And another...

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CIX--Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime

It's surprising, considering how many best of all-time lists it shows up on, that "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads was pretty much a dud when it was first released as a single.  It reached #103 (sadly, without much of a bullet) on the Billboard Hot 100 "Bubbling Under" chart and that was that.  But then a newfangled station, MTV (and proof that MTV wasn't always shit), gave its quirky video (Revenge of the Nerds sings a sermon) plenty of airplay and with the help of numerous critics (proof that critics aren't always full of shit) it's become the classic that it is.  

Talking Heads were formed by three art school friends (David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth--Jerry Harrison joined shortly thereafter) in 1975.  They released their first album in 1977, became immediate critical darlings (if not commercial successes), and with the Ramones and the New York Dolls were in the foreground of the U.S. punk movement.  They would go on to release eight albums (featuring sounds of pop, rock, punk, funk, and African beats), a concert film, tour regularly, and all produced some solo work (Frantz and Weymouth would eventually marry, and their side project, The Tom Tom Club, though not my cup of tea, had a modicum of commercial success).  Alas, inner turmoil led to the band's break-up in 1991, and other than the concert for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, haven't played together since.  Still, they are on most best bands of all-time lists (richly deserved, though I have to admit I came to appreciate their greatness more the older I got), and get shitloads of extra coolness points in my book for their killer cover version of Al Green's "Take Me to the River."

Released in 1981 on their Remain in Light LP (a classic in its own right), "Once in a Lifetime" is a, well, once in a lifetime song.  Driven by the African beat influenced rhythm section of Frantz (drums) and Weymouth (bass), the song thump, thump, thumps its way into your consciousness while David Byrne barks sing-speak like a Southern preacher the questions of a man questioning his very existence.  The song moves in and out of its catchy as all hell chorus before the song slows and Byrne calls out the song's signature line--"Same as it ever was..."--over and over until finishing on an emaycee fave, a chorus repeated again and again (with one more great question session mixed in).  Lightning in a bottle, a special kind of magic, thunderstruck, what have you, it's one of those rare songs that is both unique and a rock and roll dream.

Liner notes:  "And you may ask yourself/Am I right?...Am I wrong?/And you may tell yourself/My God!...What have I done!..."

Enjoy (Side note:  Their video for the song is considered one of the best ever made--it is most definitely unforgettable):

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee

Hasta la vista, senor

Vete al carajo, Senor Trump!

While Mexican officials were here to negotiate the details of President Nieto's first visit to Washington since Donald Trump's "election," in their infinite wisdom the Trump administration decided to go ahead and have him sign the executive order for the Mexican wall.  Enraged, President Nieto went on Mexican TV to tell his citizens that a) Donald Trump was a racist asshole, b) to reiterate that Mexico was not paying one penny for the wall, and c) to announce he would be cancelling his visit, a visit every Mexican President has made to meet with our new President since Ronald Reagan was first elected. 

Did I mention this wall is going to cost U.S. taxpayers $15 billion?

Seven days in and Trump has already been bitch slapped by the Mexican President--what the fuck do you suppose is going to happen when the real Superpower nations step up to the plate?

There's a swing...it's a long drive...

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee

Fuck you, Mr. Trump

Republican leadership on its way to work

Rather than do their fucking job--which, by the way, is to look after the best interests of the American people--Donald Trump and his band of misanthropes (better known as the republican party) are purposely sabotaging Obamacare by shutting down all of its lines of communications with five days remaining in the signup period so they can attempt to paint it as a failure.

And here's a big fuck you to the lot of them--the truth, my friends, is indeed out there:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Giving the devil his due

Satan laughed...at the republican party

Any which way you look at it, in the end the republican party made a deal with the devil in accepting a veritable madman like Donald Trump to be the leader of the free world.  Outside of the lunatic fringe, the only reason most republican leaders have accepted him is so that they can finally force their rich people/Corporate America/Wall Street agenda down all of our throats.

Alas, republicans have forgotten that when all is said and down, Satan always comes calling for his end of the bargain, and he usually exacts much more than he gives.

