![]() ![]() We were talking about everything, mostly music and life in DC and Maryland. He’s actually 2 years younger than me, a huge music fan and an honest straight shooter, no fluff, no airs at all. Toward the end of my tenure working in Washington, DC, right before the 2016 Election I wound up in conversation with Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and Chairman Of The RNC from 2009-2011. He is incapable of truth, has no honor and has never done anything for anyone other than himself. How long do the lies get swallowed? How many creditors need to get stiffed. How does anyone bankrupt three casinos? Now that I find myself back home in Jersey, living minutes away from Atlantic City, I remain bewildered that his following continues to be strong right next to where he destroyed so many lives. There has never been even a shred of evidence that he was a great or even a modestly successful businessman. Perhaps as a New Jersey native, exposure to this entire playbook of eventual devastation left in his wake has closed my mind in advance. ![]() While our system of Government is certainly taking on water, there is little hope to begin repair until consequences and justice are imposed. The party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and John McCain to name just a few that I admired, is no different than those who fell under the spell of a self proclaimed “Messiah” like Charles Manson, Jim Jones or so many other charlatans that eventually either wiped out their followers or finally revealed their larceny and/or insanity and broke the spell. The proud Republican Party, and there is not even a tinge of snarkiness intended, has turned into a Cult. We are experiencing a societal outbreak of PTSD. The amount of lying, misinformation, good old grift and thievery that we have been subjected to since Tangerine Mussolini came down the escalator is incalculable. What happened to Truth, Justice and The American Way? I didn’t run around in a homemade cape as a 4 year old Superman freak for nothing! There’s a great old saying, “Don’t piss on my head and tell me it’s raining.” Perhaps a bit blunt but it is spot on regarding our current situation. Stuck in a seemingly endless multimedia loop that has nothing to do with Politics. We have been subjected to a badly scripted reality show since 2015. It was Jackson Browne’s version that I first heard but the message was clear and to my mind perfectly stated. I am not a Democrat and to paraphrase Steve Van Zant from I believe the best song he ever wrote, but I sure ain’t no Republican. If that’s where you are and you want to ignore my rant, not a problem at all, skip to the next horizontal line after this. The full text will only be published on my personal web site due to understanding that there’s already too much noise but I simply had to get it out. But I am compelled to make this missive just that as I need to get it off my chest. We’re leaning toward the WHTG type show coming next… but you never know. If you have suggestions, get them in ASAP. At least three more episodes of this series will be forthcoming with The Laurel Canyon/Singer Songwriter period, A Punk/Powerpop/New Wave/Alternative show focusing on fun years 1984-90 birthing WHTG at The Jersey Shore and an “Anything Goes” personal favorite Summer Tunes of all time episode. I would only collect records from this point, what could I do with Baseball Cards? If I only knew at the time that their value would have made a nice down payment on a house 20+ years later. My Mother had nothing to do with it, I clearly remember carrying the three large boxes to the curb and stacking them next to the garbage cans. There was now a pad and pen near the radio to fill a list of interesting sounds, with a decision made to toss the large cartons of Baseball cards out and make more room for records. A rough guide to the years covered here would be 1966-1971, and AM was still being listened to but drum lessons were beginning and the Freeform era was soon to be my main drug of choice, with WBGO from Newark covering Jazz. I was already set as far as what I wanted to do with my life, and music had to be part of the equation. And yes I clearly remember experiencing this music for the first time at that age. This episode is not a strict Summer Of Love set due to the fact I was 12 in 1967. This year's Mixtape Series has truly been a blast to put together with the only bottleneck deciding what order the topics decided upon should roll out. ![]()
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