Punching Below the Beltway

The damage has been landing harder and faster than even I would have imagined. The hard-right pivot is offering short-term good but almost certainly foreshadows a lot of long-term bad. It’s like Reaganomics, but substantially more petty and regressive.  

It was a mixed blessing that I scored Bulls tickets on the night of Trump’s address to both houses of Congress. What I read and saw after was as interminable as I expected; the usual bluster, but also an exaggerated sense of accomplishment. The double standard of Rep. Al Green (D-TX) getting kicked out for interrupting when Lauren Boebert (R-CO) did the same thing during the Biden years without punishment. I hope progressives, liberals, and centrists alike follow Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s (D-MI) word and get involved for the sake of the country. 

On a lighter note, my next blog post will be my annual baseball haikus. We could all use the diversion. 

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Live, 800 Miles from New York...

This weekend, Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th anniversary with a prime time spectacular. I’ve been watching SNL since grade school, and by my estimate I’ve seen 80% of the show’s nearly 1,000 episodes. By circumstance, however I’ll likely have to watch the Sunday event on streaming, a day or two after the live broadcast.

As some of my longtime readers know, I was the editor and forum moderator for SNL at TV.com from the site’s inception in mid-2005 to the bitter end in 2019. Before that, I was a regular commentor and contributor for SNL on TV.com’s precursor, TV Tome. My notoriety in SNL fandom still lingers two decades on, as I’m part of Facebook and Twitter/X message groups pertaining to the show. 

I can’t stand it when people complain that the show hasn’t been funny in such-and-such how many years, or since some cast member they liked left. Baby Boomers are especially vocal about this sort of thing; heck, my mother would all but pretend to forget that SNL post-1980 existed. In fact, the vaulted first five years aren’t as airtight as my parents’ generation would have you think; there’s several reasons why syndicated repeats are an hour long, not 90 minutes, but trimming out the fat is just one of them. The Aykroyd/Belushi/Radner years were more of a variety show, and some of the segments were flagrant time filler. 

In reality, SNL’s overall quality tends to go in cycles. For the first 25 years or so, the show would recycle itself almost in perfect five-year blocks. As the average cast has grown and individual cast members have opted to stay on the show longer, the cycle has slowed down. I’ve seen my fellow fans declare Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon (just two examples) as a breath of fresh air before gradually deeming them annoying, over-utilized, and predictable. When I interact in said FB and X groups, I tend to get jokey if only to contrast the negativity.  

I have friends and acquaintances that have worked on the show. My grade school classmate Megan Callahan-Shah is an eight-time Emmy nominee and two-time WGA winner for her work on Weekend Update. Two other writers, Gary Richardson and Claire Mullaney, were Chicago improv friends. I twice booked Molly Kearney in a variety show I produced. My improv duo was once introduced by Luke Null. I have made the acquaintance of several early 80s writers and cast members on social media, and Nate Herman is an old writing teacher.  

As of this writing, I have been to New York City just once, in July 2018. The 30 Rock tour was too irresistible to turn down; when the group landed on the 8th floor, I marveled at how cozy Studio 8H really is. The fish lens preceding the monologue really do boost the party atmosphere of a typical live show. Little wonder they almost moved the entire 50th anniversary to Radio City Music Hall.  

From 2003 to 2009 (and in truncated form until 2017) I wrote SNL reviews for TV Tome/TV.com; I stopped because of burnout. When I do get around to watching the live gala, I will kick back and enjoy as a fan. Some sketches will fly and others will crash, but that’s the nature of the beast.  

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Random Notes, January 2025

Here we go again. 

I want to say Trump doesn’t have the attention span or the stamina to get his entire agenda through. However, this time around he has more enablers around him. He’s already doing quite a bit of damage, and so far I’ve only seen a handful of executive orders be halted by legal action. It’s been a productive first two weeks, for most of the wrong reasons. At least the federal funding freeze was put on hold. The cabinet confirmation hearings have been cringy. The portly old man wanted panic, division, and confusion, and he got it.  
 

Other notes: 

+ The laptop I’ve been using for 6 ½ years crapped out right after New Year’s. Geek Squad diagnosed a heat maintenance issue, and suggested buying a new laptop. I had to use my sister’s Best Buy credit to purchase the new computer. A week later, I discovered that my new writing device wasn’t compatible with my 13-year-old printer. On a lark, I opened my old laptop... which was working fine, albeit slowly.

+ I don't have the latest version of Microsoft Office on my new computer, so I have to type this on Google Docs. I can't find my font, so this is probably how my blog will look from this point on.

