A Playlist For Interesting Times

Jerry Rocha offers up music to sustain us.

This is a guest post from Jerry Rocha, a stand-up comedian and new local. You can follow him on Instagram here.

I was recently back in the City of Hope hospital for what ended up being a thankfully short stay. It still sucked to get an infection that went all sepsis, but a week in the healing tank as opposed to my previous record of 54 days was wonderful.

While on the inside, my fiancée did me a solid and brought me some Thai food for a dinner. As I was finishing the fortune cookie, I read the slip of paper inside ...

“You Will Always Live in Interesting Times”

What the shit is this?

What a fucking threat. No lotto numbers either.

We are in interesting times. We are neck high in interesting times type shit. We’ve had enough of interesting times. This needs to get very uninteresting very quick.

Did I curse us all by getting that fortune?

Was that some Groundhog’s Day bullshit that meant six more months of Trump?

Whatever the case, I put together a playlist of songs that will hopefully help us feel better while we are in the midst of this anti-MAGA fight together.

I hope you enjoy the playlist and jam out to it on your time …

1. Biz Markie- Just a Friend

This is one of those songs where it’s impossible to be in a sour mood when it’s playing. I loved this song as much now as I did when I overplayed it as a kid. It’s instant fun from the late, great Biz Markie. If the doctor had played this song in the background when he told me I had stage IV cancer, the news would have been so much easier to take. Your mechanic should play this in the background right before he hoses you for new steering fluid. This song makes anything bad good.

2. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap- Young Girl

Okay, now let’s go right for the throat. No question this song was playing on the way to Epstein Island like Long Tall Sally was playing on the helicopter in Predator. It’s the ultimate Trump song. The guy is having an affair with an underaged girl and he’s blaming her for it?! I’m stunned Trump doesn’t walk out to this song any time he’s formally addressing anyone.

3. Sly & The Family Stone- Everyday People

Not only are we dealing with one of the baddest grooves of all time, but the lyrics will always be relevant. This song should be played at the start of every school day, work day, you name it. We, for some fucked-up reason, need to be reminded that we should be in this together. I’m not saying to hug that racial slur-spewing uncle of yours, but maybe try to peacefully explain how wrong he is with that groove …

4. Rage Against the Machine- Killing in the Name

For when that uncle won’t listen, calmly go to your car, fire this up and realize we’ve been in this fight back before MAGA had a name. Ask any progressive who lived in the 1960s. They will tell you the same. But what matters is knowing that the fight isn’t over and we aren’t anywhere close to giving in, so bang your head. This one could have also been We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister. That would have been the safer choice in case a grandparent walks in, but hey, maybe they would be fed up enough as well to join you screaming “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!”

5. A Tribe Called Quest- We the People…

Tribe sent up the red alert the second this MAGA shit started its mad grab for power. If you heard this when it came out, nothing in the Project 2025 manifesto would have surprised you. Nothing. Thankfully, Tribe wrapped their message in one of the best hip hop records of all time.

6. Los Lobos- Revolution

This is a gem from one of the most criminally underrated bands on the planet. Go see them live. I mean it. The song is from the perspective of an activist who is has seen the fight take everything from him, and now he’s grown tired. It’s a song that shows just how taxing going up against an administration of dipshits can be, but let’s hope we never grow tired of stepping in that ring. Also, it’s got a helluva bass line holding it all down.

7. Gloria Gaynor- I Will Survive

We all need to hear this song at least once a day. Even if MAGA never existed, this song should be played every morning. It should replace the pledge of allegiance in schools. Now, I haven’t been to a school in decades so I have no idea if they still have to pledge allegiance every morning. I went to grade school in Texas and from my experiences there, I’m sure they still do. Shit, I started grade school in 1981 and I think my school was like two years removed from saying the Confederate pledge of allegiance. Anyway, there is no better song to tell whatever ails you to fuck off, so of course it belongs (Also, it definitely sucks Gaynor is a Trump supporter. But I’m choosing to believe she’s just painfully dumb)

8. Kool & The Gang- Celebrate

Let’s just call the shot here and put this song on the mix. The moment IT happens (it being the second our pedo president is no longer in office), this will be the most downloaded song in history. I’m just saying, it would not hurt to get stock in Kool & The Gang as soon as possible.

9. Bad Bunny- BAILE INoLVIDABLE

Of course, we continue the Super Bowl halftime show victory lap by putting an absolute killer of a Bad Bunny song on here. Crank this shit every time you pull up at the grocery store, and if anyone asks “what’s he saying?” tell them he’s talking about the Kid Rock and Jesse Watters grindr accounts.

10. En Vouge- My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)

If you happen to be a Caucasian with blonde hair, blue eyes, are financially very well off and aren’t MAGA, then this needs to be your mantra every time you are at a workout class next to someone trying to turn you. Play this jam and focus on the message. They will never get your lovin’. The rest of us will be singing along having your back.

11. Public Enemy- Don’t Believe the Hype

Now that Trump has done all he can to make sure every mainstream news broadcast has a story about how big his penis is and how tight of a spiral he can throw, we need to fight the hype more than ever. The absolute balls on him to call out “fake news” when he is the ground zero source of all the fake news out there. “False media, we don’t need it do we?” Not at all.

12. Neil Young- Rockin’ in the Free World

I mean, of course this good shit was gonna be on here. I was humming this song as I was picking all the others for this playlist. If anyone is making a playlist to listen to while rebelling against fascists, then this song should be the free spot given in the middle of a BINGO card. It was famously a massive “fuck you” to the first Bush administration and since this administration is even worse, we play this song even louder. “Don’t feel like Satan, but to them I am. So I try to forget it anyway I can.” Safe to say that one line is miles beyond any bullshit Lee Greenwood has written.

•••

I hope you all enjoy this mix. I was tempted to toss in Short Dick Man by 20 Fingers and Gillette, but that could be for a mix to play after these fucks get shown the door.

Let’s make sure we show them the door.