[NOTE: The following article will also appear in my regular television column for WILDsound.]
My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. ... Well, it didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. I didn't speak like I'd just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime.
- Isaiah Washington in a June 28, 2007 Yahoo!/AP article entitled "Ex-'Grey's' star cites racism for firing"
Larry King: Do you think, Isaiah, there's anything racist in this? If you were a white member of the cast, do you think it would have been different?
Isaiah Washington: I don't know.
- Isaiah Washington in his July 2, 2007 appearance on "CNN Larry King Live" (click here for a full transcript of the interview)
What a difference four days makes. Maybe it was the intervention of a publicist, an agent, or common sense, but after initially blaming race for his ouster from the hit show "Grey's Anatomy" in a June 28, 2007, interview with the AP, Isaiah Washington backed off that claim four days later in his sit-down with CNN's puffball-question master Larry King. Of course, King did not follow up and ask Washington about his earlier statement. Hell, King didn't even try to hide his lack of research for the interview, failing to even recognize the name of "Grey's" creator and executive producer Shonda Rimes when Washington mentioned her.
For those of you who may not be up on the Washington to-do, in October 2006, it leaked out that Washington used the word "faggot" during an on-set bust-up with co-star Patrick Dempsey. Another actor on the show, T.R. Knight, then came out to People magazine, later telling Ellen DeGeneres that Washington directed the word at him. Washington later said the "F" word again at the Golden Globes in January, denying he said it to Knight. Finally, in early June, Washington was fired, with ABC declining to pick up his option for next year. (This MSNBC article gives a short description of the chain of events.)
When I read Washington's June 28 comments, I was incensed, for the simple reason that he had devalued a legitimate problem, the lack of diversity on network television. There are too few parts for African-American actors, and the parts that are available are too limited in scope (too many characters like the caricatures on "House of Payne," not enough parts as professionals on shows like "Brothers and Sisters" and "Boston Legal," which feature almost exclusively white faces).
But, "Grey's Anatomy" is a sea of diversity in an ocean of homogeneousness. When the show launched in early 2005, of the four residents and attending physicians featured in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, three were African-American (including the chief of surgery), and of the five main interns, three were female and one was Asian- American. Two of the three surgeons added during the show's run were women, one of whom was Latin-American. Without ever talking about it, "Grey's Anatomy" made a powerful statement about American culture, telling the world that top surgeons did not have to be white males.
Okay, you might argue, that's in front of the camera, but everyone knows that the true power (and money) in television is controlled by the people who pull the strings behind the scenes. Well, in that arena, "Grey's" was groundbreaking, too. Rimes, the show's mastermind, is one of the few African-American women to run a network show. And, not just any show, but one of the biggest hits on network television at a time when executives have watched ratings crash faster than approval ratings in Washington, D.C. It is important to note that Rimes did not gain her position by winning a contest, pulling a sword out of a stone or being a friend of the President's from Texas. No, Disney gets some of the credit for recognizing her talent and hiring her.
So, it would seem that from the bottom to the top, from the supporting players to the mega-studio who produces "Grey's Anatomy," the show is a shining example of how network television should (and could) be. The show is not just diverse to get publicity. This is a top-rated program that is also critically respected.
There are legitimate potshots to be taken at "Grey's" plot lines: The show has a habit of going for the spectacular on a regular basis (I've been to Seattle, and it didn't seem exciting enough to have that many disasters), including sensationally complicating the lives of their main characters (short of being the guy in the blue shirt on an away team in a "Star Trek" episode, it would seem that being a parent of one of the main characters on "Grey's" is the most dangerous job in television history), and I know I'm not the only man in America wondering why anyone would choose the aptly named, dull, sullen, whiny, mousy, self-involved drama queen Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) over the smart, beautiful and interesting Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). In the scheme of things, these are quibbles. The scripts are smart, clever and, when needed, tense.
But, the show's pedigree in racial diversity should be beyond question. For Washington, who played a top cardiothoracic surgeon dating an Asian-American surgical intern without his race (or that of his girlfriend) treated as an issue in the show, to inject race into his dismissal is a disgrace.
What seems lost in all of this is that Washington used the word "faggot" as an epithet in a work environment. He can parse the issue all he wants by saying he was not directing it at T.R. Knight, but that does not change the fact that he used the word as an insult. Even in the Larry King interview, where he states multiple times that he is not homophobic, he admits that he used the word as a synonym for "weak." (Washington said: "The 'F' word to me, at that particular time, before this took off in this other direction, in terms of sexual orientation, it meant something -- it meant, to me, someone who is being weak -- a person who is not being treated -- is not deserving of respect.")
