Kid Rock/Joy Behar

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

As for Kid Rock's use of the b-word, isn't there a Rolling Stones song entitled that? Oh, that's right, that was the seventies, no wonder rock is in the dumper, you just can't be sexist anymore. And I don't want to get into a long discussion of whether you can say the b-word at all these days, there are people who study these things who know more than I do, but I do know that TV is full of hypocrisy. Taken aback by the words of this one or that one while they're shooting daggers all the time.

In case you missed the news, Kid Rock, aka "Robert Ritchie," called Joy Behar the b-word. He singled her out. It made no sense. Until you learned that she singled him and Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent out for their visit with Donald Trump saying:

"The saddest day in the history of the White House since the British burned it to the ground."

Oops!

She shot first, and Rock has a long memory. Almost everybody has a long memory!

If I single you out, it's open season, if you want to send me hate mail, testify as to me being an idiot or worse, I get it, you're hurt. Assuming you truly are hurt, not fake-hurt, all these people taken aback when they're really not.

Now I've got no time for Sarah Palin, she's proven she's got less than a full grip on the issues, irrelevant of which side she's on. As for Ted Nugent, he's actually intelligent, but myopic, he's one of these guys who believes whatever he believes is right, and just can't fathom being uninformed or someone else having another opinion. As for Kid Rock... He too is intelligent, and he's more center than right, but it befits his image to be an outrageous Republican.

It's entertainment folks.

And artists, and Kid Rock qualifies, are emotional. That's why we're drawn to them, that's what makes their careers. If anybody could do it, they would. Actually, that's the problem today, people are social media stars before becoming musicians... We had no respect for David Soul, why should we respect...

Meanwhile, it's social media that keeps you in the public eye.

This is an incredible win for Kid Rock. He's too old for Top Forty radio to play his records, he hasn't been completely embraced by country radio, but when he gets in on the action he proves he's alive and not dead. Mix it up in the media once, the next time you do something we're paying attention.

And if you got down from your offended horse, you could see the humor in this.

Ultimately Joy Behar herself did, calling for Rock to come on "The View" with her and the other b-words and have a beer. Rock should take Behar up on her offer, that would be good television, and they'd find out they had more in common than not.

But ain't that America, where we find out we're more alike than different.

But that ain't good TV.

Come on, TV news is all about ratings, it's entertainment, there's no gravitas despite all the talking heads acting like they're reading from the Bible. To be offended is...

So, Kid Rock is removed as Grand Marshal of Nashville's Christmas Parade.

But the co-sponsor of the parade isn't so sure.

That's America too, it comes down to money.

And the truth is Kid Rock's fans are howling and bonding to him.

And the people who hate Rock just had their feelings reinforced.

Welcome to America. Where there are two tribes, it's the Hatfields and the McCoys. Every day the left wing media prints the faux pas of Trump and his cronies...and the supporters of Trump DON'T CARE! Ever check the headlines on Fox, they're completely different! And his acolytes like what the Donald stands for, they forgive his excesses. Then again, this is one thing the right has right, enough with the political correctness and the trigger warnings and...

Abcde.

Did you read that story?

A woman checks in at Southwest with her daughter and the agent cracks up and posts the kid's name to social media.

I mean come on, if you saw someone's name as Abcde wouldn't YOU laugh?

I'm not saying the clerk should have posted it to social media, that was wrong. But if you don't chuckle when you see a kid has been named Abcde, you've got no sense of humor, and I feel bad for you.

As for the mother telling the agent to hush...

If she were truly worried about her child's feelings she would have named her Jennifer or Madison... Remember when David Carradine and Barbara Hershey named their kid Free? He changed it to Tom!

Can you imagine being saddled with the name Abcde your entire life?

Now I'm gonna get hate mail from the parents who've placed outrageous monikers on their kids' heads. Sure, you're entitled to do it, but if you don't think you've put this kid on the fast track to bullying, you never went to school.

Actions have consequences. Joy Behar puts down Kid Rock, she should be ready for blowback. Ditto the mother naming her kid Abcde.

And people protest in public and laugh in private. We've all become two-faced. I'm not saying racial epithets are cool, I'm just saying that this is supposed to be the land of the free, and suddenly it's not.

"Kid Rock Replaced as Grand Marshal of Nashville Christmas Parade": https://bit.ly/2SoA94f

"Southwest Airlines apologizes for employee laughing at 5-year-old passenger named Abcde": https://nbcnews.to/2ABVShZ


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E-Mail Of The Day

FROM THE CEO OF A PROMINENT CAR DEALER:

The business model for car dealers has been the same for a hundred
years. Your analogy that we are selling CDs in a streaming age is a
great one. But, worse still, we are doing it from big box stores in
the priciest locations so the business model is particularly
vulnerable. There was enough margin to support the business model
last century but that margin has been eroded significantly. Prices
are transparent and the consumer also has access to tools that create
competition between dealers for their business making erosion
inevitable. So selling mass market cars as assets doesn't work
economically and nor will it work psychologically for people in their
thirties. They can't afford to buy homes and they have never bought
music so why would they rebel against that mindset and buy cars? It's
just a logical extension of the story you have been on to for longer
than most in the context of renting music.

Plus cars are changing faster than at any time in their history.
Hybrids (and to a lesser extent PHEVs) are inconsequential but EVs
have changed the paradigm and self driving cars (like nuclear fusion,
twenty years away in my view) will do so all over again. Without a
universal charging protocol buying an EV involves making an
infrastructure bet. Even if you bet right you're buying tech so
there's always something better coming round the corner quickly (like
inductive road charging) that's going to change things all over again.
For all these reasons, residuals on EVs are terrible. No one in the
trade wants to buy any EV or PHEV we get in stock. Overlay those
realities on the millennial mindset and you can see that there's
gathering momentum pushing people away from car ownership.

Manufacturers do know this and smart ones like Ford and Volvo are
reinventing themselves as suppliers of mobility services. Even
Porsche has been trialling a subscription model, which I know you have
reported on. GM sees this too I suppose and you were prescient in
seeing their recent move in the context of underlying trends, hence my
admiration for your reporting.

Where does all this leave the car dealer who are important parts of
the US and UK economies? Stronger in the US perhaps where they enjoy
special protection because NADA is so powerful. But all dealers are
weakened by the fact that customer data is at best a shared asset.
Manufacturers have captured significant customer data through their
own websites, through warranty registrations and through owning
dealerships themselves so they now understand and can predict
customers better than any individual dealer. Add in all the data
that's going to be captured by manufacturers with connected cars and
you have a data set that Amazon would envy. So the dealers need to
pivot to survive too but that's hard to do when your biggest asset is
real estate, which slows you down. The future may be that dealers
become fulfilment houses acting as agents for the manufacturers but
that pushes a lot of stock back on to the manufacturers' balance sheet
which they won't want. However it plays out, dealers are clearly a
vulnerable species.

As for the manufacturers, aided by their data capture, they will be in
a strong position if they make good choices now and perhaps GM is
doing that. But they all need to act quickly as there are hundreds of
well funded EV start ups in China without any legacy costs of funding
development of the internal combustion engine who will be very well
placed when the pace of transition to EVs reaches its tipping point.
So the smartest manufacturers, especially those who understand the
value of data, will survive and prosper and some of those may yet be
American. I would expect to see Ford, GM and FCA to be looking to the
tech sector for their next CEOs. They should.

Hope this provides some useful perspective for you. I do so enjoy
reading your letter, which has been very influential in my assessment
of our own business opportunities.

Best wishes


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Gray Days

I spent an hour today checking out the cams.

You see they got two feet of snow in Vermont yesterday, actually, it's still snowing.

First I went to Mad River Glen, just over the hill from Middlebury, albeit a treacherous journey. Mad River still has a single chair, it's locked in the past, and it's intimate, sans the real estate b.s. of the last century that put ski resorts in the dumper, now it's all about lift revenue. Anyway, I go to the cam every day, and Mad River makes almost no snow, but suddenly...

It's SNOWVEMBER as they say in Vermont. It's blowing and snowing and the cam is frosted over and I only want to be there, where they got nearly two feet of snow in the past twenty four hours. Being out in the elements... You're alone, no matter how many people are with you, it's private, you feel alive, and when you get back inside, you feel like you endured something, you accomplished something, you're smiling.