And eventually they will find out that payback is indeed a mother fucker.

Here's hoping it's sooner rather than later.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

The most important wall

Preserve us and protect us

Donald Trump and his supporters are keeping busy these days by lying about why Hillary Clinton got three million more votes than his Oompa Loompaness and claiming that California "allows" illegal voting (and never mind the six kinds of stupid it takes to believe that).  For a group of people that is convinced the U.S. government wants nothing more than total control of their lives, what they ought to be doing is moving to the Golden State en masse.

Because for the next few years, California and its sixth largest economy in the world is going to be the last line of defense that keeps America from becoming Nazi Germany.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

This is how fucked up it's going to be

Something wicked this way comes...

For as long as I can remember, my youngest son and I have gone outside every night whenever I'm home before he goes to bed.  We check out the stars, if the moon is up, what phase it is in, and being Michigan, many nights we just get to stare into clouds.  Because of the bizarre weather we've been having the past two weeks (snow, ice storm, barrage of rain, fifty degree temps), the last couple of nights have been unusually foggy and misty for this time of year.  So tonight we're out there trying to find any light through the fog (hopeless), and as I'm looking into the mist, I shit you not, I actually had this thought:  "Jesus, I hope Trump didn't blow us up on his first day and this isn't some sort of alternate dreamscape afterlife I'm gazing at...."

Man, it's going to be a long fucking four years.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CVIII--Tegan and Sara: Walking with a Ghost

On this dreariest of days (both politically and weather-wise) for a bit of levity you can imagine the ghost you're walking with to be either the spectacular Obama Presidency or more depressingly, what's left of our democracy...

It's not often you get to write about a band that is lead by openly gay identical twin sisters from Canada--actually, it's never before--but that's what we have this week.  Twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin have been making music since 1995 (when they were fifteen, for Christ's sake) and released their first studio album when they were both nineteen years old in 1999.  Over the years they have released eight studio albums, had a top three record on the Billboard 200, been nominated for a couple of Grammy's, been nominated for and won several Juno's (for those forgetful sorts, that's the Canadian equivalent of our Grammy's), and are quite the prolific touring band.  They've also somehow managed to find time for politics in both Canada and their sometime home here in the U.S., fighting for, among others, gay rights, musical education, literacy, and cancer research.  Well, done, ladies!

Released as a single in 2005 from their So Jealous LP, "Walking with a Ghost" may well be the Green Eggs and Ham of pop music, using only 24 words (though repeated often) in two minutes and thirty two seconds.  Musically, it's about as simple--it starts with some short acoustic guitar bursts with a little drumming, and leads into some short electric guitar bursts with a little drumming.  The vocals have a little (and believe me, too much would have killed it) eighties pop vibe with their reverberations and robot-like cadence,  In a word or two, it's catchy as all hell--between the guitars and the music and the vocals it's all but impossible not to sing along and shake your booty just a bit while you're doing it.

[Aside:  For those interested, The White Stripes did a cover version of "Walking with a Ghost" about a year after Tegan and Sara released the original--while I can't say I like it as much as the original, if you're an aficionado (as I am) of Jack White's guitar playing he does a nice take on the song's guitar line (can be found here)]

Rap sheet:  (Uh, kind of hard to find anything that stands out in such a brief set of lyrics) "I was walking with the ghost/I said please please don't insist..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

The man who would be the Ayatollah of America

Jesus was such a wimp...

Any folks who think the choice of  Mike Pence as Donald Trump's Vice President wasn't orchestrated by the powers that be in the republican party (most notably the Koch Brothers, the DeVos family, and Sheldon Adelson, among others) are seriously deluding themselves.  Should Donald Trump be unable to finish his term (not a prediction, it's just a possibility), or decide against a second term, or even eight years from now, Mike Pence would be their perfect wet dream, a capitalistic Theocrat.

The rest of us would not be so lucky.

Pence and his cult (aka, the religious right) seriously believe that God loves unfettered capitalism and that feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, caring for the sick, and being tolerant of others has nothing to do with Jesus' call to love your neighbor as yourself.  Separation of chuch and state to them is for sissies--they believe this country should be run by white Christians for white Christians.  The rest of us are going to hell anyway, so our cares and concerns don't really matter.