+ Speaking of money... I inherited my parents’ health care plan, and my monthly premium with Blue Cross had increased to a point that I need to weigh my options. (It’s triple what it was in 2018, but that’s a whole other conversation.) I went on the ACA marketplace around Thanksgiving, and found a plan with BCBS that was similar to my old plan. I didn’t realize I was supposed to cancel my first plan after my second plan started, and after a long customer care call, I had to wait two weeks for a refund. At least I did this while Biden was still in charge.  

+ Do you want to donate to southern California wildfire relief? Click here.  

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These Last Four Years: Grading Another President

 In years past, I've tried to sum up outgoing presidential administrations in a letter grade. I did this with Bush 43, Obama, Trump's first stint, and now I tackle the impact of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. 

In spite of what the right-wing media yells at you, the Biden administration was not a disaster. In the wake of Jimmy Carter's death, I see some parallels between the complicated, one-term legacy of both him and Biden. Both won a crowded, wide open Democratic primary (1976 and 2020), both succeeded a scandal-plagued Republican administration (Nixon/Ford and Trump), both inherited a wobbly economic situation, and both lost re-election to galvanizing Republicans (Reagan and Trump again).

Look at what Biden & Co. achieved in four years: a tighter, cohesive response to the pandemic; low unemployment; slightly higher incomes; job creation; more benefits for veterans and their families; reforming the military justice system; more energy transition spending. It's a decent list, but the early part of the Biden years were spent fixing the errors of the previous guy (which will almost certainly get reversed again). On the flip side, health care in the US is more expensive than ever, immigration and inflation were ineluctable concerns, and the administration's response to Ukraine and Gaza got mixed reviews to say the least. He didn't achieve lasting peace, but at least Israel and Hamas agreed to a nine-week cease-fire just under the wire.

As I said three years ago, Joe Biden frequently said the right thing and tried to do the right things, but he never came across as a leader on any major issue. In a time when Democrats are bringing sternly-worded letters to knife fights, he was the avatar of a party that insisted on approaching everything with decorum, staying steadfast and traditional, in a the face of the unrelenting, upending MAGA movement. His executive order to curb immigration last summer was probably too little, too late. He seemed to resist more than he fought. 

It's a cliche, but Biden's fatal flaw was his age. He was inaugurated as the oldest president ever, a record that will be broken for the third time in eight years on January 20th. His befuddled performance at the very first Summer presidential debate threw his party into a tailspin, which hit a crescendo when Biden was forced off the ticket with 3 1/2 months to go. Vice President Harris had a higher approval rating, and ran a solid campaign, but the Democratic ticket was the underdog the whole way, and the flip to Harris-Walz wasn't enough to close the gap. Pardon the over-simplification, but if Biden was ten years younger, one wonders what he and Harris would've accomplished in a second term. 

Joe Biden will leave office with an approval rating under 40%, joining a certain melon-shaped felon in that indignity. However, for his flaws I think we'll grow to appreciate the impact Biden made in the long-term. If his pal Barack Obama merited a B, then I'll give Scranton Joe a B-. God only knows what the next four years behold, though. 

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That Wonderful Year in Music... 2024

 

Sonically, 2024 was Jekyll and Hyde. The first half of the year wasn't that inspiring, but a string of strong releases in the late summer and well into fall more than made up for the drab. It seems like 80% of Spotify had Taylor Swift as their most-listened to artist, but only because we felt an obligation to finish the overlong, often dreary The Tortured Poets Department. Chappell Roan seemed to captivate the other 20%, but besides the #1 smash single "Good Luck, Babe" her breakthrough album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was a slow-cooking 2023 release. Regardless, this was a big year for new faces and familiar names alike, punctuated by a legacy act that not only dropped their first album in 16 years, but maybe their best in 3 1/2 decades. The lack of consensus I've seen from other critics' lists indicate this was another deep year.

BEST POP/ROCK ALBUMS

1. Manning Fireworks, MJ Lenderman. Indie rock's best young hope resides in, and writes music, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He's no country singer --in fact, his singing is decidedly plainspoken-- but he lets his growling guitar and keen lyrics carry the load. Already an established sideman, Lenderman's fourth solo album could very well establish him as the Gen-Z Neil Young.

2. Cartoon Darkness, Amyl & The Sniffers.  It's been awhile since since a punk band has been as uninhibited and cathartic as Amy Taylor and her Australian mates. Darkness sounds like a middle finger bouncing up and down, whether it's Taylor raging against internalized sexism or world events in general. She channels Wendy O. Williams and Patti Smith alike, as if she was a long-lost Down Under granddaughter. 

3. Prelude to Ecstasy, The Last Dinner Party. This year's best debut album was previewed in late '23, but advance singles like "Nothing Matters" weren't just a tease. Prelude is a baroque-pop romp, flitting between Florence Welch's musicality and early Roxy Music glam, with lead singer Abby Morris' syllabic daring-do leading the way. The British press insinuated nepotism when they opened for the Stones, but there really is substance under all the hairpin-turn whimsy.

4. GNX, Kendrick Lamar
5. Cowboy Carter, Beyonce
6. Behold, Parsnip
7. Tangk, Idles
8. All Born Screaming, St. Vincent
9. Bright Future, Adrienne Lenker
10. A Dream Is All We Know, Lemon Twigs

11. Bite Down, Rosali
12. Poetry, Dehd
13. Almighty So 2, Chief Keef
14. Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend
15. Songs of a Lost World, The Cure
16. Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii
17. Mahashmashana, Father John Misty
18. Here In The Pitch, Jessica Pratt
19. Wall of Eyes, The Smile
20. The Collective, Kim Gordon

Best EP: SABLE, Bon Iver

Best Rock Album of '23 That I Didn't Hear Until '24: Everything Harmony, The Lemon Twigs. The spirit of Van Dyke Parks and Pet Sounds era Beach Boys is alive and well and residing in Long Island. Their follow-up (see #10) evokes The Monkees and Big Star, which is even more delicious to my ears.

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS

1. Compassion, Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey. This was an especially strong year for new jazz releases, and this emotionally resonant COVID memorial stood out. On the surface, it's a standard ECM release; Manfred Eicher co-produced the only way Eicher knows how. The album stars with a nearly minute-long Sorey drum fill, before Iyer and Oh lead a pseudo-processional. Iyer owes much of his piano prowess to Chick Corea, and the late great is referenced on this lyrical, intimate release, which caps with some outstanding improvisation by the whole trio.

2. Fearless Movement, Kamasi Washington
3. Milton + Esperanza, Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding
4. Speak To Me, Julian Lage
5. self-titled, The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
6. The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, Charles Lloyd
7. To Whom I Love, Summer Camargo
8. Technically Acceptable, Ethan Iverson
9. Nublues, Joel Ross
10. Alternate Summer, Tom Harrell

Honorable Mention: Sunday Morning Put-On, Andrew Bird

Best Jazz Reissue: Ain’t No Sunshine: Live in Seattle, Jack McDuff

BEST SINGLES

"OMG," Suki Waterhouse
"Fox Hunt," Sierra Ferrell
"Bittersweet," Gunna
"Mustang," Kings of Leon
"Get Numb To It," Friko
"That You Are," Hozier feat. Beduoine
"Euphoria," Kendrick Lamar
"Don't Forget Me," Maggie Rogers
"Annihilation," Wilco
"Tunnel Vision," Magdalena Bay
"Hey Wait," Unfamiliar Things
"More For Me," TOVI
"Lonsdale Slipons," The Bug Club
"Facts," Amyl & The Sniffers
"Magnetic," Tunde Adebimpe

BEST VIDEOS

1. "Not Like Us," Kendrick Lamar. Kenny from Compton gave us *two* all-time great diss tracks this year, but unlike "Euphoria" (see above) he gave us a visual, claws-out, incontrovertible takedown of Drake. 

2. "Please Please Please," Sabrina Carpenter. I guess Barry Keoghan was an embarrassing boyfriend on *and* off screen.

3. "Death & Romance," Magdalena Bay. A little bit "Wizard of Oz," a little bit "Starman," a dash of Windows 95, and a lot of "huh?"

4. "CHIHIRO," Billie Eilish. A dreamlike sprint through endless hallways, then a mad dash in a pasture than turns into a brawl, playing out like a subconscious attempt at closure with a lover who's long, long gone.

5. "Tennessee," Kevin Abstract featuring Lil Nas X. Grimy and animalistic, this video is less about the Volunteer State (or Arrested Development) and more alluding to the closeted playwright. Two of rap's most swaggering LGBTQ+ figures lord over a group of shirtless men in the deep south. 

Honorable Mention: "360," by Charli XCX (2024 was all about "waiter vibes") and "Payback" by Aaron Frazer (who loves a good chase?)

Your thoughts?

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A Random Note, December 2024

After all the headaches this year, things seem to have stabilized. The drama in my one school district is settled; I'd elaborate, but even I don't fully understand what happened. My new roommate is settled, and the cat I inherited is getting along (read: tolerating) another cat in the household. My aunt's estate still has some paperwork to be settled, including 2024 taxes. On a national level, the GOP still has control of the House, but by another slim majority; at least any dangerous MAGA legislation will potentially get defanged right at the gate. 

I'm keeping this post short. This week, I want to relax a bit, but also catch up on my to-do list.

In a few days, my annual music recap. Happy holidays.

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