Strung Out

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Martin calls on his political analyst Sandeep Gopal to take a walk around the topics of the day, from UFO's (well, UAP's) to the recent voting down of the January 6 commission, China, Russia, Belarus kidnapping and the looming indictment of former president Trump.  

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Cathey Castro is a tour de force.  Animated, with a great laugh, she comes across as confident, friendly and compassionate.  Her artistic life began at an early age when she saw the artistry taking place at a local Tucson salon.  Impressed with beehives hairdo's, she grew up wielding a scissors and an attitude, much to the dismay of her parents, who saw law school in her future.  
An introduction to Sonny Bono led her to start working on sets in Hollywood, only to have her take off to apprentice in the red hot London hair salons of the early 1980's.   

MTV  cemented her rise in the stylist world like a can of superhold hairspray.  Cathey began a career as a stylist, transforming the appearance of  various artists from The Cure to Psychedelic Furs, Dokken, White Snake and Motley Crue.  The last band being especially nefarious in their treatment of women that boiled down to downright misogyny.   Castro was witness to scenes that were too graphic to use on the podcast.   The scene was spiraling out of control,  and Castro, was able to leave the business and land on her feet due to some client suggestions to invest in a small company called Microsoft.   Fast forward a decade later, her successful entrepreneurial skills were  halted with a discovery of melanoma cancer.  When the cancer spread to tumors in her brain, she was given limited time to live by western doctors.  It was at this point that her life took a series of incredible turns that can only be described as a run in with the Divine.   

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We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

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When I was a young kid, I would sit at home in Woodstock and play over and over Harry Chapin Live.  He had a song called Martin Tanner.  And in the song, Chapin told a story about a man who loved to sing.  He ends up being cajoled by well meaning friends to rent a hall and sing opera and make a big entrance into the world of art song.  The critics came (imagine that) and panned the show.  His life savings gone, he goes back to working at his shop and never sings for people again.  Late at night, he would sing softly to himself.  It's sort of a painful song as Chapin makes a point that "Music was his life, it was not his livelihood."  I never forgot that distinction.  Why didn't Martin Tanner just tell people that?  Obviously he did not know the lesson that Chapin imparts. 

Meet Scott Momenthy.  Scott is an accomplished singer-poet-songwriter-guitarist who from an early age felt called to music.  But unlike the fictional Tanner, Momenthy chose to live a music life.  If it became a livelihood, it was second thought for Momenthy.  Crafting a record that now is much sought after in the vinyl world, Scott boldly set out on his musical journey without so much as a compass.   He charted a course in songs and songwriting based on some guiding stars in the form of mentors, friends and examples of musicianship.  His strong New England roots established a feisty outlook on the world and his place in it.  The result being that Momenthy has created what most musicians dream of: a successful musical life, sans the headache, heartache and general hoop jumping that the business forces on hopefuls.  His example of how to live a musical life and not a life of music is an important lesson for anyone who seeks his or her way in the world without falling victim to it.  Any artist can benefit from the words he imparts on this podcast.  

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We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

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James Talley is an Oklahoma born folk-country-blues singer/songwriter, whose career now spans over forty years. His name has been mentioned alongside Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan, and praised for the quality of his songwriting and his wise, expressive voice. Noted author and music critic, Peter Guralnick has said of James’ work, “There are few singer-songwriters who could produce a collection of such magnitude coupled at the same time with such lightness, beauty, and all-out social conscience. Woody Guthrie never wrote a more direct or affecting song than “Richland, Washington”; Bruce Springsteen never wrote a more powerful one than “Tryin’ Like the Devil.”

I met James back around 2003, when we both were at the Folk Alliance in San Diego.  An immediate friendship was struck between he and Brian FitzGerald and myself.  We all saw in the other the working class, road traveling, musician.  James, like Billy Shelton and Sleepy La Beef, became a mentor to Switchback.  We heeded his advice as well about the music business being nothing else, but a business. 

We listened to his stories, we learned from his mistakes and we savored his triumphs.  

The biggest triumph is that James chose not to let the music business ruin his devotion and passion to music.  When every opportunity arose for him to turn his back on music and rightfully shake the dust from his sandals on Music Row, Talley chose instead to work to support his passion.  He continued playing to audiences around the world, while at the same time witnessing the contraction and distortion of the music business in Nashville.  

Peppery, honest, filled with stories that wind from Oklahoma, to New York, to Nashville, to Italy and out to New Mexico, James is the real item.  A musician's musician.   An American treasure that needs to be heard and honored. 

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We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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We talk about the Beatles today and in particular, how and if they could fit into today's musical world.  To help us navigate this episode, we  have author and musician Stuart Shea. 
Stuart researches popular music, baseball, and sports media. He has written nine books, including
Fab Four FAQ;
Pink Floyd FAQ;
Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines; and
Calling the Game: the History of Baseball Broadcasting.

The first record he ever bought was by Carly Simon. The last one he bought, a few days ago, was by Michael Nesmith. He is currently researching and writing about popular music of 1965 as viewed through the prism of 45 RPM records.

Join us for what is a fascinating podcast.

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
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We welcome back Councilperson David Heuvelman of the Norwalk, Connecticut, City Council for a candid discussion about guns.  Gun control is the sort of subject that people tend to feel their eyes start to glaze over due to the rhetoric that surrounds the issue.

It's only when mass shootings occur (and we have had an amazing spate in the last month) do people start to actively pressure their elected officials to either do something or do nothing.  It seems that the issue will be forever polarized.  However, the first step in figuring out what to do about the culture of gun ownership in the United States is to understand why people own guns in the first place. 

This is where David Heuvelman comes in.  Growing up in a family that for generations kept, used and admired guns, Heuvelman was raised to look at them as a useful tool for hunting, as well as a sports instrument for target practice.   Through David, those of us who have not been raised with guns can appreciate why they play an important part in the lives of those who use them for those purposes.

Heuvelman, also being a councilperson, is part of a suburban city that has to wrestle with the consequences of those who have access for guns without the acclimation and training.  Those people, especially those with mental illness, are increasingly part of the rash of mass killings.  How to preserve rights and yet preserve society becomes a conundrum.  Add into it the money-factor, that is, the desire of gun and gun-related manufacturers to not spoil a healthy market, and politicians that are supported by gun lobbies like the NRA the issue begins to take on the polarizing and paralyzing aspect that it has had for the past 40 years.   

Finally, the idea of what was meant by the second amendment becomes an issue unto itself.  Were the founding fathers trying to make sure we all had guns?  Was it something that was more in step with the late 18th century United States?  Is it an amendment that, like the third amendment that doesn't make a lot of sense in modern America? 

We attempt not to take sides on issues, but look at the issues themselves that leave us with a Gunundrum on Strung Out. 

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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It has been 100 days into the Biden Presidency.   Already some major changes have taken place, starting with vaccinations across the country.  A stimulus project that put more money into Americans pockets.  A proposed 3 trillion dollar infrastructure project that has proponents claiming "not enough" and opponents claiming "too much and not about infrastructure."   

Police shootings of people of color have continued with several high profile cases occurring in Minnesota (during the trial of Derek Chauvin) and in Chicago.  Other significant mass killings of Asians in Atlanta and mainly Sikh workers at Fed Ex in Indianapolis have Americans once again divided on what to do with our Second Ammendment battle.   

Our southern border has seen an uptick of people seeking refuge as well as asylum.  Children are being brought and left at the border in numbers unseen.  

Adversaries seem to be testing the resolve of the United States, with Russia jailing Alexei Navalny, who has now been on hunger strike and reportedly close to death.  Troops have been massing along the border with Ukraine.  Chinese fighter pilots routinely flying into Taiwanese airspace and telling them that "this is all China's."   The Chinese Maritime Militia (fishing vessels that are not for fishing, but military maneuvering ) have holed up near an atoll in the Phillipine Economic Exclusion Zone , challenging that government and the Americans to do something about it. 

Finally we continue to march into space with NASA announcing SpaceX wins the contract to land astronauts on the moon. 

All this is discussed and analyzed by Martin and his political consultant, Sandeep Gopal. 

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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Vicki and Joe Price have been the blues power couple of the Midwest.  From their home in Decorah, Iowa, they have created a traveling music show that has been to almost every corner of the country.  While Joe has been known for his style of music, it has been Vicki who has upped the ante by bringing her no-nonsense guitar play and excellent vocals to the stage.  As writer Chad Taylor notes,  Vicki Price can be  "bold and brassy when she wants to be. Her voice has elicited visions of Loretta Lynn or June Carter, but she's able to get far bluesier than any of her most obvious comparisons." This pandemic has affected the duo like a lot of other musicians, mainly by the closing down of venues that supported them.  If that wasn't bad enough, Vicki has been battling her own health problems during the pandemic.  It has been a transition of sorts for both herself and Joe.  A force of nature in her own right, with that great Iowan humor, Vicki is a great example of what it takes to surmount the challenges and be a successful independent musician.

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
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Marty spends a little time talking about songwriting with special guest, Aine McCormack.  He also plays several songs from the upcoming album "Love In the Pandemic."  Enjoy!

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

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Not many of us have had the opportunity to view the Rio Grande in Texas.  Few of us have even been to the southern border of the US and Mexico.  Having had the opportunity to perform at border towns in Arizona, I have had a chance in the past to look not only at the inhospitable desert that makes up a vast amount of our border, but also the complex security apparatus that is maintained to dissuade, arrest and deport illegal migration.  I have seen firsthand areas where illegal migrants have paused in their journey north, the ground littered with various items no longer needed on the trek.  It is heartbreaking as well as mind numbing.  

And it doesn't end.  February of 2021 saw almost 100,000 people at the border.  Trump's attempt at a physical barrier was never going to stop people determined to cross the river. Covid-19 has not stemmed the tide of people escaping dangerous situations back in their home country.

The surges in border crossings is nothing new, but still, it seems that the United States is hamstrung in its commitment toward solving the ongoing issue of people seeking a better life in America.  In addition, there are factors that play in the migrant surges, such as hurricanes, gang warfare, narcotic trafficking and human trafficking as well.  

When illegal immigrants do make it to the United States, they are in a legal no-mans-land of identity, status and any opportunity to turn them into tax-paying, economic opportunities.  Add in politics and the true battle emerges in which many of those crossing are pawns in a larger American political battle for primacy.  

Images like the drowned father and 28 month daughter from El Salvador haunt us all.  
For this podcast, I interview Nadia Minor who has worked as a paralegal for Immigration Lawfirms for the past 11 years.  Herself once an undocumented child, who made the crossing across the Rio Grande at age 10, she has an amazing sense of a person who has her feet in both worlds.  Now, about to enter law school, she sees that her American Dream she has achieved is easily denied to others.  Her insights into the working (or non-working) of the US immigration system offers not only  the complexity of the issue: the emotional, fiscal and political ramifications of not being able to create a system that can handle mass migration.

 Yet, it is refreshing to hear the hope in Minor's dry-eyed assessment of what needs to be done to at least start down the path of remedying  the journey across the Rio Grande. 

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

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