Monday, June 13, 2011

UB 40 and the Arizona connection



I am a sucker for coincidences and puns. I find them all the time. Today I have a perfect example.

Even as I sit here monitoring my screen for the legislature to commence the second day of the trainwreck otherwise known as the special session called by the Governor for the purpose of extending unemployment benefits from 79 weeks to 99 weeks, I am being serenaded by the reggae channel I have created on my Pandora account (what was life before Pandora-I can't even imagine it anymore). And what should come on but one of my all time favorite songs by UB40 "Red, red wine." Popular in the 80's I remember it well.

Here is the coincidence: according to the Pandora bio: UB40 is:

Named after a British unemployment benefit form, pop-reggae band UB40 were formed in a welfare line in 1978, and their multiracial lineup reflected the working-class community their members came from.

And in further coincidence:

In 1988, the group performed "Red Red Wine" at a Nelson Mandela tribute concert, and a Phoenix radio station trotted the single out for a second go-round. Listener response was far more enthusiastic, and "Red Red Wine" reentered the charts and went all the way to the top.

Now, I am not sure what all this means, but maybe this problem is unlikely to get solved without a hefty dose of red, red, wine. I would totally recommend Total Wine for the perfect selection. It, like Pandora, is another 21st Century development that I would argue is making us that much more civilized, much like Pandora.


In any case, they are currently voting to sine die, which means end the session without any action. Raise your glass.....or not!