"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

Lady Gaga "Reimagines" Mister Rogers

As the current powers-that-be continue on a path of destruction and division, what I think the world needs now is a reminder that we’re all in this together. That, with a little creativity and a lot of kindness, we can look past the minor, petty differences that divide us and remember something essential: we are all neighbors. And we can, with a little empathy and respect, all* be friends.

Which is why Lady Gaga’s “reimagining” of Mister Rogers’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” feels so perfectly timed.

Next weekend, Gaga’s version will air during the Super Bowl. I won’t be watching, so I’m glad it was released early. It popped up in my YouTube feed yesterday like a small, gentle break from the usual news and noise of the internet. And honestly, I needed it.

Yes, it’s sponsored by a handful of financial companies. Yes, it’s part of a big, glossy ad campaign. But even with all that, the song still warms my heart. Maybe because Mister Rogers’ message is evergreen and timeless. Recorded at Rick Rubin’s famous Shangri-La by one of the biggest pop icons in the world, the song’s message comes through loud and clear: you matter, you belong, you are loved just the way you are.

Gaga doesn’t overdo it. She doesn’t try to reinvent it into some dramatic anthem. She treats it with reverence, almost like a lullaby for a very tired world. And that restraint is what makes it powerful. It feels less like a performance and more like a reminder. One we’ve somehow forgotten we desperately need.

In a time when everything feels polarized, monetized, and algorithmically engineered to keep us afraid and angry at each other, a simple song about being neighbors feels like a quiet song of protest and rebellion.

The song isn’t about winning. It’s not about being right. It’s about being human, together, in the same fragile little neighborhood called Earth.

Mister Rogers used to say, “Look for the helpers.” These days, the helpers can be hard to spot. Not because the world has run out of them, but because they don’t always look the way we expect.

Sometimes help arrives in the form of quiet gestures, gentle words, or even as a pop star covering a children’s TV theme song for a Super Bowl ad. Whatever form it takes, help and helpers make the world turn right round, baby. Right round, right round. Like a record, baby.

And somehow, against all odds, Lady Gaga covering Mister Rogers gives me hope.

Keep calm and be a good neighbor!
Clint 🌈✌️

*All except the current powers-that-be. I am “not ready to make nice” with them or their cult members and will continue shunning them until further notice.

COLLIDE PRESS is a reader-supported publication.
Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber or Patron.

KINDESS ≠ WEAKNESS

I lost my shit yesterday. On someone I used to consider a friend. Or at least a friendly acquaintance. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I don’t take kindly to being ghosted and ignored, especially by someone who owes me money.

So I hurled a few hard truths and hot takes his way. I probably hurt his wittle, bitty feelings. Oh. Well.

I try to warn people: I’m nice until I’m not.
If you don’t fuck around, you won’t find out.

Ultimately, I got my money back. And now I’m the one ghosting and ignoring. And will continue to. Cuz we’re done. Fool me once? Shame on you. Fool me twice? Not likely.

---

BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY

• 01-29 = Adam Lambert (1982- ) = American singer-songwriter and actor 🌈

• 01-29 = Christian VII (1749-1808) = King of Denmark and Norway 🌈

• 01-29 = Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson (1858-1942) = American writer 🌈

• 01-29 = Gia Carangi (1960-1986) = American model 🌈

• 01-29 = Greg Louganis (1960- ) = American Olympic diver and author 🌈

• 01-29 = Sara Gilbert (1975- ) = American actor and talk show co-host 🌈

---

MAN CRUSH(ES) OF THE DAY

“‘Come out’ is so funny to me because I’ve never been in.”
Adam Lambert

GREG LOUGANIS

“Never underestimate your ability to make someone else’s life better—even if you never know it.”
Greg Louganis