Had someone used the "N" word, even if it was not directed at Washington or any of the other African-American actors, or the "S" word, even if it was not directed at cast member Sara Ramirez, or the "K" word, even if it was not directed at a Jewish person on the cast or crew, that individual would have been (and should be) dealt with harshly. For Washington to use the "F" word is no different.
If you watched (or, thanks to the transcripts available on CNN.com, read) Washington's interview with King, it is clear that between June 28 and July 2, he shifted his argument from race to office politics. As the quotes above illustrate, when King gave him a chance to blame race, Washington responded with an "I don't know," a substantial shift from the unequivocal playing of the race card in the June 28 AP interview. It is not unusual for pettiness and competitiveness amongst cast members to creep into a successful show. I have no doubt that stars Dempsey and Knight, along with Washington, were locked in a pissing contest over the size of their roles and their influence in the show. Nobody reading the interview (and watching how things unfolded in the months after the original incident in October) can deny that Washington was the victim of at least some maneuvering by Knight.
Again, though, it is important to note that Washington's use of a person's sexual orientation as an insult, and as a synonym for weakness, is what got him into the mess in the first place. Maybe others were opportunistic, and maybe others were unprofessional, but it was Washington and only Washington responsible for the use of the "F" word. For him to try and explain it away as being a way of calling someone weak does not help matters (as he seems to think), but only makes things worse.
Washington may have been a victim of office politics and a rabid media frenzy, and he very well may have been unfairly dismissed by his employers. And, I have no doubt that other cast members on "Grey's Anatomy" probably should have faced some discipline for their roles in inflating the original incident from a shocking on-set event into a giant media storm. But any sympathy I had for Washington vanished with his initial playing of the race card, and his subsequent diminution of his actions that put him in his precarious position in the first place. His charges are an insult to the historical way in which "Grey's" was constructed, to the executives at Disney who were smart enough to give Rimes the chance, and to Rimes who put together a talented and diverse cast.
Like most media storms, this one will blow over, and both Washington and "Grey's" will go on. Both will be dented, but, hopefully, they can escape with minor damages and get back on the road. Television can use more shows like "Grey's Anatomy."
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
King George W Strikes Again
I respect the jury's verdict, but I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend 30 months in prison.
- President George W. Bush, July 2, 2007
President George W. Bush knows what's best, and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is better than you. Those are the two messages to come from Bush's decision to commute Libby's prison sentence. And, really, it is the theme of his entire presidency.
Bush says he knows better than the majority of the American people. Stem cell research is bad. The war in Iraq is going well and no change in strategy is needed. The U.S. is prepared to face threats from Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran, even while engaged in Iraq. "Brownie" is doing a great job in New Orleans, and Alberto Gonzales has his full confidence as Attorney General. These are just some of the things Bush knows best about, because in every case he went against the beliefs of the majority of Americans.
Maybe even more disturbing is the second message sent by Bush's commutation decision, that Scooter Libby is better than the rest of us. The underlying assumption of Bush's quote set out above is that prison isn't for people like Libby (that is, wealthy, insider, mostly white Americans), but is reserved for people like "them" (that is, everyone else). The message is that the "two Americas" John Edwards likes to talk about is exactly the way Bush looks at the world. There are two sets of justice systems. And, for a guy like Libby, who is one of Bush's people, he is not really subject to the real-world, rough-and-tumble criminal justice system meant for "them."
The thing about Bush's messages is that, on both counts, he is wrong. And, as a result, Bush has taken a horrendously outrageous and dangerous action that undermines the basic principles of democracy on which this country was founded. This commutation of Libby's sentence will go down in history as every bit as disgraceful, and every bit as threatening and damaging to democracy, as Watergate was.
As for knowing better than us, Bush has demonstrated in the last six years that he does not. On the contrary, he has been wrong about just about everything he has said. Last time I checked, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the Iraqi people didn't welcome us as saviors, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, Al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq before the U.S. invasion, Iraq did not slip happily into a pluralistic democracy, and oil money did not pay for the war. Instead, we have been mired for nearly five years in the middle of a civil war (that Bush's father predicted would happen if Saddam Hussein was toppled in the first Gulf War), at a cost of thousands of Iraqi lives, millions of Iraqis fleeing their country, more than 3,500 American military deaths, and hundreds of billions of dollars thrown down the drain, not to mention the loss of American influence and respect in the world, and the country's inability to face down actual threats in Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea.
Plus, Bush doesn't know better than us, because while Libby was hardly at the center of the Valerie Plame/Joseph Wilson scandal, he was convicted for lying and obstructing justice in an investigation into the outing of an active, undercover CIA agent by the White House. If a Democratic administration had revealed the identity of a secret operative, the Republicans would be throwing around the "t" word (treason, not tax cut). But this administration, which views the executive branch of government as a field office for the Republican National Committee (just ask Plame and the eight fired U.S. Attorneys), casually revealed the name of an undercover agent as punishment for her husband having the nerve to disagree with White House policies (that, by the way, were proven by history to be wrong; Wilson's assessment of Hussein's weapons capabilities in the New York Times turned out to be correct).
As I wrote in a June 5 article in this space, Libby is taking the fall for White House actions to out Plame. That does not mean, however, that Libby should not be held accountable for his role. Rather, it means that the true architects of this scandal, which may or may not include Karl Rove, Vice President Dick Cheney and/or Bush, need to be held accountable as well. Thanks to King George W's actions yesterday, nobody is being held accountable.
Bush is also wrong that Scooter Libby is better than us. There is no doubt that there is a class divide in this country, and that the small percentage of wealthy Americans have advantages that the rest of the nation's citizens do not. And, there is also no doubt that those advantages extend to having the resources to manipulate the judicial system by hiring the best attorneys with access to the best back-up available. Just ask O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake, who can be found at this moment living somewhere that is not a penitentiary. But, Simpson and Blake acted within the system. They did not violate any laws (after the murders in question, of course). Rather, they used the resources available to them to wring every last advantage they could out of the criminal justice system. The system, though, stayed intact.
Bush, on the other hand, blew up the system (blowing things up is, after all, his go-to move). Scooter Libby had a trial. He had all the elite advantages Blake and Simpson had (thanks to the big money raised by conservatives on his behalf). And, despite his edge, he was convicted by a unanimous vote of a jury. He was then sentenced by a judge to a term that was within the federal sentencing guidelines. The system played out as it was constitutionally designed to do. Libby was able to use his vast resources to manipulate the system, but, ultimately, his fate lied in a jury of his peers (no slight intended to the jury members, I was speaking of "peers" to mean fellow citizens), who found him guilty. The system worked.
That is, until Bush supplanted it all with one stroke of his pen. He didn't even consult the Justice Department, as every other President in recent history has done before acting to reduce or overturn a sentence. He acted unilaterally and in the middle of his term (most pardons come at the end of Presidents' tenures in office). The power to pardon is one of the most lethal weapons in a chief executive's arsenal, and that power comes with tremendous responsibility. It has to be wielded with caution and respect. Bush treated it like a bad guy's six-shooter in a spaghetti western.
Bush said, "the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive." The judge didn't think so. The American people didn't think so. By acting anyway, Bush is making the statement that the criminal justice system does not apply to Libby. Bush says he acted because the sentence was excessive. Does that mean that he is going to look at the thousands of sentences imposed by federal courts each year to see if they are excessive, too? No. Why not? Because those defendants are not well-to-do, elite, educated members of Bush's inner circle. Again, two justice systems, one for Bush's people, and one for "them."
This undercutting of the American democratic system and American notions of justice and equality under the law is outrageous. The Republicans will paint this as some kind of partisan squabble, which is also outrageous. Anybody who believes in democratic principles and the notion of a criminal justice system based on evidence, not special treatment for the elite, should be outraged by this, regardless of one's party affiliation. I'm sure the Republicans will point to earlier Presidential actions, like President Clinton's end-of-term pardon of Marc Rich, to make Bush's actions seem less shocking. But, as odious as Rich might have been, he was not a member of Clinton's administration, nor did he play a part in something as serious as the outing of an undercover CIA agent. Clinton's as-the-door-hit-him-on-the-way-out pardon of Rich was distasteful; Bush's in-the-thick-of-it commutation threatens our notions of democracy. There is no comparison.
Is it too much to say Bush acts like he thinks he is a king instead of a president? Not at all. A king is an absolute monarch who is bound to nobody but derives his power from divine right. Bush has conducted his presidency as if he did not have to answer to anyone, and it has been reported that he believes that he is doing the work of the Lord by imposing his right-wing, religiously-derived policies on the country. That's about as close to a president believing he is a monarch as we've ever seen.
