Jack Black's Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass said, "Don't miss Trump next time," when asked for a birthday wish on stage a concert this week. The video is an interesting watch – Kyle in a bright yellow t-shirt, approached by a clanking robot with a birthday cake covered in candles who asks Kyle to make a wish.

Kyle's comment incited a furore. Both Jack Black and Kyle have issued apologies:

• Jack Black "I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sundav. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form. After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on nold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding."
• Kyle Gass "The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don't condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I've let down and truly regret any pain I've caused."

What did you think when you heard someone had shot at Trump and missed?

I wondered if Trump had arranged an assassination attempt (with someone stupid enough to think they might survive it to enjoy their payment). I can't find any other reference to this idea on line so I might be right out in left field with other conspiracy theorists of a lunatic nature.

However, Trump isn't any stranger to violence:

• Defence Secretary Mark Esper has written about Trump's statement after the death of George Floyd – "Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?" Trump said this in reference to protestors.
• In 2017, when Trump made a speech to Long Island law enforcement officers, Trump said, "Please don't be too nice," when talking about people being arrested.
• In 2020, Trump said, "That's the way it has to be. There has to be retribution." He was talking about the killing of Michael Forest Reinoehl by law enforcement officers (Michael was a self-described Antifa member suspected of killing a right-wing activist).

Okay, Trump hasn't publically called for violence against a specific person (although has condoned prior violence to against a specific person), so his comments are theoretically not quite as controversial as Kyle Gass's.

What should we do to someone who makes such a spectacular error of judgment on in the public arena as Kyle's? Stop them getting a stage, I guess, like Jack Black has already done.

When people make huge errors of judgment in the public arena, it makes me think of my own errors of judgment and what mistakes I could make on the spur of the moment. I can think of one major error, not that it had repercussions for anyone else as it turned out...in 1987 I was hitching across Canada (from Vancouver Island to the east of Newfoundland) then south to New York. I had a flight to catch from New York to London and hitching was my preferred method of transport – for the interest in the journey as much as hitching being a cheap way to travel.

On the very last leg of my journey, from Bar Harbour (Maine) to New York City, I ended up getting a bum hitch. I was on a ferry from Yarmouth (Nova Scotia) to Bar Harbor. I'd always said I would not hitch in the USA because it was notoriously risky. On the ferry, I asked a steward where and when there were buses to New York City from the port and was told there were no buses. "What should I do, then?" I asked. Now, I think I should have investigated the bus further – how could there have been no bus? However, this was in the days before internet or cell phones so I relied on other people to find out information.

"I can get you a ride with a mate who's a trucker," the steward said. I met the trucker and when he drove off the ferry, I was on board. We were headed to New York but, when we stopped for dinner, the trucker said he thought it would be best if I swapped to his mate's truck because Trucker No. 1 was going to arrive in New York at midnight. Trucker No. 2 had a fish truck and would make his deliveries in the early hours of the morning, a much better time for me to reach the city.

I met Trucker No. 2 and his Dad who was along for the ride. Dad seemed old (at least seventy...now seventy doesn't seem quite so old). I had never before agreed to hitch swap like this, but how risky could it be with Dad there?

They were stopping at the New York turnpike so as to reach the city early in the morning. I slept fully clothed beside the trucker in his cabin bed. Other times I would have got my sleeping bag out and slept under the truck. Was I that trusting of the situation because of two men there? Did I think all seventy-year-olds were intrinsically trustworthy? In the middle of the night, Trucker No. 2 groped me and didn't stop when I asked so I climbed out of the bunk and exited the truck. The parking lot was cold and I was amongst a cavalcade of semitrailers, more annoyed than scared but wondering how to spend the time till daylight. There was a phone booth at the tarmac's edge – why not ring home?

Mum answered "Oh Jane, we've been wondering where you are. We've just got back from your grandfather's funeral."

I hadn't been in touch with my parents for months as a long term Canadian postal strike had stopped aerogrammes in their tracks. "Funeral?" I ran out of words, as tears poured down my face.

Mum described a sad, cold memorial attended only by close family members. I choked out my goodbyes and walked back to the truck as sun filtered through the clouds. I climbed back in – my pack was inside and how else was I going to reach New York?

The trucker and my father saw my tears.

"What's wrong? Anything we can do to help?

"My grandfather just died."

"That's sad. Would you like some breakfast?"

After breakfast, the trucker promised to drop me off by the Empire State Building after he delivered cod to the Bronx and Brooklyn markets. I will always regret not having my camera at the ready to photograph leaping carmine fish as his semi-trailer pulled away up Fifth Avenue.

That's not my only lifetime error of judgment, but it was a 'good' one. Lucky I'm not in the public eye...it must be more than hard to ensure your statements are never reprehensible. Of course Trump's statements are reprehensible – he has been convicted of a felony. Trump says this is a wrongful judgment. It's a shame there's no Jack Black who can take Trump off the stage, isn't it?