http://spoti.fi/2ik36jf
http://bit.ly/2iBFJ2j
"If this were the last night of the world
What would I do
What would I do that was different"
Eat waffles.
I'm not supposed to eat carbs. Not the veggie kind, you know, the good-tasting kind.
And I don't. I find that I feel so much better the following day. My nutritionist says I'm insulin-resistant, which means... The sugar has a hard time getting into the cells and when it does the cells want more and I get high and then I crash and if you're laughing you're probably under thirty, maybe fifty, you survive on a diet of burgers and fries and don't think twice. But then you get old and everything everybody told you starts to come true. You don't want to die. Instead of a glowing report from your physical your doctor calls you with concerns, assuming you go to the doctor at all, you'd be surprised who doesn't, especially men. But then they get the really bad news. The heart attack, the stroke... My doctor says if I do what he says I'll never die of a heart attack, I'm counting on that. Then again, I go to see him every year. You should see yours too.
And untreated, my cholesterol is sky high. Past 350. I was cruising along just fine until my mid-forties and then my genetics kicked in and I denied it but then I started on the statins, I'm on Crestor now, I think it affects my memory, but when I went for this scan two years back the ultrasound tech said one neck artery was completely clear and then she let me listen in on the second one and she said "There goes some plaque!", it's funny, you think you're invulnerable and then you find out you're not, no one here gets out alive.
And it's been a particularly gruesome December. A good friend of mine in London had a heart attack, and he's in his forties. I got e-mail from a friend in L.A. whose wife is struggling with cancer, with little energy after a bone marrow transplant, and he had a stroke. And then not even a month later he was rushed back to the hospital to find out he was lucky to just have a seizure. And another friend had two knees replaced as a result of an old football injury and that begs the question whether we should play football at all, the injuries catch up with you, as does the smoking and so much else you did to rebel way back when only to find out today that no one is paying attention, no one cares.
So yesterday we went for BBQ. That's my go-to place in Vail. There's a smokehouse at the top of the mountain. I've decided the brisket is the best thing on the menu and it satisfied.
But today Felice wanted to go to the waffle house.
Now they used to serve burgers there too. But no longer. I told myself I'd get chicken and waffles, like at Roscoe's, and throw away the carbs.
I didn't do this.
The chicken came with gravy, including sausage. We didn't have this white sauce growing up in the northeast, nor did we have chicken fried steak, but once you venture from your domicile you find out everybody's different, yet the same. It's a conundrum. We're united, but divided. We share so much, yet diverge.
And I was stunned that the chicken hit the spot.
And then I was confronted with the waffles.
They did not skimp. The waffles themselves were tiny, but there were three or four of them, more than any rational person would partake of. And since they were included, I had them loaded up. With chocolate sauce, maple syrup and peanut butter, and whipped cream, of course.
And I was just tasting when...
Bruce Cockburn's "Last Night Of The World" started playing in my head.
Funny thing about music. It rides shotgun. Used to be we all had the same tunes in our head, we couldn't drive up PCH without humming "Boys Of Summer," but these days despite there being a chart what runs through our brains is oftentimes so different.
"I'm sipping Flor De Cana and lime juice, it's three a.m."
I've lived that life. In search of greatness. If it had alcohol in it, I'd consume it, have a few and start to rage.
"Blow a fruit fly off the rim of my glass"
I prefer the dirty places. The exotic places. A bit askew. Where no one told the bugs they could not cohabitate.
"The radio's playing Superchunk and the Friends of Dean Martinez"
Back when those were outsider bands, before just about everything became an outsider band.
"I've seen the flame of hope among the hopeless"
That's the story of today's America, that's why Trump got elected, because there's no hope, primarily for the youth, burdened by college debt, and if they didn't go to college at all, good luck. The youth led the sixties rebellion, they led the nineties/twenty first century tech rebellion, and now we've stolen their future, what are you gonna do?
When I grew up the rich were bluebloods. People who inherited their wealth yet wore chinos and Topsiders, drove old Fords and didn't spend. Today the money is made and the people believe they're entitled to it. After all, they killed themselves to get into Harvard, got good grades to work all night at the bank and if anybody's gonna question their bona fides they're gonna get an earful.
"That was the straw that broke me open"
The election of Donald Trump. I could have handled it if the press hadn't called it so wrong, for eighteen months straight. Forget fake news, who you gonna believe in anymore? The elites keep trumpeting the power and veritas of the "New York Times" and I read it cover to cover but I no longer respect it the same way, because I feel it's become unmoored, it's unconscious of the true America, whether it be reviewing records no one cares about or being oblivious to the plight of the disadvantaged.
And the right wing bugs me, because of the attitude. Which is an in-your-face bullying, with no ground given, Fox News is a scorched-earth operation based on no reporting.
And both the left and right laud Megyn Kelly as if she were Stephen Hawking. You're pretty and you read the news, SO WHAT?
"If this were the last night of the world"
Let's hope it's not. But it is the last night of a very bad year. Classic rock fell off a cliff, its proponents passed and eighties heroes bit the dust too.
Our nation can no longer agree on the facts, never mind what to do about them.
"What would I do that was different"
I decided to eat the waffles.
And I'd like to tell you they were bad. But they were strangely satisfying. Sweet and crunchy, I couldn't stop. And I was pissed-off at myself for breaking my no-carb streak, knowing that once I fall off the wagon I have a hard time getting back on, and knowing that tomorrow when I wake up I'll feel like crap, but for one moment, for the better part of ten minutes, in a year full of b.s., I felt good.
"If this were the last night of the world
What would I do
What would I do that was different
Unless it was champagne with you"
We are in this together. Some of you agree with me, some of you don't. Some say this isn't what you came for but everybody's in the same situation, everybody's got more questions than answers, if someone's sure know that they're a bloviating idiot. And we've been shocked by a world that lets us connect but leaves us without a job, noticing that our future's been sold out.
Yet a good conversation, a few waffles, they're enough to get us through.
So tomorrow it'll be a brand new year. The slate will be wiped clean. We will start all over.
Educate yourself. Have an opinion. Fight for the outcome of your desire and know...
I'm no better than you, and you're no better than me.
And the power of the individual cannot be overstated, one person can make a difference.
But it's the little things that get us through.
Me eating waffles: http://bit.ly/2iQIjAL
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Saturday 31 December 2016
Thursday 29 December 2016
Mailbag
From: robert ritchie
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Do you believe in God? or just being a jew? My next record will be called "Rock N Roll Moses" let's see how the record labels like that. lol ... Fuck the bullshit, Merry Christmas Bob. U jews often attend Catholic schools, and it's totally cool. Calm the fuck down cousin. Come to the Midwest, South and see what got Trump elected. Shit don't run from the coasts. Never has. Ps, We got the jews backs and they got ours. WW2 is over, so is slavery. move on. We all have horrific storys in our ancestery, is it a battle of who's is the worst? fuck no. move on. from a guy who spews moving forward all the time, u sure bring up the past a whole lot….dont be a bitch. pick a side. Everybody dont hate jews, but yall do make good jokes - and movies... lol, get over it…your not the victim. yall motherfuckers run shit as 2 percent of the country….except war. which no one wants. but all our people have answered the call when needed. together (ours mostly). and we will again if needed.(fuck isis) understand that. we are one, with different opinions. this time mine happens to be the majority(of pectorial votes), deal with it, i dealt with yours for 8 years. and it will probly reverse after this. i did not excel in typing or typing words correctly. but i have made my mark (if u fall asleep on my jet i draw a dick on your face) - if u were me u would do the same thing. its healthy to laugh….oh shit, santa just landed on my doublewide…gotta roll.
Robert Ritchie / Kid Rock
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
I grew up in a small town in the midwest. That should say it all right there.
Zero jews. Zero Synagogues. ( I still can't spell it) There "might" be one 30 minutes away. Maybe.
The point is, Judaism was (and is) a complete mystery to me and everyone I know. And that's a shame.
I remember when I was in high school, we went on a band trip to some larger city and I met other band kids from around the country. Some girl showed me her ID and it said, 'Jewish Community Center' at the top. At the time, I thought, 'Jews have their own community center? Do they think they're that much better that they have to have their own center?"
Of course that was ridiculous. And I feel nothing but embarrassment about that now. But what had been seeped in my young mind, was that Jews were different and that it was 'bad-different'.
The first step in establishing any kind of relationship, is 'contact'. Without jews in your neighborhood, how can you get to know them? Same for African Americans and everyone else.
Without diversity, hate continues to breed. Did you hear the story of the African American man who turned KKK members around by befriending them? Same thing! He established contact, got to know them, even befriend them... and steered them right.
Thanks for the holiday memory.
Happy Hanukkah (however it's spelled)
Bill Seipel
_______________________________________
From: n0gar@________
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Stick to music and save the phony Jew stories. You are not real Jews, you are not a race and you are not victims. Plus, the holocaust never happened. Not because I say so but because there is no evidence.
?
You people's literally own all of the money and all institutions, so how are you victims? I'd love to be a victim like that! You guys hate blacks more than anyone and you are trained to hate humanity.
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Hi Bob,
Thank you for this lovely story. You know, I'm gay, and you would think with how vilified the Gay community has been for so long, we would all be a tribe and get along, and feel all warm and tingly. Sorry to say it's not so. I think it has to do with internalized Homophobia. Or this thing the young have about if you over 30, you're not part of the tribe. It's a shame, because I write dance music that they dance to, but do they know I'm way over 30, no! You would think AIDS would have brought us closer together, but since AIDS became a political football, it divided us within our own ranks. Those who were infected and those who were not. There is also the fact that there is so much testosterone floating around that sex becomes a divider. Your body is too hairy, your body is too smooth, your face is like Adonis, your face is like uncle Fester, and it goes on and on. Looks become a divider. I was blessed with looks, but I was an outcast because of it. Some were jealous and others thought I wouldn't give them the time of day. I never had anyone want to get close to me. Plus, the drugs. Drugs become a divider. Internalized Homophobia makes many turn to alcohol and drugs. I won't even get into the division between Gay men and Lesbians. Where am I going with all of this? If you are a minority you are vilified in this country, but if you are LGBT, you have a mountain to climb to belong to a tribe. Plus there are so many tribes in the Gay community, it's so hard to choose. LOL
Warm regards,
Scott Finnell
_______________________________________
From: Lukedaddy (Steve Lukather)
Subject: Re: WABC's All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965
Hey Bob,
This is the soundtrack to my early life!
Every one of these songs is a classic !
The diversity of what was on top 40 radio then was magic and the songs, the performances and the production of all these records was other- worldly to a kid like me.
I used to think ' How did they make all these wonderful sounds?' cause every record sounded so different unlike today where everyone uses the same plug -ins, guitar sounds and drum samples and its over compressed-time corrected, Melodyned, up on a grid, making most of it sound like over cooked conveyor belt cheese burgers made from cow anus.
Anyway... I would sit by the radio in the kitchen of my parents house listening, waiting for my favorite songs, then Go BUY the records, singles, and play them till they wore out and I drove my parents crazy with repetition.
I was picking most of these songs on my guitar when I was 10 years old. Ear training and practice!
They will never make records like this again sadly..
I think Hal Blaine was the drummer on almost every track on here.
Someone needs to give Hal more love. A genius pre -click track. He was EVERY bands drummer.
Look it up.
You would be very very surprised to know how many studio musicians were on so many of these tracks!
So was Ringo.. the greatest rock n roll drummer of all time for me.
People don't realize how much Ringo brought to the party with the Beatles.
Dig all the diverse and interesting non-traditional parts and legendary drum fills he came up with for all those songs classic records and with NO click tracks!
The man swings hard and plays hard!
I have had the honor of playing and recording with him.
Its real! He is the real thing! A treasure.
All these records were made by REAL musicians in a room... artists singing LIVE and many of these records were THE take -mixed and done and thats what you hear!!
A real captured performance.
Like the women of the day. Beautify and real.
Remember what a Playboy centerfold USED to look like? That was not pornography!
Now they are making life-size human like dolls that look and feel real and can even be penetrated.
Yep every possible way! haha
Oh Lord its time for Jesus or the Aliens to get here cause holy shit its all gone so wrong!
Anyway.. I want to hear every one of these songs right now to be reminded of what once was.
Off to Spotify.
Yes Bob.. I did the homework, they are NOT the devil, but I know who IS but that is another conversation for another time.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Turks and Caicos
Luke and son
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: WABC's All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965
Oh man. I remember dancing to some of those gems at the 7th Grade Dance Social at Main School in Franklin Park,IL. Won the Dance Contest with Sheila , the future Mrs Jimmy Caan. Prizes included a Theater size Nestles Crunch bar and the 45 We Can Work It Out. Sheila actually won the single. We swapped prizes on our walk home. Of course I still have the record
Bobby Tarantino
_______________________________________
From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Rick Parfitt
I'm trying to think who the American equivalent for Rick Parfitt is. Maybe Bob Seger or John Mellencamp?
He was the leader of Status Quo, who passed away today.
The Quo had their first hit Pictures Of Matchstick Men Back in 67/68. They had a couple of other minor hits but essentially disappeared from view fairly quickly.
In 1972 I went to my first club gig at the 1832 club in Windsor, just round the corner from where the Royal Family hang out in their castle. I went to see my favourite prog rock band called Egg. But they cancelled and when I got to the club they announced that they had booked Status Quo to replace them.
Status Quo?! You've got to be kidding!
But I had made the journey and I had a mate to share some beers with so we thought hey, why not.
They blew our fucking minds out!
They had turned into this incredible three chord rock band that blew the place apart. All 30 of us.
In 73 they had their first comeback hit Paper Plane. From then on they just ruled the UK. Hit after hit after hit. And barely changed a chord!
Rather like Queen, by the time Live Aid came around they were passe, again.
Then they came out first to open the show, with Rockin All Over The World, and their career took off again!
They kept it up for years. Sold out tours, hit single and albums.
Unbelievable
That's 50 years!
You've probably never heard of them.
They might now get the acknowledgement they deserve.
Shame Rick had to die for that to happen.
(Note: I own the "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" 45.)
_______________________________________
From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
Your playlist has got me listening to Pearl Jam again. Haven't listened to Ten for years. What an amazing album! Here's a story for you. After Jeremy was such a huge record/video we wanted to go with Black. The band said no. So Michael Goldstone, Michele Anthony and I went to see them to try and convince them. We gave them all the usual shit about how huge it would be and that we would sell millions more albums etc. The boys said they got that, but they thought although we would sell more albums immediately, it would shorten their career in the long run. The compromise was we went to radio but no video or promo.
The band were right!
I've learnt that the truly great artists have a far better understanding of who they are than we will ever do.
That's why I love what I do!
_______________________________________
From: John French
Subject: Re: George Michael
Bob,
The number one problem with sudden and very successful "pop" artists, whether in music, film or TV is that the intoxicating effect of love and fantasy of super fan worship is so all encompassing that most artists thinks that they have "cracked the code" and can sustain this for ever......,
BULLSHIT!
Fame is RENTED, not OWNED....
The sooner one realizes this, the longer the career will be......Otherwise...
OBLIVION AWAITS and you either have enough money to change gears or.... you can destroy oneself in self inflicted misery.
I don't wish that on anyone but we certainly have seen it over and over again.
_______________________________________
From: Bennett Freed
Subject: RE: George Michael
Hi Bob,
George Michael was my first management client. Along with his partner, Andrew Ridgeley in their band Wham! I had just started a management company with Freddie DeMann and Ron Weisner, who collectively were managing Michael Jackson and Madonna at the time. I went off to England to find the first client for our company and on my first night there I saw George and Andrew on Top Of The Pops performing their first hit, Young Guns. I loved the song. The next night I was at The Wag club in Soho with friends and who walks in but George and Andrew. We were introduced that night, hit it off and all began working together at the beginnings of our careers. They were great guys, and George was a real talent. Although, having said that, I had no idea just how talented he really was until he played me a rough mix of Careless Whisper in a studio in London one night. Stunned would be an understatement. George was a true talent, a gifted songwriter and a stunning singer.
