Veterans Isle Benefit - Homes for Our Troops (11.02.25)

Rocking for a great cause at Homes for Our Troops. Photo by Kat.

Hey there everyone. Zak Claxton — musician, composer, performer, producer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist, former child model, political activist, and very handsome aging Gen X man — here to tell you about the benefit show I did on Sunday in Second Life for Homes for Our Troops.

What Is Homes for Our Troops?

I've done fundraising shows for this terrific organization many times in the past, though my most recent one was all the way back in 2020. I believe that while my pal Frets Nirvana — the face of the organization in Second Life — has requested my presence at shows since then, I'd run into a number of scheduling conflicts. But this time it worked out and I was happy to be there.

Homes for Our Troops is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially-adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. These vets — who've have sustained injuries including limb amputations, blindness, severe burns, and/or severe traumatic brain injury — get homes that restore some of the freedom and independence they sacrificed while defending our country.

As I mention at each one of these fundraising events, I am as much of an anti-war pacifist as you can imagine. I consider the needless violence of war to be an anachronism that we should have grown past long ago in the goal of conflict resolution. But I also am clear that if a person if going to risk life and limb in defending their country, the least that country can do is not abandon them once their job is over.

If you want to learn more or donate to HfOT, visit their official web site.

Anything Else Going On?

Well yeah. A lot.

Friday night was a combination of Halloween and the sixth game of the 2025 World Series, with the Dodgers facing elimination against the talented Toronto Blue Jays. I stayed downstairs, minding the door with my big bowl of candy for the trick-or-treaters while simultaneously watching in astonishment as the Dodgers pulled out a victory in Game 6.

Saturday night had Game 7 of what is now being called not only the greatest World Series in MLB history, but perhaps one of the greatest championships of any sport, ever. It was a privilege to watch the Dodgers win both of these games and get their back-to-back baseball championships. But the Blue Jays couldn't have been a tougher opponent, and it took all seven games and a bunch of extra innings to determine the winner. That series will be discussed for generations to come.

There are about a thousand moments like the one above that I will remember about the 2025 World Series for the rest of my life.

And then that night, before we went to bed, we had to set our clocks back an hour, because it was the end of Daylight Saving Time. I know, most of you hate the end of DST. I'm not one of you. I don't like it being pitch black for hours after I get up early in the morning, and I don't mind it getting dark earlier in the evening. But like all time changes, it always requires adjustment, and that's the part that none of us like.

And let's see... there's an election today on Tuesday November 4, with huge implications moving into the future. There's a world around us where the very essence of democracy in the United States of America is being challenged by outright fascism and authoritarianism. So yes, lots going on.

How Was That Show?

That show was superb. As always, I'd have liked a bigger crowd, but not to stroke my own ego... at a fundraiser event, you want as many people there as possible so that their generous contributions — large and small — add up to a worthwhile total.

But it turns out I needn't have been concerned. Due to the kindness of the people in attendance, HfOT pulled in about L$50,000 during the event, which is a bit over $200 USD. Not bad, for playing guitar and singing for an hour on a random Sunday afternoon.

A mellow crowd for a mellow music set. Photo by Kat.

Rocking for the vets. Photo by Kat.

Kat reps our hometown heroes while Triana dances in bunny slippers. Seems about right. Photo by Kat.

Hoes for Our Troops set list...

Airport Bar (Martin Courtney) 

Things Behind the Sun (Nick Drake)

California (Joni Mitchell)

It’s Good to be King (Tom Petty)

America (Simon & Garfunkel)

Perfectly Calm (They Stole My Crayon)

Sleeper in the Valley (Laura Veirs)

Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)

Thank You (Alanis Morissette)

Pancho & Lefty (Townes Van Zandt)

Cat’s In the Cradle (Harry Chapin)

Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)

Huge thanks to everyone who came out and provided both moral support and — more importantly — financial support for this terrific cause!

No Kings (Torrance, CA, October 18, 2025)

I've already written extensively about the overall story and impact of the October 18, 2025 No Kings nationwide day of defiance against the Trump regime. What I'm going to do here is to put all of my focus on the No Kings event I personally attended, in Torrance, CA for people the South Bay Area of greater Los Angeles.

What is LA's South Bay?

I also mentioned this last time, because not everyone who reads this is familiar with Southern California geography. My local No Kings event — like the last few protests I took part in, organized by many of the same groups — was situated in front of city hall in Torrance, CA, a spot just a few miles from my home in Redondo Beach. It was meant to represent the whole of the South Bay... coastal and coast-adjacent cities southwest of DTLA that includes the Beach Cities (Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach), Torrance, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, other local cities like Carson, Gardena, Lawndale, Lomita, and nearby LA neighborhoods like Harbor City and San Pedro.

This area — where I've spent most of my life since 1975 — spans a wide range of income groups, racial makeups, national backgrounds, political outlooks, and more. It also accounts for nearly a half million people. It's not an insignificant populace, and a good portion of people here lead active lifestyles and are hard workers. And we care about the world around us. At least most of us seem to. I love it here, and always have.

Arrival

Both Kat and I were very much aware that this was going to be a big event. Bigger than the previous ones, which were wildly successful in their own right. But that hypothesis became reality when we pulled up to the parking area near Maple and Maricopa. Previous events — even the big ones, like the last No Kings — still had plenty of parking in that massive lot.

But yesterday, on October 18, the lot was 4/5ths full when we arrived early. And as we pulled up, the streets — again, still 15 minutes before the official start — were already packed full of sign-wielding protestors on both sides of Torrance Boulevard, stretching for a half mile.

Size Matters

Right from the start, I knew that the October 18 No Kings event in Torrance was at least twice as big as the previous one, and my suspicions were confirmed later that night when the official attendance number was delivered by Beach Cities Democrats. They had the Torrance No Kings attendance at 40,000 people. That's not a typo. It's twice as many people as could fit in Crypto Arena where the Lakers play. It was fucking huge. It was — with zero doubt — the largest single protest action in the history of the South Bay. I am proud to have been a small part of it.

Why is the crowd size important? Very simple: it's a tangible indicator of the energy that the populace has to get out and force change. Think of it this way: for every person who physically attended these events, there were at least twice as many (if not way more) who supported it, but couldn't make it out for various valid reasons. And the huge majority of the people are voters.

Coming into some special elections in a few weeks, and with the 2026 Midterm national election in just over 12 months, the more people who are energetic and engaged, the higher the voter turnout will be. And make no mistake: while we come from varied backgrounds and have our own priorities on what to fix and when, our one and only united goal is to flip the House and Senate in 2026. That will effectively neuter Trump, and many of the cruel and often illegal programs he has in place can be rescinded and defunded. It matters a lot.

Festive Local Vibe, Huge Local Support

I know — because I spoke to them in person — it was the first time protesting for a good chunk of our crowd in Torrance. They couldn't have picked a better occasion to hit the streets. The 40,000 people spanned every demographics... old, young, kids, teens, seniors, Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials, Boomers. Our Torrance crowd was predominantly white, which makes sense given both the racial makeup of the area as a whole, and the fact that people of color have been unfairly targeted by Trump's gestapo troops.

But not only was there no violence — and extremely few incidences of any counterprotesting — but the event itself had the vibe of a fun block party. Music playing. People dancing. Laughter. Smiles. Hugs. Conversations among friends, old and new. All I saw for the duration of the No Kings event in Torrance was positivity and enthusiasm. If you don't understand why that's important, nothing I can write here will help you.

I'll add that the constant din of car horns from people driving by and cheering was literally deafening at times. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see a single negative reaction the entire day on Torrance. Just waves and fists up and thumbs up and horns blaring. It was glorious.

Why Wasn't No Kings More Serious?

It was actually perfect exactly as it was. See, the authoritarian fascist only knows how to respond to violence. That's something they truly understand. Just look at January 6, 2021, when they had their failed coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol. So it's their expectation that all protests have that same mindset. Throwing bottles and bricks, setting fires, pushing, shoving, trampling. Destruction of property and injury to lives.

Guess what they don't understand? Joy. Positivity. Exuberance. And the one thing that really, truly hurts them is ridicule. Why do you think that people appearing in absolutely silly inflatable costumes has become an icon of this moment? Because when federal troops showed up in Portland, they wanted to show streets in chaos, filled with violent crime. Instead, they had to view a benevolent blow-up frog. And then try and pass off said frog as being threatening... and looking like utter fools in the process.

So when I was at the Torrance No Kings event and saw inflatable raccoons, unicorns, sharks, ponies, and dinosaurs. There were the usual chants and whatnot, as there should be. It's not meant to be a party. But the upbeat feel of people coming together across the whole country permeated the event. And that is what left the MAGA world feeling so deflated. Their entire narrative of No Kings protests being filled with violent thugs became a punch line.

What's Next?

A few things. First, I can't say it enough, make sure you Californians vote Yes on Proposition 50. You can return your ballot any time in the mail or via ballot drop boxes. If you need to vote in person, fine: the special election is on November 4. Don't miss it. This is crucial.

Second is that people are asking for more events like No Kings, and it's important to note that important local events happen all the time. If you want to become more aware of opportunities for social activism near you, check out the following...

• Indivisible
• 50501
• MoveOn
• Mobilize
• Our Revolution
• And many more... feel free to ask me in the comments!

Looking forward to seeing many No Kings folks at the next event, and the next elections, all the way through to 2028 and beyond!

Random News: October 19, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s October 19, 2025, and it’s a Sunday. For obvious reasons, I’m enjoying a much more leisurely morning than I was able to yesterday. Slept in a little bit (which for me means 7:30am), and currently enjoying a fresh cup of Peet’s Brazil while ensconced in my bathrobe. That’s a Sunday vibe, man.

• Before we even start to talk about the details, I want to thank everyone who reads this little collection of news chunks every day and who took part in any way in yesterday’s No Kings day of national defiance.
• And by “in any way,” I mean that. Whether you got out in the streets, or helped spread the word, or drove by honking and waving, you were part of what made it so successful.
• And I want to give the biggest kudos of all to the ones who protested for the first time in their lives. I’ve seen hundreds of posts from such people, and the best part is that I knew how energized and enthused and heart-warmed they’d be once they got out there.
• And then they were.
• I’m going to write a whole-ass report on the No Kings event I attended for Los Angeles’ South Bay area in Torrance, CA, and I’ll do give the details there of my personal experiences.
• But it was easily the largest local protest action I’ve seen by miles and miles, and I’ve been to a bunch. According to the Beach Cities Democrats organization, we had 40,000 people at No Kings in my “sleepy” area of LA. Doesn’t seem too sleepy now, does it?
• But let’s instead look at No Kings as a whole.
• It was — according to multiple sources — the largest day of protest against a U.S. president in history, with more than seven million people out in the streets.
• Let’s point out that each of the mass anti-Dump, anti-fascism mobilizations has grown massively, starting with Hands Off on April 5 which had some three million participants, and then the first No Kings on June 14 which had over five million.
• But with well over 7,000,000 at yesterday’s events, the No Kings of October 18 was collectively one of the largest demonstrations in the history of the USA.
• The huge majority of the nearly 3,000 individual events were completely peaceful. NYPD issued a statement that with well over 100,000 people participating, they didn’t have to make a single arrest.
• Keep in mind that the Republicans were spinning the events beforehand as “hate America rallies” — something they could relate to, I suppose — the vibe at nearly every one of the events was extraordinarily positive and peaceful.
• You see, Republicans understand hatred and violence. They know how to react to that and use it for their own goals. But joy and positivity? That scares the fuck out of them.
• As does the trie patriotic American people reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
• At every rally I saw, there were a huge number of U.S. flags. I’m pretty sure these were all “love America” events. The hate comes from the Republicans who are becoming aware that we’re taking this country back from them.
• And we’re just getting started.
• Katie Bethell, the executive director of MoveOn, said it well. "The millions of people protesting are centered around a fierce love for our country. A country that we believe is worth fighting for.”
• Many news services compared the events to festive street parties, and that’s accurate.
• I want to quickly acknowledge some of the absolutely massive demonstrations in places like Chicago, Boston, D.C., Seattle, New York, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and other large cities.
• This seemed extremely well run considering how huge they were. Some of them individually hosted a quarter million people.
• But the even more impressive (to me) No Kings events were those in red states, and in small towns scattered across the country.
• There were huge No Kings events in Florida. In Texas. In Idaho. In North Carolina. And not just in the big cities of those red states. There were reports of town with a population of a thousand people, and hundreds of them showing up for the event.
• One sentiment I read over and over was that people had no idea that they weren’t alone in their feelings about Dump and his horror show government.
• These folks live in places that are assumed to be 100% MAGA. And then yesterday morning, they were to their local park or town center and found dozens — even hundreds — of people who felt that same way they do.
• For many, it was a very emotional moment. And all over the country in areas both red and blue, when the first-timers arrived and then saw and felt the overwhelming wave of support from the huge crowds and the surrounding community… I’ve seen many posts about people tearing up.
• So here’s something I want you to consider: for each of the 7+ million people physically in the streets, how many were there who were 100% supportive, but were unable to be out there?
• The list is long. People who had to work. People who had childcare and other responsibilities. Those physically unable to stand and/or march. People unable to get transportation to attend an event in person. Those who have fears about being in public or in large crowds. There are many.
• And most of all, people — immigrants, brown people, Black people, gay people, people living in violently MAGA areas, people who could lose jobs by being seen there — who felt they might be in danger by participating directly, but support the message of No Kings with every ounce of their soul.
• So no matter how big No Kings felt, the actual impact is far larger. And here’s what’s going to happen.
• We’re going to take that same festive energy and the newfound confidence of many of you, and we’re going to turn it into all manner of tangible action.
• There are crucial elections happening in a few parts of the country in less than a month. And in barely over a year, we’re going to make the 2026 Midterm national election the largest non-presidential election in the history of the country.
• We’re going to register voters. We’re going to take this level of excitement and positivity to the voting booth. We’re going to flip the House and maybe even the Senate to being under Democratic control.
• And by doing so, we’re going to neuter Donnie Dump. He will have no budget to pay for his ICE goons or his concentration camps. He will get zero legislation passed, and nominees approved. And he and his team will be under immediate congressional investigation for the illegal acts of cruelty committed thus far.
• He will be powerless for the remainder of his term. It will be glorious. And you — yes, you — are going to be part of that process.
• Don’t let anyone tell you that yesterday’s No Kings didn’t matter. And if they do say so, there’s only one appropriate response.
• Laugh at their sad, frightened asses. Those people are scared as fuck today.
• Okay, let’s move on.
• We briefly mentioned that on Friday, Republican and former national security adviser John Bolton was criminally indicted by Dumpy on federal charges pertaining to the alleged mishandling of classified information.
• While it’s easy to see why this instance of Dump prosecuting one of his political enemies  could be lumped in with the other recent high-profile indictments of James Comey and Leticia James, the situation with Bolton is very different.
• Bolton’s alleged misconduct is both more serious and appears to have occurred over a significant period of time.
• While Dump is absolutely now going after fellow-Republican Bolton for reasons of revenge, the investigation on Bolton was started by the Biden administration.
• During his time as Dump's national security adviser, Bolton put the country at risk by improperly retaining and transmitting classified information to family members using insecure means, including AOL.
• And yes, some of the documents were labeled top secret. So if that shit is true and provable, Bolton needs to answer for it.
• Let’s move on with a note for the International Desk…
• Hey, how’s that Dumpy ceasefire going in the Middle East?
• Not great. Today, Israel carried out several strikes on Gaza after saying its troops came under fire from militants in a violation of the ceasefire, the first major test of the US-brokered truce.
• An Israeli military official said Hamas attacked Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, prompting Israel to carry out strikes in the area.
• Again, according to Israel, Hamas fired towards Israeli forces in three separate incidents today. And then hospitals and witnesses reported at least eight people were killed in Israeli strikes in several other parts of Gaza.
• That supposed truce began nine days ago, and I’m glad that it allowed the release of Israeli hostages as well as Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
• But not a day has gone by that there hasn't been some fighting, and today’s incidents are the most serious yet.
• Sigh.
• One other quick note, this one from the Health Desk…
• Does it seem to you that an extraordinary number of food contamination events have been happening lately?
• In the most recent, frozen meals served to students across the United States as part of federally-funded school breakfast and lunch programs may be contaminated with listeria and have been recalled, officials announced yesterday. 
• The recall applied to approximately 91,585 pounds of prepackaged breakfast burritos and wraps, manufactured by the California company M.C.I. Foods between September 17 and October 14, per the USDA. 
• That food is distributed to low-income students around the country as part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, which the Department of Agriculture administers. The breakfast program served more than 14 million children in 2016, and close to 30 million children participated in the lunch program in 2019.
• The good news: there are no confirmed reports of illnesses tied to the recalled products. The agency said it recalled those products after the manufacturer discovered listeria while conducting routine testing on egg ingredients from its external suppliers.
• But I’d say overall, be careful what you eat. Multiple listeria outbreaks have been reported just this month.
• One impacted meal kits from the food subscription service HelloFresh and another forced the recall of nearly 245,000 pounds of precooked pasta, which contaminated dozens of different products sold in grocery stores nationwide.
• Ugh. Ain’t no one got time for that.
• And now, The Weather: “The Middle” by Home Star
• From the Sports Desk… yesterday was an uncharacteristically quiet day in the pro sports world as of late. Today will not be.
• In addition to Game 6 of the ALCS between Seattle and Toronto, we have a full slew of NFL Sunday games.
• I’ll note that the NBA season has begun, and my Los Angeles Lakers are (checks notes) in last place in the entire Western Conference at 1-5.
• Maybe we’ll wait until baseball ends to start checking NBA news.
• Today in history… King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry (1216). Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (1512). John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States (1789). Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice (1866). Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation (1900). Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University (1943). President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes (1973). Black Monday has the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 22%, 508 points (1987). Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity (2005). 
• October 19 is the birthday of activist John Woolman (1720), actress LaWanda Page (1920), actor Robert Reed (1932), singer-songwriter/musician Dave Guard (1934), illustrator Peter Max (1937), actor Michael Gambon (1940), singer-songwriter/guitarist Peter Tosh (1944), actor John Lithgow (1945), singer-songwriter/guitarist Patrick Simmons (1948), NBA player Joe Bryant (1954), politician Michael Steele (1958), boxer Evander Holyfield (1962), actor/director John Favreau (1966), animator Trey Parker (1969), actor Chris Kattan (1970), MLB player José Bautista (1980), singer-songwriter/bassist Thundercat (1984), and rapper Lil Durk (1992).

As I mentioned above, I’ll be doing a full report on my No Kings experience here in LA’s South Bay, and I’ll share that when it’s ready. For now, I should bathe and dress myself. Probably the right thing to do. Enjoy your day.

Hotel Chelsea (10.07.25)

Small crowd? How about big fun? That's a good tradeoff. Rocking Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Greetings to you, oh reader. It is I, Zak Claxton, writing to you on a pretty Sunday afternoon in autumn, here for the alleged purpose of a report about my recent show on Tuesday October 7 at Hotel Chelsea in Second Life.

Wasn't That Like, Five Days Ago?

Why yes. Yes it was. You see, I've had a busy week at work, and there's a fascist takeover of the United States going on right now. These — and other aspects of life that compete for my time and attention — have prevented me from telling you about this show on a timely basis.

So while it was certainly not my intention to do so, the fact that I had to push back writing up this show report ended up having me find the time to do it today, which happens to be my and Kat Claxton's 19th rezday in Second Life. We were told about the platform the morning of October 12, 2006, and signed up together that very evening.

Happy Rezday!

Yes, thank you. I'll be the first to admit that while I was relatively hung-ho about SL for the first maybe 8-10 years of my involvement on the platform (which is a very long time in the land of any genre of virtual environment), my time spent in Second Life in more recent years has been almost entirely limited to when I go into world for my live music performances.

I'll be fast to say that I still have all the admiration in the world for people who build their rich social lives and share their extraordinary creativity in SL. I never have anything but good vibes in regard to my time in SL as a whole. My life — real or virtual — is always spread among a wide variety of responsibilities and pleasures. That means I simply don't have the time to spend dedicated to being in world as I once did.

Life in general — SL or otherwise — was a little more simple in 2006.

I had not, in fact, beat this game 19 years ago.

So I'll end this little section with the note that I am grateful to Second Life as a platform, but much more grateful for the excellent lifelong relationships I've built via people I've met there, and the opportunity to perform life music for thousands and thousands of people around the world for nearly two decades at this point.

A nice rezday message today from the Second Life people.

So, How Was That Show?

It was great... if you understand my definition of a great show. Like most live performers, I prefer a larger crowd, but I've had huge crowds where I've done shitty shows that left me frustrated and pissed off. This show, we just couldn't seem to grab the size of crowd that we usually get at Hotel Chelsea, but the show itself? Went great.

Look, I've been in SL for 19 years as of today. I've performed hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) of shows there over those 19 years. I'm far past the point of getting overly excited about well-attended shows, and even further from being upset at poorly-attended ones. Sometimes the world works in ways where you are not the top-level focus of attention at all times. Frankly, that's probably a good thing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll rock just as well for three people as I will for 3,000. Sometimes even better. Photo by Kat.

And you know, I'd rather know that the folks who were there were enjoying the show than having a room filled with people who aren't actually engaged in what I'm doing onstage. Photo by Kat.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Northern Sky (Nick Drake) 

Mad World (Tears for Fears)

Snakes And Ladders (They Stole My Crayon) 

Driven To Tears (The Police)

Long Time Gone (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)

Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton) 

All You Fascists (Woody Guthrie)

Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)

Swirl (Charlie Martin)

Pecan Pie (Golden Smog)

Mexico (James Taylor)

Loading Zones (Kurt Vile)

Man of Constant Sorrow (Traditional) 

Big thanks to the few hardcore fans who hung out for this one, including the following who helped support it!

Trouble Streeter, Kat Claxton, my terrific manager Maali Beck, Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko, and Chelsea's great staff!

Random News: September 30, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s September 30, 2025, and it’s a Tuesday. I’m sipping my coffee and seeing what’s happened in the world that might impact you and me and the people we love. There’s a lot of those things. More every day, really.

• I don’t see any scenario in which the U.S. government doesn’t shut down at midnight tonight.
• Yesterday, Democratic and Republican congressional leaders left a White House meeting with Lord Dumplepants showing no sign of compromising from their entrenched positions in order to avoid a lapse in funding.
• As typically happens, if government funding legislation isn’t passed by Congress and signed by Dump tonight, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and nonexempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation’s economy.
• It’s a shame that Republicans hate health care so much, they — who control the House, Senate, and White House — are willing to let this happen.
• But, as Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said as he left the White House, “There are still large differences between us.”
• Dumpy has shown zero interest in entertaining Democrats’ demands on health care, even as he agreed to hold a sit-down meeting yesterday with Schumer, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
• Of note: it was Dictator Dump’s first meeting with the “big four” leaders in Congress since retaking the White House for his second term.
• Long story short, Dump wants the government to shut down, perchance to fire a bunch of people in important services that Americans rely on. 
• So obviously, he’s not going to negotiate. Why would he?
• Democrats are pushing for an extension to Affordable Care Act tax credits that have subsidized health insurance for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The credits, which are designed to expand coverage for low- and middle-income people, are set to expire at the end of the year.
• That’s all. That’s why Republicans are shutting down the government.
• Any legislation to fund the government will need support from at least 60 senators in the 100-member Senate. That means that at least eight Democrats would have to vote for the short-term funding bill, because Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is expected to vote against it.
• Snort.
• There is a proposal for a one- or two-week stopgap if Republicans will work with Democrats on a health care fix. But you know they would never do it if it made Dumpy upset and have a little fit.
• On a related note, after the meeting, Dump shared an AI-generated racist video on social media depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero and a mustache and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking in a fake voice.
• Dump is like the rich bully kid in high school that everyone hates, secretly or openly.
• Shortly after Dump posted the video, Jeffries wrote, “Bigotry will get you nowhere. Cancel the Cuts. Lower the Cost. Save Healthcare. We are NOT backing down.”
• Schumer followed moments later, commenting, “If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can’t negotiate. You can only throw tantrums.”
• Fact check: true.
• Let’s move on.
• Dump and his unqualified Fox News host-turned-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are having their little meeting in Quantico, VA with every general and admiral in our military branches as I write this.
• So far, what’s happened…
• Hegseth plugged his book.
• Hegseth told the highest-ranking officers in our Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines that physical fitness standards should be high.
• Hegseth said he is removing the ability for troops and defense personnel to anonymously file whistleblower complaints, report toxic leadership, or point out unequal treatment based on race, gender, sexuality or religion.
• And Hegseth also said the military would be redefining things like bullying and hazing in the military so that the young men and women could be tortured as such without fear of retribution.
• He’s a fucking piece of shit. No wonder they hate him.
• After that was Dumpy’s turn to address the audience. He was met by total silence as he began his address to the hundreds of senior U.S. military officers.
• He didn’t know what to do, nor did he understand that this was standard military decorum.
• “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” Dump said, appearing super uncomfortable in the quiet room. He continued: “If you want to applaud, you applaud.”
• They did not. It fucked Dumpy up. A guy like Dump only can draw energy off of instantaneous feedback. As a result, Dump’s remarks were delivered in a half-speed monotone.
• Ha ha.
• Dump was really unnerved. He said, "If you don't like what I'm saying you can leave the room, because there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
• Ya know, this fucking guy, right before the event, said that he'll fire generals "on the spot" if he dislikes them. I’m serious.
• No word on if he’s fired the entire military yet for not clapping and bowing.
• Let’s move on.
• You may have noted that there’s been very little follow-up in major media about the man who, on Sunday, attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, killing four and injuring eight more.
• Compare it to the media coverage about the assassination of that one guy a few weeks ago.
• But it is coming out that Thomas “Jake” Sanford, 40, had served in the Marines and worked as a mechanic in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Sanford drove his huge truck around town with two giant American flags flying from the bed behind him… the same truck he used to ram into the church. He wore Dump t-shirts and had a Dump sign in his driveway.
• He was MAGA through and through.
• And he harbored open hatred for the LDS church. About a week before the attack, he met Kris Johns, a city council candidate. Sanford asked him two questions: “What are your thoughts on guns?” and “What are your thoughts on Mormons?”
• You know, one commonality of these violent and fatal attacks: they do seem to all be perpetrated by white American guys.
• I mean, it’s true. Shrug. But I don’t see “white American men” being singled out as a terrorist organization. Why not?
• Since we referenced the Charlie Kirk assassination…
• Yesterday, Tyler Robinson — the 22-year-old man charged with killing Kirk — appeared in court remotely. During the hearing, the suspect and his newly-appointed legal counsel decided they want a preliminary hearing where the judge will determine if there is enough evidence against him to go forward with a trial.
• There probably is.
• Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder and plan to seek the death penalty. Robinson didn't enter a plea during yesterday’s hearing.
• Robinson is scheduled to appear in person for his next hearing on October 30.
• Let’s move on.
• Here in California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law yesterday that will force major AI companies to reveal their safety protocols — marking the end of a lobbying battle with big tech companies like ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Meta and setting the groundwork for a potential national standard.
• It is already being watched in Congress and other states as an example to follow as lawmakers seek to rein in an emerging technology that has been embraced by the Dump administration in the race against China, but which has also prompted concerns for its massive and obvious potential to create harms.
• Newsom said, “California has proven that we can establish regulations to protect our communities while also ensuring that the growing AI industry continues to thrive. This legislation strikes that balance.”
• The measure, SB 53, requires some AI developers to publicly disclose their safety and security protocols. It also creates a way for companies and the public to report major safety incidents to the state.
• The law includes whistleblower protections for AI workers and lays the groundwork for a state-run cloud computing cluster dubbed CalCompute.
• As I’ve said many times over many years, thank God I live in this state. I am beyond lucky to be a Californian.
• Moving on.
• From the Business Desk, some fuckery to keep an eye on. 
• Yesterday, the massive video game publisher Electronic Arts announced that it agreed to be taken private in a deal valued at roughly $55 billion by a group of investors that includes a firm managed by Dump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
• If completed, it would be the largest buyout of a publicly traded company in history. The investors would partly finance the deal with a $20 billion loan from JPMorgan Chase.
• The deal is led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which already owns about 10 percent of Electronic Arts, as well as the private equity firm Silver Lake and Kushner’s Affinity Partners.
• EA is a sports-gaming juggernaut, with EA Sports FC  for soccer and Madden for football. It’s also a conduit into the lives of millions of children and young adults who are the biggest market for these sports-based video games.
• And now they will be all the more influenced by the Saudi kingdom and by Dump.
• The Electronic Arts buyout would need the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a panel of government agencies that reviews international deals for security concerns. Some lawmakers have previously called for scrutiny of the Saudi fund’s investments in sports for national security reasons.
• “People don’t often think about video games and national security together, but these are platforms that reach millions of Americans and often collect a lot of personal data,” said Aaron Bartnick, a former official who worked on national security reviews of foreign investments and who is now a fellow at Columbia University.
• Let’s move on.
• I truly enjoyed the complete meltdown and crash out of the MAGA world after yesterday’s announcement of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner.
• Probably my favorites complaints were those MAGAs who made statements like, “Of course the NFL would announce a non-US citizen for the Super Bowl halftime show.”
• And of course, he’s right that the NFL has featured non-US citizens to perform at halftime! Those would include Rihanna, Shakira, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, U2, and others.
• But Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico, making him 100% a U.S. citizen. let’s face it: Bad Bunny isn’t white and performs in a. language other than English. That’s the problem.
• And now, The Weather: “Ecstatic Heads” by mark william lewis
• Let’s do a chart.
• It’s literally the last day of September in 1990, 35 years ago today. I am slogging through my bachelor’s degree and I’m dating the woman who I’d marry, have a son with, and eventually divorce… so it goes.
• Everything ends up working out fine. Here was the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at the time. Pretty meh for the most part.
• 1. (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection (Nelson). 2. Close To You (Maxi Priest). 3. Release Me (Wilson Phillips). 4. Blaze Of Glory (From "Young Guns II") (Jon Bon Jovi). 5. Praying For Time (George Michael). 6. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (Phil Collins). 7. Do Me! (Bell Biv DeVoe). 8. Thieves In The Temple (Prince). 9. Oh Girl (Paul Young). 10. My, My, My (Johnny Gill). 11. I Don't Have The Heart (James Ingram). 12. Heart Of Stone (Taylor Dayne). 13. Romeo (Dino). 14. Can't Stop (After 7). 15. Everybody Everybody (Black Box). 16. Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice). 17. Unskinny Bop (Poison). 18. Have You Seen Her (M.C. Hammer). 19. Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers). 20. Policy Of Truth (Depeche Mode).
• From the Sports Desk… in yesterday’s battle of winless teams, the Dolphins noted their first victory of the year over the hapless Jets… but at a cost.
• Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill dislocated his left knee and tore multiple ligaments during Monday night's 27-21 win over the Jets. He was hospitalized overnight, his season is over, and possibly his career.
• Sad.
• Today in history… Henry IV is proclaimed king of England (1399). Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and his forces enter Tula territory in present-day western Arkansas, encountering fierce resistance (1541). The first performance of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute takes place two months before his death (1791). Thomas Edison's first commercial hydroelectric power plant (later known as Appleton Edison Light Company) begins operation (1882). Radoje Ljutovac becomes the first soldier in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft with ground-to-air fire (1915). The League of Nations unanimously outlaws "intentional bombings of civilian populations” (1938). NBC broadcasts the first televised American football game (1939). The 1947 World Series is the first to be televised and the first to include an African-American player (1947). The Boeing 747 is rolled out and shown to the public for the first time (1968). Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation (1980). Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in a Danish newspaper (2005). 
• September 30 is the birthday of astronomer Michael Maestlin (1550), activist Ann Jarvis (1832), businessman William Wrigley, Jr. (1861), physicist Hand Geiger (1882), sexologist Charlotte Wolff (1897), bassist/bandleader Thelma Terry (1901), drummer/bandleader Buddy Rich (1917), US Army captain Lewis Nixon (1918), novelist Truman Capote (1924), activist Elie Wiesel (1928), actress Angie Dickinson (1931), singer Cissy Houston (1933), singer Johnny Mathis (1935), drummer Dewey Martin (1940), music producer Gus Dudgeon (1942), singer Marilyn McCoo (1943), singer-songwriter/guitarist Marc Bolan (1947), actress Fran Drescher (1957), singer-songwriter/guitarist Marty Stuart (1958), actor Eric Stoltz (1961), singer-songwriter/guitarist Trey Anastasio (1964), actress Jenna Elfman (1971), actor Daniel Wu (1974), MLB player Jeremy Giambi (1974), tennis player Martina Hingis (1980), and rapper T-Pain (1984).

Well, as usual these days, that was a lot of stuff and we never have time to go as deep into these important stories as we should. I always recommend that you follow up on things you find interesting and get the rest of the story for yourself. Enjoy your day.

Random News: September 29, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s September 29, 2025, and it’s a Monday. It looks like a lovely day out there as the sun starts to peek over the eastern horizon. I got a good night’s sleep and am feeling a little more optimistic about facing the day, even though it’s Monday. I’m sure that enthusiasm will fizzle once I get through this news and into my work day.

• Let’s get rolling.
• Yesterday, the state of Oregon filed a lawsuit against Dumpy after the Orange Menace said he will send troops to Portland.
• It comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent a memo to Governor Tina Kotek authorizing 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to the city of Portland, per state Attorney General Dan Rayfield.
• The troops are to be deployed for 60 days to protect federal property "where protests are occurring or likely to occur.”
• The lawsuit argues that Dump lacks authority to federalize the National Guard. California filed a similar lawsuit in June after the administration sent troops to Los Angeles.
• A reminder, if you missed it yesterday: Dump ordered Hegseth to send "all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any other ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists."
• Fucking douchebag.
• Gov. Kotek said, “When the president and I spoke yesterday, I told him in very plain language that there is no insurrection or a threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state. Despite this, and with all evidence to the contrary, he has chosen to disregard Oregonian safety and ability to govern themselves.”
• And apparently Dumpy is getting confused about PDX as well.
• "I spoke to the governor, she was very nice," Dump said. "But I said, 'Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? My people tell me different.' They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place… it looks like terrible."
• Jesus fucking Christ.
• Let’s move on.
• New York City Mayor Eric Adams is dropping out of the race, ending his reelection bid at the order of Dumpy and other Republicans who have wanted to consolidate the opposition against popular Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
• Mamdani, a democratic socialist, notched a huge win in June’s Democratic primary over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now mounting an independent campaign.
• Dump and other conservatives are now backing Cuomo in a big way. They’re scared to death of Mamdani. But Adams dropping out isn’t going to give a big boost to Cuomo.
• Adams had been running fourth in most public polls behind Mamdani, Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
• And state and national Democrats are increasingly coalescing around Mamdani in recent weeks due in part to Dump’s push to reshape the race in Cuomo’s favor. The election is just over five weeks away on November 4.
• Moving on.
• I think you can count on a government shutdown starting on Wednesday. The Democrats are holding tough, and Dump said yesterday, "I just don't know how we are going to solve this issue.”
• How about give in to the Democrats’ simple request for health care for Americans?
• As we mentioned, Dumpy is meeting with congressional leaders today ahead of the October 1 deadline for lawmakers to reach an agreement on a spending bill that would avert a shutdown.
• Dump is privately cherishing the idea of a shutdown, welcoming the prospect because it will enable him to wield executive power to slash some government programs and salaries.
• But Democrats have forcefully pushed back against Dump's mischaracterization of their positions on both government funding and on immigration. And they have repeatedly noted that people who are in the U.S. illegally are not eligible to receive Medicaid coverage. 
• The Democrats are fighting for all Americans’ health care. Dump and the Republicans are shitting on it. End of story.
• This weekend, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “What we are doing is fighting to protect the healthcare of everyday Americans in the midst of this Republican-caused crisis that is devastating hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health clinics.”
• The meeting scheduled for today has Dump talking to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Jeffries.
• Let’s move on.
• I stopped covering every significant instance of gun violence in this column. I did that for a solid year and it was so discouraging — with no signs of any changes — that I sort of gave up.
• But I will mention yesterday’s attack on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, MI. 
• As you’ve probably heard, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, drove his truck into the church and started shooting congregants, then set the building on fire with hundreds of people inside. Sanford was later killed in a shootout with responding police.
• At least four people were killed and eight others were injured in the shooting and fire. Officials say they believe more victims will be found as they comb through the rubble.
• So who is this Jake Sanford asshole? He was a veteran of the Iraq War, and served four years in the Marines, rising to the rank of sergeant.
• Donnie Dump already weighed in, writing, “This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”
• Perhaps. But if so, it was done by one of his own. Sanford was pictured wearing Dump-supporting clothing with slogans saying, “Make Liberals Cry Again.” He’d had a Dump sign in his yard.
• So watch how quickly this guy disappears from media coverage as a result.
• And in another weekend mass shooting, 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge was arrested in a Saturday mass shooting in North Carolina that killed three people and injured five.
• He’s been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. He is currently held without bond.
• Edge is also a former Marine and an Iraq War vet. Odd coincidence, I suppose. No word yet on whether he was also a Dump supporter like Sanford.
• So far this year, in the USA there have been at least 324 mass shootings — in 272 days. Mass shootings are most often defined as an incident where at least four people are shot.
• Let’s just move on. What else can we do?
• From the Entertainment Desk…
• Yesterday, millions of MAGAs nearly shit their pants when it was announced that the 2026 Super Bowl halftime will be headlined by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny.
• Mr. Bunny commented, “Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
• Does this guy has the qualifications to be the Super Bowl halftime performer? You bet. Four No. 1 albums, 113 (!) Hot 100 hits (including 15 top 10s), three Grammys, one No. 1 single and much more.
• But he also canceled a number of US-based concerts this year, not wanting to put his fans in danger of being abducted by ICE… which they would have been.
• The fact that this guy is perceived as anti-Dump, anti-ICE, and sings most of his songs in (gasp) Spanish is already making MAGA scream about boycotting the entire Super Bowl. I’m loving it. And it feels purposeful, which I also love.
• With Kendrick Lamar last year and now Bad Bunny this year, it almost feels like the NFL is trolling the racists of the country, and I’m all here for it.
• Can you imagine Dumpy trying to sign an executive order to keep Bad Bunny from performing? I can 100% see that.
• Let’s also acknowledge that Bad Bunny is an American. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. People born there are U.S. citizens, in case you’re confused.
• Super Bowl LX will be held on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
• Moving on with some actual weather news…
• Eastern U.S. people, be prepared for tropical storm Imelda, which is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it moves off the Southeast coast this week, kicking up dangerous surf, rip currents, coastal flooding, and beach erosion from Florida through the Carolinas.
• And at the same time, Hurricane Humberto, which briefly exploded into a rare Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds Saturday, is now a large Category 4 hurricane. Located a few hundred miles east of Imelda, Humberto’s massive size will compound the hazards for US beaches this week, driving deadly rip currents and big waves farther north along the East Coast than Imelda alone.
• Be safe, my peoples.
• And now, The Weather: “Magic” by Nameless Warning
• From the Sports Desk… ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary sports fans, we have a final MLB playoff picture. Here we go…
• American League Wild Card: 6-seed Tigers at 3-seed Guardians. 5-seed Red Sox at 4-seed Yankees. 1-seed Blue Jays and 2-seed Mariners have a bye until the divisional round.
• National League Wild Card: 6-seed Reds at 3-seed Dodgers. 5-seed Padres as 4-seed Cubs. 1-seed Brewers and 2-seed Phillies get the bye.
• All Wild Card series start on Tuesday.
• In other Sports Desk news, the NFL had a crazy day yesterday with upset wins by the Steelers, Falcons, Giants, Jaguars, and Chiefs… and an even more unlikely 40-40 tie between the Packers and Cowboys last night.
• Tonight’s two MNF games are the Jets at Dolphins (battle of the winless wonders), and the Bengals at Broncos.
• Today in history… Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury, as a prisoner (1011). Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX for his failure to participate in the Crusades (1227). Protestant coup officials in Nîmes massacre Catholic priests in an event now known as the Michelade (1567). The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men (1789). Germany's Supreme Army Command tells Kaiser Wilhelm II and Imperial Chancellor Georg Michaelis to open negotiations for an armistice in WWI (1918). The First American Track and Field championships for women are held (1923). The Kyshtym disaster is the third-worst nuclear accident ever recorded (1957). NASA launches STS-26, the first Space Shuttle mission since the Challenger disaster (1988). John Roberts is confirmed as Chief Justice of the United States (2005). The stock market crashes after the first United States House of Representatives vote on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act fails (2008). Over 42 people are killed by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Nigeria (2013). 
• September 29 is the birthday of Roman general/politician Pompey (106 BC), polymath Michael Servetus (1511), novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547), English admiral Horatio Nelson (1758), physicist Enrico Fermi (1901), fashion journalist Diana Vreeland (1903), singer/actor Gene Autry (1907), director Stanley Kramer (1913), football coach Bum Phillips (1923), model/actress Anita Ekberg (1931), singer-songwriter/pianist Jerry Lee Lewis (1935), actor Larry Linville (1939), actress Madeline Khan (1942), violinist/composer Jean-Luc Ponty (1942), composer Mike Post (1944), singer-songwriter/guitarist Mark Farner (1948), TV host Bryant Gumbel (1948), animator Gábor Csupó (1952), journalist Gwen Ifill (1955), singer-songwriter/bass player Les Claypool (1963), actor Mackenzie Crook (1971), NFL player Calvin Johnson (1985), NBA player Kevin Durant (1988), and singer Halsey (1994).

That’s plenty for now. So look… this might be a weird week. Things might happen. I mean, things always happen, but I’m referring to things that end up being something that a future kid has to study for a U.S. History test. But as always, I advise you to stay strong, remain positive, and keep fighting for what’s right. If you want to know how, just ask me and I’m happy to give you specific advice. Enjoy your day.

Alex G at the Greek Theater - Los Angeles, CA (09.27.25)

I can actually tell you the exact moment I got into singer-songwriter Alex G. I'd heard his name before... some general chatter around the indie world for years about this guy creating these terrific home-brewed, genre-absent tunes and posting them to Bandcamp. At that time, he was releasing stuff as (Sandy) Alex G, and it was in summer 2019 that a tune of his popped into my suggested content on some platform — YouTube or Bandcamp or who knows what.

But the moment I heard the song "Gretel" off the album House of Sugar, I was absolutely hooked. As I stated at the time in my year-end "best-of" list, "I guess I'm late to the (Sandy) Alex G trip; House of Sugar is the seventh album from this Philly-based singer-songwriter. But holy shit, it's great. "Gretel" is up there in my favorite songs of the entire year."

Since then — and his having dropped the "Sandy" moniker for subsequent albums — I've enjoyed everything this guy has done, from the soundtrack work he did to his two most recent albums, 2022's God Save the Animals (another entry on that year's "best-of" list) and this year's excellent Headlights, released in July.

Almost Didn't Make It

I nearly talked myself out of going to the show, and that would have been a huge regret. I wasn't feeling terrific during the days leading to September 27 — just a ton of work stress and life stress being the culprit, I suppose — and then that very morning, it turned out we'd also committed to doing a street protest. That's a lot of energy use for one day, at least for me.

So I wasn't feeling it, and a couple of times nearly told Kat that it might be better if we skipped the show, despite having great seats and really wanting to be there. But I did not; I know myself well enough that once I actually get going on something, I get past my woes and focus on the adventure at hand. Also, while Kat would have understood, I also know for a fact she'd have been super disappointed. She'd purchased the tickets months earlier, and both of Alex's latest albums are probably among her favorite all-time. I wasn't going to let a bout of nerves stop us, though I was pretty miserable until we hit the road.

Drive to the Greek

But by the time we were cruising up the 110 North, I was perking up. One cool thing: I knew Kat had never been to the Greek before, and it had been a good number of years since I did either. But it's a seriously cool and iconic Los Angeles music venue; I was glad she'd have the opportunity to check it out.

There's no such thing as a zero-traffic moment driving through downtown LA, but all things considered, we got to the Greek very quickly — even accounting for the standard evening gridlock on Los Feliz Boulevard. Since we'd pre-paid for parking, we pulled right into Lot G just above the venue, and strolled on in. I really like the Griffith Park area; if it wasn't such a pain in the ass to get up there form the South Bay, I'd probably spend more time there in general.

A quick side note: after we pulled up and parked, I saw a large shape swoop down and land on a small structure to our right. It was a massive Great Horned Owl, which I — for reasons unknown — intuited as a good luck sign for the rest of the evening. I wasn't wrong.

Alex G Fans

I have to say, the modern concert experience is just so fucking convenient. Kat had our ticket and parking info on her phone, and with zero lines or waiting, we were able to park the Jeep and then enter the Greek with nothing more than a scan. That is such an improvement to the old way.

The crowd was super diverse. I saw young teenagers at the all-ages event, but I saw plenty of people in there 40s and 50s, so Kat and I didn't feel like the weird old hipsters that we might have been at a different indie music concert. The people there to see Alex G (as well as his support act Kevin Abstract) also had the typical Los Angeles spectrum of races and genders and sexual orientations and so on. I'm always my most comfortable in that kind of environment. Regardless of differences, everyone there seemed super chill and very appreciative of the music performances.

And something I've observed in the past five years: Alex G fans are fucking serious fans. It reminds me a bit of other artists who have cultivated an extraordinarily loyal and emotionally-attached batch of people. There were plenty of them there last night. It was definitely an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

The Show

It was superb. Alex's set list leaned heavily into his most recent album, which was perfect for me. The set also included some great tunes from the previous few albums, along with some of Alex's older stuff from his early output. I will mention that the sound quality at the Greek was completely outstanding... a hats-off to the FOH engineer, whoever they may be. The stage lighting was superb and dynamic, and yet didn't distract from the show itself.

There was a point, after the first couple of tunes, that Alex's band ran into some tech issues. While they got those straightened out, Alex did two solo songs that were really amazing, and kept the crowd spellbound. Speaking of which, Alex — while sitting down at the keyboards — told the crowd a fascinating story.

"I was born here in Los Angeles. And after high school, I decided to go to clown school. And they said I wasn't funny enough to be a clown. I know. It broke my parents' heart. And that's when I started taking piano lessons. And, uh, I practiced hard and I studied hard and I put the time in. And I got a full scholarship to Juilliard, the music school."

Which is pretty cool. And complete bullshit. Literally none of that is true. And Alex is that kind of guy. He's just a weird and interesting and probably doesn't give a shit whether you like him or believe him or not. Sometimes being an unreliable narrator is also an important role.

So all in all, I am super happy that I pushed my negative vibe to the side and went to the show. Alex is an amazing and unique talent, and I am super happy I got to experience him doing his stuff live and in person. 100% worthwhile.

Alex G set list...

• Louisiana
• Gretel
• Sarah (Technical difficulties (solo))
• Whale (Technical difficulties (solo))
• Harvey (Problems fixed but promised a fan)
• June Guitar
• Runner
• Real Thing
• Beam Me Up
• Afterlife
• Oranges
• Bug
• Kicker
• Brick
• Horse
• Blessing
• Immunity
• Logan Hotel
• Is It Still You in There?
• Bounce Boy
• Spinning
• Forever
• Headlights

Encore:

• Far and Wide
• Southern Sky
• Black Hair
• Change