Dear NaturalWonder,
Permit me to begin this with a toast: to diversity in music. So often in these divisive times, we are pressured to align ourselves with particular genres, as if our appreciation of a band or artist serves as an indication of a broader worldview. Personally, I find this galling. To celebrate musical diversity is to resist the tyranny of tribalism, and this morning I would like to present you with Ernestine Anderson's Moonlight in Vermont:
Now, I know what you're thinking: 'why didn't this stupid asshole post Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's version?'
It is your right to ponder that, and my reasoning might surprise you. The truth is, I find Louis Armstrong's face to be unnerving. Behind that seemingly benign smile, I've always sensed the quiet menace of a sex attacker at work, no doubt plotting his next crime.
You might, however, be relieved to know that there is no basis whatsoever for me to claim that. Indeed, a cursory Google search only seemed to infer a harmful prejudice to my thinking (which I vehemently deny). Still, there is just something about that face:
Wishing you a blessed morning,
Spunker
