Sweet home Alabama

I had the iPod on today and Skynyrd came on. I really enjoy many of their songs. I happened to have the browser open and decided to Google "Neil Young v. Lynyrd Skynyrd". I was totally not ready for what I got.

Fights over racism, what the songs mean, and people who claim to know what Ronnie Van Zant was thinking, even though he has been dead for almost 30 years. I found the posting that basically said: "Leonard Skinard-- he a racist" a great example of how one does not need to be very informed to post on the internet.

I don't know what was in their hearts about the song; I just enjoy it and hope that the common theme that comes from loved ones, friends, and surviving band members in the last 30 years is remembered:

Not all whites in the South are ignorant racists; "Southern Man" was using a 'pretty large caliber gun to shoot a couple of bad ducks'. . .

One can google search and find lots of sites that spend thousands of words arguing if it was "Boo Boo Boo" or "Boo hoo hoo" or "Woo Woo Woo" and whether it refers to George Wallace or those that disagreed with him. . . I won't raise their google rankings with another link. I don't know if the Stars and Bars behind the stage was Skynyrd's or MCA's idea; I do know what Skynyrd though of MCA (see song "Workin' for MCA"). But I am willing to admit that my 2007 feelings about the Southern Flag should not broadly paint my views of everyone that performed near one 30 years ago. I would like to see something in Van Zant's own hand that discusses his racial views before I agree with claims of racism. Wait, we have pretty clear clues in the songs: "Things goin on", "Journey through the Past", and "The Balled of Curtis Loew". But that would take a deeper google search when the one of the top links it positive that Leonard Skinard-- he a racist"

The one thing I read that is does not seem to be hotly debated is that the comment "Turn it up" at the beginning was actually Van Zant asking the engineer to adjust his head phones and got left in because it was cool!

Well, back to the iPod. . . I am sure Jimmy Buffett will say something to get PETA's panties in a twist (carnivorous dreams anyone?)