Friday, April 3, 2015

Mama Was a Convict



"Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" said Oscar Wilde. Maybe that's what's happening here, because the Indiana Women's Prison's Wee Ones Nursery program only started in 2008, while Mama Was a Convict was a smash hit by Country Bull back in 1975 in the great Burt Reynolds movie "W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings." Which, by the way, you really ought to see (click here), even if you hate Burt Reynolds movies.

I bring up Mama Was a Convict because, I swear, the lyrics run all through this story I just saw about a convict mama, My Son Had His First Birthday Party In Prison:
Someday, when Jayden is older, Currie says she’ll tell her son all about his early life spent in prison with her. “I’m sure he’ll want to know why he wasn’t born where we’re from or why I’m always wearing khaki in most of the pictures,” she says quietly. “I’ll tell him. I’m not ashamed, because I’m proud of who I’ve become.”

It's all in the song - the drab prison dress, the furniture "in the cell where me and mama had to stay", the 'aunts' in the cell block, and the 'uncles' who control the keys. Especially the true meaning of the word "pride."

Currie, it's your life and all, but if I were you, I'd break the news to Jayden by singing along with Country Bull.

19 comments:

James said...

You're almost straying into David Allen Coe territory. Another one I liked who wandered off into la la land.

TSB said...

Coe spent most of his early life in prison, I think (?). But not in a good prison; he was in the men's prison.

Letting female cons live with their kids seems like a good idea to me. But, when I read about it, ALL I could think about was Ned Beatty singing that song. I was amazed how closely the lyrics paralleled what the mama convict said in the interview.

My favorite BR movie by a large margin.

Anonymous said...

TSB; James: I've been trying to get ready for Hillary with extra therapy visits but it's not going well. I don't know what a 'tiffen' is but I did get a check for my jury duty! $9.50. (A year is quite awhile to wait. gwb

TSB said...

GWB: I envy you going to jury duty. I'd actually like to do it more often.

A tiffin, BTW, is a cooked boxed lunch that gets delivered to your office in India via some unimaginably complicated logistics. Indians in cities don't leave for lunch - no room on the street for them all to move around at the same time, probably - so these meal tins get delivered by kids who push massively overloaded carts of them through the streets.

On getting ready for Hillary, is it just my imagination or does her web site sell mostly alcohol related glassware?

TSB said...

Update: I just went to Ready For Hillary to buy a Mason jar but they were out of stock. Hillary, you had me then you lost me .

Anonymous said...

TSB: Thanks for the tiffen update! If we had any leadership they would have long ago taken steps to protect the grid from an EMP catastrophe which we have already narrowly avoided several times. Common sense says it beats starting wars everywhere. gwb
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-07/emp-threat-sending-america-back-1800s

Anonymous said...

TSB: What a way to celebrate a new promotion! Mama's really gonna be mad!
gwb
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-manager-put-on-leave-after-alleged-assault-at-headquarters/2015/04/08/cb31c412-ddf9-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html

James said...

GWB,
On the EMP protection, they don't care. Skep re mason jar. Good metaphor for Hillary, empty promises.

TSB said...

The poor Secret Service can't catch a break. Doesn't anything stay in Vegas anymore?

On the excellent mason jar metaphor, I hadn't thought of that! Now I really wish they still had some in stock.

Anonymous said...

James: Sneak preview of Hillary's campaign song! gwb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPKH2O6d1z8

James said...

GWB: That hit the spot! It made my weekend.

TSB said...

Same here. Or, $ame here.

Who knows, maybe Lightfoot will get to do an epic poem-type ballad called "The Wreck of the Hillary Rodham" next year.

Anonymous said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/maureen-dowd-grandmama-mia.html
TSB; James: There might be an early run on these'Ready For Hillary' dog leashes but I suspect they will selling at 90% off pretty soon. gwb

TSB said...

GWB: The WaPo's opinion piece for Hillary Day asks "Why does Hillary want to be President?" Good question. But, it's not like she really has a choice. There is an entire crony corporate-media-political complex that depends on her for their income.

James said...

Skep,
That's pretty good intuition on Hillary and the groups that depend on her. She and Bill also owe their pride of place and power to her status of crown-president. They have been ever since Bill left office. The moment it's thought she can't be president it's over for them.

TSB said...

James: Business-wise, it doesn't matter that much if HRC gets elected or not, so long as there is a prospect of a Clinton Restoration someday. Chelsea could be the next threat.

James said...

Skep: I had not forgotten the media sensation that is their daughter, and your right, that is exactly what's going on with her. I don't think though that'll be as successful as the Clinton's hope. Starting her out directly on the national stage has been a mistake. It could be said that if she'd started at a lower level of politics (state or major city) it would take too ling for Bill and Hillary to benefit, at least in the style they are accustomed to. Just love these people.
PS: How's work? Doing any precast concrete projects in Gaza? Some of the photos I've seen remind me of the trucks that haul around precast conc. septic tanks.

TSB said...

Gaza? Pre-cast concrete of a circular dimension? I see what you're hinting at there. Frankly, I'm amazed that anyone exports construction materials to Gaza anymore, not unless they get to personally supervise where those materials go.

OTOH, those tunnels they built into Israel showed incredible potential, should they ever decide to use their construction skills for peaceful purposes.

James said...

Actually most of the stuff I've seen, isn't all that hard to do, but how they set those exterior precast radius pieces with out an open hole is a pretty good trick.