heretics anonymous

Quick post before I head back to the 12th century. (Have you ever heard of Abelard and Heloise? They're like a real-life Romeo and Juliet, except that Abelard is an anti-Semitic jerk, a pontificating, cradle-robbing monk, and Heloise is a hyperbolic, overwrought caricature of wronged-female emotionality. But they also had sex in the nunnery's refectory, so they win major badass points.)

Anyway, for the past week I've been thoroughly embedded in a nearly-900-year-old story in which every other sentence cites, and proceeds to sermonize upon, another obscure biblical allusion or frenzied exaltation of the Lord, which is totally fine if you are a medieval monk or nun but gets really old if you are an agnostic Jew circa 2012.

So this is what I turn to in times of stress: the hypnotic, dirty-pretty acoustic ramblings of a metal-headed nouveau hippie. His name is Kurt Vile, and this is his song "I Know I Got Religion," which has long been a favorite of mine. At this point it's become abundantly clear that I got religion, too; I'm just not sure if I want it. I'll take the song instead.

P.S. Here's a live performance of the song, just because you need to see his hair to believe it. And also because it's a really good live performance.