Power To The People

Carol and I watched the Power To The People Concert yesterday.

It chipped a small piece of ice from my heart, a heart that feels hopeless. It was good to see so many people with the same fears and disgust with this government gathered together in a spirit of defiance and commitment. And love of and belief in the power of music.

It was good to hear musicians ripping this government apart, quite vocally, from the stage. It needed to be done.

Many of the musicians who played were young - they played loud and they played fast. It was good to see young people speaking up, some of whom are too young to vote. We are not gonna win this thing with just the old folks - it will take everyone.

Joan Baez was there. Stephen Stills. Bruce Springsteen. Their participation was poignant to people my age. Also, a bit heartbreaking.

Joan Baez is 85 years old. Stephen Stills is 81 years old. They have been there before. They were outspoken in the sixties and still are today. Stills wrote For What It's Worth. The song was released in 1966.

Google it. Listen to it, pay attention to the lyrics. The song is as relevant today as it was then. Unfortunately.

Joan and Stephen could have been up there in a state of despair or frustration, to have to do this all again. Instead they showed the fighting spirit of people who believe in their souls that this country is its every-day people, not its politicians and billionaires. They are still up for the fight.

It was curated by Tom Morello. He was spectacular. In the way he orchestrated the whole thing from start to finish, and in the passionate way he played and sang. The man is a stunningly good guitar player. He has been passionately outspoken against injustice for his entire career. This concert was a perfect vehicle for him. And he got to play alongside his son - Roman Morello, who is 15 years old and is already a spectacular guitar virtuoso.

The most straight-ahead outspoken group there was The Dropkick Murphys. They were delightfully blunt. And they rocked the house - made it jump, got the audience up and rockin'.

Speaking for my generation, there was some emptiness there too. My generation kicked ass and tried hard to bring about change in the 60's and 70's. We got some stuff done. Most of it has been reversed, and most of us went on to become accountants. We were undermined, squashed, and defeated.

Heartbreaking, because the spirit was genuine. This country needed change and we tried hard to get it done. But, ultimately, the bad guys won.

Now it is worse than ever. The threat is even more dire and it is very real, with a good chance of succeeding. 

Success meaning the death of democracy.

That concert blew gently on the dying embers of democracy. It was hopeful. It was honest and blunt. It highlighted an awareness that there are tens of millions of people in this country who believe their government should protect them, and help them to survive in their daily lives.

Tyranny is not going to make that happen. Tyranny will do exactly the opposite. It has already started.

This fight feels like shoveling shit against the tide. Greed and viciousness are blood-sport in this country. People enjoy seeing other people suffer.

This fight also feels like life or death. It is.

Things need to turn around before Joan Baez, Stephen Stills and Bruce Springsteen are gone. They deserve to see that, considering how hard and how long they have fought to make it happen.

Things need to turn around for all Americans before they lose control over their own lives, before their life is no longer their own.

I Have A Suggestion For You

Are you bored with your life? Are you surprised that it is what it is?

You thought you would do better. You thought you would have more money. You thought that you would have more fun. But it didn't work out that way.

You are stressed out, worried, disappointed, and disillusioned. And bored.That's no fun at all.

But of course, at this point in your life, there is not a whole hell of a lot you can do about it.

You need to spark your brain. Shock yourself out of where you are to a place so far from your reality that you actually forget about your reality. For a little while.

Try this.

Watch True Romance (1993) on a Friday night, watch Scarface (1983) (Pacino version) on Saturday night. By the time you finish Scarface you will be a new person with a new perspective and unlimited inspiration. At least until Monday morning.

First of all, consider the cast of True Romance. Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, James Gandolfini, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport. Can you even believe that?

Outstanding.

Both films are over the top plot-wise, and especially violence-wise. But that's what you need. You need to get outside of yourself, and you need your stomach twisted into a knot. Who knows, these movies are so outrageous that maybe it will make you grateful for your tiny life by way of comparison. An unintended consequence.

Please be careful - there is some violence in these movies that just might be too much for your delicate sensibilities. If so, immediately flick the channel to Dancing with the Stars. I wouldn't blame you. I have watched these movies dozens of times, and certain scenes still turn my stomach. And I LOVE violence.

Please report back to me. If my suggestion changes your life - good or bad - I would like to take credit.

I Hope No One Ever Says These Words to Me

 "I'm the Anti-Christ. You get me in a vendetta kind of mood, you will tell the angels in Heaven that you had never seen pure evil so singularly personified as you did in the face of the man who killed you."

Christopher Walken (Vincenzo Coccotti) to Dennis Hopper (Clifford Worley) in True Romance.

The Workingman's Lament

 "A heaviness settled on him that didn't lift as the long, dull days stretched on, spent in toil that offered neither mental challenge nor reward."

From Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

Now More Than Ever

Now more than ever, I am struggling to find peace of mind.

James Taylor's voice helps.

Enough to Be on Your Way

 "So the sun shines on this funeral

Just the same as on a birth

The way it shines on everything

That happens here on earth

It rolls across the Western sky

And back into the sea

And spends the day's last rays

Upon this fucked-up family"

And later on in the song:

"They brought her back on a Friday night

Same day I was born

We sent her up the smokestack

Yes and back into the storm

She blew up over the San Juan mountains

She spent herself at last

The threat of heavy weather

That was what she knew best

Oh it's enough to be on your way

It's enough just to cover ground

It's enough to be moving on"

And:

"Home, boy, build it behind your eyes

Carry it in your heart

Safe among your own......................

So long, old gal"

Grappling with life and death in a heartfelt and poetic way.

James Taylor, Enough to Be on Your Way

I Sing Pretty Good

Had to run out to do errands.

Had to go to Lowe's to snag a barbecue grill cover before the massive rain storm rolls in. Armageddon, baby - keep your head down.

The old cover has a gaping rip in it, which I've been ignoring because procrastination is my strong point. In fact when I lifted it off, my poor grill was wet.

Had to stop by Walgreen's to pick up drugs for Carol. I just love the way that sounds.

It is 74 degrees. There is a pleasantly insistent breeze. Brilliant sunshine. Windows down, sun roof open.

So the errands didn't hurt as much as usual. In fact, they didn't hurt at all.

And then...................................I dialed up Classic Vinyl. A Hard Day's Night comes on.

Holy shit - suddenly 62 years of my life melted away. I was young again. I was smiling - until I started singing.

I sing pretty good. Maybe as good as a Beatle. I should have called them up and asked to join the band. Of course I was 10 years old at the time - I don't think my parents would have gone for it.

In any event, on September 25, 2026, I was cruising down the road, happy.

The magic never dies.