I love him. I love when he’s being optimistic about the economy. I love that everything makes him think of jobs. I love the gentle way he almost whispers things like “We’re going to do something about climate change because we’re the United States of America [voice rises to a shout] and there’s nothing we can’t do if we work together! I’m not joking! Not a joke!” I even love the way he ends every speech with “God protect our troops.”
He’s just so solid and comforting and reassuring.
2.
Spanky
Full debut scheduled for May 19.
Depending on where you are reading this article from, we are approximately 36 to 48 hours away from the official debut of what could be one of the most important vehicles in US history. Ford will finally introduce an all-electric version of the country’s most popular model, the F-150. To support the big debut, the automaker has released yet another teaser with the F-150 Lightning.
3.
Kristine
@SiubhanDuinne: Wish I could upvote this comment. That’s how he makes me feel, too.
4.
Spanky
“Infrastructure Week”! Drink!
5.
Cacti
For anyone who is a fan of Eric Clapton, dude has officially jumped the shark and landed in angry old coot land.
Released a track with Van Morrison about how tough it is to be a rich, septuagenarian white dude living through social distancing. Also penned an anti-vax screed.
Open thread? I’m going to do a writeup on the newest findings about the Cerne Abbas Giant. It’s okay to put a picture of it on the front page above the fold, right? lol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Giant
7.
jonas
@Cacti: IIRC, Clapton has also come out as a big supporter of the UKIP (anti-immigrant, pro-Brexit) and has said some pretty awful things about minorities and immigrants recently.
@Cacti: The list of artists I’m mostly skipping through or dropping completely from my playlists until the royalties go to the heirs is getting longer and longer.
He was saying that stuff in the 1980s. I think the group “Rock Against Racism” was formed because of stuff he spouted. Clapton has always been a dick.
11.
R-Jud
@jonas:
Yup. He’s Morrissey with better fine motor skills, basically.
12.
jl
@Spanky: I saw a promo where a demographically potential buyer balanced regular working folk he-men watched the truck pull a million pounds of freight train. I guess to ‘torque up’ their market demo, har har
Edit: given the intermingling of vehicular might and manhood in the US, if you can’t have that extra long stroke, you can have that electrifying torque.
Clapton, Jagger, Van Morrison… it was just a 1960s version of the old minstrel shows.
14.
Cacti
@germy: I think it was actually the 1970s, when he was drunk/on a coke bender and went on a rant about “keeping Britain white”.
Which might be the least self-aware statement ever made, since his entire guitar sound is cribbed from black American blues players.
15.
Nora Lenderbee
@Cacti: That’s the guy who let his five-year-old son fall out a window. Awesome judgment.
16.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy: hoo boy, not a lot of nuanced context there eh? I’ve heard there are no Van Morrison fans among people who work at the venues he plays. Never heard anything about Jagger being racist, though he’s always kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I own Keith Richards’ autobiography but I’ve never gotten around to actually reading it, but I understand he does a bit of mild score-settling with “Brenda”.
17.
Betty Cracker
@Major Major Major Major: Saw something in the news recently on that. They figured out how old it is (or came up with a new theory, anyway).
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think politically Mick Jagger is most like Tony Blair, a facile triangulator between new-Labor and soft Thatcherism. (Edit: odd phrasing on my part, since I think Blair invented New Labor, but I think he went rightward from his own creation as time went on.)
From what I’ve read, Richards is a very old school Laborite egalitarian leveler, devoted social democrat.
So, probably some tension there. I read that after Jagger got his Blair-inspired knighthood, someone was griping about it to Richards, who replied that there was no reason to fret, lots of awful people have been knighted, going way back.
Edit: I read a piece about Richard’s guitars, which he tends to name after Dicken’s oppressed heroes.
Funniest thing was when the Rolling Stones found themselves on a bill with James Brown on the T.A.M.I. Show, and Jagger had to do his Al Jolson routine right after Brown’s act.
Interesting. I was just reading about that yesterday. Can’t remember where, though. (I mean, I’ve known about it for decades, but it just recently crossed my radar again.)
On Sunday I wrote that a US President offering anodyne statements in favor of simple justice for Palestinians as well as Israelis would be eviscerated by both parties.
On Monday Rep. Jerry Nadler offered a resolution saying that the “US values Palestinian lives equally”:
@The Thin Black Duke: A friend has video of Jagger/Stones playing at the Checkerboard Lounge on the South Side of Chicago. It’s nice. I only got to the Checkerboard a couple of times, and never saw anyone Famous, but it was still cool.
Got the shot, J&J. I was in no real hurry because I had COVID in March, thanks to the plumber. I’d been careful, too, but in he came, and by the time he left he had a weird light, dry cough.
Easy as pie: supermarket pharmacies are doing walk-ins, and it only takes one. 15 minutes, no hassle. And the blood clot rate among men is about 2 in 1 million. (For women, its 3-4x higher)
42.
Ken
@Major Major Major Major: I believe Terry Pratchett’s assessment (as given by one of the Discworld characters, probably Nanny Ogg) was “the whole landscape saying I’ve got a big tonker“.
First thing I ever saw him in was a very small (but critical) role in Rosemary’s Baby. And I will always be grateful to him for introducing me (on one of his mid-1990s talk shows) to a wonderful cabaret singer, Mary Cleere Haran, who never, sadly, got the kind of popular renown she deserved.
44.
jl
@New Deal democrat: I don’t understand what the Biden administration is doing. Do they think it’s good policy or politics to continue de facto endorsement of whatever the authoritarian and lawless Netanhayu decides to do to stay in power, the hell with everything else, including his own country? Think they need to be followers in telling him that he’s gone off the rails, for the sake of electoral politics? Keeping their finger in the wind to divine best direction to go, or how far they can go? Other possibilities too, and I have no clue which it would be.
45.
Ohio Mom
I’m all in for Biden’s Jobs Plan: it includes a big boost in funding for community living supports for disabled people, as well as the elderly who want to remain in their homes instead of moving to an institution (sure, call it a retirement home but it’s still an institution) — there’s a lot of overlap between the needs of disabled people and the elderly.
For me, it would mean that Ohio Son might be able to live on his own, with part-time staff to see that he is safe and sound, while Ohio Dad and I are still around to watch this transition.
As it stands now, Ohio isn’t going to make available the funding needed for this until Ohio Dad and I are at least totally decrepit or more likely, dead. That’s how the current waiting list works (note: the state isn’t calling it a waiting list anymore but that’s what it is).
Of course this is the part of the Jobs Plan that is most likely to be cut because people don’t think it’s “infrastructure.” I’d argue that some disabled people need curb cuts and others need support staff, both enable you being able to live in the community on your own terms.
46.
jl
@Major Major Major Major: Wiki says he may have had serious enlargement surgery sometime in the 18th century.
You know, if we could dust off some of Tesla’s old ideas and have pickup trucks that were re-fueled by an actual bolt of lightning, resistance to electric vehicles would collapse utterly.
48.
New Deal democrat
@jl: He may just be an old school Democrat for whom Israel can do no wrong.
Or he might just be being politically astute, picking his fights. And unfortunately for the Palestinians, in the political cost/benefit analysis, they come in last.
49.
citizen dave
I loved Charles Grodin’s guest appearances on Carson and on Letterman later on where he did that put-upon Charles Grodin character so well. Very funny.
The above came across my phone the other day. Van has sold 213 copies of his new two hour album. Somehow a couple of videos came across my youtube feed and they are the laziest videos I’ve ever seen–just the title repeating over and over (or at least for the 30 seconds or so that I watched). Dang, I used to like Van.
How are Eric Clapton and coffee the same?
They both suck without cream. (No offense to clapton fans intended, just a joke).
I loved Charles Grodin’s guest appearances on Carson and on Letterman later on where he did that put-upon Charles Grodin character so well. Very funny.
Me, too. Not many people could out-crank Letterman.
@Ken: The Tesla pickup truck that was shown last year looked really sharp. So sharp, people pointed out that it would violate safety standards requiring that body parts be rounded so as not to cut up pedestrians too badly if they are hit by the vehicle. The Tesla truck looked like it could easily slice a pedestrian in half. The story is that when this was called to Elon Musk’s attention, he responded, “so why is that a problem?”
James Brown opened for them in Sacramento the night Keith nearly electrocuted himself, so evidently they got over that initial discomfort.
58.
rp
@jl: Maybe he’s thinking carefully about his options before saying something or taking action that will have significant domestic and international implications.
@Geminid: I didn’t mean Musk, I meant the original Tesla. You know, the one who spoke to invisible blue flames and wanted to marry a pigeon. The normal one.
62.
jl
@rp: That is certainly one of the options. But after four years of Trump, I just didn’t think of getting that off the bottom of the list. I’m still adjusting to the changing times.
63.
rp
@jl: yep. It does feel like bizarro world at times.
Oh man, I just remembered Grodin followed Madonna’s notorious strip tease episode on Letterman and meekly handed Dave a pair of his own underwear as a second-act offering. https://t.co/JEh3N6nLOp— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) May 18, 2021
66.
jl
@rp: Another thing is that Biden seems to have changed his attitude and perspective on many areas of domestic policy. I like much of what I see in terms of policy and thoughtfulness from the current Biden more than what I remember of the Biden of decades ago.
So, just came to my conscious mind that as he is confronted with policy issues for the first time in his presidency, will I see the side of Biden that I agree with, or the side that I very vigorously disagree with? Other than reconnecting with policy any sane person of normal intelligence and education would agree with (working with democratic allies, the UN, WHO, etc.) we haven’t seen much about how he’ll handle foreign affairs and national security.
Papworth, of the National Trust, said that when researchers flew sophisticated drones over the site and closely examined the images, they detected the giant’s prominent anatomy may not be original, that subtle shifts in the earthworks suggested alterations, perhaps in the 18th century. “There appears to be an outline of a belt,” Papworth said, meaning that once upon a time, the giant might not have been naked at all, but worn some trousers, or the 10th-century version.
As usual, you come through for me. I’ve long since lost track of how many drinks I owe you by now, but I expect you can and will look it up :-)
69.
jl
@germy: Wiki says that some time, maybe in the 18th century, the Cerne Abbas Giant’s piece was extended up to what used to be his navel. At the bottom of the article there are two drawings from the18th century, one with the big version, one with the smaller plus a navel.
Edit: apparently there was always a dick, question is how big and when.
70.
Betty Cracker
@New Deal democrat: I wish Biden would say we stand with the Israeli people, and we stand with the Palestinian people, but the leadership of both factions sucks, and they’re propping each other up* with fear, violence and corruption on a grand scale, so the only money we’re prepared to dispense in the region henceforth is humanitarian aid that bypasses the governments.
My political instincts are pretty bad, but FWIW, my sense is that most Americans with the exception of white evangelicals and conservative Jewish Americans who wouldn’t vote for Biden anyway would agree with that, and even some small “c” conservatives would be on board with a statement that says we decline further participation in the shit-show at this time.
*Someone here linked a piece the other day that highlighted Netanyahu and Hamas’s codependent relationship, and it was spot on. Nothing changes until those bad actors are off the stage.
71.
jl
@Betty Cracker: I think Hamas and Netanyahu relationship is purely destructive cynical opportunism. It’s come down to coming up with any excuse to blow up stuff and kill people for some perceived political gain. So, a different issue than the increasingly brazen attitude of Israeli government in taking whatever they want from the Palestinians, though I think that is the root cause of the current crisis. Edit: and increasingly treating Israeli Arabs like a sinister foreign fifth column.
I read that one big and increasingly intractable problem is that all three sides have weak leadership. Netanyahu has to resort to increasingly desperate measures to stay in office and out of jail, Abbas is afraid to hold a new election for fear of losing, and Hamas’ sucks in its job as the elected government of Gaza, shooting off missiles seems to be their primary interest, whenever they have a pretext. I don’t know if that is true, though, and I tend to be suspicious of bothersiderism (though in this case threesiderism).
I don’t know why the idea of a bunch of 18th Century Brits going to the trouble of enlarging the Chalk Giant’s erection delights me as much as it does, but it does.
18th Century, the 1700s, in England and France, were the height of Neo-Classicism. One aspect of that philosophy was that “Nature” was brutish, disorganized, and messy; and that Society should be the opposite of all those things. Hence the geometrically-laid out gardens, the exponential growth in analytic sciences, and people believing with all their hearts that the universe was properly organized in a hierarchical fashion (with themselves, of course, at the top).
OTOH, and possibly as a reaction against that orderliness, the 1700s also saw a big increase in fascination with the occult, with “old religions” and… wait for it… socio-political upheavals.
I’d like to think the Chalk Giant’s erectile enhancement was a reaction against Neo-Classic conformism, a hint of the Romantic revolution to come.
74.
jl
@CaseyL: We don’t know who did it. Quite a few libertines in 18th century English aristocracy. So some young scions of great wealth on a lark that did it?
75.
TomatoQueen
@Betty Cracker: I can’t find it now of course, but this morning’s WaPo online had something that I found reassuring: yes, Joe has a more dated view, but he’s also been down this road before and believes that our overt disapproval of Bibi’s actions and rhetoric is likely to backfire, therefore we (whoever) are back to working behind the scenes to calm things down. Blinken was talking out of all sides of his mouth about the report of a Hamas intelligence unit in the tower block taken down, and Jen similar. So it’s gone all sad ugly and stupid in Jerusalem as it does this time of year, but what hasn’t happened is Joe hasn’t sent Jarvanka or Major to pee all over the Western Wall or East Jerusalem or anything else public. It’s all quiet diplomacy said Jen. This is small cold comfort, but still it’s better than what used to be there.
@Cacti: I heard bits of the F-150 speech while I was out getting groceries. He’s good at this stuff. You can tell where he ad-libs, but he’s very good at it. He’s talking to them and to us, not just reading words on the teleprompter.
Clapton knows how to play the guitar, but as a human he’s been a nasty piece of work for a long time.
Cheers,
Scott.
78.
CaseyL
@jl: Oh, absolutely possible – but not, I think, probable. Larking aristo boys didn’t have that kind of dedication to pranks requiring multiple days’ work, not to mention the chalk they would have had to find and grind would be too much like manual labor (excuse me: labour.).
79.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@TomatoQueen: yes, Joe has a more dated view, but he’s also been down this road before and believes that our overt disapproval of Bibi’s actions and rhetoric is likely to backfire, therefore we (whoever) are back to working behind the scenes to calm things down.
Ben Rhodes was on MNSBC last night making the case that we can’t see what’s really going on. And I do think there is a generational bias toward Israel with Biden, though I’ve also heard quite of gossip that he is well aware of a what a colossal dick Bibi is. Whether he ties that to racism and an authoritarian bent, I don’t know…
80.
jl
@TomatoQueen: I hope your speculation is accurate. Still waters run deep, and all that.
Biden’s statements, and position of his administration, seemed to be such a credulous blank at first, hard to know what it meant. And no explanation. Why the switch on supporting a ceasefire? Seems like they are intentionally saying as little as possible as infrequently as they can.
@jl: The Biden administration is trying to broker a cease fire. That’s their number one immediate goal. Getting Bibi’s US supporters riled up will not help that.
Politics in closely divided government is not pretty.
Yes, that’s glib.
But what do you think can be done to get a cease fire to happen faster while not making everything else that Biden is trying to do worse?
Cheers,
Scott.
83.
jl
@CaseyL: True. Would be too much honest work. Wouldn’t compare to harassing and assaulting less wealthy and less powerful folk. Couldn’t do it while shitface drunk. Obvious point but I didn’t think it through.
Probably hiring it out wasn’t an attractive option either.
that he is well aware of a what a colossal dick Bibi is.
Bibi pointedly insulted him when he visited as VP. I think it was announcing expansion of (illegal) west bank settlements while he was there.
85.
TomatoQueen
@jl: Intentionally saying as little as possible as infrequently as they can in former times was how things were done, back when “The Two State Solution” was a concept to be considered. I’d almost forgotten it. Until something direct is said otherwise, I’m going to dream of stalemates and talks and letting the Egyptians handle it. Maybe fewer people will die, at least for a while. Also we were selling Israel some $750 jillion worth of military toys when this started, so it’s a bit awkward at the moment.
86.
Betty Cracker
@TomatoQueen: Remember when the outgoing Trumpsters were meeping about Agent Orange not getting the accolades he deserves for the “Abraham Accords”? The Karma Train pulled into I Told You So Station right on time for that glorified marketing campaign. What a revolting coda to Kushner’s absurd stint as a diplomat. “Real estate problem” that required “disruptive” thinking my arse. God, what a vapid prick.
87.
jl
@Another Scott: I think the route you describe is the best way forward, even though it allows the pointless death go on for a few days. OTOH, I’ve been afraid it’s too much to hope for.
If the mood of the country is changing to support a more honest and rational policy, and Biden’s thinking is more flexible than previously, this might be an case where being out in front on a new policy direction is not the best way to successfully change course.
I’ve been thinking it over, but probably afraid not to be cynical in my first comment on it.
88.
jl
@Betty Cracker: But wasn’t the Abraham Accords mainly a cynical diplomatic show between two authoritarian governments (though on the Israeli side, Netanyahu’s opportunistic jury rigged authoritarianism). Doing that kind of thing was one of the very few tools in the Trumpster skillset.
89.
Mo MacArbie
@CaseyL: Perhaps the moon hit his eye like a big pizza pie?
Keith Richards’s book is a great read. (Full disclosure: he is my guitar idol.) He doesn’t so much settle scores with Jagger; it’s more like he shares some barbs and eye rolling.
91.
Betty Cracker
@jl: That’s exactly what it was, but it’s possible dumb people who failed upwards all their lives like Trump and Kushner actually believed the press releases.
92.
TomatoQueen
@Betty Cracker: The idea that VapidPrick was in any serious way linked to US diplomacy, foreign policy–it just makes me shudder and then try to figure out what language that is in, or is it hilarity from Satan? It’s simply not possible.
