After two weeks with this blog, I guess I would agree with Rhiannon Giddens (below), “I don’t know where I’m going / but I’m on my way.” Great tune and performed at one of the last pre-Covid concerts we attended—outside the Temple of Dendur, no less, at the Met in Manhattan. Further down the page you’ll find the usual short political takes, plus Joan Jett, Tommy James and Steve Earle’s late, great son, JTE.
The talented Sarah Cooper may have lost Trump as her muse but is still offering political commentary. Last night: “I like to think Ted Cruz is growing that beard because he can’t bear to look himself in the face.” And: “Lots of jokes about the My Pillow guy but ask yourself this: Does anyone know who Biden’s pillow guy is? We’re about to have a president who has no advisors from the pillow industry, let that sink in.”
Inaugural sensation, poet Amanda Gorman, will be featured in the Super Bowl pre-show, according to Good Morning America today.
Late last night a spokesman for GOP House leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy admitted that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s conspiracy comments unearthed in recent days "are deeply disturbing" and that he "plans to have a conversation" with her about them. Wow, fighting words. Axios: “The latest round of Greene comments, pulled from archives of her Facebook page, show the congresswoman promoting an outlandish, QAnon-adjacent conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton cutting off and donning the face of a child.” Also: calling for the execution of Nancy Pelosi and “liking” calls for killing FBI agents. Greene’s laughable explanation: “Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views.” Maybe not extreme enough.
Speaking of conspiracy theorists, the very vocal far-right Trump fan boy, Curt Schilling—apparently shocked (though no one else was) that he again failed to be elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame yesterday—has now announced on his Facebook page that he wants to be removed from any further balloting. Schilling came the closest of any candidate this year, but he said in a letter to the Hall of Fame that he wants to "defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player." The Hall said it will consider it.
Schilling no doubt attributes his failure to public and media revulsion over his support for all sorts of evil conspiracy theories (and claims that Antifa was behind the Capitol insurrection) and comments such as calling Biden-Harris the “scum of the earth ticket” and claiming Harris “rose on her career ladder by banging her way there.” Also good to see that the chief cheaters, Bonds and Clemens, again fell short in the voting despite keeping their yaps shut.
Fired New York Times editor/writer Lauren Wolfe, a subscriber here, has launched her own Substack newsletter.
Many in the media seemed most interested last night with Biden merely talking with Trump’s former bro, Putin, or even the fact that he raised concerns about Vlad’s critics getting poisoned, etc. That kind of buried the lede, which was, as the New York Times put it, that they “avoided a renewed arms race on Tuesday when they formally agreed to extend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between their countries.” I know I’m a nut on this subject but come on. Now all eyes turn to the annual announcement on Friday when the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists will announce if it is moving the hands of its hallowed “Doomsday Clock” closer to midnight or a bit further back since Dr. Derangelove, Donald Trump, no longer has access to the nuclear codes (we hope!).
Over and over, crimson but no clover: Wild piece in The Guardian on old hit-maker Tommy James getting screwed out of tens of millions by the mob back in the day. The made man was Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, who was sent to prison long ago, where he died. The Tommy James saga is getting new play as he is finally getting a 6-CD box set for his career highlights. The Guardian goes a bit overboard, however, in claiming the “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Hanky Panky” star was labeled bubblegum which “distracted from how fabulous James’s best music is: his run of innovative hit singles and albums places him close behind the Beach Boys and the Beatles for 60s pop joy and unbridled creativity.” But here is Tommy with Joan Jett, which counts for something, and Miley Cyrus. In 1976 at Crawdaddy we gave Joan her first cover anywhere (as part of the Runaways). That cover was even featured in the Hollywood movie about the group.
It took the latest Claudia Conway horror story to inform me that Kellyanne Conway lives just up the road from me in Alpine, NJ (we pass through there all the time). Police stopped in for a little chat yesterday, which is more than I would have ever done, even if I’d known she lived there.
CNN on Republicans in electoral panic mode: “GOP senators, rocked by Ron Portman’s retirement, looking to see who else may be eyeing the exits. Shelby, Grassley, Thune wouldn’t divulge 2022 plans, while Ron Johnson says he’s undecided. ‘I think this place is horribly dysfunctional, Johnson says.’” Meanwhile, in a new Politico poll of GOP and GOP-leaning voters, "a third (33%) said they are more interested in being a member of the Republican Party, and 30% said they would be more interested in being a member of the Patriot Party." GOP strategist and Portman adviser Corry Bush today: “If you want to spend all your time on FOX and be[ing] an asshole, there’s never been a better time to serve. But if you want to spend your time being thoughtful and getting shit done, there’s never been a worse time to serve”
My man Jason Isbell calls on Flea to sue Tomi Lahren after she tweets: “The Californication of America has begun. Next stop, socialism.” Or as the sage once said: Celebrity skin / is this your chin / or is that war you're waging?
If you missed it: In a major surprise, Washington Post editor Marty Baron announced he will step down at the end of February. I first met him almost 20 years ago after we picked him as Editor of the Year at Editor & Publisher when he was still at the Miami Herald. Then he went to the Boston Globe (for the Spotlight years).
Film/TV
Exciting news: Online sleuths IDed signage and other clues revealing that Succession is shooting again in Manhattan. The Roys are back in town, here they come now.
A.O. Scott at New York Times on how this year’s Oscars picks and telecast will be a “mess” and will only get “messier.”
Song Pick of the Day
The last play we saw in NYC before the Covid-19 lockdown was the fine Coal Country, written by Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank and with music—and performances—by my man Steve Earle. It got shut down early due to the Covid. A few months later, Steve’s talented but troubled son, Justin Townes Earle, died due to a drug overdose. Now Steve has released a tribute album with Justin originals and one of his own. Not found there is the stunning Justin song, “My Mother’s Eyes,” in which he admitted “I am my father’s son/ I’ve never known when to shut up.”
Yesterday in this space I offered a tribute to Phil Ochs—his music and politics—plus a bit on my relationship with him and an appraisal of the new collection of his articles, I’m Gonna Say It Now. In passing, I mentioned that he had testified, with humor and insight, at the Chicago 8 trial but did not appear in the recent Sorkinized movie version. Yet his relatively brief testimony was one of the minor highlights, as he described “guerilla theater” employed by the Yippies, most memorably in nominating a live pig for president, for which he was arrested. Here are excerpts from the trial transcript. The video below finds him singing to a crowd of kids on the night of the wildest of the police riots at the 1968 Chicago convention. Yes, I am somewhere in that crowd.
MR. KUNSTLER: What is your occupation?
THE WITNESS: I am a singer, a folksinger.
MR. KUNSTLER: Now, Mr. Ochs, can you indicate what kind of songs you sing?
THE WITNESS: I write all my own songs and they are just simple melodies with a lot of lyrics. They usually have to do with current events and what is going on in the news. You can call them topical songs, songs about the news, and then developing into more philosophical songs later…
MR. KUNSTLER: After you arrived in Chicago did you have any discussion with Jerry {Rubin]?
THE WITNESS: Yes, I did. We discussed the nomination of a pig for President.
MR. KUNSTLER: Would you state what you said and what Jerry said.
THE WITNESS: We discussed the details. We discussed going out to the countryside around Chicago and buying a pig from a farmer and bringing him into the city for the purposes of his nominating speech.
MR. KUNSTLER: Did you have any role yourself in that?
THE WITNESS: Yes, I helped select the pig, and I paid for him.
MR. KUNSTLER: Now, did you find a pig at once when you went out?
THE WITNESS: No, it was very difficult. We stopped at several farms and asked where the pigs were.
MR. KUNSTLER: None of the farmers referred you to the police station, did they?
THE WITNESS: No.
MR. FORAN: Objection!
THE COURT: I sustain the objection.
MR. KUNSTLER: Would you state what, if anything, happened to the pig?
THE WITNESS: The pig was arrested with seven people.
MR. KUNSTLER: When did that take place?
THE WITNESS: This took place on the morning of August 23, at the Civic Center underneath the Picasso sculpture.
MR. KUNSTLER: What were you doing when you were arrested?
THE WITNESS: We were arrested announcing the pig's candidacy for President.
MR. KUNSTLER: Did Jerry Rubin speak?
THE WITNESS: Yes, Jerry Rubin was reading a prepared speech for the pig---the opening sentence was something like, "I, Pigasus, hereby announce my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States." He was interrupted in his talk by the police who arrested us.
MR. KUNSTLER: What was the pig doing during this announcement?
MR. FORAN: Objection.
MR. KUNSTLER: Do you remember what you were charged with?
THE WITNESS: I believe the original charge mentioned was something about an old Chicago law about bringing livestock into the city, or disturbing the peace, or disorderly conduct, and when it came time for the trial, I believe the charge was disorderly conduct.
MR. KUNSTLER: Were you informed by an officer that the pig had squealed on you?
MR. FORAN: Objection. I ask it be stricken.
THE WITNESS: Yes.
THE COURT: I sustain the objection. When an objection is made do not answer until the Court has ruled.
***
THE COURT: You are a singer but you are a smart fellow, I am sure.
THE WITNESS: Thank you very much. You are a judge and you are a smart fellow. …
***
MR. KUNSTLER: Now, would you stand and sing that song so the jury can hear the song that the audience heard that day?
MR. SCHULTZ: If the Court please, this is a trial in the Federal District Court. It is not a theater. We don't have to sit and listen to the witness sing a song. Let's get on with the trial. I object.
MR. KUNSTLER: Your Honor, this is definitely an issue in the case. Jerry Rubin has asked for a particular song to be sung. What the witness sang to the audience reflects both on Jerry Rubin's intent and on the mood of the crowd.
THE COURT: I sustain the objection.
MR. KUNSTLER: Your Honor, he is prepared to sing it exactly as he sang it on that day,
THE COURT: I am not prepared to listen, Mr. Kunstler.
.***The prosecution takes over.
MR. SCHULTZ: Now in your plans for Chicago, did you plan for public fornication in the park?
THE WITNESS: I didn't.
MR. SCHULTZ: In your discussions with either Rubin or Hoffman did you plan for public fornication in the park?
THE WITNESS: No, we did not seriously sit down and plan public fornication in the park….
Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Tunnels (on escapes under the Berlin Wall), the current The Beginning or the End (on MGM’s wild atomic bomb movie), and The Campaign of the Century (on Upton Sinclair’s left-wing race for governor of California), which was recently picked by the Wall St. Journal as one of five greatest books ever about an election. For nearly all of the 1970s he was the #2 editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. Later he won more than a dozen awards as editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. He recently co-produced a film about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and now has written and directed his first feature, Atomic Cover-up, which will have its American premiere at a festival this spring.
Oh, please, Greg. Spare us with Tommy James. He sucked. If I ever walk into a bar again and run into two people, and one says, "I used to be a Shondell," and the other one says, "I once was a Blackheart," I know who I'm buying a drink.
Oh, please, Greg. Spare us with Tommy James. He sucked. If I ever walk into a bar again and run into two people, and one says, "I used to be a Shondell," and the other one says, "I once was a Blackheart," I know who I'm buying a drink.
Your hard work is a perfect place to wake up. Terrific! The Conway comment disappointing.