About last night

I'm not a Presidential debate historian, so I wouldn't begin to guess how Donald Trump fared against history, but I will say this:  If you needed more proof of just how unhinged the republican party has become, Donald Trump's performance last night may have sealed the deal.  Trump has absolutely no business being anywhere near the most important job in the world.  He has not the temperament, the intelligence, the experience, the knowledge, or the drive to look out for the best interests of the American people.

Republicans have given Americans a candidate who is an unqualified ignorant boor--consequences to our nation be damned.

Remember that the next time republicans question a Democrat's patriotism or love for America.

Peace,
emaycee

Every minute

P.T. Barnum famously said there's a sucker born every minute, and "authors" Matt Margolis and Mark Noonan are putting that assertion to the test once again by releasing a book that claims (all evidence to the contrary) Barack Obama is the worst President in U.S. History.

Ahem.

You have to be a serious fucking idiot and/or a Ku Klux Klan type racist to believe that President Obama is the worst President ever, especially in light of the fact that he followed a President, George W. Bush, who actually was one of the most incompetent Presidents we've ever had, if not the most incompetent.

But you can guarantee that scores of suckers will shell out $25 to have their worldview confirmed, all the while living in an alternate reality where they believe the people they vote for actually do give a shit about them, and all those goodies for the wealthy will eventually "trickle down."  And good fucking luck with that one.

Mark these words:  When all is said and done, Barack Obama will go down as the fourth greatest President ever, after Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington.  Moreover, it will be richly deserved.

And the best part will be watching republicans choke on it.

Peace,
emaycee

And another reason...

Not that you need it....

Even though the 2016 Presidential Election isn't yet over, it's not too soon to begin thinking about the 2020 Presidential Election and noting that since it's a census year, it's also a year in which the party that wins in many (though not all) states will have a major role in shaping the new congressional districts that will result from new population figures.  And since 1900, the incumbent President has won 15 out of 20 elections (that's 75% for those of you who aren't math majors)--and a strong candidate at the top of the ticket will surely help downballot candidates.

Just how nice do you think it would be to have control of the House of Representatives again so something can actually get done for the American people?

And after four years of Hillary Clinton, and people realizing she's actually a hell of a President, we just may realize that dream.

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XCI--Iggy Pop: Lust for Life

Fun fact #1:  The music for this week's featured song was written by David Bowie on a ukulele.  How a tune written on a ukulele turned into a classic rock anthem is another in a long line of reminders that show us why David Bowie was a musical genius.

Fun fact #2:  The two men behind the driving rhythm of the song--and let's face it, what makes the song the classic that it is--were Hunt and Tony Sales, whose other claim to fame is that they are the sons of the late comedian, Soupy Sales who had his heyday in the sixties and seventies.

Born James Osterberg, Jr. in 1947 in Muskegon, Michigan (been there, not worth the trip), Iggy Pop got his start in music in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where in the late sixties he was a founding member of the seminal band The Stooges (punk and alternative pioneers, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees).   Outside of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, there aren't many artists who were more influential on the punk and alternative scenes than Iggy Pop and the Stooges.   During his time with the Stooges, Pop developed a reputation for bizarre and outrageous behavior in his stage shows, as well as an overwhelming heroin addiction.  Due in large part to said addiction, the Stooges went their separate ways in the seventies (though they'd reunite in 2003 and still perform together occasionally to this day), at which point Pop hooked up with David Bowie, who produced a couple of Pop's albums, as well as writing a few great tunes together (including Bowie's hit, "China Girl").  Though Pop has never had a great deal of commercial success (he never put an album or a song anywhere near the top ten on the Billboard charts), he has still managed to tour and continue releasing LPs for the better part of nearly fifty years, and happily was able to overcome his heroin addiction in the eighties.

Released in 1977 on the appropriately titled LP, Lust for Life, "Lust for Life" (lyrics by Iggy Pop) has been considered both a paean to heroin and a paean to surviving it (I lean toward the latter, but, hey, I'm a glass half-broken kind of guy).  While not a hit in the U.S. in its initial release, the song was given a new life in the nineties when it was included in the (great) movie, Trainspotting, replete with a music video (back in the day when music TV stations actually played music videos) which featured Iggy dancing happily throughout.  It also came in at #149 on Rolling Stone's list of the five hundred greatest songs of all-time.

"Lust for Life" opens with sixty seconds of one of the most powerful drum and bass riffs (the rhythm was actually borrowed from the Morse code inspired call signal of the Armed Forces Network) in the history of pop music before Iggy Pop so much as sings a single word.  And it never lets up  throughout the song, helping drive Pop's vocals as well as its celebratory nature.  Pop never lets up either--and by the end of the song you're left convinced he really does have a lust for life and wishing you had one, too.  In the end, it's a testament to the power of rock and roll, and its ability to squeeze both the best and worst of this world into a few minutes of pop music heaven.

Rap sheet:  "Oh love love love/That's like hypnotizing chickens...."

Enjoy:

Peace,

emaycee

Polls, schpolls

At the risk of sounding like a republican--and in sharp contrast to many of my fellow Democrats who are wringing their hands this very moment at the continued tightening of the Presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Oompa Loompa Trump--I'm not putting a lot of stock into any polls I see these days.  Frankly, from Huff Post to 538 to Daily Kos to NBC, they all have a vested interest in the race appearing to be as close as possible--no one's going to watch or click on a site if the race is already over.

 I've seen nothing that leads me to believe, other than Iowa, that Donald Trump is capable of winning any state that Barack Obama won in 2012, and there are signs that Secy. Clinton could quite possibly win North Carolina from Willard Romney's loser's share of states in the same election.

Any way you slice it, that's another can of whoop ass opened on republicans in the Electoral College, and four more years of them having to suck on such a drubbing.

Peace,
emaycee

Here's why

Seems there are still a few Liberals out there who either won't or still haven't made up their minds about voting for our candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Here's why they should abandon these foolish inclinations:

Anyone who doesn't think that life under a President Donald Trump won't get considerably worse than they would under a President Hillary Clinton for minorities, the LGBT community, Muslims, women, the poor, and working class Americans is living in some alternate universe where puppies have wings and kitty cats sing songs all day.

Sometimes your vote is about more than you and more than your principles--sometimes it's about taking care of your fellow Americans.

Peace,
emaycee

A lioness and a loser

There seems to be some concern that since Donald Trump isn't preparing for his upcoming debates with Hillary Clinton that his strategy is simply to try to embarrass or shock Secy. Clinton and somehow this will make enough Americans believe he's the shit and give him enough votes to make him the next President.

Please.

Hillary Clinton once stood before all Americans--hell, all the world--after her husband, the most powerful man in the world and the President of the United States, had to admit to that he'd regally fucked up and had a sexual relationship with one of his interns, in the White House, no less.  It was a horrific moment for anyone, let alone the First Lady, and Secy. Clinton handled it with as much grace and class as a human being possibly could in such a circumstance.

Pretty goddamned certain that there is nothing--nothing--that Donald Trump is going to say or do during this year's debates that Hillary Clinton won't shrug off with all the ennui of a lioness swatting a fly off her ass with her tail.

Peace,
emaycee

Babies

Kentucky's idiot Governor, Matt Bevin, said this week that the election of Hillary Clinton may call for the shedding of blood of tyrants and patriots.

Can I just say that any group of bozos that try to use violence to usurp the will of the people should be met with the full force of the U.S. Government and should be smashed into an oblivion that they will so, so richly deserve.

We're taught in fucking kindergarten that throwing temper tantrums is an unacceptable way to attempt to get what we want and it most certainly should not be tolerated from adults, no matter how simple minded.

Peace (or not),
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XC--The Avett Brothers: Murder in the City

On January 21, 2010 (I looked it up--my memory isn't quite that precise anymore) I was channel surfing on a lazy Saturday night when I came across a band I'd never heard of before on Austin City Limits.  About halfway through the show the band played a little ditty called "Murder in the City"--and I became a fan of the Avett Brothers for life.  Seriously--there are exactly two performers whose new releases I'll buy without having heard a single tune:  Bruce Springsteen and the Avett Brothers.  And neither one of them has disappointed me these past few years.

Surprisingly enough, the Avett Brothers are led by the North Carolina bred brothers Scott and Seth Avett.  Though the brothers had played music together for much of their lives, it wasn't until the late nineties when Seth's high school band joined forces with Scott's college band and the siblings began performing publicly together.  Originally called Nemo, the band released three albums.  In 2000 the brothers began experimenting with acoustic music, changed their name to the Avett Brothers, released their eponymous debut. and the rest, as they say is history.  Over the last fifteen years the Avett Brothers have released nine studio LPs (the last three of which have reached the top five on The Billboard 200), four EPs, four live albums, developed a reputation for using a panoply of styles in their music, earned renown for their live shows, and been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Released on their The Second Gleam EP, "Murder in the City" may be the most poignant song ever written about what it means to be in a family.  The sheer humanity of the lyrics is stunning (and this is from one music fan who doesn't put a lot of stock in pop music lyrics, despite how much I may love them)--from the brother/son asking for restraint should he be murdered in the city, to the father expressing so perfectly what a parent's love is, to the brother/son reminding his family that his belongings don't mean much when compared to his love for his sister and mother.  Musically, the song is a pair of acoustic guitars and...that's it until a nice touch of piano at the song's close.  The two guitars are in perfect harmony with Scott Avett's vocals, as earnest and honest as is the song itself.  I'd really be hard pressed to name a song written this century that impresses me more than this one--and every time I hear it makes this old fart folkie smile in both joy and amazement.

Lyric sheet (truer than true words this week...):  "Always remember, there is nothing worth sharing/Like the love that let us share our name..."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXXIX--Herb Alpert: This Guy's in Love with You

Fun fact #1:  Herb Alpert is the only artist in the history of The Billboard Hot 100 to have a number one hit as a vocalist (this weeks featured tune) and a number one hit as an instrumentalist ("Rise"--not worth the effort of actually listening to).

Fun fact #2:  Alpert co-wrote "(What a) Wonderful World" which was a, uh, wonderful hit for Sam Cooke in 1960 (and one of my all-time favorite songs).

You would think, with all the commercial and Grammy success he has had that Herb Alpert would be a household name, but truth is, unless you're of a certain age (that is, old) you probably have no idea who he is.  But back in the day (the 60's for the most part), Alpert and his band, The Tijuana Brass, were about as big as you could get.  Over the course of his career, Alpert has sold 72 million records, has fourteen platinum albums, fifteen gold albums, and has won nine Grammy Awards.  In 1966, Alpert sold more records than the Beatles, and at one point had five albums in the top twenty (four of which were in the top ten) of the Billboard 200, a feat that has never been done since.  Alpert has been performing and recording for seven decades, and released his latest album just last year.

Written by famed songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "This Guy's in Love with You" was originally performed on a TV special featuring Alpert and his Tijuana Brass as a surprise for Alpert's first wife.  After the show, so many people had called in to find where they could buy the song that Alpert decided to release it as a single (it was later put on his The Beat of the Brass LP).  The song would go on to reach #1 (with a bullet!) and spend four weeks at the top of the charts.

A couple of quick notes about the song:  1) The first is the sheer simplicity of the song--quiet and catchy melody, honest and loving lyrics, just a guy in love with a girl. It's also mostly just the piano, with a nice trumpet interlude in the middle.  2)  Alpert's vocals--Alpert is a trumpet player, not a vocalist, but as with so many great songs, sometimes lightning is caught in a bottle.  Alpert nails them--heartfelt and genuine, and to coin a phrase, just a guy in love with a girl.  3)  It has a false ending--I don't know why I enjoy them (probably the jack-in-the-box nature of "Aw, the song's over..." to "Hey, it's not!"), but I do (Rod Stewarts "Handbags and Gladrags" also comes to mind).

Side Note:  Regular readers (all three of you) may note this week's edition of Friday Night Jukebox is a little late...because today marks fourteen years that the Beautiful Girl and I have been together (we've never married, so we celebrate the anniversary of our second date--long story).  And though the Beautiful Girl isn't all that familiar with "This Guy's in Love with You" and though she thoroughly disdains politics, I wanted her to know that fourteen years down the road, "This Guy's (Still) in Love with You..."

Lyric Sheet:  "Tell me now, is it so/Don't let me be the last to know..."

Enjoy:

Peace,

emaycee

On day one

Here's hoping that on Hillary Clinton's first day as President she invites Mitch McConnell and his stooges, and Paul Ryan and his flunkies for a meet and greet at the White House, and after they've been seated and have their cakes and tea in front of them she promptly raises her hand, gives them the finger, and tells them not to let the White House doors hit them in the ass on their way out before she turns her back to them and exits.

Bipartisanship is vastly overrated.

Peace,
emaycee

It's getting more and more absurd

So I'm browsing the headlines in AOL News this morning and come across a piece about Bruce Springsteen and his battle with depression.  Having suffered from depression at one time in my life, I usually take a peek at such pieces to get a fellow sufferer's take on an absolutely soul crushing illness.  As I get to the end I scroll a little too far and end up at the comments section of the piece (which was also a plug for his upcoming memoir, entitled appropriately enough, Born to Run), which I don't usually read because the world is full of far too many deliriously dumb people and it turns out that republicans can't even let a puff piece hawking a book go by without turning it into a racist hatefest because Springsteen exercised his right as an American and supported Barack Obama not once, but twice, for the Presidency.

For fuck's sake, Francis, these people really need to get a fucking life--anybody paying attention knows that Springsteen has made his political affiliations very public at least since his Nebraska LP which Springsteen himself said was a reaction to the damage he saw Ronald Reagan doing to America's working class (and was also inspired by A People's History of the United States  by the democratic socialist historian Howard Zinn).

Besides, it's not as if republicans don't have their own celebrities to turn to.  Don't like Springsteen's politics?  You can always listen to "Wango Tango" by Ted Nugent or watch reruns of Scott Baio's Charles in Charge.

And don't be pissed at Democrats because our celebrities are American icons and yours are such herorrhoidal lame-asses.

Peace,
emaycee

Labor Unions = More Money

A few fascinating facts on my favorite holiday of the year:

• Black Americans in unions earn 16.4% more than their non-union counterparts.
• White men in unions earn 20.1% more than their non-union counterparts.
• Women in unions earn 30.9% more than their non-union counterparts.
• A new study shows that not only do labor unions get more money for their members, they set a standard that gets more money for everyone.

And a link to one of my favorite union songs, "We Have Fed You All a Thousand Years" (truer words, my friends!) by Utah Phillips:

Happy Labor Day, Everyone!
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXXVIII--Joy Division: Love Will Tear Us Apart

Other than The Velvet Underground, one would be hard pressed to name a band that had such a great influence on generations of musicians with such a short-lived career and small studio output than did Joy Division (VU lasted, give or take, from 1965 to 1970--when Lou Reed left--and released four studio LPs; Joy Division lasted from 1976 to 1980 and released one EP and two studio LPs).  Though one could make a case for The Sex Pistols or Nirvana or Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin or The Doors...fuck it, you get the gist:  seminal band, short career.

Formed in 1976 in Salford, England after being inspired by a Sex Pistols concert, Joy Division (originally named Warsaw after a Bowie song, "Warszawa," later changed to Joy Division after a sex slave wing of a Nazi concentration camp in the novel House of Dolls) was quickly on the fast track to rock and roll stardom, releasing an EP within two years and garnering a reputation as a great live band.  Their first full length studio LP, Unknown Pleasures, was released to critical acclaim in 1979.  Sadly, shortly before the release of their second studio LP and the beginning of their first American tour, lead singer Ian Curtis (suffering from epilepsy--he would on occasion have seizures while they were performing live--depression, and a failing marriage) committed suicide.  The band members had a standing agreement that should any one of them leave the band, Joy Division would cease to exist, and thus the remaining band members formed New Order, which went on to have some commercial success.

Released in 1980 on their Closer album, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" would go on to become one of the all-time great singles, at one time being voted best song ever by NME and also showing up on numerous best singles ever lists (including Rolling Stone's top five hundred songs of all-time) despite its rather lackluster beginnings (it hit #13 on the British charts and never charted on The Billboard Hot 100).  Fun fact:  the song is a play on the (not so good) Captain and Tennille mega hit, "Love Will Keep Us Together" (if you've never had the pleasure...don't bother).

For me, the song has several stand out moments that make it a cut (so to speak) above the rest.  The first is its driving rhythm--the drumming is like a gunshot, rat-a-tat, or even like a hammer hitting a nail, from the beginning to the end and the bass practically carries the song with its oh so danceable melody line.  Second are Curtis' unforgettable vocals--he's been compared to the Doors' Jim Morrison (though I don't see it) but I think Curtis is a lot more deadpan than Morrison (at least on this song) and somehow it works rather well with the rather depressing sentiments of the song.   Finally, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is one of those rare songs that gets better each time you listen to it--even these many, many years later for me, there's always some nuance or vocal inflection that I never seemed to notice before that makes it even more enjoyable than the last time I heard it.  Throw in Curtis' own failing marriage and tragic ending, and you have a rock and roll classic.

Lyric sheet:  "Why is the bedroom so cold?  You've turned away on your side/Is my timing that flawed?"

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

After a week in which it came to light that drug manufacturer Mylan has raised the price of the EpiPen (a lifesaver for those who suffer from severe allergies with reactions that result in anaphylactic shock) over 1000% (from $54 to $640) since 2009, and that during that same period, Mylan CEO Heather Manchin Bresch's (daughter of Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, and a huge WTF for that one, even if Sen. Manchin is a DINO) compensation rose from $2.4 million to $18.9 million (a 671% increase for those of you who aren't math majors), Bresch had the audacity to say that we shouldn't blame her but rather our broken healthcare system.

And just who the fuck does she think designed the system?

Because it certainly wasn't working class stiffs like us--no, it was Corporate America and its legion of lobbyists who set it up so that people like Bresch could feed at the trough filled by America's poor and middle class.

Keep in mind that there is a dollar's worth of medicine in each EpiPen.

Someday we need to teach these folks that greed kills--in more ways than one.

Peace,
emaycee