93.
zeecube
@jl: My guess is a high school senior (epic) prank.
The answer, unfortunately, is no. The status quo actually suits both sides quite well and neither has an interest in changing it. Hamas, however, was upset by the cancellation of Palestinian elections, in which it hoped to extend its influence to the West Bank; it took advantage of a confluence of Jewish-Arab confrontations in East Jerusalem to try to extend its influence there instead. It did the previously inconceivable and fired rockets toward Jerusalem. That in turn enraged Netanyahu, who was content to have Hamas rule in Gaza but not in the West Bank, and certainly not in East Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, both sides’ objectives in this round are strictly limited. Hamas hopes to enhance its standing among Palestinians; Israel hopes to reestablish its deterrence against Hamas’s attacks on its citizens. Neither side is interested in having the United States broker a two-state solution. Hamas is dedicated to a one-state solution in which Israel does not exist; Netanyahu is committed to a three-state solution in which Hamas rules in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority presides over West Bank enclaves.
The third party to this conflict—Abu Mazen—would love to see the United States reengage, because that would help make him relevant again. For four months, he waited in vain for a phone call from Biden; the current crisis at last precipitated a call from the secretary of state. But American negotiators have had enough experience with Abu Mazen to know that he is in no position to accept the compromises necessary to achieve a two-state solution. At 85, in the 17th year of his four-year presidential term, nominally presiding over a deeply divided polity in which he will be denounced as a traitor by Hamas for any concession he makes to Israel, Abu Mazen intends to go into the history books as the leader who refused to compromise Palestinian rights.
This stuff has been going on since before WWI, and not a lot has changed in many respects.
A good short history (from a 1960 MS thesis on Truman’s decision to recognize Israel) is here (111 page .pdf). It’s a quick read (being typewritten).
That’s unduly harsh. Jagger has worked with and promoted African American artists throughout his career. The Stones were known for putting African American artists on their tours to give them greater exposure . I can’t recall a single African American slamming Jagger for his style. The only famous person I know who did was Lennon, who used the common homophobic epithet.
Ok, Clapton is an asshole but that comment is extremely ugly and not true. His son was in his mother’s apartment (Clapton’s ex). Clapton didn’t live with them. The cleaning lady opened the window to clean it and neglected to close it.
98.
CaseyL
@Another Scott: Trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement when no one at the table wants one is useless, fruitless, and futile.
But the US does have some big sticks it could wave around. Like, no more arms deals for anyone, including Israel. Pity about that $746 million dollar shipment that just went through…
House GOP Whip Scalise announces Republicans WILL whip GOP Members to vote AGAINST the creation of a bipartisan National Commission to Investigate the January 6th Attack
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 18, 2021
That’s what it is. I was getting the weirdest feeling of, I dunno, synchronicity? parallelism? between the Israel/Hamas/Fatah and Clapton/Richards/Jagger subthreads. But of course it was because, like the Cerne Abbas Giant, they’re both fundamentally about big dicks.
101.
mrmoshpotato
@Mary G: Time for the Dems to tell the Rethuglicans to suck an ass’s ass and move forward with an investigation into the insurrection.
102.
jl
@Ken: BJ is an almost top 10,000 full-service nexus, as well as blog.
103.
Mary G
@mrmoshpotato: I’m pretty sure Liz “No Fucks Left to Give” Cheney and some of the 10 who voted yes in Impeachment Boogaloo 2.0 will vote for this. Reps kind of shooting themselves in the foot, because their BLM! Antifa! distraction won’t be tolerated.
NEW: GOP splits open over Jan. 6 commission vote: “Katko feels like he's been thrown under the bus,” said one House Republican. “He feels frustrated he was given a direction to go in and had the rug pulled out from under him.”https://t.co/kY1CeqiNeX— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) May 18, 2021
Bibi intentionally provoked this war as surely as Putin provoked one of the wars with Chechnya by bombing apartment buildings. In addition, he ignores the fact that Jewish settlers have deputized themselves to evict Palestinians from their homes. This is the thug that Bibi has become.
106.
Anyway
One of the weirdest parts of the talks/negotiations towards the “two-state solution” was the ongoing settlement activity and the green fence built by ejecting Palestinian residents from their current homes – and the US always turned a blind eye. The effort was never fair and Palestinians kept losing land during the negotiations (for the land). Saying both sides now is not fair… My impression is the settlement activity was exacerbated by Soviet immigrants.
107.
Kay
Ford making an electric F-150 is “full throttle socialism” according to Fox. It’s a 70,000 dollar pick up truck.
My local Wal Mart now carries two different electric lawnmowers.
You wonder how long Fox can keep this up. It’s just all nonsense. Forget “liberals”. It doesn’t have anything to do with anything real.
108.
Geminid
@Mary G: Even though the craven McCarthy tossed him under the bus, John Katko may end up a winner when Albany Democrats redistrict next year. New York will lose a congressional seat because of reapportionment, and it won’t be that hard to make a Republican lose the game of musical chairs. Democrats can pretty much pick and choose which upstate Republican walks the plank- looking at you, Stefanik! Democrats might even try to knock out two Republicans, as Claudia Tenney won the 22nd Congressional district by under 400 votes. Katko could get a pass, maybe even some more Republican voters in his new district. At least that’s how I would do it.
Brian Williams used to ramble on about the politics of the F150 and how Democrats just didn’t get in. I’d bet a kidney that Williams drives a top-of-the-line F150 at his country place, and is totally clueless about what that reflects about the actual politics of the F150, and even more about his own politics
110.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@RobertDSC-Work: Me too, that was a great buddy action-comedy and Grodin was hilarious in it.
Comments are closed.
Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!
SiubhanDuinne
I love him. I love when he’s being optimistic about the economy. I love that everything makes him think of jobs. I love the gentle way he almost whispers things like “We’re going to do something about climate change because we’re the United States of America [voice rises to a shout] and there’s nothing we can’t do if we work together! I’m not joking! Not a joke!” I even love the way he ends every speech with “God protect our troops.”
