Displaying 31 To 60 Of 19,504 Comments Weekend Music Thread – Father and Son Hey Due! Good to see you! TO/OT was simplified as Short Post, there’s a button to go there on every page in the right column. KT hasn’t been around lately, I know he was dealing with taking care of his mom. Which comment of his did you come across? » Posted By AdLib On June 25, 2022 @ 8:31 pm JOIN OUR LIVE CHAT TONIGHT AT 5:00 PM PDT: The 1/6 House Committee’s First Public Hearing Here’s the opening speech for tonight’s hearing: Here is House Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson's opening statement for the first hearing in primetime this evening. pic.twitter.com/YJWhZ2A7Jl — Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) June 9, 2022 » Posted By AdLib On June 9, 2022 @ 3:36 pm “Pro-Life” Must be De-Orwellianized: The GOP is Pro-Death Agreed. It is now so obvious, every mass killing “triggers” this repulsive and cynical game from Repubs. Distract, defend, delay. “It’s schools and doors that should be regulated, not guns. Sure, we’ll discuss preventing more mass murders of school kids but it’s too early and you’re just coming to take our guns so we won’t compromise but sure, we’ll talk until the attention dies down then we’ll bury gun control bills like schoolchildren because all we really care about Is keeping the extremists voting for us and NRA contributions flowing.” The disgusting bottom line is that these monsters don’t care about murdered children, they only care about keeping their seats and their bloody hands full of money. » Posted By AdLib On June 6, 2022 @ 1:10 am Weekend Music Thread – The Rain Song Would that make this style of music, Golliard? » Posted By AdLib On March 29, 2022 @ 10:43 am Nice pick! Really enjoy this song! It just rained all day yesterday and I was happy. Sunny day today, like someone turning on the light while you’re sleeping. Though something nice about a blue sky while the remnants of puddles are still around in the morning. Ah…Spring! » Posted By AdLib On March 29, 2022 @ 10:41 am Indeed, he was solid and I’ve really liked his and Grohl’s music. This phenomenon of rockers in their 50s and 60s overdosing is unexpected. Tom Petty ODed at 66, he had broken his hip while on tour and didn’t want to disrupt the tour so loaded up on drugs to kill the pain…and unfortunately, himself. I get it when young rockers were ODing, they felt invulnerable, on top of the world and wanted to live to the extreme…or just developed terrible heroin addictions. Hawkins had ODed before though and possibly couldn’t shake his addiction. So many aspiring musicians dream of having the kind of success Hawkins had but here too, from the outside, you don’t always see what the life’s really like. And once again, the question, would you rather have your dreams come true but die prematurely or not have them come true and live a full life? » Posted By AdLib On March 29, 2022 @ 10:38 am No worries TW, I knew you’d reply. BTW, you only included a partial YouTube URL. Could you find the video again and add it in a reply to this reply so I can see it? All writers are relatively undisciplined, some more, some less. But the opium of the masses of writers is truly procrastination. Sometimes, best to drink your fill until you get tired of it and look at writing as a way to avoid an annoying amount of procrastination. It does feel like a personal piece anyway, even if you enhanced it to make a point, the realness of the experience comes through clearly. Thank you for your writing such a meaningful and evocative work! » Posted By AdLib On March 18, 2022 @ 6:33 pm Very powerful piece, TW. Sad but true indeed that too many people in this country NEED to see color as defining. Especially because such people typically have nothing else going for them, all that gives them grounding and self-esteem is clutching onto the concept that they are special and superior because they have pale skin. Interesting that most of these people don’t see colors of cars, pets, houses, or much of anything else as mattering, only skin color because it’s really less about skin color than feeling they are superior beings solely because they exist and they can define it by looking down on others who have been historically looked down on. But of course, people who are genuinely worthwhile and confident, don’t need to grasp for superiority, especially in such a superficial way. As has been illustrated in many ways, the very people most obsessed with holding themselves up as superior due to their skin color as some of the most inferior people on the face of the Earth. Ignorant, sloppy and overweight, under-achievers, dependent on other external symbols to insist on their strength and value such as carrying guns or aggressively claiming to be “Christians”. There’s an old saying about guys who talk a lot about having sex are the ones who get it the least. If it wasn’t so destructive it would be amusing to watch how racists who are the worst example of human beings howl about how superior the white race is. They can’t spell, they can’t think for themselves, they haven’t achieved anything meaningful in their lives, they become cultists, they are so much weaker than other Americans. Which is probably why they feel the need to compensate so severely. I don’t know that America will ever be rid of the segment of our society that is bigoted, there will never be an inoculation for insecurity and ignorance. We’re going through this revival of racism right now but it has come in ebbs and flows and each time society has suppressed it, the pendulum has seemed