I guess you had to be there. For the mind-set. The sixties were cruising along as an extension of the fifties and then came the Beatles. They didn’t do it to become rich and famous, their goal was to stay off the factory floor as long as possible. These were not the sons and daughters of upper-class denizens, their playing was not just a stop before graduate school, this was their lives, it meant EVERYTHING!

And what was everything? It certainly didn’t include drudgery. Well, when they went on the road, there was more than a bit of that, but those are the dues you’ve got to pay to engage with your fans, and if it’s more about you than them you don’t even have to go on the road at all, can you say STEELY DAN?

So everybody in America’s got a crew cut. And then the Beatles come along and WHAM, BAM, THE FIFTIES ARE OVER! The Beatles wiped the map of everybody but the Beach Boys and the Four Seasons, everybody else had no chance, because they were entertainers, the Beatles were more than that, THEY WERE OUTSIDERS!

Yes, they look cuddly in retrospect, but that’s not how the older generation saw them, never mind the preachers and believers who burned their albums after John Lennon’s famous statement. Then again, that was John Lennon, unfiltered. Wasn’t that the point of being an artist, doing it your way, not beholden to rules, and then the public resonated with you and your music?

Now what are left are mostly the trappings.

I almost turned the damn show off. It started with Dave Grohl. He’s the last rocker standing, so he always gets the gig, but we’ve learned that Kurt Cobain was the outsider, not Grohl. Grohl can exhibit the irreverence endemic to rock, but he’s part of the firmament, whereas the real rockers never were.

And then Luke Bryan starts to testify about the Doobie Brothers. I mean at least he’s a musician, and I’m a fan, but he’s bland and young and wasn’t there any true fan that could have read those words, Ted Templeman, anyone with gravitas, who could testify as to the impact of the Doobie Brothers such that we would believe it? And at this point, I was truly wincing, Dave Grohl and then Luke Bryan? Who next, Anne Murray?

The Doobies started in a biker bar. far from Hollywood. They were not dependent upon their education, they were foraging, going their own way as part of the music explosion in the wake of the Beatles. Never forget, after Ed Sullivan and the ensuing hits everybody picked up an instrument, EVERYBODY! Boys talked about amps the way kids today talk about mobile phones, we needed to get closer.

“You get me closer to God”

And this is when the show switched, when it started to get good, with NIN.

Sure, Trent Reznor now scores movies, but no one would ever categorize him as an insider. And that’s what he talks about, being alone in Pennsylvania, needing to make music to connect with his tribe. And after the initial whirlwind of fame, he questioned his status, whether he had anything left to say. That’s part of being an artist. If you’re not questioning your worth, if you’re not banging your head against the wall at times, if you’re even-keeled, be an accountant. Rock and roll doesn’t need you. You see rock and roll is a band of outsiders.

There, I said it.

That’s the opposite of the ethos today. Everybody is a member of the group. To the point where they’re anxious about saying what is uncomfortable, for fear of ruffling feathers. Hell, there are even books you can’t read in college, there are trigger warnings, how in the hell did we get so far from the garden?

Back then if you didn’t fit in, if you were a square peg in a round hole, you could not go online and find your people, YOU HAD TO LISTEN TO MUSIC! And the makers of such, the ones in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, were not only skilled, they had messages, they made you feel like you belonged.

And then the whole thing became corporatized. With corporate rock and then disco and then the whole scene imploded, ultimately revived by MTV and the videos it aired, but since then, after hip-hop, the only innovation in music has been the internet, the pipe, the distribution, was far more interesting than the music. Now music is a vehicle to become a brand.

Then again, that paradigm was introduced by the rappers, that’s why the segment on Biggie is so damn good. His life was crap. He had a dream. Most people did not believe, but he did. And when he broke through he needed to be the best. That’s a thing about hip-hop, unlike rock, it’s a competition. When you come from nothing, when you have nothing, you’re entitled to all the perks, all the trinkets, the victory lap, because society was conspiring to keep you down, now more than ever. But two-odd decades later, it’s only about the trappings. Biggie believed in the music.

The talking heads were not appropriate until Irving Azoff’s segment. Of course Don Henley should be the ringmaster. Why in every other clip did they not employ someone equally close to who was being honored? And not only were we exposed to all of Irving’s accomplishments, we were left with two main points, Irving’s belief in and defense of artists, and his irreverence.

The artists come and go at the label. Stop selling and you’re history, those people who were your best friends will become unavailable. The artists complain, but Irving stands up for them, if nothing else with Global Rights, the artists deserve MORE!

As for his irreverence… Irving was himself, his closer, referencing his children, was the cherry on the sundae. They only made one of Irving and he never compromised, which is why he’s survived. Too many others gained some success and sold out, forgot who they were, where they came from, but not Irving.

Quite possibly the “In Memoriam” segment was the highlight of the entire telecast. Eddie Van Halen got his due. But instead of Slash, I wish they had Jeff Beck, or Jimmy Page, or Allan Holdsworth if he didn’t die. Someone truly in the pantheon, who could talk not only about impact and technique, but the challenge of having an upstart doing your act, imploring you to push the envelope or get out of the way.

But Slash was light years better than Charlize Theron. I mean she had that thing with Stephan Jenkins, but she’s a movie star, not a rocker, she was eye candy to get looky-loos to tune in. Why? We expect that of the Grammys, not HBO, where ratings are irrelevant. The more true you are to the subject, the more people are entranced and bonded to you and salivating to come back next year.

And the truth is this show was so superior to any prior telecast they should never broadcast the awards ceremony ever again. Where the inductor frequently has nothing to do with the inductee (thank you Steve Miller, unlike all the youngsters, you’re not afraid to bite the hand that feeds you, you’ve still got your rock and roll spirit). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the private dinner, used to be an insider affair. And we all know what happens when no one is looking is much more interesting than if everybody is. A raucous party, that’s what they had. Now they do it in an arena, for the ticket revenue, Peter Grant would never allow that, then again, these are the same people who feel it necessary to include a far too long advertisement for the museum in the middle of the show. It was like Neil Portnow’s Grammy speech, time to get up and pee.

As for Whitney Houston… They did a good job of portraying her career arc, but she’s as far from rock and roll as Debby Boone. She was not an outsider appealing to other outsiders, she was not irreverent, she was a voice. Sure, she led the lifestyle and got off the rails, but so do finance and techie bros who make too much money. Rock and roll is a very small stage. You can get inside the tent, but to be on stage, we need very few people. That’s what the Spotify complainers just don’t get. WE DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU! After all, we can listen to the Doobies, NIN, Depeche Mode…

KROQ was an addiction, it was a club, either you were a member or you were not, to the point it literally caused the previous number one rock station, KMET, to change format. Talk about David slaying Goliath…

But KMET wouldn’t play “Don’t You Want Me.” And “Tainted Love.” Rock has to reinvent itself, or it dies. Which is why it’s on life support right now, there is no reinvention, just people riffing on what has been done before. And KROQ was the home of Depeche Mode.

“I just can’t get enough”

To hear this coming out of the dashboard of your car…it was the antidote to not only corporate rock, but the America that had suddenly become Reaganized. The Americans may have sold out, but not the English, they were testing limits. And the Depeche Mode sound was so infectious that the band could sell out the Rose Bowl, AND IT ALL STARTED WITH KROQ AIRPLAY!

That was the power of radio. That was the power of Rick Carroll’s KROQ format, the Roq of the 80s, Top Forty for a culture where the past was whacked and anything went if it was creative enough. You may think Soft Cell was a one hit wonder, but if that’s the case you were not listening to KROQ, where “Sex Dwarf” was in regular rotation, and oh-so-different from “Tainted Love,” back when the goal was not to repeat yourself.

But, once again, as good as Eddie Van Halen was, the star of the “In Memoriam” segment was the Queen of Rock & Roll, the progenitor, the man who was there at the beginning and was always in character and never truly faded away, the one whose music still radiates.

