http://spoti.fi/2rnMyuB
"Don and Dewey"
It's A Beautiful Day
Most famous for "White Bird" off their initial LP, the second album, "Marrying Maiden," has been lost to the sands of time. It's A Beautiful Day played my college and my friend ran into guitarist Hal Wagenet, who he took up to his dorm room and we all hung with. Hal was sipping from a bottle of apricot brandy, which my friend saved, but alas, has that Rhinoceros song, which accompanied so many racetrack ads on FM radio, been forgotten? I don't think so.
"Tattler"
Ry Cooder
A reworking of the Washington Phillips song "You Can't Stop A Tattler," this is from Ry's 1974 LP "Paradise and Lunch," a complete return to form after the moribund "Boomer's Story." I prefer "Into The Purple Valley," but it and "Paradise And Lunch" are Ry's two best LPs. The irony is Ry is a twenty first century artist. Of course we knew his name back then, I bought the LPs, but he never broke through, today nobody breaks through and if he started now he'd be embraced by a coterie who would not stop testifying about him. Strange world we live in, where if you stop clamoring for worldwide success, if you do what you do best and play small ball, you can succeed.
P.S. Of course Linda Ronstadt covered this on her 1976 LP "Hasten Down The Wind," but you only seem to hear her upbeat remakes of classic tracks on the radio anymore.
"Memo From Turner"
Mick Jagger
From the "Performance" soundtrack, I include this because it features Ry's exquisite slide playing. But not being on a Stones LP, this track has been lost to the sands of time. This is when Jagger used to manipulate each and every word, before he started shouting verses to the back row of the stadium, this is about as understated as he gets, except for ballads, which is why it's so magical.
True fans still wonder if you were at the Coke convention back in '65.
"Family Affair"
Sly & The Family Stone
Of course this was a monster hit, and people trumpet the importance of "There's A Riot Goin' On" all the time, but not being a hit in the sixties and being so dark it's somehow slipped through the cracks.
"One Toke Over The Line"
Brewer & Shipley
And speaking of tracks that were hits that seem to have been forgotten... This was an anthem when marijuana was illegal, stunning that it hasn't been resuscitated since dope has come above ground.
"If You Wanna Get To Heaven"
Ozark Mountain Daredevils
And since we're talking about forgotten midwest rockers, I might as well include this, which is a great driving song, a great track when you're stoned and want to lock into a groove. The rest of the LP was nowhere near as good as this, I know, I bought it, but this is in the pocket, great.
"Rubber Bullets"
10cc
The best Brian Wilson track of the seventies, AND HE DIDN'T WRITE IT!
This is the cut that built 10cc's reputation, but it was not a hit here, only across the pond, but word was spread throughout the rock press and if you purchased the initial LP you were mesmerized by the hooks and the humor.
"It's A Long Way There"
The Little River Band
I still remember where I heard this track for the very first time. I'd just gotten on the 405 at Wilshire, was gridlocked in traffic waiting to switch to the 10 to drive for a 9 am class at law school and it emanated through the speakers of my 2002 via KLOS. This is a masterpiece, completely different from the hits the band ultimately had, when they were seen as being closer to Air Supply than rock. If you're a fan of seventies rock, and that era is now pooh-poohed, you'll be stunned by this nearly nine minute cut that lags not a bit, that sets your mind free and makes you feel good all at the same time.
"Day Of Change"
Lee Michaels
Did you see that Frosty passed?
Yes, it was a two man act, Lee Michaels on keyboards and Frosty on drums, until Frosty was canned and Michaels went on to have a hit and decide he wanted to play the guitar and ultimately ended up a restaurateur.
Now this track was never famous. I was gonna include "What Now America," the most known track from the album "Barrel," his best, my favorite, but whenever I go back to that LP, which I do on a regular basis, "Day Of Change" is the song that resonates.
"Yesterday I saw her
Now she won't see me
Yesterday I helped her
Now she won't help me
So I think I'll call it a day of change
Think I'll call it a day of change
Think I'll call it a day...
Of change"
Women move on, guys are lost. They mope in their beer about what they lost, how great she is, even though they bitched about her when they were together, they burn their friends out on the story and then they end up alone, at home, staring at all four walls until they realize, it's time to accept their fate, it's time to move on, it's time to change.
Michaels's vocal is impassioned, more optimistic than resigned, but somehow both, but it's the changes and the organ overflows that seal the deal, I LOVE THIS!
"Angel Come Home"
The Beach Boys
From their best seventies LP, "L.A. (Light Album)," which is most famous for its dreadful disco remake of "Here Comes The Night" and the opening winner "Good Timin'," this is the best track on the LP, the one that still resonates, it's not written by Dennis Wilson, but it features everything his legend is built upon, the rough-edged vocal of someone who's lived... This will get under your skin and will never leave your body.
"Move Over"
Janis Joplin
From her posthumous album, "Pearl," which sounds dated because of the dry production, but Joplin's impassioned vocal sustains. Funny how Janis was ripped for oversinging but by today's standards she's positively restrained.
"Life Goes On"
The Kinks
From before they became an arena act, from the first Arista album, when they still played the Santa Monica Civic every year but put aside the musical plays. Now and again you still hear "Jukebox Music" from "Sleepwalker," but it's this closer that resonates lyrically. Only Ray Davies could make a song about suicide optimistic. From a different era, when we were troubled by our problems, before everybody exuded success. Can you imagine going on Instagram and saying this is a photo of me depressed and I'm looking for a sponsorship from Lexapro? And I love that Ray didn't anglicize the lyrics, he hadn't SETTLED his bill!
"Chili Dog"
One Man Dog
From the last album produced by Peter Asher, it had a hit track in "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," but the LP was so much more than that, especially the second side, where the songs all ran together in a suite like the second side of "Abbey Road," and you can't overlook the duet with Linda Ronstadt on "One Morning In May" and "Mescalito" into "Dance," but the song I want to hear most is the one I wrote off as more of a novelty back then.
You get old, and if you survive, only your hits remain. And JT can still sell a lot of tickets, but it would be so great if he did complete albums on tour, I don't think it would work, unless it was "Sweet Baby James," people pays their money to hear the hits and are impatient, but I'd love to hear all of "One Man Dog," but there are a number of live takes of "Chili Dog" out there, albeit not on Spotify, and there's even more humor in those iterations, this'll put a smile upon your face.
"Carolina Day"
Livingston Taylor
People clamored for everything Taylor, they eventually got both Kate and Alex, but Livingston had the most success, especially with this, the opening cut on side two of his debut.
"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"
The Band
The buzz was about the initial LP, with "The Weight," but the follow-up had the big radio track "Up On Cripple Creek," and it's even better, the best the band ever did. But it was the album cuts that sealed the deal, none no more than this, the closer, which I was turned on to in Brad Weston's playroom, I had to buy the album after that, from an era where getting it right was more important than getting it to the top of the chart.
"Spring Is Here"
Wendy Waldman
Yes, it finally is. We've been experiencing June gloom for weeks in L.A., where summer is delayed, where it's hot in the fall when the leaves are turning and the temperature is dropping elsewhere, and it still is spring, it won't really be summer until the end of the month. Through the magic of Spotify you can hear this instantly today, but for years Wendy Waldman's third album was out of print and unavailable, you could only sing the songs in your head, the disc I listened to was lost in a divorce, and then through the magic of Napster, everything from the past was unearthed, it all reappeared, I downloaded this and put it on my Rio and literally danced in my front yard.
"Liar"
Argent
And I think this was the first track I downloaded from Napster, you occasionally hear the Three Dog Night cover, but you never hear this, never ever, it's dark and penetrating, with Russ Ballard's vocal and Rod Argent's stylings and if you don't think this is an understated classic you were never a rock fan, you're a popster, and if so, that's all right, but sometimes the two merge, find common ground, you get a brief ditty that's so good it's undeniable.
Like this.
Like all of the above tracks.
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Saturday 3 June 2017
Friday 2 June 2017
Re-Mike Chapman
I can't say enough nice things about Mike Chapman. Blondie put him through a lot of craziness and his generosity and patience in the face of it was unique and complete.
We were on tour and were in Italy at a hotel (I can't recall what town) when everyone in the band got a call to come down to the bar; Mike had arrived out of the blue.
We all gathered. He'd flown in to tell us in person that Heart of Glass had gone to number one in the states.
Chris Stein
P.S. You probably are aware that tonight is Rodney's last show on KROQ after 40 some years
He was supporting new music not only before it was cool to do so but before there was any precedent
_______________________________________
Great Bob… Mike's track record was part of my LA radio soundtrack and is what drove me to contact him to produce The Knack. Upon seeing their explosive set at Starwood he immediately said he'd love to produce them. I, being a totally green A&R man when it came to deals, asked him how much he wanted to produce. His response was 'one million'. I wasn't sure whether to faint or cry (maybe both), but before I hit the ground he quickly said, 'hey kid, just kidding. I've had five top ten singles this year… I'll do it for no advance… I want the group'.
From the day they entered the studio (MCA Whitney in Glendale with engineer Peter Coleman, he delivered the album in seven days.
Hi Mike!
Bruce Garfield
_______________________________________
The Commander!
Love it. Now there's some goddamn HITS...
Steve Lindstrom
_______________________________________
Dear Boy -- every English man or woman of a certain age reason this is saying, "What?!? No Mudd track on this list?!?!"
Old people are pissed at Ed Sheeran having most of the Top Twenty tracks in England right now....but ChinniChap were there first. A lifetime ago.
- Hugo Burnham
_______________________________________
No "Some Girls" by Racey? For shame.
Alec Pappas.
_______________________________________
Don't discount Blockbuster, Little Willy, Wig Wam Bam, or their all time finest, Hell Raiser, one of the best rock n roll singles of the era.
Kenny Vaiughan
_______________________________________
This is a great BBC Radio Documentary on Chinnichap. I wish there was a more extensive one. I wish he'd write a book!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-6J9S4rR8&utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
It's astonishing how many massive hits he was involved with. I grew up in South Africa and his songs were absolutely huge there Big in South Africa, Scandinavia, Germany, UK, Holland - So many different labels, and acts - plus all the re-records and different versions of the bands. I could list dozens upon dozens of more international Top 10's.
Exile had another massive hit in SA in 1979, called "The Part Of Me That Needs You Most" - it was a no. 2 single - you could never find it on CD. No US or Euro Greatest Hits album ever included it. I wanted to license it in the late 90's for something. A friend got me a number, and i thought I'd call his manager or business affairs person, and Mike answered the phone himself. I nearly had a heart attack. "Hello I'm in Johannesburg and everyone wants this song on CD!" -
He could not have been nicer. I of course got nervous and over-excited and asked him questions about all kind of crazy songs and productions he had written or produced that i just loved. He answered every single one with complete patience and kindness. He just kept saying "Wow, you know that song? You're calling from Johannesburg? Really?" ...?
What a record making machine and incredible man.
Cheers
Dion Singer
_______________________________________
Device "Hanging on a Heartattack". Amazing Knight/Chapman tune. Hit #35 in 1986.
Jordan Guagliumi
_______________________________________
BOB ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???Chapman produced all these songs? ( gasp ) That is truly remarkable and I am truly depressed LOL... So just when I thought I was on top of my game as a record producer LOL. Very humbling to think one guy was responsible for all those hits. Good stuff Bob.
Cheers
Johnny Vieira
_______________________________________
There is so much more.
If you haven't heard "The Kids of Tragedy" a Suzi Quatro tour de force that Chapman wrote and produced, you're really missing out. Or "If You Can't Give Me Love."
Or her rocking covers of "Keep A Knockin'," "I Wanna Be Your Man," and "Shakin' All Over," to name just a few.
And so many Smokie songs, as you can tell because you listed so many of them as covered by other artists ("Lay Back..," "If You Think...," "Heart & Soul,").
It was Racey's "Hey Ricky" that Toni Basil transformed.
And it was the Arrows self-penned "I Love Rock N Roll" on the b-side of a Chinn-Chapman a-side single.
And "Tiger Feet" by Mud, as well as their classic "Lonely This Christmas."
"Hanging On The Telephone" was picked by the Blondies after they heard the Nerves original version; the Nerves were Peter (Plimsouls) Case, Paul (Beat) Collins, and Jack Lee, who actually wrote the song. And my personal all-time favorite Blondie song, "Sunday Girl" from Parallel Lines.
I could go on.
Toby Mamis
_______________________________________
Mike Chapman is one of the greatest. He was so innovative in the studio.
Daniel Woods
_______________________________________
The Sweet 'Ballroom Blitz' was actually produced by Phil Wainman. There is some really interesting facts about Phil and his work with The Sweet here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Wainman?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
I remember buying 'Ballroom Blitz' on 45 rpm when it was first released and something seemed wrong. I told my Dad that the song seemed fast, but he couldn't hear it.
Years later, after I got my first job making tea at Utopia Studios, I mentioned my speedy 'Ballroom Blitz' single to the head of maintenance, Ian Davidson. Utopia Studios were actually owned by the producer of "Ballroom Blitz' Phil Wainman, who aside from producing Sweet, had also produced The Bay City Rollers, Mud, and even 'I Don't Like Mondays' for The Boomtown Rats.
Ian asked me not to bring it up to Phil as it turned out that he (Ian) had previously been a mastering engineer and had mastered the first pressing of Ballroom Blitz..but he had inadvertently left the 'varispeed' in from a previous session !... So the first pressing of 'Ballroom Blitz' was actually too fast !
Phil was apparently still pretty mad about this and Ian didn't want to remind him. At least I had finally found out why my 45 sounded weird !
Phil was a great boss and Utopia was a fabulous place to work and learn.
Cheers,
Tim Palmer
_______________________________________
I never write to you, but for this I will. That was a fascinating trip down memory lane about the great talent behind all these great songs. Thank you!
Corina Stark
_______________________________________
Rare and slightly gossipy interview with Mike Chapman visiting his home city Brisbane.Interviewer is Richard Vidler formerly with the Edinburgh festival favourites comedy group Doug Anthony Allstars.
Worth your time.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/conversations/mike-chapman/4418622?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Ivar
_______________________________________
I love this post. Most of those songs are a huge part of my childhood and to know they were by the same team! Now that you lay it out it makes sense! What an amazing group of unheralded producers. Thanks for this.
Justin Bartek
_______________________________________
china and chapman ruled top of the pops when i lived in england in the 1970s, but, reggae had also taken a stronghold on the british youth.
marley was everywhere, my boy lollipop was massive, as was dave and ansel collins, desmond decker's isrealites was as well.
not to forget…. greyhound's black and white, johnny nash's i can see clearly now, montego bay by the rudies.
ken bootees cover of bread's everything i own, jimmy cliff's cover of cat steven's wild world.
10cc released dreadlock holiday,
even wings released C-Moon.
man, McCartney in on the reggae….in 1972. hell even oh-blah-di oh-blah-da was a reggae tune.
except this calypso version
https://youtu.be/nJoQbLV2sQU?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
or this dub version…
https://youtu.be/GR3-_q7x5Sk?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
magical times lad, magical.
Michael Halloran
_______________________________________
Thanks for this, Bob. Mike Chapman is one of my favorite producers and you've represented his oeuvre very well with this list.
Producers of his era (and Roy Thomas Baker also comes to mind) knew how to make records that grabbed you by the throat. They had to rely on their ears and their guts alone; there was no MTV.
I love the story of how "Heart of Glass" evolved. Blondie owe a huge debt of gratitude to Chapman; the record (and Blondie's crossover success) would not have happened without him. I think some of the band were resentful of his very hands-on approach in the studio. Their LES insouciance didn't always welcome outside feedback. But the initial arrangement, an anemic reggae treatment they were calling "Once I Had A Love," was going nowhere. Chapman's critiques were met with increasingly frustrated, defensive pushback. With the track now completely stalled, he finally asked Debbie what contemporary artist she admired. "Donna Summer." So he suggested they completely overhaul the song, disco style. The band was reluctant but Debbie was into it, so they capitulated.
And the rest is history — Blondie had their biggest hit (which Chapman also officially named "Heart of Glass") and, together, they made the Downtown punks like disco.
Thanks for your daily insights. You have a clear voice as a writer with a very considered point of view.
Best regards,
Jonathan Keith, Los Angeles
_______________________________________
I would gamble to go on record that "My Sharona" singularly killed blue-eyed soul and Disco in one fell swoop. Ballroom Blitz is just a riot and brought humor into glam rock spurring on the likes of Dee Snyder and his antics. Mike was also quite a guitar player and many of those low register guitar hook lines were played by him if I'm not mistaken. He was greatly influenced by working with Mickey Most and you can hear it on You Sexy Thing which sounds like it could be a Chinnychap production. A true hit maker genius from a bygone era.
Kenny Lee Lewis
_______________________________________
Amazing !
Andrew Loog Oldham
_______________________________________
FYI, Chris Norman (former lead singer) is still going strong and has just released a catchy new single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr1FtkKU8GE&utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
I got to see him live recently (first time) and he's in great shape for a guy who's 67 years of age. It's hard to beat the 10,000 hours apprenticeship, isn't it!:-)
Peace
Barry McCabe
_______________________________________
Really enjoyed the Mike Chapman themed letter this morning - and reading it made me think you might enjoy this Nicky Chinn episode of the Secret Genius series that I make at Spotify.
Rob Fitzpatricki
_______________________________________
Great playlist.
'Fade Away and Radiate' was the beginning of what is now an almost forty year love affair with Fripp and his music. 'Parallel Lines' is a timeless album, it still sounds fresh.
Miranda Yardley
_______________________________________
Written but not produced by Chinn & Chapman — but one of my favorites. I readily admit a soft spot in my heart for top 40 radio!
Little Willie — The Sweet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z13a4uky600&utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Jim Charne
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DOWNUNDER PERSPECTIVE
Mike Chapman, still alive.
That was my first fear, another one bites the dust. And he is 70. Older than Denis Johnson RIP.
He's an Australian.
That's where it all started, with New World, in the new world. We do things different here, in the antipodes.
New World did the soft rock hit Tom Tom Turnaround, which charted here in NZ as it did in Oz, then Living Next Door to Alice, which was remade with Smokie. Chapman was good at that, recycling.
ALICE, huge first time, had a second life in the lewd remake (Who the Fuck is Alice?), but here in NZ, with the main line to the best of British as well as Kasey's American Top 40 on a Saturday arvo, we were inundated with the Chinnichap stable on our charts.
Ballroom Blitz is so good, but you missed Blockbuster (six weeks at number one), Hellraiser... if any era is underrecognised now it's British glam, with Mud, Suzi Q and the rest on RAK, all Chinn and Chapman.
Then there was SOME GIRLS, Smokie prefiguring the Stones title; worse song but another huge, immensely annoying hit.
Then PARALLEL LINES. And the rest of the Blondie smashes. That excused everything. As did Exile, Mickey etc.
As for The Best, we know it as Simply the Best, Tina's duet with the great, troubled Jimmy Barnes.
He's the guy who paired up with Michael Hutchence and INXS for the definitive version of GOOD TIMES, a lesser known composition from the great Vanda/Young team who gave us those Easybeats classics. It rocks.
And I know you like a good bio, Bob.
Jimmy's wasn't ghosted, and the story of his hideous Scots>Australia childhood makes Bruce's memoir read like the easy way to the top. Jimmy's rock'n'roll stories, through Cold Chisel to the solo success and soul duets, is still to come with Vol2. That will be great.
Part 1, Here you go:
https://www.amazon.com/Working-Class-Boy-Jimmy-Barnes-ebook/dp/B01FWW8SZO?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Ps. We need to get you down here for a ski trip before climate change kills it.
Mark Cubey
_______________________________________
Good one Bob I love how Chrysalis played such a big role in music way back then Blondie was gone by the time I got there in November of 1984 But I loved when their catalog was converted to CD That's when I was able to relive everyone of their hits all over again ! I really enjoyed meeting Mike Chapman while I was there
Cheers The Sutterman
Kevin F. Sutter
_______________________________________
thanks for this playlist, this is cool and Fade Away and Radiate...yes Fripp made magic there for sure....
I'm not one to work you on music, especially from our company but seeing "Love is a Battlefield" on here, we just released a cover of this song by Maysa, who completely reinvents the tune as a song for our time. it is a song i tell friends to listen to as i think its spectacular as a cover....so forgive me for the "hype"...but you might miss this cover and it's maybe worthy enough to share with you.
thanks for all the great writings and information you always share....
Bill Cason
Shanachie
_______________________________________
"Tiger Feet" by Mud
Joel Selvin
_______________________________________
Very cool list, Bob. Chapman had an amazing string of hits.
One production you didn't mention, which is one of my favorites of his, is Material Issue's "Freak City Soundtrack" from 1994. Check out "Goin' Through Your Purse". The song definitely gives a nod or two to Sweet. An amazing Power Pop track (and album) that got lost in the Grunge era.
Pete
_______________________________________
Mike Chapman is absolutely brilliant. Thanks for this post.
Craig MacNeil
_______________________________________
"Hanging On The Telephone" - What an opener, what a great concept, what a KILLER!
The original, by the Nerves: https://open.spotify.com/track/5icEcS2TkG3y0HAt1j0M3J?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Hyperbolium
_______________________________________
Re: Mike Chapman Playlist (Better Be Good To Me)
Quick note on this one. It originally appeared on the album "Between the Lines" by the band Spider. For my money, it's a better version than Tina's.
Spider was a band started in New York City by a couple from South Africa, Amanda Blue (vocals) and Keith Lentin (guitar). That album also featured a song later made famous by John Waite called "Change." It was one of his bigger hits.
Holly Knight was Spider's keyboard player.
Anton Fig, later of David Letterman's band (for many, many years), was Spider's drummer.
Met them all when they played a club in Charlotte, NC. Very nice bunch of folks. Was the first time I ever hung out on a tour bus. I was 21 and wide-eyed...
Bob Davis
Tour Accountant
Drake - OVO Festivals
Toronto/London 2017
_______________________________________
OMG!
I have just driven 3 hours to get to our cottage 70 miles out of town.
I pour myself a glass of fine Bordeaux and get stuck into my emails.
148!
So I put on this playlist and the time and email just flies!
What a genius this man is. Please don't tell me he died. I always worry when you write about someone.
I remember reading that when asked what his biggest mistake was he said"making a second album with the Knack"!
Only shame is the Sweet track didn't come up on Spotify. He made so many great singles with Sweet and Mudd. Together with Susie Q on Micky Mosts label. Takes a genius to recognise a genius!
Richard Griffiths
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We were on tour and were in Italy at a hotel (I can't recall what town) when everyone in the band got a call to come down to the bar; Mike had arrived out of the blue.
We all gathered. He'd flown in to tell us in person that Heart of Glass had gone to number one in the states.
Chris Stein
P.S. You probably are aware that tonight is Rodney's last show on KROQ after 40 some years
He was supporting new music not only before it was cool to do so but before there was any precedent
_______________________________________
Great Bob… Mike's track record was part of my LA radio soundtrack and is what drove me to contact him to produce The Knack. Upon seeing their explosive set at Starwood he immediately said he'd love to produce them. I, being a totally green A&R man when it came to deals, asked him how much he wanted to produce. His response was 'one million'. I wasn't sure whether to faint or cry (maybe both), but before I hit the ground he quickly said, 'hey kid, just kidding. I've had five top ten singles this year… I'll do it for no advance… I want the group'.
From the day they entered the studio (MCA Whitney in Glendale with engineer Peter Coleman, he delivered the album in seven days.
Hi Mike!
Bruce Garfield
_______________________________________
The Commander!
Love it. Now there's some goddamn HITS...
Steve Lindstrom
_______________________________________
Dear Boy -- every English man or woman of a certain age reason this is saying, "What?!? No Mudd track on this list?!?!"
Old people are pissed at Ed Sheeran having most of the Top Twenty tracks in England right now....but ChinniChap were there first. A lifetime ago.
- Hugo Burnham
_______________________________________
No "Some Girls" by Racey? For shame.
Alec Pappas.
_______________________________________
Don't discount Blockbuster, Little Willy, Wig Wam Bam, or their all time finest, Hell Raiser, one of the best rock n roll singles of the era.
Kenny Vaiughan
_______________________________________
This is a great BBC Radio Documentary on Chinnichap. I wish there was a more extensive one. I wish he'd write a book!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-6J9S4rR8&utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
It's astonishing how many massive hits he was involved with. I grew up in South Africa and his songs were absolutely huge there Big in South Africa, Scandinavia, Germany, UK, Holland - So many different labels, and acts - plus all the re-records and different versions of the bands. I could list dozens upon dozens of more international Top 10's.
Exile had another massive hit in SA in 1979, called "The Part Of Me That Needs You Most" - it was a no. 2 single - you could never find it on CD. No US or Euro Greatest Hits album ever included it. I wanted to license it in the late 90's for something. A friend got me a number, and i thought I'd call his manager or business affairs person, and Mike answered the phone himself. I nearly had a heart attack. "Hello I'm in Johannesburg and everyone wants this song on CD!" -
He could not have been nicer. I of course got nervous and over-excited and asked him questions about all kind of crazy songs and productions he had written or produced that i just loved. He answered every single one with complete patience and kindness. He just kept saying "Wow, you know that song? You're calling from Johannesburg? Really?" ...?
What a record making machine and incredible man.
Cheers
Dion Singer
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Device "Hanging on a Heartattack". Amazing Knight/Chapman tune. Hit #35 in 1986.
Jordan Guagliumi
_______________________________________
BOB ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???Chapman produced all these songs? ( gasp ) That is truly remarkable and I am truly depressed LOL... So just when I thought I was on top of my game as a record producer LOL. Very humbling to think one guy was responsible for all those hits. Good stuff Bob.
Cheers
Johnny Vieira
_______________________________________
There is so much more.
If you haven't heard "The Kids of Tragedy" a Suzi Quatro tour de force that Chapman wrote and produced, you're really missing out. Or "If You Can't Give Me Love."
Or her rocking covers of "Keep A Knockin'," "I Wanna Be Your Man," and "Shakin' All Over," to name just a few.
And so many Smokie songs, as you can tell because you listed so many of them as covered by other artists ("Lay Back..," "If You Think...," "Heart & Soul,").
It was Racey's "Hey Ricky" that Toni Basil transformed.
And it was the Arrows self-penned "I Love Rock N Roll" on the b-side of a Chinn-Chapman a-side single.
And "Tiger Feet" by Mud, as well as their classic "Lonely This Christmas."
"Hanging On The Telephone" was picked by the Blondies after they heard the Nerves original version; the Nerves were Peter (Plimsouls) Case, Paul (Beat) Collins, and Jack Lee, who actually wrote the song. And my personal all-time favorite Blondie song, "Sunday Girl" from Parallel Lines.
I could go on.
Toby Mamis
_______________________________________
Mike Chapman is one of the greatest. He was so innovative in the studio.
Daniel Woods
_______________________________________
The Sweet 'Ballroom Blitz' was actually produced by Phil Wainman. There is some really interesting facts about Phil and his work with The Sweet here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Wainman?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
I remember buying 'Ballroom Blitz' on 45 rpm when it was first released and something seemed wrong. I told my Dad that the song seemed fast, but he couldn't hear it.
Years later, after I got my first job making tea at Utopia Studios, I mentioned my speedy 'Ballroom Blitz' single to the head of maintenance, Ian Davidson. Utopia Studios were actually owned by the producer of "Ballroom Blitz' Phil Wainman, who aside from producing Sweet, had also produced The Bay City Rollers, Mud, and even 'I Don't Like Mondays' for The Boomtown Rats.
Ian asked me not to bring it up to Phil as it turned out that he (Ian) had previously been a mastering engineer and had mastered the first pressing of Ballroom Blitz..but he had inadvertently left the 'varispeed' in from a previous session !... So the first pressing of 'Ballroom Blitz' was actually too fast !
Phil was apparently still pretty mad about this and Ian didn't want to remind him. At least I had finally found out why my 45 sounded weird !
Phil was a great boss and Utopia was a fabulous place to work and learn.
Cheers,
Tim Palmer
_______________________________________
I never write to you, but for this I will. That was a fascinating trip down memory lane about the great talent behind all these great songs. Thank you!
Corina Stark
_______________________________________
Rare and slightly gossipy interview with Mike Chapman visiting his home city Brisbane.Interviewer is Richard Vidler formerly with the Edinburgh festival favourites comedy group Doug Anthony Allstars.
Worth your time.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/conversations/mike-chapman/4418622?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Ivar
_______________________________________
I love this post. Most of those songs are a huge part of my childhood and to know they were by the same team! Now that you lay it out it makes sense! What an amazing group of unheralded producers. Thanks for this.
Justin Bartek
_______________________________________
china and chapman ruled top of the pops when i lived in england in the 1970s, but, reggae had also taken a stronghold on the british youth.
marley was everywhere, my boy lollipop was massive, as was dave and ansel collins, desmond decker's isrealites was as well.
not to forget…. greyhound's black and white, johnny nash's i can see clearly now, montego bay by the rudies.
ken bootees cover of bread's everything i own, jimmy cliff's cover of cat steven's wild world.
10cc released dreadlock holiday,
even wings released C-Moon.
man, McCartney in on the reggae….in 1972. hell even oh-blah-di oh-blah-da was a reggae tune.
except this calypso version
https://youtu.be/nJoQbLV2sQU?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
or this dub version…
https://youtu.be/GR3-_q7x5Sk?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
magical times lad, magical.
Michael Halloran
_______________________________________
Thanks for this, Bob. Mike Chapman is one of my favorite producers and you've represented his oeuvre very well with this list.
Producers of his era (and Roy Thomas Baker also comes to mind) knew how to make records that grabbed you by the throat. They had to rely on their ears and their guts alone; there was no MTV.
I love the story of how "Heart of Glass" evolved. Blondie owe a huge debt of gratitude to Chapman; the record (and Blondie's crossover success) would not have happened without him. I think some of the band were resentful of his very hands-on approach in the studio. Their LES insouciance didn't always welcome outside feedback. But the initial arrangement, an anemic reggae treatment they were calling "Once I Had A Love," was going nowhere. Chapman's critiques were met with increasingly frustrated, defensive pushback. With the track now completely stalled, he finally asked Debbie what contemporary artist she admired. "Donna Summer." So he suggested they completely overhaul the song, disco style. The band was reluctant but Debbie was into it, so they capitulated.
And the rest is history — Blondie had their biggest hit (which Chapman also officially named "Heart of Glass") and, together, they made the Downtown punks like disco.
Thanks for your daily insights. You have a clear voice as a writer with a very considered point of view.
Best regards,
Jonathan Keith, Los Angeles
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I would gamble to go on record that "My Sharona" singularly killed blue-eyed soul and Disco in one fell swoop. Ballroom Blitz is just a riot and brought humor into glam rock spurring on the likes of Dee Snyder and his antics. Mike was also quite a guitar player and many of those low register guitar hook lines were played by him if I'm not mistaken. He was greatly influenced by working with Mickey Most and you can hear it on You Sexy Thing which sounds like it could be a Chinnychap production. A true hit maker genius from a bygone era.
Kenny Lee Lewis
_______________________________________
Amazing !
