Don Hall 10/14/20 Don Hall 10/14/20

"A Valley of Light and Shadow" | Las Vegas Writes Book Launch

This year, it seems Dana and I can be considered Las Vegans in at least some sense as we are featured in this year’s anthology. No live book launch—COVID sits in wait for those community gatherings like the Mask of the Red Death of Poe’s imagination—but there is a digital launch coming up this Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m. PDT and you, oh readers of the Ape, are invited.

Don Hall 10/13/20 Don Hall 10/13/20

Our Cultural Institutions Must Die

Ethan Hawke and John Cusack are playing grandfathers now.
Madonna acts like the new stereotypical Karen.
Ferris Bueller is now a representation of white male privilege.

Don Hall 10/12/20 Don Hall 10/12/20

I Believe… [Yelp Gets Woke…Finally]

I believe… that, in light of Yelp’s new racist business category, I guess now was a bad time for me to open my new “Racism Bistro & Culturally Appropriated Taco Stand.” At least, Brian Sweeney will be a regular. In other news, the state of Alabama bans Yelp.

Don Hall 10/11/20 Don Hall 10/11/20

Uncertainty of Purpose in 2020 Las Vegas

The world at this point has been in pandemic for 205 days with 215,000 Americans dead from the virus. This is over 1,000 COVID deaths per day. This is just slightly worse than if two fully-loaded 747’s crashed into the sea or a mountain every day for 205 days.

Don Hall 10/10/20 Don Hall 10/10/20

The Cost of Entertainment in the Streaming World

I finger-banged a girl I met in the lobby during my first (partial) viewing of The Empire Strikes Back and stayed for the next showing because I missed all that “I am your father” stuff.

Don Hall 10/8/20 Don Hall 10/8/20

Those of Us Who Reject Loneliness

It turns out that we Americans are really lonely. One would think that a natural conclusion to aging with its concomitant loss of capacity and the dying off of those whom we knew would be some semblance of loneliness, but it seems improbably true that the young are experiencing loneliness like never before.

Don Hall 10/5/20 Don Hall 10/5/20

I Believe… [That I Don’t Believe Him]

I believe… that Trump’s modus operandi is distraction and his COVID diagnosis is a distraction from the fallout from his abysmal debate performance, his dwindling campaign cash, and his refusal to condemn white supremacist groups. I haven’t believed anything he’s said in four years, why start now?

Don Hall 10/5/20 Don Hall 10/5/20

When Distrust is Normalized

Like hope, trust is fragile and amazingly powerful. With it, relationships can grow, employers can instill loyalty, societies can progress in genuinely positive ways. Without it, we all become ineffective solo efforts without enough juice to move past the naval gaze or the frozen burrito wrapper that has been sitting on the coffee table since June.

Don Hall 10/3/20 Don Hall 10/3/20

Misanthropic Tendencies and My Desire for Less Noise

Wait. Everyone at some point becomes Trump online. Everyone.

Don Hall 10/2/20 Don Hall 10/2/20

Encountering the Unicorn and Being Baffled By It

My mouth, known internationally as an unfiltered spew of whatever is in my head, wants to pop off with “WHAT?! Are you fucking STUPID? Trump is a menace. A monster! How can you, a young black man, POSSIBLY BE AGAINST BLACK LIVES MATTERING?”

Don Hall 9/29/20 Don Hall 9/29/20

The Coming Civil War Ain’t Coming

We are the righteous and the fools. We are those who dream of better and, like Ripley, cannot be fucked with because we can operate a giant robot forklift. We are the Ghostbusters, the Three Amigos, and The Expendables (minus Chuck Norris).

Don Hall 9/28/20 Don Hall 9/28/20

I Believe… [Lazy Gangsters]

I believe… that people pining on for the Old Vegas can’t be too horrified at random gun violence. Today’s gangsters are just too lazy to dig that hole in the desert.

Don Hall 9/27/20 Don Hall 9/27/20

And The End of the Democracy Will Come at the Hands of...Brett and Amy?

Don Hall 9/26/20 Don Hall 9/26/20

On Becoming Addicted to Misery and The Quest for Psychological Safety

“I’m being mugged” became “I was just mugged” which transformed into “I survived being mugged” to “Did I ever tell you about the time I was mugged?”

Don Hall 9/22/20 Don Hall 9/22/20

Optimism When Things are Easy is a Sham

Given the larger picture, belief in democracy is only slightly more delusional than the guy playing slots so he can pay his rent. The odds are astronomically against success and yet the choice to persevere is made.

Don Hall 9/21/20 Don Hall 9/21/20

I Believe… [Gambling Away Your Unemployment Check]

I believe… that if you use your unemployment money for entertainment instead of paying your bills, you’re a human shit nugget.

Don Hall 9/15/20 Don Hall 9/15/20

Finding What Really Matters When It All Shifts for the Worse

The Vegas mid-day sky is strangely dark and slightly orange. The sun, ordinarily a blazing hot laser that has this amazing hostility in the desert, is muted. I can stare right at it and see it’s perfect circle. It is the stuff of a Ridley Scott dystopia.

Don Hall 9/14/20 Don Hall 9/14/20

I Believe… [Using Privilege While Fighting Privilege]

I believe… that White looters and antifa wannabes fighting against White privilege not being charged with obvious crimes they committed is kind of the most ironic use of White privilege. Ah, Paradox!

Don Hall 9/13/20 Don Hall 9/13/20

Blurring the Lines of Villainy

We love Walter White because we understand him even as we know that if he was a real person we’d want him imprisoned until the cancer ate him alive and as far away from us as possible. Harley Quinn is a blast unless she showed up at your kid’s birthday party and started swinging her anarchist giant croquet mallet into the faces of the screaming parents.

Don Hall 9/12/20 Don Hall 9/12/20

The Tone of the Exchange is the Music of the Moment

The dilemma is a lack of curiosity with a sense of cultural animosity as an obstacle. The best musicians see all music as worthy of study and appreciation. The musicians of note explore the music of everyone to find influences and include them into their own repertoire.