LITTLE RICHARD!

Forget the singing, when he shimmies his hips he puts Elvis to shame. Talk about sex incarnate.

You see rock and roll owes its soul to the Delta Bluesmen. Who definitely didn’t do it to get rich and famous. As a matter of fact, many who survived, legends, ended up getting straight gigs, their names were in the phone book, such that when college students wanted to feature them in the sixties, they could call them right up.

And the English cats, who also had little, who’d grown up just after the war, hoovered up those original blues records, twisted them and fed the result back to the U.S. And then U.S. musicians were infected and put their own spin on the sound. That is the story of rock. Made by outsiders who couldn’t do anything else wanting to be heard. They got that right in this show too, it’s not about the money, it’s about the art, that’s the goal of every true artist, to expose more people to their creations.

So, if you watched this HBO show you were ultimately sucked in. You looked past the non-musicians testifying who were out of place. And as a matter of fact, almost nothing said was worth listening to other than the words of the musicians, who created this music, who oftentimes didn’t even speak so well, because you see the music was their statement.

Music doesn’t work on TV, at least not today. Sure, back in the sixties, the seventies, when it was rare, it was a thrill to see your favorite on the screen. But the truth is you just can’t feel the sound, it doesn’t inhabit your body and soul, you can look but you feel the distance, whereas live, these acts cannot be denied.

So, the scripted parts were almost all bad. Even if the words were close to right, they were not expressed with the passion of a fan.

But that footage, those stories…

These people had no CV. They didn’t have rich parents. They truly took the road less traveled. They hung it all out for rock and roll. And this is what we loved about them, this is what drew us to them. They were not hawking perfume, all they were selling was themselves and their music, and that was more than enough. Yes, they had the C-word…CREDIBILITY! If you can’t say no, you can’t truly be a rock star. Rock stars have an inner tuning fork, and it’s based on feel, not books. They channel their emotions, and once they betray them they’re done, forget what the agents and label people tell you, the audience can tell the difference, they can SMELL the difference.

And all of the acts in this program, as well as Irving and Jon Landau, embodied this spirit. Irving and Jon were addicted fans, they needed to get closer.

Those day are through. Which is why I’ve argued for eons that the halls of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be closed, or at least time-limited. The Museum of Modern Art in New York, one of our nation’s great treasures, with more foot traffic than it can handle, does not include Michelangelo. Once again, rock is a big tent for the listener, but not the creator. You’ve got to earn your stripes. And when you hear Whitney Houston talk about having more number ones than the Beatles you do a spit take. It’s not the same game, it’s not the same era, it’s not even the same charts, never mind the same distribution and listening avenues. Sure, they may still call it the “Hot 100,” but back then if you were number one, EVERYBODY KNEW WHO YOU WERE!

Not that everybody knew who Marc Bolan was. Truly he only had one big hit in America, the utterly infectious “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” But he was HUGE in the U.K. He and Bowie dominated the magazines and the charts in 1972, talk about influence.

But, once again, isn’t that just the point. It’s about the work, not the reach. It’s not really something you can quantify, just something you can feel.

And too many have been left out of the Rock Hall.

And too many don’t deserve to be inside, which Don Henley references.

But I must admit, somewhere in this endurance test of a TV show beat the heart of rock and roll. Sure, I could see it, but mostly I could hear it, and feel it, remember who I was and where I was when music was my only way of getting through.

He came out in a mask.

For far too long America has been losing. Targeting minorities. Becoming isolationist. Pursuing strategies that have not only disconnected us from the world at large, but made our country, once the land of hope and freedom, into a laughingstock.

Is our long national nightmare over? I am not sure, but at least we’re finally going in the right direction, with a man known for his empathy, who wants to restore true American values and lift up not only our nation, but its inhabitants, each and every one of them.

He’s old. By old standards. Today people regularly live past 100. And sure, some of them suffer from impairments, but the truth is, the older you get, the wiser you become, you’ve seen so much, you’ve learned so many lessons, for once we’ve got a truly experienced pol as our president. HALLELUJAH!

Yes, that’s where Joe Biden has spent his career, in government. Something that has been denigrated for four decades now, as inefficient and wasteful. For far too long the underclass has been ignored while the upper class has taken the ball and run away with it to the point where they’re not even playing the same game. We need to support those in need. Every person deserves this. Especially those born through no fault of their own, why hold them back when they’re just beginning?

Yes, we need to open doors at the top, for women and minorities and the economically challenged. You must be able to lift your way up in traditional avenues, not only entertainment and athletics, everybody deserves a chance to make it in the American system, as an integral part of what makes our nation work.

Barack Obama promised hope. Little did we know how much hope we needed. As a result of the policies of both parties, many were left behind in the march to globalization. There are so many efficiencies that too many people are out of jobs, and the jobs that are available are low-paying service gigs that pay so little you can’t make rent, never mind put food on the table and support your family. And it’s hard to feel good about yourself when you’ve lost in a game of musical chairs, with no opportunity on the horizon. It can’t be every person for themselves in America, we must come together and lift each other up.

Of course government is imperfect. Of course America is imperfect. But that’s no reason to shut its systems down, put incompetent people in positions they’re in no way qualified for with the end result being the only winners are the corporations who employ lobbyists to get the results they desire. Climate change. Not only is the west coast burning up, but Colorado too. And there are endless storms on the east coast, more intense than ever. Can we stop putting our heads in the sand and think about solutions as opposed to shrugging our shoulders and saying it’s too bad for those afflicted?

And yes, Puerto Rico needs to be made a state. D.C. too. Not for the electoral college votes involved, but because their residents deserve power, a right to vote, there’s no reason we should treat Puerto Ricans as second-class citizens.

Obama gave us hope that we could right the wrongs of the Bush administration. Which kept giving money to the rich which did not trickle down to those who needed it. But Obama was hamstrung by a Republican Congress. His heart was in the right place, but action was hampered. However, we should never forget that it was Obama who put forth the ACA and got it passed. Did you read today’s “New York Times,” about the Covid effects of the Sturgis rally? Attendee Albert Aguirre died, because he didn’t have health insurance and was afraid to go for treatment, because of the expense. Everybody has a right to health insurance. And never forget, we are all linked. If one of us suffers a loss, it impacts all of us. That person can no longer consume, that person can no longer produce, and those two are the basic elements of our nation’s economy. Our nation runs on the spending of the masses, not the billionaires. The masses keep the billionaires in business, because if people stopped buying, there would be no reason for the companies those billionaires built to exist. We must save Main Street as well as Wall Street. We must provide a safety net for our citizens as we strive to eradicate Covid-19 from our nation.

Covid-19. Mark Meadows said it was no longer a priority. Donald Trump said we had turned the corner. Meanwhile, the U.S. is setting new records in infections, it’s the one area in which we truly rule the world.

So, Joe Biden, making the speech of his life, rising to the occasion, thanked those who helped him get here, but he continually hammered points about the coronavirus. It made me smile, truly have hope, for the first time since March. Yes, Covid-19 is gone from Wuhan. Essentially nonexistent in New Zealand, and on the ropes in Australia and South Korea. Why can’t we conquer it here? Elon Musk and Tesla provide electric cars, Apple provides a computer that fits in your hand, but somehow, we’re powerless against this virus. HOGWASH!

Yes, what Meadows and Trump have said is malarkey.

So what if it’s an ancient word. The truth is no one is hip in America anymore. There are so many niches, no one can be up on all of them. So, we must put our heads together for safety and progress as opposed to pulling apart.

I don’t know about you, but the declaration of Biden’s victory this morning did not seem real. Maybe it was the days we waited. Maybe it’s because we’ve been abused for four years and we’re still afraid. But tonight we could not ask for a better effort in bringing us all together. Maybe now people will start revering the experienced. For although old, Joe was sharp tonight, hitting all the right notes, ones that seemed to have been excised from the lexicon.

Hard work? We’ve got to pull up our sleeves and push this country uphill. Take it from down in the pits to level ground, and then build it further up again. There are so many moving parts, which is why you need a leader to deliver context, to get everybody on the same page, all Americans moving to fix what’s wrong and build what we need.

It doesn’t matter how you look. It matters who you are. Character. If you’re not afraid of looking like a dork, then you are inherently compromised, you’re fearful of owning your identity and truly following your heart. For far too long, this nation has been subject to groupspeak. To the point where people are afraid to say the unpopular. But if you’re not willing to push the envelope, to hang it out alone, at best you’re a cog in the wheel. And we need those cogs, but we also need innovators, leaders. Like those electric cars… Do you know why they’re such a big deal? Oh sure, they use electricity produced in fossil fuel power plants. But electric cars are MORE EFFICIENT! With internal combustion engines, most of the energy bleeds off as heat, it does nothing to propel the automobile. So, with electric cars we can reduce our carbon footprint. And just because some other nations are polluters that does not mean we can’t lead. Ever hear of leading by example? That’s what America used to do, this country was the envy of the world.

Unfortunately, too many Americans are sans passports, they haven’t been anywhere else, so they’re uninformed as to the rest of the world. Life in Denmark and Sweden is pretty neat. As it is in Canada. Talk to a Canadian, they love their national health care service, they don’t have to take an unwanted job just for the insurance, and they can leave jobs and even become entrepreneurs while still being covered. And it is these seekers and doers that build the economy.

I’m not going to argue the issues. I’m not going to try and convince you that you’re wrong. I’m just going to say, as Joe did this evening, that there are so many POSSIBILITIES! Our nation used to have a can-do spirit, not a can-not. And it’s been our outside of the box thinkers that have revolutionized not only our nation, but the entire world. That’s the American spirit, the sky’s the limit. It’s built into our character. But you can’t go it alone and just because you’re successful, that does not mean everyone else has to be unsuccessful, there’s no reason it has to be a zero sum game.

I didn’t need so much hope when Obama first got elected. Sure, we were going in the wrong direction, but democracy itself was not at stake.

And truthfully, whenever I start to become elated, I think of all those on the other side and it deflates me. Why they hate us so bad, why they’re so stuck on individualism to the point where safety nets are abhorred, I do not understand. But sometimes by chopping off the head, you kill the whole animal. Without Trump disparaging good Americans, without Trump telling individuals without portfolio to stand up against our government institutions, maybe those on the other side will calm down, maybe they’ll see what Biden has to offer is actually beneficial. As for those afraid of Marxism and the rest of the b.s. spewed by the right wing media, you can relax, it ain’t coming, just pay attention.

My country is not what it used to be. Income inequality is rampant, such that if you apply yourself, put your nose to the grindstone, you still might not get ahead. We need those who work with their hands. They should be able to afford a reasonable lifestyle while they’re providing for us.

This is a reset. I cannot guarantee you everything will be hunky-dory, but we’ve finally got someone experienced trying to lead us down the right path. Once again…HALLELUJAH!

He’s not gonna go.

Let me tell you how this used to work, when the Republicans were actually Democrats by today’s standards. The Senate turned against Nixon, they confronted him, telling him he did not have enough votes to evade conviction at an impeachment trial, and Nixon resigned.

That’s not the way it’s gonna go down here.

Last night, the “New York Post” turned against Trump. If this were still 1974, that would be the first domino. Right wing newspaper stakes a claim and the rest of the media and then elected officials fall in behind. But that’s forgetting that they tried that, back in 2016, and it didn’t work. Let’s not rewrite history here, even Rupert Murdoch himself, came out against Trump. And never forget Trump’s dust-up with Megyn Kelly. She dared, just like Lesley Stahl, to ask him hard questions, the questions expected by any political candidate, and Trump blew back, hard. And the consequences? NONEXISTENT! Megyn Kelly felt uncomfortable at Fox, so she left, only to find out the public wanted to watch Fox, not her, that the anchors are fungible, and Trump broke code and released the “60 Minutes” footage before CBS, getting the advantage of spin and greatly decreasing the impact of the ultimate telecast.