Andrew Loog Oldham
_______________________________________
FYI, Chris Norman (former lead singer) is still going strong and has just released a catchy new single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr1FtkKU8GE&utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
I got to see him live recently (first time) and he's in great shape for a guy who's 67 years of age. It's hard to beat the 10,000 hours apprenticeship, isn't it!:-)
Peace
Barry McCabe
_______________________________________
Really enjoyed the Mike Chapman themed letter this morning - and reading it made me think you might enjoy this Nicky Chinn episode of the Secret Genius series that I make at Spotify.
Rob Fitzpatricki
_______________________________________
Great playlist.
'Fade Away and Radiate' was the beginning of what is now an almost forty year love affair with Fripp and his music. 'Parallel Lines' is a timeless album, it still sounds fresh.
Miranda Yardley
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Written but not produced by Chinn & Chapman — but one of my favorites. I readily admit a soft spot in my heart for top 40 radio!
Little Willie — The Sweet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z13a4uky600&utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Jim Charne
_______________________________________
DOWNUNDER PERSPECTIVE
Mike Chapman, still alive.
That was my first fear, another one bites the dust. And he is 70. Older than Denis Johnson RIP.
He's an Australian.
That's where it all started, with New World, in the new world. We do things different here, in the antipodes.
New World did the soft rock hit Tom Tom Turnaround, which charted here in NZ as it did in Oz, then Living Next Door to Alice, which was remade with Smokie. Chapman was good at that, recycling.
ALICE, huge first time, had a second life in the lewd remake (Who the Fuck is Alice?), but here in NZ, with the main line to the best of British as well as Kasey's American Top 40 on a Saturday arvo, we were inundated with the Chinnichap stable on our charts.
Ballroom Blitz is so good, but you missed Blockbuster (six weeks at number one), Hellraiser... if any era is underrecognised now it's British glam, with Mud, Suzi Q and the rest on RAK, all Chinn and Chapman.
Then there was SOME GIRLS, Smokie prefiguring the Stones title; worse song but another huge, immensely annoying hit.
Then PARALLEL LINES. And the rest of the Blondie smashes. That excused everything. As did Exile, Mickey etc.
As for The Best, we know it as Simply the Best, Tina's duet with the great, troubled Jimmy Barnes.
He's the guy who paired up with Michael Hutchence and INXS for the definitive version of GOOD TIMES, a lesser known composition from the great Vanda/Young team who gave us those Easybeats classics. It rocks.
And I know you like a good bio, Bob.
Jimmy's wasn't ghosted, and the story of his hideous Scots>Australia childhood makes Bruce's memoir read like the easy way to the top. Jimmy's rock'n'roll stories, through Cold Chisel to the solo success and soul duets, is still to come with Vol2. That will be great.
Part 1, Here you go:
https://www.amazon.com/Working-Class-Boy-Jimmy-Barnes-ebook/dp/B01FWW8SZO?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Ps. We need to get you down here for a ski trip before climate change kills it.
Mark Cubey
_______________________________________
Good one Bob I love how Chrysalis played such a big role in music way back then Blondie was gone by the time I got there in November of 1984 But I loved when their catalog was converted to CD That's when I was able to relive everyone of their hits all over again ! I really enjoyed meeting Mike Chapman while I was there
Cheers The Sutterman
Kevin F. Sutter
_______________________________________
thanks for this playlist, this is cool and Fade Away and Radiate...yes Fripp made magic there for sure....
I'm not one to work you on music, especially from our company but seeing "Love is a Battlefield" on here, we just released a cover of this song by Maysa, who completely reinvents the tune as a song for our time. it is a song i tell friends to listen to as i think its spectacular as a cover....so forgive me for the "hype"...but you might miss this cover and it's maybe worthy enough to share with you.
thanks for all the great writings and information you always share....
Bill Cason
Shanachie
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"Tiger Feet" by Mud
Joel Selvin
_______________________________________
Very cool list, Bob. Chapman had an amazing string of hits.
One production you didn't mention, which is one of my favorites of his, is Material Issue's "Freak City Soundtrack" from 1994. Check out "Goin' Through Your Purse". The song definitely gives a nod or two to Sweet. An amazing Power Pop track (and album) that got lost in the Grunge era.
Pete
_______________________________________
Mike Chapman is absolutely brilliant. Thanks for this post.
Craig MacNeil
_______________________________________
"Hanging On The Telephone" - What an opener, what a great concept, what a KILLER!
The original, by the Nerves: https://open.spotify.com/track/5icEcS2TkG3y0HAt1j0M3J?utm_source=phplist5875&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Mike+Chapman
Hyperbolium
_______________________________________
Re: Mike Chapman Playlist (Better Be Good To Me)
Quick note on this one. It originally appeared on the album "Between the Lines" by the band Spider. For my money, it's a better version than Tina's.
Spider was a band started in New York City by a couple from South Africa, Amanda Blue (vocals) and Keith Lentin (guitar). That album also featured a song later made famous by John Waite called "Change." It was one of his bigger hits.
Holly Knight was Spider's keyboard player.
Anton Fig, later of David Letterman's band (for many, many years), was Spider's drummer.
Met them all when they played a club in Charlotte, NC. Very nice bunch of folks. Was the first time I ever hung out on a tour bus. I was 21 and wide-eyed...
Bob Davis
Tour Accountant
Drake - OVO Festivals
Toronto/London 2017
_______________________________________
OMG!
I have just driven 3 hours to get to our cottage 70 miles out of town.
I pour myself a glass of fine Bordeaux and get stuck into my emails.
148!
So I put on this playlist and the time and email just flies!
What a genius this man is. Please don't tell me he died. I always worry when you write about someone.
I remember reading that when asked what his biggest mistake was he said"making a second album with the Knack"!
Only shame is the Sweet track didn't come up on Spotify. He made so many great singles with Sweet and Mudd. Together with Susie Q on Micky Mosts label. Takes a genius to recognise a genius!
Richard Griffiths
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Re-Kathy Griffin
Thank you Bob. I've been reading you for years now.
I will keep letting my freak flag fly!
Keep up the good work!
Lucas Garzoli
____________________________________
Bob, you're kidding right?
Trump was not my choice but clearly Griffin crossed the line. Crossed a line so far it transcends any ideology (except Maybe ISIS).
He's the President. Like it or not.
Let's go vintage and reinstate civil discourse. That's the flag I'm flying!
Rob Joseph
____________________________________
Sorry but what a crock.
Wes Kelley
____________________________________
Sounds like Bill Clinton!
Clarence Jey
____________________________________
Kathy Griffin has never been funny, so I'm for anything that gets her off of the airwaves.
Doug Mitchell
____________________________________
I'm not a fan of politics. I do not consider myself a Trump fan. I support Kathy's right to free speech. But free speech doesn't mean free-from-blow-back. She did it. She can live with the consequences.
As for the kid seeing the image and "parental controls": the image was literally posted everywhere on social media.....often by republicans claiming how grotesque it was and how it should have never been taken or released (so counter intuitive and odd which is another ball of wax). The photo couldn't be avoided if you visited Facebook (or just about any other site). And that would be a REALLY difficult image to see of your parent.
I disagree with you strongly on this one. And you haven't been wrong on Trump very often.
Ken Madson
____________________________________
Sorry. Kathy Griffin has always been a punk. She ain't no artist. If that's not enough, she held up what was supposed to be a bloody head. You know. The very thing we accuse terrorists of doing. The very thing that we fear. Sometimes, there are lines. And, no equivalencies.
Thank you,
Ray Laskowitz
____________________________________
This seems more like, "letting you hate fly".
Bill Jackson
Fallbrook, California
____________________________________
Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Bob --unfortunate, but needs to be done these days.
Where was the outrage when President Obama was being threatened with lynching & the like? Too much hypocrisy, America is a universal embarrassment on a daily basis. -- Joel Messerer in SF
____________________________________
Maybe it's CNN's way of courting the conservatives who think Fox is too wingnut.
"See," they think the termination says, "we're not liberal puppets. We can be balanced. We KNOW the difference..."
They think it's a wink and a secret handshake. I promise.
Best Regards,
Holly Gleason
Nashville, TN
____________________________________
best in a while. love it. thank you.
Justin Bolognino
____________________________________
First time I've ever disagreed with you and I'm a Kathy Griffin fan and a Hillary supporter. Too far...
Kristina
____________________________________
agree....but it was still despicable
Michael Leon
____________________________________
USA the land of hypercrites
Dwayne Lee
____________________________________
Did you write this article with the same intentions as Kathy had with her childish attention-seeking charade?
It's pure dribble, and complete horse shit. You're better than that, and I'm utterly surprised at you for writing such babble.
Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal, the world demands and needs to have a moral line, and when that line is crossed, it comes with consequences.
If you mimick what ISIS does to their victims, you deserve to be put in real jail...period!
Get your head out of your ass and grow up; CNN did the right thing.
Eytan Kamkar
____________________________________
What if Trump had to go to the hospital or morgue to identify the body of a loved one killed, with their throat slit open, trying protect a fellow citizen from a hate crime that was encouraged by the campaign speeches of his president?
Kathy and her photographer were making a powerful and accurate statement and I'm sad she had to apologize. But then again , that's Hollywood, right?
Melissa Ward
____________________________________
amen
Deb Wilker
____________________________________
Way off the mark and showing your talons. You could not write this if it was Obama's head in Ted Nugents palm.
Rick Vogt
____________________________________
Amen, brother.
tvnews
____________________________________
Chicken shit CNN. Without the Donald, their in the toilet.
Olie
____________________________________
I gotta ask, "what did Scott pelley do wrong"?
Eff Barron trump for shitting himself and letting himself be used as a prop.
If his kids can't deal with it, ivanka needs to get the stick out of her ass when she got confronted on a public flight after the election for screwing up the flight plans for civilians on the plan. Fuck them all. The sun doesn't rise and set in their rectums, even if daddy wants Russian hookers to piss on him.
walkerhds
____________________________________
Amen!
Ellen Miller
Chicago
____________________________________
ugh - up where i live the venue for her show in october cancelled the gig after an 'uproar' by the conservatives on the venue's facebook page. funniest complaint was 'she disrespected the office of the president'. can she really do that any more than trump already has? i'm no griffin fan to be sure but as soon as i saw the picture and started reading remarks i just had to stop - my takeaway on the entire incident was B.F.D. and move on people.......
Denise Mello
____________________________________
We as a country have suffered the reality of journalists who were actually beheaded by ISIS. I defend Kathy Griffin's first amendment right to produce the image she produced, but the backlash she is experiencing is in my view totally appropriate and renews my belief in the basic goodness of the vast majority of people across the political spectrum.
I hope the massive negative reaction to this will have the effect of causing artists to think about the extent to which they will go to express their personal political views through their art. I wish artists would spend their energy creating art! I'd like to see them express their personal political views at the ballot box and through private donations and fundraisers like everyone else.
I'll agree that Kathy Griffin is 'a nitwit comedian with a brain who's in search of attention'. That said, the image of Kathy Griffin holding the US President's bloody severed head isn't comedy, it's not even nitwit comedy, and she is getting what she deserves for putting a greedy desire for attention ahead of everything else. Yes, she has the right to produce the image but that doesn't mean it has to be accepted by the public.
I for one am glad that the public (and CNN), has rejected it.
Bill Concello
____________________________________
'Amen!' to that.
Nieros
____________________________________
Couldn't agree more.
Mitch Tenzer
____________________________________
She should try harder to be funny with all of the free time she has now.
Tim Fricke
____________________________________
I'm sure you know you'll receive blowback from this, but not from me. I'm wth ya. RESIST!!!
Mark Towns
____________________________________
Free Kathy Griffin!When I saw it,I didn't know what it was a picture of.Thanks,Ted Keane
____________________________________
Bravo Bob. Well said
Regards
Peter Brentnall
____________________________________
Right on, Bob. I just wish Kathy stood up for herself and told everyone to get off their fuckin' high horses. She mocked a man who has no respect for any life on this entire planet except his own. He should be able to take a joke, albeit a sick one. Lord have mercy on this country!
Jonathan Robinson
____________________________________
You've gone off the rails. Lost your bearings. Succumbed to mass group think. George Orwell wouldn't be surprised. I know you think anyone who doesn't hate and bash our buffoon president must be a stupid, uninformed hillbilly, but that's not the case. How else would he have won?
If only he was a great statesman rather than a brash, buffoonish businessman television personality. Then maybe these bold and radical decisions, focused on the welfare of the United States of America and not necessarily the entire world would be more accepted. Then again they are if you consider the voting American.
Thanks
Steve Lujan in Denver
____________________________________
you ought to be ashamed
S Cosmas
P.S. cruising the sites where that image was displayed? like all over the gd news? she has free speech, but free speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences (like cnn and her sponsors, and her cohosts etc.)
____________________________________
I don't want to speak for Sleazy P Martini, But I'm pretty sure GWAR have violently killed every president since Reagan live and onstage hundreds of times.
Trashy Ashell
____________________________________
You know, I was thinking about this. I didn't actually look at the picture, but its hard to miss the blowback. Didn't the current President spend years discrediting Obama? Saying he wasn't born here? Where was the concern for the children then? Where was the network's concern for what kids were hearing then. At the end of the day. It simply comes down to this. A double standard. White privilege. "There's no way the black man could be smart enough to be president, he wasn't born here. It's impossible and doesn't add up, he must have fooled us or had an advantage." "This woman went too far, she doesn't have freedom of speech or expression"
Yet the white guy in charge can say whatever the "f*ck" he wants. The boomers aren't going to go without a fight, but the fight is coming.
R,
-S. Smith
____________________________________
Thank you. CNN = gutless wonder of mass media.
Sue Taylor
Old Woman from Oakland
____________________________________
Couldn't agree more. I don't get offended by comedians, I get offended by people in power who serve their own interests PERIOD.
What a crock of covfefe.
-Darwyn Metzger
____________________________________
Thank you for articulating my exact thoughts so well yet again
Mick Dalla-Vee
____________________________________
Sometimes u hit the target and sometimes
Ur truly insane...
Quit drinking whatever
Brand of koolaid ur drinking
Tracyspark
____________________________________
The problem with Kathy is that she isn't funny.
Dan Fullick
____________________________________
would you have defended a white male comedian who dared hold a severed bleeding head of barack obama?
or showed a picture of barack obama in a noose hanging from a tree?
answer: no you would not have and you know it
you: hypocrite
Ira Transport
____________________________________
Sorry Bob, you are DEAD wrong on this one! Just substitute the prior President's head in this scenario and I doubt you write the same narrative! Most sane people are not saying she did not have the freedom of speech to do what she did... but that does not give her freedom from the consequences of that speech... (just witness the freak out over the word "covfefe"). Just because you can say something, doesn't mean you should! The pic that Griffin showed or the pics of President Obama being burned in effigy are equally against any sense of decency! You say we should want the government out of our lives but on so many other issues I read from you.. you preach government being all up in our shit! She did what she did... and the public has spoken... that's the way it should be!
Jim Ryan
____________________________________
Sorry Bob, you are way off.
What if it was done to Obama?? Think about it..... honestly. Sorry. I don't buy it.
Love your Gregg Allman piece. Can't believe you can be so spot on and so spot off !
Ain't THAT America !
Jimmy Velordi
ATL
____________________________________
I Completely agree. Jim Carey said the same thing in support of Kathy. Comedians are the last bastians of truth.
-Demi Davis
____________________________________
Amen! Well put….thanks for writing this.
Kelly Clark
____________________________________
Here's the problem with what Griffin did: it wasn't funny. In order for a joke to work it has to be funny and this simply wasn't. The only message I drew from it was "look at me, I'm Kathy Griffin!"
Brian Cooney
____________________________________
Right on.
