Yes, Sensei!
A Special Holiday Edition of Monticello Live tonight. Odes to Cobra Kai and the Bee Gees. We talked Juvenile Justice with Christian Minor. Our Big Get is Mary Anna Mancuso.
Tonight: A special, politics-free edition of Monticello Live
You didn’t ask for it but we delivered it anyway. Tonight at 8pm Eastern is a special holiday edition with our special guest, MaryAnna Mancuso. We’re sharing our favorite stories, talking about the past year and what we are looking forward to in 2021.
Catch us on Periscope and YouTube Live.
Yes, Sensei!
Look, the 80’s sucked. Terrible music. Bad hair. Parachute pants… what the hell were we thinking? (Mine were black, by the way, to go along with my dark blue Members Only jacket.)
Know what didn’t suck? Karate Kid. Ok, I’m not too sure about Karate Kid 3 to be honest but the first film in that series is one of those movies you can watch over and over again and never get bored. Even better, you can watch it with your teenage son, who then falls in love with the spinoff television series, Cobra Kai.
When it first came out, this series almost made me want to subscribe to the paid version of YouTube, whatever that is. I held out when much to my delight and surprise it came to Netflix and the magic began.
If you haven’t seen it, Cobra Kai takes place some 34 years after the original film and stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprising their original roles as Daniel and Johnny. I don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say that each of them are continuing their life themes of winning and losing after their original encounter at the All Valley Tournament.
It’s funny. Ok, it’s a little campy. It’s also nostalgic and warm with surprising character depth. It is definitely binge-worthy and the best part for me is that my 16 year old son is addicted to it so it gives us something we can share. I can’t wait for Season Three.
Talking Juvenile Justice Reform
Last Friday evening Christian Minor was our special guest on Monticello Live. Christian is the Executive Director of the Florida Juvenile Justice Association and he came on specifically to discuss the current issues with the juvenile justice system and potential ways to reform. If you would like you can skip ahead to 21:30 to catch him.
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?
The New Bee Gees documentary on HBO Max digs deeper than Saturday Night Fever
By Jessica Redding
Nostalgia is fun these days, right? Most of us are stuck at home with little but memories of going out, dancing, and having fun. That yearning for fun, for lightheartedness made the choice to watch How Can You Mend a Broken Heart an easy one. Directed and produced by Frank Marshall, the documentary follows the career of the Bee Gees from their early success to the deaths of Maurice, Robin, and Andy Gibb. While sticking to a straightforward method of storytelling, the film highlights the memories of the remaining Gibb brother, Barry, while archival footage of Maurice and Robin provides further commentary and anecdotes.
Barry and twin brothers, Maurice and Robin, starting songwriting and making music together at a young age and were managed by their father, Hugh. The family moved around as the group found early success in the 1960’s and remained tight knit. As years went on and the groups’ popularity waned, the brothers drifted apart. Robin, who had lead vocals on many of their early hits, and Barry had the biggest rift. Each brother struck out to make their own way but Barry, after doing some songwriting, realized that his success rested in part with synergy he and his brothers possessed, particularly when it came to songwriting.
In 1975, the group recorded the song “Nights on Broadway,” with Robin on lead vocals. The producer asked Barry if he could scream parts of the chorus and out came Barry’s signature falsetto. The falsetto enabled the Bee Gee’s to change their sound—they went from making ballads to making dance music. The group was commissioned to write and perform songs for the upcoming film Saturday Night Fever and the film reveals that during the recording of demos for the legendary soundtrack, the group’s drummer needed to tend to a family emergency, leaving no drummer to perform for the rest of the tracks. Instead of replacing the drummer or delaying the album’s production, the sound engineers took some percussion from the already recorded “Night Fever” and played it on a loop. This is the percussion heard in the song “Stayin’ Alive.”
The last part of the documentary talks about the brothers finding success after Saturday Night Fever, which proved difficult for them as an act that carried the stigma of making disco music; they mostly relied on their songwriting abilities. Maurice, through archival footage, talks about mentoring their younger brother Andy during his stardom and trying to steer him away from addiction. Andy’s untimely demise in 1988, caused by a heart attack brought on by years of drug use, was the catalyst for Maurice’s sobriety. The brothers continued to make music together into the early 2000’s but sadly, Maurice died suddenly in 2003 after a medical procedure. Robin followed his twin in 2012 after a long battle with cancer. Barry reflects in a somber but frank manner that when you are in a family, there will always be one who is left behind. Barry says, “I can’t honestly come to terms with the fact that they aren’t here anymore. Never been able to do that. I’m always reliving it. It’s always like, “What would Robin think?” or “What would Maurice think?” And Andy. It never goes away. And what I wanted to say earlier is that I’d rather have ‘em all back here and no hits.” It’s lines like those that make How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, so much deeper than your average music documentary. They were brothers who loved one another and one can argue that they were brothers whose talents were intertwined. Barry Gibb’s reflections on the loss of his brothers and the basis of memory being perception ends the film on a sad, somber note. Whether or not one can stomach disco, the documentary is a touching tribute to the brothers Gibb.
How Do You Mend a Broken Heart is available to stream on HBO Max.
The Big Get
Mary Anna Mancuso
With our very first issue I set the trend of interviewing friends and people who interest me. The legendary (in every sense of the word) Mac Stipanovich was first and I sometimes feel that having him go when he did was perhaps unfair to those who followed.
But my good friend Mary Anna Mancuso checks the box. I first met her when I decided to stop travelling around the country and take on a Congressional race in South Florida. Not long after I started getting texts and emails from the Palm Beach County Young Republicans about coming to their events and such. Me, being me, I ignored them. Mary Anna being who she is, kept asking. We finally met for lunch and a friendship was born.
I choose my friends based on whether they are trustworthy, respectable and have a sense of humor. Mary Anna has all three. She’s someone I like to run ideas by because she is super smart and also understands how I think. I’m delighted that she is my friend and that she agreed to participate this week.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a political strategist and her commentary can be seen weekly on WPTV's To The Point as well as on various national outlets. Mancuso's background is in American politics with a focus on elections and voting behavior as well as International Relations with a focus on American foreign policy and Middle Eastern politics.
Most notably, Mancuso worked on Lindsey Graham’s presidential campaign as a social media strategist. During the 2014 election cycle, Mancuso was the Digital Director for Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater’s reelection campaign. In 2012, Mancuso served as Deputy Communications Director for Congressman Connie Mack’s U.S. Senate campaign in Florida; where she was in charge of the campaign’s social media efforts. Mancuso has a strong background in communications and social media. She has worked at the New York Bureau of Fox News and NBC-Universal. In 2009 Mancuso worked as the Deputy Communications Director for the Republican party of Virginia where she launched their digital platform for the state party.
Why politics? What got you involved?
In high school, I had a government teacher who knew a lot about politics and how the government worked. He inspired me to learn more and really understand how our government worked. As a result of his class, when I went to college I majored in Political Science.
Where did you grow up and how did you end up in South Florida?
I grew up in a small town 20 minutes south of Richmond, VA, and ended up in South Florida by the grace of God. :) Really though, I moved down here in 2012 to work on Connie Mack’s U.S. Senate campaign as the Deputy Communications Director. After the campaign ended, I stayed.
What in your background, either in your childhood or more recently, had the most effect on your political views?
I remember watching the Berlin Wall come down on television. I can remember watching Tom Brokaw reporting live from Berlin and while I was really young and didn’t understand the magnitude of what was happening, I can remember watching people reunite with their loved ones as they jumped over the rubble of the wall.
What kind of dog is Sir Agneaux and how long have you had him?
Sir Agneaux is a French Bulldog and I got him shortly after he 2014 election. He is named after Spiro Agnew, Nixon’s Vice President.
What was the first campaign you ever worked on and why did you decide to work on more of them afterwards?
The first campaign I ever worked on was a City Council race in NYC. I loved seeing democracy at work and playing a role in helping to make our country a better place. It sounds cliche, but working on campaigns and politics in general, for me, has always been about serving my country in an effort to leave it a little better off then when I got here.
What's the best campaign story that you can tell?
When I was working on a campaign, we had an employee handbook, and on page 36 it said there was no alcohol allowed in the campaign HQ and staff was not allowed to drink in the campaign office. Every staffer had to sign a contract saying they had read the employee handbook and they would follow the rules. About a week or so after signing said handbook, the candidate comes into the campaign HQ with a case of beer and begins offering it to the staffers. We were dumbstruck and a little nervous to accept because of the employee handbook. The candidate then asks why everyone looks like they’d seen a ghost, so someone says, “Have you read the employee handbook?” The candidate is confused at the fact that 1. there is an employee handbook on the campaign and 2. because they had never read it. The staffer then tells the candidate, “Alcohol isn’t allowed in the campaign office and we aren’t allowed to drink it, according to page 36.” The candidate asks for a copy of the employee handbook so we them a copy. The candidate opens the employee handbook and turns to page 36 and rips the page out, and then tells us, “Now who wants a beer?”
What is the future for the GOP and what role would you like to play?
I don’t think there is a future for the GOP as long as Trumpism maintains its grasp on the party. As for my role, the party left me when they abandoned its principles for the sake of winning.
Thoughts on President-elect Biden's cabinet picks?
I applaud the diversity of President-elect Biden’s cabinet picks, and am looking forward to see how each cabinet member does in their role.
What is Mr. Biden's biggest challenge?
President-elect Biden’s biggest challenge will be repairing the damage Trump has done to our nation. Biden will have to work to bring our country together by working across the aisle and showing both parties the importance of putting country over party.
Who is your political hero?
After working in politics, I can’t say I have a political hero. But I would be remiss not to mention my grandparents. Every election they served as poll workers and on Memorial day I would help my Grandmother make poppies to sell in order to raise money for the VFW. It was these little things that made the biggest impact on me and instilled a sense of civic duty and love of country in me.
Best pizza in West Palm Beach?
And of course, what is your favorite whiskey?
I’m not a big Whisky drinker, but if I do imbibe, it’s Macallan 12.
On The Bottom Shelf
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Best friends give you the best gifts and I was fortunate enough to be gifted this bottle by my close friend Christian Minor. I happen to be a huge Woodford Reserve fan, and for my money there isn’t a better $30 bourbon on the market. Double Oaked takes the process a step further and ages the bourbon in two different oak barrels, with the second one being deeply toasted and slightly charred. The result is glorious.
WR is both deep and sweet, with extra smoothness at the finish. The Double Oaked adds added depth of sweet oak, as well as developing the additional fruit, vanilla and caramel notes.
The nose on this bourbon is very sweet (almost like rum) with an extra oak touch as you might expect. But it’s not nearly as oakey or woody as I was expecting. Instead, the extra barrell seems to bring out more sweetness on the nose. On the tongue are subtle hints of leather, caramel, and dried dark fruits mixed with the oak flavor. I also sensed some cinnamon and brown sugar notes. The cinnamon adds some very subtle heat to the finish, with is extremely, extremely smooth and almost heavy. I thought I could pick up some leather and clove on the finish as well.
If this gift is indicative of my friendship with Christian than I am delighted as this is easily one of the best one or two bourbons that I have ever tasted. I understand that it doesn’t exactly qualify for the bottom shelf but yo uwill get over that after your first sip.
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The Best Things I Saw This Week
My son officially became a starter on his high school basketball team
Tim Ferris interviews Jerry Seinfeld on his podcast. This is a must listen.
How the hunt for D.B. Cooper made an aging Vietnam veteran the target of TV sleuths
Forget New Year's Resolutions and Conduct a 'Past Year Review' Instead
(Tallahassee) Couple converts food truck to feed community
That’s all, folks!
Thanks for reading. If something interested you then please share Monticello with your friends.
Monticello was created by and published by Jacob Perry. Our editor and contributor is Jessica Redding. On social media: