Amazon Prime: https://amzn.to/3JzxhOt

Trailer: https://bit.ly/3LKLQl0

The highlight of my day is watching streaming television.

Whether it be after six or after ten, when I’m done with my work, we hit the Roku and jump into another series. As I’ve stated previously, for some reason I can’t watch these shows sans Felice. Sure, there are a couple of exceptions, but if I’m viewing alone I get distracted, wondering what is happening on my phone, thinking about the rest of my life. But when Felice is in front of the set too…

I pick the shows. But that doesn’t mean we watch them, beyond an episode or two. Felice has veto power. And there are shows she won’t watch, because they’re too bloody, but I did convince her to watch “Gomorrah,” she tolerated the blood because she was hooked on the story, which I analogized to “The Godfather” to get her to dive in. Occasionally Felice suggests a show, and I’ll watch it, but only after checking the RottenTomatoes scores, only after doing research. My threshold is 80%, below that no go, because my time is just that valuable.

As is yours. I’m surprised how many people only watch HBO and what the Netflix algorithm suggests. It’s kind of like the people who e-mail me factual questions, have they never heard of Google?  There’s a vast cornucopia of streaming series out there, and if you pick the right one your life will be enhanced.

Prior to the internet era, prior to the blockbusterization of films, that began with “Jaws” and took over the business completely sometime in the nineties, I used to go to the movies all the time, sometimes every night. To tell you the truth, I could watch almost anything, I loved the experience, of a darkened room where you were not interrupted. And although I might go opening weekend, back when films played for months, most of my viewing was in the afternoon, or weeknights, when the theatre is relatively empty and there are no distractions. Sure, a horror movie is great with a full audience, but most films…I can do without the hoi polloi.

But that experience…

It’s the same one I have watching the flat screen.

As I’ve stated previously, about two and a half years ago we got a top of the line LG OLED TV, and it makes all the difference. The images are sharp. And when it’s in 4k…

As for interruptions… Not when I’m watching. I never pick up the phone, I leave it at a distance, sometimes in the other room, I don’t want to be distracted, I want to be immersed.

But not everything floats my boat. As a matter of fact, people recommend the mainstream tripe…and that’s what it is, tripe. Like that show about the making of “The Godfather”…some of the worst reviews ever. Although it’s got a 95% audience score, it only has a 57% critics’ score, and when it comes to movies and television, the wisdom of the crowd is occasionally right, but so is a stopped clock, the critics are a much better metric.

Then again, what do you expect from your television? If you’re looking for entertainment… That’s far down my list. I don’t want to smoke a doobie, check out and see hellzapoppin’…no, I’m looking for something deeper, something more meaningful, something that reflects life. Not that all the shows I like are heavy, some are family dramas, like “Bonus Family” and “The A Word,” but they’re all real, about people. As for those who say they watched a show and there was no one to root for… Welcome to real life, I don’t care if every character is a knucklehead, rooting for someone is an archaic construct that is perpetuated by Hollywood, to its detriment.

That’s right, almost all of the television I watch is foreign. Not that there aren’t some good American shows, but they’re rare. They focus on production, not essence. Not that all of the foreign productions are highbrow, “Farzi” certainly is not.

So “Farzi” is comprised of eight episodes, almost all an hour, so it took us a few days to watch it. You see Felice only watches TV from 6-11 PM. So we’re limited. I could breeze through a whole day straight. I’ve seen three movies in a day many times, once or twice four. I’d drive around with the L.A. “Times” Calendar section in the back, with the listings. This was before even Moviefone. Both have been wiped out by the internet.

So last night we watched the final two episodes of “Farzi,” and when the show was over, I spontaneously exclaimed, THAT WAS FANTASTIC!

Now not as good as “The Bureau.” Not as good as “Prisoners of War,” but really fulfilling. And it’s hard to find those shows now, because during lockdown we watched so many of the greats.

So, as you know, there’s a rigid class system in India. And upward mobility is extremely limited. But that does not mean you don’t dream…

Certain partners are off limits. Irrelevant of your personality, they don’t want to live broke, or close to it.

Opportunities are closed.

But that does not mean you’re not smart, and willful.

So Sunny has a grandfather fighting from the bottom, with a newspaper that tries to equalize everybody, but is failing. In more ways than one. Not only is circulation down, but the grandfather is about to lose the printing press and the building and…

Sunny comes up with a plan.

Oh, it’s a bit of a buddy show. Sunny and Firoz bonded at a young age, and they never go against each other. Firoz is the salesman and Sunny is the brains.

And they want more.

But more means getting involved with shady characters. And the bad guy, Monsoor, is a classic, you believe he’d be the same guy if you met him on the street.

And there’s the police team trying to bring Monsoor down. Led by Michael. Who has to convince the minister to give him assets, and can only do so by lying and pointing to political dividends. So Michael has a team, and cat chases mouse.

But along the way…

Michael has marital problems. There’s a scene between him and his wife that is so realistic that I was riveted. This is how it really is.

And then there’s Megha. Who is still idealistic, all in on her job, but her mother wants her to get married.

As for what happens… The bad guys keep winning, but then just when you’re starting to wince, they don’t, the plot turns.

And “Farzi’ is one of the rare shows that gets better as it plays out. This is oftentimes not the case with streaming series. They set it up and then they play it out and the denouement is palpable. But “Farzi” is visceral and comic and riveting. You’re drawn in. Sure, there’s an element of fantasy involved, almost all crime shows have this  (would these people really do this, and would they succeed if they did), but you’re drawn right in.

I’m not saying you’ll have the exact same experience, because I’ve come to find people are looking for different things, not the same thing I’m looking for. They’re addicted to the brand, HBO or Apple TV+, like their smartphone manufacturer. They only watch light stuff, comedy, they say real life is daunting enough, they don’t want to be brought down by a show. They’re entitled, but that’s not me. Man, real life is exactly what I’m looking for on the flat screen. I don’t watch fantasy, I don’t watch science fiction, if it’s not plausible, if it’s not real, I’m out. Sure, there are exceptions, but they’re very rare.

Want to watch an amazing series? Watch “Ethos,” a Turkish series on Netflix. That’s the kind of show I like, having to do with emotions and choices and… “Farzi” is much lighter than “Ethos.” “Farzi” can be dark, but it’s really like a great movie you’d see in the theatre, but stretched out to eight hours. It’s not just a caper, the characters are fully-developed, there’s action, but not all the time, and there’s love and…

Try it. Even if nothing I’ve said above resonates. Because that’s what life is all about, new experiences, stretching your world, because unless you do this you’ll end up living on repeats, waiting to die.

In truth, everything runs on word of mouth these days. Sure, big projects are hyped to high heaven, but that does not mean they succeed. Furthermore, you can ignore them and not feel left out, it’s not the twentieth century anymore.

Gonna start something new tonight!

TICKETING

“Ticketmaster fees: ‘There’s a real lack of understanding,’ analyst says”

Quote from analyst Brandon Ross:

“The problem that you have is, I think there’s a real lack of understanding, sometimes from the artist’s perspective, and definitely from the fan perspective, as to where those fees are actually coming from. In the case of The Cure, you had half of the fees going directly to the venues to cover things such as parking and other services that are given at the venue.

“And then, half of the ticket portion of the fee went to Ticketmaster, and half of that actually goes back to venues. So the venues are taking 75%-plus of that fee, and Ticketmaster only 25%. And I don’t think most fans actually understand that.”

Entire interview: https://yhoo.it/3lv2daG

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The complexity, that has in essence created itself, is unnecessary.

If legislation was in operation both in the UK and USA that ruled that tickets cannot be sold for more than 10% of the face value, the whole business would normalise.

Official re-sale sites could also re-sale for 10% of the value.

That is the fairest way to sell and distribute tickets.

The ticketing companies and the Artists would make a bit less.

The system would however become clear and transparent.

All the layers that are currently in place would once and for all disappear.

Then we can all get on with developing new artists and protect the business going forwards.

Harvey Goldsmith

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DAVEY JOHNSTONE PODCAST

I have been following your podcasts and the Lefsetz Letter for many years now and I just wanted to compliment you on the podcast with Davey Johnstone….. That episode was probably the best one yet although there are so many great ones, it’s hard to choose, but that particular episode was just great from start to end and so informative. In fact, Elton’s tour manager, DC Parmet is a good friend of mine.

Steve Wood

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This is one of your finest interviews – Davey Johnstone’s remarkable story flows intelligently and with great humility and grace; I was deeply moved by his personal story. And what a career – His name won’t be familiar to most people even though he’s spent decades playing the biggest stages as a key player with one of music most popular artists. I was very familiar with his work prior his to joining Elton and always appreciated his playing. I first saw Elton with Dee Murray and Nigel Olson at Stockport college in the early 70s followed by several with Davey in the 70’s and 80’s – I haven’t dug out Elton’s albums for many years, but after listening to Davey’s insights into those early recordings, the first thing I did this morning was grab honky chateau, don’t shoot me and goodbye yellow brick road and get the turntable rolling. Davey Johnstone is truly one of the greats – Thanks for the interview Bob and pushing Davey into the spotlight where he deserves to be.

Pete Carroll

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Thank you so much for the Davey Johnstone podcast. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. It was a long one, but could have gone on so much longer. You asked great questions and he really opened up. The man’s memory is amazing – the fact that you could mention a random song from 50 years ago, and he could tell you what instruments he played on it and share a studio story…wonderful! I knew about the loss of his son, too, but to hear him tell the story was heartbreaking. So sad.

Some years back, I had the chance to have lunch with him and his then-fellow Elton guitarist John Jorgenson and Davey’s stories were fantastic. As wild as the Elton stories could be, the Alice Cooper ones were as good or better.  I’m looking forward to a part two someday!

All the best,
-John Michaels

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FANTASTIC INTERVIEW…how come no one has talked to him before? He was one of my original inspirations in music, particularly to branch out to mandolin, which became my primary instrument.

Whenever I see an Elton biography I have one criterion: I look at the index in back…if there are more entries for Rod Stewart than for Davey Johnstone I don’t even bother to look at the pictures, I put it down (I’m more into the music than the fame). This far no Elton bio has made it.

🙂

Thanks for a great interview, hope you’re well!

Matthew R. Wehling

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That was great! Great guest and you let him run. I didn’t think I’d last the 2+ hours, but so entertaining. Thank you.

Edwin Rojas

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Great Davey Johnstone interview.  You must do a part 2 interview with Davey Johnstone to cover more of the 70s albums, especially Captain Fantastic.  By the time EJ and the band recorded Captain Fantastic, they were at their best in terms of vocals, songwriting, musical arrangement and production.  It’s one of those albums that must be heard in its entirety – the songs flow so well.

 

-Steve Coscia, CSP

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Man, THAT was a good podcast!

Johnstone is one of rock’s iconic sidemen..Alongside Clarence Clemons, Neil Geraldo, Randy Rhodes ,and the guy who drummed for Melissa Manchester..

The most underrated band of the rock era? The Elton John Band..I was floored when I first saw them.. They nailed the vocals! While playing!..You often don’t get that..

Their vocal arrangements became increasingly intricate..Not just harmony on the chorus, but the oohs and aahs served more as orchestration..Almost like the Jordanaires (Elvis), but on a whole other level..

The Classic Album episode of the making of GYBR details the process..Better than the biopic/musical thing, whatever TF THAT was..

You missed out by not seeing the Vegas shows..The Red Piano was seminal in rise of the rock residency..The production value really set the standard for subsequent shows..

I found the footage with Justin Timberlake as 70s Elton…The whole show was shot for a DVD release from Best Buy, and lives on YouTube..As does the final Dodger stadium show..

 

Timberlake as rocket man

James Spencer

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Fantastic pod with Davey Johnstone!

Robert Bond

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What an absolutely fascinating interview with Davey. Never a doubt he had a lot of stories to tell and you had him deliver. Great job.

Mitchell Sussman

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Your recent podcast with Davey Johnstone was two hours, forty-eight minutes and thirty-two seconds in length.

Accordingly, it was too short.

Gil Alloul

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Davey is one the greats and also a friend and hero.

I learned so much about playing guitar for records dissecting his parts on all the incredible Elton records that sound as good today as they did the day they came out!

I stole a lot from him in doing my own music. Still do. ‘What would Davey play on this?’ He is a musical reference I still use to this day.

He always came up/comes up with the perfect parts with the perfect sounds with such diversity style and flare.  Acoustic 12 string parts to Mandolin to the amazing layered electric guitars and tasty solos…. I could go on and on.

I have had the honor of doing records with him back in the days when humans played together on tracking sessions.

First one was a Kiki Dee record Bill Schnee Produced in 1978. I was so thrilled to be in the same room with him and man .. one of THE nicest guys you will ever meet.

Luke

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Thanks Bob,
What a pleasure talking with you.
I leave Monday for the final 4 months of our touring career!
Talk to you when it’s over!!
Best,

DJ

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MORGAN WALLEN

He’s the sound — and life — of a lot of kids coming of age between the Coasts.

They don’t care about what the “tastemakers” do, they care about people who sing about THEIR moments, loves, wants, hurts.

Find me a NYC critic who’s gone muddin’, and they are welcome to comment.

I got my country bona fides when I was growing up + the best original band who played cool covers was Deadly Earnest + the Honky Tonk Heroes.

Stones, Ry Cooder, Waylon Jennings. NO difference, so no shame.

But my uncle also owned a (dynamite) fuse factory, and had to have land all around it for safety… so he had a bunch of black Angus cattle, then 5 buffalo to get into the Beefalo Race (he came in 2nd, I believe, or 3rd). But it’s people from West Virginia who worked those jobs… So, 70s country was what I heard when I went out to ride one of the horses or see my Dad when my parents would be split up.

I can’t say it’s my birth right, but I know that it’s in the veins of those folks. They’re not like fancy people in NY, LA or Miami.

He’s for them, plain and simple. They don’t read you, or me in HITS or even POLLSTAR. But they get out there and live, and these are the songs that celebrate those things.

It’s why he’s in stadiums, and so is Luke Combs. It’s why Kenny Chesney is the ONLY country act on BILLBOARD’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 14 — and he didn’t tour during the pandemic. 

Nobody wants to see or honor these people, and that’s fine. The fans don’t mind… at all.

Holly Gleason
Nashville, TN

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In the streaming era where no-one listens to albums unless they’re by Beyonce, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Drake or Jay Z, Morgan Wallen has had over one billion streams on this album, which is phenomenal in itself. This is an album that was released on MARCH 3 – less than three weeks ago.

And this isn’t one of those Track One Side One events. His fans are digging deep.

Track 17 is approaching a quarter billion; track 18 is on 132m as I write.

There isn’t a single track on this 36 track album that newcomers wouldn’t give their right arm to achieve.

Nothing under 6m and 22 tracks over 10m.

I don’t like the music, but the man is giving his audience what they want.

I love the streaming era, and I love the fact that artists most people have never heard of are doing gangbusters.

Best wishes
Paul Phillips

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Best country record since “Traveler” by Chris Stapleton.

I had 3 different decades of people tell me to check out his record the day it dropped, but I already had been listening.

This is the album that country fans will love that live outside the echo chambers of NYC and LA.   People in these places still have little clue what the middle of the country likes….

Josh Petersen
Music City Management

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Mine, my daughter’s opinion is that Morgan’s songs are great. His songs are crafty, original so why not release more that are ready to go. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but music promotion and the times have changed, people’s attention, interest limited so why not?

The guy is going to be around for a long time…

Steve Anderko

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I love it

The guy is a genius with a catchy hooky hook

Check these out:

“Thinkin’ Bout Me”: https://spoti.fi/42x0phS

Sunrise: https://spoti.fi/3FEMEDR

Jil Goldhand

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Subject: Jamie Lee want’s to have rock n’ roll matinee shows

Hey Bob,

Peter Shapiro’s points out the economic and venue side of this scenario, but can I point out the logistics side of loading in an arena show….

7am Rigging Call

8am Trucks start to unload (most arena tours are 8 – 16 trucks)

9am Lighting starts going up

Followed by sound, video, stage being built, etc.

Then you have lunch breaks for your crew / stagehands

Then risers, set and band gear

2pm: Chairs start being setup as floor clears

Usually by 4pm, the stage is ready for a soundcheck

5pm: Chairs are done, house gets dressed

6pm: Venue call for all security / ushers / concessions workers

And if everything goes well that day, with no hiccups…..Doors at 7!

So tell me, what bands (or promoters) are going to want to do a full loadin day, so the people over 60 (and I’m one now), can watch a show at 1pm the next day and be home by 5pm??

Kent Black

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SUMNER REDSTONE

Back in the 90’s, Nickelodeon hired us to interview Sumner Redstone for a corporate video. His nervous assistant led him into the room. He was on time and crotchety. I asked him a bunch of tedious questions about globalization and marketing strategies, which he answered intelligently enough.

Then I decided to ask him some questions the Nick audience might actually be interested in.

“How many potato dishes can you name?”

He stared at me in astonishment. “How many potato dishes can I name? What kind of a question is that?”

He glared at me, barely containing his fury. The room was silent. I had just asked the world’s most powerful media mogul the stupidest question he’d ever heard.

Then he fired off his answer like a machine gun. “Well, there’s baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, french fries, potato salad, roast potatoes, home fries…” his voice trailed off, as he considered the question further. “And… potatoes au gratin!” he declared triumphantly. 

I immediately launched a follow-up. “What’s funnier, cheese or bananas?”

Another withering stare. The man who had cut the most ferocious business deals weighed his options carefully. “You can slip on a banana,” he declared. “But” he said after a long pause, “you can cut the cheese.” 

“So cheese then?” I asked him.

“Yes, cheese is funnier than bananas” said Sumner Redstone.

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BILL MAHER/COVID

From: Andrew Oldham

Bob;

Obviously Maher did not do enough drugs …

We got Covid for Christmas. And the Ides of March are looming and it’s still here. Round 1 was like being spiked by David Crosby pre Monterey back in ’67. 4 days in a tunnel of vomit before the light came in.

Round 2 not unlike the Scientology Purification Rundown when all the drugs seep out. Obviously some decided to stay.

… and Covid decided that was where it would attack , as opposed to all the other candidates  i.e. anyone who smoked anything for more than 30 years.

The Covid war is not over, you never know where or if the beast is going to hit.

Used to love Bill M . Guess he got scared. Now it’s all about him, maybe it’s time for him to adopt a kid ?

Best, o

This is the new U2 album:

“Cuts and Bruises”: https://spoti.fi/3JBWN5E

Ralph sent me this article from the “Times,” that’s the “Times of London.”:

“INHALER ARE BREATHING EASIER – Eli Hewson (aka Bono’s son) and his bandmates are shaking off the #NepoBaby tagline with their fantastic second album”

Inhaler? Didn’t ring a bell. Bono’s son has a band? I probably saw that somewhere, but unlike with actors, rock progeny never seem to exceed their progenitors. But I’m reading the article and the writer Dan Cairns is referencing everybody who tried and didn’t quite get there, from Julian Lennon to Sting’s kids to Pixie Geldof, and then I was further intrigued, this guy had perspective, this wasn’t just pure hype.

So I decided to play it.

It was rock.

Rock is in the doldrums for many reasons. First and foremost because it’s not a new sound, and when you pull up this Inhaler album that’s one thing you’ll notice, it’s not breaking new ground, and then however much you might hate hip-hop or electronic music, you’ll give these newer styles of music credit for moving forward, pushing the envelope. Second because rock is based on energy, a feeling, best experienced at a sweaty gig. However, that paradigm has taken a hit in the modern era, where everybody and everything is available online. Sure, concerts are burgeoning, but to a great degree they’re just replicas of the record, they are not separate, breathing things, at least not at the top level. So the magic is gone. I mean how much magic is there in wearing a leather motorcycle jacket?

Not that there are not acts making rock music. But the starting point is not the Beatles, but Metallica. Something edgier, more intense, often fast, frequently with screaming vocals and…there is a market for this, but it’s far from everybody. In other words, Active Rock is a backwater.

So I’m listening to the opening cut on the album, “Just to Keep You Satisfied,” and the weird thing is…I immediately get it, I don’t want to turn it off. Which is strange in today’s day and age. But as it plays out, I realize it’s somewhat familiar. First and foremost because Eli Hewson’s vocals sound very close to those of his famous father, Bono. It’s not exactly like U2, if for no other reason than the groove, but it’s got the same intensity…

Eureka! That’s it! These guys are playing like they mean it, like they have something to prove, like they and their music can make a difference, change the world. Which is positively retro in an era where acts are a brand and the music is just a stepping stone to an empire of endorsements and clothing and perfume… The music wasn’t about a look, it stood alone.

And I’m listening and it starts to become hypnotic, the guitars don’t sound exactly like the Edge and I continue to marvel that I’m not stopping it, which is the case with most new music, there’s more of it, but finding the good stuff is nearly impossible.

So I start to research. Yes, Inhaler’s first and second albums did debut at #1 in Ireland. But that’s Ireland, a small country where Bono is God. But it was true that the first album debuted at #1 on the U.K. chart and the second at #2. Well, novelty works the first time around, but the second?

And the numbers reveal what I believed, Inhaler means nothing in America, it’s like they don’t even exist. I didn’t miss something, there was nothing to see. There were a few cuts on AAA, with chart positions of 14, 15 and 28, but that’s like having a middle of the night show on Newsmax, the host is thrilled, but there’s no real impact.

Now just to make sure I wasn’t missing something, I pulled up the Mediabase charts, and “Love Will Get You There,” from Inhaler’s new album, is now at #15 on the AAA chart. Sounds impressive until you look what’s above it. Do you know Lone Bellow, Joe P, Three Sacred Souls, White Reaper, Beach Weather, the Heavy Heavy? Maybe if you’re in the AAA world.

So I went to Spotify. Lone Bellow’s song “Honey,” #4 on the AAA chart, has 2,432,866 streams. There are 36 cuts on Morgan Wallen’s new album “One Thing at a Time,” and the track with the fewest number of streams, “Outlook,” is #35 in the running order, and it’s got 7,653,113 streams.

I’m not passing artistic judgment. I’m just saying that the impact of terrestrial radio, in this case AAA radio, on music consumption, is miniscule.

I don’t want to beat up on AAA radio, it’s doing a great job of exposing new music, it’s just that other than diehard listeners…it’s not minting stars. It’s getting acts started, but where do they go from there, how do they get noticed?

As for the Active Rock and Alternative charts… To a great degree you see the usual suspects, acts who’ve been on the scene for years, in some cases decades, and others most people have never ever heard of. AAA is doing a better job of featuring new music than they are.

But they’re all backwaters.

Can we all agree that terrestrial radio is a dying enterprise that does deliver some exposure, but only a faction of what it once did? It’s like being on the Yahoo homepage, not even that good. MySpace instead of TikTok. It’s not serving the music world.

Which brings us back to this Inhaler album.

It’s not breaking new ground, but as it slips from track to track…I want to let it play, which is extremely rare. And I realize if I continue to play it the songs will grow on me, they’ll penetrate, and I’ll want to see the band and will go to the show and thrust my arm in the air.

Hmm…

So what I’m yearning for is a new sound. But how come this old sound works overseas and not here? Is it the smaller countries, the prevalent press?

Now if you’re over forty, “Cuts and Bruises” will be the best thing you’ve heard all year. Not only will you play it, you’ll play it again, and tell your friends about it, the same way I’m doing here. That’s the essence, do you want to tell people about it? That’s what happened to me. I was reading news for two hours, many things stimulated me, but when I opened this package from Ralph and read this article and played Inhaler’s music the first thing I thought was…I’ve got to tell people about this! I was excited. Yes, the record was flawed in that it didn’t break any ground and the sound was familiar, but it was a pleasurable listening experience, more than that, a vital listening experience, it wasn’t the background music that dominates today, or the soulless, trying to be meaningful dreck that slips right off of us who’ve been there and done that, were alive when music was king, not streaming television.

Maybe if Inhaler doesn’t extend the brand. Doesn’t do social media. Survives on the music alone… Maybe that’s the essence of keeping the magic intact, allowing rock to survive. Because really, the genre feels out of step and out of time. But if you were there then, you still have a hankering for it.

And Inhaler delivers. 

And the right defines the debate once again.

I’ve got to ask you, when was the last time the Democrats put the fear of God into the heart of the Republicans? Not in DECADES!

So let me get this straight. A student breaks a window in high school, they’re called to the principal’s office and the kid tells the official he’d better not be punished, because if they are, all the bullies and ne’er-do-wells are going to break every window in the building. AND MORE!

Or the teenager gets in trouble, and when his parents say they’re going to ground them, or take away their phone, the child says to think about it, because… I’m not exactly sure what. Run away from home? Kids are running BACK home these days. The idea of hitting the road with your thumb out and your wallet empty? NO WAY!

