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My dad loved the song “American Pie.” He knew every word, and he would sing along to it while simultaneously explaining all the historical references in the pauses between lyrics. So driving in the car with him sounded a lot like, “ ‘I met a girl who sang the blues’ – that was Janis Joplin, Victoria, you know who she is, right? – ‘and I asked her for some happy news .

.. ’ ” When I told my dad back in 2016 that Don McLean had been arrested for domestic violence, his lips disappeared into his beard, which bristled with anger like a dog raising its hackles.



He spat: “He never got over being a one-hit wonder.” And that was it. To my dad, there was no lower life form on earth than a man who would raise his hand to a woman or a child.

Which I guess sets him apart from the Biden administration. I get that politics is a dirty business, but it’s not like we’re risking U.N.

sanctions or an international incident if the guy behind “American Pie” doesn’t get an invite to the White House for a state dinner. McLean wasn’t raising funds for survivors or making a speech about how abusers can move forward, heal and end the cycle of violence. No, he was merely attending a state dinner.

This newspaper’s editorial board last week criticized McLean’s invitation and the terrible message it sent. I agree with that. So I want to talk a little about what I saw in the picture of him at the state dinner.

He had a lady on his arm; I thought he must have brought hi.

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