And with the country overwhelmingly run by republicans, Pence and his minions would be free to discriminate against the LGBT community, disenfranchise minorities, and to fight to keep women in the kitchen just like he did in Indiana.

And the United States would eventually grow up to be just like...Iran.

Peace,
emaycee

What a mighty good man

Another profile in courage

You know what the Democratic Party needs?  One whole hell of a lot more folks like John Lewis.  Do you know the courage it takes to go on national TV and say that you think Donald Trump is an illegitimate President?  In this day and age in America, when half the republican party thinks they have a constitutional right to shoot you to death because they don't like the color of your shirt?  When white men have become emboldened by his election to think they can proclaim the most racist vitriol toward anyone who rightfully challenges their worldview?

There hasn't been a whole hell of a lot to celebrate since last November's election, but when you watch men like John Lewis take a stand for all of us, you can't help but think we might just have a chance after all.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CVII--Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Stove by a Whale

Truth be told, other than "Stove by a Whale," I don't know jackshit  by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.  And while this is true to a certain extent with some of the other songs featured here on FNJ  ("Bittersweet" by the Hoodoo Gurus or "Stupid" by the Long Winters), I've at least heard the album it appeared on or another song or two by the band.  Not so, with Ted Leo--I know nothing.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists began in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and are still recording and touring to this day, though the only constant in the band is Ted Leo as the Pharmacists have gone through numerous incarnations.  They've released seven LPs. several EPs, and a handful of singles, and near as I can tell have never had one that anywhere near resembled a hit record.  Through their steady touring they've developed something of a loyal following, but if I had my guess, it would be that 99.9 percent of the people in the world have no idea there is such a band and probably never will.

All of which, once again, shows the magic that is pop music:  how often does some out of nowhere band or solo artist produce a song that you've heard by a fluke occurrence ("Stove by a Whale" came with another in a long list of assists from my daughter) and come to spend the rest of your life loving though with the plethora of music released each year and the constraints of time it's virtually a miracle it ever came to your ear?

Originally, I thought "Stove by a Whale" was an environmental song, some kind of comment on the pollution in our oceans (you know, someone had been on the beach or on a boat, and had seen a whale swimming with a discarded stove floating nearby), but, as is often the case, I was nowhere near right.  Stove, which is the past tense of "to stave" actually means to smash a hole into to something, and the reference comes from Herman Melville's Moby Dick (though it seems to have many other sources as well, as whaling was once quite the profession).  All of which is zero help in explaining the meaning of the song, which some have noted has something to do with some kind of personal liberation, but means fuck all for all I know.

Released on technically the band's first album (Leo had released an album before under that moniker, but it was actually a solo effort), The Tyranny of Distance (the title taken from a Split Enz song called "Six Months in a Leaky Boat"), "Stove by a Whale" is as 70's rock influenced as anything the White Stripes have ever done.  An eight minute and two second tour de force, the song starts with a throbbing pair of guitars that sound almost like dueling foghorns (sounds crazy, but it really works).  It then weaves its way into Leo's vocals which venture from a rant into a scream with a staccato delivery (again, crazy but it works).  The vocals end at about the four minute mark and the song cascades into the foghorn guitars before turning to a more traditional guitar solo that is layered with an hypnotic bass for the final four minutes.  I could see how the song would not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're looking for something a bit avant garde with a 70's sensibility, this is the song for you.

Liner notes:  "Not in what you hear, but feel, surreally thrust between/What accents mean and what you think they should..."  (Yeah, I have no idea, either, but it sounds really cool...)

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

The personification of a great American

Yes, we did

One of the five greatest Presidents in American history gave his farewell address to us tonight and despite what Commie loving republicans and our incompetent national media would have you believe, our nation has been blessed to have President Obama lead us.  He guided us through one of our nation's darkest hours with as much compassion, grace, wit, intelligence, and class as any human being can possess.  Despite facing unprecedented obstructionism, the continuing stain of racism, and literally billions of dollars spent by the likes of the Koch brother and the DeVos family to defeat his agenda for the real working folks of this country, he succeeded beyond all of our wildest imaginations.  He and Mrs. Obama gave us a first family to be inspired by and aspired to.

