Trump Outwits Biden in First Presidential Debate

In the first 2024 Presidential debate, a lot of focus was surrounding two basic questions: 1. Will Joe Biden be able to keep up due to his apparent cognitive decline and 2. Will Trump steamroll through the debate, a mistake he made in 2020? To answer those plainly, Biden was still standing at the end of the debate so I think Democrats are counting that as a win. The muted mic aspect of the debate kept Trump from being a bully.

But with that said, neither of the guys were particularly compelling. And did they really argue about who’s a better golfer? 🥴 With a few exceptions, all they did for 90 minutes was bash each other about their respective 4-year terms as Prez. Where was the hope? Where was the inspiration? I would’ve loved to hear about what their specific plans are for the next 4 years. I thought Trump had an amazing opportunity (and Biden, too) to connect with Americans when he was asked about helping people with addiction problems. Talk to those specific viewers who struggle with addiction about how you’re there to support them, help them, love them, and get them through this tough battle they’re facing. It would be OK to point out logistical strategies for helping with addictions (preventing drugs from getting into the U.S., etc), but that is information for the mind. It was a chance for either candidate to warm people’s hearts. “We’re there for you. We want you to overcome and be stronger once we defeat these addictions together.” But neither Trump nor Biden showed any compassion.

Another curiosity of mine was how the debate would have went if Trump wasn’t the Republican nominee. Just for kicks, I imagined if it were Vivek Ramaswamy up there on stage with Biden. Can you imagine the verbal bloodbath (pardon my use of that taboo word) that would’ve ensued? I think Biden would have literally pooped in his pants twice with the shellacking from Vivek. On the flip side, I really couldn’t think of any Democrat that could’ve done the same to Trump, imagining if Biden were swapped out with anyone I’d heard of (Newsome, Michelle Obama, Whitmer, etc.).

Early reactions to the debate are indicating that Republicans and Democrats saw the same things: A weakened man (apparently with a cold no one knew about until after the debate?) who is just a shell of who he used to be even 3 or 4 years ago. Donald Trump was more orange than usual (TV makeup, I guess?). Age limits might be a thing we need to seriously discuss.

-Out of the Wilderness

Lauren Watkins “Gatlinburg” Video – 3 Things I Like, 3 Things I Don’t Like

Everyone knows that to love country music is to love Dolly, lakes, dogs, Broadway, and early Taylor Swift albums. Of course, there’s also Tennessee. And no I don’t mean the national championship Vols baseball team or Hawk Tuah Girl. It’s Graceland in Memphis. The Nashville honky tonks. The mountains of Gatlinburg. It’s the latter getting the song spotlight from an artist starting her summer tour in just a week or so. Her name is Lauren Watkins and the song is aptly called, “Gatlinburg.” Check it out then scroll down for a 3 things I like, and 3 things I don’t like about the music video…

A few elements of this music video caught my attention. I don’t know what this says about me, but I actually like that she lights up a cigarette in lieu of a vape pen. At least people who smoke cigarettes know what they’re getting. Inhaling unknown chemicals through a vape just sounds like a recipe for horror down the road. Of course, smoking is pretty bad for you, too, but I appreciate the counterculture act of a cigarette in this video.

I’ve never been to Gatlinburg but you might catch me singing this chorus. The melody gets caught up in my head, maybe it’s the downward stair step notes that are so catchy. I do love a good melody.

The aspect ratio is nostalgic, too. Remember televisions before High Definition? This video offers up a nostalgic throwback and I’m old enough now to think about the pre-HD life as “the good ol’ days.” Remember dial-up internet? The phone book? Calling movie theaters to get showtimes? Throwing a ball against a wall for entertainment? Ahhh, the gool ol’ days.

Unfortunately, there are things to dislike about this video, too. The most obvious is the contradictory lyrics: “I took his Chevrolet” as we see her steal her ex’s Ford. 🤔 Would she have needed to move Heaven and Earth to find a Chevy for the video shoot?

Songs that do this irritate me like nothing else. I often refer back to Jason Aldean’s song “Dirt Road Anthem” which features the singer posing ON A PAVED ROAD!!!! I swear country artists (producers, directors, etc) aren’t dumb, but sometimes I wonder.

Smile, you’re on camera. But seriously, don’t smile SO much. Has anyone who just broke up with a lousy partner smiled as much as the women do in this video? No. There are feelings of happiness and joy, sure, but also anger and sadness, and if she’s Hell-bent on hurting him (stealing his car, his wallet, etc), she’s harboring some hurt herself. Too much smiling comes across fake. Kind of like this Publix commercial.

I generally like the lyrics of this song and the cadence, but there was one part that is more confusing than it is intended to be. Lauren sings, “Might just be a long weekend, or I may never, ever, ever come back again.” At this point in the song she’s in Gatlinburg. So does she mean she’s never coming back to Gatlinburg? And how does a long weekend contrast with never coming back? A simple fix would be to swap out “coming” with “going.” Then it would be more clear that she means she might never go back to the city or town where she currently lives because Gatlinburg is so great. As it is now, the lyrics suggest that she’s singing this line from her hometown before the trip to Gatlinburg, which conflicts with the visual of the video. It’s disjointed at best.

All that said, it’s a fun break-up song and who doesn’t love Tennessee? If you have a chance, go to Graceland. Pop in a Nashville honky tonk. Go for a long weekend in Gatlinburg. And also follow Lauren on Instagram @Lauren.Watkins.

-Out of the Wilderness

Has the Wegovy Commercial ruined The Greatest Showman?

Took you long enough, drug companies! It’s about time we get another commercial hijacking a well-known song. I was beginning to think you didn’t care about us anymore. We all remember Ozempic’s recent overtaking of “Magic” by Pilot… and now I don’t even remember the lyrics to the original. All I sing is oh oh oh Ozempic. Well, the ante has been upped. There’s high potential that a song AND a movie get ruined by a pill-version of “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. Ozempic and Wegovy are owned by the same company, by the way, so I guess their strategy is to destroy America one parody song at a time.

It’s pretty ironic that the message of “This Is Me” is to love who you are (performed by an overweight, bearded woman) and Wegovy is a drug for losing weight. I guess the next pharma company to acquire songs from this movie could be Nutrafol for hair growth. Never… never… never enough!

“I am brave, I am bruised…” and if you take Wegovy, might as well add: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, fatigue, upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.

Fun, fun. Now more than ever, I appreciate the original music in the SKYRIZI commercials.

-Out of the Wilderness

What Even Is This Land Rover Commercial? June 2024

The entire direction of Land Rover over the past few decades continues to baffle my mind. The marketing strategy has gone from being the superior in off-road capabilities to whatever this recent commercial is supposed to mean. From the outskirts of civilization to fitting right in with urban life, Land Rover is so far away from what I originally liked about them.

So from this ad, we’re supposed to run out to buy an SUV that has doors that shut, lights that turn on, wheels that roll, interior temperature settings, capable of maneuvering over small stones, turns right, goes in reverse, and finally, lights that turn off. All the while a guy mixes beats on a turntable…. outside…. with no one around.

Whoa. Stop the presses.

A post on Reddit sums it up very well:

What ComputationalPoet is referring to is the Land Rover vehicles of old. Think: the 1990s and earlier. In fact, here’s an ad from the brand back then…

Land Rover (or JLR as they like to call themselves) decided to trade in a rugged wilderness reputation for an SUV most wouldn’t dare take on the cleanest of dirt roads. So if you’re in the mood for a Land Rover, there ARE other options out there. Like this incredible vintage-Discovery-like vehicle I saw a few weeks ago parked at a Sam’s Club. It’s the Ineos Grenadier and I’d take one of these any day over the least expensive (or even the most expensive) Land Rover available.

-Out of the Wilderness

I’m Reading a Book About the Incomparable Roy Orbison

My appetite for reading is sort of like a child at the dinner table. Sometimes they eat all the food on their plate and go back for seconds and other times they just push the food around, stubbornly refusing to eat food and all they do is eat cookies for 4 days straight. In the past few weeks I’ve been reading a lot and going back to the library for more. A healthy appetite, I think. In the carousel at this present time is “As Good As Dead,” the third book in the “Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series by Holly Jackson. Another book in rotation is “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle. And lastly, “Only the Lonely: The Life and Legacy of Roy Orbison,” and it’s this book that I can’t put down.

I’ve liked Roy Orbison for as long as I can remember, going back to the first time I heard “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Actually, there was an unforgettable experience connected to this song at my sister’s Miss Teen Virginia beauty pageant way back in the late 80s and I won’t get into it but let’s just say it involves that song, a feather boa, and an awkward pageant contestant. 🫣

Obviously, Mr. Orbison has a catalog of iconic songs that rose to the top or at least charted really high during his long career as a performer and songwriter. I won’t even try to pretend to say that I know a lot about him but this book has been so interesting, getting into the details of music trends, song backgrounds, and what was going on in the musical entertainment industry in the 1950s and 1960s (and on up to the 80s and 90s, I assume, I’m only halfway through the book at the moment).

Roy’s voice is… how do we even describe it? Rich, velvety, distinctive, even Elvis Presley said it was perfect. Roy was listed at #71 on the Rolling Stone list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time… which how accurate can that be with Kelly Clarkson at #194 and Carrie Underwood at #158? Give me a break. Those women have two of the best voices in music of any genre! So Roy being at #71 is something to take with a grain of salt. I say he’s top 10, if not top 5. They also list the true Queen of Christmas Music, Darlene Love, at #144 and now I think everyone at Rolling Stone Magazine must immediately be slapped right in the face for their buffoonery. And I’m talking about current employees. You must pay for your coworkers dumb mistakes, even if they’ve already been fired.

The list is bonkers to not have Roy, Darlene, Carrie, and Kelly all in the top 50. I’m scrolling down the list on the way to #1…. oh, Elton John is #100. I hope this offering from Rolling Stone was rejected by everyone. What a sham! Elvis at #17 and Prince at #16. OK, the pages of every Rolling Stone issue ought to just be used as toiler paper now.

Just yesterday I was riding in the car with one of my nieces and relayed the info about Roy Orbison’s B-side song, “Running Scared,” so we listened to that and then I just had to show her my favorite song, “She’s A Mystery To Me.” His falsetto, his vibrato, the lyrics and his delivery of these two songs are simply incredible. I particularly liked the tidbit of backstory about “Running Scared” from the book I’m reading. In the ending lyrics, the book says on page 82…

Two minutes after the tape rolled again, even the most grizzled season player was stunned when, from his hiding place, the singer reached that apocalyptic G sharp with his natural voice.

So then of course I had to go listen to it AGAIN… and wow. What a note to end on. If I could hit that note, I’d be living in a bigger camper, that’s for sure.

What’s your favorite Roy Orbison song? Comment below and let’s talk about it all. I’ll probably write again once I finish the book. I still haven’t gotten to the point where he releases “Oh, Pretty Woman” and I’m sure this is where is already admirable career is boosted to the upper stratospheres.

-Out of the Wilderness