And it wasn’t only Rupert Murdoch who was against Trump, but essentially all of the Republican string-pullers as well as the candidates who were running against the Donald. What happened? Trump became the nominee and fearful of getting their balls cut off, incurring the wrath not only of Trump, but their constituents, they got in line and became 24/7 Trumpers. His way or no way.

In other words, Trump dictated to the media, which fell in line, and the elected officials, who fell in line. So, even if both of them come out against Trump, HE’S NOT GONNA LISTEN TO THEM! Come on, if Fox, a disinformation outlet, dares to criticize Trump he goes nuclear, he starts ranting on Twitter, and his reach is more than theirs.

This is how despots, authoritarians work, they don’t give up power, they cement it.

So, Biden won the election. WHO CARES? Come on, take the presidency from me, I dare you. Meanwhile, I’ve been muddying the water to such an extent that my constituency, proven huge on Tuesday by an unexpectedly large vote, which the media completely missed, believing Biden would win in a landslide, will stand behind me. And furthermore, the ass-kisser-in-chief, Lindsey Graham, donated 500k to Trump’s legal team… Once again, what are the legal issues here?

You’ve got to watch tonight’s Bill Maher.

Oh, you don’t get HBO. I guess that just proves the point of Tristan Harris’s appearance on the show. We’re all now sliced into our own private bubbles by our information systems, which for the vast majority of America are social media outlets. Harris was in the “Social Dilemma.” That was on Netflix, you’ve got that, and it’s only anti-Trump if you decry the manipulation of people into ignorance. Harris lays out the influence of Facebook. The truth is, many of Trump’s minions are living in a completely different universe.

Actually, all you’ve got to do is turn on Fox News during prime time.

Your head will spin, like Regan in the “Exorcist.”

Yes, Laura Ingraham was talking about the integrity of the election process. That Republicans have lost faith in it as a result of nefarious Democratic actions and it must be investigated, otherwise the count can’t count. Whoa… Wasn’t it the right that supported DeJoy’s crippling of the Post Office, wasn’t it the right trying to suppress the vote? The defining element here is Trump and the Republicans want to halt the vote in Pennsylvania but continue it in Arizona. And pissed, Trump is now telling his folk to vote AFTER election day!

And tonight Tucker Carlson talked about the corporatists who will take over the government. Yes, the rich who will keep you down. Huh? Aren’t most of the uber-rich Republicans?

Yes, if you’re watching Fox, you’re getting a completely different spin on reality, there is no reality. But most people get their info from social media, to the point that we will have QAnon believers in the House of Representatives.

So, after Bill Maher’s interview with Tristan Harris, the single best guest appearance on the show this season, there’s a panel consisting of Rosa Brooks and Malcolm Nance. Brooks is the daughter of Barbara Ehrenreich, who has revealed the problems facing the underclass, and Brooks is also a law professor at Georgetown. Malcolm Nance is a security consultant. You know him, he’s all over TV, he worked in intelligence in the military. And Brooks was playing the optimist and Nance was playing the pessimist.

Which are you? I’m a Jew, we’ve been persecuted for millennia. And anti-Semitism is ramping up, along with Holocaust denial. I’m a pessimist, so sue me. Jews have to always be on alert for incoming, I am.

But if you’re a Biden supporter and you’re a pessimist you’re a pariah. You must support the man, and not spoil the party. As for those on the other side of the political fence… You should have seen my inbox, they were convinced Trump was gonna win, CONVINCED! And they were dancing on Biden and my soon to be graves. They had the coffin nails out. Trump was gonna finish the job, bring prosperity to America, right all the wrongs. But now it’s not going their way.

The TV networks are afraid to call the election. Fox called Arizona for Biden on Tuesday night and Trump and the right still haven’t gotten over it. Both Trump and those on the network have continued to excoriate Arnon Mishkin. The networks and cable channels are afraid of calling Pennsylvania, never mind Georgia and Nevada, because they don’t want the blowback. Hell, the other outlets won’t even call Arizona!

