc set and I’m sure I’ll post on many more in the future. Hell, I may even cite this track again when I rant on why I couldn’t get signed to a record label.
Second, Einstein is also quoted as saying. “As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable” and “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 12:09 am and is filed under Wilco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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