Chuck Thatcher, Nashville
____________________________________
Bob, the tweet below (posted over six weeks ago) sums up the situation perfectly…
Bill Hicks Reweeted
You don't get to vote for a President who grabs women by the pussy and the be offended by something a comedian says. Those are the rules.
Mat Orefice
____________________________________
Let's not forget that CNN lead the charge against the Missouri rodeo clown that wore an Obama mask in a comedy skit in 2013. He was suspended for life by the rodeo foundation. I am all for making fun of the president, it's what we do and have aways done in America but this is a new age with sponsors attached. Everybody has a keyboard and precious little feelings that we dare not hurt. CNN is following the rules they helped to create.
Joe Gomez
____________________________________
Bob, I agree, this was within the boundaries of satire, even if in poor taste. Wolf should be put out to pasture with all the other old cows. I don't know how he stays so emoted about every story that hits his desk. Anderson is a child's puppet. Ever since we were told he is gay, we have all been programmed to give him a special break. He is just so precious. We are basically wandering in the wilderness, bumping into each other with more and more velocity every day, a neutron bomb getting ready to explode. Hold on to somebody.
Thomas Geimer
____________________________________
I agree in principle with your commentary about Kathy/CNN, though I've never liked her shtick. From a comedic perspective CNN's New Year's show is better off without her. From a "profiles in courage" perspective, shame on them.
Wally Wilson
____________________________________
Thank you Bob
Colleen Kenny LaRocque
____________________________________
THANK YOU!! The hate and vitriol I've seen on Kathy's social media profiles is insane. She went too far. She apologized. Since when is apologizing not enough in a world where Trump never apologizes for anything?
This is a woman who has performed for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and gives free tickets to local vets to all of her shows. She is not anti-American, nor is she a mentally ill or heartless person. Her judgement on this was unfortunate, but it doesn't erase YEARS of supporting the troops and being an activist for women's and LGBT rights.
Mitchell Hunter
____________________________________
Thing is, Kathy Griffin finally did something funny and no one knows quite how to react.
Jon Langston
____________________________________
You are horrible.
Craig
____________________________________
Bravo!!
KF
____________________________________
If a comic held up the bloodied head of a Democratic president, you would not be as quick to virtually exonerate here.
But we all realize there are some things you do, and some things you don't, because of who is in the White House. You can be Colbert and vulgarly joke about the president if he's a bloated white Republican.
erpietri
____________________________________
Wonder if Ivanka and Baron were 'deeply affected' by the pussy grabbing? That was THEIR OWN Dad, speaking for himself.
People are being too fatalistic about all of this. We can reverse this climate change thing in a max of four years, and it will take a couple to withdraw. Not only that, companies, cities, and states are going to continue their efforts. They don't need gov't permission! That's what Pittsburgh's mayor said. Who, btw, voted for HRC 80/20, and came out of a 19% unemployment depression by moving away from technologies of the past. They are the MODEL for the future, not a remnant of the past. DT used Pittsburgh for it's alliterative value with Paris. Lazy concept from a lazy mind.
Armand Sadlier
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I agree with you, the only thing that I had a problem with is the ISIS Talliban terrorist form of public execution being decapitation it kind of brought that full circle.
Lgjg94
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The parallels between the third reich and today's usa are startling!
Steve Boone
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I was blown away that she apologized, Bob. What comedian apologizes for a joke that falls flat? What artist says "oops, sorry" for a piece of art or music the public doeson't get? I'm appalled that conservatives don't support her right to free speech. I don't like her brand of humor and never have; this is just one more example of why I don't like her. But I just tune her out, I don't cry for HER head. And liberals and the liberal media - all holier-than-thou, when really, behind the curtain, they're in complete agreement with the sentiment of that photo. They're complete hypocrites. In other words, EVERYBODY got this one wrong.
Chris Beytes
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Right on, Bob!
Darlene Gorzela
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The demise of the band PWR BTTM, whose freak flag fueled betrayal, is another instance of how social media/news have become a gatekeeper for morals/ethics/behavior/poor decisions and its effect on the career of the entertainment artist.
John Kauchick
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Enjoy the newsletter, but come on! I agree with your points, there are other and worse offenses by the media and of course the president. BUT we cannot have been (rightly) condemning every terrible Obama beheading "joke" and not this one. We need to hold all folks to the same standard even if we don't like the target of the "joke".
Mike Erario
v
AMEN, BROTHER!
Jan Ramsey
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Agree. She was doing her job. And she got treated as if she blasphemed Mohammef and CNN were a radical extremist sect.
Don Goldberg
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So silly,
Griffins' within her rights to do whatever she wants to do. If people, not demos or repubs but people, if people want to let advertisers know they aren't happy, they have that right. Ask George Soros & his band of misfits & Sean Hannity if they have that right. Yes they do. So once we understand the half of the country that doesn't want government overseeing their entire life, wants to be left alone, the capitalist, is the half in power & the other half, the crybabies,the collectivist socialists that always see the worst in people and want government infecting every nook and cranny of our lives to wring that bad out stop destroying whatever positive vibes they had by rioting and showing the hate and spite they have for the capitalist side, then maybe we'll all be better off. This country is fantastic and once the Collectivist sees the good in everyone (we can hope) this country won't look back. Take care, Rich Case
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Bob,
One word…YUP!
Nona Hendryx
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You are way , way, way out of line with this blog post. Weight the picture against the reason behind posting it and tell me you think this kind of "humor" is warrented. The curdling effect of Ms. Griffin's motives are unacceptable and the whey left behind is unstrained and offensive.
Cathy Hancock.
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Don't worry Bob, Ms. Griffin will rise again. As Jim Carrey recently avowed COMEDY is the last line of defense in our democracy. It used to be music, but that was then and this is now. If I were she, I'd double down and create a two-headed image. One, for what Trump promised, and one for what his evil twin is doing to us all. Kathy has taken a bold strike for freedom and the survival of our species. Remember Jane Fonda during the Viet Nam horror show? Why is it the women have the most courage? Why aren't we following them?
Hartmann
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Right on Bob - much ado about nothing
MP Doherty
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In the words of my friend, Jon Pike:
If we can all agree that Kathy Griffin is a no-talent hack, can we go back to agreeing that kicking disabled people off of Medicaid is a far worse offense?
Dave Nelson
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Kathy griffin isn't funny and really never has been. This barely registers on my radar. Macron standing up to DJT directly? That gets me going!
Leonardo Dosoretz
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Right On, brah!~
A. Porro
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Horseshit, Bob. If this had been Obama, you and the media would be OUTRAGED and calling for immediate resignation(s) and banishment. Double-standard commentary, my friend.
Scott Hazlewood
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It's the old "Selective Outrage" again..The people who are livid about this , are FINE with Ted Nugent talking about lynching Obama..
James Spencer
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Bob. This pic is everywhere. Don't even think that it's a good idea to try and shame the minor in this story. It makes you seem like an asshole.
Kevin Hamilton
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I hear you and agree with you that limits need to be pushed and freedom of expression defended. But in this case you got it wrong.
You don't have to like the cops, but you sure as hell better respect their authority. Equally you can despise Trump, but you need to respect the office of the presidency.
What would the "punishment" have been if a public figure had done the same thing to Obama's head while he was president?
Always respect the position, not the person if that is your will.
Matt Grandi in Marin
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Bob, I love ya. What if Kathy Griffin, whom I do not condone, had put Obama's head on a stick?? Think about the repercussions of that.
Marie Rao
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Bob, as usual, you are 100% on this. Comedians have always pushed the limits.
Does the name Lenny Bruce mean anything to us? The photo sucked but it should
not be a career ender. I think Kathy will rise from the ashes.
Katie Bradford
Portland, OR
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Humor and violating Federal law are two different things. Libtards struggle with that.
CJ
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I think you hit the nail on the head about what the real problem with this stunt by Kathy Griffin is. It's distracting from the important things that are going on.
Robert Wood
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Great 'Letter', Bob!
I'm not a Kathy Griffin fan by any stretch, but I don't think she should've apologized...
Rodney Rowland
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How about Larry The Cable Guy holds up Obama's head in a noose? Go ahead. Spin that.
Lawrence Shore
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I couldn't agree with you more! Not only that, I think the piece succeeds as art. It's well-composed, perfectly styled, Griffin's performance is committed and in the moment. And now it's been effectively censored by the crowd - what a damned shame.
Jeremy Shatan
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Completely agree!
She's punished by the anti-Trump network for being too blatant...6 months down the road, by which time it will be long forgotten.
And as for Baron, Trump is playing the child-sympathy card, poor Daddy 'n child, while forgetting the daily things HE says and does which offend children and people everywhere?
Gimme a break.
-brian dolzani
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Amen. Nicely said.
Ashley Jones
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As usual, you miss the point.
Your political blogs are so mired in left wing propaganda, that objectivity does not exist in your thinking.
What if a comedian had held up a decapitated head of Obama?
The left wingers would have rioted in the streets, and accused every white person of racism.
Double standard, indeed.
Matt Mavrolas
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right arm! rwhake
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"Yet the whole nation has got its knickers in a twist while the President sells access to the Russians" - Bob Lefsetz
Hillary LOST Bob, Trump is president. She sold access & US Uranium (via Uranium One) to the Russians & pockets over 100 million, (not Trump!)
HRC DID that! Trump is innocent until proven guilty…unless your get all your info from MSM.
Don't take my word for it. Check out the donations to fine charity work of The Clinton Foundation & World Initiate since she lost the election.
LAVON PAGAN
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PREACH, BOB!! (Yea, I'm yelling)
Francia Buitrago
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Well said Sir.
Ray Dariano
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I could not agree more.
If Ted Nugent is okay with Trump to suggest beheading Obama and Hillary..that leaves him no moral ground to take issue withKathy Griffin.
How about Sasha and Malia and how THEY
felt about that talk? Where was Donald then?
Add hypocrite to his list of shortcomings.
Bit then who expected anything more of him.
He is a crude and classless man who is doing a fine job of undermining himself.
Carry on Mr. President..we'll just wait for you to self-combust in due time.
Alice Barstow
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Go get 'em, Bob! Well said!
David Arnold
Houston, Texas
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A.M.E.N.
Blake Foster
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You call this 'testing the limits'. I call it disgusting. Would you have had the same 'move on' reaction if she had Obama's head in hand? I would have. There should be limits and this is the market playing it's role. The left is going after conservatives by using the boycott attack when they don't agree, they riot at universities when someone is engaged to speak that they don't agree with and probably don't know why. That's OK with you I suspect? Take your lefty jersey off and think of just how plain wrong this cry for attention is by Griffin. No doubt she figured there would be a backlash and believed any publicity is good when you're on the brink of irrelevance. There has to be a line somewhere, the marketplace of ideas believes she crossed it.
Jim A
Castle Rock, CO
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I have been reading you for a year now and find you enlightening, not always right, yet willing to lay it all out there. I find your writing amusing and conversational: however, here is where I have to say something. Our entertainment industry have every right to express their speech and their thoughts, yet, do not have the right to disrespect. And all this has turned into a disgusting mess. When does it stop. I am not a Trump supporter, I am an American supporter. Nonetheless, he is the president. Done. Wasting time and massive amount of money just to see if maybe Russia and Trump did a naughty, which is not punishable by death, in the meantime, other things need attention yet nothing gets done. Don't like what Trump is doing? In four years, vote him out. Obama had his time and done. There are those who did not like him either, but by the grace of God, no one was saying or creating these kinds of acts against him. Imagine if someone from the right did what Griffin did? Can you honestly tell me that person would not have been lynched? Come on, tell the truth there. The Left is screaming for equality and respect, but they are leaders in the pact of not showing by example. I don't lean left or right, I lean to compromise and getting things done.
Then Kathy Griffin says this is artistic expression? No! It is gross misbehavior. I knew Ambassador Stevens and I had met James Foley; knowing they died in two different horrific ways, I can never unsee what happened to them and many others ,yet here we have a female comedian disrespecting the president (whether one likes him or not-the office should be respected) depicting this disgraceful act in her expensive clothes, make-up and hair style and holding a bloodied head in order for free speech is directly spitting on those who are dying this way all the time. It incites anger, hate and is a gross management of what we are showing our young. They think this is okay. And, yes, Trump's kid, my kid and thousands of others saw this. No need to search deep, it is right there.
It is time to grow up. Turning on the TV or Internet with the majority of comedians and writers childishly attacking and belittling all aspects of the president is very old and tiring. Fix our own neighborhoods one by one and focus on the positive: the negativity and bashing is letting bullies know they can keep bullying. ?Our president too needs to buckle down. Restain and control from all sides of the equations.
Thank you for reading my comment. I am just tired of it all. And I agree with you, it is our musicians who need to write a message, something we can hold onto and show our feelings as we did in the 60's and 70's and be peaceful and respectful about it?.
Have a good weekend.
Joyce Adamidis
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Hi Bob
I occasionally (regularly pre-election) write a political "blog" - actually just quick old school mass email along the same lines as you (albeit it's much more so links and rarely - maybe a couple of x - has contextual writing supporting it, while your written content is generally stellar).
I staunchly believe I am a true independent and see good and bad on both sides. I grade Trump a generous C right now and if nothing gets done by another do-nothing/partisan-ridden/politically- motivated Congress by the time they go on summer break in 7 weeks I'll drop Trump's grade further. As top dog in politics he gets credit and blame. Personally I think he's in way over his head (as I thought he would b and a part of why I voted HRC. Since when do kids get to go on summer break when they don't do their school work all year? Congress needs to work to find something meaningful to agree on - that's good for the majority of Americans - and pass legislation...now.
With that said and I kno you like straight talk, you're such a lefty you can't c straight. Your KG comments are exactly the same as the lefties responding to my blog. This is about SLICING OFF THE HEAD OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. What's confusing? A TERRORIST STYLE BEHEADING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., OF A HUSBAND, A FATHER TO 6, INCLUDING A YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE BOY. This is so beyond over the line. Tiger loses sponsors cuz he gets a DUI and I believe I read in fact that he had no alcohol in his system, albeit that is certainly not an excuse and I would not want him representing my brand after this and prior. KG must get pulled. Other liberals talk of blowing up the WH, still others speak of incest in the Trump family. (From where I sit it seems - certainly to my surprise - that Donald is an excellent father and/or married women that more than assured the kids would turn out to b nice, respectful adults, as well as seemingly good parents in their own right.) The photog and everyone connected needs to b exposed and/or some sort of severe scolding and/or other actions taken. Photog Andrea....how does she look in her kids' eyes? I am appalled that the media published the picture as if no big deal.
As an aside, many years ago at the height of the OJ case I went to the costume shop to pick up a Nicole head or mask to wear for Halloween; the Halloween shop explained to me that they never sell the "victim." I tried a few others and found it to b the same. Even Halloween costume stores have better judgment!
You and the other hard core and even less hard core lefties "counter" that we should look at the GOP and see what they have done/said. Well, personally, I'm unaware of anyone on the right - in politics, pundits or comedians (a GOP-supporting comedian....pretty darn close to an oxymoron) - doing anything remotely close. And, frankly, I don't care - to make a point - if they did. What the right did or did not do does not matter right now....what KG did and what the left does regularly and, possibly worse, what the mass media does in under reacting to this (and other lefty over the line actions) is unacceptable. (The WSJ is the one very objective news source; conservative editorials / opinions but the reporting of news - sans spin & complete - is stellar.)
As many have said before, pls stay away from politics. You've got beyond fabulous stuff on music and often great stuff on other, but your lost in your liberal bias unable to see political happenings objectively.
Thank you for your hoped-for read of my comments and you're welcome to "publish" this if so inclined.
