1bigblackblog

A PALER SHADE OF BLACK

procol harem

ray royer : guitar

david knights : bass

bill eyden : drums

matthew fisher : organ

keith reed : vocals

their first album " a whiter shade of pale " may 12 1967

they were an opening act for jimi hendrix later that year

i read a newspaper article by jesse jackson that calls
attention to the democrats neglect of a segment of
the american population. if my aging memory properly
recalls there were concerns about how this demographic
would fare in the coming economic turndown.
a more important question is what about
the population as a whole?

in a financial tsunami or hurricane where and what is
the justification of aiding one group over another
or the whole. especially if the others are floundering
as well

through my ex-wife i had an opportunity to see how the
other half lives. it turned out to be quite a shock.
in neighborhoods where security doors and barred
windows on homes or businesses did not exist and where
the quiet was not disturbed by news or police helicopters
most streets were devoid of life

early morning midday and late evening the ex-wife and i
would stroll the empty sidewalks and streets hand in hand.
again and again to her eventual irritation i would comment
on rarely seeing or passing another person. those who did
cross our path always were walking a dog or dogs.
it seemed to me as that act was the only way to get out
of the house

my ex-wife explained more than once that everyone
was working multiple jobs or attending school after work
or just too tired and stressed to move from the television or
computer monitor. there were only two expensive choices
for food shopping and gasoline sold at a noticible higher
price than in los angeles. it became clear that what this
affluent other half possessed was held tenuously

so again the question must be asked

how do you favor one group thats a paler shade of black
and ignore the other thats a whiter shade of pale?