Kansas City Playlist: EV Grand Opening & Moment Of Doubt

Despite so many best guesses, nobody REALLY knows how the future is going to play out . . .

And so, we noticed this week that "celebration" over the opening of a Kansas EV facility was a bit muted.

Here's a peek at the official story . . .  

"Problems with Tesla, tariffs, and tax breaks have electric vehicle investors worried, even as Panasonic unveiled a massive new battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, on Monday. Leaders at the factory say it’s just a bump in the road." 

Meanwhile . . .

The reality is that the Tesla king is now alienated from the White House and EV sales are grinding to a halt despite an overall upward trajectory.  

And all of this inspires our www.TonysKansasCity.com playlist for tonight on the topic of electricity and transit . . .

As always, our musical interludes are powered by nostalgia and "I've Got The Power" has a special place in our heart if only because, as a youngster, we knew this song from Snap! was actually a German Euro Dance hit and not American hip-hop even if most DJs couldn't tell the difference.

Fun fact regarding this Midwestern standard . . . "Electric Boogie" (also known as the "Electric Slide") is a dance song written by Bunny Wailer in response to his hearing the Eddy Grant song "Electric Avenue" in 1982. And given that it's July, locals have likely had to perform this dance no less than a dozen times in celebration of nuptials that will likely/inevitably end in divorce.

Shock The Monkey was released in September 1982 as the first single from a new album and the first top 40 hit for Peter Gabriel . . . Even better, the track was a critical success and shook up the Western music scene if only because it didn't sound like anything else on radio at the time.

"Electric Feel" by MGMT is perfect for the bridge because it reminds us that "millennials" are now the new "boomers" and so-called "earth friendly" sentiment gets old VERY quickly and must always be updated for changing times . . . And that actually seems kinda wasteful given that preserving the environment should benefit everybody.

And so we conclude with a glimpse at the GenX ethos regarding electric cars that run off coal-powered electricity but seem like a nice way to help save the planet without expending too much effort. Fun fact, at one point, GM considered licensing this song from They Might Be Giants to promote the Chevy Volt . . . But then in 2019 the Volt was quickly discontinued.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun rest of your weekend.