If the American people are happy living in an absolute monarchy, then they should do nothing. But, if U.S. citizens would like to live in a democratic country that believes in equal protection under the law, they have to act. Letters need to be written. Phone calls need to be made. And, most of all, votes have to be cast. Bush's action in commuting Scooter Libby's sentence for his role in outing an undercover CIA agent is outrageous. But, it will be even more outrageous if his actions result in no consequences for him and his party. The power of the vote is the only thing that can stop this kind of overreaching, and people better exercise it while it's still around. After all, monarch's don't need elections.
- President George W. Bush, July 2, 2007
President George W. Bush knows what's best, and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is better than you. Those are the two messages to come from Bush's decision to commute Libby's prison sentence. And, really, it is the theme of his entire presidency.
Bush says he knows better than the majority of the American people. Stem cell research is bad. The war in Iraq is going well and no change in strategy is needed. The U.S. is prepared to face threats from Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran, even while engaged in Iraq. "Brownie" is doing a great job in New Orleans, and Alberto Gonzales has his full confidence as Attorney General. These are just some of the things Bush knows best about, because in every case he went against the beliefs of the majority of Americans.
Maybe even more disturbing is the second message sent by Bush's commutation decision, that Scooter Libby is better than the rest of us. The underlying assumption of Bush's quote set out above is that prison isn't for people like Libby (that is, wealthy, insider, mostly white Americans), but is reserved for people like "them" (that is, everyone else). The message is that the "two Americas" John Edwards likes to talk about is exactly the way Bush looks at the world. There are two sets of justice systems. And, for a guy like Libby, who is one of Bush's people, he is not really subject to the real-world, rough-and-tumble criminal justice system meant for "them."
The thing about Bush's messages is that, on both counts, he is wrong. And, as a result, Bush has taken a horrendously outrageous and dangerous action that undermines the basic principles of democracy on which this country was founded. This commutation of Libby's sentence will go down in history as every bit as disgraceful, and every bit as threatening and damaging to democracy, as Watergate was.
As for knowing better than us, Bush has demonstrated in the last six years that he does not. On the contrary, he has been wrong about just about everything he has said. Last time I checked, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the Iraqi people didn't welcome us as saviors, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, Al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq before the U.S. invasion, Iraq did not slip happily into a pluralistic democracy, and oil money did not pay for the war. Instead, we have been mired for nearly five years in the middle of a civil war (that Bush's father predicted would happen if Saddam Hussein was toppled in the first Gulf War), at a cost of thousands of Iraqi lives, millions of Iraqis fleeing their country, more than 3,500 American military deaths, and hundreds of billions of dollars thrown down the drain, not to mention the loss of American influence and respect in the world, and the country's inability to face down actual threats in Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea.
Plus, Bush doesn't know better than us, because while Libby was hardly at the center of the Valerie Plame/Joseph Wilson scandal, he was convicted for lying and obstructing justice in an investigation into the outing of an active, undercover CIA agent by the White House. If a Democratic administration had revealed the identity of a secret operative, the Republicans would be throwing around the "t" word (treason, not tax cut). But this administration, which views the executive branch of government as a field office for the Republican National Committee (just ask Plame and the eight fired U.S. Attorneys), casually revealed the name of an undercover agent as punishment for her husband having the nerve to disagree with White House policies (that, by the way, were proven by history to be wrong; Wilson's assessment of Hussein's weapons capabilities in the New York Times turned out to be correct).
As I wrote in a June 5 article in this space, Libby is taking the fall for White House actions to out Plame. That does not mean, however, that Libby should not be held accountable for his role. Rather, it means that the true architects of this scandal, which may or may not include Karl Rove, Vice President Dick Cheney and/or Bush, need to be held accountable as well. Thanks to King George W's actions yesterday, nobody is being held accountable.
Bush is also wrong that Scooter Libby is better than us. There is no doubt that there is a class divide in this country, and that the small percentage of wealthy Americans have advantages that the rest of the nation's citizens do not. And, there is also no doubt that those advantages extend to having the resources to manipulate the judicial system by hiring the best attorneys with access to the best back-up available. Just ask O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake, who can be found at this moment living somewhere that is not a penitentiary. But, Simpson and Blake acted within the system. They did not violate any laws (after the murders in question, of course). Rather, they used the resources available to them to wring every last advantage they could out of the criminal justice system. The system, though, stayed intact.