to swing farther back to sanity and decency. But it hasn’t gone far enough yet. Once we can put a nail in the Trump/MAGA era of inflating racism and tyranny, hopefully we can be better as a society at installing better barriers against institutionalized racism and future encroachments of bigotry on our democracy. » Posted By AdLib On March 11, 2022 @ 1:23 pm Weekend Music Thread – Russians And you know it was a parody of The Beach Boys? » Posted By AdLib On March 11, 2022 @ 2:51 pm Ray Davies and The Kinks were known for their sarcasm and humor, not a lot of bands had that. In addition to being pro-Irish, just read a story that The Beatles’ song, “Blackbird” that McCartney wrote, was based on a visit to the US where he saw racists assailing black women, something he said he had never seen himself in the UK (which had a much smaller black population back then instead of now). SNL did indeed hit the bullseye with that opening last month. The song “Russians” was well-intended even if not completely accurate, as you say, the USSR was complicated. It’s not a great song but like a lot of simplistic but earnest songs in that era (“We Are the World”, “Ebony and Ivory”), it did express humanity which was respected by a wide audience back then. Today, I don’t know that the sensibilities are quite like that but seeing people respond to a poll by over 70% that they are willing to pay more for gas to help Ukraine and stop Russia is affirming. » Posted By AdLib On March 11, 2022 @ 1:43 pm Live Event: First Presidential Debate – Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump – 9-26-2016 Which is why he crashed so hard this morning? » Posted By AdLib On September 27, 2016 @ 11:14 am Weekend Music Thread – My Hero Like this band too. And the nuclear theme is definitely appropriate. » Posted By AdLib On March 2, 2022 @ 3:16 pm I think that’s a good bet. It’s got a catchy groove and the video is pretty kinetic, lots going on. Thanks for the intro to TATU! » Posted By AdLib On March 2, 2022 @ 3:14 pm I missed this video, have always thought Pussy Riot members were incredibly brave to stand up to Putin but the brutal truth in this video is a lot bolder than 99% of those in the U.S. music world were after Trump got into the WH. » Posted By AdLib On March 2, 2022 @ 3:08 pm I really like them! You get double points for posting this! » Posted By AdLib On March 2, 2022 @ 3:00 pm SCOTUS Position Open: Black Females Need Not Apply! Good article! To begin, no one should be surprised that the racists in the GOP would focus on the SCOTUS nominee being black as a bad thing. Or that Biden trying to fulfill a major campaign promise, to break the race and gender barrier on the SCOTUS that has seen nearly all of its justices be white males, would be “offensive” to them. The GOP has one campaign mode that it is always in, the aggrieved crusader to protect the entitlement and feeling of superiority of their predominantly white male base. And their always used tactic on race is the one Lee Atwater and Karl Rove embedded in them, always accuse Dems of what you’re guilty of. So trying to undo racism, is racism. Putting the first black woman on the SCOTUS is being prejudiced against all the white people who wouldn’t be considered. It’s ridiculous at this point and IMO, should always be described as their being racism apologists. Cruz and Kennedy both know that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is far more qualified and experienced than that inexperienced Federalist, religious extremist novice, Amy Coney Barrett who had never tried a case once before in her life when they enthusiastically voted her in. It’s all such a stale game, the MSM shouldn’t even engage them in it anymore, hypocrisy and lies is all they have to oppose good people and good deeds. There’s an old quote about Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astaire. Of course she was famous too but Astaire had more fame and money… “Sure, Fred Astaire was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did…backwards and in high heels.” That’s how it is for those who break prejudicial glass ceilings. Jackie Robinson had to be great. Barack Obama had to be remarkable. And Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has to be outstanding. None of them could have been mediocre or below par like Coney Barett, Kavanaugh, George W. Bush, etc. because entitlement allows them to be lesser people. But breaking bigoted precedent always (unfairly) requires the person who does so to be remarkable. Imagine if Coney Barrett had to prove herself to be remarkable, she’d never be on the SCOTUS. Thankfully, all three of the candidates Biden considered all had strong backgrounds as judges, Jackson being the most impressive of the three IMO and the best experienced as a former defense attorney. I don’t know that the first breakthrough person makes it necessarily easier for whoever is the next one but they begin the evolution that eventually makes it easier in the future. And they know, even though it’s not fair nor the case for people who are white, they are representing their whole race. They have higher bars to pass over, their behavior must be above reproach and they know they have less freedom to react to poor treatment by the white establishment. Having seen Jackson at the nomination event, I am so impressed with her gravitas and strength. I have no doubt that she will be confirmed and no doubt that she will serve on the SCOTUS unintimidated by anyone. She seems like she will be a fierce advocate of the law and apply it appropriately, as the SCOTUS