Double Middles

This week’s Three Tune Tuesday is personal, political, and unapologetically defiant. When Donald Trump attempted to stage a partisan concert and seven of nine scheduled artists declined to participate upon learning its true nature, it was a reminder that saying “no” is one of the most powerful things an artist can do. That act of refusal — of drawing a line and refusing to let your name, your talent, or your reputation be used for something that conflicts with your convictions — is the thread that ties together this week’s three selections. We open with Eva Tanguay’s “I Don’t Care” (1922, Nordskog Records), the only recording ever made by the woman known as the Queen of Vaudeville, whose entire career was built on the radical act of not giving a damn what anyone thought of her. From there we move to Gus Van’s “Promise Me Everything, Never Get Anything Blues” (1923, Columbia), a Tin Pan Alley blues complaint about being strung along by someone who talks big and delivers nothing — a sentiment that needs no further explanation in the current moment. We close with Bert Williams’ “Never Mo’” (1920, Columbia), a song monolog by the greatest Black entertainer of the early twentieth century, a man who spent his entire career navigating a system designed to exploit him while denying him basic dignity. “Never mo’” — nevermore — is the final word, the line drawn in permanent ink. Sometimes the most important thing an artist can say is no. Sometimes the most eloquent gesture is a double middle finger. Bert William’s Silent Movies Fish (1916) Natural Born Gambler (1915)