Mailbag

Subject: Re: Roxette At The Gibson

I have told people for years that the reason I picked up the guitar when I was 10 was because I heard Led Zeppelin IV.

Total lie.

It was because I had bought Roxette "Joyride" and played it until my walkman wore through the tape.

True story.

Good lord that feels good to get off my chest!

-Austin Hartley-Leonard

_______________________________________

Subject: I interned for Amanda Palmer

Hey Bob,

I know you're done on the Palmer kerfuffle but thought I'd share my story with you.

I've been a fan of Palmer's since 2004. She's been my favourite musician since the Dolls.

Back in 2008 right before the release of Who Killed Amanda Palmer, Amanda's assistant Beth put out a twitter call out requesting an intern to help with several AFP projects. The intern did not need to live in Boston or NYC.

I reached out and got the gig. At the time I was living 600 miles north of Toronto literally in the middle of nowhere. I helped out with Amanda's online merch company, Post-War Trade, back when it was completely DIY artist commissioned work. I volunteered about 10-15 hours a week. I flew down to Toronto when the WKAP tour came through. I was on the guest list, Amanda gave me her love and any free merch I wanted. It was amazing.

June 2009, not long after the news came out that Neil Gaiman & Amanda were now a couple-- which might I add Neil has been my favourite author since 2000-- SPIN magazine organized events featuring an author & a musician for a night of readings & music. So in June 2009, a Neil & Amanda event was held in NYC.

Amanda paid my flight to NYC where I was a photographer for the event and also part of the crew for her headlining show at the Highline Ballroom two nights later. I stayed at her assistant's place in Brooklyn. My first time in NYC and I got to hang out with my favourite musician and my favourite author. I had my copy of Neverwhere that I've had for 12 years now, signed by Neil. He also drew me a picture of the Sandman that I'm getting tattooed.

For three magical days I was part of her world. And I would gladly do it again if given the opportunity. For free.

Kara
@KaraDawnElle

_______________________________________

Subject: playing for free

This is becoming a pretty funny discussion.
Some of my closest colleagues and I have been in this endeavor (or business as some like to call it) for 40 years.
We've always played/play for free when we needed to or wanted to or were inspired to, and we've always played for money when it was offered, starting back in the late 60s and stretching into, actually yesterday, when one of my closest allies mixed a track for me for free, a track we all played on for nothing.
There is absolutely nothing new about this under the sun.
You really think this is some new revolutionary idea???

Everyone is shouting about this like they've discovered the wheel.
Man, people have played for free since people could play.
And when we are lucky enough to get paid, we are doubly happy because then we can feed our kids and keep a roof over my head.

The best thing is when I get to pay musicians to work. After thousands of free gigs over these decades, of all types--studio, live, debts, favors, LA, Nashville, New York, Warsaw-- you name it--there's nothing like the feeling you get when you can put some money into the hands of say--your brilliant drummer who's toughing it out here in LA and supporting his family, and has played or recorded with you no questions asked for decades--or any of your marvelous colleagues who help you to accomplish your dreams. And you help them. Being able to pay them is such a fantastic thing--it means they can keep honing their craft and getting better and better.

And I have worked with superstars over the years, and they also worked for free--some huge percentage of those touted 10,000 hours....

We've made entire albums for free,--in the late 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, to today--- it was assumed --because we needed to make the records, or play the gigs or build the following.
It's no different, but suddenly people think it's NEW!!!!:)

We played the gigs and did our parts for free when it was required, and we always knew the favor would be returned.
And we've been doing it for decades.

it's silly to think this is new, or only for the downtrodden, young musician who's just making his or her way in this brave new cold world...
what do you think it was to be a jazz musician in the 30s?

More importantly, people were doing it generations and generations before those jazz musicians or later, we --ever showed up--first with our records and then our internet.
Ain't no big thing, it's what it is to be a musician, please.

Gotta actually study history and know the facts.

Wendy Waldman

_______________________________________

Subject: Sour Chablis

Wow what an interesting mailbag you have, Bob, and kudos for your being able to stomach the bitter vehemence of the wannabes, the hasbeens, and the not-really-beens-if-you're-gonna-be-honest-with-yourselves. Sheesh! I've been playing the sour grapes-game tonight; googling the names of people who sign their missives. its quite telling, Mr. Lefsetz..