So, my inbox has quieted down. The balloon has been deflated. But there’s still some air in there. But if the left insists on continuing to drain it, make the balloon go completely flat…WATCH OUT!

That’s another Fox spin. That conservatives are docile, and it’s the left that always revolts, we’ve got to watch out for Antifa. Like I said, it’s an alternate reality, which tens and tens of millions of Americans eat at the trough of. So, if the media insists on Biden emerging victorious, do you really expect these Trump acolytes to sit at home and accept it?

That’s what Malcolm Nance was talking about. Paramilitary efforts. We’ve seen them already, right wing militias going after protesters, right wing truck caravans, closing roadways, surrounding a Biden campaign bus. And Trump has been egging them on, continuously!

The law doesn’t matter. IT DOES NOT MATTER!

Trump just has to not leave. He’s already not gonna concede. Make him, I dare you. AUTHORITARIANS DON’T LEAVE! They just rewrite the playbook, and stuff the public with misinformation.

Meanwhile, you’ve got those roving paramilitary outfits. It always starts small, it doesn’t start big and fizzle out, it builds. Just when you think you’re safe, BINGO, you’re gone. As for the Supreme Court doing the right thing… Hell, as Nance says, it’s like “Judgment at Nuremberg,” which was about prosecuting the court enablers in Germany!

Forget legal reality. Anybody can sue anybody and bury them in paperwork. And Trump’s an expert on this. Did you watch either of the NXIVM documentaries? Naysayers were buried by the legal efforts of the organization, funded by the Bronfman sisters. Truth only comes at the end of the line in a legal spat.

And speaking of truth, once again, it’s being revealed days after the election. Forgetting our fakokta Electoral College, the public at large voted for Biden in overwhelming numbers. And with two Senate seats up for grabs in Georgia, the Senate might still end up blue.

Of course we’ve got to credit Stacey Abrams for the Georgia miracle. She felt the governorship of the state was stolen from her, so she not only got angry, she did something about it, she got 800,000 new voters added to the rolls. Ergo, the Georgia miracle. Proving the power of one individual, proving the resentment of African-Americans, proving that if you make people believe they’ve got a stake in the outcome, that it will benefit them, truly, they’ll vote.

But, not everything is turning up roses. Democrats lost seats in the House. They did not regain state legislatures, so redistricting is out of their hands, i.e. gerrymandering. And let’s be clear, Biden is a one-termer. He’s just too old. And then where are the Democrats? Never forget that Harris is black, and that’s one of the reasons Trump got elected in the first place, resentment of Obama. And yes, white nationalism has raised its head to a point heretofore unseen in most Americans’ lives. And Trump has endorsed it, after all, there are fine people on both sides.

And the irony is yes, there are fine people on both sides. But, once again, Mark Zuckerberg is the most powerful person in America. Yes, if you want to control the outcome, if you want political power, own a printing press, or the modern-day equivalent. That’s how Murdoch influenced not only American elections, but Brexit! And Zuckerberg was not elected and is beholden to essentially no one.

So, if you’re on the right, you truly believe the election was stolen.

And on the left, it’s all delusional “Happy days are here again!”

And neither is the truth. And it will have consequences.

But first Biden has to be called and then Trump has to go. Turns out, as I stated above, the entire U.S. media apparatus is gun-shy about stating the obvious, Biden’s victory, and no one has come up with a good plan to get rid of Trump, they just keep talking about the law in a lawless society.

Be afraid, be very afraid, no matter which side you are on.

Dan Wilson is a songwriter, perfomer, producer and painter! You know him from Semisonic and “Closing Time” and “Secret Smile” as well as “Someone Like You,” which he cowrote with Adele, and “Not Ready to Make Nice,” which he cowrote with the (Dixie) Chicks, and many more. Listen for personal history, band stories and songwriting tips!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dan-wilson/id1316200737?i=1000497325036

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast