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fastmusclecar123 · 2 years

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New Post has been published on https://fastmusclecar.com/highly-regarded-american-muscle-cars/best-muscle-cars/

Highly Regarded American Muscle Cars

From drag strips to car shows, American muscle cars have been a beloved part of the automotive landscape for years. Throughout the golden era of muscle cars, these powerful machines made an indelible mark in history due to their giant torque-rich engines and unique styling. With awesome-looking cars like the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Plymouth Barracuda, and Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette, it’s no wonder why these cars remain so iconic today.

If you’re a classic car enthusiast or collector, American muscle cars are certainly worth considering. While it’s certainly possible to find affordable models (like a 1966 Plymouth Barracuda for $5,500), some of the rarer ones can fetch an impressive amount at auction. For example, a 1967 L88 Corvette Convertible, 1971 Hemi Cuda Convertible 4-Speed, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 2-Door Coupe, and a 1962 Shelby Cobra CSX2000 sold for $3.2 million, $3.5 million, $3.85 million, and a whopping $13.75 million, respectively.

However, even though emissions standards and other regulations tamed muscle cars in the 1980s, many of these cars are still filled with stories and badass power. So, without further ado, here’s a list of some of the most badass American muscle cars ever made.

2019 Dodge Challenger Redeye

For the modern muscle car enthusiast, the Challenger Redeye is definitely worth checking out. Even though it’s a hefty 4,514 pounds, it’s powered by a 797-hp engine under the hood. Not only that, but with its classic muscle car looks, it also features all of the modern amenities and features we’ve come to appreciate.

1966 Plymouth Barracuda

At first glance, the ’66 Barracuda looks like a low-slung muscle car with a massive rear window that gives it a distinctive look. It’s also one of the more affordable muscle cars on this list, since they’re relatively easy to find.

Barracudas are also noteworthy for being serious high-performance machines right out of the box. Despite this, some buyers felt like the cars were overly expensive, which is probably why Shelby made some features like adjustable Koni shocks, a fiberglass hood, and a Detroit Locker Rear Differential optional.

1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

The Mustang Shelby GT500 is among the most desirable cars for Mustang purists. The 1965 and 1966 GT 350s had a lightweight design, perfect for racing on the track. But the later 1967 and 1968 models were the ones to own if you wanted to win drag races.

With significantly more power and torque than earlier models, these cars could hit 60mph in the mid-to-low 14 second range, thanks to 428 cu in V8 engine. The Shelby Mustangs also featured more scoops and flashier styling than older models, making them even cooler.

Ford Mustang Boss 429

The 1969 Boss 429 was an incredibly limited edition muscle car from Ford. It featured an impressive 375 horsepower engine and could reach a top speed of 126 mph. Despite the underside of the hood being cramped and the fuel economy being appalling, the Boss still stands as one of the most desirable muscle cars ever made.

1969 ½ Dodge Super Bee A12

The Dodge Super Bee A12 was a muscle car with a bold hood and huge forward-facing scoop. It also featured a 440 Magnum engine and Edelbrock intakes. After the engines received regular production status, Chrysler-cast aluminium intakes were fitted at the plant.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454

The Chevelle SS 454 was a force to be reckoned with. With its massive 454 cu in V8, the car could pump out up to 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, was capable of achieving a top speed of nearly 140 mph. This powerful engine was mated to a heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission and a limited slip differential, allowing the Chevelle SS 454 to achieve 0-60 times of 6.3 seconds.

1984 Chevy Corvette

The C4 Corvette was highly anticipated before its launch, with some speculating that it would feature a mid-engine chassis like a European exotic. In the end, the 1984 Corvette featured a transverse-mounted engine, along with other performance upgrades.

Designed to win races on the superspeedways, the car was lightened up and featured modifications to its body to reduce drag. This included a huge rear wing that was designed to allow the trunk lid to open fully.

1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda

When it comes to muscle cars, the Plymouth Hemi Cuda is undeniably one of the most revered and sought-after cars ever made. It was designed to compete with and beat the Corvette Stingray on the drag strip, and with its 425 horsepower V8 engine, it certainly delivered. The 440 and 426 Hemi V8s packed quite a punch and gave the car some serious acceleration.

1971 Pontiac GTO Judge

The 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge was one of the most iconic muscle cars of its time. From its racy design to its impressive performance, this car was a force to be reckoned with. It was equipped with a 455 cubic inch V8 engine that put out 370 horsepower, and combined with its lightweight body and responsive handling, the GTO Judge was a formidable adversary on the drag strip.

1969-1971 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette

With legendary status among muscle car lovers, Baldwin-Motion Corvettes were delivered from a dealer in Baldwin, New York to Motion Performance speed shop down the road. Joel Rosen wanted to create a fast, functional all-American GT that fused Italian and American workmanship, resulting in a 3,300-pound sports car.

Powered by an AMC 390-cid V8, the Phase III GT Corvette was capable of 340 hp, making it quite a beast in its day. The cars were so popular that more than 25 went into production, with one fetching nearly $900,000 at an auction in 2017.

1968 Ford Torino GT

The Torino GT was Ford’s answer to the mid-size muscle car market in 1968. It featured a 390 cubic inch V8 that put out 335 horsepower, giving the car enough power to keep up with its competitors. In addition to its potent engine, the Torino GT also boasted an attractive design and generous list of features, making it a great car for cruising and racing alike.

1969 Dodge Charger RT

The 1969 Dodge Charger RT is one of the most iconic American muscle cars ever made. It was powered by a 375 horsepower 440 Magnum V8 engine, making it one of the fastest vehicles on the street. The Charger RT is also known for its signature cosmetics, including its menacing grille, aggressive hood scoop, and sleek bodylines.

1970 Buick GSX Stage I

The Buick GSX was a powerful, yet luxurious muscle car released in 1970. It featured Buick’s biggest engine — a 455 cubic inch V8 — that put out 360 horsepower. It also had plenty of other performance goodies, like a Hurst four-speed transmission, a Quick Response Suspension package, and an optional air induction system.

1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD-455

The 1973 SD-455 Trans Am was Pontiac’s last hurrah before emissions standards started strangling performance. This car was equipped with an incredible high-output 455 cubic inch V8 engine that generated 290 horsepower. The grand finale was the legendary Super Duty option, which added an additional 10 horsepower and an aluminum intake manifold.

1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

The 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am represented the pinnacle of Pontiac performance. It was powered by a 400 cubic inch V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor and Ram Air induction, giving it a whopping 220 horsepower. The car also featured a stiff suspension, a fist-shifting four-speed manual transmission, and four-wheel disc brakes.

1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

The Monte Carlo SS was a classic boulevard cruiser, but it was also capable of handling the occasional track day. It was powered by a 5.0 liter V8 engine that produced 180 horsepower and a hefty 275 lb-ft of torque. Coupled with its light weight, the Monte Carlo was one of the most well-rounded muscle cars of its time.

Conclusion

Throughout the golden era of muscle cars, American automakers created some awesome vehicles that remain popular and powerful today. From drag strips to collector cars, muscle cars offer plenty of fun, power, and style. With iconic cars like the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Plymouth Barracuda, and Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette, these badasses remind us why they’re still so beloved.

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hotshottrucks · 2 years

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Pickup Trucks: 2019 Ford F-150 vs F-250 vs F-350 Capabilities

Ford trucks are constructed difficult, all of us understand that. And the Ford F-150 and Super Duty lineup are extremely remarkable and prepared to surpass all sorts of difficulties that you might deal with. However which one is the very best choice for you? And what are the distinctions between these models? To respond to this, we compared the 2019 Ford F-150 vs F-250 vs F-350.

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ford-repuestos-2020 · 2 years

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Válvula / Sensor de Temperatura para Ford Explorer 3.5 2012-2019 / Super Duty 6.2 F250, F350 2011-2015 Nueva y original Marca Ford. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkUx7CVMmfv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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nhacly · 2 years

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Top 5 2005 f-350 cluster repair in dallas tx area in 2022

Below are the best information and knowledge on the subject 2005 f-350 cluster repair in dallas tx area compiled and compiled by our own team invest-dallas: 1. 2005 – 2007 Ford Super Duty Instrument Cluster Repair Author: circuitboardmedics.com Date Submitted: 01/05/2019 08:17 PM Average star voting: 3 ⭐ ( 43403 reviews) Summary: This is a professional rebuild service for the Ford Super Duty…

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killeenautobrokers · 3 years

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Used 2019 Ford Super Duty F-350 SRW in Killeen, TX 76541 for sale at Killeen Auto Brokers https://ift.tt/2WsugdU

#IFTTT #Killeen Auto Brokers Inventory Feed Used 2019 Ford Super Duty F-350 SRW in Killeen #TX 76541

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shoppingbyte · 4 years

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Tonneau Covers Tyger Auto TG-BC3N1028 TRI-FOLD Truck Bed Tonneau Cover 2005-2018 Nissan Frontier; 2009-2014 Suzuki Equator | Fleetside 5' Bed |

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#Gator Hybrid Hard Folding (Fits) 2017-2019 Ford Super Duty F250 F350 6.9 FT Bed Only Hard w Soft Looks Tonneau Truck Bed Cover (GHF0325) Mad #Tyger Auto #VIP Outlet #vipoutlet.com

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clydebravo14 · 3 days

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FCC N5F-A08TDA 4 button flip remote key 902mhz / 868mhz with ID49 chip for 2015-2021 Ford F-Series Raptor Ranger PN 164-R8134

FCC N5F-A08TDA 4 button flip remote key 902mhz / 868mhz with ID49 chip for 2015-2021 Ford F-Series Raptor Ranger PN 164-R8134 FCC: N5F-A08TDA Frequency: 902mhz / 868mhz Chip: ID49 chip Compatible with: 2021 - 2021 Ford Bronco 2015 - 2021 Ford F-150 2018 - 2020 Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty 2018 - 2020 Ford F-450 2018 - 2020 Ford F-550 2019 - 2019 Ford Ranger XLT 2020 - 2021 Ford Ranger 2019 - 2019 Ford Raptor

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forddailynews · 4 years

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#ford F250 #1974 ford F250 #2019 ford f250 forum #2020 ford f250 forum #2020 Ford Truck Forums #Ford news #ford community #ford mustang forum #2020mustang #super duty forum #ford daily #ford truck enthusiasts forum #ford mustng news #ford daily trucks #Ford GT for sale

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fallout-drabbles-n-stuff · 3 years

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Hey there! What kind of car do you think the FO4 companions (and Maxson) would drive, and what kind of driver would they be?

(This is most definitely Pre-war or Modern! AU, so this'll be fun)

Cait:

•No car here.

•Instead, Cait drives a dark gray Harley Road King- outfitted completely with skulls and matching gloves.

•Fucking terrible to be on the road with.

Curie:

•Drives a rather cute, white Audi TT.

•Has several notebooks littering the glove box. Random coloured pens, EVERYWHERE.

•Probably has one of those infuriating ty beanie babies sitting upon the dash, staring into your soul with those inhuman beady eyes.

•Okay driver....

Danse:

(I've mentioned a long time ago that in my Pre-War AU, both Danse and Gage are some country bois..well here you go)

•Drives a hella nice, red, lifted Ford F-250 King Ranch. He loves it, but he usually just uses his "baby" to help haul things around.

•Take the love his canon counterpart has for his power armour and apply it to this Danse's truck.

•Has a sticker of his respective branch (I'm think Danse would be a marine or army man..idk) that he is too proud of and hangs his dog tags on the mirror.

•Stupidly strict about following all rules of the road.

Deacon:

•Ever seen one of those creepy vans with a painted tiger and wizard battling on the side? That's Deacon's.

•The back is renovated with a whole ass couch, tapestries and a funky disco ball.

•Calls it "the party wagon"

•Drives however he feels like.

Gage:

(Yee haw..)

•Drives an absolutely massive, dark gray, lifted 2019 F150 super duty. Has modifications on this bitch so expensive and wonderful that even Danse would shed a tear.

•Has a skull sticker on his back dash, a rifle behind the front seat, and brass knuckles in his glove box. Man is just waiting for a fight. Even the fucking antenna cover is shaped like a bullet...

•If you want to see your life flash before your eyes, ride with him. Uses the shoulder as a lane to pass people, thinks the speed limit is a mere suggestion, and is willing to ram someone for cutting him off.

Hancock:

•Thanks to his funds, he drives a pretty nice black Range Rover with fancy red interior.

•Advent drunk driver but somehow never gets caught.

Macready:

•Drives an old, yet dependable, 2004 Nissan x-terra. Boy, does that thing make him so close to cussing because of that thing. Duncan always laughs at him when that happens.

•It periodically stalls, but it's still faithful when he needs it....

•Mediocre driver..until someone cuts him off.

Piper:

•Drives a 2013 convertible, bright red, mustang!

•Blasts music and drives fast af when it's safe...but is strangely the safest one to ride with out of everyone else.

Maxson:

•Mr. Maxson, or rather the Maxson family is ridiculously rich..lemme just put that here first.

•Drives a badass, black Mclaren P1.

•Terrible driver.

Nick:

•Drives an astonishing cream coloured vintage Cadillac.

•Smells of smoke and coffee and the inside has cigarette ashes and littered newspapers.

•Drives waaaay too slow.

Old Longfellow:

•Does his boat count? Because he isn't really supposed to be driving that thing either but shit, it's better than getting caught driving his car with his suspended license having ass. Don't drink and drive, kids.

Preston:

•Drives a cactus green Ford Bronco. Freaking adores that thing too.

•Has a little rubber duckie that wears glasses perched up on the dashboard. It's name is Steven and he is considered Preston's good luck charm. Laugh all you want damnit.

•Frequently causes traffic jams because he'll let everyone out in front of him.

Sturges!:

•ooooh boy.

•This man loves his several cars, but his main one is a very sexy light blue '68 chevelle that he affectionately refers to as "sweetheart".

•He built the thing up from the ground practically,

•Has a relatively unhealthy attachment to that car and will beat someone up over sitting on it.

•Extremely careful driver...unless he is drag racing in one of his other babies, then it's game on.

X6-88:

•Also doesn't drive a car.

•Instead drives an all black CBR 1000RR Honda motorcycle.

•Has blue LED lights under the bike. Show off.

•Gives zero fucks about traffic rules and primarily drives at night.

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doomedandstoned · 3 years

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Devil Magick Strike Mood of Stoic Reflection with New Single, “Tears in Rain”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Doom arises from both the most obvious and unlikely of places, including sunny Cali where you wouldn't think the vibe would be that, er, hot. After all, scenes like San Diego are alight with dazzling heavy psych bands, the desert long ago claimed by Kyuss, and the mountains belong to an exciting array of progressive metal bands. Yet, the City of Angeles has remained a holdout for Doom over the decades, despite challenges with COVID, venue closures, and being frustratingly overlooked by promoters.

This bring us to LA's DEVIL MAGICK, who describe their sound as "gloomy doom metal with with a heavy metal spirit and hardcore attitude, from the sun bathed shored of Southern California's harbor area." With twin guitar magic, a bass and drums section to rule them all, and shared vocal duties, Devil Magick is "preparing to bring its own unique brand of doom to the world."

Their first single, "Tears in Rain," is a loving tribute to Ridley Scott's monumental film Blade Runner, based on the speech of the character Roy Batty at the film's end.

As I listen, it's like watching the film again and pausing it on that last scene between a precariously dangling Harrison Ford and a ripped and menacing Rutger Hauer, who plays the rebellious replicant Roy. He returns to Tyrell Corporation to ask his Creator for a life-extension, only to find out that his sole purpose in life was to extend the will of the ape-man over the known universe.

The problem is Roy Batty and his pals saw endless horror in the off-world colonies and have kind of snapped, returning to earth as murderous monsters with a sort of super-strenth. We don't know what's gone wrong with the replicants, only that they need to die and don't want to. This makes them exceptionally difficult to "retire" for a middle-aged Blade Runner like Decker.

It's a veritable Greek tragedy set in the future year of 2019, and "Tears in Rain" recalls a moment in the film when a fragically frail side of Roy is revealed to Decker. That is when rain falls down hard from toxic skies above. In his last moments, we see Roy shed tears for the first time as he shuffles off this mortal coil, wondering what it had all really been about. Having burned twice as bright as his human counterparts, he was destined to live half as long (just four years, if I remember).

Searing guitar tone a la Black Cobra and vocals that make me think of none other than the late, great Peter Steele of Type O Negative, not so much because the range is similar but because of the deadpan, stoic vocal delivery coupled with an atmosphere of wintery sadness. Call it doom 'n' roll or even dark metal, if you like. "Tears in Rain" gets us acquainted with Devil Magick's powers, with strong hints of the potential to come.

Congrats to guitarists Don Casterline and Kevin Aguilar, bassist Pete Bucci, and drummer Jose Garcia on their first foray into the world of doom. I can't wait to hear what follows. The single will be available this weekend on the band's Bandcamp page (get it here).

