I cannot tell you how significant this video is to the future of Western Civilization. If James Lindsay loses and Klaus Schwab from the UN wins… well, we are in for Brave New World in the real world which is already happening. What I found dispiriting is realising how these companies and Universities are bending over backward to meet and accede their ESG scores.
This is not how markets operate. This is not Western Corporatism. We live in an autocratic state directed by the UN and their billionaire stakeholders. If a business or Corporation doesn’t cooperate with Klaus Schwab, then they are done for, and it explains why nearly all are becoming more ‘Woke‘ instead of ‘broke‘.
James Lindsay, if he comes out of this struggle alive deserves a medal of Sanity in an age of unreason and delirium brought on by the UN and corporate elitists who shadow them. It’s difficult to see the world getting out of this. Every State, Company & University / School is doing this at exactly the same time.
Just Can’t get Enough is one of the first Electronic Pop music songs I remember hearing. The minute you hear that iconic beginning you are immediately transported back to the sweet sounds of the 80’s. Still sounds fantastic after 40 years. Depeche Mode were formed in Basildon, England in 1980 when Dave Gahan (lead vocals) was recruited to join Vince Clarke (keyboards), Andy Fletcher (keyboards), and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals). The punk scene was winding down and London club kids were looking for music they could dance to that was less aggressive. Depeche Mode fit the bill perfectly, and would soon be seen to be leading the charge for electronic music.
When I’m with you baby I go out of my head And I just can’t get enough And I just can’t get enough All the things you do to me And everything you said I just can’t get enough I just can’t get enough
We slip and slide as we fall in love And I just can’t seem to get enough of
Just Can’t Get Enough was recorded during sessions for their debut album Speak & Spell. This happened in the summer of 1981 at Blackwing Studios, housed inside a deconsecrated church in South-East London which had been partly destroyed during The Blitz in 1941. Vocalist Dave Gahan their early days as a band:”That’s the only album (Speak & Spell) where the songs had already been performed for a year and a half beforehand, and we went into the studio and recorded them as we would live.
Vince Clarke was the main songwriter of the band, and he had just turned 20 when he wrote Just Can’t Get Enough. It was a new song for the album session and had been inspired by To Cut a Long Story Short by Spandau Ballet, which was released in 1980. This is pop music in every sense, both lyrically and musically. Things are not meant to be deep or serious all the time, but that does not make them any less sincere. The plea is genuine, but playful.
Just Can’t Get Enough was the synth-pop band’s third single but their first hit, hitting #8 in the UK charts. It did well elsewhere too, making top 20 in Belgium, Ireland, Spain, and Sweden. It went all the way to #4 in Australia!
Jungleland is the second song to feature here from my favourite Bruce Springsteen record Born to Run released in 1975. I consider it one of the cohesive and influential albums I have ever heard in contemporary – music. Nearly every song from the record will appear here. I wrote in my post about the song Backstreets: ‘I was so taken aback by Born to Run (the album) I wrote a lyrics booklet in my youth of the whole album complete with a little nice string to thread the pages together. Lyrics weren’t so accessible back then like they are today, so I transcribed what I thought he sung as if I was doing something unprecedented. I felt like a devoted scribe of a great musical sermon‘.
Jungleland is fittingly the closing song on the album. It could be described as a noir – theatrical musical piece about street sub-culture. Springsteen used this song to showcase Saxophonist Clarence Clemons talents. Clemons also known as ‘the big man’ passed away in 2011 and his nephew Jake Clemons, joined the E Street Band for the Wrecking Ball Tour in 2012. He played the saxophone in versions of Jungleland in recognition of his uncle. I think Jungleland contains some of Springsteen’s best writing, although his catalogue in this regard is expansive.
The Rangers had a homecoming in Harlem late last night And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine Over the Jersey state line Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants Together they take a stab at romance And disappear down Flamingo Lane
Though much is made of the six months it took to record Born to Run, Jungleland was not completed until 19 months after its first rehearsal take on January 8, 1974 in New York. It was played live regularly, losing its jazz influences, adding Suki’s violin to the introduction, and Springsteen making many lyrical modifications. “All we could do was hold on. Smoke a lot of pot and try to stay calm,” said Clemons, who spent sixteen hours playing and replaying every note of his Jungleland solo “in order to satisfy Bruce’s bat-eared attention to sonic detail…’ In concert, Jungleland is usually played towards the end of shows. During the E Street Band’s reunion tour in 1999 and 2000, it was part of a revolving “epic” slot, alternating with Backstreets and Racing in the Street.
In popular culture, John Malkovich used the song, among a nearly all-Springsteen theatrical soundtrack, in his 1980s Steppenwolf Theater production of Lanford Wilson’s play, Balm in Gilead. It served as the background for a choreographed tableau of street denizens miming a tragic slice-of-life. Also, the American educational children’s program Sesame Street featured a parody of Springsteen about addition called “Born to Add“. The post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel The Stand by Stephen King opens with three epigraphs, one of which is the final lyrics from the song.
I went into two musical appreciation ages of Nick Cave. I discovered his music in my late teens and devoured his records The First Born is Dead, The Good Son and Henry’s Dream and then much later in 2014 I saw his musical documentary 20000 days on Earth which featured today’s song Jubilee Street. Just prior to that I saw Cave singing Leonard Cohen’s Susan in the music concert – documentary ‘I’m Your Man‘.
Asked by The Sun if he is referencing the Jubilee Street located in his hometown of Brighton (England) Cave replied: “If people think they’re going to have a good time down Jubilee Street, I’d say forget about it unless they’re particularly interested in going to the library or Yo Sushi. When I was writing that, I had it in my mind that Jubilee Street was another, more colourful street. Then I was actually walking along it, looked up and went, ‘Oh no, this is f—ing Jubilee Street‘.
And here I come up the hill I’m pushing my own wheel of love I got love in my tummy and a tiny little pain And a ten ton catastrophe on a 60 pound chain And I’m pushing my wheel of love on Jubilee Streets Oh, look at me now
The problem was she had a little black book And my name was written on every page Well, a girl’s gotta make ends meet even down Jubilee Street I was out of place and time, and over the hill And out of my mind on Jubilee Street I ought to practice what I preach
I’m glad I returned to Nick’s music. He would later compose the modern-day classic album ‘Ghosteen‘ (2019) about the sorrow of the death of his son. I wrote about his remarkable song Bright Horses which remains the most viewed article on my blog by far. I count Nick Cave’s poetry and value to music up there with the contemporary-modern greats including Dylan, Cohen, and Waits. Cave seems to do with style and class what the beatniks could only do on paper and then deliver it on stage.
I have to relay below Cave’s reflections of music and his performance of Jubilee Street at the Sydney Opera House. Below that is the original music video directed by John Hillcoat and featuring Ray Winstone. Cave wrote the screenplay of Hillcoat’s Australian Western film – The Proposition (2005) which Hillcoat directed and Winstone starred in.
Warning: The following dialogue could be deemed offensive:
Car Rental Agent: [cheerfully] Welcome to Marathon, may I help you?
Neal: Yes.
Car Rental Agent: How may I help you?
Neal: You can start by wiping that fucking dumb-ass smile off your rosy fucking cheeks! Then you can give me a fucking automobile! A fucking Datsun, a fucking Toyota, a fucking Mustang, a fucking Buick! Four fucking wheels and a seat!
Car Rental Agent: I really don’t care for the way you’re speaking to me.
Neal: And I really don’t care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn’t fucking there. And I really didn’t care to fucking walk down a fucking highway and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car… right… fucking… now.
[pause]
Car Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement?
Neal: I threw it away.
Car Rental Agent: Oh, boy.
Neal: Oh, boy, what?
Car Rental Agent: [narrows her eyes] You’re fucked.
All that Neal Page wants to do is to get home for Thanksgiving. When bad weather cancels his flight, he decides on other means of transportation. As well as bad luck, Neal is blessed with the presence of Del Griffith, shower-curtain-ring salesman and all-around blabbermouth who is never short of advice, conversation, bad jokes, or company. And when he decides that he is going the same direction as Neal..
I have been addicted to alcohol most of my adult life and the following video was a breath of fresh air. Interviews from the Soft White Underbelly channel have been my go-to place of late. The last one I saw was with a couple Mike and Stephanie in Los Angelas addicted to Fentanyl.
What I find so alluring and productive of Mark Laita’s work is it presents reminders to everyone which would not ordinarily be made available to the public of how easy it is to let yourself slide. ‘Everything you do matters, and you have to carry that with you.‘
I hear it here in Colombia and I heard it expressed as well in Jewish culture of the saying ‘Temor de Dios‘ (Fear of God). In the beginning, I took it as a zealous sleight of hand. But now I understand the true weight of its significance. Jordan Peterson often said he acts as if God exists. I think what it boils down to is – Don’t take advantage of that’s what given to you – such as your good health and youthful exuberance. See it as a blessing and give back to the Logos.
In the interviews I’ve seen so far, nearly everyone wished they didn’t take advantage of what they had when times were good. The ‘Temor de Dios‘ (Fear of God) is a substrate that now makes sense to me, and I understand why people way smarter than me act on it.
‘Everything you do matters, and you have to carry that with you.’
Back in the 90’s, in my carefree – lucid days of my early 20’s I must have heard this song 50 times. Here, Joshua Kadison sounded to me a lot like Elton John and akin to John’s early 80’s repertoire, Jessie seemed to belong on the classic record Too Low for Zero. Just now I read on Wikipedia that his musical style and voice are compared to Elton John. I’ll admit the song hasn’t aged so well to my ears, but it harks back to these breezier times, and I still enjoy hearing it. Kadison is perhaps best known for the top 40 hits Jessie and Beautiful in My Eyes from his debut album Painted Desert Serenade.
From a phone booth in Vegas Jessie calls at five a.m To tell me how she’s tired Of all of them She says “Baby, I’ve been thinking ‘Bout a trailer by the sea We could go to Mexico You, the cat and me We’ll drink tequila And look for seashells Now doesn’t that sound sweet” Oh Jessie, you always do this Every time I get back on my feet
Jessie, paint your pictures About how it’s gonna be
The single Jessie was released on Painted Desert Serenade and was certified Gold in the United States in August 1994, and later Platinum. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Bryan Buss called it “chock full of odes to finding romance, longing for romance and losing romance“.
Wikipedia states that Kadison has a huge following in Germany where he signed a deal with EMI Germany and his album Vanishing America was released. It dealt with his disillusionment with the lost values of America and was a collection of songs that told stories about people not realizing their own beauty and full potential. Ironically, the album was never distributed in the United States.
I have been in an article hiatus the last 2 weeks because I have been enjoying the company of my two wonderful children. During that time, we listened to a lot of music amongst other things. Today’s song Evergone by Christina Perri was one of the most frequently played songs. I discovered it a month ago and like most of Perri’s material, the more I hear it the more I like it. When I sent Evergone to my kids a while back, their first reactions weren’t positive. My daughter told me ‘That doesn’t look like Christina nor does the melody seem up to scratch with her other material.’ But after subsequent listens, my daughter and son’s fondness of the song has soared, whereby they now consider Evergone one of their favourites.
Christina Perri has featured a lot here lately. I must admit I have become quite a fan of her music. What I find surprising is this isn’t the type of music I would ordinarily engage with. But I continue to marvel and be in awe of her melodies, singing and lyrical prowess. Each listening experience feels like listening to the song anew. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is about her music that touches me so, but I can say I am so impressed by her transparency, vulnerability and uninhibited image and presentation which is conveyed seamlessly in her material and delivery. Someone that does what she does in the way she does it, takes a valiant artist. Christina basically offers master-class sessions on how to deliver a ballad. She is one of a kind. Irreplaceable. I feel indebted to hear her art.
Thoughts of you bring me back To times I thought we’d always have Who knew the world could spin so fast? I didn’t I write letters to you in my head Things we did and things we said Today I heard someone say your name again
In your hopes and dreams In your memories In the songs we sing In the ones we leave We carry on But no one is evergone
Evergone was released on Christina Perri’s recent album A Lighter Shade of Blue and it is the second song to feature here from it. It seems to reflect on the loss of her daughter in 2020 who was stillborn (and perhaps the miscarriage she had prior). I adore the music video below. I even get a kick-out of her combat boots dangling from the ride. I wrote in my last article about Christina’s classic ‘Jar of Hearts‘ how Julie Greenwald, chairman and COO of Atlantic Records said of Christina, ‘she was stomping on the piano in our lobby with her combat boots. She was so confident and poised‘. Perri was born in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. She is of Italian and Polish descent and has called her family “very Italian“. In May 2022, Perri announced she was pregnant with her fourth child and gave birth to her daughter in October 2022.
Thank you for reading as always and I hope you enjoy Evergone as much as I have. Below the music video is a brief behind the scenes video featurette about the making.
In this edition of the popular podcast series “Thinking in Public,” Albert Mohler talks with one of the most important public intellectuals in the United States, Joseph Bottum, about post-Protestantism’s anxious age as examined in Bottum’s book, “An Anxious Age: The Post-Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of America.” (Watch entire interview here)
Bob & Brad demonstrate 7 exercises you should be doing every day.
I underwent surgery a year ago on a herniated disk in my lower back, but a few weeks ago I experienced (Again!) a slight discomfort in my sciatic nerve. I searched YT for some therapy treatments to alleviate and realign my lower-back and fortunately I found Bob and Brad’s channel. This chucklesome physical therapist duo offer invaluable “get fit, stay healthy, and pain-free” information. I noticed in just this brief period adhering to their advice I felt relief in my lower back. (Watch presentation here)
American Economists Glenn Loury and Richard Wolff go head-to-head in this debate about which economic model is superior – A Capitalist or Socialist one. Frankly, it’s a relief to see this open conversation occurring in a digital-hegemonic age where almost all A grade intellectuals and podcasters only interview people who affirm their worldview. It was also great to finally see Glenn’s wife LaJuan Loury. I hope she will become a common feature going forward. (Watch full debate here)
Jokerman is the opening track of his 1983 album Infidels. It’s my favourite track from the album but License to Kill and Neighbourhood Bully sure give it run for their money. You just have to be reminded this record could have also included the outtake Foot of Pride and Blind Willie McTell. On the latter classic Dylan claims he can’t even remember why he chose to leave it off of Infidels, shrugging it off as “most likely a demo.”
Jokerman sees Dylan returning to some of his best lyrical imagery since Changing of the Guards on Street Legal. He also summons the passion and fervor synonymous with his earlier work and delivers an inspiring vocal performance. The song has appeared on several Dylan “Best of” compilations. I really like his groovy live version of Jokerman on Dave Letterman.
Standing on the waters casting your bread While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing Distant ships sailing into the mist You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing Freedom just around the corner for you But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman
In a 1984 interview for Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan discussed his inspiration behind the song: “Me and another guy have a boat down there [in the Caribbean]. ‘Jokerman’ kinda came to me in the islands. It’s very mystical. The shapes there, and shadows, seem to be so ancient. The song was sorta inspired by these spirits they call jumbis” (A type of mythological spirit or demon in the folklore of some Caribbean countries).
As a single, Jokerman failed to chart, but was critically well-received and continues to have a positive legacy especially within Dylan fan-circles. The Telegraph named it Dylan’s fourth best song. The song also features Mark Knopfler and Mick Taylor on guitar. I chuckled when I read what one person wrote below about Jokerman and I couldn’t resonate more: ‘This is my favourite song by Bob, amongst all my other favourites’.
