The good news is, I do not talk about Ireland or Bruce Springsteen this week, other than to point out that you can listen to my wife and I on Jesse Jackson’s Set Lusting Bruce podcast here. (You should really listen in. We had a lot of fun.)

The bad news is, do talk about American politics again, and, more to the point, a certain someone’s most recent indictment. On that note, when Joe Strummer sang “In these days of evil presidentes/But lately one or two has fully paid their due” on “Clampdown,” he wasn’t talking about America. He was talking about dictatorships without functioning legal institutions where evil presidentes were never held accountable. Unless the people rose up to overthrow them, that is. But in countries with functioning institutions and the rule of law, we do, or at least should, hold our leaders accountable. And lest you worry, rich and powerful guys like former presidents get the full measure of their constitutional rights in court, even if a lot of indigent people do not.

But it’s not all politics and legal stuff. I also talk about Spider-Punk, the Spider-Verse’s nod to the Black roots of punk rock. Though the Spider-Punk character originally was a Black American (there’s some great background information about him in this video), Black British actor Daniel Kaluuya voices Spider-Punk in the new animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Perhaps they chose a British actor because most people associate punk rock with the UK, but either way, it’s nice to see Marvel acknowledging Black punks, especially during Black Music Month. Speaking of which, this is a really great (albeit long) Spotify playlist of Black-fronted punk, metal, and hard rock bands.

And finally, I give my thoughts on the newly released Galen & Paul album, Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day? Spoiler alert: I think it’s great. Though I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, there’s a long and fairly in-depth interview with Galen & Paul in the latest edition of Spin magazine. So, definitely check that out.

Anyway, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”