So my Aunt Lib and I almost share a birthday, right around where Summer is finally in swing for the too shortest of time it always seems before the dreaded. She called me Friday to remind me of such shared and to apologize for her card not being in the mail just yet like that was a necessary thing. To tell you the truth I had kind of forgotten but somewhere in my head I also knew that I had forgotten on purpose, as I do every July, as is there anything better than an Aunt Lib phone call to remind you of cards sent every year since, well, since?

I took the call at the backside of the station here, out the back door as I knew, with speaker on, that it would be gloriously Aunt Lib loud, and listened to the rat-a-tat-tat word machine gun that is an Aunt Lib no words edgewised or even shoehorned on my end, no words being able to wedge their way in but I beamed when I walked back in as only an Aunt Lib can make you beam.

She’s an inspiration, a wonder, shorter and slightly heavy shouldered these days though, with an all gray and a still disappointment at my lack of Church but still an ok as long as I’m being a me “just don’t tell me of your liberal things Stephen … do you still have cats? ” she says. ”what about those Steelers this year?” she says. I have other things Aunt Lib I say, not liberal things, it’s not all about always trying to make points that you and I don’t agree on and yes I still have cats.

She is the closest thing I have left to my Dad as they were just peas.

I don’t tell her of my liberal things, just like I didn’t really tell my Dad of them in the college days, though I wish I had, and she doesn’t tell me of Aunt Lib things in that regard though she baits me in the most wonderful unsubtle of ways always wishing to maybe make me somehow “come around” like this phone call would suddenly be the magic pill.

“Dad? your sister is doing that sister thing again” I say to the sky and the wind and the sounds of birds with a wink.

“She IS one minded Stephy’”.

A one minded that you love with all you got as it’s genuine. There is not a lot that is genuine left in this world, not anymore, but Aunt Lib? She deals in genuine.

I told her that I would email her some things of mine that were just things, just thoughts and moments that had no political points purpose, just things about my every day, or past days, that would let her know that I was alright, or maybe not alright depending on the take, but still alright in the grand scheme of small Steve world things.

She emailed me back earlier, that she would take the time to give a look when she got back from Church … I so look forward to the response.

The boss guy let everyone out Friday at 2, he’s good that way on holiday weekends and it is much appreciated. Hung around though for something that’s been in and out of the head wordin’ for a couple of weeks, the let out early a bonus as I was able to do what I do in song attempts for a few hours, having made sure all my shit was dotted and T’d (at least I hope so) for a long weekend to then get home at my regular hour to the furry girls with some editing play in hand for the workin’, headphones down.

Plus it was my birthday, the old man that I am. Whodathunk I’d be close to 60 someday? I know years are what they are, that they add up, but still back in my best of days it seemed so far away as to be almost unfathomable. But this was my gift to myself, just time to do what makes me happy … and sad, and frustrated and wanna throw shit angry.

Editorials in song.

This one is a bit of a drone, an Iggy Pop drone of his “The Passenger” but with a hook that just sticks.

We Are

We are the hypocrites

We’re pro-life but abandon born kids

Body autonomy’s a right against masks

And vaccines you’ve no right to task

Don’t tread on me, no you can’t even ask

But female autonomy’s a thing of the past

—

We’re disingenuous

We cry at vigils of schoolkids

More lost to our well paid hubris

We thought and prayer and rationalize

Blame our morality‘s claimed decline  

Not in our war chest for power outsized

Our lack of action is your fault it’s not ours

—

We sing la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Pompous self righteous is what we all are

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la

We are

—

We are the Christianists

Women’s rights we won’t allow

Rape incest even under-age now

They’re just a new day’s opportunity

While we strut about in our piety

Making sure you bring about babies

Promptly out of mind once do the light they see

—

Authoritarians

Free speech is what we insist

The right to misinform

The right to prop-a-gan-dize

And you can’t criticize now

Speech is what we decide now

We’ll legislate what you can and can’t say

Or violently bring your free to waste

—

Got our own rigged election plan

100’s GOP’s in on the scam

Break at states the will of them you’ll see

Not of the people but new you and me  

Results just for GOP’s new you and me

Our vision of a Democracy that’s just died

—

We sing la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Minority drunk w majority court

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la

We are

—

We are the activists

From the court we legislate with new twist

It’s not the leftists we warned in past

Boogeymen to scare conservative kids

No it’s a Clarence bloc with a backwards breath

A new Christian way with a brand new breadth

And scope of what rights just might be next

And how we now can control your ways

The ones we know the Devil helps sway

Generations precedent progress gone away

—

A Singin’ la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la

We are

—

We are exceptional

Shoulder above all the ne’er-do-wells

Who think history’s about truth’s to tell

Not our re-write aleviate guilt

With no systemic racism cloud

We were just caretakers of a new world 

On the back’s of lessers who still owe us the price we paid

—

Singin’ La La La La La La La La La

We are

Ya know when I got home the other night I wondered of where I had been. I knew that I had been at PetSmart finding a 12 pack of Savory Centers for Bella and Cricket to satisfy that bad cat dad particular food forgotten that gets me back into good cat graces, I was at Stop and Shop for what turned out to be their last bag of that new litter that works for the both of them, not the clumping stuff any longer that most probably has some toxic elements, cracked pine kitty litter that smells of old trees and adventures, I grabbed some Steve stuff.

But I wondered of where I had been and how I got here. Spud the Orange and Lumpy and even Penny of the 6 third bay cats welcoming me home in a slow rush from that third bay garage to a pet at my hip while the dogs clamored inside and out front at the hearing of a car pull up.

I was at Subway where they wouldn’t take my coupon and then at Adams where that lack of that Subway coupon cost me quite a few dollars per pound and Moms and Dads sat with their kids in an open air Summer ice cream dream, where my open windowed sing along with the new Rave-Ups, 32 years later, almost as if they never left, took a moment’s pause at a turn of a key and a step out of the car though still lingering singing in my head.

I wondered of where I had been back in a Rave-Ups glory day being all mid 80’s and she took a moment to size me up wondering of a what could have been before it even started.

I sat on the edge of the bed while Mom cradled with soft hard words how my broken heart could manage going back to school one more time after realizing Jay was right next Summer door just graduated. She was right there in a local town with a name I knew. … but no longer knew me.

I wondered of where I had been.

I asked Emily across a long bed if I could just sleep for a little while longer, it was a gloriously long bed.

I asked if I could just lay for a moment.

I miss that.

It was 1989 and I was being all 1989 post fire my shorts and some shitty t-shrts being pretty much all I had left but comfy for a moment.

I wondered of where I had been Fil letting me bartend at his rock and roll place being all 1993 and that too large Miami ‘M’ U baseball hat behind the bar, the only one I ever wore that wasn’t Black & Gold. It was just a good hat that sat just right, no affinity for U of Miami. You just always hold onto and wear hats that sit just right no matter how you came about them, even if they weren’t Black & Gold. They’re hard to find abut easy to live in once you do.

I started my paper route being all 1975 at that begins right at Putnam County Golf course’s driveway to run along Hill Street down to Bullet Hole Road and a few houses past, and the fanciest of bike as I remember, well, as fancy as a bike could get then that let you deliver newspapers when newspapers still got delivered by 11 year olds in an idyllic way. It had a basket. I loved that basket. It held stuff more than just the papers.

I wondered of where I had been.

I wondered of a comfy bed and sheets I didn’t even want to sleep on or under at Brian’s perfectly clean meticulous Pittsburgh place when I crashed there on Friday and Saturdays during the day (still living in West Virginia at that moment) with my first real gig the imposition enough to make me want to just lay on top until a radio overnight called being all 1991.

I pretty much moved into the attic away from Maria and Jagger and the Jackson and Brady pups and my passed dear Shana Girl knowing that it was only a matter of time. But there were cats and I was all 2012 with a sad knowing slide upstairs.

I sat in a bathtub in that railroad apartment in Dayton OH and cried while Merlin tapped at my face, being all 1996, showing Benny how to do it just in case I sat for a second or third or umpteenth time at the thoughts of my marriage being done. The learning.

I wondered of any year (s) while I built sound with my voice in tow at a 50,000 watt Hudson Valley radio station to remind that I wonder of such wonderings of where Mom is now, in her head, of any year (s), no cradling of broken hearts and soft hard words to tell me to buck up now but maybe with a still fleeting recognition of that voice.

I got all 2022, Spring/Summer and wondered where I’d been as Beck and I drove home along faintly remembered teenaged roads, shortcuts, though shortcuts to what I couldn’t tell ya any longer, just excuses to drive, but maybe just that, shortcuts, away from Mom’s new spot, that came out to remembered places, unlike Mom’s no longer remembrances now, the site of old Rodack’s and sandwiches post Church, a sort of reward for having to endure Church, with tomato and mayo and salt and pepper and a coke, even past old homes on a paperboy’s route where Mom was Mom waiting when done and Dad held her close.

I wondered of wondering, wandering, wondering and wondered of …

… jumbled things. I jumble things, jumble things, get things all in a jumble here wondering of where I’ve been though, as a lifelonger best of mine, Lori, mentioned at a draft of this, it’s not even so much the jumble of where I’d been but how did I, how did we, get here?

I know this is something I posted only a few months back but, well, it says stuff and I really like it so a re-post …

(this one is for all the conservatives out there who somehow feel that THEY’RE being persecuted in their beliefs by not being allowed to dictate how everyone else lives – Fuck you)

(to Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me”)

We Want You … To Be … We

—

We want you to be we

We need you to be we

We’ll force so please just a-gree

Can’t have you livin’ feelin’ free

—

We want you to be we

Not right to live to your own de-gree

We know what’s best as only god does decree

—

We’ll shine up our partisan court, the one that’s been godly bought

Parade them over your free thought, make sure that you are sin free

—

We’re tired of spending time feelin’ persecuted

We need able dictate how your lives are executed  

It’s not fair to watch you all go about your happy dailies

While we’re forced to fret and live with all your evil failings

—

We want you to be we

See country the way that it should be

Revisioned right light history

One white and straight you’ll all see

—

And shine up on all old hurts, of unallowed to convert

Bring handmaids to life, ‘cause we know just what is right

—

Will we neglect children after grabbing their first real air

Of course cause hypocrisy we’ve got plenty in spare

We’ll only find our end until it is that you all stop tryin’

Pursuit of happiness is up to us to do the decidin’

—

Ohhh!

—

We’ll work in a morality play’s future dire warnin’

But that future won’t know it from this backwards day future dawnin’

—

Ohhh!

—

We want you to be we

We need you to be we

We’ll force so please just a-gree

And gay marriage is soon next up on the tee

—

We want you to be we

We need you to be we

We’ll force so please just a-gree

You’ll thank us soon you’ll all see

I threw a stickball no hitter in my backyard

I mowed a “G” into the grass for Gail, my crush

I had my heart broken

I broke a heart (s)

I drove hundreds of miles on my own to a new thing

I opened many birthday presents

I started smoking

I regretted that

I kept a comfy place for cats

I rode my bike to make me feel like I was being healthy

I forgot my bike and sat fat assed

I gave an assist to an older woman of tall stuff at the grocery store

I went to college

I kept 40+ years lifelong friends

I complained

No one listened

I wished of aliens to take me away probings ok if such

I sang and even danced on occasion

I brought my glove to the ballpark, always, no matter my age

I looked at things differently, maybe, with the years

Years

I got angry

I got sad

I got happy

I got a little crazed

I told myself it would all work out

I did / do life

I wasn’t dead before it could start

I wished someone would let our youngin’s do the same

You know I’ve been doing my ‘parody’ song thing for quite a while now, goin’ on four years I think, some of them have been pretty good and some of them have been absolute shit. But I thought I’d go back today to my first one when I was part of Morning Show. It was about a story of “intelligent design” and the attempt to rename creationism to make it sound more science-like. Don’t get me started on that nonsense. Now the production quality on that one was pretty rough and it was also 17 years ago and I had only been back in radio for a couple of years (after a six year layoff) so my production skills were still a work in progress.

It was to one of my favorite tunes ever, Dire Straits “Industrial Disease”.

Though that initial attempt wasn’t all that good (lyrically it was – it made a point of the dumb) I decided, a number of years later, December of ’19, to update it to the then current state of orange madness we were in.

This new one still made a good point of the dumb.

/////////////////////////////////////////

There’s warning light’s a flashin’ for a Trumpian reprieve

There was some election riggin’, with some Russians up a sleeve

But Dem’s they did some diggin’ to more meddlin’ goin’ round

And now they’re out to make sure that the walls they come down

—

There’s a meeting in the Congress they’re talkin’ of impeach

One side says yes let’s do it, to the other it’s a reach

But the other side’s brought nothing but debunked conspiracies

Goodness me could this be a Trumpian Disease?

–=

The President feels justified in talking to the folks

Refusin’ to be quieted and sayin’ it’s no joke

His phone call it was perfect, no ulterior design

He wasn’t tryin’ get help for this new election time

But there’s panic for the Elephant’s these Donkeys all are nuts

The oft repeated tired spin will tell you what is what

That the problem that persists with the Dems all of the time

Is them fighting against great leader’s Trumpian Design

—

State news pundits sure are down with perpetuating lies

Even Moscow Tucker claims he’d be Ok with Russian ties

Of rooting them to victory if that need be the case

Or condemning ol’ Ukraine to help trump D who’s his ace

—

And Trumpy’s lackey lapdogs are now picking up the pace

Of lies needed protect him ‘fore the Senate do they race

Where they’re better able set the Circus Trump he so inclines

To make a victim’s case and prove his Trumpian Design

—

Now William The Low Barr declared

There’s no crimes to be seen here, he’s the President ya know

He’s above law, never fear

Now he hired me to be his hatchet gun and yes man shill

To protect from prosecution while I drink this orange swill

So I openly investigate investigators then

Prove wacky 4 chan theories of disloyal deep state men—

So I can come back with a pre-determined breaking news release

That will prove out the correctness of a Trumpian Disease

—

Now we go down Washington DC where they’re in the muck

Of a swamp that ain’t been drained just deeper & run amok

With all his jailhouse friends most found under a bus

But there’s still some who are waitin’ to hear a pardon’s fuss

While his blood bound GOP who he’s got upon their knees

Say yes sir, no sir, of course sir, anything that you please

We’ll protect you oh great leader from the dreaded Dem blue sleaze

We’ll throw up smoke & mirrors for you on your Trump Trapeze

—

They’ll point out they’re the enemy to keep folks mute & blind

That they should be a’feared of Dems & all those of their kind

That they speak of socialism & the evils of the trees

But you’re the God chose new Messiah heaven gave ya keys

—

Meanwhile God just throws his hands exasperation real

He can’t believe what is unfolding just what is the deal

A party selling country out while building a lie shrine.

To their new Monarch’s Trumpian Design

Yeah, that’s it … a Trumpian Design … Hey producer guy? Yeah, you … can we get the sound of ya know of tanks and a flyover here or somethin’? … the sound of boots too, tall ones, really hard heels … boots doin’ some marchin’ … well crowd noise, good idea … get some crowd noise …  big crowd noise though, ‘kay? … then, maybe throw in some of the best words from some of the best speeches … by any President … ever … this is gonna be great!

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Ok, I don’t really have much for the saying right now in the way of a post, just a Supreme Court thing (though I did work “bereft” into the lyrics … I know, I’m good that way).

(to the Talking Heads version of “Take Me To The River”)

—

We don’t know why you livin’ like ya do

G O P can – help you un-blue

We stole two seats now to leave you bereft

Of any hope of what – fair was left

And we wanna know – and we’ll – tell you

Progress stops right here

 —

We’ll take it to the SCOTUS

A court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To lead it around

Backwards where we’ll be found

 —

The extremists are not on the left

That’s just cry rally we’ve always kept

No radical court – it’ s square to the right

They hem and haw but it’s in plain sight

Want you to know, can’t you – see how

We lead them by the haaaaand

 —

Take it to the SCOTUS

A court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To drag your rights down

Backwards where we’ll be ….

 — 

Crosshairs, dazed stares, we don’t care, what you want here

Till we can’t,

Till we can’t,

Hold our glee at

Our own court’s red de-crees now

 —

It’s a court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To lead it around

Backwards where we’ll be found

—

break

—

We don’t know why you’re stewing like ya do

Bout all the rights – next in the queue

To be struck down now  – with radical hand

Voting women equal they don’t stand a chance

 —

Want you to know now

That your rights now

Are up to Uuuuusssss

—

We’ll take it to the SCOTUS

A court beholden to us

We’ll take it all to SCOTUS

Partis’n arm we made thus

To lead it around

Backwards where we’ll be found

—

We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it to the SCOTUS

They’re all ours now and we’re gonna have them show us

We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it to the SCOTUS

You’re gonna regret that you didn’t vote for us

We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it to the SCOTUS

We own them now and they’re gonna send us backwards fast