“Glee” was back last night after a month-long hiatus, which means that I’m back now – the morning after. Didja miss me? I missed you. And I missed “Glee” too. On what other show can I get my musical numbers and teenaged drama all wrapped in a giant bow of glorious propaganda?

There is no other.

This week, “Glee” was high on love, down on the military, and big on acceptance. Unless, of course, you actually want to join the military, in which case it’s all doom on you, and the military turns you into a drug addict and therefore your widowed mother into a liar.

Hmm… let me back up a moment.

Toward the beginning of the episode, Finn confesses to Mr. Schuester that he met with a recruiter… an army recruiter. The Glee Club coach appears troubled by the news, because you know, who joins the military unless they have to?

Meanwhile, Becky (who has Down Syndrome) decides that she had a ginormous crush on wheelchair-bound Artie and asks him out. Artie initially goes reluctantly to avoid hurting her feelings but discovers that he actually enjoys spending time with Becky. Things get sticky when Becky decides that she wants to go all the way with Artie but he doesn’t feel the same way.

Sue gives Artie good advice (kudos!) by saying that if he doesn’t want to go out with Becky again, he should treat her like a regular person and tell her. She points out that Becky just wants to be treated like everyone else, and Artie of all people should know that.

Artie tells Becky that while he enjoys her company, he’s not ready to move into a physical relationship, and then she and Sue watch Lifetime and share a pint of ice cream. Normal girlness achieved.

Before we get back to the military bashing, let’s take a minute to talk about Will Schuester and his OCD girlfriend Emma. Their relationship has gotten to the point where they’re thinking about marriage, so Will goes to Emma’s parents to ask for her hand.

Let me interject here to mention that in past episodes, Emma’s parents have been portrayed as insane racists, keeping their distance from non-gingers. That’s right; they can’t stand associating with people that don’t have red hair. Moving on.

Emma’s crazy parents come over, and her mom makes a comment about the Christmas tree still being up. “Just be grateful comrade Obama still allows Christmas,” responds Dad. Because, of course, the anti-Obama characters are the ones that are cracked in the head. Whatever.

Emma’s parents don’t give their blessing (probably because Will isn’t a redhead) and begin to nitpick her OCD flaws. Again, anyone that would oppose Obama is the same type of person that would viciously criticize his or her own child.

Despite the lack of blessing, Will proposes to Emma with much fanfare, and she accepts. Squeee! I love weddings, especially musical ones.

Now let’s talk about the military thing, which is a big issue for me because I think our armed forces are freaking amazing, and I thank God every single day for the brave men and women that serve in order to keep my family safe from the bad guys.

I already mentioned Finn’s confession to his teacher that he was considering joining the army. The next time the subject was broached on the show was during an intervention set up by said teacher with Finn’s mom and stepdad. Finn says that he just wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps, who he had been led to believe died a hero in Iraq a decade earlier.

Finn’s mom reveals that his dad didn’t die in Iraq as a war hero but in Cincinnati as a drug addict. Apparently he had been dishonorably discharged and was so traumatized by the war that he couldn’t get his act together. She had lied to Finn all those years because his dad “was so much more than the last few months of his life.”

This part bugged the crud out of me. I will not deny that war is hell or that PTSD is a real thing, because both of those things are true. But “Glee” wasn’t tackling the issue of how to help veterans return to normal life. The only message seemed to be: join the military and your life will be ruined.

And then the episode ended with Finn proposing to his girlfriend Rachel.

Yes, they’re both high schoolers.

I can’t wait to see what happens as the rest of the season unfolds…

And now a look back at a time when Hollywood fought for America and liberty, not against it. There are notable exceptions today, but sadly the word “exception” does apply.

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Much more below the fold…

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Lee Marvin was wounded in Saipan.

Charles Bronson was a tailgunner.

Julie Child was a spy.

Charles Durning was a U.S. Army Ranger at Normandy

One-eyed peter Falk memorized the eye chart so he could become a Marine.

Carroll O’Connor was in the Merchant Marines.

Jack Palance was in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Walter Matthau, Robert Stack, Rock Hudson, Jeff Chandler, David Niven, Steve McQueen, Tyrone Power, George Kennedy, Rod Serling, Eddie Albert, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., William Holden, Paul Newman, Ernest Borgnine, Brian Keith, and so many more…

That is exactly what singer-songwriter-musician and owner of Guilty Dog Studios Joe Merrick is doing.

Fellow BigDawg’er Chris Ross, who we spotlighted a few months back, first introduced us to Joe’s music when he shared the video “Just In Case” at our site.  We insisted Chris talk his friend into joining us, and we’re so glad that he did!

When I approached Joe about spotlighting him, I learned that he had donated his great song, “Just In Case,” to Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization that provides aid and comfort to our military members and their families, for their Pocket Angel initiative.  How very cool.

Soldiers’ Angels wrote the following about Joe:

Boston singer-songwriter, Joe Merrick is a civilian, yet perfectly captures the thoughts and feelings of many a soldier nearing the end of a wartime deployment in his heart-rendering song, Just In Case.  Joe generously donated use of the song at the very beginning of the Borders Bookstores’ Pocket Angels campaign.

Joe’s style is generally country-rock, with a strong nod to the original rock and roll sound.  Besides singing and writing, he is also an instrumentalist and producer, and as the owner of Guilty Dog Studios he has played with and recorded with such internationally-known artists as Kevin Barry (guitarist for Paula Cole and Mary Chapin- Carpenter), Keith Harris (Drummer for Black Eyed Peas), Dan Kenny (Keyboardist for Britney Spears), and a variety of Boston-area musicians.  He has received songwriting awards from ABET, The Great American Song Contest, Song of the Year, and Billboard.  He is currently working on his fourth CD and a DVD documentary, and recently signed a deal with Pen Publishing.

Joe had this to say about his song:

No matter what your feelings are on the wars, our military should be thanked, respected, and treated like ROYALTY when they come home.  I thanked a Marine I met at Starbucks today.  When I play the song live at bars I dedicate it to the veterans and the ones serving now and I say to the patrons ‘you can now sit down and have a beer in peace because of these men and women, so take a listen…this song is for them.’

When I saw Joe’s video profile I was even more blown away by his talent.  Not only is he an amazing singer, songwriter, vocalist, and instrumentalist, but he is a highly sought-after music production professional.  I asked him how the downturn in our economy has impacted his business as owner of Guilty Dog Studios, to which he replied:

Guilty Dog Studios has luckily remained strong. I have a close knit family of repeat clients all from word of mouth. My philosophy is to do the best I can for everyone that comes through these doors. Each client reflects my passion for quality art. I love being an American and treasure my freedom to be an independent music producer. The troops provide me this privilege and I am indebted to them. We need to protect our founding fathers’ vision.  I feel BigDawg [Music Mafia] is helping to preserve FREEDOM.

For you musicians out there, we are not solely about showcasing artists with conservative, political songs; we are about promoting artists who just happen to love America and the liberties that come with being an American.  Many of the musicians at our site have non-political songs that are fantastic and are far superior to much of what we hear played on mainstream radio stations these days.  Joe’s intensely passionate Apolcalypse is a perfect example.

Thankfully, “Al Gore’s Amazing Internet” has given Joe and all the other amazingly talented artists at our site (especially those who are writing/recording songs with positive messages and a healthy dose of truth) the ability to share our craft via conservative sites like Big Hollywood and Internet radio shows.  In fact, we’ve recently partnered with Liberty Bell Radio , and on 5 November, 10AM ET, hosts Matthew & Reese will debut the all-new BigDawg’s Music Hour radio show.  Each week they will showcase five songs in the first half hour with the story behind each song and in the second hour you will get to know a featured guest artist from our site.   We will also be partnering with From the Right Radio in the near future to bring a solid hour of great music every week from some great patriots (hosted by yours truly).  Check our site regularly for more details.

One thing is certain – you will be hearing plenty of Joe’s great music on both shows.  In a review written about Joe’s Lost in Boston CD release party (which includes Just In Case and Apolcalypse), writer Tricia Nesti said the following:

I’ve heard several of his albums and this is my favorite. While starting out intending to make a country album that ended up much more like a rock album, Joe did something wonderful; he took rock and roll back to its roots. Rock evolved from Jazz and Country music (after all, Elvis and the Beatles took much of their inspiration from artists like James Brown and Chuck Berry, they were some of the artists who really started the movement called rock music), and Joe’s album takes you back to that original rock and roll sound. And it’s not just great to listen to; it’s refreshing.  Especially in a world where rock music is sounding significantly less and less like rock music everyday (since when is Kelly Clarkson rock music, Kiss 108?).

Like what you’ve heard so far?  Want to hear more?  Be sure to ”Like” Joe Merrick’s FaceBook fan page and subscribe to his YouTube channel.  And if you are a musician and need a real pro to work with on your next project, Joe Merrick is your man.  Here is what one satisfied customer had to say:

“… of studios there are really only three that matter…Abbey Road in London, Sun Studios in Memphis and Guilty Dog in Hanson.  Thanks for building a place for us to hide out and indulge our guilty pleasures”
- Bob Phillips

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

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“We are proud to partner with the Gary Sinise Foundation,” said GI Film Festival’s executive director and co-founder, former Army Major Laura Law-Millett. “They do amazing work.  It’s so important that people understand the important role film and the media play in the minds of every American when it comes to supporting our brave men and women in uniform.”

The one day event will screen 9 films and play host to an evening reception where you can meet and greet the filmmakers.  To see the line-up, view the trailers, and purchase tickets to attend the event, please click here.

The GI Film Festival (GIFF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit public education foundation, is the first and only film festival in the nation dedicated to the American Armed Forces. The GIFF’s mission is to honor the successes and sacrifices of American GIs through the medium of film.  For more information visit www.gifilmfestival.com.

The Gary Sinise Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to serve and honor our nation’s defenders.  For more information visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.

“In no way would I ever want to offend those who are protecting our freedoms…I am deeply sorry[.]“

End update…

NSFW video:

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THR:

The rapper is under fire after his latest clip went viral, in which he appears to deliver the line “F*** the Troops.”

Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, who is perhaps best known for his 2007 smash hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” faces extreme public scrutiny after allegedly delivering a blow to the U.S. military in his latest video.

A clip that went viral on Monday, Sept. 5, appears to depict the rapper performing his newest track “Let’s Be Real,” featuring the controversial lyrics: “F*** the FBI and f*** all the Army troops.” While the video certainly looks and sounds like Soulja Boy, the Military Times notes that the song and accompanying clip have yet to be mentioned on any of his several social networking sites. Between YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, Soulja Boy is an avid user of social media, even mentioning each of them in the song.

Full story here:

INT.   HOLLYWOOD STUDIO CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY

“Hurt Locker” scribe MARK BOAL slams his mighty fist down hard on the conference room table, making the HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVES surrounding him jump in their leather seats.

MARK BOAL

Now listen up.  I don’t care about your liberal preconceptions and your smug certainty that you’re somehow better than those men and women out there in Afghanistan and Iraq just because you work in the movie industry and they actually work!

EXECUTIVE NO. 1

But, but…

MARK BOAL (pointing an accusing finger)

Put a sock in it, meat puppet!  You want to use those American heroes as a backdrop for some politician’s reelection campaign?  Well, you can take my Oscar and stick it in your Fonda-hole!  I’m not having any part of it!

Ed. Note:  We now pause for a photo of sensitive, introspective hipster Boal:

Big Hollywood has been all over the story of screenwriter Mark Boal’s collaboration with the Obama campaign’s usurpation of the work of our SEALs and other covert warriors in hunting down Osama bin Laden.  It’s outrageous – you know you’ve crossed a line in the sand of decency when even Jurassic liberal-saur Maureen Dowd seems creeped out by your shameless SEALS-ploitation.

As Big Hollywood has pointed out before, Boal is Hollywood’s go-to guy for sending the leftist message du jour about our troops.  When President Bush was in office and the party line was that fighting terrorists was a bad thing, Boal was there with In the Valley of Elah (2007).  That one painted our soldiers as hideous psychopaths driven crazy by the war, so nuts and evil they murdered one of their own because of, well, Bush or something.

But always one to be surfing the liberal zeitgeist, Boal caught the wave of supporting our troops with The Hurt Locker.  His script was superficially sympathetic to our warriors, but when you got past Kathryn Bigelow’s well-staged action scenes, all you had was an over-wrought fantasy that depicted our fearless bomb disposal troopers as unstable, undisciplined clowns.  The guy who claims Boal used him as material was not impressed either; he sued.

Not surprisingly, reinforcing Hollywood’s stereotypes about military people as alien, scary freaks, got Boal an Oscar.

Afterward, Boal went back to reporting and writing anti-soldier hit pieces like The Kill Team: How U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians for that Tiger Beat of the sagging baby boomer set, Rolling Stone magazine.  His laughable reporting drew a forceful rejoinder from the legendary Michael Yon (Calling BULLSHIT on ‘Rolling Stone’).

Yon is the real deal and trusted by the troops.  Yon’s column points out distortions and omissions in Boal’s reportage.  As a reporter, when you get the small things wrong, it’s no surprise when your big picture conclusions are just as flawed.  Not that the liberals whose prejudices his writing studiously reinforce care much about accuracy, but maybe Boal would be better off learning a little more about the organization he purports to write about and spending a little less effort cultivating the neo-hipster, tousled-hair-and-goatee look he’s been rocking in all those paparazzi pics.

Now comes a chance to work hand-in-hand with the Obama campaign to create a movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.  Apparently, the hunt for Saddam Hussein was of no interest (or use) to Boal, it having taken place under the wrong president.

What are the chances that Boal won’t come through with what the liberal establishment wants?  About zero – he’s never let them down before.  With an October 12, 2012, release date, this is a transparent attempt to distract attention from the utter disaster the Administration’s ultra-liberals policies have inflicted upon the economy.  Boal, along with director Bigelow and the Obama-backing Sony studio, are eager to help.  Dollars to doughnuts, the focus of this tribute won’t be the men and women who risked their lives but the candidate who made the “gutsy call” that anyone else would have made too.

But then, Boal has made a career of meeting liberal expectations within his little niche as the Hollywood hipster who always writes just what his bosses want to hear about the military.

Boal rises from his chair and takes his Oscar in hand.

MARK BOAL

You make me sick.  I’m done with you.  I’m walking out of here and down to a Supercuts to get a high and tight and to get rid of this stupid hipster goatee.

EXECUTIVE NO. 1

Come back!  What will we do when we need someone to write another script pretending to support the troops while actually depicting them as psycho losers and mindless stooges of the Bu$hitler-Haliburton wars for oil?

MARK BOAL

It shouldn’t be hard to find someone else like that here in Hollywood.  After all, when you’re looking for a turd, what better place to look than a toilet?

Boal takes the OBAMA ’12 button off his jacket and tosses it on the table, then storms out the door and into the sunset. The button spins on the wood surface…..

FADE OUT.

Sadly, all characters appearing in this work are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

 During his Navy service, Dan Martin bought gold coins to be his life savings, and while working under the table in Sacramento for Developer and fellow gold bug, Bill Murphy, he was paid in more gold coins, but IRS gunsels (Tweedledum and Tweedledee) visit and put pressure on Dan to inform on his boss; thus, he soliloquizes about his situation.

It’s funny, sometimes I’ll read about a politician giving a speech at a Memorial Day event honoring the extraordinary combat heroism of some man, and he’ll often conclude by asking, “where do we get such men?”

He means men like me. A swab jockey who just might, in the right time and place, act bravely, and do something great.

I haven’t done something great, of course, but he means that guy who decided to up and join the armed forces from Podunkville, USA, and ended up with a Congressional Medal of Honor.

“Where do we get such men?” Indeed.

Because I’m also wondering where do we get such men as just left my house? Men who are drawn to authority, to policing, to hunting and punishing fellow citizens. Men who adopt an attitude, a personality, a culture of contempt for everyone outside their circle, who find it easy to abuse reason, common sense, common decency, common rights, and common morals.

Oddly enough, just as I might have been that “where do we find such men” heroic guy, I’m just as much that “who do they think they are” fellow in authority.

Okay, I’m guilty. I know it. You know it. I cheated on my taxes. But what was cheating? I simply kept my own, hard earned money out of the hands of thieves — greedy, vile, sickening, never satiated thieves, who steal it to buy votes so they can keep stealing my money.

In all of human history, I don’t think any people have been so thoroughly fleeced by their rulers. I could be wrong.

But what’s the crime of IRS Tweedledum and Tweedledee? These instruments of the State are equally robbed by the system they work for, and yet, who can feel sorry for them?

Just following orders. It’s my job. If I didn’t do it, someone else would.

I’m that guy, too. Or I was. Twenty-five years of following orders, giving orders, noting infractions, except I wasn’t such a hard ass. I was a technical expert. I wasn’t the guy who gave you a $150 ticket for going 43 in a 40 mile per hour zone. I’m the guy who said, look, this wiring panel has a lot of sloppy work in it, fix it up properly.

I don’t know. I’m trying to make sense of what we do because a bunch of jerks made a rule or a regulation, and we’re all supposed to act like it came from God, or the country will fall apart if it isn’t enforced, and God help the man who knows it’s a bunch of bull, and won’t abide it.

I don’t want to fight anybody. I just want to be left alone. Why the hell can’t people leave each other alone? 

And just think, imagine if you buttonholed the President of the United States and said, “Look, I work hard for this money. It doesn’t come easy. You have to sweat for it. Eight, sometimes ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week I go someplace I don’t really want to go, and do things I’d prefer not to, and when I finally get some coinage after feeling a little like a slave, you come along and snatch almost all of it out my hands. You take your gun and point it at my head, and you take most of what cost me pounds of flesh. Just like that. Snap! And it’s all gone. Do you have any idea what I could have done with that money? Maybe fix up my house, landscape my yard so it was pleasing to look at after a day at work. Maybe buy a sporty car so I could enjoy driving through Nevada or Montana. Or maybe I could invest it, nurse it along, start my own business, help the starving children of Africa, get a cabin by a lake, afford to take more days off from work, or help to build a hospital to take care of life’s hard cases. But that money’s all gone. I could’ve done so much with just what my own sweat was worth, but you steal it away. You never quit.”

And he’d say, “F U, Jack. Get this loser away from me. Eat crap and die.”

Because Caesar is Caesar is Caesar.

What would Jesus do?

Just let it go, man. Let it go. That’s what he’d probably say. You can’t change the world. I tried and look where it got me. And if they won’t listen to me, what makes you think anyone’ll listen to you?

I’m not a pie in the sky kind of guy, though. I want to fight back. I’d rather be left alone, but when they get my hackles up, damned if I don’t want to fight all the bastards.

You can purchase “A Man with Three Great German Shepherds” at Amazon.

I don’t know about all dogs, but German Shepherds are bred to be highly focused, which helps explain some of their neurotic, obsessive/compulsive behavior such as digging, chewing, tail chasing, scratching, fixating on red laser points.

If they’re not working, they need to be doing “something”. It’s their ability to focus that keeps them on guard over a flock of sheep, maintaining the perimeter, preventing sheep from straying.

But they also like to focus on their master. They scrutinize every move and gesture I make. What am I doing? What next? Is he getting food? Can I have some? Does he look like he’s about to take us for a walk? He’s getting his car keys. Does that mean we go to the dog park or is he going away to the place where he brings back bags of food? Is he wanting to rub my belly? Huh? Please, can’t you see I’m asking you to with my eyes? Why’s he petting the other dog? What about me? My turn? Can I have some of your food?

The genius of dogs is their ability to read people.

A smart dog has the brain power of a two or three year old toddler which is part of what makes them charming and endearing – they seem like children, permanent children, but this is misleading. An adult German Shepherd is not like a child, but an animal with a set of instincts, built in duties it desires to perform: hunt, mate, nurture, protect – that a child knows little or nothing about.

A dog can go from being a complacent and sweet pet to a ferocious killer in a second, as I saw Ella do on one occasion.

Ella is a timid, self-contained creature. She doesn’t wrestle or mock fight with Lucy and Zoe, as they do with each other. She avoids them when they go into their roughhouse mode.

They all hate (love) squirrels and will chase one out of the yard, or follow one along the power lines in the back behind the house. Sometimes they’ll chase one into a small orange tree in the middle of the back yard, but Lucy and Zoe lose interest whereas Ella will maintain guard and vigil for hours, all day if necessary, in complete stillness as she waits for the squirrel to screw up enough courage to make a break for it so she can chase it once again.

Ella will lie in the house studying the back yard hoping a squirrel will make an appearance. If one does, she will signal her eagerness to get outside, and when I let her out, she is quiet and full of guile whereas Lucy and Zoe storm out the door barking and whining, never coming close to getting a good chase going.

Ella never gets bored and whiney like Zoe. If it isn’t raining, every day is an action day for Ella because there are squirrels in the world, and she just has to wait. 

I was walking Ella solo on a nice fall day. She was behaving well, staying at my knee, stopping when I stopped, following my hand gestures so that I relaxed, and enjoyed paying attention to the start of autumn in River Park, and its bright array of different foliage.

I hadn’t noticed that squirrels were out in force collecting food for winter, and being driven by that need so as to ignore close dangers such as a dog coming to within three feet of one of them.

Ella sprang at the squirrel and caught it by the neck and began shaking it like a rag.

“Stop! Ella!”

She did. She dropped the squirrel who dragged itself away on its front legs as if its spine was broken.

I was mortified. That poor little creature.

I looked at Ella. Her eyes were flush with excitement, her mouth open in grinning happiness, congratulating herself on her prowess, quickness, and ferocity.

I couldn’t rebuke her. She’d done nothing wrong, but had finally gotten to do what she was born to do, catch her dinner.

Yet, in a second she’d gone from a timid and docile pet to a lioness cutting out a wildebeest calf. Incredible. Nature, red in tooth and claw.

That’s one of the differences between a toddler and a domesticated wolf.

You can purchase “A Man with Three Great German Shepherds” at Amazon.

On the morning of 1 July 2011…that “whisper became a shout.”

What started out as a regular weekly spotlight on one of our great culture warriors at BigDawg Music Mafia – this time on the amazing music of our good friend Chip Murray, a truly gifted singer/songwriter who also happens to be a delightful, down-to-earth blogger – has turned out to be so much more.   We are reminded not only of God’s incredible Grace, but we are also reminded of the sacrifices of our fallen brothers and sisters that enable us to celebrate our freedom.   May this story–Chip’s story–lift your spirits and give you hope.

It is a pleasure and an honor to introduce our friend, Chip Murray.

Chip’s Biography:

Chip got his first guitar (a Stella) at the tender age of 13.  It may have been a cheap guitar, but he quickly found it to be a great tool of expression and a very cool way to connect with people.  Growing up in the turbulent 60’s, the guitar became his life raft and steady friend through the whitewaters of adolescence…. And while the rest of the world seemed to be finding themselves, making their marks and staking their claims, he was tasting the silent sweetness of nowhere.  And yet, by 35 he had lived everywhere from Boulder to Reseda, to Morgan City and the Houston suburb of Bacliff.  He lived, worked, loved, fought, and danced with “the people” on every coast of this great land.  He became one of them, assimilating their culture by inhaling their music and stories into his heart and soul… “Gone Wishin‘,” the debut CD from his band Cavern was his first public “exhale” and but a glimpse of what’s inside.  From “Devil in Me” to “Deja Vu Blues,” Gone Wishin’ is a metaphor for our journey from the darkness to the light….and after “we rest on the wind, we’ll come right back to our mothers again.”- Gibran.

By 2010, Chip was back in the studio again, this time with Producer/Engineer Adrian Holtz (The Bravery, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Ravonettes, Neil Dorfsman), his former Cavern bass player Peter Verutes and fellow Warwickian keyboardist Glenn John Arnowitz.  The result is a new 15 track CD, Wide Awake, released 5/1/11!  His new material from “Wonder Why” to “Home,” and “Tip Jar” is less personal and yet from a deeper and more connected place that is sure to touch you in places long forgotten…leaving you completely satisfied, wanting only a smoke!

If the world hasn’t heard of Chip Murray yet, they’re going to. With lyrics as powerful as Bob Dylan (yes, that powerful), an earthy, warm, weathered voice that sings about love and life and everything else in between, and wonderful, acoustic, honest production, “Wide Awake” is one of the best albums of this decade.~ Bobby Jo Valentine

In His Own Words:

It gets awfully lonely up here in New York for an out-of-the-closet Conservative like myself.  I recently had a liberal friend of mine passionately encourage, advise, and counsel me to actually “SHUT UP ‘n sing!”  LOL!!!

I made a promise to myself in early 2008.  I felt that if some kid could strap on body armor and leave his home, family and friends to go dodge bullets in some God-forsaken desert foxhole, then the least we could do is stand and engage the even more ruthless enemy here at home!  The Ballad of John Hall was my first politically inspired song…reflecting my experience at the first 9/12 march on Washington and my complete disgust with our local Congressman at the time, John Hall (Former front man for the 70’s band, Orleans).

I’ve never truly felt purpose in my life…until now.  At 58, I’ve always been a late bloomer, but the truth is that I didn’t become a serious musician until 8-10 years ago.  My wife saw something in me that nobody else (including me) saw.  That seeing gave birth to I Believe, and the rest is history!  Now it is clear to me that God has blessed me with a voice to sing, a pen to write, and the heart to empower both!  Everything else is just bugs on the windshield!

I wrote Independence Day on July 3^rd, 2009.  It came to me as I was putting the flag out and wondering where had all the honor gone?  “My cousin Rocky” was a helicopter crew member who was shot down and killed during his 2^nd tour in Vietnam.  The fact is that my consciousness has evolved from those turbulent years to a point where I have learned to question everything and develop the courage to stand, even if it means standing alone!

What I have come to LOVE about BigDawg Music Mafia is the fact that Independence, Courage, and Common Sense aren’t exceptions here…they are the rule here!  It has become a very cool sanctuary…a place to re-charge, re-generate and energize!  Kindred Spirit is the warm glow of candle light there…

Chip had sent a copy of his new CD Wide Awake to me shortly after it was released and there is not one song on the CD that I don’t enjoy thoroughly.  His warm, melodic lead vocals and perfectly blended harmonies, his thought-provoking and heart-warming lyrics, and his beautiful acoustic arrangements are amazingly soothing to one’s soul and need to be shared.

When I first heard Independence Day, I really had hoped to share his story in time for the Independence Day weekend.  Unfortunately (or fortunately as it turns out) he had no video for that song to include in this spotlight piece so I offered to do one for him and began scouring the internet for photos to accompany his lyrics.  When I got to this this verse…

My cousin Rocky who I never knew…Fell from the sky for me and you…Rice paddies are soft but can’t break the fall…the weight of freedom, heaviest of all.

…I decided to include a photo of the Vietnam Memorial.  While searching for one I wanted to use, I regretted that I didn’t think to try to find out Rocky’s real name early enough for me to drive to Washington, D.C., pay a visit to The Wall, look up where on the wall his name appears, snap a photo, and use it for the video.  So in lieu of that, I looked at literally hundreds of photos and selected the two I liked best.

Here is where the goosebumps come in…

On the morning of July 1, 2011, a few hours after I sent the just-completed video to Chip, he sent an email to me saying he absolutely loved it.  About an hour later, I learned that he had exchanged emails with Rocky’s brother, Steve, where he asked Steve to look carefully at the photo of the wall at 1:29-1:32 in the video…and asked if Rocky’s real name was James R. Dean, Jr.   As Chip mentions in his song, he never met Rocky…nor did he know his real name.  Yet, Chip later told me that when he watched the video for the first time, when the images of The Wall appeared, something made him pause and go back to take a closer look.  He saw the last name “Dean” upon closer scrutiny and recalled he had an Uncle with that last name, called his mother and asked if she knew Rocky’s name but she did not.  She did, however say that Rocky’s father’s name was “Jim.”  Chip told me his hands were trembling as he typed out the email to his cousin Steve.

This was Steve’s reply:

Oh my gosh!  It is!  Rocky’s real name was James R. Dean, Jr.  My dad was Sr.  I have been to the wall and looked at & touched his name. The odds of this happening are unbelievable.  A song that mentions Rocky, a friend does the video not knowing anything about Rocky, does a random wall shot on a huge wall….wow!!!!!…Makes the song even better and more meaningful and it was already incredible.

When Chip told me about this, he said we just “witnessed one of God’s miracles” and added:

God truly has us secure.  I don’t even know what to say….This is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me…How do I sing tonight without crying???  You captured Rocky at 1:29!!!!

Yes, the tears welled up and a few spilled over…and I had chills that would not go away in spite of the very warm temperatures that day.  A mere coincidence?  I think not.

Consider this:  There are 58,272 names on The Wall and “about 4,330,000 results” that came back on a Google search for images of the Vietnam Memorial.  I looked through several of them before I found the ones I wanted to use.  I’m no mathematician but figure the odds of my using one that actually had the name of the person Chip sings about in his song.

As Chip said to me later that day…”God went from a whisper to a shout”…and he emailed the following to some of his close friends and family members:

“…there is a light in what I am about to share that transcends everything…and I want the purity in the newness of this revelation to shine directly into your deepest hearts with a nourishment that no one could appreciate as much as you…The person who made the Independence Day video for me knew NOTHING about my cousin Rocky other than what the rest of you knew from the song lyric.  She alone picked out “The Wall” footage you will notice at 1:29 to 1:32 in the video.  I DID NOT KNOW until this morning that my cousin Rocky was James R. Dean, Jr.!  Now I do know, as now do you…and we now know a whole lot more when you really think about it.”

That very evening, Chip performed several of his songs at his Wide Awake CD release party.  He shared the following with me the next day:

Our CD Release was amazing on Friday night…I chose a farm, Pennings Farm, for my release party…A big flag draping the back of the stage overlooking corn fields…kids…ice cream…it was open to the public so we had an amazing turnout…the Liberals looked like they were going to implode when we played “The Ballad of John Hall”, but there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd when I told the “Rocky” story before playing Independence Day…

God’s timing is always…perfect.

Director Jonathan Flora frames the film around Gary Sinise, an actor and director with a long, intimate history with soldiers and veterans, though he himself has never served. From his brother-in-law, who was killed in Vietnam, to current bandmate Kimo Williams,  a ‘Nam veteran who started jamming with Sinise after they met on a production of A Streetcar Named Desire in the mid-90s, his career has always seemed to providentially intertwine with the military. Following the jihadist attacks of 9/11, Sinise felt compelled to help those directly affected by the Twin Towers’ destruction, volunteering in campaigns to benefit the FDNY. This spirit of volunteerism, in concert with his ever more frequent band practices with Williams,  materialized into a USO tour in 2003. Despite his diverse résumé, Sinise was universally associated with his Oscar-nominated performance as “Lieutenant Dan” from Forrest Gump, so as the group expanded, Sinise named it the “Lieutenant Dan Band,” and the rest is history.

It’s tempting to think this is a vanity project for Sinise, now better known for his long-running role on CSI: New York–that like other celebrities, he’s got a pet cause designed to make him look like a good guy. It’s certainly clear the producers ask virtually every interviewee their opinion of the man, but any doubts the viewer entertains about his sincerity quickly evaporate as the film reveals a level of determination and effort that would be noteworthy from anyone, celebrity or no. We see him orchestrate an increasingly elaborate stage show, drawing on his experience running Chicago’s Steppenwolf theatre. We see his family silently bear the burden of his prolonged absences; they miss him but recognize his time away as tours of duty. We realize Sinise and co. aren’t ego strokers reading a PSA script for a check, whipping up crocodile tears over the ozone layer so they can lecture flyover country and feel morally superior. They’re hard-working entertainers willing to put their lives on hold and travel to war zones all to display their gratitude to our servicemen and women.

Aside from the warm fuzzies it’ll put in your heart, For the Common Good is an entertaining and exhaustive documentary. We’re treated to a brief history of the USO, Gary’s young introduction to both music and acting, musical numbers by the Lt. Dan Band switching seamlessly from one concert’s footage to the next, and plenty of interviews with soldiers and veterans. We get to meet members of the band as well, and it becomes rather apparent why Kimo and Gary gravitated toward each other; both are natural storytellers and performers. One of the film’s highlights is Kimo revealing how he almost got shot playing a concert (while still a soldier) at a fire base in Vietnam. Other notable sequences include a view and discussion of the inside of one of Saddam Hussein’s mansions, a “Snowball Express” concert for the children and other family members of deployed soldiers, and a few cameos from other celebrities such as John Ratzenburger, Robert Duvall, Gary Cole, and Jon Voight.

The film’s title comes from an Abraham Lincoln quote that perfectly sums up its themes: “Honor to the Soldier and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor also the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as best he can, the same cause. Honor to him, who braves for the common good.” In any other context, I know the phrase “for the common good” would cause many here to blow a gasket over its collectivist implications, but in this documentary we see the concept in its noblest form. Our soldiers sacrifice themselves not to prop up dependents but to protect independence, and we see how one man’s thankfulness for that protection plays its own part in carrying our troops forward in their mission.

Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good is available through On Demand nationwide, or  you can view the film directly through its website.