Reflections on Punky's Dilemma

One of my most recent earworms is a two-sentence statement from the Simon & Garfunkel song titled Punky’s Dilemma. The song appeared on their Bookends album and the lighthearted lyrics went like this:

I prefer boysenberry more than any other jam.
I'm a 'Citizens for Boysenberry Jam' fan.

The song brought back memories of Mr. Harris' high school English class (BRHS-W, late 1960s) in which he would take contemporary songs and have us break them down so we could analyze them, both as poetry and social commentary. "Punky's Dilemma" was one of these songs and despite the lighthearted, almost silly, imagery in the song, there were some serious messages.

Paul Simon's lyrics often contain layers of meaning, blending humor (A Simple Desultory Philippic), social commentary (At the Zoo), and personal reflection (Cloudy). So what's this boysenberry jam stuff tucked in here? What I remembered from more than half a century ago was the last section of the song making reference to mixed responses to the Vietnam War. 

Here are a few thoughts.

On a surface level, this could simply be an expression of a personal taste preference, which is a light-hearted, whimsical detail about the speaker. In the context of Paul Simon's songwriting, however, it's not a stretch to see he's thinking about more than that. "Citizens for Boysenberry Jam" seems to be a humorous barb about how people can be passionate about seemingly trivial choices and how preferences can define identity.

The line conveys a satirical or playful take on political or social movements. By likening a preference for a type of jam to joining a "Citizens for Boysenberry Jam" group , Simon might be poking fun at the fervor with which people sometimes support causes, especially those that seem trivial to others. This could be seen as a commentary on the absurdity of some group affiliations or how consumer choices can become politicized or turned into cultural identities. 

These lines could be critiquing the way society sometimes elevates preferences or tastes to the level of social or political significance. It might question the validity of forming strong community or identity around basic choices like jam preference, satirizing consumer culture or the human tendency to tribalize over minor differences. Over the next several decades we saw the manner in which marketers worked to create tribes passionately attached to their brands. I think here of Saturn (cars), Apple (computers) or Taylor Swift.

Silly? Absurd? I dunno. I just couldn't get the song out of my head this week. And like many things in life, there's a lot you can discover once you begin digging a little beneath the surface.

Here's the song if you're unfamiliar: Punky's Dilemma

*

I remember a student in my dorm at Ohio U who carried a protest sign with a single word on it: "Apathy." He didn't capture a following, but it was another image I haven't forgotten, watching him standing there with that message on a pole. 

When I Paint My Masterpiece: DAI Presents "Public Doman" & "Land of Wonder"

"Someday, everything is gonna be diff’rent when I paint my masterpiece."

One privilege of youth is that you can throw caution to the wind and liberally pursue your passions, no strings to tie you down. The whole experience is made richer by the recklessness of your abandon. Even when you get too close to the sun because you tried to kiss the sky and the the heat melts the wax off your feathers, you can later remember with fondness how it felt... assuming you have a place to make a soft landing.

Later in life you have too many responsibilities to be so carefree. If you have assets you have to think about them. If you have children, a job, a mortgage... you cannot -- unless you're a one-percenter -- just set out like a message in a bottle leaving your destination to the wind and currents.

I mention all this because tonight Ken Bloom's photography exhibit "Public Doman" goes on display at the Duluth Art Institute. In his youth, Bloom followed his bliss and bought a one way ticket to Japan, accompanied by his Leica camera. "Public Domain" is a fulfilling backward look at this experience.

Bloom is Director of the Tweed Museum of Art located on the campus of UMD. Tonight is the opening reception for this show in the Morrison Gallery along with Shawna Gilmore's exhibition of new work. Both galleries are on the fourth floor of the Duluth Depot.

You will find “Land of Wonder: New Paintings by Shawna Gilmore” in the John Steffl Gallery. Gilmore, who paints in acrylic, is a storyteller whose imagery crosses generations. On March 9 she will be giving a family-friendly Artist Talk that will include youth activities, but her work isn't all kid's stuff. As Picasso famously quipped, "It takes a lifetime to learn how to paint like a child." In this case, it is learning to paint with the eyes of a child, to see something fresh in the world we move through and often take for granted. A special feature of this exhibit is a cell phone audio tour stop, where you can listen to the artist talk about her work.

When Jim Morrison of The Doors sang, "This is the strangest life I've ever known" he conveyed it with an ominous texture. Gilmore's world may also be a rendering of strange imagery, but her stories reflect whimsy and delight. You can get a feel for her approach by reading about her show at the Kruk Gallery at UWS last fall.

Also on display during tonight's event is the annual Members Exhibition in the Depot's Great Hall, comprised of work by DAI members created during the past year. If you missed that reception in January, here's a second chance.

For more, visit the Facebook page for this event.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Check it out. It's free.