Give ear...

Doomed & Stoned · LISTEN: Devil Magick - Tears In Rain

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#D&S Debuts #Devil Magick #Los Angeles #California #doom #metal #doom metal #Gothic #heavy metal #D&S Reviews #Doomed and Stoned

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aboutcaseyaffleck · 4 years

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Actor Casey Affleck Reflects On The Past And 'The World To Come'

The last time I saw Casey Affleck was after an 8:30 a.m. Sundance Film Festival screening of “Manchester by the Sea,” which left my colleagues and I so emotionally drained we were pretty much useless for the rest of the day. Affleck finds this very funny. “Oh man, that’s awesome,” he laughs. “That was a tough screening. At Sundance I’m usually just going to sleep at 8 a.m.” We’re talking on the phone a few days after the festival’s virtual premiere of his latest movie, “The World to Come,” which made its Sundance debut last month under very different circumstances. “It’s so strange doing these things sitting in front of your computer,” he sighs.

Directed by Mona Fastvold, “The World to Come” is a powerful period piece about a forbidden love affair between pioneer women played by Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, set in upstate New York during the early months of 1856. Affleck produced the picture, in which he plays a supporting role as Waterston’s uncomprehending husband, and he did his best to soldier through a crowded Zoom Q&A after the Sundance screening, with results pleasant enough, but nonetheless missing that in-person festival magic. “I used to love going to film festivals and talking to journalists and seeing all the movies and talking to other filmmakers,” he laments. “Sitting here alone in a little office in my house is such a drag. But it was nice to know that the movie was getting seen, at least.”

While big brother Ben plays Batman in studio pictures, Casey has exhibited a restless independent streak ever since he was a student at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. (Our ninth-grade classes competed against each other in the Mass. High School Drama Guild Competition. His won, perhaps unsurprisingly.) A longtime friend of the Brattle Theatre and former creative advisor for the Independent Film Festival Boston, the younger Affleck has always seemed more at home in indies. Not a lot of actors would follow an Oscar-winning role in “Manchester by the Sea” with a microbudget art film like “A Ghost Story.” But then his internalized, minimalist acting style is often at odds with the concerns of contemporary blockbusters. There’s a weird dissonance watching something like Disney’s hokey Chatham sea adventure “The Finest Hours,” with Affleck going full Montgomery Clift while surrounded by CGI silliness.

“The World to Come” is the most ambitious project yet from Affleck’s Sea Change Media, which partnered with Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon’s legendary NYC indie institution Killer Films for the arduous production that began with a conversation between Affleck and novelist Ron Hansen nearly a decade ago. “When I did ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ I got to know Ron Hansen, just because I loved the book so much. Ron has a very unique talent for writing 19th century language. He’s just from another era. I asked him if he had something he wanted to work on together, and I thought he would send me one of his things. Instead, he sent me this story by Jim Shepard. It was beautiful. I said, why don’t you and Jim write the script? And they took about six years, but it came together beautifully. Good things come to those who wait, I guess.”

The film eventually shot in Romania with a break built into the schedule to accommodate the changing seasons that are so crucial to the movie’s rugged, outdoor textures. “We were way out in Transylvania, out in the mountains,” Affleck explains. “We were just in some valley and they built a couple of farmhouses. I like being far away in a new place. It makes you feel outside of your life. And I love working in weather. There are so many aspects of moviemaking that are artificial, but when there’s extreme weather, it’s real. I did this Disney movie about a boat rescue, and it was, like, December in friggin’ Quincy and they were just soaking us with water every single take. There’s not a lot that you have to quote-unquote act. You’re just standing there, teeth-chattering, shivering, just being.” This reminds me of the scene in “Manchester” when he and Lucas Hedges have an argument walking in the blistering cold and can’t remember where they parked. “I forgot about that one,” he laughs.

I’d never say so on the phone, but I consider Affleck’s performance as Lee Chandler in “Manchester by the Sea” among the finest I’ve seen in my 22 years of reviewing films, worthy of discussion alongside Brando’s Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront” in its aching, inchoate longing. Lee holds his grief somewhere very private and dear, as if to begin to forgive himself would be an act of betrayal. The movie nails a gruff, emotional constipation popular among men of a certain stripe, especially in New England. (My mother offered my favorite review of the film: “Why don’t they just talk to each other? Jesus, this is like watching you and your father.”) Words don’t come easily to most of Affleck’s movie characters, but he chafes at the description of them as inarticulate. “It’s funny, I find the characters in ‘Manchester’ to be sometimes very articulate,” he argues. “There’s misunderstandings, but they end up communicating what’s inside.”

“The World to Come” is rife with such mixed signals and miscommunications, about which co-star Katherine Waterston raved during the Zoom Q&A after the Sundance screening. “It was so much fun to play the scenes with Casey,” she said. “A lot of these scenes are written as dances, where somebody tries to reach out and engage and they’re misunderstood. Inarticulacy is a very interesting thing to see in film. The failed attempts. Failed communications. It’s actually fun to play those things. You don’t know what the other person’s going to throw at you. It keeps it really alive on set. Mona and I felt if we had the money we could have kept shooting this thing for months, because the scenes were so much fun to explore.”

Affleck agrees. “When Katherine’s character writes in her journal or she starts talking to Vanessa, they have this beautiful, expressive way of speaking to each other,” he enthuses, whereas his character “says what he’s gotta say in as few words as possible. He’s very brusque and curt, which I enjoyed. The way that he talks is the communication equivalent when he gives her a birthday gift of sardines and a tin of raisins.”

Indeed, her increasingly florid diary entries — originally intended as a ledger to keep track of the farm’s monthly expenses — become the heartbeat of the film, providing an emotional release otherwise suppressed by the rigid formality of the era and the ugly drudgery of day-to-day farm life. “The World to Come” is ultimately a movie about the need to share our stories, and how through telling them we make sense of ourselves. As producer Koffler explains in the press notes, “Part of the film’s vision is to dramatize a very basic human impulse: to create, to connect, to say ‘I was here, and I mattered.’”

This has become a recurring theme in Affleck’s recent work. In 2019, he wrote, directed and starred in “Light of My Life,” a little-seen but strikingly tense post-apocalyptic road movie about a father and daughter hiding out in the wilderness after a pandemic has wiped out most of the women in the world. The film begins with Affleck telling the little girl a bedtime story that runs almost 13 minutes and sneakily sets up the movie’s major themes. Then in last month’s well-acted but regrettably soggy “Our Friend,” he starred as real-life journalist Matthew Teague, whose soul-baring Esquire story about his wife’s struggle with cancer became a national phenomenon.

“Matt Teague wrote that article and then wanted it made into a movie as his way of processing everything that had happened,” the actor elaborates. “You transform pain into other things as you go through life. That was all him working through it. I like stories about storytellers and I like stories within stories. Obviously, I wrote and directed a movie that starts with a 12-minute bedtime story. I love that. I know that other people don’t love it as much as I do, so I have to be careful about it.”

That kind of love led to last summer’s “Stories From Tomorrow,” a project initiated during lockdown by Affleck and his schoolteacher mom Christine, encouraging children to send in poems and short stories to be read on social media by celebrities like Matt Damon and Jon Hamm, as well as his “The World to Come” co-stars Waterston and Kirby. “That was something I started out at the very beginning of the quarantine as a small project to encourage kids to write creatively, because I know it can be a great way of processing anxiety and working through feelings that you aren’t really talking about or aren’t aware that you’re having. It wasn’t something I thought would go on forever; once the kids are back in school that ought to be where they should be doing all that kind of work. But while they were sitting at home, I thought it would be a good way to get their attention off the awful news and into something more imaginative. And I also got a chance to read all these super-cool stories! Really creative stuff that kids sent from all around the world.”

Finally, as a Boston publication it would be dereliction of duty not to mention the hysterical Dunkin Donuts commercial parody from when Affleck hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2016, so dead-on in its depiction of a local 'regulah customah' that on one of my critics’ poll ballots that year I tried to nominate the sketch for Best Documentary. Alas, the performer shoots down a pet theory I’ve been hanging onto ever since, that the dirtbag Boston guy in the Bruins hat is secretly a grown-up version of Affleck’s scene stealing, bug-swallowing Morgan from “Good Will Hunting.”

“I hadn’t thought about that, dude. That’s really funny. It never crossed my mind." He pauses before confiding, "I wasn’t that great on SNL… I just wasn’t all that funny on the skits, because it’s live and you’re reading the cue cards and it was my first time. But when we went to make that little pre-recorded short film of the Dunkin’ Donuts ad, I really felt like that was my wheelhouse there. I could’ve played that character in a movie. I could have gone to work and played him every single day, and I would have had a blast. That was really fun to do. I would love to do another one of those. That would be funny to see that character again.”

I bet that guy’s got some stories.

“The World To Come” is now in theaters and will be available via video on demand Tuesday, March 2.

[source]

#casey affleck #the world to come #quote #photo #movies

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years

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Private equity firms should be abolished

In his latest BIG newsletter, Matt Stoller (previously) relates the key moments in the history of private equity, from its roots in the notorious "leveraged buyouts" of the 1980s, and explains exactly how the PE con works: successful, productive business are acquired through debt financing, drained of their cash and assets, and then killed, leaving workers unemployed and with their pension funds looted, and with the business's creditors out in the cold.

Private equity's story begins with William Simon, "a mean, nasty, tough bond trader who took no BS from anyone" whose idea of child-rearing was the douse his children with buckets of ice-water to rouse them from bed on weekend mornings. Simon was given senior Treasury appointments under Nixon/Ford, then became America's energy czar during the oil crisis. He was pro-austerity and blocked the bailout of NYC in 1975.

Once out of government service, Simon set about to create a Republican "counter-intelligentsia" to swing the party to the right. He ran the influential far-right think-tank the Olin Foundation, and dispersed money to fund law and economics scholars who were devoted to discrediting the New Deal and the idea of any limits on corporate power, all cloaked in "scientific" rhetoric.

The darlings of this movement -- Henry Manne, Milton Friedman, Michael Jenson -- promoted the idea of "shareholder capitalism" and the notion that managers have a single duty: to put as much money in the pockets of investors, even at the expense of the business's sustainability or the well-being of its workers. They joined forces with Robert Bork, who had set about discrediting antitrust law, arguing (successfully) that the only time laws against monopolies should be enforced was when monopolists raised prices immediately after attaining their monopolies -- everything else was fair game (Bork is a major reason that every industry in the economy is now super-concentrated, with only a handful of major firms).

Simon's policy prescriptions -- massive reductions in capital gains taxes, deregulation of trucking, finance and transport, and a move from guaranteed pensions to 401(k)s that only provide in old age if you make the right bets in the stock market -- were adopted by Carter and the Democrats, flooding the market with huge amounts of cash to be invested.

That's when the leveraged buyout industry was born. In 1982, Simon convinced Barclays and General Electric to loan him $80m to buy Gibson Greeting Cards from its parent company RCA. Once the company was theirs, they looted its bank account to pay themselves a $900k "special dividend," sold off its real-estate holdings for $4m, and took the company public for $270m, with Simon cashing out $70m from the transaction (Simon's total investment was $330k).

This was the starter pistol for future leveraged buyouts, through which companies like Bain Capital and the Carlyle Group buy multiple companies in the same sector and transmit "winning strategies" between them: new ways to dodge taxes, raise prices, and avoid regulation. PE owners suck any financial cushion out of companies -- funds that firms set aside for downturns or R&D -- and replace it with "brutal debt schedules." The PE owners benefit massively when this drives up share prices, but take no downsides when the companies fail.

Under PE, companies have emphasized firing workers and replacing them with overseas subcontractors, and amassing "brands, patents and tax loopholes" as their primary assets. PE firms specialize in self-dealing, cutting in the banks and brokers who set up the deals for a share of the upside. A company bought by a private equity firm is ten times more likely to go bankrupt than one with a traditional capital/management structure.

Elizabeth Warren has proposed some commonsense reforms to private equity: making PE investors liable for the debts they load their companies up with (including an obligation to fund workers' pensions); ending special fees and dividends; and reforming bankruptcy and tax laws to force PE companies to operate on the same terms as other businesses. Stoller calls this "reunifying ownership and responsibility": making the people who assume ownership of these productive companies take responsibility for their liabilities, not just their profits.

As Stoller points out, critics of Warren's plan say that this would end private equity investing as we know it ("Unfortunately, Warren’s fixes for these problems... would pretty much guarantee that nobody invests in or lends to private equity firms" -- Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post), but of course, that's the whole point.

But centrist Democrats love private equity, as the firms are major political donors, and many's the politician who cycled out of public office and into a cushy job with a PE firm.

Stoller discusses this further in his new book Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy.

https://boingboing.net/2019/12/16/capitalisms-grave-diggers.html

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