Mailbag

From: Beau Willimon
Subject: From Beau Willimon (House of Cards)

Dear Bob,

Beau Willimon here - creator and show runner for HOC. My good friend Jordan Tappis got me hip to your Letters (which I have since subscribed to and devour rabidly every time one pops into my inbox). I just wanted to say that I was so humbled by and appreciative of the first Letter you wrote about early adopters and Netflix and the show. And delighted by the House of Cards Lessons Letter you sent out yesterday. You really get it - the show, the characters, what we're trying to do, and most importantly, the paradigmatic shift in TV. I can honestly say that no one has put it better than you, and for that I'm grateful. It's a big honor that you're a fan of the show. We're hard at work on Season Three, and I hope you enjoy it as much as the first two when it comes out. If you ever find yourself in the Baltimore area when we're filming, please do come visit set as my guest. I'd love to give you a tour of the stages, introduce you to the cast and have you join us and the crew for lunch.

All my best,
Beau

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Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Millennium/Max Martin
Date: February 21, 2014 9:19:11 PM PST

From the moment I heard Robyn's Show Me Love, I knew...the guy's a genius. Plain and simple. Just like Einstein, Da Vinci and Edison. Then he gave Baby One More Time to Clive Calder for Britney and changed all of our lives. I love him like a brother. Not only talented beyond description, but literally the greatest guy ever. I can't say enough about him.

Larry Rudolph

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From: Tom Rush
Subject: Re: The Mighty Storm

Bob,

My "Wasn't That a Mighty Storm" has only two chords, and I thought that was
pretty cool -- but PB Adams has me beat. ONE CHORD for 4 minutes and 22
seconds. We don't need no stinkin' changes!

Good track, thanks!

TR

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Subject: truisms

hey bob,

i use pencils with erasers.

malcolm holcombe

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Subject: Re: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees


I attended an industry event with Steve Perry a year ago, packed with "hip" and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted musicians. Guess who everyone wanted to meet?? Steve F***in Perry from Journey. He was by far, the coolest guy in the room. The reality that the Hall has failed to see in the past is that acts like Journey have stood the test of time and that's what is really hip and cool.
I'm hoping now that with the huge fan and industry reaction to Rush last year, along with a truly deserving class of 2014, the people who bestow this honor have finally dismounted the high horse.

John Dittmar
Pinnacle Entertainment

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From: Joe Taylor
Subject: RE: Turning The Tide

Agree re. music in schools. For me The Brit School has had a huge role in British music. Not only by educating some kids who turned into some of the biggest stars in the world, but also in changing the culture from a sort of shambling indie ethos where being too good a performer or musician was actually a barrier to media acceptance, to a culture that prizes good performance, interview technique, well constructed songs, all of that. There is a downside to all of this, but for me the upside is bigger - Britain is once again producing quality, mass appeal music that sells around the world.

Yours,

Joe

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From: Nicholas Celeste
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Todd Rundgren Primer

Dear Bob,

Thank you very much for recognizing the beauty and religion of of Todd Rundgren's music. Everyone should know about his greatness...if they didn't already...and that would be a shame. In saying that, it must be pointed out that although "Something/Anything?" was a perfect double album, performed entirely by Todd on 3 sides, the 4th side had the help of his friends. Although "Dust In The Wind" is a Todd classic, it should be mentioned that it was actually written by his friend and original Utopia keyboardist, Moogy Klingman. It was even (oddly) covered live 1993 outside the US by Guns N Roses with Axel Rose, being he was a Todd fan. Moogy was a great songwriter and even wrote the hit,"Friends," for Bette Midler, which Todd (I believe) was a part of her album from which it came. Moogy was ill and Todd recently reunited and toured with the original Utopia band with Moogy to raise medical funds for him. Unfortunately, during the tour, Moogy succumbed to his illness and passed away. Todd
is a "real man" and was a great friend to do that. Just wanted to give credit where credit is due. R.I.P. Mark "Moogy" Klingman.

Best,
Nick Celeste

Dust In The Wind - Todd and Utopia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1hSGWQx8rI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em2M5T2hl80

Dust In The Wind - Guns N Roses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SzWblRpAng

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From: Glen Burtnik
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Todd Rundgren Primer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS-64ce_bqE

Check out around 56:00

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From: Dave Thorn
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Todd Rundgren Primer

You're spot on Bob. He could write great stuff in his sleep.

Here's a quick story: last year's Philadelphia Folk Festival brought some rock to the event. Todd came with his band. No encores were allowed but he did one anyway. "I wrote this tune in a poor neighborhood in Philly - that HAS to be a folk song!". He went into Hello It's Me and the crowd loved it.

Next up was In The Pocket (http://songsinthepocket.org/), a loose bunch of Philly players headed by Davis Uosikkenen, the Hooters drummer. They record classic Philly tunes with part of the profits going to a local music school - it's good stuff. Todd came out and played Open My Eyes with them. The guy playing lead guitar is Steve Butler of Smash Palace (and my guitar teacher). Needless to say he was excited. ("I got to play with Todd") Over on the right is Rob Hyman of the Hooters and a bunch of the other guys.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrveUm0HlSg

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From: Wendy Waldman
Subject: Re: The Barricades Of Heaven

you get it!

