Operate in the Lane That's Best For You

     Have you ever been to a musical concert or a comedy show, and right in the middle of the show the artist or comic, whoever, digresses into a political rant that (at least for you) seems to suck the life right out of the whole experience? Now to be fair, this probably only happens to you if you are of a certain political or philosophical persuasion. Because the vast majority of performers on stage are of another political or philosophical persuasion. AND, the vast majority of your fellow audience members are of that same political and/or philosophical persuasion. So you sit there as patiently as you can because you're a huge fan of the artist(s) on stage, and hope against hope the next song or the next humorous story is about to begin. Happens to me all the time. 

    Now, in a vacuum, that's fine. To each his own. I honestly don't care, especially when I'm at a show and wanting to hear my favorite songs live, from a favorite artist. But I paid for a ticket, or two, to hear what you're good at...what you were born to do...to be an honored part of your expertise. What most of you are NOT good at is opining on the topic of inner-city infrastructure and how to budget those expenditures while worrying about the current tax code and how it may or may not affect the overall state, local, and federal treasuries, which of course leads to figuring out how to offset those expenditures with foreign aid, and whether or not to spend more, or less money on defense while playing off one foreign dictator after another; and FINALLY, is it a good idea to leave an ally hanging out to dry, both financially and materially, while they are surrounded by people who want them removed from the face of the earth. Deep breath, Boss! 

    For example, I absolutely LOVED seeing my man, the late-great David Crosby in concert with his band, CPR. Especially because he was reunited with his son who was given up for adoption by his birth mother not long after he was born, and who is also one helluva piano player. But when Crosby would go on one of his 1960s political rants, I never heard him discuss any of the above (tax structures, etc.). It was just a mindless rant against...something. Please, just shut up and sing. And while I hate quoting Laura Ingraham..."Just shut up and sing" is a great line! Anyway, I bring this up because there was a piece not long about the wonderful singer, Annie Lennox, formerly of Eurythmics fame, and now on her own. And, well...I needed a good laugh. Because you're an idiot! Yes, Sancho...because I'm an idiot.

    Let's get one thing straight; Annie Lennox is a Hall-of-Famer. There are a million reasons to admire Ms. Lennox as an artist. Her time with the Eurythmics and her solo career is more than worthy of praise in that regard. That said, she's not the political thinker she thinks she is. Now, I've been sitting on this piece for a while because I'm a staunch defender of freedom of speech, and I was hesitant to pile on this talented woman after she said some rather dumb things. I mean, Annie Lennox, and every other musical artist gets to opine whenever they want, about whatever they want. But...and there's always a but...you have to remember if you say stupid things, you're going to get dopes like me to write and/or talk about it. And as we will see, many of these artists are...well, stupid. And, say it with me Sancho..."We hate stupid!" Preach, Boss! 

    During this year's Grammy Awards, Ms. Lennox did her best to sound like someone with "gravitas." "I took the chance to say something because I felt so strongly about it," Lennox said about her call for a ceasefire in Gaza during the award show. "But what I did - it's risky speaking."

    Really, Annie? Risky? Calling for a cease-fire is risky? Say it, Sancho. She's an idiot. Thank you. There is no safer phrase amongst the Progressive/anti-Semitic intelligentsia, when talking about the war between Hamas and Israel, than "We need a cease-fire, now!" 

    I understand that I'm swinging at a piñata with no blindfold here, but it seems to me that today's artists, whether it be in art or music, have become so frighteningly dull that the older ones (like Ms. Lennox) who lived through edgier times can't help but feel sad and nostalgic for the days when artists occasionally said something interesting. To be fair, I think it's good that Ms. Lennox wishes she had something important to say. (Let me digress for a moment to give Ms. Lennox a little juice, because I hate to be a complete jerk. Her cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale", albeit twenty-nine years ago, is incredible and almost seems from a distant, otherworldly place. This recording alone is Hall of Fame worthy.) But artists get this crap fed to them by their fans. "Why aren't you more edgy?" "Look what's happening around the world! Say something!!" Fans need to shut the hell up and just appreciate the artist. 

    Having said all that, Annie (can I call her Annie?) was eclipsed later this year at the Academy Awards by none other than Jonathan Glazer. Glazer directed a Holocaust movie that wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. And it actually won awards...go figure. Glazer, not content with being recognized with awards that have been bestowed upon the likes of Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas, and Coppola...decided to give a little speech comparing Israel to the Nazi regime he depicted in his ACADEMY-AWARD WINNING FILM! A moron from TIME magazine wrote the following: "His speech," raved Judy Berman, in such a nonsensical way, "was a moment of moral courage inextricably intertwined with his film's great message." Moral courage??!! And you people think my writing sucks...

    Astonishingly, even though Pin The Tail on the Anti-Israel Donkey is the easiest party game in Hollywood and Washington, DC right now (I mean, a blindfold and some light vertigo won't stop you from finding your mark), people felt the need to have some Talmudic discussion on what Glazer was trying to say. Please, Sancho is a better communicator than Glazer. Hey!!!! Easy, Boss! Sorry, my friend. I got carried away. Again, Glazer may be a better than fine director....maybe! But he's out of his league as a political commentator. 

    The aforementioned TIME magazine writer, undeterred by reality, just couldn't shut the hell up. "Glazer was taking a real risk by speaking up for Palestinians on Hollywood's biggest stage. In November, Susan Sarandon was dropped by her talent agency and actress Melissa Barrera was fired from a role in Scream VII for expressing certain pro-Palestinian views." You people have no idea how badly I want to write 15 paragraphs on the fact that Hollywood felt it necessary to make Scream VII! Are you kidding me?? Scream VII!!!!! The first VI weren't bad enough?! Oh, the pain. But I digress.

    Barrera, of the aforementioned Scream VII, didn't just express pro-Palestinian views (and let's be honest, I'm pretty sure Barrera couldn't find the Middle East on a map with a history book), she went bat-shit with hatred for Jews. And as much as I think Sarandon has tons of talent, she could use a few history lessons, as well.

    But there is hope. Judith Kurtz, who writes for The Hill (a publication for those interested in Capitol Hill news), says that celebrities seem to have slowed down on their political endorsements and activism for the 2024 election cycle compared to previous elections. Strangely, when interviewing celebrities she got really cool, honest answers. The comedian Nikki Glaser (who seems to be everywhere these days) tells Kurtz she doesn't like to do political comedy in her standup anymore because she cares too much about politics, which leads to worse comedy: "I'm too angry about it. And you know, if I get too angry, sometimes it can be funny, but it's like I'm too angry to be funny and people can sense that. It turns you off when you're watching someone just like rage and lose control."

    Glaser is saying something that more performers of any stripe should understand: She's not afraid of politics, she's afraid of being a terrible comedian. Kevin Hart, a very, very funny man, said the same thing for basically the same reason: "We all have lanes, and there's nothing wrong with operating in the lane that's best for you."

    Truer words were never spoken, Kevin. Annie Lennox wants to have something really interesting to say, but she just doesn't. Melissa Barrera thought she could express her feelings about Jews without falling into anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories, but she couldn't. Jonathan Glazer attempted to make a clear and compelling moral statement, but it was beyond his skill set. I know I feel lucky, and I hope you do, too...that none of these people have quit their day jobs.

write to Peter: magtour@icloud.com