Swanee, by Mike Gold – Brainiac On Banjo #267 | @MDWorld

March 19, 2012 Mike Gold 10 Comments

As far as I can tell – and I researched this about a decade ago – the term “Swan Song” comes from a cultural phenomenon of the early part of the last century. It seems that whenever America’s first true superstar, Al Jolson, appeared on stage in a musical revue anywhere in the country, when he sang his signature song “Swanee” the revue came to a halt. He sang that Caesar-Gershwin ditty in blackface, which by today’s sensibilities seems idiosyncratic: Jolson was known for fighting anti-black discrimination on Broadway at least as far back as 1911.

By the time he got to “I’d give the world to be among the folks in D-I-X-I-E-ven though my mammy’s waiting for me,” the musical was over and the rest of the cast went back to their hotel. The crowd demanded Jolson just stand there and belt out his many, many hits, one after the other. “Swanee” was each show’s Swan Song.

For decades, I’ve lived my life by the philosophy that every person has the right to sing his own Swan Song. No matter how justified the exit might be, no matter how ridiculous the individual might be, it’s the last song of the last act and, as Paul Anka wrote, you get to do it your way.

Which brings us to America’s current buffoon du jour, Rod Blagojevich.

Contrary to popular opinion, Blagojevich is only the second recent Chicagoan who became governor and subsequently went to prison, and the first guy – Otto Kerner –headed up a federal committee that defined the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests as a “police riot,” thereby incurring the enmity of the still-powerful Mayor Richard J. Daley. New Yorkers think I’m mistaken, but they’re incapable of understanding that Chicago is a city and not the whole state. This is because they feel the same way about New York.

Say what you will of the convicted grafter and fool, Rod went off-stage singing his own Swan Song. He did it his way, making absolutely certain that nobody except for his own children (for the nonce) regretted seeing the curtain go down on his act. Certainly you’ve seen him on talk shows and surreality programs back when he was on trial, coming off as a bigger asshole than even Donald Trump… although the Donald’s hair is marginally more disgusting.

But the 24 hours before his transformation into Prisoner 40892-424, Blago put in a performance worthy of the great Al Jolson. The day before he caught the plane to prison, he held a well-promoted press conference in front of his house where he tried to position himself once again as the victim. Nobody was buying it, but it appeared everybody was enjoying it. He and his entourage left the following morning – if, indeed, 3 AM is “the morning” – to go to the airport, after first talking to the reporters still again.

After landing in Colorado, he and his lawyer stopped off at Freddy’s Steakburgers for a last meal before the strip search. Reports state he ordered a blue cheeseburger that he may or may not have eaten.

But here’s the punch line: throughout his Swan Song, in front of his house (both times), at both airports, on the airplane, and at Freddy’s Steakburgers, Rod Blagojevich signed autographs for all who asked and he posed for photographs with all who asked.

That’s just beautiful. No phony acts of remorse, no last-minute confession or conversion, Rod Blagojevich remained Rod Blagojevich to the very end, providing us with a well-deserved temporary respite from the Republican Primary Demolition Derby.

Everybody has the right to sing his own Swan Song. Even poor-little-me Rod Blagojevich.

“The folks up north will see me no more when I get to that Swanee shore.”

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Long impressed by the foolishness of our elected officials, Mike Gold performs the weekly two-hour Weird Sounds Inside The Gold Mind ass-kicking rock, blues and blather radio show on The Point, www.getthepointradio.com, every Sunday at 7:00 PM Eastern, replayed three times during the week (check the website above for times) and available On Demand at the same place.