Bush, on the other hand, blew up the system (blowing things up is, after all, his go-to move). Scooter Libby had a trial. He had all the elite advantages Blake and Simpson had (thanks to the big money raised by conservatives on his behalf). And, despite his edge, he was convicted by a unanimous vote of a jury. He was then sentenced by a judge to a term that was within the federal sentencing guidelines. The system played out as it was constitutionally designed to do. Libby was able to use his vast resources to manipulate the system, but, ultimately, his fate lied in a jury of his peers (no slight intended to the jury members, I was speaking of "peers" to mean fellow citizens), who found him guilty. The system worked.
That is, until Bush supplanted it all with one stroke of his pen. He didn't even consult the Justice Department, as every other President in recent history has done before acting to reduce or overturn a sentence. He acted unilaterally and in the middle of his term (most pardons come at the end of Presidents' tenures in office). The power to pardon is one of the most lethal weapons in a chief executive's arsenal, and that power comes with tremendous responsibility. It has to be wielded with caution and respect. Bush treated it like a bad guy's six-shooter in a spaghetti western.
Bush said, "the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive." The judge didn't think so. The American people didn't think so. By acting anyway, Bush is making the statement that the criminal justice system does not apply to Libby. Bush says he acted because the sentence was excessive. Does that mean that he is going to look at the thousands of sentences imposed by federal courts each year to see if they are excessive, too? No. Why not? Because those defendants are not well-to-do, elite, educated members of Bush's inner circle. Again, two justice systems, one for Bush's people, and one for "them."
This undercutting of the American democratic system and American notions of justice and equality under the law is outrageous. The Republicans will paint this as some kind of partisan squabble, which is also outrageous. Anybody who believes in democratic principles and the notion of a criminal justice system based on evidence, not special treatment for the elite, should be outraged by this, regardless of one's party affiliation. I'm sure the Republicans will point to earlier Presidential actions, like President Clinton's end-of-term pardon of Marc Rich, to make Bush's actions seem less shocking. But, as odious as Rich might have been, he was not a member of Clinton's administration, nor did he play a part in something as serious as the outing of an undercover CIA agent. Clinton's as-the-door-hit-him-on-the-way-out pardon of Rich was distasteful; Bush's in-the-thick-of-it commutation threatens our notions of democracy. There is no comparison.
Is it too much to say Bush acts like he thinks he is a king instead of a president? Not at all. A king is an absolute monarch who is bound to nobody but derives his power from divine right. Bush has conducted his presidency as if he did not have to answer to anyone, and it has been reported that he believes that he is doing the work of the Lord by imposing his right-wing, religiously-derived policies on the country. That's about as close to a president believing he is a monarch as we've ever seen.
If the American people are happy living in an absolute monarchy, then they should do nothing. But, if U.S. citizens would like to live in a democratic country that believes in equal protection under the law, they have to act. Letters need to be written. Phone calls need to be made. And, most of all, votes have to be cast. Bush's action in commuting Scooter Libby's sentence for his role in outing an undercover CIA agent is outrageous. But, it will be even more outrageous if his actions result in no consequences for him and his party. The power of the vote is the only thing that can stop this kind of overreaching, and people better exercise it while it's still around. After all, monarch's don't need elections.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Asia Draws Prog Rockers to Westbury
Asia has always been one of my favorite bands, but on paper, it was a group that had no business working. Four veterans of classic progressive rock bands, none of whom were known for cranking out a lot of conventional hits, got together in 1982 and started a band that was built around writing and performing conventional hits. But catching the original lineup performing for a near-capacity crowd on Saturday night at the North Fork Theater at Westbury (known as the Westbury Music Fair in a less corporate era) left me feeling like, in the end, it all did make sense.
The last and only time I saw Asia perform live, at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in August of 1983, the band was an omnipresent force on MTV, thanks mainly to its videos for "Heat of the Moment," "Only Time Will Tell," and "Don't Cry." The stage set for the concert matched the group's station in the industry. The musicians inhabited their individual sectors of a massive stage. Drummer Carl Palmer, as active as a pug on amphetamines, played animatedly on a riser that featured him like the star of a Vegas review. Keyboardist Geoff Downes raced around a platform that stretched the width of the stage, above and behind Palmer, seeming to make it just in time to whichever of his multitude of keyboards was needed at that moment. And guitarist Steve Howe and bass player and lead vocalist John Wetton were camped out in their front corners, placidly churning out song after song.
