Loop de loop, upside down in reverse, just so we can make another turn for the worse.

 Aw, man, the Bottle Rockets broke up. I just learned this today, but back on March 2nd, frontman Brian Henneman announced he was retiring after nearly 40 years on the road. I honestly didn't realize he'd been in the game that long, but we're all getting old.

 I'll come back around to the Rockets in a minute, but let's get the News out of the way. Monday we looked at the push to make Washington, D.C., a state as well as the push against it, including the whys and wherefores of both. For the record, I'm in favor and see no reasonable, logical argument against it. Wednesday was about the second mass shooting in two weeks. There was another shooting last night but I'll deal with that in tomorrow's wrap-up. Back to normal, I suppose.

 Friday was a discussion about the recently passed voting bill in Georgia. Again, for the record, I'm not seeing a logical, reasonable argument for it beyond "way too many black people voted for Democrats." While things like the water bit might get the headlines, the fact is Gov. Brian Kemp and the GOP made it so Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election just because would've been okay next time around. In any event, it - and the ones put forth in Mississippi and Texas - are completely unnecessary to ensure a fair election and only exist to make it harder to vote. Me, I'm for same-day voting and I.D.'s being supplied free of charge by the federal government if they're "necessary," and I'm not convinced they are.

 Okay, the Bottle Rockets. I first fell in love with this band 25 years ago after hearing "Indianapolis" on the local too-awesome-to-last radio station. It was indeed love at first sight. I've always loved my country music and I've always been fond of the stuff that has a little rock & roll grit in it, like Steve Earle and Waylon Jennings, but could also be smart and vulnerable. Like the similar V-Roys from Knoxville, the Missouri group was my Platonic ideal of what a two-guitar-bass-drum band should be.

 Plus, Brian Henneman's one of if not the most consistently amazing songwriters to write no-bullshit rock & roll since at least Dan Baird or maybe Eric Ambel. I can't off the top of my head of a bad song of his, and the vast majority are flat bangers. Plus, he's a monster picker. My brother has said that in a just universe, Brian Henneman would've been the top go-to songwriter for Nashville from the '90s and early Aughts, and we wouldn't be hearing this tedious "back when country music was good" nonsense.

 Speaking of my brother and the Rockets, he saw them before I did. He was at a nightclub in Tunica seeing someone - and there's no telling knowing him - when four scruffy-looking dudes came out and starting setting up equipment. He thought they were roadies. Nope, the Rockets were the opener that night and they rocked it out. (CORRECTION: It was Todd Snider's What The Folk Festival at the New Daisy in Memphis. We regret the mistake.)

 I saw the Rockets maybe eight or ten times, from the first time in Orlando after 24 Hours A Day came out and the last time in Atlanta just before I left North Georgia. I'm pretty sure I've seen every interaction of the band and they were one of the few musical acts I'd pay direct money to for their albums. Them and Swamp Dogg, my brother jokes that everyone else I've "canceled."

 Back when I was a music journalist, I interviewed Brian at least twice and he's a helluva nice guy. He's just like you'd think he'd be from listening to his songs. That's part of the band's appeal and charm. There's no pretension, no gimmick, no posturing. Just straight-ahead rock & roll that's fun more often than not. Dan Baird is still doing his thing but it seems like he's forgotten how to write a hook in the last few years. I'm probably just missing it, though. I know music moves on and the stuff that turns on the kids these days isn't necessarily made for me, and that's okay, but it was nice to know the Rockets were out there banging it out for me.

 But I understand why he's retiring. I didn't realize he was pushing 60 but as I'm closer to 50 than 40, so that's on me. Like most folks, the band's been stuck at home the past year and he says he's just not inclined to change that anymore. That rings true, as well, because there are a whole lot of things I used to love to do that I don't miss either.

 So, thanks, y'all, for the good tunes and carrying the torch. I hope everyone involved enjoys the rest of their ride and I appreciate it they shared some of it with me and the other folks that dug them. That, my friends, is rock & roll. And for the record, all their albums are recommended and the first two have been repackaged in a very nifty presentation with some cool unreleased and live tunes. Dig it.

I ain't walkin'. Naw, I'm travelin' in style.

 You know, I've had a fairly pleasant Saturday. Nice breakfast, got some work done, nice nap - not too long, not too short - some fair-to-middling ribs from that place in Peppertown, and a short constitutional with my buddy Otis, the Jack Russell. I really don't have much in me.

 We'll go ahead and get this week's News all linked out before I forget, though. Beyond that, I don't know. We'll kick the ball around and see. Anyhow.

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

 To be honest, I took on a big slab of Actual Paying Work this past week, and that ate up not only most of my time but also most of my energy. You write 4,000 words on New York labor laws and see how sharp you are. In any event, we took another look at the fascist invasion of Portland Monday while Wednesday centered around the ongoing failure of the Trump Administration when it comes to deal with the COVID-19 problem. Friday we drew out focus in and took a look at how screwed dear ol' Mississippi is about said pandemic. The answer: extremely screwed.

 I usually don't do this, but I'm going to include the News' "Weekend" feature. For the record, it's usually just five hundred words of ramble tamble - much like every day here - and little more than a reason to fill space and write. However, occasionally, I'll write something there worth reading. This time around I wrote about Rep. John Lewis and Bro. C.T. Vivian, two Civil Rights warriors we lost to the ravages of time a week ago Friday. Lives well-lived, stomping the terra.

 Wednesday got a good bit of attention, actually. I imagine it's because I touched on the business with Trump wishing Ghislaine Maxwell "well" and Twitter booting a bunch of Q users for being assholes, slightly loony, and outright threatening. I generally don't get as many hits on the News as I do here. Maybe that's telling me something, but I'll be dipped if I know what it is.

 Speaking of hits, I got a mess here this week. Up to 136 so far, though how many of those are the same ones trying to spam porn in the comments, I don't know. I was inspired Friday, pure gonzo gibberish that it was. Right now, though, I just feel like listening to The Faces and reading Go Down, Moses again. It's too damn hot to be this melancholy.

 I'm definitely not interested in the current zeitgeist on Twitter. Apparently, Andrew Sullivan said something stupid and the only reaction I have to that is why in the blue hell is anyone still taking Andrew Sullivan seriously? The Harper's Letter is still having way more impact than it should. I still can't too worked up that mediocre writers and thinkers who've coasted for the past couple of decades answering to no one but each other are getting made fun of on Twitter.

 And I really have no sympathy for the folks under 40 whose main complaint seems to be that they came on the field too late to not have to listen to the public criticize their nonsense. They know who they are, there's no need to name names. I find as I get older, I give less of a shit about what individuals think, especially individuals who get paid to tell me what they think. I realize that's a little screwy given what I'm doing here, but read your Walt Whitman and leave me be.

 Tedious hypocrite David Brooks bemoaned that besotted contrarian boor Christopher Hitchens couldn't get published today when that is obviously horseshit of the finest kind. Hitchens would be fighting off podcasters with an empty beer stein. As long as you have connections, there is no need for merit. Yeah, I know that sounds bitter because I'm 45 and have probably seen all the success in writing I'll ever see, but it doesn't mean it's wrong.

 It's like when I argue with Momma about taxing the living shit out of Jeff Bezos. "But is it fair?" I honestly don't care if it is or isn't. Life isn't fair. Children are born into poor families with illnesses that will not only promise a short, painful existence but will also manage to bankrupt their parents as if a shattered heart isn't enough.

 Getting a little dark there. Perhaps I should tie this off. I want a candy bar. I'm enjoying myself, but I know I'm running out of stuff to rant about and really don't feel like raving about how awesome The Faces were and how you should totally buy as much stuff as there is out there, but you should. Hell, two-fifths of the band has passed on and two of the remaining three have more money than God. I doubt Kenny Jones is hurting, so buy used copies or if you're feeling it illegal downloads.

 Are those still a thing? I ain't going to lie but when Napster and Kazaa were all the rage, I downloaded a buttload of MP3s of dubious legality. I even sailed around the Pirate Bay for a bit. I usually wound up buying from the bands if they were still an ongoing thing but I have no qualms about taking from record companies and music publishers. Was it thievery? Sure. Do I give a shit? Nope, not one bit.

 Hoo, giving myself away there, I better be careful. You'll never prove it, though, because I've moved on. Apple and Tim Cook get my $10 a month, so I trust them to disseminate that down to the musicians, although I know it really isn't much better. Regardless, The Bottle Rockets, Todd Snider, and The Mavericks still get my money. Come and get me, coppers.

 That's enough, I think. I don't know what else to say and don't feel like raging against anyone anymore. Anyway, I really want that candy bar. Salute.

House Keeping

 Hey, for what it's worth, I'll be posting the links to this week's Gibberish either tomorrow night or Saturday morning, depending when I get tomorrow night's knocked and what kind of mood I'm in. We'll see what comes out.

 I think for the foreseeable future, I'm going to stay with putting all the Gibberish on the WordPress site and try to come up with something clever for this. If you wish for more of my sublime genius, there's also the Tumblr blog for writing about music and art, plus the occasional dip of the toe into political discourse. I try not to interact with people as much as possible, especially on line. I really don't like conflict, to be honest, and I'm perfectly comfortable with the size of my dick.

 For more jibber-jabber, there's the Twitter feed, but even there I don't go seeking arguments with random internet yay-hoos who can't be slapped if they deserve it. I do occasionally go back-and-forth with someone whose opinion and intelligence I already respect, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to out-scream some right-wing dingbat or cosplay socialist, neither of whom really bother to read up on whatever drives them to such couch-chewing rage if you disagree with them.

 I guess I could use this for random, late-night navel gazing when I can't sleep, much like I'm doing now, or the odd outraged shout into the Void when the mood strikes. I'm going to try to keep it bellyaching-free as much as possible, especially since I can't keep it out of the WordPress site. Or for that matter, the Tumblr blog or the Twitter feed, but what are you going to do. Find me a writer who isn't an ego-driven clown that can't help telling what kind of whiny asshole they are. Can't be done. Proust? Camus? Faulkner? Humongous piss-babies.

 I do wish I could come up with something specific to write about beyond my fascination with politics and the odd bellyache. I do want to write up a review of Swamp Dogg's new record, though. Maybe I'll post that here with links in that night's Gibberish. I may also review the Bottle Rockets' most recent record, Bit Logic, even though I'm two years behind the curve. I finally got around to listening to it, though, and it's really, really good. Arguably their best record front-to-back since Brand New Year almost 20 years ago.

 I love the Bottle Rockets, and since Dancing Eagle left the Supersuckers, they might be might favorite band I don't know as well as I know The Drive-By Truckers. Dancing Eagle - and I don't know his given name and can't find anything online that tells me - was the original drummer, and I've come to decided that a good rock & roll band centers primarily around its rhythm section. Furthermore - and I'm a bass player, so I hate to admit this - you got to have a good drummer. The Band had Levon Helm, the Rolling Stones have Charlie Watts and the Beatles have Ringo Starr. Why did the Who bore on their last two albums? Keith Moon died. Why did Led Zeppelin break up? John Bonham died. Drummers are important. You can plug in any guitarist or bass player you want, but once you lose that main-most drummer, the game is over.

 The only band I can think of off the top of my head that shakes this rule of thumb is Lynyrd Skynyrd, who had two great drums during their classic years in Bob Burns and later Artemus Pyle. Of course, once Skynyrd reformed in the early '90s, Pyle only lasted two records which are, coincidentally, the only two post-plane crash studio albums worth listening to. I don't blame that on Pyle leaving, though, so much as Ronnie Van Zandt was such a good songwriter that he just could not be replaced.

  The reunion album Booker T. & The MG's did back in the '90s, That's The Way It Should Be, recorded after Al Jackson's death in 1975, is pretty fun, but they're such a iconic, recognizable sound. You get a solid enough drummer, you're good, and they had Steve Jordan who is rock solid. I haven't put too much time into their first post-Jackson album, Universal Language, so maybe I should see how my theory holds up immediately after the fact. Indeed, the band's most popular, well-known song "Green Onions" featured original bassist Lewie Steinberg rather than the legendary Donald "Duck" Dunn, who dies in 2012. Hopefully, Booker T. and Steve Cropper won't ever pull a Who.

 Okay, that was fun. I've let this sit for half-and-hour while I put a bunch of Eric Ambel songs back on my iTunes, so I might as well wrap it up and post it for no one to read.