Watchlist Playlist
As I get ready to fly to Nicaragua tomorrow, it occurs to me that by now, I’m probably on one government watchlist or another. Maybe it’s vain to think so, but if I’m not already, I’d like to think I could be. It’s not that I’ve done anything horrific, or even very noteworthy, but it seems the bar for what constitutes “suspicious” has been lowered quite a bit in recent years. So with any luck, this post will tip the scales.
I think it all began when I lived in Egypt for a few years, which earned me my first badge of suspicion: an Arabic stamp in my passport. Anyone with Arabic in their passport knows that it grants you special attention at the airport. Pile on a jaywalking ticket in highschool, several months wandering around Jordan during college, 3 years of phone calls/emails to Baghdad while my father was working there, trying to smuggle more than 2oz of yogurt through airport security (apparently yogurt is considered a liquid), and I think I’m well on my way to Homeland Security notoriety. I’m hoping someday they’ll send me a letter validating my deep-seated need to be acknowledged.
Self-indulgent ramblings aside, I’d like to share with you my “Watchlist Playlist”. Reply with your own additions if you’d like to join me on The List.
Not so new, but The Clash’s album, Sandinista! has been on heavy rotation in the run up to the Nicaragua trip. Enjoy a bit of Latin American history in “Washington Bullets”:
Also check out Porest.
And Sublime Frequencies.
And Dr. Delay who put out a great comp called Rajaz Meter, which I found at Weirdo Records in Cambridge, and would highly recommend (both the album and the shop).
If you’re not traveling, but you’re in Boston this weekend, take camera phone pictures of the creepy Homeland Security vans at Fan Pier for the Tall Ships event. The ships are cool too….
