Sunrise with the White Album

On early Sunday mornings WZLX, 100.7FM, has “Breakfast with the Beatles.” A few minutes ago I was listening to the song Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? off the White Album. That caused me to time warp back to an English class I had at Rhode Island College taught by Paul Anghinetti.



Paul was one of those professors who spent half the class pontificating on life instead of teaching the subject matter. He was quite opinionated about my generation, the Boomers. He would, rather jokingly and amusingly, criticize the hell out of us over whatever thing he could find. The thing was, he was right.


“You people can’t WRITE! You can barely read for that matter! Want to know when I last taught a real English class? Huh? It was 1972 for God’s Sake!! No one I came across after then could do it!” Pauly (as he preferred to be called) had no problem telling us how horribly educated we were up to that point.


Another morning in his class brought this.


“Oh, you think YOUR generation, the 60’s and 70’s are going to be the ones who “mark” the 20th century? Noooo! It was WWI and WWII that’s going to be remembered. You think the Beatles are going to be the signature of the past 100 years? And another thing! You people have NO morals! Hell, you display it in your music…”Why Don’t We Do It in the Road” is a perfect example!


Pauly wasn’t a prick. He was just lamenting all the things he grew up with. The WWII generation was being shoved aside and forgotten. In fact, Pauly was one of the more entertaining professors I’ve had at RIC.


And now I’m hearing Yer Blues now, “My mother was of the sky. My father was of the earth. And I am of the universe. And you know what it's worth.“(nothing at all).

English Dept. at Craig Lee