Turns out Stowe, which is further north, got less. But the temperature had been warm, how far south did the snow go?

They got it at Sugarbush right next door. And over the pass, at my alma mater... The Middlebury College Snow Bowl was open for the very first day, I don't ever remember it being open in November.

And Killington got hit. But I know the further south you go, you get rain, but at Bromley, my home mountain, where I grew up, they literally got twenty four inches, TWO FEET! This is so rare. It hasn't happened in November since 1968. That was a great year, '68-'69.

And then I wondered, did my alma mater now have cams? It's at a much lower elevation, but the campus was covered in snow.

And it was blowing and snowing in Mammoth. Most of this year's precipitation has been in Colorado, Vail rarely opens the Back Bowls this early. And California has gotten stiffed. But not today, it's happening.

And then it started to get gray outside. As if...

It was about to rain.

Now you've got to know, rain is rare in Southern California. But it happens. But it wasn't supposed to start until long after dark. But I checked the app and now it was coming early, which is so unusual.

So I put on Elton's "My Father's Gun." I'm not sure what the inspiration was, something I read in the newspaper, and then I needed to hear all of "Tumbleweed Connection," which I listened to every day of January 1971, after getting back from the slopes. And "Come Down In Time"...remember when music could be beautiful?

And I'm reveling in my mood but also thinking about a return to what once was. That's what fascinated me in Reykjavik, everyone came back, no one left. And then I thought of Connecticut, so many people I grew up with stayed in New England, but not me. I'm in a better place, both literally and figuratively, but I yearn for what once was.

Saturday we finished "House of Cards." It's so bad, I wanted to throw the remote at the screen. Speaking of the power of one person, without showrunner Beau Willimon the program is useless.

But scanning Netflix for something new, I came across "Deadwind." Felice wanted to start a new series. I don't usually do it like this, I go to the computer and triangulate, I want to find the best series to watch. But the synopsis of "Deadwind" intrigued me, so I asked her to pass the iPad and when I saw it got a great rating on Rotten Tomatoes, we dove in.

It's a murder mystery. Shot in Finland. In October.

And it never gets light and bright. It's always gray. But the people live on, everything they do seems more important. And the lead never brushes her hair, her son says she'll never find a new man, but she doesn't want one. But it draws me to her, because she's like me, how she looks, what she wears, is secondary to the mission, to the drive.

And I've been thinking about it all week. That's where I want to go, back to "Deadwind," to Helsinki.

And I've actually been to Helsinki, for one afternoon about five years ago. To the Rock Church and the Cathedral on the hill. I saw the Cathedral in some of the aerial shots!

But mostly I wanted to not only go there, but be there.

Funny world we live in today, no flight is long enough to disengage, you can be anywhere in the world on a whim, and many people take advantage of these flights. Then again, some people are ensconced in their domain, they never leave.

I left.

But I want to go back.


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The Azoff Tape

Students of the game know that Jeffrey interviewed Irving at the "Billboard" touring conference. I was in Iceland, but I just watched the tape, and a number of things stood out.

1. Don't take it personally.

Jeffrey said Irving always told him this.

Now I've got a hard problem with this, especially in deals. You agree on one thing, and then the attorney comes back with another. It messes with my notions of fairness and trust. But really, it's just a game. With an underside of duplicity. The attorney wants to claw back some of the money, lock you up even more and it all comes down to how much leverage you've got, whether or not you can say no. If you can't say no, you're never gonna get a good deal. Stand up to them and they hem and haw, but if you're willing to forgo the entire deal, you can usually get most of what you want. But are you willing to pass? It's scary being talent, you may not get another chance. But if you're a true artist, you must go with your gut. If they won't give you what you want (or need!) now, good luck getting it in the future, the same way they send a limo while they're wooing you, but you Uber on your own dime after the deal is done.

2. Time passes.

One of Irving's main skills is transitioning to the future. He embraced the internet earlier than anybody of his age and power. Jeffrey said how Irving now even texted with acts, even though he didn't always know the lingo of the medium. He got STFU, but missed LOL. Does anybody still remember texts were SMS, i.e. "short message service"? And texts go via the cellular network and iMessages go via the internet but the point is the landscape changes and if you don't adjust to it you're left behind.

3. Time passes 2.

Jeffrey asked Irving what the best label was.

Irving answered "Giant"!

And there were crickets.

It was a good joke, but Giant, which started in 1990, was sold to Warner in 2001, almost twenty years ago. Meaning, a student of the game would have to be fortysomething to get the reference.

It was scary.

But the truth is the business is comprised of wholly different people with wholly different perspectives these days. If you're thirtysomething... Chances are you were in high school during Napster. If you're twentysomething, you might have never owned a CD. Meanwhile, oldsters look through their own lens and miss the market.

4. Artists first.

We're all beholden to the artist. Irving has always been on the side of the artist. That's his bitch with "Billboard," for the industry "Bible," it's not always artist-friendly. Without acts, you're nothing. You could be the best manager in the world, but with nothing great to manage... Artists need representatives, people on their side. Since the advent of the Mottola era, the business people have been in cahoots with the artists left outside the circle. You see the business remains, the acts come and go. That is changing with the younger generation, if for no other reason than the label is not the big daddy it once was, advances are lower and attorneys and managers have to make their bank in other places. But this business runs on artists. We admire artists. We need more people on their side, defending them, giving them good advice.

5. Songs.

That's why the Eagles survived, Henley says it every night on stage. Great songs can live forever. If you write them... And Irving's philosophy is to always write the song you're gonna close your set with. A manager's job is to inspire the artist, to push them just a little bit, like a coach, but without all the b.s. testosterone.

6. Nepotism.

That was one of the questions from the audience. Which was reluctant and unimpressive. One manager asked if the Azoffs would come see his K-Pop band. As my friend Jake Gold says, if you're the manager, if the act's already got a manager, WHY SHOULD I COME? It's business, it's money, time is valuable. The Azoffs said they'd be on the road on that date, but it made me laugh how the asker was a wanker. As was the person asking about her career. You always get this question at presentations, what advice do you have for ME? How can you help ME? Those on stage roll their eyes and try to escape. Meanwhile, re nepotism, Jeffrey said he was at his first settlement at 11, that when he went to work for Jordan Feldstein at 21, he knew things others his age did not. And Irving said that Shelli told him that Jeffrey was a drug dealer, why else did he have all that cash on his bed during high school. Turns out Jeffrey was doing after-prom parties. Irving winced and said WITHOUT INSURANCE! Jeffrey said he had insurance, who knows what the truth is.

Watching this interview, before the audience questions, was the college education I never got. Sure, I went to a liberal arts institution, where business wasn't even taught, but the truth is I wasn't interested in a single subject. And they always wanted to study classical theory whereas I was interested in my own theories! Those who work for themselves, like managers, get to act on their own feelings and insights. Some people just cannot be held back. Irving was making more money than his parents in high school, he paid for his tenure at college himself.

You see some things interest me, and some things don't. And when I care, I cannot get enough. And to sit at the feet of giants and experience their lessons is...PRICELESS!

P.S. If you weren't there, the interview will be broadcast on SiriusXM Volume 106 on Tuesday December 11th at 8 PM east and 5 PM west.

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Missing The Mania

I just read in MusicAlly that Fortnite has 200 million registered users.

It almost made me want to play. Because I want to check out every phenomenon, and I want to belong. Never underestimate the power of membership. We are social animals, and we feel best when interacting, when in the flow of life, not sure what is going to happen next.

But Fortnite is truly a phenomenon. Kinda like "Game of Thrones" or "Black Panther." Where is our phenomenon in the music business?

The last one we had was in 2002, when Kelly Clarkson won "American Idol." Insiders, aficionados, excoriated the show, but the public tuned in in droves, and anointed Kelly and Simon Cowell stars.

Simon was different from network TV, he had an edge and he was honest. And he didn't seem to be bothered by disdain. He was an exotic animal, and he's worked this personality for over fifteen years, in a world of too much me-too, especially in music.

As for Kelly Clarkson... She could SING!

Sure, oldsters pooh-poohed this, they wanted someone who could write, but it turned out she could do this too. And when she hooked up with Max Martin and Dr. Luke she produced a track so powerful that it became iconic, ruling the world at the end of 2004 into 2005. That's the power of a hit single, that's the power of "Since U Been Gone."

