* I’ll have updates as warranted, but I just can’t take it any more tonight. I need sleep and if I leave comments open on the weekends I can’t sleep. So, we’re done. If you have anything important, e-mail me at capitolfax at aol dot com.
* While we’re waiting on some possible Scott Lee Cohen news, I’m gonna front-page something I wrote in comments not long ago, with a tiny bit of editing…
There’s something that I don’t think some people are quite understanding here.
Frankly, I don’t care if the guy shot up ‘roids and lived with a “massage therapist”. He had a “bad year.” OK, I get it. Fine. He’s better now.
My problem with this guy isn’t just one thing. It isn’t just what’s in his divorce - these things happen in lots of divorces (and it was far worse before we had “no fault” divorces in this state). It isn’t just that he allegedly knifed his girlfriend in the throat - I’m assuming that hooker girlfriends may not be incredibly reliable. It isn’t just that his ex-wife stands behind the long list of abuse allegations [including attempted rape]. It isn’t just that his brother sued him for $400K. It isn’t just that his sister-in-law tried to evict him from his house. It isn’t just that he spent $2mil+ on a campaign while his ex-wife was reportedly suing him for child support. It isn’t just that about 4 dozen lawsuits have been filed against him, or that his voting record shows that this year was the first time he’s voted in a primary. It isn’t just that he “doesn’t remember” writing threatening notes in lipstick on his wife’s mirror.
It’s a totality. Plus the fact that he’s got a lame excuse for everything. Why didn’t he vote in a primary before now? “I was busy taking care of businesses and providing for my family,” he told me yesterday. So, what’s up with the reported child support suit, then? And all the other business problems? On and on it goes.
Too many of you are defending him by looking at just one thing. That’s stupidity. Look at it all together, step back and see the disaster.
Defend it all. Go ahead. Try. But stop focusing in on just one thing. Stop insulting our intelligence.
If you can defend all of that, go for it. If not, don’t bother posting in comments.
Today, a broad coalition of anti-violence and women’s groups held a press conference in Chicago to discuss the recent revelations about the Democrat lieutenant gubernatorial nominee’s history of violence and harassment. Due to their nonprofit status, most of the representatives couldn’t publicly demand that Cohen withdraw from the ballot. Nonetheless, they strongly repudiated his candidacy. “My immediate response,” said Kelly White of the Chicago Foundation for Women, “was completely and totally appalled.”
* 8:03 pm - We’ve gotten a lot of comments today which have basically said “He was elected fair and square!” Also, I’ve seen the “He was never convicted of anything!” comment more than a few times.
Well, first, Cohen was nominated, not elected. Big difference. Secondly, we all heard that exact same argument from Rod Blagojevich. He was actually nominated and elected twice. Also, RRB was removed from office without being convicted of anything.
Facing intense and mounting pressure to step aside, embattled Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Scott Lee Cohen is seeking an “honorable way” out, a Cohen campaign source said tonight.
Cohen, who mostly kept out of the public eye today, said as recently as Thursday that he had no plans to quit. But with Democrats across the state urging him to re-think that decision, Cohen appears to be concerned how revelations about his private life might hurt the Democratic party.
* Sheesh. The weirdos are really coming out of the woodwork now. My reply.
Under increasing pressure to step down, Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen is reportedly considering stepping aside. A source told CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery Friday that Cohen wants to drop out and is “trying to figure out how to do it”
A key Democratic source told CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery on Friday that “I think he (Cohen) wants to get out. He’s trying to figure out how to do it.”
When CBS 2 called Cohen’s campaign to confirm that information, Cohen’s spokesman said “I’m not aware of anything like that” and said if reporters wanted to speak directly to Cohen, the candidate would be at the Vertigo nightclub at the top of the Dana Hotel and Spa in downtown Chicago Friday night.
* 4:41 pm - From the Rep. David Miller, who is the Democratic Comptroller nominee…
“Scott Lee Cohen should step down as the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor immediately. He does not represent the values of our party and I don’t believe he has adequately disclosed his past history to the voters of Illinois.
I find it appalling to even consider someone with his record to hold any kind of public office. People need to have faith and trust in elected leaders, and we don’t need anyone in office who has abused women or neglected their responsibilities.
His refusal to step down is not only arrogant, but he is sending a message that domestic abuse is acceptable. It is completely and totally unacceptable.”
* 4:45 pm - Don’t go away, kids.
* 5:12 pm - Calls are being made. Something’s coming soon, I think.
* 5:18 pm - From Attorney General Lisa Madigan…
Scott Lee Cohen should step aside immediately. It is clear that he isu nfit to hold public office. The fact that he thinks he’s “done
nothing wrong” just proves that. His ex-wife and court and police records confirm that he has a recent history of violence against women. His alleged failure to pay child support and his admitted use of steroids are just a few other examples of his complete lack of judgment. This conduct is inappropriate for a public official, and his extreme character flaws are an insult to the people of Illinois.
* Illinois political reporters are just so much more versatile than our counterparts in most other states. We cover it all, man.
Today is no exception, the Chicago Tribune has found Scott Lee Cohen’s ex-girlfriend, who was once convicted of prostitution and had Cohen arrested for domestic abuse. Apparently, Amanda Eneman is still with the same massage outfit, which has relocated to Villa Park, and she didn’t want to be found…
At that point, the reporter gave the [massage parlor employer] his Tribune business card and asked her to have Eneman call him. Later Thursday, a woman called the reporter’s desk and left a voice-mail message, stating: “Hi. I received your business card. You’re looking for me. I don’t know exactly what it could be that you need to find me. I would appreciate that you make no further contact to locate me. Thank you.”
Ms. Eneman obviously doesn’t read the papers.
The story takes a comic turn…
Later Thursday, another reporter returned to the massage parlor and encountered two women, including one who fit Eneman’s physical description. The reporter addressed that woman as “Mandi,” and asked to talk to her. She said nothing, but another woman with her yelled, “Quick–run to the car!” and told the reporter they wanted nothing to do with the story.
I thought Cohen said that if this woman was found she’d be glad to tell her story? Oh, well.
The Trib has lots more on Eneman’s arrest and Cohen’s ever-changing story…
While Cohen has not given a detailed timeline for his relationship with Eneman, his statements indicate that he likely met her around April 2005. Glenview police shut the spa down after the April 22 arrests, and Cohen has said that his relationship with Eneman lasted “five or six months.” The incident that led to the battery charge occurred Oct. 14, about six months after her arrest. She pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to the prostitution charge, meaning she was charged and dealing with that case while they lived together at Cohen’s Gold Coast apartment.
When the Tribune first asked Cohen about the relationship on Wednesday, Cohen said through a spokesman that he met her in a bar. But Thursday he acknowledged that he met her at Eden Spa. Cohen said Thursday that the first explanation was a misstatement by his spokesman.
What a mess.
* Meanwhile, US Sen. Dick Durbin has called on Cohen to quit the ticket…
“He really should spare himself, and his friends and family what he’s about to go through,” Durbin said in an interview with WBBM-AM radio, the local CBS affiliate. “I’m afraid the disclosures so far really disqualify him.”
The last time Dick got involved in something like this, he screwed everything up and we wound up with Roland Burris representing us in the US Senate. Perhaps he should think twice before jinxing us again.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I forgot to add that Scott Lee Cohen’s website has removed a link to its endorsement page. In a typically stupid move, he left the actual page on his server. Click here to see it. And just in case he takes it down, here’s the list…
Carrie Austin, Councilman – 34th Ward
Howard B. Brookins, Jr., Councilman - 21st Ward
JoAnn Thompson, Councilman - 16th Ward
Roberto Maldonado, Councilman – 26th Ward
Bernard L. Stone, Councilman - 50th Ward
Scott Waguespack, Councilman - 32nd Ward
Deborah Sims, Commissioner - 5th District
Joan Patricia Murphy, Commissioner - 6th District
Frank Zuccarelli, Supervisor - Thornton Township
Chris Gonzales, Assessor - Thornton Township
Deyon Dean, Mayor – Village of Riverdale
Terry Wells, Mayor – Village of Phoenix
Stephanie Kifowit, Councilman - Aurora
Brain Wilson, Councilman - Calumet City
Eddy Gonzales, Councilman - Calumet City
Thaddeus Jones, Councilman - Calumet City
Roger Munda, Councilman - Calumet City
Nick Manousopoulos, Councilman - Calumet City
Charles Levy, Clerk - Niles Township
Charles Hernandez, Cicero Township Democratic Committeeman
Don St. Germaine, Kankakee County Democratic Party Chairman
Reverend Johnny L. Miller
Reverend Marvin Hunter
Personal PAC Illinois
Illinois Committee for Honest Government
Ilaz Kadriu, President of the American Albanian Organization
Planned Parenthood Illinois
Getting some heat from his dear, old friends, perhaps? [Hat tip to YDD.]
*** UPDATE 2 - 3:48 pm *** I just called Cohen’s media consultant and was told they are no longer taking reporter questions for the campaign. That’s a complete change from as late as last night.
* A few years ago, I asked legendary harmonica player Sugar Blue if the story about him was true. I had always heard that he was playing harmonica on a sidewalk in Paris when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards walked by and immediately asked him to be on their next album, Some Girls.
Sugar smiled and said, “Have you ever seen that movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance?”
Of course, I said. I’ve seen it dozens of times.
“Well, do you remember at the end of the movie when that newspaper reporter tells Jimmy Stewart: ‘When the legend becomes fact, print the legend’?”
Say no more.
Sugar’s sound is unlike anybody else’s. I’m not sure how he does it, but it’s instantly recognizable. I’ve heard him play several times (he was a regular at Rosa’s in Chicago back when I lived there) and I always got a chill up my spine.
Sugar Blue’s playing is what gives that song its nasty edge. Without him, it’s just a good disco tune. With him, it’s an anthem.
Here he is on one of the more underrated Stones blues songs, Down in the Hole…
Blue kept the Stones honest. He’s so real and so powerful that he forced Jagger - who never likes to be outdone - to step up his game. He also meshed perfectly with Richards’ style, which always amps Keith.
* Sugar learned how to play by listening to Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder records as a kid. He’s since played with Dylan and just about everyone else. Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Brownie McGhee, Eddie Clearwater, Stan Getz, and on and on and on. At Rosa’s, he often jammed with Pinetop Perkins. Those shows will be forever burned in my mind.
Sugar has a deep historical knowledge of the blues, combined with an ability to grab the genre by the tonsils and make it his own. These clips pretty much say it all…
* I’m telling you all this because Sugar Blue has a new album out and Chicago Magazine profiled him in their February issue…
Chicago blues may be known the world over, but not many musicians have logged the miles to see just how far it has traveled. The exception is Sugar Blue, 60, the famed harmonica innovator and Grammy winner who honed his craft on the South Side from the masters James Cotton, Big Walter Horton, and Junior Wells. Sugar Blue, born James Whiting, now spends most of his year traveling Europe in an RV and performing shows, from large festivals to clubs.
Even with all the touring, he has finally found time to record Threshold (Beeble Music), his first new album in three years, out in February. Despite firm roots in the blues, his vocal and songwriting styles recall the soul and funk protest anthems of War or Sly & the Family Stone. On one song, he sings, “They call it war, I call it murder / Murder in the first degree.” He writes from experience, having served in Vietnam between 1970 and 1973. “We’re in the 21st century—there has to be a better way for us to solve our problems,” he says. “So many young lives lost for so little. One of these people could be the person who has a cure for cancer. I bleed for them.”
Despite Blue’s schooling by a who’s who of Chicago masters, the fluid tone, speed, and precision of his harmonica playing are rooted in the styles of the bebop saxophone and horn players he met as an up-and-comer at the Apollo Theater in New York’s Harlem, where he grew up. In the Apollo’s heyday, Blue’s mother worked as a dancer there and, when he was a newborn, once brought home a friend—Billie Holiday.
*** UPDATE - 1:09 pm *** Dillard’s press release has just arrived…
Republican candidate for Illinois Governor Kirk Dillard today said that the ballot counting process in the GOP Primary must continue, “until all of the legal ballots have been counted and verified.”
With a little more than 400 votes separating Senators Dillard and Bill Brady, Dillard put the difference in perspective. “With over 750-thousand votes cast, this is a .0005 of a percent difference. So, in a race this close, it’s important that every vote count.”
Dillard said campaign estimates, based on contacts with all 110 election authorities across the state, show there are as many as 5,000 provisional ballots still uncounted. In addition, there are about 1,000 absentee ballots that have been delivered but not yet counted.
Dillard also said as many as 5,000 absentee ballots could still be in the mail, not yet delivered to election authorities. “I wish we could resolve this today,” said Dillard. “But the reality is that it takes time for election authorities to do their job and for these votes to be counted.”
Some election officials have told the campaign that they will wait until February 15 or 16 to count their absentee and provisional ballots. “So, we will have to wait awhile longer before those votes are counted,” Dillard explained. “When you have a race this important, it’s essential that every vote count. That’s what Senator Brady and I want, and we know that’s what the people of Illinois deserve.”
Dillard also said the GOP remains committed to defeating Governor Quinn in November. “The Republican Party is unified behind balancing our budget, putting people back to work and cleaning up Springfield. Senator Brady and I are absolutely committed to this goal, regardless of who’s the nominee.”
He said the two campaign staffs have been staying in touch. “So, we must allow the process to continue until all of the legal ballots have been counted and verified.“
Dillard, the state senator from Hinsdale, previewed a press conference he scheduled for 1 p.m. today, saying 5,000 to 10,000 absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted, and the state elections board does not have to certify the results before Feb. 16.
“Let’s get all the votes in, let’s get a final count,” he said.
Asked how long the process might take, he said: “It will be a while.”
Sen. Bill Brady, however, is starting to crank up the rhetoric, saying on WGN this morning “It’s up to Mr. Dillard how long he wants to drag this out.”
* Check out this Google Insights chart to see how searches for Bill Brady started soaring in late January…
Brady’s “search surge” pretty much started around the same time that his “real” surge began in the Dillard campaign’s polling.
* Stu Rothenburg has moved the Illinois governor’s race from “Clear Advantage” (for Democrats) to “Toss Up”…
In Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn’s (D) narrow primary victory exposed some significant weaknesses heading into the general election. State Comptroller Dan Hynes surged late but didn’t have enough time to overcome Quinn and now Republicans are happily repeating Hynes’ attack ads and themes. Quinn will face state Sen. Bill Brady (R) or state Sen. Kirk Dillard (R) in the general election, but the overall political environment may be Quinn’s toughest foe.
That’s pretty breezy and light, but that’s how he is. There are a million variables here and many of those are bad for the Democrats. Quinn’s people are hoping that Brady survives any possible recount, but even that is no guarantee. Yes, Brady is ideologically far to the right of this state’s center. He’s a guns, gays and God conservative who wants to cut taxes and borrow our way out of the pension mess. But he’s also a true happy warrior in the Reagan mold. He’s telegenic, decent on his feet, and will likely tear into Quinn on issues that Illinois actually cares about.
Dillard is the candidate the Quinn people fear most, and for good reason. But I wouldn’t count out Bill Brady - unless the national Democrats get their act together (and that’s probably hopeless) and Quinn stops making stupid mistakes and finally takes action on firing Blagojevich holdovers and that Dept. of Corrections Director. Quinn is easily definable in a general election. Take a look at his Downstate numbers from Tuesday and you’ll get a preview. His only real avenue is to scare moderates into viewing Brady as an unacceptable risk.
* ArchPundit muses about what to do if Scott Lee Cohen eventually steps aside or is somehow shoved. Larry notes that he voted for supported Rep. Art Turner in the lt. governor primary, but then adds…
That said, we are no longer in that same environment. Right now, the notion that Pat Quinn is incompetent is only being fed by the clown in the Lt. Governor spot. It’s not entirely fair given he has no real power to do anything other than ask they guy to get lost, but it fits a predefined narrative and Quinn isn’t entirely free of blame since at least someone in his campaign was warned. There is a lot of blame to go around so he doesn’t bear the entire burden, but he gets a bit of it.
The answer I keep coming back to is one Pat Quinn isn’t going to like, but I hope he sees the wisdom in it. Pat Quinn loves Lincoln and sounds like a tourist commercial for him (not a bad thing btw).
First, think about the Republican ticket. At the top is likely to be Bill Brady, a State Senator who has served a long time, but hasn’t had much experience with large organizations and certainly doesn’t fully understand the state budget. His running mate? A 27 year old ideologue who had his family buy the seat.
The perfect anecdote to an ideological Republican ticket is….the cliche…a Team of Rivals. Dan Hynes. It resets the election in favor of Quinn and the Democrats by putting up two experienced leaders. It unites the party (major kudos to Dan for his speech yesterday). It puts competence at the forefront of the election against conservative ideology in a blue state. It ends the incompetence dodge as Hynes so overshadows the Republican Lt. Governor Brady has to run against two guy.
Oh, and Dan Hynes learned to throw a punch. Remember how much it stung Pat Quinn as Hynes launched into him? Think of that stinging Bill Brady? It’s not time to take a typical route out of this mess, it’s time to be bold and secure enough in his own leadership for Quinn to put together a top of the ticket that outshines the Republicans.
Speaker Madigan, the chairman of the state party (which would make the ballot appointment), probably wouldn’t like it because that would give Hynes a leg up on 2014 over his daughter. Hynes may not want to do it after a long and brutal campaign to be the top dog, and Quinn just doesn’t like the guy.
However, appointing Hynes would certainly be very dramatic and help Quinn immediately put this Cohen debacle - and maybe even that divisive primary - completely behind him. Thoughts?
* Meanwhile, except for Alexi Giannoulias, who emphatically called on Cohen to step aside yesterday, a whole lot of Illinois politicans are keeping their powder dry…
“I have to look into it,” said state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora. “He won the vote. I wouldn’t want to overturn that without having the facts in front of me.”
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, said she, too, needs to do more research.
“I don’t know the man personally, but there needs to be more investigation into this person’s background,” she said.
In divorce court files, Debra York-Cohen, his ex-wife, claimed her husband constantly taunted her about sexual diseases. “He knows how concerned I am, since he admitted to me that he has been sleeping around, and is constantly taunting me about getting a sexual disease, and insisting it is not because of him.”
Have each candidate take a “Character Test,” drafted by a panel of judges and ethicists, for the purpose of evaluating the character of each candidate. The test must be submitted as a candidacy filing document in Springfield, Illinois and immediately made available to the public on the Internet;
If he had done that himself, he wouldn’t have been nominated.
Steve Brown, Madigan’s spokesman, said Madigan was not aware of Cohen’s past before the election and that his involvement in the lieutenant governor’s race was limited to his personal support of longtime House colleague Art Turner.
Asked if Madigan should have been more involved and taken steps as party chairman to get Cohen off the ballot, Brown noted the irony of the media posing such a question after a year of news stories claiming Madigan’s influence needs to be diminished.
I think [Tuesday] night’s Illinois primary results indicate some difficulties ahead in the state for Democrats that have nothing to do with who the winners and losers were.
Based on the current numbers 885,268 voters were cast in the Democratic primary for Senate compared to 736,137 on the Republican side. Those numbers are awfully close to each other for a state that’s overwhelmingly Democratic.
For sake of comparison the last time there were competitive Senate primaries on both sides in Illinois, in 2004 when Barack Obama was nominated, there were nearly twice as many votes cast in the Democratic primary as the Republican one. 1,242,996 voted in the Democratic race to 661,804 for the Republicans.
Last night’s turnout is yet another data point on the enthusiasm gap, showing that Republicans are much more excited about this year’s elections than Democrats, even in a deep blue state. We’ll have more analysis on last night’s results later today.
So, to crunch the numbers, GOP primary turnout is up 11% over 2004. Democratic turnout has dropped 29%. If the Democrats let health care reform die, they’ll be looking at a turnout cataclysm.
I don’t disagree at all that there was an “enthusiasm gap” during the primary. But you can’t compare 2004 to 2010 because 2004 was a presidential year and by then this state pretty much despised George W. Bush and rocketed to the polls. Rather, you should match up non-presidential years. Also, the numbers used in those above stories for 2010 are a bit old. Here are total votes for governor in Republican and Democratic primaries since 1998…
1998 Republicans 707,406
1998 Democrats 950,890
2002 Republicans 917,828
2002 Democrats 1,252,516
2006 Republicans 735,810
2006 Democrats 944,381
2010 Republicans 765,534
2010 Democrats 912,695
Here’s one way to look at the numbers. In 1998, the Republican vote was 74 percent of the Democratic vote. In 2002, the GOP vote was 73 percent of the Democratic vote. In 2006, the Republican vote was 78 percent of the Democratic vote. And in 2010, the Republlican vote was 84 percent of the Democratic vote.
The Republicans won the governor’s race in 1998, despite that big disparity. Also, if you use Chait’s formula and apply it to apples and apples, there was a 4 percent increase in GOP turnout this year compared to four years ago, along with a 3.4 percent decrease in Democratic primary vote.
So, yeah, there is a noticeable enthusiasm gap. The Democrats have all sorts of historical and structural problems to overcome this year. But that enthusiasm gap is just not as huge as some might have it. [Hat tip: Progress Illinios.]
* So, what about that Republican turnout? Adam Andrzejewski had this to say…
“We always knew that the Illinois Republican primary voter was an establishment voter, so we knew it was going to be a difficult task,” he told POLITICO.
Andrzejewski claimed that he had a “very motivated” base that came out heavily for
him but that there just weren’t enough of his supporters to make the math work.
“In two weeks we went from 7 percent to 15 percent, and that’s evidence of a motivated base and a lot of national media attention,” he said. “I finished within 5 points of all these established political names, and we’re leaving the race with our heads held high.”
“The tea party voters did turn out,” he added, “and I take a lot of credit for bringing new people into this Republican primary.”
I don’t know if he expanded the electorate or not. But he sure did very well in a bunch of counties, winning Madison, Macoupin, St. Clair, Jersey and Calhoun, among others.
n an opinion filed Thursday, the court says such caps violate the principle of separation of powers. The court says the limits the Illinois General Assembly adopted in 2005 would infringe on the judicial branch’s power.
The 113-page indictment brings to 24 the number of counts the former chief executive of Illinois faces. Of the eight new charges, Robert Blagojevich was charged in three counts.
“Prosecutors overreached and brought charges they can’t prove. So now they’re reworking the charges and back peddling. They’re more interested in saving face than doing justice.”
* High labor costs putting McCormick Place at disadvantage for convention shows
A confidential analysis of labor costs in the convention business shows McCormick Place at an extreme disadvantage compared with its primary competition in Las Vegas and Orlando.
Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon — who went toe-to-toe with Mayor Daley in the fight against Wal-Mart — has decided not to seek re-election to another four-year term….”I’m just tired. Between the politics and the labor stuff and trying to keep people together and making sure labor’s issues are front and center — it’s just time for somebody else to take the reins.”
County board members voted 18-4 Tuesday to establish a semi-independent Valley Hi Operations Board to oversee the Woodstock-area nursing home that serves primarily indigent seniors.
Meanwhile, Mark Walsten, the 6th Ward alderman in whose ward the casino will be built, says the city should drop the casino ethics ordinance idea entirely.
* Why did Carol Stream tax hike succeed while others failed?
* Up to 130 Palatine postal employees to be reassigned
The postal service estimates $10 million in annual savings.
Representatives with the American Postal Workers Union have said the move will cause delivery delays because mail collected in the 600 ZIP code will be transported 18 miles to Carol Stream, sorted by town, and then transported back to Palatine for further sorting by individual ZIP code and mail route.
However, postal service officials reiterated local mail service will not be affected by the move, which will be completed by July.
* GOP House leader to Cohen: Explain yourself: “You need to confront this. You need to address the media,” Cross said. “In Springfield today, it’s the only topic of conversation.”
* Job may be boring, but history of Illinois lieutenant governor is anything but - 1970 overhaul of the Illinois Constitution made top 2 candidates run as a team
* Illinois Politics: Knives, Prostitutes and The Mob: “I was arrested, when she sobered up, she dropped the charges,” he says.
* Scott Lee Cohen and reality: But everything else? As Mike Flannery put it on the news on CBS 2 today.. Dude….
* Blame history for teaming gov, lt. gov in the fall: “I introduced at least twice the legislation that would have combined lieutenant governor and governor in the primary as well. I could never get the doggone thing passed,” Netsch said.
* A few years ago, I asked legendary harmonica player Sugar Blue if the story about him was true. I had always heard that he was playing harmonica on a sidewalk in Paris when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards walked by and immediately asked him to be on their next album, Some Girls.
Even with all the touring, he has finally found time to record Threshold (Beeble Music), his first new album in three years, out in February. Despite firm roots in the blues, his vocal and songwriting styles recall the soul and funk protest anthems of War or Sly & the Family Stone. On one song, he sings, “They call it war, I call it murder / Murder in the first degree.” He writes from experience, having served in Vietnam between 1970 and 1973. “We’re in the 21st century—there has to be a better way for us to solve our problems,” he says. “So many young lives lost for so little. One of these people could be the person who has a cure for cancer. I bleed for them.”
