So...a comedian gives a roast at an event that's supposed to be a roast, and the media is up in arms because she roasted a lying sack of shit (Sarah Huckabee Sanders) and a hateful bigot (Donald Trump). And this from journalists who were asleep at the wheel in 2003 when it came to the claims of weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein's ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq, completely missed the tsunami that was the collapse of our economy in 2008, and were more than happy to put a racist in the White House if it meant they could sell more newspapers and ad time on news programs.
Don't want to be called incompetent at your job? Then don't fucking be incompetent at your job.
Good on Michelle Wolf's routine--not surprising with a corporately controlled media that the quasi journalist is the one speaking truth to power.
Can we just be honest about the reason for Donald Trump's refusal to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner for the second year in a row? Face it, it doesn't have anything to do with elites or fake news or his attending another People for Hitler rally--frankly, he's just too fucking dumb to get the jokes.
We still have a few more 70's tunes to go, you know...
My introduction to the Staple Singers actually came a few years after their biggest hit--they collaborated with the Band on their classic song "The Weight" for Martin Scorsese's The Last Walt\z. It's an unforgettable performance, with Mavis Staples taking the second stanza and Pops Staples the third, with the rest of the family providing backing vocals throughout. Hate to overstate the case, but the two groups' performance borders on being a religious experience--it's that powerful.
Pops Staples moved from Mississippi to Chicago (can't imagine why a black man would want to get out of Mississippi...) after he got married and worked in steel mills and meat packing plants until 1952 when he and his children signed their first professional contract and began performing as the Staple Singers (for whatever reason, though their last name is Staples, the band's named features Staple in the singular). They started out primarily as a gospel group, but by the mid-sixties had progressed into R & B and soul. They were well known for being active in the civil rights movement and many of their songs reflected their activism. Over the course of their forty-two year career, they released 17 albums (two of which were in the top twenty on the Billboard 200), and had two #1 singles. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Gospel Hall of Fame in 2018. Sadly, Pops Staples and sisters Yvonne and Cleotha have departed this vale, though brother Pervis and sister Mavis still remain with us. Mavis still performs regularly, and though 79, still sings like an angel...
Released in 1972 on their biggest selling album, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself,"I'll Take You There" would go on to become the Staple Singers first #1 (with a bullet!) single on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second #1, "Let's Do It Again" in 1975 would mark the end of their commercial success--still, they had a nice run for about ten years and were able to perform until the end of their days because of it.
Driven by a wicked bass line and some pulsating drumming, "I'll Take You There" is more magic soul from the 70's. Combining elements of soul, R & B, gospel, and the blues, The Staple Singers take the song to an otherworldly plateau. Though some feel the song is speaking of heaven, others believe the Staples are taking us to a place in this world, once we move past all the racism and hate and achieve true equality for all. Regardless, while they were recording this one the Gods of Music reached down and blessed Mavis Staples voice because her vocals really do take us there--and with plenty of help from the family's backing vocals. It's a striking back and forth, and a testament to the power of music to both address social issues and provide the background music for the struggle and the strugglers. Rap Sheet: "I know a place/Ain't nobody cryin'/Ain't nobody worried/Ain't no smilin' faces/Mmm, no no/Lyin' to the races..."
Apparently the $2.5 billion dollar windfall republicans handed to Big Banks in the tax law they passed last year isn't quite enough for the greedy fuckers--a report released this week by Goldman Sachs shows Big Banks are worried that the cures that are and will be generated by the Human Genome Project will cost them on their bottom line.
The really big story this week shouldn't be about that idiot Kanye West, but rather that America's Big Banks think it's perfectly acceptable to question curing human beings if it hurts their profits.
I do not believe there is a level of disgust yet created that would be too much to be directed at these heartless bastards.
I've been wondering lately, in light of the Trump administration's taking our nation on a downward spiral of immense proportions, if as a nation America had jumped the shark. And as I've thought about it, I've realized it's not America that has jumped the shark, but rather the republican party. To wit:
After Montana Senator and Democrat Jon Tester played a lead role in exposing Trump's nominee to head the VA, Ronny Jackson, as being a drunk drug pusher, Texas Senator and republican John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell's number two (in more ways than one) groveler, expressed how he thought Tester's efforts to bring to light just how bad of a nominee Jackson was would hurt him in his re-election bid this November.
