This phrase originates from Rome in Satire X of the Roman satirist and poet Juvenal (circa 100 C.E.). In context, the Latin metaphorpanem et circenses (bread and circuses) identifies the only remaining cares of a new Roman populace which cares not for its historical birthright of political involvement. Here Juvenal displays his contempt for the declining heroism of his contemporary Romans. Roman politicians devised a plan in 140 B.C.E. to win the votes of these new citizens: giving out cheap food and entertainment, "bread and circuses", would be the most effective way to rise to power.
… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses
<...> iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli / uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim / imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se / continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, /panem et circenses. <...>
he usually does a John Prine song that requires a borrowed cowboy hat, no one in the audience had one, but someone had a motorcycle helmet. So he sang Born to Be Wild. that morphed into the derad girl medley
I'm not sure why he starts with "Born To Be Wild", but he (thankfully?) neglected the most notorious "dead girl tune" of them all: There was a lesser-known, morbid, dead-girl tune, which was a minor hit in the UK: "Hello, This Is Joanie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song)" - the narrator repeatedly calls his dead girlfriend's machine to hear her voice - embedding disabled.
he usually does a John Prine song that requires a borrowed cowboy hat, no one in the audience had one, but someone had a motorcycle helmet. So he sang Born to Be Wild. that morphed into the derad girl medley
my favorite Steve Goodman medley. The Dead Girl Medley.
I'm not sure why he starts with "Born To Be Wild", but he (thankfully?) neglected the most notorious "dead girl tune" of them all:
There was a lesser-known, morbid, dead-girl tune, which was a minor hit in the UK: "Hello, This Is Joanie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song)" - the narrator repeatedly calls his dead girlfriend's machine to hear her voice - embedding disabled.