I used to loooove the Macy's Day Parade when I was younger. The Broadway stuff was always "meh" but the floats, balloons, marching bands, stars ("look, it's the cast of The A-Team!" "Wow, the cast of LA Law!"), and all them happy people always made the parade part of the Thanksgiving day ritual. But that was a long time ago. And while my views on Thanksgiving itself are enthusiastic, my views on what America has done to Thanksgiving vis-a-vis Black Friday are not, and coupled with what the televised Macy's Parade has devolved into, I'm at the point where I dvr it and fast forward through all of the rubbish to hopefully find 15 minutes of tv that won't make me wretch. Seriously, I turned it on to some neon clad space cadets dancing to "The Heat Is On" and all I could do was shake my head, praise Jebus for dvr, and indulge in some jaded cynicism before a fine family Thanksgiving repast.
But then I saw Questlove's Twitter and Instagram bonanza from the parade zone, and I felt a lightness of being, and warmth towards my fellow man. The Roots chilling with the gold medal winning Olympics gymnastics team (he called them "idols"); the crowds in the streets on a beautiful day after some not so beautiful ones; that Instagram pic of kids with guitars he dubbed "the future;" Questlove's love for his (and my, and all our) old Sesame Street peeps... it was all good and downright joyful. This is what the parade is all about.
Questlove, of course, is the man. A brilliant drummer, bandleader, DJ, and curator of American music, he's become a national treasure and a prime example of America's inate awesomeness, and I love the Roots and his Twitter feed. And today he struck again, reaffirming my faith in our American experience if not America itself (I mean, I love this country, but let's face it- we're a hot mess), and warming my jaded soul a few hours earlier than expected. Fellow his Twitter feed people, it is good for you. And have a Happy Thanksgiving.