Blessed were we who lived through and in that brief golden age -- as are any people who live through any golden age-- history shows us glimpses of those rare moments. Ours was spectacular, was and is misunderstood, was and is immensely powerful culturally, is under explored and underrated-- but that's not even relevant. Like any golden age, from classical Greece to the Renaissance to Paris in the early 20th century to Hollywood in its prime-- you had to be there. The rest is myth.

you definitely pegged it-- I suspect because the music went right into your veins and caught you. Californians come from everywhere- some born here, most not. I think one day you just realize you're a Californian. You know exactly what I mean.

anyhow, thus passes OUR golden age and blessed were and are we to have been there. And long live the music, the spirit and the memory of all the wonderful people who swam in that exciting tide-- many gone now, and like all things we will follow-- but the sand and the chaparral and the streets will tingle for years to come with the electricity of our time there.

some of us became myths, some not, but we all built this together. I'm so glad you caught this moment.

written to you, like any self respecting old California hippy musician, with the sound of the waves out my door in Puerto Vallarta ...

xx
wwaldman

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From: Christopher Kavanaugh
Subject: Damn you

Damn you, and facebook. As one of the wannabes, driving around the country in a stinking van for 10 years, add the 10 years before that building my style woodshedding, Spending 5 of those living in LA learning how the business worked. All I really learned from that was, Don't Play Covers and Don't Give Up. The people I saw who had any kind of success had played their own music at club, after club, after club, until finally they got their shot, some went to the top, others imploded on their own weight. So I'm finally recording, touring, doing OK for a while but I'm having nightmares about shows with no people, about spending endless days driving across deserts and tundra to get....

Never use drugs or drink before shows, that was the rule, nothing in the van and nothing when we practice but, but between the tours everything was OK. We lived nowhere, with no overhead, and easy access to everywhere, so living was easy, until it wasn't. When I finally gave up, I had to move to another state, I picked a place that seemed cool on tour, but I could no longer listen to music, I couldn't even pick up a guitar, even though I owned thousands of dollars of equipment, I couldn't face selling it and I couldn't touch it. Listening to music wasn't fun, all you heard was how its put together, like knowing how sausage was made, music had lost its taste.

It's been 19 years since my last show and I've started play guitar again, I've been giving my daughter lessons but, its not the same. Reconnected with some of the old people on Facebook but it's still not the same, never will be. The thing I know now, that when you're young, you don't know how slim your chances so you've gone on. Thanks for keeping the lights on.

Regards Chris

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Subject: Re: American Hustle

Hi Bob,

I wanted to respond to another letter of yours. This time I agree completely with what you've said. It's true, no one makes history by following the rules. I was just reading about how Bill Graham would stand at the top of the stairs at Fillmore West, collect the concert tickets, and then run them down to the box office to resell the same tickets.

To speak on your point about music business school not being able to teach kids how to become the next David Geffen, I am a proud student in Drexel University's Music Industry Program. However, in just a year and a half of attending this program, I have noticed that the kids who are going to be making it big are the ones who are embarking on their own endeavors: recording their own albums and EPs; producing, engineering, mixing, and mastering their friends' music; starting their own production, publishing, and record companies; etc, etc, etc. If I wanted to make a name for myself at this school and in Philadelphia, I would have to do more than just follow the rules and get good grades.

Realizing this, I decided to finally start up my merchandising company. In just the two months that I've been working on it, I've made two really great sales, and I'm about to make a really big one this week, selling Homecoming t-shirts to the students at our Homecoming Dance Party concert. And the great thing about it is, there is hardly ever a risk. I make the shirts for X price, and sell them to the client/band/artist for X price times my profit margin, and I automatically make a profit. Then it's up to the artists to sell the shirt in an attempt to at least break even before their almost inevitable break-up. Sure, maybe it's somewhat scummy of me to capitalize on a band's merchandise needs, knowing that it will probably result in a loss for them. But as you pointed out, I guess maybe I'm just following in the footsteps of the founding fathers of the modern music industry.

Granted, I'm not that scummy, I do try to help promote the bands that I work with, and making a profit is just business. But I do understand how what I do and the profits that I make could be perceived as scummy or selfish.

That's all for now.

Sincerely,
Lauren Altman

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From: Michael Krumper
Subject: Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Todd Rundgren Primer

I worked with Paul Fishkin product managing Poe at Atlantic, he's the best. The fact that "We Gotta Get You a Woman" was written for him is the ultimate; he could've stopped working right after Todd Rundgren wrote a song for him. It doesn't get much better. Then again, Fountains of Wayne did the same for my wife and I, so I guess that's close….

Fountains Of Wayne – Michael and Heather At The Baggage Claim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbi2QKaXrBY

Heather & I pretty much tear up every time we hear it, so we do so sparingly--a love song written for you by your favorite band is powerful stuff.

Here's the story: I managed the earliest version of FOW at Gold Mountain. They were named The Wallflowers back then, before they sold their name to Jakob Dylan for either 3 or 5K (Jakob says the former, Adam the latter). They were then called Pinwheel, and all their stuff was wistful, Aztec Camera/Prefab Sprout/Go-Betweens inspired. I had a batch of A&R people down to a Pinwheel showcase at CBGB, and no one bit. A lot of those demos are on "Out of State Plates"; I have a drawer full in my attic.

Then they recorded a demo as Fountains. It was around the time that Weezer broke, and I've always thought that inspired them to let the snark fly in their songs. The cassette had the first three songs on their debut on it, in order. By that point I was at Atlantic, and Steve Yegelwel and I brought the band in and signed them, I was their product manager.

At my bachelor party, Adam & Chris backed me up and we played as 'Fountains of Krumper' at a Tribeca bar. I (badly) sang "I've Been Waiting", the dB's "Big Brown Eyes", "Cynical Girl" and the Lemonheads' "Into Your Arms". Then Heather and I reprised it at our wedding; there's footage somewhere.

Thanks,

Mike

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From: Ellen Ginsburg
Subject: RE: "Governor Christie Traffic Jam"

Are people really surprised Christie clogged a major artery?

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From: Pugh Boy
Subject: Re: Christie

"Kind of like the plethora of Republicans who don't believe in evolution."

SO random. Sketchy theories like evolution are questionable Bob.


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