He’s just so solid and comforting and reassuring.
Spanky
Kristine
@SiubhanDuinne: Wish I could upvote this comment. That’s how he makes me feel, too.
Spanky
“Infrastructure Week”! Drink!
Cacti
For anyone who is a fan of Eric Clapton, dude has officially jumped the shark and landed in angry old coot land.
Released a track with Van Morrison about how tough it is to be a rich, septuagenarian white dude living through social distancing. Also penned an anti-vax screed.
Major Major Major Major
Open thread? I’m going to do a writeup on the newest findings about the Cerne Abbas Giant. It’s okay to put a picture of it on the front page above the fold, right? lol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Giant
jonas
@Cacti: IIRC, Clapton has also come out as a big supporter of the UKIP (anti-immigrant, pro-Brexit) and has said some pretty awful things about minorities and immigrants recently.
R-Jud
@Major Major Major Major:
I approve of this topic.
Calouste
@Cacti: The list of artists I’m mostly skipping through or dropping completely from my playlists until the royalties go to the heirs is getting longer and longer.
germy
@jonas:
He was saying that stuff in the 1980s. I think the group “Rock Against Racism” was formed because of stuff he spouted. Clapton has always been a dick.
R-Jud
@jonas:
Yup. He’s Morrissey with better fine motor skills, basically.
jl
@Spanky: I saw a promo where a demographically potential buyer balanced regular working folk he-men watched the truck pull a million pounds of freight train. I guess to ‘torque up’ their market demo, har har
Edit: given the intermingling of vehicular might and manhood in the US, if you can’t have that extra long stroke, you can have that electrifying torque.
germy
@R-Jud:
Clapton, Jagger, Van Morrison… it was just a 1960s version of the old minstrel shows.
Cacti
@germy: I think it was actually the 1970s, when he was drunk/on a coke bender and went on a rant about “keeping Britain white”.
Which might be the least self-aware statement ever made, since his entire guitar sound is cribbed from black American blues players.
Nora Lenderbee
@Cacti: That’s the guy who let his five-year-old son fall out a window. Awesome judgment.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy: hoo boy, not a lot of nuanced context there eh? I’ve heard there are no Van Morrison fans among people who work at the venues he plays. Never heard anything about Jagger being racist, though he’s always kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I own Keith Richards’ autobiography but I’ve never gotten around to actually reading it, but I understand he does a bit of mild score-settling with “Brenda”.
Betty Cracker
@Major Major Major Major: Saw something in the news recently on that. They figured out how old it is (or came up with a new theory, anyway).
jl
@Cacti: Elvis lives!!
Elizabelle
@R-Jud:
Laughing. Disappointed in these Brits, but laughing at them.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: We need Joe. And we elected him (and Kamala). Yea, all of us.
Subsole
@Cacti: I like his music. Him? Not so much.
Dude’s the Kanye of DadRock.
Subsole
@R-Jud: Ooooooo.
jl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think politically Mick Jagger is most like Tony Blair, a facile triangulator between new-Labor and soft Thatcherism. (Edit: odd phrasing on my part, since I think Blair invented New Labor, but I think he went rightward from his own creation as time went on.)
From what I’ve read, Richards is a very old school Laborite egalitarian leveler, devoted social democrat.
So, probably some tension there. I read that after Jagger got his Blair-inspired knighthood, someone was griping about it to Richards, who replied that there was no reason to fret, lots of awful people have been knighted, going way back.
Edit: I read a piece about Richard’s guitars, which he tends to name after Dicken’s oppressed heroes.
AliceBlue
@Nora Lenderbee: According to news reports, Clapton was not in the apartment at the time. The boy’s mother and a housekeeper were present.
germy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Funniest thing was when the Rolling Stones found themselves on a bill with James Brown on the T.A.M.I. Show, and Jagger had to do his Al Jolson routine right after Brown’s act.
Amir Khalid
@Nora Lenderbee:
Not entirely fair. He was no longer with Conor’s mother at the time. No one has ever accused him of negligence in Conor’s death.
SiubhanDuinne
@Major Major Major Major:
Interesting. I was just reading about that yesterday. Can’t remember where, though. (I mean, I’ve known about it for decades, but it just recently crossed my radar again.)
SiubhanDuinne
@Elizabelle:
Yup yup yup.
New Deal democrat
On Sunday I wrote that a US President offering anodyne statements in favor of simple justice for Palestinians as well as Israelis would be eviscerated by both parties.
On Monday Rep. Jerry Nadler offered a resolution saying that the “US values Palestinian lives equally”:
https://mobile.twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1394498056423346177
AIPAC opposed it.
It’s cowboys vs. Indians, folks. And just like 100+ years ago, if G*d calls the Palestinians home via extinction, oh well, who’s to complain?
natem
At least David Bowie had the good sense to blame his racism on drugs, and proceed to live the remainder of his public life not acting like a Nazi.
Old School
RIP Charles Grodin. A very funny man.
SiubhanDuinne
@R-Jud:
Niiiiiice.
The Thin Black Duke
@germy: To be fair to Jagger, the Stones have always been respectful of African-American musicians. The Blues Brothers, on the other hand…
RobertDSC-Work
@Old School:
Always liked him in Midnight Run. RIP.
TomatoQueen
@Old School: DAMMIT.
J.
@Kristine: Same!
narya
@The Thin Black Duke: A friend has video of Jagger/Stones playing at the Checkerboard Lounge on the South Side of Chicago. It’s nice. I only got to the Checkerboard a couple of times, and never saw anyone Famous, but it was still cool.
rikyrah
@SiubhanDuinne:
And jobs for the little guy. The working class guy. Folks who if you get money in their pockets helps the economy.
scav
@Major Major Major Major: Is the belly button?
I so enjoy that detail.
SiubhanDuinne
@rikyrah:
Yes!
Pete Mack
Got the shot, J&J. I was in no real hurry because I had COVID in March, thanks to the plumber. I’d been careful, too, but in he came, and by the time he left he had a weird light, dry cough.