Howard Rosecrans
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Settle down Bob! I don't believe Kathy Griffin has been arrested, has she? One of her employers (CNN) decided that this stunt was too offensive to their audience and didn't have the courage to stand with her in defending her first amendment right to free speech. Follow the money... It was a business decision for CNN. Not a crime on her part, nor on theirs. I will say that the reaction of the general media seems curious to me... definitely covered as news "story" but hardly one of universal outrage or anything near what it would have been had a comedian done this in 2008 with Obama's head! And can you imagine Al Franken reacting so calmly as he did here, with Ms. Griffin? I absolutely believe in and would defend her right to do this, regardless how much I personally think it's utterly obnoxious and in terribly poor taste. Of course, as always, it's everyone's right to react as they want to. That's what our first amendment is all about. Just like when the Nazis marched in Skokie in the 70's, and they were protected... no matter how many folks they pissed off. By the way, I didn't hear your outrage about provocative conservatives (Ann Coulter, Ben Shapiro, etc.) essentially being banned from public speaking engagements on college campuses all over the country... why not? Is your definition of free speech only the speech that is politically correct and not offensive to liberals? Many prominent lefties (Howard Dean, Ted Wheeler, etc.) have been saying that "hate" speech is not protected. Want to weigh in on this? Remember, speech that offends no one doesn't need protection!
Byron Udell
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This entire rant is a total piece of shit from top to bottom ! I get that Lefsetz and I don't agree on all that much, and some of his past op ed's have been very solid, and well thought out, but this one is a sad commentary on how far he lets his liberalism override his brain ! Nothing but false charges, no evidence to support his claims, sweeping generalisms, democratic talking points, charged language, populate this piece of garbage !
Lefsetz goes on and on about Free Speech, something we both agree on, he references, Chris Rock, Steven Colbert, and of course Kathy Griffin, no mention of Milo Yiannopoulos, Anne Coulter, or David Horowitz, all of who were denied "Free Speech" from the Brownshirts at Berkeley ! Hard to discuss the topic honestly, without even a mention here, but that assumes that honesty was part of the intent here. What about the conservative limits being tested here Bob, you know, Life begins at conception and marriage is between a man and a woman, along with if you came here illegally you broke the law, just to name a few concepts that when tested get shouted down…..
Bill O'Reilly was discussed here as well, yes his deplorable behavior with woman finally got him fired, and rightfully so, however no mention of Bill Clinton, who was just as deplorable but kept his job ! Both men should be shamed for what they did, but to overlook Slick Willie in this discussion is another blind attempt to sell only liberal talking points, but we are not buying. Trumps behavior with women is deplorable as well, but to date, has not risen to the level of O'Reilly or Clinton.
As for Lefsetz opining on the mental state of Barron Trump, what a putz to even mention this ! The kid may have some issues, I have not examined him and I would bet neither has Lefsetz, so his comments are stupid, uninformed, and lack in even the basics of human compassion. I always felt that anyone's kids ( under 18) are off limits, and only if they enter into the political discourse after that age, are they fodder for commentary ! Such as Ivanka, she is a fair target for any of Lefselz fits of rage, in his sad attempt to make himself feel better for his party getting decimated in the last election !
As far as Trump and the Russians go, there is zero evidence of any wrongdoing, this may change, but unless Lefsetz is speaking directly to Robert Mueller, he is just shooting from the hip ! I would remind him, no matter what he thinks of the man, Trump is an American citizen, and is innocent until proven guilty ! We have due process, evidence, discovery, and the right to defend yourself, and finally, be tried by your peers, not in the press. If Mueller does his job, we will all find out, is it too hard to wait for that, or should we just get a noose now Bob ?
I think we can all have a different definition of comedy, obscenity, and taste ! Nobody is taking away Kathy Griffin's Free Speech, she simply got fired because CNN did not want to be associated with what she did. Not the first employee to sound off and get fired here, so relax, and respect CNN's decision to can this "D" rated comedian, who in my personal opinion went too far. I disagree that only Fox viewers were pissed off, and of course your sweeping generalization here is pitiful in its stupidity and shallowness. Maybe, for you that image was okay, but a lot of folks found it disgusting, and offensive, and yes, many of those folks are democrats ! To be clear, I felt the same way when Ted Nugent blasted a hole in the effigy of Barack Obama, and had he been employed by Fox, I would have hoped they would can his @$$ as well ! I was disgusted that Trump had him at the White House, after that prank as well. As long as we are on the subject, I didn't like that Barack and Michelle hosted a rapper who spoke of cop killing at the White House either.
Why lethal injections and cheering was brought up, I have no idea. I could imagine a couple whose daughter was raped, tortured and murdered, by some maniac, cheering when the State took his life, and I could feel empathy for them, not sure what that makes me ??? Funny, Mr. Lefsetz has compassion for murder's who have earned the punishment they receive, but does not lament the lives of innocent children aborted for the crime of…..well nothing, but hey, that's just me.
Lastly, to bring up cops killing a Black man and going back to work after a trial served no purpose to this discussion. However, if you want to wade into this topic, you at least should have some facts to support it.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/16/politics/fbi-director-police-shootings/?utm_source=phplist5874&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Kathy+Griffin
Again, anti-cop propaganda and talking points hand selected by those idiots at Black Lives Matter, is not sufficient to enter into an adult discussion ! But to make one point, look at the murder rate in Chicago, and see what percentage of Blacks are the killer and the victims. Also, noteworthy, when the bullets start flying down there on the South Side, the Black families, in fear of their lives, call the cops ( made up of all races) to protect them. The police respond to an active shooter event, with their lives on the line, try doing that day after day Bob, and them come back to me with some more useless BLM nonsense. My brother just retired as a Sgt. In the Houston Police Department, after 33 years. He was twice decorated for bravery, he never shot anyone, but he could tell you stories that would fry your hair, so back off the BS Bob, you might want to ride along with some cops before you $#!t all over them. Yes, some are bad, we have a system to deal with that, it's called a trial, which you mentioned, but I guess unless the verdict doesn't go the way you like, it is not valid ??? Like say, Ferguson, even thought our Black AG, Eric Holder and the Feds went down there and found the same evidence as the local cops, which concluded that the shooting of Michael Brown by officer Wilson was justified. But, hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good talking point…isn't that Saul Alinski 101 ?
Good Grief !
Raymond Murray
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What do you really mean when you wonder what web sites is a 11 year old manhattan boy "cruising" (who happens to be the son of the sitting us predident)?
Can you really imagine that in the nyc household of the President's family that there are no parental controls? Really???
How can you assume that his "schooling" comes into play when this visual "incident" comes into his world....all of our worlds.........especially since all avenues in the connected world of observable media repetitively show and share the imagery and the stories behind the picture.........anyone would have to have been dead not to see the graphic image displayed over and over during the active news cycle when this story trended "bigly"! Any 11 year old in the world would have had the images foisted upon them.
Am I right, you don't have kids?
If not when you walk the mile in a parents' shoes then you will know with clarity when your 11 year old child's sense of safety and security are violated and I bet you will be ever quick to want to protect and defend....maybe even lash back!
This has nothing to do with any ones political views and all about what is reasonable and tolerable and from where I sit....left leaning folks ain't got much of that! .......Including you!
I have been a recipient of your writings for years and you have helped inform me and shape my attitudes on a variety of topics and I share frequently your thoughts often with my tribes and friends.
You have missed the mark on this one!
And please do keep those cards and letters coming!
Fred Reinhart
Phila, Pa
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"And to tell you the truth, I believe what comes out of Kathy's mouth more than that of social climber Anderson Cooper and fake Mr. Gravitas Wolf Blitzer. Come on, she's got more creativity in her little finger than either of those MALES"
I'm not a fan of either Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blitzer, but what does being male have to do with creativity or truthfulness?
And how is Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt's son, a social climber?
"And the people pissed about this aren't watching CNN anyway, they're over at Fox."
??? At this point I think you need an editor. Badly. Or simply to re-read and think things through before you publish.
I believe the boy's name is spelled "Barron."
Kathy Griffin did mess up, but she could have handled both her error (in judgement and taste) and her apology a lot better than she has done to date. Engaging Lisa Bloom to represent her seems to be compounding her errors.
Curtis Roberts
I will keep letting my freak flag fly!
Keep up the good work!
Lucas Garzoli
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Bob, you're kidding right?
Trump was not my choice but clearly Griffin crossed the line. Crossed a line so far it transcends any ideology (except Maybe ISIS).
He's the President. Like it or not.
Let's go vintage and reinstate civil discourse. That's the flag I'm flying!
Rob Joseph
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Sorry but what a crock.
Wes Kelley
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Sounds like Bill Clinton!
Clarence Jey
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Kathy Griffin has never been funny, so I'm for anything that gets her off of the airwaves.
Doug Mitchell
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I'm not a fan of politics. I do not consider myself a Trump fan. I support Kathy's right to free speech. But free speech doesn't mean free-from-blow-back. She did it. She can live with the consequences.
As for the kid seeing the image and "parental controls": the image was literally posted everywhere on social media.....often by republicans claiming how grotesque it was and how it should have never been taken or released (so counter intuitive and odd which is another ball of wax). The photo couldn't be avoided if you visited Facebook (or just about any other site). And that would be a REALLY difficult image to see of your parent.
I disagree with you strongly on this one. And you haven't been wrong on Trump very often.
Ken Madson
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Sorry. Kathy Griffin has always been a punk. She ain't no artist. If that's not enough, she held up what was supposed to be a bloody head. You know. The very thing we accuse terrorists of doing. The very thing that we fear. Sometimes, there are lines. And, no equivalencies.
Thank you,
Ray Laskowitz
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This seems more like, "letting you hate fly".
Bill Jackson
Fallbrook, California
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Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Bob --unfortunate, but needs to be done these days.
Where was the outrage when President Obama was being threatened with lynching & the like? Too much hypocrisy, America is a universal embarrassment on a daily basis. -- Joel Messerer in SF
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Maybe it's CNN's way of courting the conservatives who think Fox is too wingnut.
"See," they think the termination says, "we're not liberal puppets. We can be balanced. We KNOW the difference..."
They think it's a wink and a secret handshake. I promise.
Best Regards,
Holly Gleason
Nashville, TN
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best in a while. love it. thank you.
Justin Bolognino
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First time I've ever disagreed with you and I'm a Kathy Griffin fan and a Hillary supporter. Too far...
Kristina
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agree....but it was still despicable
Michael Leon
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USA the land of hypercrites
Dwayne Lee
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Did you write this article with the same intentions as Kathy had with her childish attention-seeking charade?
It's pure dribble, and complete horse shit. You're better than that, and I'm utterly surprised at you for writing such babble.
Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal, the world demands and needs to have a moral line, and when that line is crossed, it comes with consequences.
If you mimick what ISIS does to their victims, you deserve to be put in real jail...period!
Get your head out of your ass and grow up; CNN did the right thing.
Eytan Kamkar
____________________________________
What if Trump had to go to the hospital or morgue to identify the body of a loved one killed, with their throat slit open, trying protect a fellow citizen from a hate crime that was encouraged by the campaign speeches of his president?
Kathy and her photographer were making a powerful and accurate statement and I'm sad she had to apologize. But then again , that's Hollywood, right?
Melissa Ward
____________________________________
amen
Deb Wilker
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Way off the mark and showing your talons. You could not write this if it was Obama's head in Ted Nugents palm.
Rick Vogt
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Amen, brother.
tvnews
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Chicken shit CNN. Without the Donald, their in the toilet.
Olie
____________________________________
I gotta ask, "what did Scott pelley do wrong"?
Eff Barron trump for shitting himself and letting himself be used as a prop.
If his kids can't deal with it, ivanka needs to get the stick out of her ass when she got confronted on a public flight after the election for screwing up the flight plans for civilians on the plan. Fuck them all. The sun doesn't rise and set in their rectums, even if daddy wants Russian hookers to piss on him.
walkerhds
____________________________________
Amen!
Ellen Miller
Chicago
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ugh - up where i live the venue for her show in october cancelled the gig after an 'uproar' by the conservatives on the venue's facebook page. funniest complaint was 'she disrespected the office of the president'. can she really do that any more than trump already has? i'm no griffin fan to be sure but as soon as i saw the picture and started reading remarks i just had to stop - my takeaway on the entire incident was B.F.D. and move on people.......
Denise Mello
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We as a country have suffered the reality of journalists who were actually beheaded by ISIS. I defend Kathy Griffin's first amendment right to produce the image she produced, but the backlash she is experiencing is in my view totally appropriate and renews my belief in the basic goodness of the vast majority of people across the political spectrum.
I hope the massive negative reaction to this will have the effect of causing artists to think about the extent to which they will go to express their personal political views through their art. I wish artists would spend their energy creating art! I'd like to see them express their personal political views at the ballot box and through private donations and fundraisers like everyone else.
I'll agree that Kathy Griffin is 'a nitwit comedian with a brain who's in search of attention'. That said, the image of Kathy Griffin holding the US President's bloody severed head isn't comedy, it's not even nitwit comedy, and she is getting what she deserves for putting a greedy desire for attention ahead of everything else. Yes, she has the right to produce the image but that doesn't mean it has to be accepted by the public.
I for one am glad that the public (and CNN), has rejected it.
Bill Concello
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'Amen!' to that.
Nieros
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Couldn't agree more.
Mitch Tenzer
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She should try harder to be funny with all of the free time she has now.
Tim Fricke
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I'm sure you know you'll receive blowback from this, but not from me. I'm wth ya. RESIST!!!
Mark Towns
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Free Kathy Griffin!When I saw it,I didn't know what it was a picture of.Thanks,Ted Keane
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Bravo Bob. Well said
Regards
Peter Brentnall
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Right on, Bob. I just wish Kathy stood up for herself and told everyone to get off their fuckin' high horses. She mocked a man who has no respect for any life on this entire planet except his own. He should be able to take a joke, albeit a sick one. Lord have mercy on this country!
Jonathan Robinson
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You've gone off the rails. Lost your bearings. Succumbed to mass group think. George Orwell wouldn't be surprised. I know you think anyone who doesn't hate and bash our buffoon president must be a stupid, uninformed hillbilly, but that's not the case. How else would he have won?
If only he was a great statesman rather than a brash, buffoonish businessman television personality. Then maybe these bold and radical decisions, focused on the welfare of the United States of America and not necessarily the entire world would be more accepted. Then again they are if you consider the voting American.
Thanks
Steve Lujan in Denver
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you ought to be ashamed
S Cosmas
P.S. cruising the sites where that image was displayed? like all over the gd news? she has free speech, but free speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences (like cnn and her sponsors, and her cohosts etc.)
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I don't want to speak for Sleazy P Martini, But I'm pretty sure GWAR have violently killed every president since Reagan live and onstage hundreds of times.
Trashy Ashell
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You know, I was thinking about this. I didn't actually look at the picture, but its hard to miss the blowback. Didn't the current President spend years discrediting Obama? Saying he wasn't born here? Where was the concern for the children then? Where was the network's concern for what kids were hearing then. At the end of the day. It simply comes down to this. A double standard. White privilege. "There's no way the black man could be smart enough to be president, he wasn't born here. It's impossible and doesn't add up, he must have fooled us or had an advantage." "This woman went too far, she doesn't have freedom of speech or expression"
Yet the white guy in charge can say whatever the "f*ck" he wants. The boomers aren't going to go without a fight, but the fight is coming.
R,
-S. Smith
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Thank you. CNN = gutless wonder of mass media.
Sue Taylor
Old Woman from Oakland
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Couldn't agree more. I don't get offended by comedians, I get offended by people in power who serve their own interests PERIOD.
What a crock of covfefe.
-Darwyn Metzger
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Thank you for articulating my exact thoughts so well yet again
Mick Dalla-Vee
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Sometimes u hit the target and sometimes
Ur truly insane...
