Tribute

Yesterday I was reading about somebody else in the Guardian, and saw Kris Kristofferson’s name with “was” next to it, so I knew then. I preferred his talent in movies, but can easily tolerate the music.

Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Carole King speak out against Trump. The trifecta!

Robyn Pennacchia Sep 13, 2024

Linda Ronstadt: Not *Just* The Inspiration For Every Haircut I’ve Ever Had, But For Other Things As Well! by Rebecca Schoenkopf Read on Substack

In case you didn’t hear the good news yesterday — Linda Ronstadt is not very happy about Donald Trump holding a rally last night at a (2200-person capacity) building named for her in Tucson, Arizona! She is so unhappy about it, in fact, that she wrote a letter forcefully denouncing him and officially endorsing Kamala Harris. This is actually a pretty big deal for a few reasons. One, she hasn’t been in the public eye much in recent years, and two that her endorsement could possibly sway some fence-sitting Baby Boomers.

I mean, I love Linda Ronstadt, she is an icon and a musical/sartorial inspiration to me, but I don’t think I love Linda Ronstadt in quite the same way that men of a certain age love Linda Ronstadt. This is a tendency I have been made especially privy to, as a lady who some people think looks somewhat like Linda Ronstadt. (To be fair, I have had most of her haircuts at this point.)

She wrote:

Donald Trump is holding a rally on Thursday in a rented hall in my hometown, Tucson. I would prefer to ignore that sad fact. But since the building has my name on it, I need to say something.

It saddens me to see the former President bring his hate show to Tucson, a town with deep Mexican-American roots and a joyful, tolerant spirit.

I don’t just deplore his toxic politics, his hatred of women, immigrants and people of color, his criminality, dishonesty and ignorance — although there’s that.

For me it comes down to this: In Nogales and across the southern border, the Trump Administration systematically ripped apart migrant families seeking asylum. Family separation made orphans of thousands of little children and babies, and brutalized their desperate mothers and fathers. It remains a humanitarian catastrophe that Physicians for Human Rights said met the criteria for torture.

There is no forgiving or forgetting the heartbreak he caused.

Trump first ran for President warning about rapists coming in from Mexico. I’m worried about keeping the rapist out of the White House.

Linda Ronstadt

P.S. to J.D. Vance:

I raised two adopted children in Tucson as a single mom. They are both grown and living in their own houses. I live with a cat. Am I half a childless cat lady because I’m unmarried and didn’t give birth to my kids? Call me what you want, but this cat lady will be voting proudly in November for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Ronstadt can’t sing anymore due to Parkinson’s (I cannot think too much about this or I will cry), but clearly she is still able to make her voice heard. (AW) (Snip-Much MORE, with music videos, too!)

Enjoy a couple from Randy Rainbow

(One is definitely from a while back, but is somehow still pertinent…)

Sade’s First New Song in 6 Years Is a Tribute to Her Trans Son

(I love Sade; that voice!)

The song is part of Transa, a compilation album that also features several trans and nonbinary artists including Sam Smith, Hunter Schafer, Perfume Genius, and Clairo.

By Mathew Rodriguez September 5, 2024

Everyone’s favorite smooth operator is back.

Nigerian-British singer Sade is set to release her first song in about six years, and it’s dedicated to her trans child, Izaak Theo Adu.

The song is part of Transa, a new compilation album from activist music organization Red Hot. The album will feature a bevy of trans and nonbinary artists, including Sam Smith, Hunter Schafer, Perfume Genius, Clairo, and more. The album, according to the organization, represents a “spiritual journey in eight chapters” and features 46 songs, running at over three-and-a-half hours.

Sade’s song, “Young Lion,” is dedicated to Adu, who is a trans man. Though Sade is known for keeping her personal life private, her son has posted about her support of him in the past. “Thank you for staying by my side these past 6 months Mumma,” Adu wrote in an Instagram caption in 2019, alongside a photo with his mother. “Thank you for fighting with me to complete the man I am. Thank you for your encouragement when things are hard, for the love you give me. The purest heart.”

Dust Reid, who put together the album alongside trans artist and activist Massima Bell, said Red Hot wanted a project “talking about all the gifts that trans artists have been giving to the world.”

“We hoped to create a narrative that positions trans and non-binary people as leaders in our society insofar as the deep inner work they do to affirm who they are in our current climate,” Reid told Variety. “We felt this is something everybody should do. Whether you identify as trans or non-binary or otherwise, if you took the time to explore your gender, get in touch with the feeling side of yourself, maybe we would have a future oriented around values of community, collaboration, care, and healing.” (snip-MORE)

https://www.them.us/story/sade-new-music-trans-son-izaak-theo-adu-transa-red-hot

I’m sorry to read this

Maybe others here enjoyed Sergio Mendes’s talent, too.

Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian Bossa Nova Musician, Dies of Long Covid at 83

The two time Grammy winner died on Thursday, Sept. 5, in a Los Angeles hospital

By Charna Flam Published on September 6, 2024 06:40 PM EDT

Kendall Jenner’s Most Stylish MomentsClose

Sergio Mendes arrives for red carpet arrivals to the Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Gala held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 3, 2018
Sérgio Mendes in Beverly Hills in May 2018. Photo: Chrissy Hampton/Getty

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian-born musician who brought bossa nova music to a global audience in the 1960s, died on Thursday, Sept. 5, in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 83.

The renowned musician’s family announced his death in a statement on his social media channels. His family said that his death was caused by effects of long Covid.

“His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children,” the statement read. “Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona.”

Throughout his six-decade career, Mendes recorded more than 35 albums, but he is best known for popularizing Brazilian music on a global stage beginning in the 1960s, starting with his composition of “Mas Que Nada.” 

“It was completely different from anything, and definitely completely different from rock ’n’ roll,” the Latin music scholar Leila Cobo said in the 2020 HBO documentary Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy. “But that speaks to how certain Sérgio was of that sound. He didn’t try to imitate what was going on.” (snip-MORE)

https://people.com/sergio-mendes-dead-age-83-long-covid-8708012

Childless Cat Ladies

Some nice morning music!

Nothing like a little

Rodger’s and Hammerstein, via Randy Rainbow, in the morning! (There’s a little ad at the beginning.)

From rawgod, A New JC

Here’s something completely different. This man is a genius.

One of the shortest Tiny Desk Concerts

Apropo of nothing, simply enjoy a minute, 22 seconds.

https://www.npr.org/2014/12/24/372683580/tiny-desk-concert-hmstr

“You could never fully steal the show when you’re followed by the blown-out spectacle of Sun Ra Arkestra’s Tiny Desk Concert. But the opening act kept jumping on the piano and nibbling on the set, literally pulling up the carpet and leaving “presents” on the floor. How could we not have them back? Did I mention they’re hamsters?

“Joni and Nash — first names only, please, like Madonna and Cher — are HMSTR. Certainly not the first band to count rodents among its members, but at least they refuse to release a punk album with no punk to be found. “Snow Day” is HMSTR’s first single, a twee-as-all-get-out holiday pop-punk song by virtue of having “snow” in its title. After what sounds like digital snowflakes, the song unleashes a one-minute snowball fight with the fuzziest Tiny Desk destroyers we’ve ever seen.

“You can download “Snow Day” from HMSTR’s Bandcamp page. Happy holidays!”

If you like ABBA (and even if you don’t)