Friday, February 1, 2008

How deep is the "Weeds" theme- song?

While studying abroad in Santiago, Chile during 2007 I took some time to acclimate myself to the musical, social and political scene in the country. Chile is not yet 20 years free from a 17-year brutal authoritarian government, headed by General Augosto Pinochet, which tortured and murdered leftists and sympathizers (or here). One of the most symbolic figures of the violation of human rights and resistance to the military government as well as an iconic musical figure in the Nueva Canción (New Song) folk revival movements in Latin America was Victor Jara.

After picking up his album, El derecho de vivir en paz (The right to live in peace), I was instantly won over by his biting social commentary on issues of poverty, the Vietnam war and the toxic effects of US corporate control of Chile's natural resources not to mention his excellent sound musically (I'm sure you'll all notice that my grasp of social and historical issues far exceeds my musical savvy ;).

To the point, midway through the album I found myself humming the music to a song, Casitas del Barrio Alto. After a few listens, I realized that the song had been used as the theme song for the TV show Weeds. Though the lyrics are practically a direct translation, Jara's version has a stanza criticizing the children of the Chilean elite for using violence to attack leftists and 'play politics'. I've only seen parts of the second season of the show, however I'd like to know how consciously the creators of the show sympathize with Jara's message and the extent to which the show is critical of the very culture and lifestyle it chooses to portray.