"But I was hearing it in this totally new way. This is a band from Minneapolis. They are one of the iconic, textbook, Minnesota bands. It seemed to me like this was a song that just makes sense for the national mood, especially with Minnesota as our kind of emotional epicenter right now. This was the song that I was hearing as I was being confronted with so many images coming out of the protests against ICE by the citizens of Minneapolis, Minnesota."
"That little boy in a in a Spider-Man backpack in ICE custody. Alex Pretti and Renee Good being killed. Every time I see somebody's driver's side window get smashed. And the person on the other side, the driver, is like, What the [expletive]? What is going on right now? This is the song that, kind of, speaks to that confusion and anger."
A recurring melody is identified as "Unsatisfied" by The Replacements (1984), whose chorus asks, "Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm satisfied." The song is classically read as a teen-angst anthem but is heard here as reflecting a broader national mood. The song is anchored to Minneapolis imagery: a man led from his house in a blanket and underwear, a small child in a Spider-Man backpack in ICE custody, the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and smashed drivers' windows. The music combines strong guitar with drums that slightly drag, matching confusion and anger.
Read at www.nytimes.com
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