On what fucking planet is pointing out that the man who is to be charged with overseeing the well-being of our veterans is a drunk drug pusher a bad thing? Republicans aren't even pretending to have a soul anymore.
And with each passing day, it becomes more and more imperative for the future of our country that we absolutely bury these fuckers come November.
Anyhoo, when I was young and in high school, there were a fair amount of my fellow students who thought Cat Stevens was the shit...and I wasn't one of them. In fact, I really never gave him much thought after his heyday had passed until 10,000 Maniacs released a nice cover version of his song "Peace Train" when I began to give my previous lack of interest a second thought, and it was cemented when my youngest son, who is a huge fan of our moon, liked when I sang this week's tune every time we were ensconced in our very own moonshadows. While he'll never be Bruce Springsteen to me, he's certainly had his share of tunes that I now greatly enjoy, and serves as a reminder to me of how my musical tastes have evolved (devolved?) through the years.
Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) has certainly had a most interesting life. He had his first hit in 1967 in his native England at the age of nineteen, with his debut album hitting #7 on the U.K. charts and featuring two top ten singles. Two years later he had contracted tuberculosis and spent months in the hospital and a year recuperating. After his nearly dying, Stevens decided to change his career trajectory from that of pop star to folk singer--with excellent results. From 1970 to 1977, Stevens released eight albums, six of which hit the top ten (including one #1), and had twelve singles reach the top 40. At the height of his popularity, Stevens came close to drowning off the coast of California and promised God if he lived he'd devote his life to working for Him. Shortly thereafter Stevens' brother gave him a copy of the Quran, and Stevens eventually converted to Islam. Not feeling comfortable with the rock and roll lifestyle and his new religion, Stevens walked away from the spotlight in the late 70's and devoted himself to Muslim causes. In the mid 90's he began playing Islamic music and by the mid 2000's had come to believe that music was a way of sharing God's love and returned to touring and making music. Stevens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. There's a lot more to Stevens' life--much of it involving his Muslim faith and not all of it easy or good for him--but in the end, Stevens literally put his money where his mouth was, donating a substantial portion of his earnings to charitable causes.
Fun Fact: Stevens return to the music of his youth in the 2000's was aided by his son bringing a guitar home--Stevens began to play for the first time in many years and had an epiphany of sorts. Behold the power of the guitar!
Released in 1970 as a single in his native U.K. and later on his wonderfully named LP Teaser and the Firecathere in the States, "Moonshadow" would reach #30 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. Stevens says it's his favorite song of his older material, and it has been made into an animated short film and a musical.
Stevens was a young and successful pop star on vacation in Spain when he saw his shadow in the moonlight for the first time (growing up in London he said the lamplights were too powerful to allow the showcasing of the moon's rays), and then wrote a song about his experience. The song is sparse--it's just Stevens playing an acoustic guitar and singing, with a touch of backing vocals (which may or may not be just Stevens), but through his playing and vocals Stevens captures the joy (I'd say almost giddiness) of his discovery of his shadow in the moonlight. There's a whimsical quality, almost childlike, to the song, and even today, though he's thirteen now, my youngest son will still on occasion ask me to sing it when the moon is full and while we're basking in our very own moonshadows reflecting off our driveway.
Lyric Sheet: "Oh, if I ever lose my eyes, if my colours all run dry/Yes, if I ever lose my eyes, oh if...I won't have to cry no more..."
In journalism's never ending quest to relegate itself to irrelevancy, The Washington Post this week ran a story on those poor beleaguered souls, pro-Trump San Antonio Spurs fans, who are just beyond annoyed that the coach of their favorite team, Gregg Popovich, has repeatedly and forcefully criticized the actions of the perverted, traitorous, Nazi lying sack of shit who currently occupies our White House.
You would think, at a time in our nation's history when the President at worst colluded with a sworn enemy and at best buried his head in the sand about said enemy's interference in our elections, when the President is accused of paying off porn stars and hookers, when the President is using his office to enrich himself and his family, and when the President has become a national embarrassment and a threat to the very existence of our nation, that The Washington Post would have much more important issues to cover than the hurt feelings of some snowflakes in San Antonio.
Anyone hoping the American media would raise its head above the fray and put the national interest first can put such delusions to rest.
But there is hope in the rest of us--when asked what he thought of the Post's piece and the anger some fans feel toward him, Popovich simply replied, "I don't care."
For the umpteenth time here in 2018, FNJ will be featuring another tune from the 70's--while I'll never be one of those people who claims they don't make music like they used to (sure they do--you just don't have the time you once did to hunt it all down), there was certainly something special about the music of the 70's (which, not coincidentally, could also have a lot to do with the 70's being the time of my coming of age).
The Spinners formed in 1954 in my adopted home of Detroit, Michigan and began their careers on Gordon Berry's dream, Motown. They wouldn't have their first hit until 1961, their second until 1965, and shortly after their third ("It's a Shame"--another great cut, penned by one Stevland Morris) they would move on to Atlantic Records and under the guidance of producer Thom Bell would shoot into the stratosphere of seventies soul groups. Between 1972 and 1980, the Spinners would have 7 top ten singles (including a #1 with Dionne Warwick, "Then Came You"--again, another great cut), and 16 singles total in the Billboard Hot 100. Unfortunately, after 1980 the Spinners commercial success fizzled out, and they released the last of their 18 albums in 1989, and their last single to chart was in 1995. Though only one original member is still with us, the Spinners remain a huge draw on the oldies circuit and continue performing to this day. In one of pop music's greatest travesties, the Spinners, though nominated in 2015, have yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--seriously, Bon Jovi and Kiss are in, but not the Spinners? WTF?
Released in 1975 on their Pick of the Litter LP, "Games People Play" (also referenced as "They Just Can't Stop It (Games People Play)" though God only knows why since it's considerably longer and not what the song was originally called upon its release) would go on to reach #5 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.
Fun Fact: "Games People Play" was also a #1 hit on the Billboard R & B chart--and it immediately followed FNJ #170, Natalie Cole's "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)." A good couple of weeks for a child of the 70's....
I could tell you that "Games People Play" features some rock solid piano and horn playing, as well as a hint of electric guitar. I could also tell you it's a song about being a little blue about the nature of your fellow beings, and finding a face in the crowd that gives just a little hope. And I could tell you about the wonderful interplay of the vocals of Bobby Smith, Pervis Jackson, and backup band singer Evette Benton. But the piece de la resistance, the part that makes it a classic instead of just a great song, is the interlude that begins with Jackson's magical bass vocals that begins "12:45...." This is how great it is: Jackson earned the nickname "Mr. 12:45" for his role in the interlude and he only sings four lines. My words don't do it justice, but trust me "Games People Play" is a wondrous soul single from a wondrous decade for soul singles.
Rap Sheet: "12:45/Headed for the subway home/I took my time/'Cause I felt so all alone/Not far away/I heard a funny sound took a look around, and I/Could see her face/Smiling as she came, calling out my name..."
In addition to being pawns of the NRA in its never ending quest to make gun manufacturers more money, gun rights supporters are often heard to claim that they need their guns to protect themselves against tyranny from our government.
Seriously? Leaving aside the sheer idiocy of it (it would be at a tyrant's behest, not tyranny from the government) does anyone wonder if the odds would favor a bunch of bozos with assault rifles or the U.S. Military, the most powerful fighting force in history?
It'd be like the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Woodrow Wilson Elementary School--the kids might get in a few kicks to the shins, but in the end the Steelers are going to open up a serious can of whoop ass.
Any group that has a song with a lyric about the shit hitting the fan and performs it in three part harmony is aces in my book....
Maggie and Terre Roche came from deepest New Jersey and dropped out of high school in the late 60's so they could begin performing music full time. Sister Suzzy joined them in the 70's, they cleverly named the newly formed band The Roches, and the trio would go on to become another in a long line of musical performers who were critically acclaimed and sold very few records (though I myself have three of their albums and one of Suzzy's solo efforts). Still, over the course of thirty-eight years the sisters released thirteen LPs as a trio (the last in 2007) and ten albums in various solo and duo incarnations. Their debut album was given a classic rating by The Rolling Stone Album Guide, Maggie and Terre provided backing vocals for Paul Simon on his There Goes Rhymin' Simon LP (featuring FNJ fave "An American Tune,"), and the Roches perfomed on Saturday Night Live, The Animaniacs (as the Roaches--get it?),and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Sadly, eldest sister Maggie passed away in 2017.
Fun Fact: The Roches are the only band to write a song about appearing on SNL--before their appearance in 1979, they were assured by many in the music biz that said appearance would make them into huge stars...and it didn't. The Roches wrote "Big Nuthin'" (my second favorite Roches song) to commemorate their performance.
Released in 1979 on their aptly named debut album, The Roches, "We" was never released as a single and therefore we will have no bullets this week on the Billboard charts....
Backed only by a lightly strummed acoustic guitar, "We" is a tour de force introducing (for the most part humorously) the Roches to their listeners. We're told they're from New Jersey but now live in NYC, they don't give out their ages or their phone numbers, that two of them have made a record before, they've performed all over the U.S. and in England, and that their last name is spelled R-O-C-H-E. Throughout, the sisters harmonies are nothing short of exquisite, and when combined with the song's humorous bent and funky phrasing, it creates a quirky masterpiece of folk pop for the ages.
Lyric Sheet: "We are Maggie and Terre and Suzzy/Maggie and Terre and Suzzy Roche/We don't give out our ages/And we don't give our our phone numbers..."
Not really sure how Idiot tribe member Shits In His Pants (Ted Nugent) gets away with calling for the shooting of pretty much everyone (Democrats, RINOSs, Hollywood, the media, academia) who isn't a member of his Idiot Tribe, but do not take his words lightly. These gun nuts have their backs up against the wall and for all their right to life claims, the only "life" they're interested in saving is a dot inside a womb.
These people don't just believe the U.S. Constitution via the 2nd Amendment gives them the right to bear arms--they think it also gives them the right to shoot fellow Americans simply because they don't like the color of their shirt.
Another week, another trip back to emaycee's teen years--and one of my first faves by a female vocalist...which would eventually become a lifelong love affair with female pop singers.
Natalie Cole had quite the musical pedigree--her father was the unforgettable (so to speak) Nat King Cole. Despite that, Natalie Cole originally was turned down by numerous labels for her initial effort, before Capitol Records saw what the others had missed. She started singing professionally at the age of six on one of her father's Christmas LPs and over the course of the next fifty some odd years released 23 albums, won 9 Grammy Awards, sold over 30 million records, had numerous gold and platinum releases, and had slightly more ups and downs than a seismograph chart (slight exaggeration). After a stunning start to her career, Cole battled drug addiction into the mid 80's and would see her career plummet right alongside her health. Though Cole cleaned up by the late 80's and had a major career resurrection (her album of her father's standards, Unforgettable...with Love, sold 7 million copies and won her six Grammys), her earlier drug addiction led to later complications that caused her to need a kidney transplant in 2009, and sadly, her death from congestive heart failure in 2015.
Not So Fun Fact: Despite her self-assuredness of an everlasting love, Cole was married three times with the marriages lasting 4,6, and 3 years respectively. Sometimes fame ain't all it's cracked up to be...
Released in April of 1975 on her Inseparablealbum, "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" would go on to reach #6 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. Oddly enough, when the song was originally released it was simply called "This Will Be" but over time most references add the parenthetical aside.
This week's tune has a little bit of everything--it's got gospel elements, soul elements, jazz elements, and pop elements, with a bit of the Andrews Sisters thrown in (a la "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"). The song opens with a peppy piano, quickly adds in some buoyant horns (which are prominent throughout), and throws in another in a long line of emaycee song faves with plenty of hand claps. Cole's vocals pulsate with sheer joy and there's some nice overdubbing of same (which reminds me somewhat of the aforementioned Andrews Sisters), and close with a staccato like burst of back and forth on "this will be," "love," and "you and me" which always makes me smile. There's a lot of fun in "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)," but there's also an awful lot of musical genius that turn it into an unforgettable (so to speak) piece of musical magic.
Rap Sheet: "This will be/You and me/Yessir-ee/Eternally/Hugging and squeezing, and kissing and pleasing/Together forever through ever whatever..."
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
