Month: June 2019

Tommy T2 Comments

Today on Tommy t’s Obsession with Facebook – zuck you, fuckerberg edition

Tommy T

No post this week, good people.  Dallas has been one big lightning /thunderstorm for the last three days, and I don’t  feel like losing another hard drive, so my computer’s been mostly off for that time. Also, I’ve been in Facebook jail for a week.  Let me tell you why. I replied to a disgusting anti-gay post in the Open Fire Facebook forum that showed a rainbow hand reaching for a cowering child, saying that it reminded me of the infamous Nazi poster of the finger pointing at “Das Juden”. I replied to my comment with a pic of the … Continue reading Today on Tommy t’s Obsession with Facebook – zuck you, fuckerberg edition

Athenae, Congress, Current Affairs2 Comments

Everything Pretty Much Does Suck, Actually

Allison Hantschel

Serwer: Black Americans did not abandon liberal democracy because of slavery, Jim Crow, and the systematic destruction of whatever wealth they managed to accumulate; instead they took up arms in two world wars to defend it. Japanese Americans did not reject liberal democracy because of internment or the racist humiliation of Asian exclusion; they risked life and limb to preserve it. Latinos did not abandon liberal democracy because of “Operation Wetback,” or Proposition 187, or because of a man who won a presidential election on the strength of his hostility toward Latino immigrants. Gay, lesbian, and trans Americans did not abandon liberal … Continue reading Everything Pretty Much Does Suck, Actually

Athenae, Catblogging2 Comments

Sunday Catblogging: Throw Your Hands in the Air if You’re a True Player

Allison Hantschel

First of all, condolences to the Adrastos family on the loss of Della. She heartily disapproved of me when I was last in NOLA for a visit, as well she should have, and I was honored to receive her royal disdain. Hopefully all our ferrets have found her beyond the bridge and are now also basking in her contempt as they so deserve. Rest in peace, sweet girl. Speaking of contempt, Kick regularly sings “I love it when you call me Big Poppa” at Slade, because he has become chonk, destroyer of worlds: Behold, our lard, in all his thicc … Continue reading Sunday Catblogging: Throw Your Hands in the Air if You’re a True Player

Adrastos, Diary, Film, Fog Of History, Gret Stet Politics, Language, Law/Justice, Music, New Orleans, Odds & Sods, R.I.P., Sports

Saturday Odds & Sods: Right Place, Wrong Time

Peter Adrastos Athas
Swing Landscape by Stuart Davis.

I finished this post before hearing the terrible news about Our Della Street. I usually apply another layer of polish before publishing but I wasn’t feeling it. If it’s disjointed, so be it. Apologies to our late night Odds & Sods readers, I wanted my Della tribute to be at the top until 8-ish. She would have insisted.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

A wee cool front hit New Orleans this week. It’s still hot but not as muggy. It’s nice to step outside without breaking into an insta-sweat. It’s a minor triumph but we’ll take what we can get. It will be gone just in time for the weekend. So it goes.

The big local story comes from St. Tammany Parish. It used to be country but morphed into white flight suburbia in the late 20th Century. It’s the most Republican parish in the Gret Stet and its residents are wont to lecture us depraved city folk about morals and crime. They should knock it off. Former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain was arrested this week on rape and incest charges. He spent several nights in the jail he ran for 20 years. Schadenfreude thy name is Adrastos.

I still have the late Dr. John on my mind so this week’s theme song is his biggest hit: Right Place, Wrong Time. He wrote it for his 1973 album In The Right Place, which was something of a New Orleans musical summit meeting. It was produced by Allen Toussaint and The Meters were Mac’s backing band on the album.

We have two versions for your listening pleasure: the original studio recording and a 1996 teevee performance with Eric Clapton.

I’m desitively confused by this song. I actually called it Right Time, Wrong Place when discussing Our Mac with my barber the other day. Mac’s penchant for malaprops seems to be contagious even for a man of my edumaction. Let’s jump to the break before I get even more tongue twisted.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Right Place, Wrong Time”

Adrastos, Diary, Food and Drink, Music, New Orleans

New Orleans Culture: Lost In The 21st Century?

