April 4, 2025 • 34 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's that time time time time.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Lucking load.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
So Michael Verry Show is on the air. It's Charlie
from BlackBerry Smoke. I can feel a good one coming on.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's the Micah Berry Show.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Any attempt to restrict drinking and driving here is viewed
by some as downright undemocratic.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Two six packs, Shinner ninety nine, sid putin Ladder, Lucky
Strack center, fifth of patrol us down, Eddie glue cooler.
Take a guess at all to do? I can feel
a good one coming on. Home throwing Rey Wiley Hubbard
(00:59):
sing alone, the red Neck and mother. Any blues I
had before or gone another working week is over, no
chest saying so I can feel a good one coming on.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
In a week.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Now we're gonna get to feeling arin. We gonna keep
this pider rock can fil the break of doll. Yeah,
I can feel a good one coming all.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
I just gotta getting calling it when the butter can
and I put in a hard day's work, put in
eleven foelve hours a day.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
And they ain't getting you.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Truck and at least right one or two beards.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Here's three blocks in the wracks. I mustang followed us
down to the leaking. Didn't have to think about that
too long, skinny dipping in the pride and situation couldn't
be more Ride. I can feel a good one coming on, Yell.
(02:09):
We were gonna get to feeling ride.
Speaker 6 (02:15):
Were gonna keep this party rock until the break of don.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, I can feel a good one. Feel like a
good one. I can feel a good one coming on.
Speaker 6 (02:31):
They're making it last where you can't drink when you
want to, can't.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
You have to wear a seat belt when you're driving.
Chrisy will become Miss Caprey.
Speaker 7 (02:41):
Woo.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, we are alone. We're gonna get to feeling ride.
We're gonna keep this pot of rockettil the break.
Speaker 7 (03:04):
Jason, you are on the Michael Berry Show, Jason, what
say you, sir?
Speaker 8 (03:13):
I help companies get a grip on their assets.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
By doing what.
Speaker 8 (03:23):
Tracking inventorying assets using r f i D radio frequency
i D kind of like toll tags.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Do you own and do you own that company? I
do your company?
Speaker 8 (03:37):
Started over well previously j p L r f I
D back when r f I D was kind of
the the buzzword, and as things went on and artificial
intelligence became the new big thing, it were turned into
assets and inventory. I know you typically love when the
(04:00):
company name tell us what we do and assets an
Inventsy book as that's an inventory. Dot Ai is our
new brand because A and I dot ai was an
available domain, so it's an I dot ai, Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Interesting, I went to school and I.
Speaker 8 (04:24):
Didn't think yes, I was gonna say. I didn't think
much of it when you brought up the topic today,
except that I got an email that doctor Peter Style,
the CEO of Houston Forensics, UH Forensics and the crime Lab,
is speaking nearby next week and we got an opportunity
(04:48):
to do a pilot project down there with the technology
to track evidence and other things in the crime lab.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Interesting.
Speaker 7 (05:01):
I went to school with a guy named a Beezer
TBG really really really off the charts smart guy, and
he got into r He was the first person I
ever knew to get into r F I D.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
And I went.
Speaker 7 (05:18):
He has a company called Shipcom. I'm assuming he still hasn't.
I haven't talked to him in a couple of years.
We just get busy, you know how that goes. But
he had a company that UH that scanned that code
that r F I D or the the I guess
that barcode and and mind you, this was twenty five
years ago when that was very cutting edge, and he
(05:41):
would companies would hire him to to to control their inventory,
which is kind of what you're which sounds like.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
What you're doing. That's a big that's a big business.
Speaker 7 (05:52):
And now with the tracking and shipping and storing and
shelf life and and you know, replacing a product when
it goes off the shelf supply chain, it's interesting, Ramon.
I don't know if you know this, but I ask
people what they're studying or what they did study if
they're recent graduates, and especially coming out of A and M.
(06:13):
It feels like there's a staggeringly high number of people
who answer supply chain. There are college degrees in supply
chain now, and it's interesting and it makes sense because
it's such a big part of our economy that they
(06:34):
actually just broke down and created a degree. Now.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I don't know what they're.
Speaker 7 (06:38):
Teaching, but I approve of it because I think college
could stand to have more of a vocational approach, a
practical application approach. And I think for too long it's
great to study English. I love the study of English.
I think that's important. It is great to study the classics.
(06:59):
All of those things are wonderful, but at some point
when you graduate, it would be nice if for over
one hundred thousand dollars you've just spent, you have some
skills that the workplace is waiting for, because most people
are not walking into a workplace today with a set
of skills they acquired in college that are monetizable for
(07:20):
a company. They're having to train people from ground zero.
And it shouldn't just be technical schools and vocational schools
that are teaching you. You know, if you go to
Brick Mason, Rio ought to be able to walk out
the first day and have the basics of that. Now,
you know, independent electrical contractors. One of our show sponsors
is is non union so merit Shop electrical contractors, and
(07:44):
they have a cooperative and they in addition to lobbying
for good laws for them and you know, getting better
insurance policies for their members and all that, they actually
have their own academy where they graduate kids. And they're
almost everyone taking advantage of this in Hispanic where they
graduate kids to go directly to feed directly into these companies.
(08:06):
So you have a job waiting which should be more
of a focus for all of these but in any case,
very interesting.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I am I don't like it.
Speaker 9 (08:16):
No more like wing.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Be Michael, I'm not gay. No more.
Speaker 7 (09:03):
Let me hurry because there's two bits of audio I
want to get in here. Tell you what's going on
in Texas. The governor has directed the Texas Rangers. This
is an elite law enforcement group here to conduct a
criminal investigation into a group called EPIC. It's the East
Plano Islamic Center. It's the latest in a series of
state led inquiries into a group that's trying to create
(09:26):
a Muslim centric community that has people very, very scared.
Credit NBC five News in Dallas Fort Worth.
Speaker 10 (09:35):
With this story, we begin in Cullin and Hunt County.
This is where the community is voicing opposition to a
proposed development. The East Plano Islamic Center is a Muslim
center community that could be built in Josephine, Texas. Today,
the project's planners updated county leaders and residents on the
idea that sparked controversy.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Maria Guerrero has more Welcome to the future of living.
Speaker 11 (09:58):
The idea of this a Muslim centric community being built
on the outskirts of Colin County is what led to
an overflowing public hearing before Colin County Commissioners where many
rallied against Epic City. This is a Sharia compound, where
like the previous woman said, they will do the most
Sharia compliance.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
This is not about one faith versus another.
Speaker 12 (10:22):
This is about rejecting segregation in any form.
Speaker 10 (10:25):
No group should ever have the power to claim an
entire neighborhood for themselves.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Why else would they want their own community?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
What is the purpose of them having their own community?
Speaker 11 (10:33):
East Plano Islamic Center posting its promotional Epic City video
on YouTube announcing its purchase of four hundred acres of
land straddling Colin and Hunt Counties, with a vision of
building about a thousand homes, a school, retail stores, all
centered around a new mosque.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
The land has been accorded.
Speaker 11 (10:53):
The project senior planner updating commissioners in anxious residents about
where the project stands, saying changes are being made and
developers have yet to begin the process with state water officials.
Speaker 13 (11:05):
And so we do understand the density issue and we
are looking.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
At the options to prepare an application for TCQ.
Speaker 10 (11:13):
I'm worried it's going to become another municipal utility district.
Speaker 11 (11:17):
Well, those directly affected by the possible addition worry about
water issues. Others claim housing discrimination, may.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Not refuse to rent or sell housing.
Speaker 12 (11:26):
I hate that we have to have these kind of discussions.
I don't want to dislike anyone because of where they're from,
but their culture is so incongruent with what the United
States expects out of anyone who comes in as an immigrant.
Speaker 11 (11:44):
Their opinions heard not just by the officials who will
ultimately decide, but by their own neighbors.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I felt like I was a part of the community.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
EPIC was hosting the largest warming shelter in Colin County
just a few months ago during the Great Freeze, and now, well,
this place is back for people who don't along here.
Speaker 11 (12:02):
When asked if they have a timeline as to when
they'll bring an actual plan forward to the county, representatives
said they do not, but they do anticipate it being
sometime this year in Collin County. Maria Guerrero NBC five.
Speaker 10 (12:18):
The East Planet Islamic Center is facing several state investigations. Today,
Texas Governor Greg Abbott asks Texas DPS to launch an
investigation into the center. He did not cite specifics, but
ask DPS to focus on potential criminal law violations. The
group is also facing investigations from the Texas Workforce Commission
and Texas Funeral Service Commission. We're hoping to get reaction
(12:41):
from those operating the center, but have been unsuccessful to
this point.
Speaker 7 (12:46):
All right, so I want to get this in so
you understand what we're talking about. Who these people are
before you go, oh my god, they're picking them because
they're Muslim. This is Yasir Kadi. He is their self
described resident scholar, and he well, here's what he has
to say.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Oh Muslims.
Speaker 9 (13:05):
Even though it is the final days of Ramadan and
it is a holy time for us, yet still the
world does not stop, regardless of what is happening in
our own circles. And we're all aware of the rise
of yet another wave of misinformation, another wave of Islamophobia,
another wave of xenophobia. For those of us that have
been in this land for the last thirty years, multiple
(13:27):
waves have happened, and every single wave we have seen
this reality and we have borne through it, and ahamdri la,
we have come out bigger, better, and stronger. This is
not going to be any different Al Muslim. There's a
lot of misinformation, a lot of negative campaigns about our faith,
about our message in particular. None of this is true.
And we thank a Llaw for all that we are doing.
(13:51):
We are grateful for the freedoms given to us in
this land and where we are taking advantage of our
constitutional rights, not doing anything more than what the constitution
allows us. But we have to be clear here. We
have two choices ahead of us. Either we allow and
agree to be treated as second class citizens, we allow
lies and slander to be spread. We cower down, we
(14:14):
become scared, and we allow people to lie about us,
to spread slanders about us, and we accept second class citizenship.
And if we do this, they will continue to encroach
on our rights. They will continue to take more rights
away as we see what is happening across this country.
Or we stand up and we demand that we be
(14:35):
treated like every other faith community and every other ethnicity.
We are not demanding anything more than any other group,
but by God, we're not going to be treated any
different than any other group as well. We have to
have this attitude in our minds we cannot allow people
to get away. We're treating us as second class citizens,
(14:57):
allowing us the lesser freedoms than anybody else. This is
not going to happen. We're not going to allow this
to happen. And this is something that goes against the
very spirit of the founding of this country, the very
constitution that is the document of this country. What makes
this country different, what makes this country in so many
ways really the most freest and the greatest country, is
(15:18):
the First Amendment and the Constitution that has been the
bedrock of this country. We are seeing though that that
Constitution is selectively being applied people based on different race,
different ethnicity, different skin color, different religion. But that is
not what the Constitution says. And so do not be
embarrassed of who you are. We are Muslims and we
(15:40):
have every right to live and practice our faith in
this country. We are not infringing on the rights of
other people. We are not taking away anything from what
the Constitution allows, and so we are doing what we're
allowed to do, and we will, in shah Allahutaialah, continue
to do so. And we're going to give more updates
and announcements in this regard as the as the month
(16:01):
comes to an nish allah data. But I wanted to
send a very clear message that almost Slims if what
is happening in Fellosleen is not going to inspire us
to understand that the world is changing, supanel law, what
is happening over there, This is all the parts of
the agenda now to criminalize and demonize our faith. They
want to make Islam look bad to justify what is
(16:23):
happening over there. They've done this before, twenty five years ago,
ten years ago. They're doing it again. But they failed
back then and they will fail again. When they stoop
down and preach hate, we will stand up and show
them love. When they stoop down and lie, we will
stand up and speak the truth. When they stoop down
and slander, we will stand up and show them dignity
(16:45):
and courage. They claim that they're following the prophets of
God and Jesus, but we are the true followers of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
And you're listening to the.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
Because the flags is ends for freedom and they can't
take them all.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Right, America, here we go, America.
Speaker 6 (17:06):
Yeah, And I'm proud to be in Canada where it is.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Dyna quick what And I'm won't forget the.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
Men who died Wait can I'm glad he's.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Putting next to you and it been.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
He what what about? From Detroit down to Houston.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
Guy very Blue down Wood, I love this last Godless
you Canada.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
Lee Greenwood is actually a fan of our show and
a listener and a friend and a great guy, a
true patriot. Donald Trump loves Lee Greenwood and I do
too Cool cat he you know, look, it's like Billy
Ocean with Caribbean queen. He did an African. Mark Chestnut's
(18:04):
first version of Too Cold at Home had the kid
watching the Dodgers as he grew up, which was a
bummer because it should have been the Astros because Mark
Chestnut grew up watching the Astros, but that was what
the song was written at. They ended up making a
version with all the songs. Lee Grenwood's Loyalty is to
the United States of America. That song was never played
(18:25):
in the US. It was a moment of pride for
the Canadian people and he tailored the song to them.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
And I'm not mad at him. I actually really like
Lee Grenwood.
Speaker 7 (18:36):
It's just a funny thing. The first time you hear
it you know that song so well. In fact, in Houston,
they played at the rodeo every night. There's almost a
month long rodeo in Houston's the world's biggest, baddest, most
awesome rodeo.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
And they play that song every year.
Speaker 7 (18:53):
And when it gets to the from Detroit down to Houston,
the crowd roars.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
And because it's in.
Speaker 7 (18:59):
A football all stadium, NRG Stadium was just big where
the Texans play, the roar of that crowd it kind
of it rolls down.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
It's a powerful thing to hear.
Speaker 7 (19:09):
We're talking about Canada because Jason Stanley is a professor
at Yale University and a self proclaimed expert on fascism,
and he was a guest on MSNBC to confess that
he is broken. Trump has broken him. He is up
and moving to Canada. They never actually go, but maybe
(19:31):
he is. Maybe he was already going to go anyway
because his wife's got family there or something. But he's broken.
He's he's lost it. He's lost his mind. He can't
handle it anymore. He's gotta leave, He's got to. He's
the Paul Revere for Americans to tell us that fascism
is taken over.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Well, professor who studies fascism, is leaving the US mid
the Trump administration's cracked down on universities and colleges. Jason
stan Lee, author of How Fascism Works the Politics of US,
and then is departing the hallowed Ivy League School to
teach in Toronto, telling a philosophy website the reason is
quote entirely because of the political climate in the United States.
(20:10):
This comes as the Trump administration threatens to withhold funding
for pre eminent institutions like Columbia, which capitulated to the
administration over so called security reforms, and as grand students
from Colombia and Tufts are amongst scholars now detained by
immigration enforcement after their involvement in pro Palestinian protests or writings.
(20:31):
Professor and author Jason Stanley joins us now. Professor, thanks
for taking the time with us. You cited the current
political environment in this country as why you're leaving, why
you're heading to Canada. Is it impeding you from teaching
what and how you'd want to teach?
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Absolutely not.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Yale has to this extent protected its scholars, unlike Columbia,
who forced, for example, Catherine frank A prominent law professor
into early retirement. So it has nothing to do with me.
It has everything to do with my children and my
desire to send a warning to Americans that is consist
(21:10):
consonant with the work I've been doing.
Speaker 7 (21:15):
And i want everyone to know that I'm leaving the
United States, and I want everyone to focus on me
because I'm leaving.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I'm going to Canada, where they have everything socialized, and
I just want everybody to know.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
I mean, I'm doing this for my children in my country,
and I want everyone to know it. What a wors
what a weaner, he says. The American people just don't
understand the details. Y'all think that what Trump is doing
is good, but it's not good.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
I don't like it.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
You talk about Columbia submitting to the White House's demands
after the threats to withhold federal funding.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I mean, some of what.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
They agreed to are new rules for protests, more security
officers that can make arrest, new leadership to oversee certain
academic programs like Middle East studies. You called Columbia's capitulation
a warning, how.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
So well, and Americans don't really understand some of the details.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
They put the department.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Never before as the federal government intervened to put a
department into receivership, much less an excellent department like the
Department of Middle Eastern Studies.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
At Columbia University. And it's not new leadership.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
They're going to a point, perhaps a non academic. It's
someone who's obviously going to intervene.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
And oh, my goodness, Ramon, not a non academic, Oh
my god, you mean they're not going to be a professor.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Oh, they will.
Speaker 7 (22:41):
Not have submitted a thesis to a committee that will
have been reviewed by the dissertation committee.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Someone without a PhD. Someone is not a doctor. We'll
be making policy. But they're not a professor. They do
not profess. How can they do this?
Speaker 7 (23:00):
This must not be allowed, continue my remarks, affairs.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
They're very serious about this.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Receivership is only meant for when professors in a department
dislike each other so much they can't be in the
same room together. And needless to say, this crackdown. Colombia's
capitulation to this is a grave sign about the future
of academic freedom. In addition to say, hauling people off
(23:28):
the street and sending them to Louisiana prisons like they
did at Tufts University for co authoring op eds in
the student newspaper.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Oh, this is why he must leave.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
But rest assured the fascism expert, probably on some federal
grant at Yale. He will still be battling the fascists,
the fascists, but he will do so from Canada.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
There are probably people watching this right now thinking, well,
you have a lot to say. You are an American citizen.
Why not stay and try to be the change you're seeking?
Why not be part of the pushback to this sort
of behavior.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
I will continue to throw punches against fascism and bullies
from Canada.
Speaker 7 (24:17):
He's throwing punches. Everyone be careful because he's throwing punches. Okay,
he's throwing punches from Canada. He's he's repudiating and rebuffing you,
by which he means throwing punches, you see.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
And he's he's a fighter.
Speaker 7 (24:33):
Okay, when you have a fighter like this, a fighter
like this will throw punches from wherever he is now.
He's in retreat at the moment. He might take a sabbatical,
you know, but he's still going to fight fascism. He'll
be throwing punches at fascism from Afar. But punches they
will be. Make no mistake, they are punches Canada.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Don't worry. I have two black and Jewish kids. I
think my kids act they are more important to.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Me than anything else.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Uh So they're using my religion to to go after
academic freedom, crushing universities, supposedly in the name of protecting
my people.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Americ Jews.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
American Jews, you reeve stop already, Stop already.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
How annoying can you be?
Speaker 7 (25:23):
Just go to Canada with a bunch of other people
just like you.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
The Michael Berry Show, Michael Berry.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Showing my favorite programs of all time is Money, Python
(26:02):
or Python.
Speaker 7 (26:02):
As we say on this side of the Atlantic, but
in England they say Python. And one of their segment
intros was entitled and Now for something completely different, and
it allowed them to pivot even though it's a variety show,
sketch show with sketch after sketch, it allowed them to pivot.
And I've always thought that was a great way to
do that here. I don't just want to talk politics
(26:25):
all day every day. Sometimes there are interesting things I
want to have conversations about. And Rush used to do this,
you know, Rush used to laugh and say that he
would get emails from people say stop talking about Steelers
and get back to talking about And his point was,
I've made that point, and I'll make it again next week.
I want to talk about the Steelers. Now I want
to talk about golf. I want to talk about my jet. Well,
I don't play golf, I don't own a jet, and
(26:46):
I'm not a Steelers fan. But I am a music fan,
and so I get pitches for guests, and ninety nine
out of one hundred I have no interest in. But
this one caught my eye. It went like this. On
March twenty eight, nineteen sixty seven, Van Morrison recorded arguably
his most famous song, Brown Eyed Girl. Curiously, he never
(27:07):
really liked it, or so he says, it took him
to the top ten, made him a household name, and
gave us an enduring summer song.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
He should love it right wrong.
Speaker 7 (27:17):
Since becoming a paragon of the singer songwriter movement of
the seventies, Van has distanced himself from the song. And
then it goes into why that is? And I said, yes,
pr person, please get us on the phone with Scott Shay,
the author of that piece. His name is known in
(27:37):
the music business as the author of the best selling
book All the Leaves Are Brown, How the Mamas and
the Papas came together and broke apart. But now we're
going to talk about the song Brown Eyed Girl and
why Van Morrison didn't like it, because I'm interested to know.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Scott, Welcome to the.
Speaker 7 (27:54):
Program, and start us off with why wouldn't Van Morrison
love a song that really made him a lot of
money and brought him a lot of fame.
Speaker 13 (28:04):
It's a it's a good question, and it's nicely that
those pictures are affected. Thanks thanks to read that out loud. Yeah,
you know, I think Van is a is just a
born contrarian. You know. He likes things kind of raw
and authentic, and I think that was something written kind
(28:26):
of spur of the moment. I don't even know the
history of how he came to write that. I don't
think he's ever even really shared that, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
But let me interrupt you there.
Speaker 7 (28:35):
Let's start with who we're talking about, because he has
always struck me as an odd bird, you know, living
up to the real kind of angry, reclusive you know. Hey,
but Van, you made a lot of money as well. Everything.
Everything I've read about him, which is a fair amount,
(28:56):
is that that he's not He's not a straightforward guy.
So let's start with we're not talking about you or
me or how most people would.
Speaker 13 (29:03):
React, right, and you're and you're definitely not alone in
the vibe you get from Van. I think most everybody
gets that he is very anti commercial for a guy
who has huge commercial appeal, it's very odd, uh. And
he's not only did he write you know, Brown Eye Girl,
but he wrote Gloria, He's sang Here Comes the Night.
(29:25):
He had Domino and a bunch of other songs that
very commercial appeal and that people just love, and albums
filled with great songs. But he just, you know, on
one hand, he likes to be considered this authentic artist
who's not in it for the money. But on the
other hand, you know, he's got a bunch of houses
(29:46):
and a young model, beautiful life and enjoys the trappings
of his success. So it's it's quite a dichotomy there
with Van Morrison. And you know the reason he doesn't
like brown I think it just takes him back. And
you'll see, if you're your listeners who read the piece
I wrote on strange brudes, so are very very difficult
(30:09):
and stressful time in his life.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
So my understanding, if I get this right, this was
about the time that I think this is right after
he has just signed a contract that like so many
of these guys, you know, they're busy eating a hamburger
and drinking a beer which he drank at that time,
in a contract in front of they signed their name
and then the rest of their careers. They complained about
(30:33):
this contract because they didn't bother to read it. Listen,
I'm a lawyer, you're an idiot.
Speaker 14 (30:38):
But but is that Am I right on that timeframe? No,
you're exactly right. And those contracts, I mean when you're
in the position. You know, Van was in the position
of no leverage. I mean the group that he was
in before them was moderately successful. You know, they weren't
household names, but they had a couple of hits. But
he wasn't really in a position to leverage that and
(31:01):
even reject the contract. So, like a lot of artists,
I think he's just happy to get something where he
can put his the fruits of his labor out and
his creativity. But you know, really doesn't have any leverage
against the fine print, and you know the abysmal royalty rates,
(31:21):
which back in those days was like you know, you know,
a penny on every dollar.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
You know, it was crazy.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
You see how much money is made on the cell
of a piece of music, whether it's cassette, album, CD
or online, and how little of that ends up with
the person who wrote and especially if they wrote it
and performed it.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
It really isn't shocked.
Speaker 7 (31:43):
I mean, you see it all day because you write
about this, but for the average person, they can't imagine
this would happen.
Speaker 13 (31:50):
And even the publishing I mean, guys like you know,
Brian Wilson and John Lennon, Paul McCartney got really wealthy
off the publishing, but they're only getting like ten percent
of it.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
You know.
Speaker 13 (31:58):
The rest of it goes to goes to the record
company and the publishing company, which you know they have
overhead and all that stuff that they have to deal with,
but they rack in a pretty profit off of that stuff.
And you know, and you know, guys like McCartney and
all these others can buy you know, you know, big
mansions and houses just on that little slipper that they get.
And so you really are selling out to the man,
(32:22):
and I think that's really what over time, what Van
really resented. And I don't know how much control he had.
He's very private, so you don't really know what he's getting.
I would imagine because of the nature of his personality,
and he probably has a really good agent. He probably
gets I would say maybe maybe in the twenty percentile range, probably,
but that's usually about as maximum as it gets.
Speaker 7 (32:44):
You wrote this piece for strange Brew, and I went
and looked, and I looked at some of your writing there,
and strange brew is a site. The best I can
tell is just you know, features on music and kind
of deep dives into music. And how many of these
pieces do you write a week?
Speaker 13 (33:05):
I'd usually do two a month.
Speaker 7 (33:07):
And is that I know you you've written the book?
Is that your full time job or what else do
you do? I'm interested in the professional.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Side of this.
Speaker 13 (33:15):
I am a producer at the Serious XM on the
Catholic channel. I produced the morning show right on That's cool. Yeah,
so a radio guy too.
Speaker 7 (33:24):
Very interesting and this is just a side hustle, hobby
interest quirk.
Speaker 13 (33:29):
I like it, yeah, kind of a side hustle that
I helpe eventually turns into the overwhelming hustle you know.
Speaker 7 (33:37):
Yeah, well that's how you do it right. It's like
the startup you are. I tell people all the time,
you are your own startup business and started up today,
right and take chances.
Speaker 13 (33:46):
Like Johnny cashad Yeah, one piece of a time like
Johnny caship, but in my case piece means writing piece
and the only.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Difference is one piece of time. And it didn't cost
me a down.
Speaker 7 (33:55):
This is going to cost you and cost you dearly
in your time over the years. Well, I wanted to
I wanted to promote that. I wanted to tell people.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Where you are.
Speaker 7 (34:04):
It's that strange. It's that strange brew. You can follow
him online. We're posting all that to our website as well.
Very interesting, my man. I did enjoy the piece. And
uh and and now you've added another quirk to to
what you do for a living an interesting life. Indeed,
thank you, Scott Shay, Thanks Michael. We do random interviews
about things we care about on occasion.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
We're a variety show. That's that's hopefully you like it.
Speaker 7 (34:29):
Always love to hear from you, Michael Berryshow dot com.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Have a wonderful weekend.
Speaker 14 (34:34):
To help us nice lot, we're doing it.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Thank you, I mean good night.
It's that time time time time.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Lucking load.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
So Michael Verry Show is on the air. It's Charlie
from BlackBerry Smoke. I can feel a good one coming on.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's the Micah Berry Show.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Any attempt to restrict drinking and driving here is viewed
by some as downright undemocratic.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Two six packs, Shinner ninety nine, sid putin Ladder, Lucky
Strack center, fifth of patrol us down, Eddie glue cooler.
Take a guess at all to do? I can feel
a good one coming on. Home throwing Rey Wiley Hubbard
(00:59):
sing alone, the red Neck and mother. Any blues I
had before or gone another working week is over, no
chest saying so I can feel a good one coming on.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
In a week.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Now we're gonna get to feeling arin. We gonna keep
this pider rock can fil the break of doll. Yeah,
I can feel a good one coming all.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
I just gotta getting calling it when the butter can
and I put in a hard day's work, put in
eleven foelve hours a day.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
And they ain't getting you.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Truck and at least right one or two beards.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Here's three blocks in the wracks. I mustang followed us
down to the leaking. Didn't have to think about that
too long, skinny dipping in the pride and situation couldn't
be more Ride. I can feel a good one coming on, Yell.
(02:09):
We were gonna get to feeling ride.
Speaker 6 (02:15):
Were gonna keep this party rock until the break of don.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, I can feel a good one. Feel like a
good one. I can feel a good one coming on.
Speaker 6 (02:31):
They're making it last where you can't drink when you
want to, can't.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
You have to wear a seat belt when you're driving.
Chrisy will become Miss Caprey.
Speaker 7 (02:41):
Woo.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, we are alone. We're gonna get to feeling ride.
We're gonna keep this pot of rockettil the break.
Speaker 7 (03:04):
Jason, you are on the Michael Berry Show, Jason, what
say you, sir?
Speaker 8 (03:13):
I help companies get a grip on their assets.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
By doing what.
Speaker 8 (03:23):
Tracking inventorying assets using r f i D radio frequency
i D kind of like toll tags.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Do you own and do you own that company? I
do your company?
Speaker 8 (03:37):
Started over well previously j p L r f I
D back when r f I D was kind of
the the buzzword, and as things went on and artificial
intelligence became the new big thing, it were turned into
assets and inventory. I know you typically love when the
(04:00):
company name tell us what we do and assets an
Inventsy book as that's an inventory. Dot Ai is our
new brand because A and I dot ai was an
available domain, so it's an I dot ai, Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Interesting, I went to school and I.
Speaker 8 (04:24):
Didn't think yes, I was gonna say. I didn't think
much of it when you brought up the topic today,
except that I got an email that doctor Peter Style,
the CEO of Houston Forensics, UH Forensics and the crime Lab,
is speaking nearby next week and we got an opportunity
(04:48):
to do a pilot project down there with the technology
to track evidence and other things in the crime lab.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Interesting.
Speaker 7 (05:01):
I went to school with a guy named a Beezer
TBG really really really off the charts smart guy, and
he got into r He was the first person I
ever knew to get into r F I D.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
And I went.
Speaker 7 (05:18):
He has a company called Shipcom. I'm assuming he still hasn't.
I haven't talked to him in a couple of years.
We just get busy, you know how that goes. But
he had a company that UH that scanned that code
that r F I D or the the I guess
that barcode and and mind you, this was twenty five
years ago when that was very cutting edge, and he
(05:41):
would companies would hire him to to to control their inventory,
which is kind of what you're which sounds like.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
What you're doing. That's a big that's a big business.
Speaker 7 (05:52):
And now with the tracking and shipping and storing and
shelf life and and you know, replacing a product when
it goes off the shelf supply chain, it's interesting, Ramon.
I don't know if you know this, but I ask
people what they're studying or what they did study if
they're recent graduates, and especially coming out of A and M.
(06:13):
It feels like there's a staggeringly high number of people
who answer supply chain. There are college degrees in supply
chain now, and it's interesting and it makes sense because
it's such a big part of our economy that they
(06:34):
actually just broke down and created a degree. Now.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I don't know what they're.
Speaker 7 (06:38):
Teaching, but I approve of it because I think college
could stand to have more of a vocational approach, a
practical application approach. And I think for too long it's
great to study English. I love the study of English.
I think that's important. It is great to study the classics.
(06:59):
All of those things are wonderful, but at some point
when you graduate, it would be nice if for over
one hundred thousand dollars you've just spent, you have some
skills that the workplace is waiting for, because most people
are not walking into a workplace today with a set
of skills they acquired in college that are monetizable for
(07:20):
a company. They're having to train people from ground zero.
And it shouldn't just be technical schools and vocational schools
that are teaching you. You know, if you go to
Brick Mason, Rio ought to be able to walk out
the first day and have the basics of that. Now,
you know, independent electrical contractors. One of our show sponsors
is is non union so merit Shop electrical contractors, and
(07:44):
they have a cooperative and they in addition to lobbying
for good laws for them and you know, getting better
insurance policies for their members and all that, they actually
have their own academy where they graduate kids. And they're
almost everyone taking advantage of this in Hispanic where they
graduate kids to go directly to feed directly into these companies.
(08:06):
So you have a job waiting which should be more
of a focus for all of these but in any case,
very interesting.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I am I don't like it.
Speaker 9 (08:16):
No more like wing.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Be Michael, I'm not gay. No more.
Speaker 7 (09:03):
Let me hurry because there's two bits of audio I
want to get in here. Tell you what's going on
in Texas. The governor has directed the Texas Rangers. This
is an elite law enforcement group here to conduct a
criminal investigation into a group called EPIC. It's the East
Plano Islamic Center. It's the latest in a series of
state led inquiries into a group that's trying to create
(09:26):
a Muslim centric community that has people very, very scared.
Credit NBC five News in Dallas Fort Worth.
Speaker 10 (09:35):
With this story, we begin in Cullin and Hunt County.
This is where the community is voicing opposition to a
proposed development. The East Plano Islamic Center is a Muslim
center community that could be built in Josephine, Texas. Today,
the project's planners updated county leaders and residents on the
idea that sparked controversy.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Maria Guerrero has more Welcome to the future of living.
Speaker 11 (09:58):
The idea of this a Muslim centric community being built
on the outskirts of Colin County is what led to
an overflowing public hearing before Colin County Commissioners where many
rallied against Epic City. This is a Sharia compound, where
like the previous woman said, they will do the most
Sharia compliance.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
This is not about one faith versus another.
Speaker 12 (10:22):
This is about rejecting segregation in any form.