Quit drinking whatever
Brand of koolaid ur drinking
Tracyspark
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The problem with Kathy is that she isn't funny.
Dan Fullick
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would you have defended a white male comedian who dared hold a severed bleeding head of barack obama?
or showed a picture of barack obama in a noose hanging from a tree?
answer: no you would not have and you know it
you: hypocrite
Ira Transport
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Sorry Bob, you are DEAD wrong on this one! Just substitute the prior President's head in this scenario and I doubt you write the same narrative! Most sane people are not saying she did not have the freedom of speech to do what she did... but that does not give her freedom from the consequences of that speech... (just witness the freak out over the word "covfefe"). Just because you can say something, doesn't mean you should! The pic that Griffin showed or the pics of President Obama being burned in effigy are equally against any sense of decency! You say we should want the government out of our lives but on so many other issues I read from you.. you preach government being all up in our shit! She did what she did... and the public has spoken... that's the way it should be!
Jim Ryan
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Sorry Bob, you are way off.
What if it was done to Obama?? Think about it..... honestly. Sorry. I don't buy it.
Love your Gregg Allman piece. Can't believe you can be so spot on and so spot off !
Ain't THAT America !
Jimmy Velordi
ATL
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I Completely agree. Jim Carey said the same thing in support of Kathy. Comedians are the last bastians of truth.
-Demi Davis
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Amen! Well put….thanks for writing this.
Kelly Clark
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Here's the problem with what Griffin did: it wasn't funny. In order for a joke to work it has to be funny and this simply wasn't. The only message I drew from it was "look at me, I'm Kathy Griffin!"
Brian Cooney
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Right on.
Chuck Thatcher, Nashville
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Bob, the tweet below (posted over six weeks ago) sums up the situation perfectly…
Bill Hicks Reweeted
You don't get to vote for a President who grabs women by the pussy and the be offended by something a comedian says. Those are the rules.
Mat Orefice
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Let's not forget that CNN lead the charge against the Missouri rodeo clown that wore an Obama mask in a comedy skit in 2013. He was suspended for life by the rodeo foundation. I am all for making fun of the president, it's what we do and have aways done in America but this is a new age with sponsors attached. Everybody has a keyboard and precious little feelings that we dare not hurt. CNN is following the rules they helped to create.
Joe Gomez
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Bob, I agree, this was within the boundaries of satire, even if in poor taste. Wolf should be put out to pasture with all the other old cows. I don't know how he stays so emoted about every story that hits his desk. Anderson is a child's puppet. Ever since we were told he is gay, we have all been programmed to give him a special break. He is just so precious. We are basically wandering in the wilderness, bumping into each other with more and more velocity every day, a neutron bomb getting ready to explode. Hold on to somebody.
Thomas Geimer
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I agree in principle with your commentary about Kathy/CNN, though I've never liked her shtick. From a comedic perspective CNN's New Year's show is better off without her. From a "profiles in courage" perspective, shame on them.
Wally Wilson
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Thank you Bob
Colleen Kenny LaRocque
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THANK YOU!! The hate and vitriol I've seen on Kathy's social media profiles is insane. She went too far. She apologized. Since when is apologizing not enough in a world where Trump never apologizes for anything?
This is a woman who has performed for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and gives free tickets to local vets to all of her shows. She is not anti-American, nor is she a mentally ill or heartless person. Her judgement on this was unfortunate, but it doesn't erase YEARS of supporting the troops and being an activist for women's and LGBT rights.
Mitchell Hunter
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Thing is, Kathy Griffin finally did something funny and no one knows quite how to react.
Jon Langston
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You are horrible.
Craig
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Bravo!!
KF
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If a comic held up the bloodied head of a Democratic president, you would not be as quick to virtually exonerate here.
But we all realize there are some things you do, and some things you don't, because of who is in the White House. You can be Colbert and vulgarly joke about the president if he's a bloated white Republican.
erpietri
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Wonder if Ivanka and Baron were 'deeply affected' by the pussy grabbing? That was THEIR OWN Dad, speaking for himself.
People are being too fatalistic about all of this. We can reverse this climate change thing in a max of four years, and it will take a couple to withdraw. Not only that, companies, cities, and states are going to continue their efforts. They don't need gov't permission! That's what Pittsburgh's mayor said. Who, btw, voted for HRC 80/20, and came out of a 19% unemployment depression by moving away from technologies of the past. They are the MODEL for the future, not a remnant of the past. DT used Pittsburgh for it's alliterative value with Paris. Lazy concept from a lazy mind.
Armand Sadlier
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I agree with you, the only thing that I had a problem with is the ISIS Talliban terrorist form of public execution being decapitation it kind of brought that full circle.
Lgjg94
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The parallels between the third reich and today's usa are startling!
Steve Boone
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I was blown away that she apologized, Bob. What comedian apologizes for a joke that falls flat? What artist says "oops, sorry" for a piece of art or music the public doeson't get? I'm appalled that conservatives don't support her right to free speech. I don't like her brand of humor and never have; this is just one more example of why I don't like her. But I just tune her out, I don't cry for HER head. And liberals and the liberal media - all holier-than-thou, when really, behind the curtain, they're in complete agreement with the sentiment of that photo. They're complete hypocrites. In other words, EVERYBODY got this one wrong.
Chris Beytes
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Right on, Bob!
Darlene Gorzela
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The demise of the band PWR BTTM, whose freak flag fueled betrayal, is another instance of how social media/news have become a gatekeeper for morals/ethics/behavior/poor decisions and its effect on the career of the entertainment artist.
John Kauchick
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Enjoy the newsletter, but come on! I agree with your points, there are other and worse offenses by the media and of course the president. BUT we cannot have been (rightly) condemning every terrible Obama beheading "joke" and not this one. We need to hold all folks to the same standard even if we don't like the target of the "joke".
Mike Erario
v
AMEN, BROTHER!
Jan Ramsey
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Agree. She was doing her job. And she got treated as if she blasphemed Mohammef and CNN were a radical extremist sect.
Don Goldberg
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So silly,
Griffins' within her rights to do whatever she wants to do. If people, not demos or repubs but people, if people want to let advertisers know they aren't happy, they have that right. Ask George Soros & his band of misfits & Sean Hannity if they have that right. Yes they do. So once we understand the half of the country that doesn't want government overseeing their entire life, wants to be left alone, the capitalist, is the half in power & the other half, the crybabies,the collectivist socialists that always see the worst in people and want government infecting every nook and cranny of our lives to wring that bad out stop destroying whatever positive vibes they had by rioting and showing the hate and spite they have for the capitalist side, then maybe we'll all be better off. This country is fantastic and once the Collectivist sees the good in everyone (we can hope) this country won't look back. Take care, Rich Case
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Bob,
One word…YUP!
Nona Hendryx
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You are way , way, way out of line with this blog post. Weight the picture against the reason behind posting it and tell me you think this kind of "humor" is warrented. The curdling effect of Ms. Griffin's motives are unacceptable and the whey left behind is unstrained and offensive.
Cathy Hancock.
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Don't worry Bob, Ms. Griffin will rise again. As Jim Carrey recently avowed COMEDY is the last line of defense in our democracy. It used to be music, but that was then and this is now. If I were she, I'd double down and create a two-headed image. One, for what Trump promised, and one for what his evil twin is doing to us all. Kathy has taken a bold strike for freedom and the survival of our species. Remember Jane Fonda during the Viet Nam horror show? Why is it the women have the most courage? Why aren't we following them?
Hartmann
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Right on Bob - much ado about nothing
MP Doherty
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In the words of my friend, Jon Pike:
If we can all agree that Kathy Griffin is a no-talent hack, can we go back to agreeing that kicking disabled people off of Medicaid is a far worse offense?
Dave Nelson
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Kathy griffin isn't funny and really never has been. This barely registers on my radar. Macron standing up to DJT directly? That gets me going!
Leonardo Dosoretz
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Right On, brah!~
A. Porro
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Horseshit, Bob. If this had been Obama, you and the media would be OUTRAGED and calling for immediate resignation(s) and banishment. Double-standard commentary, my friend.
Scott Hazlewood
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It's the old "Selective Outrage" again..The people who are livid about this , are FINE with Ted Nugent talking about lynching Obama..
James Spencer
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Bob. This pic is everywhere. Don't even think that it's a good idea to try and shame the minor in this story. It makes you seem like an asshole.
Kevin Hamilton
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I hear you and agree with you that limits need to be pushed and freedom of expression defended. But in this case you got it wrong.
You don't have to like the cops, but you sure as hell better respect their authority. Equally you can despise Trump, but you need to respect the office of the presidency.
What would the "punishment" have been if a public figure had done the same thing to Obama's head while he was president?
Always respect the position, not the person if that is your will.
Matt Grandi in Marin
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Bob, I love ya. What if Kathy Griffin, whom I do not condone, had put Obama's head on a stick?? Think about the repercussions of that.
Marie Rao
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Bob, as usual, you are 100% on this. Comedians have always pushed the limits.
Does the name Lenny Bruce mean anything to us? The photo sucked but it should
not be a career ender. I think Kathy will rise from the ashes.
Katie Bradford
Portland, OR
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Humor and violating Federal law are two different things. Libtards struggle with that.
CJ
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I think you hit the nail on the head about what the real problem with this stunt by Kathy Griffin is. It's distracting from the important things that are going on.
Robert Wood
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Great 'Letter', Bob!
I'm not a Kathy Griffin fan by any stretch, but I don't think she should've apologized...
Rodney Rowland
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How about Larry The Cable Guy holds up Obama's head in a noose? Go ahead. Spin that.
Lawrence Shore
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I couldn't agree with you more! Not only that, I think the piece succeeds as art. It's well-composed, perfectly styled, Griffin's performance is committed and in the moment. And now it's been effectively censored by the crowd - what a damned shame.
Jeremy Shatan
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Completely agree!
She's punished by the anti-Trump network for being too blatant...6 months down the road, by which time it will be long forgotten.
And as for Baron, Trump is playing the child-sympathy card, poor Daddy 'n child, while forgetting the daily things HE says and does which offend children and people everywhere?
Gimme a break.
-brian dolzani
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Amen. Nicely said.
Ashley Jones
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As usual, you miss the point.
Your political blogs are so mired in left wing propaganda, that objectivity does not exist in your thinking.
What if a comedian had held up a decapitated head of Obama?
The left wingers would have rioted in the streets, and accused every white person of racism.
Double standard, indeed.
Matt Mavrolas
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right arm! rwhake
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"Yet the whole nation has got its knickers in a twist while the President sells access to the Russians" - Bob Lefsetz
Hillary LOST Bob, Trump is president. She sold access & US Uranium (via Uranium One) to the Russians & pockets over 100 million, (not Trump!)
HRC DID that! Trump is innocent until proven guilty…unless your get all your info from MSM.
Don't take my word for it. Check out the donations to fine charity work of The Clinton Foundation & World Initiate since she lost the election.
LAVON PAGAN
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PREACH, BOB!! (Yea, I'm yelling)
Francia Buitrago
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Well said Sir.
Ray Dariano
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I could not agree more.
If Ted Nugent is okay with Trump to suggest beheading Obama and Hillary..that leaves him no moral ground to take issue withKathy Griffin.
How about Sasha and Malia and how THEY
felt about that talk? Where was Donald then?
Add hypocrite to his list of shortcomings.
Bit then who expected anything more of him.
He is a crude and classless man who is doing a fine job of undermining himself.
Carry on Mr. President..we'll just wait for you to self-combust in due time.
Alice Barstow
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Go get 'em, Bob! Well said!
David Arnold
Houston, Texas
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A.M.E.N.
Blake Foster
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You call this 'testing the limits'. I call it disgusting. Would you have had the same 'move on' reaction if she had Obama's head in hand? I would have. There should be limits and this is the market playing it's role. The left is going after conservatives by using the boycott attack when they don't agree, they riot at universities when someone is engaged to speak that they don't agree with and probably don't know why. That's OK with you I suspect? Take your lefty jersey off and think of just how plain wrong this cry for attention is by Griffin. No doubt she figured there would be a backlash and believed any publicity is good when you're on the brink of irrelevance. There has to be a line somewhere, the marketplace of ideas believes she crossed it.
Jim A
Castle Rock, CO
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I have been reading you for a year now and find you enlightening, not always right, yet willing to lay it all out there. I find your writing amusing and conversational: however, here is where I have to say something. Our entertainment industry have every right to express their speech and their thoughts, yet, do not have the right to disrespect. And all this has turned into a disgusting mess. When does it stop. I am not a Trump supporter, I am an American supporter. Nonetheless, he is the president. Done. Wasting time and massive amount of money just to see if maybe Russia and Trump did a naughty, which is not punishable by death, in the meantime, other things need attention yet nothing gets done. Don't like what Trump is doing? In four years, vote him out. Obama had his time and done. There are those who did not like him either, but by the grace of God, no one was saying or creating these kinds of acts against him. Imagine if someone from the right did what Griffin did? Can you honestly tell me that person would not have been lynched? Come on, tell the truth there. The Left is screaming for equality and respect, but they are leaders in the pact of not showing by example. I don't lean left or right, I lean to compromise and getting things done.
Then Kathy Griffin says this is artistic expression? No! It is gross misbehavior. I knew Ambassador Stevens and I had met James Foley; knowing they died in two different horrific ways, I can never unsee what happened to them and many others ,yet here we have a female comedian disrespecting the president (whether one likes him or not-the office should be respected) depicting this disgraceful act in her expensive clothes, make-up and hair style and holding a bloodied head in order for free speech is directly spitting on those who are dying this way all the time. It incites anger, hate and is a gross management of what we are showing our young. They think this is okay. And, yes, Trump's kid, my kid and thousands of others saw this. No need to search deep, it is right there.
It is time to grow up. Turning on the TV or Internet with the majority of comedians and writers childishly attacking and belittling all aspects of the president is very old and tiring. Fix our own neighborhoods one by one and focus on the positive: the negativity and bashing is letting bullies know they can keep bullying. ?Our president too needs to buckle down. Restain and control from all sides of the equations.
Thank you for reading my comment. I am just tired of it all. And I agree with you, it is our musicians who need to write a message, something we can hold onto and show our feelings as we did in the 60's and 70's and be peaceful and respectful about it?.
Have a good weekend.
Joyce Adamidis
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Hi Bob
I occasionally (regularly pre-election) write a political "blog" - actually just quick old school mass email along the same lines as you (albeit it's much more so links and rarely - maybe a couple of x - has contextual writing supporting it, while your written content is generally stellar).
I staunchly believe I am a true independent and see good and bad on both sides. I grade Trump a generous C right now and if nothing gets done by another do-nothing/partisan-ridden/politically- motivated Congress by the time they go on summer break in 7 weeks I'll drop Trump's grade further. As top dog in politics he gets credit and blame. Personally I think he's in way over his head (as I thought he would b and a part of why I voted HRC. Since when do kids get to go on summer break when they don't do their school work all year? Congress needs to work to find something meaningful to agree on - that's good for the majority of Americans - and pass legislation...now.
With that said and I kno you like straight talk, you're such a lefty you can't c straight. Your KG comments are exactly the same as the lefties responding to my blog. This is about SLICING OFF THE HEAD OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. What's confusing? A TERRORIST STYLE BEHEADING OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., OF A HUSBAND, A FATHER TO 6, INCLUDING A YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE BOY. This is so beyond over the line. Tiger loses sponsors cuz he gets a DUI and I believe I read in fact that he had no alcohol in his system, albeit that is certainly not an excuse and I would not want him representing my brand after this and prior. KG must get pulled. Other liberals talk of blowing up the WH, still others speak of incest in the Trump family. (From where I sit it seems - certainly to my surprise - that Donald is an excellent father and/or married women that more than assured the kids would turn out to b nice, respectful adults, as well as seemingly good parents in their own right.) The photog and everyone connected needs to b exposed and/or some sort of severe scolding and/or other actions taken. Photog Andrea....how does she look in her kids' eyes? I am appalled that the media published the picture as if no big deal.
