It’s election day in New Orleans. We’re about to make history and elect our first woman mayor. I wish I were more excited about it but as I said Thursday, the campaign has been anything but elevating. I’m more engaged in my District City Council race, which pits Mr. Nice Guy (Jay Banks) against an entitled jerk. The race has gotten heated in the last week as the jerk (Seth Bloom, not Steve Martin) has gotten nervous that he’s going to lose. I sure hope he does. I’ve been feuding with him and his supporters online since they think it’s a good idea to fight with voters. Where they got that idea, I’ll never know. Schmucks.

In addition to being King Zulu 2016, another thing Jay Banks has going for him is the crucial child army endorsement:

With that much cuteness on his side how can he lose? They’re also his neighbors so Jay can harness the powers of the army of darkness at will. Btw, their mother nicknamed them that, not me. It fits: I’ve seen all of them in meltdown mode. If you live in District B, get out and vote for Jay Banks or they’re coming after you. It won’t be deadly, just loud and sticky.

A quick note on the featured image. It’s a section of a Siqueiros mural depicting the Mexican Revolution. In it, we see the dictator Porfirio Diaz who ruled the country for over 30 years. One of my guilty movie pleasures is the 1939 Warner Brothers “bio-pic” Juarez in which nice Jewish boys Paul Muni and John Garfield play Juarez and Diaz respectively. Oy, just oy. It’s a hoot but terrible history as you can see from the trailer:

This week’s theme song is a genuine rock classic. The video for Land Of Confusion is a mini-movie and one of the best of its kind. The use of the Spitting Image puppets is genius. The live version comes from a 2007 reunion tour which shows that Phil Collins has turned into his Spitting Image puppet.

Now that I’ve confused everyone, let’s jump to the break.

Before we begin our second act, another pop-prog classic from Genesis:

The Steele dossier is back in the news. Republicans denounce it and Democrats praise it. More and more of it has been verified since I wrote about it in September,

The Not-So Dodgy Dossier Revisited: The Guardian has an extended excerpt from a new book by Luke Harding that tells us who Christopher Steele is and why we should trust his work. It’s all in the work, y’all. The man knows his shit.

I wish the fools on social media would end their fixation with the so-called “pee tapes.” This obsession undermines the credibility of the excellent work this Russia expert has done. Fuck the “pee tapes,” that sounds like something out of a bad bro comedy.

The dossier is the Steele deal…

Let’s move on to a much better Warner Brothers film from the Golden Age of Hollywood:

Casablanca At 75: In many ways, Casablanca was a happy accident. Nobody thought they were making a lasting classic when they were shooting it. It established Bogie’s film persona, made generations of men fall in love with Ingrid Bergman, and featured some amazing supporting performances, especially Claude Rains as the witty, wise, and corrupt Louis Renault. It remains one of my favorite films. In fact, it may be the ultimate movie-movie.

There was a cool piece on CBS Sunday Morning last week featuring interviews with Stephen Bogart, Monika Henreid, and Jessica Rains. I wish they’d spent more time talking to the chirren of Casablanca but it’s still a swell segment.

I stick my neck out for no one but the usual suspects. Here’s looking at you, kid or is that Jeff Daniels?

Separated At Birth: I spent way too much time on the internet looking at SAB images the other night. I actually look for genuine resemblances as opposed to ones that are done to demean someone the poster doesn’t like: the Obamas and John Kerry are favorite right-wing targets.

I stumbled on a doozy featuring two Midwesterners. The prairie populist from Nebraska, William Jennings Bryan, and Michigander Jeff Daniels.

This is a good comp. I’m not sure, however, if the actor cares for being side-by-side with the losingest Democratic loser that ever lost. Bryan lost in 1895, 1900, and 1908 and it was never even close. He took a break in 1904 to avoid an even worse defeat at the hands of TR.  I’m sure Will McAvoy would have some choice words on this subject. He was rarely separated from snark.

Saturday Classic: We’ve played two pop-prog classics from Genesis Mach 3. It’s time to feature a 1973 album from the classic lineup of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins. It’s pure prog perfection.

That’s all for this week. Wait, I feel another Genesis song coming on:

The last bat word goes to the Genesis Spitting Image puppets. Unlike Trump, Putin is not pulling their strings,