#tubthumping trump

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Popehat on mastodon

[brightlotusmoon]

[selfcallednowhere]

March 8, 2018, Portland, OR

They opened with "Ana Ng," followed by "Damn Good Times." During the intro of the latter, when the band was already playing but Flans was talking before the vocal kicked in (which he is quite fond of doing, particularly when the song is one of the first few of the night), he said Portland is "the only town that counts." (I knew he was joking but I was still mildly bothered by this as a Seattleite dealing with the Seattle vs. Portland rivalry).

Afterwards, Flans was referring to the people who were around the edge of the room, which was blocked off by a barrier--he said they were in East Berlin. John: "We hope you'll think about what you did." Then he said that Flans hadn't said the thing about this being "the only town that matters" at any of the other shows they've done on this tour, and Flans said it's because a big percentage of the population of Portland is rock critics. Then he said that thing that keeps making me so sad, about how they have a new album and when they say they're going to play a song from it we should pretend to be enthusiastic about it.

After "I Left My Body" (great as always), "Your Racist Friend" (still meh on this song but I do love the trumpet-party-break section with Curt), and "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal" (causing me to rock way out), John got out his contra-alto clarinet. He said it's "lower than the bass clarinet and at war with the alto clarinet."

They played "All Time What," then Flans asked John what he'd done all day. He said he'd "wandered around and dodged the raindrops--apparently it rains in this town." Flans said he did not go to the record store (there's an Everyday Music very close to the venue that he's been known to frequent when they're in town), which meant he had more money than he otherwise would've.

There was some funny banter after that. Flans said they'd gotten to stay at an actual nice hotel the night before, which was unusual for them. Then John said they were wearing crooked top hats and saying "We're gonna make it some day!" Flans said the hotel looked like "a movie set from the '30s," and they took something off a tray of food that probably cost $40. John said they were going to escape on a luggage cart disguised as luggage, and Flans compared them to Harpo Marx. Then John said that next they'd be running and their feet would make bongo sounds. So silly!

They played "Turn Around," which was SO GOOD, much better than the night before when John hadn't used his accordion due to technical difficulties.

After "Spy" and "The Mesopotamians," Flans explained that they're playing two sets, and the second set was "all hits," but they were hits by other bands. John said they're not even good bands, and Flans said they're "under the thumbs of our management," who are really mean to them.

They played "This Microphone," and then Flans said it's on their new album. He said it just came out on vinyl, and that it's a gatefold sleeve, which you can "clean your Oregon pot on."

Flans introduced "Bills, Bills, Bills" by again explaining how they'd been to the AV Club to cover a song for them. He said they first did "Tubthumping," but they weren't going to be playing that tonight because "if you sing it once you'll be singing it all week." He said he was going to be Kelly, John was going to be Beyonce ("a role he originated on Broadway"), and "the members of the band not with us will be playing the part of Michelle." So then they played it, and as always I was completely enraptured by Flans's full-on diva-ness.

They closed out the first set with "Birdhouse in Your Soul," which is a perfect set closer cos there's so much energy in the room when they play it.

Second set started the usual way, with the "Last Wave" video (which I was really tired of at this point, I never really liked it much in the first place and this was like the millionth time I'd seen it) and then "Older" to kick off Quiet Storm. I've been enjoying it on the contra-alto clarinet so much that it'll be a bit sad to (presumably) go back to it on keyboard when all this is over.

Flans pointed out the balcony was really far back and said it was "a mistake." John said it was the section for nursing mothers, and Flans said they'd combined that with the section for cigar smokers.

Flans introduced "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" by saying it was "one of the first songs we wrote," and then confessed that they're actually vampires (explains a lot!). John said not to post that on social media, but then said that it actually wouldn't matter because they wouldn't show up.

After they played it, Flans said not enough people were taking pictures with their phones, and he was "distracted by not being distracted."

Next was MY THEME SONG, still intense and special and emotional and wonderful every single time. It makes me sad to realize that this tour may be the only time I'll get to see it, but I'm just grateful to have been able to as many times as I have.

Flans said that the electronic drums have "all the power of EDM and all the musicality of not-EDM." Then he said the last song was from John Henry, and why don't they play more songs from that album? "Because it's not very good." (As someone for whom John Henry holds the elevated status of not only the album containing my all-time favorite song but also is tied for my #1 album overall, you can imagine what my reaction to this comment was.)

They played "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?," and then the rest of the band came back on stage for "Istanbul," including the crazy jam session at the end. Afterwards, John said he needed to catch his breath and he wanted them to talk for a minute before they played the next song, which made him sound like such an old man. Flans asked us how we were enjoying the sprung dance floor, then said maybe they should talk about some prostitution scandal (I'm not sure what he was referring to) or the "useless" tariffs Trump is proposing. John said he's divesting his money from steel and investing it in "Waynecoin. It's a psychedelic cryptocurrency. You feel like you're tripping, and then all your money is gone."

Then they played "Mrs. Bluebeard." At this point I took it as a foregone conclusion that John would screw up the lyrics since he had every other time I'd seen it, and sure enough he did. For the second time at the shows I've been to, he actually acknowledged the fact that he did afterwards. His excuse was that he'd been distracted cos he'd been trying to move the microphone with his lips so he could reach the higher part of his keyboard, but the crew had tightened it too much and it hadn't moved. Flans said that what he likes is when the crew sets up his mic stand so it's too tall for him, cos he's flattered that they think he's "of higher stature" than he really is.

Next came "Particle Man," "Wicked Little Critta," and "New York City." Then Flans said the next song features Dan on acoustic guitar. Dan played a little something, and Flans said it was from Dan's collection of "unreleased b-sides" and was entitled "Ah Fuck It." John said something about it reminding him of the Motel 6 commercials, and Flans went off on a classic hilarious Flans thing with him pretending to be Tom Bodett and saying "we'll leave the bugs out for you." Then he said if you're a rock band who wants to be sued you should just say that Motel 6 has bugs.

They played "Number Three," and then Flans went back to riffing on the Motel 6 thing (in character). He said if you're coming there and you have a dog with bugs/mange you should bring them and let them pee all over the carpet.

They played "When the Lights Come On," Flans introduced the band, and then they closed out the main set with the reliably superfun "Doctor Worm."

The first encore was the same spectacular duo as almost all the other shows on this West Coast trip: "Dead" followed by "Don't Let's Start." The second encore was "Man, It's So Loud in Here" and then "Fingertips."

It was a great set and a great show! A teensy bit disappointing because the setlist was nearly exactly the same as the previous night in Seattle, and the only reason it wasn't exactly the same was that they'd removed a couple of the particularly great songs they'd played, but otherwise no complaints.

After the show, I was hanging around the stage trying to get a setlist. I didn't get one, but I did snag something else really cool: a signed drumhead from Marty! That was a first for me. I think he might've given it to me because I told him I recognized his shirt as being from Out of Print Clothing, one of my absolute favorite shops (the one with the cover of The Metamorphosis that he's been wearing a lot lately), and we chatted about that a bit. Between that and him giving me a setlist a couple of days before, I finally felt like I could accept him as a full real member of the band--I've still been thinking of him as "the new guy" all this time. I feel silly saying that as he's been in the band for going on a decade and a half now, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Marty's skills as a drummer or kindness as a person, both of which are clearly quite high--I just don't deal with change particularly well.

JL wardrobe report: a black pullover jacket, not too exciting, except for when he pushed up the sleeves for the second half of the show (I always love seeing his arms that way, it's much more exciting than when he's just wearing a t-shirt for reasons I can't really articulate).

[thehiddenlawyer]

So, you are a refugee and a crazy one it seems by your over-the-top investment in Cumberbatch. Do you see a psychiatrist regularly? Because if not it's obviously time to do so. And by the way: Trump will hopefully make sure that the US deports you back to your 3rd world country asap. We have enough of you parasites living of our money. And another advice: Do yourself a favor and lose some pounds bc you are fat. Cumberbatch isn't into fatties, you know. LOL

Oh Anon!

What a rookie mistake. Didn’t your parents (if you haveparents, by your self-proclaimed anonymity you could be a monkey who learned totype, for all I know. Or an interdimensional monster that Doctor Strange missedthrough his last sweep through the multiverse—again, I don’t know, since you’rehiding behind your anonymity) teach you the basic tenets of life? (1) Never tugon Superman’s Cape (2) never mistake Doctor Strange’s Cloak for a Cape (3) don’tpiss into the wind, and the most important two of all time, (4) never draw in abored baby lawyer into an argument and (5) NEVER forget that the baby lawyer alwaysremembers that she’s named after the goddess of love AND war. And she LOVES thewar part.

Refugee—

Yes! Yes I am a refugee! Why thank you for noticingsomething I’m incredibly proud of! Something I wear like a badge of honorwherever I go, something that is a source of pride for me. Because being arefugee means I lived through some of the hardest things that a human being cango through before I turned 10. It also means I’m the extremely proud daughterand sister of refugees who had the strength to make a change when they neededto. I’m also a part of the greater refugee community, who understand the basicprincipals of life—the very principals that the forefathers of this countrybuilt the United States on, and wrote the Constitution around (if you’re at allfamiliar with the Constitution or the history of the United States, again, youranonymity confounds me—I can’t tell if you’re a space monster or not) Life.Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. All very basic ideas, understood on a molecularlevel by every immigrant and refugee. SO YES! I AM A REFUGEE and so incrediblyproud of the connotation of strength that always follows that particular noun. (BTWoh great space monster of the anon variety, are you aware that refugees andimmigrants can become US Citizens? I’ve been a citizen since I was 16, and Ivote. Scary, ain’t it?)

My Over-the-Top Investment In BC/Needing to See aPsychiatrist

Why yes! I’m so glad you brought this up, today of all days!I do see a psychiatrist on a pretty regular basis and she’s fantastic! (I cangive you her number if you’d like, but again, since I’m not completely sure you’rehuman or a slightly less evolved ape or a space monster, I can’t necessarilymake the recommendation) And ya know what’s funny oh my Anon? I talked to herabout my investment in BC, and ya know what she told me? She said that I’vebeen through so much trauma and I see so much violence and darkness every day(in real life as a baby lawyer working in the poorest sections of the city withthe most violent offenders and the most desolate members of our community) thatI need a light, I need a distraction, someone who upholds the ideals of humanity,reminds me that there is good in the world both through their word and deed (I’msure it made intergalactic/interdimensional/ape news that he recently jumpedout of his vehicle to come to the rescue of a stranger in the streets ofLondon, that he goes out of his way to participate in fundraisers, that he didsuch great deeds that he was given a CBE for his efforts on behalf ofrefugees).

And you know what’s even funnier? I wrote him a letter veryrecently and sent it along, letting him know that he means a big hunk of theworld to me for ohhhhhhh so many reasons (but I wonder if it’s worth gettinginto them now cuz again, if you had sent this gorgeous comment to me using areal account, I’d be able to discern whether you’re human or not…!) But I’msure if you looked through my blog you would see exactly what kind of light theman brings to the world, not just my singularly inarticulable, and, as youwould put it in your space alien language, worthless life.

But let’s please make this a rule for our next encounter—keephis name out of your mouth.

Trump and Parasites/Trump the Parasite

Did I tell you I want to be Robert Mueller when I grow up?Like hardcore, I want to be Mueller. Even though he’s a republican and I’m atubthumping Democrat (and guess what, I VOTE Democrat too, REPEATEDLY! Terrified,right?) But I’m going to take this opportunity to point out a few things aboutthis particular parasite of a person you’ve chosen (to your own detriment) toattack. I speak 9 languages (which is a sign of intelligence), I graduated law schoollike last month so that’s pretty cool, I’ve carried a 4.0 GPA since elementaryschool (It dropped to 3.8 in law school, to my consternation). And you knowwhat was cool about graduation?? I am the parasite that graduated with honors.And that’s not all Space Monster! That is simply not ALL!!! As I saw yourcomment I received an email that my Juris Doctor’s been certified by the CaliforniaState Bar! You know what the means? It means not only am I doctor of the law BUTit also means I have a specialization in public interest law (Which means thatif you ever wound up in my office, penniless, faceless, nameless, abused,broken, wretched, with nowhere to go, I’d take you in, give you something to eatand drink, and spend however much time you needed me to with you, listening toyour story, assuring you, doing everything in my power to bring you some peace.With this, Anonymous Person, I remind you that if you have this much venom inyour heart you must be struggling with something, and I remind you that mymessages are open if you’d like to talk about the root of your venom.)

And Donald Trump is looking at impeachment by the end of theyear. This entire nation, this continent, was founded on the idea that ourdifferences make us stronger than what we are. White black, yellow brow, gaystraight or bi, the United States Constitution (which I got to study in detailby the way, just to show off a bit right now) protects you absolutely, lovesyou completely, makes the law itself blind to whether you’re a loving personlike so many people are, or someone filled with some much venom and self-hatredthat they have to lash out behind a nameless figure on a website that allowsthem to be so poisonous without their name being displayed.

At least my profile picture is a picture of me, at least I don’thide from what I am. And who I really am.

FAT!

Oooooh buddy I HOPE TO GOD I’m not BC’s type!! He’s ahappily, lovingly married man with gorgeous kids to one of the most beautifulwomen in the world! I really hope I’m not his type ‘cause I love his marriagetoo much.

And oooooooooh thanks for noticing my body weight! Anotherthing I’m proud of—I wasn’t always. Not because there’s anything wrong withbeing fat, mind you. If you’re happy in your skin then why change? But you knowwhat’s really cool about you noticing my fat? I’m down 66 lbs! and this morningwhile you were typing your love letter to me? I ran a 10 minute mile, and ran sixmiles non-stop, walked two miles though ‘cause I’m feeling lazy. But yes, thankyou for noticing.

 Next time though darling, please don’t hide from me. Attackme in public with your real name and your real face.

Otherwise, this is futile, and so cowardly!

Just like a Trump supporter.

 I sign this with all my love,

Ish—the fat baby lawyer named after a war goddess who isalso a refugee, LOVES LOOOOOOOVES BC (and her therapist) and hopes to never behis type cuz Sophie is flippin’ good for him.

[tbrockandroll]

[To the tune of Tubthumping]

Trump gets knocked down, but he gets up again. Fake news never gonna keep him down. He gets knocked down, they indict again, he still gonna keep deceiving 'em. Indictments never gonna bring him down. He gets knocked down, he corrupts again. Never gonna get brought down.

[machotrouts]

Which Ann Widdecombe Defender Are You?

Ann Widdecombe is currently a popular housemate in Celebrity Big Brother. What's YOUR reason for wanting her to win? Choose from the options below:

"Yes, she has terrible views, but it's reductive to judge her solely on the things she thinks, says, and does"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but homophobia is just a charming personality quirk"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but she's just a harmless innocent little old lady, it's not like she was an MP or a cabinet minister or anything like that"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but at least she doesn't apologise for them"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but this is Year of the WOMAN, and it's only fitting that it be won by someone who hates women"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but challenging her on them, no matter how graciously or tactfully, is victimising her"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but as a former politician who has held more power and influence than anybody else in the show, she's a real underdog"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but she obfuscates them with vacuous platitudes about being kind to others, and I am very easily fooled"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but you've got to respect the long, successful career she's had trying to enforce those terrible views on others"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but people who stand up for LGBT rights are SO annoying"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but at least she doesn't push them in your face, except for that one time when she devoted her 23-year parliamentary career to enshrining them in law"

“Yes, she has terrible views, but that doesn’t mean the person who is overwhelmingly defined by those views is terrible"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but it's not like she JUDGES the people whose rights she has actively, relentlessly sought to deny"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but she's self-assured, and I'm insecure enough to find that an admirable trait in and of itself"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but the REAL victims are people who are challenged for their terrible views"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but it's really impressive that this show managed to book someone who's spent most of the past decade as a professional reality TV star"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but if shy fragile outsider Amanda Barrie and radical establishment threat Wayne Sleep OBE don't feel personally attacked by her, why should anybody else?"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I'M secure in my sexuality, and can't conceive of anyone more vulnerable than myself"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I perceive the absolute mildest challenge to those views to be a militant display of tubthumping"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but it's just an OPINION!"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but at least she's prepared to tolerate people with differing views, unless they fight for, express, or hold them in any meaningful regard"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but in spite of constant overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I still like to pretend conservatives are an oppressed minority in 2018"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but we have gay rights now anyway, which is clearly proof that nothing good can come of challenging people like Ann"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but she's so CUTE! Patronising the elderly is ADORABLE!"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but we should take people as we find them, and if we find that they're homophobes, well, we should just ignore that"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but hypothetically, what if the gay person in the house who disagrees with her intolerance had ironically failed to tolerate HER? The fact that he does isn't really important to me, please just go along with my interesting thought experiment"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but we should respect our wise, vulnerable elders. The poor lady is nearly as old as Donald Trump"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but live and let live! I don't know what irony is"

“Yes, she has terrible views, but what if NOT having terrible views has gone TOO FAR?”

"Yes, she has terrible views, but people are so easily offended these days. Why can't they get upset about something that matters, like Shane Jenek wearing Speedos?"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but she reminds me of my disgusting bigoted hate-filled grandmother, who I love"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I also voted for Coleen Nolan, so I'm in deep at this point"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I'm only against homophobia until anybody actually stands up to homophobia in any way whatsoever"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but at least she opposes the infliction of pain as a source of entertainment. As she can attest, it should only be the source of a political career"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but someone from the Apprentice called her a cunt"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but making me question my moral dissonance is a personal attack"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but at least she's much more homophobic and had much more actual political influence than that awful Winston McKenzie"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but her political career is over. It's good and in no way disturbing that she's reinvented herself as a harmless entertainment figure"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I have Stockholm syndrome after 8 years of Tory rule"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but we should judge her by what she's done IN THE HOUSE, where her homophobia has only manifested as constant passive-aggressive eyerolls, spurious nomination reasons, and a generally uncomfortable, oppressive atmosphere"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I admire her conviction. It would be bad if she just had those views a bit... but that she EXTREMELY has them, is actually very good"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but Maggie Oliver arrested me for sex trafficking"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but this isn't ABOUT politics. The fact that a significant proportion of the housemates and the public are upset with her closest rival for disagreeing with her views in absurdly courteous and diplomatic terms is NOTHING to do with politics"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but so do I"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but she had a point when she said we should be more like Mother Teresa (colonialist con artist) and less like Jordan (previous winner of the show Ann is currently competing in)"

“Yes, she has terrible views, but I am SICK of the harrassment from imaginary gay activists constantly abusing me for liking her”

"Yes, she has terrible views, but, like, she's old, she probably has Alzheimer's or something. Maybe we ALL have Alzheimer's and we're actually misremembering everything she's done, huh? Did you think of that? Did you?"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I am legally obliged to state that Ann isn't here to defend herself, so let's move on"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but gay people upset to see broad adulation for a former MP who voted against equalised age of consent laws are just oversensitive snowflakes. Why are they taking it PERSONALLY that a large sector of the voting audience loves someone who thinks you should be convicted rapists for sleeping with 20-year-olds?"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I'm one of those anthropomorphised unborn fetuses you get in anti-abortion propaganda cartoons"

“Yes, she has terrible views, but I want her to win to stick it to the gay activists who call her fans homophobic! Voting for a homophobe specifically to upset gay people will prove that I am not, personally, a homophobe”

"Yes, she has terrible views, but stop TALKING about it! I don't want to KNOW!"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but laws against the promotion of homosexuality could have taken down this bad Tumblr, so every cloud and all that"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but how boring would it be if EVERYONE agreed, and gay people were ALL free to live their lives without fear of persecution from ANYONE?"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but I refuse to stand in the way of Big Brother's long, proud history of bestowing imaginary redemption arcs on terrible people who have done nothing whatsoever to redeem themselves"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but it's just an entertainment show, and gay viewers who are unsettled to see a mainstream uprising of contempt for them should shut up and let the rest of us enjoy it"

"Yes, she has terrible views, but you have to understand... January 2018 was a very different time"

[goooooooooooooooone]

GUYS OML YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS IM CACKLING XD

[theliterateape]

Recycling the Past: We Have Been Here Before

Will Progress Be Fast Tracked This Time?

by Don Hall

Decades of inequality. A viral pandemic. Government intervenes with economic shutdown to contain the virus. Sudden massive unemployment. Riots. Protests. Authoritarian response.

The pattern is disturbingly familiar.

It happened in this exact order in:

The 1340s in England after the Black Death resulting in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.

In 1349 Jewish communities were faced with conspiracy theories that stated the plague was caused by Jewish immigrants. The Jews of Starusbourg were offered a choice between conversion and death. Those who refused to convert were burned alive.

The recurrence of the bubonic plague resulted in revolutionary-like conflicts between the British colonizers and their subjects from South Africa to India.

1907 and 1916 polio epidemics resulted in rioting throughout New York.

In 19th-century Europe, cholera riots were frequent, from St. Petersburg in 1831 to Donetsk in 1892. In North America, smallpox quarantines led mobs to burn down hospitals and police stations. The residents of Marblehead, near Boston, twice rioted against smallpox inoculation, in 1730 and 1773.

More recently, in 1968, the Hong Kong flu caused much of the same pressure on existing tensions (I was surprised to read that Woodstock was considered a ‘super spreader’ event) resulting in a remarkably similar pattern: Decades of inequality. A viral pandemic. Government intervenes with economic shutdown to contain the virus. Sudden massive unemployment. Riots. Protests. Authoritarian response.

I’ve heard everyone from President Obama to the new Social Justice oriented New York Times Op-Ed editor that there is something different about things this time. I wonder exactly how this is different. History is the context for the present and history says it is almost identical to what has come before.

This is not to say that, in each case, the forward march toward human progress has been unaffected. It looks, from the vantage of human history, like each pandemic/shutdown/protest results in a two steps forward/one step back circumstance. Using 1968 as a perfect model, the resulting Civil Rights Act was passed followed by “Law and Order” presidential candidate Richard Nixon sweeping the election definitively.

*He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink He sings the songs that remind him of the good times He sings the songs that remind him of the best times (Oh Danny Boy, Danny Boy, Danny Boy)

I get knocked down, but I get up again You are never gonna keep me down I get knocked down, but I get up again You are never gonna keep me down I get knocked down, but I get up again You are never gonna keep me down I get knocked down,…*

I love this idea. Life is about loss, for certain. We lose jobs, loved ones, money, possessions, friendships. The longer you live, the more you lose. It’s a universal truth for every living being.

Aside from loss (and the inevitability of mortality) the only common truth in life is that you will get knocked down again and again. It is the getting back up that takes guts and moxie. Like Rocky Balboa (who couldn’t box as well as almost any of his opponents but, man, that fucker could take a punch, get knocked on his ass, and get back up for more punishment) the Ones who inspire are the Ones who (as the Japanese proverb tells us) ‘fall down seven times, get up eight.’

There’s something absolutely breathtaking in the bold resolve of black Americans this week. Something undeniably Chumbawamba Tubthumping about the tenacity to live through such poverty (for most), acrimony from bigots (for all), and such dismissal from the host of our leadership and still get the fuck back up and demand better.

Even those black Americans who choose not to participate in the #BlackLivesMatter protests (and there are certainly more of them sitting it out than those on the streets) the decision to take the hits and keep working, keep feeding their families, voting despite the obstacles is a sight to behold.

On a larger view, the economic inequality resulting in a Jeff Bezos trillionaire situation while the vast unwashed struggle to have even enough in their savings to weather a $400.00 emergency requires Rocky-like fortitude.

The hugeness of this current revolt is made up of many participants: those protesting police murders, those protesting Donald Trump, those whose hopes were pinned on Democratic Socialism and Bernie Sanders, those who just lost their jobs and need something to do that answers the unformed rage at the unfairness of it all.

It makes sense to position this as somehow different or better or bound for more movement. The protesters in 1968 positioned their revolt as more enlightened, more righteous, than previous examples. That’s the nature of hope. That this time the result will be the lynchpin moment of massive change.

Decades of inequality. A viral pandemic. Government intervenes with economic shutdown to contain the virus. Sudden massive unemployment. Riots. Protests. Authoritarian response.

My supposition is that it can be different or better or resulting in more sweeping changes but only in the follow-up to the initial volley of thousands in the streets. 

I see (perhaps because I’m looking for them) opportunists looking to make bank rather than systemic change. Professor Robin DiAngelo (former student of Critical Race Theory founder Derrick Bell and author of “White Fragility”) capitalizing on things by first explaining that all white people are racist then offering to help them with that for a fee of $10,000.00 a pop. Mega-corporations using the language of #BlackLivesMatter to greenwash their public relations to appear to show support but, given corporations cannot have virtue to signal, is just another cash-grab for shareholders. A whole bunch of people looking to extend the idea that black Americans should not be murdered by police to include the “Hire Black People” message.

I mean, what the fuck do I know? As a white, heterosexual, man in his fifties with classic liberal values, both ends of the American cultural spectrum have little use for me. I’m fine with that. No victimhood sitting on my shoulder. Acknowledging my privilege and backing off for others to take it is easy because my privilege comes with no power. Getting the Jeff Bezos’s of the world to give up their power has historically been nearly impossible.

Will this recipe for change, spawned on the historical pattern of pandemic/economic fallout/social protest, be the one that truly transforms the American experiment? I hope so. I believe it will rise and fall on the resistance to fracture the message.

Stick to substantial reform of American policing. Historically, this takes a long time. If both previous promises to reform policing and the Reconstruction following the Civil War demonstrate, once the crowd takes their eye off the game, the game gets gamed. Get that done and move on to the next. Multi-tasking major reforms is a guarantee to half-ass all of them. There is huge potential for change once we have enough skin in the game but too many competing interests has historically been met with splits in focus.

Police reform (or defunding or both). Vote out Donald Trump and his GOP enablers. What next? The climate? The military? Public education? Who knows but I believe it requires focus that outrage simply cannot sustain.

No one asked me but if I could offer a direction, I’d say reparations should be the next seemingly impossible historical change in the queue. Beyond the quasi-religious hogwash that paints all white people as evil, the government owes black Americans a financial debt and, as a two trillion dollar response to the pandemic demonstrates, we can pay it.

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, week thirty-six

considering the songs which debuted on the billboard hot 100 the weeks of 13 september 1997, 15 september 2007, and 16 september 2017

9.13.1997

1) "Honey," by Mariah Carey

You know, when I saw this was coming up, I started wondering why I didn't give "Honey" nearly as much spin as I give to other Mariah jams. 'Cuz I'll listen to "Always Be My Baby" on a cloudy day, I'll listen to "Fantasy" whenever the fuck, I give "Heartbreaker" a lot of love, but this song, I understood to be a classic, but it never quite tickled my fantasy, y'know? And it's not just Mase, though he certainly doesn't help, it's more that this is more mellow than the Mariah songs I've been into, more of a chilled-out thing and not a dramatic declaration of love. It's a simple, sweet ;) song, and I mean I shouldn't be grading this on the Special Mariah Scale (where every song is either an A or an Inspirational Balld), this honestly probably ends up being Song of the Week because it's still really damn good, we're just talking about a Mariah joint that doesn't make the Mariah Top 10.

55) "You Light up My Life," by LeAnn Rimes

...So this is late because I saw 10 Lil Uzi Vert songs and got discouraged. No one who doesn't want to should have to listen to Lil Uzi Vert. So I also dragged my feet on getting everything else written -- welcome to Sunday, September 10th, when I am considering after five days of trying to find a reason to justify piping that into my ears I'm realizing that at least Lil Uzi Vert has some sort of definable character which I've decided I'm not into. Am I thrilled to listen to a song called "444+222?" Absolutely not, that sounds Stupid, and I'm not sure why hip-hop is getting into the same Hot Topic Goth imagery even the goths were over in 2007, but at least there's a definable character there. I will come away from those ten songs (eh, fuck it, I'll listen to the album, I listened to Drake's whole bullshit) having learned something about Lil Uzi Vert as a person, and spending an hour with something I don't like is a more valuable experience than spending three and a half minutes feeling nothing.

75) "Jack-Ass," by Beck

I didn't like listening to this song but Beck wrote it himself and played all the instruments so that means it's a truer artistic statement with significantly more intrinsic value than anything else we'll be discussing today.

76) "It's Alright," by Queen Latifah

I looked up the film where this osng came from, just because I wanted to know what the hell Nothing to Lose was that it would get the "Not Tonight" remix and this song, and apparently the movie isn't very good, but it does feature John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito in feature roles! The soundtrack also has a track from OutKast called "Everlasting," and I just, how does this film get an original from OutKast? What is this movie? Is this worth seeing? It doesn't look very good and I would have to pay to watch it but I need to see how this movie brought the "Not Tonight" remix into existence.

79) "Tubthumping," by Chumbawumba

This song is gloriously and loudly stupid, and while it's also shitty, it at least owns how stupid it is. It revels in its own inanity, and I dunno, I think it has a lot of pluck. It's a charming little ditty. I understand why people would enjoy shouting with this song.

86) "Legend of a Cowgirl," by Imani Coppola

You know what? I think "Honey" is a better song than this, but I'm gonna give this the Song of the Week title because I think Mariah Carey has enough accolades, and this is an incredibly impressive effort. Even without the video, you can get a clear sense of who Imani Coppola is as an artist from this song, hear what she intends to be, and it's really cool to hear a song this ambitious and distinct. I'm not gonna put it on the level of "Felton St," I don't think this is an essential forgotten classic, but this is the rare song that sounds like the artist and not the '90s, and given that I hadn't actually heard of Imani Coppola to this point, that's extremely impressive. Also I'm listening to a song called "Geeks" by Hailey Knox which Coppola evidently co-wrote, and it's pretty amazing, too. Imani Coppola! She's great! Anyway, let's listen to Shaquille O'Neal rap.

91) "Man of Steel," by Shaquille O'Neal, Ice Cube, B-Real, Peter Gunz & KRS-One

KRS-One on "Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight):" "Yo I'm strictly about skills and dope lyrical coastin/Relying on talent, not marketing and promotion" KRS-One on "Men of Steel:" "KRS-One is the nicest/Shaquille O'Neal definitely from Men of Steel" Still better than Kendrick's verse on "Bad Blood" tbh

92) "I'm Not a Fool," by Immature

When Immature came up a few months back, did we discuss the silliness of naming an R&B group made up of teens Immature? That's a terrible name for this boy band! I have trouble believing a serious emotional ballad from a group that reminds me at the top they're idiots. ...You're right, I wasn't making this criticism of Backstreet Boys, it's a '90s R&B slow jam, I've listened to heckin 40 of these, I am so incredibly out of things to say. I'm sorry. I tried to find an angle, but it’s clear I failed.

9.15.2007

43) "Wadsyaname," Nelly

Heading into this song, I recalled the era where Nelly was trying to be a throwback ‘50s-like musician. “Tiltcha Head Back” is one of the top songs of the era, and given that “Candyman” dropped earlier in the year, I thought we’d still be getting retro Nelly. ...No. No, that is very much not what happened here. We got Bland Forgettable Nelly. There is a reason I didn’t remember this song as strongly as “Tiltcha Head Back,” and that’s because it’s kind of the worst thing in the world. Like I’m not listening to the songs on headphones these week, I am blasting these through the speakers, and this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever played. And like I listen to Twitch streams and country music. I am more worried that people will think I like this song than I am people will think I’m a Trump voter.

73) "More Than a Memory," Garth Brooks

Can I talk about the video I found for this song? So Garth Brooks is one of few artists big enough to fight Google, and it doesn’t look like his music’s easily searchable on The Web. The only videos I could find for this song were covers and that video, which is just a dude pointing a camera at his dog for four minutes. It’s so beautiful. That’s the saddest dog in the world. I don’t know how the ending happened but the ending happens and it’s so perfect, this is such a good video, A+ YouTubing, sir. I am glad to be one in your march to a million views.

78) "Coffee Shop," Yung Joc ft./Gorilla Zoe

I knew I was gonna like this song when I saw a tuba in the background of the video thumbnail, and I knew I was gonna kinda love this song when the video began with Yung Joc making a real estate investment -- a wise decision, and it’s important that this video chooses to represent prudent financial transactions. And sure enough, this song is absolutely delightful. That is a hot Southern pop/rap beat, and Joc and Zoe are way more impressive on this song than they have been on their previous songs. The central metaphor is what it is, the song is basic as hell, but yo, I’ll take basic as hell over what I thought this song was gonna be.

81) "Baby Don't Go," Fabolous ft./Jermaine Dupri

I can kinda see how my mood would affect how I listen to this song. This is peak generic 2007 hip-hop, so on a bad day, I’d just be like “enh, whatever,” but this caught me on a good day, y’lknow? 1997 was pretty chill, 2007′s been good for us after the Nelly travesty, I’m willing to be charitable to this song, even if I didn’t actually notice it had ended until a CarMax ad started playing. Suitable background noise for this fine Sunday morning!

90) "Money in the Bank," Swizz Beatz

Well. ...Well. There went that. OH WAIT I DIDN’T REALIZE WE WERE GONNA PIVOT INTO SOMETHING AMAZING HOLY SHIT IS THIS PROTO-”FAMOUS” DID SWIZZ BEATZ JUST GIVE ME A TEST DID HE JUST SAY “IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE ME AT MY FIRST 90 SECONDS OF THIS SONG YOU DON’T DESERVE ME AT THE LAST 90 SECONDS OF THIS SONG” OK OK I GET WHY THIS SONG EXISTS YAS YAAAAAAS

93) "How Far We've Come," matchbox twenty

This is OK. I dunno, I don’t think the purpose of YAS is to give an extended defense of matchbox twenty, but I have always liked matchbox twenty, and I’m not gonna sit here and try to make some effort to be cooler than that. I’m nowhere near cool enough to try to pretend I don’t think this song is at least okay, nor am I cool enough that I can’t admit hearing this song about legacies and approaching the end of the world had some resonance with my fears for the present day. I’m a fuckboy in his late 20s who is sitting in an apartment listening to and being affected by matchbox twenty. Please listen to my Lil Uzi Vert opinions. They are amazingly valid.

96) "Livin' Our Love Song," Jason Michael Carroll

“Somethin’ like this just doesn’t exist/Between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess” I can think of at least 20 other songs where this exact thing exists. We’ll always have “Alyssa Lies.” No one, not even you, can take that away from us.

98) "Hate That I Love You," Rihanna ft./Ne-Yo

Call it the “Honey” effect: I understand this to be a great song, but I never feel quite motivated to revisit it on a regular basis, simply because it’s just mellow and subtle and all those things. This song is great -- I talk about the dearth of duets in modern music, but this is one of the modern greats, and it should be cherished for that fact alone, shouldn’t be judged so unfairly against... The only other Rihanna song I’m judging it against is “Umbrella,” I realize. Is this the second-best song in Rihanna’s entire catalogue? Am I gonna spend the rest of my life Rihanna did her best work in 2007? Team, I am worried I’m a “BACK IN MY DAY” fogey. I enjoyed a matchbox twenty song and I’m arguing that Rihanna’s past her prime. What is this. What am I doing with this post.

9.16.2017

31) "Jocelyn Flores," by XXXTENTACION 41) "Fuck Love," by XXXTENTACION ft./Trippie Redd 54) "Everybody Dies in Their Nightmares," by XXXTENTACION 77) "Revenge," by XXXTENTACION 91) "Depression & Obsession," by XXXTENTACION 94) "Save Me," by XXXTENTACION 95) "Carry On," by XXXTENTACION

Instead of listening to these songs, I’m going to link to this article.

39) "The Way Life Goes," by Lil Uzi Vert 49) "Sauce it Up," by Lil Uzi Vert 60) "444+222," by Lil Uzi Vert 79) "Neon Guts," by Lil Uzi Vert ft./Pharrell Williams 80) "Two," by Lil Uzi Vert 81) "X," by Lil Uzi Vert 92) "For Real," by Lil Uzi Vert 84) "UnFazed," by Lil Uzi Vert 90) "No Sleep Leak," by Lil Uzi Vert 92) "Dark Queen," by Lil Uzi Vert

So basically I put this album and then played an LttP rando, and then I continued playing the rando while two other albums played (heckin hookshot was in a dumb location), and now I don’t remember anything about these songs. Like, they weren’t unpleasant. Lil Uzi Vert isn’t as trash as I was anticipating, but there was nothing I was able to derive from his particular brand of dark trap that I couldn’t get from any of the billion other dudes making dark trap. Like, legit, “444+222.” Maybe I let a song title influence my opinion on the rest of the work, but that’s dumb and this music is dumb.

73) "What Lovers Do," by Maroon 5 ft./SZA

Like all Maroon 5 songs, this is acceptable

76) "Light it Up," by Luke Bryan

I am actually angry that this song called “Light it Up” dares to be mid-tempo. No. No, no, bro country, you wanna be about lighting it up, your beat should be lit. This is a bro country song about Snapchat and the word ‘truck’ is in the chorus and I can’t believe I managed to make time for this. How did 2017 win 13 weeks of this deeply stupid competition. Why was there a guitar solo? Why do these songs make time for guitar solos? What even is this genre?

97) "Tell Me You Love Me," by Demi Lovato

THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN “SORRY NOT SORRY” AND I AM BACK ON BOARD THE DEMI LOVATO TRAIN god damn like this week epitomizes 2017. Problematic people making shitty songs, miles of trap bullshit, not-unpleasant island vibes, awful country, and then a strong woman with a brass backing coming to save us all. My favorite genre of 2017 music is “young woman triumphantly belting over an army of horns,” and Demi Lovato has made my favorite version of that song yet. Hell yeah, man. I am incredibly into this. This single-handedly salvaged the 2017 leg, even if I had to put myself through a whole Lil Uzi Vert thing.

Who won the week?

Though I mean the whole Lil Uzi Vert and Luke Bryan of it all makes it impossible for Demi Lovato to win, like I’m not about to look at a 1997 that gave us “Honey” and “Legend of a Cowgirl” and say “No. XXXTENTACION’s such a broken beautiful soul.” It’s 1997.

Current standings: 1997: 13 2007: 11 2017: 12 Next week, I have no idea what any of the four songs 1997 has to offer are gonna be, we’re gonna talk about Alicia Keys and Britney and Good Charlotte from 2007, and oh boy new Tay Tay and Sam Smith so excited really can’t wait to sink into those f’real those are probably gonna be greaaaaaaaaaat songs i’ll enjoy forever Next week’s standings: 1997: 13 2007: 12 2017: 12 I mean what’s the point of pretending

[swantexadixkrisna]

Relationship,Lesson,7,Tubthumped,Tennessee,