Don’t Worry. Be Happy!
I’m a retired, straight white man living debt-free in an affluent Boston suburb. I’ll be fine in Trumpworld II … right?
A Democracy Self-Destructs
Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” is no more. “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” should be removed from the Statue of Liberty.
“Basket of deplorables” is an odd turn of phrase, but Hillary was right. So was Obama when he said, “They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Fright Night II — The Election
Will the criminal con man be sent back to the White House to complete his destruction of American democracy? To calm my nerves on this very scary night, instead of following the election results I’m doing what I did before Halloween, watching The Munsters on the Universal Monsters Channel.
Rhapsody in Blue State
Long before she was elected the mayor of Boston, I met her when she was the maid of honor at my nephew Michael’s wedding. Here she is in her side gig, performing “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Boston Pops.
Tull’s Prog Rock Progression
I first saw The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in abbreviated form on a LaserDisc release. Filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in December, 1968, only a few weeks before he started filming the Beatles for what became Let It Be.
I especially enjoyed Jethro Tull’s “A Song For Jeffrey”. Ian Anderson, in a fearlessly eccentric performance, was 21 here. Drummer Clive Bunker could almost be mistaken for Mick Fleetwood.
Tull’s first five albums, through Thick as a Brick, were a near obsession for me in high school. The fourth, Aqualung, was the big breakthrough. Tracks from Aqualung continue to be heard on American Classic Rock FM stations.
It’s a shame the first three Tull albums aren’t more widely played, because they clearly show Anderson’s rapid musical progression. Fortunately, they’ve been made conveniently available as official YouTube playlists.
This Was
Stand Up
Benefit