I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas - Lewis Black [48]
“Sweet Home Alabama” is one. I was never a big fan of this tune. I think it has a kind of a redneck tang to its lyrics. There’s a great sense of longing in this song, but it’s a longing for a time that has passed, and as far as I’m concerned it’s just as well. But it’s also a longing for a place, too, and that’s what gives the song its grounding. Kid Rock plays it as his closer. When he sings it, it is transformative. He knows how to cut right through the bullshit that mires down the song with nonsense and hooey and goes straight to the gut and bone. Listening to Kid’s rendition of it, the troops are no longer knee-deep in the shitstorm that is this war in Iraq. They are singing. Their faces are aglow with smiles. It’s the rapture of rock-and-roll. Kid Rock has thrown a magic carpet out to them and whisked them home. Every time he plays that song, I cry. The roar that follows when he finishes sends a rush through my body. That roar is the sound of souls being freed from this earthly madness. It’s the sound of a real Christmas.
There’s a remarkable openness about our Supreme Commander, Admiral Mullen. Maybe it’s on account of the way I stereotyped the military top brass from all those World War II movies I saw as a kid. I didn’t expect Patton, but I certainly didn’t expect such a nice guy with such a warm personality. And his wife, Deborah, is a doll. They could not have been more gracious or friendly to me. Me, who hates all authority. He spoke to me frankly whenever I had a question. He had a keen sense of not only the geopolitics of the world, but a sense of what would make our military stronger, and not in just a weaponry sense but also in a human sense.
During my time with him I saw him reading a book on Iraq and so I asked what it was and he said it was a book he wished he had read a year ago. He said that our time in Iraq has been a lot about catching up. That’s as honest an answer as anyone who knows about America’s role in the Middle East could have given, and I know he certainly didn’t need to share it with me. But I appreciated it more than I can say.
I doubt the good admiral will like me calling him the Supreme Commander, but I do because I think it’s funny. He has a tremendous affection for the men and women who serve under him. He spoke before each show that we did. He was as generous in describing us, the performers, as he was talking to the troops we were performing for. I wish they could shut down Congress for a month so he could give these idiots a workshop in leadership. Every single elected official on Capitol Hill could learn something from this thoughtful, committed gentleman.
Deborah Mullen’s presence on the tour is just as important. She doesn’t need to be slogging through a war zone with her husband. We know that, and so does she. But she did, and I’m sure the effect on our troops, seeing her take the time to be with them and talk to them, is powerful. It shows a true concern for those in uniform that is way above and beyond the call of duty. It’s about humanity.
They have a really nice home on the grounds of the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. She could be at home, decorating the Christmas tree. But instead she’s traveling with her husband through one of the most violent places on earth.
Performing in front of an audience when I knew she was there the first time was more than a little disconcerting. But I didn’t hold back. I am sure these soldiers had heard the word “fuck” before. (It always amazed me that on Memorial Day a few years back, a number of local TV stations throughout the country refused to show Saving Private Ryan because when the boys hit the beach on D-Day, bombarded by artillery, some of them yelled “Fuck!” Who wouldn’t? Did these idiots think they should be screaming “Sassafras!!