CATS!

 Is Cats a classic musical? I've avoided it mostly because many many people have told me to avoid it but when it comes up as part a a season ticket package for traveling Broadway series I guess I've been trapped in a tree I cant avoid. 

Cats came through Omaha last evening and for the first time in nearly two years I set foot in a theater to watch something in person. It was bizarre. Masked up, paranoid and hoping that fucking virus found me deplorable enough to avoid we entered the place to observe Cats from the front row of the balcony.

Did I like Cats, the 40 year old play that people either love or hate? Let me take 3 steps to do this.

1) The Orpheum Theater 

This place was built as a movie and vaudeville house damn near 100 years ago. It deteriorated over the years and I remember seeing a movie there as a kid in the 1960s for being a great Safety Patrol guy. Me and everybody else.

In the 1970's the old place was remodeled and turned into a Performing Arts Center and featured concerts and plays and whatever religious scammer blew into town. I saw Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstine , Dizzy Gillespie yeah ok Im a jazz fan. But the Orpheum was built for 1927 people and  are lets face it 1927 people arent 6 foot 2. The first row of the balcony may seem great in theory, but theres a cement wall there and a railing.  6 Foot 2 guys cannot possibly get any leg room. In other words quite honestly the place is a dump for 2021. 

2) Cats Act 1

A bunch of talented actors, dancers and singers dressed as cats hop around a stage made to look like a junk yard sing some tunes, and with no apparent story line or plot it began to resemble a haphazard concert with some decent tunes and some that you couldn't wait to end. Then came the end of Act 1 with a rendition of the former guys favorite tune, Memories.

Now most people I've talked to left at this point having heard the only damn song anybody knows. Whats the point of going on? This is a plotless, pointless exercise in futility. We thought about bailing but stuck it out.

3) Cats Act 2

In the words of Larry David, it was pretty pretty pretty good. The tunes picked up, the plot didn't really improve but the old cat got to sing Memories two more times and I was entertained. The Magical Mister Mephistopheles sequence with a dancer doing flips, coat changing colors , and an energy that was quite remarkable was the highlight. Then it ended with the old cat singing Memories yet again and I was now aware why "nobody" likes this play, They all freakin leave at halftime.

My advice. Get there 90 minutes after the start time and you will think damn this is good.  I also just wish Andrew Lloyd Webber would write a play named DOGS!

And one more thing. Even the baffling Act 1 would have been better than the alternative act playing in town last night. The fuckin Eagles. Dude.

Nebraska Shenanigans!

 Years ago Alexander Payne made one of his quirky movies and called it Nebraska. The plot involved a small town in Nebraska and its group of rural folk and a lottery and anyway it was great. And if you lived here you knew all those people. And quite frankly it was scary. Scary in the sense that nobody who lives in the cities wants to live in that small generic town featured in the movie. Yet we are that close. And Im sure those rural folk dont want to live among us city dwellers either. What with our theaters and stores and the blacks and browns. Oops did I spill the truth?

Nebraska is a state with a weird unicameral system. We have a state legislature of only 49 "non-partisan Senators. There's no House. Just a gang of 49 people who get paid shit wages, consists mostly of old white men and a few old white women who want to keep their Dust Bowl values . But lately there are more and more blacks and browns and city women getting in the Unicameral and are sick to death of the fucking 1950s. 

We also have a unique voting system(and you too Maine) that splits electoral votes by congressional district during Presidential elections. So in 2020, the city of Omaha looked at that bull in a china shop traitorous shitbird, Donald Trump, and said no more. Joe Biden won this district by 9 points and thus got an electoral vote out of Nebraska. Oh yeah and by the way Barack Obama accomplished the same in 2008. In 2011 the GOP in Nebraska gerrymandered the 3 congressional districts by making our district more Republican. Thus we lost in 2012 and 2016 to a Mormon robot and a fucking reality show host who wears diapers. But 2020 was different. 

Now in 2021, the heavily Republican lege is screwing around again. They REALLY dont want a Democrat to win anything ever again anyplace in the state.  And instead of just appealing to people with your political philosophy, they just do what the GOP does to win. They cheat.

Gerrymandering is an art in other states. Here its just a blatant outright scam. The Republicans in the lege, and our Covid loving Governor with national aspirations (HA makes me laugh everytime) have an easy solution. Just split Omaha in two. Make the largest population base in the state the least populous by sticking half of Omaha in a heavily Republican area and sticking the other half in a even more Republican area. And of course then try and make it a positive by stating out loud.......ok wait for it now.....hey you city people, this way you get TWO Congressmen. Get it? 

But instead of accepting your GOP gift like a good Republican in rural Nebraska we here say hey fuck you. Thus, the fighting has begun. The legislature, in special session called by Pandemic Pete Ricketts, is hollering at each other. Rural white geriatric Senators ranting that the 2020 vote was fraud because the "illegals" all voted in Omaha and thus this is is nothing but a noble attempt to secure our already secure elections. The city led core of mostly younger females and POC's are fighting hard to avoid becoming the crazy liberal in the hick town. I dont know how this will end because generally we run about 50 years behind the times here, but it doesnt look promising . 

If this is happening here, its happening everywhere and has been for 50 years.

Pay attention dammit. These Republican fuckwads cheat better than anybody. Its in their nature. Like my old man said whenever a perceived good person got arrested, oh hell he went Republican.

Nebraska is already Republican enough. If they bust up the biggest city, its over for us blue dot people. We in Omaha have no desire to be governed by a gaggle of hayseeds from Wahoo. 

Insanity!

 

Disorder in Afghanistan. The perceived botching of an evacuation. Forced forward by a political party that openly supports an insurrection to restore a mad man to office though he lost by 8 million votes. Jump on Biden, blame him for the deaths of 13 Marines blown up by a daily occurrence in that country. A suicide bomber. Call for his impeachment, call for him to resign. Call him senile. Divert attention from their true goal. To gain back power. 

Meanwhile the chaos going on in this country gets worse and worse. The vaccinated Republicans casting doubts on the prevention of even further damage. Ginning up a base of weak minded cultists to deny science, refuse masks, hawk quack remedies of horse de-wormer and snake venom instead of simply getting a free fucking shot . Look, idiots, these GOP ghouls don't give a rats ass about you. They care about retaining their money funnel. And by denying Joe Biden any progress on getting this pandemic behind us, by denying Joe Biden the credit for one of the most efficient evacuations since Dunkirk, by doing nothing to advance the country they load their bullshit guns for 2022. Hey and it may work.

Americans are not smart. They believe whatever they see on Facebook from some Russian bot. The refuse facts. They hang in their bubbles and think anything that goes against them is rigged. They worship a game show host with fake hair, a fake tan, and a fake sense of humanness. Because they're dumb.

Covid 19 should be completely manageable by now. But these mush brains, fueled by Republican bullshit artists, Republican bullshit TV news networks, and Russian propaganda designed to create this chaos have stalled any progress. In fact we are regressing. Going back to square one. Record number of infections, unvaccinated children put at risk, Republican Governors participating in the stalling to satisfy their own political ambitions to be the next Cult Leader. Loudmouthed thugs disrupting meetings designed to save lives, the sight of nurses and health care workers demonstrating outside overcrowded hospitals against vaccinations. It is insanity. 

The only silver lining? MAGA devastated by their own ignorance. I'm just not above it any longer. Just fucking die already.

Thinking Again!

 Its been awhile. Its overwhelming to live normally any longer. If you're not a drugged out zombie lurching from day to day in some happy pipe dream every single day brings a new outrage, a new realization that humanity is close to extinction, that people in this nation have no desire to learn anything new, that America is fast becoming a nation of mean nasty assholes and fascism is the preferred choice of way more people than I ever thought, it sometimes depresses you to the who the hell cares mode. Im over that now.

