Quick Note: As you may know, 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 via PBS (key links and more here). A companion e-book has been available but today it is also published as a paperback, and you can read more or order here. Thank you. And subscribing to this newsletter still somehow FREE.
Holiday weekend arriving so a quick one while I’m away.
Neil Young has a new protest song, debuted live this week in Chicago. The New York Times found it notable enough to post a full piece about it. One excerpt:
Mr. Young has directly criticized Mr. Trump many times before. “If I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket,” the singer, who was born in Canada, wrote on Neil Young Archives earlier this year.
“Today Trump said his name deserves to be on DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE,” Mr. Young wrote in another post this week, “Independence from Truth I guess.”
Mr. Trump has been open about being a fan of Mr. Young’s music, and has used “Rockin’ in the Free World” — a protest song against injustice — for his campaigns without the singer’s permission. Mr. Trump first did it in 2015, when announcing his candidacy, and in rallies during the 2018 midterms. Mr. Young complained at the time that he could not stop it.
Here is the only version of song he has posted so far, from the sound check in Chicago. A little rough, but some key lyrics below that.
There’s big crime in D.C. at The White House
Don’t need no fascist rules
Don’t want no fascist schools
Don’t want soldiers on our streets
There’s big crime in DC at the White House
Got to get the fascists out, got to
Clean the White House out
Better song, if different message: I have just caught up to this thanks to reading the new sort-of-bio of my man Ry Cooder. John Hiatt sings this, “Skin Game,” but it’s from the soundtrack Ry did for the old Jack Nicholson movie, “The Border.” Backing vocals by Sam the Sham himself! And incredible Ry guitar work—but if you think it sounds like Keith Richards—well, it was actually Keith who took from Ry back in ‘69 and altered his whole guitar tone. Enjoy:
From Tunes to Toons
Greg,
Although your stack today is slightly shorter than usual, you have outdone yourself! The "Big Crime" song by Neil Young needs to be America's new anthem, and the toons really say it all! Please let us know when "Big Crime" is available for download, if you can. Thank you for all you do for us! Wishing you and all your readers a very happy holiday weekend, or as happy as it can be under the circumstances.
Pointed toons!