Constructing a high-rise hotel on Siesta Key is like hanging a portrait of Kim Kardashian next to the Mona Lisa. Who cares if it is tawdry and tacky and demeans the character of the museum? Just look at all of those new customers it is going to attract!
The Mona Lisa actually has a lot in common with Siesta Key. Both are visions of interpretational beauty that have become victims of repulsive greed. It’s called overtourism. Look it up. The dictionary now recognizes it as an official word.
The Mona Lisa, of course, hangs in the Louvre. In 2019, the museum actually shut down because the workers went on strike. Why? Too many people were coming to see it. Here was the statement their union put out: “The Louvre is suffocating. While the public has increased by more than 20% since 2009, the palace has not grown. Today the situation is untenable.”
Tornado and COVID changed everything for Gillian Welch (in a good way)
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Time’s the revelator. Gillian Welch told us 20 years ago. Archaic language, mystical visions and all, the song that opened her breakthrough album was a riposte to those who called her a “pretender” from California dabbling in the dark woods of Appalachia. Ten songs later, a musical revelation of historic proportions was undeniable.
But even America’s queen of the bluegrass/old-time folk renaissance couldn’t foresee the silver linings the terrible year of 2020 would bring.