Bush Swerve coming right up!

You can learn a lot on life without ever really focusing on the matter at hand.  One of my most favorite recurring sketches on Sesame Street, namely the Jim Henson years, was Grover the Waiter.  It usually took place at Charlie's Restaurant, and involved Grover agitating his main customer, Mr. Johnson.  The sketches, which branched outside of Charlie's, would involve Mr. Johnson ordering something, and getting something entirely different from Grover.  And it didn't always mean food; often Mr. Johnson would be delayed of his appointment by Grover.  Now, these sketches needed Grover to muck up Mr. Johnson's plans in order to make an educational point, and it was always difficult to hate what Grover was doing because he is so fun and lovable and adorable.  None the less, Mr. Johnson always got the swerve handed to him, eventually ending with him fainting.  I do have some examples of Grover twisting Mr. Johnson's needs and wants from old YouTube videos.

I was thinking about this recently in light of the past week in our political world.  Now for myself, I should be enthralled; Sen. Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee, she is leading in the polls, and my vote for her was counted.  In other news, all other campaigns are doing their part in self-immolating their campaigns.  Donald Trump, for one instance, is becoming unhinged and has now realized he got in to this campaign way over his head.  As I said, I should be happy about this; yet I know something is up.  The elite of this world of ours are not going to allow populism and chaos to erupt when there is plans for Continuity of Government.  In the mind of David Rockefeller, the goal of elite immortality supersedes all other needs of a population.  And Donald Trump knows this all too well.

There is not going to be a Clinton vs. Trump election this year.  See, here is what has happened.  Earlier last year, President Bill Clinton phoned Donald Trump, and during the conversation convinced Mr. Trump to throw his hat into the ring as a Republican candidate for President.  What Pres. Clinton and Mr. Trump were doing, as were their families, was a long-term approach in steering the Democratic nomination into Sec. Clinton's hands.  To that, the stated goal was to convince President Barack Obama to not disrupt the return of the Clinton people in leading the DNC.  Pres. Clinton, like many of us, have admiration for Pres. Obama yet feel abjectly disappointed in both Obama's policies and need to make everything a campaign. Indeed, Bill Clinton felt Mitt Romney should have won the election in 2012.  It was also their opinion, as well as mine, that Pres. Obama was helping to prop up all other Democratic candidates and potential candidates (Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vice President Joe Biden) in order to dilute Sen. Clinton's chances at the nomination.

On the side of the GOP, putting Donald Trump to the lead in polls and eventually the nomination was being utilized for ulterior motives by President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, Jeb Bush and yes any Republican named Bush.  You see, Jeb Bush was supposed to be given the nomination easily.  And yet, a number of Republicans were aghast by this idea.  So, how does the Bush family get their way?  By allowing Donald Trump to run roughshod over all other Republican candidates!  Yes, Bush 41 and Bush 43 allowed for the Trump insurgence to happen, so that their long term plan gets implemented.

Here is how it works:  Jeb Bush is taken out of the race for now.  Donald Trump wins the GOP nomination, while Sec. Hillary Clinton wins the DNC nomination.  Since the Bushes are the only family the Clintons seemingly must adhere to, Sen. Clinton is given more than enough information and talking points to start the seed in having people in the Republican Party think twice about their initial Trump support.  Letting Mr. Trump get unhinged by his own foibles is an added bonus.  Give it at least another week from now, and many more Republicans will be calling for a do-over on the nomination; and this includes voters that pulled the lever for Trump.

What Donald Trump fears the most, along with harm to his family, is a full public audit of his finances.  Mr. Trump is a rich and powerful man, but he is not that rich and powerful.  As I write this, the GOP, the Bushes and the world elite have Mr. Trump's financial records.  It is not my business, but the revelations might prove embarrassing.  I am convinced that soon enough, or it may have happened already, Donald Trump will be will be told to meet privately with Pres. George H.W.Bush, and other elites.  In a deal that may not be refused, Trump will be told to end the campaign for President P.D.Q. (Bach:), else the Trump tax records and business ties with the Clinton family will be made public.  As part of this deal, in addition to spinning the end of the campaign however he sees fit, Mr. Trump will be awarded anywhere from $150 million to a near billion and the Trump University case will be settled out of court.  Of course, Donald Trump will need to take the money and run; he just might need that $150 million at least.

So who becomes the nominee for the Republicans then?  Why it is the only candidate endorsed by two past Republican Presidents: Jeb Bush!  But wait, the GOP does not want Bush.  Well, a lot can change when you are in a state of regret.  The GOP is now willing to have as their nominee the person they had chosen from the onset.  As it will be, the Convention will become a Bush love fest, there will be no riots, and Jeb Bush will take the lead in the polls along with whoever is the Vice-Presidential nominee.

And the Coup de Grace; Jeb Bush will become the 45th President of the United States.  I know, we all think it will be Sen. Hillary Clinton, and it should be Sec. Clinton.  Yet it will not be happening.  Putting Jeb Bush as the GOP nominee effectively ends the advantages the Clinton campaign has so far.  And as I mentioned before, the Bush family allow for when and how the Clinton family will be world leaders.  At this time, due to Hillary Clinton's relative lack of trust among the public, her age (69 on October 27), perceived scandals and health; a decision has been made that Jeb Bush will be given the Presidency.  These sorts of deals have happened before.  In the Terry Reed book regarding the Bush Sr. Iran Contra deals, Compromised, it was mentioned that in light of Judge Lawrence Walsh's indictments of senior Bush Administration officials and the ensuing drop in polls; a meeting between Bush 41 and Pres. Clinton took place.  In that meeting, Bush 41 allowed for Pres. Bill Clinton to get elected in exchange for Presidential Pardons of senior Bush Administration officials and a ceasing of Iran-Contra investigations and public revelations.  Do not be surprised that 24 years later, another meeting and understanding has been made regarding the elections.  Only this time, it will be Jeb Bush that becomes the President in exchange for the Republican party to cease any investigations and perceived problems regarding the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton family.

