Raw Travel’s “My Summer in Ukraine” Film is Streaming Now.
Raw Travel’s “My Summer in Ukraine” documentary film premiered to a standing-room-only crowd in New York City last month, a scant one week after the election. I was amazed and grateful at the response of the crowd, especially Ukrainians, who were visibly moved, some to tears. Rather than trot the film out to film festivals […]
Trump Cuts Out the Middleman to Fascism
I used to think that Trump = Putin and Putin = Hitler, but these days, Trump is cutting out the middleman and quoting directly from Hitler. He’s getting unprecedented help from Putin and the ruzzian bot and disinformation army who are uninhibited with their hybrid war with the west. I’ve never seen so many bots […]
Refugees and Exiles Need “A Place to Call Home”
My pal, Dima, lead singer of the Russian band Tarakany (Cockroach), and his wife have been exiled from their home in Russia since December 2021 due to their anti-war, pro-Ukraine stance. It’s a reminder that while some suffer more than others (and none certainly more than Ukrainians), the breadth and width of suffering is immense […]
Russian Exile Musician Releases Anti-War Single
Dmitry Spirin is a good pal of mine from the Russian band Tarakany! (Cockroach). If you’ve watched Raw Travel, you’ve heard Dima’s music. He’s a very talented and popular songwriter and musician. I met him on my trip to Moscow in 2010, and we released Tarakany’s album “Russian Democrazy” together on Punk Outlaw Records in 2013, just as […]
HELP! Twitter Honey Bots Are Obsessed with Me!
It’s official. I am the Don Juan of Twitter/X. Last fall, the fortunes of X / Twitter seemed at its depth. Elon Musk had removed hate speech and disinformation filters, re-posted a couple of nasty ones himself, and then, in a display of lack of impulse control that would have made any pre-pubescent teenage boy […]
Trumpism’s Cognitive Dissonance
While visiting family down south, I had yet another befuddling conversation with a “Trumper” also claiming to be a “Ukraine supporter” who has somehow rewired their brain to ignore the fact that the Trump faction of the GOP are the primary folks responsible for abandoning Ukraine by blocking continued US funding. I’m curious how one […]
Linda Yaccarino Needs New Glasses?
Ms. Yaccarino may need new glasses because what is deceptive is Linda Yaccarino continued justification of hate speech and disinformation as “free speech.” READ THE ARTICLE HERE As if a private company had no control over what was posted on its private platform. What’s also misleading to advertisers are X’s traffic numbers. Most of their […]
Open Letter to Tennessee’s Elected Officials About Ukraine
Dear Senator Marsha Blackburn, Representative Tim Burchett, and Representative Scott Desjarlais, I am writing to thank you for agreeing to meet with our contingent of your constituents last month during the Ukraine Action Summit. As you are aware, support for Ukraine against Russian tyranny and war crimes is at a crossroads. International rule of law, […]
Why I wore a tie for the first time in years
PART ONE – WHY THE CAUSE? A few weeks ago, I wore a tie for the first time in several years because I had the privilege of advocating before elected U.S. Senators and Congresspeople’s offices and staffs for a cause I cared deeply about. The cause was to convince U.S. Congresspeople and Senators about the […]
Free Speech vs. Consequence Free Speech
I am a producer, content creator, and generally an opinionated human being, occasionally to my detriment. I like punk rock music, so freedom of speech and expression is essential in my professional and personal life. I’ve also traveled to several countries where free speech is not tolerated or stifled, and one can tangibly feel a […]
Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story
I recently attended the documentary film screening of “Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story” at the National Arts Club in Gramercy of New York City. The film produced by Vice News drew me. Still, I was further incentivized by the fact that Eugene Hutz and a couple of members of G.B. would be there […]
September is Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month
September is suicide awareness month. I don’t know many people who haven’t been touched in some way by this tragedy. I recently attended a concert by talented acoustic punk folk musician and songwriter Dave Hause to benefit the American Association of Suicidology’s “Make an Impact.” After Dave’s performance, AAS awarded Kendall Toole, spokesperson for Peloton, […]