Thoughts on a Friday night

What America needs, according to this pundit, is a couple of cultural ambassadors.
Johnny Cash. Louis Armstrong.
These guys made the rest of the world love America. I once read a letter to a music magazine in which the writer described being in a small airport in the middle of Siberia, and an old Russian man recognized him as American and offered him the headphones he was wearing. The writer immediately recognized the bass voice of Johnny Cash, and the two, who did not speak each other's language, shared broad smiles and nods of understanding.
One of my friends, who grew up in Bulgaria under the Communists, was a huge fan of heavy metal bands, and had to rely on outlawed recordings to get his fix. When Communism fell, bands like Metallica paid special trips to Bulgaria to thank their fans for their devotion.
It doesn't get a lot of mention, but these performers that represented America also came from the lowest class. Louis Armstrong grew up playing trumpet in a New Orleans bordello, and Johnny Cash grew up picking cotton. Somehow, they made people all over the world happy, and were able to bridge the gaps of language and culture with just their breath.

I don't know why I'm writing this. It just seems like those days and people are long gone.

Then again, like Gore Vidal says, we are already living in someone else's golden age. I think Gore Vidal said that.

No matter. Go listen to some Johnny Cash. You'll know I'm right.