Chicago Dog Treat!

 Did I ever tell you about the time I drove to Chicago to see a baseball game and it wasnt to see the White Sox or the Cubs? Well, read on of you wish.

I havent been to Chicago since the pandemic hit and it is perhaps my favorite city in this country. The drive there is long and it involves the long slog across Iowa which is absolutely the worst and Ive been thru Eastern Colorado. Yeah I know Nebraska is no pleasure drive but its home and I know it like the back of my hand. Familiarity breeds acceptance.

Theres a team located in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont that has a name that cant be beat. The independent league Chicago Dogs. They are named after the greatest hot dog ever invented. There a damn Weiners Circle at the stadium for chrissakes. I couldnt wait.

The traffic in Chicago is crazy. Tailgaters, junkers, speeders, semis, crazy people its all there for the enjoyment of facing immediate death. It's a thrill ride indeed. 

Since I am alone on this trip (who in their right mind would want to travel 500 miles to watch a baseball game with 25 to 35 year old men not in great shape hanging on to a sport they love? Uhhh me) Im slumming it. Cheap motels, cheap eats, risking death. Ah hell its been a full life right?

The Motel 6 in Schiller Park is definitely cheap. But at less than $50 it comes with some risk. The other people staying there. Oh yes, there were some shady characters, but nothing of any consequence. Beer drinking at 4pm in the so called courtyard? Knock yourselves out comrades (they were speaking Russian or something).

The stadium is a short drive and its brand spanking new. $3 to park in a garage and there you are right next to it. Impact Park. Its a clean facility for sure. It should be its about 2 years old. 

Impact Park is a modern ballpark with a walk around concourse. The ticket price is reasonable and you can sit anywhere you wish on a Tuesday night so buy the cheap $9 ticket and then sit in the $18 seats. I didnt know this so I spent the $18 and sat where I was supposed to like a good sheep. All alone in a section on the aisle with a great view of the "action".

Remember what I said about the 25-35 year old men hanging on to a dream? Well yes they are, for Dog sakes the Dogs manager uses a walker to come to home plate (hey its ex Red Sox 2nd baseman Butch Hobson). The game was good. The ballpark is so small lots and lots of home runs were hit (its 294 to right and 312 to left in honor of the area code and the highway that passes over the bullpen). The game was just over 2 hours (thanks to the greatest rule change in baseball  history the pitch clock) the Dogs won 16-8 over the Cleburne Railroaders (yeah its in Texas or something).

The Chicago Dog was heavenly, but boy did it kick my ass (an extra Prilosec when I got home). The Leinenkugels Summer Shandy was also heavenly as was the weather. It was in the 70's and I'd forgotten how chilly Chicago can get . 

This may sound like hell to most but to this guy and his love of the sport it was fantastic. 

Back at the Motel Moscow, the Russians (or whatever) were still partying and one said something to me as I walked by (I think it was a friendly greeting) I said Hi and walked by hoping I hadnt insulted them by not stopping for a shot of moonshine. I lived.

Onward to Davenport Iowa.

Hamilton (Again) !

 The first time I saw Hamilton I was skeptical. Even though I'd tried and failed to obtain tickets back when it was just an off Broadway sensation in a Harlem theater, the hype, the devotion, the kids who knew every word just made me be my typical cynical self. 

Then I saw it. And goddammit I had to wait for it. Wait to see it a 2nd time which we did during the same run. Then it came back and we were there once again. It gets better every single time.

Hamilton came to Lincoln, Nebraska for a two week run and I had no intention of going. Until on a road trip and bored driving and listening to the same old classic rock on went the Hamilton soundtrack. By the time we got back, I had purchased tickets to see it a 4th time. Why? Well ya only live once and the aforementioned it gets better every time.

The cast was different except for the Washington character played by Marcus Choi who we have seen knock it out of the park again. 

You all know the greatness of the musical. I won't describe it yet again You either get it or you don't and if you don't get it that's fine. I'm not here to judge but sorry, you're missing out on great music, great lyrics, fun lyrics and the history lesson you probably need. 

