How is everyone’s weekend going? I sat on the couch for about an hour Saturday afternoon and did something I haven’t hardly at all spring…watch baseball.
The Cubs were pounding the Braves (an uncommon occurrence as the Cubs have been unwatchable for most of 2021) and coming through the television were the sounds…of people. Not piped in crowd noise but actual fans.
Illinois remains under a public health mandated spectator limit (25 percent) and on a cold day in April, Wrigley Field would not be sold out anyway. But seeing and hearing fans at a live sporting event in a venue where I used to go 20-30 times a year (I’m a former season ticket holder) was music to my ears.
But let’s get back to full capacity. And $14 cans of beer.
Today’s Six features articles about the fall of Dr. Fauci, how covering the White House has changed under Biden (hint…less leaks), the dirty little secret of the music business, and not one but two wacky animal stories! (one with arguably the best video of year so far in 2021.)
Let’s proceed with the Six.
We Need To Stop Listening to Fauci.
Sharing this article presents a bit of a mea culpa by the author of this newsletter; I quoted and defended Dr. Fauci many times in various articles since The Kerr Report launched in July of 2020. But it’s time to stop listening. While I still respect the man’s life devotion to science, he talks too much now and out of both sides of his mouth. The final straw is his admonishment of Texas for opening the state and inability to explain how Covid cases are going down in spite of the fact the state removed its mask mandate. This is a good essay from American Consequences on the country to stop “waiting” for Fauci to tell us when to get back to normal.
I have a good friend who covers the White House for a cable news outlet. He told me things would be different once Trump left and Biden took over. It is. No daily drama about rivalries amongst staff members, whom is jockeying for what job, or whom might the President replace in a senior cabinet position. The Washington Post analyzes how the pipeline of leaks and ‘multiple unnamed sources’ has gone dry.
Inside The Dirty Secret Of Songwriting.
A fascinating read from Variety about how the music writing business really works. It’s a hard business for songwriters who write hit songs sung by stars like Justin Bieber or Ariana Grande but don’t get credit because they are forced to give away publishing rights. With streaming now the most common way fans consume music, that small pie can only be sliced so many ways. This article goes deep in the weeds on what’s becoming a more open secret of the music business.
The Show That Changed Television Forever.
Fifty years ago, a television show debuted called “All In The Family.” It was a game changer for the counter culture movement; ushering the upheaval, turmoil and backlash of the 1960s into American living rooms. How the creator, Norman Lear, and a CBS executive named Robert D. Wood pulled off is told in this entertaining book excerpt published in The Atlantic.
I May Never Buy Lettuce Again.
I teased two wacky animal stories at the top…this is the first one. The setting is an Aldi Grocery Store in Australia. Read this from the New York Post (and get totally creeped out).
Man Defends Family From Bobcat.
So I’m on Twitter late in the week and “Bobcat” starts trending. Of course I had to check out the reason, which was well worth stopping what I was doing. The video takes about 15 seconds before the chaos ensues but stick around for it. And turn the sound up. The guy in the video deserves an Emmy nomination. You’ll gasp and laugh at the same time.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com.