I can already hear from many of those in the alternative right wing internet media their opposition towards this done deal.  Many, such as the fraudulent Mike Rivero, are claiming that if Trump is not nominated, the GOP will have handed the vote to Clinton.  Frankly, the Paul bots have now become the Trump bots.  Never mind the fact that Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's campaign manager, was fired today.  You will not hear the Trump bots mention that.  Heck, their Trump offense has considerably been weakened.  They cannot anymore defend the indefensible.  So, all this talk of riots in Cleveland, the GOP tanking, low turnout, etc. is only talk.  You watch as Jeb Bush becomes the nominee the latest by the day before the RNC Convention starts.  And you want to know a little secret: those that are decrying this done deal today will vote for Jeb Bush on election day.  Because clearly their hatred of Sen. Hillary Clinton, which is a microcosm of all that they hate about themselves (is that not right, Mike Rivero?), and their mentality which is ABC (Anyone Besides Clinton), they will privately yet gladly vote for Jeb Bush.  You want to know why?  It is because these same people 16 years ago voted for George W.Bush for the Presidency, thinking that all would be well for themselves and the country in their utmost selfish behavior.  We all know what happened one year later.  And for a while there, the alternative media began to see the error of their ways.  None the less, the alternative media can never shake their right-wing ideals.

Well, you heard it here first.  Jeb Bush is the Republican Presidential Nominee after Donald Trump has self destructed by choice and by design.  Did any of you honestly think a Bush would be rejected for the nomination?  It was always supposed to be a Bush vs. Clinton election.  I had hoped that Clinton would prevail, yet I am convinced a deal was made to put Jeb Bush in the White House.  This has got to be the most impressive Bush Swerve in my political memory; rivaling the numerous swerves Vince Russo thought of during his years with WCW and TNA.  And those swerves put an end to my watching wrestling on a weekly basis.  And yet, I am not sure if we are Grover or Mr. Johnson in these situations.

I just realized I need to upgrade the blog to show video and audio files.  Just Google Grover and Mr. Johnson, and see what you think.  Also, I hope to eventually upload my own videos.  There is a lot more to come, and there is already something in the drafts that needed to be held over so I could mention this done deal.  

Talk to you soon,

Robert

PS.  A Blogger exclusive, for now.  Some of my favorite Grover and Mr. Johnson sketches.

The swerve is always revealed where you are least aware of it.  

20 Answers before the Eve of Christmas (Give or Take a few days)

Last week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced who were the five top vote getters in the Performers category for their class of 2016.  This means these five artists are definitely getting inducted, with perhaps more to come in other categories.  The five artists are:

N.W.A:  This will be the first of two inductions for Dr. Dre; I expect him to get inducted on his own, probably as a Non-Performer in a couple years time.  Also going in as part of N.W.A. will be Ice Cube, Eric "Eazy-E" Wright (1964-1995), MC Ren, DJ Yella and Arabian Prince.

Chicago:  Including the inductions of Terry Kath (1946-1978) and Peter Cetera.

Deep Purple:  Inducted would be Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord (1941-2012), Roger Glover, Ian Paice, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Steve Morse, Don Airey, Rod Evans, Nick Simper, Joe Lynn Turner and Tommy Bolin (1951-1976).  Not included is Joe Satriani; he was never really a member of Deep Purple and is more than likely to get inducted one day on his own, probably as a Sideman.

Steve Miller

Cheap Trick

Since the announcement, there have been a number of bone headed moves and odd reasons given for why this is the leading artists for induction next year, and other issues that come with the territory of the RRHOF.  Indeed, on Sunday, the webmasters at Future Rock Legends posted on their blog page 20 questions regarding this year's named inductees and the future of the RRHOF.  It is intended to be posted in public so that those that run the Hall of Fame (Jann Wenner, Jon Landau, Joel Peresman and Greg Harris to name four) can provide the answers and give transparency in their voting and induction methods.

I should come out and say this:  I doubt any of the four, including Jon Landau but especially Jann Wenner, will answer these questions.  For myself, having been a regular poster and participant in elections on the Future Rock Legends website, I figured that since no one in the leadership will likely respond; here then are my answers to these questions.

My assumption as to why there are only five Performers inductees instead of six, which is still small since we at FRL have inducted seven Performers per year into our Rock Hall Project:  This may have been suggested by HBO along with Play Tone (Tom Hanks' production company) to have the telecast go within 3 and a half hours and attempt to lessen the editing of speeches and performances.  The ceremony is not broadcast live.  It does indeed revert back to a sense of creating a massive backlog that I had hoped was starting to ease since 2012.

Perhaps only having 5 inductees as Performers will in turn shorten the ceremony, subsequently fitting the time alloted for the HBO telecast.

The Barclays Center is quite the state of the art arena, one that is indeed expanding in importance since the New York Islanders have now called Barclays home.  As well, Jay-Z owns a percentage of the arena; perhaps this is a second test run for when Jay-Z one day gets inducted in the arena he calls home turf.

I am rather aghast that Nick Simper, Steve Morse, Don Airey, Joe Lynn Turner and Tommy Bolin are not yet listed as inducted members of Deep Purple.  I do think, if there are no goof ups, this was an intentional act by the hall of fame for a particular reason.  Mark II and III are fully in, yet Mark I are 4/5ths in mainly as a way to somehow entice Rod Evans to show his face in public after 35 years.  Well, that is not going to happen; and here is why.

To discuss this stupid and asinine move would be an essay in itself.  Suffice to say, Ritchie Blackmore in particular became so incensed that he and the band's attorneys cut off Evans' royalties.  Yes, Blackmore has a problem with most people but he does have a legitimate gripe against Evans.  As do most Deep Purple fans.

Steve Miller, under himself or as part of Steve Miller Band, has always had the focus be upon him.  This is most true once Boz Scaggs went on to do his own thing.  I can hardly name off the top of my head every person involved in the Steve Miller Band, and neither in fact can most RRHOF voters.  So, the easiest and most honest route is to induct Steve Miller, and not the backing Band whichever it may be.

It is absolutely certain that bands with complicated memberships seem to have more trouble getting inducted than bands with clear lineups, even if only classic lineups.  It is perhaps one reason why King Crimson is not yet inducted, and the same goes with Megadeth.  Those are just a couple examples.