Easy as pie: supermarket pharmacies are doing walk-ins, and it only takes one. 15 minutes, no hassle. And the blood clot rate among men is about 2 in 1 million. (For women, its 3-4x higher)
Ken
@Major Major Major Major: I believe Terry Pratchett’s assessment (as given by one of the Discworld characters, probably Nanny Ogg) was “the whole landscape saying I’ve got a big tonker“.
SiubhanDuinne
@Old School:
First thing I ever saw him in was a very small (but critical) role in Rosemary’s Baby. And I will always be grateful to him for introducing me (on one of his mid-1990s talk shows) to a wonderful cabaret singer, Mary Cleere Haran, who never, sadly, got the kind of popular renown she deserved.
jl
@New Deal democrat: I don’t understand what the Biden administration is doing. Do they think it’s good policy or politics to continue de facto endorsement of whatever the authoritarian and lawless Netanhayu decides to do to stay in power, the hell with everything else, including his own country? Think they need to be followers in telling him that he’s gone off the rails, for the sake of electoral politics? Keeping their finger in the wind to divine best direction to go, or how far they can go? Other possibilities too, and I have no clue which it would be.
Ohio Mom
I’m all in for Biden’s Jobs Plan: it includes a big boost in funding for community living supports for disabled people, as well as the elderly who want to remain in their homes instead of moving to an institution (sure, call it a retirement home but it’s still an institution) — there’s a lot of overlap between the needs of disabled people and the elderly.
For me, it would mean that Ohio Son might be able to live on his own, with part-time staff to see that he is safe and sound, while Ohio Dad and I are still around to watch this transition.
As it stands now, Ohio isn’t going to make available the funding needed for this until Ohio Dad and I are at least totally decrepit or more likely, dead. That’s how the current waiting list works (note: the state isn’t calling it a waiting list anymore but that’s what it is).
Of course this is the part of the Jobs Plan that is most likely to be cut because people don’t think it’s “infrastructure.” I’d argue that some disabled people need curb cuts and others need support staff, both enable you being able to live in the community on your own terms.
jl
@Major Major Major Major: Wiki says he may have had serious enlargement surgery sometime in the 18th century.
Ken
You know, if we could dust off some of Tesla’s old ideas and have pickup trucks that were re-fueled by an actual bolt of lightning, resistance to electric vehicles would collapse utterly.
New Deal democrat
@jl: He may just be an old school Democrat for whom Israel can do no wrong.
Or he might just be being politically astute, picking his fights. And unfortunately for the Palestinians, in the political cost/benefit analysis, they come in last.
citizen dave
I loved Charles Grodin’s guest appearances on Carson and on Letterman later on where he did that put-upon Charles Grodin character so well. Very funny.
Re: Clapton and Van the man: https://www.showbiz411.com/2021/05/16/no-ones-listening-to-eric-clapton-and-van-morrisons-anti-lockdown-anti-vax-music-sales-are-nearly-zero
The above came across my phone the other day. Van has sold 213 copies of his new two hour album. Somehow a couple of videos came across my youtube feed and they are the laziest videos I’ve ever seen–just the title repeating over and over (or at least for the 30 seconds or so that I watched). Dang, I used to like Van.
How are Eric Clapton and coffee the same?
They both suck without cream. (No offense to clapton fans intended, just a joke).
mrmoshpotato
@Ken:
@Spanky: Biden taking it for a spin.
mrmoshpotato
@Ken: 1.21 gigawatts!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@citizen dave:
Me, too. Not many people could out-crank Letterman.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@mrmoshpotato:
HA! the press loves Uncle Joe
Geminid
@Ken: The Tesla pickup truck that was shown last year looked really sharp. So sharp, people pointed out that it would violate safety standards requiring that body parts be rounded so as not to cut up pedestrians too badly if they are hit by the vehicle. The Tesla truck looked like it could easily slice a pedestrian in half. The story is that when this was called to Elon Musk’s attention, he responded, “so why is that a problem?”
trollhattan
@jl:
Richards is the one I’d want to hang out with, if only I could understand what he was saying.
jl
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: Handsome Ol’ Joe seems to really love that truck.
Press still sucks though. No-one reported out what the time was on Biden’s zero to eighty, at least that I’ve seen so far
Edit: Next media opportunity should be Biden towing an Acela (izzat right?) with it from Delaware to DC.
trollhattan
@germy:
James Brown opened for them in Sacramento the night Keith nearly electrocuted himself, so evidently they got over that initial discomfort.
rp
@jl: Maybe he’s thinking carefully about his options before saying something or taking action that will have significant domestic and international implications.
Steeplejack (phone)
@SiubhanDuinne:
Washington Post: “Scientists unravel a mystery about a naked giant carved into an English hill.”
Raven
@The Thin Black Duke: no shit, that was some bullshit.
Ken
@Geminid: I didn’t mean Musk, I meant the original Tesla. You know, the one who spoke to invisible blue flames and wanted to marry a pigeon. The normal one.
jl
@rp: That is certainly one of the options. But after four years of Trump, I just didn’t think of getting that off the bottom of the list. I’m still adjusting to the changing times.
rp
@jl: yep. It does feel like bizarro world at times.
catclub
@mrmoshpotato:
jiggawatts
Mary G
@Old School: He is a big loss. That deadpan. RIP:
jl
@rp: Another thing is that Biden seems to have changed his attitude and perspective on many areas of domestic policy. I like much of what I see in terms of policy and thoughtfulness from the current Biden more than what I remember of the Biden of decades ago.
So, just came to my conscious mind that as he is confronted with policy issues for the first time in his presidency, will I see the side of Biden that I agree with, or the side that I very vigorously disagree with? Other than reconnecting with policy any sane person of normal intelligence and education would agree with (working with democratic allies, the UN, WHO, etc.) we haven’t seen much about how he’ll handle foreign affairs and national security.
germy
So the dick was added later, apparently?
SiubhanDuinne
@Steeplejack (phone):
That was it. Thanks.
