Although every worsening day of the virulent Trump reign has served to make me wish the above urge was an option in 2020, today’s a day to look back and “Stop the World — I Want to Get Off” in the 1960s…..a decade when British singer, actor and songwriter ANTHONY NEWLEY (born Sept. 24, 1931) was as well known (especially in England) as David Bowie and Elton John were in the 1970s.
And yet, Newley is now all but forgotten — so on his birthday, I want to devote a post to remembering this Songwriters Hall of Fame member whose talents I like so much that I still have 11 of his LPs in my collection – including the original Broadway cast album of the title show (co-written with Leslie Bricusse), featuring this song:
That was the #1 (but not the only) hit song from STOP THE WORLD. If you’re up for seconds, let’s give it a go:
Three years after they Stopped the World, Newly and Bricusse co-wrote THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT – THE SMELL OF THE CROWD with more show-stopping songs, including this one which fits a certain braggart President who loves the smell of the crowd (and apparently the sight of their adoring, maskless faces, as well):
In closing, a bit of trivia: do you know who wrote the lyrics to the title song of this James Bond film (the answer is in the credits near the end of this trailer):
That first clip is so eccentric, I love it! Great voice so I see why you keep his LPs 🙂
Your title is something I used to chant frequently as a child – never heard their album – then I’d giggle coz no body took me seriously but I sure meant it!
You must have been a very precocious child, Kate, seeing the absurdity of much of life at such an early age (or maybe Santa Claus didn’t bring you what you wanted for Christmas one year)! 😉
You’re right, he fell off the planet as far as the public memory went. However I recall seeing his, ummm masterpiess ‘Can Heirnonymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?’ and was left puzzled, and befuddled,..wondering if he was doing his best to destroy his rather middle of the road career? If so, he succeeded. Big time.
I think Newley carried a rather conceited image, which probably contributed to his lack of staying power. On the other hand, he’s far from the only conceited ‘entertainer,’ and these days, that seems to be in their favor (The Donald, for prime example).
Feeling like stopping the world and getting off now is nothing compared to how we’re going to feel if Trump is reelected. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us leave the country, if not the world.
There is madness because Trump is a madman, and the inevitable result of each of these realities (if he is not stopped) will be a country no ‘head on straight’ person of good conscience should tolerate. VOTE as if your life depends on it, because in a very real way, IT DOES.
Then I’m sure you’ll dig DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and GOLDFINGER Bassey vocals in this video, including an aside that made me laugh, 42 seconds into the clip:
I didn’t realize he had been forgotten. Not by me, that’s for sure. As for Goldfinger–when I was in college I went to see the film with a date. The only open seats were in the front row of a very large very old theater. You can imagine the traumatic experience of that gold body filling the screen and surrounding us on the sides as the movie opened!
I remember the cinerama process (surround-screen) coming out, as I recall, in the late 1950s in theaters especially built or designed for the purpose. GOLDFINGER was made in 1964, so you must have seen it in cinerama.
I was fortunate enough to see Newley in all of his shows and nightclub review and even meet him and become a ‘known acquaintance’ of his.
While he could be difficult to work with he was a warm friendly guy–someday I will have to tell you a few ‘private’ stories. :O)
Several days ago, one of my readers said she’s partial to humorous quotes, so I’ve been thinking about spending a whole lot of time thinking about devoting a post to things others have said which are funnier than what I say….but after searching high (brow) and low (brow), eye gave up. See what I mean?
Ha ha! Just kidding. Believe it or not, I was able to find nine selections funnier-than-mine (well, maybe somewhat funnier), though I’m sure I would’ve said them first if I’d thought of them first. Some of the nine guys & gals I’m about to quote said what they said before I was even born, thus taking unfair advantage of circumstances beyond my control. But this is my blog, so as a quoter of quotes, I at least get to determine the subject matter of the quotes I quote, and the quotes I’ve chosen to quote are quotes about quotes….and I quote:
“A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself – always a laborious business.” –A. A. Milne
“I googled the quote ‘Power means not having to respond.’ Nothing happened.” –John Alejandro King [what “Power means” sounds like something Trump might say, except nothing Trump says is worth quoting]
“Quotation: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.” –Ambrose Bierce
“There are two kinds of marriages: where a husband quotes the wife, and where the wife quotes the husband.” –Clifford Odets
“You can tell a really wonderful quote by the fact that it’s attributed to a whole raft of wits.” –Anna Quindlen
“I have made it a rule that whenever I say something stupid, I immediately attribute it to Dr. Johnson, Marcus Aurelius or Dorothy Parker.” –George Mikes
“That woman speaks eighteen languages and can’t say ‘No’ in any of them.” –Dorothy Parker
“You can always depend on children to quote you correctly, especially when it’s something you shouldn’t have said.” –Evan Esar
“I can’t see what Jack Warner [Warner Bros. movie mogul] can do with an Oscar – it can’t say Yes.” –Al Jolson
I’m kind of partial to “next to nothing” (especially when I’m next to my wife when she’s wearing nothing), Kate — not that I have anything against sexy women in slinky dresses. 😉
As for “see you at 8:30,” I don’t know what time zone you’re in, but in 45 minutes it’ll be 12 hours since I posted this post (note the time at the top of this post). Can you guess my time zone?
Eastern Standard (Eastern Daylight) time.
BTW, I neglected to apologize for causing you to nearly choke to death. That would’ve been hard for me to swallow, knowing that my puns are killers (I thought the worst they might do is make some readers ill).
I can agree with phrase one of this quote, “There are two kinds of marriages: where a husband quotes the wife, and where the wife quotes the husband.” –Clifford Odets, but my take on the rest of it is, “those that end indivorce, or those that end in death.” Which is your preference?
As for the A.A. Milne quote, I can truthfully say my fafourite person to quote is myself. That way, if I misquote myself, it is not a misquote, but merely a change of time.
I’ll have to take a paincheck on choosing between those two alternatives, as I’ve never experienced either one.(though I suspect that avoiding the second would prove more difficult).
I can’t disagree about your favorite person to quote, although I sometimes wonder if I was myself when I said what I said (in which case, the George Mikes quote might prove useful).
Say it, own it, live with the consequences. It’s not really that hard.
The main thing is be true to yourself. Say what you mean, mean what you say (maybe you can tell me who first said that?).
If someone midreads you, or misinterprets you, that is beyond your control.
The hard part is using sarcasm. You are purposely writing to mislead to make a point. Many readers, unfortunately including myself, miss sarcasm. We read it straight up. Then where do we go? My above quote about marrige/death/divorce is full of sarcasm, but can still be read straight up. Ooooohhh, wny do we write in the first place?
Because we have to!
I Don’t Know WHO FIRST SAID THAT — but I do know Who’s on first and I Don’t Know is on third….not to mention What’s on second. If you ask the name of the shortstop, I Don’t Give a Damn. The rest of That routine, I don’t remember. The rest of your comment: Thumb’s up!
Funny, but Bud and Lou never once mentioned the right fielders’ name. Here is a good example, https://youtu.be/4t4PzWSLhqQ of them at their greatest. BTW, I know who is in right field, but I made them a promise never to reveal his name, so, I can’t tell ya.
Agreed! If it weren’t for the fact that I’d be dead by now, I would love to have been within earshot of the Algonquin Round Table when Dorothy and her fellow wits had at each other.
With some quotes, there’s the risk of an insight which may cause a reader to THINK (if he or she can stand the strain)….but granted, “where’s the fun in that?”
Whatever the case, thanks for the “Great post” compliment, which is fun (for me, at any rate) to quote.
Number 3 is from Ambrose Bierce’s THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY, which is definitely funnier than Webster’s Dictionary (although it’s much less ‘weighty’ than Webster’s….and takes up less room on the bookshelf too). 😉
Thanks, mm. I have to be funny as long as Trump is King — I mean, President — otherwise, I’d lose my sanity (and if Trump is any example of what becomes of a man, I certainly don’t want to lose my sanity).
Very true. The first part of your comment is reflected in a number of DENNIS THE MENACE cartoons (still appearing every day in the local newspaper) which show Dennis repeating discomfiting things his father or mother had said about people (now, in their presence). As for forgetting things, I find that to be more manifest in old age — at least, I personally DON’T REMEMBER it being a problem as a child!
It’s useful to consider in rhyme
The autocrat whose life’s a crime
But most important to remember
That we’ve the power come November.
MAKE A PLAN and VOTE!!!!
Ah, Mr. Muse, he is a nutcase to be sure. I was expecting a video of Mr. Peanut, although I later realized that Mr. Peanut is really far more joyful and amusing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4FELDfan9Y. 😂
A mule is more joyful and amusing than Trump, Carol — although Trump is undoubtedly more stubborn. Thanks for the video of Mr. Peanut, who I’m sure would make a better President.
Thanks for letting me know about the comment problem, Kate. I’ve posted a notice to that effect on that post to try to find out if others are having the same problem.
Today being RELAXATION DAY, I’m of a mind to put as little effort into this post as possible. Now that I think of it, I should probably stop right here….but then, how could I relax, knowing I’d short-changed my countless faithful followers. After all, our President never ceases to model being a ‘word’-class genius, so who am I to act less nobly than he — am I not duty-bound to follow his lead, even if I have to hold my nose? Of course snot.
In any case, let us proceed….to RELAX:
Well, that looked more like an example of do as they sing, not as they do. Here’s something a bit more in the spirit of the day:
Now that we’ve boned up on how to properly relax, we can truly….
But just in case you’re still not at ease with taking it easy today, I suggest that this demonstration of the lotus position warts — I mean, warrants — serious consideration (if you’re so inclined):
That wasn’t exactly the most sophisticated presentation of a song I’ve ever seen, but those were the days of black-and-white TV. The technology has greatly improved in the past 65 years; I’m not sure that much of the entertainment has.
What a fun post! Leon Redbone definitely sounds like he knew how to relax! 😀 The Fats Waller tune definitely makes me feel like tap dancing! 😀 (Unfortunately I have two left fins so I just hopped around!)
Hopping around isn’t the worst thing in the world, mm. At least you know the difference between right and left. Trump doesn’t even know the difference between right and wrong.
Tomorrow, August 11, is PRESIDENTIAL JOKE DAY. I suppose you think I’ll use this occasion to pile jokes on top of a joke of a President — a megalomaniacal ignoramus who (in political ads) kvells* that he, President Donald J. Trump, “approved this message” – emphasizing his very impressive middle initial (although I personally favor Presidential J. Day — at least, that’s my initial reaction).
*kvell, a Yiddish word meaning to exult
But why should I bother, when hardly a day goes by when His Highness doesn’t make a laughing stock of himself:
Speaking of “kvells,” who but this cognitive genius of a nature-loving leader of the free world knew that Yo Semites have their own National Park? No doubt he is also the only national park authority who knows that majestic Mount Rain-in-ear National Park in Washington state was named after a brave Native American brave who climbed that mountain in a downpour without an umbrella, causing his head to turn into an ice cube when he reached the summit where the temperature was lower than a cold-blooded President’s IQ.
Now, we must admit (as The Donald does not hesitoot to point out) that his Presidential rival Joe Biden makes his share of gaffes, so who are we to dare air/bare rare, Trumped-up verbal farts such as these:
So, as you can see, hear, and smell. far be it from me to take advantage of PRESIDENTIAL JOKE DAY here. The Fake News speaks for itself. I don’t need to show you any stinkin’ jokes.
He makes Bush’s 43 Strategery mispronounce sound almost eruditely. He has lowered the bar so far on expected presidential behavior that almost anyone would seem like a civilized genius (and not self-pronounced.)
You can’t make this stuff up. If an author wrote the story of Trump’s egotistical ineptitude, it would be so unbelievable that it wouldn’t get published even as fiction.
I thought the country of Thighland took the cake the other day. And then there is the threat that Biden is going to hurt God. I guess Joe is a lot more powerful than I knew.
“Biden is going to hurt God” is Trump at his most pathetic — I can’t imagine any other President in history saying such a thing.
The “Thighland ” comment was funny, but it’s minutely possible it could’ve just been a slip of the tongue. On the other hand, “Yo Semite” showed without a doubt that he never heard of Yosemite National Park and didn’t have a clue how to pronounce it. How millions of Americans could vote for such an ignorant, arrogant, morally bankrupt person is beyond me.
My Jewish Significant other means I know what “kvell” means, Sr. Muse. She ordered me a “Yo Semite” T-shirt, which I proudly look forward to wearing at the low beer joints I enjoy patronizing. Happy J Day!
Trump might have said that about his flub if he had a bit of wit about him, but he wouldn’t know wit if it hit/bit him….no to mention (and that’s the rub), he didn’t even know he’d made a flub.
Well, I guess I got roped into that reply, but I won’t hold it against you if you don’t hold it against me.
The second video won’t open in Canada, but I’ll look for it later on You Tube. Finally gotbaround to checking your website. I had asked you a question about howvyou prefer to have pepple approach your blog, but you never got back to me. I gave up waiting. On now to another.
Sorry about neglecting the question — probably because it was part of one of your longer comments, and by the time I responded to other parts in my reply, i forgot the question. Or maybe it’s just old age — sometimes I don’t even remember where I am. Now, where was I? Oh, yes — how do I prefer to have people approach my blog?
It’s not a question I’ve given much, if any, thought to, because I can’t control how people approach my blog. I can only control what I write, and I write for an audience of ‘two’ — myself, and anyone who can relate to what I write. I enjoy witty repartee with commenters, as well as with other bloggers on their posts — which I don’t always have time to engage in as much as I’d like because I follow a lot of blogs (they say brevity is the soul of wit, but it can take time to be both brief and witty).
And you successfully avoided anseering the question yet again, by saying you don’t think about it. As I said somewhere, at least once, I overthink evrrything. My own spiritual atheist blog I baically wrote it to beca progression, although that is not strictly true. I think it helps to know what has come before, THIS COMING FROM A GUY WHO SERIOUSLY BELIEVES IN CHAOS. Order is a hard-won battle, and at best is only temporary. Having said that, I shall approach your blog chaotically. Till later, keep in touch when you have time.
And so it goes.
Because you overthink everything, must you over-react to everything? At least, that’s how your first sentence strikes me….though perhaps I’m over-reacting myself. In any case, I addressed your question, and whatever more you’re looking for, you can spell out if you wish. If you did spell it out before, please refresh my memory because I don’t have time to review previous comments to try to find it.
As for believing in chaos, I believe in accepting uncertainly in the sense that there are things humans will never know. I’m uncertain how that aligns or fits in with your sense of chaos (if at all). I doubt that it’s a distinction without a difference, otherwise you wouldn’t be an atheist and I wouldn’t be a ‘near-agnostic.’
lie, n. a false statement known to be false by the person who makes it. lie, v. to be in a horizontal or flat position; to exist; have its place. –World Book Dictionary
So, where does the truth lie? Attempts to address that question, it seems to me, lie in the assumption that we know objectively what truth is. Should we settle for the negative defining of truth as being the opposite of “lie, n“? I don’t know that most of us want to — or need to — go deeper into the jungle of truth than that, but if you’re of a mind to take the path of beast resistance, you can start here:
In our dystopian sub-culture of “fake news,” half-truths, whole-cloth fabrications and false narratives in which truth is what President Trump says it is and science is fiction, it isn’t always simple to disentangle truth from the deluge of prevarication and misrepresentations which is Trump’s stock in trade — and he knows it. Who can fact check it all fast enough? The old saying remains relevant: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”
And speaking of quotes which remain relevant, try these on for wise:
Carlyle said, “A lie cannot live.” It shows he did not know how to tell them. –Mark Twain
If at first you’re not believed, lie, lie again.–Evan Esar (not Trump, believe it or not)
The pursuit of truth shall set you free, even if you never catch up with it. –Clarence Darrow
It is twice as hard to crush a half-truth as a whole lie. –Austin O’Malley
Truth is more important than facts. –Frank Lloyd Wright
All men are born truthful and die liars. –Marquis de Vauvenargues
The Trump Hound- mouth of a Rottweiler, brain of a Shi Tzu. Temperament? Whiney, disloyal lazy, comfortable to simply lay around the House and lie, lie lie and lie. Barking? Mad.
Since he sticks in my craw can I spit out another?
Bad mad dogs of his kind
Growlingly protect their address,
When evicted they sure do leave behind
Nothing but a nasty mess.
Thirty-plus years in the legal profession taught me this truth: almost everyone lies, with a straight face, even after swearing an oath to tell the truth.
According to Mark Twain (and others), there are three kinds of lies: LIES, DAMNED LIES, AND STATISTICS. I don’t know about the legal profession, but I think it’s safe to say the political profession encompasses all three. Oddly enough, no one mentioned the fourth (and saddest) kind of lie:
Politically, there is a very simple way to separate fact from fiction, truth from lie. If Donald Trump or ANY of his hand-picked sycophants say it, it is a lie. I think that for tonight I shall have to pass on the path of beast resistance, for my mental acuity is about fried. Perhaps tomorrow!
You ain’t lyin’, Jill.
And I don’t blame you for passing on the path of beast resistance if you’re mental acuity is fried, because it’s a lot to digest. 😉
Though I constantly call him a moron, his one clever move was to undermine faith in the media, journalism and the news in general. Alternative truth has served him well.
😡
What a fun post. This one needs a late night and a few bottles of wine. Almost everything is subjective, right? So we each will have our own versions of truth even when we are committed to the concept. It seems to me, that humans are best served by getting as close to the truth as we can and peeling away the lies whenever possible. Just ask the poor souls who believed Trump’s lies about the virus.
I’m not sure that Trump actually believes he’s lying. His narcissistic personality borders on psychosis and it’s impossible for him to not be perfect. The mere idea that he might have a flaw feels like annihilation, which is why he reacts so viciously or ridiculously lies. He’s learned over the years to manipulate others so he never has to be imperfect. I can’t wait until he’s gone.
Thanks, Diana. I think you’ve ‘psychoanalyzed’ Trump perfectly. From what I hear of TOO MUCH AND NEVER ENOUGH, the new book about Trump by his niece Mary Trump (a professional psychologist), her diagnosis is much the same. The election can’t come soon enough.
No, it can’t. What he’s doing in Portland is outrageous. What I want to know is where are all the 2nd Amendment rights militias who are supposed to be saving us from our government’s oversteps??? (Not really, but isn’t this why they say they need their guns?)
Gah! You can get me ranting for hours. Lol
I’d recommend that Trump reflect on your comment, Ricardo, but the guy (who claims he knows more than anyone) wouldn’t know the meaning of mendaciousness
Another post, another autobiography (or memoir, going by the book) to review — this one titled BACKING INTO FORWARD, by Jules Feiffer. But I am not so much going to review this 2010 book as pass along some thoughts from it, which, I think, are worth thinking about — relevant, at least in part, to current backward, black and white, regressive times.
First, a brief introduction: FEIFFER (born Jan. 26, 1929), is a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and writer who was born and grew up ‘between a blotch (of angsts) and a hard place’ in the Bronx. Having a controlling mother, little interest in school and no athletic ability whatsoever, “Fear was the principal emotion of my childhood. I hid in my sleep. I hid in my dreams. I revealed myself only in comics, which were the embodiment of my dreams.”
In his teens, he was influenced by his older sister, whose “crowd was fast-talking, fast-quipping, mischievous, left, meaning far left in their politics, their taste in books, art, movies, and just about everything else.” Marry this influence with his passion for cartoons, and you have the seeds of the man and cartoonist he was to become (the engrossing details of which you will have to read in the book).
Now for some of those thoughts I previously mentioned and now quote:
Over the years I have been asked how I came to make certain choices. How did I know? This choice as opposed to that, this direction or that? Much of my life as a young man was spent ignoring or delaying choices. The choices I made were due to running out of time. Backed into a corner, a choice was made because I no longer had a choice not to. Having nowhere to go, I spot the one open window and jump through. Choice to me is much like Butch Cassidy and Sundance escaping a posse by jumping off a cliff. They jumped. And survived. It was the right choice. But when it’s not, you’re dead.
Up until I was drafted, I had found that I could survive under any circumstance, no matter how unnerving, degrading, humiliating, or demoralizing, if I could understand the unwritten rules, i.e., the culture that was beating up on me. Whether it was family, school, sports, work, sex, I was accustomed to getting knocked down, picking myself up, and starting all over again. But in the army I was on unknown ground. After five months something went terribly wrong. They transferred me to train me to operate and repair radios on the [Korean] front line–in other words, to be killed. Radio repair was indecipherable to me. I saw no good reason [for] this assignment. As Vice President Dick Cheney explained when asked by the press why he hadn’t fought in the Vietnam War, “I had other priorities.” Yes! Yes! Me too!
It was heartbreaking to watch [Jerome] Robbins go into his HUAC dance. The acting chair of the House Un-American Activites Committee, a somber, ministerial-looking fake, asked Robbins at the start of his sworn testimony what he did for a living. Robbins stated that he was a choreographer. The chair did not understand the unfamiliar word. “A chori–chori–chori–what exactly is that, Mr. Robbins.?” Robbins explained that it was something like a dance director and named shows he had choreographed, from On The Town, his first musical, to The King And I. The members of the committee seemed delighted to have this fancy new word to play with. As each one took his turn questioning Robbins, he took a crack at pronouncing “choreographer.” The point, made to the cameras for the heartland, was that loyal American don’t need highfalutinn words. No! Loyal Americans needed but one thing, fealty to God and country. Loyal Americans wrapped themselves in the flag.
Called soft on Communism, liberals quieted down about witch hunts and loyalty oaths. Called eggheads, they dumbed themselves down. Displays of wit were repressed as too highbrow. Accused of cowardice in the Cold War, liberals began appraising countries to invade. Vietnam was a liberal war. The Republican Dwight Eisenhower refused to be sucked in. But Eisenhower was a general, a war hero, he didn’t have to prove his manhood. John F. Kennedy, although a war hero, was a liberal Democrat. He had to prove his manhood. Kennedy couldn’t afford to let the Russians think he was incompetent and inconsequential, which they might well have concluded after the Bay of Pigs. The Soviets might move on Berlin because of Kennedy’s perceived weakness. Before they could make such a move, Kennedy moved on Vietnam. As much of a disaster as the war proved itself to be, Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, after him, could not get out. To cut and run was not an option for Democrats because it would make them open to attacks from Republicans.
Enough. Or was/is it? Politics being politics and the American electorate being the American electorate, we now have the grotesquely cartoonish Donald Trump….so let us close with this (for what it’s worth):
Thanks, Rosaliene. That same set of “grown-up” cartoons is in his book (page 319). I would like to have included more in this post from the book (a chapter titled CLOSET AMERICA is worth a post in itself), but I don’t want to try my readers’ patience, so I try to keep to a reasonable length (an arbitrary judgment, I admit).
And at the moment the culture police are starting to remind me of the HUAC hearings. No one can be pure enough for some of them. I am not talking about confederate statues, but rather trying to find any earlier American who didn’t have failings. Good luck folks.
I am not a fan of extremists of either the far left or (especially) the far right. I cut ideologues of the far left some slack because they may have their hearts in the right place, but far right ideologues have nothing in the right place, as far I can see. Unfortunately, with both, it’s “My way or the highway” — that’s simply not going to work in a pluralistic, multi-cultural democracy.
Thank you, Josie, for sharing that interesting memory and link, which I notice is from 2008 (two years before the publication of his book BACKING INTO FORWARD). I enjoyed your post and gave it a like because….well, I liked it!
Life often does feel like I’m backing into forward…with a lot of resistance. Ha! Enjoyed this. What an engaging artist! BTW, my grownup eventually shows up when all else fails. She leaves as quickly as possible so I can enjoy life without dealing with too many rules and fuss. Mona
I sometimes feel the same, Mona — but, at least, “backing into forward” beats backing into backward, which it appears the whole country is doing under our retrograde President Trump.
I have always liked Fieffer, but he’s totally wrong about Eisenhower and Nam. I was in the 82nd when Ike the prez asked for volunteers to go to Nam as advisors. Our involvement started with Ike and would have ended with JFK who was going to end our involvement as soon s he got back from Dallas.
Thanks, Don. One of the things I like (and respect) about Feiffer is his objectivity despite being very liberal — as shown by the quoted paragraph in which he castigates JFK, Johnson, and the Democrats for how he views their handling of the Vietnam War. By contrast, few, if any, very conservative Republicans have had the courage and/or character to call out Donald Trump for his handling of the war against the Corona virus (or any other of his myriad failings and corrupt acts, for that matter).
“It’s possible there will be some [deaths as a result of reopening the country now].” –President Donald Trump in response to ABC’s David Muir on May 5, 2020.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May as Senior Citizens Month (changed in 1965 to OLDER AMERICANS MONTH). Judging by Trump’s desperation to get the economy humming again before the election — and before the Covid-19 danger (especially to our most vulnerable citizens) is well under control — May seems destined to become Expendable Older Americans Month.
I dare say that, although Trump may consider his fellow senior Americans like Joe Biden, mistermuse, and (perhaps) you expendable, he doesn’t see himself in that category. After all, the country can ill afford to lose a stable genius at a time like this — or at any other time (such as November 3, 2020, for example).
Now, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings to The Indispensable Man, but it’s just minutely possible that he may lose the upcoming election despite his stable pomposity — er, geniosity. However, in the unlikely event that that happens, His Stable Highness can take consolation in the fact that, like the rest of us put-out-to-pasture patriarchs, he can still be King (Emeritus) of his castle:
I prefer see-through on my wife, so I see myself in the same fashion, Kate. As for lace or buttons, I’m a zipper man because it’s easier to open on the fly.
Here it is,in a nutshell. Wealth over health, every damned time. ‘Its possible there may more deaths thanks to opening up the ‘conomy.’ Fatuous shrugged.
Thank you for appropriately linking Trumpster and dumpster for me. I think on a subconscious lever they were linked, but it took your comment to make it explicit.
You can’t bullshit a virus, Sr. Muse. Even a Bullshit Terminator (a thin layer of human skin covering a mound of bullshit) like Trump can’t. Stay safe.
P.S. I hear that Trump’s personal valet has just been diagnosed with Covid-19. Wouldn’t it be fitting if the thin-skinned bullshitter, who won’t social-distance or wear a mask because it would detract from his appearance, caught the virus from his valet? In any case, I’ve got news for the Pres — a mask is about the only thing that might IMPROVE his appearance.
Some of you may remember a long-running (1950s to early 1990s) TV program called DIALING FOR DOLLARS in which the host (after announcing the password(s) at the start of the show) randomly picked a phone number to call. If the person being called gave the password, he or she would win prize money; an incorrect answer would increase the prize money for the next call, and so on. Here’s SCTV’s take on the program:
Nowadays, it seems there’s a new game on TV: a daily game in which the host is President/Scientific Genius Donald Trump, the password is nominally COVID-19, and the payoff is whatever he says it is in order to re-start the economy at any price — ranging from billions of dollars for big business and big banks, to ingesting disease-killing disinfectants. Regarding the latter, you may be tempted to say, “You first, Mr. President.” Too late! The next day, he said he was just kidding and didn’t mean it. Hahahahahahaha.
Sorry, Mr. Desperate President, the joke is on you, because you’re sicker than the sickest Covid-19 patient, and there’s no cure for your virulent virus except the resounding defeat you must suffer on Nov. 3.
These next six months until the election are going to seem like six years. I shudder to think of the additional harm he could do to this country in six weeks, much less six months. .
They would be, if the GOP didn’t control the Senate. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to be harder (but not beyond the realm of possibility) for the Dems to win the Senate than to win the Presidency.
He would look so professional in a Haz/mat suit, full gas mask and communication device shorted out. That’s your president right there, ladies and germs! The personification of a dumbed-down bad joke.
I was watching that briefing live and he most certainly was not joking. It angers me beyond words that the doctors wouldn’t stand up to him that day. Birx went on Fox the next day and defended him. WTH!
I heard on the news this evening that VP Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic and was the only one there not wearing a mask. He excused himself by saying he’s been tested multiple times for the Coronavirus, and all tests were negative. In other words, privileged people like Pence can get tested whenever they want, while most ordinary people can’t even get tested once. So, if they die, apparently that’s the cost of not being rich and powerful.
Pardon me while I celebrate INTERNATIONAL HAIKU POETRY DAY. Haiku, as you know, is a three-line poem of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, which happens to total 17, which happens to be this day of the month, which happens to be INTERNATIONAL I-Already-Told-You-What DAY. So, here are a few lowbrow examples of haiku, guaranteed to ruin your appetite for haiku for the for-eatable future. If you have trouble swallowing any of these, feel free to wash it down with a swig of your favorite beverage, followed by a quart of milk of magnesia. If that doesn’t relieve your groan, you’re on your own.
ONE TOO MANY (syllables)
Excuses may be
easy to make…but they don’t
make up for your mistake.
A NEAR MYTH
Once upon a time
I tried to make a haiku
rhyme. Maybe next time.
HAIKU ON THE HUSTINGS
Politician beams,
waves to crowd of strange faces…
he’s been here before.
Had enough? Believe it or not, it could always be worse:
I love the “My button also bigger” part of the clip showing Trump’s TWEET and NUKE buttons side by side on his desk. How appropriate for a man drunk (or should I say SICK) with power.
calmkate 1:48 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
That first clip is so eccentric, I love it! Great voice so I see why you keep his LPs 🙂
Your title is something I used to chant frequently as a child – never heard their album – then I’d giggle coz no body took me seriously but I sure meant it!
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mistermuse 8:43 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
You must have been a very precocious child, Kate, seeing the absurdity of much of life at such an early age (or maybe Santa Claus didn’t bring you what you wanted for Christmas one year)! 😉
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calmkate 3:34 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink
No I was a super compliant goody two shoes child, totally shy and overwhelmed by my big brothers … guess I’d just been here before 🙂
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obbverse 3:06 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
You’re right, he fell off the planet as far as the public memory went. However I recall seeing his, ummm masterpiess ‘Can Heirnonymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?’ and was left puzzled, and befuddled,..wondering if he was doing his best to destroy his rather middle of the road career? If so, he succeeded. Big time.
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mistermuse 8:38 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
I think Newley carried a rather conceited image, which probably contributed to his lack of staying power. On the other hand, he’s far from the only conceited ‘entertainer,’ and these days, that seems to be in their favor (The Donald, for prime example).
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Rivergirl 8:06 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
I remember him, vaguely. Though your post title sums up how I feel these days.
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mistermuse 8:54 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
Feeling like stopping the world and getting off now is nothing compared to how we’re going to feel if Trump is reelected. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us leave the country, if not the world.
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Rivergirl 8:59 am on September 24, 2020 Permalink
He is literally breaking this country in half….
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magickmermaid 12:51 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
I agree! Stop the world from all the madness!
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mistermuse 10:18 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
There is madness because Trump is a madman, and the inevitable result of each of these realities (if he is not stopped) will be a country no ‘head on straight’ person of good conscience should tolerate. VOTE as if your life depends on it, because in a very real way, IT DOES.
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JosieHolford 9:42 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
I remember Anthony Newley as a bigly important pop and music person.
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mistermuse 10:24 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
You remember well, Josie. He wasn’t a person for every taste, but for those of us who could appreciate his talent, he was “bigly” indeed.
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Rosaliene Bacchus 10:03 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
I’m not familiar with the music of Anthony Newley. Looks like I’ve missed out on a lot of great talent.
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mistermuse 10:43 pm on September 24, 2020 Permalink |
Indeed you have, Rosaliene. Here’s another sample of what you’ve missed (from the same ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT musical shown in my post):
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Garfield Hug 4:59 am on September 25, 2020 Permalink |
Hello Mistermuse! “Virulent Trump Reign” sounds right!
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mistermuse 8:30 am on September 25, 2020 Permalink |
FAR, FAR right is more like it, GH!
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masercot 7:14 am on September 25, 2020 Permalink |
I love Shirley Bassey…
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mistermuse 9:02 am on September 25, 2020 Permalink |
Then I’m sure you’ll dig DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and GOLDFINGER Bassey vocals in this video, including an aside that made me laugh, 42 seconds into the clip:
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Elizabeth 5:29 pm on September 25, 2020 Permalink |
I didn’t realize he had been forgotten. Not by me, that’s for sure. As for Goldfinger–when I was in college I went to see the film with a date. The only open seats were in the front row of a very large very old theater. You can imagine the traumatic experience of that gold body filling the screen and surrounding us on the sides as the movie opened!
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mistermuse 6:29 pm on September 25, 2020 Permalink |
I remember the cinerama process (surround-screen) coming out, as I recall, in the late 1950s in theaters especially built or designed for the purpose. GOLDFINGER was made in 1964, so you must have seen it in cinerama.
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Elizabeth 4:30 pm on September 28, 2020 Permalink
Agh. I call it traumarama.
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greatmartin 6:50 pm on October 10, 2020 Permalink |
I was fortunate enough to see Newley in all of his shows and nightclub review and even meet him and become a ‘known acquaintance’ of his.
While he could be difficult to work with he was a warm friendly guy–someday I will have to tell you a few ‘private’ stories. :O)
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mistermuse 7:10 pm on October 10, 2020 Permalink |
How interesting! Judging by his personality, I can imagine him being difficult to work with, but I’m glad to know he was also a warm, friendly guy.
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