KEVIN McCORRY, HOST: I’m Kevin McCorry and this is ‘Jukebox Journey’
[MUSIC MONTAGE: “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Killer Queen” by Queen, “Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?” by Bobby Darin, “Doubt” by 21 Pilots, “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” by Bob Dylan]
KM: We’re unstuck in time, jumping through decades and genres, meditating on a theme.
This week: Chess, anyone?
[MUSIC: “Royals” by Lorde]
KM: From 2013, Lorde.
It’s become a surefire bedtime deflection tactic. The oldest calls out: ‘Dad, can we play chess?’
Who could say no? He’s 11 and can easily cook, as the kids say, most adults you know. Your matches are still 50/50, but you can feel the ledger quickly titling away from you. At least for the moment, though, when you’re at the board together, you’re equals.
[MUSIC: “Your Move” by Yes]
KM: From 1971, yes, it’s Yes.
As you proceed with your opening, your strategy evolves in a dance with your opponent. Each piece has its purpose. Each move carries risk and reward. It’s is all there to see, if only you can see it.
[MUSIC: “The Mystery of Chessboxin’” by Wu Tang Clan]
KM: The 1983 Kung Fu film “Shaolin and Wu Tang,” which inspired the Staten Island rap group a decade later.
The boy plays aggressively. His Queen advances and puts you on the defense. But sometimes he tips his hand and you can quickly flip the advantage.
The next few decisions you make will likely make the difference between:
[MUSIC: “At Last” by Etta James]
KM: And….
[MUSIC: “All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James]
KM: From Chess Records, Etta James singing a pair from 1960.
The result, though, actually doesn’t matter. The joy of the game is the clarity it offers. Win or lose, you’ll know how and why.
In a world where technology is changing the game by the moment, there’s comfort in something that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years….When norms are being tested, there’s a thrill in having defined boundaries.
[MUSIC: “On the Radio” by Regina Spektor]
KM: From 2006, Regina Spektor.
The game also offers distraction from your nagging existential inner monologue. What will his future look like? Will AI take all the jobs? Is constant access to the internet deranging our culture? Is virtue still a thing? Are you becoming the ‘old man yells at cloud’ meme?
[MUSIC: “Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver)” by Merle Haggard]
KM: Merle Haggard from 1981.
But at the game board, you can focus on the pieces you control. Just the two of you. No screens. No Distractions. Mutual engagement.
[MUSIC: “In a Silent Way” by Miles Davis]
KM: Miles Davis from 1969.
Soon enough, it’s obvious he’s going to win this one. You scurry around with the feeble pieces you have left, prolonging the inevitable.
What started as his ploy to defer bedtime has become your own deflection. When the king falls, those nagging questions will be there, waiting.
[MUSIC: ‘Future is Uncertain” by Tim Heidecker]
KM: From 2022, Tim Heidecker.
So, you keep fighting til the bitter end. And with checkmate, the game resolves, as each does, in a handshake….and the possibility of a rematch tomorrow night.
Until then, off the board, each decision carries risk and reward. And even as the rules change and boundaries blur, you try to move with purpose.
Something, you hope, he comes to see as virtue.
[MUSIC: ‘End of the Line” by the Traveling Wilburys]
KM: From 1988, The Traveling Wilburys.
I’m Kevin McCorry, and this has been a Jukebox Journey on WHYY.
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