Speaker 10 (10:25):
No group should ever have the power to claim an
entire neighborhood for themselves.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Why else would they want their own community?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
What is the purpose of them having their own community?
Speaker 11 (10:33):
East Plano Islamic Center posting its promotional Epic City video
on YouTube announcing its purchase of four hundred acres of
land straddling Colin and Hunt Counties, with a vision of
building about a thousand homes, a school, retail stores, all
centered around a new mosque.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
The land has been accorded.
Speaker 11 (10:53):
The project senior planner updating commissioners in anxious residents about
where the project stands, saying changes are being made and
developers have yet to begin the process with state water officials.
Speaker 13 (11:05):
And so we do understand the density issue and we
are looking.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
At the options to prepare an application for TCQ.
Speaker 10 (11:13):
I'm worried it's going to become another municipal utility district.
Speaker 11 (11:17):
Well, those directly affected by the possible addition worry about
water issues. Others claim housing discrimination, may.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Not refuse to rent or sell housing.
Speaker 12 (11:26):
I hate that we have to have these kind of discussions.
I don't want to dislike anyone because of where they're from,
but their culture is so incongruent with what the United
States expects out of anyone who comes in as an immigrant.
Speaker 11 (11:44):
Their opinions heard not just by the officials who will
ultimately decide, but by their own neighbors.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I felt like I was a part of the community.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
EPIC was hosting the largest warming shelter in Colin County
just a few months ago during the Great Freeze, and now, well,
this place is back for people who don't along here.
Speaker 11 (12:02):
When asked if they have a timeline as to when
they'll bring an actual plan forward to the county, representatives
said they do not, but they do anticipate it being
sometime this year in Collin County. Maria Guerrero NBC five.
Speaker 10 (12:18):
The East Planet Islamic Center is facing several state investigations. Today,
Texas Governor Greg Abbott asks Texas DPS to launch an
investigation into the center. He did not cite specifics, but
ask DPS to focus on potential criminal law violations. The
group is also facing investigations from the Texas Workforce Commission
and Texas Funeral Service Commission. We're hoping to get reaction
(12:41):
from those operating the center, but have been unsuccessful to
this point.
Speaker 7 (12:46):
All right, so I want to get this in so
you understand what we're talking about. Who these people are
before you go, oh my god, they're picking them because
they're Muslim. This is Yasir Kadi. He is their self
described resident scholar, and he well, here's what he has
to say.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Oh Muslims.
Speaker 9 (13:05):
Even though it is the final days of Ramadan and
it is a holy time for us, yet still the
world does not stop, regardless of what is happening in
our own circles. And we're all aware of the rise
of yet another wave of misinformation, another wave of Islamophobia,
another wave of xenophobia. For those of us that have
been in this land for the last thirty years, multiple
(13:27):
waves have happened, and every single wave we have seen
this reality and we have borne through it, and ahamdri la,
we have come out bigger, better, and stronger. This is
not going to be any different Al Muslim. There's a
lot of misinformation, a lot of negative campaigns about our faith,
about our message in particular. None of this is true.
And we thank a Llaw for all that we are doing.
(13:51):
We are grateful for the freedoms given to us in
this land and where we are taking advantage of our
constitutional rights, not doing anything more than what the constitution
allows us. But we have to be clear here. We
have two choices ahead of us. Either we allow and
agree to be treated as second class citizens, we allow
lies and slander to be spread. We cower down, we
(14:14):
become scared, and we allow people to lie about us,
to spread slanders about us, and we accept second class citizenship.
And if we do this, they will continue to encroach
on our rights. They will continue to take more rights
away as we see what is happening across this country.
Or we stand up and we demand that we be
(14:35):
treated like every other faith community and every other ethnicity.
We are not demanding anything more than any other group,
but by God, we're not going to be treated any
different than any other group as well. We have to
have this attitude in our minds we cannot allow people
to get away. We're treating us as second class citizens,
(14:57):
allowing us the lesser freedoms than anybody else. This is
not going to happen. We're not going to allow this
to happen. And this is something that goes against the
very spirit of the founding of this country, the very
constitution that is the document of this country. What makes
this country different, what makes this country in so many
ways really the most freest and the greatest country, is
(15:18):
the First Amendment and the Constitution that has been the
bedrock of this country. We are seeing though that that
Constitution is selectively being applied people based on different race,
different ethnicity, different skin color, different religion. But that is
not what the Constitution says. And so do not be
embarrassed of who you are. We are Muslims and we
(15:40):
have every right to live and practice our faith in
this country. We are not infringing on the rights of
other people. We are not taking away anything from what
the Constitution allows, and so we are doing what we're
allowed to do, and we will, in shah Allahutaialah, continue
to do so. And we're going to give more updates
and announcements in this regard as the as the month
(16:01):
comes to an nish allah data. But I wanted to
send a very clear message that almost Slims if what
is happening in Fellosleen is not going to inspire us
to understand that the world is changing, supanel law, what
is happening over there, This is all the parts of
the agenda now to criminalize and demonize our faith. They
want to make Islam look bad to justify what is
(16:23):
happening over there. They've done this before, twenty five years ago,
ten years ago. They're doing it again. But they failed
back then and they will fail again. When they stoop
down and preach hate, we will stand up and show
them love. When they stoop down and lie, we will
stand up and speak the truth. When they stoop down
and slander, we will stand up and show them dignity
(16:45):
and courage. They claim that they're following the prophets of
God and Jesus, but we are the true followers of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
And you're listening to the.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
Because the flags is ends for freedom and they can't
take them all.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Right, America, here we go, America.
Speaker 6 (17:06):
Yeah, And I'm proud to be in Canada where it is.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Dyna quick what And I'm won't forget the.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
Men who died Wait can I'm glad he's.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Putting next to you and it been.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
He what what about? From Detroit down to Houston.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
Guy very Blue down Wood, I love this last Godless
you Canada.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
Lee Greenwood is actually a fan of our show and
a listener and a friend and a great guy, a
true patriot. Donald Trump loves Lee Greenwood and I do
too Cool cat he you know, look, it's like Billy
Ocean with Caribbean queen. He did an African. Mark Chestnut's
(18:04):
first version of Too Cold at Home had the kid
watching the Dodgers as he grew up, which was a
bummer because it should have been the Astros because Mark
Chestnut grew up watching the Astros, but that was what
the song was written at. They ended up making a
version with all the songs. Lee Grenwood's Loyalty is to
the United States of America. That song was never played
(18:25):
in the US. It was a moment of pride for
the Canadian people and he tailored the song to them.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
And I'm not mad at him. I actually really like
Lee Grenwood.
