University of Virginia Library

Kanter Rebuttal

I am writing in response to the
review, (March 2) of "Jefferson
Starship." Paul Kanter offered his
album "Particularly (to) people
who don't have any idea what
they're all about." As I have
admitted to myself that I quite
qualify under that warm
dedication, I feel that perhaps I
have been able to understand what
the album is saying.

I think it is imperative to realize
that records have been for some
time doctrines of our generation's
beliefs. They represent, in my
opinion, a more enjoyable medium
of expressing an idea, a belief, or
simply a glimpse of something so
momentary as reality.

Paul Kantner's album asks as to
look within ourselves, to be
genuinely honest in analyzing what
we are filling our days with, and to
realize that perhaps America is not
the morally righteous country it
once believed it was. There are a lot
of things wrong with America, and
I believe that there are a lot of
people who are not convinced it is
worth saving, if that means the
perpetuation of the existing state.
In a more positive way, it is
necessary to realize that the
problems exist, before they can be
dealt with.

It is a beautiful album that has
many honest things to say if only
you can and will be honest with
yourself about yourself and about
America.

The most important theme of
the album is that as secure
American children we have adopted
and played certain expected roles
all our lives. The social structure of
America has to some extent turned
us into machines, who are no longer
aware of our true identity and of
the meaning of free will. Kantner is
devoted to this belief.

He offers, as a method of self
awareness and of awareness of
social inconsistencies and
incongruities in America the, usage
of drugs. The potential of drugs as a
means of critically objective
analysis of reality has been
experimented with by a good
percentage of pioneers in out
generation. It may one day become
common phenomenon and that is
the reality we should be preparing
for today.

Roger Mifflin
Alan Milne
College 3

Ed.