By December of 1983, Wetton had left the band. While different incarnations of the group with alternate players existed on-and-off over the next 23 years, the original four members reunited in 2006 for a tour that has now lasted into 2007, with dates scheduled through December. And now, crammed onto Westbury's small circular stage, with Downes down to two racks of less than 10 keyboards and Palmer's kit on ground level with his mates, the focus has shifted from arena showiness to the music. Palmer is still an engaging performer, working the audience like a veteran Vaudevillian, mixing his virtuosic drumming with stick tricks and gimmicks more akin to an Ed Sullivan Show plate spinner than a Charlie Watts concert, and Downes still is a ball of energy, shifting between keyboards with flourishes and often hopping up and down like Roger Federer waiting for a serve. But it was the music that ruled Saturday night.
More fans were decked out in gear from Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer than from Asia. While it might seem odd from listening to the records that fans of these progressive rock standard bearers would be interested in seeing Asia live, the live performance afforded listeners the chance to see how Asia combines the virtuosic performances that were the hallmark of 1970s progressive rock with commercial songwriting that made the band a best seller in the early 1980s. You never once felt like the musicians were showing off. Everything served the songs, and there was absolute respect for the melodies, as well as for the fans. While the Police treat their early songs like the starting points for live experiments that are more fun to play than listen to, Asia's obvious devotion to their songs, despite the fact that the band never got the same respect as the members' earlier outfits, is what makes them special.
The quartet ran through seven of the nine songs from its self-titled 1982 debut album (plus one B-side) and four cuts from the next year's follow-up, "Alpha." Adding a little spice to the show was the decision to dig out one selection from each of the members' past bands, with uniformly positive and interesting results.
After opening with "Soul Survivor" and "Wildest Dreams," Howe launched into the iconic opening guitar harmonics of the Yes classic "Roundabout." I have no doubt that Yes purists probably had a hard time swallowing Wetton's dulcet baritone intoning lyrics normally offered by Jon Anderson's Everest-high soprano, but I thought Wetton gave the song some muscle. The Asia version played like a cool alternate take on a song that has started to feel a bit worn.
Howe thrilled the guitar aficionados in the crowd with some impressive acoustic guitar work, before the band continued with an acoustic take on "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and the "Heat of the Moment" B-side "Ride Easy." It was then time for Palmer's trip down memory lane as Downes launched into the familiar synth-trumpets opening of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's rocked-out version of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man."
Quickly it was clear why Asia chose this instrumental rather than one of ELP's better known selections like "Lucky Man." "Fanfare" gave each member of the ensemble a chance to show off his prodigious skills. Wetton's bass solo mirrored his playing the whole night, a kind of effortless dexterity and rock-solid rhythm that helped hold everything together. Downes was more than able to hang with Emerson's signature keyboard gymnastics on the song. Howe, a kind of mad scientist of the strings with his his oversized hollow body guitar dwarfing his Nicole Richie-thin frame, and with his bookish glasses poking out from behind his straight, thinning hair, added guitar flourishes that enhanced the ELP arrangement. And then there was Palmer, lightning fast, hands in perpetual motion, all while keeping metronome-level timing, providing the flash for the song.
Two more Asia album cuts followed, "Midnight Sun" and "Without You," before it was Wetton's turn to go back in time when the band covered a piece of "The Court of the Crimson King" (sung on the original King Crimson album by Greg Lake, but no doubt played live often by Wetton when he took over as the band's vocalist). Asia's take on the song was pretty close to the original but successfully retained the melody's haunting beauty.
After "Here Comes the Feeling," the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" provided the evening's final (and most lighthearted) journey to the past, complete with Downes donning his old satin jacket and sunglasses for the occasion. The song provided the only chance of the night for some of the women in the audience to dance (for most of the show, the crowd sat respectfully still during the performances, like they were attending a fascinating lecture, only to stand up and explode in applause at the songs' conclusions). But, the New Wave 1980s MTV hit also produced the only indifferent performance of the night. Wetton looked a little embarrassed to be singing such a silly trifle, even blowing a line halfway through. It was not enough, however, to ruin the fun of the performance, and Wetton even gamely spoke the first verse through a bullhorn to capture the transistor radio feel of the vocals on the original recording.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" kick-started the last section of the performance, with "The Heat Goes On" (containing a mind-blowing and entertaining drum solo by Palmer that included stick-balancing and stick-throwing antics and sections performed on limited portions of his kit, like the cymbals or tom-toms) and the band's second biggest hit, "Only Time Will Tell."