He was also a lovely guy. I once asked him if he would be interested in doing a duet with Jody Watley, whom I was also managing at the time and who was recording her debut album for Irving and MCA and he was delighted and a fan of Jody's from her days in Shalamar. I told MCA that George was going to guest on Jody's record and everyone was thrilled. Shortly thereafter, Sony refused to let George sing on the album. When the dust settled, George stood up to Sony, refused to not honor his word and ultimately recorded a wonderful duet with Jody on her debut album which won her a Grammy for Best New Artist. Thank you George for that and for sharing your talent with us all.
What a crazy and sad year it's been. The musicians lost this year has simply been staggering. I've never lost a client I've worked with until this year. And not one, but three! Maurice White, Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive and now George.
Blessings to them and all of the other wonderful and talented artists that we've lost this year.
Wishing a healing and inspiring 2017 to us all...
Be well...
Bennett Freed
Transparent Management
_______________________________________
From: Kevin Kiley
Subject: Re: The Kennedy Center Honors
Hi Bob,
You said the show was not great because they did not take enough risks.
The show's past co-producer, Michael Stevens (RIP) took a risk by putting Bettye LaVette (my wife) on the show to sing for The Who. I had her agency pitch her to sing George Jones' Choices since she had recorded it the year before and George himself gave her version high praise. Michael said all of Nashville wanted to sing for George. But Michael, unfamiliar with her, did a youtube search and saw her doing a live version of Little Sparrow and he was sold on her interprative skill.
He then asked if she would sing The Who's Love Reign O'er Me. Bettye was totally unfamiliar with their catalogue. But the MD, Rob Mathes, came up with that blue arrangement of the song. That appearance elevated her from cult status to where she is today. Still not a household name, but there are a lot more people who know who she is now. All because someone took a chance.
Kinda like the A&R guys used to do for record companies. Remember those days when the music mattered, not record sales?
Have a Happy New Year.
KK
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Mailbag
Bob
Last night both Tim Palmer and I read your mailbag email when it came in and called each other right after.
We both thought...Hmmm
Bob has a gazillion people on his mailing list and what are the odds that Tim and I would have letters printed back to back.
See Tim and I have been doing our thing since the late 80s crossing paths knowing each other but never meeting...We even did the Michael Hutchence solo record together but not together...we worked on it in different cities.
Then we both moved to Austin a a few years back so our kids could go to a cool school here and now we hang out all the time, in fact he just mixed a record I produced by Japanese super star Koshi Inaba ( Koshi is the lead singer of the Japanese band Bz and has sold over 100 million records). Tim and I it seems now always work on bands from all over the world but hardly ever the US.
Well I wanted you to know we were both feeling pretty cool that you had us back to back on your mailbag...Thanks
Cheers a happy holidays.
Stevie Salas
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Why Is Hip-Hop So Big?
The reason why hip hop is so big today is because the genre is ever changing, stays the most interesting and plays by no rules anymore. But hip hop went through a low period of fearfulness in the mid aughts post-Napster, pre-Spotify.
When I was first managing Wale in 2007 it was during the era of ringtone rap, Lil Wayne, and Kanye vs 50 Cent on the cover of Rolling Stone. It was that or you were into "underground" internet stuff like Joe Budden, Skyzoo and Joell Ortiz. You had to choose which club you belonged to...and we didn't really know where Wale fit in but the one thing that remained constant throughout it all was that it was rap and there was to be no vulnerability, and no singing or melody unless you had a feature from a girl or an R&B singer. This was post-Bone Thugs n Harmony, Nelly and Pharrell V1 (during his down period when he became a rapper and was in NERD). T-Pain changed a lot of that and Kanye was really the only one who bridged the gap between "underground"/"mainstream" and "rapping"/"singing". I remember in 2007 when Kanye, the ultimate tastemaker in hip hop, got T-Pain, who at that point had become somewhat of a caricature, on his song "Good Life" and Scott Vener put a snippet of the song in an episode of Entourage. I listened to a ripped audio mp3 of that for weeks until the actual song came out. That shit blew people's minds. That was a moment.
That's not to say there haven't been other influential artists who have made similar strides for the genre (I would argue Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" was one of the largest seismic shift in the sonics, songwriting and structure of hip hop songs ever) but every hip hop artist today (and I would argue most artists in general) are living in a post-Kanye world, the same way every artist after Warhol is living in a post-Warhol world (do you make prints or license your work? Then you have been influenced by Warhol).
Kanye is the guy who did songs for Jay Z, Dilated Peoples and T.I. in the same year he had Talib Kweli, Ludacris and Paul Wall on his first album in 2004, Lupe, Adam Levine, Jon Brion and Nas on his 2nd album in 2005 and Daft Punk, Chris Martin and T-Pain on his 3rd album in 2007. It's funny because none of these things are even novel in 2016 when you have Paul McCartney doing the mannequin challenge with Black Beatles playing in the background. I know Aerosmith lent their vocals to Run DMC in 1986 for Walk This Way but you can't help but think that if it was 1976 they probably wouldn't have been interested.
Hip hop today is arguably the most varied and diverse it's been in decades or maybe ever and lucky for the artists there really is no such thing as selling out anymore. Selling out was the biggest pitfall, real or imagined, for artists in the past especially in hip hop. I remember I used to always hear people say "I used to like ___ before they got popular." I can't even remember the last time I heard that and if anything, success in hip hop has led to greater creativity, better songs and more interesting collaborations. I look at Jamie xx's 2015 collaboration with Young Thug and Popcaan "I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times" as a prime example. Jamie xx was hot off success with The xx. Young Thug was taking hip hop by storm with many people not fully understanding his genius. And Popcaan has been at the top of the Jamaican dancehall scene for a number of years now. A collaboration like that only a few years earlier (look at Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" with Ratatat) was dubbed "weird" or for stoner college kids. But young people today, for better or worse, all listen to the same shit. And that mostly consists of hip hop because it's the most interesting. There's no underground or mainstream anymore. It's either new or old with varying shades of popularity.
I was at this tiny sushi truck called myumi in Miami's Wynwood arts district in November. I was sitting next to these three kids all in 8th grade. One kid was white/Jewish, one kid was Latin and one kid was middle Eastern. They were there by themselves eating omakase for $60 per person. The chef said one of them comes in twice a week and knows more about fish than he does. I asked them what their favorite music was. Without missing a beat they all said Kanye. I asked if there was anyone else. They all said Drake. Anyone else? 21 Savage. That was it. I was hoping they would say a name I hadn't heard of before. When I was in 8th grade you might be a rap kid but it was then broken down to whether or not you listened to west coast (Mack 10) or east coast (Wu Tang); underground (Pharcyde) or mainstream (Biggie). These kids today don't care. They listen to what they like with no subtext or connotation and completely unironically. I would find it weirder if they had told me they listened to country music.
Dan Weisman
Artist Manager
Roc Nation
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Debbie Reynolds Dies
Bob, super right on with this one. I'm a physician and several of my cardiology friends have mentioned that Debbie Reynolds could have had Tokatsubo Cardiomyopathy- literally "broken heart syndrome" - your left ventricle stops working due to massive stress hormones from grief or other terrible news. Almost exclusively women. Our bodies feel pain in ways we are only beginning to understand.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy-broken-heart-syndrome?utm_source=phplist5686&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
Jonathan Bock
_______________________________________
From: Richard Wolpert
Subject: Re: Debbie Reynolds Dies
Bob
I read your posts and appreciate them.
As a father who lost a lost a daughter to suicide 7 years ago this past October 14th, she was only 15 at the time and just a few months shy of her 16th birthday, I can tell you the "everything happens for a reason" rationale is total horse shit. I would think any parent who has lost a child, especially when that child was young, would completely agree with me. Since losing her every day is a reminder of the loss and I struggle to be positive and put one foot in front of the other. I work my ass off and try my best to advance my career and be a good husband and father to our surviving daughter, who is now 18 and living with the loss of a sister in a way, lets just say, having seen things a young girl of 11 should never had to have seen and were life altering. I do it every day and I struggle every single day. As another friend said who I met through a suicide survivors group, so bluntly and poignantly to me, "losing a child is a life sentence".
Thanks for your work
Richard
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Do you believe in God? or just being a jew? My next record will be called "Rock N Roll Moses" let's see how the record labels like that. lol ... Fuck the bullshit, Merry Christmas Bob. U jews often attend Catholic schools, and it's totally cool. Calm the fuck down cousin. Come to the Midwest, South and see what got Trump elected. Shit don't run from the coasts. Never has. Ps, We got the jews backs and they got ours. WW2 is over, so is slavery. move on. We all have horrific storys in our ancestery, is it a battle of who's is the worst? fuck no. move on. from a guy who spews moving forward all the time, u sure bring up the past a whole lot….dont be a bitch. pick a side. Everybody dont hate jews, but yall do make good jokes - and movies... lol, get over it…your not the victim. yall motherfuckers run shit as 2 percent of the country….except war. which no one wants. but all our people have answered the call when needed. together (ours mostly). and we will again if needed.(fuck isis) understand that. we are one, with different opinions. this time mine happens to be the majority(of pectorial votes), deal with it, i dealt with yours for 8 years. and it will probly reverse after this. i did not excel in typing or typing words correctly. but i have made my mark (if u fall asleep on my jet i draw a dick on your face) - if u were me u would do the same thing. its healthy to laugh….oh shit, santa just landed on my doublewide…gotta roll.
Robert Ritchie / Kid Rock
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
I grew up in a small town in the midwest. That should say it all right there.
Zero jews. Zero Synagogues. ( I still can't spell it) There "might" be one 30 minutes away. Maybe.
The point is, Judaism was (and is) a complete mystery to me and everyone I know. And that's a shame.
I remember when I was in high school, we went on a band trip to some larger city and I met other band kids from around the country. Some girl showed me her ID and it said, 'Jewish Community Center' at the top. At the time, I thought, 'Jews have their own community center? Do they think they're that much better that they have to have their own center?"
Of course that was ridiculous. And I feel nothing but embarrassment about that now. But what had been seeped in my young mind, was that Jews were different and that it was 'bad-different'.
The first step in establishing any kind of relationship, is 'contact'. Without jews in your neighborhood, how can you get to know them? Same for African Americans and everyone else.
Without diversity, hate continues to breed. Did you hear the story of the African American man who turned KKK members around by befriending them? Same thing! He established contact, got to know them, even befriend them... and steered them right.
Thanks for the holiday memory.
Happy Hanukkah (however it's spelled)
Bill Seipel
_______________________________________
From: n0gar@________
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Stick to music and save the phony Jew stories. You are not real Jews, you are not a race and you are not victims. Plus, the holocaust never happened. Not because I say so but because there is no evidence.
?
You people's literally own all of the money and all institutions, so how are you victims? I'd love to be a victim like that! You guys hate blacks more than anyone and you are trained to hate humanity.
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Hanukkah In Vail
Hi Bob,
Thank you for this lovely story. You know, I'm gay, and you would think with how vilified the Gay community has been for so long, we would all be a tribe and get along, and feel all warm and tingly. Sorry to say it's not so. I think it has to do with internalized Homophobia. Or this thing the young have about if you over 30, you're not part of the tribe. It's a shame, because I write dance music that they dance to, but do they know I'm way over 30, no! You would think AIDS would have brought us closer together, but since AIDS became a political football, it divided us within our own ranks. Those who were infected and those who were not. There is also the fact that there is so much testosterone floating around that sex becomes a divider. Your body is too hairy, your body is too smooth, your face is like Adonis, your face is like uncle Fester, and it goes on and on. Looks become a divider. I was blessed with looks, but I was an outcast because of it. Some were jealous and others thought I wouldn't give them the time of day. I never had anyone want to get close to me. Plus, the drugs. Drugs become a divider. Internalized Homophobia makes many turn to alcohol and drugs. I won't even get into the division between Gay men and Lesbians. Where am I going with all of this? If you are a minority you are vilified in this country, but if you are LGBT, you have a mountain to climb to belong to a tribe. Plus there are so many tribes in the Gay community, it's so hard to choose. LOL
Warm regards,
Scott Finnell
_______________________________________
From: Lukedaddy (Steve Lukather)
Subject: Re: WABC's All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965
Hey Bob,
This is the soundtrack to my early life!
Every one of these songs is a classic !
The diversity of what was on top 40 radio then was magic and the songs, the performances and the production of all these records was other- worldly to a kid like me.
I used to think ' How did they make all these wonderful sounds?' cause every record sounded so different unlike today where everyone uses the same plug -ins, guitar sounds and drum samples and its over compressed-time corrected, Melodyned, up on a grid, making most of it sound like over cooked conveyor belt cheese burgers made from cow anus.
Anyway... I would sit by the radio in the kitchen of my parents house listening, waiting for my favorite songs, then Go BUY the records, singles, and play them till they wore out and I drove my parents crazy with repetition.
I was picking most of these songs on my guitar when I was 10 years old. Ear training and practice!
They will never make records like this again sadly..
I think Hal Blaine was the drummer on almost every track on here.
Someone needs to give Hal more love. A genius pre -click track. He was EVERY bands drummer.
Look it up.
You would be very very surprised to know how many studio musicians were on so many of these tracks!
So was Ringo.. the greatest rock n roll drummer of all time for me.
People don't realize how much Ringo brought to the party with the Beatles.
Dig all the diverse and interesting non-traditional parts and legendary drum fills he came up with for all those songs classic records and with NO click tracks!
The man swings hard and plays hard!
I have had the honor of playing and recording with him.
Its real! He is the real thing! A treasure.
All these records were made by REAL musicians in a room... artists singing LIVE and many of these records were THE take -mixed and done and thats what you hear!!
A real captured performance.
Like the women of the day. Beautify and real.
Remember what a Playboy centerfold USED to look like? That was not pornography!
Now they are making life-size human like dolls that look and feel real and can even be penetrated.
Yep every possible way! haha
Oh Lord its time for Jesus or the Aliens to get here cause holy shit its all gone so wrong!
Anyway.. I want to hear every one of these songs right now to be reminded of what once was.
Off to Spotify.
Yes Bob.. I did the homework, they are NOT the devil, but I know who IS but that is another conversation for another time.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Turks and Caicos
Luke and son
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: WABC's All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965
Oh man. I remember dancing to some of those gems at the 7th Grade Dance Social at Main School in Franklin Park,IL. Won the Dance Contest with Sheila , the future Mrs Jimmy Caan. Prizes included a Theater size Nestles Crunch bar and the 45 We Can Work It Out. Sheila actually won the single. We swapped prizes on our walk home. Of course I still have the record
Bobby Tarantino
_______________________________________
From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Rick Parfitt
I'm trying to think who the American equivalent for Rick Parfitt is. Maybe Bob Seger or John Mellencamp?
He was the leader of Status Quo, who passed away today.
The Quo had their first hit Pictures Of Matchstick Men Back in 67/68. They had a couple of other minor hits but essentially disappeared from view fairly quickly.
In 1972 I went to my first club gig at the 1832 club in Windsor, just round the corner from where the Royal Family hang out in their castle. I went to see my favourite prog rock band called Egg. But they cancelled and when I got to the club they announced that they had booked Status Quo to replace them.
Status Quo?! You've got to be kidding!
But I had made the journey and I had a mate to share some beers with so we thought hey, why not.
They blew our fucking minds out!
They had turned into this incredible three chord rock band that blew the place apart. All 30 of us.
In 73 they had their first comeback hit Paper Plane. From then on they just ruled the UK. Hit after hit after hit. And barely changed a chord!
Rather like Queen, by the time Live Aid came around they were passe, again.
Then they came out first to open the show, with Rockin All Over The World, and their career took off again!
They kept it up for years. Sold out tours, hit single and albums.
Unbelievable
That's 50 years!
You've probably never heard of them.
They might now get the acknowledgement they deserve.
Shame Rick had to die for that to happen.
(Note: I own the "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" 45.)
_______________________________________
From: Richard Griffiths
Subject: Re: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist
Your playlist has got me listening to Pearl Jam again. Haven't listened to Ten for years. What an amazing album! Here's a story for you. After Jeremy was such a huge record/video we wanted to go with Black. The band said no. So Michael Goldstone, Michele Anthony and I went to see them to try and convince them. We gave them all the usual shit about how huge it would be and that we would sell millions more albums etc. The boys said they got that, but they thought although we would sell more albums immediately, it would shorten their career in the long run. The compromise was we went to radio but no video or promo.
The band were right!
I've learnt that the truly great artists have a far better understanding of who they are than we will ever do.
That's why I love what I do!
_______________________________________
From: John French
Subject: Re: George Michael
Bob,
The number one problem with sudden and very successful "pop" artists, whether in music, film or TV is that the intoxicating effect of love and fantasy of super fan worship is so all encompassing that most artists thinks that they have "cracked the code" and can sustain this for ever......,
BULLSHIT!
Fame is RENTED, not OWNED....
The sooner one realizes this, the longer the career will be......Otherwise...
OBLIVION AWAITS and you either have enough money to change gears or.... you can destroy oneself in self inflicted misery.
I don't wish that on anyone but we certainly have seen it over and over again.
_______________________________________
From: Bennett Freed
Subject: RE: George Michael
Hi Bob,
George Michael was my first management client. Along with his partner, Andrew Ridgeley in their band Wham! I had just started a management company with Freddie DeMann and Ron Weisner, who collectively were managing Michael Jackson and Madonna at the time. I went off to England to find the first client for our company and on my first night there I saw George and Andrew on Top Of The Pops performing their first hit, Young Guns. I loved the song. The next night I was at The Wag club in Soho with friends and who walks in but George and Andrew. We were introduced that night, hit it off and all began working together at the beginnings of our careers. They were great guys, and George was a real talent. Although, having said that, I had no idea just how talented he really was until he played me a rough mix of Careless Whisper in a studio in London one night. Stunned would be an understatement. George was a true talent, a gifted songwriter and a stunning singer.
He was also a lovely guy. I once asked him if he would be interested in doing a duet with Jody Watley, whom I was also managing at the time and who was recording her debut album for Irving and MCA and he was delighted and a fan of Jody's from her days in Shalamar. I told MCA that George was going to guest on Jody's record and everyone was thrilled. Shortly thereafter, Sony refused to let George sing on the album. When the dust settled, George stood up to Sony, refused to not honor his word and ultimately recorded a wonderful duet with Jody on her debut album which won her a Grammy for Best New Artist. Thank you George for that and for sharing your talent with us all.
What a crazy and sad year it's been. The musicians lost this year has simply been staggering. I've never lost a client I've worked with until this year. And not one, but three! Maurice White, Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive and now George.
Blessings to them and all of the other wonderful and talented artists that we've lost this year.
Wishing a healing and inspiring 2017 to us all...
Be well...
Bennett Freed
Transparent Management
_______________________________________
From: Kevin Kiley
Subject: Re: The Kennedy Center Honors
Hi Bob,
You said the show was not great because they did not take enough risks.
The show's past co-producer, Michael Stevens (RIP) took a risk by putting Bettye LaVette (my wife) on the show to sing for The Who. I had her agency pitch her to sing George Jones' Choices since she had recorded it the year before and George himself gave her version high praise. Michael said all of Nashville wanted to sing for George. But Michael, unfamiliar with her, did a youtube search and saw her doing a live version of Little Sparrow and he was sold on her interprative skill.
He then asked if she would sing The Who's Love Reign O'er Me. Bettye was totally unfamiliar with their catalogue. But the MD, Rob Mathes, came up with that blue arrangement of the song. That appearance elevated her from cult status to where she is today. Still not a household name, but there are a lot more people who know who she is now. All because someone took a chance.
Kinda like the A&R guys used to do for record companies. Remember those days when the music mattered, not record sales?
Have a Happy New Year.
KK
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Mailbag
Bob
Last night both Tim Palmer and I read your mailbag email when it came in and called each other right after.
We both thought...Hmmm
Bob has a gazillion people on his mailing list and what are the odds that Tim and I would have letters printed back to back.
See Tim and I have been doing our thing since the late 80s crossing paths knowing each other but never meeting...We even did the Michael Hutchence solo record together but not together...we worked on it in different cities.
Then we both moved to Austin a a few years back so our kids could go to a cool school here and now we hang out all the time, in fact he just mixed a record I produced by Japanese super star Koshi Inaba ( Koshi is the lead singer of the Japanese band Bz and has sold over 100 million records). Tim and I it seems now always work on bands from all over the world but hardly ever the US.
Well I wanted you to know we were both feeling pretty cool that you had us back to back on your mailbag...Thanks
Cheers a happy holidays.
Stevie Salas
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Why Is Hip-Hop So Big?
The reason why hip hop is so big today is because the genre is ever changing, stays the most interesting and plays by no rules anymore. But hip hop went through a low period of fearfulness in the mid aughts post-Napster, pre-Spotify.
When I was first managing Wale in 2007 it was during the era of ringtone rap, Lil Wayne, and Kanye vs 50 Cent on the cover of Rolling Stone. It was that or you were into "underground" internet stuff like Joe Budden, Skyzoo and Joell Ortiz. You had to choose which club you belonged to...and we didn't really know where Wale fit in but the one thing that remained constant throughout it all was that it was rap and there was to be no vulnerability, and no singing or melody unless you had a feature from a girl or an R&B singer. This was post-Bone Thugs n Harmony, Nelly and Pharrell V1 (during his down period when he became a rapper and was in NERD). T-Pain changed a lot of that and Kanye was really the only one who bridged the gap between "underground"/"mainstream" and "rapping"/"singing". I remember in 2007 when Kanye, the ultimate tastemaker in hip hop, got T-Pain, who at that point had become somewhat of a caricature, on his song "Good Life" and Scott Vener put a snippet of the song in an episode of Entourage. I listened to a ripped audio mp3 of that for weeks until the actual song came out. That shit blew people's minds. That was a moment.
That's not to say there haven't been other influential artists who have made similar strides for the genre (I would argue Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" was one of the largest seismic shift in the sonics, songwriting and structure of hip hop songs ever) but every hip hop artist today (and I would argue most artists in general) are living in a post-Kanye world, the same way every artist after Warhol is living in a post-Warhol world (do you make prints or license your work? Then you have been influenced by Warhol).
Kanye is the guy who did songs for Jay Z, Dilated Peoples and T.I. in the same year he had Talib Kweli, Ludacris and Paul Wall on his first album in 2004, Lupe, Adam Levine, Jon Brion and Nas on his 2nd album in 2005 and Daft Punk, Chris Martin and T-Pain on his 3rd album in 2007. It's funny because none of these things are even novel in 2016 when you have Paul McCartney doing the mannequin challenge with Black Beatles playing in the background. I know Aerosmith lent their vocals to Run DMC in 1986 for Walk This Way but you can't help but think that if it was 1976 they probably wouldn't have been interested.
Hip hop today is arguably the most varied and diverse it's been in decades or maybe ever and lucky for the artists there really is no such thing as selling out anymore. Selling out was the biggest pitfall, real or imagined, for artists in the past especially in hip hop. I remember I used to always hear people say "I used to like ___ before they got popular." I can't even remember the last time I heard that and if anything, success in hip hop has led to greater creativity, better songs and more interesting collaborations. I look at Jamie xx's 2015 collaboration with Young Thug and Popcaan "I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times" as a prime example. Jamie xx was hot off success with The xx. Young Thug was taking hip hop by storm with many people not fully understanding his genius. And Popcaan has been at the top of the Jamaican dancehall scene for a number of years now. A collaboration like that only a few years earlier (look at Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" with Ratatat) was dubbed "weird" or for stoner college kids. But young people today, for better or worse, all listen to the same shit. And that mostly consists of hip hop because it's the most interesting. There's no underground or mainstream anymore. It's either new or old with varying shades of popularity.
I was at this tiny sushi truck called myumi in Miami's Wynwood arts district in November. I was sitting next to these three kids all in 8th grade. One kid was white/Jewish, one kid was Latin and one kid was middle Eastern. They were there by themselves eating omakase for $60 per person. The chef said one of them comes in twice a week and knows more about fish than he does. I asked them what their favorite music was. Without missing a beat they all said Kanye. I asked if there was anyone else. They all said Drake. Anyone else? 21 Savage. That was it. I was hoping they would say a name I hadn't heard of before. When I was in 8th grade you might be a rap kid but it was then broken down to whether or not you listened to west coast (Mack 10) or east coast (Wu Tang); underground (Pharcyde) or mainstream (Biggie). These kids today don't care. They listen to what they like with no subtext or connotation and completely unironically. I would find it weirder if they had told me they listened to country music.
Dan Weisman
Artist Manager
Roc Nation
_______________________________________
Subject: Re: Debbie Reynolds Dies
Bob, super right on with this one. I'm a physician and several of my cardiology friends have mentioned that Debbie Reynolds could have had Tokatsubo Cardiomyopathy- literally "broken heart syndrome" - your left ventricle stops working due to massive stress hormones from grief or other terrible news. Almost exclusively women. Our bodies feel pain in ways we are only beginning to understand.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy-broken-heart-syndrome?utm_source=phplist5686&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Mailbag
Jonathan Bock
_______________________________________
From: Richard Wolpert
Subject: Re: Debbie Reynolds Dies
Bob
I read your posts and appreciate them.
As a father who lost a lost a daughter to suicide 7 years ago this past October 14th, she was only 15 at the time and just a few months shy of her 16th birthday, I can tell you the "everything happens for a reason" rationale is total horse shit. I would think any parent who has lost a child, especially when that child was young, would completely agree with me. Since losing her every day is a reminder of the loss and I struggle to be positive and put one foot in front of the other. I work my ass off and try my best to advance my career and be a good husband and father to our surviving daughter, who is now 18 and living with the loss of a sister in a way, lets just say, having seen things a young girl of 11 should never had to have seen and were life altering. I do it every day and I struggle every single day. As another friend said who I met through a suicide survivors group, so bluntly and poignantly to me, "losing a child is a life sentence".
Thanks for your work
Richard
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Wednesday 28 December 2016
Debbie Reynolds Dies
The thing about life is it can always get worse.
We like to believe God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but do we even believe in God?
We believe there's a master plan, that it all makes sense...
But it doesn't.
This is what they don't tell you growing up, after they say that anyone can become President. That life is an endless series of losses and the key is to keep putting one foot in front of another. Not so much to be optimistic, because bad stuff is gonna happen, but to try and jump from rock to rock, because although you might slip into the river and get wet every once in a while, even float downriver to a wholly different, unforeseen rock, even though some might never find another rock at all, they were right there next to you laughing and now they're gone, when you do get to the next rock not only do you breathe a sigh of relief, you gain a sense of wonderment, you've got a whole new perspective.
And that's what makes life worth living.
First of all, there's touch. And sex. After all, we're animals. Try and hug someone every day, not in a perfunctory way, but in a style more conscious, like life is hard but at least you have each other. My parents never touched me growing up, could be a fifties thing, I don't know, and I struggle with flesh on flesh, but I do know when done right touch roots me, and you.
Second, there's art. And let's put nature in that same category. I was out in a miserable snowstorm the other day and I never felt so alive. Like it was just me, the trees and the sky. It's when you're most alone that you feel most at peace, assuming you can forgo the anxiety of being disconnected forever.
And in art there's books and movies and music and painting and sculpture and when they're done right, they make us feel so not alone, they reflect our humanity back upon us. And it's hard to do this. Not only in terms of skill, but to let go of precepts and create via your inner tuning fork, what we feel inside. Too much of what is called "art" today is pandering pabulum. And we know the difference. It's like "Pulp Fiction" versus the latest "Star Wars." As in how did Tarantino come up with that? Kinda like "Sgt. Pepper"... What were they smoking, where were they at that the Beatles decided to cut a concept album with no singles. Can you imagine that today? Katy Perry or Taylor Swift? I'm gonna drop an album with no anchors, with no obvious radio tracks, because I believe it will resonate with my audience. Won't be done. And when you fall down the rabbit hole of your favorite book... Mine this year was "The Nix," which was heavily hyped but got on no best lists I've seen. Yet, from the protagonist playing World of Warcraft to navigating a world of protest and family...I not only went along for the ride, it illuminated part of my own life, woke up memories of the sixties, and proved that alienation is universal, so often I feel so alone but when I reveal what I feel others resonate. And speaking of being alone and resonating, my favorite album of the year was Emitt Rhodes's "Rainbow Ends." While all his contemporaries are getting plastic surgery to look younger than their audience, while studio trickery makes them sound like they're twenty five, Mr. Rhodes appeared warts and all telling his truth, looking every bit his age, overweight with a somewhat ruined voice. If that's not a beacon for truth...try listening to the lyrics, which reflect adult concepts, is anybody in the arts willing to be an adult? And to hear melodic changes in a world of beats is a revelation.
Third, there's children. I ain't got none, but their sense of amazement always tickles me. I don't envy the youth, I was young once and I hated it, you recover from injuries so much faster but you've got no clue as to what is going on, you're constantly going down blind alleys. But when I see a kid experience something for the first time, it makes me smile more than them.
Fourth... You never know how it's going to turn out. Kinda like Trump getting elected. Everybody missed it. You want to live to see what happens. And it's all not bad, but it's all not good. But experiencing it is a thrill. And, if you can, get involved, because there's great satisfaction in midwifing an event, being part of a team.
Yes, you see, there's plenty to live for.
Meanwhile, you're gonna get cancer. Or be in a car accident. So much bad stuff is gonna happen it might overwhelm you. Do you drive with a football helmet on? Do you refuse to navigate in bad weather? You can try and beat the odds, but chances are you're gonna slip in the bathroom and break something. And never forget most car accidents happen close to home, where you drive most, so wear your seatbelt. I know, I know, we live in the land of the free. But please make an effort to preserve your health. Please stop smoking. Please eat sugar in moderation. Then again, the corporate industrial complex is doing its best to kill us. Whether it be the corn growers or Purdue Pharma with OxyContin...
The truth is all of us are going to die.
But believe me, you'd rather it be later than sooner.
I don't know what happened with Princess Leia. She had a long history of drug abuse. Was she high on the plane, mixing too much stuff? Or was her time just up. It happens. But dead is dead, and she's gone now, and leaves a daughter, siblings and...
Her mother.
She just couldn't take it.
Of course that might not be true. I'm not a doctor, and the stunning thing is how little medical doctors do know (although more than you scoring at home, believing western medicine is crap, believing every alternative fairytale that comes down the pike, believe me, you'll want to go to the hospital when you have a heart attack, but I get it, you feel powerless in today's society and you want to believe you have control over something so... But please don't be one of those selfish non-vaccinators. Because they put the rest of us at risk. And now I've managed to piss at least some of you off. But that's life, it's astounding we get along at all. We're each uniquely different, with our own opinions. Feel free to express yours. But don't force me to agree. And vice versa. Dismiss anything I have to say, it's okay with me, I'm thrilled that you're reading this at all.)
So, her daughter dies before her and...
That's something you don't want to have happen. You don't want to outlive your children.
And Debbie Reynolds has a stroke and dies. Causing more heartache amongst her descendants.
Like I said. Life sucks.
But the comedians have it right. When bad things happen, even death, you've got to crack jokes. You've got to laugh at the human condition. You've got to keep your attitude, your mood, from bottoming out. Because you want to be here when it gets better.
2016 has been a horrible year. Too many of our heroes have died.
And we're next, sorry to say. It's coming sooner than you think. So while you're still here...
Know that despite never getting rich, never marrying a famous actor, never winning the Nobel Prize, chances are you're just as happy as those who did, maybe even more so. Money eases one's pathway in life, especially compared to not having enough. But the world runs on people. Conversation. Intimacy. Touch.
So, I'm with you on this. Too much death. The holidays are supposed to be upbeat, but it's been an endless downer.
And who knows what January 20th will bring.
But you've got a front row seat for the greatest movie ever made. It's called life. And it's participatory. And when you play, you risk losing. But to be in the game...
It's kind of like baseball. The best are out two-thirds of the time.
But when you hit it over the fence, when you score the winning run...
It's the greatest feeling in the world.
We like to believe God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but do we even believe in God?
We believe there's a master plan, that it all makes sense...
But it doesn't.
This is what they don't tell you growing up, after they say that anyone can become President. That life is an endless series of losses and the key is to keep putting one foot in front of another. Not so much to be optimistic, because bad stuff is gonna happen, but to try and jump from rock to rock, because although you might slip into the river and get wet every once in a while, even float downriver to a wholly different, unforeseen rock, even though some might never find another rock at all, they were right there next to you laughing and now they're gone, when you do get to the next rock not only do you breathe a sigh of relief, you gain a sense of wonderment, you've got a whole new perspective.
And that's what makes life worth living.
First of all, there's touch. And sex. After all, we're animals. Try and hug someone every day, not in a perfunctory way, but in a style more conscious, like life is hard but at least you have each other. My parents never touched me growing up, could be a fifties thing, I don't know, and I struggle with flesh on flesh, but I do know when done right touch roots me, and you.
Second, there's art. And let's put nature in that same category. I was out in a miserable snowstorm the other day and I never felt so alive. Like it was just me, the trees and the sky. It's when you're most alone that you feel most at peace, assuming you can forgo the anxiety of being disconnected forever.
And in art there's books and movies and music and painting and sculpture and when they're done right, they make us feel so not alone, they reflect our humanity back upon us. And it's hard to do this. Not only in terms of skill, but to let go of precepts and create via your inner tuning fork, what we feel inside. Too much of what is called "art" today is pandering pabulum. And we know the difference. It's like "Pulp Fiction" versus the latest "Star Wars." As in how did Tarantino come up with that? Kinda like "Sgt. Pepper"... What were they smoking, where were they at that the Beatles decided to cut a concept album with no singles. Can you imagine that today? Katy Perry or Taylor Swift? I'm gonna drop an album with no anchors, with no obvious radio tracks, because I believe it will resonate with my audience. Won't be done. And when you fall down the rabbit hole of your favorite book... Mine this year was "The Nix," which was heavily hyped but got on no best lists I've seen. Yet, from the protagonist playing World of Warcraft to navigating a world of protest and family...I not only went along for the ride, it illuminated part of my own life, woke up memories of the sixties, and proved that alienation is universal, so often I feel so alone but when I reveal what I feel others resonate. And speaking of being alone and resonating, my favorite album of the year was Emitt Rhodes's "Rainbow Ends." While all his contemporaries are getting plastic surgery to look younger than their audience, while studio trickery makes them sound like they're twenty five, Mr. Rhodes appeared warts and all telling his truth, looking every bit his age, overweight with a somewhat ruined voice. If that's not a beacon for truth...try listening to the lyrics, which reflect adult concepts, is anybody in the arts willing to be an adult? And to hear melodic changes in a world of beats is a revelation.
Third, there's children. I ain't got none, but their sense of amazement always tickles me. I don't envy the youth, I was young once and I hated it, you recover from injuries so much faster but you've got no clue as to what is going on, you're constantly going down blind alleys. But when I see a kid experience something for the first time, it makes me smile more than them.
Fourth... You never know how it's going to turn out. Kinda like Trump getting elected. Everybody missed it. You want to live to see what happens. And it's all not bad, but it's all not good. But experiencing it is a thrill. And, if you can, get involved, because there's great satisfaction in midwifing an event, being part of a team.
Yes, you see, there's plenty to live for.
Meanwhile, you're gonna get cancer. Or be in a car accident. So much bad stuff is gonna happen it might overwhelm you. Do you drive with a football helmet on? Do you refuse to navigate in bad weather? You can try and beat the odds, but chances are you're gonna slip in the bathroom and break something. And never forget most car accidents happen close to home, where you drive most, so wear your seatbelt. I know, I know, we live in the land of the free. But please make an effort to preserve your health. Please stop smoking. Please eat sugar in moderation. Then again, the corporate industrial complex is doing its best to kill us. Whether it be the corn growers or Purdue Pharma with OxyContin...
The truth is all of us are going to die.
But believe me, you'd rather it be later than sooner.
I don't know what happened with Princess Leia. She had a long history of drug abuse. Was she high on the plane, mixing too much stuff? Or was her time just up. It happens. But dead is dead, and she's gone now, and leaves a daughter, siblings and...
Her mother.
She just couldn't take it.
Of course that might not be true. I'm not a doctor, and the stunning thing is how little medical doctors do know (although more than you scoring at home, believing western medicine is crap, believing every alternative fairytale that comes down the pike, believe me, you'll want to go to the hospital when you have a heart attack, but I get it, you feel powerless in today's society and you want to believe you have control over something so... But please don't be one of those selfish non-vaccinators. Because they put the rest of us at risk. And now I've managed to piss at least some of you off. But that's life, it's astounding we get along at all. We're each uniquely different, with our own opinions. Feel free to express yours. But don't force me to agree. And vice versa. Dismiss anything I have to say, it's okay with me, I'm thrilled that you're reading this at all.)
So, her daughter dies before her and...
That's something you don't want to have happen. You don't want to outlive your children.
And Debbie Reynolds has a stroke and dies. Causing more heartache amongst her descendants.
Like I said. Life sucks.
But the comedians have it right. When bad things happen, even death, you've got to crack jokes. You've got to laugh at the human condition. You've got to keep your attitude, your mood, from bottoming out. Because you want to be here when it gets better.
2016 has been a horrible year. Too many of our heroes have died.
And we're next, sorry to say. It's coming sooner than you think. So while you're still here...
Know that despite never getting rich, never marrying a famous actor, never winning the Nobel Prize, chances are you're just as happy as those who did, maybe even more so. Money eases one's pathway in life, especially compared to not having enough. But the world runs on people. Conversation. Intimacy. Touch.
So, I'm with you on this. Too much death. The holidays are supposed to be upbeat, but it's been an endless downer.
And who knows what January 20th will bring.
But you've got a front row seat for the greatest movie ever made. It's called life. And it's participatory. And when you play, you risk losing. But to be in the game...
It's kind of like baseball. The best are out two-thirds of the time.
But when you hit it over the fence, when you score the winning run...
It's the greatest feeling in the world.
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Winning Strategies
1. Play the long game.
If you need to succeed immediately, if you can't live in flux, if you can't handle anxiety, you're not going to achieve your goals. First, of course, you must have a goal. But then you must stick to it. Keep it in your vision. Revisit it at night, while you're lying in bed. Stay focused. Eyes on the prize.
But that does not mean you can be lax along the way. The Republicans had a decades-long plan to take over the judiciary system, called the Federalist Society, no one even knew what it was for most of its existence, never mind be concerned with it. Peter Thiel was pissed at Gawker and took years to execute his plan of destruction. I'm not saying you can't forgive, that you can't forget, but if you want something badly enough, chances are you want it more than your opponent, and when you stay the course, line up your ducks, you can topple your enemy when they least expect it, when their defenses are down, when they've got no other options.
2. You're in control of your own behavior.
You get to decide how much intensity you want to employ. He who just runs on instinct loses in the end. Sometimes it pays to raise your voice, sometimes it pays to be nice and civil. Experiment, learn what works, then you can employ the ammunition in your arsenal to the greatest effect.
3. Intimidation can work.
Some people are wimps. If you stand up to them, they'll fold. If you're barking all the time, always mouthing off at 10, you're gonna be labeled a hothead and be ignored, funny how one's reputation spreads. But if you've got a silver bullet, wherein you get on your high horse and employ a scorched-earth policy, you'll be stunned how effective it can be. Especially after you've played nice.
4. Don't be afraid to get intense and raise your voice.
People sense weakness. If you're not willing to hang it all out, you won't win in the end.
5. Lull your suspect into thinking nothing's wrong.
This is one of the most effective games to play. Along the lines of keeping your enemies even closer than your friends. When people let their guard down they reveal weaknesses that can be used against them.
6. Or keep him on high alert.
You can push someone over the edge with anxiety, with paranoia, if they think you're out to get them, oftentimes you don't have to do anything at all and they'll blow themselves up, they'll fold.
7. Vary pressure.
The mark of an amateur is someone who has to win all the time, who only has one note and plays it again and again and again. Most of the greatest business people can be extremely charming. They can have a good time. They can be the straw that stirs the drink. But never forget this is business and you're not their friend. As you move up the power totem pole the players have fewer and fewer confidantes. They're playing so many games that the only people they can confide in and trust are their spouse and a trusted lieutenant or two, and like in a crime novel, they know all about attorney/client privilege and how and when to utilize it.
8. Know how to lose.
He who wins all the time is a target. You can't survive if everybody gangs up on you. So be willing to concede now and again, especially on the small stuff.
9. Don't ask for too much.
Your goals must be realistic. He who wants the sun and the moon will find they get a reputation and others will try and take them down for sport.
10. Be a student of the game.
We're all just people. And we're the most fascinating thing on this planet. People are vain and insecure, they need to tell secrets. Just ask questions, it's amazing what people will tell you (which you may be able to use against them at a later date). Analyze the weaknesses of your opponents. Sure, this can pertain to their business, but more often it pertains to their personality. Life is high school. We're all in it together. The cheerleaders get fat and the football captain ends up a grease monkey. No one forgets where you came from and no one forgets who you are. Shine too brightly and you'll incite contempt, which is why winners are always self-deprecating. Be solid and have allies. You'll be surprised how many people will aid you in your quest by virtue of their antagonism towards your opponent. Chances are what bugs you in a person bugs someone else too. Unless you're the defective one, the person who is propping up their image with no self-knowledge whatsoever. Then you're the mark, then you're ready to be brought down.
CONCLUSION
You can work for the man or you can be the man. It's your choice. And in today's world, it can be a woman or a man. I'll argue females can play the game even better than males. Their culture is different, it's about being a member of the group, whereas men are always fighting for their place in the pecking order. A man has a hard time quashing his feelings, a woman can hide her feelings in furtherance of her goal. Men are just putty in women's hands. Women can be nice and then...
Not that winning is only about business. The key is if you're pissed, if you're angry, if you desire a certain conclusion, there's a good chance you can achieve it, just as long as you don't go home and lie in bed and cry woe is me and instead get down to strategizing.
This is not about formal education. And sure, business yields experience, as does an MBA, but not as much as living your life every day. You are extremely powerful, if you just play the game, if you stay the course.
And the game never changes. So as you get older, you become wiser, you can achieve more. The young might have their youth, but you've got the smarts.
If you're determined to employ them.
If you need to succeed immediately, if you can't live in flux, if you can't handle anxiety, you're not going to achieve your goals. First, of course, you must have a goal. But then you must stick to it. Keep it in your vision. Revisit it at night, while you're lying in bed. Stay focused. Eyes on the prize.
But that does not mean you can be lax along the way. The Republicans had a decades-long plan to take over the judiciary system, called the Federalist Society, no one even knew what it was for most of its existence, never mind be concerned with it. Peter Thiel was pissed at Gawker and took years to execute his plan of destruction. I'm not saying you can't forgive, that you can't forget, but if you want something badly enough, chances are you want it more than your opponent, and when you stay the course, line up your ducks, you can topple your enemy when they least expect it, when their defenses are down, when they've got no other options.
2. You're in control of your own behavior.
You get to decide how much intensity you want to employ. He who just runs on instinct loses in the end. Sometimes it pays to raise your voice, sometimes it pays to be nice and civil. Experiment, learn what works, then you can employ the ammunition in your arsenal to the greatest effect.
3. Intimidation can work.
Some people are wimps. If you stand up to them, they'll fold. If you're barking all the time, always mouthing off at 10, you're gonna be labeled a hothead and be ignored, funny how one's reputation spreads. But if you've got a silver bullet, wherein you get on your high horse and employ a scorched-earth policy, you'll be stunned how effective it can be. Especially after you've played nice.
4. Don't be afraid to get intense and raise your voice.
People sense weakness. If you're not willing to hang it all out, you won't win in the end.
5. Lull your suspect into thinking nothing's wrong.
This is one of the most effective games to play. Along the lines of keeping your enemies even closer than your friends. When people let their guard down they reveal weaknesses that can be used against them.
6. Or keep him on high alert.
You can push someone over the edge with anxiety, with paranoia, if they think you're out to get them, oftentimes you don't have to do anything at all and they'll blow themselves up, they'll fold.
7. Vary pressure.
The mark of an amateur is someone who has to win all the time, who only has one note and plays it again and again and again. Most of the greatest business people can be extremely charming. They can have a good time. They can be the straw that stirs the drink. But never forget this is business and you're not their friend. As you move up the power totem pole the players have fewer and fewer confidantes. They're playing so many games that the only people they can confide in and trust are their spouse and a trusted lieutenant or two, and like in a crime novel, they know all about attorney/client privilege and how and when to utilize it.
8. Know how to lose.
He who wins all the time is a target. You can't survive if everybody gangs up on you. So be willing to concede now and again, especially on the small stuff.
9. Don't ask for too much.
Your goals must be realistic. He who wants the sun and the moon will find they get a reputation and others will try and take them down for sport.
10. Be a student of the game.
We're all just people. And we're the most fascinating thing on this planet. People are vain and insecure, they need to tell secrets. Just ask questions, it's amazing what people will tell you (which you may be able to use against them at a later date). Analyze the weaknesses of your opponents. Sure, this can pertain to their business, but more often it pertains to their personality. Life is high school. We're all in it together. The cheerleaders get fat and the football captain ends up a grease monkey. No one forgets where you came from and no one forgets who you are. Shine too brightly and you'll incite contempt, which is why winners are always self-deprecating. Be solid and have allies. You'll be surprised how many people will aid you in your quest by virtue of their antagonism towards your opponent. Chances are what bugs you in a person bugs someone else too. Unless you're the defective one, the person who is propping up their image with no self-knowledge whatsoever. Then you're the mark, then you're ready to be brought down.
CONCLUSION
You can work for the man or you can be the man. It's your choice. And in today's world, it can be a woman or a man. I'll argue females can play the game even better than males. Their culture is different, it's about being a member of the group, whereas men are always fighting for their place in the pecking order. A man has a hard time quashing his feelings, a woman can hide her feelings in furtherance of her goal. Men are just putty in women's hands. Women can be nice and then...
Not that winning is only about business. The key is if you're pissed, if you're angry, if you desire a certain conclusion, there's a good chance you can achieve it, just as long as you don't go home and lie in bed and cry woe is me and instead get down to strategizing.
This is not about formal education. And sure, business yields experience, as does an MBA, but not as much as living your life every day. You are extremely powerful, if you just play the game, if you stay the course.
And the game never changes. So as you get older, you become wiser, you can achieve more. The young might have their youth, but you've got the smarts.
If you're determined to employ them.
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Tuesday 27 December 2016
The Kennedy Center Honors
And the winner is...
ELLE KING!
With an honorable mention to Bob Seger, but his performance had so much more gravitas at the Glenn Frey memorial at the Forum, an insider affair that got no publicity but was the highlight of the year, because when it comes to rock and roll, it's a club, and the public only gets glimpses, that's part of its magic.
And speaking of magic... If you weren't touched by the President singing along to "Fire and Rain" or the many imitations/quotations of Al Pacinoisms in the culture, you're not an American.
But the truth is you are.
How did we get here? Where money means everything and artists are second class citizens, bitching about getting paid and playing to the man?
It didn't used to be this way, and it won't be this way for long, because the truth is, America runs on art. All the rest is just trappings. You make bank so...you can go on StubHub and overpay to sit in the front row at the show. You go home after a long day and you fire up Netflix or HBO for soul-fulfilling sustenance. It's those who hang it out the farthest who we revere, but too many are not hanging it out at all, or if they are, they keep telling us about it when any true artist knows you let the work speak for itself.
Now the problem with this extravaganza is it's a television show. It's got to hit all the notes, even showing Les Moonves and his wife on camera, as if they were stars who deserve attention. Didn't Tommy Mottola kill this paradigm in the nineties? The suits belong in the back row, they should be thrilled to be inside the building, but too often today they think they're the artist, that they're responsible, and that's just plain wrong.
Having Hootie (and yes, I know his name is Darius Rucker) sing James Taylor is like hiring the Backstreet Boys to sing Prince. Huh? Come on, he was the only one available?
But no, they needed someone of color. They needed a woman singing. But sometimes the best person for the job is the one who was there when it all went down. Like Seger. This is a show for old farts, why don't you let the old farts play, the kids don't care anyway. But no, the producers have to skew young. Kings Of Leon doing "Take It Easy" was akin to getting Jana Kramer to fete Patsy Cline. Come on, at least the backup band in the JT tribute featured Kootch and Leland Sklar. Let the old folks shine, their time is almost done.
Like watching Pacino in all those movies. Before videotape, when you had to go to the theatre to be in the know and we did. It was a national religion, going to the flicks, and it all wasn't blockbusters, then again, "Star Wars" and "The Towering Inferno" sounded the death knell for the movie business. Because when big bucks are available, why go for the small ones? Don't tell the record label you can make them a hundred thousand, they're not interested, but ten million? They'd rather lose seven figures in pursuit, or die tryin'.
So...
James Taylor has been hiding in plain sight. Funny how they're here and then they're gone. You can see him every summer. But at some point he'll exit this mortal coil and that drive from Stockbridge to Boston will be damn near unbearable, because of the tears in my eyes.
And so many of the song choices on this show were lame. They're being feted for their talent, at least use the songs they wrote, they've got plenty of hits. I mean come on, "How Sweet It Is"? Sing that when you induct Marvin Gaye. Or Holland/Dozier/Holland. Sure, it was a hit, sure, the public knows it, but how about something with gravitas, James Taylor's specialty. This is your moment to shine, to deliver, can't you take a risk?
But I was happy to hear Garth Brooks sing "Shower The People"...
The President didn't know this one, nor did most in attendance, they were not singing along, but to those scoring at home, who know this number, this was a highlight.
"You can play the game
And you can act out the part
Though you know it wasn't written for you"
This is the national scourge, people living according to their head, not their heart. All this derision of arts majors. Hell, I majored in art. We need people to soothe our souls, something an engineer can't do, certainly not a banker.
"You can run but you cannot hide
This is widely known
And what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you're all by yourself alone"
Everybody's fake, artifice rules. Try being the real you, you'll be stunned at the results.
"Once you tell somebody the way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease"
The world runs on communication. Which works best with honesty. Speak your truth, be vulnerable, the response will overwhelm you. We're just people and we're looking to connect, we'll accept you, flaws and all, if you just let us know how you truly feel.
As for Mavis Staples...
I saw her open for Bonnie Raitt and she closed me, she's still got it.
And the video package showing the stadium gig with her singing "Respect Yourself," and the interactions with Martin Luther King... You don't do it for the adulation, you don't do it for the money, you do it because you have something to say, you need to stand for something.
And Elle King stood for taking advantage of her moment.
Most of the performers were going through the motions, just another gig on the endless road. But Elle knew this was her only chance, to triumph on a national stage.
AND SHE DID!
She reached down deep and gave it everything she's got. And you couldn't help but watch her. She doesn't look like a model, but she's more desirable than any of the stringbeans. Because she's got the music in her. Kiki Dee had that one right.
People forget that it's called "show business." Performance is a key element. If you can't rise to the occasion, if you can't win us over, if you can't get us into the palm of your hand, practice a ton more or get out of the way.
As for Martha Argerich...
I had no idea who she was.
But her passion and dedication impressed me. Not everybody gets to play in the stadium. You think it's about worldwide domination, but really, it's about appealing to a tribe. Better to win small than place or show in the arena. Because people know, word spreads, and you get honored, as Ms. Argerich was here.
And then came Eagles.
They called them "The Eagles," which Henley hates, but he wasn't in control, it wasn't his show.
And the truth is the Eagles, pardon me, were Glenn Frey's show. Henley wouldn't have made it without him. Glenn had the vision, the drive, he was the coach, and now he's gone. Oh, he had a very good ride, but it ended too soon.
So, you've got three old men sitting there waiting to be impressed and...
Oh, the tales these guys could tell. From back when rock was king, when music ruled the world, when everything in the rock star handbook was codified. Believe me, CEOs don't want to be Pitbull, they want to be Don Henley or Glenn Frey or Joe Walsh... Going from town to town, getting high, getting laid, as their manager trails with hundred dollar bills to make sure any faux pas is made right. Furthermore, there were no cameras, it was your word versus theirs.
And Henley tells the tale of being deep in the wilderness and having a native point at him and say HOTEL CALIFORNIA! Believe me, that's more powerful than anything Donald Trump has ever done. Write the right song and you're immortal.
Like "Take It Easy"...
Kings Of Leon, ugh.
But even worse was Juanes doing "Hotel California. Why don't you get Timothy B. Schmit to sing at the Latin Grammys? No, that wouldn't do, Timothy B. has got too good a voice!
Fun to see the interplay between Steuart Smith and Steve Vai, but the producers took all the air out of the number. This was an epoch-defining track. They made it a ditty.
As for the finale of "Life In The Fast Lane"...
It resembled nothing so much as one of those Grammy telecast ending clusterf..... Give me one star, not ten. Give me one Elle King, not a parade of people who've got nothing at risk.
And, let's not forget Vince Gill... Whose curious performance nailed it, but was sans gesticulation. Maybe Gill is on his way to being a national treasure, albeit one who is overexposed, but I've got to give him credit here, his performance worked.
But not as much as Bob Seger's.
Seger was the only genuine star on the stage. Sure, Bonnie Raitt was there, but we see her all the time. But Seger??? His manager even keeps him off the internet! So when he shows up...
Now the song that should have been sung was "Desperado," but still...
The overhead shot of the assembled multitude clapping in unison showed not only the power of the Eagles, but the power of MUSIC! To reach us, to unite us, to elate us, to make life worth living.
But that song was written in a different era. When rock stars were kings, as rich as anybody in America, and lived without limits. As for sponsors... The Eagles still don't have any sponsors, they've yet to sell out, and they own the biggest selling album of all time!
Think about that.
Glenn Frey did. It was part of the master plan he delineated all night long to Don Henley in that Washington, D.C. hotel room, waiting for Linda Ronstadt's opening club gig.
Now I don't want to sound like the Nazi in the "Producers," saying this show was not rock and roll...
BUT IT WASN'T!
Rock and roll is a state of mind, an attitude, something you experience not only at the show, but running down the road with the wind in your hair with your favorite song blasting out of the dashboard, with maybe a Deadhead sticker on the bumper.
But now it's a Prius, not a Cadillac.
And so many of the younger generation don't own automobiles at all.
But they know greatness when they see it.
This Kennedy Center Honors telecast was not great. Because they did not shoot high enough, they did not take enough risks, by playing to everybody you miss out connecting with the individual.
But the people they honored?
Paragons of limit-testing. None of them played it safe and all of them won.
Let them be a beacon to you.
Because unless you're willing to risk everything...
You're gonna get nothing.
Do you know what it's like to show up at the Troubadour as an unknown, to try and establish a career out of whole cloth?
"Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks"
That's right, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.
And the guy who sang those words didn't make it.
And Glenn Frey is gone. And the aforementioned Marvin Gaye too.
But when we put on their records...
We go to Carolina in our minds with a tequila sunrise in our hand and if you listen to the music...
It'll take you there.
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ELLE KING!
With an honorable mention to Bob Seger, but his performance had so much more gravitas at the Glenn Frey memorial at the Forum, an insider affair that got no publicity but was the highlight of the year, because when it comes to rock and roll, it's a club, and the public only gets glimpses, that's part of its magic.
And speaking of magic... If you weren't touched by the President singing along to "Fire and Rain" or the many imitations/quotations of Al Pacinoisms in the culture, you're not an American.
But the truth is you are.
How did we get here? Where money means everything and artists are second class citizens, bitching about getting paid and playing to the man?
It didn't used to be this way, and it won't be this way for long, because the truth is, America runs on art. All the rest is just trappings. You make bank so...you can go on StubHub and overpay to sit in the front row at the show. You go home after a long day and you fire up Netflix or HBO for soul-fulfilling sustenance. It's those who hang it out the farthest who we revere, but too many are not hanging it out at all, or if they are, they keep telling us about it when any true artist knows you let the work speak for itself.
Now the problem with this extravaganza is it's a television show. It's got to hit all the notes, even showing Les Moonves and his wife on camera, as if they were stars who deserve attention. Didn't Tommy Mottola kill this paradigm in the nineties? The suits belong in the back row, they should be thrilled to be inside the building, but too often today they think they're the artist, that they're responsible, and that's just plain wrong.
Having Hootie (and yes, I know his name is Darius Rucker) sing James Taylor is like hiring the Backstreet Boys to sing Prince. Huh? Come on, he was the only one available?
But no, they needed someone of color. They needed a woman singing. But sometimes the best person for the job is the one who was there when it all went down. Like Seger. This is a show for old farts, why don't you let the old farts play, the kids don't care anyway. But no, the producers have to skew young. Kings Of Leon doing "Take It Easy" was akin to getting Jana Kramer to fete Patsy Cline. Come on, at least the backup band in the JT tribute featured Kootch and Leland Sklar. Let the old folks shine, their time is almost done.
Like watching Pacino in all those movies. Before videotape, when you had to go to the theatre to be in the know and we did. It was a national religion, going to the flicks, and it all wasn't blockbusters, then again, "Star Wars" and "The Towering Inferno" sounded the death knell for the movie business. Because when big bucks are available, why go for the small ones? Don't tell the record label you can make them a hundred thousand, they're not interested, but ten million? They'd rather lose seven figures in pursuit, or die tryin'.
So...
James Taylor has been hiding in plain sight. Funny how they're here and then they're gone. You can see him every summer. But at some point he'll exit this mortal coil and that drive from Stockbridge to Boston will be damn near unbearable, because of the tears in my eyes.
And so many of the song choices on this show were lame. They're being feted for their talent, at least use the songs they wrote, they've got plenty of hits. I mean come on, "How Sweet It Is"? Sing that when you induct Marvin Gaye. Or Holland/Dozier/Holland. Sure, it was a hit, sure, the public knows it, but how about something with gravitas, James Taylor's specialty. This is your moment to shine, to deliver, can't you take a risk?
But I was happy to hear Garth Brooks sing "Shower The People"...
The President didn't know this one, nor did most in attendance, they were not singing along, but to those scoring at home, who know this number, this was a highlight.
"You can play the game
And you can act out the part
Though you know it wasn't written for you"
This is the national scourge, people living according to their head, not their heart. All this derision of arts majors. Hell, I majored in art. We need people to soothe our souls, something an engineer can't do, certainly not a banker.
"You can run but you cannot hide
This is widely known
And what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you're all by yourself alone"
Everybody's fake, artifice rules. Try being the real you, you'll be stunned at the results.
"Once you tell somebody the way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease"
The world runs on communication. Which works best with honesty. Speak your truth, be vulnerable, the response will overwhelm you. We're just people and we're looking to connect, we'll accept you, flaws and all, if you just let us know how you truly feel.
As for Mavis Staples...
I saw her open for Bonnie Raitt and she closed me, she's still got it.
And the video package showing the stadium gig with her singing "Respect Yourself," and the interactions with Martin Luther King... You don't do it for the adulation, you don't do it for the money, you do it because you have something to say, you need to stand for something.
And Elle King stood for taking advantage of her moment.
Most of the performers were going through the motions, just another gig on the endless road. But Elle knew this was her only chance, to triumph on a national stage.
AND SHE DID!
She reached down deep and gave it everything she's got. And you couldn't help but watch her. She doesn't look like a model, but she's more desirable than any of the stringbeans. Because she's got the music in her. Kiki Dee had that one right.
People forget that it's called "show business." Performance is a key element. If you can't rise to the occasion, if you can't win us over, if you can't get us into the palm of your hand, practice a ton more or get out of the way.
As for Martha Argerich...
I had no idea who she was.
But her passion and dedication impressed me. Not everybody gets to play in the stadium. You think it's about worldwide domination, but really, it's about appealing to a tribe. Better to win small than place or show in the arena. Because people know, word spreads, and you get honored, as Ms. Argerich was here.
And then came Eagles.
They called them "The Eagles," which Henley hates, but he wasn't in control, it wasn't his show.
And the truth is the Eagles, pardon me, were Glenn Frey's show. Henley wouldn't have made it without him. Glenn had the vision, the drive, he was the coach, and now he's gone. Oh, he had a very good ride, but it ended too soon.
So, you've got three old men sitting there waiting to be impressed and...
Oh, the tales these guys could tell. From back when rock was king, when music ruled the world, when everything in the rock star handbook was codified. Believe me, CEOs don't want to be Pitbull, they want to be Don Henley or Glenn Frey or Joe Walsh... Going from town to town, getting high, getting laid, as their manager trails with hundred dollar bills to make sure any faux pas is made right. Furthermore, there were no cameras, it was your word versus theirs.
And Henley tells the tale of being deep in the wilderness and having a native point at him and say HOTEL CALIFORNIA! Believe me, that's more powerful than anything Donald Trump has ever done. Write the right song and you're immortal.
Like "Take It Easy"...
Kings Of Leon, ugh.
But even worse was Juanes doing "Hotel California. Why don't you get Timothy B. Schmit to sing at the Latin Grammys? No, that wouldn't do, Timothy B. has got too good a voice!
Fun to see the interplay between Steuart Smith and Steve Vai, but the producers took all the air out of the number. This was an epoch-defining track. They made it a ditty.
As for the finale of "Life In The Fast Lane"...
It resembled nothing so much as one of those Grammy telecast ending clusterf..... Give me one star, not ten. Give me one Elle King, not a parade of people who've got nothing at risk.
And, let's not forget Vince Gill... Whose curious performance nailed it, but was sans gesticulation. Maybe Gill is on his way to being a national treasure, albeit one who is overexposed, but I've got to give him credit here, his performance worked.
But not as much as Bob Seger's.
Seger was the only genuine star on the stage. Sure, Bonnie Raitt was there, but we see her all the time. But Seger??? His manager even keeps him off the internet! So when he shows up...
Now the song that should have been sung was "Desperado," but still...
The overhead shot of the assembled multitude clapping in unison showed not only the power of the Eagles, but the power of MUSIC! To reach us, to unite us, to elate us, to make life worth living.
But that song was written in a different era. When rock stars were kings, as rich as anybody in America, and lived without limits. As for sponsors... The Eagles still don't have any sponsors, they've yet to sell out, and they own the biggest selling album of all time!
Think about that.
Glenn Frey did. It was part of the master plan he delineated all night long to Don Henley in that Washington, D.C. hotel room, waiting for Linda Ronstadt's opening club gig.
Now I don't want to sound like the Nazi in the "Producers," saying this show was not rock and roll...
BUT IT WASN'T!
Rock and roll is a state of mind, an attitude, something you experience not only at the show, but running down the road with the wind in your hair with your favorite song blasting out of the dashboard, with maybe a Deadhead sticker on the bumper.
But now it's a Prius, not a Cadillac.
And so many of the younger generation don't own automobiles at all.
But they know greatness when they see it.
This Kennedy Center Honors telecast was not great. Because they did not shoot high enough, they did not take enough risks, by playing to everybody you miss out connecting with the individual.
But the people they honored?
Paragons of limit-testing. None of them played it safe and all of them won.
Let them be a beacon to you.
Because unless you're willing to risk everything...
You're gonna get nothing.
Do you know what it's like to show up at the Troubadour as an unknown, to try and establish a career out of whole cloth?
"Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks"
That's right, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.
And the guy who sang those words didn't make it.
And Glenn Frey is gone. And the aforementioned Marvin Gaye too.
But when we put on their records...
We go to Carolina in our minds with a tequila sunrise in our hand and if you listen to the music...
It'll take you there.
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Monday 26 December 2016
Re-Why Is Hip-Hop So Big?
Coming from someone who currently manages Timbaland and who's worked in hip hop since Interscope / death row 1994-1996 w Dre, Snoop, Tupac and others, Priority Records 1996-1999 w Ice Cube, Master P, More Snoop, Mack10, WC, Rap A Lot Records etc, Universal Motown Records 1999-2008 w Nelly, Lil Wayne, Cash Money, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Kid Cudi, TI, etc I agree as you said hip hop not only survived but burgeoned, my two cents is that it's because of the lifestyle. It continues to grow.
Hip hop streaming is so strong right now not just for major hip hop acts but because it's the best way to discover new acts. We used to hear more stories about program directors that took a chance on a new artist and led the way for the country to follow once it researched. Now we see stories about guys like Carl Cherry at apple who took a chance on a new artist named "6lack" by play listing one of his songs, a week later and 1 million+ plays Carl put in another song and sure enough 2+million streams. Now he's signed to Interscope.(Not saying I agree with that move). Acts like 6lack, 21 Savage etc.. all millions of streams and some of these acts with little or no radio. It won't stop anytime soon.
Gary Marella
President
Mosley Music Group
___________________________________
I really didn't want to open this post, but I did and I'm now wishing I had listened to my gut because it had "Dad Jeans" written all over it. Seriously though, don't be so surprised that rap's killing it on streaming -- where have you and the rest of "the (white Jewish) music industry" been while the multi-multi million dollar hip hop scene has been pushing DIY merch and selling out venues across the country for decades? It's a highly lucrative underground market thriving largely without major label help because selling out totally kills street cred. A good producer, catchy (unlicensed) samples, and hometown hood support used to be what makes or breaks a hip hop artist. Nowadays, it's social media followers and rap blogs that dictate fame, the latter being the best source of new music drops reminiscent of what radio used to provide. It's only a matter of time before one of those singing competition shows comes out with a rap version of The Black Voice, if there isn't already one on BET...
Sarah El Ebiary, Esq.
NW Entertainment Law
___________________________________
Sounds great. If only it had melody and harmony, and instrumentation that wasn't on a loop.
Berton Averre
___________________________________
Are you taking bets that kanye won't perform? We can even make it a parlay. He'll perform and play "power" :)
Scott Vener
___________________________________
there are numerous reasons why hip hop has remained
on top, but there's one obvious one..MTV!
once MTV hit the airwaves, it became the trend-icator..
new wave; Michael Jackson's 'Thriller", the re birth of
rock bands (LoverBoy, Bon Jovi, etc), Madonna and her clones,
hair metal bands & Guns N Roses, Grunge, the re birth
of bubble gum (Spice Girls, Backstreet, N Sync,, Hanson,
Brtitney, etc) and then hip hop all reached overdrive proportions,
MTV and it's coast to coast captive audience made it all happen..
and then music was gone from MTV, replaced by reality shows,
which then became a national trend of it's own..
Hip Hop was the last coast to coast music trend generated by
MTV, and then as music was gone, nothing was ever presented
as 'the next thing' to take it's place.. so it just stuck around..
Jimi LaLumia
___________________________________
Saying Donald trump is hop-hop at first appears to demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of what hip hop is and isn't; yet several of your explanations are spot on. Ironically those explanations themselves indicate that trump isn't hip hop at all.
Binta Niambi Brown
___________________________________
A lot of truth here. A necessary post to spell it out, especially given what I assume are your mailing list's demographics. That said, many hardcore hip-hop fans would argue that most of the gravitas you spell out was more accurate years ago and that the hip-hop of today is more like rock n roll in the 80s - soft and commercial.
The hard guys are now old enough to be inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame.
Happy holidays!
Alex Kruglov
___________________________________
Bravo... finally.. you understand more than most. Detroit, Oakland, Atlanta, Compton, Houston, Baltimore, Philly... New York, Newark! Stand up... we salute you for at least having a clue..
#wakeupeverybody.
In America, there's enough for everybody. Hip Hop is a community that shares... and feeds it's fans more than you know.. food, clothing, education, motivation... Hip Hop Govern's more effectively than most elected officials in these urban centers. You should go deeper talk to the local promoters, the bloggers, you will become enlighteded.. so much to understand, it's like life. It's hard, you know that, and once you have a complete understanding .... it's easy.. in Hip hop all are welcome. #Detroit4life.
Oh and many think that Drake is bad for Hip Hop, but he was welcomed in and has thrived. When you think that a Hip Hop band is the house band for the tonight show, you realize that it has reached were no one could picture ever. Not Russell, not sean Combs, not Sean Carter.. no one. So the sky's not a limit in Hip Hop it's only a view. Master P paved the way to the real money few know that.
James L. Jackson
___________________________________
Rap tells a STORY...Our brains latch on to all things mythologized, much more than facts and figures..Metaphors and parable drive home universal motifs .Thank you, Dr. Jung...Country songs USED TO tell stories, before every song bragged about how GREAT small town life is...Singer/songwriters USED TO, too, but where's the new generation of "folkies"? The Dylans, Springsteens, Paul Simons, Joni Mitchells, etc.? Pro writers, like Desmond Child (Living On A Prayer, etc.), have been replaced by Max Martins and corporate schills..Rap brings back the narrative to the song, much like the " beat" poets, commenting on their life and culture..In the post-instrument world, that may give them an edge ..
James Spencer
___________________________________
I think there is a more simple reason...
I am 37 years old now. My last 6 or so years have been in senior (ish) roles at various advertising companies. There are many in my demographic all earning similar money.
De La Soul was the first cassette I owned, back when I was 10 years old. Closely followed by Public Enemy, Ice T, Paris...
We grew up on hip hop, the rebellious sound our parents hated. It was my generation's rock and roll.
The sound has mellowed now, comparatively. But it is still the sound we grew up with.
When the people in suits, the people with kids starting high school, the directors, the advertising executives all grew up with the same sound, that is when it becomes mainstream.
My friend's 11 year old daughter can tell the difference between Phyfe and Q-Tip. We are now pulling our children into our culture, the same way my parents got me into Led Zep, The Doors, and The Stones.
Hip hop is the modern rock and roll, for many reasons.
Anthony Gardiner
New Zealand
___________________________________
Also the music buying public is still young people, as it always has been (old people are rarely open to new shit), and these 15-40s grew up where hip hop was the real rock n roll: the only place where anybody said or did anything shocking, the only real voice of the youth, the only real voice of the poor, etc. Hip hop also sells the same idea that America does: that Jay Z could rise from the projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant to being a multimillionaire; that you don't even have to be born in America to achieve superstardom in America (Drake). Until the mainstream media tv cameras are in the hood of Baltimore or St Louis for any other reason that a anti-police riot, hip hop will always be the dominant voice of the culture (poor people both black and white). When hip hop celebrates opulence or 'hoes' or whatever, it's selling a kid in the slums the idea that he could have that, too, so he's singing and streaming every word. Hence why I've been able to make a modest career out of speaking for suburban working class kids because I'm speaking their language, not speaking down to them, and telling them they can do it, too.
Spose/Ryan
___________________________________
I think Hip Hop is a genre that cultivates a feeling of vicarious living just as 80s glam rock did. It's one of the things music allows us to experience, which is a powerful experience of transcending the self in a way that gets us outside of ourselves and into a sort of character we want to play, or a life (real or not) we'd like to live (albeit an often romanticized one).
I think a more important realm of what music can help us to experience is the transcending our perceived limits of the self, and into our own potential, to push us deep into ourselves and get in touch with who we are and what has meaning.
Hip Hop can do that too of course... but, as a genre in pop, it's more known for how it provides an audio-costume we can wear.
Hip Hop is also a nice big caldron of stew (in terms of it's aesthetic of beats and other signature sounds like the 808 etc.) that other styles can be tossed into as spices. Pop has adopted hip hop just as it did rock (think of all the pop-rock girls of the earlier 90s who's producers commandeered rock aesthetics).
Adam Watts
___________________________________
Bob - this is one of the most direct, best articles I've read on this area.
The differences, as you've pointed out, are basically just embarrassing for us whites.
For example no offence to Lady Gaga, but in some ways I thought that she represented the epitome of a lost white performer - constantly looking for a new image, not standing for any one thing. I know she was attempting to be a fashion icon, but you can't do that at the expense of your message. (To her credit her new material, which is right off the beaten track for her, does prove how much of a musical talent she really is).
I can see some parallels between hip hop music and the Irish culture - externally they're both love, light and peace brother, but internally it's all about the anger.
To my mind, there is no point in white guys trying to do rap.
Don't get me wrong, I've watched some of the competitions and I know that there are some highly accomplished white guys, but they can never truly 'do black' like a black person (full respect to them for wanting to though).
Hip hop & rap - it's 100% theirs.
As you say they're 100% consistent in term of message (which I imagine isn't even something that they have to analyse much, they're just doing their thing, it's what they are).
As you're saying, we've still got a lot to learn!
I wonder though if we just did our thing, and stopped trying to over analyse, where would we be?
Evan Linwood
___________________________________
Why is McDonald's big?
Not what you think. Simple is best.
Most taste is simple. And affordable
Philip/Philertoo
___________________________________
Because it's "real"
Signed.
- Mike
Mike Mathewson
Vice President, Marketing
Columbia Records – Sony Music Entertainment
___________________________________
Round of applause!!!
Rahim TheDream
___________________________________
I'm one of them white elites. Well...I'm white. And I play the AAA format.
While the idea of me rapping is terrible that doesn't mean there aren't good lessons to be learned here.
Thanks for keeping it real.
Bobbo
___________________________________
Great post! I never looked at it like that. Cheers!
-Mike Boden
Engineer/editor
___________________________________
Because it has a beat and you can dance to it.
David Tobin
___________________________________
I only needed to read your first questIon to be able to answer.
BECAUSE ITS GREAT FUCKING MUSIC AND LYRICS AND TESTAMENT TO THE REAL FUCKING HUMAN CONDITION!!!!!!
xo
John Brower
___________________________________
Spoken like a true old white guy.
You really missed it on this one, Bob.
1. Hip Hop is popular because it is fantasy. It delivers the listener into a world where the helpless and hopeless have power and money... And women. The songs make young people feel powerful. And it is that feeling of power that is addictive about Hip Hop.
2. Don't believe the hype. There is nothing authentic about Hip Hop. It is lowbrow music from the uneducated, the poverty stricken, and those living within another fantasy of power... Gangsterism. Thugs feel power in their own little world, and Hip Hop and Gangster Rap are nothing more than an extension of the illusion of the machismo of a thug's life.
3. White youth since the days of Yo! MTV Raps have been sold by the entertainment industry the lie that everything black is cooler and better. MTV promoted the concept of the trophy black boyfriend and immediately white teenage girls were pairing up with black thugs from the hood.
4. White youth are as receptive to the illusions of power as young blacks, maybe more so. Because for them it is safe to fantasize about being feared, murdering and having money, driving Ferraris, and banging out four babes at a time. No different that the fantasies young people experience vicariously in watching the most popular action movies, or playing video games.
5. Hip Hop has been a curse on our culture. The music is destructive. It promotes violence and misogyny, death and personal destruction... The music is a lie. There is no power, it's all a fantasy.
6. Are there some great Hip Hop songs? Of course, but the music is empty calories.
7. Why is Hip Hop so popular? Blame it on the corruption of the music and radio industries. Blame it on the liberals in entertainment who use music, movies, and TV as propaganda devices to impart their ideological agendas; part of which is to blame all that is wrong with America on the white establishment and its cultural traditions. This while assiduously promoting as cool the culture of violence, death, and misogyny which inflicts the worst of our society.
8. Hip Hop is no different than drugs. It makes you feel great and powerful while it destroys your life. Just ask all the families of dead rappers. Just ask all the families of the tens of thousands of dead thugs who bought into the fantasy. And just ask the innocent victims of the criminals who choose a gangster lifestyle because it sounded great in a song.
Frank A. Gagliano
___________________________________
Dude. Trump is not hip-hop. Hip-hop is doing well because it has something to say about the big picture...dreams, mostly unrealized, commoditized, advertised & dangled...guaranteed in degrees to some, forbidden to others. It's a sane & lucid commentary on an insane & opaque system.
Trump is white convention & privilege personified, an out of the closet, in your face racist & wannabe overseer. He may validate what hip-hop has been saying about what white cultural supremacy has hidden under it's orderly smile, but he is NOT hip-hop.
Hip-hop is so out front that it's examining itself for improvements. Trump is not capable of that & he never will be.
Don't take it from me, check J. Cole:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvFDXV0VBg4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5slZHLSnow
best, bbb
wheatus.com
___________________________________
Spot on.
Sam Cavanagh
___________________________________
Kendrick Lamar, for the win.
John Kay
___________________________________
Further evidence of our predilection for story..EVER see ANY contestant on ANY singing competition show, without a riveting back-story? I didn't think so..They don't make the cut, talented as they may be..Joe six pack tunes in, to see the stories, feel the shared humanity..Half-minute snippets of ALREADY familiar cover tunes, are gratuitous..Celebrity banter from the judges is entertaining as well, and, totally scripted...The music is filler, at best..
James Spencer
___________________________________
Part of it is that there is still interesting and innovative hip hop being released on a regular basis. Rock, on the other hand... I dare you to listen to pretty much anything from the Rock section of the New music tab on Apple Music -- dreadful. It all sounds the same and it's all pretty much fucking terrible. Perhaps there is the odd exception, but the tepid swamp that it would have to inhabit makes finding it pretty much the least enticing exercise I could think of. More like torturous, actually.
The other thing is that hip hop has been this huge since, at least, as early as the 90s -- when I was in elementary school. The thing is, 90%+ of my generation were downloading nearly their entire collections of music since napster came out (I remember being one of the very few who would drop a bunch of dough at the cd store on a regular basis). Now that streaming puts hard statistics on it, maybe it seems like the hegemonic popularity of hip hop is big news, but a lot of it is really just that there is a new dominant mode of distribution which records stats properly.
As an afterthought, I guess it's also a reflection of the fact that my generation is increasingly making up a larger portion of the population as time goes on.
Regardless, it's too bad about rock n roll music. I grew up on it and immersed myself in it from a young age, but the art form died a long time ago.
Best,
James Cameron
___________________________________
Not bad, although the final paragraph should be first. "And then there's the truth." The power is in the resonation of putting yourself out there for your art. People can feel truth. Truth knows no genre.
However- you forgot to speak about the art form. I cherish 2 guitars a bass and drums (sprinkle in some keys too), but just because hip hop doesn't have that old "white norm" doesn't make it any less artful, creative, and unique.
Have you ever tried to freestyle? Give it a whirl Bob! When you don't speak of the lifelong commitment to becoming a lyricist the same way you speak of the great guitarists you are missing out on some of the rarest artistic talents there are.
Nick Lawson
___________________________________
Fuck, yeah, Bob.
This is the history of music/art in one missive.
BeBop, Rock & Roll, Punk, Hip hop, EDM. All giving the middle finger to the "normal" world. THIS is what causes change.
Thanks for the reminder. Thanks from a white guy in Burbank.
David Benson
___________________________________
25 mutherfucking years of total talentless crap!!
theshopdj
___________________________________
Hi Bob, from New Zealand
Hip-hop is simply the new rock n roll, now that the old rock n roll has sold out to the machine. Hip-hop grates and rebels across cultures, and thus unites them. If it irritates, it is doing the same job the original rock n rollers did, so rejoice, I reckon :)
Derrin Richards (48)
___________________________________
Great one,
Marshall Crenshaw
___________________________________
SO TRUE.
You should e started with this: "And then there's the truth. The rappers are saying what's on their mind....." AND "no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos."
EXCELLENTE, MAESTRO!
Wally Wilson
___________________________________
Bob, watch Hip Hop Foundations on Netflix. Might help answer some questions.
George Drakoulias
___________________________________
I only read a few paragraphs but you sound salty and racist.
Are only the genres you enjoy the only genres that deserve to have "true demand?"
I get you're trying to be ridiculous but to say "trump is hip hop" is a complete misunderstanding of what hip hop is.
Do some research, write another post, then I'll finish reading. Save us all some time and try to not fit the stereotype of old salty as racist ass old ass man.
Thx
James Calkins
P.S. You don't understand hip hop. Please don't pretend to be an expert in all things.
P.P.S. Finished it. Still don't think you know what you're talking about. The statement I agreed with most though is when you say "there's power in hip hop." I agree with that.
___________________________________
You're writing an article in 2016 on "why is hip hop so big"? Hip Hop became a white suburban phenomenon in the 90s when gangsta rap was born. The suburban big box stores like Walmart and Best Buy were selling cases of it and quickly learned it had grown from the streets to bedroom communities. It took rap albums from gold to multi platinum like Tupac and Biggie. White kids heard it as rebellious as the early days of classic rock.
But Bob Leftsetz was still pondering The Beatles and Dylan phenomenon before from previous generations. Really sad and limited your views are.
Kirk Bonin
___________________________________
These two statements are highly offensive to me as a Black man.
"But African-Americans have been screwed from time immemorial"
"They know you've got to fight for your piece of the pie, the big piece of chicken"
Knock it off Bob, the same thing you're criticizing in this piece is the same thing you're doing. I'm someone who came up in hip hop culture and worked in it on the label side, but leave out the BS man.
chuck welch
(Note: "big piece of chicken" is a reference to the Chris Rock HBO special: http://bit.ly/1lx936U)
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Superb ...
Jerry Dickens
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…and all the whining twats who bitch about Tupac getting into the RRHOF, because he's not "rock'n'roll". Idiots.
-Hugo Burnham
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Yep, Harvard offers a hip-hop program already: http://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/announcing-nasir-jones-hiphop-fellowship
I'm sure there are plenty others as well…
Jonathan Christiansen
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Morning Bob!
Yes, there is a course on hip-hop, at Wellesley - see below. Merry Christmas!
http://www.wellesley.edu/academics/faculty/spotlight/spotlighthiphop
Live richly,
Aaron Koral
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Thanks for an interesting article.
Errol Howery
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Beautifully written.
And your right, they do teach it in college and have for quite some time. I was the TA in 'History of Hip Hop' at UCSD in 2003..
Josh Berman
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The pillars of hip hop (MC... DJ...BBoy...graffiti...knowledge) are the foundation of any good digital strategy for an artist. Hip hop was born and bred for the internet and is the blueprint for any artist today. Rock is the opposite...does not work on the internet. Same with dance music, doesn't work online, which is part of the reason EDM happened. Country I can't really say. Pop takes notes from hip hop and doesn't exist without it.
Sean Glass
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Hip hop is a movement and lifestyle as all mainstream musical genres harness. Essential viewing if you haven't seen yet:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80141782
The LA episode is amazing to see the size and energy of the early parties with NWA and WW Wrecking Crew. 10,000+ people rocking out. It reminds me both of Chuck Brown's Gogos and warehouse raves of the 90's.
Also recommend Jeff Chang's hip hop history book "Can't Stop Won't Stop". His latest essay in Fader is also worth the read:
http://www.thefader.com/2016/12/19/after-donald-trump-essay/amp
Happy holidays,
Greg Lucas
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You are 100% correct.
Raymond Traylor
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Hello Bob! Longtime reader, enjoy your commentary! Hip hop is interesting. It's all about telling your story and as a genre it can vary greatly sound wise in order to tell that story. It is fascinating though on how quickly it has grown. Born out of disco and built on struggle. For a lot of artists it's make the music happen or go back to the trap. Each artist is just trying to rep their neighborhood and get their story heard. They have no other option. Perhaps it's because rock has failed to stay current with the trends and has become too PC, no rock artist is trashing hotels or getting arrested anymore, wtf, what happened to the swagger in rock? Perhaps it's the fact that hiphop is also about combining different ideas, which inherently will draw a wider range of listeners. It's not only hiphop but it's dance, it's rock, it jazz, it's funk, whatever sounds combine to create the artists story. It's rather fascinating how music has transformed and evolved over the years. Hiphop is just our voice. Art in simplicity with moments of complexity. It will be interesting to see it evolve.
-Sam Krutz
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I always wondered what sort of music I could possibly hate when I got older. I call it 2 tone cheerleader adult self indulgent nursery rhymes.
Ah yeah ah yeah ? Know what I'm sayyying?
We've been hearing the same phrases....
Hardly musical.
Christopher Dwight Harris
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Why Hip Hop?
Why Electronica?
Why Trance Music?
MDMA.
Like the learning modules in The Matrix.
Joan Carlson
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Hip Hop is big because anyone can ghetto limerick even all those urban white wanna be gangstas. They all believe they can make it and become big rap stars wearing the golden bling, live the pimp lifestyle and all the girls want to sleep with them.
Hip hoppers are flavors of the week and they all figure they're going to get rich & famous or die trying....
M 1
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You know why? Because they are the new rock stars. While ASAP Rocky is having acid induced orgies at SXSW (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/26/asap-rocky-sxsw-lsd-orgies_n_7443122.html), the so called "rock" artists are busy drinking Pressed Juicers and trying to get some 25 year old A&R to put them on the list to see Duran Duran.
ARI INGEL
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You speak the truth. Amen to that.
Happy holidays,
Greg Haledjian
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"And then there's the truth. The rappers are saying what's on their mind, in a world where so few do, where all messages are filtered and homogenized. Do you get the appeal?
Not that I'm an expert, far from it, but I can see that hip-hop is the anti, and no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos." BL
Clarity. And this "anti" and non filtered, non homogenized ethos is precisely what is missing from pop music because no one wants to take a chance and express themselves when they're trying to rake in "the man's" back yard.
Generic. Formula music from predictable acts, thrown together like a $7 plate of pasta.
I am genuflecting toward your location.
Bill Shafer
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Mr Lefsetz, I have a NEW found respect for you! In the past I often felt you kind of beat up on the culture. But your analysis of it was spot on! And you are correct it is taught in all institutions of learning from kindergarten to college. I run a 4 elements hip hop program Called Def Ed. Where we use the culture as a creative means for the youth to express themselves. Fostering such values as tolerance, non-violence, creative self expression among others. We use rap in particular to increase literacy amOngst inner city youth. And we have the quantifiable impact to back it up! This is not a music! Hip Hop is a 4 elements culture. Emceeing (rapping) breaking, Djing, and Aerosol art (graffiti) we have tirelessly worked to decriminalize the public's image of the culture. Many hip hop beat producers teach on college campuses like little brothers Ninth Wonder and the Roots quest love to name a few. I teach a musicology piece at San Francisco State. Where we start with the Griots the people who led the bragging circles in ancient Africa. To the negroe spirituals during slavery all the way to modern contemporary rap. It's unapologetic stance on things along with its inclusion of all ( unless we feel cultural appropriation is it play) is why it will always resonate with people! People have to understand we started the (out of the trunk) indie game. From Too $hort to Master P to hammer. These guys were already millionaires b4 the suits knew of them. A lot of us took our street hustle mentality into the music game and won. Why? Because unlike those who could afford Julliard and be given a shot by the gate keepers. We said "open the door I'll get it myself!
James Evans
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Hip Hop and all the machine music that is being generated is the reason Music Row in Nashville is being bulldozed down and Condos are on the rise. Not to mention all the people deciding to just
Get out of the music industry and start a taco stand in heaven.
It was FUN for a while. Now...let's go back to where we started...writing and recording Jingles.
Christopher Dwight Harris
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It's a great question.. one that I've pondered endlessly . Why? I have two teenage sons. One that treats hip hop as a religion. His faves: Tyler the creator , Kanye , childish Gambino, frank ocean. If he spent as much time on homework as he does on a website called rap genius, he might actually make it through 11th grade. Also, it might start with the music , but it's also about life style. Supreme rules. $200 hoodies. And when I looked at him and said , I can really appreciate Eminem as a poet, his reply: "you are so white" . I wanted to tell him he was too, but I figured deep down he knows it!
So what is the attraction ? I listen... so what am I missing? As the resident Dylan freak of Merrick Long Island, my parents surely felt the same way... but still!
Now here's where it gets confusing . My other teenage son despises all things hip hop. His go to Spotify playlist is made up of Beatles , Stones, and all things 60s and 70s. Is that like someone in my high school class of 77 being a Sinatra freak? Of
Course my hip hop son teases his brother endlessly for his musical tastes calling him an 80 year old man in a 15 year old body. Which brings me back to your original question "why is hip hop so big"? And your answer: "I don't know". Damned if I do either.
Brian Lukow
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Bob
Kanye plays the inauguration.
You better believe it.
Jon OKeefe
Hip hop streaming is so strong right now not just for major hip hop acts but because it's the best way to discover new acts. We used to hear more stories about program directors that took a chance on a new artist and led the way for the country to follow once it researched. Now we see stories about guys like Carl Cherry at apple who took a chance on a new artist named "6lack" by play listing one of his songs, a week later and 1 million+ plays Carl put in another song and sure enough 2+million streams. Now he's signed to Interscope.(Not saying I agree with that move). Acts like 6lack, 21 Savage etc.. all millions of streams and some of these acts with little or no radio. It won't stop anytime soon.
Gary Marella
President
Mosley Music Group
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I really didn't want to open this post, but I did and I'm now wishing I had listened to my gut because it had "Dad Jeans" written all over it. Seriously though, don't be so surprised that rap's killing it on streaming -- where have you and the rest of "the (white Jewish) music industry" been while the multi-multi million dollar hip hop scene has been pushing DIY merch and selling out venues across the country for decades? It's a highly lucrative underground market thriving largely without major label help because selling out totally kills street cred. A good producer, catchy (unlicensed) samples, and hometown hood support used to be what makes or breaks a hip hop artist. Nowadays, it's social media followers and rap blogs that dictate fame, the latter being the best source of new music drops reminiscent of what radio used to provide. It's only a matter of time before one of those singing competition shows comes out with a rap version of The Black Voice, if there isn't already one on BET...
Sarah El Ebiary, Esq.
NW Entertainment Law
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Sounds great. If only it had melody and harmony, and instrumentation that wasn't on a loop.
Berton Averre
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Are you taking bets that kanye won't perform? We can even make it a parlay. He'll perform and play "power" :)
Scott Vener
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there are numerous reasons why hip hop has remained
on top, but there's one obvious one..MTV!
once MTV hit the airwaves, it became the trend-icator..
new wave; Michael Jackson's 'Thriller", the re birth of
rock bands (LoverBoy, Bon Jovi, etc), Madonna and her clones,
hair metal bands & Guns N Roses, Grunge, the re birth
of bubble gum (Spice Girls, Backstreet, N Sync,, Hanson,
Brtitney, etc) and then hip hop all reached overdrive proportions,
MTV and it's coast to coast captive audience made it all happen..
and then music was gone from MTV, replaced by reality shows,
which then became a national trend of it's own..
Hip Hop was the last coast to coast music trend generated by
MTV, and then as music was gone, nothing was ever presented
as 'the next thing' to take it's place.. so it just stuck around..
Jimi LaLumia
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Saying Donald trump is hop-hop at first appears to demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of what hip hop is and isn't; yet several of your explanations are spot on. Ironically those explanations themselves indicate that trump isn't hip hop at all.
Binta Niambi Brown
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A lot of truth here. A necessary post to spell it out, especially given what I assume are your mailing list's demographics. That said, many hardcore hip-hop fans would argue that most of the gravitas you spell out was more accurate years ago and that the hip-hop of today is more like rock n roll in the 80s - soft and commercial.
The hard guys are now old enough to be inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame.
Happy holidays!
Alex Kruglov
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Bravo... finally.. you understand more than most. Detroit, Oakland, Atlanta, Compton, Houston, Baltimore, Philly... New York, Newark! Stand up... we salute you for at least having a clue..
#wakeupeverybody.
In America, there's enough for everybody. Hip Hop is a community that shares... and feeds it's fans more than you know.. food, clothing, education, motivation... Hip Hop Govern's more effectively than most elected officials in these urban centers. You should go deeper talk to the local promoters, the bloggers, you will become enlighteded.. so much to understand, it's like life. It's hard, you know that, and once you have a complete understanding .... it's easy.. in Hip hop all are welcome. #Detroit4life.
Oh and many think that Drake is bad for Hip Hop, but he was welcomed in and has thrived. When you think that a Hip Hop band is the house band for the tonight show, you realize that it has reached were no one could picture ever. Not Russell, not sean Combs, not Sean Carter.. no one. So the sky's not a limit in Hip Hop it's only a view. Master P paved the way to the real money few know that.
James L. Jackson
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Rap tells a STORY...Our brains latch on to all things mythologized, much more than facts and figures..Metaphors and parable drive home universal motifs .Thank you, Dr. Jung...Country songs USED TO tell stories, before every song bragged about how GREAT small town life is...Singer/songwriters USED TO, too, but where's the new generation of "folkies"? The Dylans, Springsteens, Paul Simons, Joni Mitchells, etc.? Pro writers, like Desmond Child (Living On A Prayer, etc.), have been replaced by Max Martins and corporate schills..Rap brings back the narrative to the song, much like the " beat" poets, commenting on their life and culture..In the post-instrument world, that may give them an edge ..
James Spencer
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I think there is a more simple reason...
I am 37 years old now. My last 6 or so years have been in senior (ish) roles at various advertising companies. There are many in my demographic all earning similar money.
De La Soul was the first cassette I owned, back when I was 10 years old. Closely followed by Public Enemy, Ice T, Paris...
We grew up on hip hop, the rebellious sound our parents hated. It was my generation's rock and roll.
The sound has mellowed now, comparatively. But it is still the sound we grew up with.
When the people in suits, the people with kids starting high school, the directors, the advertising executives all grew up with the same sound, that is when it becomes mainstream.
My friend's 11 year old daughter can tell the difference between Phyfe and Q-Tip. We are now pulling our children into our culture, the same way my parents got me into Led Zep, The Doors, and The Stones.
Hip hop is the modern rock and roll, for many reasons.
Anthony Gardiner
New Zealand
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Also the music buying public is still young people, as it always has been (old people are rarely open to new shit), and these 15-40s grew up where hip hop was the real rock n roll: the only place where anybody said or did anything shocking, the only real voice of the youth, the only real voice of the poor, etc. Hip hop also sells the same idea that America does: that Jay Z could rise from the projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant to being a multimillionaire; that you don't even have to be born in America to achieve superstardom in America (Drake). Until the mainstream media tv cameras are in the hood of Baltimore or St Louis for any other reason that a anti-police riot, hip hop will always be the dominant voice of the culture (poor people both black and white). When hip hop celebrates opulence or 'hoes' or whatever, it's selling a kid in the slums the idea that he could have that, too, so he's singing and streaming every word. Hence why I've been able to make a modest career out of speaking for suburban working class kids because I'm speaking their language, not speaking down to them, and telling them they can do it, too.
Spose/Ryan
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I think Hip Hop is a genre that cultivates a feeling of vicarious living just as 80s glam rock did. It's one of the things music allows us to experience, which is a powerful experience of transcending the self in a way that gets us outside of ourselves and into a sort of character we want to play, or a life (real or not) we'd like to live (albeit an often romanticized one).
I think a more important realm of what music can help us to experience is the transcending our perceived limits of the self, and into our own potential, to push us deep into ourselves and get in touch with who we are and what has meaning.
Hip Hop can do that too of course... but, as a genre in pop, it's more known for how it provides an audio-costume we can wear.
Hip Hop is also a nice big caldron of stew (in terms of it's aesthetic of beats and other signature sounds like the 808 etc.) that other styles can be tossed into as spices. Pop has adopted hip hop just as it did rock (think of all the pop-rock girls of the earlier 90s who's producers commandeered rock aesthetics).
Adam Watts
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Bob - this is one of the most direct, best articles I've read on this area.
The differences, as you've pointed out, are basically just embarrassing for us whites.
For example no offence to Lady Gaga, but in some ways I thought that she represented the epitome of a lost white performer - constantly looking for a new image, not standing for any one thing. I know she was attempting to be a fashion icon, but you can't do that at the expense of your message. (To her credit her new material, which is right off the beaten track for her, does prove how much of a musical talent she really is).
I can see some parallels between hip hop music and the Irish culture - externally they're both love, light and peace brother, but internally it's all about the anger.