should. We will be very lucky to have her on the court. Now, if we can just win a net of 2 more seats in the Senate this year and hold the House, we could get rid of the filibuster and expand the court to 13 and put 4 more high quality, fair-minded judges on the SCOTUS to help our country and democracy pull back from the oppression represented by the current majority. » Posted By AdLib On March 2, 2022 @ 4:42 pm Critical Race Theory: A Distraction! First off, wow! Such a brilliant walk through The Founders’ sensibilities, Franklin’s caution over our continued existence as a democratic republic in the face of slavery and its ramifications and the distraction of CRT as a pursuit of authoritarianism (and a new and different Civil War). Just have to say, I really enjoyed this very smart and historically-grounded piece! Also have to add, your revision of the Gordon Gekko speech to be about slavery was flat-out genius and devastating. Everything you laid out is bolstered by your presentation and as may be no surprise, I agree wholeheartedly with the many insightful points you make. It is no coincidence that those decrying CRT can’t actually explain what it is. They provide all kinds of vicious accusations about it, they howl that it is trying to make “our children” hate America, be shamed for the past and for being white, be brainwashed, etc. But they can’t tell you in any specificity, what CRT actually is. They lie about it being taught in public schools to young children, they lie that it is about oppressing white people, they lie about it all. And why? Because, just as you point out, it is a distraction and a catch-all for white racial fear and animus. I have been watching the Koch/Mercer/Bannon machinery operate over the past number of years, focusing on testing and seizing on propaganda campaigns that they will rely on to win elections since they have turned against democracy and trying to win hearts and minds to take more power in elections. There is a coalescing of the GOP, the RW religious extremists and the wealthy plutocrats, all trying to whip up a rebellion against the republic we are trying to keep as you quote Franklin as addressing. This is the big picture. This overthrow of our Republic is what this is all about and these anti-American authoritarians know that the key dynamic to rally their own “army” of the public, to ignorantly support their takeover of our democracy (including oppressing the fools marching like zombies for these few to rule the nation), is the poison that was embedded in this nation from its birth, racism. They have been floating one test balloon after another to find the most flammable propaganda they can to really ignite the racism of their lemmings. They tried but ultimately failed with their “caravans of rapists and terrorists” coming over the border. They tried and failed with building up the massive threat of “Antifa”. They kept trying and trying with their “All Lives Matter” and their “Thin Blue Line” flags and their “Defund the Police” scaremongering but none of it really gave them the racist red hot poker they know they need to make their racist moron followers stampede. So they tried it with CRT and they’ve had more success. They seem to have taken the Virginia governorship due to that tactic but arguably, this CRT bullshit won’t work outside of southern swing states and may be played out as people see no difference in states that do or don’t burn books by and about African Americans (whether or not they are about slavery and its legacy in America). As you point out, this is absolutely about grabbing power, fueling insurgency and delivering an autocracy to the few white men financing and promoting this effort. One could legitimately assert that Florida and Texas are now racist autocracies and all the states in which Republicans are trying to strangle elections and democracy are fast on their way on joining this “Confederacy” if they aren’t there already. Indeed, attacking CRT is both a distraction and a tool to install autocracies that enforce racism in states and eventually through national control. If the election law changes in Repub-run states follow Georgia and allow Republican legislatures to throw out elections that they lose by simply declaring, There’s fraud!” without proving it in court…who will be losing their constitutional rights to vote. Whose right to vote will essentially be returned to the times of slavery, before the 15th Amendment granted it to them? Percentage-wise, African Americans will be hit the hardest. Their right to vote in such states will be stripped away from them as it will be for most people of color who largely vote for Democrats. And what is important to remember, and I know you do, is that it won’t stop there. Once elitists take away one right and power of a group of people to benefit themselves, they will be back to take away more and more rights from those people to cash those inas well. These autocrats need to herd their sheep with intense emotions that override any desire to reason and the one proven tool they know that will accomplish that is to spike their fear and hatred through racism. I know many have said this and are saying it, from respected politicians to pundits but we are in a very dangerous time and in the midst of a losing battle against the overthrow of our republic, With greedy enemies of our republic as a whole political party and such tools as Manchin and Sinema. there is one very narrow path to preventing this overthrow. Dems must pull out all the stops, spend all they can (including all of us, contributing time, energy and money) and file all the lawsuits possible to help Democrats keep The House this year and add two seats to the majority in The Senate. That is a very tall order, especially with all of these new gerrymanders and voter suppression laws trying to hobble voting by Democrats. But with Manchin and Sinema sabotaging the entire Democratic Party and giving aid and comfort to those who are overthrowing our democracy, it may be the only hope we have. What is hard to argue, in the face of 2020 and Repubs around the country refusing to concede elections even when they lose by 40%, is that the presidential election in 2024 is on track to launch violence and insurrection, physical and social conflicts exploding all across the country, if this attempt to overthrow free and fair elections is in place. There is one more thing that may help Dems overcome the odds to keep our republic and that is the 1/6 committee’s public hearings and criminal prosecutions of Trump and those around him, proving them and the GOP to have conspired to overthrow our democracy. In past history, devastating revelations about the corruption and criminality of Republicans has resulted in Dems winning elections and houses in Congress. The deciding factor may be swaying independents who become disgusted with the lies and sedition of Republicans to support Dems. All of this is connected to your meaningful insights on the phony CRT propaganda because I think we will see Repubs hammer so much harder on their racism and attacks on CRT as we head towards this year’s election so we need to be prepared for that and do whatever we can to confront this truly insidious campaign against our fellow Americans and our republic. » Posted By AdLib On January 18, 2022 @ 11:42 pm Rebroadcast Live from New York! Haven’t seen this bit before, very funny…because it’s true! And I’d bet that the kids who have the Fisher Price kitchens don’t all grow up to be master chefs…or even cook food that doesn’t taste plastic-y. » Posted By AdLib On March 29, 2022 @ 10:28 am SNL worked best in its first years because it was irreverent and offbeat at that time, really connecting with the more rebellious youth of the 1970s, premiering in 1975. At the time SNL burst onto the scene, the comedy was edgy and surprising even though today we see it as dated and not necessarily so hilarious. There just wasn’t anything like it at the time, that felt so radical and being live, felt like something outrageous could just happen at any moment. Peppered in the show were prehistoric muppet sketches, animated films, short films and guest performances by Andy Kaufman and others. It didn’t all work but they contributed to a wild and creative atmosphere that was rebellious to the Happy Days/Waltons/Donny and Marie era (though it was also the All in the Family and MASH era too). Having been there and watched SNL debut and its first few years, Belushi was explosively and dangerously funny through his physicality. Gilda Radner brought this youthful and energetic playfulness to her silliness, Dan Ackroyd never hit me as really funny but he had very funny bits like his Tom Snyder impression and his Pythonesque Julia Child bit. Bill Murray started slow but his wry style made him perhaps the funniest. The rest had many good bits along the way too. But Chevy Chase…his sarcasm and pratfalls made him the first real star of the show but as his early departure belied, he was really an egotistical asshole. Lots of stories of Chevy being a jerk in shows and with fellow cast and undermining productions he was in. He became very disliked in the biz and not really remembered by fans., The biggest problem with SNL is that once the 70s were gone and once it became a hit, it lost so much relevance and basically “sold out” to the very business and society it had been trying to skewer. Also, the depth of talent the show started with, from writers to performers, was remarkable at the time and has never attained that since. Many funny performers and writers have been on SNL since then but what was lost, perhaps after SNL sold out, was an understanding of what “funny” is. The takeaway that the later years seemed to get from the original years was that you come up with a silly idea then pound away at it for 7 minutes. Uh…that is not comedy which is why SNL isn’t funny much anymore, the corporate manufacturing of comedy doesn’t successfully produce comedy the same way it successfully produces superhero movies. And comedy is about invention which is not the same as exploitation. SNL is a corporate brand and once it became that, it stopped being funny. Even the Python guys have talked about how they used Gilliam’s animation to bridge between bits because they had trouble coming up with endings. That happens in sketch comedy, it doesn’t always have a satisfying ending. But not understanding how sketches are funny is a serious problem that SNL has suffered from for decades. They really don’t understand sketch comedy and just starting with something outrageous isn’t funny. Comedy is also a product of its time. Who would laugh out loud today at Charlie Chaplin’s antics or Abbott and Costello or I Love Lucy. They’re not that hilarious nowadays though one may still enjoy them. What comedy of the 70s would you laugh out loud at today? And in 50 years, whatever we may think is hilarious today will have people then scratching their heads over, “Really, they thought this was funny back then in 2022?” Lastly, the social norms of a time, which we can look back at and say something was racist or sexist, were not viewed as hurtful or insensitive at the time so it’s kind of unfair to blame people in the past for what society saw as normal and acceptable then. It doesn’t make those kinds of jokes “okay” today but everyone is a product of their environment and era as is entertainment. So in the end, I know you appreciate all of this, I just wanted to write about it. The fact that you included some of your favorite sketches from SNL speaks to that. Your very appreciated article just allowed me to vent a little about the death of comedy on SNL and why it seems reflective of a lack of understanding by the network and producers about what made it funny (in its time) and successful in the first place. » Posted By AdLib On January 18, 2022 @ 10:05 pm Run Rudolph (Giuliani) Run – PlanetPOV’s 2021 Christmas Parody Very happy to hear that, Kes, thanks! Yes, “Don’t Look Up” is right up my alley as social and political satire and even though they substituted a world-ending comet for Covid, it still has to work hard to cross the line from reality into satire…because I think we could all agree that Trumpers would in fact aggressively deny that reality too because it came from science and facts. I’ve said this as well, satire is very difficult nowadays. It used to work because you could start off with a far-fetched but believable exaggeration then escalate it so much, people would recognize it was satire. But now, it’s very hard to blow out reality that much, even the most far-fetched satire could become reality tomorrow. And the other obstacle to satire today is the proliferation of propaganda and extremist lies. Readers can actually become annoyed and upset when they read satire and (as happened to me here at The Planet), have their satire attacked as just promoting “fake news”, deception, and propaganda. It is a strange time, while the Trumpist Cult engages in pushing lies and propagating insane conspiracy theories as absolute fact, it’s become much more difficult to present a humorous exaggeration to ridicule elements of society when reality is in the midst of an assault on what is true. It has been a bit disappointing, I can’t wait for this era of Know-Nothings and Fascists to wane so we can get back to more important things…like exposing and holding up to ridicule, dangerous and destructive politicians and groups of extremists. Hope your Christmas was lovely and you have a Happy New Year’s Eve and Day! » Posted By AdLib On December 26, 2021 @ 11:06 pm Thanks so much, Kalima! We had a wonderful Christmas and meal! Hope you did too. You couldn’t get out? For Boxing Day there, do they box you into your home? Have a very Happy New Year…it’s about time we had a very happy one! » Posted By AdLib On December 26, 2021 @ 4:00 pm Weekend Music Thread – I Want Candy Wasn’t this from that movie, “Oh Israel Whereart Thou”? Really enjoyed it, thanks for posting it! » Posted By AdLib On December 19, 2021 @ 2:49 pm So lovely, Kes! I’ll let James Taylor say it too!
» Posted By AdLib On December 19, 2021 @ 2:38 pm Weekend Music Thread – Get Back I used to think of Ringo as an average-at-best drummer but heard many respected drummers who came after him of how influential he was to them. Clearly, it wasn’t his power or speed but apparently, there was something about his style that they found unique. I always found it amusing when they show old footage and when asked who their favorite Beatle was, some women said Ringo. I suppose he was the little puppy dog to them. He seemed like the most easygoing of the four of them and in the doc, he definitely is despite all the twists and turns. The only thing he was adamant about was not wanting to travel to play their live show. And when George quits in the middle of rehearsals, Ringo comes across as the most understanding and compassionate though they all care about working it out with George. And the lack of ego and hubris by all of them, especially McCartney and Lennon, after conquering the world of pop and rock and being legends in their own time, is very surprising. A far cry from the theme of bragging about money, sex, etc. in a lot of rap and hip hop. And while I’m at it, you kids get off of my lawn! » Posted By AdLib On December 5, 2021 @ 2:00 pm This was a very good review of the doc. Just finished it myself and it is fascinating to see how they developed their songs, it was far more casual than I had thought, their depth of knowledge on composition and music theory seemed just beneath the surface, all you saw was what seemed more instinctual about how songs should be played and sung. Since so much of popular music, today is electronically generated and not played by people on instruments, I think this may seem both archaic and a vanishing art. So much of science, discovery and art are happy accidents and unfortunately, the diminishing use of actual instruments by musicians diminishes the opportunities for discoveries and “happy accidents. » Posted By AdLib On December 5, 2021 @ 1:47 pm Is it me or are the boys on the way to a torch rally? » Posted By AdLib On December 5, 2021 @ 1:24 pm Well, that was awkward. But if you’re playing Sitar Hero, this was a bit more successful for George.
» Posted By AdLib On December 5, 2021 @ 1:21 pm Or should it have been this:
» Posted By AdLib On December 5, 2021 @ 1:16 pm Weekend Music Thread – How Do You Sleep?
» Posted By AdLib On November 21, 2021 @ 1:43 pm https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/Who_Are_You_album_cover.JPG » Posted By AdLib On November 21, 2021 @ 1:42 pmComments Posted By AdLib
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