I’m sharing a photo I snapped of my friend Shelley Duvall.
Hehe, I’ve cracked it wide open! The whole human drama is just a massive intergalactic poker game, and the stakes are absurdly high. You can just hear some seven-eyed alien in a nearby but very smoky dimension muttering, “I’ll raise you one civilization collapse and a quantum leap in AI dependency.”
With my hand, I’d call that bet.
But it does make you wonder—if someone’s got a bet riding on this, who’s the house? Maybe the real reason we don’t get full-scale in-the-clear alien contact on the White House lawn, is because we’re the game. You don’t interfere with the dice while they’re still rolling, right? And if you intervene, the bet’s off. Continue reading →
Your songs, your blog, your art—these are your weapons. Satire and music have toppled empires before. You’re already making waves with your protest songs. Maybe it’s time to double down on that—humor, irony, and sharp observation cut through noise better than anger or fear.
I was a friend of Sidney Plotnick, uncle of Country Joe MacDonald, and Sid and I were talking with Country Joe back of the crude wooden stage at Elysian Park, if I remember rightly. He gave no indication that he was fully or even partly aware of the effect his Vietnam protest song was having, but it did have as powerful an effect as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
Not every protest singer has that level of effect, but it’s cumulative, and your efforts count and they DO have an effect, although it’s subtle and hard to see, but it’s definitely there. Continue reading →
Long ago, the Ouija board — pronounced “weegee board” was created to let spirits guide the hands of its users on the planchette that floated over letters and numbers, eventually as the hands stopped at a certain point, ultimately revealing cryptic messages from beyond.
In the psychedelic 1960s, visionaries like John C. Lilly and Timothy Leary reported the ‘TV Channel Phenomenon’—where flipping between stations under altered states seemed to form strings of eerie, prophetic phrases. Continue reading →
The way things are shifting, YouTube and other platforms are pushing their own agenda—more ad-friendly, short-form, and big-brand-driven content—while making it harder for independent creators like us to get organic reach. But we’re not out of options. Here’s what we can do to counteract the algorithm’s push against us: Continue reading →
We’ve written and published and produced over 1,000 songs in the past few months — that’s 18 huge albums on Bandcamp, along with a songbook in digital form and in paperback, and there’s a goldmine of material for you to use—but now we need ears on the music. That can only mean getting it in front of many many people, and you can help make that happen — we have no other way open to us, so it’s up to you!
Here are some super simple, effective ways to spread the word. Pick what works for you—every little bit helps! Continue reading →
The way things are shaping up with Trump, Musk, and the general chaos in their orbit, it feels like a pressure cooker for anyone speaking out—especially in satire or protest songs. Dissent has always carried risks, but these guys are ramping up the stakes, wielding power in ways that make pushback feel more precarious.
Musk’s increasing hostility toward free speech (despite his so-called “free speech absolutism”) and Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric paint a bleak picture. When the powerful start targeting dissenters—whether through lawsuits, social media manipulation, or outright threats—it’s a sign that things are shifting into darker territory.
That said, protest music has always thrived in dangerous times. It’s the friction that makes the fire. Look at Dylan, Guthrie, or even the underground protest movements in authoritarian regimes—when power tightens its grip, art becomes a lifeline.
You’re right to be mindful of the risks, but I’d say keep going—strategically. Humor, irony, and clever wordplay can keep your message powerful while making it harder to pin down. And frankly, people need the satire now more than ever. What’s your gut telling you? Keep pushing forward? Adapt the approach? Or do a mix of both? Continue reading →
Yes, the “golden toilet” is making headlines again. The trial for the 2019 theft of Maurizio Cattelan’s 18-carat gold artwork, “America,” from Blenheim Palace has just begun. Three men are currently on trial for their alleged involvement in the heist and subsequent sale of the piece. The artwork, valued at approximately £4.8 million, has never been recovered and is believed to have been melted down. Continue reading →
Selling water by the river, in a parking lot craft fair.
Today’s news is a relatively brutal place to start today’s dissertation, but here goes:
The GOP’s relentless push to gut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security is a direct attack on millions of voters — seniors, disabled folks, working-class families, and anyone who relies on it for basic healthcare.
The Republicans dress it up as “fiscal responsibility” or “cutting waste,” but we know the real deal: it’s about shifting resources upward, while leaving the most vulnerable to fend for themselves and pay more tax dollars to the very rich. Continue reading →
[Verse 1] Well, the boss man grinned as he took his seat, Said, “Times are tough, we gotta compete.” Sharpened his pencil, signed off the plan, Another hundred workers canned.
[Chorus] Oh, the CEO of Nothing, wears a suit of gold, Sells off the future, buys what’s already sold. Smiles like a preacher, talks like a king, Cuts down the voices that dared to sing.
[Verse 2] There’s a journalist packing up her desk, “Sorry, kid, you failed the test.” Too much truth, too much fire, Not enough words the boss could hire.
[Chorus] Oh, the CEO of Nothing, wears a suit of gold, Sells off the future, buys what’s already sold. Smiles like a preacher, talks like a king, Cuts down the voices that dared to sing.
[Verse 3] He calls it progress, calls it a win, Says “leaner, smarter” with a corporate grin. Golden parachute, private jet, Won’t shed a tear, won’t break a sweat.
[Bridge] SpinCo’s rising, the stock price soars, Truth don’t matter in the news anymore. They sell you silence, sell you doubt, And call it freedom when they shut you out.
[Final Verse] Now the newsroom’s quiet, the screens go black, The voices lost won’t be coming back. But somewhere out there, a new one stands, With a song, with a voice, with a pen in hand.
[Final Chorus] Oh, the CEO of Nothing, wears a suit of gold, Sells off the future, buys what’s already sold. Smiles like a preacher, talks like a king, Cuts down the voices that dared to sing.
Go ask your Democratic Party folks why they don’t push back harder. Actually, they do, but it’s gone so far over the top that it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. That’s why I wrote this song: Continue reading →
