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Reposted by Tall Rob

Red Emma’s @redemmas.org · 11h

Because certainly there's no reason why this history might be terrifyingly relevant right now, here's a link to preorder @stschrader1.bsky.social's "Blue Power" on how police in the US organized to exempt themselves from democratic oversight and control: redemmas.org/titles/48838...

Blue Power: How Police Organized to Protect and Serve Themselves

Buy from Red Emma's, a worker-owned radical bookstore

redemmas.org

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 12h

Haven’t used my blog to be very negative before. But, I had to work out how I felt about “The Life of a Showgirl.” It looks like I’m not alone in saying it’s a dud.

On the plus side, you can learn about Friday Night Parts, a concept I’ve found useful in thinking about music through the years.

TAYLOR SWIFT The Life of a Showgirl (Republic Records, 2025)

Now that New Music Tuesday is New Music Friday, I need to discuss Friday Night Parts with you. These are parts of songs that hook into ...

thetallrobreport.blogspot.com

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 1d

What does fandom mean in 2025? Must I keep supporting an artist even when I don’t like their music? Who do I need to inform about this change?

The Dan Brown of Music is back with another album of cryptic messages for us to decode. Too bad the music isn’t as interesting this time.

#taylorswift

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 4d

Man, I was thinking of getting this shirt today as a way to tongue-in-cheek show my ambivalent/negative feelings toward OSU football.

Now they’ve made it clear The Buckeyes ARE The Dark Side.

Darth Vader on an Ohio State shirt that reads “You Underestimate the Power of the Buckeyes.”

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 5d

Thinking of going as a basic bro for Halloween.

Iced Pumpkin Spice Lattte, Tall Rob, TAYLOR SWIFT “The Life of a Showgirl” CD

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 5d

Happy Bandcamp Friday!

@fuckedupband.bsky.social
#amandashires
#coldsweat
@joyoladokun.bsky.social
#obfusc #neocab
@joshuaidehen.bsky.social
#marytimony
#deadline

3x3 collage of Bandcamp Album Art:

FUCKED UP Year of the Goat
AMANDA SHIRES Nobody’s Girl
COLD SWEAT Demo 2001
JOY OLADOKUN Proof of Life
OBFUSC Neo Cab soundtrack
JOSHUA IDEHEN Learn to Swim, a Mixtape
COLD SWEAT Last Show 9/8/2004
MARY TIMONY Untame the Tiger
DEADLINE 8/2/82

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 7d

Al Llorens was indirectly responsible for my choice to ride various buses to canvass voters out of state or rally lawmakers in state last fall.

May he rest in peace.

The late Al Llorens’ business card showing his title as IEA President. A button reading “Undo Tier 2: Equitable retirement for all educators”

Reposted by Tall Rob

UNGOLIANT @gorgol.bsky.social · 8d

generals gathered in their masses/president calls them all fatasses

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 8d

In my remembrance, I mentioned this photo. It’s hard to think about all the hope we felt that day and how much has changed since then.

Group photo of Illinois educators who had canvassed for Harris and Walz in Battle Creek, Michigan, in early October 2024. The late Al Llorens is on the right edge of the group.

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 8d

It was hard to hear that IEA President Al Llorens died last week. I won’t pretend like I knew him closely, but I was in his presence a few times about a year or so ago. Some thoughts on those times and his passing here:

Al Llorens (1952-2025)

The last email many teachers in Illinois may have received from Illinois Education Association President Al Llorens arrived on Monday, ...

thetallrobreport.blogspot.com

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 11d

How different the world would be if that “Scandinavia—tba” date remained unbooked.

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 11d

Celebrating Cliff by playing my copy of the Music for Nations pressing of “Master of Puppets,” which contains a cursèd insert.

Insert to the Music for Nations pressing of Master of Puppets.

