Apr 24, 2021Member-onlyDerek Chauvin Conviction Is One Down, But How Many To Go…?You can still hear the cheering and the celebration, this many days after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. But what you can also hear are the uncomfortable conversations about what this really means. …Derek Chauvin3 min readDerek Chauvin3 min read
Apr 10, 2021Member-onlyWhat Michigan Gov. Whitmer Needs Is An Anger TranslatorIf you’ve lived long enough — and I have — then you probably know what it’s like to care about someone who doesn’t care about themselves. You keep trying to rescue them from the flames of their own self-destructive behavior, maybe feeling like some kind of hero, only to watch…Michigan3 min readMichigan3 min read
Apr 3, 2021Member-onlySo What Makes You So Sure Normal Is A Good Thing?Not long after the pandemic became accepted as a real thing among those tuned into the reality station, the word ‘normal’ started cropping up quite a bit in stories and conversations dealing with the topic of what is supposed to come next. There was — and still is — this…George Floyd3 min readGeorge Floyd3 min read
Mar 20, 2021Member-onlyThe Very Bad Day of Robert Aaron LongSo I suppose the first thing we need to define is the meaning of a ‘bad day’, right? Like pretty much everyone reading this post, I have had a few bad days myself. Actually, quite a bit more than a few, if we’re being honest. But so far as I…Anti Asian Racism4 min readAnti Asian Racism4 min read
Mar 7, 2021Member-onlyDr. Seuss After Dark…So picking my way through Dr. Seuss is how I learned to read. It started with my mother reading Dr. Seuss stories to me as a child, and then, as my mother told it, I started reading Dr. Seuss to her before I turned three. The first Dr. …Dr Seuss4 min readDr Seuss4 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Nov 14, 2020Member-onlyMy Funny Valentine at 70Way back once upon a time long, long ago in my struggling musician days when I was sitting in at various and sundry bars and dives on Chicago’s South Side, it was a given that you would run into any number of characters. It was as much fun interacting with…Love5 min readLove5 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Oct 25, 2020Member-onlyMe and Jimi Hendrix Against the WorldUntil Jimi Hendrix, all my heroes were white. I see no need to apologize for this fun fact, but I may as well be honest about it. Malcolm X, Miles Davis, and George Clinton didn’t enter my teen world until years later, although I did start reading Richard Wright (Native…Rock And Roll6 min readRock And Roll6 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Oct 17, 2020Member-onlyGetting the Band Back TogetherYesterday I was up in Berkley, a nearby suburb of Detroit, getting my guitar worked on. It’s been more than a year since my last set-up, which is generally regarded as a sin by any working guitarist who even pretends to be serious about the calling. …Creativity6 min readCreativity6 min read
Oct 5, 2020Member-onlyTrump Positive Equals Trump NegativeYeah, I know. Trump tested positive. Him and about six million more.Donald Trump Coronavirus1 min readDonald Trump Coronavirus1 min read
Jun 1, 2020Member-onlyCope vs. Hope; How I Choose to Survive America BurningAmerica would not exist if it weren’t for racism. Consider that. It was white racism that fueled the mass slaughter of Native Americans, and it was white racism that figured it was OK for the visitors to shove the occupants onto reservations. That covers the land. It was white racism…George Floyd4 min readGeorge Floyd4 min read
