robertb 2020Robert Brokenmouth
Barfly
Adelaide

The Barman sent me a message asking some folks to tell us all about our 2020 top tens.

Apart from new recordings from the likes of Hugo Race, Velatine and Michael Plater, and the other few I've written about during the year, I've not been listening to a lot of music. Read a lot (including the three books I've reviewed here - the best three music books I've read this year), including a few Stephen King, Clark Ashton Smith, John Wyndham and a few books on plagues past and present. 

But really. 2020, huh? What a trip. So many dead. Wept more than a few times myself - but hey, my life's a doddle by comparison to the misery of so many.

But hey! First, we got to see an utterly evil President of the United States trainwreck, taint (and generally fist-fuck with studded gloves) any world-wide respect the USA ever had. I don't use the term 'evil' lightly.

Apart from being genuinely narcissistic and wilfully ignorant, Papa Ubu took great delight in splitting the country into a condition very close to civil war, while being utterly unmoved by the hundreds of thousands who got ill, and the thousands who have died, of which he is a goodly part to blame. If you wrote a modern take on Pere Ubu, Trump would be your starting point.

Put it this way: think of all the former Presidents you most hated, the ones you most despised. Got that? Now, not one of them would have not expressed condolences for the sick, the dying and the dead, and their relatives and friends. Instead, apparently the poor country is 'turning the corner' ... possibly at full-speed down a dead-end alley. The man's lack of compassion, of guilt, of any humanity, is utterly staggering; his current pattern of 'TV and golf while the country goes to hell' is typical of the man, but indicative of a truly evil man enraged enough to pull down the temple with him.

Less than 2500 Americans died at Pearl Harbor, and the country went to war.

A few over 2600 Americans died in the 9/11 attacks, and the country went to war with the wrong country. A lot of money was made, and the citizenry was satiated. 

To date, over 290,000 Americans have died of Covid-19, mostly because of the carelessness of one man. And almost half of those who voted in the recent election wanted the bloke back in.

Meanwhile, those jovial pooh-bears of industry and commerce, Vlad and Xi, stand back and watch the chaos unfold as they continue to undermine the prosperous, ever so civilised 'West'. Obama should've done the obvious thing 10 or more years ago, but he didn't. 

Don't get me started on the UK's ongoing sitcom involving Keystone Kops, custard pies in the face, Boris, Brexit, and 'lockdowns' which are a) aren't really lockdowns anyway, b) waaaay too short and c) lifted while there are over 15000 new cases per day. When we went into lockdown in March, with only a few cases and much uncertainty, the UK maintained its air travel, horse races and footy. Can't imagine how the stupidvirus managed to spread over there.

There have been, frankly, such a vast profusion of dunderheads, wicked uncles, poisonous and ambitious airheads, clownish town mayors and capering, dishonest pollies and their credulous fans that words almost fail me.

However, I'll leave you with two thoughts.

1) This was raised by Tony 'damp-budgies' Abbott. Shortly after the New Year, I reckon most of the leaders of the  'civilised west' will simply throw up their hands and allow themselves to reduce the restrictions and let the stupidvirus take over. It's all just so bad for trade.

It's possible that Biden will try to do what should've been done back in February: lock down the USA for a few weeks. Six should make a huge difference. If he does that, and avoids streetbattles and riots in the cities, he may just preside over a morally rejuvenated country. God Help America.

2) Then there's the American patients who, even after developing the classic stupidvirus symptoms, and being told the result of their tests, don't believe they have it because it's not real, and argue with the medical staff, 'I must have something else'... 

Remember how, when Nirvana was huge, K-mart sold 'Grunge' outfits for kids to buy?

Yeah, those big retailers should be selling Qanon, Antivaxxer, Plandemic, Proud Boys and Freedom Day outfits. There's plenty of examples online.

It's not just owners of shares in drug companies who are gonna do well here.

2020. The Year Stupid Broke.