In no specific order:
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON/ANATOMY OF A FALL/FREMONT/OPPENHEIMER/THE HOLDOVERS/PAST LIVES/FERRARI/TALK TO ME
Honorable Mention: NAPOLEON/MASTER GARDENER/BARBIE/DUMB MONEY/AIR
Flawed But Worthwhile: SALTBURN/PRISCILLA/MAY DECEMBER/THE COLOR PURPLE 2023
Watchable Underachiever: THE KILLER
In no specific order:
Jessie Ware: THAT! FEELS GOOD!
Pretenders: RELENTLESS
Peter Gabriel: I/o (Bright Side Mix)
Son Volt: DAY OF THE DOUG (Doug Sahm tribute)
Flatt & Scruggs: ORIGINAL THEME FROM BONNIE AND CLYDE
Bruce Springsteen: THE LIVE SERIES: SONGS ON KEYS
The Beatles: 1962-1966 (expanded 2023 reissue)
The Who: WHO’S NEXT/LIFE HOUSE boxset
Bob Dylan: THE COMPLETE BUDOKAN 1978
Wilco: COUSIN/CRUEL COUNTRY
Elvis Presley: ALOHA FROM HAWAII 50th Anniversary
Cindy Wilson: REALMS
Billy Joel: PIANO MAN 50th Anniversary Dolby Atmos mix
Little Richard: LITTLE RICHARD IS BACK
Gene Vincent: I’M BACK AND I’M PROUD
Captain Sedition dealt at least a temporary blow
Now let’s see if some of the Republican Party will follow
An off-ramp where the Never Trumpers can try to grow
A base devoted to real issues instead of Immigrant baiting and going low low low
Will update later this month and, for the last time, in January:
In no specific order:
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON/ANATOMY OF A FALL/FREMONT/OPPENHEIMER/THE HOLDOVERS/PAST LIVES/AIR
Honorable Mention: NAPOLEON/MASTER GARDENER/BARBIE/DUMB MONEY
Flawed But Worthwhile: SALTBURN/PRISCILLA/MAY DECEMBER
Watchable Underachiever: THE KILLER
Now And Then may not be John Lennon’s best-ever song, but the new, orchestrated and augmented version has an undeniable poignance with the surviving Beatles in the final act of their solo careers.
At this writing, I haven’t gone on to Facebook and Reddit to experience the reactions of first and second generation Beatles fans, who are often less forward-thinking (usually spouting knee-jerk racism towards Yoko Ono) than the Fab Four were.
Kudos to Giles Martin, with the aid of Peter Jackson’s software, for a crisp, immediate remix of Love Me Do (the version with Ringo on drums).
here’s to the parents
you know which of them I’m talking about
the ones who default to discipline if humiliation doesn’t work
who slap and hit well into teenage years
who throw the approval preserver
only if the child abandons his/her/their dreams
taking junior on long summer vacations out of town
all the better to ward off bad influences
but what if the child gets hurt by others saying no
and the parent or parents choose to end this by saying:
don’t you know I’d pay her to go out with you
if I could
here’s to the parents
who create children
that become nervous adults
and choose not to have children
of their own
grain elevator, giant oil derrick, red/brown brick streets
train station which became Boy Scouts facility
elementary school that felt ultramodern in the 1960s
large and small churches teaching different versions of Jesus’s teachings
car races which some classmates never survived
drive-in eateries and motels which tried to survive the freeway bypass
>
newspaper ad said help save our town, buy at home
but the next city was just a half-hour away by car
some migrated there, others to other small Texas towns
only a few dared move out of state
to see if neutrality healed wounds and strengthened bonds
WELL. WHY SHOULDN’T I GO THERE?
because old (mostly white) boys still run the world
and I make long TV shows
about old (mostly white) boys
with occasional girls in support
.>
please don’t ask me about Jann Wenner
David Marchese of THE NEW YORK TIMES got ROLLING STONE co-founder Jann Wenner to admit that there is no place for Black and female artists in the Wenner pantheon because of “articulation.” So Joni Mitchell, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Otis Redding were relegated to nevers or also-rans.
Regarding Jann Wenner’s criteria for Caucasian male rock star myth/legend status: there are people who want to be mythic and pursue validation by someone Important (Bono, Bruce Springsteen). And then there’s Jann chasing already mythic Dylan, Lennon and Jagger with the hunger to be validated by them.
And here’s Wenner’s part-apology, part don’t cause my book to be pulled statement:
In a statement issued late Saturday by a representative for Little, Brown and Company, the publisher of his book, Mr. Wenner said: “In my interview with The New York Times I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.
“‘The Masters’ is a collection of interviews I’ve done over the years,” he continued, “that seemed to me to best represent an idea of rock ’n’ roll’s impact on my world; they were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career. They don’t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live. I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.”
looking for clothes
trying to pack a suitcase
can’t find clothes
clothes apparently lost or stolen
look all over for missing clothes
find a bunch of concert T-shirts on a table
all the shirts are too small
At the end of this post isa letter I sent to an oncologist whose department saved my life in the summer of 2021 at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Hospital (I had a bone marrow transplant to treat multiple myeloma).
Sadly, 2023 is not the pandemic summer of 2021 and UCLA has recently changed to please restive, mask-averse, mask-optional staff when administering infusions of anti-cancer medication. God help us if this becomes future hospital policy.
lower that granite unlearned head
glare harder than a junkyard dog
put it on X Twitter to thank Elon
believe no MAGA faithful will run away
fear more swing voters looking for refuge
forgive us because we didn’t think
didn’t want to find out why you did it
instead we went along with the crowd’s anger
over how dare you question infallibility
>
some of us (myself included) were such cowards
returned your albums to used music stores
didn’t want to be reminded of non-music discourse
not realizing disturbing peace was vital to you and your art
the 15-year-old boy with heightened emotions
now the 63-year-old man calmly seeing an oncologist
infused, injected, transplanted, revived
taking medication, getting sleepy, hoping for days outdoors
>
looking back at the girl I thought I loved at 15
lying to myself about how I could have been her ideal
imagining all sorts of happy alternate universes
in this one: didn’t listen, never gained her trust, never was a confidant
>
taught to fear, warned to avoid, harangued to PAY ATTENTION
in spite of this, eventually thought for myself,
and was blessed/burned by consequences
at 63, want more years before affairs must become ordered
Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav loves Turner Classic Movies (best known as TCM) so much that he’s making deep cuts in its key staff and re-appointing a previous head of the channel.
Here are some possible aftereffects:
1. No more TCM Film Festival. It’s a pricey annual diversion for a subset of the channel’s fanbase. But the festival, through its restoration premieres and star/director appearances, generates a lot of value and goodwill. Zaslav may consider it a waste of time and resources. And if the festival goes, expect huge and passionate pushback.
2. No more TCM Cruises. Repeat the above pricey annual diversion statement. But this likely wouldn’t spark outrage on the level of ending the film festival.
3. No more TCM branding—books, wines, etc.
4. Fewer hosts. Guessing Zaslav is bottom-line fixated enough to see Eddie Muller’s film noir showings and Jacqueline Stewart’s Sunday night silent films as nonessential programming to be discarded for more showings of familiar fare (Cary Grant, 1940s Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day, 1950s William Holden, Audrey Hepburn). The host rotation of Ben/Dave/Alicia should be safe.
5. Moving from cable to exclusive online app.
6. Moving from cable to expanded curation niche subset of Max.
Let’s find out (with trepidation) what Zaslav chooses to do next.
Trump goes low, they say nothing
better to watch slow crack of GOP ice
an erosion that could last until 2024
>
let the lies speed like stock trading
allow the primaries to be Trump-centric
easier than speaking truth right now
to malignant power
>
Trump goes lower and lower
and they foolishly think they’re going high
by saying nothing
1. An Innocent Man
2. Tell Me Why
3. The Ghost of Pat Robertson
4. Classified (I Don’t Think So)
5. Lawyers Guns and Money
6. You’ve Got To Hide Your Government Documents Away
7. Jail Doesn’t Suit My Lifestyle
8. Georgia On My Mind
Florida Ron wants you
actually he wants you not to think
just be comfortable with your bigotry
no reading about past and present injustice
no teaching your kids unpleasant history
no having to deal with non-Christians
no dealing with Christians who read the Bible wrong
no crossing the path of LGBTQ people
just let him wish everything you don’t like
into the magic cornfield where it disappears
and pray he’ll never turn on you
for a quick lunge at even more ignorant voters
Bruce sings My Love Will Not Let You Down
can’t say the same for the ticket prices
so I learn to live with what I can’t rise above
listening to live shows for a fraction of the cost
paid by celebrity guest singers and well-heeled fans
as the Jersey Man sings from a seldom-changing setlist
about aging, death and being the Last Man Standing
and I remember when I paid a ticket broker’s price
(cheaper than Dynamic Pricing today)
to sit in the now dead Los Angeles Sports Arena
and buy a T-shirt (since lost) with the saying
THIS IS NOT A DARK RIDE
this was a mere 35 years ago
people dressed to the tens enter Westminster Abbey
supporting the monarch who waited quite long for his chance
yes, he’s more forward-thinking than his parents tended to be
but one can’t forget the grim withholder who created human wreckage
Move Along Nothing To See Here
Move Along Nothing To See Here
Move Along Nothing To See Hete
We’ll Tell Smaller Lies Now
Tomorrow Night: Tucker and Elon Outtakes
For people I know from Texas
retired from work
children are hard working adults
living with grandchildren in another state
chose not to move from hometown
visit nephews and nieces
don’t talk politics with siblings
go along get along over and over
not ready for a future when
a niece is impregnated by rape
for now, homey Facebook posts
with friends from college
and comments ending with lol
can’t gloat but
I welcome days like this
>
fear in Florida
unexpected strategy sessions
what to do what to do
obey rules like regular people
opt for contempt to fundraise
yell for loyalty, retry people’s patience
watch SNL for TruthSocial material
worry DeSantis might have Trump voodoo doll
>
can’t gloat but
I welcome the days to come
the 2024 GOP hopefuls can’t free their hands from the hem of his now-soiled garment after seven years of marching through the land of winning ugly and encouraging violence from the followers allergic to thinking for themselves and gasps arose from the Manhattan studios of Fox News Channel plus prayers for this to pull focus from the Dominion suit regarding the 2020 election and there will be more potential indictments and tribulations to come now that a former President can be arrested and tried like any other citizen
GIVE ME SOME OF THAT OLD-TIME XENOPHOBIA
(a memoir of the first wave of the Iraq War in 2003)
They did it in World War I
when sauerkraut was known as “liberty cabbage”.
They did it in World War II
when actor Eduardo Ciannelli changed his first name to Edward.
They did it during the 1979-81
Iran hostage crisis
when pictures of Mickey Mouse circulated widely.
Mickey raised his right middle-finger.
The caption was HEY IRAN!
Now, it’s being done again.
And it’s not even against
an enemy country.
A café owner in Santa Barbara
changes French fries to Uncle Sam Fries.
People, showing off for TV cameras,
threaten to boycott camembert cheese.
French wine is poured into the gutter.
David Letterman makes derogatory jokes
about the French in WWII.
I stay indoors,
scared of being scarred
by thoughtless hatred
wearing the mask of patriotism,
wishing it could be safe to say
“God Bless The World”
instead of
“God Bless America”.
older slower quieter
no need to overreact
re-examine what happened
choice B preferable to choice taken
>
listen to the old rock band
remake their past songs
feel the need to alter lyrics
filtered through distance of age
>
sing along with me
autumnal
autumnal
au tum tum tum nal
focus on the door
at the end of the hallway
start walking
follow most rules
forget some of them
question others when alone
get head slaps
bruised knuckles
deep red voices
vibrating eardrums
warnings you’ll be fired
if you fail to park
in the proper place
>
rarely get compliments
>
decide if the door is worth opening
after years of repetitive motions
trying to please others
without losing yourself
and worrying about notes in your file
>
if you’re promoted,
don’t be that person
who screams/punches/kneecaps
be the mentor
only a few people
took the time to be with you
when it’s time for new recruits
to take the employee walk
wherever it may lead
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
PETIT MAMAN
HAPPENING
LIVING
AFTERSUN
ARMAGEDDON TIME
THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER
NOPE
HATCHING
RESURRECTION
SPECTOR
SR.
THE DROP OUT
THE LAST MOVIE STARS
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
DECISION TO LEAVE
HONORABLE MENTION: TAR, THE FABELMANS, CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, ELVIS, BROS, WATCHER, MEN, EMPIRE OF LIGHT, CORSAGE, HOLD ME TIGHT
see that news person crying in the corner
he was fired for dubious ethical decisions
and he tried to keep his even more dubious brother in power
now he cries ice cubes like a penguin in a Bugs Bunny cartoon
wailing about the big comedown of working for NewsNation
oh I’ll never again be Number One, he despairs
then a smile breaks through the misery
he yells to the other patrons:
wait until I win my $125 million arbitration suit against CNN
as Alisyn Camerota appears on the big screen TV
in the time slot he thought he might own forever
leave the robot dogs
in the equipment yard
strip off the military gear
if you’re not SWAT
melt the tanks
into scrap metal
for infrastructure
treat Black and Brown people
just like White people
learn to take a deep breath
before drawing taser or pistol
and stop treating the poisonous apples
so quick to judge and execute
as if they should get
a Medal of Valor
for wearing a uniform
they don’t deserve
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
PETIT MAMAN
HAPPENING
LIVING
AFTERSUN
ARMAGEDDON TIME
NOPE
HATCHING
RESURRECTION
SPECTOR
SR.
THE DROP OUT
THE LAST MOVIE STARS
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
DECISION TO LEAVE
HONORABLE MENTION: TAR, THE FABELMANS, CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, ELVIS, BROS, WATCHER, MEN, EMPIRE OF LIGHT
as my mother might have said,
the truth isn’t in him
and a lot of Republicans think So What?
the bar was lowered with Jim Jordan,
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert
so it makes sense for Mr. Santos—or is it Devolder—
to remove the bar and toss it in the House trash bin
>
he played a role (actually, several)
he got the votes
he gave professional lie detectors the slip
and he’ll vote to kneecap your future
as Kevin McCarthy does nothing
and cable news pours water from a deep well
of George Santos Refuses to Resign stories
two fifteen year-olds on their only date
were waiting for a theater box office to open
and window shopped at the Woolworths next door
>
the then-popular family TV series THE WALTONS
became a topic of conversation
she said “Don’t tell me you like THE WALTONS”
he, not listening to what she was really saying,
responded with light talk about how the show had
mountains and clean air, basically escapist stuff
>
decades later, he realized she was struggling
with unhappiness and other people’s expectations
and he wished he had said something different,
something which could have formed a lasting friendship
he thinks he’s Rocky
fifteen rounds and still standing
hollow victory