Almost an entire cast of people of color works their ass off delivering a powerful lesson on American history updated to be relevant to today. It's not judging and it's not ignoring the times. Passing references to slavery and immigration (the immigrants get the job done line still gets applause) along with political philosophies still debated today, the play simply doesnt stop being great. 

Hamilton is no saint. Jefferson is no saint (but one helluva lot of fun) and Burr is a jealous milquetoast politician trying to be liked by everyone. All of it is covered. Hamilton's wife and sisters in law never fail to impress and of course, the three songs by King George are well received and a great humor break in a serious time. 

See it if you can. it, if you dont get it or like it, leave at intermission like the two people in front of us who actually googled "what is hamilton about" before it started. They were baffled by all of it. 

I was baffled by them.

Sinead O'Connor!

Was I big fan? Not really. The Prince song said more about Prince's songwriting than Sinead O'Connor. But she did have some great songs that never saw the light of the charts. But what Sinead O'Connor really had was courage.

Back in the 80s Sinead O'Connor was that bald weirdo Irish chick with that oh so Irish voice. Delores O'Riordan before there was a Cranberries. O'Connor hit the MTV train with that Price song and that haunting video of her walking around the grounds of a castle. Man she'd be really pretty if she just grew her hair out. But she wouldnt have been her had she "sold out" so to speak.

Then came Oct 3, 1992 when as the musical act on SNL she did a Bob Marley song, held up a picture of Pope John Paul II and exclaimed "fight the real enemy" and ripped the photo in two. For 1992 this was a revolutionary act. Lorne Michaels, the alleged hip guy who started SNL, went ballistic, NBC banned her for life and she became a pariah in a country that allegedly believes in God but shows no mercy to those who question their "beliefs". 

Then 13 days later at the Bob Dylan 30th anniversary concert, O'Connor was mercilessly booed by a crowd of Madison Square Garden mooks and gibrones who at the time found Andrew Dice Clay hilarious. How dare she rip up the picture of the Pope. 

Well she was right. The scandals and cover ups of years of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and nuns were common knowledge in places like Ireland. But America is a very provincial place. Nothing matters in the world unless it happens here. And man was it ever happening here too. It's just America didn't know it yet. 

Sinead O'Connor was mentally ill as most of us are. She suffered from depression and disappeared from the scene to raise her son. When her son committed suicide in 2022 it was just a matter of time for Sinead to do the same. Her only support was gone. She was truly alone. She sadly left the world and left it a little less talented than it was the day before.

Courage is rare in show business. When somebody calls out an institution. a country or whatever else phony patriots pretend to revere, there's a price to pay. She paid it many times over. 

While America debates an idiotic tone-deaf mediocrity like Jason Aldean, a real talent has left us. 

Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead. Happy travels. 

Iowa!

 The old joke about Iowa standing for "Idiots Out Wandering Around" could perhaps be never more true than that caravan of dumb that descended on Des Moines yesterday at the request of Governor Kim Reynolds to outlaw abortion at 6 weeks because the previous ban was overturned by the courts. Reynolds, who grins like she's witnessing a fire destroy a homeless shelter, got the sads when the abortion ban was overturned and immediately called for a special session of the Iowa lege, a gang of dopes from rural Iowa gerrymandered into a super majority. Kim, a former drunk caught 3 times for DUI's who of course found Jesus, wanted this done in a jiffy. No debate, no testimony, no process, just pass it my children. We will make up the rules as we go along and if you're quick enough, you may get home in time for a super knee slappin Hee Haw rerun.

The protestors showed up, much as they did in Nebraska, and chanted in the vestibule, The abortion bill was debated logically and with facts by the few Iowa Democrats and any amendments, such as the one that would have exempted 12 year olds and younger from being forced to have babies, were quickly shot down by the fetus fetishists. 

The "heartbeat" crap was brought up again by the liars with medical degrees from Hayseed U and the 6 week ban (which actually means 2 weeks) was passed on without much opposition. Ya make the rules up as ya go along and thats what tends to happen. Then off to a tax exempt church to celebrate with Zima and loose meat sandwiches I assume.

So until the courts overturn this one (if so) Reynolds and her fellow roller coaster holy rollers can praise Jesus and make themselves a bigger pain in the ass than driving drunk or molesting Bible camp kids.

As for Iowa, the recent legalizing of child labor will open up jobs for the little freeloaders forced to be born to take at age 13. Get to work ya little urchins. 

Iowa is a wonderful place for kids. Remember when the Iowa Republicans attempted to ban SNAP recipients from buying meat, cheese and bread because we all know every cent spent on feeding poor people is total fraud cuz they all drive Caddys and drink mimosas on the way home from buying lobster and booze with the food stamps. 

So Iowa, its now illegal to have an abortion after a couple of weeks and per one Republican dimbulb just think about that before you have sex, probably with a sloppy GOP lawmaker and their staff and you aint got no problem. 

You get raped or Daddy decides you look really purty and you get pregnant better go to the cops pronto or its illegal then too. 

Iowa, formerly a purple state with reasonable middle of the road Republican Governors who served for decades at a time and represented in DC by reasonable Democrats and Republicans has suddenly gone whackadoodle with this influx of Christian nationalists and former drunks who cant handle the reasonable and must get the highs of Jesus and the lows of craving booze. Iowa is a mean place now. A place that has jumped on the Trump cruelty train and exists only to "own the libs". 

As the song goes, We got Trouble right here in River City, trouble that begins with T and rhymes with C and that stands for cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

Sound Of Freedom!

 First of all who isn't against child trafficking? 

I oppose child trafficking.

I oppose sexual abuse of all types

I oppose pedophilia 

I think this guy is nuts.

I went to this movie today to take the bullet and prove lefties can be objective about controversy. Attendance was spotty and most of the crowd was either 16 or 70 including me and some guy loudly snoring thru half of it. So that was fun.

Angel Studios, the outfit that put this movie out, does some quality work. The Chosen series is so well done whether you believe in Jesus or not. It's a compelling story about a rabble rouser who shakes up the times and whether they mean it or not, Jesus comes across as a liberal and a regular dude. So Sound of Freedom, the movie put out by them, is well done. It's basically Taken, Nobody, John Wick, Death Wish or any vigilante movie from the 70s or 80s without the swearing and the violence. Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard is a Homeland Security agent who decides that nabbing pedophiles isnt good enough and decides to quit his job to go find missing children in Columbia being trafficked for sex. Thats about it. Danger, suspense, cute kids, great character actors like Bill Camp and a moral compass nobody can be against. The traffickers and pedophiles are standard issue sweaty, fat, snaggle toothed creeps right out of central casting and Caviezel almost has a halo at times. But its a solid movie.

To the righties. This aint a documentary. Tim Ballard is sketchy at best in real life. You are not obligated by some sort of holy decree to go to this movie. It made a lot of money yes, but its not going to change anything. There are no scenes of so called groomers is state houses all over the country. No Democrats eat any babies nor is Hollywood even mentioned. So tough luck righties, its just a standard thriller.

To the lefties. There's no propaganda here. Theres no preaching. Theres no QAnon bullshit. The simple acknowledgement that children do get trafficked is not some sort of agreement that Q is correct or that you are suddenly MAGA. Nothing of the kind. Its s standard thriller.

So what's with all the hubbub?  Ya got me. I went to it. I didnt hate it, I rooted for the good guys and was glad when the good guys won. Period.

Three Dog Night!

 Three Dog Night was a virtual hit parade by itself back in the late 1960s and thru the mid 70's. 21 consecutive top 40 hits, millions of albums sold , millions of 45's, Jesus when you think about it you can't help but remember them all if you're of a certain age of course.

What remains of Three Dog Night came to the Holland Center last evening for a 90-minute set of hit after hit after hit. Led by 80-year-old Danny Hutton, the lone remaining original Dog , the band began with Family of Man and never let up. Helped along by fellow singer David Morgan and guitarist Paul Kingery, Hutton and his mates often sounded exactly like the old days and just as often did not. Since the death of Cory Wells in 2015 and the fact Chuck Negron refuses to participate, it is really difficult to copy the voices lost. We saw Chuck Negron on the Happy Together tour a few years back and his voice is very recognizable on the old hits. It was missed on many of the songs played.

This is not to say the band didn't kill it. They did. Since Three Dog Night was probably the most successful cover band of all time in the first place, this new version covered the old songs well and had the older crowd rockin in the aisles. Every song was an oh yeah moment. Black and White, Old Fashioned Love Song , Out in the Country, Mama Told Me, Liar, Eli's Coming and the show ender Joy to the World (which when we saw Negron sing it he introduced it with a I can't believe I'm still singing this fucking song 50 years later intro). Along the way there were stories from Hutton and Morgan about getting old, making records, making bad decisions on what singles to release and how much fun they were still having. It was a great time.

The band. Drummer Pat Bautz kept the beat going and sang lead on Mama Told Me Not To Come, arguably their strangest and perhaps best song. Lead guitarist Paul Kingery provided the third voice, often mimicking Negron's unique pipes. Bassist Tim Hutton, son of Danny, didn't do much but play and  keep the rhythm alive. But keyboard player Howard Laravea was the glue that kept this band as great as they were. He was working his ass off moving between the piano chords of some songs and the organ backing of others and at the end of the concert had the chance to shine on his own. 

The new song they played right before Joy to the World. You know the "let's go get more beer songs" other bands play. The "this is from our new album" songs. You know. Nobody wants to listen to them. But this one, "Prayers for the Children" was a song about the effects of war on innocents. Sung by the Huttons, Kingery and Morgan acapella, the song was beautiful and compelling. With only a slight organ note or two, the crowd was silent as it was sung and erupted at the end. And then came Joy to the World and the place went nuts. 

They still have it. They're older and slower but then so is the crowd. It was a great time.

Karma Is Here!

 He's fucked. He should have been fucked decades ago but all in all Donald Trump has been avoiding the hangman since the 1970s. 

Read that indictment. The guy is guilty of treason, and this is not me screeching that he's a traitor and suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Its right there and if you refuse to take it seriously you are either in a cult or you're simple not a serious person.

Jack Smith is a prosecutor of some of the worst people on earth. And with this indictment he continues that history of ridding the world of wastes of air. Bravo sir.

The Republican sycophants are currently right there sticking up for this guy who sucks the air out of the world and destroys anything he puts his tiny little fingers on. And he will destroy the suck ups eventually as he throws them into the way to save his own ass. The fear of the thuggish cult members of MAGA and what violence they are capable of drives these people. The fear of being voted out by a diminishingly loud bunch of shrieking baboons in red hats also drives them. Please dont primary me. Please dont show up at my office in masks and threaten my staff. This is what drives them now.

But eventually this is gonna fade. Politicians are spineless, gutless and willing to throw their own children into the path of political defeat if they have to. There is no honor among these thieves. But sooner rather than later the burden of defending a scumbag like Trump is going to be too great.

The Nikki Haleys, the Vivek Whatevers, the Pences, the Stefaniks, the Maces, the ones who aren't truly crazy, will dump Trump like a hot potato. Only the truly insane ones, the Greenes , the Boeberts, the Hawleys, the Tubervilles, the Blackburns will stick with him right into federal prison. The Cruz's of the world, guys truly spinless who show a great fealty to this orange orangutan will simply stop taking about him. And the lazy friendly press will not call them out.

Yeah Ron DeSantis , a far more dangerous person than Trump, is going to become the darling of the nutjobs. His fascist views are right up their alley. He's their true cult leader, they just dont know it yet because DeSantis has the personality of every bully people hated in high school not to mention the snotty teenager cheerleader girlfriend looking down her nose at them. Let's just hope the MAGA dopes stick with a cult of personality like Trump and don't move over to DeSantis. Since DeSantis has no personality, it would be a tough move over for most of MAGA.

I have no doubt that Donald Fucking Trump is finished after 76 years of cheating, lying, being disloyal and trying to be another Roy Cohn. 76 years of karma is here, motherfucker, and its name is Jack Fucking Smith.