February 16, 2020

I've got to thank George Conway for his "There is no one to stop Trump now" WaPo column.

I've never given a damn about George Conway and his predictable anti-Trumpism, and, in fact, I have yet to read "There is no one to stop Trump now." But I'm delighted with his column, because I read the title and said "What's that song? Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now?" And 2 seconds later, I had my memory refreshed: "Oh! It's Starship!" And I was mesmerized by this trip back to 1986 (replete with stuff from the romcom "Mannequin"):



It's a festival of 80s hair — wet and dry. The notion that nothing is going to stop women who are mannequins is... interesting. I've never seen the movie, but in the video, the love of a man brings mannequins to life. One of the women is Grace Slick and one is so good looking that I thought Grace Slick should have had the clout to demand that in her videos there can be no woman who is better looking than she is.

Researching the underlying movie, "Mannequin," I see that other woman is Kim Cattrall (familiar to me only as Samantha on "Sex and the City"). I guess the movie came first and Grace was going along with a package deal. I see: "At the time, [the song] made the 47 year old Grace Slick the oldest woman to have a number-one single in the United States, surpassed only by Cher, who was 52 when her song 'Believe' reached #1 in early 1999."

Imagine the thrill of achievement to be in a place where you are surpassed only by Cher.

Imagine the thrill of achievement to be George Conway.... Wait. Let me skim this thing so I can get out of this post quickly now that I've had my 80s-retrospective fun.
When the subject of Attorney General William P. Barr comes up these days, it’s hard not to think of John S. McCain. Not the late senator, mind you, but the USS John S. McCain, the naval destroyer named after his father and grandfather.
That's hilariously nonsensical. Of all the things I find hard not to think about when I think about Bill Barr, the USS John S. McCain is nowhere on the list. Anyway, that turns out to be about how the ship was once kept out of Trump's line of sight, not because Trump demanded it, but "[a]nticipating Trump’s narcissistic whims and desires." So, you get it, that's what Barr must be doing.

I thought this column was going to be about how the Democrats have no one who can stop Trump from getting reelected. I was surprised to think Conway would concede that. He didn't. Now, I will go back to my original position of never reading Conway columns.

54 comments:

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

Kim Cattrall was in the movie my son watched over and over as a kid. "Big Trouble in Little China"

I love that movie! It's all in the reflexes.

Ralph L said...

Don't go knocking Cher.
She'll slap you.

Phil 314 said...

Grace Slick: from psychedelic to saccharin

Ralph L said...

"Nancy went crazy."
I've long wondered who Nancy is, besides my late step-monster, who was indeed crazy.

whitney said...

It doesn't seem like the Conway home can be a happy one

Rory said...

Prefer McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now."

Robert Cook said...

I am guessing that Grace Slick is not the kind of woman who is concerned about working with or appearing in videos with women who might be seen as more attractive than she is.

Francisco D said...

I have long suspected that George Conway is just an attention whore.

narciso said...





why refer to someone who's got everything wrong so far

David Begley said...

Did anyone stop Obama?

wendybar said...

Poor Kelly, Imagine living with THAT????

David Begley said...

Grace Slick has a GREAT voice.

Johnathan Birks said...

Good gawd ... I thought "We Built This City" was the shark-jump moment.
Did any 60s icon sell her soul to the gods of commerce in a more blatant fashion than Grace Slick>

Ann Althouse said...

"Don't go knocking Cher."

I'm not. I've loved Cher since she first appeared on the scene. Cher is one of the all-time pop culture heroes of America.

narciso said...

one tries for genuine insight

donald said...

Music hacks are not heroes. None of em. Not even Bob Dylan, and I totally love Bob Dylan.

Bay Area Guy said...

"But I'm delighted with his column, because I read the title and said "What's that song? Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now?"

When I read the Conway column, I was listening to Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown"

Coincidence? I think not.

Yancey Ward said...

Annie C. already mentioned Big Trouble in Little China- a cult classic John Carpenter film. Cattrall also played the Vulcan Federation commander and traitor in Star Trek 6.

Bay Area Guy said...

Oh, and by the way, Grace Slick was an awesome talent and a bit saucy too!

From The epic true story of Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane

"Psych-rock legend Grace Slick is in the middle of telling us a story. It's Chicago Auditorium, 1973. Jefferson Airplane are tuning up. Slick, better known as their singer, exchanges banter with her home-town crowd. “I’m getting ready to sing. Some guy in the audience shouts: ‘Hey Gracie! Take off your chastity belt!’ I look directly at him and say: ‘Hey, I don’t even wear underpants.’ I pull my skirt up for a beaver shot, and the audience explodes with laughter. I can hear the guys in the band behind me muttering: ‘Oh, Jesus.’”

We need more Grace Slick and less George Conway in this world.

Chest Rockwell said...

Mullets all around.

I seriously wonder about the Conway's. How does that arrangement even exist and function? What do they talk about at home?

Yancey Ward said...

The earliest thing I ever saw Catrall in was the Columbo episode where the guy had his dogs trained to kill with a phone call. I think she was just 20 years old or so.

Yancey Ward said...

Conway is doing performance art. The money just rolls in. He and his wife are just laughing all the way to the bank as they cash the checks from CNN, MSNBC, and all the NeverTrumper organizations.

Temujin said...

That was such an 80s tune. And it was from that final version of 'Starship' when Marty Balin had really perfected the hit machine that the record companies could take to the bank. They were cranking them out in that period.

A far cry from 'Volunteers' or 'Blows Against the Empire' (which I confess, I still play and still like after all these years).

John henry said...

I always thought sonny was smarter and more likable of the two.

But they were both a low rent version of Luis prima and keely Smith.

As a kid I wanted to marry keely when I grew up. Still do.

She was terrific in Thunder Road with the mitchums.

John Henry

gilbar said...

the band that defined decades!

The Jefferson Airplane... the '60's
Jefferson Airplane....... the '70's
Jefferson Starship....... the '80's
Starship................. HELL ON EARTH

John henry said...

For low rent, read pale shadow instead.

John Henry

Leland said...

Now, I will go back to my original position of never reading Conway columns.

This makes me think about the USS John S McCain, and I'll continue to stay the course and not deviate. Not that there is anything wrong with being a deviant.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

When I think of the USS John McMain I think of sailors so poorly trained they ran into other ships and killed their fellow sailors. Nothing like cutting the training budget to impress your progressive friends, eh Barack!

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Chest Rockwell said...

I seriously wonder about the Conway's. How does that arrangement even exist and function? What do they talk about at home?

I think people should start consider that the whole Kellyanne/George Conway affair is what is known in Profession Wresting as an "angle".

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Sorry, need more coffveve! That should be "considering", and "Professional Wrestling".

rcocean said...

Yeah Liberal/leftists are weird. You'd think after saying "I hate Trump" in 50 different ways, every single Goddamn Day for the last 3.5 years, they'd get tired of reading and writing it.

But no, they NEVER get tired of hating Trump and saying the same fucking thing over and over and over again. I think many of them are mentally ill.

jpg said...

Great video! Back then, Grace Slick, who was hot, hot, hot, was too old for me (I thought). Now, I'm so much older than 47 and think to myself if only I could meet someone 47 who was that hot, hot, hot. C'est le vie. JPG

alanc709 said...

Sonny Bono was a very underappreciated songwriter

rcocean said...

And that goes for the Never trumpers too. I've stopped reading Jonah Goldberg, David French, and all the Bulwark Boys and the Dispatch Gang. The same response to everything. No change in 3.5 years. I can't say I stopped reading David Brooks, Kristol, Will, Boot, and Rubin, because I never read them. They were always Fake and Boring.

rcocean said...

I liked the video for about 90 seconds. Then it just repeated itself. I stopped after 2 minutes.

jpg said...

Great video! Back then Grace Slick was 47 and hot, hot, hot, and (I thought) too old for me. Now I'm so much older than that and wish I could meet someone 47 who is that hot, hot, hot. C'est le vie. JPG

Gunner said...

WaPo thinks Jennifer Rubin is a conservative when she is more left wing loony than a 2000s Democrat. Why read them?

gilbar said...

How things have Changed!
here's an article, from the LA Times, back from 2011
It's on Donald Trump, and China; and it's about how Smart he is (was)

Trump says:
"I know the Chinese. I've made a lot of money with the Chinese. I understand the Chinese mind," said the billionaire, who has continually stated that if he were president he would levy a 25% tax on Chinese imports.

Asked to name any of his favorite tomes on China, Trump reportedly listed the following 20 books right off the top of his head.

