Paul's Voyage of Discovery & Etc.

October 27, 2014 · 9:57 pm

A Musical Tribute to Memphis.

Memphis, Tennessee is the birthplace of rock and roll. It’s where the King of Rock & Roll lived and died. It’s where the Delta blues stopped for a drink on Beale Street before heading up to Chicago. And it’s where my late brother Peter managed the city’s finest luxury hotel, The Peabody. So, let’s celebrate Memphis in song…

1. Long Way from Memphis (The Automatics)

This cut is by a band of English ex-pats living in Los Angeles. The drummer (Paul Crowder) is friend of mine. He’s also a great video editor. I met him while working on “Behind The Music”. Saw him and the band play live at a club in Los Angeles and they opened with this fine rock & roll tune – which includes an Elvis sighting in Kalamazoo.

2. All the Way to Memphis (Mott the Hoople)

For years I loved this song – but I had no idea what Ian Hunter was singing about. The song was my favorite on the 1973 album “Mott”, which was the follow-up to “All The Young Dudes.” Listening to the song over and over, I can now tell that it’s about Hunter losing a guitar and having a hard time getting it returned to him. Never knew there was an Oriole, Kentucky – but it’s lucky for Ian, because Oriole rhymes with Rock & Roll if you pronounce it that way. The song’s best line? “It’s a mighty long way down rock ‘n’ roll, from the Liverpool docks to the Hollywood Bowl.”

3. I’ve Been to Memphis (Lyle Lovett)

Of course Lyle Lovett’s been to Memphis. This song, like so many songs with a Memphis connection, mentions a lot of other towns – and women – along the way. I love the honky-tonk feel of this one.

4. Memphis In the Meantime (John Hiatt)

John Hiatt ditches Nashville so he and his lady can “get good and greasy” in Memphis. The band on this track is an all-star group: Hiatt (acoustic guitar), Ry Cooder (electric guitar), Nick Lowe (bass) and Jim Keltner (drums). Nice company, huh? Ronnie Milsap, it’s your loss.

5. Graceland (Paul Simon)

While John Hiatt goes to Memphis to enjoy the down and dirty rhythm and blues with some boozy babe, Paul Simon is traveling on a pilgrimage seeking benediction and redemption. The title track of one of Simon’s greatest albums, it has some of his finest lyrics – and Simon nails the allure and power of Memphis and The King’s mansion. I have just one quibble with Simon. The Mississippi delta can surely shine like a National guitar – but it’s not “the cradle of the Civil War.” That infamy belongs to South Carolina. Just ask General Sherman’s troops.

6. I’m Going to Memphis (Johnny Cash)

The Man in Black got his start in Memphis with Sam Phillips and Sun Records: part of the Million Dollar Quartet of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. In this song, credited to Alan Lomax and associated with Memphis Slim, Johnny is journeying to Memphis to see and do a lot of strange things. I don’t think Johnny’s on the same holy pilgrimage that Paul Simon is going on.

7. Going Back to Memphis (The Levon Helm Band)

Levon Helm and his band are having a great time on this rollicking, rocking track.

The whole thing is a party, led by Levon at his gravelly best.

One of rock and roll’s best examples of a guy who can lead a band from behind his drum kit, Levon takes another journey through song to the great musical Mecca on the Mississippi.

8. Memphis (Chuck Berry)

“Long-distance information, get me Memphis, Tennessee.” Thus, Chuck Berry begins one of the most oft-covered tunes ever written about Memphis. Chuck says he recorded this one at his office in St. Louis on an $80 Sears Roebuck reel-to-reel. (Although $80 was a lot of money in those days.) With its surprise ending, in which we learn that “Marie is only 6-years old,” this is one of those perfect rock and roll songs that Chuck Berry churned out so magically in the 1950’s. It’s another reason we’re all Chuck’s children.

9. Guitar Man (Elvis Presley)

This is a great comeback Elvis track, proving that the King of Rock & Roll had survived Hollywood and emerged with his voice and flawless sense of rhythm and dynamics intact. Jerry Reed, who wrote the song (and could also play guitar like a-ringin’ a bell) had a minor hit with the tune in 1967 — but Elvis’ cover (with Reed on guitar) became a chart topper. Recorded in Nashville in the late 1960’s, it was re-remixed and re-released four years after The King’s death, scoring him a posthumous #1 hit on the country charts in 1981.

Here’s a clip from the ’68 Comeback Special. There’s some fun stuff at the top, then Elvis tears into a bit of “Guitar Man”, proving he’s still the King of Rock & Roll.

10. Johnny Bye-Bye (Bruce Springsteen)

In this short, dark and complex song, Bruce ties Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry together. The Boss starts out with the opening lyrics of Chuck’s “Bye Bye Johnny,” (“She drew out all her money from the Southern Trust, and put her little boy aboard a Greyhound bus”) then pivots to a meditation on the death of Elvis, from his rise to stardom (“Leaving Memphis with a guitar in his hand, a one-way ticket to the promised land”) to his death at Graceland (“They found him slumped up against the drain, a whole lot of trouble running through his veins”).

11. King’s Call (Phil Lynott)

Another musical meditation on the death of Elvis Presley: this one’s a deeply personal tribute by Thin Lizzy’s lead singer, Phil Lynott – who also died tragically young, passing away at the age of 36 in 1986. “King’s Call” is a track from Lynott’s first solo album – and if the guitar playing sounds familiar, that’s because Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler sat in on guitar and backing vocals. I love this tune.

12. Memphis Monday Morning (Bobby “Blue” Bland)

As Phil Lynott sang in the previous track, “It was a rainy night, the night The King went down.” So perhaps Mr. Bobby Blue Bland is singing about that very night, as he takes us through this jazzy, bluesy walk through the late night/early morning streets of Memphis. Along the way, he name checks my brother’s hotel and several other Memphis locations. The musicianship on this track is awesome: a little cool jazz mixed with the blues for all you classy cats.

13. Big Train (From Memphis) (John Fogerty)

The great John Fogerty’s tribute to Sam Phillips and Sun records is dominated by the train imagery evoked in so many songs from and about Memphis. (By the way, I had the honor of meeting Sam Phillips in the late 1990’s when I interviewed him for Rick Nelson: Behind The Music. We sat at the same Formica kitchen table in Sam’s Memphis house where he sat with Elvis when he told the future King of Rock & Roll that he was selling his contract to RCA. No brag, just fact.) This song was on Fogerty’s hit 1985 “comeback album” Centerfield, and was covered the next year by the living Sun Records legends: Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison. Alas, only The Killer is still with us at the age of 79.

14. Night Train To Memphis (Dean Martin)

Dino gets into some pre-rock & roll, country swing on this song, written by Beasley Smith, Marvin Hughes and Owen Bradley.

Somehow, Dean Martin makes everything he does sound groovy and utterly cool.

Given that Dean was one of Elvis’ biggest heroes – and that Elvis tried to emulate Dino’s sound – it’s only fitting that the King of Cool have his spot in this Memphis themed lineup.

15. Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Bob Dylan)

In this fabulous track from Blonde on Blonde, Dylan puts together perhaps the greatest word collage in the history of rock & roll. And among all those words, he keeps referring to “the Memphis blues”, which he obviously has again – though he (and Jerry Reed’s guitar man) are stuck in Mobile, Alabama at the time. If this song had been sung by Ian Hunter it would be completely incomprehensible, but Dylan makes the words quite clear even if the meaning is elusive. Who cares? It’s great. It rocks. And it’s the last tune on this tribute to Memphis, Tennessee – the birthplace of rock & roll.

