It isn't hard to do

I just watched The U.S. vs. John Lennon. It could've worked as an examination of a celebrity desperate to do something useful (as if an abstract conecpt like peace could be moved like a product) or as an examination of a White House so paranoid that they harass pop stars (as if the society won't simply belch up another and another). Instead it fell in between, illuminating neither. And John Lennon is a subject for reverence so it is, of course, un-critical. (Left-wing-ers only critique the things they don't like--thus the source of their pointlessness--honestly, does anyone look to Gore Vidal for fair and balanced commentary?) So in the movie Lennon, far from coming off as a pacific visionary, felt like a drifting goofball of a guy propped up by hangers-on who had their own plans for his cult of personality. And the Nixon White House, while it was indeed a stunningly paranoid place, wasn't spending that much time on the guy--jeez, they act like Haldeman had absolutely nothing else to do than to keep tabs on Lennon's parking tickets. That said, it is an interesting narrative and has tons of good footage so I definitely give the film a thumbs up.

So what does that have to do with today's offering? Well, this video is a clever, well-made mish-mash of random political rhetoric combined with pop music, itself re-configured in a way the youth culture can get down with. I think John Lennon would've appreciated this. And Richard Nixon would've hated it. Good enough for me.

Mash-up of 'Walk on the Wild Side' & 'Imagine'

PS -- Since we're all looking for a pop star that really did make a difference in the lives of people--real people, not just overfed, over-confident fatass American suburbanites--then where are the lovingly crafted documentaries about this guy?