The show ended with a two-song encore of an acoustic "Don't Cry" and extended version of Asia's biggest hit, "Heat of the Moment." When Howe kicked it off, strumming one of the catchiest chord progressions in rock music, the crowd exploded. After a false ending, Wetton, propelled by Palmer's drums, led the crowd through a sing-along of the chorus to wrap up the 90-minute show.
As the band stood in line, arms around each other's shoulders, to bow to the audience, it struck me again how Asia can seem like such a mish-mash. Wetton, with his protruding beer belly, longish hair, and stone-washed jeans, looked like a good-hearted, middle-aged plumber you would see having a pint at the pub with his mates after a day of work. Downes, with his pretty-boy, dyed-blonde hair looked like Simon Le Bon gone to seed. Palmer, wearing a buzz cut and a red T-shirt over his fit frame, came off as a retired football hooligan sitting in the same pub as Wetton, waiting for the Chelsea game to start on the telly. Throw in Professor Howe, and the four members were as visually dissonant as they were musically in sync. But, the contrast only served to underline the unlikely magic of four prog rockers making accessible music together.
It was worth the 24-year wait to see the original lineup of Asia again, and the enthusiastic audience seemed to agree. Watching four great musicians come together in service of good songs, rather than just showing off for the sake of showing off, is a rare opportunity. Let's hope this tour isn't the last one for another 24 years.
Set List:
Soul Survivor
Wildest Dreams
Roundabout
Time Again
(Steve Howe Acoustic Guitar Solo)
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Ride Easy
Fanfare for the Common Man
Midnight Sun
Without You
The Court of the Crimson King
Here Comes the Feeling
Video Killed the Radio Star
Heat Goes On
(Carl Palmer Drum Solo)
Only Time Well Tell
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Don't Cry
Heat of the Moment
The last and only time I saw Asia perform live, at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in August of 1983, the band was an omnipresent force on MTV, thanks mainly to its videos for "Heat of the Moment," "Only Time Will Tell," and "Don't Cry." The stage set for the concert matched the group's station in the industry. The musicians inhabited their individual sectors of a massive stage. Drummer Carl Palmer, as active as a pug on amphetamines, played animatedly on a riser that featured him like the star of a Vegas review. Keyboardist Geoff Downes raced around a platform that stretched the width of the stage, above and behind Palmer, seeming to make it just in time to whichever of his multitude of keyboards was needed at that moment. And guitarist Steve Howe and bass player and lead vocalist John Wetton were camped out in their front corners, placidly churning out song after song.
By December of 1983, Wetton had left the band. While different incarnations of the group with alternate players existed on-and-off over the next 23 years, the original four members reunited in 2006 for a tour that has now lasted into 2007, with dates scheduled through December. And now, crammed onto Westbury's small circular stage, with Downes down to two racks of less than 10 keyboards and Palmer's kit on ground level with his mates, the focus has shifted from arena showiness to the music. Palmer is still an engaging performer, working the audience like a veteran Vaudevillian, mixing his virtuosic drumming with stick tricks and gimmicks more akin to an Ed Sullivan Show plate spinner than a Charlie Watts concert, and Downes still is a ball of energy, shifting between keyboards with flourishes and often hopping up and down like Roger Federer waiting for a serve. But it was the music that ruled Saturday night.
More fans were decked out in gear from Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer than from Asia. While it might seem odd from listening to the records that fans of these progressive rock standard bearers would be interested in seeing Asia live, the live performance afforded listeners the chance to see how Asia combines the virtuosic performances that were the hallmark of 1970s progressive rock with commercial songwriting that made the band a best seller in the early 1980s. You never once felt like the musicians were showing off. Everything served the songs, and there was absolute respect for the melodies, as well as for the fans. While the Police treat their early songs like the starting points for live experiments that are more fun to play than listen to, Asia's obvious devotion to their songs, despite the fact that the band never got the same respect as the members' earlier outfits, is what makes them special.
The quartet ran through seven of the nine songs from its self-titled 1982 debut album (plus one B-side) and four cuts from the next year's follow-up, "Alpha." Adding a little spice to the show was the decision to dig out one selection from each of the members' past bands, with uniformly positive and interesting results.
