Kansas City Playlist: Can We Dance To Democratic Socialism?!?

By far, this week our most popular post was a quick report about Democratic Socialists trending in Kansas City. 

We had to go back and fix a few typos but overall we stand by the post that's just one of many that shows very real exasperation on behalf of local voters.

Similarly . . . We notice our conservative friends continue to feel betrayed by local government.

This line in a statement we shared from a conservative tax fighter this week was BRILLIANT and deserves more attention because it's a PERFECT insight into how many locals feel . . .    

"Another government entity using our taxpayer funds to fight against us . . ."

And this brings us back to socialism trending for the American NEXTGEN . . . 

"For many young Americans, struggling with the high cost of living, the Democratic establishment has failed to fight Trumpism effectively, and thus they have sought out alternatives. Polls show that the appeal of socialism has risen dramatically among Democrats in recent years. In a Gallup poll last September, only 42% of Democrats had a favorable view of capitalism, while 66% viewed socialism positively.

"Among very liberal Democrats, 61% view the DSA favorably while only 42% say they approve of how congressional Democrats are handling their job, according to a May poll by Marquette University Law School."

Readers are free to deny the merits of this movement but not it's impact. 

Consider . . . 

"Zohran Mamdani scored a hat trick Tuesday when all three of the democratic socialist mayor’s protégés in New York beat “normie” Democrats in their House primaries. In two cases, respected incumbents – including the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – went down."

 And that brings us to our bigger question posed only to our most dedicated local news readers . . .

Is the rise of American Socialism inevitable amid the growing disparity betwixt rich & poor, the fading middle-class, lower paying gig work and the misery inflicted on us all by way of blanket MSM coverage of Taylor Swift's wedding to Travis Kelce?!?!?

We're only halfway joking and look forward to any thoughtful response. 

In the meantime, class conflict, political trends and typical weekend nostalgia inspire tonight's www.TonysKansasCity.com playlist . . .

We admire the skepticism of this classic that was also part of a 90s Nike Ad campaign . . . Fun fact for fellow tech geeks: To get the song's iconic, machine-gun-like fuzz, engineer Geoff Emerick plugged John Lennon and George Harrison's guitars directly into the mixing console rather than an amplifier, deliberately overloading the circuits. It is the only Beatles track to feature this studio technique.

Regarding changing times and how much things invariably stay the same evolving circumstances . . . We share this fave and a fun fact . . . Before Buddy Miles recorded it as a solo artist in 1970, he played drums and sang it on the legendary live Band of Gypsys album with Jimi Hendrix (where it was simply titled "Changes").

Any playlist about socialism merits a mention of Rage Against The Machine if only because everybody who was there for their first go-round DESPERATELY clings to every last moment of their 40s. About this track that shouldn't be a call to action but is merely a memory of long ago daze. The most recent story about this song goes as follows: 

"In December 2009, a British fan campaign pushed Rage Against the Machine's 1992 track "Killing in the Name" to the top of the charts to block an X Factor winner from achieving the traditional UK Christmas Number One. Amidst the tight chart race, the BBC invited the band to perform live on a morning radio show, explicitly extracting promises that they would censor the song's heavy profanity. The band kept it completely clean until the very end, but during the explosive climax, singer Zack de la Rocha defiantly screamed "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" four times live on air. Frantic producers abruptly cut the audio feed mid-sentence, forcing the network to issue a massive public apology to morning commuters. However, the rebellious stunt provided the ultimate publicity boost, successfully securing the band the Christmas Number One spot and prompting them to donate all sales proceeds to charity."

For the bridge, a fun fact about how good old fashioned capitalism, nepotism and the entrepreneurial spirit helped to power a popular protest song . . .  While studying at Tufts, Tracy Chapman recorded a demo at the campus radio station, WMFO. A fellow student (and future music executive) named Brian Koppelman heard her play, found the demo, and sneaked a cassette tape of "Talkin' Bout A Revolution" out of the broadcast booth. He played it for his father, Charles Koppelman, which led to Chapman getting signed to her major label deal.

Finally . . . This song has a lot of interpretations but ultimately we think the tune is hopeful given that, obviously life goes on even after heartbreak, radical change or even slightly less (or more) healthcare paper work for people to fill out . . . About the track: Skeeter Davis' 1962 classic "The End of the World" holds a unique and haunting record in music history: it is the only song ever to simultaneously crack the Top 10 on four major Billboard charts (Hot 100, Hot Country Singles, Adult Contemporary, and R&B).

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe and fun Saturday night.