As usual, you come through for me. I’ve long since lost track of how many drinks I owe you by now, but I expect you can and will look it up :-)
jl
@germy: Wiki says that some time, maybe in the 18th century, the Cerne Abbas Giant’s piece was extended up to what used to be his navel. At the bottom of the article there are two drawings from the18th century, one with the big version, one with the smaller plus a navel.
Edit: apparently there was always a dick, question is how big and when.
Betty Cracker
@New Deal democrat: I wish Biden would say we stand with the Israeli people, and we stand with the Palestinian people, but the leadership of both factions sucks, and they’re propping each other up* with fear, violence and corruption on a grand scale, so the only money we’re prepared to dispense in the region henceforth is humanitarian aid that bypasses the governments.
My political instincts are pretty bad, but FWIW, my sense is that most Americans with the exception of white evangelicals and conservative Jewish Americans who wouldn’t vote for Biden anyway would agree with that, and even some small “c” conservatives would be on board with a statement that says we decline further participation in the shit-show at this time.
*Someone here linked a piece the other day that highlighted Netanyahu and Hamas’s codependent relationship, and it was spot on. Nothing changes until those bad actors are off the stage.
jl
@Betty Cracker: I think Hamas and Netanyahu relationship is purely destructive cynical opportunism. It’s come down to coming up with any excuse to blow up stuff and kill people for some perceived political gain. So, a different issue than the increasingly brazen attitude of Israeli government in taking whatever they want from the Palestinians, though I think that is the root cause of the current crisis. Edit: and increasingly treating Israeli Arabs like a sinister foreign fifth column.
I read that one big and increasingly intractable problem is that all three sides have weak leadership. Netanyahu has to resort to increasingly desperate measures to stay in office and out of jail, Abbas is afraid to hold a new election for fear of losing, and Hamas’ sucks in its job as the elected government of Gaza, shooting off missiles seems to be their primary interest, whenever they have a pretext. I don’t know if that is true, though, and I tend to be suspicious of bothersiderism (though in this case threesiderism).
Maybe someone with more knowledge can chime in.
Steeplejack (phone)
@SiubhanDuinne:
One (deep) draught will do me.
CaseyL
I don’t know why the idea of a bunch of 18th Century Brits going to the trouble of enlarging the Chalk Giant’s erection delights me as much as it does, but it does.
18th Century, the 1700s, in England and France, were the height of Neo-Classicism. One aspect of that philosophy was that “Nature” was brutish, disorganized, and messy; and that Society should be the opposite of all those things. Hence the geometrically-laid out gardens, the exponential growth in analytic sciences, and people believing with all their hearts that the universe was properly organized in a hierarchical fashion (with themselves, of course, at the top).
OTOH, and possibly as a reaction against that orderliness, the 1700s also saw a big increase in fascination with the occult, with “old religions” and… wait for it… socio-political upheavals.
I’d like to think the Chalk Giant’s erectile enhancement was a reaction against Neo-Classic conformism, a hint of the Romantic revolution to come.
jl
@CaseyL: We don’t know who did it. Quite a few libertines in 18th century English aristocracy. So some young scions of great wealth on a lark that did it?
TomatoQueen
@Betty Cracker: I can’t find it now of course, but this morning’s WaPo online had something that I found reassuring: yes, Joe has a more dated view, but he’s also been down this road before and believes that our overt disapproval of Bibi’s actions and rhetoric is likely to backfire, therefore we (whoever) are back to working behind the scenes to calm things down. Blinken was talking out of all sides of his mouth about the report of a Hamas intelligence unit in the tower block taken down, and Jen similar. So it’s gone all sad ugly and stupid in Jerusalem as it does this time of year, but what hasn’t happened is Joe hasn’t sent Jarvanka or Major to pee all over the Western Wall or East Jerusalem or anything else public. It’s all quiet diplomacy said Jen. This is small cold comfort, but still it’s better than what used to be there.
zhena gogolia
@rp:
what a strange idea!//
Another Scott
@Cacti: I heard bits of the F-150 speech while I was out getting groceries. He’s good at this stuff. You can tell where he ad-libs, but he’s very good at it. He’s talking to them and to us, not just reading words on the teleprompter.
Clapton knows how to play the guitar, but as a human he’s been a nasty piece of work for a long time.
Cheers,
Scott.
CaseyL
@jl: Oh, absolutely possible – but not, I think, probable. Larking aristo boys didn’t have that kind of dedication to pranks requiring multiple days’ work, not to mention the chalk they would have had to find and grind would be too much like manual labor (excuse me: labour.).
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Ben Rhodes was on MNSBC last night making the case that we can’t see what’s really going on. And I do think there is a generational bias toward Israel with Biden, though I’ve also heard quite of gossip that he is well aware of a what a colossal dick Bibi is. Whether he ties that to racism and an authoritarian bent, I don’t know…
jl
@TomatoQueen: I hope your speculation is accurate. Still waters run deep, and all that.
Biden’s statements, and position of his administration, seemed to be such a credulous blank at first, hard to know what it meant. And no explanation. Why the switch on supporting a ceasefire? Seems like they are intentionally saying as little as possible as infrequently as they can.
Geminid
@Ken: I know. I was just making a bad joke.
Another Scott
@jl: The Biden administration is trying to broker a cease fire. That’s their number one immediate goal. Getting Bibi’s US supporters riled up will not help that.
Politics in closely divided government is not pretty.
Yes, that’s glib.
But what do you think can be done to get a cease fire to happen faster while not making everything else that Biden is trying to do worse?
Cheers,
Scott.
jl
@CaseyL: True. Would be too much honest work. Wouldn’t compare to harassing and assaulting less wealthy and less powerful folk. Couldn’t do it while shitface drunk. Obvious point but I didn’t think it through.
Probably hiring it out wasn’t an attractive option either.
catclub
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Bibi pointedly insulted him when he visited as VP. I think it was announcing expansion of (illegal) west bank settlements while he was there.
TomatoQueen
@jl: Intentionally saying as little as possible as infrequently as they can in former times was how things were done, back when “The Two State Solution” was a concept to be considered. I’d almost forgotten it. Until something direct is said otherwise, I’m going to dream of stalemates and talks and letting the Egyptians handle it. Maybe fewer people will die, at least for a while. Also we were selling Israel some $750 jillion worth of military toys when this started, so it’s a bit awkward at the moment.
Betty Cracker
@TomatoQueen: Remember when the outgoing Trumpsters were meeping about Agent Orange not getting the accolades he deserves for the “Abraham Accords”? The Karma Train pulled into I Told You So Station right on time for that glorified marketing campaign. What a revolting coda to Kushner’s absurd stint as a diplomat. “Real estate problem” that required “disruptive” thinking my arse. God, what a vapid prick.
jl
@Another Scott: I think the route you describe is the best way forward, even though it allows the pointless death go on for a few days. OTOH, I’ve been afraid it’s too much to hope for.
If the mood of the country is changing to support a more honest and rational policy, and Biden’s thinking is more flexible than previously, this might be an case where being out in front on a new policy direction is not the best way to successfully change course.
I’ve been thinking it over, but probably afraid not to be cynical in my first comment on it.
jl
@Betty Cracker: But wasn’t the Abraham Accords mainly a cynical diplomatic show between two authoritarian governments (though on the Israeli side, Netanyahu’s opportunistic jury rigged authoritarianism). Doing that kind of thing was one of the very few tools in the Trumpster skillset.
Mo MacArbie
@CaseyL: Perhaps the moon hit his eye like a big pizza pie?
James E Powell
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Keith Richards’s book is a great read. (Full disclosure: he is my guitar idol.) He doesn’t so much settle scores with Jagger; it’s more like he shares some barbs and eye rolling.
Betty Cracker
@jl: That’s exactly what it was, but it’s possible dumb people who failed upwards all their lives like Trump and Kushner actually believed the press releases.
TomatoQueen
@Betty Cracker: The idea that VapidPrick was in any serious way linked to US diplomacy, foreign policy–it just makes me shudder and then try to figure out what language that is in, or is it hilarity from Satan? It’s simply not possible.
zeecube
@jl: My guess is a high school senior (epic) prank.
Mo MacArbie
And the streams cross.
Another Scott
@Betty Cracker:
repost – Martin Indyk at Foreign Affairs.
This stuff has been going on since before WWI, and not a lot has changed in many respects.
A good short history (from a 1960 MS thesis on Truman’s decision to recognize Israel) is here (111 page .pdf). It’s a quick read (being typewritten).
HTH.
Cheers,
Scott.
James E Powell
@germy:
That’s unduly harsh. Jagger has worked with and promoted African American artists throughout his career. The Stones were known for putting African American artists on their tours to give them greater exposure . I can’t recall a single African American slamming Jagger for his style. The only famous person I know who did was Lennon, who used the common homophobic epithet.
And the Stones had no control over the TAMI show.
MomSense
@Nora Lenderbee:
Ok, Clapton is an asshole but that comment is extremely ugly and not true. His son was in his mother’s apartment (Clapton’s ex). Clapton didn’t live with them. The cleaning lady opened the window to clean it and neglected to close it.
CaseyL
@Another Scott: Trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement when no one at the table wants one is useless, fruitless, and futile.
But the US does have some big sticks it could wave around. Like, no more arms deals for anyone, including Israel. Pity about that $746 million dollar shipment that just went through…
Mary G
@SiubhanDuinne: Steep is the Balloon Juice whisperer.
In other news, water is wet:
Ken
That’s what it is. I was getting the weirdest feeling of, I dunno, synchronicity? parallelism? between the Israel/Hamas/Fatah and Clapton/Richards/Jagger subthreads. But of course it was because, like the Cerne Abbas Giant, they’re both fundamentally about big dicks.
mrmoshpotato
@Mary G: Time for the Dems to tell the Rethuglicans to suck an ass’s ass and move forward with an investigation into the insurrection.
jl
@Ken: BJ is an almost top 10,000 full-service nexus, as well as blog.
Mary G
@mrmoshpotato: I’m pretty sure Liz “No Fucks Left to Give” Cheney and some of the 10 who voted yes in Impeachment Boogaloo 2.0 will vote for this. Reps kind of shooting themselves in the foot, because their BLM! Antifa! distraction won’t be tolerated.
Mary G
@Mary G: Oopsie!
debbie
@jl:
Bibi intentionally provoked this war as surely as Putin provoked one of the wars with Chechnya by bombing apartment buildings. In addition, he ignores the fact that Jewish settlers have deputized themselves to evict Palestinians from their homes. This is the thug that Bibi has become.
Anyway
One of the weirdest parts of the talks/negotiations towards the “two-state solution” was the ongoing settlement activity and the green fence built by ejecting Palestinian residents from their current homes – and the US always turned a blind eye. The effort was never fair and Palestinians kept losing land during the negotiations (for the land). Saying both sides now is not fair… My impression is the settlement activity was exacerbated by Soviet immigrants.
Kay
Ford making an electric F-150 is “full throttle socialism” according to Fox. It’s a 70,000 dollar pick up truck.
My local Wal Mart now carries two different electric lawnmowers.
You wonder how long Fox can keep this up. It’s just all nonsense. Forget “liberals”. It doesn’t have anything to do with anything real.
Geminid
@Mary G: Even though the craven McCarthy tossed him under the bus, John Katko may end up a winner when Albany Democrats redistrict next year. New York will lose a congressional seat because of reapportionment, and it won’t be that hard to make a Republican lose the game of musical chairs. Democrats can pretty much pick and choose which upstate Republican walks the plank- looking at you, Stefanik! Democrats might even try to knock out two Republicans, as Claudia Tenney won the 22nd Congressional district by under 400 votes. Katko could get a pass, maybe even some more Republican voters in his new district. At least that’s how I would do it.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Kay:
and that’s the base model, I believe
Brian Williams used to ramble on about the politics of the F150 and how Democrats just didn’t get in. I’d bet a kidney that Williams drives a top-of-the-line F150 at his country place, and is totally clueless about what that reflects about the actual politics of the F150, and even more about his own politics
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@RobertDSC-Work: Me too, that was a great buddy action-comedy and Grodin was hilarious in it.