Jeff Bezos: Dark Vader

Cartoonists respond to how he's ruining The Washington Post. Plus music from Larkin Poe, John Hiatt and Ry Cooder.

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Okay, first some music things to help you to the weekend, with cartoons below.

Paul Krugman has revealed his love for rock (or rockish) music for many years now, going back to his years at the New York Times when he would include song selections in his blog there. He was, for example, an early fan of Arcade Fire. After exiting the Times last year—he no longer cared for battling with editors—he naturally launched a Substack and he has returned to posting a song/video at the end of most posts. My wife alerted me to his latest, which touted this amazing Larkin Poe cover of the career-launching single by Chris Isaak, “Wicked Game.” The sisters won a Grammy last year but this is not on any album:

Next, I’ve recommended my friend Tony Scherman’s musical Substack previously (you might consider subscribing), and a couple weeks back highlighted his mini-series on Greatest Guitar Solos, which he realizes will spark no consensus. His first of three covered Robbie Robertson on The Band’s 1969 “King Harvest.” Then he went on to Clapton on the live Cream “Crossroads” and now this week a finale on my man Ry Cooder on John Hiatt’s classic “Lipstick Sunset.” Tony has written more re: Ry than nearly anyone so you might dive a little deeper if you wish at his Substack. But here’s “Lipstick Sunset.”

There are so many other Ry’s to choose from but I do love this Lead Belly cover “On a Monday” as you get him on two guitars and for a longer period.

Hard to ever say Trump has reached “a new low,” since the basement extends straight to hell, but his sharing on Truth Social of an AI-generated promo video for his dream of turning Gaza into a playland for the rich is really…something.

Stephen Colbert last night on Trump voters: “They ordered the turd soup and then said, ‘Waiter, there’s turds in my soup.’ Then they came back four years later and asked, ‘Y’all still have that turd soup?’”

Bezos the Clown

Have we mentioned that there’s an Amazon boycott today? We’ve already canceled our Washington Post subscription, even before Bezos this week taking firm control of the editorial page (remember his earlier “Democracy Dies in Darkness”?). First off, here is response from Ann Telnaes—who recently left the Post after one of her cartoons was canceled:

Steve Brodner: