In which the author makes snide remarks about HBO’s For the People: The Election of Barack Obama

Wow, Barack Obama—what an inspiring figure. Do you remember how, against all odds, he got elected President way back in 2008? And then, despite an about-face in conventional wisdom re: the viability of Obamacare, how he jammed health-care reform (with a public option) through a groaning Congress in late 2009?

But 2010 was really unbelievable—after consolidating his political capital in an unlikely mid-term expansion of the Democratic Congressional majority, Obama made good on his promises to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and close Guantanamo. Then—who could have thought this was possible in the face of flagging support for the Afghan war—do you remember how he established a lasting peace agreement with Iran and North Korea before beating Sarah Palin in 2012 by a remarkable 20 points? I bet that, by 2016, he’ll even figure out a way to get Israel to accept a future Palestinian state and withdraw from settlements in the Golan Heights. I mean, anything can happen—who, in 2014, thought that a workable immigration bill and a marijuana legalization plan would happen a year later? It’s just like that original campaign slogan: “Yes, we can!”

Oh, right—none of this shit happened yet, but we’re celebrating anyway.

Washington psychiatrist Alen Salerian is no stranger to the visual arts. His mother, Kristin Saleri, was a painter of some note in his native Turkey, and two years ago he got into a dustup with his landlord about a statuary garden he placed in front of his Friendship Heights office. Saleri died in 2006; Salerian told City Paper’s Jessica Gould at the time that the garden was a tribute to her.

Her death also helped trigger Salerian’s most recent artistic impulse, the more than 100 paintings he’s done about President Kennedy. That, and the death of Salerian’s friend Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor who was assassinated in early 2007.

“I’m not a painter,” Salerian says in the offices of the Washington Center for Psychiatry, where his paintings adorn most of the public surfaces—the foyer, the reception desk, two reception rooms. There are 38 paintings on view here, and Salerian has plans for an exhibit of his complete JFK oeuvre at a different venue to coincide with the 46th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22. “I do Kennedy research. I began investigating his life, and the discoveries I made profoundly affected me and depressed me,” he says.

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Check it out: More grainy tracks from the “We Are One” concert/love-in. As previously noted, Garth Brooks held the stage for what seemed like an eternity. I include his most palatable track below, since it’s usually a crowd-pleaser.

Garth Brooks on “American Pie”:

John Cougar Mellencamp on “Ain’t That America Pink Houses”:

U2 on “Pride (In the Name of Love)”:

Just returned from a spot of Indian food after the “We Are One” concert, where I collected some supremely lo-fi recordings of the hit-or-miss performances.  Garth Brooks got a lot of stagetime.  Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock got glossed over.  Will.i.am and Sheryl Crowe did some decent Marley with a sanitized “Where Is the Love” interlude.  My favorite performace, amazingly, was Bettye Lavette and (wait for it) Jon Bon Jovi on Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Also dug U2 more than I’d expected and found Pete Seeger a welcome presence.

First batch below.  More in a bit, plus a rundown of last night’s Mike Errico/Alfonso Velez/Sketches show at Jammin’ Java.

Springsteen, with gospel choir, on “The Rising”:

National anthem:

Lavette & Bon Jovi on “A Change Is Gonna Come”:

James Taylor & John Legend on “Shower the People”: