What the Spanish call 'Duende'

(above)Jake Presses a Button on Dauthuille
(With all due respect to my learned colleague from the Land of Lincolns, who comments below...On Hilary Swank's behalf, I have two words concerning gender and boxing movies: Cathy Moriarity.)

Duende means something like 'the true spirit of the thing' or 'heart' or 'authenticity'. As with "Baby," the last time I felt that duende in art was in a song. Out of nowhere, on Radio Ulster I heard a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song": "Pirates yes dey rob I down to the merchant ship/Minutes I after I look I into the bottomless pit.../Won't you help me sing these songs of freedom/They're all I ever had, redemption songs." It take dumptruck sized dreadlocks to cover that. Not only were the vocals scratchy and dialect sung as written, but it was like running your hand over a scar to listen to.

The singers covering Marley were Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer. The late and dead at 53 from natural causes Joe Strummer from The Clash. As in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I heard the first chords and knew it was Marley's inspiration. I heard the old, old voice of Johnny Cash and knew it was Gospel music. I heard Joe Strummer, who took me through 20 plus years of good and bad times, and I sat down to hang my head.

Now, here is contrition for a guy who drinks a toast to King Billy each July 1...In Morgan Freeman's narration he says, "Boxing is all about respect. Earning respect with your guts and taking the other guy's away from him entirely." Pound for pound, Raging Bull punches its weight. But this flick has duende like chain lightning, from Eastwood to Freeman to Cash to Strummer the whole way across the vault of heaven and back again.

Tommy D....as an outward, visible sign of conversion to this flick, I'll stop wearing Orange on March 17--and I'll take Columbus Day off work. So, paisan, here's to the Sweet FA! La Dolce Farniente!