‘Commentary’ Archives
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
By MARTI MALTBY In the 1960s, Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus wrote “Don’t let me Be Misunderstood,” a song with lyrics that are intimate, timeless, and universal all at once. Marti Maltby Sung from the point of view of a flawed human, the song expressed the singer’s desire to be good while also asking: Baby, you understand me now?If sometimes you see that I'm madDon'tcha know that no one alive can always be an angel?When everything goes wrong, you see some bad I’ve always liked the song since I heard Elvis Costello’s version from the mid 1980s, although many other versions exist. I can relate to it so easily, knowing that I want to do what’s right, but that I often hurt the people I care about, or even total strangers, because of my weaknesses and limitations. In some ways, the song offers a gut check to the listener. While we can probably all relate to the singer, we should also try relating to the listener. When someone [...]
The Spirit of Marv Davidov
from the series Raise Your Voice... By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar The stately apartment complex at 2615 Park Avenue was Marv’s home for a spell before his final passing in the year 2012. As a member of the War Resisters League, he had famously given leadership to the Honeywell Project, which exposed the corporate war profiteering of the day. Note: My generation still recalls the image of Vietnamese children running naked beneath clouds of napalm… their skin melting away. June 7, 2025… Beneath the banner of Women Against Military Madness, we marched upon the headquarters of Lockheed Martin, Inc., an outfit which profits from precision guided Hellfire missiles, deployed to take out journalists in Gaza. A few days ago… ‘False flags’ were waving in LA. 1970 something, Honeywell… Marvin admonished the crowd: “We will deem anyone who commits property damage an agent provocateur.” Now… In keeping with the spirit: “the moment [...]
