This Saturday, June 9, 2018, it's NATALIE PRASS ON CBS THIS MORNING

Yep,Natalie Prass, my pick for best record by a singer/songwriter in 2018, will be performing on CBS This Morning on Saturday - I believe the music part of the program is in the last half hour of the show, or in the 8:30 a.m. portion, but just to be safe, I am up at dawn anway and will be watching from the onset at 7:00 a.m.  If she comes on earlier, I'll tweet it out.

This is exciting stuff.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that daughter, Julie, is currently gigging with Adrian Belew at the Iridium in New York City.  Their first show was last night, and tonight's will be live streamed!!!!  Here's the link:  http://theiridium.com/live/index.html.  She's got four shows total, with the finale on Saturday night, and Gary and I are driving to New York to see the show and bring her home for a bit before she takes off for Spain again.  Actually, she has another gig with Adrian at the end of June - don't know if I can spill the details yet so I'll stay quiet.  For now.

Eric is on tour with Dr. Dog right now - tonight he has a show in Oakland, CA and tomorrow he's in Portland, OR, that lucky dude.  All I know is, I can't wait for the Dr. Dog gig at Festival Pier in Philadelphia on June 23.  Their new record is hot!

Speaking of new records, I heard a  new cut yesterday from Buddy Guy which features Jeff Beck and Keith Richards.  Do you think I was blown away just a little bit?  Ha!  Here - have a listen and you decide how freaking good this is:



So yeah, music is how I'm getting through the grotesque Trump era.  But then again, music is how I get through everything.  That, and some good vegetarian fare.  I can't believe how Gary has adapted - he became a five star vegetarian/vegan chef.  I'm laughing because I remember how scared I was to tell him, after coming off a five week tour with the kids in 2009 when Eric still played in the Adrian Belew Power Trio, that I had decided to join Julie and Eric, who were already vegetarians for a few years, and had spent the last five weeks meat free.  I think at the time, Gary just rolled his eyes and probably thought, "There goes my wife again with one of her madcap schemes....this will probably only last a week or two...I'll just humor her for now."  So not only did just the opposite happen, but Gary, who was a lifetime carnivore, has slowly joined our team over the past few years.  He eats vegetarian every evening, and his only dive into meat world is a boneless chicken breast he cuts into a salad he makes himself for lunch a couple of times a week.  The vegetable meals that man has invented for me over the past several years should be in a cookbook and hmm...I think I'm gonna do it. Stay tuned.   But man, the benefits of eating this way - I haven't been above a size eight in seven years, Gary looks like he's 45 years old, and unlike most people our age, we don't have any aches and pains or major disorders.  KNOCK WOOD.

I just giggled to myself, guessing that there are no vegetarian Trump supporters.  They all look like they secrete pig juice.  Sorry for that, I'm tired of being nice.  Every time I say something against (not my) President Imbecile, one of his supporters comes back and says something to me like, "You're ugly and a c*nt."  I never attack them, I just attack their boy.  But, my gloves are off now.  And I see I've already made a mistake.  I should have said, one of them says something to me like, "Your ugly and a c*nt."   :)

Oy.

And on that note, I'm outta here for now.

xo

Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States...

Leaked audio from Donald Trump's live microphone during performance of "God Bless America"... pic.twitter.com/5KsGCN2b2q

— Bad Lip Reading (@BadLipReading) June 5, 2018

HEART KILLER!

OMG, look at my son's face in this video :)

John Pavlovitz

In today's positive news, I would like to introduce you to John Pavlovitz.  John is a pastor I met online and he is an ardent Trump protester.  Like me, he is shocked and dismayed by the weird acceptance and idolization of Trump by Christians in this country.  Here's what John had to say yesterday, following the Supreme Court's most recent decision:

"Today’s Supreme Court ruling on the Masterpiece Cakeshop will be billed by Evangelicals as a victory for “religious liberty.”

It isn’t—at least not for these people. For them it’s license to be a jerk in Jesus’ name.

It’s about people professing to follow Jesus, who don’t have the slightest concern about emulating him.

It’s about people who wouldn’t know Jesus if he showed up as the least of these, across the counter from them looking for their kindness during one of the most important moments of their lives.

 To read the rest of John's article, go here:  https://johnpavlovitz.com/2018/06/04/let-them-eat-cake/

To read other essays by John:  https://johnpavlovitz.com/

In other news, I am thrilled to be a Philadelphian today.  Here's what our Mayor had to say about the asshat in the White House, following his six year old toddler tantrum about our Super Bowl Champion Eagles:

Fragile egomaniac?  Trump?  Should we be even slightly concerned that an imbecile with a fragile ego is running our country?  D'OH!  YA THINK?!

The fact that Cadet Bone Spurs is threatening football owners and trying to control, let's face it, African American football players, is outrageous and I really hope people take to the streets soon.  And hell, I'm going to boycott football next year IF THEY DON'T ALL PROTEST AND STAY IN THE LOCKER ROOM.

F*CK YOU, TRUMP.

Ah, I feel better now.

Have a great day, fellow resisters.  xoxoxo

Natalie Prass is the ruler of all women and...

...this ("Sisters") is the song that brought down the house on Saturday night at Johnny Brenda's​.   Natalie Prass​ is a superstar.  Remember that you heard it here.  She held her arm up over her head in a powerful gesture as she sung this tune and she freaking owned the room.  Hundreds of drunk dudes suddenly went quiet and started swaying to the music.  Natalie isn't just an amazing singer, she's a brilliant song writer and lyricist, too.   And if you are near Philly, she's returning to our fair city and doing a Free at Noon concert this coming Friday at WXPN,​ and, also playing their festival on July 28.   So yeah, if you pay attention, good things are still happening in this country and people are making art in the dark and depressing era of Trump.  So there's that.  Anyway, since all I could do is post the snippet we filmed Saturday night, here's the official audio of Sisters.

Natalie Prass - Sisters (Official Audio) https://youtu.be/9T0wYQpAlzo via @YouTube

We're heading to New York City this weekend for the next chapter of music in June - Julie has a series of gigs at the Iridium with the Adrian Belew Power Trio.  Then we all head to Festival Pier in Philly on June 23 to see Eric with Dr. Dog.  Lots of music and family and, as always, great vegetarian food.  Now if Mr. Mueller and company would just slap some cuffs on a few dozen people in the White House including our dear leader and his degenerate pseudo-Christian VP, all will be well with the world.

Natalie Prass

Okay, it's time to post something positive.  Have you met Natalie Prass? 

In case you haven't stumbled on one of my many billboards posted all over the internet, Natalie is my son's significant other, and she has a new record out today.  Natalie is a superstar and this morning, she has spreads in Entertainment Weekly, GQ, and the Guardian.  I'll post links to everything, but I have to cut and paste the part of the EW article that has me sitting in my office right now, bawling.  To read the whole article, go here:  http://ew.com/music/2018/06/01/natalie-prass-the-future-and-the-past-interview/

"It really feels like people — regardless of their political views — will look back on the night Trump got elected and remember exactly where they were. What were you doing that night?

[My boyfriend, Dr. Dog drummer] Eric [Slick] and I went to an election party. The local comedy troupe had these stand-up shows, and it was just a big party and a lot of good people. Everybody was decked out in Hillary gear, and it slowly just got darker and darker and people started to cry, and leave. Oh yeah, I’ll never forget it. It was horrible.

Is it fair to call “Short Court Style” a love song about someone new?

It’s a song about Eric. I really feel like I’ve met my person in Eric. I’ve never felt so comfortable, and we can get through anything together. But we had to do so much work to get to where we are now. And it doesn’t stop; it doesn’t mean that we are in this blissful love relationship. Which we are, but then we also have problems that we have to face. It’s more about the hard work and the rewarding payoff of real love.

Here's a link to the Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/31/natalie-prass-the-future-and-the-past-review-musical-magpie-channels-karen-and-janet

And one more, to GQ:  https://www.gq.com/story/the-throwback-grooves-of-natalie-prass

And here's her new hit song:  https://youtu.be/0pv7rN-_IWU

So yeah, we're all pretty excited at Casa Slick.  Natalie is on tour right now, and not only will she be in Philadelphia Saturday night for a sold out show at Johnny Brenda's, she'll be back in town for the WXPN Festival on July 28.  She also has a bunch of gigs in Europe this fall, and Eric,who will be off tour with Dr. Dog by then, will sit in on drums.  Not a bad life, huh.

While I'm here bragging, Julie's been home for a couple of weeks - she lives in Spain now, or tries to when she's not touring - and she's got a bunch of gigs in New York City next week with the Adrian Belew Power Trio at the Iridium.  So we're pretty stoked about that, too.  And we're all headed to the beach this weekend, rain or not, we do not care, we're going solely for the purpose of eating Manco & Manco pizza and hitting some air hockey arcades.  We know how to live in the era of Trump, huh.  Music and food and hanging with people you love is everything.

But hey, if Julie gets permanent residency in Spain, and if Eric and Natalie decide to leave the country as well, and if there isn't serious flippage in the midterm elections, Gary and I are out of here in about five minutes.  I've been checking out property in Malaga :)  We're dead serious.  

Listen, we all have to do what we have to do.

Sorry, but...

...Ivanka Trump is a c*nt.  And so is Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway.  And so are you if you voted for him and still support him.

Ah....I feel better now.

By the way, if you are feeling this post is too harsh, take a look at these beauties.  Too funny.  You really can stereotype a group of people.  Most Trumpers, along with not knowing the difference between "your" and "you're" are either morbidly obese, missing teeth, and, if they aren't skin heads, have mullets.

A little more to get off my chest...I f*cking hate the Food Network

So apparently reading Trump tweets first thing in the morning triggers my anger gene and I figured I'd come here and spout a little more of what's been bugging me in America since the election.

Okay, here it is:  The Food Network.  Wtf has happened to their programming?  No, I don't even want to watch Guy Fieri one night a week let alone four nights.  Ugh.

As an east coaster, I do not want to be subjected to two hours a day of the god awful Pioneer Woman, a multi-millionaire with a voice like chalk on a blackboard, chopping processed cheese into little cubes and gushing God Bless America.

I don't want to see an aging, anorexic Giada's boobies as she pretends that she eats but really spits in an off-camera bucket.

Why is Jason Smith, a home baker, judging internationally acclaimed famous professional bakers?  Why is Scott Conant, clearly uncomfortable in his role of baking host, even on that show in his too tight suit?  Give the guy his own show cooking Italian food.  And why is Marcella made up and dressed like Barbie?

What happened to shows on actually cooking?  All we get are competition shows and ten year old reruns of competition shows.

Finally, are you owned by the pork industry?  Why is everything better with bacon?  As a vegetarian for close to ten years, your shows are all pork-centric and I really wonder, in light of all of the above, why I still continue to watch.

Oh yeah,  Trump is President.

I’m celebrating...

...because that racist asshat Roseanne is canceled.  Now.  Using that same logic, can we cancel Trump’s presidency? 😎

I Hate Him and if You Like Him, I Hate You More

So here it is.  For a year and a half I've thought about what to say here.  I wanted to go about it in a thoughtful, philosophical way.  But in light of recent events, the latest of which are children, torn from their mothers' arms, let me just say this.  The President of the United States is a racist, homophobic, lying sack of shit.  And if you support him, so are you, and I will never be your friend.  I literally and figuratively spit in your face.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I intend to return here in a positive way.  I have two new books on the horizon and I have friends and family who have made great art.

Stay tuned.