Operation Epstein Distraction II is underway. The “very stable genius” and the man who ended seven… no, make that eight, wars, has now destabilized the entire Middle East. Because allegedly Iran was a week away from nukes. Even though the aforementioned very stable genius claimed that he “totally obliterated” their nuclear program about eight months ago. Those Iranian scientists are quite industrious — maybe we should get them to work on lowering the price of groceries, or the cost of U.S. healthcare, or on releasing all of the Epstein files.
Here are some great questions:
There’s not a plan. There’s never a plan. Only greed, revenge, ego trips. Elect a person with the impulse control of a toddler and this is what you get. This is what we get. This is what soldiers are dying for…
Here are some more points to ponder:
#5 is the most salient. Wars are easy to start and hard to stop.
Have we learned nothing from Afghanistan? Iraq? Vietnam?
Kudos to the folks who spun up the DraftBarronTrump.com website after the very stable genius started dropping bombs (other than the ones in his diaper).
The very stable genius creates a mess, and we have to clean it up. (Now we know how the White House staff feels after he hurls another ketchup bottle.) This mess will go on for years, if not decades. Why? And now what?
(The tweets above and the link to the DraftBarronTrump website are courtesy of Jeff Tiedrich’s daily Substack posts, which are “The Emperor has no clothes” on steroids. Equal parts profane and profound.)
3 shows. 9 performers. From all over the musical spectrum.
Friday was Wussy with Advance Base and Moontype. Indie rock.
Saturday was a singer/songwriter “listening room” showcase featuring shorter sets from Sami Riggs, Lydia Shae, and Ash Taylor. Country-leaning.
Sunday was a punk show with Snõõper, Shrudd, and Pal. Three short but very high energy sets.
Am I too old for rock and roll? (Jethro Tull said I was.) I don’t think so. But I was on the fence for last night’s show. My buddy Dave and I were supposed to go. Dave’s son Jack works at a recording studio in Nashville and has worked with Snõõper. But Dave’s other son — who also lives in Nashville and is an ace guitarist — was in a car accident over the weekend. Concussion and dislocated shoulder… and totaled car. So Dave went down to Nashville. And I was trying to talk myself out of going to the Sunday show. But our mutual friend Matt took Dave’s ticket. So off I went. And I’m so glad I did. Matt and I brought the audience’s average age up by 20 years, but we didn’t care. In fact, we fed off the energy of the kids in the band and the kids in the mosh pit (yes, there was one!).
I know my music obsession isn’t normal. But then again, neither am I.
There used to be a large pool/amusement park near our house called Coney Island.
They tore it down a couple of years ago (to make room for a new concert shed, btw). But I will always remember the George Bernard Shaw they had painted on a wall that faced the street:
Sub out “going to concerts” for “playing” and that’s me!
On Valentine’s Day, FeedSpot released their list of the “100 Best Indie Music Podcasts.”
You probably didn’t even know that there were 100 podcasts about indie music. (Neither did I!)
But if you scroll down the list… keep scrolling… just a bit more… there, that’s it! You’ll find this gem:
“97X – Rumblings from the Big Bush” is the weirdly-named, shoddily produced podcast that I co-host with my friend and former 97X colleague Dave. I’ve posted about it before:
My 97X buddy Dave and I started a podcast a few years ago, recording episodes in my basement. We had no idea what we were doing. Still don’t, honestly. “Shoestring budget” would be inaccurate. No budget. Actually it’s a “loss leader” given the hosting and website fees we pay. We’ve done very little promotion of it. But somehow, someway, the small-but-mighty group of people who loved 97X found it.
The podcast about 97X seems like a fool’s errand. Very few people listened to the station when it existed, and it’s been off the air for two decades (or a mere 15 years if you include the dot-com era). But the people who listened to the station absolutely loved it. And somehow, some way, despite the lack of promotion (and the weird name of “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush”), they found the podcast. As I tell Dave all the time “every time we publish a new episode, we make 150 people very happy.” Through the pod, we’ve been able to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, talk to musicians we admire (the latest episode features two members of Too Much Joy), and create a place for folks to relive some of their fondest memories. And hanging out with Dave — one of the most naturally funny people I’ve ever met — is always a treat.
Never heard of our podcast? You’re not alone. 99.99% of the world has never heard of it, much less heard it. But for the few, the proud, the folks who remember a tiny “modern rock” station in Oxford, Ohio, the podcast was pretty darn cool. It helped them reconnect with the station, the music, and the people that meant a lot to them.
“I am not sure you guys realize just what impact having this modern rock format has had on my life… your podcast has brought about all of these thoughts, feelings, and memories of the soundtrack of 21 years on my life. I thank you for playing your part in it back then and I thank you for creating this podcast to help me process just what those 21 years have meant to me.”
“Thanks for the pod. It is like finally being able to talk with someone about the treasure that was WOXY.”
We tried to end the podcast a couple of years ago, but we missed it.
Now we’re back with “Season Two”… which really just means more of the same hijinks.
#33 on the FeedSpot list is great. But the measures that matter most to Dave and me are having fun, and creating something that our (admittedly tiny) audience enjoys. We’re still making 150 people happy every time we release an episode. Like Seth Godin says, “that’s enough.”
You probably won’t come up with a better mousetrap. But you might find the empathy and focus to find a small group of people with a more specific problem and solve it for them in a way that earns you trust, traction and word of mouth.
That’s enough.
BTW, the latest episode features our interview with Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, the leaders of the band Wussy, and two of my all-time favorite songwriters.
James Marriott’s long Substack post from last September probably won’t reach as many eyeballs as it needs to. Because it’s a long read – and hardly anyone reads anymore.
The post is equal parts sobering and depressing, with a dollop of scary on top. Since the smartphone was launched, we’re all reading less, but especially our kids.
The invention of the printing press democratized learning.
But the launch of the smartphone started sending our civilization in the other direction.
The “smartphone” is making us a lot dumber.
It’s turning civilized political debate into pro wrestling.
And because the big tech companies rely on our “engagement” for revenue, they profit from this race to the bottom.
Our civilization is at stake, and the clock is ticking (but not TikTok-ing). The smartest way to fight the smartphone scourge is to put down your phone, and pick up a book.
In no particular order here are some of the lifelong friendships I forged during my four years at Xavier University:
Hot Apples, Thin Man, Dutch, LJ, Wally, Donger, Chubby Howard, Freaky Tiki, Fert, Maynard, Fly, T-Biscuit, Consuelo, Horsehead, Mr. Youngstown, Bittey Main, LC Greenwood, Dingo, Hanna Banana, Carol Marol, Flynner, Craiger, Cron, Dr. Nick, TK, Tone Loc, DC Cab, Johnny Jackass, LB, JB…
The list goes on, but I’ll stop there. Also the names have been changed to nicknames to protect the innocent (or, much more likely, the guilty).
Nearly 44 years ago, a poor hillbilly from Arkansas arrived on Xavier’s campus for freshmen orientation. (It was his first time seeing the campus – college visits during high school are for the coddled.) He carried nothing more than what could fit into his two suitcases. Along with some emotional baggage. And a healthy dose of trepidation. Coming from a high school graduating class of a whopping 19 people, in the sticks, just being in a city was daunting enough, let alone trying to make his way at a school he knew very little about.
He learned a bit in his classes. He learned a lot more from life beyond the classroom walls. In the dorms, in the cafeteria, at the b-ball games, at the bars.
A litany of happy memories. A life filled with friendship. My bank balance is still low (Mrs. Dubbatrubba can attest), but I’m not poor anymore. My life is so rich because of the friends I made more than four decades ago who are still my friends today. Friends who have been there for the ups and downs, the happy and the sad.
Life happens. And death too. We’ve lost a few friends, most notably LJ and Ned. We miss them every day, but we are grateful that they were part of our lives.
Thankfully, some of the folks listed above actually paid attention in classes. And they had the grand idea to start a new scholarship fund at Xavier. One that will provide a bit of a boost to kids who want to return to Xavier for their sophomore year, but are struggling to make the finances work. The math ain’t mathing, as we hillbillies say.
Several of us have anted up. (My contribution has fewer zeroes behind it, but every little bit helps.) LJ and Ned were the inspiration, but we want it to go beyond our core crew.
It’ll make sure that a kid… and eventually, with more contributions and the miracle of compounding interest, many kids… don’t get cheated out of happy memories and lifelong friends.
It’s called the XU Lifelong Friends scholarship fund.
A very fitting name for an extremely worthy cause. Because just like Xavier’s namesake Musketeers, we are “all for one and one for all.”
Thomas G Kuhl on Get on the bus!: “I am glad that bus keeps circling………” Sep 8, 03:37
Kevin Sullivan on The full-brain workout: “Yep, keep writing .. in your voice. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/opinion/artificial-intelligence-ai-writing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4VA.JFCf.Lr_UK5tlpBRR&smid=url-share” Aug 10, 10:57
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