Kansas City Playlist: Harrison Butker As MAGA Metaphor?!?

Quick summary of tonight's game for context . . . 

"The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly lost their preseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a single point, highlighted by a dramatic, mixed performance from kicker Harrison Butker. 

"Butker electrified the stadium by launching a staggering 69-yard field goal, a distance that fell just one yard short of the official NFL regular-season record. However, the game took a bittersweet turn for the Chiefs when Butker subsequently missed a routine point-after touchdown (PAT) attempt. That critical missed extra point ultimately proved to be the deciding factor in Kansas City's tight one-point defeat." 

A couple of highlights for constant readers . . .

Chiefs' Harrison Butker kicks 69-yard field goal, later misses PAT in KC's 1-point preseason loss vs. Bucs

Butker's kick technically passes the NFL record for longest field goal - though it won't count.

Harrison Butker makes a 69-yard FG on final play of first half

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker kicked a 69-yard field goal on the final play of the first half Saturday night.

Whilst it's just a meaningless preseason game . . . For our close nighttime readers . . . This mixed performance reminds us OF the contradiction that still confronts the kicker who put his politics and religious beliefs on blast not so long ago . . .

TKC remembers . .  . 

Harrison Butker’s mother is a highly accomplished medical physicist who built a successful decades-long career in cancer research. This KINDA contradicts his infamous Catholic college commencement speech, wherein he told female graduates that their most important title is "homemaker" and suggested a woman's life only truly begins when she marries and has children.

Accordingly we think this is marginally related to another conservative conundrum . . . 

DOES BUTKER'S MIXED PERFORMANCE TONIGHT AND THE NUKE SCIENCE CONTRADICTION OF HIS MUM'S CAREER SPEAK TO EVEN MORE SERIOUS DIVISIONS EMERGING AMONGST THE GOP?!?!

Consider . . .

Some Republicans and MAGA supporters have grown disappointed with President Trump because his costly war in Iran has fueled a massive surge in energy prices, driving year-over-year inflation to nearly 4%. This conflict, paired with permanent tax cuts and a drop in manufacturing jobs, has accelerated federal borrowing and pushed the U.S. national debt past a historic $40 trillion. Consequently, soaring bond yields are driving up interest rates on household loans and mortgages. Many fiscal conservatives feel these outcomes directly contradict Trump's core campaign promises to reduce the cost of living, slash the deficit, and keep gasoline below $2 a gallon.

And so . . . 

Feel free to disregard TKC juxtaposition but then please tell us how MAGA loyal voters cope with paradoxical promises from Prez Trump??? Other than, of course, questioning the sexuality of anybody who might respectfully second guess the Commander-In-Chief.

We'll wait for any answers.  

In the meantime all of this inspires our www.TonysKansasCity.com playlist on the topic of contradictions.

It's Saturday and time for patented TKC nostalgia . . . 90s movie-nerd triva is the best place to start . . . The music video—famous for showing the band members obliviously causing chaos and multi-car pileups while walking down the street—was directed by Roman Coppola, the son of legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

A musical shout out that's dystopian and hopefully doesn't speak the life after the midterms . . . David Byrne wrote the lyrics to this track after reading a book about computer hacking and white-collar digital crime. The single features one of the longest titles in pop history, adding its famous chant lines: "Life During Wartime (This Ain't No Party... This Ain't No Disco... This Ain't No Foolin' Around)"

A classic from TKC's single-digit years offers a few gentle life lessons on all-too-common challenges of youth . . . What we didn't know until tonight: The famous chanting hook at the end of Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"—"Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sas"—was borrowed from Soul Makossa, a 1972 hit by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango. Jackson used the line without permission, leading to an out-of-court financial settlement.

Another Saturday discovery for us by way of a horrible 70s pop song . . . The music video for Nick Lowe's 1979 hit "Cruel to Be Kind" features real and reenacted footage from his actual wedding to country singer Carlene Carter, who is the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash.

Finally, we share a simple truth that might exemplify Gen-X American life . . . Our favorite fun fact about Alanis Morissette's 1996 hit "Ironic" is that almost none of the situations described in the song (like rain on your wedding day or a traffic jam when you are already late) are actually examples of irony. Instead, they're just examples of bad luck or unfortunate coincidences.

In a cruel twist of situational irony, and just for future reference, we snagged an easy to understand AI definition which helps to explains human nuance . . . "Irony is a sharp difference between what seems real and what is true, or between what you expect to happen and what actually happens. It is not just bad luck or a simple coincidence; it involves a clear and surprising contrast."

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