John Sebastian, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and David Crosby singing "Get Together" at Big Sur Celebration in 1969 (Photo screen capture from YouTube video)
I’ve been angry, anxious and frankly terrorized by the rash of 41 arson fires in West Hollywood and Los Angeles since Thursday. I’ve been waiting for the arsonist(s) to strike my building. Last night the fire burned four cars in a carport on Sweetzer Ave. near West Hollywood City Hall not far from where I live. I now jump at every siren and fire truck and helicopter I hear, even when they are farther away in mid-Wilshire or Hollywood.
And I have witnessed what might otherwise be considered racial profiling – in the name of “when you see something, say something” and “report anyone or anything suspicious.” Last night, not long after the Sweetzer fire started, a helicopter roared directly overhead. I calmed my dogs, grabbed my notebook and camera and dashed out to see what was happening. Up the street on North Laurel Ave, just past The Laugh Factory on Sunset, I saw the LAPD detain a Latino man who was initially suspected of being the or one of the arsonists. It turned out that the guy looked “suspicious” because he worked nearby and he was out to smoke a joint when the cops arrived.
Yes, we need to be vigilant and watch for someone acting suspiciously. But when you start thinking everyone looks guilty until proven innocent, it’s time to chill and get back to basics. And THAT led me to Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills and Nash and John Sebastian singing “Get Together” at the Big Sur Celebration in 1969. This light, this fire of love and inspiration is a nice antidote to the arsonist’s terrorist poison of hatred. Lyrics are after the video, in case you want to sing along. Here’s a sample:
If you hear the song I sing,
You must understand
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It’s there at your command
C’mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev’rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
The lyrics:
Love is but the song we sing,
And fear’s the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Know the dove is on the wing
And you need not know why
C’mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev’rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
Some will come and some will go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moments sunlight
Fading in the grass
C’mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev’rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
If you hear the song I sing,
You must understand
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It’s there at your command
C’mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev’rybody get together
Try and love one another right now
Right now
Right now!
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