Dale Wolford

Saxophonist, performer and music educator

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Nate White, a British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read:

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”

[Dale Wolford @dalesax]

@elonmusk Yes

[Dale Wolford @dalesax]

@qjurecic @TheAtlantic Fact!

[Really American 🇺🇸 @ReallyAmerican1]

Now that Trump has been allowed back on twitter, Never Forget why he was thrown off.

Spread this everywhere.

[CMEA @CMEA_CalMusicEd]

#YesOn28

[Dale Wolford @dalesax]

Happy birthday to my favorite instrument maker!

[NPR Classical @nprclassical]

Just do it ...

[Barbra Streisand @BarbraStreisand]

Music teachers and arts in schools are the gateway to a rich, vibrant world. They inspire and invite children to find their voice and talents to bring beauty to the world. Let’s make this available for ALL children throughout California. Vote #YesOn28 Arts and Music in Schools.

[Michael Beschloss @BeschlossDC]

So the question now occurs: can an American President plot against our democracy, even to the point of violence, as on January 6, and not suffer serious legal or other consequences?

[John Adams @HellTweet]

So many things to be grateful for & think about on this last day of the Antony & Cleopatra run @SFOpera What stands out more than anything is the superb playing of @sfoperaorchestr who have been the soul and the fire of this production. I'll wear this til it falls off of me!

[Library of Congress @librarycongress]

Hearing @lizzo play some of the Library's priceless antique instruments on Monday was such a gift, and we were honored and happy to help her share that gift with her concert audience Tuesday night. Here is some more behind-the-scenes footage of her Library tour. #LizzoAtLOC

[Dan Rather @DanRather]

If Ron DeSantis were concerned about migrants who REALLY are bringing crime to Florida, apparently there is a family he might round up in Palm Beach. I can give him the address if he needs it.

[The Lincoln Project @ProjectLincoln]

Democratic values include individual liberties. Thank you, @repraskin, for standing up for these principles.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

I want to thank Robert McCurdy for his extraordinary work on my portrait. Robert is known for his paintings of public figures, and I love how he paints people exactly the way they are. Take a look at the process behind creating the official White House portraits:

[Dale Wolford @dalesax]

Powerful story…

[Rhys Tranter @RhysTranter]

“Music should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise.”
—
Bill Evans
b. 16 August 1929

[Dale Wolford @dalesax]

The shame of the Supreme Court, by @RBReich https://t.co/J66aJPBLjL

[Dale Wolford @dalesax]

@McAllisterSax Oh, there’s more to come, young man!

[Ethan Iverson @ethan_iverson]

Accompanying Rob Schwimmer at Joe's Pub Tuesday. He's a great pianist, one of a kind, but I'll step in when he plays astonishing theremin https://t.co/eWHPFX60BN