To my mind, there is no point in white guys trying to do rap.
Don't get me wrong, I've watched some of the competitions and I know that there are some highly accomplished white guys, but they can never truly 'do black' like a black person (full respect to them for wanting to though).
Hip hop & rap - it's 100% theirs.
As you say they're 100% consistent in term of message (which I imagine isn't even something that they have to analyse much, they're just doing their thing, it's what they are).
As you're saying, we've still got a lot to learn!
I wonder though if we just did our thing, and stopped trying to over analyse, where would we be?
Evan Linwood
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Why is McDonald's big?
Not what you think. Simple is best.
Most taste is simple. And affordable
Philip/Philertoo
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Because it's "real"
Signed.
- Mike
Mike Mathewson
Vice President, Marketing
Columbia Records – Sony Music Entertainment
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Round of applause!!!
Rahim TheDream
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I'm one of them white elites. Well...I'm white. And I play the AAA format.
While the idea of me rapping is terrible that doesn't mean there aren't good lessons to be learned here.
Thanks for keeping it real.
Bobbo
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Great post! I never looked at it like that. Cheers!
-Mike Boden
Engineer/editor
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Because it has a beat and you can dance to it.
David Tobin
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I only needed to read your first questIon to be able to answer.
BECAUSE ITS GREAT FUCKING MUSIC AND LYRICS AND TESTAMENT TO THE REAL FUCKING HUMAN CONDITION!!!!!!
xo
John Brower
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Spoken like a true old white guy.
You really missed it on this one, Bob.
1. Hip Hop is popular because it is fantasy. It delivers the listener into a world where the helpless and hopeless have power and money... And women. The songs make young people feel powerful. And it is that feeling of power that is addictive about Hip Hop.
2. Don't believe the hype. There is nothing authentic about Hip Hop. It is lowbrow music from the uneducated, the poverty stricken, and those living within another fantasy of power... Gangsterism. Thugs feel power in their own little world, and Hip Hop and Gangster Rap are nothing more than an extension of the illusion of the machismo of a thug's life.
3. White youth since the days of Yo! MTV Raps have been sold by the entertainment industry the lie that everything black is cooler and better. MTV promoted the concept of the trophy black boyfriend and immediately white teenage girls were pairing up with black thugs from the hood.
4. White youth are as receptive to the illusions of power as young blacks, maybe more so. Because for them it is safe to fantasize about being feared, murdering and having money, driving Ferraris, and banging out four babes at a time. No different that the fantasies young people experience vicariously in watching the most popular action movies, or playing video games.
5. Hip Hop has been a curse on our culture. The music is destructive. It promotes violence and misogyny, death and personal destruction... The music is a lie. There is no power, it's all a fantasy.
6. Are there some great Hip Hop songs? Of course, but the music is empty calories.
7. Why is Hip Hop so popular? Blame it on the corruption of the music and radio industries. Blame it on the liberals in entertainment who use music, movies, and TV as propaganda devices to impart their ideological agendas; part of which is to blame all that is wrong with America on the white establishment and its cultural traditions. This while assiduously promoting as cool the culture of violence, death, and misogyny which inflicts the worst of our society.
8. Hip Hop is no different than drugs. It makes you feel great and powerful while it destroys your life. Just ask all the families of dead rappers. Just ask all the families of the tens of thousands of dead thugs who bought into the fantasy. And just ask the innocent victims of the criminals who choose a gangster lifestyle because it sounded great in a song.
Frank A. Gagliano
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Dude. Trump is not hip-hop. Hip-hop is doing well because it has something to say about the big picture...dreams, mostly unrealized, commoditized, advertised & dangled...guaranteed in degrees to some, forbidden to others. It's a sane & lucid commentary on an insane & opaque system.
Trump is white convention & privilege personified, an out of the closet, in your face racist & wannabe overseer. He may validate what hip-hop has been saying about what white cultural supremacy has hidden under it's orderly smile, but he is NOT hip-hop.
Hip-hop is so out front that it's examining itself for improvements. Trump is not capable of that & he never will be.
Don't take it from me, check J. Cole:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvFDXV0VBg4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5slZHLSnow
best, bbb
wheatus.com
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Spot on.
Sam Cavanagh
___________________________________
Kendrick Lamar, for the win.
John Kay
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Further evidence of our predilection for story..EVER see ANY contestant on ANY singing competition show, without a riveting back-story? I didn't think so..They don't make the cut, talented as they may be..Joe six pack tunes in, to see the stories, feel the shared humanity..Half-minute snippets of ALREADY familiar cover tunes, are gratuitous..Celebrity banter from the judges is entertaining as well, and, totally scripted...The music is filler, at best..
James Spencer
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Part of it is that there is still interesting and innovative hip hop being released on a regular basis. Rock, on the other hand... I dare you to listen to pretty much anything from the Rock section of the New music tab on Apple Music -- dreadful. It all sounds the same and it's all pretty much fucking terrible. Perhaps there is the odd exception, but the tepid swamp that it would have to inhabit makes finding it pretty much the least enticing exercise I could think of. More like torturous, actually.
The other thing is that hip hop has been this huge since, at least, as early as the 90s -- when I was in elementary school. The thing is, 90%+ of my generation were downloading nearly their entire collections of music since napster came out (I remember being one of the very few who would drop a bunch of dough at the cd store on a regular basis). Now that streaming puts hard statistics on it, maybe it seems like the hegemonic popularity of hip hop is big news, but a lot of it is really just that there is a new dominant mode of distribution which records stats properly.
As an afterthought, I guess it's also a reflection of the fact that my generation is increasingly making up a larger portion of the population as time goes on.
Regardless, it's too bad about rock n roll music. I grew up on it and immersed myself in it from a young age, but the art form died a long time ago.
Best,
James Cameron
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Not bad, although the final paragraph should be first. "And then there's the truth." The power is in the resonation of putting yourself out there for your art. People can feel truth. Truth knows no genre.
However- you forgot to speak about the art form. I cherish 2 guitars a bass and drums (sprinkle in some keys too), but just because hip hop doesn't have that old "white norm" doesn't make it any less artful, creative, and unique.
Have you ever tried to freestyle? Give it a whirl Bob! When you don't speak of the lifelong commitment to becoming a lyricist the same way you speak of the great guitarists you are missing out on some of the rarest artistic talents there are.
Nick Lawson
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Fuck, yeah, Bob.
This is the history of music/art in one missive.
BeBop, Rock & Roll, Punk, Hip hop, EDM. All giving the middle finger to the "normal" world. THIS is what causes change.
Thanks for the reminder. Thanks from a white guy in Burbank.
David Benson
___________________________________
25 mutherfucking years of total talentless crap!!
theshopdj
___________________________________
Hi Bob, from New Zealand
Hip-hop is simply the new rock n roll, now that the old rock n roll has sold out to the machine. Hip-hop grates and rebels across cultures, and thus unites them. If it irritates, it is doing the same job the original rock n rollers did, so rejoice, I reckon :)
Derrin Richards (48)
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Great one,
Marshall Crenshaw
___________________________________
SO TRUE.
You should e started with this: "And then there's the truth. The rappers are saying what's on their mind....." AND "no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos."
EXCELLENTE, MAESTRO!
Wally Wilson
___________________________________
Bob, watch Hip Hop Foundations on Netflix. Might help answer some questions.
George Drakoulias
___________________________________
I only read a few paragraphs but you sound salty and racist.
Are only the genres you enjoy the only genres that deserve to have "true demand?"
I get you're trying to be ridiculous but to say "trump is hip hop" is a complete misunderstanding of what hip hop is.
Do some research, write another post, then I'll finish reading. Save us all some time and try to not fit the stereotype of old salty as racist ass old ass man.
Thx
James Calkins
P.S. You don't understand hip hop. Please don't pretend to be an expert in all things.
P.P.S. Finished it. Still don't think you know what you're talking about. The statement I agreed with most though is when you say "there's power in hip hop." I agree with that.
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You're writing an article in 2016 on "why is hip hop so big"? Hip Hop became a white suburban phenomenon in the 90s when gangsta rap was born. The suburban big box stores like Walmart and Best Buy were selling cases of it and quickly learned it had grown from the streets to bedroom communities. It took rap albums from gold to multi platinum like Tupac and Biggie. White kids heard it as rebellious as the early days of classic rock.
But Bob Leftsetz was still pondering The Beatles and Dylan phenomenon before from previous generations. Really sad and limited your views are.
Kirk Bonin
___________________________________
These two statements are highly offensive to me as a Black man.
"But African-Americans have been screwed from time immemorial"
"They know you've got to fight for your piece of the pie, the big piece of chicken"
Knock it off Bob, the same thing you're criticizing in this piece is the same thing you're doing. I'm someone who came up in hip hop culture and worked in it on the label side, but leave out the BS man.
chuck welch
(Note: "big piece of chicken" is a reference to the Chris Rock HBO special: http://bit.ly/1lx936U)
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Superb ...
Jerry Dickens
___________________________________
…and all the whining twats who bitch about Tupac getting into the RRHOF, because he's not "rock'n'roll". Idiots.
-Hugo Burnham
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Yep, Harvard offers a hip-hop program already: http://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/announcing-nasir-jones-hiphop-fellowship
I'm sure there are plenty others as well…
Jonathan Christiansen
___________________________________
Morning Bob!
Yes, there is a course on hip-hop, at Wellesley - see below. Merry Christmas!
http://www.wellesley.edu/academics/faculty/spotlight/spotlighthiphop
Live richly,
Aaron Koral
___________________________________
Thanks for an interesting article.
Errol Howery
___________________________________
Beautifully written.
And your right, they do teach it in college and have for quite some time. I was the TA in 'History of Hip Hop' at UCSD in 2003..
Josh Berman
___________________________________
The pillars of hip hop (MC... DJ...BBoy...graffiti...knowledge) are the foundation of any good digital strategy for an artist. Hip hop was born and bred for the internet and is the blueprint for any artist today. Rock is the opposite...does not work on the internet. Same with dance music, doesn't work online, which is part of the reason EDM happened. Country I can't really say. Pop takes notes from hip hop and doesn't exist without it.
Sean Glass
___________________________________
Hip hop is a movement and lifestyle as all mainstream musical genres harness. Essential viewing if you haven't seen yet:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80141782
The LA episode is amazing to see the size and energy of the early parties with NWA and WW Wrecking Crew. 10,000+ people rocking out. It reminds me both of Chuck Brown's Gogos and warehouse raves of the 90's.
Also recommend Jeff Chang's hip hop history book "Can't Stop Won't Stop". His latest essay in Fader is also worth the read:
http://www.thefader.com/2016/12/19/after-donald-trump-essay/amp
Happy holidays,
Greg Lucas
___________________________________
You are 100% correct.
Raymond Traylor
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Hello Bob! Longtime reader, enjoy your commentary! Hip hop is interesting. It's all about telling your story and as a genre it can vary greatly sound wise in order to tell that story. It is fascinating though on how quickly it has grown. Born out of disco and built on struggle. For a lot of artists it's make the music happen or go back to the trap. Each artist is just trying to rep their neighborhood and get their story heard. They have no other option. Perhaps it's because rock has failed to stay current with the trends and has become too PC, no rock artist is trashing hotels or getting arrested anymore, wtf, what happened to the swagger in rock? Perhaps it's the fact that hiphop is also about combining different ideas, which inherently will draw a wider range of listeners. It's not only hiphop but it's dance, it's rock, it jazz, it's funk, whatever sounds combine to create the artists story. It's rather fascinating how music has transformed and evolved over the years. Hiphop is just our voice. Art in simplicity with moments of complexity. It will be interesting to see it evolve.
-Sam Krutz
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I always wondered what sort of music I could possibly hate when I got older. I call it 2 tone cheerleader adult self indulgent nursery rhymes.
Ah yeah ah yeah ? Know what I'm sayyying?
We've been hearing the same phrases....
Hardly musical.
Christopher Dwight Harris
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Why Hip Hop?
Why Electronica?
Why Trance Music?
MDMA.
Like the learning modules in The Matrix.
Joan Carlson
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Hip Hop is big because anyone can ghetto limerick even all those urban white wanna be gangstas. They all believe they can make it and become big rap stars wearing the golden bling, live the pimp lifestyle and all the girls want to sleep with them.
Hip hoppers are flavors of the week and they all figure they're going to get rich & famous or die trying....
M 1
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You know why? Because they are the new rock stars. While ASAP Rocky is having acid induced orgies at SXSW (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/26/asap-rocky-sxsw-lsd-orgies_n_7443122.html), the so called "rock" artists are busy drinking Pressed Juicers and trying to get some 25 year old A&R to put them on the list to see Duran Duran.
ARI INGEL
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You speak the truth. Amen to that.
Happy holidays,
Greg Haledjian
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"And then there's the truth. The rappers are saying what's on their mind, in a world where so few do, where all messages are filtered and homogenized. Do you get the appeal?
Not that I'm an expert, far from it, but I can see that hip-hop is the anti, and no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos." BL
Clarity. And this "anti" and non filtered, non homogenized ethos is precisely what is missing from pop music because no one wants to take a chance and express themselves when they're trying to rake in "the man's" back yard.
Generic. Formula music from predictable acts, thrown together like a $7 plate of pasta.
I am genuflecting toward your location.
Bill Shafer
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Mr Lefsetz, I have a NEW found respect for you! In the past I often felt you kind of beat up on the culture. But your analysis of it was spot on! And you are correct it is taught in all institutions of learning from kindergarten to college. I run a 4 elements hip hop program Called Def Ed. Where we use the culture as a creative means for the youth to express themselves. Fostering such values as tolerance, non-violence, creative self expression among others. We use rap in particular to increase literacy amOngst inner city youth. And we have the quantifiable impact to back it up! This is not a music! Hip Hop is a 4 elements culture. Emceeing (rapping) breaking, Djing, and Aerosol art (graffiti) we have tirelessly worked to decriminalize the public's image of the culture. Many hip hop beat producers teach on college campuses like little brothers Ninth Wonder and the Roots quest love to name a few. I teach a musicology piece at San Francisco State. Where we start with the Griots the people who led the bragging circles in ancient Africa. To the negroe spirituals during slavery all the way to modern contemporary rap. It's unapologetic stance on things along with its inclusion of all ( unless we feel cultural appropriation is it play) is why it will always resonate with people! People have to understand we started the (out of the trunk) indie game. From Too $hort to Master P to hammer. These guys were already millionaires b4 the suits knew of them. A lot of us took our street hustle mentality into the music game and won. Why? Because unlike those who could afford Julliard and be given a shot by the gate keepers. We said "open the door I'll get it myself!
James Evans
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Hip Hop and all the machine music that is being generated is the reason Music Row in Nashville is being bulldozed down and Condos are on the rise. Not to mention all the people deciding to just
Get out of the music industry and start a taco stand in heaven.
It was FUN for a while. Now...let's go back to where we started...writing and recording Jingles.
Christopher Dwight Harris
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It's a great question.. one that I've pondered endlessly . Why? I have two teenage sons. One that treats hip hop as a religion. His faves: Tyler the creator , Kanye , childish Gambino, frank ocean. If he spent as much time on homework as he does on a website called rap genius, he might actually make it through 11th grade. Also, it might start with the music , but it's also about life style. Supreme rules. $200 hoodies. And when I looked at him and said , I can really appreciate Eminem as a poet, his reply: "you are so white" . I wanted to tell him he was too, but I figured deep down he knows it!
So what is the attraction ? I listen... so what am I missing? As the resident Dylan freak of Merrick Long Island, my parents surely felt the same way... but still!
Now here's where it gets confusing . My other teenage son despises all things hip hop. His go to Spotify playlist is made up of Beatles , Stones, and all things 60s and 70s. Is that like someone in my high school class of 77 being a Sinatra freak? Of
Course my hip hop son teases his brother endlessly for his musical tastes calling him an 80 year old man in a 15 year old body. Which brings me back to your original question "why is hip hop so big"? And your answer: "I don't know". Damned if I do either.
Brian Lukow
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Bob
Kanye plays the inauguration.
You better believe it.
Jon OKeefe
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