1

I buy it.

I knew something was up when my phone rang at 3 in the morning. Nothing good happens in the middle of the night, on the phone anyway. My college roommate picked up the receiver to find out his younger brother had been killed in a car accident. Thirty years later, my best friend was on the line experiencing a Come to Jesus moment. In that he just could not handle all the havoc he’d wreaked.

I’d known the guy for twenty years, and didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary until we heard Kay Redfield Jamison speak. She wrote the definite book on bipolar disorder, “An Unquiet Mind,” and after she was done talking my best friend’s wife told me that was him. I didn’t see it, but she was right.

He started to behave in a more and more grandiose fashion. He got into a fistfight with the manager of his club. And I won’t say my friend was the softest guy in the world, but this was completely unfathomable.

And then he proceeded to lose everything. His wife, his money, even his car got repossessed. But he wasn’t unduly annoyed, he was going to get his automobile back and he did and then…

The phone rang at 3 in the morning. Having been through my own troubles I stayed on the line. But I didn’t want to let him go, because he never turned the corner. He never loosened up. He just could not fathom what he’d done, the effect it had on people.

I told him to call his psychiatrist in the a.m., only a few hours away, but the doctor wouldn’t see him, because my friend owed him too much money.

And the phone rang at the same hour the next night. And there were calls thereafter. He just couldn’t believe what he’d done.

I was worried, this guy couldn’t be alone. He needed 24/7 attention. I suggested he go home, to the house he grew up in in another state, his mother was very compassionate.

He did. And a few nights later, as I was running out for the first Metallica show with their new bassist, the phone rang and it was him. I told him what I was up to. I spoke about the opportunities he’d have in the future, but he responded, “Not for me.”

That was a bit eerie. But I rushed out.

And that night my friend committed suicide. The next morning a mutual friend called and before he could even get the words out, I knew. 

2

I’ve only met Kanye once. It was in Chris Martin’s dressing room, at the Forum. As you will remember, Kanye had gone on very late at Bonnaroo. I asked him about it. After all, conversation was free-flowing, Martin is the nice guy you see on stage.

And Kanye started talking in the third person. He said something like “Kanye does what he has to do.” And more like that. It was very weird. Very non-backstage, off the record and loose as it normally is. I realized this guy was different.

And he had his ups and downs thereafter. Well-publicized. But someone who worked with him told me he was diagnosed bipolar, but wouldn’t take his medication. Many people won’t. Because it flattens you out, it gets rid of the highs.

When you’re on a high you think you can conquer the world, do anything. Oftentimes when manic you need very little sleep. Furthermore, a lot of what bipolar people create when high is world class, trendsetting, definitive.

A high can last a matter of weeks, months, even years.

But then they crash. They always crash.

But those highs, they don’t want to give them up.

And they don’t want to believe anything is wrong with them either.

This is all well-documented, but most people don’t want to read the documentation, especially if they’re a man. You’re supposed to buck up and fly right. You don’t need the help of no stinkin’ doctor, never mind medication, that’s for wusses.

Only it’s not.

3

Now Kanye’s behavior was so out of control that even casual observers could tell he was mentally ill. Because no one acts this way unless they are. And for the record, an amazing number of artists/musicians are.

And in the process, Kanye lost not quite everything, but pretty damn close. He became a pariah, deservedly so. No one wanted to amplify his craziness.

As for what made Kanye seek help…

Was Kanye’s bipolar disorder caused by the car accident he references? It’s possible, but no one wants to believe they’re mentally ill, that the cause is themselves, their chemistry, they’re always looking for outside forces, explanations, to accept that they’re less than perfect is very difficult.

Not that it matters. There is a diagnosis and Kanye got treatment and appears to be on medication…which you have to take for the rest of your life, and many people stop.

As for the dig at those who diagnosed him autistic… You’ve got to know, mental health is not like orthopedics, it’s not as simple as diagnosing and setting a broken leg. There’s no definitive blood test. What you’ve got is doctors, psychiatrists, who quiz you, do their best to get a reading, and then prescribe drugs…sometimes they work, it’s a miracle cure, but sometimes you have to switch from one medication to another and the process is depressing unto itself. Because there are side effects. Some wear off in a few weeks, others never do.

But if you live in the big city, there are psychopharmacologists, who specialize in this. As a matter of fact, because of the low insurance reimbursement and the unwillingness of people to pay for therapy, most psychiatrists today do not do talk therapy, they just prescribe. And they’ve gotten better at it.

But most people get talk therapy from those without prescribing ability. Psychologists, social workers. And then there are those who believe they can shortcut the whole process by just asking their primary caregiver for an antidepressant, as if the psychopharmacologists have no special skill, not to mention almost always the pill is not enough, some quantity of talk therapy is needed to recover.

4

You cannot treat your own depression. As for your friends…they love you, they’ll tell you you’re okay, and oftentimes you are not. You need a professional.

But when it comes to bipolar disorder, the only thing that works is the medication, and if you don’t take it…

Right now, Kanye appears to be taking it.

Does he want forgiveness? Does he want to be embraced by the public once again? Of course. But that’s not the driving force here. It’s the recognition of the havoc he’s wreaked, the people he’s hurt, now that he’s stabilized he can see it, is mortified by it, and wants to come clean. Are we going to continue to penalize someone who has made the effort, is on the road to recovery and is completely honest about it? Why?

No, we should not. That does not mean you have to embrace Kanye. That does not mean you should not be skeptical of him in the future. That does not mean you should wipe the slate completely clean…

But this is not like an actor who makes a racist comment and goes to rehab. This is mental illness, and there’s no easy get out of jail free card.

Then again, many Americans don’t believe in mental illness, they think therapy and medication are unnecessary crutches. Oftentimes, they could benefit from such.

5

So, taking the ad in the “Wall Street Journal”…

I was surprised my inbox did not blow up about this today. But then I checked the Google news and the story has been covered, but…does everybody know? Does everybody care?

We don’t need any specific musical star. Just as long as we have some. George Michael killed his career with his Sony suit. Most people have a peak, that they can never reach again.

Never mind how hard it is to reach the peak to begin with.

So one can be cynical and say that the ad was in the “Journal” because that’s where the advertisers are, the movers and shakers of business, and it’s these people Kanye wants forgiveness from. I mean usually today you control your own narrative via X/Twitter, most people don’t even engage the mainstream press, that’s old school. As for full page ads in major publications…that’s for corporations, causes, not individuals.

So…

Give the man credit. For recognizing his faults and addressing them. That’s more than most people do.

And being honest and laying it all out in public, when the goal of most, celebrity or not, is to hide their flaws? Kudos.

And if we can’t forgive…

That’s the problem with America today, one false move and you’re out. Forever. People don’t want to go on the record, they don’t want to take the risk. Say the wrong thing and you’re excommunicated.

Kanye was excommunicated. Should he be embraced warmly? Once bitten, twice shy. Only in this case, it’s many times bitten.

But untreated bipolar disorder is a legitimate excuse.

But this screed is no guarantee Kanye will continue to take his medication, and if he doesn’t, all bets are off.

Kanye has to continue to earn our trust.

But he’s entitled to that.

He deserves the benefit of the doubt.

For now.

It’s January 6th all over again.

I don’t know about you, but I found out about the storming of the Capitol online, on some news site, whereupon I immediately switched to video and watched the riot play out. That’s what it was, right? A riot?

Everyone agreed. Trump was kicked off of social media platforms, the media testified as to the dark day in America, and Donald was impeached, for the second time.

But not convicted.

All right… But they were going to get him, right, make him pay for his sins?

Well, the spin years later became that 1/6 was a peaceful protest. That if Mike Pence had just done the right thing, none of this would have happened. As for the perps… Trump had nothing to do with it and weren’t they just patriots? Why should they be denigrated, incarcerated for their belief in this great nation of ours? Trump let them out of the jails immediately, wiped the slate clean, and Ashli Babbitt, like Charlie Kirk, has been elevated to the level of a deity.

As for all those elected officials who decried Trump’s behavior? They all fell in line behind the man when he was elected president once again. As for the investigation into his so-called crimes…asking for more votes in Georgia, the classified documents in Mar-a-Lago… Let’s not go tit for tat. It’s unjust for Trump to be prosecuted, because the Democrats do the exact same thing. And if Trump were somehow held liable, it would be open season for the Democrats when they get back into power. Jovial John Kennedy said exactly this on Bill Maher’s “Real Time” on Friday night…as if you say it folksily enough, people will believe it. And when asked if Trump lost the election, Kennedy obfuscated, because if you go against Trump the clock starts to tick, it’s only a matter of time before you become a pariah, before you’re excommunicated. And it’s not only politicos, Jamie Dimon now too. Never mind law firms and news networks.

So now we watch video of  a man who was a nurse whose efforts were to aid a downed protester, who was waving a phone, not a gun, whose hands were on the ground, shot in cold blood. Video, just like 1/6.

And Trump and his cronies are telling us not to believe what we see And even the Fox News website referenced the difference between the government’s viewpoint and the people’s…but that’s gone now, replaced by a headline about an ICEman being maimed by a violent mob.

That’s right, the narrative is already changing. The sides are lining up. And it’s them against us, the government against the people.

However, those who are frustrated with the government’s actions have been told to vote, just wait to the coming election, when wrongs will be righted, never mind the big election in 2028. The only people who believe this are the elected politicians and the media that reports upon them. Nobody I know has faith in coming elections to right the ship.

So, there have been protests in Minnesota. And this ain’t L.A., it’s been below zero, but people have been coming out.

Now in the sixties, protests like this ultimately turned the screw. We got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ultimately the winding down and ending of the Vietnam War. As for the Voting Rights Act of 1965…that’s been undercut by the Supreme Court, since we supposedly no longer live in a racist society, never mind Citizens United. Meaning the deck is stacked even if you are not stricken from the voting rolls, the odds are against you.

So what happens now.

As we all know, it’s Pretti’s fault. He should have just stayed home, like a good American, a heritage American (but with that last name, I’m not sure he qualifies…). And while he’s at it, if he leaves his home he should carry I.D. Because this is the way it goes in America…

Only it doesn’t. You don’t need papers and you have a right to assemble. As for leaving your house… Trump is winning here. Nobody with money will stand up to Trump for fear of losing it, now the hoi polloi won’t stand up to Trump because they’re afraid of losing their life. Really, are you going to go to a protest now?

The crisis has reached a boiling point.

What do we know? TACO. Trump always chickens out. If he doesn’t let one of his minions take the blame, he squirms and equivocates, because after all there are good people on both sides. Trump may bend a bit here, as he distances himself from the ICEmen responsible for Pretti’s death… Like Marjorie Taylor Greene talking about having her eyes opened once she got out of the right wing bubble and read the rest of the press, Trump will say he had no idea.

But shortly thereafter it will be just like that Talking Heads song, same as it ever was.

So…

This is not an Arab Spring moment. Because not enough Americans feel oppressed. However they’re doing it, many still believe in the ICE mission…never mind the racist beliefs underpinning many of these beliefs.

As for military in the streets… And whether we call them this or not, that’s what ICE is, they can enter at will, and seemingly shoot at will… Don’t you know that those northern cities are hellholes of crime and if the mayors just did their jobs, which they’re not, no one would be shot, peace would reign?

Yeah, right.

So there are some who still believe in Trump. Although that edifice is being chipped away. Because of what’s happening in Minneapolis. However, if you think this will change the course of Trump’s behavior…

What do we know… Trump does what he says he will and he never truly backs down. Hell, he never sleeps…he’s up posting on Truth Social in the wee hours of the morning.

So if you’re expecting change…

What did we learn in the wake of the protests against the killing of George Floyd? That today Blacks are even worse off. The prevailing narrative is the demonstrations disrupted the nation…nothing was ultimately gained. So I ask you, will something ultimately be gained by the protests in Minneapolis?

Not much. After all, Trump had mention of his impeachments removed from the Smithsonian, he has no problem rewriting history. And when the dust settles, he and his flock will say whatever happened in Minneapolis, it was ultimately the public’s fault. Probably incited by outside agitators. Because no American in their right mind would stand up against the mission of ICE, right?

Having said that, at least those protesters are taking action. But it gets worse, it seems that the only thing that will cower Trump is violence. Unless Congress wakes up, which I doubt it will. As for NATO coming to rescue the citizens of America…good luck with that. As for the 2nd Amendment, those guns are for Republicans, Democrats can’t be trusted with them, as Pretti proves.

If your head isn’t spinning now…

This is authoritarianism, this is fascism, this is a dictatorship. The Republicans say to stop using the H-word, but the truth is America today resembles Nazi Germany, even down to the detention camps that cannot be investigated.

It’s a slippery slope. And never forget, Hitler had supporters too.

And I beg of you to read David French’s piece in the “New York Times.” For the record, French comes from the right:

“An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good”

Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/opinion/renee-good-ice-immunity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVA.TRLI.qL4NRc5PToME&smid=url-share

People felt life was pretty good in Nazi Germany, as long as they didn’t come up against the forces of the government… Read this, it might be from the “New York Times,” but like I said, French is from the right.

So the bottom line is whatever happens here if you expect Trump to change, if you expect major change in our country, you’re dreaming, that’s never going to happen. It’s not like if ICE even backs off a bit Trump is going to let up on the rest of his heinous policies that negatively impact the populace. Why should he? He’s in control. And the military is on his side. As for legislative power… They have the equivalent of Congress in Russia and Hungary too, doesn’t make a difference.

So if you’re all riled-up about the death of Alex Pretti…I’m with you. But if you think it’s going to foment major change, you’re dreaming.

For that more people have to be pissed off and more people need to take action.

Even Robert Reich is now calling for a national strike. Which I believe is appropriate before there are guns in the street, before more citizens are cut down in cold blood.

This is just the start, the true resistance to Trump. Forget the kumbaya pussy hats and No Kings rallies, they were parties that Trump ignored when he wasn’t laughing at them.

No, to evoke change you have to hit them where it hurts, financially.

Now if you’re a Boomer, you remember that in the sixties if a TV network got calls about “controversial” programming, they killed it. Oftentimes, in a nation of hundreds of millions, there were fewer than twenty phone calls. But the networks were afraid.

Corporations live in fear. All those overpaid CEOs kissing Trump’s butt, they’ve got to see their businesses challenged, their stocks drop, that’s the only thing that will get them to change course, the only thing they care about is money.

It’s what runs America, which is why Trump wants total control of the  Fed.

I’m not advocating violence, not at all. But I am saying that when people are up against the wall and are pissed enough, it happens, like with the Arab Spring. But life in that area of the world was much worse in terms of standard of living and opportunity than it is over here. So what will get the public to turn?

Let’s be clear, what is happening in Minneapolis has not only gained people’s attention, it has peeled Trump supporters away from him. So that’s a start. But if the public doesn’t take further action Trump will circle the wagons, declare victory and march forward, tightening the rope on your rights all the while.

Yup, you’re losing them as I write this. You can watch Netflix and say it doesn’t affect you, or you can realize if it doesn’t already, it ultimately will, and it then may be too late.

This is just the beginning.

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This is the most rock and roll thing Rod the Mod has done before his work with Clive Davis on those execrable American Songbook albums turned him into a wanker who’d do anything for a buck, anything to maintain his visibility in the entertainment firmament. Then again, aren’t you supposed to get mellower as you get older? Seems like all those acts from the past have lost their backbone and are totally into lifestyle, and they stand for nothing. Who’da thunk it would be Rod who stood up to Trump? Then again, Stewart committed right away to Fire Aid and flew over from the U.K. to do it, he knows the power of Los Angeles and the power of music to make a difference.

So…

I must admit the script has flipped. In the sixties and early seventies the military was the enemy, didn’t Graham Nash pen “Military Madness”? But this is not about an unjust war, rather about the men who put their lives on the line, and sometimes lose them. Something that silver spoon Donald Trump has never done. And Rod Stewart calls Donald a draft dodger and castigates him for talking smack about the British military. Funny how the EU crapped its pants when Trump said he wanted Greenland, whereas Stewart is going right for the gut, with gusto! He’s not pussyfooting, he’s speaking from the heart, and when you do it resonates, unlike the Spotify Top 50 crap that is about as fulfilling as cotton candy.

You can’t get anybody with anything to risk to take a stand. Sure, my inbox is inundated with people sans traction writing anti-establishment songs, wanting me to promote them, but it’s ultimately a career move, they want to break through, whereas those who already have are silent. Even worse, you get nincompoops like Jason Aldean doubling-down in support of the Orange Man. The tide is turning. Homey don’t play that anymore. With ICE out of control, the winds have changed, have woken up the somnambulant public. Knee-jerk MAGA don’t look that good anymore. Trump is out of control, unless we blow the whistle on him…

In one fell swoop, this guy has alienated the entire EU and UK. And Canada too. There’s no going back…once bitten, twice shy. Twice bitten… Sure, Biden got back on the climate change bandwagon, he played nice with others, he healed the wounds, sewed together the ruptures that Trump created, however Trump has now done irreparable damage to the status and image of America. It’s kind of like Billy Squier in that video…it killed his credibility overnight, and whatever credibility the United States still possesses is undercut by Mr. Trump’s actions.

Now I’m not saying we’re going to have a kumbaya anti-Trump song run up the chart. Those days have sailed. Even the “Wall Street Journal” wrote that we no longer live in a monoculture:

“The Rise and Fall of the American Monoculture – For most of the 20th century, pop culture was the glue that held the U.S. together. But what will it mean now that everything has splintered?”

Free link: https://www.wsj.com/business/media/american-pop-culture-history-ce8672f1?st=2mJmRF&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Then again, the power of music has been abdicated. If you’re of the younger generation you don’t expect your musicians to take stands, never mind risky ones. You look to them for fashion advice, where to party, these acts are empty vessels. They don’t sing about being born in Gasoline Alley, they’ve forgotten their roots.

Music still has power. But you’ve got to exercise it. Rod Stewart has shown the way, and burnished his image in the process. God, this statement almost makes up for all those crappy Clive Davis albums. Because it’s not about commerce, how much money you make, but the statement you make. That’s what made music blow up. There was an entire culture.

Rod just turned 81 and doesn’t give a f*ck. But didn’t the rockers of yore not give a f*ck, that was the essence of their career! Standing up to the man. Today musicians are the man!

Stewart makes it clear. Trump was way out of line and needs to apologize. Something that Donald never does. But Stewart may be able to bring Trump to his knees. Because being shamed by a music legend is different from the blowback of the politicos and the media, which is just part of the game, grist for the mill.

So who else is going to put their career on the line? There’s a benefit to being first. Adding your name at the end is the action of a Trump. And we don’t need newspaper ads, we need statements. And then action. Not only can musicians do benefits, they can weiled their power in many other ways. They can refuse to play not only the Kennedy Center, but all of D.C. And Miami too. Make these people hurt. Make Trump capitulate, because he’s completely out of line.

I mean they’re protesting in -20 degree weather in Minneapolis, and they’re doing it for you. You think you’re immune, but you’re not.

As we said back in the sixties, it’s time to reclaim our nation, to take the power back.

As for all the Trumpers… I want you to defend what Trump said here, I want you to defend the killing of Renee Goode. Keep doing it. You’re on the wrong side of history.

As for Trump’s sycophants… Do you know what happened after France took back power, squeezed out the Germans during World War II? They killed the collaborators. Yup, that’s just what they did, read “The Postcard,” never mind reams of history. Being silent is being complacent. All you corporate titans, all you Republicans in Congress who are kissing this man’s butt, you think you’re gonna get away scot-free. I wouldn’t be so sure.

Because money is no competition for art and those who make it. Art can win each and every time, as long as it speaks from the heart, has soul, is unfiltered and true. That’s what the public yearns for, truth. And tonight Rod Stewart delivered it.

Where do you get it?

Tune in Saturday January 24th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz