Posted On: Saturday - April 20th 2024 8:47PM MST
In Topics: Music Humor
A Peak Stupidity favorite rock musician, John Cougar (as I knew him in the day) has been on a viral video due to his having gotten mad at some of the audience at a recent show in Toledo, Ohio. You can see the one, but I hate to leave it here with someone else's commentary, as I think I won't agree with most.
Mr. Mellencamp had a tantrum of sorts when a guy in the audience yelled out to him, in nicer words, to "shut up and sing". I can understand that attitude. I don't need to hear about politics I don't particularly like*, rather than what I came for, the music.
However, contrary to the assumptions inherent in articles I've read about this, he did not make a political rant that day. It was one of his stories he likes to tell between songs. Back in the late 1980s, I saw a great show by John Cougar, already Mellencaomp, and he told us of his musical beginnings for a few minutes. I still remember his telling us how he tried to impress his girlfriend by playing a cassette tape of his new song on the car player as they sat in the parking lot. Afterwards, she was all "well, yeah, it's OK, I guess ..." (I guess you had to hear it the way he told it.) Then he went back to his great music.
Here's a much more recent example from a San Francisco show:
That's part of the show. Mr. Mellencamp's reaction and tantrum in Toledo was likely due to his being a little crotchety with a few aches and pains. Also, he doesn't need to take any shit, or I sure hope so. I hope he's playing for the love of it and doesn't need the money.
He's no young rebel who jumps around on the stage and fights authority in the videos. Everyone get old. Maybe he didn't need the cusswords, but I'd have enjoyed his fun words of wisdom in the San Fran show.
The albums that I know well from Mr. Cougar Mellencamp are American Fool, Uh Huh, and Scarecrow This song is from the first one, from 1982. It's Close Enough for Rock & Roll. Yeah, 42 years makes a difference, in all of us.
John Cougar Mellencamp is a lefty, as one might expect. However, I apologize to him here for having watched the viral clip and having considered writing a quite different post. OTOH, a commenter on youtube came up with this post's title, and I could not resist!
Next week, we'll try to get the Climate Calamity™ (with a review of a whole documentary) in, along with the review of Lionel Shriver's book. (I'm just finishing the latter now.) There'll be plenty more than that though. There has been an unceasing amount of stupidity coming to us, so, enjoy. Thank you all so much for reading and writing in.
* Back in the 1980s and for quite a while afterwards, this Hoosier musician was concerned about the loss of family farms in the midwest, with a great song about this, Scarecrow, title song to that album. Now that support of Americans and America is something you don't see too much. I appreciated his efforts at the time.
Comments:
Ganderson
Wednesday - April 24th 2024 6:39AM MST
PS Love "Desert Island Dicks"!
Grateful Dead archivist Dick Latvala shed his mortal coil in 1999. His mantle has been taken up by relative newcomer David Lemieux, who curated the "Dave's Picks" series, in addition to hosting the daily show "Today in Grateful Dead History"on sirius/XM; where he plays music from a show the same date. I don't listen for the music- it's all available somewhere, but for Lemieux's quirky commentary. He and I share a passion for two things: hockey (he's a Canuck) and the Grateful Dead.
Grateful Dead archivist Dick Latvala shed his mortal coil in 1999. His mantle has been taken up by relative newcomer David Lemieux, who curated the "Dave's Picks" series, in addition to hosting the daily show "Today in Grateful Dead History"on sirius/XM; where he plays music from a show the same date. I don't listen for the music- it's all available somewhere, but for Lemieux's quirky commentary. He and I share a passion for two things: hockey (he's a Canuck) and the Grateful Dead.
MBlanc46
Monday - April 22nd 2024 7:41AM MST
PS I suppose that being someone who was almost Someone forty years ago reduced to playing Toledo* might make an old guy crotchety.
* Not that I have anything against Toledo. Went there once. And I have a soft spot of dying Rustbelt cities (having spent most of my life in and near a dying Rustbelt city). But still….
* Not that I have anything against Toledo. Went there once. And I have a soft spot of dying Rustbelt cities (having spent most of my life in and near a dying Rustbelt city). But still….
Moderator
Monday - April 22nd 2024 6:16AM MST
PS: Alarmist, maybe it's coincidental since you wrote that comment yesterday morning, but unfortunately, probably not, that GP had a post up:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/pure-evil-michigan-caregiver-viciously-beats-helpless-93/
PURE EVIL: Michigan Caregiver Viciously Beats Helpless 93-Year-Old Dementia Patient Before Choking Her – Victim’s Daughter Reveals How Family Caught the Attack on Tape (VIDEO)
This one was home-grown. The comments are based, as they used to say. I don't know what good that does though. I don't see how America will rid itself of this problem.
"BTW, we could call that show 'Desert Island D!cks.'" I remember these, Alarmist - I'll add that there have been dozens (maybe 30 or 40) collections of live Grateful Dead music that were called "Dick's Picks". I forget right now his last name, and I don't know if Dick is still even around. The music is from the very best shows. Good stuff!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/pure-evil-michigan-caregiver-viciously-beats-helpless-93/
PURE EVIL: Michigan Caregiver Viciously Beats Helpless 93-Year-Old Dementia Patient Before Choking Her – Victim’s Daughter Reveals How Family Caught the Attack on Tape (VIDEO)
This one was home-grown. The comments are based, as they used to say. I don't know what good that does though. I don't see how America will rid itself of this problem.
"BTW, we could call that show 'Desert Island D!cks.'" I remember these, Alarmist - I'll add that there have been dozens (maybe 30 or 40) collections of live Grateful Dead music that were called "Dick's Picks". I forget right now his last name, and I don't know if Dick is still even around. The music is from the very best shows. Good stuff!
The Alarmist
Sunday - April 21st 2024 8:23AM MST
PS
@Mr Ganderson, Hate to admit it, but I’m a late-Boomer ... don’t know whether my downfall to has-been will arrive, but hope that I don’t end up getting a fluffy pillow or something worse from a State-paid Somali or Nigerian “caregiver.”
BTW, we could call that show “Desert Island D!cks.”
Today’s Channel 4 “Sunday Brunch” closed with a performance by a “Shoegaze” era group called Ride. Pretty good. Shoegaze was‘90s. There have been other enjoyable artists since then, but I cannot really think of any that were more than one-hit wonders.
@Mr Ganderson, Hate to admit it, but I’m a late-Boomer ... don’t know whether my downfall to has-been will arrive, but hope that I don’t end up getting a fluffy pillow or something worse from a State-paid Somali or Nigerian “caregiver.”
BTW, we could call that show “Desert Island D!cks.”
Today’s Channel 4 “Sunday Brunch” closed with a performance by a “Shoegaze” era group called Ride. Pretty good. Shoegaze was‘90s. There have been other enjoyable artists since then, but I cannot really think of any that were more than one-hit wonders.
Moderator
Sunday - April 21st 2024 7:50AM MST
PS: I've beat authority a few times, Alarmist, if you consider the City Water Dept. the "authority", haha. But, yeah... I don't care for the shows by these people, although, like Mr. Anderson, I am a big enough Al Stewart fan to go see him at whatever age.
The problem for me is that I don't know anyone younger playing good music. That doesn't mean there isn't any. I just don't keep up, being crotchety and all myself...
I should have told that joke in this post, dangit, Mr. Anderson. "John Cougar's Melon Camp" is how I heard it. Groan, indeed.
I hope when you become dictator you will put all the rappers in jail. It's not like you'd have to make any new edicts anyway - you can charge them for stuff that's already on the books.
The problem for me is that I don't know anyone younger playing good music. That doesn't mean there isn't any. I just don't keep up, being crotchety and all myself...
I should have told that joke in this post, dangit, Mr. Anderson. "John Cougar's Melon Camp" is how I heard it. Groan, indeed.
I hope when you become dictator you will put all the rappers in jail. It's not like you'd have to make any new edicts anyway - you can charge them for stuff that's already on the books.
Moderator
Sunday - April 21st 2024 7:44AM MST
PS: "American Fool", like with the meaning of "so in love with the country as to be a fool about it", is how I always took that title, Dieter. As a fool for John Cougar music back in the day, I went somewhat out of the way on a cross-country road trip to visit Seymour, Indiana. I'm not sure I would consider a town of 15,000 (at the time) as small town really. (I would take 5,000 people or less as the cut-off)
Anyway, someone at a business downtown told me where Mr. Mellencamp's Mom's house was, so I just drove by. I didn't knock like some "biggest fan". I was told that Mr. Mellencamp had de-camped to Hilton Head, South Carolina. It is one ritzy place and even was then in the early '90s.
He's grown older, but not up?
What does "Baby Strampler" mean?
Anyway, someone at a business downtown told me where Mr. Mellencamp's Mom's house was, so I just drove by. I didn't knock like some "biggest fan". I was told that Mr. Mellencamp had de-camped to Hilton Head, South Carolina. It is one ritzy place and even was then in the early '90s.
He's grown older, but not up?
What does "Baby Strampler" mean?
Ganderson
Sunday - April 21st 2024 7:10AM MST
PS
Alarmist: I AM a crotchety boomer has-been. Or perhaps a never-was.
Alarmist: I AM a crotchety boomer has-been. Or perhaps a never-was.
Ganderson
Sunday - April 21st 2024 7:03AM MST
PS Happy Sunday, Fellow Stupids.
I just got home from Mass, where we were subjected to another terrible Marty Haugen tune (Department of Redundancy Department).
Among the first things I will do when I become dictator is prohibit the singing of hymns by Haugen, Daniel Schutte, Michael Joncas, the St. Louis Jesuits, (or any other Jesuits, for that matter) or pretty much any hymn written after 1960! I’d also make it illegal for any of the above-named from writing any more songs; if they did I'd banish them all to a desert island somewhere .
Q. Where do cantaloupes go in the summer?
A. John Cougar Mellencamp….
Groan. Works better as audio.
Mellencamp is an old timey lefty- doesn’t hate his country, doesn’t hate the people in it. I find myself, in a pendulum swinging back sort of way, more in sympathy with my youthful, commie self. Much of our modern chaos is due, IMHO, to giant corporations with little regard for the people they’re suppose to serve. I realize we can’t make cars and such in small workshops in our back yards a la the Great Leap Forward, but is it too much to ask that the people who run the economy not hate me?
As for Johnny Boy Mellencamp, I’ve never been a huge fan; saw him once in the late 70’s opening for the Kinks, and was not impressed. The Kinks were great, despite not doing my favorite Ray Davies number, “Victoria”..
All that said, however, Mellencamp’s version of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” is great- I’d argue better than the original. “Lonely Old Night” is a terrific number as well.
I just got home from Mass, where we were subjected to another terrible Marty Haugen tune (Department of Redundancy Department).
Among the first things I will do when I become dictator is prohibit the singing of hymns by Haugen, Daniel Schutte, Michael Joncas, the St. Louis Jesuits, (or any other Jesuits, for that matter) or pretty much any hymn written after 1960! I’d also make it illegal for any of the above-named from writing any more songs; if they did I'd banish them all to a desert island somewhere .
Q. Where do cantaloupes go in the summer?
A. John Cougar Mellencamp….
Groan. Works better as audio.
Mellencamp is an old timey lefty- doesn’t hate his country, doesn’t hate the people in it. I find myself, in a pendulum swinging back sort of way, more in sympathy with my youthful, commie self. Much of our modern chaos is due, IMHO, to giant corporations with little regard for the people they’re suppose to serve. I realize we can’t make cars and such in small workshops in our back yards a la the Great Leap Forward, but is it too much to ask that the people who run the economy not hate me?
As for Johnny Boy Mellencamp, I’ve never been a huge fan; saw him once in the late 70’s opening for the Kinks, and was not impressed. The Kinks were great, despite not doing my favorite Ray Davies number, “Victoria”..
All that said, however, Mellencamp’s version of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” is great- I’d argue better than the original. “Lonely Old Night” is a terrific number as well.
The Alarmist
Sunday - April 21st 2024 4:16AM MST
PS
Dude fought authority ... authority always wins.
Sucks to be the audience for a crotchety Boomer has-been.
Dude fought authority ... authority always wins.
Sucks to be the audience for a crotchety Boomer has-been.
Dieter Kief
Saturday - April 20th 2024 10:35PM MST
PS
Love American Fool
Maybe Jack & Diane is where he - still is? A teenage rebel - who has not really grown - old? - His stage-dress looks a bit like a baby-strampler - - -
Love American Fool
Maybe Jack & Diane is where he - still is? A teenage rebel - who has not really grown - old? - His stage-dress looks a bit like a baby-strampler - - -
Cougar is almost as much of a pussy as Bwucie Spwingstein