In Chapter 42 of his Essays, Montaigne remarks that
We praise a horse for its strength and speed, not on account of its harness; a greyhound for its swiftness and not its collar; a hawk for its wing and not for its jesses and bells. Why then do we not value a man for what is his? . . . If you bargain over a horse, you remove its trappings, you see it bare and uncovered . . . . Why, when estimating a man, do you estimate him all wrapped and muffled up? . . . We must judge him by himself, not by his attire. (Tr. E. J. Trechmann)
I am tempted to agree by saying what I once said to my mother when she told me that clothes make the man, namely, that if clothes make the man, then the kind of man that clothes make is not the kind of man I want to be. (Women are undeniably more sensitive than men to the fact that the world runs on appearances. They have a deep intuitive understanding of the truth that the Germans express when they say, Der Schein regiert die Welt.)
But there is another side to the problem, one that the excellent Montaigne ignores. A horse does not choose its bit and harness, but has them imposed on it. A man, however, chooses how he will appear to his fellows, and so choosing makes a statement as to his values and disvalues. It follows that there is some justification in judging by externals. For the externals we choose, unlike the externals imposed on a horse, are defeasible indicators of what is internal. In the case of human beings, the external is not merely external: the external is also an expression of the internal. Our outer trappings express our attitudes and beliefs, our allegiances and alignments.
But enough philosophy! On to some tunes. We get things off to a rousing start this fine Saturday evening with
ZZ Top, Sharp-Dressed Man. This one goes out to Mike Valle who is definitely strutting his sartorial stuff these days.
Bobby Whitlock and Eric Clapton, Bell Bottom Blues. Sticking with the 'blue' theme:
Bobby Vinton, Blue Velvet. Check out the Lana Del Rey version. And of course, this from the moody & mesmerizing David Lynch flick.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes. The Perry Como Show (sic!), 1956.
Mitch Ryder, Devil with the Blue Dress On
Jimmy Clanton, Venus in Blue Jeans, 1962
Bob Dylan, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
Nanci Griffith, Boots of Spanish Leather
Del Shannon, Hats Off to Larry
Bobby Bare, Long Black Veil
Jane Russell, Buttons and Bows
Johnny Cash, Man in Black
Big Bopper, Chantilly Lace, 1958
But:
Can you judge a man by the way he wears his hair?
Can you read his mind, by the clothes that he wears?
Can you see a bad man by the pattern on his tie?
Then Mr. You're a Better Man Than I!