The only place this paradigm works is in the Mafia. You’d better stay silent because otherwise…we’re going to kill not only you, but your entire family. Are the Republicans the Mafia?

Well, one thing about the Mafia, they don’t believe in the rules unless they can twist them to their advantage. Interesting parallel.

But the Mafia, despite “The Sopranos” and other productions, is a mere shadow of what it once was, as a result of law enforcement. Because if you break the law you should be penalized, right?

WRONG according to Trump and the bozos supporting him. They’re not focusing on the merits of the case, they’re just saying that Trump should be inviolate and if he’s brought up for prosecution, BEWARE!

Well, four Oath Keepers were just convicted the other day. They face years in prison. And when it gets serious, that’s when the middle class gets out. As for the lower classes… Many don’t even vote. The participants in the 1/6 fracas had money, some flew in on private jets. It’s one thing when it’s fun and games, it’s quite another when you risk jail, which goes on your permanent record.

At the end of the day people only care about themselves. Just like Donald Trump!

Now the scary thing is DeSantis is fading in the polls. And it looks like Trump might very well be the candidate.

But I’ve got to ask you, has the majority of American voters not gotten the message? That he’s a crook, a grifter? The wheels of justice turn very slowly, but at least they’re turning. This is a great American moment. Elizabeth Holmes didn’t get away with her crimes and hopefully Donald Trump won’t either. Oh, he’s entitled to a trial, but he should be brought to trial. Martha Stewart went to prison for tax evasion and David Crosby for dope, who says if you’re famous you’re immune? Donald Trump and the Republicans, but not most Americans.

So in 2016 Hillary Clinton was portrayed as a bad candidate and although people knew Donald Trump from “The Apprentice” and endless self-hype, they really didn’t know him. They wanted to throw a spanner in the works. They wanted change, because the old system wasn’t working for them. I’ll admit it, even I thought Trump was intelligent. But I was disabused of that notion almost instantly. He’s a rich boy who skated on the money and power of his father, Trump is a terrible businessman, who doesn’t read, barely works, can’t grasp the issues and is ultimately a buffoon.

Oh, I know the right has its knickers in a twist right now, but we’ve seen the movie, and most people agree with me. Even worse, after 1/6, they’re fearful if he does get elected, he’ll never leave. And when it comes to the climate and foreign relations… This guy is just looney tunes, to our collective detriment.

But everybody pontificating on radio and television, in the newspaper, has a flaw… THEY DON’T INTERACT WITH THE RANK AND FILE! I’m astounded how out of the loop these people are. Their idea of talking to the right is talking to elected officials and rich Republicans. As for the hoi polloi, they’re clueless. They might read some poll, but actually interacting with them?

I INTERACT WITH THEM EACH AND EVERY DAY!

That’s right, my inbox is filled with right wing tripe literally every day. And I once made the mistake of responding, gently, pointing to an article and Wikipedia debunking the position proffered, and now that person sends me the same tripe EVERY DAY!

What you’ve got to know about the right is they’re active. They’re playing gotcha 24/7. If they encounter something they don’t agree with, they push back. A Democrat will sit in the recliner, turn on streaming television and forget about it, feeling powerless all the while. But the right? It’s been trained not to give an inch, and to do its best to gain ground while it’s at it.

As for the Fox/Dominion suit… It hasn’t penetrated the right wing base at all. They’re unaware of it. Or have some cockamamie excuse, like Dominion was woke.

Now the Democrats could all line up and hammer this story, and then the media would report it and… Believe me, if Biden and the Democratic senators hammered Fox’s faux pas each and every day, the right wing media would be forced to report it, and the audience would ultimately get the message,  But the Republicans employ this strategy, not the Democrats.

As for the vocal right… I hear from them far in excess of the left. It’s not easy to wake up the left. I have to print something truly heinous by a right winger before the left weighs in. But then the left far outweighs the word of the right.

Are you getting this? IT’S A VOCAL MINORITY!

And I hate to employ Spiro Agnew’s term, but I will, the silent majority is anti-Trump.

But the right keeps making news and the left stays silent so it looks like the right is making progress.

