Hard Hearts: The Spiritual Dimensions of "Hatfields and McCoys"

As I watched the three-night miniseries Hatfields and McCoys on The History Channel this week - which apparently drew in over 13 million viewers - I was struck how, from start to finish, the show about the famous 19th century feud between two families on the border of West Virginia and Kentucky was grounded in a wider context of spirituality and religion.

For starters, one of the show's theme songs (mid-way through the trailer above) is a song by The Silent Comedy called "Bartholomew" (the name of one of the twelve apostles of Jesus), with the lyrics "Oh my God please help me, knee deep in the river tryin' to get clean." It ends with the plaintive calls: "swing sweet charity," and "swing sweet Seraphim."

"Devil" Anse Hatfield

Kevin Costner, who stars as "Devil" Anse Hatfield, wrote and recorded the soundtrack for the miniseries with his band, including the song "I Know These Hills," in which the singer laments: "I know the touch of the sacred ground where they'll lay my body down... Ash into ash, dust into dust, Father to Son, steel into rust."

The other lead character - Randall McCoy, played by Bill Paxton - is outwardly religious, and is constantly alluding to hell, damnation, prayer, justice. As one would expect from the era and locale, there are also several scenes in which Bible verses and churches play prominently - and the series culminates and ends with a baptism in a river. (Costner - as he emphasized recently at Whitney Houston's funeral - was himself raised in a Baptist church.)

What should we make of this background for a story that is all about bloody violence and revenge? And how do these deeper meanings inform the story of Hatfields and McCoys?

A Meaty Summer Reading List

Looking to disappear into the hottest Oprah's book club selection or New York Times best-seller -  a book that will fill your sunny, self-indulgent beach days with recycled plots and mindless page-turning?

Wrong blog.

But we've got something better - the literary equivalent of sirloin steaks and brews. Instead of reading what all the other shlubs at the beach are reading, post up like you're Sawyer on Lost. You don't see that king of cool nicknames idling days away with John Grisham thrillers or Nora Roberts romances, do you? No, sir - he's too busy pondering tough questions with the likes of Walker Percy.

Here are ten books published in the past few years that we think will not only entertain you this summer, but edify you - books of depth and wisdom, truth and beauty. I've only completed one of them and am mid-way through two - and I hope you'll join me throughout the summer in checking out the rest. (We've linked to the Amazon pages for you.)

So find that perfect spot in the shade, convert that trashy paperback into a handy-dandy cocktail stand, and be onto something!

What Is The Soul of a Man?

For the world is broken, sundered, busted down the middle, self ripped from self and man pasted back together as mythical monster, half angel, half beast, but no man...Some day a man will walk into my office as a ghost or beast or ghost-beast and walk out as a man, which is to say sovereign wanderer, lordly exile, worker and waiter and watcher.

- Walker Percy, Love in the Ruins

When I first heard that Tom "It's Not Unusual" Jones (yes, the same Tom Jones who appears in Mars Attacks) would be releasing an album with covers of songs by some of my favorite artists - Tom Waits, The Low Anthem, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen - I was perplexed, but excited. 

Jones' album Spirit in the Room has just been released in the UK; US audiences will have to wait until June 5th to purchase it. Still, he's been out there doing the promotional work, including releasing a video of the Leonard Cohen cover and appearing on Later with Jools Holland to sing one cut off the record, "Soul of a Man."

The chorus of that bluesy 1930 Blind Willie Johnson song centers around an interesting philosophical question. Johnson and Jones invite us to ask: What is the soul of a man? And how does it relate to our bodies?

Mercy, Mercy Me: Wes Pendleton and the Concept of Mercy

Children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.

-GK Chesterton

This week, Illect Recordings rapper and producer Wes Pendleton released a fantastic little EP called Nebulous (download here for...well, name your price). I've worked with the good people at Illect on some side projects, and I'm continuously impressed by the quality of their music, from Sivion to Theory Hazit to Dert, all of it deeply rooted in the Native Tongue ethos of the golden age of hip-hop.

Wes Pendleton

Pendleton's EP is a short but sweet addition to their impressive catalog - a soul-soaked, sample-heavy record that says a lot by saying very little. It leaves the listener wanting more - longer verses, a longer album, more beats and interludes, more stories - but like Blu's "Jesus" EP (which we covered here), it passes like a cloud and says what it says, no more and no less. 

It's brevity doesn't equal banality - some of the simplest expressions are the most profound. There is a lot going on in this EP - not least of which is a strong focus on the concept of mercy. 

I've written before about the idea of "the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God" - but exactly what is mercy? And how is it different from justice?

10 Music Videos For 100k Hits

It's hard to believe - but we're coming up on the one-year anniversary of the first By Way of Beauty post in just a couple of months.

In that time, some amazing things have happened - none of which would've occurred without our faithful readers. We'll take a look back at the whole year when that anniversary date comes in July.

Is your country here? Check out our
international readers to date by the numbers.

In the meantime, something exciting happened this week: we passed 100k hits on the site. To those taking out the time to read what we write and share it with others - we're honored to have your help in reaching this level.

As a small thank you, we wanted to make a post with ten music videos we've produced in the past year (you can find them all on our YouTube channel).

If you have any requests for a music video for a movie we've posted about (or any other movie, for that matter), let us know in the comments section below!

And again: Thank you! 

Matisyahu's New Single, "Sunshine"

Maybe you've noticed - we're big Matisyahu fans here at By Way of Beauty.

Beard or no beard, Matisyahu is an inimitable force in the industry, and by virtue of his authentic expression and imaginative lyrics, the spiritual musician par excellence. His music - which has definitely evolved over the years - continues to draw all kinds of listeners into his ongoing search for the source of all light and love, a search which shows no signs of slowing. Seeking God, Matisyahu shows us, involves diving into a confounding mystery, a fiery relationship - and mysteries and relationships only deepen and brighten. Or, in the words of a mediation from his website, it means an "existential leap" into the great unknown; not once and for all, but "every moment anew."

The title of his new album ("Spark Seeker" - due out July 17) suggests he'll keep drawing us into that search with him. The first single, "Sunshine," (embedded above), is a breezy, sunny invitation to that next leg of his musical journey, and a suitable prelude to the long hot summer that awaits us. (Download here!)

No more rambling this week - we'll let the lyrics of "Sunshine" speak for themselves. Enjoy!

"Pope Michael" & The Question of Moral Authority

I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it.

- George Carlin

Where does your authority on moral decisions - on what's right and wrong - come from?  I don't mean a person who exemplifies what is good - I mean the person that guides you on what is good.

Most of us are inclined to answer, "my conscience." Or is it your clergyman? A holy book? A political party? The president? The pope? Or is there just no such thing?

I found myself wondering about the question of moral authority as I watched the unique new documentary Pope Michael by Adam Fairholm (full movie embedded above).

This film - which sometimes feels like a collaboration between Flannery O'Connor and Harmony Korine - paints a fascinating psychological portrait of a strange southern man named David Bawden who believes that he, not Benedict XVI, is the Bishop of Rome.