Chuck Brown - Merry Christmas Baby

Merry Christmas, babies! Got your shopping done? I wish you the best of luck and good fortune in these "interesting" times of ours. 

Roger Miller ~ Dang Me (1964)

Why I thought of this song today, I'll never know. Maybe because after the events of last week, well, dang me for a damn dimwit. Either way, it reminded me that this song has the weirdest hook of all time. 

The hook is supposed to pull you into the song and keep the song in your head, and this hook certainly does both things. This is also one of the many songs that lead with the hook. This one leads with it, and then leans on it mercilessly for the duration. (Very much like "Let's Spend the Night Together" in both ways.) 

Not a bad song, all in all. If you like it, don't hold it against yourself. 

Phillipa Fallon performs 'High School Drag' in High School Confidential

And you know what? The chic has a point! I should look up this poem. Sometimes I wonder if all of the answers didn't come into focus during and right after World War II, and maybe the rest of the world is taking its sweet time catching up. 

Grace Jones "Little Drummer Boy" on Pee wee's Playhouse Christmas Special

Merry Christmas to all of you Santa fans out there, and Happy Holidays to anyone who celebrates any of the many festivals that coincide right about now. Enjoy yourselves, and may good fortune smile on you and your families. 

I'm quite the little Humbug myself, but I have enjoyed many very nice Christmases in my life. There was a time when I could count on a good turnout of family and friends. Back when my children were small and the world was still looking forward to a bright future. I will have a small gathering again this year, and a tree, but for me and mine these are primarily times for nostalgia and the poignant exercise of duty. 

Please accept my sincere wishes for a good time on Christmas and a healthy, happy 2020. Anyone who reads my offerings herein does me a great service, and I love you all. 

Jerry Butler - Ain't Understanding Mellow (1971)

This is a poignant song about a break up in which both parties agree that some things aren't meant to be and good luck baby, thanks for everything. Even in 1971 that was an unusual choice of subject matter for a pop song. 

We're all the way post-ironic these days, so it's likely that people today will listen to this song and wonder, "who has a hidden agenda?" or, "who's really driving this train?" Did we always see things so much in terms of winners and losers? Were we always so eager to examine every break up and assign fault? Things have changed, that's for sure. Last week a guy killed a girl he didn't even know because she didn't respond favorably to his cat calls. 

In this song, a woman tells her boyfriend, look, you're a great guy, but I'm not feeling this, so I'm moving on. The man replies, it happens that way sometimes, thanks for everything, you take care of yourself. 

Were people ever that mature? 

Amazing. 

EDDIE PALMIERI - Nunca Contigo (Digital Audio)

They took down the upload that I linked in 2012. So here's a new one! For the uninitiated, welcome to a brand new world. 

A Thanksgiving Conversation About Trump

In another family, and anecdotal at that, but a conversation nonetheless. Maureen Dowd is a columnist for the fake news, failing New York Times. She published an interesting column on or about Thanksgiving day, in the voice of her brother Kevin, explaining his oft-repeated and firmly held reasons for loving Donald John Trump, Sr. I'm not 100% sure which one of them wrote it, but it was a wonderful illustration of the effect that constant exposure to Fox News during all of one's waking hours has on an impressionable mind.

We all have friends on social media who display the same delusional thinking. The identical agit-prop slogans are in twenty-four hour rotation all across the right-wing echo chamber, and people are listening. Obviously, it has a powerful effect on weak minds that are somewhat predisposed to be comforted by the certainty of the message.

Kevin loves Trump because:

1. “Trump's” economy is the greatest in history;
2. “Trump's” jobless rate is the lowest since, what, World War II or something;
3. The stock market is at a record high due to Trump's extensive program of deregulation;
4. Trump believes in unconditional support for our police;
5. Trump is allowing us to sleep much more comfortably at night because of the great way that he is handling the situations in Iran and North Korea; and
6. Most importantly of all, Kevin loves Trump because Trump saved the Supreme Court from Hillary Clinton.

No explanation was offered for that last one, so we are left to our imaginations. The others are self-explanatory, however untrue they may be.

Kevin also found space for throwing heavy shade at the mainstream media; all of the Democratic candidates; the D.N.C.; and “religiously unaffiliated Americans.”

The column included many Republican talking points that are quite familiar by now. Like, “Trump has done what he promised to do.” This, I suppose, is substantially true, and the result has been exactly what we expected: total chaos. He also promised to get rid of Isis and the deficit. Give him a chance; he's got a year left, if he's lucky.

“The impeachment inquiry is a farce.” This one doesn't really work anymore. There's been a lot of credible evidence for clearly impeachable offenses. And that's only within the narrow focus chosen by the House Democrats.

“The Ukraine didn't do the investigations, and the military aid was released.” We are not told what Kevin does for a living, but it's safe to say that he is not a lawyer. Any lawyer could tell you that this statement is in no way exculpatory.

“The witnesses (at the impeachment hearings) are all career bureaucrats who are disturbed and upset with Trump and brimming with second and third hand information.” No, there was a lot of first-hand testimony, and any facts regarding the attitudes of the witnesses were not in evidence. They had all served multiple presidents from both parties, and it is highly improbable that they loved all of them until Trump came along.

“Hillary was the worst candidate in history.” I also thought that Hillary was a terrible candidate, but this kind of hyperbole is uncalled for.

My personal dog in this race is that Kevin and me are about the same age. His kind of knee-jerk “sure, I'm on board with fascism as long as I'm making money on it” is what's turning a lot of younger folks against my entire age bracket. That's sad, and it's not exactly fair. It's true that many old-timers are Trump fans, even though they may be fully aware that he is an idiot, and that ninety percent of what he does is illegal, stupid, or immoral, or all three. There are many others in my demographic, such as me, who hate Trump and all his mess with a passion. The Trump lovers are in it up to their necks because of the racism, or the homophobia, or the xenophobia, or THE MONEY. Many, if not most, geezers don't buy into any of that. I'd be willing to bet that Kevin is making money on the tax cut, or at least that he's very comfortably prosperous in his old age, not like some of us.

Bottom line for you young people out there. When you think of us oldsters, please take a moment to find the love in your hearts. At least consider this: just like all of you Millenials are not identical clones, we geezers also come in more than one variety.