Official
METALLICA
Merchandise Leaflet

OVERSEAS ORDERS TO BE PAID BY STERLING INTERNATIONAL MONEY ORDER
All prices include postage,packing and VAT.
Please allow 21 days for delivery.
If not satisfied, We will return
your money immediately. Please
omplete the whole
order form in BLOCK CAPITALS. Plesse fill in your name and address in the box and return it to:
Music For Nations
4th floor, 8 Carnaby Street
London W1V 1PG
accompanied by a cheque, postal order or money order made payable to MUSIC FOR NATIONS
NAME ADDRESS.
Please ensure that you fill in your name and address on the back of your cheque.
ALL PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE AND PACKING.
T-SHIRTS
U.K. OVERSEAS
T-SHIRT
SWEAT-SHIRT
£4.99
£5.99
£9.50
£11.50
TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY SENT
PLEASE FILL IN BOTH ADDRESS PANELS TO ASSIST WITH DELIVERY OF GOODS.
NAME ADDRESS.
QUANTITY
MFN 60
RR 9717

Other side of insert to the Music for Nations press of Master of Puppets.

It lists their European Tour 1986 dates…

RIP Cliff Burton

METALLICA
EUROPEAN TOUR 1986

SEPTEMBER 14 Dublin SFX
15 Belfast Ulster Hall
17 Manchester Apollo
18 Sheffield City Hall
19 Newcastle Mayfair
20 Birmingham Odeon
21 Hammersmith Odeon
24 Stockholm Goetahejon
25 Oslo Niaardhall
26 Scandinavia-tba
27 Copenhagen Saga
29 Hamburg Markthalle

SEPTEMBER 30 Osnabruck Gartlage
OCTOBER 1 Offenbach Stadthalle
3 Strasbourg
4 Lyon
5 Clermont Ferrand
Paris Le Zenith
8 Madrid
9 Barcelona
10 Toulouse
11 Montpellier
12 Marseille
OCTOBER 13 Nice
15 Milan
16 Bologna
18 Montreux The Casino
19
Wettingen Saalbau Taegerhard
20
Munich Circus Krone
21
Nurnberg Hemmerleinhalle
23 Mannheim Kulturhaus
24 Cologne
25 Genk Limburghal
26 Zwolle Aardschok Festival
MUSIC FOR NATIONS
4th Floor, 8 Carnaby Street
London WIV 1PG

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Reposted by Tall Rob

Kyle Riismandel @kyleriismandel.bsky.social · 13d

Check out my appearance on History Mixtapes hosted by @katejewell.bsky.social. Great idea for a podcast and well executed - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

History Mixtapes

History Podcast · History Mixtapes explores how music and history intertwine. We will explore how the past can come alive by using music as a primary source, but also think about how listening to musi...

podcasts.apple.com

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 13d

Cats and dogs know when they are play-fighting. But, in “dark play,” participants find that rules are “not just mutable, but unstated and contradictory” (p. 101).

I reviewed it here:

Gaming Democracy: How Silicon Valley Leveled Up the Far Right (Adrienne L. Massanari, The MIT Press, 2024)

There’s a lot going on with the title of this book that points to many contentious aspects of the current political climate in the Unit...

thetallrobreport.blogspot.com

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 13d

In her book Gaming Democracy: How Silicon Valley Leveled up the Far Right, @adriennemassanari.bsky.social uses Richard Schechner’s idea of “dark play” to explain these kinds of events. It’s a helpful framing for these sometimes, somehow incoherent ideologies.

Gaming Democracy

From #Gamergate to the ongoing Big Lie, the far right has gone mainstream. In Gaming Democracy, Adrienne Massanari tracks the flames of toxicity found in the...

mitpress.mit.edu

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 14d

It is such a delight! I’ve been recommending it to all the readers I know.

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 14d

There are many reasons to read The Payback by @kashana.blacksky.app.

In writing the review below, I found that how she discussed the “terroir” of a mall cinnamon roll was clarifying for me in ways I didn’t expect.

Discover other cool parts of the book in my review and then read the book yourself!

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 15d

I enjoyed the premise of @kashana.blacksky.app‘s The Payback and the hilarious writing kept me coming back to see where the plot would go next.

She refers to someone as “being dressed like human LinkedIn profile” at one point!

Read my review of the book at this week’s entry of The Tall Rob Report:

The Payback (Kashana Cauley, Atria Books, 2025)

The conventional wisdom of graduate school has it that a doctoral candidate’s dissertation needs to do one of two things to be consider...

thetallrobreport.blogspot.com

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 15d

I enjoyed the premise of @kashana.blacksky.app‘s The Payback and the hilarious writing kept me coming back to see where the plot would go next.

She refers to someone as “being dressed like human LinkedIn profile” at one point!

Read my review of the book at this week’s entry of The Tall Rob Report:

The Payback (Kashana Cauley, Atria Books, 2025)

The conventional wisdom of graduate school has it that a doctoral candidate’s dissertation needs to do one of two things to be consider...

thetallrobreport.blogspot.com

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 16d

#11) Radical Dreamers

Gearing up to play Chrono Cross for the first time and thought I’d end summer with the visual novel that kind of connects it to Chrono Trigger. Combat was annoying but I had fun exploring the mansion. Some funny bits, too. I don’t think I would have tried this five years ago.

Screenshot from Radical Dreamers.

On screen text reads:

I carefully pulled the cloth away, revealing a mirror.
It was old-fashioned, and of an elaborately decorated style I'd seen before. And in it was reflected a statue of Venus.
Suddenly, the eyes of the statue shone with light.
"What is your desire?"

© 1996,2022 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Screenshot of Radical Dreamers.

Text on the screen reads:

"You can't kill me! I have useful information!”

There is a cool sprite of a griffon below.

© 1996,2022 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Screenshot of Radical Dreamers

Onscreen text reads:

"I see myself as a baby, crying next to my mother, an exhausted yet proud look upon her face...
I see myself aged and wizened, waiting to succumb to death's embrace with a smile...
I see countless incarnations of myself, walking time's intricate corridors as ghosts...
This is a place where countless worlds overlap, and infinite dreams play out.”

© 1996,2022 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Screenshot from Radical Dreamers

Text on screen reads

“And that was how I died…”

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 18d

SABRINA CARPENTER VOICE:

🎵Rain storms are one thing /
But thunder’s another /
So we bagged our protest /
of that greedy fucker
oh-a-oh /
He’s a sleaze🎶

Anyway, the lightning came earlier than expected today, so we packed it in for #teslatakedown Northbrook out of caution.

Four of us there though!

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 18d

Quick selfie in front of the #CybertruckGraveyard in Northbrook.

#teslatakedown
#muskmustfall
@teslatakedown.com

Tall Rob selfie. He’s got a neon orange MUSK MUST FALL shirt and is pouting disapprovingly in front of at least a half dozen Cybertrucks rotting in the lot at Tesla of Northbrook in Illinois.

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 18d

At #teslatakedown Northbrook with a small stack of @meganpiont.bsky.social zines on How to Report ICE (Chicago Edition).

We’ll be here until 2PM.

1200 Skokie Blvd
Northbrook, IL

Come join us and I’ll make a #muskmustfall shirt for you with spray paint and a stencil.

@teslatakedown.com

Protest sign reading FIRE TRUMP MELT ICE with some How to Report ICE (Chicago Edition) zines on it.

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 19d

Hey it’s already Friday afternoon somehow and that means this protest is tomorrow at 12PM.

Plan now to bring an old shirt, longsleeve, hoodie, etc., so I can spray paint it with the slogan MUSK MUST FALL.

#teslatakedown Northbrook

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 24d

We're Back!

Come to the #teslatakedown Northbrook on Saturday.

Sat., 9/20
12PM-2PM
1200 Skokie Blvd
Northbrook IL 60602

Bring a shirt, I'll make it a #muskmustfall shirt with spray paint and a stencil! (See next post.)

@teslatakedown.com
@indevanston.bsky.social
@indivisiblechicago.bsky.social

TeslaTakedown Northbrook (9/20)

THERE IS NO NEED TO ACTUALLY REGISTER ON THIS SITE. YOU CAN JUST SHOW UP. Elon Musk is destroying our democracy, and he's using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it. We are taking action...

actionnetwork.org

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Reposted by Tall Rob

Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 20d

Happy Thursday from TURNING POINT (not the ‘debate me, bro’ organization).

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Tall Rob @grandrobert.bsky.social · 20d

Happy Thursday from TURNING POINT (not the ‘debate me, bro’ organization).

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