S.E. Rogie, the Cure for Election Year Blues.

I've never tasted palm wine in my life, but what a wondrous beverage it must be, to inspire music such as this:



S.E. Rogie, the guitarist from Sierra Leone, was a master of palm wine music. He was also a man of infinite wisdom. When asked what stimulated him in life, his answer was simple: Sex. Beauty. Soft, melodious sounds. Sounds right on to me.

Now, nothing highlights how fucked up the world is quite like election season does, and nothing else makes bad situations seem hopeless like two candidates smearing each other instead of finding solutions. Sometimes I get so mad thinking and writing about ugly things like Sarah Palin that I have to sit back, crack open a beer (en lieu of palm wine) and let soft, melodious sounds like Rogie's make me remember that the human race has given rise to some beautiful souls. Click here for further proof.

I stumbled upon Rogie's album, Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana (was there ever a better title?) when I wandered into Tower Records in New York to kill time between classes. I listened to a twenty second sample of the first song and was instantly hooked. I regard that purchase as one of the more fortuitous of my life. Ten songs, 45 minutes of bliss--enough to make me forget about these cesspools of hypocrisy called campaigns for a while.

nwb