Thank you Polly Walker Blakemore, The Bathrobe Guy 👘, Nick P, Steve Uppendahl, Noble Blend, and many others for tuning into my live video with Melissa Corrigan, she/her and Dana DuBois! Join me for my next live video in the app.

We had the best time chatting with our college roommate Lisa today! Thank you, Chat, for being amazing as always! We can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

Thank you Beth Cruz, BiffBiff, Bryan Hagerla, Brandon Ellrich, Carol Helbing, Cat, OldHenCharlie, Dana DuBois, Eileen Dougharty, Elaine the Mean Old Feminist, Füsun Aydın, Jeanne Elbe, JOHN ONEIL, John Pearce, Janet Scott, Karen Marie Shelton, KC, Kelly Mindiola, Lahboss, The Momster, Los Gatos Sin Madrid, Mason, She/her/enchanted beast, Rachel Hendricks, Musings on Interesting Times, Robin Wilding, Soso, The Bathrobe Guy 👘, Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈, Todd Goldin, William Mieras, You’re Right

Hello, Whatevers!

Today Lawrence Winnerman and I dove into the news, and in typical fashion, our conversation wandered to more philosophical hot takes as we pondered the Overton Window and its steady slide into fascism.

But one news story in particular has stuck with me.

And that’s a story about British grime-punk band Bob Vylan.

At the Glastonbury Music Festival this weekend, the duo caused a stir by chanting “Death, Death to the IDF” during their set. Now they’ve been dropped from music festivals and their agent, lost their US Visas, and are being facing UK criminal investigation.

As an American Jew—albeit a non-practicing, agnostic one—and music fan who celebrates musicians who use their platform to take political stands, I’m conflicted. Where is the nuance between antisemitism and anti-IDF sentiment?

“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine,” Bob Vylan said in response to the backlash.

I’m having a hard time disagreeing with this statement.

“Was a lovely area before you come here, lovely,” Bob Vylan sing in their 2020 anthem “We Live Here,” a righteously angry screed to British racism—and in particular, the neighborhood contempt they received as a mixed-race men.

“Neighbours called me 'nigga'Told me 'go back to my own country'Said since we arrivedThis place has got so uglyBut this is my fucking countryAnd it's never been fucking lovelyWe didn't appear out of thin airWe live hereWe didn't appear out of thin airWe live here”

The song is unapologetic, bold, and startling in its unfiltered rage, right down to the final emphatic expletive conclusion, “We live here, you fucking cunt.”

It’s not hard to see how the song could translate to Palestinians in Gaza. Like literally—they live here. Or they did.

It’s not hard to hear what a banger the song is. It’s great, musically and lyrically. If the world needs anything right now, we need people—and especially artists with a platform, who can inspire action—to speak truth to power.

Was their onstage language a bit intense? Yes.

Did it get our collective attention? Again, yes.

This is the proper role of music. I’m not freaked out by it.

I am freaked out by the response.

Bob Vylan posted their full response on Instagram (below), but this section of it resonated hard:

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.”

So yea. This agnostic pagan American Jew is speaking up.

I’m not mad they spoke out.

We all live here.

Thank you Füsun Aydın, Polly Walker Blakemore, The Bathrobe Guy 👘, Cat, Robin Wilding, Karen Marie Shelton, BiffBiff, MorganX, Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈 and many others for tuning in. We love you! We mean it!!

There are days that we speak eloquently about many things, and days like today where nothing seems to go quite right.

Thanks for putting up with the craziness today, friends! We appreciate you, and always look forward to having a conversation with you—even when everything seems to be going wrong.

Thank you Char Sundust, Peter William Murphy, Margaret Williams, MS, ACC, Cat, John Pearce, and many others for tuning into my live video with Brandon Ellrich, Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈, Füsun Aydın, and Lawrence Winnerman!

Join us for more The Daily Whatever every weekday at 7am PT / 10am ET!

It’s so good to be home!

I returned to Seattle late Saturday night, to the best treat ever—Lawrence is in Seattle! Yesterday we celebrated our reunion by purchasing a shit-ton of olives and devouring them Live, alongside a bottle of delicious pale French rose. The resulting “Olivepolooza” was an outrageously delicious good time. We can’t believe Ben Ulansey and Brandon Ellrich haven’t weighed in with a rebuttal.

But that’s not all Lawrence and I are up to…

We’re here IRL, scheming our schemes, hatching plans to grow genXy and The Daily Whatever. We’ll be sharing details over the next week.

The first big news is: We’re launching a pledge drive!

For July only, we’re offering a super steep discount both for genXy and our individual writer accounts, and we humbly request your support.

It’s the $22 deal! Here’s how it works:

* Subscribe to genXy for just $20/year.

* Subscribe to Dana DuBois for just $1/year.

* Subscribe to Lawrence Winnerman for just $1/year.

These three subscriptions together will empower us to podcast, write, innovate, and create all kinds of content here on Substack. We have big plans! Your support will help us bring them to fruition.

And also, hopefully, get us each that elusive Substack “checkmark” that brings additional features and support from Substack. Or so we’re told…

All our love and gratitude to our newest paid subs! K.R. Byers, Robin Wilding, The One Minute Daily Boost, and Beth Cruz! We’re so humbled—thank you, thank you!

And of course, huge thanks to each and every one of you who showed up, and who continue to show up for our silly, sometimes smutty, often informative little podcast: ....... , Beth Cruz, BiffBiff, KRISTEN STAFFORD -HOWE, Bryan Hagerla, Brianna, Cat, OldHenCharlie, Dale Scaringi, Daniel Paden, Füsun Aydın, Moon Mountain, Sarah, Michael Williams, Jeanne Elbe, John Pearce, Karen Marie Shelton, K.R. Byers, The Momster, Lisa, The One Minute Daily Boost, Mason, She/her/enchanted beast, Untrickled by Michelle Teheux, Mondopopsickle, Randy ballard, Peter William Murphy, Polly Walker Blakemore, Musings on Interesting Times, Robin Wilding, Sandra Dingler, @dunn647, Steve Uppendahl, Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈, Victor Cardenas

We love you, mean it!

Join us every weekday at 10am ET/7am PT for The Daily Whatever Live on Substack!

We had the best time eating FIVE types of olives and drinking rosé, y’all! Take a gander as we ranked Collossal Greek olives, Turkish Grilled olives, Castelvetrano olives, Morroccan Dry Cured olives, and Pepper Stuffed Green olives.

Thank you tecolote42, Rachel Hendricks, The One Minute Daily Boost, Karen Marie Shelton, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

genXy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Sorry for the short wrapup, but I’m not even sure I could capture the full range of our convo. Huge thanks and love to Walter Rhein and Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈 who were absolutely incredible on today’s show.

We’re back on Monday, June 30th! Dana DuBois will be home, and I’ll get my first taste of a 7am broadcast time. Yikes! Our theme will be Reunited, and it Feels So Good.

Thank you Polly Walker Blakemore, Karen Marie Shelton, Beth Cruz, Brianna, William Mieras, and many others for tuning into my live video with Walter Rhein and Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈!

genXy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you Jason Dyer, Alexandra Porter, Anthony Burke, April K Wilson , Becky Martinek , Beth Cruz , Beth Plank , BiffBiff BJ Roberts , bluePNWcats , Brandon Ellrich , Mariellen , Carissa Rogers , Carol Duffy , Cat , CatherineC , Celice Carlough , OldHenCharlie , Cheryl , Christine Balint , Charles , Craig Nixon , Craig Pulliam , Dale Scaringi , Dana DuBois , dani clark , Dan Thornton , Dar Gfree , David Long , Deb17☘️☘️ , Deanna Surber , Denise Cronin , Julie D , Draft of a woman , dra_ma_r , Elli , Emily Suyat , Elaine the Mean Old Feminist , Adrian , saint francie , Füsun Aydın , Gary Whaley , gdblack , GG Haegelin , Sarah , Helen A. , Henrik Hageland , Jane Deegan , Janis , Jay Lapidus , 🦄🏳️‍🌈Jeffy: EnbyPanDemi🏳️‍🌈 🦄 , Jennifer Gervais , JN , Jodi Godfrey , John Pearce , Joia S. , Jorge , Jose M Falconi i, Judy Tiktinsky , Karen Marie Shelton , PhemK , Karen Faulk , Kalani , Laurie Cristoni , Linda Kowalchek , Lindy Hubert t, The One Minute Daily Boost , @lorifujimoto, Lorrie O'Connor , Los Gatos Sin Madrid , Lawrence Winnerman , Lynn L , @maddie798304, Sylvia Pacheco , Margaret Ferguson Arrigo , Maria 🇮🇪 , Marvin J Dainoff , Jasmin Egner | Life Leadership , Mason, She/her/enchanted beast , Margaret Groves , Mary Hinson , Mkwawa shujaa , MorganX , Paige La Grone Babcock , Nancy C , Nathan Shoaf , Noel Keith , Jill Smith , OhDonna , Patricia Anne Boone , Pender Dave , P. J. Schuster , Polly Walker Blakemore , <3 , Carol , Renee Had , Rick Kohut , Robert Sawers , Robin Wilding , RobynD , ANITA LOGAN , Sandy O , SassyCuz , Scott Smith , Shari Rochen , Sean l , Sarah , James Harris , Tabetha Wooten , techwriter35 , Tee Ree , The Bathrobe Guy 👘 , Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈 , The_Sodapop_Jesus🔻🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩 , Timothy Fifer , Tom , Tonantzin333 , Victor Cardenas , Vinny Reads , Virginia Smith , Millard W. Hall , Wendi Stone , Lisa

There are many things I’ve gotten wrong in my life, but friends ain’t one of them. I am lucky and blessed to have several women whom I have known for years that I consider to be best friends. Today I was lucky enough to be on a Substack Live with two of them!

Char Sundust joined me to cover for Dana DuBois, who, it turns out, completed her top secret mission early. Char and I started talking about our friendship and her work. Chat, I am here to tell you that she undersold the power of what she does. Char is one of the most talented, legit psychics I’ve ever met, and her Spiritual Identity classes are nothing short of incredible. Check out her ‘Stack, Spirit Sanctuary , and her school’s website: Sundust Oracle Institute.

If we get enough Whatevers to go, maybe we can do a retreat out in Idaho on her land!

When Dana joined us, somehow we ended up singing an old Girl Scout song? I don’t know—this is the kind of thing that happens with friends like these. I love it!

Dana reported on current events from a parking lot in Boca, and we tried to help John saxon from Australia with his question about his daughter. I think we did a damn good job, and so now we’ll be adding an advice column show to our lineup. Kidding! (Not Kidding!)

As always we had a blast with the Chat. We love you and thank you for continuing to come back, day after day.

Thank you Angie, Robert Danna, Brandon Ellrich, Cat, OldHenCharlie, Füsun Aydın, Gail, Greg Owens, Sarah, Henrik Hageland, Margaret Williams, MS, ACC, Jeff Darnell, John Pearce, John saxon, Karen Marie Shelton, Courtneye, The Momster, Los Gatos Sin Madrid, Mamudou Suwareh, Mason, She/her/enchanted beast, Peter William Murphy, Polly Walker Blakemore, Robin Wilding, Sacha Cohen, The Bathrobe Guy 👘, Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈, and Victoria Heemstra for joining us today!

Join us tomorrow for more The Daily Whatever!

Dana DuBois and I were absolutely delighted to have Sacha Cohen from A Good Vintage on the show today, it soon became clear that if we lived closer, we’d be hanging out with her over long, lazy apéro afternoons!

Sacha and her husband Jason are not expats—yet! They are taking slow and easy moves towards an expat life. The remarkably clever thing about this approach is that they get to live in various parts of France and experience the local culture along the way. Currently in Dijon, Sacha’s substack is awash in good bread and wine, and is compulsively readable. Here’s one of my recent faves:

We covered so much ground you have to go watch the episode! We wrapped with out fave question about the “Ultimate GenX Song”, and Sacha did not disappoint in naming “Smells Like Teen Spirit”—but then also namechecking some of our all-time fave bands, like Erasure, Squeeze, The Cure, and more.

Thanks for the delightful visit, Sacha, and come back soon!

Thank you Beth Cruz, BiffBiff, Bobbie, Robert Danna, Brandon Ellrich, Callie🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇲🇽, Donya, Cat, catietshaffer, Craig Nixon, Dale Scaringi, Damon Kenner, Dana BC, Roberto and Carolyn, Materfamilias Writes, Füsun Aydın, Moon Mountain, Gregory Ward, Sarah, Henrik Hageland, Jeanne Elbe, John Pearce, Karen Marie Shelton, PhemK, Lorraine Bumstead, Rich Kagan, The Momster, The One Minute Daily Boost, Lynell gibson, Margaret kuenzli, Mason, She/her/enchanted beast, Mark Bitman, Peter William Murphy, Ollie Mc, Polly Walker Blakemore, Robin Wilding, John Howard, Steve Uppendahl, The Bathrobe Guy 👘, Wendy🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈, Todd Goldin, and Millard W. Hall, for joining us for today’s episode!

Stay tuned tomorrow for more The Daily Whatever!