Randall Stephens
@randalljstephens.bsky.social
American historian, religion, environment, pop culture, the South. Author: The Devil's Music (Harvard, 2018). Prof of Am & Brit Studies, Univ of Oslo. Fulbright alumnus.
Eisenhower in a 1954 address at Columbia University: “we will drive from the temple of freedom all who seek to establish over us thought control—whether they be agents of a foreign state or demagogues thirsty for personal power and public notice.”
November 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Eisenhower in a 1954 address at Columbia University: “we will drive from the temple of freedom all who seek to establish over us thought control—whether they be agents of a foreign state or demagogues thirsty for personal power and public notice.”
Frank Williams depicts McCarthyism giving Uncle Sam and National Dignity a black eye, May 1954.
November 26, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Frank Williams depicts McCarthyism giving Uncle Sam and National Dignity a black eye, May 1954.
Producer Walter Shenson on a new Beatles film, NME, 1966: "I have had several more meetings with the boys & we have gone over a number of fresh suggestions for stories but everything has been rejected....We have turned down everything from The Beatles in the Army to The Beatles Meet Elvis Presley."
November 26, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Producer Walter Shenson on a new Beatles film, NME, 1966: "I have had several more meetings with the boys & we have gone over a number of fresh suggestions for stories but everything has been rejected....We have turned down everything from The Beatles in the Army to The Beatles Meet Elvis Presley."
Billboard top 20, Nov 19, 1966 and the top 20 from NME, Nov 18, 1966.
November 26, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Billboard top 20, Nov 19, 1966 and the top 20 from NME, Nov 18, 1966.
Frank Williams on the authoritarian influence of McCarthy, 1954.
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Frank Williams on the authoritarian influence of McCarthy, 1954.
“The Beatles magical history tour shows no signs of slowing. On the ceaseless tide of Beatle worship, scrutiny and scholarship, new waves break every day, and we can only speculate how they will shift the Beatles historiographical landscape.”
The long and winding road: Stuart Maconie on why our opinions about the Beatles keep changing
Fans and historians have spent 60 years debating what the band means – and which member is greatest. Will the returning Anthology project and Sam Mendes’s planned biopics create new arguments?
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:23 AM
“The Beatles magical history tour shows no signs of slowing. On the ceaseless tide of Beatle worship, scrutiny and scholarship, new waves break every day, and we can only speculate how they will shift the Beatles historiographical landscape.”
Can you find the hidden John Lennon among the owls?
November 26, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Can you find the hidden John Lennon among the owls?
New Lemon Twigs just dropped from 1966/67. youtu.be/GhLl5J82eCg?...
Friday (I'm Gonna Love You)
YouTube video by The Lemon Twigs - Topic
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
New Lemon Twigs just dropped from 1966/67. youtu.be/GhLl5J82eCg?...
Feelings that We Feel
November 25, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Feelings that We Feel
Competent to Counsel... but may ruin your life in the process.
November 25, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Competent to Counsel... but may ruin your life in the process.
“US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to ‘attack boy-friendly spaces,’ according to documents reviewed by NPR.”
U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking 'boy-friendly spaces'
Documents show the U.S. Military is planning to sever all ties with the organization formally known as the Boy Scouts
www.npr.org
November 25, 2025 at 11:25 AM
“US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to ‘attack boy-friendly spaces,’ according to documents reviewed by NPR.”
May you have the patience of Job when your boomer relatives show you AI slop videos of bear cubs doing backflips on backyard trampolines this Thanksgiving.
November 25, 2025 at 11:21 AM
May you have the patience of Job when your boomer relatives show you AI slop videos of bear cubs doing backflips on backyard trampolines this Thanksgiving.
Everyone who mailed in for this in 1911 has been dead for ages.
November 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Everyone who mailed in for this in 1911 has been dead for ages.
“A federal judge on Monday dismissed the Justice Depart’s criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey & New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding that the acting US attorney who secured the indictments against the two prominent critics of President Trump was unlawfully appointed.”
Judge tosses Comey, James cases after finding prosecutor unlawfully appointed
Lindsey Halligan, who brought the cases, is a former insurance attorney who once served as President Trump's personal lawyer before his return to office.
www.npr.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
“A federal judge on Monday dismissed the Justice Depart’s criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey & New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding that the acting US attorney who secured the indictments against the two prominent critics of President Trump was unlawfully appointed.”
The latest arrivals from McGill-Queen's UP and Oxford UP
November 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
The latest arrivals from McGill-Queen's UP and Oxford UP
"Well, why doesn't he see a psychiatrist?" Herblock on the madness of McCarthy's televised, anti-communist crusade, June 1954.
November 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
"Well, why doesn't he see a psychiatrist?" Herblock on the madness of McCarthy's televised, anti-communist crusade, June 1954.
"I guess they're trying to sell us on socialism." Herblock, June 1954.
November 24, 2025 at 2:56 PM
"I guess they're trying to sell us on socialism." Herblock, June 1954.
Herblock draws the forces of isolationism, anti-intellectualism, and anti-communism gathering around Ike's Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, May 1954.
November 24, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Herblock draws the forces of isolationism, anti-intellectualism, and anti-communism gathering around Ike's Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, May 1954.
Herblock on American political priorities in 1966.
November 24, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Herblock on American political priorities in 1966.
What's the old saying? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
November 24, 2025 at 1:42 PM
What's the old saying? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Paul Conrad on the far right painting enemies with a red brush, Ventura County Star, 8/24/1966.
November 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Paul Conrad on the far right painting enemies with a red brush, Ventura County Star, 8/24/1966.
Car colors by year in Poland, 1990-2020. In the US in 2019, over 46% of cars were either black or white.
November 24, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Car colors by year in Poland, 1990-2020. In the US in 2019, over 46% of cars were either black or white.
Glenn Alvin Bretthauer on the pressure for US involvement in Vietnam, Miami Herald, 4/25/1954.
November 24, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Glenn Alvin Bretthauer on the pressure for US involvement in Vietnam, Miami Herald, 4/25/1954.
“As soon as the update was rolled out, users found numerous Maga and rightwing influencers who presented themselves as patriotic Americans were operating from other countries…Bots spreading misinformation and propaganda has been a long-running problem on Twitter…”
Many prominent Maga personalities on X are based outside US, new tool reveals
Users posing as rightwing Americans are operating internationally, per the platform’s transparency feature
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:58 PM
“As soon as the update was rolled out, users found numerous Maga and rightwing influencers who presented themselves as patriotic Americans were operating from other countries…Bots spreading misinformation and propaganda has been a long-running problem on Twitter…”