The best band you've never heard.
It matters what label you're on, and whether you're a priority. And being on RCA left the Silencers not a priority and with no career, as the label was in transition. But the only records I played more in the nineties were those of Shawn Colvin, although the sound is nothing similar.
ANSWER ME
The opening track on the second album, "A Blues For Buddha," I heard this on a cassette deck in the parking lot of the Le Parc Hotel and was immediately swayed.
It was passionate radio promotion man Kevin Sutter who implored me to give it a chance, and I was immediately blown away, I wanted a CD, just to hear this mellifluous number once again.
It starts quietly and builds, like a band walking over a hill through the mist into your burg.
Why is it the music I like most has acoustic elements, why am I a sucker for a good voice, why is it the music that moves me most is never a classic Top Forty hit but stuff like "Answer Me," with its violin and infectious groove... If this is your wheelhouse it will BLOW YOUR MIND!
PAINTED MOON
Actually, the band got airplay on this, from their 1987 debut, "A Letter From St. Paul."
This is hooky, and you can see why radio went on it, but it never broke through, but that does not mean it's not great.
A LETTER FROM ST. PAUL
The title track. Essentially an instrumental, with a spoken interlude...that letter.
This will set your mind free and make you think about the possibilities.
I love it!
BLUE DESIRE
Even more, I like this. Wasn't always so, but you know how you end up knowing the cut after your favorite because the album slips into it... "Blue Desire" comes after "A Letter From St. Paul."
It's the vocal... As if you stumbled into an alley and the song is being sung in confidence, just to you, whew!
If you check this out you won't believe it, that something this good is buried on Spotify, awaiting your click.
I OUGHT TO KNOW
What a great expression!
Getting into the second album first, it was always my favorite, but the cognoscenti were correct, the debut is better. This comes before "A Letter From St. Paul" and "Blue Desire" on side two, and doesn't hook you quite immediately, but when you hear the chorus...
POSSESSED
Sounds like it, like the band was so!
This album, the debut, "A Letter From St. Paul," sat in the CD changer in the trunk of my car for YEARS!
In a perfect world, my world, the Silencers would be known by everybody.
THE REAL MCCOY
Now back to the second, 1988's "A Blues For Buddha."
They don't make music like this anymore, jaunty, that you can't help but move your body to.
SKIN GAMES
Positively incredible. The intro is so ethereal. And then they hit the substance, the groove. It's a trip into interstellar space equivalent to the one the Moody Blues took us on, but it sounds nothing like the work of that hit group.
"A Blues For Buddha" was produced by Flood, alas, it had even less impact than the debut.
BULLETPROOF HEART
And then the band splintered and changed, that's what happens when you don't get the respect and success you deserve, and what followed wasn't as good, but...
This was a cover of Jimme O'Neill's work with his first band, Fingerprintz, on Virgin, which had even less success than the Silencers.
"Dance To The Holy Man," the 1991 album it's from, is not on Spotify, so I'm utilizing the version from the Silencers' live album "A Night Of Electric Silence."
ONE INCH OF HEAVEN
Also in its live iteration.
I CAN FEEL IT
From the fourth album, 1993's "Seconds Of Pleasure."
Once again, from the live album, since the studio LP is not on Spotify, and "Seconds Of Pleasure" is spotty, but this cut is as good as the stuff from the first and second albums.
So there you have it. If you dive in and get it, know that the initial two albums have not a clunker between them.
But other than in France, the band never happened.
So Jimme O'Neill moved there.
But Elton John is not tracking him down to do duets, he's just fading into the distance, but in my world, he and his band are SUPERSTARS!
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1iWsUqr
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Friday 9 May 2014
Thursday 8 May 2014
Daniel Glass & Amanda Palmer at Canadian Music Week
I just interviewed them, this is what I learned...
DANIEL GLASS
1. Word of the year...RELENTLESS! That's a key to Daniel's success, his unflagging devotion to getting it done.
2. Last year's word...INSPIRATION! You can't create if you've got no inspiration. Keith Richards told Daniel to go to Marrakesh, Daniel did, he's traveled the world to get recharged and inspired. That's where the great music comes from, that's why so many of the great records were cut in unique, out of the way, locations. Whether they be Headley Grange or the Chateau. You mix it up and you get ideas. So get out of the house and experience!
