"I don't want to change the world
I don't want the world to change me"
I'm surprised so much hell is being raised over the death of Lemmy Kilmister. Could it be that he's one of the few authentic rock stars left, who's doesn't care what you think, who's doing it for himself?
I think so.
And now he's gone.
I'd be lying if I said I was the biggest Motorhead fan, and Lemmy's fascination with Nazis was pretty creepy, but he was nobody other than himself, he gave it all for rock and roll, when that was a religion, an ethos, a way of life, when we looked to our stars for guidance, who at the same time were not giving it.
But for me the apotheosis of Lemmy's work is that he did with Ozzy Osbourne on the "No More Tears" album, wherein he cowrote lyrics for four songs, including "I Don't Want To Change The World."
Remember when we all weren't desirous of being liked, when being an outsider was a badge of honor? Lemmy did.
"Standing on the crossroads, world spinning round and round
Know which way I'm going, you can't bring me down"
Now everybody hangs on the words of rich assholes as if they have the key to life. Used to be life was your own personal adventure, you created it and you owned it.
"You know it ain't easy
You know it ain't fair
So don't try to please me
Because I really don't care"
Everybody cares too much today, they're fearful of offending a potential customer, the sui generis individual has gone away. To the point where when an original dies we lament the loss of past glory.
But Lemmy didn't.
"Don't tell me stories 'cause yesterday's glories
Have gone away, so far away"
There was no sense of history in rock and roll, the rules were broken again and again, and we looked up to these trailblazers, before the past was canonized in a Hall of Fame that does a good job of excluding those who pushed the envelope, who were dangerous, who were different, who really didn't care if you liked them or not. You don't hear Ian Anderson bitching about not being in the R&RHOF or Jon Anderson or Justin Hayward or John Lodge, but they were originals with huge, passionate audiences that the cognoscenti did not approve of. Kind of like Lemmy, he may not have reached as many, but if Patti Smith is in the Hall of Fame as an influencer, he should be too, just read the testimony of all the legendary rockers overwhelmed by his death.
"I'm living on an endless road
Around the world for rock and roll"
Motorhead never cut "I Don't Want To Change The World," but "Hellraiser" appeared on their 1992 album "March Or Die."
That's what bands used to do, travel around the world in an air of debauchery, leaving not only death and destruction in their wake, but children. This is the life every red-blooded male wanted a part of, what the groupies wanted to snuggle up to. Don't mistake today's touring behemoths with the stars of yesterday... There were no cameras, your life was as wild as you could imagine, you made it up as you went along, and you had millions hanging on every word.
"Sometimes it feels so tough
But I still ain't had enough"
Nights at the Rainbow, endless tours, Lemmy kept on keepin' on. He abused his body and continued to live the rock and roll lifestyle while too many of his contemporaries, especially those who came thereafter, were sucking up to those with the money, the faux stars known as bankers and techies, who don't have the cojones to march into the wilderness on their wits alone, with no VC money, willing to do something unpopular, winning all the while on their personality.
"Feeling all right in the noise and the light
But that's what lights my fire"
It can never be captured in video, you have to be there, to feel the pulse, the emotion, this guy Lemmy on stage WAS ROCK AND ROLL!
"Walking out on another stage
Another town, another place
Sometimes I don't feel right
Nerves wound up too damn tight"
That's what being a rock star is all about, the trappings come last, first and foremost it's a job, wherein the travel is endless and you're frequently unaware of the burg you're in, but you keep on nonetheless. Many do drugs just to cope, others drink copious amounts, to come down from the high of being on stage, experiencing all the adulation and the noise. It's why all the richies want access, because they don't have that in their own lives... No one's gonna cheer when Mark Zuckerberg takes the stage, certainly not Lloyd Blankfein.
"People keep telling me it's bad for my health
But kicking back don't make it
Out of control, I play the ultimate role
But that's what lights my fire"
And it lit our fire too. You couldn't get a ticket, rock and roll ruled the universe. That's what got Lemmy involved, he needed to be closer, being a roadie was good enough.
And then he played. And played and played. For decades. He couldn't do anything else, he'd sacrificed his entire life for rock and roll.
Like me.
Like you.
It's our God.
And when a parishioner dies we reel, we testify, we can't believe the Grim Reaper has taken another.
But then we circle the wagons, push a button and crank it up. Because we were born hellraisers. We've got contempt for the man, we ain't selling out to no corporation, our lives are about freedom to a pounding soundtrack turned up to 11.
Never forget it.
Long live the Ace of Spades!
"Hellraiser": http://spoti.fi/1Tolpgo
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Tuesday 29 December 2015
Monday 28 December 2015
Death
You've just got to make it to January 1st.
"Guess who died?"
That's how my father would wake up my mother most mornings. A notoriously late sleeper, my mom was the opposite of my eager beaver dad, who'd already been out buying donuts while the rest of were still under the covers. And having perused the Bridgeport "Post," he just couldn't help but inform my mother of the latest passings, even though she complained this was no way to be awakened.
I've turned into my dad. It happens surreptitiously, while you're not paying attention, as you get older, and then, sometime when you're an adult, you realize you've not only got your father's DNA imprinted upon you, but his identity too. You just can't shake it. And I can't stop telling people who died.
Like Snuff Garrett. Do you know the L.A. "Times" didn't even print an obituary? He produced Gary Lewis & the Playboys, and if that doesn't impress you, he did Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" and Cher's "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" and "Half-Breed" too. Amazing how the past is plowed under, if you weren't there it's like it didn't even happen. Does anybody remember the Commander, Mike Chapman? He and Nicky Chinn were gods decades back. But they're still alive, at least Chapman is...Chinn? Probably. But you get old enough and you can't remember who's passed and who hasn't. I laughed how Paul Simon and his band couldn't remember who was dead or alive in "One Trick Pony," now I know it's a function of age. It all becomes a blur. And soon you're gone too.
And a couple of weeks back, Luigi Creatore died. Don't worry, I didn't know him either, but I did know his songs, he and his partner Hugo Peretti, known together as Hugo & Luigi, produced Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him," one of the great singles of the sixties. And they produced Sam Cooke's "Twistin' the Night Away" and "Chain Gang," never mind "Wonderful World." And they not only did Jimmie Rodgers's "Honeycomb," they did Van McCoy's "The Hustle" too! And I'd never even heard of them! I wonder if the Grammys will make a big deal about them, their work will last longer than those of the acts nominated for Album of the Year. How come today's music never lasts?
Meanwhile, read Luigi Creatore's obituary here: http://nyti.ms/1mM8ri2, where you'll also learn Luigi was part of the team that did the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"...what a career!
And although you'll enjoy the history lesson, you'll be wowed by the picture of Snuff Garrett and his colleague Leon Russell in Garrett's obit. Once upon a time, Leon was not the Master of Space and Time, just another talented musician on the make: http://nyti.ms/1Vn0cow
And just yesterday, Little Stevie Wright of the Easybeats passed away. Vanda and Young get all the credit, but it was Little Stevie who sang the incredible vocal in "Friday On My Mind." What a track that was, I can remember hearing it over the PA on a bitter day at Brodie Mountain, now they're both gone. Live long enough and everything that was meaningful to you ceases to exist.
But it's not only musicians who succumb in December.
Meadowlark Lemon just died. Do youngsters know who he is? Back when the NBA was still white, the Harlem Globetrotters were as big or bigger than any of the league's teams. And its star was the clown known as Meadowlark, who lived around the corner from me in Fairfield, Connecticut. In a tract home. Where there wasn't another African-American around. I never saw Meadowlark in the flesh, but his son used to hang at the playground, he was a good dude.
And then there's Haskell Wexler, one of the best cinematographers of all time. Not only did he shoot "Coming Home," but he did "Bound for Glory," which looked like the Dust Bowl, and "Days of Heaven," one of the most richly beautiful films of all time. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, Wexler shot "American Graffiti" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and even "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." And it's not only the credits, it's the look, Wexler was an artist, someone unique. And at the height of his fame he made his own film, wrote and directed it too, called "Medium Cool." It made an indelible impression upon me, not only because of its visceral quality but because of the use of Love's song "Emotions" in it, as in "Arthur Lee and..." Wexler took a risk, put it all on the line, the Chicago Democratic Convention of '68 was a vital part of the film. This was back when artists stood for something, when they weren't so worried about their commerciality that they refused to
take a stand. I ran into Haskell at a Thanksgiving party last year. He didn't hear so well but was stunned that I knew who he was and had so much respect for him. And to think of all the bozos lapping up the accolades these days. Haskell Wexler was a giant, and the Oscars will make a big deal about his death. No, they won't, but you'll see him in the "In Memoriam" montage.
And how about Stein Eriksen? Ski Like Stein! That's what we all wanted to do, I got his book for Hanukkah. And watched him flip on TV. He was debonair and the true icon of skiing before Jean Claude Killy and was never eclipsed by the French master. I only saw him once, in front of his namesake lodge in Deer Valley.
And Ellsworth Kelly just passed, and Dave Henderson too!
And my uncle Herbie, my mother's brother.
I don't come from a large family. But now only my mother is left. Herbie lasted a long time, he died at 94, he was nearly 95. But I remember talking to him back in 2008, when he was wearing his Tufts hat, and he told me he went to the reunion but few attended, everybody else was dead. And you think you want to live forever, but you don't. Because not only do you become frail, all your friends are gone, you've got no commonality, no frame of reference. Don't envy those financial titans marrying twentysomethings, what do they talk about? We sang the theme song to "Car 54, Where Are You?" the other night, does anybody under fifty know that show? Under sixty? "There's a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights..."
And when you're young everything's new and you think you're going to live forever.
And then you age and you've seen it before but you understand it better, you've got context, you can deliver wisdom, but no one younger than you seems to care, they're all just doing it for themselves.
So we get this inane worship of the young and stupid. Honoring someone for their youth is like honoring someone for being born, it doesn't have much meaning, these individuals are far from fully-formed.
But then you become who you are, you've been there, done that and you pass.
It's the way of the world, but it's still incomprehensible. You were so vibrant and alive, and then no one cares about you anymore and just a few remember, no matter how great your contribution was.
So, if you're trying to leave your mark, if you're all about accumulation, you're missing out. The truth is we're all just grist for the mill and the best you can do is to have experiences and adventures that mean so much to you. Because ultimately you're the only one who cares, the rest of us keep on keepin' on, focused on our own little lives.
But when the giants fade away, when those who provided signposts in our lives are suddenly gone, we feel the emptiness, at least for a while, not only are we reminded of their humanity, their singular quality, their greatness, we're confronted with the fact that life is evanescent, that it can be snuffed nearly instantly.
So take care of yourself. Go to the doctor, get those tests, no one is invulnerable, no one gets out of here alive. When you're done, you're done, no matter what anybody says. So make the most of your time while you're here.
And know that people can have an impact. The ones mentioned above certainly did.
And pray that your loved ones make it through the holidays, it's the hardest time.
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"Guess who died?"
That's how my father would wake up my mother most mornings. A notoriously late sleeper, my mom was the opposite of my eager beaver dad, who'd already been out buying donuts while the rest of were still under the covers. And having perused the Bridgeport "Post," he just couldn't help but inform my mother of the latest passings, even though she complained this was no way to be awakened.
I've turned into my dad. It happens surreptitiously, while you're not paying attention, as you get older, and then, sometime when you're an adult, you realize you've not only got your father's DNA imprinted upon you, but his identity too. You just can't shake it. And I can't stop telling people who died.
Like Snuff Garrett. Do you know the L.A. "Times" didn't even print an obituary? He produced Gary Lewis & the Playboys, and if that doesn't impress you, he did Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" and Cher's "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" and "Half-Breed" too. Amazing how the past is plowed under, if you weren't there it's like it didn't even happen. Does anybody remember the Commander, Mike Chapman? He and Nicky Chinn were gods decades back. But they're still alive, at least Chapman is...Chinn? Probably. But you get old enough and you can't remember who's passed and who hasn't. I laughed how Paul Simon and his band couldn't remember who was dead or alive in "One Trick Pony," now I know it's a function of age. It all becomes a blur. And soon you're gone too.
And a couple of weeks back, Luigi Creatore died. Don't worry, I didn't know him either, but I did know his songs, he and his partner Hugo Peretti, known together as Hugo & Luigi, produced Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him," one of the great singles of the sixties. And they produced Sam Cooke's "Twistin' the Night Away" and "Chain Gang," never mind "Wonderful World." And they not only did Jimmie Rodgers's "Honeycomb," they did Van McCoy's "The Hustle" too! And I'd never even heard of them! I wonder if the Grammys will make a big deal about them, their work will last longer than those of the acts nominated for Album of the Year. How come today's music never lasts?
Meanwhile, read Luigi Creatore's obituary here: http://nyti.ms/1mM8ri2, where you'll also learn Luigi was part of the team that did the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"...what a career!
And although you'll enjoy the history lesson, you'll be wowed by the picture of Snuff Garrett and his colleague Leon Russell in Garrett's obit. Once upon a time, Leon was not the Master of Space and Time, just another talented musician on the make: http://nyti.ms/1Vn0cow
And just yesterday, Little Stevie Wright of the Easybeats passed away. Vanda and Young get all the credit, but it was Little Stevie who sang the incredible vocal in "Friday On My Mind." What a track that was, I can remember hearing it over the PA on a bitter day at Brodie Mountain, now they're both gone. Live long enough and everything that was meaningful to you ceases to exist.
But it's not only musicians who succumb in December.
Meadowlark Lemon just died. Do youngsters know who he is? Back when the NBA was still white, the Harlem Globetrotters were as big or bigger than any of the league's teams. And its star was the clown known as Meadowlark, who lived around the corner from me in Fairfield, Connecticut. In a tract home. Where there wasn't another African-American around. I never saw Meadowlark in the flesh, but his son used to hang at the playground, he was a good dude.
And then there's Haskell Wexler, one of the best cinematographers of all time. Not only did he shoot "Coming Home," but he did "Bound for Glory," which looked like the Dust Bowl, and "Days of Heaven," one of the most richly beautiful films of all time. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, Wexler shot "American Graffiti" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and even "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." And it's not only the credits, it's the look, Wexler was an artist, someone unique. And at the height of his fame he made his own film, wrote and directed it too, called "Medium Cool." It made an indelible impression upon me, not only because of its visceral quality but because of the use of Love's song "Emotions" in it, as in "Arthur Lee and..." Wexler took a risk, put it all on the line, the Chicago Democratic Convention of '68 was a vital part of the film. This was back when artists stood for something, when they weren't so worried about their commerciality that they refused to
take a stand. I ran into Haskell at a Thanksgiving party last year. He didn't hear so well but was stunned that I knew who he was and had so much respect for him. And to think of all the bozos lapping up the accolades these days. Haskell Wexler was a giant, and the Oscars will make a big deal about his death. No, they won't, but you'll see him in the "In Memoriam" montage.
And how about Stein Eriksen? Ski Like Stein! That's what we all wanted to do, I got his book for Hanukkah. And watched him flip on TV. He was debonair and the true icon of skiing before Jean Claude Killy and was never eclipsed by the French master. I only saw him once, in front of his namesake lodge in Deer Valley.
And Ellsworth Kelly just passed, and Dave Henderson too!
And my uncle Herbie, my mother's brother.
I don't come from a large family. But now only my mother is left. Herbie lasted a long time, he died at 94, he was nearly 95. But I remember talking to him back in 2008, when he was wearing his Tufts hat, and he told me he went to the reunion but few attended, everybody else was dead. And you think you want to live forever, but you don't. Because not only do you become frail, all your friends are gone, you've got no commonality, no frame of reference. Don't envy those financial titans marrying twentysomethings, what do they talk about? We sang the theme song to "Car 54, Where Are You?" the other night, does anybody under fifty know that show? Under sixty? "There's a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights..."
And when you're young everything's new and you think you're going to live forever.
And then you age and you've seen it before but you understand it better, you've got context, you can deliver wisdom, but no one younger than you seems to care, they're all just doing it for themselves.
So we get this inane worship of the young and stupid. Honoring someone for their youth is like honoring someone for being born, it doesn't have much meaning, these individuals are far from fully-formed.
But then you become who you are, you've been there, done that and you pass.
It's the way of the world, but it's still incomprehensible. You were so vibrant and alive, and then no one cares about you anymore and just a few remember, no matter how great your contribution was.
So, if you're trying to leave your mark, if you're all about accumulation, you're missing out. The truth is we're all just grist for the mill and the best you can do is to have experiences and adventures that mean so much to you. Because ultimately you're the only one who cares, the rest of us keep on keepin' on, focused on our own little lives.
But when the giants fade away, when those who provided signposts in our lives are suddenly gone, we feel the emptiness, at least for a while, not only are we reminded of their humanity, their singular quality, their greatness, we're confronted with the fact that life is evanescent, that it can be snuffed nearly instantly.
So take care of yourself. Go to the doctor, get those tests, no one is invulnerable, no one gets out of here alive. When you're done, you're done, no matter what anybody says. So make the most of your time while you're here.
And know that people can have an impact. The ones mentioned above certainly did.
And pray that your loved ones make it through the holidays, it's the hardest time.
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Sunday 27 December 2015
What You've Got To Know
1. Try to be great. In a world of overwhelming incompetence, where everybody's vying for attention, we seek and glom on to great, and tell everybody we know about it. Unfortunately, because of the plethora of information great does not ascend to the top of the totem pole instantly anymore, but it's the first step in the ladder to success. Forget the penumbra, the social media, the marketing, they're subservient to the underlying product/endeavor. Everything great sells itself. Sure, ultimately a push helps. But it's amazing how you can gain traction with great and great only. Great is hard to achieve. You know it when you get there. Your whole body tingles, you smile, you're self-satisfied, you don't even care if anybody else sees/hears what you've created, but you know when they do they're going to have a reaction. Don't play it safe, play for a reaction.
2. Beware of self-hype. Others with stronger personalities and better contacts and more money will spread the world how great they are. You'll read it in newspapers, online, and it will make you feel inadequate. Don't fall for the bait. Tireless self-promoter is a gig, but it's got nothing to do with art. Furthermore, in today's era, just because you get the word out that does not mean you gain traction. Also, "Hamilton" tells us you don't know what's going on unless you're in the room. Castles are built in the air, don't fall for the story, it's rarely true. People don't want to talk about the hard work, the payoffs, the manipulation, the lies and deceit. They want to make it look like everything fell into their lap and they're the luckiest person in the world. Don't buy it. Be skeptical, search for the real story. If you predicate your success on the footsteps/careers of others you will hit potholes, because you don't really know what they went through.
3. Play the long game. Now, more than ever, it's about being in it forever, not momentarily. Streaming pays over time and we've already forgotten every winner of the "Voice." News is a 24/7 enterprise with very little sticking. Tragically, the Planned Parenthood shooting was trumped by the massacre in San Bernardino. If you think you're going to win by dominating the news cycle, know that only those with the deepest pockets selling the blandest mainstream pop can win that game, and they rarely do.
4. Lead with your product, frontloading is passe. The advance buildup works for one time events like boxing matches. Art has a very long arc. If you squander your budget at the outset your product will probably die. Marketing is now about reaction, about finding a small fire and turning it into a conflagration.
5. Only the dumbest of the dumb believe the press releases. Do you want to appeal to this audience? Substance sells. It's just that substance takes a little bit longer to explain. If you're going to talk to a reporter, if you're going to post online, try to say something real, try to be genuine, this is what people react to.
6. Data rules. Now, more than ever, it's about the numbers. And the numbers don't lie. The Sorkin Steve Jobs movie tanked. As did Carly Rae Jepsen's album. Smoke and mirrors are passe. The younger generation knows this more than the oldsters. You can see the number of streams on Spotify and soon you'll have even more data indicating the success or lack thereof of your project. If your numbers are low, either be happy or change. Don't be sour grapes. No one's got time for that anymore, life is too hard. The tools of creation are at your fingertips, don't be afraid to remix your art, to pivot. Sometimes you change one little thing and the whole picture changes. Ignore/stop listening to those who keep doing the same thing and bitch they're not getting the attention they deserve.
7. Just because you were famous and made a living in the old pre-internet era that does not mean you're entitled to make a living in the new. That was an artificially controlled world, of scarcity. If you got through the barrier, people knew who you were. Now you have to earn your stripes. It may turn out with so much available, people are just not that interested in what you're doing. As for those lamenting the loss of the old model, you're now living in the most egalitarian era for art ever. It used to be nearly impossible to get a record deal. Now you can be your own record company. But don't expect just because you did it that people other than your mother and significant other will care. The bar has been raised, people have no time for mediocre, no time for good either. Sure, you need chops. But if those were enough the business would be ruled by Berklee graduates. No, what you need is inspiration. Which can come in an instant, any time, taking a shower, doing the dishes,
taking a walk. The fuller your life, the greater your inspiration. Don't be a slave to the screen.
8. Courage is underrated. The best put their lives on the line. They reveal their innermost thoughts so the rest of us can relate, so we don't feel so alone. Are you willing to go naked, are you willing to bare your soul? Don't confuse this with Instagram/Facebook. There's no context there, there's no art. We want to see humanity in a song.
9. You won't know what your one big break was until after it happened. A career is a long winding road upon which you must keep up hope, because you're going to be confronted with endless disappointments. If you think one missed opportunity killed your career, you're a chump.
10. You can work with the usual suspects, but we're most interested in that which is new and different, that's what turns our heads. Grunge eviscerated hair bands and if you think the popster paradigm is going to rule forever, you have no sense of history. No one is forever, change comes quickly and violently. That does not mean your left field project will break through, just that some left field project will break through.
11. If you're only in it for the money you're in the wrong profession. Art is about power. Touching someone's emotions, touching someone's soul, is richer and more valuable than any physical product ever. The key is to get people on your side with your truth and move mountains. We've equated successful artists with their bank accounts. We've got to equate artists with their minds. Today's artists play to the media, they take camera crews to their meetings with sick children, everything is promotion. Wrong. The best promotion is your identity encapsulated in your art. In their heyday Steely Dan didn't go on the road. Jefferson Airplane challenged the establishment at their peak, just listen to "Volunteers." John Lennon became an icon for stating that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, the truth. What kind of crazy world do we live in where Donald Trump owns the media by saying what no one else will, his personal truth, and every so-called "artist" is afraid of going on the record
for fear of alienating a potential customer. Quick, name the clergymen who got their flocks to burn Beatle records after John Lennon's comment. You can't. Insignificant players will gain the spotlight for a moment, but do not let them distract you from your mission. You will have moments of insecurity and doubt, you will be ready to give up. But don't do so because some bozo with a keyboard who lives in his mom's basement is jealous of your success and wants to keep you down.
12. We're always ready. For the new, the great, the exceptional. If you touch our souls we'll give you enough money to survive, and if you're asking for more than that, you're not an artist. Don't focus on cash but audience. If you're not trying to reach as many people as possible, you don't believe in your art. Sure, 1,000 true fans will keep you alive, but you'll have no social impact. Your goal is to put a dent in the universe. Start building your rocket.
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2. Beware of self-hype. Others with stronger personalities and better contacts and more money will spread the world how great they are. You'll read it in newspapers, online, and it will make you feel inadequate. Don't fall for the bait. Tireless self-promoter is a gig, but it's got nothing to do with art. Furthermore, in today's era, just because you get the word out that does not mean you gain traction. Also, "Hamilton" tells us you don't know what's going on unless you're in the room. Castles are built in the air, don't fall for the story, it's rarely true. People don't want to talk about the hard work, the payoffs, the manipulation, the lies and deceit. They want to make it look like everything fell into their lap and they're the luckiest person in the world. Don't buy it. Be skeptical, search for the real story. If you predicate your success on the footsteps/careers of others you will hit potholes, because you don't really know what they went through.
3. Play the long game. Now, more than ever, it's about being in it forever, not momentarily. Streaming pays over time and we've already forgotten every winner of the "Voice." News is a 24/7 enterprise with very little sticking. Tragically, the Planned Parenthood shooting was trumped by the massacre in San Bernardino. If you think you're going to win by dominating the news cycle, know that only those with the deepest pockets selling the blandest mainstream pop can win that game, and they rarely do.
4. Lead with your product, frontloading is passe. The advance buildup works for one time events like boxing matches. Art has a very long arc. If you squander your budget at the outset your product will probably die. Marketing is now about reaction, about finding a small fire and turning it into a conflagration.
5. Only the dumbest of the dumb believe the press releases. Do you want to appeal to this audience? Substance sells. It's just that substance takes a little bit longer to explain. If you're going to talk to a reporter, if you're going to post online, try to say something real, try to be genuine, this is what people react to.
6. Data rules. Now, more than ever, it's about the numbers. And the numbers don't lie. The Sorkin Steve Jobs movie tanked. As did Carly Rae Jepsen's album. Smoke and mirrors are passe. The younger generation knows this more than the oldsters. You can see the number of streams on Spotify and soon you'll have even more data indicating the success or lack thereof of your project. If your numbers are low, either be happy or change. Don't be sour grapes. No one's got time for that anymore, life is too hard. The tools of creation are at your fingertips, don't be afraid to remix your art, to pivot. Sometimes you change one little thing and the whole picture changes. Ignore/stop listening to those who keep doing the same thing and bitch they're not getting the attention they deserve.
7. Just because you were famous and made a living in the old pre-internet era that does not mean you're entitled to make a living in the new. That was an artificially controlled world, of scarcity. If you got through the barrier, people knew who you were. Now you have to earn your stripes. It may turn out with so much available, people are just not that interested in what you're doing. As for those lamenting the loss of the old model, you're now living in the most egalitarian era for art ever. It used to be nearly impossible to get a record deal. Now you can be your own record company. But don't expect just because you did it that people other than your mother and significant other will care. The bar has been raised, people have no time for mediocre, no time for good either. Sure, you need chops. But if those were enough the business would be ruled by Berklee graduates. No, what you need is inspiration. Which can come in an instant, any time, taking a shower, doing the dishes,
taking a walk. The fuller your life, the greater your inspiration. Don't be a slave to the screen.
8. Courage is underrated. The best put their lives on the line. They reveal their innermost thoughts so the rest of us can relate, so we don't feel so alone. Are you willing to go naked, are you willing to bare your soul? Don't confuse this with Instagram/Facebook. There's no context there, there's no art. We want to see humanity in a song.
9. You won't know what your one big break was until after it happened. A career is a long winding road upon which you must keep up hope, because you're going to be confronted with endless disappointments. If you think one missed opportunity killed your career, you're a chump.
10. You can work with the usual suspects, but we're most interested in that which is new and different, that's what turns our heads. Grunge eviscerated hair bands and if you think the popster paradigm is going to rule forever, you have no sense of history. No one is forever, change comes quickly and violently. That does not mean your left field project will break through, just that some left field project will break through.
11. If you're only in it for the money you're in the wrong profession. Art is about power. Touching someone's emotions, touching someone's soul, is richer and more valuable than any physical product ever. The key is to get people on your side with your truth and move mountains. We've equated successful artists with their bank accounts. We've got to equate artists with their minds. Today's artists play to the media, they take camera crews to their meetings with sick children, everything is promotion. Wrong. The best promotion is your identity encapsulated in your art. In their heyday Steely Dan didn't go on the road. Jefferson Airplane challenged the establishment at their peak, just listen to "Volunteers." John Lennon became an icon for stating that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, the truth. What kind of crazy world do we live in where Donald Trump owns the media by saying what no one else will, his personal truth, and every so-called "artist" is afraid of going on the record
for fear of alienating a potential customer. Quick, name the clergymen who got their flocks to burn Beatle records after John Lennon's comment. You can't. Insignificant players will gain the spotlight for a moment, but do not let them distract you from your mission. You will have moments of insecurity and doubt, you will be ready to give up. But don't do so because some bozo with a keyboard who lives in his mom's basement is jealous of your success and wants to keep you down.
12. We're always ready. For the new, the great, the exceptional. If you touch our souls we'll give you enough money to survive, and if you're asking for more than that, you're not an artist. Don't focus on cash but audience. If you're not trying to reach as many people as possible, you don't believe in your art. Sure, 1,000 true fans will keep you alive, but you'll have no social impact. Your goal is to put a dent in the universe. Start building your rocket.
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Thursday 24 December 2015
You Never Give Me Your Money
"Abbey Road" is not my favorite Beatles album.
But "You Never Give Me Your Money" is my favorite track on it.
By 1969 the Beatles had ascended to the superstar status they deserved, far beyond competitors like the Rolling Stones, never mind the American groups. I know that sounds funny, after breaking on to the scene in 1964 the Fab Four never left it, but we expected them to. Bands were evanescent, one hit wonders ruled. Not only did the Beatles usher in credibility and longevity, they constantly pushed the envelope, we never knew where they were going, they were ahead of us, so different from today, when the same guy makes all the same tunes and we're supposed to think that Taylor Swift is a breakthrough and the country acts employ Les Pauls to play a facsimile of seventies rock and roll.
But then came the White Album.
The breakthrough was "Sgt. Pepper." But it had no hit singles. It was different, but almost a last step, where do you go from there?
To a double LP with no cover art.
Of course there was an episode in between, the ill-fated "Magical Mystery Tour," with its glorious first side and second side of hits which was an EP in the UK, but no one ever saw that as a regular album, it just filled the gap, at Christmas, a marketing exercise in the U.S.
But no one was prepared for the White Album. Which inaugurated the concept of double albums to our detriment, especially in the CD era, where one CD is the length of an old school double vinyl album. But the White Album was imperfect, an endless sprawl, a journey to the center of the mind of four heroes who were suddenly somewhat more because of the illustration of their rough edges. Everybody had a favorite cut off of the White Album, whether the bombastic, laughable "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" or "Rocky Raccoon" or the slowed-down, non-hit version of "Revolution" (who leaves the hit off the album, never mind include "Revolution 9," which we neither understood nor liked but listened to.) The White Album permeated the consciousness of America's youth, was the coda to the tumultuous year of 1968, and then came "Abbey Road."
We heard rumors the band was breaking up. But they were only that. There was no information pipeline. You could be the biggest star in the world and live in near-privacy. All we had were the records and the radio, our aural soundtrack on the go, before the Walkman, never mind the MP3.
We knew the release date, we had cars, we bought it when it came out and you heard "Abbey Road" everywhere. We sang "Come Together" in the school library, Gary Fialk tapping out the rhythm with his fingers on the table and then we were off. George Harrison's "Something" was the big hit, we were stunned the way "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" ended so abruptly, as if someone lifted the needle at the end of the first side.
But really it was all about the second side, the suite.
After "Here Comes The Sun," one of George Harrison's sweetest numbers, presaging his gigantic success with "All Things Must Pass" the following year.
The most famous song on the second side was "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," because of its obtuse lyrics and the fact that we already knew it, having been included on dearly-departed Joe Cocker's second LP in a similar arrangement.
After buying the LP the one I couldn't get over was "Polythene Pam," because of the aggressiveness and the intensity and the stereo effects going from ear to ear in my headphones.
At this late date one can argue that the most memorable song is "The End," with its endlessly repeated quote, "The love you take is equal to the love you make."
But forty-odd years later, the one I love best, the one that goes through my brain, is "You Never Give Me Your Money."
Maybe it's the piano intro, so honest and reflective. With the distorted guitar leavening the sound as it goes on. Remember when guitars were the essence of rock and roll, remember when we all lived for rock and roll?
"You never give me your money
You only give me your funny paper
And in the middle of negotiations you break down"
Now the problem with the Beatles is they've been overanalyzed, speak your personal truth and some scholar will come out of the woodwork and tell you your interpretation is wrong. But the truth is when we became indoctrinated by these tunes, we knew no backstory, all we had was our own reaction, and as Bob Dylan told us, this was the most important. And money was important in 1969, but it was not the religion it is today, it was a means to survival. Once you had enough you could get in your VW bus or stick out your thumb and set out across this great county of ours, go on an adventure, back when where you went and what you experienced was more important than what you accumulated.
"I never give you my number
I only give you my situation
And in the middle of investigation I break down"
Reluctance, obfuscation, the exact opposite of twenty first century living wherein everybody reveals everything all the time, where being overexposed is the essence of life. We say we're individuals, but really we're just parroting each other, looking to fit in.
"Out of college money spent
See no future pay no rent
All the money's gone, nowhere to go"
Ain't that a laugh.
