Anne Levine Show
Funny, weekly, sugar free: Starring "Michael-over-there."
Anne Levine Show
A Somalian Goodbye
Freedom of expression forms the cornerstone of democracy, yet increasingly we're witnessing troubling attempts to silence voices and restrict artistic freedom. When the mayor of Miami Beach moved to shut down an independent cinema for showing the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," simply because he disagreed with its message about Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, it exposed a dangerous constitutional violation that should alarm every American. Government officials cannot legally use their position to suppress free speech, regardless of their personal opinions.
This pattern extends beyond film. A Brown University professor with valid documentation was recently denied re-entry to America after visiting family in Lebanon. Meanwhile, travelers from the Middle East face invasive searches and detention at major airports—disturbing signs of eroding civil liberties that demand our attention and resistance.
On a lighter note, our cultural exploration of goodbyes revealed fascinating insights into how different societies handle departures. From the abrupt "Irish goodbye" where you simply vanish without announcement, to the seemingly endless "Jewish goodbye" that extends conversations for hours, these farewell styles reflect deeper cultural values. The "Israeli goodbye" might start entirely new conversations just as you're heading out, while the straightforward "Newfie goodbye" from Newfoundland allows a simple "I'm headin' 'er" before promptly leaving.
The show delivered surprising sports updates, shocking historical revelations about Prescott Bush reportedly stealing Apache warrior Geronimo's remains from his burial place at Ft. Sill, OK., for Yale's secret society, "Skull and Bones."
Thoughtful book recommendations exploring foot binding in China and Southern Gothic traditions, and a spirited critique of Billboard's questionable list of rock's 50 greatest singers. How could Freddie Mercury possibly rank below Mick Jagger, and why was Courtney Love included while vocal powerhouses like Kelly Clarkson remained absent?
Join us next week for more thought-provoking conversations that challenge conventional wisdom and explore the surprising connections between culture, politics, and everyday life. What topics would you like us to tackle? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
Find our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/447251562357065/
Hello, hello, welcome to the Ann Levine show. It's Tuesday, march 18th.
Speaker 2:March 18th.
Speaker 1:This is a song that has something to do that we're going to talk about later.
Speaker 2:That's right, it's by Moonshine Bandits.
Speaker 1:Ooh, that was a low note. Who are you, hello, if that doesn't give me away.
Speaker 2:I don't know what else.
Speaker 1:Well, I think in the next hour we will find out. This is Anne Levine. This is the Anne Levine Show on WOMR 92.1 FM in Provincetown.
Speaker 2:And WFMR 91.3 FM Orleans, and streaming worldwide at WOMRorg.
Speaker 1:And that is Michael over there.
Speaker 2:Hello again.
Speaker 1:And tell me what this song is? Who are these people?
Speaker 2:They're called Moonshine Bandits and it ties into a story that I wanted to talk about a little later. Yeah, yeah, and if I tell you the name then I'm to talk about a little later. Yeah, yeah, and if I tell you the name then I'm kind of giving away part of the story.
Speaker 1:Oh, the name of the song.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we'll get there. Okay, people will be able to recall the mysterious song from the beginning of the show by the Moonshine Bandits.
Speaker 1:Oh okay Okay, the mysterious song from the beginning of the show by the Moonshine Bandits. Oh, okay Okay. This reminds me of my youth, a little bit Reminds me of, I have to say, I understand the attraction.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really kind of a. There's a vibe.
Speaker 1:Right, there's a vibe.
Speaker 2:And it's kind of a midnight vibe, you know when you think about it.
Speaker 1:Well, and I was going to say, as usual, it's confusing midnight, but I think we can safely say happy St Patrick's Day.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, because Top of yesterday morning to you.
Speaker 1:Well, no, St Patrick's Day goes on past midnight.
Speaker 2:Oh, I see yeah.
Speaker 1:Certainly in our part of.
Speaker 2:It actually does yeah. The country it goes through, well, through half the next day, when you're trying to get over your hangover Exactly yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I mean, we are not far from Boston.
Speaker 2:folks Come on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we don't have to be.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:You know we got it going on right here. You know we got it going on right here. I saw a very funny thing on Instagram that said there's the Irish goodbye that you it's a guy from Boston that posts and I find him hilarious. He said so for St Patrick's Day, I want to remind you. There's the Irish goodbye, which is you leave without telling anyone, he said, and there's the superior goodbye, which is you stay home and drink and I yeah, you just don't go to the party.
Speaker 2:And I liked that one. See, I thought I like that one, I really do, but I thought it was a French exit, when you leave without telling anybody.
Speaker 1:Everything but the United States. You know it's now attributed to everything but the United States. I see.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh yeah, I guess. Yeah, that's true, I'm sticking with ghosting the Somalian. Goodbye.
Speaker 1:Exactly, exactly. Yeah, I got you. If you said to anyone you know I'm doing the Somalian goodbye, but it would be hilarious if you did the Israeli goodbye, okay, where you say hey, you know, ilan, wow, it was so great seeing you. Before I leave, can we talk a minute about? And?
Speaker 2:so you extend the night.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, that would be the the night. Yes, yes, that would be the Israeli goodbye yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, maybe just the Jewish goodbye too, because it's the we're going to talk about. Goodbye for at least an hour or two before we go.
Speaker 1:Well, it's the conversation we're having right now.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah, well, yeah, that's true, it's exactly that.
Speaker 1:Right. So let's break it down, let's unpack.
Speaker 2:We're going to unpack this thing.
Speaker 1:The goodbyes of various nations. The Jewish goodbye yeah, I wanted to say goodbye, but first let's discuss today's Torah portion, because there's something in the Talmud about it that I found fascinating and you're like oh my God, let's switch back from decaf to regular.
Speaker 2:Then there's the one that I call the Canadian goodbye, because it's like a Colin Mochrie thing, right when he would say well, you know, I'd like to say goodbye.
Speaker 1:And that was it, and then just leave. Oh, we'll see that, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:That's a or like, but you leave it as it's. You're not quite finished with your sentence, but you just go.
Speaker 1:Well, which brings us to the old school, the way it ought to be, which is you go to your host and say and say I'm leaving, thank you so much for a wonderful whatever it was dinner party, and I look forward to the next time we meet and you turn away, you do the handshake or you do the double, whatever the physical thing is that you do, or you do nothing physical and you turn and leave. Yeah, because let me tell you, as someone who hosts a lot of gatherings, that's what I want. You know I don't want. Okay, now we're gonna have the fourth conversation by the door while I'm standing here and I'm exhausted yeah and it's been several hours.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm ready for you all to hit the highway.
Speaker 2:Do you know what a Newfie goodbye is? What is that From Newfoundland what? Someone will get up and say, well, I'm heading her and that's it. Yeah, they're out of there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, that's definitely. Well, that's definitely. And, of course, in response, depending if you're getting up from a table, you're going to hear everyone say Right, you know someone say grab a beer on the way out. Yeah, exactly Great seeing you Enjoy the lumberjacking this week, whatever, yeah. Anyway, happy St Patrickrick's day. Listen to us. We are such we're being. What are we being here?
Speaker 1:total jews, yeah, I guess yeah, that's we're having an extended conversation about the irish goodbye and I feel like I should get in touch with this man on Instagram, this Boston guy, and he is so grouchy and so hilarious.
Speaker 2:I want to be friends with him. No, that might be good to have him on the show, it would be great, oh my gosh. Yeah, we should give that a shot.
Speaker 1:There are a couple of them, these Boston guys. One of them really rages and the language is definitely not safe for radio Right right. But maybe in an interview he would, you know, be a little more chill, be a little more chill. But it might be fun to have one of these guys, these Boston guys, do a five-minute segment. Absolutely Every now and then I totally agree, yeah, that would be awesome.
Speaker 2:All right, I'm going to get there, I'm going to give that a shot.
Speaker 1:I'm going to give that a shot. All right, I give a lot of things a shot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and here, give this a shot. Don't let anybody tell you that you didn't learn something on the Annaleen Show. By the way, you learned all about goodbyes. Oh, true, so you know, we got that True. So this is an educational show, folks.
Speaker 1:Oh, Michael is starting his learning channel.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I've always tried to inject something, some sort of weird fact or something you know into the show, because that's how I am. But you know, people really should try to learn new things. That's what I want. To help with people learning new things. Michael is going to help us learn new things. That's right, or yeah things?
Speaker 1:you may not have ever heard. Well, I have something to tell, to say about. It's not funny, but I think it's important. There is in south beach, florida, which, if you know, you know it's like kind of the Provincetown of Florida. Well, I guess maybe people would say Key West, but it's hip hop happening.
Speaker 1:You know, it's the coolest, it's the village, it's the west village of miami yeah okay, so, um, there is a cinema there called o cinema, just letter o cinema, and it's a lot like for those of you who know, the Angelica or any art film house like that and the Cape Cinema, right, yep, and they have been showing the Oscar winning film no Other Land, which won for best, I think, foreign picture, um, or however they phrase that, and the mayor of miami beach. Now this has been sold out. So this is a struggling cinema. It's an art house, yeah, and this film.
Speaker 2:Is that a giant multiplex?
Speaker 1:No, and this film, no Other Land, which has been having trouble getting shown in more commercial theaters, which is true of most films. You know, it's not like it used to be, folks.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The mayor of Miami Beach, and maybe you could look this up, michael, because I for some reason his name is not. I'm reading to you from an actual article. The mayor calls Alex Dowd. I'm reading to you from an actual article the mayor calls Alex Dowd. Alex Dowd, the mayor of Miami.
Speaker 2:Beach. No, that's a different one. Okay, stephen Miner is the current the mayor of Miami Beach. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Says the documentary is anti-Semitic and he's trying to cut off the city's funding and their lease to the cinema.
Speaker 2:Which is totally unconstitutional, and it's on city property.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now yeah.
Speaker 2:Now, well, I mean, the fact that he is a government agent trying to use his position to squash free speech is simply unconstitutional.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So Ocinema's Right on the face of it.
Speaker 1:I mean God and board of directors chair, mr Tabsh, t-a-b-s-c-h. I don't know if I'm saying that right told NPR. We've always shown films that have sparked real strong sentiments and real strong opinions. Throughout the years We've had a vocal audience yada, yada, yada, yada, yada, yeah.
Speaker 2:That's their jam and they have the right to that.
Speaker 1:And whether or not you like the film, you agree with the politics of the film. No matter what. It's not up to the mayor of anything to shut down a theater showing a film and it's not some rando weird movie, that, and not for nothing. Anyone who thinks pretty much every movie doesn't have some propaganda in it is out of their minds.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I mean, the writer or writers have something that happened in their life or someone's life that they agree with or don't agree with, and they want to point it out. Everything has a point of view that you may not understand, you may not agree with.
Speaker 1:So forget it Now. It's not just Israelis that have a problem with this film. Guess who else has a problem with this film? Of course, palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists. Yeah, because the point of this film is to say, from what I understand, I haven't seen it, I would like to see it. I mean, I know of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know what it is of.
Speaker 1:Well, essentially, it's trying to say that we can Arabs and Israelis can live together peacefully. That is the point of this film.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, guess who doesn't think that's the case?
Speaker 2:Well, of course, the people who don't want to really have a solution.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, the Palestinians. So they don't like this movie either, and they're more than happy to have this theater, you know, defunded, right, have this theater, you know, defunded Right Now. I just want to say I won't go on and read this whole thing or go through this whole article, but I did want to have the article in front of me so that, of course, what paper am I reading from? Oh, it's not a paper, this is from NPR. So this was an article posted on NPR, written by someone at NPR.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I mean they might actually end up booting these people out of this theater, but all of it's going to have to be undone at least as much as it can, because it is completely unconstitutional.
Speaker 1:And it's ridiculous. If you don't like this movie and you don't want to see it, don't, right, don't pay them your money. And this little film is not going to change minds, which is evident.
Speaker 2:I mean if this article doesn't prove that point yep nothing does.
Speaker 1:I'd love to know how many people on these boards or who are saying you know, on either side of it, um, pro-palestinians or israelis? How many have seen it, you know anyway yeah, whatever, yeah uh, that's the story with that, and I wanted to mention it because I was thinking about the Cape Cinema, where this movie was shown.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it's still there or if it's on the coming soon but yeah, I don't think it's there right now if I would be the first person you know to raise my voice in protest If some stunad came along and said all right, we're pulling the. The Raymond Moore Foundation is pulling the lease.
Speaker 2:Right On the Cape Cinema. Yeah, because you played this movie Because of an.
Speaker 1:Oscar-winning film. Yeah, okay, not my jam.
Speaker 2:No, not mine too.
Speaker 1:Don't like it. So we're living in a time where free speech is being challenged in a way that it has never been.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's true, that is absolutely true.
Speaker 1:And it's frightening. There was a professor at Brown who is Lebanese and she went to visit her family in Lebanon and on the way back she was rerouted, she was denied admission to the United States and sent back to Lebanon. Now this is a professor of Brown, valid green card, visa, blah, blah, blah, resident, all the things, and a professor who she's teaching, but this woman has done nothing to hurt anyone. Well, she's back in Lebanon. That's terrifying. There are also reports that what's happening and I don't doubt any of this for a second that at Newark, jfk and Logan, people coming from the Middle East and the Far East in particular, with green cards, a lot of them are getting pulled aside, detained, and there's a valid report of one person who was stripped naked, strip searched, put in a cold shower I mean essentially tortured, you know, held in a room for 24 hours, denied sleep what In this country?
Speaker 2:So, anyway, yeah, I want to see you come back from this.
Speaker 1:You want to see me come back from this. You want to see me come back from this. What do you?
Speaker 2:mean bring the, bring the temperature back. Well, how about how it is?
Speaker 1:it is as froze as it gets oh well, could we talk about indian wells? Okay, god, I mean tennis. Hello, yeah, tennis. So we had Indian Wells over. Sorry, it got so cold in here Over the weekend. We got to see Indian Wells and the finals were weird. First of all, I would like to talk about Medvedev's green shorts.
Speaker 2:I think they're lucky.
Speaker 1:I think he believes they're lucky. Well see, I saw them, and I mean green, like Kelly green. It's not the first time we've seen them, though. Oh it's not. No, I didn't know.
Speaker 2:No, I think they're his lucky shorts.
Speaker 1:Well, that makes it even worse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not the first time I've seen him. I've seen him wearing those green ones before.
Speaker 1:If you're going to have a lucky Garmin, pick a good neutral. Okay, don't pick Kelly Green.
Speaker 2:I personally don't think Medvedev really thinks a thing about his look. I don't think he really cares. He just wears what seems to work for him. I mean, look, let's be real. I mean he obviously wears his sponsor somewhere on what he's wearing, but I don't think he's really trying to mix and match, let's be, honest, although we would like to think that it's not important, what professional tennis players wear is huge.
Speaker 1:It's hugely important.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, they're paid to wear everything they're wearing. For the most part the bigger players yes.
Speaker 1:And they get to and if they're really like you know, if they're celebrity tennis players, then what they wear is important and they have a hand in designing what they wear.
Speaker 2:Right, but there are some of them who just are like okay.
Speaker 1:All right, I'll wear the green shorts. It's got the logo on it.
Speaker 2:I'm wearing them.
Speaker 1:There aren't too many of those.
Speaker 2:I'd like to write their names down.
Speaker 1:I think the list is Medvedev yeah well, maybe. Maybe, he's probably the one the slubbiest of all of them that have made it up this far. His shirt is half on.
Speaker 2:I know he's a shlubster, yeah yeah, he doesn't do wearing of a sponsor's clothing any favors, so it's just funny to me. And I have seen those green shorts before.
Speaker 1:Well, look at you. Looking at Medvedev's shorts, I notice things.
Speaker 2:You're a noticer I am. That's one of the things I do.
Speaker 1:What did you notice about Indian Wells?
Speaker 2:I noticed that by the time we got to the end I wasn't as interested as I was when it began.
Speaker 1:Well, the final was so bizarre. It was.
Speaker 2:Runa and.
Speaker 1:Draper.
Speaker 2:Draper from yeah Britain.
Speaker 1:So Runa is Danish and he's been on the circuit. He hasn't really broken through to the top five.
Speaker 2:I don't think no. These two guys were 17 and 18.
Speaker 1:Right and Draper from the UK. I can't say I've ever watched an entire Draper match Now, unless he was playing someone that I totally fan out about.
Speaker 2:This is his first big tournament that he's won.
Speaker 1:And Indian Wells is not a Grand Slam no, but it's a Grand Slam no.
Speaker 2:But it's a very popular.
Speaker 1:Major ATP tournament. Yeah Right, so anyway, the men's final was Draper versus Rude Draper won.
Speaker 2:Yay UK, yay Draper I wanted Rune to win because he beat my guy Carlos.
Speaker 1:Oh Well, why do you want the guy? No, now, I'm glad he got it.
Speaker 2:Who beat Alcaraz? It was Runa right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know. Can you look anything up? Pretty sure, yeah, it's easy, look, look, I'll show you. Feel free to raise the temperature while I'm doing this.
Speaker 2:Oh, no problem okay, you know I can tell you about my very special fact. Oh good, and the uh and the song at the opening of the show. It was Draper.
Speaker 1:Okay, who beat him? Oh okay, oh, that's right, uh-huh.
Speaker 2:Okay, so, oh, you don't want to hear my story now. I'll save it Right. We're still doing tennis.
Speaker 1:You don't want to tell it now.
Speaker 2:No, I want to tell it.
Speaker 1:And then the women's Sabalenka, who we expect, yeah she's the world's number one. Right Versus Andreeva, who is 17 years old, and she beat Sabalenka. Yeah, she did, and Sabalenka is a player that I could not stand because she just seemed mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's got a resting mean face. Oh, the worst. Well, at least on court.
Speaker 1:But, then, you see her in an interview and she's sweet and smiling, and it's not even the smile, but you don't see that game face thing, well, and her hair's not pulled back, so that it's you know.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:It's so tight that her eyelids. She can't close her eyes Right.
Speaker 1:Exactly, can't close her eyes. Yeah, no, she's definitely a player that, fortunately, I have come to admire. She does not live in Russia, she hasn't for a long long time. She lives in Europe. So at one point, politically, that was more of a problem for me than it is now. Also, yeah, and she was beat by this kid, andreeva, who gave this speech. That was very funny and I want to thank this one and my coach and my parents and my friends. And then she said and finally, I'd like to thank myself, my coach and my parents and my friends. And then she said and finally, I'd like to thank myself, which.
Speaker 1:There was a burst of laughter and roaring in the crowd. Hilarious, that sounds like a John McEnroe thing to say. And so then it kind of died down and she, she said, no, really, because she, because I, I am the one I ate the pierogi. I you know she, I work so hard. And she went on about totally with this huge smile on her face, adorable 17.
Speaker 1:And she beat Sabalenka so anyway Indian Wells final filled with people I don't know, and my man, carlos Alcaraz, was beat by Draper and I don't like the fact that Draper won. So the person who beats the person that you like the most, I don't want them.
Speaker 2:I would rather they win right. If they beat the person I want to win the most, then I want them to win the whole thing.
Speaker 1:Why.
Speaker 2:Because I want there to be a reason. Like they are the dominant force, that tournament, they're going through everybody, all right, see what I'm saying. Well, I see what you're saying.
Speaker 1:I would say that I and most people don't think that way.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, that doesn't surprise me a bit.
Speaker 1:Well, I know you are different than everyone else, but it's in football. But it's in football, you know. You want the team. You don't want the team that beat your team to win. You know that's part of how you make your Super Bowl pick.
Speaker 2:See, but that's also not true for me, because if the team that beat my team is going to the super bowl, I want them to win because they're in the same conference. So well, now you're talking about super bowl is afc versus nfc, you know, then, then they've won the conference since champions. So that's where all of the guys that are in the you know, including your team are in there. So you want those guys to win Usually. I'd like to point something out.
Speaker 1:You're talking football conferences. Well, you, you mentioned football.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Could you raise the temperature of the room, please, okay.
Speaker 2:You mentioned football, so you know.
Speaker 1:I mentioned football, so you know, oh, so okay, we're going by mentioning. We're going by mentioning.
Speaker 2:You brought it up as an alternative way of looking at it. Yeah, but you brought it back around to how you look at it, because I disagree with how you look at it.
Speaker 1:I know you disagree with everything.
Speaker 2:I think and I also like football, which?
Speaker 1:is the guts of this show. I hate football.
Speaker 2:I know, anyway, so I'm going to tell you my story. Okay, okay, and this is from 2009. In 2009, the descendants of Geronimo, the legendary Apache warrior. Yes, by the way, that was the name of the song at the beginning of the show.
Speaker 1:Geronimo.
Speaker 2:They filed suit against Skull and Bones, the secret society of Yale Right. Skull and Bones, the secret society of Yale Right. And they claimed that Prescott S Bush, grandfather of the president, george W Bush, broke into Geronimo's grave at Fort Sill, oklahoma, in 1918 and made off with his skull, two bones and some other artifacts, all which ended up on display in the tomb, which is what they call their clubhouse. Uh-huh, that's a true story.
Speaker 1:Well now, so you're saying that actually happened, that actually happened, that actually happened and this has been known since 2009?.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and let me tell you what happened after that. Okay, at least for now, I also mentioned that I had a connection to this, and that is that I actually spent time at Fort Sill, where Geronimo was held, until he died. He was captured and held there. Anyway, the United States has dismissed the lawsuit of Geronimo's ancestors by saying that God. As far as the secret society is concerned, us District Judge Richard Roberts held that the law under which Skull and Bones was sued, which is called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, only applies to grave robberies that took place after its enactment in 1990.
Speaker 2:So the government said since they stole his bones before we created this law, they get to keep them Fabulous. This is a real, true story. I believe it.
Speaker 1:I also believe that if this gets enough heat under it, that they will be returned to. Where is he buried? Is he buried in Fort Sill? He was he was I mean, that's where the grave was. Yes, yeah and is presumably yes where in fort, so in the, in the prison.
Speaker 2:They do have a cemetery there in the prison cemetery? Um, I don't know that. I don so Well, I think I've been to it. That would be interesting to find out, because I'm sure that, given it's got a little no, it's like a monument kind of thing. See, it's not just a little grave, they put a fence around it and stuff.
Speaker 1:Cool, okay, I mean he could be in the prison cemetery for all I know, right, no, I don't think.
Speaker 2:No, there's like a little. There's a memorial thing, there's like a bust and there's, like you know, one of those half-height wrought iron fences that go around it kind of thing.
Speaker 1:Well, I believe that, given the political At, least it used to be. Trends.
Speaker 2:I'm not even going to use the word.
Speaker 1:It's possible that this could get. Where did you find this out? By the way, was this in a little book that you put? Yeah, I see, yeah, I see Interesting. All right, two books for my readers. Really one book, really one book.
Speaker 2:Really one book.
Speaker 1:For my serious readers.
Speaker 2:Hey, you're listening to the Emily Bean Show, by the way.
Speaker 1:On WOMR.
Speaker 2:Yeah and WFMR.
Speaker 1:That's all, Just a little reminder. Just a reminder. We're on the radio. The Past is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson or Tiffany Key Tyson. It's Q-U-A-Y and there are many ways to pronounce that. Key is how I would probably say it, Tiffany Key Tyson the Past is never. It's a modern Southern Gothic which I know is it is kind of a.
Speaker 1:Contradiction in terms. Let's say, yeah, it's a mixture but it is. It doesn't get more Southern Gothic than this and I think it is terrific, as do critics. It's won a whole heap of awards, most of them Southern, Like there's a Mississippi Fiction Writers and there's an Alabama, and it's won every award from the South and I think it won a National Book Award and I love this book and so for my literary fiction, people read it. You'll definitely enjoy it. I'm looking at you, ab. The other book that I read is the Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang. By Jane Yang Now, those of you I went through a whole thing where I read a lot about foot binding in China and what it involves and what it really is, and it has nothing to do with just wrapping.
Speaker 2:You, as I recall I just want to mention this were shaken for like weeks after reading this book. Not this book, no, I mean the one with all the foot blinding and stuff.
Speaker 1:I read a few books because that's how I do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's like I did Vietnam.
Speaker 2:It's awful.
Speaker 1:A few months ago. Anyway, it's not that you just wrap muslin around feet, no, to sort of keep them. The bones of the foot are all broken, shaped into what would you call this, michael, an upside down U An arch, and then they bind them. So it's excruciating pain, it caused infections and it wasn't practice and thing that used to go on.
Speaker 1:Girl I think she was six who was sold into slavery out of necessity by a poor, beyond poor, family that could not afford to keep her alive, to feed her, and her life as it unfolded and her life as it unfolded. And there's a lot in here about bound and unbound feet, because this takes place at the turn of the century where foot bindings started to not have a great reputation and some people who were considered mavericks stopped doing it. Anyway, jane Yang, the Lotus Shoes, wrote a fascinating novel about that, about life in general in China, particularly for women, and everything is great about this book Up until like the last, I'm going to say, 30 pages. The end is like the end isn't good. The end isn't good.
Speaker 1:The way it ends isn't fabulous, it's like okay let's wrap this up in a happy way, oh nice, but it's worth reading and if this topic interests you at all, read this book. It's a good book. It absolutely is. It's very well done and it's entertaining. I read every word of it and I was thoroughly, thoroughly entertained and I learned a lot. And this is the learning show, that's right.
Speaker 2:It's an educational show, yeah, so you will learn stuff from reading this book.
Speaker 1:We learn. You will learn a lot, See, and also not for nothing. There's a part about garment manufacturing. Oh nice, and I'm not kidding.
Speaker 2:No see, so this book was totally written, just for you. Oh nice, and I'm not kidding. No see, so this book was totally written just for you.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, foot binding and weaving garment and weaving fabric. Yeah, yep, made for me.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:China. That's always been my thing, Actually. Chinese food, oh what I wouldn't give that was one of my problems with this book.
Speaker 2:Your sister went to China. My sister went to China in 1975, I think, yeah, that's like when the first Americans were going back to China in years, right oh in many years.
Speaker 1:It was like Nixon went and it was the first Americans were allowed. Right, exactly. And my sister had very long blonde hair, blue eyes and she was tall. She was 5'8". Yep, so she's a goddess walking through china. Well, they didn't think she was a goddess. They were like what is that? And they would come up and touch her hair. There's no, no, asking. Even if they did it was in Chinese, so she didn't know Right. But no, she said people would come up and touch her hair, which is pretty freaky.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would be freaky.
Speaker 1:And just stare up at her because particularly in those days the average height of a Chinese person has come up a great deal in the last 50 years, but there was a lot of malnutrition, so people were shorter. And my favorite thing that she told me about being in China at that time was they get on this one plane for a flight within China. They were flying from I don't know where to where From?
Speaker 1:one place to the other, yeah, from, say, beijing to Shanghai. And they get on the plane. It has a wooden floor, wooden chairs hammered into the floor and the inside of the door was wood and you pulled it in the door in with a rope and tied it to a cleat. Yeah, oh, my goodness, I've seen things like that and she was like I am gonna die, yeah, in freaking red mainland china.
Speaker 2:I have been on a plane like Going across Alaska.
Speaker 1:And so she, but she, the descriptions were just unreal, and in fact you recently found in a box or something, somewhere, some souvenirs that she had brought back. Oh yeah, now let me just tell you there weren't souvenirs to bring back. Oh, yeah, yeah. Now let me just tell you there weren't souvenirs to bring back. I mean, that was there were like you could buy little things with Mao's picture on them, yeah, like postcards and these little pieces of fabric, because tourist merchandising, that wasn't even thought of.
Speaker 2:No, by that point.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, and you know, made in China was a dream. It's amazing when you think about what China is. Now you know. You look inside your Ralph Lauren shirt and it says Made in China. And it's not a fake, Right? It's absolutely where manufacturing is.
Speaker 2:That's where it's not a fake Right.
Speaker 1:It's absolutely where manufacturing is. That's where it's happening, yep. So, anyhow, the Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang and the other one which is I recommend this to everyone. It's an excellent book, beautifully written. The Past is Never by Tiffany Key Tyson Excellent, okay, all right, that's book talk for this week.
Speaker 2:Book talk.
Speaker 1:I might well. I'm not going to even mention that yet. That's going to get into a thing. All right, michael and I have something that we both would like to discuss, and it is unless is there anything else, michael, you wanted to get to.
Speaker 2:No, this is good. We should probably get to this, yeah.
Speaker 1:The 50 greatest rock lead singers of all time. That's right, and this is a listing from Billboard and I don't remember exactly. I don't remember which singer it was I was listening to. It was someone met.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:But that was being touted as this great singer.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay. And I said let me look up who the real you know great singers who are the great singers that are rock and roll people Well, and so you looked at the Billboardboard list because, come on, yeah, it makes sense right, yes, so maybe, michael, you could give us a few of your favorites from this list. Well, I would I mean you, and I did talk about this before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and.
Speaker 2:I asked you many names, mm-hmm, and. I asked you many names and all but one of the names you said we're not on this list, right? So I asked many names of many wonderful singers, such as Kelly Clarkson oh my God, what a voice she has.
Speaker 1:One of the best.
Speaker 2:Her voice is amazing to me. It is, it's mind-blowing yeah it just kills me, ariana Grande.
Speaker 1:Nope, not on the list.
Speaker 2:Kelly Clarkson Not the world's biggest fan of Ariana Grande.
Speaker 1:Not on the list. However, her voice is Her voice is, it's just magical, miraculous is?
Speaker 2:it's just magical, miraculous.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is, yep, and she can be anybody she wants to be, as, yes, she can imitate all kinds of people.
Speaker 2:Any singer, yeah, it's just yeah, it's just incredible which is a little side hustle of her. Okay, so let's, uh, how about, uh, how about our uh uh, smoky-eyed blonde brunette with the big hair, amy Winehouse? Is she on there? Nope, not in there. Not on the list, not on the list. So, okay, maybe they don't consider them rock, but if they don't consider them rock, you know, because they're too little, too pop, maybe. Yeah, why is michael stipe number 16 on the list of the top 50 rock and roll singers Of all time?
Speaker 1:Well, and this list is cuckoo balls.
Speaker 2:That's not rock. If that's what we're limiting to harder stuff, that's not it. But no, they don't have those people.
Speaker 1:I mean, the key word in this list is singers. Okay, so we're looking for great singers.
Speaker 2:I, uh, and here's another one. I really enjoy listening to this band and to this singer. However, you couldn't pay me enough to say that he's a good singer and that's Eddie Vedder. Um, I'm sorry, half the time I don't know what. He's a good singer and that's Eddie Vedder. I'm sorry, half the time I don't know what he's saying, right, but he says it in a nice way, you know. But he's not a great singer, certainly not one of the great rock singers of all time.
Speaker 1:Well, when it comes to Eddie Vedder, I think we have to divide between Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder.
Speaker 2:Well, okay. I mean, he's a bit mumbly still with Pearl.
Speaker 1:Jam no, especially mumbly with Pearl Jam.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'm saying Pearl Jam definitely should not be on this list. Eddie Vedder if you listen to some of his solo stuff which I did only because of this list pretty impressive, but here's the one that I can't get past Jerry Garcia.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yep, yeah, yep, what, what, yeah, that's another one, one of the 50 greatest rock singers. Now they do have one here that I absolutely agree with, which is Steve Perry. Here that I absolutely agree with, which is Steve Perry.
Speaker 1:Steve Perry.
Speaker 2:One of the great voices ever.
Speaker 1:And I was just lamenting recently that he stopped yeah, yeah, he stopped singing, and what a bummer that is.
Speaker 2:What a loss, but he is number 30 on the list.
Speaker 1:And Steven Tyler.
Speaker 2:Now he's the one I actually guessed when we were talking about this before I said is Steven Tyler on the list? And you're like, oh yeah, okay, he made it and he deserves to be there. But he's number 14. And he does have an incredible voice. He does those high notes and it's so easy for him. I don't know how he does it, but he does it, he's gifted. He's not stressing even the tiniest bit doing that.
Speaker 2:He's just totally gifted, yeah, amazing voice. So I mean mean we got that, but then now I'm not. Uh, I have to say I like most of the singers on this list. However, I do not consider them good singers. Rob halford I don't know who that is. You got another thing coming. Judas Priest yeah. I mean, he's got a voice that goes really, really high, but you know, no, not a great singer, at least not in the music that he puts out there.
Speaker 1:Here's one that kills me Courtney Love.
Speaker 2:Courtney Love.
Speaker 1:Absolutely one of the worst, and this goes back to when I first heard her solo. So we're going back to what, the year, what? When did Kurt pass?
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:Ninety-five Something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh goodness.
Speaker 1:So that would be around. Then that Courtney said oh, I can do this all on my own, yep. Well, she can't, but she's on this list.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, we can't, no, that's enough. This list no, we can't. No, that's enough of that.
Speaker 1:Now someone who is on the list that should be on the list is Brittany Howard Alabama Shades.
Speaker 2:I love her voice. Yep, she's got a great voice. It's very distinctive.
Speaker 1:Yep, and it's right on. She's always on key. Here's one that I can't handle Iggy Pop what are you doing on this list? Gwen Stefani what are you doing on this list?
Speaker 2:What are ya?
Speaker 1:Hey Bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S, one of her most famous lines from her most famous song. Yeah, from her most famous song. Anyway, what else, michael?
Speaker 2:Oh, you know what I think we might be? I think we might be done.
Speaker 1:Willie Nelson.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, there's a lot of people that we could talk on. Ann Wilson is on the list, by the way. She's just under Steven Tyler, so they're right next to each other.
Speaker 1:Okay, good.
Speaker 2:Which they sort of should be. I mean, so they're right next to each other, which they sort of should be. I mean, they're very similar in their timeline, kind of thing, and I love them both, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Remind me who were the top three.
Speaker 2:Well, mick Jagger is number one. Mick Jagger is number one, mick Jagger is number one. Then we have Stevie Nicks, number two. Love her voice, not one of the most outstanding singers.
Speaker 1:Oh, off key so often.
Speaker 2:And Freddie Mercury. No argument there. They could put him number one.
Speaker 1:Why is he three?
Speaker 2:I don't know, because Mick Jagger's in front of him. I don't get it.
Speaker 1:Mick Jagger.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, anyway, people, I guess this is proof about, or a tale about where from once, you gather your information. Yeah from once you gather your information. Yeah, I'm gonna say billboard, and I can hear you out there saying, of course, billboard wouldn't be the source yeah but when I looked it up, when I googled it, billboard pops up they've got the article I want to read. You know exactly what I'm looking for. So there you go.
Speaker 2:There we go. What are you going to do there, right, hey? What did we learn on the show today?
Speaker 1:You tell me.
Speaker 2:Well, we learned various good ways to say goodbye, right.
Speaker 1:We did.
Speaker 2:We learned that religious wackos are alive and well and living in Miami, and maybe the mayor.
Speaker 1:That's true.
Speaker 2:We learned George Bush's grandpa stole Geronimo's bones and took them to New Hartford, Connecticut.
Speaker 1:So disgusting.
Speaker 2:And we heard about some tennis and some good books. That sounds like a pretty good show, right they?
Speaker 1:learned some stuff.
Speaker 2:You learn some stuff. People Read the books and you'll learn some more.
Speaker 1:Well, this is a song by a guy called Amir Sade, an Israeli singer, emil Sade, an Israeli singer, and it's a very sad song. It's not satirical, I'm not sure how you describe it, but it's saying basically, in the end, everything's still the same. So referring to the war in Israel, and so it's painful. In light of that, I'd like to say for the 59 remaining hostages, only 22 to 24 of whom are believed to be alive, please put a light on.
Speaker 2:Thank you. We leave Instagram Snoop. You're not the same as the Chosen the third parties are the same. In the end, everything remains the same. Everything remains the same oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Absente. Aulpan Of Noah.