Speaker 7 (18:36):
It's just a funny thing. The first time you hear
it you know that song so well. In fact, in Houston,
they played at the rodeo every night. There's almost a
month long rodeo in Houston's the world's biggest, baddest, most
awesome rodeo.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
And they play that song every year.
Speaker 7 (18:53):
And when it gets to the from Detroit down to Houston,
the crowd roars.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
And because it's in.
Speaker 7 (18:59):
A football all stadium, NRG Stadium was just big where
the Texans play, the roar of that crowd it kind
of it rolls down.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
It's a powerful thing to hear.
Speaker 7 (19:09):
We're talking about Canada because Jason Stanley is a professor
at Yale University and a self proclaimed expert on fascism,
and he was a guest on MSNBC to confess that
he is broken. Trump has broken him. He is up
and moving to Canada. They never actually go, but maybe
(19:31):
he is. Maybe he was already going to go anyway
because his wife's got family there or something. But he's broken.
He's he's lost it. He's lost his mind. He can't
handle it anymore. He's gotta leave, He's got to. He's
the Paul Revere for Americans to tell us that fascism
is taken over.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Well, professor who studies fascism, is leaving the US mid
the Trump administration's cracked down on universities and colleges. Jason
stan Lee, author of How Fascism Works the Politics of US,
and then is departing the hallowed Ivy League School to
teach in Toronto, telling a philosophy website the reason is
quote entirely because of the political climate in the United States.
(20:10):
This comes as the Trump administration threatens to withhold funding
for pre eminent institutions like Columbia, which capitulated to the
administration over so called security reforms, and as grand students
from Colombia and Tufts are amongst scholars now detained by
immigration enforcement after their involvement in pro Palestinian protests or writings.
(20:31):
Professor and author Jason Stanley joins us now. Professor, thanks
for taking the time with us. You cited the current
political environment in this country as why you're leaving, why
you're heading to Canada. Is it impeding you from teaching
what and how you'd want to teach?
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Absolutely not.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Yale has to this extent protected its scholars, unlike Columbia,
who forced, for example, Catherine frank A prominent law professor
into early retirement. So it has nothing to do with me.
It has everything to do with my children and my
desire to send a warning to Americans that is consist
(21:10):
consonant with the work I've been doing.
Speaker 7 (21:15):
And i want everyone to know that I'm leaving the
United States, and I want everyone to focus on me
because I'm leaving.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I'm going to Canada, where they have everything socialized, and
I just want everybody to know.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
I mean, I'm doing this for my children in my country,
and I want everyone to know it. What a wors
what a weaner, he says. The American people just don't
understand the details. Y'all think that what Trump is doing
is good, but it's not good.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
I don't like it.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
You talk about Columbia submitting to the White House's demands
after the threats to withhold federal funding.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I mean, some of what.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
They agreed to are new rules for protests, more security
officers that can make arrest, new leadership to oversee certain
academic programs like Middle East studies. You called Columbia's capitulation
a warning, how.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
So well, and Americans don't really understand some of the details.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
They put the department.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Never before as the federal government intervened to put a
department into receivership, much less an excellent department like the
Department of Middle Eastern Studies.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
At Columbia University. And it's not new leadership.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
They're going to a point, perhaps a non academic. It's
someone who's obviously going to intervene.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
And oh, my goodness, Ramon, not a non academic, Oh
my god, you mean they're not going to be a professor.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Oh, they will.
Speaker 7 (22:41):
Not have submitted a thesis to a committee that will
have been reviewed by the dissertation committee.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Someone without a PhD. Someone is not a doctor. We'll
be making policy. But they're not a professor. They do
not profess. How can they do this?
Speaker 7 (23:00):
This must not be allowed, continue my remarks, affairs.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
They're very serious about this.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Receivership is only meant for when professors in a department
dislike each other so much they can't be in the
same room together. And needless to say, this crackdown. Colombia's
capitulation to this is a grave sign about the future
of academic freedom. In addition to say, hauling people off
(23:28):
the street and sending them to Louisiana prisons like they
did at Tufts University for co authoring op eds in
the student newspaper.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Oh, this is why he must leave.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
But rest assured the fascism expert, probably on some federal
grant at Yale. He will still be battling the fascists,
the fascists, but he will do so from Canada.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
There are probably people watching this right now thinking, well,
you have a lot to say. You are an American citizen.
Why not stay and try to be the change you're seeking?
Why not be part of the pushback to this sort
of behavior.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
I will continue to throw punches against fascism and bullies
from Canada.
Speaker 7 (24:17):
He's throwing punches. Everyone be careful because he's throwing punches. Okay,
he's throwing punches from Canada. He's he's repudiating and rebuffing you,
by which he means throwing punches, you see.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
And he's he's a fighter.
Speaker 7 (24:33):
Okay, when you have a fighter like this, a fighter
like this will throw punches from wherever he is now.
He's in retreat at the moment. He might take a sabbatical,
you know, but he's still going to fight fascism. He'll
be throwing punches at fascism from Afar. But punches they
will be. Make no mistake, they are punches Canada.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Don't worry. I have two black and Jewish kids. I
think my kids act they are more important to.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Me than anything else.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Uh So they're using my religion to to go after
academic freedom, crushing universities, supposedly in the name of protecting
my people.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Americ Jews.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
American Jews, you reeve stop already, Stop already.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
How annoying can you be?
Speaker 7 (25:23):
Just go to Canada with a bunch of other people
just like you.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
The Michael Berry Show, Michael Berry.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Showing my favorite programs of all time is Money, Python
(26:02):
or Python.
Speaker 7 (26:02):
As we say on this side of the Atlantic, but
in England they say Python. And one of their segment
intros was entitled and Now for something completely different, and
it allowed them to pivot even though it's a variety show,
sketch show with sketch after sketch, it allowed them to pivot.
And I've always thought that was a great way to
do that here. I don't just want to talk politics
(26:25):
all day every day. Sometimes there are interesting things I
want to have conversations about. And Rush used to do this,
you know, Rush used to laugh and say that he
would get emails from people say stop talking about Steelers
and get back to talking about And his point was,
I've made that point, and I'll make it again next week.
I want to talk about the Steelers. Now I want
to talk about golf. I want to talk about my jet. Well,
I don't play golf, I don't own a jet, and
(26:46):
I'm not a Steelers fan. But I am a music fan,
and so I get pitches for guests, and ninety nine
out of one hundred I have no interest in. But
this one caught my eye. It went like this. On
March twenty eight, nineteen sixty seven, Van Morrison recorded arguably
his most famous song, Brown Eyed Girl. Curiously, he never
(27:07):
really liked it, or so he says, it took him
to the top ten, made him a household name, and
gave us an enduring summer song.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
He should love it right wrong.
Speaker 7 (27:17):
Since becoming a paragon of the singer songwriter movement of
the seventies, Van has distanced himself from the song. And
then it goes into why that is? And I said, yes,
pr person, please get us on the phone with Scott Shay,
the author of that piece. His name is known in
(27:37):
the music business as the author of the best selling
book All the Leaves Are Brown, How the Mamas and
the Papas came together and broke apart. But now we're
going to talk about the song Brown Eyed Girl and
why Van Morrison didn't like it, because I'm interested to know.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Scott, Welcome to the.
Speaker 7 (27:54):
Program, and start us off with why wouldn't Van Morrison
love a song that really made him a lot of
money and brought him a lot of fame.
Speaker 13 (28:04):
It's a it's a good question, and it's nicely that
those pictures are affected. Thanks thanks to read that out loud. Yeah,
you know, I think Van is a is just a
born contrarian. You know. He likes things kind of raw
and authentic, and I think that was something written kind
(28:26):
of spur of the moment. I don't even know the
history of how he came to write that. I don't
think he's ever even really shared that, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
But let me interrupt you there.
Speaker 7 (28:35):
Let's start with who we're talking about, because he has
always struck me as an odd bird, you know, living
up to the real kind of angry, reclusive you know. Hey,
but Van, you made a lot of money as well. Everything.
Everything I've read about him, which is a fair amount,
(28:56):
is that that he's not He's not a straightforward guy.
So let's start with we're not talking about you or
me or how most people would.
Speaker 13 (29:03):
React, right, and you're and you're definitely not alone in
the vibe you get from Van. I think most everybody
gets that he is very anti commercial for a guy
who has huge commercial appeal, it's very odd, uh. And
he's not only did he write you know, Brown Eye Girl,
but he wrote Gloria, He's sang Here Comes the Night.
(29:25):
He had Domino and a bunch of other songs that
very commercial appeal and that people just love, and albums
filled with great songs. But he just, you know, on
one hand, he likes to be considered this authentic artist
who's not in it for the money. But on the
other hand, you know, he's got a bunch of houses
(29:46):
and a young model, beautiful life and enjoys the trappings
of his success. So it's it's quite a dichotomy there
with Van Morrison. And you know the reason he doesn't
like brown I think it just takes him back. And
you'll see, if you're your listeners who read the piece
I wrote on strange brudes, so are very very difficult
(30:09):
and stressful time in his life.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
So my understanding, if I get this right, this was
about the time that I think this is right after
he has just signed a contract that like so many
of these guys, you know, they're busy eating a hamburger
and drinking a beer which he drank at that time,
in a contract in front of they signed their name
and then the rest of their careers. They complained about
(30:33):
this contract because they didn't bother to read it. Listen,
I'm a lawyer, you're an idiot.
Speaker 14 (30:38):
But but is that Am I right on that timeframe? No,
you're exactly right. And those contracts, I mean when you're
in the position. You know, Van was in the position
of no leverage. I mean the group that he was
in before them was moderately successful. You know, they weren't
household names, but they had a couple of hits. But
he wasn't really in a position to leverage that and
(31:01):
even reject the contract. So, like a lot of artists,
I think he's just happy to get something where he
can put his the fruits of his labor out and
his creativity. But you know, really doesn't have any leverage
against the fine print, and you know the abysmal royalty rates,
(31:21):
which back in those days was like you know, you know,
a penny on every dollar.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
You know, it was crazy.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
You see how much money is made on the cell
of a piece of music, whether it's cassette, album, CD
or online, and how little of that ends up with
the person who wrote and especially if they wrote it
and performed it.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
It really isn't shocked.
Speaker 7 (31:43):
I mean, you see it all day because you write
about this, but for the average person, they can't imagine
this would happen.
Speaker 13 (31:50):
And even the publishing I mean, guys like you know,
Brian Wilson and John Lennon, Paul McCartney got really wealthy
off the publishing, but they're only getting like ten percent
of it.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
You know.
Speaker 13 (31:58):
The rest of it goes to goes to the record
company and the publishing company, which you know they have
overhead and all that stuff that they have to deal with,
but they rack in a pretty profit off of that stuff.
And you know, and you know, guys like McCartney and
all these others can buy you know, you know, big
mansions and houses just on that little slipper that they get.
And so you really are selling out to the man,
(32:22):
and I think that's really what over time, what Van
really resented. And I don't know how much control he had.
He's very private, so you don't really know what he's getting.
I would imagine because of the nature of his personality,
and he probably has a really good agent. He probably
gets I would say maybe maybe in the twenty percentile range, probably,
but that's usually about as maximum as it gets.
Speaker 7 (32:44):
You wrote this piece for strange Brew, and I went
and looked, and I looked at some of your writing there,
and strange brew is a site. The best I can
tell is just you know, features on music and kind
of deep dives into music. And how many of these
pieces do you write a week?
Speaker 13 (33:05):
I'd usually do two a month.
Speaker 7 (33:07):
And is that I know you you've written the book?
Is that your full time job or what else do
you do? I'm interested in the professional.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Side of this.
Speaker 13 (33:15):
I am a producer at the Serious XM on the
Catholic channel. I produced the morning show right on That's cool. Yeah,
so a radio guy too.
Speaker 7 (33:24):
Very interesting and this is just a side hustle, hobby
interest quirk.
Speaker 13 (33:29):
I like it, yeah, kind of a side hustle that
I helpe eventually turns into the overwhelming hustle you know.
Speaker 7 (33:37):
Yeah, well that's how you do it right. It's like
the startup you are. I tell people all the time,
you are your own startup business and started up today,
right and take chances.
Speaker 13 (33:46):
Like Johnny cashad Yeah, one piece of a time like
Johnny caship, but in my case piece means writing piece
and the only.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Difference is one piece of time. And it didn't cost
me a down.
Speaker 7 (33:55):
This is going to cost you and cost you dearly
in your time over the years. Well, I wanted to
I wanted to promote that. I wanted to tell people.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Where you are.
Speaker 7 (34:04):
It's that strange. It's that strange brew. You can follow
him online. We're posting all that to our website as well.
Very interesting, my man. I did enjoy the piece. And
uh and and now you've added another quirk to to
what you do for a living an interesting life. Indeed,
thank you, Scott Shay, Thanks Michael. We do random interviews
about things we care about on occasion.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
We're a variety show. That's that's hopefully you like it.
Speaker 7 (34:29):
Always love to hear from you, Michael Berryshow dot com.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Have a wonderful weekend.
Speaker 14 (34:34):
To help us nice lot, we're doing it.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Thank you, I mean good night.
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