1. "The Party" by Richard McGregor
2. "On China" by Henry Kissinger
3. "Mao: The Untold Story" by Jung Chang
4. "Tide Players" by Jianying Zha
5. "One Billion Customers" by James McGregor
6. "The Coming China Wars" by Peter W. Navarro
7. "The Beijing Consensus" by Stefan Halper
8. "China CEO" by Juan Antonio Fernandez and Laurie Underwood
9. "Poorly Made in China" by Paul Midler
10. "CHINA: Portrait of a People" by Tom Carter
11. "The Man Who Loved China" by Simon Winchester
12. "China Shakes the World" by James Kynge
13. "Mr. China" by Tim Clissold
14. "Country Driving" by Peter Hessler
15. "The Dragon's Gift" by Deborah Brautigam
16. "Factory Girls" by Leslie T. Chang
17. "The Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun
18. "1421" by Gavin Menzies
19. "Seven Years in Tibet" by Heinrich Harrer
20. "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua


It's AMAZING how STUPID you become, once you decide to run as a republican !

Roughcoat said...

Okay, I admit it: I like "We Built This City."

A few years ago I saw Starship perform the song at a 4th of July concert. Mickey Thomas and Stephanie Calvert. They were great. Thomas can still hit the high notes and Calvert is a terrific singer. Easy on the eyes too.

Inga said...

“Conway is doing performance art. The money just rolls in. He and his wife are just laughing all the way to the bank as they cash the checks from CNN, MSNBC, and all the NeverTrumper organizations.”

The closest I’ve ever come to agreeing with Yancy.

Until these two get a divorce I doubt either one is sincere. How two people with such extreme divergence can live together makes me suspect the public persona all an act.

The Godfather said...

Is there any reason to pay attention to George Conway's opinions about Trump? Conway's just a Washington lawyer, right? There's tens of thousands of those. He has no special expertise or insight, does he? Doesn't Wapo publish his stuff solely because his wife is well known as a Trump staffer?

If I'm wrong, I wish someone would enlighten me.

JaimeRoberto said...

George Conway is the Starship of conservative commentary.

Bill Peschel said...

Trump should appropriate Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" for his campaign song.

"We Built This City" had an interesting marketing hook. Local radio stations were allowed to interject their own personalities talking over the break about their city. In Baltimore, the station had a DJ named Panzerella, He had an Italian mother stereotype called Mama Panzerella, and hearing her talking about her boy over Starship playing.

Bill Peschel said...

.. "was fun." Finish your sentences, Bill!

Bay Area Guy said...

Grace Slick hired for new Viagra ad campaign:

One pill makes you larger, ...And one pill makes you small. ...And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all...

Zach said...

Mannequin hijack!

There's a great scene in I am Legend where Will Smith talks to the mannequins in a store.

There's an unsettling tone to the scene, which the director achieved by having humans play the mannequins, heavily made up and simply holding still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Jy1oNIzbY

narciso said...

he serves their narrative. that's why they pick him, and you can find a 100 others just like him,

wbfjrr2 said...

Althouse: Cher one of the all time op culture heroes”. Whatever the hell she is, hero has no place in a description of Cher.

Pretty good entertainer, also one of the most ignorant and stupid people in her industry, a real challenge give the competition for that well earned set of descriptors.

Jim at said...

Kim Cattrall. Porky's.

The end.

Yancey Ward said...

Jim,

You are right- she played Honeywell!!! I had forgotten that.

Milwaukie guy said...

"We Built This City" is my most hated Jefferson, etc. song. Loved a lot else.

J. Farmer said...

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us is a fantastic pop song. Grace Slick is an underrated talent. Now We Built This City is pretty cringe-inducing. The band members themselves derided it when they were profiled on Vh-1’s Behind the Music.

bagoh20 said...

"Music hacks are not heroes. None of em. Not even Bob Dylan, and I totally love Bob Dylan."

Agreed. I've never met Cher, but everyone else in my household has. My stepson works for her. They all say she is a wonderful person. While I can accept that, the word "hero" needs to be reserved for those people who do a special thing. They make a serious personal (even existential) sacrifice or risk for others despite the cost to themselves. We don't really have another word for such truly exceptional people. Please save it for them. Cher is an pop music icon, and exceptionally successful. I respect that, but it is not heroic.

Scott Patton said...

Someone trained that poor doggie to give the ol' heil five. It's caught on video, he gets canceled and looses his AKC registration.