3 day odyssey
you can return home...
I had 5-6 reasons for going west last week. Baseball Park time lapse, Aviation Museum progress, raise money for documentary, visit good friend whose wife died from cancer, buy/sell/trade some historic collectibles, scope out “Freedom of the Press Day” event, meet with different people about all of these things and then pivot because of bad weather to an arts & history event and the opening of a new history museum…I’m tired just writing that.
The thing I want to comment on is my road observations of Bud Lite’s recent gift of a six pack to a trans influencer. I asked at the bar at the Broad Axe…(a place I used to eat/drink act regularly when I lived in Hagerstown) whether they had seen any difference in Bud Lite sales…and they responded “no, it still the worst selling beer we have.” I related that short story on a friend’s FB post. He is retired and used to manage the local TV station, WHAG. His post was about the damage this PR “stunt” had done to Bud Lites parent company as to value and sales.
After one of my long days, I wanted to go out and have dinner and realized that the House of Kobe was close by. My friend Massey who had opened an Hibachi Japanese restaurant years ago was there and gave me a copy of his new book. I found out that his Korean wife Jun had been a popular singer before that. She always enjoyed our Korean children.
After a wonderful Kobe steak dinner I wanted to get a drink and relax for a bit more before retiring. There was a bar close by that was having a burlesque show that included some drag performers. I decided to try it out. (the last time I had been there it was a steak house). One of the performers had come from Tennessee. They were very happy to be in an accepting place and out of “drag hell”. I should have asked my Bud Lite question, but didn’t think to do that…too tired I guess.
I fail to see the danger and what the big deal is about drag queens, trans people, gender fluid whatever…If any performance is obscene and not appropriate for children…ok, it should be restricted…but not just because the performer/entertainer is wearing clothes not of their birth gender.
I’m much more disturbed that Kid Rock shoots up some innocent beer cans to prove how manly he is…and that he’s that disturbed by a trans person influencer being given a 6 pack present from Bud Lite as a way to include a demographic…they aren’t even selling those cans to the public. Why does this matter to him so much ? What flipped his trigger ? And why are some people “loving” his performance and vowing to never drink Bud Lite again? I’m ready to buy some out of solidarity…and give it away…I think it’s swill….
the next day the event I was going to shoot at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum was canceled due to the weather report. So I packed up and headed back through Gettysburg, where I met and talked with a number of artists who do historic material.
anyway, peace to all…I don’t care what you drink or wear. Just get your history right…