I can honestly say that under his Presidency I have never been prouder to be an American and my two votes for him were the two best votes I've ever cast in my thirty-eight years of voting.  We're a better country because of him.

Thank you, Mr. President, and godspeed to you and your family...

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

A very special report

After Meryl Streep's brilliant speech last night at the Golden Globes in which she questioned the future of a nation that elected a cretin who had mocked a disabled reporter, Donald Trump took to the republican Silver Liar's Playbook and tried to say that he never actually mocked said disabled reporter.  As it's on tape, Trump apologist Kellyanne Conway went on the TV shows today to tell us that since Trump is so much superior to the rest of us, we shouldn't listen to what he says, but rather should look into his heart instead.

We here at A Liberal in the Motor City decided to do just that.  Here is what we found:

Egad--as we feared, it's full of shit.  Deplorable!

Our conclusion:  you can paint a turd gold, but in the end, it's still just a fucking turd.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

What a piece of work is a turtle

Commie lover Mitch McConnell

After Chuck Schumer this week hinted that Democrats may actually show a spine and blockade any Donald Trump nominee to the Supreme Court (and for four years, if necessary), Mitch McConnell actually had the fucking gall to proclaim that the American people wouldn't stand for it...apparently forgetting that the American people stood by just fine as he and his turtle minions blockaded President Obama's choice of Merrick Garland for nearly a year.  And considering that our candidate got three million more votes than their candidate, and that our Senators got over twenty million more votes than their Senators, I think the American people have pretty much spoken on who they want to appoint our next Supreme Court nominee.

One thing's for sure--though I became an atheist a couple of years back, there's still a part of me that hopes there is a heaven after we depart this vale--just so we can spend eternity slapping the shit out of chickenshit assholes like Mitch McConnell.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CVI--James Taylor: Sweet Baby James

The first record I ever bought (would have been about 1974 or 75) with my own money was James Taylor's Greatest Hits.  Unlike the first album purchase of many a music fan, it's not an album I've outgrown or long ago thrown to the wayside.  I still have my original copy, though the LP itself is well-worn and the album cover long ago lost the luster of its original lily-white.  And lo these forty some odd years later, listening to James Taylor remains one of my most comforting artists to listen to when all seems bleak.

And just the perfect antidote for what 2017 appears to be, when you consider that we're about to swear in an incompetent and idiotic turd as our next President in two weeks time.

Sigh.

By the time he was twenty-one, James Taylor had committed himself to two different mental institutions and had a full-blown heroin addiction.  By the time he was twenty-three, he'd had a top ten album, a #1 single, and was on the cover of Time magazine.  This isn't to say that all was well with Taylor--he battled his heroin addiction into the 80's.  But he did carve out quite the career--17 studio albums, over 100 million records sold, induction into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and still draws millions of fans whenever he tours.  He also has the distinction of being the first American act signed to Apple Records (both Paul McCartney and George Harrison made guest appearances on his first album), and of having his first #1 single in 1971 (a cover of Carole King's "You've Got A Friend") but not having his first #1 album until forty-four years later in 2015 (Before This World--truthfully, not one of his better efforts).  In fact, Taylor has the second longest wait in chart history, behind Tony Bennett at 54 years, for having his first number one LP.

Oh, the things you'll learn here on Friday Night Jukebox...

And for those who come here for politics, Taylor is a long time supporter of Democratic candidates and regularly makes appearances and performs at their rallies (John Kerry, Deval Patrick, Barack Obama among many others).  Thanks, Mr. Taylor!

"Sweet Baby James,"released in 1970 on his appropriately enough titled second LP, Sweet Baby James, was the first single from the LP but surprisingly enough, since it's a concert staple and fan favorite, never charted.  The song is basically a lullaby--Taylor composed the lyrics while driving through Massachusetts to see his first nephew, also named James, and thus the song was an ode to said nephew (though Taylor admits there is an element to it that is for himself, as well).  Taylor considers it his best written song and admits to spending more time on it than any other song he wrote.

One of the marks of a song featured here that I really enjoy is how much I sing it after listening to it a few days before writing the post--and this one has been in my head and sung in the shower pretty much constantly for the past few days.  It's just such a gentle song--there's a peacefulness to it that you don't hear much in contemporary music (though"Good Night" by the Beatles does come to mind).  The song features an acoustic guitar, some light strings, and a soft piano--but mostly it features the soothing vocals of Mr. Taylor.  And it truly is a lullaby--although none of them will remember it, at one time or another I sang it to all three of my children when they were babies on those nights when they were having trouble sleeping.  It's just a beautiful little piece of comfort pie for those looking for a respite from the daily strife.

Lyric sheet:  "A song that they sing of their home in the sky/Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep/But singing works just fine for me..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

A special kind of stupid, Part II

Your typical business reporter

Fox News.  The Wall Street Journal.  Fortune.  Larry Kudlow.  CNN.  Maria Bartiromo.  The New York Times.  The Washington Post.  Investor's Business Daily.

They all--every single one of them--have been proclaiming the wonders of the stock market's Trump Rally (it's up 8.2% since Oompa Loompa won the Electoral College).

Know what else they all have in common?  Every single fucking one of them was completely and utterly fucking clueless when the economy collapsed in September of 2008.

And such cluelessness might explain why none of them were touting the 11,000 points (+ 137%) the stock market gained during President Obama's eight years in office.

And it's also the reason I moved all of my 401k money into the most conservative fund I could find the day after the election.

Tune out the oblivious talking heads, folks--just because a tsunami is coming doesn't mean we all have to drown.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

A special kind of stupid, Part I

The republican mascot

Republican flunky and obvious dimwit Brett Talley (and yes, "Who the fuck is that?" is an entirely appropriate response), has written an op-ed in which he states that if Democrats delay on Trump's nominees, America will suffer.

Want to guess where the op-ed was posted?  CNN.com.

You cannot make this shit up.

Both Mr. Talleywhacker and CNN show a level of either obliviousness, utter stupidity. or rank hypocrisy to have ever let this post see the light of day.  After eight years of unprecedented republican obstructionism toward President Obama, after nine months of refusing Merrick Garland his rightful spot on the Supreme Court, it's a one of a kind idiocy to complain when the other side decides that turnabout is fair play.

Americans suffered plenty--and will suffer even more now that republicans are completely in charge--under the republican stranglehold on our government since 2010.  Didn't seem to bother either Talleywhacker or CNN as it was occurring, so I see no reason they can't go fuck themselves now.

And this is exactly why I deleted all of the news channels from my TV after the election.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Who will save your soul?

Sealed with a kiss

If you're a republican these days, absolutely fucking no one--they've sold those souls for the thirty pieces of silver that is Donald Trump.

Though republican hypocrisy knows no bounds and they are sure to ignore it, and though the national media is sure to remain as oblivious as ever, republicans can no longer claim the moral high ground in two areas:  patriotism and God.

It's going to be hard for republicans to wave the flag and tell us how much they love America when they are willing to sit idly by so they can enact their survival of the fittest agenda knowing full well that Russia did everything it could to influence the Presidential election of 2016.  Though Sarah Palin can see it from her front porch, I'm pretty sure that Russia is not America and most certainly has its citizens (well, at least that pig Vladimir Putin), and not ours, best interests at heart.

And it should be even harder to claim they're doing God's work when they elected a man who used hatred as a central platform of his campaign..  You don't get to claim Jesus' mantle when you spout hateful rhetoric towards Americans for the color of their skin (Latinos, African-Americans) or their religion (Muslims, just about anyone else who isn't a white Christian).  I'm damn certain that Jesus never said "Hate your neighbor as yourself."

And here's hoping the republican party suffers the same as their new paragon, Judas Iscariot:  that it ends up hanging itself while the rest of us go on to try and build a better world.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee