There are always plenty to pick from.
Best Memes of the Week (05/28/2023)
Today’s highly interesting read (05/28/2023): Pastor Fearful Churches Are Failing to Teach Americans Moral Character
On this Sunday today’s read is from The Epoch Times:
Rev. C.L. Bryant, a senior fellow at Freedom Works, speaks at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference on March 31, 2023. (Photo: Beth Brelje/The Epoch Times)
By Beth Brelje
The Epoch Times
April 1, 2023
Updated: April 11, 2023
A recent poll showing a decline in traditional American values confirms what conservatives have been saying: The character of America is changing.
The percentage of those polled who said patriotism is important dropped to 38 percent today from 70 percent 25 years ago. While 59 percent said having children was important 25 years ago, now just 30 percent do. And the importance of religion dropped to 39 percent now from 62 percent calling it important 25 years ago.
The poll, released in March 2023, was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and funded by The Wall Street Journal.
Those who are older understand what this country was and how we’re devolving, said Rev. C.L. Bryant, a senior fellow at FreedomWorks, a group that advocates for freedom and small government.
Churches are failing this country, he said in a speech at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of conservatives. He said Americans are slowly being enslaved and that he aimed to encourage people to build a fire in their hearts and restore the light of patriotism to the nation.
“Americans, whether you know it or not, there are countries around this world who’ve always looked to us for leadership. For strength. For encouragement. But even now, on the faces of Americans, the light of this world, they are beginning to see fear. They are beginning to see us in a state where they understand that we are being hoodwinked. We are being bamboozled. And our children are being swindled out of their American heritage,” Bryant said. “In too many cases, it is because the churches in this country are failing the congregants. This faith-based nation, like we have been even in our founding, is failing in what our founders saw it could be for people of moral character.”
For the first time in our nation’s history, he said, more than 65 percent of children from the ages of 7 to 17 have never been to a church, synagogue, or mosque.
Political Correctness
He chastised pastors for not preaching truth to their churches.
“Pastors … because of political correctness, there are certain things that you are beginning to leave out of your sermons on Sundays. And you’re leaving your congregants unclothed and certainly exposed to the attack of political wolves in this country,” said Bryant, a Christian.
He spoke of Jesus being crucified over the politics of his day.
“[Jesus] took them head-on. He came and overturned tables. He came with a righteous anger over how they were manipulated and how they were duping God’s people. He came to set them free,” Bryant said. “It cost Him His life. It cost Him a crucifixion. And the American pastor today understands the story of Christ, but they don’t understand the mission of setting the captives free.”
Many pastors and congregants are afraid of a sort of crucifixion today, he said.
Our nation is dying, he said, and it can die if we don’t understand the nature of what the mission is.
“With Easter Sunday coming, the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, it is time for us to understand, pastors and congregants … that without the crucifixion, without them coming after you with sharp objects, without them trying to tear you down, and the struggle—without the crucifixion, there is no resurrection,” Bryant said. And my friends, the resurrection of America is certainly necessary now. Because there has been a purposeful destruction of our moral character.”
Slaves Seek Comfort
Bryant spoke of the trap of accepting handouts from the government. The slave doesn’t necessarily seek freedom, he said, but rather, comfort.
“The slave will trade his freedom for more food in his bowl and for a roof that doesn’t leak over his head. The slave will trade his freedom for a paycheck that comes without work,” he said.
“Americans, you are slowly being enslaved. It is time now for you to wake up and understand that the tools of our destruction are truly working on our young people, because they love free stuff, and they love your stuff. They want your stuff, because they may never accumulate things, in the way it is going, on their own. So that presents a certain peril for all of us who have worked hard and experienced the American way of prosperity and success. There is a generation coming behind us and slowly being suffocated by the principles of big government.”
Bryant encouraged the crowd to not let anyone take from them what they fought wars for.
“My friends, it is time for you to stand up and push back,” he said. “I want you to take account of what our fathers have bought and paid for with blood. Take account of that. If we let anyone—Democrat, Republican, whoever they are—take from us what our fathers bought and paid for. Not without a fight.”
And with that, the crowd stood in applause.
Saturday Special (05/27/2023): Your sunscreen is probably useless
Sun’s out. Temps are heating up.
Only 25 Percent of Sunscreens Offer Adequate Protection: Report
By Jane Nguyen
The Epoch Times
May 26, 2023
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its 2023 sunscreen guidelines on May 23 and found that 25 percent of sunscreens offered adequate protection with no worrisome ingredients.
The primary ingredient that raised concern is oxybenzone, which the EWG says is a hormone disruptor that is detrimental to human health and linked to the destruction of coral reefs.
While oxybenzone is found in some sunscreens, the EWG noted it was only found in 6 percent of the SPF products they tested, a significant drop from last year. However, most sunscreens did not meet the EWG’s standards of effectiveness and safety.
The report, titled “EWG 17th Annual Guide to Safer Sunscreens,” found that while many recreational sunscreens in the U.S. market can help prevent sunburn, they do not offer protection against harmful UVA rays that can cause aging and even melanoma.
“We found that only 25% of sunscreens available on the market offer broad-spectrum protection without troubling ingredients,” said Emily Spilman, a program manager on EWG’s Healthy Living Science team. “This underscores the importance of stricter standards.”
EWG researchers tested more than 1,700 SPF products, including sunscreens, moisturizers, and lip balms.
In the best sunscreen for recreational and beach application category, 233 products met EWG criteria; 51 products met the criteria in the babies and children category; and 128 products were included in the best daily use category.
“While manufacturers may be moving away from oxybenzone, a significant portion of the market is still made up of products using the 12 ingredients which can’t be considered safe and effective without further testing,” said EWG’s senior scientist David Andrews.
In addition to the chemicals listed in the guide, there are two types of mineral ingredients that the FDA said are safe and effective: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Zinc oxide provides effective broad-spectrum protection from both ultraviolet A, or UVA, and UVB rays, and it’s stable in the sun.
This year, the organization also introduced 12 EWG-verified sunscreens that meet sun protection standards and avoid harmful ingredients.
The following sunscreens have passed EWG verification testing:
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Face, Unscented, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Kids, Face, Unscented, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Kids, Tropical, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Orange Blossom, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Tropical, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Unscented, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Mineral Sunscreen Stick, Kids, Unscented, SPF 30
- Babo Botanicals Baby Skin Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
- Babo Botanicals Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
- Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
- Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
- Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Stick, SPF 30
Additionally, the EWG shares these five tips for choosing better sunscreens and staying safe under the sun:
- Avoid products with oxybenzone, which is absorbed through the skin in large amounts and can affect hormone levels.
- Stay away from vitamin A in sunscreens. Government studies link retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, to the formation of skin tumors and lesions when applied to sun-exposed skin.
- Steer clear of sunscreens with ultra-high SPF values. The FDA has proposed limiting SPF values to 60+, but EWG recommends avoiding products with values over 50+.
- Avoid sprays to reduce inhalation risk, avoid potentially inadequate protection, and minimize possible benzene exposure. These popular products make it difficult to apply an adequate and even coating on the skin, especially in windy conditions. If you must use a pump or spray, apply sunscreen to your hands first, then wipe it on your skin to ensure uniform sun protection.
- Avoid intense sun exposure during peak hours, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The EWG estimates half of the sunscreens that consumers purchase in the United States today would not pass more rigorous sun protection standards in Europe.
Broad Spectrum and SPF
Long-wave ultraviolet A rays (UVA) and short-wave ultraviolet B rays (UVB) penetrate the ozone layer and can burn, damage, and age skin, even on cloudy days. Ultraviolet radiation is a “proven human carcinogen,” causing squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, which can develop into melanoma, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, which works closely with the sunscreen industry.
Up to 95 percent of all ultraviolet radiation that reaches our skin are UVA rays. These rays, which can pass through glass, are equally intense throughout the year, while UVB rays become more powerful in the spring and summer, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The SPF, or sun protection factor, only applies to UVB rays, so other ingredients need to be added to block UVA rays. Only a sunscreen labeled “broad spectrum” will protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays, according to the FDA.
Research has shown the chemical avobenzone and the mineral zinc oxide are the best choices for UVA protection. However, avobenzone is one of the 12 chemicals of concern to the FDA, so choosing a product with zinc oxide may be the safest option, the EWG said.
Mineral sunscreens like zinc oxide are not absorbed by the skin. They physically deflect and block the sun’s rays, as opposed to sunscreens with chemical filters that absorb the UVB rays and release heat as they break down. Another plus: mineral ingredients don’t appear to harm the environment.
Some people choose sunscreens with a 100+ SPF, believing those to be the most protective. However, there’s no good data showing sunscreens can protect past a level of 50+ to 60+ SPF, and labeling sunscreens at higher levels could provide users with a false sense of sun protection, the FDA said.
CNN Wire contributed to this report.
Memorial Day sales?
Astoundingly, some businesses actually promote a “Memorial Day Sale.” But Memorial Day is not for sale. Millions of Patriots have already paid the full price.
Amid the reverent observances honoring the sacrifice of millions of American Patriots who defended our nation, it is unfortunate that too many venders have commercialized Memorial Day. Indeed, Memorial Day has been sold out, along with Washington’s Birthday, Independence Day, Veterans, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. And no wonder, given that government schools now substitute grossly adulterated and revisionist history for the civics courses which used to inform young people of their duty as citizens.
Amid the sparse, reverent observances of the sacrifices made by millions of American Patriots who paid the full price for Liberty, in keeping with their sacred oaths, we are inundated at every turn with the commercialization of Memorial Day by vendors who are too uniformed and/or indifferent to honor this day in accordance with its purpose.
Indeed, Memorial Day has been sold out, along with Washington’s Birthday, Independence Day, Veterans, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. And it’s no wonder too many Americans have no appreciation for these days, as government schools no longer teach civics or little meaningful history, and courts have excluded references to our Creator (officially) from our academies and public squares.
That notwithstanding, there are still tens of millions of genuine American Patriots who will set aside the last Monday in May to honor all those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen who have refreshed the Tree of Liberty with their blood, indeed with their lives, so that we might remain the proud and free.
In honor of American Patriots who have died in defense of our great nation, lower your flag to half-staff from sunrise to 1200 on Monday. Join us by observing a time of silence at 1500 (your local time), for remembrance and prayer. Offer a personal word of gratitude and comfort to any surviving family members you know who are grieving for a beloved warrior fallen in battle.
On Monday, if you have the day off from work, enjoy it. Hug your family tight. But take time to remember, and to help others remember, that this is a day of reverence to honor fallen Patriots and their families.
On this Memorial Day, and every day of the year, may God bless our men and women in uniform, who have stood and continue to stand in harm’s way — more than 41 million veterans who have served our nation since the American Revolution. For their steadfast devotion to duty, honor and country, we, the American people, offer them and their families our humble gratitude and heartfelt thanks. It is with eternal gratitude that we remember those who have paid the ultimate price in service to our nation.
—Mark Alexander, The Patriot Post
Week-ends (05/27/2023)
A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…
HEROES OF THE WEEK
Tim Ochnikowski
Hari Budha Magar
Redditor
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
Target
BLM
NAACP
Amy Wisner, Michigan State
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“My son was a major in the U.S. Army. We lost him in Iraq.”
Joe Biden
“In fact, the president’s son died of brain cancer in 2015 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.”
New York Post
“Two Republican countermeasures for 2024 require no imagination. The party has to target its spending better. And as much as the GOP would like to see stricter election laws, it must play the game by the rules now in place. That means pouring resources into getting out the early vote and mail-in vote for Republican candidates, rather than conceding those categories to the Democrats. … Yet the most important thing is that Republicans be as smart and enterprising about mobilizing less likely voters as Democrats were last year. … They have to find unlikely voters in unlikely places. The road to the White House runs through factory towns and flyover country.”
Daniel McCarthy
“The bussing of migrants from border states to big cities has been an enormous political success for Republicans seeking to focus attention on President Joe Biden’s policies that have failed to stop — indeed, affirmatively encouraged — a massive surge of illegal immigration. It has made the border an issue in places far removed from the border. It has forced Democratic mayors to admit, implicitly and explicitly, that migrants are a burden on public services and taxpayers. It has stoked tensions between Democrats at the state and municipal levels on the one hand and the White House on the other over resources and border policy. That’s not bad for the price of some bus tickets.”
Rich Lowry
“We are advising African-Americans and others that if you travel to Florida, beware that your life is not valued, that we have a political landscape that could cause harm.”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson
“The NAACP has morphed from a once-legitimate and purposeful organization into one whose mission now is centered on demanding black privilege. It is ironic that for generations now, it has hitched its wagon to the socialist Democrat Party — the architect of ‘white supremacy’ — which continues to keep millions of black and brown Americans enslaved by its poverty politics.”
Mark Alexander
“While the NAACP was warning people this weekend to avoid traveling to Florida, 22 people, most of them minorities, were shot in Chicago. It wasn’t a particularly unusual weekend in Chicago, a city run entirely by Democrats. The NAACP has never issued a travel advisory urging minorities to think twice about visiting Chicago, where black women, children and young black men are routinely shot and killed every single weekend. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.”
Gary Bauer
“BLM raised $90 million after the George Floyd riots and are now on the verge of bankruptcy less than three years later. Congrats to everyone who felt enough ‘white guilt’ to give that organization their money.”
Michael Seifert
“Think of that child born today that got a $94,000 bill. How can you sit there and say, ‘Well, I’m going to spend more of their money’? Let’s stop that. Let’s make this economy stronger. Let’s take care of the debt that we acquired, because we have a responsibility to pay it.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
“The Durham Report is four years too late to do the country any good. You can bet no one will be held accountable and the major media have already moved on to other more important topics like pronoun abuse and transgenderism.”
Michael Reagan
“Democrats spent the entire four years of the Trump presidency worshiping whistleblowers! Now, it seems they are ready to crucify them.”
Gary Bauer
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK
Pride Month pushes a political agenda
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
Aa rash of law enforcement suicides
MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK
DeSantis glitches
MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
Swooping seagulls steal drugs, get stoned: ‘Turns them into psycho gulls’
Puppy Dog Republicans; Trump can win the general; Dems, stay out of FL; Church bells
Here are this week’s highly interesting reads:
Today’s highly interesting read (05/25/2023): Puppy Dog Republicans Afraid to Act
Today’s highly interesting read (05/24/2023): Debunking the ‘Trump can’t win the general’ Myth
UPDATE: Today’s highly interesting read (05/23/2023): Yes, Democrats, Stay Out of Florida
Today’s highly interesting read (05/23/2023): Yes, Democrats, Stay Out of Florida
Today’s highly interesting read (05/21/2023): Church tintinnabulation
The Barking Lot – America’s Finest Dog Blog (05/27/2023)
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Mostly sunny. High of 72. “A”
SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. High of 76. “A”
MEMORIAL DAY MONDAY: Partly cloudy. High of 80. “A”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
Veterinarians warn dog owners of rise in deadly parvovirus.
Los Angeles City Council approves controversial ‘robot dog’ donation to police.
Oh my goodness. Read about what Bear did.
Way to go, Molly!
Veteran Shares How Canine Related to George H.W. Bush’s Service Dog Changed His Life in 8 Weeks.
Miss Manners. Yes, she’s a service dog. No, I won’t tell you why I need her.
Sheboygan, WI girl, 9, is paying it forward after an autism assistance service dog changed her life. Here’s how.
How training dogs to chase bears might just save a grizzly or two.
Surf’s up in Florida.
‘My son’s teacher told me off for giving dog an ‘extremely inappropriate’ name’.
5 Things That Can Hurt Your Dog’s Feelings, According to Pet Experts.
Column: It’s not the dog’s years, it’s the love they give you that matters.
Dog Waits for Neighbor’s Puppy at the Fence Every Day—’The Sweetest Thing.’
ARTICLE & MUST-SEE VIDEO: Service dog gets honorary diploma at college graduation and crowd goes wild.
VIDEO: CBS 58 Milwaukee: Dock diving…
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
See ya, BARK, next Saturday!
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Best Cartoons of the Week (05/27/2023)
Enjoy this week’s compilation.
BIDEN
A.F. Branco
Tom Stiglich
A.F. Branco
Rick McKee
DEBT
Gary Varvel
WOKEISM
Chip Bok
2024
A.F. Branco
THE LEFT
Tom Stiglich
Al Goodwyn
Chip Bok
Tom Stiglich
JIM BROWN
Tom Stiglich
MEMORIAL DAY
Al Goodwyn
Gary Varvel
Rick McKee
Goodnight everyone, and have a pleasurable weekend!
Every Friday night we smooth our way into the weekend with music, the universal language. These selections demonstrate that despite what is being passed off as art today, there is plenty of really good music available. Come along and enjoy.
The harpsichord is an instrument in the keyboard family that produces sound with plucked strings as the performer strikes a key. The instrument is heavily associated with the Baroque Era of classical music. The harpsichord has a stringed instrument’s quiet, gentle sound quality with a large resonant instrument body similar to a piano.
My good friend and former colleague at WUWM-FM Obie Yadgar is back on the radio with a classical music program every Sunday morning on WMSE-FM from 8-9.
Obie is always good for some wonderful stories. A few months ago Obie quoted English conductor Thomas Beecham who was known for, according to Obie, his “Beechisms.” One of them:
“The sound of a harpsichord – two skeletons copulating on a tin roof in a thunderstorm.”
The harpsichord has found its way into many examples of popular music. So this week we copulate, musically speaking, with a few examples. Lert’s get started.
They were a super group. Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. One reviewer wrote:
“The Yardbirds were an absolutely amazing, astonishing and astounding group. These guys were insanely great musicians, way ahead of their time, adding exotic instrumentation (sitar, tabla).”
I would add the harpsichord, played prominently here by a fine musician in his own right, Brian Auger.
Anthony ‘Top’ Topham, the founding guitarist of the Yardbirds died back in January at the age of 75.
Topham was just 15 years old when he co-founded the Yardbirds in 1963 alongside his school friends, singer Keith Relf, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja. Topham departed the band within a year to focus on his art degree and was replaced by Eric Clapton, the first of three Yardbirds lead guitarists (along with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page) who would go on to worldwide fame.
Beck also died in January, two weeks before Topham. Beck who was 78 had bacterial meningitis.
Speaking of super groups…
That’s legendary producer, arranger, composer, conductor George Martin on the harpsichord.
On this day, May 26, 1967, arguably the greatest album ever, was released. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sat at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart for 27 weeks, selling 2.5 million copies in the first three months, and 32 million to date. It was lauded by critics for its innovations in songwriting, production, and graphic design, for bridging a cultural divide between popular music and high art, and for reflecting the interests of contemporary youth and the counterculture.
Paul McCartney said:
“We were fed up with being the Beatles. We really hated that f****** four little mop-top approach. We were not boys, we were men… and thought of ourselves as artists rather than just performers.”
Rolling Stone magazine’s Langdon Winner recalled:
“The closest Western Civilization has come to unity since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 was the week the Sgt. Pepper album was released. In every city in Europe and America the radio stations played… and everyone listened.”
Author Jonathan Gould wrote that Sgt. Pepper was:
“The catalyst for an explosion of mass enthusiasm for album-formatted rock that would revolutionize both the aesthetics and the economics of the record business in ways that far out-stripped the earlier pop explosions triggered by the Elvis phenomenon of 1956 and the Beatlemania phenomenon of 1963.”
Another monster Beatles recording was the White Album that gave us…
George Harrison wrote this song to humiliate the upper crust he found could be greedy and slovenly.
The maniacal Charles Manson interpreted the song as anti-police. During the murders of Sharon Tate, the LaBianca’s and others, the words “pig and piggy,” were written with the victims’ blood on the walls.
Harrison was horrified when he learned his song took on another meaning.
NEXT…In 1968, French orchestral leader Paul Mauriat’s instrumental went to #1, the first US chart topper by a French artist.
Many other artists have recorded this, including the previously mentioned Jeff Beck. The guitarist covered this tune after he left the Yardbirds, but before he formed the Jeff Beck Group. According to a Rolling Stone biography on Beck, he deliberately played it out of tune because he hated the song.
Beck’s version reached #23 in the UK.
Mike Nesmith wrote this next song in 1964, two years before he joined the made-for-TV group The Monkees. Linda Ronstadt heard this version and recorded it with her group The Stone Poneys.
After one more charting single the band broke up. Ronstadt went solo and, as they say, the rest is history.
Ronstadt has sold more than 100 million albums.
Now 76, Ronstadt suffers from progressive supranuclear palsy. According to the Mayo Clinic, the uncommon condition, which is caused by the deterioration of brain cells that control thinking, movement and coordination, mimics many of the same symptoms of Parkinson’s and dementia. And those symptoms worsen over time.
The disorder took away her ability to sing aloud.
That’s it for this week.
Goodnight.
Sleep well.
Have a great weekend.
Maybe you’ll have a higher regard for the harpischord than Thomas Beecham.
More than 300 years after Bach, a group of studio musicians was formed by multi-instrumentalist and arranger Tom Parker who could play piano, other keyboards, clarinet, saxophone, trombone and trumpet.
At the age of six Parker was playing piano. In his teens he could be found performing in clubs in London. During the 1960s he was a session musician, and was a member of The Animals.
Parker’s group Apollo 100 released their first recording in 1972 that went to #6 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Friday Night Forgotten Oldie: “Like poison that turned to medicine”
“There will never be another like Tina Turner. The voice, the legs, the energy — unmatched. My heart goes out to her family and all who loved her. You were able to overcome the worst of life and create the best of life.”
Nancy Sinatra
For sixteen years, her husband beat her.
But on this night, Tina Turner washed the blood from her face, wrapped a cape around her bloodied clothes, covered her eyes with a pair of sunglasses, and placed a wrap on her head, because the swelling was so bad, she couldn’t wear her wig.
She ran out of the hotel, hid among the trash cans, and then ran to the Ramada Inn, where she begged for a room.
All she had was thirty-six cents and a Mobil credit card.
But after sixteen years of cruelty, she finally walked out on Ike Turner.
To be clear, it wasn’t easy. She was so worried about her safety, she stayed with friends, paying her way by keeping house. It got so bad that Tina Turner—the Tina Turner—had to use food stamps.
And yes, it’s incredible that Tina Turner built her career back from nothing.
But what’s even more incredible is the battle cry she repeated inside her head—the battle cry that gave her strength: “I will die before I go back.”
Never forget it: No matter how deep the hole is, you can always find a way out.
In their divorce, Tina Turner gave Ike nearly everything. All their money. And the publishing royalties for her compositions. “You take everything I’ve made in the last sixteen years,” she said. “I’ll take my future.”
—From Heroes for my Daughter by Brad Meltzer
It seems almost redundant to again trot out the chronology of a life that was chronicled in no fewer than three memoirs, a biopic, a jukebox musical, and the well-received 2021 HBO/Sky joint production Tina, which drew the best TV documentary ratings since the Michael Jackson expose, Leaving Neverland. At one time Turner, like God, seemed to be everywhere, whether it was her face staring back at us through record store windows, or the woman herself strutting across stage in one of her trademark black leather miniskirts and gravity-defying wigs. In the end, she also had the good sense to retire gracefully, rather than to suffer the indignities of other elderly performers going through the motions one more time with their corsets and dubious hairlines. Like professional sport, rock music’s standard currency has always been one of aspirational fantasy, not nuanced reality, and Turner understood the need to preserve her audiences’ image of her better than certain other marquee acts of her era.
The basic facts of Turner’s life can be quickly recalled: born in the one-stoplight town of Nutbush, Tennessee, where her churchgoing ideals were soon compromised by her secular interests, she moved to St. Louis as a teenager, in short order meeting her future husband — the saturnine, guitar-playing Ike Turner – and becoming the only female member of his band, the Kings of Rhythm. It proved a musically fruitful, if personally fraught — and ultimately violent – relationship. “My life with Ike was doomed the day he figured out I was going to be his moneymaker,” Turner wrote in her last autobiography. “He needed to control me, economically and psychologically, so I could never leave him.”
In the end, she did leave, literally running away from her husband following a fight en route to a show in Dallas, with just thirty-six cents in her pocket, setting the stage for an unlikely and prolonged second act as a solo artist. Turner’s musical highpoint during her years with Ike was 1966’s Phil Spector-produced “River Deep — Mountain High”, as well as some notably energetic dates in support of the Rolling Stones, among others. Her personal legacy from the divorce was less impressive: two secondhand cars, and the rights to her stage name.
Turner’s ultimate comeback wasn’t quite as seamless as recalled in one or two of her instant obituaries. She recorded three unsuccessful albums in the late 1970s, but then hit the big time again with 1984’s Private Dancer and its ubiquitous hit single “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” which between them won four Grammy awards, including Record of the Year. One or two churlish critics found they could resist the song itself, with its pedestrian tempo and somewhat cheesy synthesized harmonica solo, but it undoubtedly afforded Turner a new lease on life. Over time she would become a model of endurance in an industry that tends to jettison even its more successful female artists in early middle age. Turner announced her eventual retirement shortly after she turned sixty in 2000, although in true show business fashion she then returned with a farewell tour marking the fiftieth anniversary of her career, synchronized with the compilation album Tina: The Platinum Collection. After that she was content to settle down to a Swiss retirement with her German-born husband Erwin Bach, although it was said that she still sang at her local Buddhist temple, and eventually appeared on four largely chanted albums by Beyond, an all-female group of fellow devotees.
How should we best measure the success of a public entertainer? In Turner’s case, the box denoting sheer scale — she sold over 100 million records worldwide — clearly gets a tick. The style box gets ticked as well, because of the nonstop oomph of her live performances, with their generous quota of flashing video screens, fast-changing lights, lashings of dry ice and other effects, along with the skimpily glittering outfits favored by the artist herself. Also to be considered is sheer resilience: whatever you may think of Turner’s music, it took guts for her to bounce back to the top as she did in her mid-forties, quite apart from her inspirational example to other domestic-abuse victims.
Perhaps in the end we should remember a different Tina Turner to the high-kicking performer with the big hair. She was something much more universal than that: a survivor.
—Christopher Sandford, The Spectator
This Just In... From Franklin, WI 