Yeah, Trump lost, by a lot, in 2020. And his party took a beating in 2018 and underperformed by a ton in 2022. Have you read the analysis? About the Red Tsunami? It was completely bogus, to the degree there were “facts,” they were based on bogus right wing polls. Which got Dilbert into trouble. The right is so full of b.s. it’s laughable, but they believe it.

But what about Florida? And Texas? And Wyoming?

First and foremost, all this anti-California crap… Yes, housing is expensive in metropolitan California. As are taxes. But you get something for your money. Did you see the letters to the L.A. “Times” from the people who moved to Florida and then moved back to California? I mean if they can ban books, they can start banning people.

As for banning people… Donald Trump single-handedly fanned the flames of antisemitism. Used to be you couldn’t say this stuff. Now people say it with impunity. Did you read about the lawsuit from the Fox producer, the one who said Fox’s lawyers wanted her and Maria Bartiromo to take the fall, so the boys wouldn’t get hurt? Ultimately she switched to Tucker’s show, and what did she find?

“Mr. Carlson’s staff joked about Jews and freely deployed a vulgar term for women, according to the complaint.”: https://nyti.ms/3lANjzx

If this were the fifties, any time before the internet era, the Dominion lawsuit would have killed Tucker Carlson, just like Joe McCarthy took his fall.

So let me get this straight. The majority of voters are anti-Trump, Trump’s posse has shrunk instead of grown, but we need to be afraid of them, quake in our boots, that they’re going to take action and…

Exactly what?

And if Trump isn’t taken to trial, in more than one case, his acolytes are going to think they’re immune too. They must learn they are not.

God, the U.S. has a crisis of trust and credibility. And what do Trump and his wankers say? YOU’D BETTER NOT TRY AND SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT! Didn’t Superman fight for truth, justice and the American Way? The nation is hooked on comic book movies, but even the essence of Superman does not penetrate the public. Everybody’s working the edges, seeing what they can get away with. They quote the Constitution until it applies to them, then they’ve got some lame excuse. They’re fighting for freedom, but I can only see an impingement on people’s rights, oftentimes by white males with no stake in the game.

The Democrats?

Can you hear the collective sigh?

What’s it going to take to motivate the Democrats, to make them rise up and make Republicans fearful. I thought it was Roe v. Wade, but that didn’t. Maybe because some people thought it didn’t apply to them, even though it did. You guys? That baby is your responsibility too. You grandparents? Get ready for your daughter and the kid to move in, you’re going to be full-time babysitters, you may end up being the actual parents!

The draft applied to every young male.

But we don’t need no stinking draft anymore. After all, where are we gonna fight? Trump and DeSantis want to put a wall around America and this makes them believe the rest of the world will ignore them, that everything will work out fine. How’s this been working for England? Brexit is ruining the economy. The only people still behind it, who put it over the transom, are the yahoos, with little money, who can only feel good by holding on to an ancient dream of England that disappeared years ago.

Let’s see, Brexit was supposed to improve the health system, now it’s crumbling.

But in the U.S. we’ve already seen this movie. Trump had his four years. And most Americans declared no mas. So let me see… If Trump gets nominated they’re not going to be motivated to vote against him, they’re just going to throw their hands in the air and accept him. OF COURSE NOT! 

I’m not saying the left should take no action, quite the contrary, rust never sleeps and you must beware, but if an alien came down to Earth and read and watched the news, they’d think the Republicans own this country, and are winning, when just the opposite is true. But the news business loves it. Isn’t that the essence of what has come out from Fox in the Dominion suit? Keep the idiots happy, tell them what they want to hear, make ’em angry, to the point they want to fight. Truth? Is that really part of news?

Yes, the news business is guilty.

But we’ve also lost track of truth. Online you can find material to support any viewpoint. But that does not make it right. Everything is not up for grabs. 1+1=2. Gravity is real. There are facts. But the right says facts are fungible. The most powerful person in America is George Soros and you’d better not pay any taxes because the government wastes the money, especially on the takers and…

Of course we know that it’s California and other blue states supporting the red states, but you don’t hear Chuck Schumer repeating this ad infinitum. No, he’s constantly telling us what he can’t do. HUH?

You are not alone. You are on the winning team.

And if we can’t believe in the law…

WE’RE SCREWED!