28 June 2020

Petty

The late Tom Petty - "I Won't Back Down"
Western leaders are meant to uphold the law, to lead by example. Somebody should have told the forty fifth president of the USA. Not only does he arrogantly refuse to wear masks in environments where masks are required, he and his support team blatantly defy music copyright laws in their efforts to whip up their circus-like rallies. They just do not seem to care that the rights to "You Can't Always Get What You Want" are owned by The Rolling Stones and the rights to "I Won't Back Down" are owned by the estate of Tom Petty.

In this matter, Trump has been legally instructed to desist before  but he appears to believe that he is above the law.

Ironically, the two songs highlighted here are most un-Trumplike. Take that Rolling Stones song. The message is that sometimes you simply have to make do, lower your expectations because life is such that "you can't always get what you want". You have to move on in spite of your frustrations. One thinks of the southern border wall which will never be completed.

The Tom Petty song blasted out at Trump's recent and embarrassing rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a song about digging in, holding your ground and general defiance.  Tom Petty died in 2017. His philanthropy was well-known and he supported causes that are clearly at odds with Trump's main interests - including adoption, fostering, orphans, at-risk/disadvantaged youths,  creative arts education, environment, homelessness and unemployment support.

Trump will "back down" because fair-minded Americans will vote him out in November - proving that you really "can't always get what you want".  To paraphrase The Gospel of Matthew - he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword. I wonder if there's a song with that message in it. If there is, they should play it at future Trump rallies - with permission of course.

YouTube links:  "I Won't Back Down", "You Can't Always Get What You Want"

33 comments:

  1. I don't know, but he could try using Nellie The Elephant: "Off she went with a trumpety trump, Trump trump trump" He could bring Mandy Miller out of retirement to sing it for him.

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    1. Ha! Ha! Nice one Tasker.

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    2. That's funny.

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    3. Wow, I had that record when I was about eight years old! Still apt though!

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  2. We can but live in hope. I espoused a theory last year at a luncheon that Trump would end up pulling out of the race for the second term leaving the Republican Party in disarray. Why? Because he would suddenly realise that he wasn't going to win and he's rather cause chaos on his own terms than face the ignominy of defeat. I was laughed out of court. I suspect the laughter might be a little more muted now. However whilst I still think that is a possibility I also think he might stick it out and, if (I'd love to say 'when') he loses, he may well try and declare the election void. In fact he may try anything even stopping the election. Who know what the man might try.

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    1. Your prophecy seems very feasible to me Graham. Trump likes to see himself as a winner and the prospect of defeat will drive him to filthy, underhand tactics. He is already paving the way for such activity... even stimulating a rumour that Mr Biden is in the early stages of dementia. Quite disgusting.

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    2. I have been anticipating that if he loses the election, (and I still don't think that is at all guaranteed) he will declare it invalid.
      The idea of leaving the party in disarray is a possibility I hadn't thought of but also seems in character.
      In summary, I don't believe he will follow due process unless it gives him the result he wants

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    3. Trump makes Scott Morrison look like a wise and dignified democratic leader.

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    4. Yea but he is!

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  3. There was a point in my life (I was about eighteen) when I was pondering whether to study theology or go into politics. Yes, do laugh. My father's preferred choice for me to become a costume designer (stage/theatre/film). To which I only could say, and that was before I'd ever seen Manuel in Fawlty Towers: Que? Nil comprehende. If my colloquial English had been up to scratch then: What the eff are you on about?

    Maybe Trump and I could swap rolls. He'll run up a frock for a costume drama, I'll run the world. Now, and it's a promise, YP, that would be paradise; never mind that frock amounting to little more than trash. I'll hand the man child a consolation prize. If only for him to throw it out of the pram. Then I'll give him a big box of Lego to build a wall. Or four.

    U

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    1. No, I don't want to swap rolls with Trump. Who knows when or if he washes his hands. Roles will do.

      U

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    2. President Ursula Ruler of the Free World has a nice ring to it. There would be huge posters everywhere and T-shirts too - showing your smiling face - reassuring us all - like Big Sister.

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    3. So what would she play at rallies: Poor Unfortunate Souls or The Swansea Song?

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    4. As Northsider said below - "Keep on Rockin in The Free World". Ursula would be on stage in her lycra catsuit.

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    5. Thanks for your vote of confidence, YP. Tasker seems a little down in the mouth what with the competition.

      U

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    6. Thanks, Tasker, for your hint. On youtubing your suggesting I found this one, not set in Swansea as per your suggestion but in Haarlem, Netherlands www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwV-NH6t1YM

      If that doesn't rival Beethoven's Ode to Joy (ninth Symphony) urging all of us to be brothers I don't know what does. Not, of course, that Cain and Able got on.

      U

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  4. Neil Young's 'Rockin in the free world' would be a good song for a rally. It's better than 'land of dopes and Tories' that they play at Conservative rallies.

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    1. The Tories should play "The Funeral March" by Frederic Chopin.

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  5. From your lips to God's ears, as they say!

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    1. Trouble is that The Big Fellow must be sleeping so very soundly that he appears to be in an everlasting coma.

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  6. I read that the Stones are finally threatening law suits against Trump if he continues to play their song. They'd asked him to quit before but I take it that it's a pretty tricky situation regarding the laws. Trump certainly seems to have no problem in threatening to sue anyone that he has a bone to pick with.

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    1. It will be good to see him getting a dose of his own horrible medicine.

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  7. tRump is an embarrassment to the entire human race. He is a stupid, self centered, small, mean, lying sack of shit. But let me tell you how I really feel about him:)

    He is one of those people who is definitely in the camp of do as I say, not as I do.

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    1. Please don't hold back when expressing your views on DJT Lily.

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  8. That man is so unfit to lead anything; he does not have one shred of decency. Have you seen The Lincoln Party videos created and paid for by well-known members of the Republicans? They are advising voters to donate to Joe Biden's campaign and to vote for Biden in November. They are standing up against Trump regardless of their previous political affiliation. It's heartening, to say the least.

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    1. I will look out for those videos Jenny. Thanks for the heads up.

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  9. I like what Graham said. I can tell you one thing, when (please let it be when and not if) Trump loses he will claim that everything about the election was illegal and crooked and he will probably threaten to sue someone.

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  10. It is unbelievable how Trump flouts laws. I don't understand why the people and the system let him away with such despicable behavior.

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    1. He behaves like a dictator when the USA is a democracy.

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  11. There is one good thing about him though, he provides plenty of humour for mud-slinging. Fingers crossed that he is booted out, and that the lessons we have learnt that the human race can throws up dangerous idiots is learnt. I don't think the musicians will win sadly.

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    1. If Trump can't get his mashed banana he will throw everything out of the pram and then he'll wreck the pram.

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  12. Just read an article this morning saying the Stones, with BMI, are trying to get him to stop playing.....you guessed it..... You Can't Always Get What You Want. What fool in that reelection campaign picked that particular song, I would love to know! Let's hope to hell he doesn't "Get what he wants" because I don't this my country will survive it.

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