After opening with "Soul Survivor" and "Wildest Dreams," Howe launched into the iconic opening guitar harmonics of the Yes classic "Roundabout." I have no doubt that Yes purists probably had a hard time swallowing Wetton's dulcet baritone intoning lyrics normally offered by Jon Anderson's Everest-high soprano, but I thought Wetton gave the song some muscle. The Asia version played like a cool alternate take on a song that has started to feel a bit worn.
Howe thrilled the guitar aficionados in the crowd with some impressive acoustic guitar work, before the band continued with an acoustic take on "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and the "Heat of the Moment" B-side "Ride Easy." It was then time for Palmer's trip down memory lane as Downes launched into the familiar synth-trumpets opening of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's rocked-out version of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man."
Quickly it was clear why Asia chose this instrumental rather than one of ELP's better known selections like "Lucky Man." "Fanfare" gave each member of the ensemble a chance to show off his prodigious skills. Wetton's bass solo mirrored his playing the whole night, a kind of effortless dexterity and rock-solid rhythm that helped hold everything together. Downes was more than able to hang with Emerson's signature keyboard gymnastics on the song. Howe, a kind of mad scientist of the strings with his his oversized hollow body guitar dwarfing his Nicole Richie-thin frame, and with his bookish glasses poking out from behind his straight, thinning hair, added guitar flourishes that enhanced the ELP arrangement. And then there was Palmer, lightning fast, hands in perpetual motion, all while keeping metronome-level timing, providing the flash for the song.
Two more Asia album cuts followed, "Midnight Sun" and "Without You," before it was Wetton's turn to go back in time when the band covered a piece of "The Court of the Crimson King" (sung on the original King Crimson album by Greg Lake, but no doubt played live often by Wetton when he took over as the band's vocalist). Asia's take on the song was pretty close to the original but successfully retained the melody's haunting beauty.
After "Here Comes the Feeling," the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" provided the evening's final (and most lighthearted) journey to the past, complete with Downes donning his old satin jacket and sunglasses for the occasion. The song provided the only chance of the night for some of the women in the audience to dance (for most of the show, the crowd sat respectfully still during the performances, like they were attending a fascinating lecture, only to stand up and explode in applause at the songs' conclusions). But, the New Wave 1980s MTV hit also produced the only indifferent performance of the night. Wetton looked a little embarrassed to be singing such a silly trifle, even blowing a line halfway through. It was not enough, however, to ruin the fun of the performance, and Wetton even gamely spoke the first verse through a bullhorn to capture the transistor radio feel of the vocals on the original recording.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" kick-started the last section of the performance, with "The Heat Goes On" (containing a mind-blowing and entertaining drum solo by Palmer that included stick-balancing and stick-throwing antics and sections performed on limited portions of his kit, like the cymbals or tom-toms) and the band's second biggest hit, "Only Time Will Tell."
The show ended with a two-song encore of an acoustic "Don't Cry" and extended version of Asia's biggest hit, "Heat of the Moment." When Howe kicked it off, strumming one of the catchiest chord progressions in rock music, the crowd exploded. After a false ending, Wetton, propelled by Palmer's drums, led the crowd through a sing-along of the chorus to wrap up the 90-minute show.
As the band stood in line, arms around each other's shoulders, to bow to the audience, it struck me again how Asia can seem like such a mish-mash. Wetton, with his protruding beer belly, longish hair, and stone-washed jeans, looked like a good-hearted, middle-aged plumber you would see having a pint at the pub with his mates after a day of work. Downes, with his pretty-boy, dyed-blonde hair looked like Simon Le Bon gone to seed. Palmer, wearing a buzz cut and a red T-shirt over his fit frame, came off as a retired football hooligan sitting in the same pub as Wetton, waiting for the Chelsea game to start on the telly. Throw in Professor Howe, and the four members were as visually dissonant as they were musically in sync. But, the contrast only served to underline the unlikely magic of four prog rockers making accessible music together.
It was worth the 24-year wait to see the original lineup of Asia again, and the enthusiastic audience seemed to agree. Watching four great musicians come together in service of good songs, rather than just showing off for the sake of showing off, is a rare opportunity. Let's hope this tour isn't the last one for another 24 years.
Set List:
Soul Survivor
Wildest Dreams
Roundabout
Time Again
(Steve Howe Acoustic Guitar Solo)
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Ride Easy
Fanfare for the Common Man
Midnight Sun
Without You
The Court of the Crimson King
Here Comes the Feeling
Video Killed the Radio Star
Heat Goes On
(Carl Palmer Drum Solo)
Only Time Well Tell
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Don't Cry
Heat of the Moment
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