George Klein's Memphis

One of my favorite shows on local television is "Memphis Sounds with George Klein" on the Library Station, WYPL Channel 18. The "Geeker (pronounced jeeker) in Your Speaker" does pretty much what he always has, interviewing artists and musicians, both famous and non-famous, that figure into this thing we call Memphis Music. The only problem is that for the last several weeks, George has taken a leave of absence because of health reasons. His substitutes, Leon Griffin, Dave Brown, and William Bell, have all been great, but nobody does it like GK. Now in its twelfth year, George has interviewed everyone from Isaac Hayes to Justin Timberlake, along with scores of local musicians, while treating disc jockeys from small stations with the same respect reserved for the superstars that show up when George calls. His encyclopedic knowledge of rock n' roll and radio give Klein decades of anecdotes to call upon, from being part of the original "Memphis Mafia," to the list of musical giants who Klein has promoted over the years. Always entertaining, "Memphis Sounds" is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Memphis Music, something that Klein has been squarely in the middle of for his entire professional life.

George Klein has been a fixture in Memphis radio and television since he was an assistant to Dewey Phillips on WHBQ back in the fifties. Dewey may have been the first disc jockey to play an Elvis record, but George was the second. Beginning his radio career in Osceola, Arkansas, like most disc jockeys, George worked several small stations before landing a job in Memphis at powerhouse WMC, who wanted to experiment with this new rock n' roll thing. After a year or so, the stations' management informed George they believed that this rock n' roll stuff was just a passing fad and let him go. Fortunately, George's Humes High School classmate, Elvis, hired him on the spot, beginning with a whirlwind year of traveling with The King and culminating with a bit part in Jailhouse Rock and subsequently seven other Elvis movies. The friendship between Klein and Presley has become legendary, from George's book, "Elvis: My Best Man," to his radio program, "George Klein's Original Elvis Hour," now in its thirty-fourth year. His syndicated, "The GK Show," on Sirius XM, broadcast from Graceland, is in its tenth year. Priscilla Presley even asked George to accept the award for Elvis' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But this is not about what George did for Elvis, it's what GK has done for the city of Memphis.

I first became aware of George when he was the afternoon disc jockey on WHBQ. Back then, he was a rhyming DJ who spoke "hep talk." He could go on a five minute rhyming patter without missing a beat. In a way, GK might have been the first rapper. George enjoys the story of how we met when I was thirteen. Hitchhiking was forbidden in my family- so, I was standing on the corner with my thumb out when a shiny Cadillac pulled over. Of course, it was George. He encouraged me when I told him I had started a little band, and when he found out I was heading for Poplar Tunes downtown, he drove me the entire way and dropped me off at the front door. That's the kind of guy George is- generous to a fault. In 1964, GK's radio popularity led to hosting a weekly television show called Talent Party. He brought in the finest artists around to lip-sync their latest hits, but most importantly, GK hosted every ambitious, young garage band in town. If they didn't have a recording, George sent them to Roland Janes at Sonic Recording to cut songs which they could then perform on Talent Party. Being the beneficiary of several of GK's invitations, I can testify that every time we appeared on Talent Party the bookings flooded in. In essence, GK was responsible for the whole sixties garage band scene which ultimately produced some of Memphis' most notable entertainers. Scores of local musicians owe their start to George's generosity. Klein also arranged for the first African-American to perform live on local TV. Fats Domino not only sang live, he recorded several songs to be broadcast in future shows. After George booked Fats, it was no problem for him to get James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke. Talent Party was on every Saturday afternoon for twelve years.

I recently spoke with artist manager and music entrepreneur Jerry Williams, George's friend of nearly seventy years, who is the producer of "Memphis Sounds." Jerry said the annual George Klein Christmas Charity Show was the longest running charity in Memphis. The first one was held in a wrestling ring at the Mid-South Coliseum. While the grapplers took a breather, GK featured Charlie Rich, The Bill Black Combo, and Ace Cannon. The next year, the show was moved to the National Guard Armory and then to the Fairgrounds to accommodate the crowds. Major artists donated their talents. Jerry Lee Lewis performed every time George called, as well as local bands like Flash and the Board of Directors, who George championed. Donated items were auctioned  with a professional auctioneer, who flew to Memphis at his own expense. In fact, everyone worked for free- the bands, the promoters, the building owners, and the concessionaires. One hundred percent of the profits went to local charities. After each show, the promoters put a little money away into what they called a "Rainy Day Fund," so that in years when the crowd was smaller due to ice or snow, the same amount of charitable donations could be made. After forty-two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, the yearly gala ended, but the "Rainy Day Fund" produced enough revenue to establish the George Klein Broadcasting Scholarship at the University of Memphis. Williams said that he knows of no other person who has dedicated his life to the betterment of this city than Klein. Now it's time to say thank you. Thank you George, for convincing Elvis that recording at American Studios was a good idea. Thank you George, for naming the Guilloteens. Thank you George, for the nights at Fridays or Alfred's where you spun records and donated the proceeds. Thank you George, for being the first to play Johnny Cash on the radio. Thank you George, for introducing the Beatles at their Memphis show. Thank you George, for hosting the Memphis Mafia program during Elvis Week every year from 1978 to 2017 and donating the funds to the U of M. Thank you George, for all the years of entertainment. And thank you George, for a lifetime of selflessly promoting the great music and artists that come from your home town. We love ya' madly.

Dear Congressman Cohen

Dear Congressman Cohen,

The Democrats are practically salivating over their chances to retake the House and possibly the Senate in November, especially since the treasonous antics of this aberration of a President in Finland with his handler, Vlad the Impaler. However, there are still some major obstacles. I believe that among the reasons that so many people sat out the last election rather than vote for Hillary was their reluctance to return Bill Clinton to the White House. Similarly, I sense that the same voters who mistrusted the Clintons, do not want to see the Speaker's gavel returned to Nancy Pelosi. You know me, Congressman. I have no special insights or inside sources to assist me in formulating an opinion. I'm like a Will Rogers for the electronic age. All I know is what I see, hear, and read from multi-platforms and trusted sources, so when I say the Democrats have problems, that's just my perception of things, backed up with a generous knowledge of history and politics. I believe that this will be a generational election, much like 1960 when the torch was passed to JFK. When the torch was passed to our generation, we unfortunately passed it back. Now is the season to rectify old mistakes. Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean said, "Nancy (Pelosi) is probably the greatest speaker since Tip O'Neill," but in the next breath said it was, "time for (his) generation to get the hell out of the way." Ms. Pelosi has been in the party's top spot for fifteen years. That's five years longer than Tip O'Neill. She has been a familiar face since she was elected to Congress in 1987, representing most of San Francisco. That was the same year Michael Jackson released "Bad," and the number one movie was "Dirty Dancing." As effective a leader as I believe Ms. Pelosi has been, I fear she has stayed too long at the ball.

We both know that a great deal of politics is perception. For instance, the Republicans are perceived as the Neo-Know Nothing Party, thoroughly corrupted and devoid of any social conscience, while the Democrats are perceived as either whimpering simps or simpering wimps, who have allowed the word "liberal" to become a filthy epithet, and have no true compass for the future of the nation. We also know that the Democrats could fuck up a mayonnaise sandwich, and are entirely capable of doing it again. People are clamoring for fresh voices and new leadership, but I only hear crickets from the Dems. Currently, the ages of the House Democratic leadership are respectively: Ms. Pelosi-78, Party Whip Steny Hoyer-79, and Assistant Minority Leader Jim Clyburn-78. I'm not sure if these are politicians or the cast of "Cocoon." During a brief discussion, you told me that Nancy Pelosi accomplished more in a day than others did in a month and that she had the energy of others "half her age." Therein lies the problem. Representatives half her age should already be rising into positions of influence in the party. At least twenty current Democratic candidates have said they will not vote for Ms. Pelosi as Speaker, causing the party leadership elections to be postponed until Thanksgiving. Matt Fuller of the "Huffington Post" wrote, "Pelosi was able to save face, delaying the elections herself instead of actually letting the group force her into moving the date."

Speaking of perception, it's not all about age. We know Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker in history, a champion of women's rights, and perhaps the greatest fundraiser in party history. She also Blocked George Bush's plan to privatize Social Security and helped shepherd Obamacare through Congress when others had given up. Conversely, after the Bush regime misled the American people about Weapons of Mass Destruction and took the country into an unnecessary war, Pelosi said impeachment was "off the table." Concerning Trump, Ms. Pelosi said that impeachment would be "a gift to the Republicans," that could alienate voters. She concluded, "this is not the path (the Party) should go on." She has advocated not poking the bear. Don't talk about impeachment? I want that lying, ill-tempered, conniving, money-laundering, puffed-up Putin's punk not just impeached but arrested and jailed. Our Democracy is burning. If there were ever a time to discuss impeachment, it's now. I don't care if it motivates the Trump cultists, the Democrats' job is to turn out more voters than they do. The Republicans are actively involved in their favorite activity; suppressing the vote. Of course, the right-wing perception of Nancy Pelosi is a "Demon, blood-sucking San Fransisco liberal," who wants to raise your taxes and give it all to MS-13 gang members and abortion clinics. The GOP spent sixty-five million dollars on anti-Pelosi ads in 2010 and are gearing up to spend even more this outing. The Trumpsters need an enemy and now that Hillary's gone, Nancy Pelosi is the best they have. Republican ad men believe "her face on the screen stokes fear and anger." Retiring abject failure Paul Ryan claimed, "The Democratic candidates are tied to Nancy Pelosi and her toxic liberal agenda, no matter what they say."

We know that Chuck Schumer has been called "The Senator From Wall Street," but that's not your purview. Trump is fond of labeling the Democratic leadership  "Chuck n' Nancy," more in derision than anything else. But if "Chuck n' Nancy" were a Broadway show, it would have been cancelled on November 9th, 2016. Since Nancy Pelosi took the gavel in 2007, Democrats have lost thirty-nine House seats, yet she still claims impeachment is a "distraction."  Former CIA Chief John Brennan tweeted, "Donald Trump's press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes and misdemeanors.' It was nothing short of treasonous." The "Need to Impeach" campaign of billionaire Tom Steyer has accumulated over 5.4 signatures, sixty percent of which are "registered voters who don't vote." Steyer said, "We believe fighting against a reckless and lawless president is not something that will turn off voters. I have immense respect for Nancy Pelosi..I love her, but I disagree with her on this." One Representative has said, "The time has come to make clear to the American people and to this president that his train of injuries to our Constitution must be brought to an end through impeachment," That was you Congressman Cohen, and I respect and admire you for your courageous stance. It is imperative that the Democrats succeed in washing the poisonous Tea Party, aka the "Freedom Caucus," from the body politic in November. There are excellent chances this may happen but not while Pelosi's amped-up, hysterical backbiters blame her for everything from the wildfires in California to trapping a Thai soccer team in an underwater cave. No one should have to tell Ms. Pelosi that she is an impediment to the chances of a Democratic victory. She could gracefully withdraw her nomination for Speaker before the fall election and drive the rabid opposition insane. We should honor Nancy Pelosi's long and brilliant service as party leader, but as Near-President Al Gore once famously said, "It's time for them to go."  

Respectfully, your loyal constituent of TN District 9,

Randy Haspel












 

The Steve Miller Ban

What would you call a nation that separates children from their immigrant parents and warehouses them in abandoned Big Box stores behind chain-linked fences? What do you call a regime that institutes a "zero tolerance" policy for immigrant families fleeing violence, political upheaval and poverty in their own countries?" What does it say about the law when the Attorney General has the pomposity to quote Scripture to justify the administration's gestapo tactics while grinning at the camera? And what do you say about a nation's leader that demands that all followers of a global religion be banned from entering the country? It used to be verboten for any responsible journalist to compare our democratic republic with the Nazis. How do you avoid the comparison when two Texas Public Defenders testify that some parents were told by Border Agents that their children were being taken "to bathe," and never returned? Reporters have told of nursing babies taken from their mothers; the screams of parents following the realization that their children were gone; and the tears of refugees who presented themselves at proper border crossings seeking asylum but instead were hustled off into criminal custody. I saw a documentary about children torn from their parents' arms once, only it took place in 1939 and I had to read the subtitles because it was in German. This is no longer the home of the brave and the land of the free. It's the home of the intolerant and the land of the incarcerated. I don't know about you, but I want my country back.

Always looking to deflect his assholism on to someone else, Trump tweeted in his own ungrammatical way, "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change." He's lying. No law requires this. During the influx of mothers and children from Central America in 2014, the Obama administration attempted to detain families with Immigration and Customs Enforcement until their cases could be adjudicated, which was administrative rather than criminal detention. Even then, a federal judge ordered a stay for confined asylum seekers and ruled that families could be held in detention for only a short period of time- usually twenty days. And children were not taken from their parents. In Trump's America, immigrants are taken into federal criminal custody, thus transforming their children into unaccompanied minors who are then whisked away to one of two hundred immigrant detention centers dotted all over the fruited plane. Chief of Staff John Kelly claimed that children and their parents would be separated, "In order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network. The children will be taken care of- put into foster care or whatever." Currently, the government has opened a "tent city" near El Paso to house three hundred sixty minors in one hundred degree heat, with plans to construct numerous such "cities" across Texas. They are also actively looking at military bases to house immigrant children. Even conservative pastor Franklin Graham said it was "disgraceful."

It only figures that a corrupted corporatocracy like the United States would eventually cough up a hairball like Donald Trump, but you'd have to look far and wide to find a Jewish Nazi like Stephen Miller. A far-right icon, Miller is a Senior Advisor to the President at the age of thirty-two. Born into a liberal Jewish family in Santa Monica, California, Miller is a descendant of ancestors who fled the pogroms of what is now Belarus. His conversion to conservatism took place after reading "Guns, Crime, and Freedom," a screed against progressive ideas and criminal justice reform written by National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre. At Duke University, quasi-nazi and white nationalist Richard Spencer claimed he mentored Miller, although Miller disavows ever knowing Spencer. Miller's first D.C. gig came as spokesman for Minnesota's moron Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who said in 2014 that American Jews, "Sold out Israel," by voting for Obama, and apologized in Jerusalem only last week for her calls for converting "as many Jews as we can," because "Jesus is coming soon." In 2009, Miller became advisor and communications director for then Senator Jeff Sessions. In an interview with Breitbart News, Sessions praised the National Origins Act of 1924 which restricted immigration from Eastern Europe, saying, "It was good for America." The irony was lost on Miller.

Miller piggy-backed Sessions into the White House where his white nationalist views meshed perfectly with the new administration. After cozying up to the incendiary Steve Bannon, Miller invited the writers and editors of Breitbart News to the White House to discuss immigration. He played an integral part in Trump's illegal travel ban and was a crusader for restricting refugee resettlement and immigration from Muslim countries. He even wrote Trump's "American Carnage" Inaugural speech. His initial appearance on national news was notable for the comment, "The powers of the President to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned." A recent New York Times article said, "Mr. Miller was instrumental in Mr. Trump's decision to ratchet up the zero tolerance policy." Senator Lindsey Graham opined, "As long as Stephen Miller is in charge of negotiating immigration, we are going nowhere." I don't know the conditions that create a self-loathing Jew. If Miller was oblivious to the darkest chapter of the twentieth century, you'd have thought he'd at least seen Shindler's List. The Times reports that over the last six weeks, an estimated two-thousand children have been separated from their families. One immigrant from Honduras killed himself in custody after being separated from his wife and child. With Josef Goebbels wannabes like Stephen Miller advising the president, the time has come to decide whether the United States will retain its status as a beacon of liberty to the world or become just another "shithole country."

King Don the Last

There's this classic Soul song that you should hear called "Everybody Plays the Fool," by The Main Ingredient. You could YouTube it, or find it wherever you steal your music. The chorus goes, "Everybody plays the fool/ There's no exception to the rule/ It may be factual, it may be cruel/ But everybody plays the fool." I'll be the first to own up to it. As a younger man, I've been stood up, shot down, duped, used, and abused. I have been made a fool of, and have made a fool of myself more than once. Often, the most difficult part of being misled is admitting it to yourself. I think of myself as a reasonably smart fellow, so how could I allow myself to be so deceived? Coming to terms with my willful blindness meant admitting that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was. Anyone is capable of being hoodwinked if they truly want to believe in what you're selling. What's hard is confessing that you were had. It was a tough life lesson to absorb, but after awhile, I emerged a more cautious and wiser person. So, when are the Trump fanatics going to give it up? How long will it take before it dawns on the MAGA minions that they've been conned by a pro? As of this writing, Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time high. This means the educationally challenged are digging in, abetted by Fox News, Info-Wars, Breitbart, talk radio, and the oxymoronically named "Freedom Caucus," Trump's right-wing commandos in the House of Representatives. They are constantly spoon-fed an alternate reality where the "Deep State" and embittered Democrats are out to destroy the Trump presidency. In Trump World, he's as innocent as Santa Claus. They ask, in all sincerity, "tell me exactly what he has done wrong?" You've probably seen it in your Facebook feed too.

There is no convincing the "true believer" that their convictions are flawed. They must reach that conclusion alone. When attacked, they search for villains to blame and they give them names like Comey, Mueller, McCabe, Rosenstein, Clinton, and Obama- four of whom are Republicans. The revelation that the FBI had an informant embedded in his campaign has driven the President insane. During a tsunami of tweets, Trump wrote, "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes (sic)- and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!" The "king" hereby demands- who does he think he is, Vladimir Putin? Trump is commanding the Justice Department to investigate itself. It's no mystery. Foreign policy "advisors" George Papadopoulos and Carter Page were caught up in routine foreign wiretaps discussing the Trump campaign with Russian sympathizers. It would be negligent if the FBI did not place an informant in the campaign. Both men have pleaded guilty- Papadopoulis for lying to the FBI, and Page for "conspiracy against the United States." Both are co-operating with the Mueller investigation and are awaiting sentencing. And this is the low-hanging fruit. Both the GOP led House of Representatives' investigation and Trump's personal porch ghoul, Rudy Giuliani, have declared the Trump campaign to be completely blameless. Nothing has been proven, they say, so the Mueller probe should be shut down immediately.

In one year, the Mueller team has indicted nineteen people, including thirteen Russian nationals and three Russian companies, and obtained five guilty pleas. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort, in a twelve-count indictment, is charged with, "conspiracy against the United States," being an unregistered foreign agent, and making false statements. New charges were brought in February claiming Manafort laundered over thirty million dollars, failed to pay taxes for a decade, and used real estate holdings to fraudulently obtain twenty million dollars in loans. That's why Manafort is wearing two ankle bracelets while he awaits trial on charges that, if proven guilty, could land him in prison for three hundred years. Manafort's deputy, Rick Gates, has pleaded guilty and is co-operating with the Mueller investigation. Former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, plead guilty to charges of lying to the FBI about his discussions with Russian contacts over removing Obama era sanctions for annexing the Crimea. The overzealous Nixon lover, Roger Stone, said he is "prepared to be indicted" over his communications with Russian hackers and WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. If this is the "witch hunt" that Trump claims, the brooms are beginning to stack up in the corridors of justice.

We had yet to mention the Trump Tower meeting between Don, Jr., Jared Kushner, and a cauldron of Russians, when new information emerged about a heretofore unknown gathering in the Tower between Don the Lesser and emissaries from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia looking to help Daddy. Trump tweeted, "The Witch Hunt finds no Collusion (sic) with Russia- so now they're looking at the rest of the World. Oh' great." Too bad they didn't teach grammar and punctuation at the Wharton School. Every time Trump sends out a tweet, somewhere an English teacher has a cardiac infarction. Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, said he would take a bullet for the President. He might have to. There's not room in a single article to discuss Stormy Daniels, the China bribery, obstruction of justice, personal enrichment, cronyism, nepotism, bank fraud, cover-ups, bribery, extortion, and abuse of power. Next up is a defamation lawsuit filed by former "Apprentice" contestant and alleged victim of sexual abuse, Summer Zervos. Trump said Zervos "made up" a "hoax" to aid Hillary Clinton. Several of the other sixteen sexual harassment accusers have said they are willing to be deposed. Most concerning, Zervos' attorney has subpoenaed recordings from "The Apprentice" that show Trump speaking of women "in any sexual or inappropriate manner." I think I just heard that other shoe hit the deck. If all this causes you to despair, consider the words of porn-star attorney and Trump antagonist, Michael Avenatti, who stated, "Mr. Trump will not serve out his term. No way. No How. He will be forced to ultimately resign." Thanks Obama.