Today is my Sweetie's birthday and she curated this episode. The result is a really groovin’ feel-good show. Along with Sam & Dave, she selected some great tracks by Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Lou Ann Barton, Olu Dara, Etta James, Tom Waits, Tito Puente, Otis Redding, and Carla Thomas.

This 214th episode of my WYXR-FM show Air-Conditioned goes psychedelic. Grab your headphones, close your eyes, and let Eric Burdon & The Animals, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Beatles, The Move, Cream, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Skip Spence, Bee Gees, The Who, and Rolling Stones be your tour guides.

Never in my life did I think we'd have such a dangerous person in the Oval Office, but trump didn't hold back when he told the gathered American military, “I told Pete we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...

This episode of Air-Conditioned is a glitter coated tribute to Glam. T-Rex, Roxy Music, Mott The Hoople, Sparks, The New York Dolls, Jobriath, Lou Reed, Suede, Mick Ronson, David Werner and Elton John strut in their stuff in full sparkling musical make-up and rhythmic rouge. 1/2

When John Oliver mentions there are "chilling precedents happening all over the world right now," the first thing that came to mind was Anne Applebaum's impressive book Autocracy, Inc. I don't believe trump is only a Russian asset. The corruption is far deeper.

Are we there, yet? The visceral moment of outrage from Network, a timeless cinematic warning from 1976. Welcome to today. youtu.be/_RujOFCHsxo?...

Kimmel’s taken off the air!! Follow the money. This is the raw ugly reality of unfettered deregulated Capitalism. These CEO fuckers will crawl up trump’s ass to advance their bottom line. Meanwhile, treat yourself to watching Paddy Cayefsky’s brilliant 1976 film Network. youtu.be/yuBe93FMiJc?...

Robert Redford has passed away. besides being one of the great actors of American cinema, starring in films like All the President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Natural, The Way We Were, The Candidate and his great performance All Is Lost among many other film classics.

This sums my feelings about Kirk. The right of free speech came at a great price, but we are responsible for our words and those who incite violence or cruelty need to be immediately called out publicly. Kirk was a verbal bomb thrower dressed in White Christian Nationalist privilege.

My 213th episode of Air-Conditioned is going to space with the help of Phineas & Ferb, Carl Sagan, Stevie Wonder, Sesame Street, Mr Rogers, The B52s, Seu Jorge, David Bowie, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Firesign Theatre, The Byrds, Homer Simpson, Jimi Hendrix and Stephen Hawking with Monty Python.

Marlene Dietrich isn’t one to be boxed in, and a natural for my weekly musical mash-up, Air-Conditioned. Also in the mix are Suzanne Vega, Daniel Johnston, Uncle Walt’s Band, Beach Bunny, Shawn Colvin, Drive-By Truckers, These Days, and Bill Lee belting out the goods from South Pacific. 1/3

Live on Reuters YouTube, in case you can't get this elsewhere. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1bx...

They should run the entire event on live TV. I remember when network television would air an empty stage for 30 minutes waiting for him to yammer his nonsense. Airing this event live might be a small atonement for all of their shitty trump coverage over the years.

This 211th edition of my weekly musical dive, I call Air-Conditioned, features Ry Cooder, Sarah Jarosz, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Buddy & Julie Miller, Skip Spence, Bob Dylan, Trombone Shorty, The Byrds, Neil Young, Willis Alan Ramsey, The Jody Grind, Odetta, and Lyle Lovett.

Why of course, this is what good Christian Nationalists do for people in need.

I return to my office after lunch and not only do I have the privilege of seeing the statue in the town Square paying tribute to the Confederate soldier, I have this knucklehead parked in front of my window. Aah, the Deep South. These folks are a loud minority, but the TN politicians support them.

This week's Air-Conditioned is a disparate mash-up of artists, but it all flows nicely. I rounded up John Hiatt, Kate Bush, Tanita Tikaram, Jayhawks, Peter Gabriel, Pura Fé, Crowded House, and Tom Petty, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Williams Brothers, Tori Amos, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore bring it home. 1/2

I appreciate Heather Cox Richardson’s diligence connecting today’s troubling developments through her lens as a historian. This particular post of hers is an important reminder how schools and institutions are vulnerable to the trump administration’s efforts to whitewash history. 1/3 #statesrights

This 209th episode of Air-Conditioned celebrates 70s singer-songwriters and interpreters of songs like Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Stephen Stills, James Taylor, Karla Bonoff, Neil Young, Dan Fogelberg, Loggins & Messina, Joe Walsh, The Byrds, & Donna Summer. 1/3

If Trump can take people, he doesn’t like to court, then I hope all of these people he has fired have their lawyers ready. Trump’s Pick to Lead Labor Data Agency Adds to Fears of Political Interference

It’s Episode 208 of my weekly music dive, Air-Conditioned. I’ve been leaning into all kinds of vocals. We’ll hear Indigo Girls, Everly Brothers, Swingle Singers, Petra Haden, Pete Seeger, Manhattan Transfer, Beatles, and Lambert Hendricks & Ross. #rickclark

I received a call from Keith Secola, who shared that our version of "NDN Kars," featured in Dark Winds, Season 3, Episode 308, reached #1 on the SiriusXM Indigenous Music Countdown this week. The scene "NDN Kars" appears in is one of my very favorite music uses ever. Congratulations, Keith!!

I met Jeff Buckley while I was living in Memphis. He and his band were doing an unplugged set at my neighborhood record store. I walked to the store and caught the performance. There were maybe three dozen people in the store, and everyone in that room was mesmerized and moved by what they saw. 1/6

A rendering of the proposed ballroom at the latest trump property. As long as he has a lock on the Presidency and Republicans blindly do his bidding, he'll live the life he always believed he deserved, especially once he paints the whole place gold and puts a big trump sign on top.

It will take years addressing the corruption and repairing the damage trump and his administration have done to this country. Unnoticed Whistle-Blower Document Alarms Justice Department Veterans www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/u...

My weekly music dish I call Air-Conditioned Episode 207 is what happens when you stir up a pot of Nina Simone, Swamp Dogg, Laurel & Hardy, Little Milton, Jim Dickinson, Allen Toussaint, Corey Harris, with The Delta Rhythm Boys and the Les Paul Trio. That’s a lot ingredients, but … 1/3 #wyxr-memphis

Tonights 60 Minutes opened with a smartly chosen replay of a previously aired episode, which was a horrific deep dive into a the “disappearing” of citizens during a time when Argentina became a dictatorship. A solution to insure these people disappeared involved flying these captives... 1/3

trump is determined to take a swing at everyone. There is a great Allen Toussaint song lyric that applies to guys like him. “It's high time that you found The same dudes you misuse on your way up You might meet up On your way down” youtu.be/VeqS7RhLjJ0?si

Robert Reich is right. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/m...

We’re in peak Summer here in the South. If ever there was a time for a show called Air-Conditioned, it is now. To help tune the air, this edition brings you XTC, Carly Simon, Sly & The Family Stone, The Kinks, Bobbie Gentry, War, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Amy Rigby, and more. #Air-Conditioned 1/2

The Colbert Report was a great show. Colbert has had an influential run on television for the last two decades. This back-and-forth with Robert Reich on the old Colbert show is a reminder that wealth inequality is a core issue in our country. There is no reason for billionaires to exist.

Most of the voting public will issue a harsh judgement for the cynicism and cowardice of every Republican up for election in 2026 and 2028. They are going to need a lot more than thoughts and prayers. Trump’s “shooting someone in fifth Avenue and not losing a vote” invincibility days are over.

Well, wouldn’t you know it? Florida, of course! www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

Jesse Ed Davis was one of the most distinctive guitarists of the late 60s and 70s. If you don’t know who he is, every track on today’s edition of Air-Conditioned will be something Jesse Ed Davis played on or produced, including Jackson Browne, John Lennon, Leon Russell, and more! 1/2 #jesseeddavis

The Epstein cover-up is unsurprising proof that some will go to any length steamrolling over “me, too” in order to protect the patriarchy’s privileged penis. There are Republicans and Democrats, the famous and entitled, who lapped at Epstein’s guilded trough of young female victims. 1/2 #epstein

Besides making great music, what do Randy Newman, John Hiatt, Mavis Staples, Little Feat, Maria Muldaur, The Rolling Stones, Arlo Guthrie, Steve Young, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris have in common? It's Ry Cooder, and we'll hear all these artists with Ry in this episode. 1/2

I've enjoyed reading all of Sarah Kendzior's books so much that I've also purchased her audiobooks, which she narrates. Her writing hits a sweet spot between Sarah Vowell and Heather Cox Richardson, meaning her observations of current times and US history are insightful and occasionally humorous.1/3

And the Putin hit parade keeps coming. I imagine the guy in the Oval Office fancies himself as untouchable by the law. Come to think of it, the Supreme Court has pretty much made that a reality. www.wsj.com/world/russia...

I've always been a fan of Brian Eno's music and installations. It's nice to hear his thoughts about the rich and paying taxes. Enjoy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh7C...

I can see the lawsuits piling up, once the Dems gain control. Payback will be hell after all the civil rights violations begin tallying up. Those who aren’t convicted will be tied up in expensive legal battles. Thanks to Susan Marquis @slmwrite.bsky.social for sharing.

It’s July 4th, and maybe this week’s 203rd edition of Air-Conditioned will be a good soundtrack for what ails you. On deck, we’ve got Sly & The Family Stone, Bob Dylan, Mavis Staples, Bruce Springsteen, Lauryn Hill, The Impressions, Aretha Franklin, Spirit, The Rascals, Stevie Wonder, and more. 1/2

trump is gutting any department that could possibly pose a threat to holding him accountable for his many crimes. This latest FBI sacking targets any exposure he has in the Epstein files. He believes he is entitled to rewrite history to his liking. I really hope he doesn't get away with this.

Chris Hedges is the voice of Inconvenient Truths. He's been present at some of the most horrific human-created atrocities. His books are well worth reading. Read this and contemplate why in the hell big money Democrats are railing against Zohran Mamdani in the most Islamophobic fashion.

This week’s musical journey, I call Air-Conditioned, is a soulful celebration of African, Australian, South American, and American jazz. We’ll hear Mariam Makeba, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Gurrumul, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Milt Jackson, Fela Kuti with Ginger Baker, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and more.1/2

Bill Moyers has passed. I loved his broadcasts and books, and he helped make the world a better place thanks to his dedication to understanding what he experienced around him through the lens of empathy and a high bar of expectations from those in power to do the right thing. He was one of a kind.

Ann Telnaes cartoon from 2003. Some things never change when there's money to be made.

Our Vitex is in full bloom, right in time for the Solstice. Bees and butterflies love these plants.

Is it too late to give Sacha Baron Cohen an Oscar for this? Not a damn lie told. 🇺🇸

Clinton might be a former rockstar president to some, but his reminiscing tour is tiring. He helped pass the legislation allowing tech giants to become robber barons of creative content, as well as the deregulation of media markets that allowed conglomerates to gut regional media diversity.

trump is relishing his authoritarian power and the war profiteers are enjoying the spoils in the wake of his insatiable ego. Meanwhile, the war crimes continue and the bodies mount.