Of course there are those who cannot get jobs living with mom and dad, but the truth is everybody today is a winner, at least in their own mind, on a path to victory. They're world-beaters. Reflection is taboo. But the "Graduate" had it right, graduation is depressing, what then, what to do, who to become? I was a ski bum. No one does that anymore, certainly not from an elite college. Everybody's on a fast track to nowhere, which is where we truly went, in search of self-discovery.
"But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go
Oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go"
I just lost two gigs, nearly all my guaranteed income disappeared in a day. Frightening, not easy to recover from. But there's a creeping sense of freedom, I can be whoever I want to be. I'm not sure what that is, where I'm going, but a weight's been lifted from my shoulders, a role music played back before it was just aural grease riding alongside you as you danced together in a group.
But as poignant as the lyrics of "You Never Give Me Your Money" may be, it's the twists and turns of the ride that are infatuating.
It starts off so slow and dreamy, and then it starts to run, with a treated vocal, as if you exited the building and were running down the street with a smile on your face. There's that deep dive bass, holding down the enterprise, anchoring you to where you are, and then it's all thrown over in pursuit of exploration and fun, illustrating how we should live our lives.
And then there's that magic feeling, when it all stops and we all revel in the power of being fully present and alive, and that's what it's truly about, eyes wide open, hair blown back, taking it all in.
And if you do it right, you let go, go with the flow, it's truly like a dream. Pick up your bags, get in your car, get away from here, forge new friendships, have new experiences, live your life to the fullest, make the most of it.
And who knows if all good children go to heaven, all we know is that guitar alone makes us feel like we're surfing the stratosphere. The endlessly repeated hypnotic groove has us nodding our heads in agreement, we were along for the trip, we were all in it together, blazing trails at the tail end of the sixties.
And there you have it, the difference between yesterday and today. The evolution from possibility to disillusionment. The change from the military being the enemy to being embraced. The dissipation of hope.
No one gives you their money anymore.
If you're broke you're told to get off the couch and get it together, losers are not tolerated in America.
People beg on GoFundMe.
Bankers have all the money and we wonder how things have gone topsy-turvy.
And then we put on the Beatles and realize it doesn't have to be that way.
That's the power of art. That's why we gave them all of our money. That's why we still do. We want more of that magic feeling.
http://spoti.fi/1JxB8UT
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But "You Never Give Me Your Money" is my favorite track on it.
By 1969 the Beatles had ascended to the superstar status they deserved, far beyond competitors like the Rolling Stones, never mind the American groups. I know that sounds funny, after breaking on to the scene in 1964 the Fab Four never left it, but we expected them to. Bands were evanescent, one hit wonders ruled. Not only did the Beatles usher in credibility and longevity, they constantly pushed the envelope, we never knew where they were going, they were ahead of us, so different from today, when the same guy makes all the same tunes and we're supposed to think that Taylor Swift is a breakthrough and the country acts employ Les Pauls to play a facsimile of seventies rock and roll.
But then came the White Album.
The breakthrough was "Sgt. Pepper." But it had no hit singles. It was different, but almost a last step, where do you go from there?
To a double LP with no cover art.
Of course there was an episode in between, the ill-fated "Magical Mystery Tour," with its glorious first side and second side of hits which was an EP in the UK, but no one ever saw that as a regular album, it just filled the gap, at Christmas, a marketing exercise in the U.S.
But no one was prepared for the White Album. Which inaugurated the concept of double albums to our detriment, especially in the CD era, where one CD is the length of an old school double vinyl album. But the White Album was imperfect, an endless sprawl, a journey to the center of the mind of four heroes who were suddenly somewhat more because of the illustration of their rough edges. Everybody had a favorite cut off of the White Album, whether the bombastic, laughable "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" or "Rocky Raccoon" or the slowed-down, non-hit version of "Revolution" (who leaves the hit off the album, never mind include "Revolution 9," which we neither understood nor liked but listened to.) The White Album permeated the consciousness of America's youth, was the coda to the tumultuous year of 1968, and then came "Abbey Road."
We heard rumors the band was breaking up. But they were only that. There was no information pipeline. You could be the biggest star in the world and live in near-privacy. All we had were the records and the radio, our aural soundtrack on the go, before the Walkman, never mind the MP3.
We knew the release date, we had cars, we bought it when it came out and you heard "Abbey Road" everywhere. We sang "Come Together" in the school library, Gary Fialk tapping out the rhythm with his fingers on the table and then we were off. George Harrison's "Something" was the big hit, we were stunned the way "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" ended so abruptly, as if someone lifted the needle at the end of the first side.
But really it was all about the second side, the suite.
After "Here Comes The Sun," one of George Harrison's sweetest numbers, presaging his gigantic success with "All Things Must Pass" the following year.
The most famous song on the second side was "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," because of its obtuse lyrics and the fact that we already knew it, having been included on dearly-departed Joe Cocker's second LP in a similar arrangement.
After buying the LP the one I couldn't get over was "Polythene Pam," because of the aggressiveness and the intensity and the stereo effects going from ear to ear in my headphones.
At this late date one can argue that the most memorable song is "The End," with its endlessly repeated quote, "The love you take is equal to the love you make."
But forty-odd years later, the one I love best, the one that goes through my brain, is "You Never Give Me Your Money."
Maybe it's the piano intro, so honest and reflective. With the distorted guitar leavening the sound as it goes on. Remember when guitars were the essence of rock and roll, remember when we all lived for rock and roll?
"You never give me your money
You only give me your funny paper
And in the middle of negotiations you break down"
Now the problem with the Beatles is they've been overanalyzed, speak your personal truth and some scholar will come out of the woodwork and tell you your interpretation is wrong. But the truth is when we became indoctrinated by these tunes, we knew no backstory, all we had was our own reaction, and as Bob Dylan told us, this was the most important. And money was important in 1969, but it was not the religion it is today, it was a means to survival. Once you had enough you could get in your VW bus or stick out your thumb and set out across this great county of ours, go on an adventure, back when where you went and what you experienced was more important than what you accumulated.
"I never give you my number
I only give you my situation
And in the middle of investigation I break down"
Reluctance, obfuscation, the exact opposite of twenty first century living wherein everybody reveals everything all the time, where being overexposed is the essence of life. We say we're individuals, but really we're just parroting each other, looking to fit in.
"Out of college money spent
See no future pay no rent
All the money's gone, nowhere to go"
Ain't that a laugh.
Of course there are those who cannot get jobs living with mom and dad, but the truth is everybody today is a winner, at least in their own mind, on a path to victory. They're world-beaters. Reflection is taboo. But the "Graduate" had it right, graduation is depressing, what then, what to do, who to become? I was a ski bum. No one does that anymore, certainly not from an elite college. Everybody's on a fast track to nowhere, which is where we truly went, in search of self-discovery.
"But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go
Oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go"
I just lost two gigs, nearly all my guaranteed income disappeared in a day. Frightening, not easy to recover from. But there's a creeping sense of freedom, I can be whoever I want to be. I'm not sure what that is, where I'm going, but a weight's been lifted from my shoulders, a role music played back before it was just aural grease riding alongside you as you danced together in a group.
But as poignant as the lyrics of "You Never Give Me Your Money" may be, it's the twists and turns of the ride that are infatuating.
It starts off so slow and dreamy, and then it starts to run, with a treated vocal, as if you exited the building and were running down the street with a smile on your face. There's that deep dive bass, holding down the enterprise, anchoring you to where you are, and then it's all thrown over in pursuit of exploration and fun, illustrating how we should live our lives.
And then there's that magic feeling, when it all stops and we all revel in the power of being fully present and alive, and that's what it's truly about, eyes wide open, hair blown back, taking it all in.
And if you do it right, you let go, go with the flow, it's truly like a dream. Pick up your bags, get in your car, get away from here, forge new friendships, have new experiences, live your life to the fullest, make the most of it.
And who knows if all good children go to heaven, all we know is that guitar alone makes us feel like we're surfing the stratosphere. The endlessly repeated hypnotic groove has us nodding our heads in agreement, we were along for the trip, we were all in it together, blazing trails at the tail end of the sixties.
And there you have it, the difference between yesterday and today. The evolution from possibility to disillusionment. The change from the military being the enemy to being embraced. The dissipation of hope.
No one gives you their money anymore.
If you're broke you're told to get off the couch and get it together, losers are not tolerated in America.
People beg on GoFundMe.
Bankers have all the money and we wonder how things have gone topsy-turvy.
And then we put on the Beatles and realize it doesn't have to be that way.
That's the power of art. That's why we gave them all of our money. That's why we still do. We want more of that magic feeling.
http://spoti.fi/1JxB8UT
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Wednesday 23 December 2015
The Beatles Streaming
There's a first mover advantage.
That's right, let Spotify stream your music early and you get a check or stock or both. Wait until the downside of the curve and you get bupkes.
So let this be a lesson to all of you Luddites out there, the best way to leave money on the table is to refuse to play, to refuse to embrace the future, to insist on the past trumping the future, and I've never known that to happen.
The Beatles could have been leaders. But now it's all about the cash, that's what moves the Fab Four. And this time their reluctance to take action is to their financial detriment.
This is big news, but not for the reason you think it is. I mean sure, it's a validation of streaming services, but you just had to use YouTube to know streaming was not only the future, but already here. But this is the first time it's not about now, but tomorrow. Yesterday and Today? No, Tomorrow Never Knows. But what we do know is that the Beatles are going to get paid every time someone listens to their music in the future. RSO may have released the "Sgt. Pepper" soundtrack and sold tonnage (and gotten tonnage returned), but how often have the Beatles been paid when their old vinyl records were spun? Or those eighties CDs? Never.
But now they will.
It's like getting a retirement account without opening one. And sure, the Beatles may be past Social Security age, but all the young acts who are often dumb will now be taken care of in their later years, not only by publishing rights, songs played on the radio, but by streams.
So the game is completely different.
I don't expect the media to do hosannas for more than a week, if that. We'll see the usual press releases about the number of tracks streamed, the percentage of the respective services' volume that was the Beatles, what that might be worth, but then crickets.
You see, once again, the music business is the canary in the coal mine, far advanced beyond not only movies, but news. The film business is Balkanized, you can't get everything in one place. Furthermore, try getting an accounting based on how many times people actually streamed your show on Netflix or Hulu. Hell, the deals themselves aren't even structured that way. In the film business it's all about now, in music it's all about tomorrow.
And every day the newspapers and news sites have to reinvent the wheel. Who wants yesterday's papers? Almost no one. Whereas if you write a classic tune, people want it forever.
Or do they?
We'll find out how long the Beatles' legacy lasts. Certainly longer than the rest of the classic rock titans. The twenty second century? The twenty third? It's amazing how greatness is plowed under, Steve Jobs is already in the rearview mirror. But John Lennon and George Harrison have been dead for a while and their influence is still being felt. That's the power of art. You may conceive it in an instant, execute it in an hour, but when done right, it lasts.
So where does this leave the rearguard?
We still don't know how popular the Adele album is. We can crunch streaming numbers and see the impact of everybody else's album, but... We might find out that "25" is not as popular as we think. It might hit streaming services and turn out to be a dud. We get real time statistics always, telling us what's being listened to and not. Major Lazer & DJ Snake had the most played track in Spotify history with "Lean On," but it's got a fraction of the traction in mainstream media that "25" has. It could be bigger, or almost equal.
The data generation is all about truth, about facts. And in the arts, it's hitting music first. Hype has already been decommissioned. That's why acts like Beyonce and Eric Church and so many more are putting out their albums with no advance buildup. Because they know it's irrelevant. The only thing that matters is if people listen.
It's a long road, well, in honor of the Beatles, let's call it a long WINDING road. It took fifteen years, but we've finally got solidification in the music sphere. Disruption is on hold. Piracy has been quelled. We're all on the same page. And this is a good thing.
Are there battles yet to be fought?
Of course. Publishing on Pandora. Accounting transparency.
But progress is being made. Kobalt is leading the charge on transparency and when the boomers retire and their children take over light will reign, because the younger generation does not believe in duplicity, but honesty. Let the best man win.
And let the best streaming service win.
Which one will do.
And before long, they will all be at CD/FLAC/high quality. All those bozos bitching about sound will shut up. As for Neil Young...he didn't get the memo, he who lives in the past is doomed to be a sideshow, if they get ink at all. Anybody want a Pono?
Haven't heard much about that one recently.
But Spotify's in the news.
And Rdio failed.
And Tidal will fail or be sold.
And Deezer's IPO was canceled.
We're on the verge of further consolidation.
But that's got nothing to do with music, that's all about business.
And Brian Epstein was one of the worst businessmen of all time. But he achieved the ultimate goal, he made the Beatles stars, the biggest of the modern era. To the point their moves still make headlines today, to the point that people still want to listen.
Will the world stream the catalog en masse tomorrow?
Not so much, no matter what anybody says.
But in the future, when you get a hankering for "A Hard Day's Night" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" or "Come Together" or...
It'll be just a click away.
They call that the on demand economy.
That's where we now live.
The Beatles know.
Do you?
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That's right, let Spotify stream your music early and you get a check or stock or both. Wait until the downside of the curve and you get bupkes.
So let this be a lesson to all of you Luddites out there, the best way to leave money on the table is to refuse to play, to refuse to embrace the future, to insist on the past trumping the future, and I've never known that to happen.
The Beatles could have been leaders. But now it's all about the cash, that's what moves the Fab Four. And this time their reluctance to take action is to their financial detriment.
This is big news, but not for the reason you think it is. I mean sure, it's a validation of streaming services, but you just had to use YouTube to know streaming was not only the future, but already here. But this is the first time it's not about now, but tomorrow. Yesterday and Today? No, Tomorrow Never Knows. But what we do know is that the Beatles are going to get paid every time someone listens to their music in the future. RSO may have released the "Sgt. Pepper" soundtrack and sold tonnage (and gotten tonnage returned), but how often have the Beatles been paid when their old vinyl records were spun? Or those eighties CDs? Never.
But now they will.
It's like getting a retirement account without opening one. And sure, the Beatles may be past Social Security age, but all the young acts who are often dumb will now be taken care of in their later years, not only by publishing rights, songs played on the radio, but by streams.
So the game is completely different.
I don't expect the media to do hosannas for more than a week, if that. We'll see the usual press releases about the number of tracks streamed, the percentage of the respective services' volume that was the Beatles, what that might be worth, but then crickets.
You see, once again, the music business is the canary in the coal mine, far advanced beyond not only movies, but news. The film business is Balkanized, you can't get everything in one place. Furthermore, try getting an accounting based on how many times people actually streamed your show on Netflix or Hulu. Hell, the deals themselves aren't even structured that way. In the film business it's all about now, in music it's all about tomorrow.
And every day the newspapers and news sites have to reinvent the wheel. Who wants yesterday's papers? Almost no one. Whereas if you write a classic tune, people want it forever.
Or do they?
We'll find out how long the Beatles' legacy lasts. Certainly longer than the rest of the classic rock titans. The twenty second century? The twenty third? It's amazing how greatness is plowed under, Steve Jobs is already in the rearview mirror. But John Lennon and George Harrison have been dead for a while and their influence is still being felt. That's the power of art. You may conceive it in an instant, execute it in an hour, but when done right, it lasts.
So where does this leave the rearguard?
We still don't know how popular the Adele album is. We can crunch streaming numbers and see the impact of everybody else's album, but... We might find out that "25" is not as popular as we think. It might hit streaming services and turn out to be a dud. We get real time statistics always, telling us what's being listened to and not. Major Lazer & DJ Snake had the most played track in Spotify history with "Lean On," but it's got a fraction of the traction in mainstream media that "25" has. It could be bigger, or almost equal.
The data generation is all about truth, about facts. And in the arts, it's hitting music first. Hype has already been decommissioned. That's why acts like Beyonce and Eric Church and so many more are putting out their albums with no advance buildup. Because they know it's irrelevant. The only thing that matters is if people listen.
It's a long road, well, in honor of the Beatles, let's call it a long WINDING road. It took fifteen years, but we've finally got solidification in the music sphere. Disruption is on hold. Piracy has been quelled. We're all on the same page. And this is a good thing.
Are there battles yet to be fought?
Of course. Publishing on Pandora. Accounting transparency.
But progress is being made. Kobalt is leading the charge on transparency and when the boomers retire and their children take over light will reign, because the younger generation does not believe in duplicity, but honesty. Let the best man win.
