Miller Time

 


Well, I've been lookin' real hard

And I'm tryin' to find a job

But it just keeps gettin' tougher every day…

I should have known when troubadour Steve Miller wrote a song about an unsuccessful job search that specifically mentions Tacoma that this wouldn’t be easy.

But that was the 1970s, a time when former Tacoma Mayor Harold Moss described the city’s downtown as looking like bombed-out Beirut. But I've learned downtown went through an impressive economic revival in the 1990s and has had some ups and downs since then. It is now a lively downtown. Most impressive to me: There are multiple theaters, each has a large neon sign, and all of the letters on the neon signs work. You won’t see that anywhere else in the country, except perhaps very limited sections of Las Vegas on a particularly good night. Somewhere in Tacoma there must be an exceptional neon sign repairman, and I’d like to shake his hand.

The landlady said, "You got the rent money yet?"

I said, "No, can't find no job

Therefore I ain't got no money to pay the rent"

She said "I don't believe you're tryin' to find no job"

Said "I seen you today you was standin' on a corner

Leaning up against a post"

I said "But I'm tired, I been walkin' all day"

Around the same time Mr. Miller was singing about the difficulties of a job search, George Thorogood also had this hit song about not finding a job. While Mr. Miller’s tactic seemed to be moving cities frequently, Mr. Thorogood instead opted to destress by self-medicating with bourbon, scotch and beer


(one each). Mr. Miller also repeatedly uses the word “befront.” Man, I miss 1970s song writing.

Here we are nearly 50 years later. My Google news feed is filled with stories about how difficult job searching is at this time, largely due to AI, bots, unethical employer practices and an overall system that makes looking for job similar to online dating, which one story succinctly names as  “Tinderized job-search hell.” All of this begs the question, “Is anyone singing about this?”

I’m out of tune with pop culture, so I just Googled the Billboard Top 100. Looks like Taylor Swift is doing pretty well. Prince’s Purple Rain is 27? What’s that about? (Editor's note: I just Googled it, and apparently the song was used in the season four finale of Stranger Things. I need to get someone on Stranger Things to mention this blog.)

Based on a casual perusal of song titles, I’m not seeing anything that is likely to be related to job search. And right now I’d better wrap this up and get back at it. Writing this blog is no more profitable than Mr. Thorogood leaning against a post, or Mr. Miller galivanting about the country to be with his sweet baby, which is an apt description of my present situation.  

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/17/ghost-jobs-robot-gatekeepers-ai-interview-job-hunting

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/job-market-hell/684133/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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