My latest film, “The Atomic Bowl:Football at Ground Zero—and Nuclear Peril Today” has been airing over PBS stations this past month and streaming (key links to watch and more here). A companion book, my 14th, has been available, and you can read more or order here. Thank you. And subscribing to this newsletter still somehow FREE.
Might make you wince: Spotted a social media takeoff of the famous “Sympathy for the Devil” line, updated to: “We shouted out/ who killed the Kennedys? / When after all / it is a Kennedy trying to kill / you and me.”
Push back on this was all the rage yesterday, but if you missed:
As you may know, Trumpist cuts to PBS means the end, for now, for new “American Experience” docs, including one I am featured in. So they are airing a few already scheduled and then going to re-runs. Here is trailer for first film of this season, on the infamous “Hard Hat Riot” in NYC vs. antiwar protesters back in my day….
Tom Shipley of Brewer & Shipley fame has died. I mention this for two reasons. My first ever post-college, first interview for national magazine was for the immortal Zygote in New York City in 1970 and the subjects were Shipley and Tom Brewer. Yes, I went one toke over the line with them. Which brings me to the second reason for this: Even The New York Times could not resist mentioning, in its obit this weekend, the classic if clueless Lawrence Welk Show version of the song, see below. They did not get the dope reference and thought it was a Christian song because of the brief mention of “Jesus.”
Another fun guy, Mark Volman, of The Turtles and Flo & Eddie fame has also passed away. Whatever else you can say, he helped create “Happy Together,” one of the greatest rock ‘n roll singles ever. Here he is singing backup and as usual goofing around, this time with a toy trumpet.
And something new from today, from one of our faves, Larkin Poe, from upcoming lp:
»>I’m going to start encouraging more Comments and dialogue at this newsletter, so please start to join in:
From Tunes to Toons
Barry Blitt at The New Yorker:
Steve Brodner:
Sad to hear about Mark Volman of the Turtles and Flo and Eddie. Great memories for me… The Turtles actually came to our high school in 1968 and played in the auditorium…
I so very much enjoy your sub stack filled with great music, information and spectacular political art comics. Thank you again.
I laughed out loud listening to the Lawrence Welk version of "One Toke Over the Line." I could just imagine sitting in my grandparents' living room being forced to watch the Lawrence Welk show with that song coming on. They would have never known why I was rolling in the floor with laughter at that song. Bless their little hearts. They were fantastic grandparents, nevertheless.