And let the best streaming service win.
Which one will do.
And before long, they will all be at CD/FLAC/high quality. All those bozos bitching about sound will shut up. As for Neil Young...he didn't get the memo, he who lives in the past is doomed to be a sideshow, if they get ink at all. Anybody want a Pono?
Haven't heard much about that one recently.
But Spotify's in the news.
And Rdio failed.
And Tidal will fail or be sold.
And Deezer's IPO was canceled.
We're on the verge of further consolidation.
But that's got nothing to do with music, that's all about business.
And Brian Epstein was one of the worst businessmen of all time. But he achieved the ultimate goal, he made the Beatles stars, the biggest of the modern era. To the point their moves still make headlines today, to the point that people still want to listen.
Will the world stream the catalog en masse tomorrow?
Not so much, no matter what anybody says.
But in the future, when you get a hankering for "A Hard Day's Night" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" or "Come Together" or...
It'll be just a click away.
They call that the on demand economy.
That's where we now live.
The Beatles know.
Do you?
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Monday 21 December 2015
What I Learned This Year
People make up their own facts, and if you call them on it they just double down. We live in a disinformation economy. The more data there is, the less we can come to a consensus.
Media will follow an irrelevant story if it makes them rich. Donald Trump has absolutely no chance of becoming President, never mind the GOP nominee, but major publications and talking heads can't stop talking about him because it brings in revenue.
One tragedy replaces another and everything runs together in a sea of iniquity.
Those up in arms the most are those least in danger.
Artists are two-faced. Taylor Swift can refuse to be on Spotify but is all over YouTube, what's up with that? Have the courage of your convictions Tay Tay.
Spotify is the devil. That's what the artists keep telling me.
Apple can screw up. The Watch is a joke and Apple Music is so bad it couldn't even distribute Swift's show properly, assuming you could find it to begin with. Steve Jobs was all about interface, making it simple, stupid. But it seems he came from a lost civilization that we may not revisit for millennia. Jobs was about eliminating options, now we've got so many choices, so much ability to customize, that not only do we not know how to use our devices/apps, we don't want to.
People gravitate to one winner. Hear anybody championing their Samsung Galaxy recently? Everybody's on an iPhone, with iMessage. And if you're about to send me hate mail telling me I'm wrong, I hope you like your low income no friends lifestyle, because all the winners are on the Apple platform, and you keep saying you want to win...
There's so much television to watch I view almost none of it. I stopped going to the movies long ago. And if you're not overscheduled, if you're not time-constrained, if you aren't overwhelmed with choice and obligation, you're dead.
They hate Obama because he's black.
We don't like outliers, those who raise their heads too high, we tear them down. Would Martin Shkreli have been arrested on securities fraud if he didn't raise the price of that drug so outrageously? Probably, but not this soon. Everybody wants to be rich and famous, Shkreli just got caught. If you've got money and are flaunting it, showing off, you're making a mistake. Hoard your winnings and hide. As for the Wu-Tang Clan selling its album to Shkreli..? That's the entertainment business in a nutshell, we don't care if you're a criminal, if you've got the cash, we're in business.
People are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, but they're clueless as to the underlying facts of their condition. They just know they're unhappy and not doing as well as before.
College students think they're entitled to be insult free, that life should be as smooth and uneventful as their boomer parents told them it should be, in the car, driving to Dairy Queen after they got their trophy for landing in last place in the soccer league.
America laments every military fatality, but it tunes in on Sunday to see oversized gladiators bludgeon themselves to death.
Money is our religion. We play the lottery, donate to God and emulate and criticize those further up the economic ladder who keep telling us they earned it and are entitled to it.
You can't get a good ticket to a hot show at face value because the artists don't want you to. Ignore the double-talk, the truth is tickets to star attractions are underpriced and as long as they continue to be the public will blame Ticketmaster, the government will investigate scalpers, brokers will employ bots and nothing will change. You don't really want to know that a ticket to see Adele is worth a grand, do you?
Our mobile phones are our most valued possessions, they're the one thing we can't live without. It's all about connection and communication, but you think it's about money.
Style is bigger than music, everybody can be a star.
Abortion may be legal, but good luck trying to get one.
God will save us from global warming. Who cares if it's real or a fraud, the rapture is coming, despite the number of religious believers declining.
He who yells loudest gets listened to, because those who could contradict him are afraid of raising their head and appearing to be a blowhard. For everyone building a shrine to themselves on social media, no one risks being an outcast in service of the truth. Today's life is all about being a member of the club, the clique, where no contradiction is tolerated. America used to be the land of rugged individualists, today it's overrun with groupthink. Polls trump right and everybody's going where everybody else is. As for the punk outsiders complaining they're not getting notice...true believers challenging the status quo never complain, they just go on their merry way, sowing their seeds, waiting for the world to catch up with them.
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Media will follow an irrelevant story if it makes them rich. Donald Trump has absolutely no chance of becoming President, never mind the GOP nominee, but major publications and talking heads can't stop talking about him because it brings in revenue.
One tragedy replaces another and everything runs together in a sea of iniquity.
Those up in arms the most are those least in danger.
Artists are two-faced. Taylor Swift can refuse to be on Spotify but is all over YouTube, what's up with that? Have the courage of your convictions Tay Tay.
Spotify is the devil. That's what the artists keep telling me.
Apple can screw up. The Watch is a joke and Apple Music is so bad it couldn't even distribute Swift's show properly, assuming you could find it to begin with. Steve Jobs was all about interface, making it simple, stupid. But it seems he came from a lost civilization that we may not revisit for millennia. Jobs was about eliminating options, now we've got so many choices, so much ability to customize, that not only do we not know how to use our devices/apps, we don't want to.
People gravitate to one winner. Hear anybody championing their Samsung Galaxy recently? Everybody's on an iPhone, with iMessage. And if you're about to send me hate mail telling me I'm wrong, I hope you like your low income no friends lifestyle, because all the winners are on the Apple platform, and you keep saying you want to win...
There's so much television to watch I view almost none of it. I stopped going to the movies long ago. And if you're not overscheduled, if you're not time-constrained, if you aren't overwhelmed with choice and obligation, you're dead.
They hate Obama because he's black.
We don't like outliers, those who raise their heads too high, we tear them down. Would Martin Shkreli have been arrested on securities fraud if he didn't raise the price of that drug so outrageously? Probably, but not this soon. Everybody wants to be rich and famous, Shkreli just got caught. If you've got money and are flaunting it, showing off, you're making a mistake. Hoard your winnings and hide. As for the Wu-Tang Clan selling its album to Shkreli..? That's the entertainment business in a nutshell, we don't care if you're a criminal, if you've got the cash, we're in business.
People are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, but they're clueless as to the underlying facts of their condition. They just know they're unhappy and not doing as well as before.
College students think they're entitled to be insult free, that life should be as smooth and uneventful as their boomer parents told them it should be, in the car, driving to Dairy Queen after they got their trophy for landing in last place in the soccer league.
America laments every military fatality, but it tunes in on Sunday to see oversized gladiators bludgeon themselves to death.
Money is our religion. We play the lottery, donate to God and emulate and criticize those further up the economic ladder who keep telling us they earned it and are entitled to it.
You can't get a good ticket to a hot show at face value because the artists don't want you to. Ignore the double-talk, the truth is tickets to star attractions are underpriced and as long as they continue to be the public will blame Ticketmaster, the government will investigate scalpers, brokers will employ bots and nothing will change. You don't really want to know that a ticket to see Adele is worth a grand, do you?
Our mobile phones are our most valued possessions, they're the one thing we can't live without. It's all about connection and communication, but you think it's about money.
Style is bigger than music, everybody can be a star.
Abortion may be legal, but good luck trying to get one.
God will save us from global warming. Who cares if it's real or a fraud, the rapture is coming, despite the number of religious believers declining.
He who yells loudest gets listened to, because those who could contradict him are afraid of raising their head and appearing to be a blowhard. For everyone building a shrine to themselves on social media, no one risks being an outcast in service of the truth. Today's life is all about being a member of the club, the clique, where no contradiction is tolerated. America used to be the land of rugged individualists, today it's overrun with groupthink. Polls trump right and everybody's going where everybody else is. As for the punk outsiders complaining they're not getting notice...true believers challenging the status quo never complain, they just go on their merry way, sowing their seeds, waiting for the world to catch up with them.
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Sunday 20 December 2015
Entertainment Unicorns
10 million people want Adele tickets and "Star Wars" grosses $238 million in a weekend. What does this tell us? PEOPLE WANT TO BELONG!
Welcome to the teens. The media doesn't label them that, but they should start. It's not the aughts, the era where the public gradually adopted broadband and pirated movies and music, rather the teens are about a plethora of information, a cornucopia of entertainment options at your fingertips, a tsunami of info so overpowering the only thing to do is to keep shooting pics for Instagram, to try and hold on to your identity.
But that paradigm doesn't work. Social media is riddled with burning towers. Once people realize no one is really interested in their mundane lives, not even their shenanigans, they return to being observers, only they don't know where to direct their eyeballs!
When media was scarce, when there were only a few options, when there were so few choices that those which were anointed were ridiculed by a small cadre of black-clad naysayers, you felt you were part of a cohesive society. Now no one knows what's going on. Disinformation and falsehood rule the land. You can no longer feel the pulse, never mind be on it.
And then come the unicorns.
A tech unicorn is a nascent company worth a billion dollars.
An entertainment unicorn is an album/film/book that exceeds all previous sales/acceptance records, that towers so high we can barely see the top. We're wowed by its stature and influence. And although these unicorns are good, that's not the story, the story is their success.
No one's talking about the music on "25." And eventually there were positive reviews of "Star Wars," but they were dwarfed by the hype, the lineups and the toys and the...
This is the future. The big will get bigger and everything else will be plowed under. This is what the public wants, something they can talk about, analyze, own and feel involved with. Turns out owning your own plot of land on the fringes is anathema to the human condition.
Of course we want to dig down deep into our personal interests. But don't confuse that with what we desire to consume as a community. Only a few people want to be alone, the rest want to belong. And in an era of chaos and cacophony, that's so hard to do.
Let's say you're a music fan. Where do you start? Of course there are aficionados, who know a lot, but they don't know everything. The EDM fan knows nothing about country, or hip-hop or... Used to be an industry insider knew every record in release, now no one does, there are just too many. There are too many playlists, too much hype, no wonder we gravitate to that which is anointed. Adele is a star whose album got no negative reviews. Let's start there.
Like with "Star Wars." Every weekend more movies open than anyone can see. Sure, "Star Wars" is a classic saga, but the reason this one is so big is because it's easier to point to one flick than to try to personally make sense of the chaos!
Kind of like the 400 odd TV shows. Do you think that will continue? No, we'll see shrinkage, we're at peak TV, and it won't be long before a show is so successful it towers over everything else. Kind of like the Super Bowl, people aren't interested in the game as much as the MANIA!
So don't overanalyze the elements. To go deep into Adele and "Star Wars" is to miss the point. It's not that either is so much better, so much more desirable, it's just that they're exponents of the modern era.
We will have more unicorns. This is what the baby boomers and gen-x'ers in control don't understand. Google is a paragon. As is Amazon. No one can compete. The "New York Times" will own the news, it already does, it's the only outlet with boots on the ground everywhere. If you double down and play the long game, YOU WIN!
This is what Spotify has done. All the criticism from the unwashed is it's losing money. But the truth is it's establishing a beachhead, which it turns out even Apple can't overcome.
We don't want choice. Talk to a salesman. Show the customer more than two items and he gets confused and walks out. But in the internet era, oftentimes only one choice is sufficient. You go where your friends are. Remember all those nitwits talking about the survival of BlackBerry? Turns out they didn't ask the public. Everybody wants to go where everybody else does.
Like the Adele show. Or "Star Wars."
Forget about scalping, that's not the story. The story is demand outstrips supply. This ain't the seventies, when "Star Wars" opened in limited release. "Star Wars" is EVERYWHERE, just like "25."
And chances are, if you're not everywhere, you've been marginalized, you don't count.
That's what they don't want you to know, all the people selling false hope, that there are fewer winners than ever before. Someone will succeed, but you'd be better off playing the lottery. It's like the country at large, with income inequality, statistics tell us there's greater upward mobility in Europe, but the poor in America vote for lower taxes because they believe they're going to get rich.
The "Long Tail" was a fraud. Millions of tracks on Spotify have never been played. There's so much information that your missive is buried. Now, a song can truly be a hit but not become one. Because the gatekeepers, who were supposed to be eviscerated by the internet, decided against it. And the money men...without a push, you're destined for the scrapheap.
Not that you can't listen to Adele's record and enjoy it. Not that you can't go to "Star Wars" and emerge with a smile on your face. But know that this is your role, you're a consumer, at the end of the food chain, all that hogwash about being a creator is just that. You can build it, but no one will come. And no one wants to live in a vacuum.
So welcome to the new world. Where big is bigger than ever before. And where you've got to be good to get a chance, but you don't have to be the best of all time. You just have to get everybody on your team, from the investors to the marketers to the media. You're not saving the music business, or the movie business, YOU'RE SAVING SOCIETY!
Come on, you've got an opinion on "Star Wars." You want to see Adele so you don't feel left out.
No one wants to feel left out.
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Welcome to the teens. The media doesn't label them that, but they should start. It's not the aughts, the era where the public gradually adopted broadband and pirated movies and music, rather the teens are about a plethora of information, a cornucopia of entertainment options at your fingertips, a tsunami of info so overpowering the only thing to do is to keep shooting pics for Instagram, to try and hold on to your identity.
But that paradigm doesn't work. Social media is riddled with burning towers. Once people realize no one is really interested in their mundane lives, not even their shenanigans, they return to being observers, only they don't know where to direct their eyeballs!
When media was scarce, when there were only a few options, when there were so few choices that those which were anointed were ridiculed by a small cadre of black-clad naysayers, you felt you were part of a cohesive society. Now no one knows what's going on. Disinformation and falsehood rule the land. You can no longer feel the pulse, never mind be on it.
And then come the unicorns.
A tech unicorn is a nascent company worth a billion dollars.
An entertainment unicorn is an album/film/book that exceeds all previous sales/acceptance records, that towers so high we can barely see the top. We're wowed by its stature and influence. And although these unicorns are good, that's not the story, the story is their success.
No one's talking about the music on "25." And eventually there were positive reviews of "Star Wars," but they were dwarfed by the hype, the lineups and the toys and the...
This is the future. The big will get bigger and everything else will be plowed under. This is what the public wants, something they can talk about, analyze, own and feel involved with. Turns out owning your own plot of land on the fringes is anathema to the human condition.
Of course we want to dig down deep into our personal interests. But don't confuse that with what we desire to consume as a community. Only a few people want to be alone, the rest want to belong. And in an era of chaos and cacophony, that's so hard to do.
Let's say you're a music fan. Where do you start? Of course there are aficionados, who know a lot, but they don't know everything. The EDM fan knows nothing about country, or hip-hop or... Used to be an industry insider knew every record in release, now no one does, there are just too many. There are too many playlists, too much hype, no wonder we gravitate to that which is anointed. Adele is a star whose album got no negative reviews. Let's start there.
Like with "Star Wars." Every weekend more movies open than anyone can see. Sure, "Star Wars" is a classic saga, but the reason this one is so big is because it's easier to point to one flick than to try to personally make sense of the chaos!
Kind of like the 400 odd TV shows. Do you think that will continue? No, we'll see shrinkage, we're at peak TV, and it won't be long before a show is so successful it towers over everything else. Kind of like the Super Bowl, people aren't interested in the game as much as the MANIA!
So don't overanalyze the elements. To go deep into Adele and "Star Wars" is to miss the point. It's not that either is so much better, so much more desirable, it's just that they're exponents of the modern era.
We will have more unicorns. This is what the baby boomers and gen-x'ers in control don't understand. Google is a paragon. As is Amazon. No one can compete. The "New York Times" will own the news, it already does, it's the only outlet with boots on the ground everywhere. If you double down and play the long game, YOU WIN!
This is what Spotify has done. All the criticism from the unwashed is it's losing money. But the truth is it's establishing a beachhead, which it turns out even Apple can't overcome.
We don't want choice. Talk to a salesman. Show the customer more than two items and he gets confused and walks out. But in the internet era, oftentimes only one choice is sufficient. You go where your friends are. Remember all those nitwits talking about the survival of BlackBerry? Turns out they didn't ask the public. Everybody wants to go where everybody else does.
Like the Adele show. Or "Star Wars."
Forget about scalping, that's not the story. The story is demand outstrips supply. This ain't the seventies, when "Star Wars" opened in limited release. "Star Wars" is EVERYWHERE, just like "25."
And chances are, if you're not everywhere, you've been marginalized, you don't count.
That's what they don't want you to know, all the people selling false hope, that there are fewer winners than ever before. Someone will succeed, but you'd be better off playing the lottery. It's like the country at large, with income inequality, statistics tell us there's greater upward mobility in Europe, but the poor in America vote for lower taxes because they believe they're going to get rich.
The "Long Tail" was a fraud. Millions of tracks on Spotify have never been played. There's so much information that your missive is buried. Now, a song can truly be a hit but not become one. Because the gatekeepers, who were supposed to be eviscerated by the internet, decided against it. And the money men...without a push, you're destined for the scrapheap.
Not that you can't listen to Adele's record and enjoy it. Not that you can't go to "Star Wars" and emerge with a smile on your face. But know that this is your role, you're a consumer, at the end of the food chain, all that hogwash about being a creator is just that. You can build it, but no one will come. And no one wants to live in a vacuum.
So welcome to the new world. Where big is bigger than ever before. And where you've got to be good to get a chance, but you don't have to be the best of all time. You just have to get everybody on your team, from the investors to the marketers to the media. You're not saving the music business, or the movie business, YOU'RE SAVING SOCIETY!
Come on, you've got an opinion on "Star Wars." You want to see Adele so you don't feel left out.
No one wants to feel left out.
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Thursday 17 December 2015
R&RHOF Playlist
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1Rsmoyn
YOUR SAVING GRACE
Steve Miller Band
From the fourth album, of the same title.
I didn't buy it, although I did go to the Fillmore East to see the band headline. I got turned on to this track by XM, before the merger, on Deep Tracks. Funny how these gems are sitting there waiting for discovery. It's the Steve Miller Band track that goes through my head most these days.
BRAVE NEW WORLD
Steve Miller Band
The opening cut on the third album, which is still my favorite, that inspired me to go see the band at the Fillmore.
"We're driving fast
From a dream of the past
To the brave new world"
Aficionados were disappointed by the third LP, which featured a simple yellow gatefold cover and little information. Maybe they were mad at the departure of Boz Scaggs, but the album's a gem that will reward upon listening. I discovered it in the basement of a fraternity house on the University of Chicago campus, wherein I made friends with Paul Volberding, ultimately a famous AIDS doctor in San Francisco, who spun it constantly.
KOW KOW CALQULATOR
Steve Miller Band
The best track on "Brave New World," labeled just "Kow Kow" upon initial release, this is magical, illustrating the importance of arrangement and the attraction of Steve Miller's voice. Hang in there until the end when it becomes much more intense. This is the essence of classic rock, when it was about testing limits more than having a hit, and there wasn't one on "Brave New World," not one that would play on AM radio.
SPACE COWBOY
Steve Miller Band
The most famous track on "Brave New World," an instant classic you got upon the first listen, it was all over FM radio for years, is the younger generation even aware of it?
MY DARK HOUR
Steve Miller Band
The closing track on "Brave New World," listen for Paul McCartney's unmistakable backup vocal, never mind drums and bass.
SEASONS
Steve Miller Band
The cut that made me a satellite radio fan, I'd never heard it on the radio ever, when it came pouring out of the speakers on XM in January of 2004 I was transported back to that summer in Chicago. If you think you know Steve Miller, when you listen to this, you will find out you don't. It sounds nothing like the radio hits from years later. This is dreamy and fantastic. If you listen to one cut on this playlist, let this be it.
BABY'S CALLIN' ME HOME
Steve Miller Band
From the 1968 debut LP, "Children Of The Future," this is arguably Boz Scaggs's finest moment. Ethereal...from back when music set your mind free, adrift, so it could get into nooks and crannies and you could discover who you truly were, when being an individual was important.
QUICKSILVER GIRL
Steve Miller Band
From the second album, the second in 1968. You may not know this is Steve Miller, you may not have even heard it. But when you listen to it not only will you instantly get it, you'll regret that you were not around to experience it and the lifestyle that inspired it, back in 1968, when you had to leave your house to communicate and we were not competing for likes on social media, when everything was truly about the momentary experience, and your friends.
LIVING IN THE U.S.A.
Steve Miller Band
"Somebody give me a cheeseburger!"
It's about career-defining tracks more than hits. Cut one that's indelible and eventually the audience will catch up with you.
Also from "Sailor," the second album.
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN
Steve Miller Band
Because it was such a surprise, emanating from the car speakers, Steve Miller was already in the rearview mirror and then he dropped this less than three minute magical moment and suddenly he was back.
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
Steve Miller Band
"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future"
Ain't that the truth.
Once upon a time this was just an album track, part of Steve Miller's oeuvre, now it's a cultural institution. Sure it was a hit single, but no one ever thought it would be REMEMBERED!
ROCK'N ME
Steve Miller Band
Why they still come out to see Steve, why his audience always regenerates. It's the power of rock and roll. We need a return to roots.
JET AIRLINER
Steve Miller Band
Written by Paul Pena, this is my favorite latter-day Steve Miller Band track, it's the riff, the changes, the vocal...and the way that guitar stings.
Come on, this goes through your head every time you go to the airport, right? Or maybe you never fly.
"I might get rich, you know I might get busted"
Back from when life was a lark, when you weren't buying insurance, from when you had no idea what an investment bank was, before tech, when everything good was going on in your head.
And now, here's a special treat, the original Paul Pena recording of "Jet Airliner," due to the magic of YouTube, it's not on Spotify.
http://bit.ly/1mbpjOJ
He's dead now, but before he passed I saw him at the Wiltern, in the early part of this century, he demonstrated the Tuvan throat-singing he was famous for and sang this.
THE STAKE
Steve Miller Band
Who came up with the riff first, Joe Walsh or David Denny who wrote this? It may not matter, both tracks kill. And notice that Joe Walsh, who recorded "Rocky Mountain Way" first, did not sue. Oh, how times have changed.
MAELSTROM
Steve Miller Band
From 1986's "Livin' In The 20th Century," you might have heard this instrumental leading up to the news, back when they used to do that.
It's incredible.
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
Cheap Trick
It's all about the second album, "In Color," word spread, it was the talk of Rhino Records, when that was still a shop on Westwood Boulevard. There was never a new Beatles, but Cheap Trick digested the essence and built upon it. Sure, the hit was ultimately the one on the "Budokan" album, but despite its energy, I still prefer the studio iteration.
OH CAROLINE
Cheap Trick
"I Want You To Want Me" is on the first side, but the second side is "In Color"'s masterpiece. There's a Beatlesque change in the middle of this, despite rocking harder than so much of the Beatles' catalog.
CLOCK STRIKES TEN
Cheap Trick
This comes next. It's a tear. With a rockin' Robin Zander vocal akin to that of Paul McCartney's when he's doing his best Little Richard.
SOUTHERN GIRLS
Cheap Trick
Reminiscent of "California Girls," but not. It's got a great, hooky chorus that puts a smile on your face.
COME ON, COME ON
Cheap Trick
Zander is imploring you. And we were receptive, we went along.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU
Cheap Trick
The second side closer, it's my favorite cut on the LP, even though I'd never say it's the best.
If the band had never done anything more, I'd have said they deserve to be in the R&RHOF. But they wandered and were never quite this consistently great again, even though people love "Dream Police," but...if Rush is inside, Cheap Trick should be too!
MANDOCELLO
Cheap Trick
Jack Douglas did the first LP, and despite the band opening shows with "ELO Kiddies," this is the best cut on the record. You may not know it, but you should.
TAKIN' ME BACK
Cheap Trick
Tom Werman did "In Color" and he did "Heaven Tonight" too, although the latter rocked harder, and ultimately so did Werman, with Ted Nugent and Molly Hatchet and more. This second side opener is my favorite on "Heaven Tonight," it's the one I sing in my head, it's made by Rick Nielsen's thunderous riff.
SURRENDER
Cheap Trick
A classic, kinda like the "hits" of the Ramones, those in the know loved it but it didn't penetrate the public consciousness upon release, that took decades. The best lines...
"Then I woke up
Mom and dad are rollin' on the couch
Rollin' numbers, rock and rollin'
Got my KISS records out"
Too many tracks live in their own rarefied air, but the KISS reference always cracked me up, Cheap Trick were definitely living in the mid-seventies.
This is Cheap Trick at its greatest, and when I think of all the wankers who never achieve this height these days I reconsider my earlier statement and must declare...CHEAP TRICK ABSOLUTELY BELONG IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!
CALIFORNIA MAN
Cheap Trick
Written by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne's long forgotten compatriot in the Move. Just think of an Englishman writing this...
GONNA RAISE HELL
Cheap Trick
What "Dream Police"'s reputation is built upon. It's nine minutes and twenty seconds long and entrances you, especially if you've got zits and have never been laid.
NEED YOUR LOVE
Cheap Trick
Almost as long, this closes side two of "Dream Police," just like "Gonna Raise Hell" ended side two. This sounds as good to me as it did back then.
IF YOU WANT MY LOVE
Cheap Trick
And then the band went into the wilderness. Lost the plot. Stopped having hits. It's almost as if "Budokan" sapped the band's energy, stopped them in their tracks, delayed their career course, and they could never get back on track. One of their experiments, while at loose ends, was to work with Queen's majordomo, Roy Thomas Baker, and this magical track appears on 1982's "One On One." It holds up extremely well.
TONIGHT IT'S YOU
Cheap Trick
And after working with Todd Rundgren, the band returned to its initial producer, Jack Douglas, and came up with this gem that got little traction but is as great as anything the band has ever done. It's got all the elements, an enticing Robin Zander vocal and walls of Rick Nielsen's guitars.
Not to mention the power and the changes, it channels all the teen angst in the world and its only equivalent is the Tubes' "White Punks On Dope," that's the only track I know that also channels teen frustration and climbs to the mountaintop. Yes, listen to "Tonight It's You," it starts at sea level and goes all the way to the top of Mt. Everest. All the Active Rock posers should check this out and realize they're not shooting high enough.
THE FLAME
Cheap Trick
I know, they didn't write it, they hate it, but whomever is responsible for the underlying material, they positively made it their own. A gigantic hit, a return to form, this is everything Cheap Trick represents, emotion and feeling, changes and rock and roll religion, all encapsulated on wax. Can you ask for more?
I can't.
SMOKE ON THE WATER
Deep Purple
I know, they had a hit back in '68 with "Hush," on Bill Cosby's Tetragrammaton Records, their "In Rock" was a hard rock classic, but it was this, in its live iteration on the "Made In Japan" double live album that earned the band its place in rock history. Shame on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for not inducting Deep Purple before this.
I know, Michael Jackson is a cultural icon who's sold 30 million records, but I'd argue more people have heard "Smoke On The Water," it was certainly more influential. It cemented riff rock, it inspired legions of young men to pick up the guitar, turn it up and it eliminates all other thoughts and sounds in the universe. It got me through the summer of '73, when I was doing a minimum wage job and wondering how I was gonna survive. Come on, with a Frank Zappa reference to boot!
The highway stars with multiple lead singers and players should crank the Marshalls to the point where the effete Manhattan industrialists who believe music is about the head and not the heart, the eyes and not the genitals, put their fingers in their ears and run streaming from the induction hall.
If you don't think "Smoke On The Water" is the essence of rock and roll, pure bedrock, you're sentenced to listening to Patti Page on endless repeat, you're just damn LAZY, HA!
DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?
Chicago Transit Authority
I certainly do. It's way past the time I was due for dinner, and I feel guilty, a friend I rarely see is leaving town tomorrow and I want to connect, so...
Let me just say it's all about the first double LP. CTA built upon the horn section ethos pioneered by Electric Flag and Blood, Sweat & Tears and took it into the stratosphere!
A double album debut at a discount price, it's one of the great musical experiences, from this to "Beginnings" to their cover of "I'm A Man" to "Questions 67 And 68" to "Listen" the debut is a forgotten masterpiece of musicality that is a calling card for a deserved induction.
Sure, they ultimately had hits, they got ballady and syrupy, but when Terry Kath was alive and in the band they rocked harder than so many wimps already in the Hall.
Why is it a crime to know how to play?
And while we're at it, who's going to bring horns back?
FUCK THA POLICE
N.W.A.
We didn't know. They were right. They were speaking the truth of the street.
Hip-hop still rules, Dr. Dre is a legend who cannot get enough respect.
Furthermore, the message applies just as much today as it did back then.
Sure, we've got to be safe, but before that and first and foremost we need RESPECT!
About time these deserving, overlooked acts from the past were included in the canon installed in Cleveland.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
And now we can say the same thing about the committee.
And although I'm laughing, I'M HAPPY ABOUT IT!
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YOUR SAVING GRACE
Steve Miller Band
From the fourth album, of the same title.
I didn't buy it, although I did go to the Fillmore East to see the band headline. I got turned on to this track by XM, before the merger, on Deep Tracks. Funny how these gems are sitting there waiting for discovery. It's the Steve Miller Band track that goes through my head most these days.
BRAVE NEW WORLD
Steve Miller Band
The opening cut on the third album, which is still my favorite, that inspired me to go see the band at the Fillmore.
"We're driving fast
From a dream of the past
To the brave new world"
Aficionados were disappointed by the third LP, which featured a simple yellow gatefold cover and little information. Maybe they were mad at the departure of Boz Scaggs, but the album's a gem that will reward upon listening. I discovered it in the basement of a fraternity house on the University of Chicago campus, wherein I made friends with Paul Volberding, ultimately a famous AIDS doctor in San Francisco, who spun it constantly.
KOW KOW CALQULATOR
Steve Miller Band
The best track on "Brave New World," labeled just "Kow Kow" upon initial release, this is magical, illustrating the importance of arrangement and the attraction of Steve Miller's voice. Hang in there until the end when it becomes much more intense. This is the essence of classic rock, when it was about testing limits more than having a hit, and there wasn't one on "Brave New World," not one that would play on AM radio.
SPACE COWBOY
Steve Miller Band
The most famous track on "Brave New World," an instant classic you got upon the first listen, it was all over FM radio for years, is the younger generation even aware of it?
MY DARK HOUR
Steve Miller Band
The closing track on "Brave New World," listen for Paul McCartney's unmistakable backup vocal, never mind drums and bass.
SEASONS
Steve Miller Band
The cut that made me a satellite radio fan, I'd never heard it on the radio ever, when it came pouring out of the speakers on XM in January of 2004 I was transported back to that summer in Chicago. If you think you know Steve Miller, when you listen to this, you will find out you don't. It sounds nothing like the radio hits from years later. This is dreamy and fantastic. If you listen to one cut on this playlist, let this be it.
BABY'S CALLIN' ME HOME
Steve Miller Band
From the 1968 debut LP, "Children Of The Future," this is arguably Boz Scaggs's finest moment. Ethereal...from back when music set your mind free, adrift, so it could get into nooks and crannies and you could discover who you truly were, when being an individual was important.
QUICKSILVER GIRL
Steve Miller Band
From the second album, the second in 1968. You may not know this is Steve Miller, you may not have even heard it. But when you listen to it not only will you instantly get it, you'll regret that you were not around to experience it and the lifestyle that inspired it, back in 1968, when you had to leave your house to communicate and we were not competing for likes on social media, when everything was truly about the momentary experience, and your friends.
LIVING IN THE U.S.A.
Steve Miller Band
"Somebody give me a cheeseburger!"
It's about career-defining tracks more than hits. Cut one that's indelible and eventually the audience will catch up with you.
Also from "Sailor," the second album.
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN
Steve Miller Band
Because it was such a surprise, emanating from the car speakers, Steve Miller was already in the rearview mirror and then he dropped this less than three minute magical moment and suddenly he was back.
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
Steve Miller Band
"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future"
Ain't that the truth.
Once upon a time this was just an album track, part of Steve Miller's oeuvre, now it's a cultural institution. Sure it was a hit single, but no one ever thought it would be REMEMBERED!
ROCK'N ME
Steve Miller Band
Why they still come out to see Steve, why his audience always regenerates. It's the power of rock and roll. We need a return to roots.
JET AIRLINER
Steve Miller Band
Written by Paul Pena, this is my favorite latter-day Steve Miller Band track, it's the riff, the changes, the vocal...and the way that guitar stings.
Come on, this goes through your head every time you go to the airport, right? Or maybe you never fly.
"I might get rich, you know I might get busted"
Back from when life was a lark, when you weren't buying insurance, from when you had no idea what an investment bank was, before tech, when everything good was going on in your head.
And now, here's a special treat, the original Paul Pena recording of "Jet Airliner," due to the magic of YouTube, it's not on Spotify.
http://bit.ly/1mbpjOJ
He's dead now, but before he passed I saw him at the Wiltern, in the early part of this century, he demonstrated the Tuvan throat-singing he was famous for and sang this.
THE STAKE
Steve Miller Band
Who came up with the riff first, Joe Walsh or David Denny who wrote this? It may not matter, both tracks kill. And notice that Joe Walsh, who recorded "Rocky Mountain Way" first, did not sue. Oh, how times have changed.
MAELSTROM
Steve Miller Band
From 1986's "Livin' In The 20th Century," you might have heard this instrumental leading up to the news, back when they used to do that.
It's incredible.
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
Cheap Trick
It's all about the second album, "In Color," word spread, it was the talk of Rhino Records, when that was still a shop on Westwood Boulevard. There was never a new Beatles, but Cheap Trick digested the essence and built upon it. Sure, the hit was ultimately the one on the "Budokan" album, but despite its energy, I still prefer the studio iteration.
OH CAROLINE
Cheap Trick
"I Want You To Want Me" is on the first side, but the second side is "In Color"'s masterpiece. There's a Beatlesque change in the middle of this, despite rocking harder than so much of the Beatles' catalog.
CLOCK STRIKES TEN
Cheap Trick
This comes next. It's a tear. With a rockin' Robin Zander vocal akin to that of Paul McCartney's when he's doing his best Little Richard.
SOUTHERN GIRLS
Cheap Trick
Reminiscent of "California Girls," but not. It's got a great, hooky chorus that puts a smile on your face.
COME ON, COME ON
Cheap Trick
Zander is imploring you. And we were receptive, we went along.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU
Cheap Trick
The second side closer, it's my favorite cut on the LP, even though I'd never say it's the best.
If the band had never done anything more, I'd have said they deserve to be in the R&RHOF. But they wandered and were never quite this consistently great again, even though people love "Dream Police," but...if Rush is inside, Cheap Trick should be too!
MANDOCELLO
Cheap Trick
Jack Douglas did the first LP, and despite the band opening shows with "ELO Kiddies," this is the best cut on the record. You may not know it, but you should.
TAKIN' ME BACK
Cheap Trick
Tom Werman did "In Color" and he did "Heaven Tonight" too, although the latter rocked harder, and ultimately so did Werman, with Ted Nugent and Molly Hatchet and more. This second side opener is my favorite on "Heaven Tonight," it's the one I sing in my head, it's made by Rick Nielsen's thunderous riff.
SURRENDER
Cheap Trick
A classic, kinda like the "hits" of the Ramones, those in the know loved it but it didn't penetrate the public consciousness upon release, that took decades. The best lines...
"Then I woke up
Mom and dad are rollin' on the couch
Rollin' numbers, rock and rollin'
Got my KISS records out"
Too many tracks live in their own rarefied air, but the KISS reference always cracked me up, Cheap Trick were definitely living in the mid-seventies.
This is Cheap Trick at its greatest, and when I think of all the wankers who never achieve this height these days I reconsider my earlier statement and must declare...CHEAP TRICK ABSOLUTELY BELONG IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!
CALIFORNIA MAN
Cheap Trick
Written by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne's long forgotten compatriot in the Move. Just think of an Englishman writing this...
GONNA RAISE HELL
Cheap Trick
What "Dream Police"'s reputation is built upon. It's nine minutes and twenty seconds long and entrances you, especially if you've got zits and have never been laid.
NEED YOUR LOVE
Cheap Trick
Almost as long, this closes side two of "Dream Police," just like "Gonna Raise Hell" ended side two. This sounds as good to me as it did back then.
IF YOU WANT MY LOVE
Cheap Trick
And then the band went into the wilderness. Lost the plot. Stopped having hits. It's almost as if "Budokan" sapped the band's energy, stopped them in their tracks, delayed their career course, and they could never get back on track. One of their experiments, while at loose ends, was to work with Queen's majordomo, Roy Thomas Baker, and this magical track appears on 1982's "One On One." It holds up extremely well.
TONIGHT IT'S YOU
Cheap Trick
And after working with Todd Rundgren, the band returned to its initial producer, Jack Douglas, and came up with this gem that got little traction but is as great as anything the band has ever done. It's got all the elements, an enticing Robin Zander vocal and walls of Rick Nielsen's guitars.
Not to mention the power and the changes, it channels all the teen angst in the world and its only equivalent is the Tubes' "White Punks On Dope," that's the only track I know that also channels teen frustration and climbs to the mountaintop. Yes, listen to "Tonight It's You," it starts at sea level and goes all the way to the top of Mt. Everest. All the Active Rock posers should check this out and realize they're not shooting high enough.
THE FLAME
Cheap Trick
I know, they didn't write it, they hate it, but whomever is responsible for the underlying material, they positively made it their own. A gigantic hit, a return to form, this is everything Cheap Trick represents, emotion and feeling, changes and rock and roll religion, all encapsulated on wax. Can you ask for more?
I can't.
SMOKE ON THE WATER
Deep Purple
I know, they had a hit back in '68 with "Hush," on Bill Cosby's Tetragrammaton Records, their "In Rock" was a hard rock classic, but it was this, in its live iteration on the "Made In Japan" double live album that earned the band its place in rock history. Shame on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for not inducting Deep Purple before this.
I know, Michael Jackson is a cultural icon who's sold 30 million records, but I'd argue more people have heard "Smoke On The Water," it was certainly more influential. It cemented riff rock, it inspired legions of young men to pick up the guitar, turn it up and it eliminates all other thoughts and sounds in the universe. It got me through the summer of '73, when I was doing a minimum wage job and wondering how I was gonna survive. Come on, with a Frank Zappa reference to boot!
The highway stars with multiple lead singers and players should crank the Marshalls to the point where the effete Manhattan industrialists who believe music is about the head and not the heart, the eyes and not the genitals, put their fingers in their ears and run streaming from the induction hall.
If you don't think "Smoke On The Water" is the essence of rock and roll, pure bedrock, you're sentenced to listening to Patti Page on endless repeat, you're just damn LAZY, HA!
DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?
Chicago Transit Authority
I certainly do. It's way past the time I was due for dinner, and I feel guilty, a friend I rarely see is leaving town tomorrow and I want to connect, so...
Let me just say it's all about the first double LP. CTA built upon the horn section ethos pioneered by Electric Flag and Blood, Sweat & Tears and took it into the stratosphere!
A double album debut at a discount price, it's one of the great musical experiences, from this to "Beginnings" to their cover of "I'm A Man" to "Questions 67 And 68" to "Listen" the debut is a forgotten masterpiece of musicality that is a calling card for a deserved induction.
Sure, they ultimately had hits, they got ballady and syrupy, but when Terry Kath was alive and in the band they rocked harder than so many wimps already in the Hall.
Why is it a crime to know how to play?
And while we're at it, who's going to bring horns back?
FUCK THA POLICE
N.W.A.
We didn't know. They were right. They were speaking the truth of the street.
Hip-hop still rules, Dr. Dre is a legend who cannot get enough respect.
Furthermore, the message applies just as much today as it did back then.
Sure, we've got to be safe, but before that and first and foremost we need RESPECT!
About time these deserving, overlooked acts from the past were included in the canon installed in Cleveland.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
And now we can say the same thing about the committee.
And although I'm laughing, I'M HAPPY ABOUT IT!
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Wednesday 16 December 2015
Aspen Live
"I close for a living."
Scott Borchetta
Yes, he was there, and I could have listened to him all night, the journey from 19 year old bass player on the road with a country band to the majordomo of today's most successful label(s). That's right, Scott's got a few, because each can only work a few acts and Scott's got so many hits, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Maddie & Tae and...Taylor Swift.
We got the story. He was playing out his contract at MCA and she came to his office, broke out her guitar and Scott heard a hit. That's what separates the stars from the wannabes on the recorded music side, those who know what will fly up the chart and those who do not. You've got to have something to work with. Then you can employ all your skills of persuasion, which Borchetta honed as a promo honcho at multiple labels.
Scott talked about records "spilling over," not "crossing over." About getting radio stations to test records in order to convince them, especially if the track does not look like a good fit. And Scott got Taylor's dad to invest in Big Machine by asking him.
Reminded me of my dad. Who said if "You don't ask, you don't get." And made me feel inferior, because all this stuff skips a generation, I was embarrassed by my dad's gregarious personality, by his asking, and therefore I'm shy and hold it close to my vest and if I could only ask would my bank account be bigger?
And Borchetta was not the only speaker. Mark Williamson from Spotify showed the hockey sticks. That's right, the amount of airplay hit tracks get just a year later, now a few months later, Spotify is burgeoning, and if acts only saw the statistics they'd be convinced. And no, Borchetta did not tell us about Taylor Swift's Apple Music deal, the one for the concert, but it was interesting that the rest of his acts are on the freemium tier of Spotify, not that he does not believe change is necessary.
Just like Marc Geiger.
Geiger thought there should be multiple tiers, numerous add-ons, he thought Spotify was an opportunity to build a bigger platform. He owned his failure at ArtistDirect, said he was wet behind the ears, ignorant of so much, did not know how to massage Wall Street, like Michael Rapino does so well. And over at WME Geiger's got a twelve person festival team, and is writing festival bylaws, trying to eradicate old practices and smooth the process and Marc is a go-getter who believes the future's so bright you've gotta wear shades and his optimism is infectious and it's astounding how everybody talking was so positive and yet the scuttlebutt in the media about music is so negative.
Yet we own the experience. A college professor came with data illustrating experiences trump material goods all the time, unless you're broke. And that's what a concert is, an experience.
And that's what Aspen Live is, an experience.
It was the twentieth year, we all got jackets, we were recognizable on the hill. And that's where the most informative discussions take place, in the gondola, on the chair, on the hill. Rick Mueller was supervising the Springsteen on sale in L.A. It was fascinating to hear how they adjust on the fly, the vision for the future. Don Strasburg's vision for the future is a ticket lottery, so every fan has a chance of getting in, he says it works already. And to be present made you feel like an insider, like this was where it was happening, which is so exciting.
Credit Jim Lewi, whose brainchild Aspen Live is. The conference has mutated from an emphasis on labels to touring, younger players have replaced so many of the greybeards. But the pulse remains the same. The classic era may be behind us, but the music train keeps rolling down the track.
And there were too many friends and too many stories. We were regaled at Matsuhisa about star choices and demands. Do you know the difference between a G5 and a G6? Turns out the latter can fly from the west coast to Europe without refueling, and there's room for all your luggage. One person whose name I will not mention paid an extra eighty grand to fly on a G6 from London, alone, to Los Angeles, just so he didn't have to stop in Canada to refuel on a G5. And there's a deep five digit budget for a nail person. And a budget to appear on Fallon can near a hundred grand, and if the label doesn't cough it all up, the act will just appear at a nightclub or two to make up the difference.
Actually, the conference was too short. It'd be like going to summer camp for a weekend instead of a month. I didn't have time to get deep with everybody, some friends I barely said more than hello to.
So I express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Lewi for enabling me to have such a fantastic time.
I can't wait until next year!
P.S. One more thing. I heard Peter Shapiro tell the story of Soldier Field, the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead, Fare Thee Well. He'd been trying to put it together for ten years, and as Andrew Dreskin of Ticketfly remarked, when Peter says he's gonna do something, it happens. And I was struck by the power of the individual, to make things happen. We think corporations rule the world, but one person, with a vision and desire, who is willing to stay in the trenches and execute, can achieve the impossible. Remember that.
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Scott Borchetta
Yes, he was there, and I could have listened to him all night, the journey from 19 year old bass player on the road with a country band to the majordomo of today's most successful label(s). That's right, Scott's got a few, because each can only work a few acts and Scott's got so many hits, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Maddie & Tae and...Taylor Swift.
We got the story. He was playing out his contract at MCA and she came to his office, broke out her guitar and Scott heard a hit. That's what separates the stars from the wannabes on the recorded music side, those who know what will fly up the chart and those who do not. You've got to have something to work with. Then you can employ all your skills of persuasion, which Borchetta honed as a promo honcho at multiple labels.
Scott talked about records "spilling over," not "crossing over." About getting radio stations to test records in order to convince them, especially if the track does not look like a good fit. And Scott got Taylor's dad to invest in Big Machine by asking him.
Reminded me of my dad. Who said if "You don't ask, you don't get." And made me feel inferior, because all this stuff skips a generation, I was embarrassed by my dad's gregarious personality, by his asking, and therefore I'm shy and hold it close to my vest and if I could only ask would my bank account be bigger?
And Borchetta was not the only speaker. Mark Williamson from Spotify showed the hockey sticks. That's right, the amount of airplay hit tracks get just a year later, now a few months later, Spotify is burgeoning, and if acts only saw the statistics they'd be convinced. And no, Borchetta did not tell us about Taylor Swift's Apple Music deal, the one for the concert, but it was interesting that the rest of his acts are on the freemium tier of Spotify, not that he does not believe change is necessary.
Just like Marc Geiger.
Geiger thought there should be multiple tiers, numerous add-ons, he thought Spotify was an opportunity to build a bigger platform. He owned his failure at ArtistDirect, said he was wet behind the ears, ignorant of so much, did not know how to massage Wall Street, like Michael Rapino does so well. And over at WME Geiger's got a twelve person festival team, and is writing festival bylaws, trying to eradicate old practices and smooth the process and Marc is a go-getter who believes the future's so bright you've gotta wear shades and his optimism is infectious and it's astounding how everybody talking was so positive and yet the scuttlebutt in the media about music is so negative.
Yet we own the experience. A college professor came with data illustrating experiences trump material goods all the time, unless you're broke. And that's what a concert is, an experience.
And that's what Aspen Live is, an experience.
It was the twentieth year, we all got jackets, we were recognizable on the hill. And that's where the most informative discussions take place, in the gondola, on the chair, on the hill. Rick Mueller was supervising the Springsteen on sale in L.A. It was fascinating to hear how they adjust on the fly, the vision for the future. Don Strasburg's vision for the future is a ticket lottery, so every fan has a chance of getting in, he says it works already. And to be present made you feel like an insider, like this was where it was happening, which is so exciting.
Credit Jim Lewi, whose brainchild Aspen Live is. The conference has mutated from an emphasis on labels to touring, younger players have replaced so many of the greybeards. But the pulse remains the same. The classic era may be behind us, but the music train keeps rolling down the track.
And there were too many friends and too many stories. We were regaled at Matsuhisa about star choices and demands. Do you know the difference between a G5 and a G6? Turns out the latter can fly from the west coast to Europe without refueling, and there's room for all your luggage. One person whose name I will not mention paid an extra eighty grand to fly on a G6 from London, alone, to Los Angeles, just so he didn't have to stop in Canada to refuel on a G5. And there's a deep five digit budget for a nail person. And a budget to appear on Fallon can near a hundred grand, and if the label doesn't cough it all up, the act will just appear at a nightclub or two to make up the difference.
Actually, the conference was too short. It'd be like going to summer camp for a weekend instead of a month. I didn't have time to get deep with everybody, some friends I barely said more than hello to.
So I express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Lewi for enabling me to have such a fantastic time.
I can't wait until next year!
P.S. One more thing. I heard Peter Shapiro tell the story of Soldier Field, the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead, Fare Thee Well. He'd been trying to put it together for ten years, and as Andrew Dreskin of Ticketfly remarked, when Peter says he's gonna do something, it happens. And I was struck by the power of the individual, to make things happen. We think corporations rule the world, but one person, with a vision and desire, who is willing to stay in the trenches and execute, can achieve the impossible. Remember that.
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Tuesday 15 December 2015
The Bel-Air Starship
http://nyti.ms/1RPFTA8
And Gigi Hadid and her father Mohamed are media superstars.
Not surprising in a nation where image is key, money trumps everything and the government needs to be drowned in the bathtub.
Is this like FDR, the public was unaware he couldn't walk, has America been hampered and hamstrung forever and we just did not know about it, or have things changed dramatically?
Or to put it another way, do all those non-traveling, xenophobic yahoos worried about immigrants taking their jobs realize that the foreign billionaires who can buy entry are sucking up our property and we truly live in an international economy and we can't stick our heads in the sand any longer?
I don't expect you to read the above "New York Times" article, but if you skim it you'll get the gist. It focuses on shell companies but the essence is the government just can't stop illegal construction. That's the world we live in, the wealthy believe the rules don't apply to them, and since they're revered by the underclass, which is anybody from the eviscerated middle class on down, they get away with their shenanigans.
Meanwhile, the press follows the Trump non-story to sell advertising and we can't even get transparency in the music business, because, as they say...it's not about the money, it's about the money. And even though you can't take it with you, a certain segment of the population wants to acquire their fortune, whether legally or illegally, and not pay tax on it all under the rubric of helping the little guy out. Huh?
Dude, I don't recognize my country. And that includes Manhattan and now Los Angeles, where the ultra-rich are hollowing out entire neighborhoods, making it so those who create the soul of our nation are driven out. Artists living in Manhattan? They can't even afford Brooklyn! As for downtown Los Angeles...that land is for the rich, who have oodles of money.
You rail against the Kardashians who are famous for nothing. What you don't understand is in a country where the buck is everything, he who focuses on money first wins the game. Artists aren't about challenging the status quo, just bitching that they cannot get a piece of the pie. The power of the pen trumps everything in our world, but the artists have laid their sabers down, all in pursuit of sponsorships, constructing hokum with a team of experienced players feeding the corporate greed of the record companies who want to take no risk as they continue to line their coffers. The only ones speaking truth are the aged, who came up in a different time, like Neil Young and David Crosby, the young just pursue the flash and the cash, and the populace is too ignorant to know what's going on. Fight free streaming? How about creating something so insightful that people clamor for it and it changes the fabric of this great country of ours! Seems like the only ones who will stand up for
what's right are those in Silicon Valley, who not only agitate for an unhindered internet, but for gay rights and parental leave, Apple is standing up for the little guy, making it so your iPhone bread crumbs cannot be traced, but you want the government to sacrifice your privacy in the pursuit of a safety it cannot engender. So while you want the government to keep you safe, you refuse to let it improve the quality of your life and protect you from the business people who hamstring your future, never mind your present.
We are the last line of defense. The artists.
Because we are the ones who reach the people.
Credit the "New York Times" for researching and printing this story. Instead of cutting all reporting to protect margins the "Times" has continued to spend bucks to hold evildoers accountable. Something your local news outlet is no longer capable of doing. Your TV station will send a truck to a shooting, but it won't uncover wrongdoing in the corporate suite and Fox News IS the corporate suite!
While the Edge levels hillsides in Malibu for personal gain, scarring the land in a fashion that will long outlive him, and his band avoids taxes as Bono does his best to save the world, the younger generation doesn't even have a social conscience.
You should watch that Vice special on AIDS, Bono did some good there, he deserves credit, but he's over fifty and just a finger in the dike and like I said he and his compatriots are not lily-white but what bugs me most is we lionize the ignorant and refuse to hold them accountable. All art is political, never forget that.
So as you wind down your year and relax in the warmth of your fake fire know that the rich are not pausing, they're continuing to creep in, because rust never sleeps.
What are you gonna do about it?
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And Gigi Hadid and her father Mohamed are media superstars.
Not surprising in a nation where image is key, money trumps everything and the government needs to be drowned in the bathtub.
Is this like FDR, the public was unaware he couldn't walk, has America been hampered and hamstrung forever and we just did not know about it, or have things changed dramatically?
Or to put it another way, do all those non-traveling, xenophobic yahoos worried about immigrants taking their jobs realize that the foreign billionaires who can buy entry are sucking up our property and we truly live in an international economy and we can't stick our heads in the sand any longer?
I don't expect you to read the above "New York Times" article, but if you skim it you'll get the gist. It focuses on shell companies but the essence is the government just can't stop illegal construction. That's the world we live in, the wealthy believe the rules don't apply to them, and since they're revered by the underclass, which is anybody from the eviscerated middle class on down, they get away with their shenanigans.
Meanwhile, the press follows the Trump non-story to sell advertising and we can't even get transparency in the music business, because, as they say...it's not about the money, it's about the money. And even though you can't take it with you, a certain segment of the population wants to acquire their fortune, whether legally or illegally, and not pay tax on it all under the rubric of helping the little guy out. Huh?
Dude, I don't recognize my country. And that includes Manhattan and now Los Angeles, where the ultra-rich are hollowing out entire neighborhoods, making it so those who create the soul of our nation are driven out. Artists living in Manhattan? They can't even afford Brooklyn! As for downtown Los Angeles...that land is for the rich, who have oodles of money.
You rail against the Kardashians who are famous for nothing. What you don't understand is in a country where the buck is everything, he who focuses on money first wins the game. Artists aren't about challenging the status quo, just bitching that they cannot get a piece of the pie. The power of the pen trumps everything in our world, but the artists have laid their sabers down, all in pursuit of sponsorships, constructing hokum with a team of experienced players feeding the corporate greed of the record companies who want to take no risk as they continue to line their coffers. The only ones speaking truth are the aged, who came up in a different time, like Neil Young and David Crosby, the young just pursue the flash and the cash, and the populace is too ignorant to know what's going on. Fight free streaming? How about creating something so insightful that people clamor for it and it changes the fabric of this great country of ours! Seems like the only ones who will stand up for
what's right are those in Silicon Valley, who not only agitate for an unhindered internet, but for gay rights and parental leave, Apple is standing up for the little guy, making it so your iPhone bread crumbs cannot be traced, but you want the government to sacrifice your privacy in the pursuit of a safety it cannot engender. So while you want the government to keep you safe, you refuse to let it improve the quality of your life and protect you from the business people who hamstring your future, never mind your present.
We are the last line of defense. The artists.
Because we are the ones who reach the people.
Credit the "New York Times" for researching and printing this story. Instead of cutting all reporting to protect margins the "Times" has continued to spend bucks to hold evildoers accountable. Something your local news outlet is no longer capable of doing. Your TV station will send a truck to a shooting, but it won't uncover wrongdoing in the corporate suite and Fox News IS the corporate suite!
While the Edge levels hillsides in Malibu for personal gain, scarring the land in a fashion that will long outlive him, and his band avoids taxes as Bono does his best to save the world, the younger generation doesn't even have a social conscience.
You should watch that Vice special on AIDS, Bono did some good there, he deserves credit, but he's over fifty and just a finger in the dike and like I said he and his compatriots are not lily-white but what bugs me most is we lionize the ignorant and refuse to hold them accountable. All art is political, never forget that.
So as you wind down your year and relax in the warmth of your fake fire know that the rich are not pausing, they're continuing to creep in, because rust never sleeps.
What are you gonna do about it?
--
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--
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Tuesday 8 December 2015
December 8, 1980
I spent the night in the drunk tank.
Ever been stopped for a DUI?
You don't want to be. And what's worse is they expect you've been stopped before, that you know the routine, what to do, and when you don't...
The LAPD gets pissed.
Well, let's wind the clock back to 9 PM. My best buddy is in from college, we've deposited his wife at my new apartment, where the drains didn't work, I'd just separated from my live-in girlfriend, I was in transition, back before that spoke to your gender, when it meant you were at loose ends, what some call sixes and nines.
And I got behind the wheel of my small automobile, within which I had upgraded the stereo, back when that was a goal, before they had pullout faceplates, before the crooks gave up and started stealing airbags instead. And wanting to demonstrate my sound system I cranked it up and on KMET they were playing a Beatles song.
This was 1980, the band hadn't been gone that long, nostalgia hadn't crept in, I wanted something more forceful, maybe AC/DC, which was shaking us all night long, but when I pushed the button for KLOS I found the same thing, another Beatles track. And then the same deal on KROQ and KNX.
Something was up.
How do you discover the screw has turned? The unexpected has happened? Something you cannot fathom has become real? My dad had cancer, I expected him to go. But John Lennon?
Hits you in the gut.
Still does.
He was never the cute one, and he knew it. If you pull up the "Tomorrow" show you'll hear him say this. Delineate his insecurities and demonstrate his confidence and arrogance all at the same time. Lennon was the template for "rock star." He did it his way, damn the rest of the world.
And we followed him. Because we weren't used to such honesty, we hadn't been exposed to such talent.
And the Beatles were his band before it became Paul's. And then John quit. But when only insiders knew this, he dropped a single so infectious, so different from what the Fab Four were famous for, that it stopped you in your tracks.
It was February 1970, I was driving my mom's VistaCruiser, the radio was cranked, and from the dashboard, where the only speaker was located, came this mellifluous sound.
"Instant karma's gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin'
Join the human race"
Not today, today we believe in separation. The rich fly private, believe their money trumps truth. But karma'll get you in the end. Your only way out is to join the tribe, become a member of the group.
But the group is no longer satisfied where it is. Remember the "Movement"? That's what the anti-war agitators were called back in the sixties, we were all in it together, today it's every man for himself.
"What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin' to do
It's up to you, yeah you"
Now we're not talking about a safety net, but initiative, owning not only your abilities, but your failures. It's up to you to become all you want to be. Forget the Army, stealing our slogan. But can you self-actualize? The rock stars who had everything realized it was nothing, that's why they kept preaching about love.
"Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Everyone, come on"
John was imploring us to come along, to join him. He wasn't bitching about being ripped off, wasn't complaining that the system was against him, he was owning his power, and it was infectious.
But we were infected long before "Instant Karma!"
We were hooked when they told us we had that something.
But we were enraptured when we heard John sing that it wouldn't be long, no it wouldn't, before he belonged to us.
And then the deal was sealed with the "come ons" in "Please Please Me." The tonality of the vocal, this guy really meant it!
But my favorite John Lennon song, and my favorite Beatles song, was written by Paul McCartney, it's "Every Little Thing."
"When I'm walking beside her
People tell me I'm lucky"
That's guys. Women may be insecure about their weight, but men are insecure about their identity. They need affirmation that they're o.k., they need an attractive woman for status, often irrelevant of what's inside.
"I remember the first time
I was lonely without her
Can't stop thinking about her now"
Guys are useless without women. They can hang with their buds and talk sports, put each other down, but only women will listen to them, embrace them, make them feel okay.
And never underestimate George Harrison's acoustic guitar, and Ringo holding down the bottom, but it's John on the twelve string and most importantly the vocal. There was a real person inside. He may not have always liked himself, but he had us at hello, when he wanted to hold our hand, when he wanted to please us, when he sang about everything little thing she did.
But then the Beatles were done.
It was bad enough when they all got married, there was no way solo tracks would satisfy.
And then came "Instant Karma!" Wherein Phil Spector employed his wall of sound to make Alan White's seemingly lazy drums become a lead instrument as John insisted we shine on.
And John Lennon's memory has. Paul McCartney's legend has suffered in comparison. But one day they'll both be gone, and we won't believe they were ever here, that they burst on to the international scene fully realized, that they inspired kids around the world to pick up musical instruments and become rock stars.
Come on, you marvel at your iPhone, but do you really want to become an engineer?
But we just needed to get closer to this music, that we could sing along to, that spoke to us, that gave us instruction.
And the instruction was that we were all superstars, monoliths in our own right. John Lennon was just a fool, entertaining the assembled multitude, like Bob Dylan he had no answers, but that did not mean he couldn't weigh in, couldn't parse the truth, sing about what he felt and saw.
Which was injustice.
The Beatles became big and testified to what was wrong in the world.
Bono wants peace, but he evidences no flaws. And makes less memorable music. But after Paul Hewson, who've we got?
Nobody. Just a bunch of marginally talented complainers.
John Lennon needed it. To plug that hole in his heart. The irony is that all the love in the world didn't solve his problems, although Yoko Ono made him happiest, even though we could not stop deriding her for stealing him from us.
Howard Cosell rolled over and gave us the news.
He's been completely forgotten.
But John's still here, gone in body, but surrounding us in spirit.
With enough juice in my tank I was pulled over on Highland and recited my ABC's quite well, walked Johnny Cash's line, but they put on the plastic handcuffs and installed me in the padded cell.
That's what happened to me the night John Lennon died.
What happened to the world was it lost a unique individual who was unafraid of speaking his mind, who was unafraid of getting it wrong, who was unafraid of using his power to do good.
Let that be a beacon to you.
If you think being a rock star is about more than being rich, if you know that fame is just a byproduct of successful art, if you know that if you're not willing to hang it all out there, you're not hanging it out at all.
John Lennon died for our sins. In a place where the mentally ill can get handguns and live out their fantasy.
But before that, John Lennon just wanted to be free. He wanted to stride amongst us, he wanted to feel the air in his hair and smell the great mass of humanity that inhabits this planet, especially in New York City.
John Lennon wasn't selling fear, but enlightenment, and he had everybody on his side.
Oh what a long strange slide it's been.
It's time for us to get back to Johnny's garden.
He'd like that.
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Ever been stopped for a DUI?
You don't want to be. And what's worse is they expect you've been stopped before, that you know the routine, what to do, and when you don't...
The LAPD gets pissed.
Well, let's wind the clock back to 9 PM. My best buddy is in from college, we've deposited his wife at my new apartment, where the drains didn't work, I'd just separated from my live-in girlfriend, I was in transition, back before that spoke to your gender, when it meant you were at loose ends, what some call sixes and nines.
And I got behind the wheel of my small automobile, within which I had upgraded the stereo, back when that was a goal, before they had pullout faceplates, before the crooks gave up and started stealing airbags instead. And wanting to demonstrate my sound system I cranked it up and on KMET they were playing a Beatles song.
This was 1980, the band hadn't been gone that long, nostalgia hadn't crept in, I wanted something more forceful, maybe AC/DC, which was shaking us all night long, but when I pushed the button for KLOS I found the same thing, another Beatles track. And then the same deal on KROQ and KNX.
Something was up.
How do you discover the screw has turned? The unexpected has happened? Something you cannot fathom has become real? My dad had cancer, I expected him to go. But John Lennon?
Hits you in the gut.
Still does.
He was never the cute one, and he knew it. If you pull up the "Tomorrow" show you'll hear him say this. Delineate his insecurities and demonstrate his confidence and arrogance all at the same time. Lennon was the template for "rock star." He did it his way, damn the rest of the world.
And we followed him. Because we weren't used to such honesty, we hadn't been exposed to such talent.
And the Beatles were his band before it became Paul's. And then John quit. But when only insiders knew this, he dropped a single so infectious, so different from what the Fab Four were famous for, that it stopped you in your tracks.
It was February 1970, I was driving my mom's VistaCruiser, the radio was cranked, and from the dashboard, where the only speaker was located, came this mellifluous sound.
"Instant karma's gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin'
Join the human race"
Not today, today we believe in separation. The rich fly private, believe their money trumps truth. But karma'll get you in the end. Your only way out is to join the tribe, become a member of the group.
But the group is no longer satisfied where it is. Remember the "Movement"? That's what the anti-war agitators were called back in the sixties, we were all in it together, today it's every man for himself.
"What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin' to do
It's up to you, yeah you"
Now we're not talking about a safety net, but initiative, owning not only your abilities, but your failures. It's up to you to become all you want to be. Forget the Army, stealing our slogan. But can you self-actualize? The rock stars who had everything realized it was nothing, that's why they kept preaching about love.
"Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Everyone, come on"
John was imploring us to come along, to join him. He wasn't bitching about being ripped off, wasn't complaining that the system was against him, he was owning his power, and it was infectious.
But we were infected long before "Instant Karma!"
We were hooked when they told us we had that something.
But we were enraptured when we heard John sing that it wouldn't be long, no it wouldn't, before he belonged to us.
And then the deal was sealed with the "come ons" in "Please Please Me." The tonality of the vocal, this guy really meant it!
But my favorite John Lennon song, and my favorite Beatles song, was written by Paul McCartney, it's "Every Little Thing."
"When I'm walking beside her
People tell me I'm lucky"
That's guys. Women may be insecure about their weight, but men are insecure about their identity. They need affirmation that they're o.k., they need an attractive woman for status, often irrelevant of what's inside.
"I remember the first time
I was lonely without her
Can't stop thinking about her now"
Guys are useless without women. They can hang with their buds and talk sports, put each other down, but only women will listen to them, embrace them, make them feel okay.
And never underestimate George Harrison's acoustic guitar, and Ringo holding down the bottom, but it's John on the twelve string and most importantly the vocal. There was a real person inside. He may not have always liked himself, but he had us at hello, when he wanted to hold our hand, when he wanted to please us, when he sang about everything little thing she did.
But then the Beatles were done.
It was bad enough when they all got married, there was no way solo tracks would satisfy.
And then came "Instant Karma!" Wherein Phil Spector employed his wall of sound to make Alan White's seemingly lazy drums become a lead instrument as John insisted we shine on.
And John Lennon's memory has. Paul McCartney's legend has suffered in comparison. But one day they'll both be gone, and we won't believe they were ever here, that they burst on to the international scene fully realized, that they inspired kids around the world to pick up musical instruments and become rock stars.
Come on, you marvel at your iPhone, but do you really want to become an engineer?
But we just needed to get closer to this music, that we could sing along to, that spoke to us, that gave us instruction.
And the instruction was that we were all superstars, monoliths in our own right. John Lennon was just a fool, entertaining the assembled multitude, like Bob Dylan he had no answers, but that did not mean he couldn't weigh in, couldn't parse the truth, sing about what he felt and saw.
Which was injustice.
The Beatles became big and testified to what was wrong in the world.
Bono wants peace, but he evidences no flaws. And makes less memorable music. But after Paul Hewson, who've we got?
Nobody. Just a bunch of marginally talented complainers.
John Lennon needed it. To plug that hole in his heart. The irony is that all the love in the world didn't solve his problems, although Yoko Ono made him happiest, even though we could not stop deriding her for stealing him from us.
Howard Cosell rolled over and gave us the news.
He's been completely forgotten.
But John's still here, gone in body, but surrounding us in spirit.
With enough juice in my tank I was pulled over on Highland and recited my ABC's quite well, walked Johnny Cash's line, but they put on the plastic handcuffs and installed me in the padded cell.
That's what happened to me the night John Lennon died.
What happened to the world was it lost a unique individual who was unafraid of speaking his mind, who was unafraid of getting it wrong, who was unafraid of using his power to do good.
Let that be a beacon to you.
If you think being a rock star is about more than being rich, if you know that fame is just a byproduct of successful art, if you know that if you're not willing to hang it all out there, you're not hanging it out at all.
John Lennon died for our sins. In a place where the mentally ill can get handguns and live out their fantasy.
But before that, John Lennon just wanted to be free. He wanted to stride amongst us, he wanted to feel the air in his hair and smell the great mass of humanity that inhabits this planet, especially in New York City.
John Lennon wasn't selling fear, but enlightenment, and he had everybody on his side.
Oh what a long strange slide it's been.
It's time for us to get back to Johnny's garden.
He'd like that.
--
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--
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Monday 7 December 2015
Grammy Noms
It's not your father's Grammys.
Forget all the horseshit about Madonna being snubbed. Prince too. These are not lifetime achievement awards, rather recognition of what is popular and successful.
Yup, that's what we've got. Not only were the alta kachers eliminated, we didn't have any of the cred artists either, except Alabama Shakes and Chris Stapleton, who is coasting on his CMA coattails. What we have here is pure pop for now people.
And everybody over the age of thirty hates it.
But that's the music business we're living in now. Rock is dead. Americana may have a category, but its penetration is de minimis. All those other categories, jazz, classical, etc., ignore them...the public will. And the Grammy telecast will too, they won't get any airtime.
And we know that an appearance on the show is much more important than winning. But really, we've got to give the Grammys credit, unlike the Oscars, they're living in the twenty first century, they're living in the now.
That's right, Jennifer Lawrence has her knickers in a twist about women in Hollywood but women are dominating in music. Are there enough execs, enough producers? Of course not, but if you look at the nominees... Taylor Swift is up front and center. And three females are in the Best New Artist category. And Liz Rose, Taylor's old compatriot, and Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna wrote Little Big Town's "Girl Crush," and if you don't know that's Karen Fairchild's band, you know nothing about Nashville.
And you may not.
You may not know anything about rap. You may be enamored of Adele not knowing that the Weeknd rules Spotify. You may be completely out of the loop on this year's nominees other than the ubiquitous "Uptown Funk" and the Alabama Shakes, led by Brittany Howard, a woman.
But I wouldn't expect the Shakes to win. But you never know, Kendrick and Taylor and the Weeknd could cancel each other out, but the truth is most all of the players are so YOUNG!
The classic rock era is over. The baby boomer music is toast. It's a whole new world and either you've got a hit pop track or it's like you don't exist.
Forget the rest of the 79 categories. The circle jerk wherein everybody who makes music gets to be nominated and put it on their bio so they can tour when they're aged. Those categories don't count. I'd say it's like the Little League World Series, although the Little League World Series is more important and more people watch it. There's this fiction that people care about the nominated stuff, I can't say songs, because there's comedy and even spoken word, but the truth is only those listed and their parents and spouses care. Just being brutally honest, can you take it?
Lana Del Rey, the critical darling... Her new LP stiffs, and it's like she doesn't exist.
As for the exclusion of the Foo Fighters from the big four categories... "Sonic Highways" was a brilliant TV show and a sub-mediocre record. But the Grammys don't nominate the sub-mediocre anymore!
Let's start with Record of the Year. All five tracks were hits! "Uptown Funk" was ubiquitous like in the days of old, everybody heard it and knows it. Of course it's unoriginal, but if you think we're in a heyday of music exploration you think vinyl still counts and sales eclipse listens.
"Can't Feel My Face" couldn't have been bigger in the demo...the kids who've inherited the earth, boomers and Gen X are in the rearview mirror.
As for Taylor Swift... She could run for President and win, she's more popular than Donald Trump. I wish she'd take a political stand, she's the only one who can get out the youth vote. Hell, she took Ed Sheeran on tour and gave a boost to his career.
And sure "Really Love" didn't have much chart success, but it had cultural impact, and that's more important today, especially when the charts can't figure it all out, mixing streaming and sales and radio and coming up with something incomprehensible.
And sure, Fetty Wap deserves a nom, but there are only five slots, a plethora of riches I say.
As for Album of the Year... All the kids talk about Kendrick Lamar. Sure, you don't know him if you're addicted to HBO and expensive dinners, but if you're actually listening to music, following it, he's part of the discussion, always.
Personally, I think Alabama Shakes lack good material. But if that's as left field as the Grammys want to go, I'm down with it. Better than nominating the unheard Beck album.
And "1989" and "Beauty Behind The Madness" were two of the most played albums of the year. Taylor Swift may not be on Spotify, but she's on YouTube, which eclipses everything, most certainly sales, never mind Apple Music. And the Weeknd just blew away everything else upon release.
As for Chris Stapleton... He won't win, you'll forget he was nominated, we'll see if he can follow up this publicity bump with a hit album, unlike Kacey Musgraves...
Yup, it's all about what you've done for us lately, music is a cruel world, have a couple of hits and you can tour forever, but Kacey hasn't done that!
As for Song of the Year... Most interesting is the number of writers on each. Kendrick's "Alright" has three, including the omnipresent Pharrell, as do "Blank Space," "Girl Crush," "Thinking Out Loud" and "See You Again," which is an incredible cut most adults haven't heard, but should, it's really a Charlie Puth record as opposed to a Wiz Khalifa track, kinda like Shaggy had his name on his hit but it was more about Rikrok. And Ed Sheeran, the great white hope, the one who plays the guitar...even his song has two writers. We're not into personal statements as much as success. We bring out the heavy artillery, we buy insurance. Could this be why the music slides off of us? Even the Weeknd uses Max Martin, the true star of Music's Biggest Night. We used to believe the songs emanated from the writers' souls, now we're skeptical. Used to be music was the most personal of media, now it's all done by committee.
And there you have it.
Oh, we could talk about the Best New Artist category but that's one you don't want to win, it taints your career, even though the nominees are all good. But Meghan Trainor's work was nominated LAST YEAR!
And Adele didn't make the cut-off this year.
And Cash Money forgot to nominate Drake's "Hotline Bling."
But does any of this matter? Will the winners get a Grammy bounce? Probably not, everybody who cares already knows, they're in the loop.
So what we've got here is a snapshot of the music industry in 2015. One wherein the rules confound us, make it hard to understand who is winning and who is not, but one in which we only care about what's popular and everything else is irrelevant, where pop rules and meaning takes a back seat, where the youth own music despite the aged selling out arenas.
U2 may be telecasting from Paris, but to the people who listened to the nominees, who care about the nominees, they're a bunch of old fart has-beens sans memorable material.
As it should be, the young should eat the old, music's famous for that.
And the old should realize they cannot win. It's too late, baby. You can get a Kennedy Center Honor, but in the cutthroat world of the chart, of popularity, of what's driving the culture, you're a sideshow. Count your money and be done with it.
Madonna, stay off the road for a few years. Bon Jovi did, good for him.
And know that your kids run the world.
Music was at the epicenter of the youthquake back in the sixties, it led and then rode shotgun. And music has incredible impact amongst the young today, even if the oldsters don't feel it. Music dominates social media, from Twitter to Instagram, and music dominates YouTube... We're just one step away from an anthem that blows a hole in the culture and gets us all moving in the right direction.
But that would require the winners to stop playing it safe, to stop kissing ass, to stop chasing the bucks of the sponsors, to start believing in themselves and using their power for good.
They've got the power baby, don't try to fight it.
The men don't know...
But the little girls understand.
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Forget all the horseshit about Madonna being snubbed. Prince too. These are not lifetime achievement awards, rather recognition of what is popular and successful.
Yup, that's what we've got. Not only were the alta kachers eliminated, we didn't have any of the cred artists either, except Alabama Shakes and Chris Stapleton, who is coasting on his CMA coattails. What we have here is pure pop for now people.
And everybody over the age of thirty hates it.
But that's the music business we're living in now. Rock is dead. Americana may have a category, but its penetration is de minimis. All those other categories, jazz, classical, etc., ignore them...the public will. And the Grammy telecast will too, they won't get any airtime.
And we know that an appearance on the show is much more important than winning. But really, we've got to give the Grammys credit, unlike the Oscars, they're living in the twenty first century, they're living in the now.
That's right, Jennifer Lawrence has her knickers in a twist about women in Hollywood but women are dominating in music. Are there enough execs, enough producers? Of course not, but if you look at the nominees... Taylor Swift is up front and center. And three females are in the Best New Artist category. And Liz Rose, Taylor's old compatriot, and Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna wrote Little Big Town's "Girl Crush," and if you don't know that's Karen Fairchild's band, you know nothing about Nashville.
And you may not.
You may not know anything about rap. You may be enamored of Adele not knowing that the Weeknd rules Spotify. You may be completely out of the loop on this year's nominees other than the ubiquitous "Uptown Funk" and the Alabama Shakes, led by Brittany Howard, a woman.
But I wouldn't expect the Shakes to win. But you never know, Kendrick and Taylor and the Weeknd could cancel each other out, but the truth is most all of the players are so YOUNG!
The classic rock era is over. The baby boomer music is toast. It's a whole new world and either you've got a hit pop track or it's like you don't exist.
Forget the rest of the 79 categories. The circle jerk wherein everybody who makes music gets to be nominated and put it on their bio so they can tour when they're aged. Those categories don't count. I'd say it's like the Little League World Series, although the Little League World Series is more important and more people watch it. There's this fiction that people care about the nominated stuff, I can't say songs, because there's comedy and even spoken word, but the truth is only those listed and their parents and spouses care. Just being brutally honest, can you take it?
Lana Del Rey, the critical darling... Her new LP stiffs, and it's like she doesn't exist.
As for the exclusion of the Foo Fighters from the big four categories... "Sonic Highways" was a brilliant TV show and a sub-mediocre record. But the Grammys don't nominate the sub-mediocre anymore!
Let's start with Record of the Year. All five tracks were hits! "Uptown Funk" was ubiquitous like in the days of old, everybody heard it and knows it. Of course it's unoriginal, but if you think we're in a heyday of music exploration you think vinyl still counts and sales eclipse listens.
"Can't Feel My Face" couldn't have been bigger in the demo...the kids who've inherited the earth, boomers and Gen X are in the rearview mirror.
As for Taylor Swift... She could run for President and win, she's more popular than Donald Trump. I wish she'd take a political stand, she's the only one who can get out the youth vote. Hell, she took Ed Sheeran on tour and gave a boost to his career.
And sure "Really Love" didn't have much chart success, but it had cultural impact, and that's more important today, especially when the charts can't figure it all out, mixing streaming and sales and radio and coming up with something incomprehensible.
And sure, Fetty Wap deserves a nom, but there are only five slots, a plethora of riches I say.
As for Album of the Year... All the kids talk about Kendrick Lamar. Sure, you don't know him if you're addicted to HBO and expensive dinners, but if you're actually listening to music, following it, he's part of the discussion, always.
Personally, I think Alabama Shakes lack good material. But if that's as left field as the Grammys want to go, I'm down with it. Better than nominating the unheard Beck album.
And "1989" and "Beauty Behind The Madness" were two of the most played albums of the year. Taylor Swift may not be on Spotify, but she's on YouTube, which eclipses everything, most certainly sales, never mind Apple Music. And the Weeknd just blew away everything else upon release.
As for Chris Stapleton... He won't win, you'll forget he was nominated, we'll see if he can follow up this publicity bump with a hit album, unlike Kacey Musgraves...
Yup, it's all about what you've done for us lately, music is a cruel world, have a couple of hits and you can tour forever, but Kacey hasn't done that!
As for Song of the Year... Most interesting is the number of writers on each. Kendrick's "Alright" has three, including the omnipresent Pharrell, as do "Blank Space," "Girl Crush," "Thinking Out Loud" and "See You Again," which is an incredible cut most adults haven't heard, but should, it's really a Charlie Puth record as opposed to a Wiz Khalifa track, kinda like Shaggy had his name on his hit but it was more about Rikrok. And Ed Sheeran, the great white hope, the one who plays the guitar...even his song has two writers. We're not into personal statements as much as success. We bring out the heavy artillery, we buy insurance. Could this be why the music slides off of us? Even the Weeknd uses Max Martin, the true star of Music's Biggest Night. We used to believe the songs emanated from the writers' souls, now we're skeptical. Used to be music was the most personal of media, now it's all done by committee.
And there you have it.
Oh, we could talk about the Best New Artist category but that's one you don't want to win, it taints your career, even though the nominees are all good. But Meghan Trainor's work was nominated LAST YEAR!
And Adele didn't make the cut-off this year.
And Cash Money forgot to nominate Drake's "Hotline Bling."
But does any of this matter? Will the winners get a Grammy bounce? Probably not, everybody who cares already knows, they're in the loop.
So what we've got here is a snapshot of the music industry in 2015. One wherein the rules confound us, make it hard to understand who is winning and who is not, but one in which we only care about what's popular and everything else is irrelevant, where pop rules and meaning takes a back seat, where the youth own music despite the aged selling out arenas.
U2 may be telecasting from Paris, but to the people who listened to the nominees, who care about the nominees, they're a bunch of old fart has-beens sans memorable material.
As it should be, the young should eat the old, music's famous for that.
And the old should realize they cannot win. It's too late, baby. You can get a Kennedy Center Honor, but in the cutthroat world of the chart, of popularity, of what's driving the culture, you're a sideshow. Count your money and be done with it.
Madonna, stay off the road for a few years. Bon Jovi did, good for him.
And know that your kids run the world.
Music was at the epicenter of the youthquake back in the sixties, it led and then rode shotgun. And music has incredible impact amongst the young today, even if the oldsters don't feel it. Music dominates social media, from Twitter to Instagram, and music dominates YouTube... We're just one step away from an anthem that blows a hole in the culture and gets us all moving in the right direction.
But that would require the winners to stop playing it safe, to stop kissing ass, to stop chasing the bucks of the sponsors, to start believing in themselves and using their power for good.
They've got the power baby, don't try to fight it.
The men don't know...
But the little girls understand.
--
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
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