brainsplotch

Hey folks, just a not to let you know that I'm still alive--just in case you were worrying. I have a few ideas I'm working on for this blog, both (probably unsurprisingly) involving music. I've been veeerrrryyy slllooowwwlllyyy working on a piece about how music is getting me through the first few months of President Dipshit's reign of error, and another piece about the 30th anniversary of U2's The Joshua Tree . And somewhere along the line, I need to get to the Tragically Hip's Fully Completely. Maybe sometime before the year 2050, if I live that long and the world hasn't been either blown up or submerged under water due to global warming, I'll complete my Tragically Hip overview. Of course, by 2050 nobody will give a shit about the Tragically Hip anymore (not that they really do now). Anyway, I have no timetable for publishing these posts, but I sure as hell would like to do it before the end of April. Please bear with me, loyal readers.

This is a "staff recommendation" I wrote for the Capital Area District Library web site. I thought I may as well share it here. Since there was a lot of cutting and pasting going on, the font and font size may be messed up compared to the rest of the blog. Drive-By Truckers—American Band A perfect soundtrack for our troubled times For over twenty years, the Athens GA based Drive-By Truckers have ambivalently assumed the mantle for Southern Rock. (I say “ambivalently” because they don’t like to be lumped into any category). Their songs have touched on Southern identity, society, and mythology, with their progressive-leaning politics always floating just under the surface. On their 2016 album, American Band, politics take center stage unlike any of their previous records. Angered and frustrated by such issues as the Charleston (S.C.) church shooting, Confederate flag controversy, and various incidents of violence throughout the nation, songwriters Patt...

We are almost to the end of February, and we're not yet at war, so I suppose that's good. Hey, I'm trying to find a silver lining somewhere. The bad news is that Trump is still president. I've been (somewhat jokingly) hoping he'd find an excuse to resign, but that hasn't happened. Oh well, since Steve Bannon is doing all the heavy lifting, there is no need for Trump to resign. He probably has plenty of time to play golf at Mar-A-Lago and angrily tweet at all hours of the day, while maintaining the illusion of being president. What more could he ask for? Music is about the only thing getting me through this political nightmare. Number one on my playlist has been the album American Band by Drive-By Truckers. I mentioned this record in my "favorites of 2016" post, but since the election American Band has taken on even more importance. The two songwriters and vocalists Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood practically play tag team, with songs that look a...

Why does Donald Trump even want to be president? He is the oldest person ever inaugurated, at 70 years of age. He is about one year older than Ronald Reagan, who was 69 when he was sworn in. (I haven't bothered to do the math). Trump has a 10-year-old son. Any ordinary, normal man of his age--with the apparent financial freedom--would downscale on the work hours and dote on the child. But Trump is not an ordinary 70-year-old man. In all of his tweets, his interviews, his performance in debates, Trump has continually demonstrated emotional immaturity and an unhinged vindictiveness. Donald Trump wanted to become president not because he cares about the American people, but to get even with his enemies. And his enemies are numerous: CNN, The New York Times, Meryl Streep, the "liberals" in Hollywood, the entire Democratic Party, some of the Republican Party, and pretty much anyone who is not white and male. In one week, he has shown himself to be nothing more t...

We're one week into the Trump presidency and already we're seeing what life under a fascist kleptocracy looks like...and it ain't pretty. The unhinged executive orders have come with such an intense flurry that it's hard to keep up with them. It's also hard not to become overcome with a profound sense of despair. I knew life under President Trump would probably be horrible, but it it's even worse than I imagined. The country has become one dominated by fear and hate. We have a president who has no respect for the office, nor any respect for the citizens of the United States. I get the sense that the only reason he wanted to become president was to settle scores and get even with enemies. I have done what I can to fight back in my own small way. The entire family attended the Women's March in Lansing last Saturday. It was inspiring and heartening to be a part of 9000 like-minded people descending on the state capitol. The march made me think that perhap...

It's finally almost here, the day I have been dreading since November 8: the day Trump takes office as president. I still can barely write that sentence without getting dry heaves. The impending clusterfuck is already in the making, as we see a parade of lying, sanctimonious hucksters (cough, Betsy DeVos, cough) questioned by the Senate for cabinet positions they don't deserve and aren't qualified for. So I feel sad that a good-hearted, intelligent, and competent man like Obama is leaving office and head of the sanctimonious hucksters, Donald Trump, is taking over. It's like we're trading in a Rolls-Royce for a rusty Yugo. I don't plan on watching any of the inauguration tomorrow. I'd rather watch anything else than that orange-faced thug take an oath he doesn't believe to claim an office he doesn't deserve.

This has been a shit year, there's no other way to put it. (Well, maybe there is a more artful way to put it, but I don't feel like it. Describing it as "shit" just seems more appropriate). I don't think it's necessary to enumerate the many ways in which 2016 sucked. Any year in which David Bowie and Prince died, while Donald Trump was elected president, is automatically a horrible year. All of the other bad things that happened are just more poo clogging the toilet. (Sorry for the scatological metaphors, folks). So why not take a look at the good stuff from 2016, at least from my perspective. The year was a good one for music. It has been a long time since I've been as excited about new music as I was in '16. It started in January when David Bowie released Blackstar ,  an album that has to rank as one of the best of his career, and there is no hyperbole in that statement. It was as if Bowie knew that this was his final statement to t...