DifrntDrmr

DifrntDrmr: Politics, Family, Music and other Musings

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Music has always been more than entertainment for me.

It's how I mark different chapters of my life and connect with family and friends. It grounds me.

With Rush returning to the stage this weekend, I found myself revisiting all 19 of the band's studio albums in chronological order. What started as preparation for a concert became a reflection on creativity, perseverance, friendship, and the values that Neil Peart often explored in his lyrics: curiosity, empathy, individual responsibility, and hope.

I ended up ranking every studio album, but the experience was ultimately less about deciding which records were best and more about appreciating the journey of a band whose music has been part of my life for decades.

I wrote about it here:

The Measure of a Band: Ranking Rush’s Recorded Legacy

As Rush returns to the stage, a reflective look at their recorded history and the enduring spirit behind their sound.

What artists have stayed with you throughout the different stages of your life?

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“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

That Rush lyric has been on my mind as Los Angeles voters prepare to elect members of the LAUSD school board.

Public education isn't just a political issue. It affects families, students, teachers, and entire communities. With layoffs looming, questions about district oversight, and ongoing debates about special education and charter schools, the choices voters make this week will have real consequences.

In my latest article, I explain why I'm supporting Ankur Patel in Board District 4 and Dr. Rocío Rivas in Board District 2, while also discussing the concerns that shaped those decisions.

LAUSD Election Endorsements: Why I’m Supporting Ankur Patel and Dr. Rocío Rivas

With layoffs, investigations, and weak oversight, LAUSD voters face critical choices in Tuesday’s election.

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I sent six questions on Special Education policy to every candidate in the June 2, 2026 LAUSD school board election. The questions covered IEP services, funding inequities, charter enrollment disparities, parent advocacy, and whether families can realistically navigate the system without burning out.

So far, only one candidate has responded.

Whatever your politics are, one thing that comes through in this interview is the idea that public education reflects what a community chooses to value — especially when it comes to students who need the most support.

For families raising children with disabilities, this isn’t abstract policy. It’s daily life.

In the Candidate’s Words: Ankur Patel on Special Education

What voters should know about Patel’s experiences, priorities, and ideas for strengthening Special Education in LAUSD.

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Trump promised Americans he’d end “forever wars.” He campaigned as the candidate of peace — the one who would stop sending other people’s children into conflicts with no clear purpose and no clear end.

But now, his second term is already defined by a growing war with Iran, rising casualties, and economic ripple effects that are hitting families at home through higher prices and instability abroad.

I wrote a new piece connecting the political strategy, the historical parallels to Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan, and the consequences we’re once again asking military families to carry.

I opened with a Springsteen lyric for a reason — because Youngstown isn’t just about steel, it’s about the quiet bargain America keeps making: sending working-class kids to fight wars that never seem to end.

Trump’s Strategic Misfires: The President Who Promised Peace and Delivered War

Trump vowed to stop endless wars. Instead, he has ignited a new conflict, destabilizing markets and raising questions about U.S. leadership.

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When representation is engineered instead of earned, democracy starts to feel less like a reflection of voters and more like a design choice.

Redistricting has become one of those quiet structural forces that most people only notice when the outcomes start to feel predetermined. This year, attempts to gain advantage through mid-cycle map changes didn’t just affect one party or one election cycle—they triggered a broader chain reaction across multiple states.

Once that kind of tit-for-tat begins, it’s hard to stop. And the deeper concern isn’t just who gains or loses seats in the short term, but whether these districts remain stable as voter coalitions continue to shift.

It’s a reminder that political systems, like families or even music scenes, don’t stay static. They evolve, sometimes in ways the original “designers” don’t expect—and sometimes in ways that outgrow the structures built to contain them.

Full breakdown here:

Trump’s Strategic Misfires: A Redistricting Plan Unravels

The President’s redistricting push sparked a partisan arms race, but shifting coalitions may turn his gains into liabilities.

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For finals week in high school, my school turned the gym into a giant testing room—rows of desks, assigned seats, teachers pacing the aisles, the whole place unnaturally quiet.

During one exam, a student started making short, guttural sounds that echoed through the space. Teachers immediately began scanning the room, trying to find the source of the “disruption,” and a small group closed in on him before another teacher stepped in to stop them.

I later learned the sounds were involuntary tics caused by Tourette’s syndrome.

That memory came rushing back years later as I watched the public backlash toward a Tourette’s advocate whose involuntary vocal tics disrupted a televised awards show. Even though the condition removes choice from the equation, the condemnation was immediate—as if neurological symptoms were the same thing as intentional speech.

As a parent of a daughter diagnosed with Tourette’s and severe autism, I’ve experienced firsthand how society treats neurological disabilities like misbehavior. We’ve been shushed. We’ve gotten the stares. We’ve seen how quickly people decide someone “shouldn’t be here.”

We’ve done a better job removing physical barriers through laws like the ADA. But stigma is still its own kind of barrier—one that can’t be fixed with a ramp.

Full essay here:

Shaming the Uncontrollable

We’ve removed physical barriers, but the stigma surrounding neurological disabilities remains a persistent injustice.

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Ever get the feeling Marty forgot to fix something on our timeline? Between the branding, the renaming, and the effort to stamp one man’s name onto public institutions, it’s starting to feel like we’re living in the Biff Tannen version of America.

I wrote about it here:

The Legacy Trump Is Building for Himself

A president's quest for legacy - and the public memory he cannot control

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“These are the seasons of emotion…” — Led Zeppelin

After nearly 40 years in Los Angeles, I forgot what real seasons felt like. Moving to Washington State brought them back — along with memories of childhood, family, and a sense of wonder I didn’t realize I’d lost.

This essay weaves together music, family (including raising two daughters on the autism spectrum), and the quiet way our environment shapes how we see the world.

Finding Wonder Again in the Changing Weather

Finding Wonder Again in the Changing Weather

Leaving behind endless sunshine, I found something unexpected in winter snow and spring renewal.

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Some bands don’t just soundtrack your life — they mark a moment in history.

In 1983, I saw Journey live on the Frontiers tour at Nassau Coliseum, and the crowd reaction was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to Beatlemania-level hysteria. It wasn’t just a concert — it felt like a cultural event.

But the Journey of today isn’t the Journey of then.

Lineup changes, internal power struggles, business disputes, and years of courtroom drama have turned what was once a brotherhood into something that feels more like a corporate brand. Now they’re calling this their “final tour,” but it doesn’t feel like a true farewell… it feels like what happens when something iconic slowly loses what made it matter.

I wrote about that night in 1983, what changed, and why I’m choosing to pass on seeing them now — even if it’s the last chance.

📖 Read here:

A Journey Worth Leaving Behind

While the band once inspired near-Beatlemania, the Journey I saw in 1983 is gone, and this final tour won’t bring it back.

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Rob Hirst wasn’t just the drummer for Midnight Oil — he was the pulse behind one of the most politically distinctive bands in rock history.

Midnight Oil didn’t treat politics like a branding exercise. Their songs carried real urgency: land rights, war, climate, inequality. And Hirst’s drumming was the force that made that message feel immediate, not theoretical.

I wrote a tribute reflecting on his legacy and why his role mattered more than most people realize:

The World Loses a Different Drummer: Remembering Rob Hirst

Midnight Oil’s drummer, songwriter, and backing vocalist Rob Hirst has died at 70 after a long battle with cancer.

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A Penny for Your Thoughts…

One of the strangest political developments of the Trump era isn’t just policy — it’s the obsession with legacy.

Not the kind of legacy that comes from service or sacrifice, but the kind that comes from branding: putting your name on institutions, attaching yourself to national symbols, and trying to control how history remembers you before history even gets a vote.

It feels less like leadership and more like a marketing campaign aimed at the future.

And it made me wonder: when someone tries this hard to force their “legacy,” what are they afraid people will remember instead?

I wrote about it here:

The Legacy Trump Is Building for Himself

A president's quest for legacy - and the public memory he cannot control

If you read it, I’d honestly like to know: Do you see this as normal political ego… or something darker?

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Rock didn’t just evolve on its own—it was shaped by who listened, who was excluded, and who pushed their way in anyway.

When Gene Simmons dismisses rap’s place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it says less about the music and more about who gets to define culture.

For a lot of families, music is where generational divides show up first—what parents reject, kids embrace, and eventually becomes the new mainstream. Hip-hop didn’t just influence rock; it changed what rock sounds like, who it speaks to, and who feels included.

That tension—between gatekeeping and change—isn’t just about music. It’s political. It’s cultural. It’s personal.

Full piece:

Rock Outgrew Gene Simmons

The bassist from KISS complains about rap and reveals how deeply hip-hop has shaped modern rock music.

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Politics is often presented like everything is black and white. Good vs. evil. Heroes vs. villains.

But real life—like family conversations around the dinner table or the music that sticks with us—usually lives in the gray areas.

I just finished a four-part essay series about how nuance gets lost in our political conversations:

• When tragedy becomes a talking point • When foreign policy becomes a morality play • When violence leaves no room for ambiguity • When language itself becomes a tool for confusion

If you're interested in how we talk about difficult issues—and how easily the story gets simplified—the full series is here:

The Gray "Trilogy"

After four essays tracing how our public conversations drift from nuance to certainty—and from certainty to distortion—I’ve finished my Gray

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I went to see Ghost recently after hearing for years that their concerts were something special.

What surprised me wasn’t just the music. It was the crowd.

Fans showed up dressed like clergy and nuns. Before the band even came on, the arena was filled with church-like music. By the end of the night, thousands of people were celebrating together like a congregation.

The strange thing is that I’m not even a huge fan of their recorded music. It always sounded a little too polished for my taste. But watching the crowd made me realize something important.

For a lot of people, concerts like this create something that used to come from churches or community groups — a place where outsiders feel like they belong.

Looking around the arena, it was clear the LGBTQ+ community was well represented, along with families, metalheads, and people who probably don’t always feel welcome everywhere else. For a few hours, everyone was just part of the same congregation.

That’s a church even this atheist can appreciate.

I wrote more about the experience here:

The Night Ghost Turned an Arena Into a Church

I came for the spectacle. I stayed for the joy, the belonging, and the faux‑Pope who brought an arena together.

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Remember when healthcare felt like the central political fight in America?

It shaped elections. It drove national debates.

Now it feels like it’s been pushed aside — even though families are still dealing with rising costs and uncertainty.

That shift has been on my mind lately.

I explored it more here:

What Happened to Healthcare?

The Democrats dig in to take on unpopular ICE policies, but leave those needing Obamacare subsidies out to dry.

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When I was younger, I planted a Christmas tree in the yard of our family home.

Over the years it grew alongside my kids — quietly marking birthdays, holidays, and the everyday moments that turn a house into a home.

Eventually we moved away, and the tree stayed behind.

Recently I planted another one at our new home, and it made me think about the strange way living things hold our memories.

I wrote about that moment — and about the trees we leave behind and the ones we grow when life moves us somewhere new.

Read the full piece here:

The Trees We Leave Behind, and the Ones We Grow

How moving across states made me rethink memory, loss, and what it means to put down roots.

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Lately I’ve been thinking about how language shapes everything — from politics to how we talk about our own lives.

I wrote something more political than usual: Creating Gray: The Newspeak Era.

If you’re interested in how narratives blur accountability, here it is: https://vocal.media/theSwamp/creating-gray-the-newspeak-era