Watching the detectives

After the recent murders of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Steve Loomis, the President of the Cleveland Police Patrolman's Association proclaimed that President Obama was to blame (why--because he's black?) and wondered how police officers had become the bad guys.

I think I can answer that.

It's because prosecutors across America have decided that police officers can murder American citizens with impunity.

See how easy that was?

Peace,
emaycee

Haters 'r' us

Considering that a) Chris Christie would have given republicans two assholes from the Northeast on their ticket, b) Jeff Sessions would have given them a Southern boob, c) Newt Gingrich is unhinged, and d) most republicans wanted no part of watching their political careers crater after being Trump's VP pick, Mike Pence was probably about the best choice Trump had.

But, man, between Trump's loathing of Latinos and Muslims, and Pence's acrimony toward women and the LGBT community, has the United States ever known a more hate-filled Presidential ticket?

Not sure there's enough xenophobes, homophobes, and misogynists in the country to carry Trump and Pence into the White House.

And the smell of victory for the Democrats keeps getting stronger...

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXXI--Edison Lighthouse: Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)

This one's on the regular loop in Pop Song Heaven...

Fun fact #1:  Tony Burrows, lead singer for Edison Lighthouse, had a second top five hit with the band The First Class, with "Beach Baby" in 1974.

Fun fact #2:  "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" hit the top of the UK charts the second week after its release--the fastest jump to the number one slot in the history of the UK charts.

And that's about it--Edison Lighthouse (named for the famed Eddyson Lighthouse off the coast of Devon--yeah, you've got me, too) was basically a studio band formed in London, England to release a great single.  They stayed together for about two years and then called it quits.  While they began touring again in 2001 (where there's a buck there's a way), there are separate UK and US versions of the band (WTF, am I right?).  No Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, no drug addictions, no Grammy Awards--just one golden moment.  A true one hit wonder.

But if they're just going to have one, Edison Lighthouse could not have picked a better tune to do it with.  Released in 1970--and I shit you not, there wasn't even an album along with it--"Love Grows" would go on to reach #5 (most assuredly with a bullet!) on The Billboard Hot 100, and give the band a slot on almost every one hit wonder compilation ever released.  It's basically guitars, drums, background strings, some righteous lead vocals, and perhaps one of the catchiest choruses ever released.  It's a love song devoted to one Rosemary, who's wild and free and obviously a child of the sixties. There's a nice bass line that runs through the song and keeps tempo with the vocals--but this is just one of those songs they used to release back in the day just because it was a great song and not because it was some corporate idiot's idea of what would sell commercials on the radio or help build a band's brand.  There's a joy that runs throughout the song that I don't hear too often anymore...

...and don't I sound like one of those old farts who used to have to walk ten miles to school in the snow, uphill, backward, and barefoot?

What the hell--they just don't release one hit wonders like this one anymore...

Lyric sheet:  "She's really got a magical spell/And it's working so well that I can't get away..."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

A BFD from RBG

Although she has (regretfully) walked back her comments on  Donald Trump (she called him a faker, said he was inconsistent, and was quite the egotist), Ruth Bader Ginsburg did the nation another in a long line of favors she has already done for us by showing Americans just how woefully inadequate our national media truly is.

For all their bluster about the Supreme Court being above such matters as Presidential elections, you'd think after all the speaking fees and free trips Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito have received over the years from republican affiliated groups they'd know by now that the Supreme Court is about as non-partisan as every other fucking branch of our government.

Besides, if they'd been doing their jobs instead of trying to suck up ratings from a freak show, Ginsburg's comments would have been just a few more in the Captain Obvious sweepstakes:  Donald Trump has as much business being near the Presidency of the United States as does my son's cat.

And the real embarrassment for America is that forty-five percent of Americans are going to vote for the fucking idiot.

Peace,
emaycee

You heard it here first

After republicans get their clocks cleaned this fall, there is going to be all kinds of noise in the media and in republican circles about soul searching and what changes they need to make to win back the American people.  And here is what they're going to do:

Nothing.

As long as they have billionaires and enough simpletons throwing obscene amounts of money their way, can get 45% of the vote regardless of what buffoon candidate they have chosen, and win enough seats to continue to obstruct, obstruct, and obstruct some more they have no reason whatsoever to change their ways.

Unfortunately for those of us who'd like to see America embrace its better angels, the republican gravy train for the wealthy elite will keep rolling along regardless.

Peace,
emaycee

A CEO and a republican politician walk into a bar...

After reading that despite accomplishing astonishingly little (nothing on the Zika virus, gun violence, and spending bills, et al) that republicans have set themselves up for a seven week recess beginning later this week (hey, wouldn't you like seven weeks off with pay during the summer?), it dawned on me that republican politicians are a lot like CEOs--they get paid an awful lot to accomplish very little, are convinced their ideas are working despite all evidence to the contrary, are self-centered assholes, and don't give a rat's ass about the people they serve.

No wonder republicans pander to CEOSs--it's like helping your brother.

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXX--Neil Young: Like a Hurricane

In August of 1983 I saw Neil Young in concert for the first time (in Bloomington, Indiana, with my kid brother who I had to talk into going and was only eventually able to sway because our Dad paid for the tickets) and about halfway through the show he played a ditty called "Like a Hurricane" (which I was somewhat familiar with from his greatest hits package, Decade) and after hearing it I went from being a Neil Young fan to being a Neil Young disciple.  That's a bit of hyperbole--the whole show was fantastic--but I kid you not when I tell you that both my brother and I listened to shitloads of Neil Young over the next couple of years after that show.

Neil Young has had quite the storied career and quite the tragic personal life, a lot of both which have ended up on his records.  Starting out in 1960 in his native Canada, Young has been performing for more than 55 years now, being a member of Buffalo Springfield (classic hit, "For What It's Worth"), Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young,  (where he wrote the seminal protest song, "Ohio"), and releasing 35 studio albums as a solo artist.  He's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (solo and as a member of Buffalo Springfield), has won Grammy Awards, Juno Awards, still tours regularly (and he's in his seventies now), was Village Voice's artist of the decade for the 70's, is considered the Godfather of Grunge, and for some odd ass reason is probably one of the most overlooked rock and roll icons still going today.  Part of it is Young himself--his musical output has been nothing if not eclectic (releasing albums that were electronica, rockabilly, country, folk, grunge, and rock, among others) and it's often hard for folks to keep up with so many changes (or keep up with a prolific output--I haven't bought a Neil Young album in 15 years). 

Young has also been surrounded by quite a bit of sorrow throughout his life--he had polio as a child, his two sons both were born with cerebral palsy, his daughter is epileptic (as is Young himself), and he suffered a brain aneurysm which almost cost him his life in the early 2000s.  Through it all Young has kept releasing music which both thrilled and mystified fans and disciples alike.  He probably won't get quite the deified send off that Prince got when he passed earlier this year (much deserved, and, in fairness, sudden and untimely celebrity deaths sell a lot more commercial time than old rock and roll geezers going to the great rock and roll concert in the sky), but he is certainly as worthy.

Released on his American Stars 'n Bars album in 1977, "Like a Hurricane" is a different breed of song for me--I grew up on top forty radio (WLS out of Chicago to be exact) and any song longer than three and a half minutes is far too long and extended guitar solos are for geeks who are positive that some morning  they'll wake up and have become Jimi Hendrix/Eric Clapton/Eddie Van Halen.  Well, "Like a Hurricane" lasts eight minutes and features not one, but two lengthy guitar solos.  Sigh--when a song grabs you it grabs you.  "Hurricane" is basically an ode to falling just a little too far in love and features some wondrous vocals from Young in his one of a kind alto singing voice.  While I generally hesitate to use the word "epic" when it comes to songs (The Iliad is epic--rock and roll songs are...uh...cool?), I would definitely call "Like a Hurricane" an epic--from the beginning guitar intro, through Young's two guitar solos, to its fade out, the music is grandiose, overarching, and spellbinding (if hurricanes had a soundtrack it'd probably sound just like this song).  It's another in a long line of songs in the classic rock pantheon--and like much of Young's work says multitudes with its sheer simplicity.

Lyric sheet:  "I am just a dreamer but you are just a dream..."

Enjoy:

Peace,

emaycee