Monday, March 29, 2010

Regina Spektor . . . and speculations

Regina Spektor
ca. 2004
(Image Borrowed from the Universe)

Since I'm currently swamped in the currentless swamp of student grading, I just can't remain constantly serious, so I investigate music that I've not previously listened to . . . such as Regina Spektor's song "Us," from the unbearable lightness of Soviet Kitsch:
"Us"
They made a statue of us
And put it on a mountain top
Now tourists come and stare at us
Blow bubbles with their gum
Take photographs have fun, have fun

They'll name a city after us
And later say it's all our fault
Then they'll give us a talking to
Then they'll give us a talking to
Because they've got years of experience
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious

We wear our scarves just like a noose
But not 'cause we want eternal sleep
And though our parts are slightly used
New ones are slave labor you can keep

We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious

They made a statue of us
They made a statue of us
The tourists come and stare at us
The sculptor's marble sends regards
They made a statue of us
They made a statue of us
Our noses have begun to rust
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
Were living in a den of thieves

And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
I listened several times to the song on video, watching Ms. Regina Spektor's idiosyncratic antics, and then told a friend:
I saw this video yesterday . . . and thought of . . . the "den of thieves" line that encapsulates our current times. Oddly, though Spektor's been around since 2001, I'd never listened to her music, but maybe because I've not been around the US for over 20 years now.

I look at young Regina in the video and wonder if I had made better decisions would my [academic] life be better? I had a great junior year at Baylor, but after that year, I made a series of bad decisions that . . . affected my career. Those decisions reflected my character, which in turn reflected the culture of the place where I grew up. I was independent and opinionated and disdainful of consequences. That worked well enough in the Ozarks, where people didn't have careers anyway. The years have brought some perspective, and I look back on arguments that I've had [with other scholars] that did little to further my career . . . .

I suppose that some people could criticize others even more harshly than I have and yet prosper, but those people are smarter than I . . . . Now, I expect little from my career. I'm not depressed about that. I just have to pursue my scholarly interests and . . . my job. Things are not so bad, actually . . . for a den of thieves.

And one never knows what the future might have in store.
That's both a hope and a fear, of course. I'm in the odd position of seeing my scholarly life work out fairly well even as my academic career stalls, for I've managed to publish on John's Gospel, Gnosticism, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Piers Plowman, Don Quixote, Paradise Lost, Pride and Prejudice, Natural Symbols (Mary Douglas), The Clash of Civilizations (Samuel Huntington), Al-Qaeda's 9/11 attacks, the future of Christianity, Korean identity, and a smattering of other things.

But who reads -- or even cares about -- scholarly articles, anyway?

Labels: , ,

8 Comments:

At 7:55 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know what you mean. Academic papers seem to me like an economy based on taking in each other's laundry. The only people reading them are other launderers and that is probably not who you wanted to write for.
I enjoy your blog, btw.
-Ileen

 
At 8:07 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Thanks, Ileen. I seem to have readers that I didn't even suspect myself to have. Maybe I can now begin counting my readers on more than one hand . . .

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 12:27 PM, Anonymous Jeff said...

I daresay you're a more interesting person--and writer--for having made idiosyncratic choices. Why deny your character? Many of the academics I've met who took a straight-and-narrow route are dull, dull, dull.

But then I suppose many of our dreams are destined to remain unfulfilled, like my forlorn crush on Regina Spektor...

 
At 12:43 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Gypsy Scholar is a fascinating character . . . but rather different from me. In person, Mr. Hodges is somewhat reserved -- and a little stiff, apparently.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that Ms. Spektor haunts your dreams but keeps her spirited distance from your waking moments.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 12:09 AM, Blogger Bonnie said...

I do, I do, I care about academic articles AND scholarly papers (good ones, of course)!

I understand your frustration with academia and not "using" your PhD to an extent, but want to remind that the grass is always greener. I know tenure-track faculty who are terribly depressed and unfulfilled, and I know people who left academia who love their lives and careers. Especially these days there are no guarantees.

I'm working on my PhD myself, and definitely want to finish, though I don't know where it will take me.

 
At 3:52 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Bonnie, I blame myself, mostly, for my stalled career, and I wouldn't actually want to trade what I've studied for something else.

I enjoy scholarly articles, too, though I find that my time is so limited that I read only when I'm researching some point for a scholarly article of my own.

Good luck with your own scholarly and academic career.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 1:25 PM, Blogger Melissa said...

Hmmmm, *I* think you're the best thing since triangle kimbab.

I'm not nearly as, um, experienced as you in terms of life lived and time spent and books read, etc, but I'd hate to think that retracing time-lines and trying to pinpoint an event (or series of events) that caused life to go one way or another would be a productive habit. :) I'm in for trouble if it is; it seems too complicated for my tiny brain, what with all the variables and possibilities and potential for misremembering ...

Well, I hope you feel better today/tomorrow!

 
At 2:27 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

As triangle kimbap, I never quite fit into the square hole designed for a proper scholar . . .

But I feel okay. Basically, I was stumped for what to blog about.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 

Post a Comment

<< Home