I do not who these "experts" might be to determine honorees in a band. I wold not be surprised if these "experts" include someone's father's sister's brother's nephew's cousin's doctor's roommate.  In other words, a complete unknown.

The fan poll, I think, is utilized as a way to determine who will be inducted.  Since 2012, most of the Performers inductees per year from 2013 onwards has been determined by who eventually gets to be on the fan ballot.  For 2013 and 2014, 4 out of the top 6 on each fan ballot was inducted.  In 2015, it was 5 out of 6.  In 2016, it is 4 out of 5.  As well, each artist that led the fan ballot (Rush, Kiss, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, and Chicago) all got inducted.  It appears that more often than not, the fan ballot is what determines the sort of inductees that will be presented in each class.  It would not surprise me if the official 'experts" that receive a ballot also vote on the fan ballot.

As has been determined in post October 15th voting and voting on the Future Rock Legends website, Yes and Janet Jackson respectfully led each poll and by all rights should have gotten inducted.  However, I believe it was determined that 2016 would be the year for classic rock and a high percentage of 1970s based acts.  In particular, since Chicago, Steve Miller and Cheap Trick were first time nominees, lifelong fans of these artists who also are tech savvy elected to bot the voting.  Most of the bot votes went to Chicago.  Now, I do not have a problem with Chicago getting inducted, nor any of the named inductees so far.  Yet I do think the RRHOF allowed the tainting of the vote to be enacted primarily to enforce a Peter Cetera reunion with Chicago at least.

As I mentioned before, the fan vote adds a lot more teeth if, and I think it has happened, people with an actual ballot get to also vote on the fan ballot.  So that one vote on the fan ballot ideal gets tossed aside when Voting Committee members place their votes online on the fan ballot for all to see.

I do not think in past years this sort of chicanery was utilized.  In 2015 though, it may have been used on an experimental scale in order to legitimize fan support for an induction of Paul Butterfield and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.  Since the Butterfield experiment proved a success (and mind you, I felt he should have gotten in before he passed away), it seemed that this experiment could be utilized to have fan support be named for at least a few of the nominees.  The fact that by October 15 Chicago received some 20 million votes, most of it by bots, and two months later the inductees were announced shows that this ballot was completely flawed.

For the record, I do not receive a ballot and thus I am not on the Voting Committee.  In truth, aside from known inductees who have a ballot and vote on it, along with several other names, I do not know every person who gets a vote.  It very well could be hacks and lackeys.  Sadly, I also do not see much gender diversity in who might be added to the Voting Committee.  It is a bit sad, considering the gradual rise of female artists and pioneers in rock and pop music in the past half century.

I have know idea how and why Gary Dell'Abate received an official ballot.  Being a Steely Dan fan and having an admittedly nice home theater does not say to me that this man needs a ballot.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a gender diversity problem.  By comparison, our most recent projected Rock Hall Project inductees, while not as much as I would like, inducted Mariah Carey and Pat Benatar this past October.  By the way, Ms. Carey and Ms. Benatar have not yet been seriously Considered by the Nominating Committee as of yet.  I would request the RRHOF conduct a special election and ballot for this coming new year consisting solely of female candidates and female inductees.  Indeed, if I had a ballot for 10 female inductees, mine would look like this:

Mariah Carey
Pat Benatar
Janet Jackson
Whitney Houston
The Runaways
Siousxie Sioux
Carole Kaye
Joan Baez
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Connie Francis

All were inducted into our Rock Hall Project, yet not the actual Hall of Fame.  That is not right.

I tend to believe the NomCom should have final say on who will eventually be inducted.  The Voting Committee apparently are best used as a recommendation body, not a voting body.

I would tend to believe that less than half of the 800 ballots were returned.  Perhaps even lesser than years before after the fan vote bots locked in the fan ballot.

The voted were likely counted by a computer software of some kind.  I also doubt that the voting ballot totals will be released to the public.

As mentioned before, it appears that the RRHOF wanted enforced reunions of three different groups (Peter Cetera with Chicago, Ritchie Blackmore with Deep Purple, Cheap Trick with their past drummer).  The Cheap Trick reunion might happen, though it will not be easy.  I doubt Ritchie Blackmore appears at the ceremony, and while Peter Cetera could entertain the idea of reuniting with Chicago for a final time; Mr. Cetera has not felt the need to reunite in the past 30 years.  The Kiss reunion uncertainty in 2014 only involved One act.  2016 has Three acts that people want to see a reunion at any cost.  As for N.W.A,, a reunion of surviving members, including Dr. Dre, has always been on the offering so no problem there.

We all assume the remaining inductees will be announced early in the new year.  I am not sure who gets inducted through other means, though I assume they will generate a lot of needed buzz.  I am guessing the RRHOF do not want a second Ringo Starr situation when the inductee that was not on a nominating ballot gets to be the headliner.

This may sound absurd, yet i think the RRHOF made the decision to scrap the Los Angeles location for one in New York due to the every several years weather pattern El Nino.  A pattern in which the West Coast gets colder and wetter, and the East Coast remains wet yet far milder.  We just noticed this peculiarity when on Christmas Eve, New York City was in the upper 60s.  Fortunately, this will not last long and is expected to be considerably colder in the days and months and even years to come.  I say years because after an El Nino there is a La Nina.  Not to mention there has been a methane gas leak off the coast of California that has only been given nationwide attention on Christmas Eve: after 6 weeks of leakage!  To give you an idea, methane is far more dangerous than carbon dioxide.  So, environment, weather patterns and short sighted ideals have the ceremony now taking place in New York.   Perhaps next year the ceremony will return to Los Angeles.

Well, since I doubt you will get official answers from Jann Wenner, Jon Landau and Co., I do hope these answers I gave will suffice.  I was going to finish this before Christmas Eve; yet dinners, parties and a far amount of gifts I received made this get posted at this time,  Leave it to the Holiday season to receive much desired gifts like new Roger Waters and David Gilmour films and albums, a new LP player, two more vinyl LPs and finally getting the Beatles on music streaming services like Apple Music.  And that is just rock and roll and music related.

Any comments and/or questions are greatly encouraged and appreciated.