1) The entire L part of the country, ya know that L on the map going from North Dakota down to Texas and over to South Carolina is a gigantic tumor on the rest of humanity. What motivates these people? Anything other than owning the libs? A feeling of inferiority that can only be handled by getting even dumber, more crass and putting your own life at risk just to feel in charge. Here in Nebraska, usually a reasonable race of people, the two cities with any sense of diversity and liberal thought, have over 70% vaccination rates, while that overall state rate is barely 50%. Basic math tells you that if you remove the cities from Nebraska (oh be still my heart) the rest of the state is resisting big time. The recent study showed that in each Nebraska county the bigger percentage of the vote that T***P received, some as much as 90% , the vaccination rate plummeted. That'll show em right MAGA? This is insanity . Welcome to Rickettsastan.

2) Texas. How in the fuck did Texas residents allow this to happen? Texas is between 45-50% blue. Yet the GOP terrorists have such a stranglehold that they are allowed to turn it into Taliban State. The abortion law in Texas written by white males with real repression issues isn't about saving lives, its about controlling the harpies who tempt them. For chrissakes, Texas whacks living breathing real humans all the time, some of whom may even be guilty and not railroaded to save a DA's reelection bid. So why the sudden concern about a rice sized glob? Control. Control of a gender they fear. And the deputization of rootin tootin vigilantes to enforce it is perhaps the most Texas thing since they assassinated a President. Abbottistan may be worse than Rickettsastan. Makes you wish the tree had been bigger.

3) College football is back. Packed stadiums full of maskless morons screaming and spitting at each other over watching 20 years olds play a game. Announcers are so excited they are just short of masturbating right there on the air.  The reaction of this year, full stadiums, no masks, no vaccination proof, is a direct reaction to last year's mandates of no fans, no fun and the most important factor, no money . Athletic directors all over, basically money changers, are risking lives to rake in the bread. Cross your fingers and hope nobody dies is sound medical strategy. 

4) A personal story related to the above. My Dad's college of choice after WW2 was Fordham University in New York City. I used to enjoy his stories of 1940s New York, Yankee Stadium, The Polo Grounds, being a messenger in Manhattan, Joe DiMaggio, heckling Ted Williams, bad football. This year my alma mater, the University of Nebraska, scheduled Fordham to be a paid sacrificial ram in the first game in Lincoln in 2 years. I was giddy. Oh how my Dad would have loved being there in Fordham gear and telling everyone he a Fordham grad. So I was going to be his surrogate Fordham fan. I had his old FU hat, his old Fordham t shirt he only wore once before he passed. I had to be there. Then came the University non policy. No requirement for masks, no vaccination proof, just business as usual. Jam yourself into a seat made in 1923 for 1923 asses and have the person next to you sitting on your lap. Thanks Nebraska. My dream crushed yet again by your 1923 vision of life. I didn't go. Sorry Dad.

The Woodstock 99 Doc!

HBO/Max dropped its Woodstock 99 documentary over the weekend and though at my age of 60 something I still have a Woodstock 1969 poster on my wall, the 1999 version I barely remember and all I could recall was they started fires and shit.

So I watched it on Saturday. Oh My Gawd! To me this was the beginning of MAGA. The crowd was massive, at an old abandoned Air Force base in Rome,New York. Promoted by the same meatheads who promoted the 1969 and 1994 versions but THIS time they were going to make money, goddammit. The attendees, basically angry white males in their late teens and early 20's there to see heavy metal bands, some good some shit, drink, get laid, and cause trouble. The documentary begins with the planning, the obvious greed of the original promoters, the ass kissing all is well boisterous attitude of the Rome mayor, openly battling complainers of the rowdy poor preparation.

It began on a Friday night when DMX took the stage and did his song "All My N****s" the crowd chanted the N word with reckless abandon, happily, merrily and like they've said it many times before. Now I'm not the demo for hip hop or rap but of somehow I wandered into a show and the star urged me, a white guy, to chant along with him that word, uhhhh sorry, not happening. But to see thousands of white people screaming that word was not a good sign for the future.

The subsequent groping,  sexual assault, disrespect and eventually the rape of numerous women should have that shit down THEN. The lack of facilities, the lack of water, the greed, and the fact people were rolling in what they thought was mud should have shut that shit down THEN. But alas.

Saturday came and Kid Rock got things started. He was a dick then too by the way. Alanis Morissette did a set right before Limp Biscuit which makes no sense. The foreign objects flying out of the crowd at her made me fear for her safety and it happened 22 years ago for chrissakes. 

Fred Durst is a meathead. His band stunk. His message was thuggery and frat boy bullshit. And he got it going big time that Saturday night. Even when asked to tone it down by officials cuz shit was gettin real out there, he egged it on even more. Nobody likes this guy.

Sunday culminated with the inevitable violence. The frat boy angry white males began acting like animals. Looting and pillaging and raping and starting fires. Hey Red Hot Chili Peppers with Flea up there swinging his dick around , maybe playing Hendrix's Fire wasnt such a good choice.

This documentary was fascinating. Maybe its taking it too far to think these same animals at age 20 were the same 40 year old animals trashing the Capitol on January 6th but I really do think this was the start of MAGA. Rolling around in shit at Woodstock 99 to smearing it in the Capitol isnt that big a stretch.

Watch it.

Jim Morrison!

 50 years ago today was the summer between freshman and sophomore year in Catholic high school. I had been into music for a short period of time, the Beatles, The Monkees , Creedence, The Supremes and for some reason The Doors. Hendrix had died, Jani had died and anyone with any sense knew he was next. Except me. All I knew of Jim Morrison was I loved his voice, his songs and his weirdness. His dark lyrics. His screaming. I dont really know what it was, but he was the guy.

I wasnt really old enough to understand alcoholism, drug addiction and self destructive behavior. All I know is one day he was dead. It mad me sad. It still does,

I first heard Light My Fire in 1967 and it mesmerized me. The flair, the organ, the jazz drumming and the voice. I am of course referring to the radio version. When I discovered the local FM station and for the first time heard the longer version it sent me in to a frenzy. I begged my Mom to buy me the album. $2.98 mono $3.98 stereo. She did. $2.98 of course and I listened in my room. Wow!

What the hell was going on? Break on Through started it all with its psychedelia . Soul Kitchen made me sit up and take notice. I still love that song. The Crystal Ship, before you sink into unconsciousness. The poppy 20the Century Fox .The Whiskey Bar and then the full beautiful Light My Fire.

Side 2 started with Back Door Man with the primal scream. I Looked At You. End of the Night and Take It As It Comes. 

And then right before I was about to turn the record back over to listen to Light My Fire endlessly as kids do...... then The End started.

As it progressed and got weirder and weirder I became weirder and weirder. The song affected my mood. I had no idea what Jim was singing about as I was only 11 or so. But it did make me want to learn more. This remains my favorite Doors song to this day. It has the ability still to affect my mood to this day. Sometimes not to my benefit.

Anyway when Jim died I was crushed. I still wonder what would have become of him. What kind of new weird shit would come after his Paris sabbatical. But he never came back. So we will never know.

I miss the guy but have the albums and I listen regularly. It became kind of chic to criticize Morrison and his lyrics lately. I dont give a damn. Some of it may be dated, but as sa product of the time, it made me want to learn about things. Something Hello Goodbye never did

I miss ya Jim. Ya left too soon.

Lee Evans!

 Lee Evans died this past week. Who you say? Well let me tell you.

Lee Evans was a track athlete. A runner. A sprinter. An Olympic 400 meter specialist. He was a social activist willing to blow up his career for what was right. But Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two American heroes, beat him to it in 1968 in Mexico City . After the famous protest after the 200 meter sprint by Smith and Carlos, black gloved fists in the air during the National Anthem, Evans was willing to leave the Olympics , giving up a dream, to support Smith and Carlos. But they said no, run and win and win he did. He set a world record in the 400 that stood for 20 years. 

On the victory stand, Evans and his fellow Americans wore the black berets, stood in defiance of being used by a country that would never accept them as equal men. The country would use them as propaganda, then force them to the back of the bus again after crossing the border. But they didn't  do the fist thing, instead removing the berets and standing at attention during the anthem. How difficult that must have been.

Lee Evans was an American hero, he just happened to be the 3rd place guy to two others who beat him to the punch. He died in Nigeria while coaching track teams there to be their best.

Rest in Power