April 30, 2008

James McMurtry Is On Fire

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In January I posted a video of James McMurtry doing a great live version of his song "We Can't Make It Here." As anyone who's spent any time on this blog knows I generally prefer live versions of stuff (even lame ones taken with cell-phones) to lip-synching and music videos. But no way am I gonna to wait for somebody to slap up a decent live version of McMurtry's recently released "Cheney's Toy" to spread the word. The heart of the song is a critique of the idea of finding manhood by joining the US military.



You're the man
Show 'em what you're made of
You're no longer daddy's boy
You're the man
That they're all afraid of
But you're only Cheney's toy

It may not be as nuanced as, say, Stan Goff's critiques of gender and the military, but McMurtry's aim is sharp and he hits hard.

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