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Filed under Art, Beauty, History, Music, Truth

Tagged as Bob Dylan, Bobby Blue Bland, Chuck Berry, Dean Martin, Elvis, Elvis Presley, Graceland, Guitar Man, John Fogerty, John Hiatt, Johnny Cash, King of Rock & Roll, Levon Helm, Lyle Lovett, Memphis, Mott the Hoople, Paul Simon, Phil Lynott, rock & roll, Springsteen, Tennessee, The Automatics

September 21, 2014 · 11:28 am

O Captain! My Comedy Captain!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/chi-sheldon-patinkin-dies-20140921-column.html

I don’t know where my life would have gone if the great Sheldon Patinkin had not walked into a small storefront theatre on Howard Street in Evanston — and took my silliness seriously. Sheldon didn’t just change my life. He changed generations of lives. I will miss him every damn day. But, in essential ways, he will always be with me. And he’ll be with Victoria and all of the thousands of creative people whose lives he touched.

Sheldon polished our routines, sharpened our satire, laughed when we needed a laugh — and always expected our best.

We worked to meet his expectations because he was Sheldon. And we did not want to disappoint him. His laughter was the coin of the realm.

Sheldon Patinkin was funny and wise and warm and the very best humanity has to offer.

And now he’s gone?

Sheldon would have something funny to say about this.

I am at a loss.

We’ll always love you, Sheldon. And we’ll never forget you.

4 Comments

Filed under Comedy, History, Improvisation

Tagged as Sheldon Patinkin

September 6, 2014 · 1:34 pm

A “Lazy Saturday” with Ms. Maura!

Here’s a bit of delightful musical merriment from Ms. Maura — my sweet, talented daughter!

2 Comments

Filed under Art, Beauty, Comedy, Music

Tagged as acoustic music, Harry Potter, Maura Murphy-Barrosse, Ms. Maura, rock & roll

August 31, 2014 · 1:39 pm

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015

I know there’s a lot going on right now in Iraq and Syria and the Ukraine and Gaza and Ferguson, Missouri – but there’s not much I can do about those intractable geopolitical situations. I’ll let prudent, deliberative President Obama and his national security team sort out America’s proper role in all that madness.

But there is one source of national shame and outrage that I must address here and now…

Why aren’t Tommy James & The Shondells in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

I’m a Cleveland boy, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a shining jewel on our downtown lakefront — but that only makes such an injustice a more personal matter.

Tommy James & The Shondells have been waiting since 1991 to get that call from the Hall. For 23 years, they’ve had to endure the enshrinement of acts like Abba, Donna Summer and Madonna in an institution supposedly devoted to rock and roll – while the group that gave garage bands around the world rock classics like “Mony Mony” and “Hanky Panky” is continually and criminally passed over.

How can it be that slick, overproduced purveyors of disco and pop take precedence over the guys who put “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Crimson and Clover” down on vinyl?

At this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Rage Against the Machine’s lead guitarist Tom Morello – a man whose shredding virtuosity and politics I admire – made a convincing case for why Kiss had a rightful place in the Rock Hall. But while Kiss may have blazed a trail for visual and musical bombast and pyro in arena rock – their sound and fury signify nothing like the string of hits that Tommy James and his band delivered in the late 1960s.

Besides their two #1 hit single in the U.S. – “Hanky Panky” in ’66 and “Crimson and Clover” in ’69 — Tommy James & The Shondells charted twelve other Top 40 hits, including five in the top ten. Remember a platter entitled “Crystal Blue Persuasion”?

How about 14 Top 40 hits during the greatest period in rock and roll radio history? All while competing with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone – and those Motown artists cranking out classics in Hitsville, USA.

All of those great rockers are in the Hall of Fame — so, why not Tommy James & The Shondells?

And I don’t want to hear that Tommy James was “bubblegum”. Please. When was the last time you listened to “Mony Mony” or “Draggin the Line”? Guitars. Groove. Harmony. Drive. Horns. Hooks. Lots and lots of classic rock and roll hooks.

Tommy James & The Shondells should go into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fames very next class or the whole institution is a sham.

Honor Tommy James while the man is still alive and well and rocking.

I can wait no longer.

I’m just going to enshrine Tommy James & The Shondells here and now.

In fact…

I’m announcing The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015 (if there were any justice in this freaking world):

Tommy James & The Shondells — Eligible since 1991

Chicago — Eligible since 1994.

Actually, the Chicago that most deserves to go into the Rock Hall is the first incarnation of Chicago. The first version of Chicago was the band that was politically progressive and rocked harder than the late 70s and 80’s version – before their bluesy lead guitarist, Terry Kath died in January 1978 from an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Some say Russian roulette.)

That was the band that got me out to Blossom Music Center during my high school days to enjoy some of the first rock concerts I ever attended.

My favorite Chicago song during this period was “Dialogue (Part I & II) – a charged musical debate between a politically active guy (sung by Kath) and an apathetic college student (sung by Peter Cetera). Listening to that song now makes we weep for the current state of music on the radio. Remember that chorus? “We can make it happen…”

After Kath died, Chicago lost currency with me because of the band’s over-reliance on Peter Cetera’s often-cheesy (but enormously popular) ballads.

The same thing happened to another Chicago band, Styx, when Dennis DeYoung’s ballads became hits – and smothered the rock in syrup. But the chicks dug it. And the arenas filled up.

No American band besides The Beach Boys had as many hit singles and albums on the Billboard charts as Chicago.

In fact, Chicago had more hit singles in the US during the 1970s than anyone else.

And they scored five #1 albums and 21 top-ten singles.

Put ‘dose Chicago boys in ‘da Hall.

The Doobie Brothers — Eligible since 1996:

I remember with great humility the day in 1972 when my fellow Cleveland Central Catholic freshman (and soon to be band mate) Ed Dougan and I were discussing The Doobie Brother’s first big hit, “Listen to the Music”. I opined that The Doobie Brothers sounded like a one-hit-band to me.

For the next four years, The Doobie Brothers gave Eddie Dougan reason after reason to remind me how absolutely wrong I was – as songs like “Jesus is Just Alright”, “Long Train Running” and “China Grove” poured out of our radios and rocked up the charts, culminating in their inescapable, utterly sing-able #1 hit, “Black Water”.

I graduated from high school in ’76. That same year, Michael McDonald became an official member of The Doobie Brothers – and led them to another string of soulful hits.

With McDonald singing lead, songs like “Takin’ It to the Streets” and “What a Fool Believes”, topped the charts in the US – and made Eddie Dougan smile once again, remembering what a fool I was.

Green Day — Eligible in 2014

Green Day should be first ballot Hall of Famers.

If Green Day isn’t drummed into the Hall at its 2015 Induction Ceremony, then the whole building should just slink shamefully into Lake Erie.

Long before “American Idiot” exploded into the Zeitgeist, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool had already established themselves as the primary punks of the new millennium.

Green Day has sold more than 75 million albums and singles worldwide. There’s no reason to wait.

Put those punks in the Hall.

If these next two deserving honorees continue to be snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – Southern Californians and fans of surf rock should get Eric Von Zipper to bust some heads.

Jan & Dean — Eligible since 1985

Without Jan and Dean there are no Beach Boys. It’s as simple as that. Beginning in the late 1950s, Jan Berry and Dean Torrence established much of what became the California surf rock sound, featuring big waves, hot rods, and girls, girls, girls.

Brian Wilson looked up to Jan – who was a studio production whiz kid – as a musical big brother. And that’s Dean’s falsetto on the Beach Boy’s party classic, “Barbara Ann”. (Carl Wilson says, “Thanks, Dean” at the end of the track.) Jan & Dean were cool. So cool they were chosen as the hosts of the legendary T.A.M.I. Show in 1964.

Sadly, Jan & Dean’s hit-making ended in the spring of ’66 when Jan drove his Corvette into the back end of a parked gardener’s truck in Beverly Hills and sustained severe head injuries.

Shades of “Dead Man’s Curve”.

From their first hit, “Jennie Lee” in ’58 to their last, “Popsicle” in ’66 – Jan & Dean charted 15 Top 40 hits, including 6 in the Top 10.

“Little Old Lady from Pasadena” went to #3 – and “Surf City” — the joyous anthem of surf rock — went all the way to #1 promising “two girls for every boy”.

Two girls for every boy? That’s reason enough to put Jan & Dean in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

And do it while 74-year old Dean can still get onstage and sing.

Dick Dale — Eligible since 1987

Dick Dale is the The King of the Surf Guitar. He pioneered the surf music style, experimenting with reverb – and worked with Leo Fender to push the limits of electric amplification. (Riffmaster Van Wagner owes Dick Dale an unpayable debt for producing “thick, clearly defined tones” at “previously undreamed-of volumes.”

And it wasn’t just upping the volume in rock and roll that makes Dick Dale Hall-worthy – it’s also his style and technique. Just spin “Let’s Go Trippin’” – often called the first surf rock song – or “Jungle Fever” or “Misirlou”.

Dick Dale’s records may not have been big on the national charts – but their influence was both immediate and far-reaching.

Like Chuck Berry before him, generations of guitar shredders copied Dick Dale’s licks.

You can put him in as a performer or an early influence – or for lifetime achievement – but The King of the Surf Guitar should be enthroned in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

And it should be done while Dick Dale can still perform — thrilling us with his pioneering sound.

The Monkees — Eligible since 1991

Not even gonna argue about this.

The Monkees should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Hell, The Beatles respected The Monkees – so why should anyone else deny their undeniable greatness?

Morons who I have little patience for say The Monkees were a fabricated band – “The Pre-Fab Four” — surrounded by studio musicians. I know for a fact that The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, and others in the Hall of Fame were backed by the very same group of studio cats: the Wrecking Crew. So, what?

Hold on. I said I wasn’t gonna argue.

At their peak in ‘67, The Monkees outsold The Beatles and Rolling Stones combined. 12 Top-40 hits, three #1 hits — and a TV show that brought melodic, witty, well-written and beautifully sung rock and roll music (and surprisingly subversive comedy) into homes across America.

I won’t even mention the songs by name. You know them. You sing them. You’ll probably hear one on the radio today.

Okay…

“Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” “Daydream Believer,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”. That’s just five.

And now I’m really not gonna argue any more.

The Rock N Roll Trio — Eligible since 1981

Johnny Burnette and the Rock & Roll Trio were the best damn rockabilly band that ever thumped a standup bass, whacked out the backbeat on a snare, and sang like drunken wildcats.

“Rock Billy Boogie”, “Rock Therapy”, “Train Kept A-Rollin”, “Honey Hush”, “Tear It Up” – Johnny Burnette and the Rock & Roll Trio served up fundamental, elemental, essential rock and roll.

Johnny Burnette and the Rock & Roll Trio featured no frills, no gimmicks, no costumes, and no pyrotechnics — other than the fire they produced by their passionate playing.

Sorry, Kiss, this is rock and roll with real heart and soul.

I don’t give a damn what hits they had or where they charted.

When I need rock therapy. They give it to me.

They should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

6 Comments

Filed under Art, History, Music

Tagged as Chicago, Dick Dale, Green Day, Jan & Dean, Johnny Burnette, rock, rock & roll, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, rockabilly, surf music, The Doobie Brothers, The Monkees, The Rock & Roll Trio, Tommy James & The Shondells

August 23, 2014 · 6:44 pm

Emilia at The Comedy Store!

You can catch my very funny daughter Emilia’s act this Sunday night at the legendary Comedy Store in Hollywood – and she’s performing new material!

Emilia’s starting to make a name for herself in the standup scene, and this gig is an important set-up to the great punchline of her budding career.

So, if you’ve caught her wild, wonderful takes on airplanes, miracles, the World Cup, Animal Planet, and why she can never watch “The Lion King” again without a shudder of horror – then you’ll want to hear what Emilia’s gonna say next!

Emilia will be in the Main Room at Hollywood’s legendary Comedy Store on Sunday, August 24th at 8:25 PM (Doors open at 8:00).

Tickets are available at: http://hollywood.thecomedystore.com/show.cfm?id=331978&cart

And remember – don’t forget to tell them you’re there to see Emilia!

Hope to see you there. I’ll be the guy sitting in the house with two Chardonnays and a big, happy grin.