Talk to you all sooner than later,

Robert

Anyone for Idiocracy, wouldn't that be nice?

Some 12 years ago, a retired businessman and budding novelist was in the process of revising his political thriller "Bush 2004".  His name is Dr. Lawrence Britt; the Doctorate was for political science.  As a result of what the world was seeing in a rightward shift that was increasingly war-like and nationalistic, Dr. Britt wrote an article in Free Inquiry magazine taking notice of totalitarian dictatorships and adapted t what was happening in the US.  The article, Fascism Anyone?, was posted and reposted to many different websites and was considered one of the defining political statements of 2003.

At its heart was what Dr. Britt considered the 14 defining characteristics of fascism.  Interestingly, it was found that the Cheney-Bush administration had enacted all 14 characteristics.  Although it would take another 5 years and the 2004 election to alter the course of leadership, people became aware of the growing nationalistic and fascist tendencies of the right wing in America.  And now it appears we are witnessing this yet again; this time under the rubric of the Republican candidates for President.  In particular, we focus on one Donald Trump; currently leading both the Primary and General Election polls (!).  So, does Mr. Trump and his people and travelers define the 14 characteristics?  Well let us have a look.

Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. 
Well, the slogan for the Trump campaign is "Make America Great Again", which is also followed by massive generalizations of important topics.  The same goes true for many of the other Presidential campaigns in the Republican field, and some in the Democratic field included.  We see this often in campaigns and rhetoric that invoke the United States as being something it is not.  Any time I hear phrases such as "greatest country" and "freedom" applied to the US, I tend to respond in more thoughtful approaches.  In short, the US is not, has never been and could never be the greatest country.  Why is that?  It is because America is currently at war.

Disdain for the importance of human rights. 
This is shown in spades.  Donald Trump, along with many right wingers, have managed to alienate and belittle any and every person that is not a white rich man.  For myself, the Trump campaign has not shown even One ounce of dignity and support toward people with special needs, including individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and/or are on the Autistic Spectrum.  Indeed, we have seen utter ridicule and belittling when these issues are brought forth.  If this is how Asperger's Syndrome are perceived by Trump, other groupings are clearly given worse considerations.

Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 
The easiest sorts of scapegoats we have seen these past 14 years have been Arabs, Muslims, Islamists and Middle Easterners.  At any point a false flag occurs, Arabs are given the immediate blame, particularly by the Republican Party.  The knee jerk reaction these past weeks has been to tell any Muslim they are not welcome into the US.  Donald Trump has been the sole candidate mentioning this proposal; yet you can bet your sweet bippy that Every Republican candidate is agreeing to this, even if they will publicly be against such proposals.

The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
The political class on the whole have never met a war they did not want.  The Trump campaign seems intent on altering the current and future international policies of the US.  Shockingly, there are worse Republican candidates that feel war is the first option of foreign policy.  Rest assured, if we get a Republican president; we will be at war within one year of the election.

Rampant sexism. 
Each and every campaign for the presidency on the Republican side has espoused anti-abortion, anti-women and sexist rhetoric.  Donald Trump is obviously not someone that understands women.  Being on your third wife is a big giveaway.  This is to say nothing of espousing anti-abortion views that would easily reverse 100+ years of women's equality.

A controlled mass media.
We often hear that the mainstream media is liberal minded.  Well, for each liberal minded viewpoint, I notice two conservative viewpoints given longer time to be presented.  To provide a more potent example:  Sen. Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat for that matter, may get a mention and some air time on the news channels if Sec. of State Clinton is on a campaign stop.  Donald Trump, along with other Republicans, will have an entire half-hour at least devoted to whatever speech they are giving; and if not a speech, news coverage will be devoted to live footage of Trump attending the opening of a napkin.  I would not be surprised if some form of payola among news organizations for access to the Trump campaign has been approved.

Obsession with national security.
An unfortunate rule of thumb present in ideal lacking campaigns is when your domestic policy is horrid or, worse, invalid; it is time to whip up the threat of the boogeyman luring at your front lawn.  I find it disgusting that a great deal of people willingly fall for this malarkey; only temporarily gaining their sanity back when their money runs out.  And as I mentioned before, it is easy to put blame on the other when the problem is and has always been the self.

Power of corporations protected.
Donald Trump has had the gall to put his name on most services and goods, including bottled water! While it would not be a surprise to see The Trump Organization expand in a Trump presidency should it happen, corporate expansion and claims of corporate person hood will be front and center in any Republican presidency.  What is worse is many of these corporations provide non-informational goods and services that only provide benefit for the corporations.  And none of these corporations give a flying fig about either you or me.

Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
The labor movement as it is now is rather fractured, as we see in unions and trade organizations splitting their endorsements for whom their leadership want to see become president.  However, it is certain not one of the labor unions will support a Donald Trump presidency, and with good cause.  Mr. Trump's business practices, or lack thereof, has caused stagnant wages and at least 5 businesses going bankrupt, while the Donald expands his riches.

Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
Donald Trump currently leads the polling demographic in people willing to vote for him that were never university educated; to say nothing of those without a formal education of any sort.  Incidentally, a dumb person tends to be far more religious than a smart person.  Mixing those two, negative feelings arise when confronted with intellectuals and people involved in the arts; which also incidentally happen to coalesce as well.  I should know, because for someone that is on the Spectrum, I do happen to think of myself as an intellectual and a patron of the arts in the limited scope I may have.

Obsession with crime and punishment. 
This also extends to disdain for attorneys and simplification of laws and regulations to mere children's tantrums.  The sorts of laws that are in the likeness of "well, if I cannot do this, then Nobody can!"  Indeed, there will be an increase in people being charged for one thing while it is really for a matter of ignorant plebs wanting to be rid of someone that reminds them of their collective guilt.

Rampant cronyism and corruption.
With a name like Trump, we could expect nearly every member of the family to gain an executive cabinet level position.  Not only that, we could expect business people to be appointed to governmental offices or even downright elected who have no clue whatsoever about public policy.  As it is now, Donald Trump has no damn clue what he is talking about.