3. The live show is what closes Glassnote on the act.
4. If Daniel can't see the act being on terrestrial radio, he doesn't sign it. He learned this lesson from Jerry Moss. There's a treasure trove of wisdom out there if you mine it.
5. He pays out 50% to the artists on recordings. That may change, a la Martin Mills/Beggars, but Daniel believes in fair deals. If everybody's not happy, it doesn't work. He had one treacherous negotiation, he regrets it.
6. If you want to be on another label, do so. Glassnote is only interested in those who are only interested in them.
7. He doesn't hire anybody from major labels, because he doesn't want to untrain them, to hear the old war stories and how they did it where they used to work.
8. Everybody but his general manager is under thirty, you must be willing to work 7 days a week, or Glassnote is not for you.
9. You must read the Sunday "New York Times." It's a requirement of employment at Glassnote.
10. Terrestrial radio usually doesn't get the new and different. Don't try to find something that fits a slot, discover something unique and bring radio to it. That's why the live show must be so good. So Daniel can bring radio programmers to the gig to be closed.
11. Glassnote wants the merch. They've got an in-house guy who does it. If the act becomes really big, they'll make a deal with a larger company. On big acts, as much as 40% of merch is sold outside the venue, i.e. not at the gig.
12. Glassnote does not require a 360. Does not require you to sign publishing, although they do have a publishing company with six employees focused on syncs.
13. Satellite radio counts. It's where acts get started, get their buzz.
14. Don't be afraid of new technology/ideas. While everybody else decried Spotify, Glassnote embraced it. There's no money in being rooted to the past, and there's a ton of money in the future.
15. Nothing advertises your label more than successful acts. If someone's interested in signing to Glassnote, Daniel says to talk to Phoenix or Mumford or... Treat people right. Karma...it comes back.
AMANDA PALMER
1. Was an outsider. Not one of the cool kids in either high school or college.
2. Became a living statue while on a school program in Germany. The key to success was being GOOD!
3. Was a stripper. Learned that more important than getting one dollar from fifty patrons is getting fifty dollars from one. That's Amanda's perspective, get hard core fans who believe.
4. Threw her own gigs to get started, in the communal house she lived in.
5. Hired an internet team after a guy at a gig told her she needed his services. Told her label they needed to hire him. The label said they would...for one month, just before the album came out. This inspired her to leave her label. The label is frequently behind the times, by interacting with friends/fans you stay informed.
6. Doesn't repeat herself. Sold over 10k worth of t-shirts via Twitter, but that was 2009, when the service was new, that's not replicable now.
7. Probably won't do another Kickstarter, because of fan fatigue.
8. Has no problem asking for money, it's all about trust. Don't beg for money, don't ask fans to help you survive, ask them to help you out with your project.
9. Felt misunderstood over the paying her musicians controversy. She'd been doing this forever, but now people who didn't know her were judging her. If she had to do it all over again, she'd stick to her guns. But her goal at the time was...just make this go away. In other words, the internet agitators win too much. It takes a lot of strength to stand up to the crowd. But what people really want is someone who does this...
10. The little people are often more powerful than the big people. Amanda sold the aforementioned Twitter t-shirts because she called up her web guy at 11 PM on a Friday night in Vermont who put it up on her website...would a big company do that?
11. Lives for fan interaction, can't stop refreshing her Twitter feed.
12. Lives to create, wants to do it all.
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DANIEL GLASS
1. Word of the year...RELENTLESS! That's a key to Daniel's success, his unflagging devotion to getting it done.
2. Last year's word...INSPIRATION! You can't create if you've got no inspiration. Keith Richards told Daniel to go to Marrakesh, Daniel did, he's traveled the world to get recharged and inspired. That's where the great music comes from, that's why so many of the great records were cut in unique, out of the way, locations. Whether they be Headley Grange or the Chateau. You mix it up and you get ideas. So get out of the house and experience!
3. The live show is what closes Glassnote on the act.
4. If Daniel can't see the act being on terrestrial radio, he doesn't sign it. He learned this lesson from Jerry Moss. There's a treasure trove of wisdom out there if you mine it.
5. He pays out 50% to the artists on recordings. That may change, a la Martin Mills/Beggars, but Daniel believes in fair deals. If everybody's not happy, it doesn't work. He had one treacherous negotiation, he regrets it.
6. If you want to be on another label, do so. Glassnote is only interested in those who are only interested in them.
7. He doesn't hire anybody from major labels, because he doesn't want to untrain them, to hear the old war stories and how they did it where they used to work.
8. Everybody but his general manager is under thirty, you must be willing to work 7 days a week, or Glassnote is not for you.
9. You must read the Sunday "New York Times." It's a requirement of employment at Glassnote.
10. Terrestrial radio usually doesn't get the new and different. Don't try to find something that fits a slot, discover something unique and bring radio to it. That's why the live show must be so good. So Daniel can bring radio programmers to the gig to be closed.
11. Glassnote wants the merch. They've got an in-house guy who does it. If the act becomes really big, they'll make a deal with a larger company. On big acts, as much as 40% of merch is sold outside the venue, i.e. not at the gig.
12. Glassnote does not require a 360. Does not require you to sign publishing, although they do have a publishing company with six employees focused on syncs.
13. Satellite radio counts. It's where acts get started, get their buzz.
14. Don't be afraid of new technology/ideas. While everybody else decried Spotify, Glassnote embraced it. There's no money in being rooted to the past, and there's a ton of money in the future.
15. Nothing advertises your label more than successful acts. If someone's interested in signing to Glassnote, Daniel says to talk to Phoenix or Mumford or... Treat people right. Karma...it comes back.
AMANDA PALMER
1. Was an outsider. Not one of the cool kids in either high school or college.
2. Became a living statue while on a school program in Germany. The key to success was being GOOD!
3. Was a stripper. Learned that more important than getting one dollar from fifty patrons is getting fifty dollars from one. That's Amanda's perspective, get hard core fans who believe.
4. Threw her own gigs to get started, in the communal house she lived in.
5. Hired an internet team after a guy at a gig told her she needed his services. Told her label they needed to hire him. The label said they would...for one month, just before the album came out. This inspired her to leave her label. The label is frequently behind the times, by interacting with friends/fans you stay informed.
6. Doesn't repeat herself. Sold over 10k worth of t-shirts via Twitter, but that was 2009, when the service was new, that's not replicable now.
7. Probably won't do another Kickstarter, because of fan fatigue.
8. Has no problem asking for money, it's all about trust. Don't beg for money, don't ask fans to help you survive, ask them to help you out with your project.
9. Felt misunderstood over the paying her musicians controversy. She'd been doing this forever, but now people who didn't know her were judging her. If she had to do it all over again, she'd stick to her guns. But her goal at the time was...just make this go away. In other words, the internet agitators win too much. It takes a lot of strength to stand up to the crowd. But what people really want is someone who does this...
10. The little people are often more powerful than the big people. Amanda sold the aforementioned Twitter t-shirts because she called up her web guy at 11 PM on a Friday night in Vermont who put it up on her website...would a big company do that?
11. Lives for fan interaction, can't stop refreshing her Twitter feed.
12. Lives to create, wants to do it all.
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Trinity Taverna
I can't resist the carbs. And I'm insulin resistant. Which may account for my hangover this morning, even though my alcohol days are decades behind me.
Yup, that's what my nutritionist says. I eat bread or pasta and my sugar spikes and I get high and then I crash. But the problem is I can't say no. Put some bread on the table, even that awful spongy stuff, and I've got to have some. And dessert! On my own I can say no, but when we're all there together it's a party, and we all want to have fun.
And that's what we did last night at Trinity Taverna, have a party.
But not a west coast party, but an east coast one, an intellectual one, I haven't had such stimulating conversation in eons.
Our concierge was Jake Gold, T.O. man about town. He's the one who picked this Greek restaurant by the beach. Didn't know there was a beach in Toronto? Many don't. Let's just call it "the Lake."
And Amanda Palmer. She's writing a book. It was fascinating to hear how her TED talk led to so many opportunities. If you're not afraid to go through one door, many more will open thereafter. Assuming you can get that first door to open, Amanda is a fifteen year overnight success.
And Hayley Rosenblum, the music diva at Kickstarter. She did college radio, she worked for Ms. P. She's 26 and just living in her own apartment and if you want to get on the fast track, laden with money and perks, music is not your avenue, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll, and that's all you may get, the ability to stand with your brethren and rock out.
And Jian Gomeshi. Once upon a time in a band, but now Canada's foremost interviewer, with his show Q, also featured on public radio throughout the United States.
And what did we discuss?
Rape culture. It came up on Jian's show, there was controversy. Too many people in public shy away from controversy.
Turns out there was an issue on Kickstarter, with a book that told how to pull girls. And Amanda doesn't believe there should be limits on art, and neither do I, but if you put a business entity in between... This was David Geffen's point with Geto Boys. They've got a right to make it, I've got a right not to put it out.
And Jian was lamenting the fact that everything blows up quickly today and there's a rush to judgment.
In other words, Donald Sterling made those statements but did he need to be excommunicated from the NBA just that fast or should we have thought about it, and what's just as fascinating is the fact that in a matter of weeks nobody will be talking about Sterling, but he'll still be feeling the consequences.
Not that there should be no consequences. But once again, where's the line and what's the penalty. We forgive Anthony Weiner once, but we refused to do so again. And Eliot Spitzer can't even be New York City's comptroller, no one's forgiving him.
And we're living in an era of cultural whiplash. Where Amanda Palmer can be famous for raising money, but not famous for her music. And this bothers her.
And me.
The same way she had no idea who Luke Bryan was.
You think someone's a star. But the truth is, many people have no idea who that person is.
And I'm fascinated by the death of Twitter, yes, that's what the "Atlantic" has to say: http://bit.ly/1mdzukw And save your contrary opinions, but ain't that America, where everybody says something is happening until it's not. Kind of like BlackBerry. Its death was hiding in plain sight. Is Twitter's?
Now I'm not saying we won't get real time news. But I am saying we probably won't get it from me and you, but from the truly famous, who are pulling away from the hoi polloi while the latter don't realize it. You can post on the comment thread, you can hate tweet, but that doesn't mean anybody reads it.
But underlying the discussion last night was the food.
And I want to tell you about the octopus, with an aged balsamic glaze. Hayley's anti-seafood, but even she tried and liked it.
I loved it. It was barely rubbery and oh-so-tasty.
And when the bill came I felt like nothing so much as an adult.
That's what's wrong with too many in the music game, they never grow up. They age, but they cling to their youth, their leather jackets and tattoos, believing if they just look the part they will remain rebels.
But aging ain't such a bad thing, it gives you perspective and wisdom. The ability to ask the hard questions and triumph.
And that's what both Amanda and Jian have done. Played the game their own way and ended up with riches and power, ain't that the American Way?
http://www.trinitytaverna.com
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Yup, that's what my nutritionist says. I eat bread or pasta and my sugar spikes and I get high and then I crash. But the problem is I can't say no. Put some bread on the table, even that awful spongy stuff, and I've got to have some. And dessert! On my own I can say no, but when we're all there together it's a party, and we all want to have fun.
And that's what we did last night at Trinity Taverna, have a party.
But not a west coast party, but an east coast one, an intellectual one, I haven't had such stimulating conversation in eons.
Our concierge was Jake Gold, T.O. man about town. He's the one who picked this Greek restaurant by the beach. Didn't know there was a beach in Toronto? Many don't. Let's just call it "the Lake."
And Amanda Palmer. She's writing a book. It was fascinating to hear how her TED talk led to so many opportunities. If you're not afraid to go through one door, many more will open thereafter. Assuming you can get that first door to open, Amanda is a fifteen year overnight success.
And Hayley Rosenblum, the music diva at Kickstarter. She did college radio, she worked for Ms. P. She's 26 and just living in her own apartment and if you want to get on the fast track, laden with money and perks, music is not your avenue, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll, and that's all you may get, the ability to stand with your brethren and rock out.
And Jian Gomeshi. Once upon a time in a band, but now Canada's foremost interviewer, with his show Q, also featured on public radio throughout the United States.
And what did we discuss?
Rape culture. It came up on Jian's show, there was controversy. Too many people in public shy away from controversy.
Turns out there was an issue on Kickstarter, with a book that told how to pull girls. And Amanda doesn't believe there should be limits on art, and neither do I, but if you put a business entity in between... This was David Geffen's point with Geto Boys. They've got a right to make it, I've got a right not to put it out.
And Jian was lamenting the fact that everything blows up quickly today and there's a rush to judgment.
In other words, Donald Sterling made those statements but did he need to be excommunicated from the NBA just that fast or should we have thought about it, and what's just as fascinating is the fact that in a matter of weeks nobody will be talking about Sterling, but he'll still be feeling the consequences.
Not that there should be no consequences. But once again, where's the line and what's the penalty. We forgive Anthony Weiner once, but we refused to do so again. And Eliot Spitzer can't even be New York City's comptroller, no one's forgiving him.
And we're living in an era of cultural whiplash. Where Amanda Palmer can be famous for raising money, but not famous for her music. And this bothers her.
And me.
The same way she had no idea who Luke Bryan was.
You think someone's a star. But the truth is, many people have no idea who that person is.
And I'm fascinated by the death of Twitter, yes, that's what the "Atlantic" has to say: http://bit.ly/1mdzukw And save your contrary opinions, but ain't that America, where everybody says something is happening until it's not. Kind of like BlackBerry. Its death was hiding in plain sight. Is Twitter's?
Now I'm not saying we won't get real time news. But I am saying we probably won't get it from me and you, but from the truly famous, who are pulling away from the hoi polloi while the latter don't realize it. You can post on the comment thread, you can hate tweet, but that doesn't mean anybody reads it.
But underlying the discussion last night was the food.
And I want to tell you about the octopus, with an aged balsamic glaze. Hayley's anti-seafood, but even she tried and liked it.
I loved it. It was barely rubbery and oh-so-tasty.
And when the bill came I felt like nothing so much as an adult.
That's what's wrong with too many in the music game, they never grow up. They age, but they cling to their youth, their leather jackets and tattoos, believing if they just look the part they will remain rebels.
But aging ain't such a bad thing, it gives you perspective and wisdom. The ability to ask the hard questions and triumph.
And that's what both Amanda and Jian have done. Played the game their own way and ended up with riches and power, ain't that the American Way?
http://www.trinitytaverna.com
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Tuesday 6 May 2014
"E-Mail Of The Day"+
From: Julienne Reno
Subject: Re: The Prayer Decision
Secondary to the Christians?! Seriously? What nation are you living in? The Jews own and control everything. Try to stop a Muslim from praying in public and you're a bigot. Try to stop a Christian from praying in public and you are somehow assisting in the separation of church and state, or you're fighting for equality. And God (sorry- "god") forbid I want government help... I'm a young, white female. I must work for what I want or go without! The majority is becoming the minority. The white, Christian, middle-class American is fading into obsolescence, but somehow it is we who are sending the country to hell.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
From: robert ritchie
Subject: Re: Final Stagecoach/Day Three
In the words of Bob Seger - "S**t, I've known that for 10 years!" (actually about 20, but you get it!) Rock radio missed the boat. They should be the ones playing, embracing the alt country acts instead of the same old new metal b.s. So many of those super talented acts that country does not have room for should have a home at rock radio. I believe that would help music, especially rock n roll, tremendously. If a cool, trend setting station like K-ROCK wanted to do this - they could! Hopefully rock radio wakes up before XM puts em out of buisness. Put another dime in the jukebox baby!
Robert Ritchie / Kid Rock
_____
Subject: Re: Foghat
Dear Bob,
Just wanted to point out a couple of facts regarding Jeff Laufer's email in
your Mailbag. And I DO remember the House of Blues show. It was
a lot of fun as I recall. But then again, I have been accused of usually
having too much fun.
We actually did record those 'unplugged' versions on the 1994 release of
"Return of the Boogie Men". It was when the original band first got back
together. At first I wasn't too sure about 'acoustic'... hmmm... but I saw
the light and enjoyed doing it and working with Tom Dawes who produced the
record. We also did an acoustic version of "I Just Want To Make Love to
You" on that same album.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/I+Just+Want+To+Make+Love+To+You+acoustic/3aag9n?src=5
Also, Paul Fishkin was the president of the record company not our manager
and it was released on his label Modern Records. Eventually ended up on
Atlantic.
Thanks again Bob. There is so much misinformation out there about us that I
just wanted to clarify this bit.
Keep on Rockin'
Roger Earl
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Subject: Re: The Prayer Decision
Secondary to the Christians?! Seriously? What nation are you living in? The Jews own and control everything. Try to stop a Muslim from praying in public and you're a bigot. Try to stop a Christian from praying in public and you are somehow assisting in the separation of church and state, or you're fighting for equality. And God (sorry- "god") forbid I want government help... I'm a young, white female. I must work for what I want or go without! The majority is becoming the minority. The white, Christian, middle-class American is fading into obsolescence, but somehow it is we who are sending the country to hell.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
From: robert ritchie
Subject: Re: Final Stagecoach/Day Three
In the words of Bob Seger - "S**t, I've known that for 10 years!" (actually about 20, but you get it!) Rock radio missed the boat. They should be the ones playing, embracing the alt country acts instead of the same old new metal b.s. So many of those super talented acts that country does not have room for should have a home at rock radio. I believe that would help music, especially rock n roll, tremendously. If a cool, trend setting station like K-ROCK wanted to do this - they could! Hopefully rock radio wakes up before XM puts em out of buisness. Put another dime in the jukebox baby!
Robert Ritchie / Kid Rock
_____
Subject: Re: Foghat
Dear Bob,
Just wanted to point out a couple of facts regarding Jeff Laufer's email in
your Mailbag. And I DO remember the House of Blues show. It was
a lot of fun as I recall. But then again, I have been accused of usually
having too much fun.
We actually did record those 'unplugged' versions on the 1994 release of
"Return of the Boogie Men". It was when the original band first got back
together. At first I wasn't too sure about 'acoustic'... hmmm... but I saw
the light and enjoyed doing it and working with Tom Dawes who produced the
record. We also did an acoustic version of "I Just Want To Make Love to
You" on that same album.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/I+Just+Want+To+Make+Love+To+You+acoustic/3aag9n?src=5
Also, Paul Fishkin was the president of the record company not our manager
and it was released on his label Modern Records. Eventually ended up on
Atlantic.
Thanks again Bob. There is so much misinformation out there about us that I
just wanted to clarify this bit.
Keep on Rockin'
Roger Earl
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Food For Thought-The Skip
"The Skip ": http://musicmachinery.com/2014/05/02/the-skip/
This is what you're up against.
Used to be the hard part was getting your track on the radio.
Now the hard part is getting people to listen to the end.
We've gone from a captive, limited marketplace to one in which everything is available and you can get me to click, but good luck getting me to stay.
And don't call it short attention span theatre, call it an incredible b.s. detector. People only want what appeals to them, instantly, that is great.
There are exceptions. Online word of mouth can get people to stay, but that word has to be deafening.
To quote from the article:
"The likelihood that a song will be skipped within the first five seconds is an astounding 24.14%."
This is utilizing the Spotify data.
And this also illustrates why the hoi polloi enjoy free Pandora for now, but probably not for the future. Because you can't skip enough!
We only want what we want 24/7.
----------------------------
Track skipped in first ten seconds: 28.97%
Track skipped in first thirty seconds: 35.05%
Track skipped before song finishes: 48.6%
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This is what you're up against.
Used to be the hard part was getting your track on the radio.
Now the hard part is getting people to listen to the end.
We've gone from a captive, limited marketplace to one in which everything is available and you can get me to click, but good luck getting me to stay.
And don't call it short attention span theatre, call it an incredible b.s. detector. People only want what appeals to them, instantly, that is great.
There are exceptions. Online word of mouth can get people to stay, but that word has to be deafening.
To quote from the article:
"The likelihood that a song will be skipped within the first five seconds is an astounding 24.14%."
This is utilizing the Spotify data.
And this also illustrates why the hoi polloi enjoy free Pandora for now, but probably not for the future. Because you can't skip enough!
We only want what we want 24/7.
----------------------------
Track skipped in first ten seconds: 28.97%
Track skipped in first thirty seconds: 35.05%
Track skipped before song finishes: 48.6%
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Monday 5 May 2014
The Prayer Decision
I said the Lord's Prayer.
One of the great disillusionments of my adulthood is the rejection of sixties values.
Oh, you remember the sixties, wherein the younger generation questioned everything "the establishment" stood for and we ended up with women's rights, abortion and "Sgt. Pepper," and some people are still pissed about it.
"Question authority." That was one of the precepts of the age.
But today it's all about authority, unless you're in tech, wherein you create products the boomers in power can't understand and when they finally do, you're on to the next thing.
"Love your brother." What would John Lennon say today? Would he follow music titans like Bono and Justin Timberlake into tech investing or would he refuse to get with the program and continue to rail about injustice?
Injustice is for pussies.
Scalping was a distant threat, something almost never encountered in the sixties. You lined up for tickets and you got what was left.
Now scalping is institutionalized, with StubHub and the appearance of secondary market tickets on Ticketmaster. What next, am I gonna have to pay a scalper for food and rent? Are we devolving into Russia, where payoffs rule the country and the top 1% rule everything?
Sure we should be worried about Putin's incursion into Ukraine, but even more we should question ourselves, as we fight for truth, justice and the American Way as we throw our principles out the window, with incarcerated people left uncharged, never mind tried.
And now comes this prayer decision.
How did we get here?
The Federalist Society. Look it up. It was a concerted effort by the right wing to infiltrate the judiciary.
And Republican Presidents... Who nominated men to the Supreme Court whose whole ethos seems to be to undercut the sixties.
Prayer at public meetings in public places constitutionally protected?
It seems like comic books have taken over not only the movies, but real life, for we're now living in Bizarroland.
Once upon a time I was a little boy. I was in the first grade. We pledged allegiance and we said a prayer. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS A CHRISTIAN ONE!
"Our daily bread?"
I had no idea what that meant, but I repeated it until the Supreme Court said school prayer was unconstitutional.
But now under the guise of "freedom," of lawlessness in a land where crime is decreasing, the rights of the accused have been undercut and we kill our prisoners and black men overpopulate prisons and I wonder if our country is going in the right direction.
We do not live in a Christian nation. The founding fathers were Deists. We rail against religious-run Mideast nations and then we approve of religion in our own institutions...what makes us any better!
Where does it stop, what gets your blood boiling, where do you make a stand?
Once upon a time we had the draft, it was easy to protest an unjust war because you were afraid of getting killed, but now you can't question United States military involvement because you're not supporting the troops, you're not supporting our country...USA, USA! But if your ass was on the line...
And now you can't get abortion, even though the unwanted no longer have the safety net they once did, because everybody should be an individual who never makes a bad choice and is able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Even though religious leaders get caught with their private parts in the wrong place all the time and so many anti-abortion crusaders have had one.
And climate change can't be addressed because the world's gonna end anyway, that's what it says in the Bible. And business must be protected at all costs, because the .1% are our deities, creating jobs and raining down cash and opportunity on the rest of us.
Wrong.
But that's our nation, where money trumps everything, even though most people haven't got any.
But do you expect the nation to embrace the concept of consumer spending, acknowledging it drives the country, when taxes are evil and if you lose a tire in a pothole it's your fault?
I'm Jewish. And if you don't think there's anti-semitism in our nation, you're not.
And there are atheists and Muslims and Baha'is and all kinds of practitioners. But now we're all secondary to the Christians, because prayer is benign and we live in a religious country.
But that's bulldoody.
So I'm making a stand here.
Because your rights are being taken away every day.
And no one's standing up for you, no one with any power.
The politicians are owned by the corporations.
And the musicians are too.
All say their hands are tied, this is the way they do business.
And they're afraid of alienating anybody with any power.
Wars have been fought over religion. Our nation was founded upon a different principle.
But those days are through.
Along with the questioning values I grew up with.
So just line up behind people who played the game better than you did, who are richer and better connected than you are, who have your best interests at heart.
Wrong.
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One of the great disillusionments of my adulthood is the rejection of sixties values.
Oh, you remember the sixties, wherein the younger generation questioned everything "the establishment" stood for and we ended up with women's rights, abortion and "Sgt. Pepper," and some people are still pissed about it.
"Question authority." That was one of the precepts of the age.
But today it's all about authority, unless you're in tech, wherein you create products the boomers in power can't understand and when they finally do, you're on to the next thing.
"Love your brother." What would John Lennon say today? Would he follow music titans like Bono and Justin Timberlake into tech investing or would he refuse to get with the program and continue to rail about injustice?
Injustice is for pussies.
Scalping was a distant threat, something almost never encountered in the sixties. You lined up for tickets and you got what was left.
Now scalping is institutionalized, with StubHub and the appearance of secondary market tickets on Ticketmaster. What next, am I gonna have to pay a scalper for food and rent? Are we devolving into Russia, where payoffs rule the country and the top 1% rule everything?
Sure we should be worried about Putin's incursion into Ukraine, but even more we should question ourselves, as we fight for truth, justice and the American Way as we throw our principles out the window, with incarcerated people left uncharged, never mind tried.
And now comes this prayer decision.
How did we get here?
The Federalist Society. Look it up. It was a concerted effort by the right wing to infiltrate the judiciary.
And Republican Presidents... Who nominated men to the Supreme Court whose whole ethos seems to be to undercut the sixties.
Prayer at public meetings in public places constitutionally protected?
It seems like comic books have taken over not only the movies, but real life, for we're now living in Bizarroland.
Once upon a time I was a little boy. I was in the first grade. We pledged allegiance and we said a prayer. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS A CHRISTIAN ONE!
"Our daily bread?"
I had no idea what that meant, but I repeated it until the Supreme Court said school prayer was unconstitutional.
But now under the guise of "freedom," of lawlessness in a land where crime is decreasing, the rights of the accused have been undercut and we kill our prisoners and black men overpopulate prisons and I wonder if our country is going in the right direction.
We do not live in a Christian nation. The founding fathers were Deists. We rail against religious-run Mideast nations and then we approve of religion in our own institutions...what makes us any better!
Where does it stop, what gets your blood boiling, where do you make a stand?
Once upon a time we had the draft, it was easy to protest an unjust war because you were afraid of getting killed, but now you can't question United States military involvement because you're not supporting the troops, you're not supporting our country...USA, USA! But if your ass was on the line...
And now you can't get abortion, even though the unwanted no longer have the safety net they once did, because everybody should be an individual who never makes a bad choice and is able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Even though religious leaders get caught with their private parts in the wrong place all the time and so many anti-abortion crusaders have had one.
And climate change can't be addressed because the world's gonna end anyway, that's what it says in the Bible. And business must be protected at all costs, because the .1% are our deities, creating jobs and raining down cash and opportunity on the rest of us.
Wrong.
But that's our nation, where money trumps everything, even though most people haven't got any.
But do you expect the nation to embrace the concept of consumer spending, acknowledging it drives the country, when taxes are evil and if you lose a tire in a pothole it's your fault?
I'm Jewish. And if you don't think there's anti-semitism in our nation, you're not.
And there are atheists and Muslims and Baha'is and all kinds of practitioners. But now we're all secondary to the Christians, because prayer is benign and we live in a religious country.
But that's bulldoody.
So I'm making a stand here.
Because your rights are being taken away every day.
And no one's standing up for you, no one with any power.
The politicians are owned by the corporations.
And the musicians are too.
All say their hands are tied, this is the way they do business.
And they're afraid of alienating anybody with any power.
Wars have been fought over religion. Our nation was founded upon a different principle.
But those days are through.
Along with the questioning values I grew up with.
So just line up behind people who played the game better than you did, who are richer and better connected than you are, who have your best interests at heart.
Wrong.
--
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