Cartoons Wednesday!

Plus a new Leonard Cohen tribute album, Mavis, and the passing of Dave Mason.

Apr 22, 2026

Yes, it’s still somehow free to subscribe to this nearly daily newsletter! Greg Mitchell is the author of fourteen books and director of four films for PBS since 2022. In a previous life, he was a longtime editor at the legendary Crawdaddy.

Stephen and Jimmy last night still rockin and sockin:

Several respected polls were released yesterday showing Trump at historic lows, from 32% to 37% approval.

Then the big news last night, from NY Times:

Democrats Win a Big Battle in the Fight Over Midterm Maps: 4 Takeaways

Virginia’s approval of an aggressive gerrymander could give Democrats up to four additional House seats as they seek to win back Congress.

Meanwhile, unlike most in MAGA, Tucker Carlson has apologized for past support of Trump. Carlson says he is “tormented” by his role in Trump’s return to the White House. But before you applaud this clutching of principles, John Fugelsang reminds us:

Tucker Carlson is not repenting; he’s re-branding. He’s running for POTUS; and making sure he’s ahead of Vance on opposing war & dropping Trump. Tucker’s hated Trump for years. Tucker still only cares about Tucker; Trump is no longer useful. Not much has changed here.

Then there’s this:

Shooting kids in the head or beating prisoners appears to be okay, but Israel pulled two soldiers from combat duty and sentenced them to 30 days in jail after one photographed the other swinging a sledgehammer at the head of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon.

Music Picks

As you may know, in regards to Leonard Cohen, I’m His Man. And now there’s a new tribute album coming out on Friday, produced by ex-Joni man Larry Klein, with this intriguing track list:

1. Steer Your Way – Norah Jones
2. Here It Is – Peter Gabriel
3. Suzanne – Gregory Porter
4. Hallelujah – Sarah McLachlan
5. Avalanche – Immanuel Wilkins
6. Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye – Luciana Souza
7. Coming Back to You – James Taylor
8. You Want It Darker – Iggy Pop
9. If It Be Your Will – Mavis Staples
10. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy – David Gray
11. Famous Blue Raincoat – Nathaniel Rateliff
12. Bird on The Wire – Bill Frisell

Here is Mavis doing his once obscure (until Antony did it for that first major Cohen doc), “If It Be Your Will.”

We also mark the sad passing at 79 of a guy we once liked a lot, Dave Mason. His early career was marked by comings and going with Traffic, for whom he wrote “Feelin’ Alright,” session work on iconic Stones tunes, George Harrison’s album “All Things Must Pass” and Jimi’s “All Along the Watchtower” and others, and live shows as part of the Delaney & Bonnie entourage, which I caught in Toronto in ‘69, and with Clapton. Then he recorded one of the best albums of the early ‘70s, “Alone Together” with a great band. It was mainly downhill from there, although he did score a ubiquitous 1977 hit, “We Just Disagree.” Kept recording and touring, if mainly out of limelight. Three picks below.

“Only You Know and I Know”