Fraudulent elections.
The votes and opinion polls are completely rigged for a number of candidates.  Donald Trump has been polling at the top of national polls since July, and it is usually anywhere between 27% and 40% of the vote.  Extend this to general election mode, and Donald Trump can pull off an election miracle at the last minute using e-votes and effectively buying his way into the presidency.  Sure, it could be done by all sides, and we have seen this time and again most recently in the 2012 election when both sides used e-voting tactics to inflate votes.  Yet, a man like Donald Trump with nothing to lose will stand to do anything to win a race and claim his perceived kingdom.

In short, of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism present in our lives; Donald Trump, his campaign, and much of the Republican field has sadly been confirmed to invoke all 14.

In a related matter, in the 10 years since Idiocracy was completed, some 30%  of Mike Judge's observations and inferences have come true.  This seems to be not a coincidence that we are witnessing a potential presidency of Donald Trump which may be just as problematic as a Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho presidency.

Knowledge will be our awakening.  Ignorance, and will ignorance, will be our undoing.  And yet, so few care about the ills and needs of our planet.

On a positive note for the moment, a worldwide treaty was drafted to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the impact of global warming.  We now need to initiate the next important step and have a carbon tax.  I say this because right now, it is night in the lower 50s in December.  December weather needs to be below zero with snow.  Otherwise, our children and their children will never know what Christmas was like.

I will be writing more sooner than later.  Indeed, I will have a lot to say on my favorite movies, music, events, TV shows, websites and books for 2015 as soon as can be.  Hope you are looking forward to these opinions, and you might be a bit surprised.

Say no to Trump!,

Robert

That one summer: Insomnia

It was 13 years ago in June 2002.  I was a 19 year old student enrolled at Hofstra University studying Political Science and Sociology at a most interesting time both in our world and for myself.  Of the many events and changes made that summer, what stood out for me was Robin Williams.  He was on a roll, starring in two psychological thrillers and going out on a stand-up comedy tour where he sold out every venue.  No one ever thought of the problems that laid ahead for this genius. 

What I saw first was Insomnia.  It was only the third movie to be directed and co-produced and co-written by a budding prodigy in filmmaking.  His name: Christopher Nolan, having been known previously for his independent debut Following (1993) and then the underground hit Memento (2000).  Both stylish and unique movies that only scratched the surface of this singular talent.  So it seemed a bit curious as to why Nolan would have his next movie be a big-budget remake of a 1997 Erik Skjoldbjaerg low budget thriller based in Norway. 

For those not familiar, the original movie starred Stellan Skarsgard as a police detective investigating the murder of a 17 year old girl in the Arctic region.  Skarsgard's character, Jonas, has problems of his own; namely an inability to sleep which does not help being in the Arctic during the months of full daylight.  Also during the height of the investigation , Jonas accidentally shoots his partner, Erik.  Eventually things come to a head when the killer of the girl, played by Bjorn Floberg, begins calling Jonas and appearing at inopportune times with knowledge of the shooting of Erik.  Now, the original movie was interesting in its own way.  I vividly remember Siskel and Ebert giving it their two thumbs up; Roger Ebert even comparing the movie favorably with the great Fyodor Dosteyevsky novels.  You can find this movie on DVD and Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection.

So that was the original movie: what about the remake that Christopher Nolan helmed?  Interestingly, it might be somewhat better than the original, upping the ante on the psychological situations and providing a multi-layer approach with many of the non lead characters.  Some of the plot points are similar; only this time it is in Nightmute, Alaska during the months of the Midnight Sun.  As well, Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a detective with more problems going in to Alaska than initially surmised; namely being exiled from the LAPD after an IA investigation shows fabrication of evidence in the conviction of a child murderer. 

Any time a fellow actor is in the same film as Al Pacino there is bound to be a sense that the actors and the audience are just waiting for some scenery chewing.  Rest assured, there is what we expect from Pacino in at least two interrogation scenes.  Yet, as we have come to expect from Christopher Nolan, the rest of the cast hold their own.  When I saw Insomnia, I was rather impressed with Maura Tierney in one of her breakthrough roles; her character being the hotel manager that moved to Alaska for reasons unexplained.  Martin Donovan did rather well in his brief appearance as Will Dormer's partner.  Also, it was interesting to see Hilary Swank's character get more nuanced and greater screen time than in the original movie.  Yet, by far, the film was elevated exponentially by Robin Williams. 

Williams and his character, now named Walter Finch, does not appear until about 50 minutes in.  Yet once you hear his voice saying to Will Dorner "Can't sleep, eh?",  one of Williams' more creepier roles comes to life.  Here is one such example when Finch explains why he killed the 17 year old.

It just gets more creepier from there onward.  In a way, the action set pieces are among the most realistic in any Christopher Nolan film.  And for those who want to know; yes, the ending is changed somewhat.  However, I think it works quite well. 

Now, getting back to my reasoning for this essay.  I mentioned before that it seemed that 2002 showed us a more disturbing and unsettling public view of Robin Williams.  It was not as if Mr. Williams had not shown it in previous roles.  But for me, those more serious films like The World According To Garp, Moscow On The Hudson, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Toys, Dead Again, Good Will Hunting, and even What Dreams May Come presented Robin Williams in more sympathetic traits for his characters.  And even in his more serious roles, there was always a tinge of his unique humor that would show up if ever so briefly.  It was as if Mr. Williams were saying to us "Look, I still have my laughter and manic style.  This is only a role".  Yet, I suppose when he reached 50, and probably taking a hint from his Oscar winning role in Good Will Hunting (1997) and a late breakthrough performance in What Dreams May Come (1998); perhaps Robin Williams wanted to go a different path.

It started innocuously enough with the dark comedy Death To Smoochie, a movie which I still have not seen.  Admittedly, I was not interested in a story of a children's television star being a prick.  None the less, it was Insomnia that I and perhaps others felt for the first time seeing a character Mr. Williams was playing: in this case Walter Finch, and finding it very hard to root for the guy.  Admittedly, it is hard to root for many of the characters in this film.  Perhaps Hilary Swank and Martin Donovan play characters we can relate to.  Not so with others.  I suppose it makes sense that in this version; Al Pacino's Will Dorner eventually does not deny a reason to shoot the Martin Donovan character early on.  Not to mention, Dorner is cured of his insomnia, so to speak, by dying in the chase and gunfight towards the end.  A bit tailor made for Hollywood; yet the essence of the ending in the Stellan Skarsgard version remains. 

Insomnia was a breakthrough film in so many different ways.  It was Christopher Nolan alongside long time collaborators like DP Wally Pfister, screenwriting brother Jonathan Nolan, and producer and wife Anna Thomas that proved to be making highly acclaimed and financially rewarding pictures.  A bit afterwards, Nolan and Thomas' company Syncopy secured a development deal with Warner Bros; where their films have been financed or co-produced ever since.  Hilary Swank got to appear in her first financially successful movie.  Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt and Martin Donovan were able to successfully become involved in leading roles for movies and TV shows down the line.  And you know something; Al Pacino did not need to go over the top and chew the scenery that much in this film. 

More notably, for a time, Robin Williams starting with Insomnia began to appear in a series of movies and even a Broadway show that had him become the disturbed and yet soft spoken guy who we in the audience are both shocked  and intrigued by.  By all rights, this movie and One Hour Photo which was released in August 2002 should have been the game changer for Mr. Williams.  It really should have been the movies that would have been for Mr. Williams what, for instance, Schindler's List meant for Steven Spielberg: the point of maturity and demarcation in which there was no going back to the old ways.  I believe Robin Williams could have been nominated for an Academy Award for either of those two movies; a Best Supporting Actor nod with Insomnia might have made the ensuing race a heck of a lot more interesting.  Alas, that renaissance did not last long.  Maybe it was for the best.  Yet maybe, if the trajectory in Robin Williams' film roles were of the more dramatic sort, what transpired in his last years on this earth might not have happened. 

Just as Robin Williams was at his A game with his Summer 2002 movie slate; so too was he back in action and better than many of his peers when it came to his stand up comedy tour.  It culminated in late July with his remarkable HBO special, Live On Broadway.  That will be discussed next as we look back at That One Summer.

Happy 4th of July everyone!,

Robert

Handicapping the Class of 2016: Rock Hall Editon

I have been interested in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for quite some time now.  I suppose it goes back to when the Hall was opened in Cleveland, Ohio back in 1995.  It seemed a rather odd yet intriguing premise: a building and history project that sought to honor and determine who are the most important rock artists and non-performers in the Rock and Roll medium.  Unlike a sport hall of fame where statistics and numbers are of the most importance to determine an induction, recorded and performed music has no such obvious criterion.  Getting a number one hit album or song, for example, does not thankfully indicate Hall of Fame worthiness. 

As the years have gone by, the RRHOF has become quite important to merit worldwide attention and a fair deal of hand-wringing debates and responses.  For myself, I feel as if I and a number of others have helped to steer the influence.  You see, for the past 7 years, I have been an active participant on the website Future Rock Legends.  On there, my user name is Lax followed by the number of my current age.  I will explain why I picked the name Lax later.  In any matter, the Future Rock Legends website itself has grown to include numerous polls and ballots to determine what are the best Songs and Albums of all time.  Our Crown Jewel though is the Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project. 

It was initiated in 2010 as a way for the FRL community to look back at prior RRHOF inductions and determine what would we do and who would we induct each of those years through 2010. We then went through a phase of looking 16 years in the future to determine what our own Hall of Fame would look like by adding more inductees through a projected 2026 induction.  We stopped there as we fit 10 years in the real world would be a sufficient amount of time to determine on FRL who would make the Hall, either in our website or the actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame itself. 

Since then each successive year we have added a new class of inductees from our own ballots of 7 Performers, 2 Non-Performers, 2 Influences and 2 Sidemen.  Whichever artists, groups and non-performers get the most votes to make it to the top positions in each category are thereby inducted.  Now, perhaps this may not mean much; yet here is an interesting anecdote.

Last Summer, many of the posters on FRL  had come to a consensus that Bill Withers had ben massively overlooked for induction.  Indeed before the October vote began, many of us mentioned on the message boards our intent to add Bill Withers on our ballots.  This might likely have struck a nerve with the RRHOF Nominating Committee; for in early October, Mr. Withers was announced as one of the 16 nominees for possible induction into the RRHOF in 2015.  I should point out that we at FRL voted right after the announcements.  Within a week, when the votes were tabulated, Bill Withers was easily inducted into our Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project; indeed, Mr. Withers had more votes than any other person or band. 

Well, flash forward to December when the RRHOF announced their 2015 inductees.  One of the 8 inducted was indeed Bill Withers.  As an added bonus, Lou Reed was posthumously inducted right after the Revisited/Projected ballots had Mr. Reed obtaining the second most votes of any other person or band.  I would like to think we at Future Rock Legends, not to mention the fan ballot by the actual Hall of Fame website, had a hand in  getting these two important artists to be inducted into the actual Hall of Fame. 

In September, the RRHOF Nominating Committee will meet in New York to discuss which 16 artists and/or bands will be put up for nomination as Performers for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class of 2016.  The only specific qualification for induction is for the artist or band to have made a record of some kind (debut album, demo tape, home recording) at least 25 years ago.  For this year, it means any artist who started out by 1990 is now eligible.  We at Future Rock Legends will concurrently be planning for our newest Revisited/Projected class with the cutoff date for the first recording being 2005.  This allows our more recent induction classes to be an indicator of what the Nom Com may likely put up for nomination this year.  Here is who I think at this time will be the 16 artists and/or bands nominated this year.

Alice In Chains:  Easily one of the best alternative/grunge bands in their time.  Their music was far much heavier and darker than many would initially realize, fueled namely by Layne Staley's autobiographical lyrics and singing alongside Jerry Cantrell's interesting counterpoints.  Alice In Chains has continued onward long after Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002; this time with newer lead singer William Duvall. 

Blur:  Four British chaps who became the defining faces and forefathers of Britpop, including a most sophisticated intelligence and musical outlook.  Their mixtures of soul, pop, rock, intimate singer-songwriter approaches, and even a bit of musical parody has not been duplicated by other artists since their initial recordings. 

The Smashing Pumpkins:  Growing up in the 1990s, there were only a select few artists and bands that when they came out with a new album and tour, everything stopped to take all the newer material in.  The Smashing Pumpkins were one of those bands throughout the 90s that would release a new album or tour and everyone just had to follow them.  For an Alternative band, they were at the edge of defying labels and just putting out what they felt they needed to put out.  A lot of this was and still is due to the near singular vision brought forth by Billy Corgan, an awesome lyricist, singer and instrumentalist that showed a great deal of intelligence and song craft that is varied and rather thoughtful.  Like many, I have felt the best years of the Smashing Pumpkins were when James Iha, D'Arcy Wretzky and Jimmy Chamberlin were in the group; adding subtle layers and textures to Corgan's ideas.  None the less, what we have are the records and concerts that still to this day matter as being influential for newer artists.  It has been 20 years since Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness; and it still sounds fresh and energetic today as it did back then.

Chic:  The preeminent dance-soul-funk-disco band of all time, as far as I am concerned.  Nile Rodgers to this day remains one of the most gifted and accomplished people in the music industry.

N.W.A:  Before Dr. Dre went out on his own, there was N.W.A., a rap and hip-hop group that were brash, politically charged and did not give a crap if you cared for them or not.  Much of what hip-hop is positioned as today comes from the likes of Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Mc Ren, DJ Yella and of course Dr. Dre in their relatively brief tenure. 

The Eurythmics:  Perhaps the most important New Wave act to come out of their era, certainly the most interesting.  Annie Lennox is clearly one of the best singers of her or any other time; quite the good instrumentalist and producer with a keen songwriting approach is Dave Stewart.  Both In their writings and performances were doing things not seen before or really even since with their brash outlook. 

Depeche Mode:  The forefathers of Emo and EDM that made personal songs at a time when superficiality ruled the airwaves.  what Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher have done in some 35 years is very astonishing.  Gahan is the voice, Gore is the guitar and the words, Fletcher is the one that puts it all together; and while with the band, Alan Wilder was the trained musician.  To still be innovative today as you were back then is a rare accomplishment that Depeche Mode have uniquely been able to succeed at. 

Nine Inch Nails:  be it a band or just a name for Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails defined the Industrial subgenre which has since been expanded by many newer artists. 

Yes:  The most progressive, eclectic and proficient of the Art Rock groups.  Quite a number of lineup changes; each one quite excellent in its own way.

Janet Jackson:  The youngest of the Jackson siblings and the most accomplished female from the family.  During her prime, Janet was just as equally innovative as Michael was; and perhaps a bit more proficient in material coming out.  Fortunately, Janet Jackson has a new album coming out this year, her first since Michael Jackson passed away.  I cannot wait to hear it.

Kate Bush:  A rather left-field nominee, to be sure.  Yet, Bush is one of the absolute best singer-songwriters with a very unique approach to performance and recording. 

Kraftwerk:  Perhaps the most influential group not yet inducted.  To list their firsts and their innovations would need to take a longer essay.  And that may happen if it is needed.

Link Wray:  The innovative guitarist that brought the power chord to a wider audience; along with being an important figure for people of Native American heritage.  I feel Link Wray is best suited for an induction in the Performers category.

Jeff Lynne/Electric Light Orchestra:  It is interchangeable in whatever approach is given.  None the less, one of the most brilliant minds in the rock field may hopefully get the recognition long sought after.

Nick Drake:  A most mercurial and mysterious singer songwriter who passed away at age 26.  No concert footage or film of Nick Drake is readily available.  Yet we do have Drake's music; and what great music it was.  Sparse yet effective, wistful yet a tinge of hope sought in each lyric. 

Deep Purple:  A band that I think would have already gotten in if past relations with living former bandmates were not as tenuous as they have been now.  Still to this day a most varied and harder rocking band that have influenced countless newer artists.

Well, those are the 16 I think will be nominated.  Tune in by tomorrow, I hope, where I will explain my preliminary picks for induction into the Revisited/Projected Rock Hall Project.  Who knows; perhaps one or two may wind up as nominees on the RRHOF ballot. 

Have a good night; more to come,

Robert

What can be said?

Recently, there have been news reports, interviews and a heck of a lot of attention on a particular personal interest story.  This is one of those times where if I mention how I feel, it would be similar to what others have said.  Thus, I found on YouTube a higher quality video of a song which, though never a hit, became a staple for two artists.  The first, Robert Palmer (1949-2003) found it to be one of the better songs he did without having written it.  The second, Andy Fraser (1952-2015), wrote this piece just before coming out and declaring his sexual orientation.  Both were highly influential pop and rock artists that lived different lives that I do not have time to delve into.  Yet, the message of this song is one I agree with.  And it is a high watermark on both these artists' lives. 

As an added bonus, here is Andy Fraser performing a song many of you will recognize that he also wrote.

It was amongst the last gigs Andy Fraser did before he passed away last month.  Both of these artists are missed immeasurably. 

Talk to you again fairly soon (honest!),

Robert

Short yet necessary

Are the rumors true?  Is this the restart after 6 years that we have waited for?  Let us hope so!

It has been a long time coming.  One of my next posts will be a look back at Homestar Runner, I would think the most important non-political website that has influenced myself and many others. 

Do you remember 13 years ago

Robert

Forensically Analyzing a Senator

Well, now it has been confirmed.  Today, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced, without any pretext, he is running for President Of The United States.  Let me point out that I have no intention of voting for Sen. Cruz.  I have for the past 15 years and continue to believe that New York Democratic Sen. and Sec. Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the eventual President we deserve.  When I say we, I also mean for those right wing sorts.  You may have forgotten; yet during Bill Clinton's Presidency, virtually most conservative economic agendas, along with tweaking a few social agendas, were initiated benefiting all.  Indeed, Tim Russert once said that the best thing to happen to Bill Clinton was then Rep. Newt Gingrich.  I did not always agree with the agenda, and have been proven right in the economic problems since.  Yet, it did work.

Sen. Cruz is, none the less, quite the intriguing political figure.  Like many of you, I had watched his speech today in Virginia and was not surprised at what was said.  What did surprise me was the immediacy of declaring a candidacy and effectively setting the agenda for the next year.  This is before many other political leaders, including Hillary Clinton, have announced their candidacy.  This is also before the unwritten campaign occurs; the behind the scenes discussions as to whether or not President Barack Obama decides to run for a third term. 

So what do I make of Sen. Ted Cruz?  In short, I think Sen. Cruz is one of the two Republicans to potentially get the nomination; the other person being Gov. Scott Walker (R-WS).  Yet, there is a lot more that needs to be discussed, and I still am attempting to parse my words and present my thoughts.  With that in mind, I will soon post another essay regarding this interesting character in Sen. Cruz; this one more thorough and analytical.  Here though is a parable by Dr. Seuss that I assume Sen. Ted Cruz has read and is familiar with. 

The highway in modern terms is, I think, organized religion, conglomerates, and multi-national leadership outside the US.  It will leave the uneducated in America standing in their tracks not budging if no one is aware.

By the way, Liberty University is in my opinion not a legitimate university.  It is as legitimate as For Profit Online University, only the latter is a clear joke.  Be aware if you have given personal information to Howard.

Talk to you by tomorrow,

Robert

Updates to the weblog

Hello to all my fellow travelers and readers of Something To Say If Anyone Hears.

I wanted to point out that I have altered the process of commenting on this blog.  I had noticed that while the site has been generating a lot of buzz; only four comments were posted.  So, I wondered; what could be done to increase web traffic and provide a more interactive approach?

Well, I was able to include Disqus software as part of the commenting experience.  For that to happen, I altered the settings of commenting so that any person can now comment on the blog.  I do hope this will help to increase traffic and have the site become more interactive.  Soon to come, I reiterate, will be Twitter and Instagram posts, video weblogs which may also involve a good deal of production, perhaps a podcast; and at a later time I will look further into using WordPress software if the blog needs expanding. 

So, in another matter, how would we open the proposed Doug revisited movie?  Here is how I would open it.

It starts with animated prototypical shots of chaos and confusion of some evil overlord wreaking havoc on a major city.  Perhaps it is Dr. Klotzenstein yet again.  Suddenly, in the sky, we see Quail Man (looking like Doug) and his sidekick that looks like Porkchop, the dog of the Funnie family.  Using his powers of patience, intelligence and speed; Quail Man is able to outsmart Dr. Klotzenstein with his new mind control device.  The visuals are all stunning, action packed, and then...

The film stops.  We see it is a conference room near Marvel Studios where Doug Funnie and Porkchop are looking at rough footage and dailies to start the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  In the conference room, Doug and some of the movie executives and the film's director (likely J.B. Spigett) are going over how the visuals of the movie are excellent.  Doug, however, is a bit suspect on how the plot seems to be all cookie cutter.  He suggests the need to reshoot some scenes this early in the production.  While the executives tend to agree, one that seems to resemble and might be indeed Stan Lee, says something like:

"We may need another half million to cover costs"
"Doug, the fans expect a linear narrative, not self reflection" or some words to that extant.

It is then that we hear the first, and likely not the last, Beeyou which occurs when Doug cannot get a word in edgewise.

We leave the conference room to return to Doug's impressive home near the area where he now does a video journal on his website and synced to other sites like, say, Me View and Open Life.  It reaches at least hundreds of thousands of views each post; and as he begins his new video blog, we begin to notice that a lot has changed in Doug Funnie and his life since we last saw him in 1999.

As I said, this is an ongoing process.  More of my story treatment on revisiting Doug will come as I can think of them. 

Oh yes; I plan a seeing a movie tomorrow.  I had been interested in seeing Chappie.  Has anyone seen it?  If so, is it that much of a disappointment, or perhaps just misunderstood?  Let me know in the comments section.

Talk to you later

Robert

Hello Everyone.

I am Robert Kelly.  And welcome to another blog!  Yes, any one can post a blog these days; but perhaps you will find something interesting.  And just maybe, it will matter to many that read it.

I had wondered were I could start.  Well yesterday, I found a story on WABC Channel 7 in New York that I felt rather attached to.  You see, I am an alumni of the Farmingdale School District.  When I graduated High School in 2001, a lot of issues were different for us Dalers.  I can remember when the worst incident that occurred was a week before graduation when some seniors paint bombed then Principal Robert E. Lewis' office.  It as cleaned the next day, as if it never happened!

Now, how times have changed.  Last year, 4 students were killed in a drag race down on Conklin Street.  Just yesterday, something I think more shocking has occurred. 

A high school student had been mercilessly bullied for numerous reasons.  It had gotten so bad that he even attempted to kill himself.  Gratefully, he is alive today.  Yet, this young man and his family are now suing the Farmingdale School District.  Perhaps the video and report in the link below will explain more on this very troubling issue.


http://7online.com/education/bullied-teen-wins-settlement-against-farmingdale-school-district/485018/


My thoughts on this are rather sobering.  Like Austin, I had been accustomed throughout grade school, middle school (Weldon E. Howitt) and high school with getting picked on and chewed up by numerous other pupils.  They were mostly annoying people that at the time did not take their education seriously.  Of course at the ten year reunion we had at Mulcahy's after Thanksgiving 2011, Everyone acted nicer and more mature.

It is completely different today.  Perhaps it is due to a greater social media presence, and the ability to become more vicarious and short sighted has been enhanced greatly.  The problem then also lies with a school system that might not be willing to address these issues until it is too late. 

For Farmingdale Schools to have reached a settlement on these matters does, I think, admit culpability on their part.  Bullying should not be tolerated, from this point forward.  In later posts, I will mention what I think needs to happen to end this rather vicious cycle of bullying and its consequences.  Fortunately, I am not a puritan by any means, so do not think it involves attacking the outside world of pop culture. 

Also, I plan on discussing other topics, such as movies, politics, my life, and whatever else crosses my mind.  Feel free to comment and add some suggestions.  Also, I am thinking of doing some form of video or audio programs.  Do any of you think it would be a good idea?

Talk to you soon,

Robert

PS.  I should get better at linking and uploading files.  More to come in the days ahead!