This Week with David Rovics

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

In between having my Facebook account hacked and my wifi signal jammed, I heard an interview with Roger Lucey, and my imagination went wild.

Remembering Al Giordano

December 31st, 1959 - July 10th, 2023

The Social Engineering and Paralysis of the US Left

Ever wake up one morning and realize you've been a pawn in someone else's game, when you thought you were making history instead?

The Mind-Warping Effects of Rabbit Holes

If you spend most of your time going down rabbit holes, it's easy to develop tunnel vision.

From Little Things, Big Things Grow

What if we collectively organized as a class against those rich men north of Richmond, in defense of our mutual class interests, like guaranteed, actually affordable housing for everyone? 

New song: ”Shadowbanned on Bandcamp”

I am shadowbanned on Bandcamp, and there is complete silence from them as to why.  People have trouble understanding what a shadowban is in this case, or why it matters.  So here I try to explain all this in a song, in under 2 minutes.

Alphabet is one of the world's biggest corporations.  But most people don't seem to have any idea just how vital search engines are to the economy, and to their lives.  I can tell you though that when you can't be found on one, they matter, a lot.  

That's how it is for me, my music, and this important platform for independent music.  You can find my Bandcamp page through Google just fine, yes.  But not by using the search function on Bandcamp itself.  I'm invisible there, just like Neil Young on Spotify, if you search for him on that platform.

Find out more at davidrovics.com/bandcamp.  Which is not my Bandcamp page.  That's a page about Bandcamp's shadowban that I have on my website.  If you want to find me on Bandcamp, use Google...  But first try to find me directly on Bandcamp itself, and see for yourself what happens!

Dreaming of Pete Seeger

The past 48 hours on anti-social media have been so eventful, I had to make a podcast about it. 

Why I Love the Song, ”Rich Men North of Richmond” (After Slightly Revising the Lyrics)

I've heard from so many people asking for my response to this song that I had to listen to it, learn it, make a couple minor edits to it, cover it, and write an essay about it.

Rich Men North of Richmond (adapted)

So many people have asked me over the past few weeks what a leftwing version of the song, "Rich Men North of Richmond" would sound like, that this morning I actually got around to listening to this beautiful, powerful song in full.  There were a couple lines i changed -- but just a couple.  Just the ones where Oliver Anthony was punching down instead of up.    

I haven't improved at all on Anthony's gorgeous voice and delivery, or the excellent quality of his overall songwriting, but hopefully I've made a minor improvement on this song with these little changes.  This is called the folk process, this is what people do to my songs all the time as well.  I don't know Oliver Anthony and I'm sure he's very busy lately, with his song having gotten tens of millions of views all of a sudden, but I hope if he ever discovers my slightly revised version of his song, he'll like it.  

For the record, here is Oliver Anthony's original second verse section:  

I wish politicians would look out for miners
And not just minors on an island somewhere
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the obese milkin' welfare  

Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds
Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground
'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down  

Here's how I changed it:  

I wish politicians would look out for miners
And not just minors on an island somewhere
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the corporations milkin' welfare  

If you got a silver spoon in your mouth and a private jet
Taxes ought not to pay for all the money you get
Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground
'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down

Getting On Lists and Having Weird Coincidences

What makes me jump to the most paranoid-seeming possible conclusion about why I am shadowbanned on Bandcamp with no explanation?