Whole Lotta Love

Finally! The Olympics are over.

We watched the closing ceremony. It was interesting to watch China, a culture with 3000 years of tradition in martial arts and choreography, pass the flame to Britain, who celebrated their culture by having David Beckham kick a soccer ball and letting a 64-year-old rocker play guitar.

Jimmy Page has put on a lot of weight since the days when he was addicted to heroin and cocaine.

I thought about those six British performers, on top of a stage in front of 90,000 cheering fans and 2.5 billion TV viewers. They were wondering what to do! They looked at each other in askance and then waved to the crowd perfunctorily.

Contrast that to the 3000 Chinese performers who knew exactly what to do during the opening ceremony, because they had been practicing for three years.

I suppose that's the Olympic spirit--different nations with different tastes.

Still, how has Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, a raunchy rock&roll song about sexual penetration, become an icon for corporate capitalism?

At least, I hope, it wasn't lip-synced.