....Just some insights gleaned from the latest barrage of AFP mail:

The angriest guy is the guitarist who not only propped Avril Lavigne, but also the comeback of one of the OTown boys. I'd say he has a right to talk about gear, but not about music, nor talent--- and certainly not about being indie, or marketing oneself to ones fans... he's also 29 so should know better but doesn't. Which is probably why he's reading Craigslist Musicians Classified (and thinks he can speak for what "we" all know ...and thinks a Mercedes costs a million dollars)

Then you have 'promoters' who pride themselves on paying the bartender and the coat check girl etc,. Aside from the fact that so much of the "music" they promote is nauseating -- there's also a slew of them who won't let their bands put more than 1 minute of video on youtube (really? I can't hear a full song? buh-bye!) ...and then there's the Self-Indulgents-- again with their minute-long samples on soundcloud and myspace (really. not even a wikipedia about you?) sometimes they have chops. But who cares if they can't make a song out of it? And those promoters are doing a disservice to their talent. ...Some real dreck-peddlers and shovellers of shit (you might say they're the same thing, but the difference is in the polish) emailing and coming down on Amanda for a poorly worded attempt at getting even closer with some of her fans.

it would be easy to say they're just jealous. which to a degree they must be-- the guy who sings like Woody Guthrie with a harmonica will never have legions of fans (so 'Woody lite' he feels a right to shit on Amanda's voice), same with Avril's guitarist. But one last telling thing--- you talk about privileged kids---- look at this sad fact: These promoters and professional artists who all claim they are hard working-- and yet have some sense of pride for their own ignorance and laziness; so many of them say they haven't heard her music. Wow. So they can hit reply on gmail, but can't be bothered to go to youtube for a second and listen to what they're cutting down? They're not Bob Lefsetz--- they don't get a million people asking them to hear their crappy demos every day... Plus they're chiming in, if they care so much about music, and care enough to chime in-- it's not one of those "I wont listen until people tell me about them" schticks, they read about her, they're thinking about her and even responding. At this point they ought to do a little work (type 'amanda palmer' into youtube) before sending off an email. But that's not how it works anymore. These stale bitter people can't even bother to listen before shitting on her.

Why am not surprised that at the end of my little Sour Grapes Game I've found Zero Cool New Bands from the angry letterwriters (some session musicians i will never care about but no new talent) at the same time I have watched AFPs new video a bunch of times (I know how to use Youtube) The Killing Type;

"I'm not the killing type I'm not the killing type I'm not, but I would kill to make you feel"

....and it made me feel. enough to listen a second time looking at the lyrics--- love it even more now! Haters will stay miserable in their cold hardened certitudes, Amanda Palmer is going to have a killer tour and loads of fun. Which would you rather be?

Thanks Bob for once more showing what is important in this music racket!!!

and Shana Tova!

(PS Not that you would print this, but if you do, please with no name... thanks!)

_______________________________________

Subject: RE: The Apple Keynote

I'm going off piste here bob...triggered by something in your letter about apple and the foos

Allegiance to bands.

It has amused me for decades that singers in bands or lead guitarists in bands or the main writer in a band so often foolishly assume that the fan base is all about them. this is of course because to a singer everything is always all about them. the idea that the fans could be fans of the band not of any one individual - or at least only as long as that individual remains in the band? Surely not.

And yet as you eloquently described, van halen lost a string of singers thought of as indispensable by said singer, yet forged ahead from strength to strength.

Surely genesis couldn't continue without the charismatic peter Gabriel, replacing him with their little balding drummer could they? Surely pink floyd couldn't lose their singer AND their primary writer roger waters and fill in with their chunky guitarist could they?deep purple, white snake, AC/DC little feat, and on and on.

The point is this: we become fans of a football team. We love the star
players. Then the biggest star player is poached away by a rival team. Do we follow that player to his new team? Do we even consider it for a second? No, we not only welcome his replacement but we boo the old guy if he comes back with his new team to play a home game.

Be warned singers. It's not all about you. if you leave you're forgotten. If you put out a solo record (mick jagger take note) nobody cares. If you produce your own record and play all the instruments it'll suck...but if you go back to your band the fans will love you all over again

Cheers

Robin Millar

_______________________________________

Subject: Bob Alan Frew from Glass Tiger here

I would like to add a slight twist to the notion of " sometimes you just have to " give up".