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Filed under Art, Comedy, Improvisation, Uncategorized

Tagged as Animal Planet, Comedy Store, Emilia, Emilia Barrosse, Hollywood, standup comedy, Sunset Blvd.

August 19, 2014 · 4:43 pm

More Standup Fun with Emilia!

You’ve got two chances to catch my very funny daughter Emilia’s act this week – and she’s presenting new material!

You can see her tomorrow (Wednesday, August 20) at 7:30 pm upstairs at The Federal bar, located at 5303 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood.

Tickets can be purchased in advance here — or at the door. And when you arrive – tell the folks at the box office stand you’re there to see Emilia!

This weekend, you can see Emilia in the Main Room at Hollywood’s legendary Comedy Store on Sunday, August 24th at 8:25 PM (Doors open at 8:00).

Discount tickets available at: http://hollywood.thecomedystore.com/show.cfm?id=331978&cart

And remember – don’t forget to tell them you’re there to see Emilia!

Hope to see you there. I’ll be the guy sitting in the house with two Chardonnays and a big, happy grin.

2 Comments

Filed under Art, Comedy, Improvisation, Uncategorized

Tagged as Animal Planet, Comedy Store, Emilia, Emilia Barrosse, Hollywood, North Hollywood, standup comedy, Sunset Blvd., The Federal

July 10, 2014 · 11:01 pm

The (Not So) Favorite Son Returns?

As a Clevelander who never blamed LeBron James for taking his talents to South Beach, let me add my own column space to the ten million blogs currently weighing in on The Decision Part Two:

I’d love to see King James come home to the Best Location in the Nation.

And then I’d like to see Dan Gilbert publicly eat that letter of his at center court!

2 Comments

Filed under Sports

Tagged as Cavs, Cleveland, free agency, Lebron James, Miami Heat, NBA

June 7, 2014 · 3:23 pm

Maura’s in a Musical! (And Other News)

My daughter Maura will be appearing in the musical, Miz Bonnie’s Band, on June 15, 2014 at 5:00 PM in Hollywood, CA .

After a decade spent rocking and singing the blues in bands and in the recording studio, Maura is excited to return to the stage with the wonderful cast of Miz Bonnie’s Band — an original musical stage play about a little band with big issues.

ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY.

Bring your dads and make a Father’s Day event of it! Meet the Team.   Click HERE to purchase tickets. $15 in advance — $20 at the door.

And that’s not all…

FRIDAY, JUNE 13 @ 8 PM

Maura will be singing with Mitchell Storkington’s Funktastic Voyage at the C.I.A. in NoHo. Join Maura and the band for a night of music, macabre and mayhem! Click HERE for more info.

Ms. Maura’s been working on some new tunes and videos! More info coming on that soon. In the meantime, be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on all her fabulous adventures!

Ms. Maura’s music is available for streaming and purchase on Bandcamp, and iTunes, and your other favorite music services.

Spread the word!

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Filed under Art, Beauty, Music

Tagged as Maura Murphy-Barrosse, Miz Bonnie's Band, Ms. Maura, musical, musical theater, theatre

May 23, 2014 · 12:53 pm

President Obama Shreds the Pundits.

President Obama made the following remarks at a recent fundraiser, calling out the false equivalency narratives spun by the insufferable, Beltway-blinkered poobahs of the pundit class. He should continue to say these things publicly and emphatically – just like Harry Truman would have – all the way up to the mid-term elections.

“You’ll hear if you watch the nightly news or you read the newspapers that, well, there’s gridlock, Congress is broken, approval ratings for Congress are terrible. And there’s a tendency to say, a plague on both your houses.

“But the truth of the matter is that the problem in Congress is very specific.

“We have a group of folks in the Republican Party who have taken over who are so ideologically rigid, who are so committed to an economic theory that says if folks at the top do very well then everybody else is somehow going to do well; who deny the science of climate change; who don’t think making investments in early childhood education makes sense; who have repeatedly blocked raising a minimum wage so if you work full-time in this country you’re not living in poverty; who scoff at the notion that we might have a problem with women not getting paid for doing the same work that men are doing.

“They, so far, at least, have refused to budge on bipartisan legislation to fix our immigration system, despite the fact that every economist who’s looked at it says it’s going to improve our economy, cut our deficits, help spawn entrepreneurship, and alleviate great pain from millions of families all across the country.

“So the problem…is not that the Democrats are overly ideological — because the truth of the matter is, is that the Democrats in Congress have consistently been willing to compromise and reach out to the other side.

“There are no radical proposals coming out from the left. When we talk about climate change, we talk about how do we incentivize through the market greater investment in clean energy. When we talk about immigration reform there’s no wild-eyed romanticism. We say we’re going to be tough on the borders, but let’s also make sure that the system works to allow families to stay together…

“When we talk about taxes we don’t say we’re going to have rates in the 70 percent or 90 percent when it comes to income like existed here 50, 60 years ago. We say let’s just make sure that those of us who have been incredibly blessed by this country are giving back to kids so that they’re getting a good start in life, so that they get early childhood education…

“Health care — we didn’t suddenly impose some wild, crazy system. All we said was let’s make sure everybody has insurance. And this made the other side go nuts — the simple idea that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, nobody should go bankrupt because somebody in their family gets sick, working within a private system.

“So when you hear a false equivalence that somehow, well, Congress is just broken, it’s not true. What’s broken right now is a Republican Party that repeatedly says no to proven, time-tested strategies to grow the economy, create more jobs, ensure fairness, open up opportunity to all people.”

Now, I wish the mainstream Democratic Party position on climate change was more radical – and I don’t like hearing President Obama extolling an “all of the above” strategy, especially if that means we all get “fracked” in the process.

But, let there be no doubt. Progressives must get out the vote this fall. The only answer to our broken Congress is a Senate controlled by Democrats – and a House of Representatives in which Nancy Pelosi once again holds the gavel. Important issues like climate change, immigration reform, raising the minimum wage, Wall Street reform and income inequality will never be addressed while Republicans are in a position to obstruct positive change.

Then, in 2016, we must work to keep a Democrat in the White House – because our endangered democracy can’t afford another religiously biased, corporate stooge conservative on The Supreme Court.

But first – we’ve got to get that oversized gavel out of John Boehner’s hands.

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Filed under History, Politics, Truth

Tagged as climate change, Congress, Democrats, false equivalency, GOP, John Boehner, mid term elections, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Obama, Paul Ryan, President Obama, pundits, Republican Party, Washington

May 19, 2014 · 11:57 am

This Week: An Emilia Comedy Trifecta!

For the first couple of decades that my wife and I lived in Los Angeles we rarely went to nightclubs because we were raising children. We rarely went over the Santa Monica mountains to enjoy the nightlife in Hollywood – or all the way to Silver Lake.

However, now that the kids we raised are (somehow) all performing in nightclubs, we find ourselves going out to all those entertaining spots we missed while hovering over our babies.

This week, we’ll be hitting the clubs three times to see our very funny daughter Emilia work the crowds with her standup comedy act.

On Monday May 19 at 8:00 PM, Emilia will perform in “The Comedy Madness Show” in the Main Room at the famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.

You can’t get tickets online for this one – so you’ll just have to get in line behind me and get them at the club.

On Thursday May 22 at 8:00 PM, she’ll be knocking them dead at the Leche Lounge in the Malo Cantina on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake.

If you come to the gig at the Leche Lounge you’ll want to come early enough to enjoy the food at Malo Cantina. It’s tasty, spicy Mexican cuisine that will fortify you for the night of laughter ahead.

And on Friday May 23 at 10:00, she’ll be back at The Comedy Store, appearing on the bill in The Belly Room.

So, come on out and enjoy my daughter Emilia’s unique brand of comedy.

I’ll be there. I’ll be that guy laughing and having fun with a glass of wine in my hand who no longer needs to hire a babysitter in order to go to a nightclub.

Because my baby is on the bill.