Weekend Parting Shot: Antony Blinken, Bluesman

Happy Friday, gentle readers,

I pray this little missive finds you in high spirits and looking forward to a restful and quiet weekend. Try to watch some college football if you can, or get out and catch the fall colors if they are emerging where you live. Mrs. Brown asked for a sojourn to the mountains this past weekend to see the leaves turning. I was happy to oblige, and up Provo Canyon we went. But as it turned out, most of the people in my area also decided to make a sojourn to the mountains to see the leaves turning. So, we mostly saw the backs of other cars. But hey, there’s always this weekend—provided we get up at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow to beat the traffic.

Antony Blinken, Bluesman

When I was fresh out of college, I worked at a comedy club. I was schlepping food and hustling drinks, and I didn’t do any actual stand-up. That takes a special blend of courage, creativity, and sociopathy, so I’ll leave the comedy to Kruiser and KDJ. But after work, we would all head out to the bars on the strip to hear the blues bands play and throw our tips away on drinks. I grew up in a neighborhood filled with R&B, Funk, and Rap. And when I went to college, I worked at the radio station and happened upon an old Dr. John LP one afternoon. Thus began a lifelong love affair with the Blues. I am not a Blues singer, but I love the music, especially the old Delta Blues with Robert Johnson and Blind Willie Johnson. We had a chance to meet David “Honeyboy” Edwards years ago, and my wife looked at me like I was insane when I started jumping up and down. I also love John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Little Milton, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Koko Taylor. Mrs. Brown is an aficionado of Tab Benoit and Keb’ Mo’. No, I do not consider it “my music.” But I like to listen to it and let us be honest: Modern music would not exist today without the Blues. Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, and every rocker since owe the Blues. Big time. One could even go so far as to say Hank Williams Sr. needs to tip his hat to the Blues.

One does not usually use the words “Secretary Antony Blinken” and “Blues” in the same sentence. I am trying not to do so now. But Blinken was recently at an event for the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative and took his guitar in hand for a rendition of “Hoochie Coochie Man,” which was originally made popular by Dixon and Waters.

I couldn’t pass up tonight’s opportunity to combine music and diplomacy. Was a pleasure to launch @StateDept’s new Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. pic.twitter.com/6MUfTXO9xK

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 28, 2023

Some conservative pundits have given Blinken high marks for his rendition of “Hoochie Coochie Man.” I’ll give him a C for effort. In my humble opinion, given the audience, the venue, and his performance, Blinken sounded like he was auditioning for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or a gig as an Elvis impersonator. Maybe he should go for “Suspicious Minds” next time.

Or is there something more sinister at work?

Picture, if you will, the White House press room. There I am in the back, waving my notebook in the air:

“Ms. Jean-Pierre? Yes, thank you. Lincoln Brown, PJ Media. Is the White House going to condemn Secretary Blinken’s recent performance of “Hoochie Coochie Man” as cultural appropriation? You know, cultural appropriation? C-U-L-T-U-R-A… oh, forget it.”

Wine Recommendation: Do you even need a reason at this point? Did you see the debate this week? I’m surprised we’re all still sober.

I was on a Pinot Noir kick this week. For some reason, the powers-that-be who hold total control of the state liquor stores have decided that the drinkers of Utah need more beer and less wine. Why we can’t have the best of both worlds is beyond me, but I blame the Biden administration. Just because. But I did track down this A to Z Pinot Noir.

All in all, a nice little Pinot. It is not sweet and not particularly dry. You can definitely pick up the red fruits in it, like plums and berries, which is what you would expect out of a red. But the flavor also features an array of spices and just a little cedar. It can run the gamut as far as pairings. If you are in a part of the world where autumn weather is fast approaching, and you are looking for something to go with one last outdoor barbecue, maybe throw some pork ribs on the smoker. Or it could work really well with a sausage pizza, heavy on the cracked pepper. Maybe even some Cajun-style seafood.

BUT: here’s the thing. You want to drink this with friends or at a dinner party. Red wine, as a rule, does not age very well once the bottle is opened. If you open a bottle of red, you should probably finish it by the next day at the absolute latest. And even that might be pushing the envelope. If it sits too long, you should use it for cooking. And this wine changed appreciably in about that length of time. Once it had some time for the air to get to it, the taste of the actual alcohol became extremely strong, especially in the aftertaste. It was a distraction. We opened this bottle on Wednesday night. I thought it might keep until Thursday, but I was struggling to finish the glass by then. It wasn’t the taste of a corked wine, but there was definitely a strong alcohol taste to it. That’s something I have not encountered in other Pinot Noirs. It is a good wine, and please enjoy it. But enjoy it with a degree of alacrity.

That’s it for me. Enjoy some time off, and I’ll see you next week.