Peter Adrastos Athas

As you can see above, my latest column at the Bayou Brief has a click baity title that I’m oddly proud of. I hope everyone falls for it. Since I quote my First Draft tributes to Dr. John and Chef Leah Chase at the Bayou Brief, it’s only fitting that I quote my Bayou Brief piece here. Damn, my head is spinning: A word about language: I hate the term “culture-bearer” as it sounds pompous, pretentious. and a passel of other P words. I also dislike “icon” or “iconic.” Perhaps it comes from growing up Greek Orthodox, a faith in which icons are religious artifacts to be … Continue reading New Orleans Culture: Lost In The 21st Century?

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Fog Of History, Political Crack, The Darnold, Twitter1 Comment

Joe Biden Says The Darndest Things

Peter Adrastos Athas

Joe Biden is the early frontrunner in the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination. The Insult Comedian has given Biden a boost by allowing him to take up residency in the presidential* head. It’s turning into a 21st century version of Being John Malkovich. I’m only surprised that Trump hasn’t tried selling him a condo located somewhere in the dark recesses of his “very good brain.” Perhaps it should be a stall since the president* is a “very stable genius.” Biden’s strength as a candidate thus far have been his frontal attacks on the Current Occupant. He may, however, have … Continue reading Joe Biden Says The Darndest Things

Athenae, Faith, Television

The First Church of David Milch

Allison Hantschel

I’ve been trying to find a way to write about the Deadwood movie since I saw it, and Deadwood in general, and David Milch’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, which he talks about in this interview in the context of writing his memoir: 

Singer: Would you pick up a new novel and read it now?

Milch: It’s not likely.

Singer: Is that because the hours in the day you’re able to focus are diminished?

Milch: To some extent. But more so I feel the constriction of possibility, what I’m able to undertake responsibly. I have only a certain amount of energy.

Singer: Do you feel like you’re in a race?

Milch: Yes.

Singer: You’re racing to finish this memoir?

Milch: More so a larger enterprise, of which this is just a part.

Singer: Can you be more specific?

Milch: I’m trying to make work, the undertaking in general, coherent. To restore a dignity to the way that I proceed, and it’s a demanding process. You’re tempted to . . . toss it in. Just to quit.

Singer: Before this, were you someone who had preoccupying fears?

Milch: No.

Singer: And now what is it you’re afraid of, if you could identify it?

Milch: I intuit the presence of a coherence in my life which I haven’t given expression to in an honorable fashion.

Singer: So this is an opportunity. Is that what you’re saying?

Milch: Yes.

Singer: The rush to get to work, that inner necessity to make something. You still have that? Do you wake up every day with that?

Milch: Yes.

Good God. And if there’s a parallel in Deadwood, which has always cast an unflinching gaze on both human suffering (the filth and the language) and human grace (the filth and the language as well), other than the above video, it’s this:

Sol Star: I’m guessing you’ve done things today you wish you could amend.
Seth Bullock: What kind of man have I become, Sol?
Sol Star: I don’t know. The day ain’t fucking over.

And:

Al Swearengen: Every fuckin’ beatin’ I’m grateful for. Every fuckin’ one of them. Get all the trust beat outta you. And you know what the fuckin’ world is.

There’s a moment in the movie (which if you’ve been putting off watching it because you loved the show and don’t want it “ruined” get thee to a TV, not only will it not ruin it, it will redeem the parts you didn’t like) that absolutely took me to church, baptized me in the waters and wrote my name in the holy book.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Continue reading “The First Church of David Milch”

Athenae, Bigotry, Immoral Values

Who Told Them The Left Hated Them?

Allison Hantschel

Everyone’s dunking all over this which is right and just, but there’s something else happening: Here a self-aware person provides a window into the exact scenario I warned about. He (I presume) does not wish to gather by race, but also does not wish to be left vulnerable for failing to do so if that is the only option that protects his dignity and his rights. pic.twitter.com/nVU73qIuVN — Bret Weinstein (@BretWeinstein) June 11, 2019 Which is, you are convinced you have to be a Nazi because The Left hates you. So who told you the Left hated you? I mean, … Continue reading Who Told Them The Left Hated Them?

Free Republic, The Darnold, Tommy T2 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Nasty Girls edition

Tommy T

A quickie today good people – starting with-

Ms. Markle, if you’re nasty!

I never called Meghan Markle “nasty.” Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold!.
Real Donald Trump Twitter ^ | June 2, 2019 | President Trump

Posted on 6/2/2019, 8:46:30 AM by SMGFan

I never called Meghan Markle “nasty.” Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold! Will @CNN, @nytimes and others apologize? Doubt it!

**************

will everyone hear this?
1 posted on 6/2/2019, 8:46:30 AM by SMGFan
Magic8BallCertain
To: SMGFan
Is there anything worth less on this planet than the British “royals”? 

2 posted on 6/2/2019, 8:50:36 AM by allendale (.)

So they’re ALL nasty?
Comment #6 Removed by Moderator
I guess so.
To: SMGFan 

Trump supporter here who doesn’t care what he calls anyone.

That’s a shocker.

Replies to that tweet say that there is audio.

Are they lying, or is he?

7 posted on 6/2/2019, 8:55:16 AM by ExGeeEye (For dark is the suede that mows like a harvest.)

Is this a trick question?
To: ExGeeEye
In context what she said was kinda of a “nasty” thing to say about moving to Canada if Trump won.
Should have just stood by the statement. 

10 posted on 6/2/2019, 9:00:04 AM by traderrob6

The Darnold should have stood by his statement?
You mean, instead of lying about it?
.
SURVEY SAYS…
To: traderrob6
You are LYING!! He said “I didn’t know she was nasty” to a statement that she was!! 

14 posted on 6/2/2019, 9:04:09 AM by Ann Archy (Abortion……. The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)

Like I said :
TrumpSupporters (2)
Anne Elk disapproves.
To: Ann Archy
traderrob6 is now traitorrob6 

20 posted on 6/2/2019, 9:11:26 AM by Pilgrim’s Progress (http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/BYTOPICS/tabid/335/Default.aspx D)

shootthemessengerbugs
To: Pilgrim’s Progress

Good grief, that was uncalled for.

We are a conservative forum that back President Trump but we also are a forum that puts a high priority on getting our facts right and in posting THE TRUTH!

You a fonny boy.

If you feel someone is a “traitor” for making sure we uphold our commitment to the truth, you’re are on the wrong forum or an imbecile….or both.

25 posted on 6/2/2019, 9:28:48 AM by traderrob6

This being Freeperville, I’m thinking that being an imbecile is kinda part of the membership requirements.
Comment #17 Removed by Moderator
Language, language.

To: SMGFan

In the full context, Trump did not say she was nasty.

Yes, he did.

Trump said that declaring that she would move to Canada if Trump got elected was a nasty thing to say.

No, he didn’t.

Few would disagree with that position.

21 posted on 6/2/2019, 9:11:50 AM by norwaypinesavage (Calm down and enjoy the ride, great things are happening for our country)

.
You mean, “No one but Freepers would disagree with reality”.
.
.
Could the Freeperati get any more deranged?
To: SMGFan
If I say, “I didn’t know you were a son-of-a-bitch,” it’s not the same as calling you a son-of-a-bitch. Even if you are a son-of-a-bitch.
42 posted on 6/2/2019, 10:06:11 AM by Mr Ramsbotham (“God is a spirit, and man His means of walking on the earth.”)
.
Forget I asked.
.
More reality denial after the “read more” thing.
.

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Nasty Girls edition”

Athenae, Television

Not Everything Sucks

Allison Hantschel

Asia Kate Dillon exists:  Taylor quickly became a fan favorite. When the character was introduced, a representative from Showtime asked Dillon how much they wanted their personal story to be part of how Taylor was discussed publicly in the press — and Dillon wanted to go all in. “Right from the beginning, I didn’t feel any kind of pressure or like, Oh my God, what did I get myself into? Because I felt immediately like the autonomy was mine,” they tell me. “And then, on top of that, I spent almost 32 years not living in the full truth of my experience. … Continue reading Not Everything Sucks

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media

Public Freedoms in Private Spaces

Allison Hantschel

I hate to subject you all to a thing the president said, but: Twitter should let the banned Conservative Voices back onto their platform, without restriction. It’s called Freedom of Speech, remember. You are making a Giant Mistake! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2019 There’s actually something interesting here beyond his usual idiocy. Most of the conservagrifters screaming about “free speech” understand full well how the ACTUAL First Amendment works, it’s how they stay just to the right side of prison. However, they also know that co-opting a nominally liberal argument and using it to “own” the libs … Continue reading Public Freedoms in Private Spaces

Adrastos, Diary, Film, Fog Of History, Food and Drink, Music, New Orleans, Odds & Sods, Political Crack, R.I.P., Television, Twitter

Saturday Odds & Sods: Estimated Prophet

Peter Adrastos Athas
Le Cirque by Henri Matisse.

It was a difficult week in New Orleans. In addition to the passing of Dr. John, we lost Chef Leah Chase who died at the age of 96. Her family’s Creole eatery, Dooky Chase’s, has fed presidents, civil rights leaders, and freedom riders as well as the hoi polloi since 1941. A reminder: feeding an integrated group such as the freedom riders was against the law in the Jim Crow Era. Chef Leah did it anyway. After her death, Picayune columnist Jarvis DeBerry wrote a piece about Chef Leah’s role in the Civil Rights movement. She didn’t scare easily, not even when a bomb was thrown at her Orleans Avenue restaurant.

As she aged, Chef Leah was the smiling, welcoming face of this Treme institution but she never stopped cooking. In recent years, she was a sort of secular saint in our community; something most would find burdensome but she wore it lightly. She led a long and eventful life. She will be missed.

Last month in this space I mentioned the Krewe of Nyx’s hare-brained scheme to stage a summer parade. The city government has finally responded. Here’s how Gambit editor and Adrastos crony Kevin Allman characterized it on the tweeter tube:

This week’s theme song, Estimated Prophet, was written by Bob Weir and John Perry Barlow in 1976. It was tested onstage many times before it became the opening track on one of the Dead’s better studio albums, Terrapin Station.

We have two versions for your listening pleasure: the studio original, then a boss reggae cover by Burning Spear.

Now that we’ve visited the burning shore of California, let’s jump through a hoop of fire to the break. Hopefully, we won’t get scorched.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Estimated Prophet”

Adrastos, Film, Fog Of History, Television

A D-Day Reading List

Peter Adrastos Athas

75 years ago today marked the beginning of the end of Nazi tyranny in Europe. It was a day on which young men sacrificed their lives on the bloody beaches of Normandy to defeat the scourge of Nazism. It’s an important chapter in the history of both the United States and Europe. It resulted in the post-war formation of NATO and later the European Union; institutions that have prevented the outbreak of a continent wide war since 1945. There are many fine articles on the internet about D-Day. Here are links to some of them: The Man Who Told America … Continue reading A D-Day Reading List

Adrastos, Fog Of History, Political Crack, The Darnold1 Comment

Quotes Of The Day: D-Day 75 Edition

Peter Adrastos Athas

The Trump Family Freak Show tour of Europe moved to the sacred beaches of Normandy today. There have been many cringe-worthy moments: from Trump’s ill-fitting monkey suit to his late night twitter fight with the Divine Miss M to his confusion as to whether Ireland is an independent country. Pro Tip: It is, Donald. Have you ever heard of Michael Collins or Eamon de Valera? Of course not. Perhaps you should watch the movie with Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman. NYT foreign policy columnist Roger Cohen had this to say about Trumpy’s great adventure: How small he is! Small in … Continue reading Quotes Of The Day: D-Day 75 Edition

Athenae, Catblogging1 Comment

Tuesday Catblogging

Allison Hantschel

The cats are now adult enough to utterly ignore us when they’re not actively fucking with us, but they both seem to instinctively know when we’re out of sorts. Kick had a minor sleep regression and Slade was ON HER the entire time, headbutting and rubbing and purring and nudging her for pets. I had a minor mental health regression and Ada glued herself to me whenever I sat down on the couch. They’re sweet beasts. A. Continue reading Tuesday Catblogging

Athenae, Congress

The Middle Exists. Compromise Exists.

Allison Hantschel

The middle is actually the middle of the Democratic Party. And compromise needs to happen within that party. And actually we only need that party, because the other party is consumed by the need to constantly throw poo:  Democratic legislators know that Pritzker will have their backs should any of this spring session’s votes haunt them in the next campaign cycle. He has enough money under his couch cushions to fund their campaigns. Pritzker also truly believes in this stuff. Where others settled for tiny increases in the minimum wage, Pritzker is nearly doubling it. When his most recent Democratic … Continue reading The Middle Exists. Compromise Exists.