New music! Featuring the synth-pop version of Smashing Pumpkins, singles from Heather Porcaro, Pixies, and Perry Farrell, New albums from Kelley Stoltz, The High Water Marks, a triumphant return by Urlaub in Polen, Deep Sea Diver, a great live album from Dream Theater and much more. Enjoy!
And for the one song from the 1970s, there's a video. It's as bizarre as the song, which features only one chord, and is 100% nonsense, meant to sound like it's in American English by Italians:
It figures that with my luck the first time I get to give one of these speeches that I can't have a live audience to give it to. That said, this does give me the opportunity to go over the time limit you usually get at ceremonies and I'm going to take the opportunity given me to pontificate on a couple of things.
First of all, I'd like to thank the Radio Music Awards. It's been a crazy year and my crazy little song about a stalker in the age of COVID-19 who gets caught has it's fans. I've been an independent artist for most of my career, going back 3 decades and getting an acknowledgement of my efforts after all this time is lovely. I've been informed that the trophy is in the mail, so thank you. I'm looking forward to bragging about it for decades.
I'd like to thank Tony Guerro for dreaming up the album that this song was a part of, as well as all of the other great artists who contributed. I'd also like to give a special thanks to a long-time friend of mine, a music teacher named Jill DeWeese for spreading the word about the project in the first place, which is how I got involved.
I'd like to thank NursesHouse.org for all of their work during these horrific times, helping the Nurses who have given their all and sometimes paid with their lives in the cause of saving us all.
I'd like to thank the Guyzos in the band for letting me use the band name even though I played all the instruments and sang the vocals. I'd like to thank MARS for letting me use her studio for the vocals when the amplifier for my microphone gear glitched out.
I'd like to thank the old gang, the ASK INQ people for all their years of support, especially Kevin and Ed and my former partner in crime, Dave. He's got a family now and the statute of limitations has long expired.
I have to thank Billy Joel, of all people. If he hadn't written "Sleeping with the Television On" way back in the way back when I probably wouldn't have come up with this song. Until I came up with lyrics, I used to use the first line of it as a place holder in my song to get the timing right.
I'd like to thank my mom, who took me to my first rock concert, my first jazz concert. and my first classical concert. She helped expand my horizons and was always the voice of encouragement in my corner, from the very first day in 6th grade when I picked up a sax she couldn't afford to get me. Love ya mom!
I'd like to thank my brother Alex, for making me understand the strict work involved in the loosest of music, and for kicking my ass at the exact moment I needed it to start my solo career. Love ya bro!
I'd like to thank the rest of my extended family, Reeds, Storys, Rubins, Veales and more. Especially my Grandmother - a woman who taught me that fear is nothing to be stopped by, and my Grandfather - the first musician in the family who only gave me one piece of advice and it was the most important one I ever got: "Why are you in such a hurry to reach the end of the song?"
I'd even like to thank my long departed dad, who wasn't much in my life but made it one of his life's goals to be the barrier between me and the members of my family (and others) who wanted me to be a Doctor/Politician. He's also the person who made me appreciate that some music needs to be LOUD.
And of course I MUST thank my wife of all these years Catherine, and my daughters Diana and Isobel. I imagine it can't be easy living with a lunatic such as myself and yet they've always been my biggest supporters, fans and critics. I love you, my family. You make me better than I ever thought I could be.
And finally, to my fans who have stuck with me through the years and have been patiently (and impatiently) waiting for my next album, thank you for rallying to the new song. I promise to give you more - much more - very soon.I will put out a lot more music in 2021 than I did in 2020. I wish you nothing but love and happiness.
Whether or not we wish it were so, art doesn't exist in a vacuum. We've been through a horrible year with horrible leadership and that takes a toll on people. I think we as a nation are going to suffer a bit of PTSD while we try to make sense of it all. As for me I was already feeling negative about the country of my birth - you can even see it reflected in a song called "Priorities" from my 2008 album "11/11".
I admit I've had a difficult time putting a new album together. I gained and then lost a new publisher: Gained when my last big single was nominated for this same award, and lost when the power couple running the company fell into a nasty divorce. Have you ever been the PROPERTY in someone's divorce? Ugh.
I wrote and planned out a new album. I debuted a couple of new songs that I've never formally released at POPKOMM. Then an unexpectedly happy thing happened: Obama changed the rules, and gays were allowed to serve openly in the military. I fully support the decision, but it made what was to be the centerpiece of my album irrelevant - a song about a man discharged from the military under Don't Ask Don't Tell and one of the best and most cinematic pieces of music I've ever written.
For the country this was great - for me as an artist it was a setback. Understand that I don't write just songs; I write albums. I now had to re-think and re-do what the album was to be about. That took longer than I would like.
I've done it twice now. What should have been three albums will turn out to only be one.I re-wrote a song because my hand slipped and played a chord one fret off, and it sounded BETTER. I've cut songs, added songs, recorded and abandoned songs. I turned one song about an abusive partner into a song about suicide after a friend of a friend took his own life. I rediscovered my love for an old song by Sniff N' The Tears and wrote a song in tribute. A riff I've had in my head for 30 years finally became a song. I finally read "To Kill a Mockingbird" and a song came out of that. I wrote a song in 35.
!
I was in an accident in which I broke both arms and damaged a nerve in my leg, the effects I feel to this day. On different occasions I have broken both knees. I fell asleep while driving and lost my driver's license as a result (not because of alcohol, but a sleep disorder previously undiagnosed). I've barely left my home in months, and have had 4 people I know catch COVID-19. One of them died. Larry, thank you for being my friend. I wish I could have been there for you.
I marched in a Black Lives Matter protest, even with my bad knees. I didn't make it to the end I'm afraid. I have protested against this joke of an administration, loudly, and I got my driver's license back.
And I've lived with pain, both physical and mental. It has shaped me for the past several years, and I am still adjusting to that.
We are living through the worst health crisis in our lifetimes, with over 75 million neighbors who want those of us who don't want to get sick and/or die to suck it up and get sick with them. If hate were people I'd be China.
In the meantime I've been writing music, recording music, and discovering music. I've been publishing playlists every week on Spotify of new music under the banner of "Radio Free California". If you follow Chris Reed and the Anime Raiders you'll get new Playlists every week.
In the context of all of this, I've been working on that album.
"Omar", that song Obama made irrelevant, has survived the cut. The song about huckster preachers and played at POPKOMM did not.The Beach Boys inspired song did not. The instrumental I recorded with my daughter on bass did not. A couple of piano pieces I wrote long ago did not make the cut. The deranged surfer instrumental didn't either. I've played the first track for a few people and they all agree it's the most rock and roll thing I've ever written.
I never started recording the Colin Kaepernick song that my friend Kevin wrote lyrics for, the song about the Orlando massacre, or the Irish drinking song I was going to premiere before COVID-19 struck. Life is what happens while you're trying to make plans.
I have lived through the good and the terrible. We all have. It's the moments like this one that make the rest tolerable, so I am of course grateful, thankful, and humbled for being acknowledged with the Radio Music Awards 2020 Award for Best Alternative Song.
And of course I must leave you with my usual thoughts, emblazoned on each of my albums:
And because I love you, here's the song that didn't win the same category 11 years ago:
Man, this week starts with ALL the feels, with Wolfgang Van Halen's tribute to his father. New music from The Dirty Knobs, Cabaret Voltaire, The Cribs, Neil Diamond showing he's still got it, Dave Alvin adding his touch to a rock classic, a great new album from Kacey Johansing, and much more! Enjoy!
New streaming music every week, so subscribe and enjoy!
So here is my complete 16-tweet rant:
So many people are going to be either sick or dead and alone by Christmas. You know, #Republicans.
You anti-maskers and people traveling right now are the CAUSE of the next lockdown. I mean, the first lockdown.
And the reason you'll never win a national election again.
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Masks AND distancing AND wash hands AND stay home AND avoid crowds AND avoid travel AND cover your cough/sneeze AND don't touch your face AND clean surfaces AND....
Do ALL of them you stupid fucks!
#COVIDIOTS #COVID #COVID19
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The UK gets 10% the number of cases of #COVID19 in pure numbers the US does, and they're so concerned that they're preparing to test EVERYONE IN THE COMMONWEALTH, EVERY WEEK.
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#Canada gets 2.5% the number of cases of #COVID19 in pure numbers the US does, and they've locked the country down and have been giving relief packages worth CAD$2,000 every month to everyone.
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#Australia gets 0.00217% the number of cases of #COVID19 in pure numbers the US does, and they locked the country down the harshest that it's ever been done, all because 1 person lied about how he was exposed.
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#India has been getting 1/4 the number of #COVID19 infections that the US has been getting, and they have 4 times the number of people. In other words, their infection rate is 12.5% the rate of ours.
note: I got the math wrong on this tweet. India's infection rate is 6.25% of ours. Don't do math mad.
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I could keep going with all these tweets (sorry it's not a thread) but the point is that it turns out that the most powerful nation on earth is actually a third-world country. We're supposed to be better than this, but we're not.
More than 70M of you should fuck off.
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There is no herd immunity coming. Every disease we've had herd immunity for needed two things: A Cure and people taking Vaccines. We used to have it for Polio, Mumps and Measles. We no longer do because Americans are STUPID. You think we can possibly get Herd Immunity for #COVID?
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The outgoing administration is CRIMINALLY LIABLE for all of this. Put these fuckers on trial. Imprison those found guilty. No fucking mercy, no pardons.
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Am I angry? Fucking right I am. Our country has handled this like Weyland-Yutani trying to ship the xenomorph home. It always backfires. Always. (How's that for a simile?)
Pretty much every American knows someone who has caught this. 1 out of every 27 Americans.
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I know 5 people who have caught #COVID19. One of them died.
Am I angry? I'm fucking homicidal. Fortunately for everyone, I'm also staying away from people. I kinda hate people in general right now. I'm incredibly lucky to have people in my life who put up with my shit.
+++++
You know how many people I want to die? ZERO. That would be an ideal number. But I see these fucking #COVIDIOTS on TV and the internet and my mind goes very dark. "You want to die so badly? You own a gun."
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Imagine getting punched in the throat at the rate IP Man punches for two months straight. Imagine standing on tip-toes underwater in a pool with your mouth at the surface for 2 months. That's #COVID19. I wish that on no one. That would be awful.
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We're not trying to take your freedom. Be free. We're trying to keep you ALIVE. You aren't advocating freedom, you're advocating SUICIDE. Get professional help. Stop watching Fox, OAN, and any news produced by Sinclair Media.
Get healthy first. Then you can bitch about freedoms.
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To all of you people, you 70,000,000+ people who are in denial about what this is really about, I worry about your mental health. I worry about your ability to reason. I worry that while you were defending your freedoms you didn't notice that you were brainwashed.
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And I worry about my mental health as well. I'm not really fond of being this angry. I didn't used to be so angry all the time.
I also used to believe in America AND Americans.
/rant.
And because I love you and because you might need a good cry, here is Mammoth WVH:
For this song:
And let's not forget this week's new music:
Election Security
S.2238/H.R.2722, Securing America’s Federal Elections Act, legislation to help safeguard elections from foreign interference, which passed the House with bipartisan support. VIDEO
S.2242, Foreign Influence Reporting in Elections Act, bipartisan legislation to require presidential candidates to report contact from foreign state actors to the FBI. VIDEO
S.1247, Duty to Report Act, legislation to require candidates to report offers of assistance from foreign state actors to the FBI and FEC. VIDEO
S.1540, Election Security Act, legislation to require paper ballots and provide election security grants. VIDEO
S.2669, SHIELD Act, legislation to prevent foreign interference in elections. VIDEO
S.1060, DETER Act, legislation to combat foreign interference in our elections. VIDEO
S.1356, Honest Ads Act, bipartisan legislation to apply the existing rules on disclosures in political ads on TV to those on social media platforms. VIDEO
S.949, For the People Act, a sweeping package of pro-democracy reforms that aims to make it easier, not harder, to vote; end the dominance of big money in politics; and ensure that public officials work for the public interest. VIDEO
S.890, Senate Cybersecurity Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to provide cybersecurity assistance to the Senate. VIDEO
S.1834, Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Protection Act, legislation to stop practices designed to prevent Americans from voting. VIDEO
Health Care
S.1556, No Junk Plans Act, legislation to overturn the Trump administration’s expansion of junk health insurance plans. VIDEO
H.R.986, Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support. VIDEO
S.Res.18, a resolution authorizing the Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in the federal court case that would undermine protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. VIDEO
S.Res.94, a resolution asking the Department of Justice to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions. VIDEO
S.Res.134, a resolution asking the Department of Justice to defend the Affordable Care Act. VIDEO
S.1905, ENROLL Act, legislation to help Americans find a quality health care plan.
S.455, MORE Health Education Act, legislation to improve outreach on health care plan enrollment options.
S.916, MOMMA’s Act, legislation to reduce the maternal and infant mortality rate.
S.1573, Veterans Preventive Health Coverage Fairness Act, legislation to provide veterans with coverage for preventive medication. VIDEO
S.Res.420, a resolution encouraging the President to expand the list of medical conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange. VIDEO
Supporting and Protecting American Workers
H.R.7, Paycheck Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to empower women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace, which passed the House with bipartisan support. VIDEO
S.2254, Butch Lewis Act, legislation to protect workers’ and retirees’ pensions. VIDEO
S.3104, Federal Employee Parental Leave Technical Correction Act, legislation to make a technical fix so that over 100,000 federal employees—including at FAA and TSA—can receive the same paid family leave benefits being provided to all other federal employees. VIDEO
Climate Change
S.1743, International Climate Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation to direct the president to develop a plan for the US to meet its contributions under the Paris Agreement.
S.J.Res.9, bipartisan legislation calling on the United States and Congress to take immediate action on climate change.
S.Res.97, legislation to establish a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
Other Critical Issues
H.R.8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act, bipartisan legislation to enact the common sense, widely-supported expansion of background checks for gun purchases, which passed the House with bipartisan support. VIDEO
S.2843, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
H.R.1644, Save the Internet Act, legislation to restore net neutrality, which passed the House with bipartisan support. VIDEO
H.J.Res.77, a bipartisan resolution opposing President Trump’s removal of US troops from northern Syria, which passed the House with bipartisan support. VIDEO
S.2755, legislation to require a report on the administration’s plan to defeat ISIS. VIDEO
S.2625, Syrian Allies Protection Act, legislation to make special immigrant visas available to Syrian Kurds that fought U.S. forces in the fight against ISIS.
S.Con.Res.32, a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that attacks on cultural sites are war crimes.
H.R.549, Venezuela TPS Act, bipartisan legislation to protect Venezuelans from deportation, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
S.2603, RELIEF Act, legislation to eliminate the green card backlog.
S.Res.408, a resolution that recognizes the duty of Congress, the Executive Branch, and the President to protect whistleblowers who stand up for the Constitution. VIDEO
Health Care
H.R.3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, legislation to lower prescription drug prices, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.986, Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.987, Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, legislation to counteract the Trump administration’s efforts to sabotage the healthcare system, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.4704, Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act, bipartisan legislation to improve research into suicide prevention, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Guns
H.R.8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act, bipartisan legislation to enact the common sense, widely-supported expansion of background checks for gun purchases, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1112, Enhanced Background Checks Act, bipartisan legislation to close the “Charleston Loophole” for gun purchases, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Election Security and Voting Rights
H.R.1, For the People Act, a sweeping package of pro-democracy reforms that aims to make it easier, not harder, to vote; end the dominance of big money in politics; and ensure that public officials work for the public interest.
H.R.2722, Securing America’s Federal Elections Act, legislation to help safeguard elections from foreign interference, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.4617, SHIELD Act, legislation to prevent foreign interference in elections.
H.R.4, Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation to combat voter discrimination by restoring the strength of the Voting Rights Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Supporting and Protecting American Workers
H.R.582, Raise the Wage Act, legislation to increase the federal minimum wage, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.7, Paycheck Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to empower women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.397, Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act, bipartisan legislation to protect workers’ and retirees’ pensions, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1500, Consumers First Act, legislation to strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, including clarifying the Bureau’s duties and authorities over fair lending and student loans..
H.R.3621, Comprehensive CREDIT Act, legislation to enhance consumers’ credit reporting rights and create more transparency over the consumer reporting and credit scoring process.
H.R.1423, Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act, legislation to eliminate forced arbitration clauses in employment, consumer, and civil rights cases, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1230, Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, bipartisan legislation to protect older workers against age discrimination, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.2474, Protecting the Right to Organize Act, bipartisan legislation to protect the right to bargain collectively, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
National Security
H.J.Res.77, a bipartisan resolution opposing President Trump’s removal of US troops from northern Syria, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.4695, Protect Against Conflict by Turkey Act, bipartisan legislation to impose sanctions on Turkey for its military invasion of northern Syria, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.2513, Corporate Transparency Act, bipartisan legislation to crack down on money laundering by Russian oligarchs, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Immigration
H.R.6, American Dream and Promise Act, legislation to protect Dreamers and those with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure by ensuring they have a path to citizenship, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.549, Venezuela TPS Act, bipartisan legislation to protect Venezuelans from deportation, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.3239, Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act, legislation to establish basic standards of care for the children and families in the custody of US Customs and Border Protection, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.2203, Homeland Security Improvement Act, legislation to establish an ombudsman for border and immigration related concerns.
H.R.3525, U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act, legislation to ensure that migrant children and families receive basic medical screenings, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.2615, United States-Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act, bipartisan legislation to promote greater security and economic opportunity in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which passed the House on a bipartisan voice vote.
H.R.5038, Farm Workforce Modernization Act, bipartisan legislation to improve the H-2A guestworker program, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Climate and Public Lands
H.R.9, Climate Action Now Act, legislation to hold the administration to the United States’ commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1146, Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to block oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1941, Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to ban offshore drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.205, Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act, Republican-sponsored legislation to ban offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1373, Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, legislation to prevent new uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.2181, Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to prevent future mineral leasing on near Chaco Canyon, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.823, Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, legislation to designate wilderness areas in Colorado, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Other Critical Issues
H.R.1644, Save the Internet Act, legislation to restore net neutrality, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.840, Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, legislation to provide child care assistance to veterans receiving medical services from the VA, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.3224, Deborah Sampson Act, bipartisan legislation to improve women veterans’ care, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.1585, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation that passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.5, Equality Act, bipartisan legislation to prevent discrimination against the LGBTQ community, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.2534, Insider Trading Prohibition Act, legislation to establish a statutory prohibition on insider trading that draws on and clarifies years of case law. It passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.J.Res.76, legislation to overturn the Trump administration’s rule undermining protections for student loan borrowers, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
H.R.5687, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act, legislation help Puerto Rico recover from the recent earthquakes, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
And because I love you, my tribute to Bones Hillman, the bassist for Midnight Oil who died this week. He's on this album, and one more that the band hasn't released:
Watching 60 minutes last night was depressing - so many people are voting for Trump because they believe that he has done specific things, and not a single one of the things mentioned are true. He didn't improve the economy. He had the leader of the army of a foreign nation killed. He has handled the response to COVID-19 as poorly as it can be done. He ceded a sizable portion of the Pacific to the Chinese. He's made the border crisis much worse. He's ruined our reputation overseas. He met with the leader of North Korea and blinked. He has interfered with the Justice System repeatedly. He has broken just about every election law possible. He is a liar, a thief, and is personally responsible for the deaths of many Americans, just because he said he wouldn't wear a piece of fabric on his fucking face.
I learned DECADES ago that for an alarmingly large number of people in this country, and in this country alone, that the truth hardly matters. What matters is what a person believes, and no amount of truth, facts or evidence that is contrary to that belief will ever change that person's mind. Science is treated like this. The law is treated like this.
The Bible is treated like this too.
Whether it is now or in some nebulous future - because if Trump wins again 4 more years isn't going to be enough for such a power-hungry bully - we will need to reconcile ourselves to the crimes of this administration, which have been legion. I have an idea of how to make that happen, but it's going to take a recognition on our part that we have been in the wrong. Misled. Whatever you want to call it, and I'm not sure that America has the capacity to pull it off.
We need a TRUTH COMMISSION. A panel made up of CIVILIANS, of all political stripes, empowered with subpoena powers over everyone involved to find the flaws and crimes of the administration and recommend either fixes or methods of pursuing justice. We need to find a way to learn and improve ourselves from this experience.
And let's be clear, this should be an ongoing process. Not just to review and deal with the Trump Era, but the next eras as well. A new panel after each administration passes, to grade their work and offer constructive and/or damaging criticism. to make recommendations.
To help us heal.
The truth must win. The alternative is just too awful. I for one do not want to live in the Nazi States of America.
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In other news, here is Radio Fee California 2043, the last before the 2020 election. Not only does it feature new music from everyone from Elvis Costello to the Eels to Heather Porcaro to Stone Cold Cherry to Mr. Bungle to Mourn to Lunchbox to Sam Burton to The Flower Kings and much much more, but also the new album from Midnight Oil - their first in 18 years - that might be their best and most relevant work. I feature multiple songs from their new album this week.
Enjoy, it's an eclectic mix this week and a solid one! Hopefully we all survive this shit.
