To thine own self be true

has become irrelevant. They continue to cover the Olympics 24/7 while there is a historical national crisis in Ottawa. They have chosen not to cover the biggest story of our time. They will never recover from this embarrassing, humiliating public news failure. Their funding by government should be seriously questioned over this major balls-up. Meantime, the more socially conscious CTV News covers the crisis 24/7.

They’re being used to drive away protesters in New Zealand.

He’s been dumped by his accounting firm and has to submit taxes today and has no accounting firm to represent him! George Conway figures this might bankrupt him. This might be the beginning of The End, let’s hope.

They are opposed to thoroughly corrupt politicians endangering their lives by lifting mask mandates and refusing to reinstate them. They know precisely who’s trying to make them sick, disabled, and dead, who The Enemy of Alberta is.

Kenney has never been on the side of the People of Alberta from the get-go, especially children. He is a wanna be GOP tyrant supported by gun-totin’ rednecks and wanna-be ‘Americans’ in Stampede attire.

He’s a ‘big boy’ who didn’t do any real enforcement against his people (with an arsenal) at the Coutts crossing for 3 weeks. So no gratitude to the federal RCMP for taking down and arresting the shooters yesterday.

As he said, the feds were only inciting/aggravating the situation by moving to shut it down (?), thereby embarrassing him for doing zilch and giving carte blanche to the armed hooligans who were “fine people” a la Trump’s mobs.

No, Kenney, the feds didn’t exacerbate the Coutts crisis like you; they ended it.

–T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

“I have measured out my life in insulin pens.”

–RD, Feb. 15, 2022

“Arrests linked to Coutts blockades” to
“Arrests linked to UCP blockades”.

The reason why Kenney is so opposed to Trudeau’s Emergency Measures is because he doesn’t want his people, who are being financed partly by UCP donors (as revealed in leaks yesterday), to be investigated and outed by the RCMP. Now we know why he hasn’t acted against the Coutts blockade.

(FYI/as of Feb. 13, both DVD and Blu-Ray sold out within a week on Amazons !)

‘Twas quite focused on the Beatles’ relationships. John comments, in passing, that Ringo had previously been unhappy (when he offered to leave the group which surprised the other 3).

On the other hand, Paul’s influence and quality songs, through Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s, and Magical Mystery, were definitely keeping things afloat after Epstein’s death. The songs are mostly his with the odd “I Am the Walrus” by John and better George songs now being available for use.

He even admits that he feels like he’s been taking charge and you can see it in the original Let It Be film and this one. It is very hard to imagine those 4 albums plus Let It Be and Abbey Road without Paul’s many memorable songs.

By this point, Ringo and George recognize they’re second bananas to Lennon-McCartney.
Ringo looks bored and remains patient, accepting all. George has new songs which Paul and John are not giving a fair listen to. And Paul keeps suggesting to him what he might play.

Eric Clapton, a better guitarist than George becomes an instant possible replacement (and George knows his friend is a better player–later he would use him on Cream’s “Badge” and Clapton would marry Patty/”Layla”, G’s first wife). He feels the olde democratic group feeling is disappearing or gone. He does not accept the changing dynamic, questioning it all the way.

So the dam, predictably, bursts, George quietly and firmly exits, and at the end of part 1, we learn that there was no resolution after the other 3 visited him at home.

That all said, the whole process of completing this project within a certain time frame (they always had worked that way before with every previous project–Epstein and Martin kept them hopping), working in a cold winter barn of a building with inferior equipment and Martin no longer in charge of the recordings, quickly wears on them as they flop around trying to dig up and create material for the show. (Martin did not produce this album BTW–Phil Spector took over with John’s approval and nobody else’s–more conflict plus the lawyers’ conflicts)

Lots of dead ends, and growing unhappiness, anger, and frustration. There is a certain truth to the original feel and surfaces of the Let It Be film.

Slowly, though, the album’s songs start emerging in raw forms, but the standouts come more prominently from Paul, starting with “Get Back” (which nearly became a politics-of-the-day song!), “Let It Be” (which he noodles away on in the background as others talk oblivious a masterpiece is emerging), “The Long and Winding Road” (being worked out as Paul talks to the equipment mgr./go-fer Mal), and “Two of Us” (the best of the old LM songs)–the 4 bona-fide classics from the album.

It is fascinating to see Paul work through his songs, literally ad libbing and giving birth to them on camera. And it is fun to see the guys (especially L and M) really enjoying themselves and each other as a close-up duo.

Right there is the core of their connection, success, and evolution as songwriters and performers. Right there is the core of The Beatles, though George and Ringo always made major contributions, performances, and enhancements.

But about a few things, Paul was very right: you need a vision, you need to keep pluggin’ away till you get the results you want, and the best tunes will eventually emerge. And they do, eventually, for the Let It Be film and album.

Very interesting overall, I got my money’s worth on creative process and behind-the-scenes Beatles live. What I didn’t bargain on was the painstaking detail about a group breaking up, Paul and George’s conflicts (Paul even questions the grammar of one of George’s lines! Woh!), and how little distraction Yoko actually created on set (it was like she wasn’t there as far as the other 3 guys were concerned).

(David Byrne’s Big Suit)

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
This ain’t no fooling around
–Talking Heads, “Life During Wartime”

this prophetic Talking Heads prophetic classic from 1983.

Life During Wartime

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons,
Packed up and ready to go
Heard of some grave sites, out by the highway,
A place where nobody knows

The sound of gunfire, off in the distance,
I’m getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstone, lived in a ghetto,
I’ve lived all over this town

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco,                                                                                                This ain’t no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey,
I ain’t got time for that now

Transmit the message, to the receiver,
Hope for an answer some day
I got three passports, a couple of visas,
You don’t even know my real name

High on a hillside, the trucks are loading,
Everything’s ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nighttime,
I might not ever get home

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco,
This ain’t no fooling around
This ain’t no Mudd Club, or C. B. G. B.,
I ain’t got time for that now

Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
Somebody see you up there

I got some groceries, some peanut butter,
To last a couple of days
But I ain’t got no speakers, ain’t got no headphones,
Ain’t got no records to play

Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can’t write a letter, can’t send no postcard,
I ain’t got time for that now

Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock,
We blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we’re tapping phone lines,
I know that that ain’t allowed

We dress like students, we dress like housewives,
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle, so many times now,
I don’t know what I look like!

You make me shiver, I feel so tender,
We make a pretty good team
Don’t get exhausted, I’ll do some driving,
You ought to get you some sleep

Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won’t help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace,
The burning keeps me alive