As an aside, many years ago at the height of the OJ case I went to the costume shop to pick up a Nicole head or mask to wear for Halloween; the Halloween shop explained to me that they never sell the "victim." I tried a few others and found it to b the same. Even Halloween costume stores have better judgment!
You and the other hard core and even less hard core lefties "counter" that we should look at the GOP and see what they have done/said. Well, personally, I'm unaware of anyone on the right - in politics, pundits or comedians (a GOP-supporting comedian....pretty darn close to an oxymoron) - doing anything remotely close. And, frankly, I don't care - to make a point - if they did. What the right did or did not do does not matter right now....what KG did and what the left does regularly and, possibly worse, what the mass media does in under reacting to this (and other lefty over the line actions) is unacceptable. (The WSJ is the one very objective news source; conservative editorials / opinions but the reporting of news - sans spin & complete - is stellar.)
As many have said before, pls stay away from politics. You've got beyond fabulous stuff on music and often great stuff on other, but your lost in your liberal bias unable to see political happenings objectively.
Thank you for your hoped-for read of my comments and you're welcome to "publish" this if so inclined.
Howard Rosecrans
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Settle down Bob! I don't believe Kathy Griffin has been arrested, has she? One of her employers (CNN) decided that this stunt was too offensive to their audience and didn't have the courage to stand with her in defending her first amendment right to free speech. Follow the money... It was a business decision for CNN. Not a crime on her part, nor on theirs. I will say that the reaction of the general media seems curious to me... definitely covered as news "story" but hardly one of universal outrage or anything near what it would have been had a comedian done this in 2008 with Obama's head! And can you imagine Al Franken reacting so calmly as he did here, with Ms. Griffin? I absolutely believe in and would defend her right to do this, regardless how much I personally think it's utterly obnoxious and in terribly poor taste. Of course, as always, it's everyone's right to react as they want to. That's what our first amendment is all about. Just like when the Nazis marched in Skokie in the 70's, and they were protected... no matter how many folks they pissed off. By the way, I didn't hear your outrage about provocative conservatives (Ann Coulter, Ben Shapiro, etc.) essentially being banned from public speaking engagements on college campuses all over the country... why not? Is your definition of free speech only the speech that is politically correct and not offensive to liberals? Many prominent lefties (Howard Dean, Ted Wheeler, etc.) have been saying that "hate" speech is not protected. Want to weigh in on this? Remember, speech that offends no one doesn't need protection!
Byron Udell
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This entire rant is a total piece of shit from top to bottom ! I get that Lefsetz and I don't agree on all that much, and some of his past op ed's have been very solid, and well thought out, but this one is a sad commentary on how far he lets his liberalism override his brain ! Nothing but false charges, no evidence to support his claims, sweeping generalisms, democratic talking points, charged language, populate this piece of garbage !
Lefsetz goes on and on about Free Speech, something we both agree on, he references, Chris Rock, Steven Colbert, and of course Kathy Griffin, no mention of Milo Yiannopoulos, Anne Coulter, or David Horowitz, all of who were denied "Free Speech" from the Brownshirts at Berkeley ! Hard to discuss the topic honestly, without even a mention here, but that assumes that honesty was part of the intent here. What about the conservative limits being tested here Bob, you know, Life begins at conception and marriage is between a man and a woman, along with if you came here illegally you broke the law, just to name a few concepts that when tested get shouted down…..
Bill O'Reilly was discussed here as well, yes his deplorable behavior with woman finally got him fired, and rightfully so, however no mention of Bill Clinton, who was just as deplorable but kept his job ! Both men should be shamed for what they did, but to overlook Slick Willie in this discussion is another blind attempt to sell only liberal talking points, but we are not buying. Trumps behavior with women is deplorable as well, but to date, has not risen to the level of O'Reilly or Clinton.
As for Lefsetz opining on the mental state of Barron Trump, what a putz to even mention this ! The kid may have some issues, I have not examined him and I would bet neither has Lefsetz, so his comments are stupid, uninformed, and lack in even the basics of human compassion. I always felt that anyone's kids ( under 18) are off limits, and only if they enter into the political discourse after that age, are they fodder for commentary ! Such as Ivanka, she is a fair target for any of Lefselz fits of rage, in his sad attempt to make himself feel better for his party getting decimated in the last election !
As far as Trump and the Russians go, there is zero evidence of any wrongdoing, this may change, but unless Lefsetz is speaking directly to Robert Mueller, he is just shooting from the hip ! I would remind him, no matter what he thinks of the man, Trump is an American citizen, and is innocent until proven guilty ! We have due process, evidence, discovery, and the right to defend yourself, and finally, be tried by your peers, not in the press. If Mueller does his job, we will all find out, is it too hard to wait for that, or should we just get a noose now Bob ?
I think we can all have a different definition of comedy, obscenity, and taste ! Nobody is taking away Kathy Griffin's Free Speech, she simply got fired because CNN did not want to be associated with what she did. Not the first employee to sound off and get fired here, so relax, and respect CNN's decision to can this "D" rated comedian, who in my personal opinion went too far. I disagree that only Fox viewers were pissed off, and of course your sweeping generalization here is pitiful in its stupidity and shallowness. Maybe, for you that image was okay, but a lot of folks found it disgusting, and offensive, and yes, many of those folks are democrats ! To be clear, I felt the same way when Ted Nugent blasted a hole in the effigy of Barack Obama, and had he been employed by Fox, I would have hoped they would can his @$$ as well ! I was disgusted that Trump had him at the White House, after that prank as well. As long as we are on the subject, I didn't like that Barack and Michelle hosted a rapper who spoke of cop killing at the White House either.
Why lethal injections and cheering was brought up, I have no idea. I could imagine a couple whose daughter was raped, tortured and murdered, by some maniac, cheering when the State took his life, and I could feel empathy for them, not sure what that makes me ??? Funny, Mr. Lefsetz has compassion for murder's who have earned the punishment they receive, but does not lament the lives of innocent children aborted for the crime of…..well nothing, but hey, that's just me.
Lastly, to bring up cops killing a Black man and going back to work after a trial served no purpose to this discussion. However, if you want to wade into this topic, you at least should have some facts to support it.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/16/politics/fbi-director-police-shootings/?utm_source=phplist5874&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Kathy+Griffin
Again, anti-cop propaganda and talking points hand selected by those idiots at Black Lives Matter, is not sufficient to enter into an adult discussion ! But to make one point, look at the murder rate in Chicago, and see what percentage of Blacks are the killer and the victims. Also, noteworthy, when the bullets start flying down there on the South Side, the Black families, in fear of their lives, call the cops ( made up of all races) to protect them. The police respond to an active shooter event, with their lives on the line, try doing that day after day Bob, and them come back to me with some more useless BLM nonsense. My brother just retired as a Sgt. In the Houston Police Department, after 33 years. He was twice decorated for bravery, he never shot anyone, but he could tell you stories that would fry your hair, so back off the BS Bob, you might want to ride along with some cops before you $#!t all over them. Yes, some are bad, we have a system to deal with that, it's called a trial, which you mentioned, but I guess unless the verdict doesn't go the way you like, it is not valid ??? Like say, Ferguson, even thought our Black AG, Eric Holder and the Feds went down there and found the same evidence as the local cops, which concluded that the shooting of Michael Brown by officer Wilson was justified. But, hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good talking point…isn't that Saul Alinski 101 ?
Good Grief !
Raymond Murray
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What do you really mean when you wonder what web sites is a 11 year old manhattan boy "cruising" (who happens to be the son of the sitting us predident)?
Can you really imagine that in the nyc household of the President's family that there are no parental controls? Really???
How can you assume that his "schooling" comes into play when this visual "incident" comes into his world....all of our worlds.........especially since all avenues in the connected world of observable media repetitively show and share the imagery and the stories behind the picture.........anyone would have to have been dead not to see the graphic image displayed over and over during the active news cycle when this story trended "bigly"! Any 11 year old in the world would have had the images foisted upon them.
Am I right, you don't have kids?
If not when you walk the mile in a parents' shoes then you will know with clarity when your 11 year old child's sense of safety and security are violated and I bet you will be ever quick to want to protect and defend....maybe even lash back!
This has nothing to do with any ones political views and all about what is reasonable and tolerable and from where I sit....left leaning folks ain't got much of that! .......Including you!
I have been a recipient of your writings for years and you have helped inform me and shape my attitudes on a variety of topics and I share frequently your thoughts often with my tribes and friends.
You have missed the mark on this one!
And please do keep those cards and letters coming!
Fred Reinhart
Phila, Pa
____________________________________
"And to tell you the truth, I believe what comes out of Kathy's mouth more than that of social climber Anderson Cooper and fake Mr. Gravitas Wolf Blitzer. Come on, she's got more creativity in her little finger than either of those MALES"
I'm not a fan of either Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blitzer, but what does being male have to do with creativity or truthfulness?
And how is Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt's son, a social climber?
"And the people pissed about this aren't watching CNN anyway, they're over at Fox."
??? At this point I think you need an editor. Badly. Or simply to re-read and think things through before you publish.
I believe the boy's name is spelled "Barron."
Kathy Griffin did mess up, but she could have handled both her error (in judgement and taste) and her apology a lot better than she has done to date. Engaging Lisa Bloom to represent her seems to be compounding her errors.
Curtis Roberts
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House Of Cards Season Five
It's terrible.
Robin Wright is superb, Kevin Spacey is believable in every role he plays, he's America's greatest actor, not Meryl Streep, but they can only do so much with the material, which is underwritten and confusing and concerns a plot point that we're not interested in.
How did this HAPPEN?
The loss of showrunner Beau Willimon.
It's like when your favorite act stops working with their hit producer, but even worse, because Willimon wrote, HOC was his baby, and now I don't even know if I can finish the season.
The point being one individual makes a difference.
Willimon launched the franchise, and no one cares about it as much as he does. No one else has the vision. No one else is willing to push for clarity and excellence. Kinda like the endless sequels in the movie theatre, the franchise is not enough. Hell, how many sequels are better than the original? I can only count one, "Godfather II," after that...
And you may disagree, but that's not the point, I don't want to get into an argument over movie trivia, I just want to say we live in a world of individuals, and individuals make a difference. Kind of like Aziz Ansari and "Master Of None." It's his vision, his voice, he cares, which is what makes the series so good. Sure, he occasionally fails, but everybody who reaches for the brass ring does. But when he succeeds, the episode wherein he delineates multiple Thanksgivings at his gay friend's house, from her revelation that she is gay to her family's ultimate acceptance of this fact (and her girlfriend!), is pure genius. We're all imperfect, most even have prejudices, but we overcome them.
At least that's what art tells us. And art rules the universe.
You might think it's corporations, zeros and ones. But isn't it interesting that with all its money Silicon Valley can't get content right. Oh, they can buy it, and they can steal it, they just can't make it. How many bucks has YouTube blown trying to create compelling television...
Some people have it and some people don't.
And even though those without it, and the mediocrities and the sellouts, the compromisers, are constantly clamoring for attention, we know the real thing when we experience it, it touches our heart, titillates our brain, and we hope it never ends and we tell everybody about it, because it's rare and we live for these moments.
I can live without "House Of Cards."
But I can't wait for Beau Willimon's next production.
Close me once, prove your genius once, or over four seasons in Willimon's case, and I'm a believer, I'll give you many chances to fail, because when you ring my bell I never forget it.
And I'm looking to have my bell rung.
We all are.
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Robin Wright is superb, Kevin Spacey is believable in every role he plays, he's America's greatest actor, not Meryl Streep, but they can only do so much with the material, which is underwritten and confusing and concerns a plot point that we're not interested in.
How did this HAPPEN?
The loss of showrunner Beau Willimon.
It's like when your favorite act stops working with their hit producer, but even worse, because Willimon wrote, HOC was his baby, and now I don't even know if I can finish the season.
The point being one individual makes a difference.
Willimon launched the franchise, and no one cares about it as much as he does. No one else has the vision. No one else is willing to push for clarity and excellence. Kinda like the endless sequels in the movie theatre, the franchise is not enough. Hell, how many sequels are better than the original? I can only count one, "Godfather II," after that...
And you may disagree, but that's not the point, I don't want to get into an argument over movie trivia, I just want to say we live in a world of individuals, and individuals make a difference. Kind of like Aziz Ansari and "Master Of None." It's his vision, his voice, he cares, which is what makes the series so good. Sure, he occasionally fails, but everybody who reaches for the brass ring does. But when he succeeds, the episode wherein he delineates multiple Thanksgivings at his gay friend's house, from her revelation that she is gay to her family's ultimate acceptance of this fact (and her girlfriend!), is pure genius. We're all imperfect, most even have prejudices, but we overcome them.
At least that's what art tells us. And art rules the universe.
You might think it's corporations, zeros and ones. But isn't it interesting that with all its money Silicon Valley can't get content right. Oh, they can buy it, and they can steal it, they just can't make it. How many bucks has YouTube blown trying to create compelling television...
Some people have it and some people don't.
And even though those without it, and the mediocrities and the sellouts, the compromisers, are constantly clamoring for attention, we know the real thing when we experience it, it touches our heart, titillates our brain, and we hope it never ends and we tell everybody about it, because it's rare and we live for these moments.
I can live without "House Of Cards."
But I can't wait for Beau Willimon's next production.
Close me once, prove your genius once, or over four seasons in Willimon's case, and I'm a believer, I'll give you many chances to fail, because when you ring my bell I never forget it.
And I'm looking to have my bell rung.
We all are.
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Thursday 1 June 2017
Kathy Griffin
Billy Bush and Kathy Griffin lose their gigs but the offender in chief keeps rollin' right along.
Ain't that America!
What is CNN afraid of? Like anybody cares about the activities of a nitwit comedian with a brain who's in search of attention. I'm not saying I would have done it, I'm not saying it's not in bad judgment, but after all, that's a comedian's gig, testing limits, is this the country we've evolved into, one wherein we all have to color within the lines?
I'm not saying we're not a country of laws. Then again, we're famous for our forgiveness. Just cry and go to rehab and you get away scot-free, you can go back to your television show. And what is it we want to protect, institutions like CNN, corporations, or the individuals who make up this great country of ours... Isn't that what the right is always saying, that we want government out of our lives and the ability to walk and speak freely?
Yeah, right.
As for Baron Trump being offended... Like he never speaks to his dad? Does he not have a smartphone? And, if not, what was he doing cruising the sites where this pic was displayed? Ever hear of parental controls? And if he really fell for it, he needs to go to a better school, one not focused on religion but the ability to decipher truth from falsehood.
It's only a picture, it's only speech. Yet the whole nation has got its knickers in a twist while the President sells access to the Russians and promulgates policies where we all burn in hell, only this time it's above earth as opposed to below.
Kick her off the air for a month, penalize her, hell, we all went to high school, we know actions have consequences. But the penalty far exceeds the crime, assuming there's a crime at all. And to tell you the truth, I believe what comes out of Kathy's mouth more than that of social climber Anderson Cooper and fake Mr. Gravitas Wolf Blitzer. Come on, she's got more creativity in her little finger than either of those MALES and she worked hard to get where she is. Bill O'Reilly harasses women for years and keeps his job, until the payments hit double digit millions and Fox's owners want a Sky license, but a COMEDIAN exercises her fair right to free speech and she's suddenly a pariah. What next, ban Chris Rock from Netflix? Stephen Colbert tested limits and CBS stood up for him, the FCC backed down. Hell, the government is a paper tiger. And if you don't stand up for yourself you're gonna get run over.
And the people pissed about this aren't watching CNN anyway, they're over at Fox.
And if CNN hadn't amplified this, the story would have gone down the drain of internet detritus, that's how hard it is to get noticed. Hell, Scott Pelley loses his gig and I don't even know what network he's on. I've moved on. And the challenge CNN and the rest of the cable networks face is not Kathy Griffin, the lone gunwoman, but the internet.
A cop kills a black man and after a million dollar trial he goes back into uniform.
A comedian makes a joke and she's in celebrity jail, without a key, serving a life sentence.
Hell, the same people cheering for lethal injections would probably want her on death row when the truth is I'm much more worried about the Administration's faux pas than the words of any celebrity.
And if the celebrities don't stand up and test limits, what chance do we have of changing the course of this country?
Let your freak flag fly!
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Ain't that America!
What is CNN afraid of? Like anybody cares about the activities of a nitwit comedian with a brain who's in search of attention. I'm not saying I would have done it, I'm not saying it's not in bad judgment, but after all, that's a comedian's gig, testing limits, is this the country we've evolved into, one wherein we all have to color within the lines?
I'm not saying we're not a country of laws. Then again, we're famous for our forgiveness. Just cry and go to rehab and you get away scot-free, you can go back to your television show. And what is it we want to protect, institutions like CNN, corporations, or the individuals who make up this great country of ours... Isn't that what the right is always saying, that we want government out of our lives and the ability to walk and speak freely?
Yeah, right.
As for Baron Trump being offended... Like he never speaks to his dad? Does he not have a smartphone? And, if not, what was he doing cruising the sites where this pic was displayed? Ever hear of parental controls? And if he really fell for it, he needs to go to a better school, one not focused on religion but the ability to decipher truth from falsehood.
It's only a picture, it's only speech. Yet the whole nation has got its knickers in a twist while the President sells access to the Russians and promulgates policies where we all burn in hell, only this time it's above earth as opposed to below.
Kick her off the air for a month, penalize her, hell, we all went to high school, we know actions have consequences. But the penalty far exceeds the crime, assuming there's a crime at all. And to tell you the truth, I believe what comes out of Kathy's mouth more than that of social climber Anderson Cooper and fake Mr. Gravitas Wolf Blitzer. Come on, she's got more creativity in her little finger than either of those MALES and she worked hard to get where she is. Bill O'Reilly harasses women for years and keeps his job, until the payments hit double digit millions and Fox's owners want a Sky license, but a COMEDIAN exercises her fair right to free speech and she's suddenly a pariah. What next, ban Chris Rock from Netflix? Stephen Colbert tested limits and CBS stood up for him, the FCC backed down. Hell, the government is a paper tiger. And if you don't stand up for yourself you're gonna get run over.
And the people pissed about this aren't watching CNN anyway, they're over at Fox.
And if CNN hadn't amplified this, the story would have gone down the drain of internet detritus, that's how hard it is to get noticed. Hell, Scott Pelley loses his gig and I don't even know what network he's on. I've moved on. And the challenge CNN and the rest of the cable networks face is not Kathy Griffin, the lone gunwoman, but the internet.
A cop kills a black man and after a million dollar trial he goes back into uniform.
A comedian makes a joke and she's in celebrity jail, without a key, serving a life sentence.
Hell, the same people cheering for lethal injections would probably want her on death row when the truth is I'm much more worried about the Administration's faux pas than the words of any celebrity.
And if the celebrities don't stand up and test limits, what chance do we have of changing the course of this country?
Let your freak flag fly!
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Save The Country
http://spoti.fi/2skileD
1967 wasn't so different from today, it was hard to get noticed.
Sure, it was hard to get a record deal, but it was even harder to get someone to buy your music, and if they didn't, chances are it went unheard, unless, fortuitously, you were inundated with talent and your composition was covered by an established act.
"Can you surry, can you picnic?"
Gobbledygook to millennials, all baby boomers know this as the initial line of "Stoned Soul Picnic," a monster smash by the 5th Dimension in 1968. But it was written by Laura Nyro and appeared on her second album "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession," her first for Columbia, her initial LP, 1967's "More Than A New Discovery," went completely overlooked, but not for long. Blood, Sweat and Tears went to number two in 1969 with her composition "And When I Die" and Barbra Streisand went top ten with her rendition of "Stoney End," but Nyro had already moved on. Sure, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" included "Eli's Comin'," which helped make Three Dog Night a household name, but it also contained "Poverty Train."
"Last call for the poverty train"
They don't make tracks like this anymore, piano-dominated with a flute with lyrics about the underside of life, the disadvantaged on drugs. Today everybody's a winner, if the song isn't laden with hooks Max Martin doesn't want to be involved, but in 1968 songs were still just that, songs, with melodies and changes, yet Nyro and her contemporaries were testing the limits, stretching the form, and if some young 'un with pipes went on Jools Holland and performed "Poverty Train" jaws would drop. And if Gaga sang it... No, the problem is she oversings, ever since Mariah Carey that's been the paradigm, all subtlety and meaning is sacrificed in the desire for personal attention, the song is trumped by the performance, but...
No one with any traction wants to sing anything controversial. You're just supposed to shake off your losses and delineate your personal victories and petty complaints, but Laura Nyro was trying to vault a different bar.
Now let's be clear, David Geffen was her manager. And although Geffen's admired for his money-making abilities, he made his bones as an artist-protector. He stood between the label and the act, made it so Laura could play by her own rules. It all didn't end well, but when "New York Tendaberry" was released in 1969, the stars aligned, people now knew who Nyro was and she released just the music she wanted to and the song with the most traction, once again a hit for the 5th Dimension, was "Save The Country."
"I got fury in my soul, fury's gonna take me to the glory goal
In my mind I can't study war no more
Save the people, save the country now"
Hmm... Our country still needs saving. But now it's not from war with enemies, but war within. We're divided, not united, and no one with a voice is willing to challenge the status quo, for fear of pissing off those on the other side. But Todd Rundgren, a famous friend of Laura, said Trump fans should not even buy tickets to his show and if you're not willing to take a stand you're living outside the conversation, you might have a fat bank account, but you've got no impact.
Now the times were different. The young 'uns were all on the same page. Or were they? Believe me, most teenagers and twentysomethings were for the Vietnam War before they were against it. After all, the United States was the greatest country in the world, couldn't we just clean up wherever we wanted? But we'd never experienced guerilla warfare, we didn't know that those who truly believed in their cause would never give up. But as these songs by their contemporaries filled the airwaves, as the carnage was paraded on the news, students started to change their minds, because kids are still malleable, it's adults, the establishment, who are stuck in their old ways. Fewer than forty percent of people over sixty five have smartphones, how are you supposed to explain Uber and Spotify to them? And this is the government, this is the heads of corporations, this is why the oldsters are no match for the youngsters when it comes to innovation.
Traditionally.
But it's the oldsters who are rebelling against the political status quo, leading the charge, but we need artists to infect the youngsters.
"Come on people, sons and mothers
Keep the dream of the two young brothers
Gonna take that dream and ride that dove"
The two young brothers were the Kennedys. Laura Nyro was inspired to write "Save The Country" in the wake of Robert Kennedy's assassination. That's how art used to work, before songs were composed by committee, sanitized for consumption. It's the lightning burst that attracts us, how did we get so far from the garden.
And inspiration is plentiful these days, it's everywhere you look.
But to be inspired and create on Nyro's level you have to have paid your dues, honed your chops, put in your 10,000 hours. And in the sixties if you hadn't you couldn't get a deal, but today everybody can play. So the waters are muddied. But this just means the professionals must play on a higher level, strive for greatness, undeniability that eclipses the work of the hoi polloi.
"We could build the dream with love, I know"
I do too. Isn't that what John Lennon was preaching? I don't think it's possible for all of us to love one another unconditionally, but we've still got a lot of room to move. Then again, when you can't get a good ticket to the show, when acts whore their ducats out to scalpers, it's hard not to become disillusioned, we're all disillusioned, that's how we got here, hating each other, we're all pissed about the lack of upward mobility, except for those on top, who are doing the best to keep the rest of us down.
"Come on people, come on children
Come on down to the glory river
Gonna wash you up and wash you down
Gonna lay that devil down, gonna lay that devil down"
Come on artists.
1. Be informed. There's no excuse not to be. Hell, iPhones come with a news app built-in. No one's that informed, including our President, read every day and feel confident weighing in.
2. Be prepared. Practice instead of sell. Believe me, one great track will eclipse years of social-networking. Become better at what you do best.
3. Channel inspiration. All artists know when it hits. Drop everything and catch lightning in a bottle, that's always the best stuff. We're looking for human emotion and honesty, not seamlessness. Just because you can perfect it in Pro Tools doesn't mean you should.
4. Be fearless. Be willing to endure the blowback. There are three hundred million people in America, gain the attention of less than one percent and you're a star, ignore the haters.
5. Have a viewpoint, have a backbone, don't be wishy-washy. Stand for something, or else you stand for nothing at all.
It's your duty to save the children. Kudos to Ariana Grande and friends for staging a benefit concert so soon after the Manchester disaster. But shows are not as powerful as songs.
I got fury in my soul. I ain't got no money and I ain't got no political power, but I do have this platform, I do have a voice, I can take a stand and when I channel my anger, it takes me closer to the glory goal.
And you can do this too.
We're pissed off. We've all got our platforms.
It's just that that of the musicians is bigger than all of ours.
Bono is over fifty, he's performing his greatest hits, U2 can't even crack the pop charts, but there are those who are not moribund, who are less beholden to commercialism who can tap into their inner consciousness and deliver the anthem we need.
Because one thing's for sure, we need to save the country.
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1967 wasn't so different from today, it was hard to get noticed.
Sure, it was hard to get a record deal, but it was even harder to get someone to buy your music, and if they didn't, chances are it went unheard, unless, fortuitously, you were inundated with talent and your composition was covered by an established act.
"Can you surry, can you picnic?"
Gobbledygook to millennials, all baby boomers know this as the initial line of "Stoned Soul Picnic," a monster smash by the 5th Dimension in 1968. But it was written by Laura Nyro and appeared on her second album "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession," her first for Columbia, her initial LP, 1967's "More Than A New Discovery," went completely overlooked, but not for long. Blood, Sweat and Tears went to number two in 1969 with her composition "And When I Die" and Barbra Streisand went top ten with her rendition of "Stoney End," but Nyro had already moved on. Sure, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" included "Eli's Comin'," which helped make Three Dog Night a household name, but it also contained "Poverty Train."
"Last call for the poverty train"
They don't make tracks like this anymore, piano-dominated with a flute with lyrics about the underside of life, the disadvantaged on drugs. Today everybody's a winner, if the song isn't laden with hooks Max Martin doesn't want to be involved, but in 1968 songs were still just that, songs, with melodies and changes, yet Nyro and her contemporaries were testing the limits, stretching the form, and if some young 'un with pipes went on Jools Holland and performed "Poverty Train" jaws would drop. And if Gaga sang it... No, the problem is she oversings, ever since Mariah Carey that's been the paradigm, all subtlety and meaning is sacrificed in the desire for personal attention, the song is trumped by the performance, but...
No one with any traction wants to sing anything controversial. You're just supposed to shake off your losses and delineate your personal victories and petty complaints, but Laura Nyro was trying to vault a different bar.
Now let's be clear, David Geffen was her manager. And although Geffen's admired for his money-making abilities, he made his bones as an artist-protector. He stood between the label and the act, made it so Laura could play by her own rules. It all didn't end well, but when "New York Tendaberry" was released in 1969, the stars aligned, people now knew who Nyro was and she released just the music she wanted to and the song with the most traction, once again a hit for the 5th Dimension, was "Save The Country."
"I got fury in my soul, fury's gonna take me to the glory goal
In my mind I can't study war no more
Save the people, save the country now"
Hmm... Our country still needs saving. But now it's not from war with enemies, but war within. We're divided, not united, and no one with a voice is willing to challenge the status quo, for fear of pissing off those on the other side. But Todd Rundgren, a famous friend of Laura, said Trump fans should not even buy tickets to his show and if you're not willing to take a stand you're living outside the conversation, you might have a fat bank account, but you've got no impact.
Now the times were different. The young 'uns were all on the same page. Or were they? Believe me, most teenagers and twentysomethings were for the Vietnam War before they were against it. After all, the United States was the greatest country in the world, couldn't we just clean up wherever we wanted? But we'd never experienced guerilla warfare, we didn't know that those who truly believed in their cause would never give up. But as these songs by their contemporaries filled the airwaves, as the carnage was paraded on the news, students started to change their minds, because kids are still malleable, it's adults, the establishment, who are stuck in their old ways. Fewer than forty percent of people over sixty five have smartphones, how are you supposed to explain Uber and Spotify to them? And this is the government, this is the heads of corporations, this is why the oldsters are no match for the youngsters when it comes to innovation.
Traditionally.
But it's the oldsters who are rebelling against the political status quo, leading the charge, but we need artists to infect the youngsters.
"Come on people, sons and mothers
Keep the dream of the two young brothers
Gonna take that dream and ride that dove"
The two young brothers were the Kennedys. Laura Nyro was inspired to write "Save The Country" in the wake of Robert Kennedy's assassination. That's how art used to work, before songs were composed by committee, sanitized for consumption. It's the lightning burst that attracts us, how did we get so far from the garden.
And inspiration is plentiful these days, it's everywhere you look.
But to be inspired and create on Nyro's level you have to have paid your dues, honed your chops, put in your 10,000 hours. And in the sixties if you hadn't you couldn't get a deal, but today everybody can play. So the waters are muddied. But this just means the professionals must play on a higher level, strive for greatness, undeniability that eclipses the work of the hoi polloi.
"We could build the dream with love, I know"
I do too. Isn't that what John Lennon was preaching? I don't think it's possible for all of us to love one another unconditionally, but we've still got a lot of room to move. Then again, when you can't get a good ticket to the show, when acts whore their ducats out to scalpers, it's hard not to become disillusioned, we're all disillusioned, that's how we got here, hating each other, we're all pissed about the lack of upward mobility, except for those on top, who are doing the best to keep the rest of us down.
"Come on people, come on children
Come on down to the glory river
Gonna wash you up and wash you down
Gonna lay that devil down, gonna lay that devil down"
Come on artists.
1. Be informed. There's no excuse not to be. Hell, iPhones come with a news app built-in. No one's that informed, including our President, read every day and feel confident weighing in.
2. Be prepared. Practice instead of sell. Believe me, one great track will eclipse years of social-networking. Become better at what you do best.
3. Channel inspiration. All artists know when it hits. Drop everything and catch lightning in a bottle, that's always the best stuff. We're looking for human emotion and honesty, not seamlessness. Just because you can perfect it in Pro Tools doesn't mean you should.
4. Be fearless. Be willing to endure the blowback. There are three hundred million people in America, gain the attention of less than one percent and you're a star, ignore the haters.
5. Have a viewpoint, have a backbone, don't be wishy-washy. Stand for something, or else you stand for nothing at all.
It's your duty to save the children. Kudos to Ariana Grande and friends for staging a benefit concert so soon after the Manchester disaster. But shows are not as powerful as songs.
I got fury in my soul. I ain't got no money and I ain't got no political power, but I do have this platform, I do have a voice, I can take a stand and when I channel my anger, it takes me closer to the glory goal.
And you can do this too.
We're pissed off. We've all got our platforms.
It's just that that of the musicians is bigger than all of ours.
Bono is over fifty, he's performing his greatest hits, U2 can't even crack the pop charts, but there are those who are not moribund, who are less beholden to commercialism who can tap into their inner consciousness and deliver the anthem we need.
Because one thing's for sure, we need to save the country.
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