I have in my book THE ACTION SANDWICH and in my public speaking gigs always hammered on the fact that successful people at "any level" ( remember what success is to one may NOT be considered success to another regardless of financial gain) follow two universal concepts ;

1) they "feel" the fear but do it anyway and
2) they "never" give up.....ever.

I therefore, when diving into any project always march to the drum of "maybe it's not about THIS even although everything tells me I should be doing THIS maybe in fact it is really all about THAT.
Following this philosophy in my opinion is a far cry from giving up.

As a matter of fact even when I devoted a year of my life to my book and was in the depths of writing it I always followed the principle that it might just not be about "the book" itself with my selling a shitload of copies and making a fortune from it but rather I always kept in my head the notion that I might only sell 4 or 5 copies but in doing so those 5 copies may well direct me onto a different pathway that may lead me to that fortune elsewhere. Having this belief does two things for me . 1) it keeps me sane and grounded in the knowledge that it really may indeed only sell a handful of copies and 2) gives me the strength to keep going keep moving keep shifting in the event that indeed it does only sell FIVE copies . In my 35 years as a professional entertainer I have been handed more than my air share of opportunities to "give up" but I never do.......ever.

In the end my book sold some 8,000 copies here in Canada and that number was mostly due to my tenacity and action, not earth-shattering by any means but in doing so it turned me into a public speaker of the highest order bringing me an abundance of great paying gigs that far outweighed the money my book made from sales.

I did not give up on being an author but instead "shifted" the same energyn into becoming a speaker. The doing THIS was indeed really about going on to do THAT.

To me "giving up" is about laying in the fetal position groaning like a wounded animal with the words "fuck it" tattooed on your forehead whereas recognizing you're flogging a dead horse at one thing but taking all of the receptivity and desire belief and energy etc that you had for it in the firstbplace and "shifting" it to the next thing to me is far from giving up. It simply becomes re-energizing : re-focussing : reworking the clay. If you cannot be vase be an urn.

Success on your own terms is the greatest of ALL successes . Giving up will never get you there but realizing as you go that it may not be about THIS but rather it may really be about THAT is in my opinion a necessary tool in the tool-kit of any success.

Those of you who may think Glass Tiger was a one hit wonder ?

I understand why you may think THIS but go to www.alanfrew.com and you'll find out just why it was never just about THIS it was really always about THAT and THAT and yes, ..,,,,THAT too ;)

Cheers Bob

Alan Frew author of The Action Sandwich (a six-step recipe to success doing what you're already doing).

_______________________________________

Subject: Re: Giving Up

Bob,
Love this! My dream had always firmly been to "make a living in the music industry." I have done that for 17 years now.

Of course, I thought "rock star" first, as a young man how could you not. But as time moved on and the industry changed, I realized I had to as well. That dream of rock star (singer/songwriter, guitarist, and frontman) would now also include: marketing, booker, composer, producer, publisher, licensor, writer, consultant, teacher; sometimes all in the same week!
But I did it, and am doing it.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with my aim, just gotta change the target"

Cheers to all who call this business home - in whatever neighborhood they live.

Michael St. James

_______________________________________

Subject: Re: Giving Up

When I was in high school my friend and I put on our first show as "promoters" at a VFW hall in Beech Grove, Indiana. We brought down two bands from Chicago -- Even Score & Trenchmouth. $5 to get in, I think.

Even Score featured a 19 year old singer named Tony Brummel who had just put out his third 7" on his label, Victory Records. Nobody had heard his band so before each song, he'd teach the kids the choruses so they could singalong. Clearly he had a bright future in marketing ahead of him.

I still have a set of photos from that show. I believe it was 1990. I met a lot of people there who are still friends.

Two years ago I was working the MTV movie awards (I wrote the MTV news pre-show) and a colleague and I saw Fred Armisen outside waiting for someone to bring him his ticket.

Normally I don't randomly approach actors but I had to talk to him about doing that Trenchmouth show in a VFW hall. He remembered it and spoke to me in the friendly and easy going shorthand of two DIY veterans rather than the "SNL star talking to MTV Movie Awards writer" one may expect.

In other words the guy totally rules. And Portlandia is so spot-on, it's ridiculous. Only someone who has experienced, loved (and somewhat loathed) the things on that show could lampoon them so effortlessly and so brilliantly.

Ryan Downey

_______________________________________

Subject: From Fred Armisen

Wow. You are incredibly nice. Thank you so much for your kind words.

F


--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25




--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --