Charles Hughes
@charleshughes2.bsky.social
Writer. Teacher. Musician. Country Soul. Why Bushwick Bill Matters. Pro wrestling coming soon. No Fences Review. Wisconsin and Southern. Disabled and disorderly. He/him.
Worth it if only for "Helpless," which is an astonishingly effective early-00s R&B/pop riff.
February 12, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Worth it if only for "Helpless," which is an astonishingly effective early-00s R&B/pop riff.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
No appointee of this administration even bothers to create the appearance of doing their job anymore, just openly serving as the president's personal apologist and attack dog. Completely illegitimate government
wow -- Bondi throws a fit in response to Nadler's question about how many of Epstein's co-conspirators, if any, she's investigating, aggressively pointing at him and yelling. The hearing then devolves into chaos and Raskin and Bondi start yelling at each other.
February 11, 2026 at 5:46 PM
No appointee of this administration even bothers to create the appearance of doing their job anymore, just openly serving as the president's personal apologist and attack dog. Completely illegitimate government
New at No Fences Review: @cantkill.bsky.social and I turn up some fresh recommendations. Great new records Rissi Palmer, Talibah Safiya, Ruthie Foster, NRBQ, and more! Plus reading recommendations. Pleaase share and subscribe!
Turn It Up - 2/11/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:10 PM
New at No Fences Review: @cantkill.bsky.social and I turn up some fresh recommendations. Great new records Rissi Palmer, Talibah Safiya, Ruthie Foster, NRBQ, and more! Plus reading recommendations. Pleaase share and subscribe!
Reposted by Charles Hughes
This is great. (As I like to say and have, Keith Harris is a national treasure)
I saw Eric Church this weekend but I had other things on my mind.
I Watched Eric Church Perform in St. Paul While ICE Thugs Were Kidnapping My Neighbors - Racket
The Nashville outsider rocked for a fiery 2 1/2 hours, but there are some lines even he won't cross.
racketmn.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:18 PM
This is great. (As I like to say and have, Keith Harris is a national treasure)
Thread.
Disturbingly detailed analysis of my first rewatch incoming
February 9, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Thread.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I got into a huge fight with someone for saying that if they don’t know who Bad Bunny is, that’s a them problem. This was a real person, by the way.
I keep thinking about when Mike Johnson was asked about the NFL getting Bad Bunny to play the halftime show and he responded by saying they should find "someone who appeals to a broader audience" like... 82-year-old Lee Greenwood.
Really shows how much of a bubble the right lives in.
Really shows how much of a bubble the right lives in.
February 8, 2026 at 3:36 PM
I got into a huge fight with someone for saying that if they don’t know who Bad Bunny is, that’s a them problem. This was a real person, by the way.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
“Renee was not the first person killed, and she was not the last,” Becca Good said. “You know my wife’s name and you know Alex’s name, but there are many others in this city being harmed that you don’t know — their families are hurting just like mine, even if they don’t look like mine.”
Renee Good's partner addresses Minneapolis immigration crackdown one month after killing
Becca Good has seldom spoken out since Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
nbcnews.to
February 7, 2026 at 9:00 PM
“Renee was not the first person killed, and she was not the last,” Becca Good said. “You know my wife’s name and you know Alex’s name, but there are many others in this city being harmed that you don’t know — their families are hurting just like mine, even if they don’t look like mine.”
Don't miss this! Don't miss this! Essential stuff from editor Amanda Marie Martinez and an incredible group of contributors.
My country music issue of @scquarterly.bsky.social is out! I'm proud of how it's come together. Thank you to the wide range of contributors, including musicians and scholars and artists, and of course the dream team editorial crew at SC who make creative freedom a reality.
February 7, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Don't miss this! Don't miss this! Essential stuff from editor Amanda Marie Martinez and an incredible group of contributors.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Three thoughts.
1. It’s always been about the white nationalism
2. He is returning to the old favorites because his support is waning
3. He dabbled with this trope before but would always leave a hair of deniability. Going straight there also seems like a sign of weakness
1. It’s always been about the white nationalism
2. He is returning to the old favorites because his support is waning
3. He dabbled with this trope before but would always leave a hair of deniability. Going straight there also seems like a sign of weakness
February 6, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Three thoughts.
1. It’s always been about the white nationalism
2. He is returning to the old favorites because his support is waning
3. He dabbled with this trope before but would always leave a hair of deniability. Going straight there also seems like a sign of weakness
1. It’s always been about the white nationalism
2. He is returning to the old favorites because his support is waning
3. He dabbled with this trope before but would always leave a hair of deniability. Going straight there also seems like a sign of weakness
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Seeing stuff online about the fuck ICE chant at AEW where people are like "wow I can't believe that happened with a pro wrestling audience" and I always forget how askew people's perception of the average modern pro wrestling fan is
February 5, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Seeing stuff online about the fuck ICE chant at AEW where people are like "wow I can't believe that happened with a pro wrestling audience" and I always forget how askew people's perception of the average modern pro wrestling fan is
Reposted by Charles Hughes
This was a special chat: I chatted JTE while visiting some of the most important Nashville spots in his early life/career w/ my dear colleague @joeyblueclaw.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xft_...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xft_...
Exploring Justin Townes Earle's Nashville | Rolling Stone Nashville Now
YouTube video by Rolling Stone
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:43 PM
This was a special chat: I chatted JTE while visiting some of the most important Nashville spots in his early life/career w/ my dear colleague @joeyblueclaw.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xft_...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xft_...
"Alleging that you're a "dumb redneck" as a way to simultaneously confirm people's suspicions and evade any kind of accountability for, say, being photographed chummily with a very powerful Republican like Mike Johnson is cowardly, plain and simple."
wrote about jelly roll pretending he and we are stupid for this week's drti www.dontrocktheinbox.com/im-a-dumb-re...
"I'm A Dumb Redneck": Jelly Roll's Cop Out and Nashville's Imagined Norm
Imagine if we could go two weeks in this newsletter without having to reckon with some country/politics foolishness. Imagine if people like Jelly Roll and Kid Rock would just shut up and sing!! I jest...
www.dontrocktheinbox.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:37 PM
"Alleging that you're a "dumb redneck" as a way to simultaneously confirm people's suspicions and evade any kind of accountability for, say, being photographed chummily with a very powerful Republican like Mike Johnson is cowardly, plain and simple."
Reposted by Charles Hughes
echoing this. i'm not talking about people occasionally forgetting, but there are musicians and artists and journalists on here who never ever use alt text
Would it kill journalists to use alt text for crying out loud. I do not understand people's refusal to make their posts accessible. It's extremely irritating
A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."
February 4, 2026 at 4:36 PM
echoing this. i'm not talking about people occasionally forgetting, but there are musicians and artists and journalists on here who never ever use alt text
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I know we’ve gotten used to it, but this type of behavior is disgusting and people should speak up about it
KAITLAN COLLINS: What would say to Epstein survivo---
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
February 3, 2026 at 10:07 PM
I know we’ve gotten used to it, but this type of behavior is disgusting and people should speak up about it
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Seeing yet another 'using whistles is disablist' piece circulating: for the 40 millionth time, using disabled people as cover like this is disgusting and calculated to prey on people who are anxious about doing the wrong thing. Doesn't escape notice that white people are the worst offenders.
February 3, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Seeing yet another 'using whistles is disablist' piece circulating: for the 40 millionth time, using disabled people as cover like this is disgusting and calculated to prey on people who are anxious about doing the wrong thing. Doesn't escape notice that white people are the worst offenders.
"If we encounter a song protesting our fellows being murdered and terrorized in our name by agents of the state, and our primary reaction is to foreground complaints about the song’s aesthetic success, then we have lost the plot."
Turn It Up with No Fences Review: New music from Sault and Springsteen, Bibb and Blanton, a tribute to Catherine O'Hara and more, plus a load of reading recommendations (W/ @charleshughes2.bsky.social )
Turn It Up - 2/2/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
open.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:52 PM
"If we encounter a song protesting our fellows being murdered and terrorized in our name by agents of the state, and our primary reaction is to foreground complaints about the song’s aesthetic success, then we have lost the plot."
Reposted by Charles Hughes
All the stars are here: Brantley Gilbert, Brice Bradley, Gabby Babby, Bibb Glibsy, Slab Gabbert, Brice Bryce,
Turning Point USA has announced the performers for their alternative Super Bowl halftime show:
Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett
Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett
February 2, 2026 at 6:54 PM
All the stars are here: Brantley Gilbert, Brice Bradley, Gabby Babby, Bibb Glibsy, Slab Gabbert, Brice Bryce,
New at No Fences Review: @cantkill.bsky.social and I return with new Turn It Up recs. Sounds of the moment from Sault to Springsteen, a tribute to Catherine O'Hara, and much more. Plus a bunch of reading recommendations. Please share and subscribe!
Turn It Up - 2/2/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:08 PM
New at No Fences Review: @cantkill.bsky.social and I return with new Turn It Up recs. Sounds of the moment from Sault to Springsteen, a tribute to Catherine O'Hara, and much more. Plus a bunch of reading recommendations. Please share and subscribe!
Reposted by Charles Hughes
One of my earliest moments of Northern Midwest identity formation was realizing how we flipped the dominant paradigm of Groundhog Day. In Wisconsin, "six more weeks of winter" (the supposedly bad news) puts us in mid-March, whereas an "early spring" could be as late as mid-April.
February 2, 2026 at 1:38 PM
One of my earliest moments of Northern Midwest identity formation was realizing how we flipped the dominant paradigm of Groundhog Day. In Wisconsin, "six more weeks of winter" (the supposedly bad news) puts us in mid-March, whereas an "early spring" could be as late as mid-April.
Reposted by Charles Hughes
Resharing this tribute to the late Raul Malo and his band the Mavericks. Did I make sure to stress Malo's criticism of Trump's policies as "mired in racism"? You better believe it! Did I hear anti-authoritarian messages even in Malo's presumably apolitical dancefloor numbers? Hell yes!
Raul Malo and the Mavericks: A Love Letter in 16 Songs
David with some favorite songs from Malo and his band
open.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Resharing this tribute to the late Raul Malo and his band the Mavericks. Did I make sure to stress Malo's criticism of Trump's policies as "mired in racism"? You better believe it! Did I hear anti-authoritarian messages even in Malo's presumably apolitical dancefloor numbers? Hell yes!
Reposted by Charles Hughes
BREAKING:
A federal judge just ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from immigration custody — condemning their removal from Minneapolis as unconstitutional.
Judge Fred Biery condemned "the perfidious lust for unbridled power" and "the imposition of cruelty."
A federal judge just ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from immigration custody — condemning their removal from Minneapolis as unconstitutional.
Judge Fred Biery condemned "the perfidious lust for unbridled power" and "the imposition of cruelty."
January 31, 2026 at 8:40 PM
BREAKING:
A federal judge just ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from immigration custody — condemning their removal from Minneapolis as unconstitutional.
Judge Fred Biery condemned "the perfidious lust for unbridled power" and "the imposition of cruelty."
A federal judge just ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from immigration custody — condemning their removal from Minneapolis as unconstitutional.
Judge Fred Biery condemned "the perfidious lust for unbridled power" and "the imposition of cruelty."
Reposted by Charles Hughes
It's near-white out conditions in Chicago as the snow comes down, and tonight's anti-ICE/CBP rally is wrapping up in front of city hall.
But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
January 31, 2026 at 12:41 AM
It's near-white out conditions in Chicago as the snow comes down, and tonight's anti-ICE/CBP rally is wrapping up in front of city hall.
But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
Reposted by Charles Hughes
I got to talk about Black Reconstruction and the general strike that ended slavery @marketplace.org
A timeline of major general strikes in the U.S.
People have participated in collective work stoppages to raise the pressure on employers for more than 150 years.
www.marketplace.org
January 30, 2026 at 11:45 PM
I got to talk about Black Reconstruction and the general strike that ended slavery @marketplace.org
Well, that broke me.
Macaulay Culkin’s post about Catherine O’Hara. 😭😭💔💔 www.threads.com/@culkamania/...
Macaulay 'Instagram' Culkin (@culkamania) on Threads
Mama.
I thought we had time.
I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say.
I love you.
I’ll see you later.
www.threads.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Well, that broke me.