Since then?

We used to have phenomena in the music business on a regular basis. Genres changed every three years. But no more. We've got new acts, but to a great degree they're doing the same old thing. It's not exciting.

And the public is not involved.

I know, I know, the concert business is booming. But so much of that has to do with the social media era. Going is an event unto itself. Hanging with your friends, demonstrating you were there. Which is why festivals have burgeoned.

But as for the talent on stage...

We always had a medium to push the message further. FM paved the way for album rock. MTV paved the way for English new wave. And the internet paved the way for hip-hop.

But that was eighteen years ago.

What now?

This business is driven by talent. Outsiders who do it a little bit differently. Who plot their own course. Isn't it funny in 2018 we're still talking about "Bohemian Rhapsody." Is it because we haven't come up with a replacement?

It's kind of like the Dark Ages, we've lost the plot.

I know everybody's bitching about recording revenues, but if you're a hit artist you're making more money in adjusted dollars than ever.

Is the bar to entry too low? Is there too much product? Is the creative community demoralized?

Music was always the most immediate medium.

I think it's about the song. We're too far from the garden. We need more melody, more you can sing along with. There's your participation right there. Way back when we got together and strummed guitars as we sang the hits of the day. Nobody does that anymore. Is it that they can't play guitar or the songs just aren't worth singing?

Country's been sanitized.

Hip-hop is only about the bleeding edge. If you don't have face tattoos and get arrested you can't gain any attention. What's next, dismemberment?

For every adolescent who thinks facial mutilation is cool, many more people think these "performers" are freaks who have lost the plot. You want to bring everybody along.

This is the opportunity.

Song camps should be doing just that, writing songs.

The breakthrough is gonna come from outside the major label system. Because the major labels are moribund, running on fumes, they're GM in a world of Tesla, they don't believe in risk.

We're talking about art, we're talking about conception. Devo couldn't play that well, but they came up with a hit concept. Frank Zappa could play very well, but couldn't resist commenting on society and its foibles.

And then there were the Doors and Queen and Led Zeppelin, who didn't sound quite like anybody else, who the establishment pooh-poohed upon release, before these acts became icons.

Maybe Simon Cowell had it right. Maybe it's not about a competition show, which both Apple and Spotify have tried and failed with, but edge, tension, music.

Music should be the great unifier, music should be pushing the envelope. This is our game, we invented it!

But somehow we've lost the formula.


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GM

They're preparing for the future.

Unlike the record companies. The labels and the artists berated not only the techies, but their own customers, demanding that everybody jet back to the past. When people drove cars and the rest of the world was not going electric.

Clayton Christensen wrote the blueprint in "The Innovator's Dilemma." You disrupt yourself, before somebody disrupts you.

And I could criticize our President for being ignorant and not getting it, but this is not a political issue, this is pure business, and GM wants to survive.

The labels survived, but only because of their catalogs. They wielded them to extract power in the future, then again, the center of power has shifted to the live side. Think about it, which came first, performance or recording? You're better off being a great performer than a great recording artist. In this mechanized society we're looking for something honest, with edges, that breathes, that we can get hooked by, not something seamless and shiny without mistakes.

But automobiles are completely different. We want them to just WORK!

Which to a great degree they now do. They're too sophisticated to work on at home. And with a little maintenance, you can get ten years and one hundred thousand plus miles out of them. Which was unheard of when the baby boomers were growing up. Before the days of minivans, before the days of four wheel drive, back when the only people who owned a truck were manual laborers.

But they're not really trucks anymore. They're really cars with truck-like bodies. Yes, yes, some rich geezers are buying glammed-up pickup trucks, but the real money is in what's called an SUV, a sport utility vehicle, and there's a dose of fashion involved, but really it's about that utility, you can squeeze a lot more inside than you can with a car, and you sit up high.

As for that higher center of gravity...

In many cars electronics make it so it's less of a safety issue.

As for gas mileage...the so-called SUVs get about as much as cars.

So this ship has sailed. The public has spoken. They want SUVs.

Just like they no longer wanted CDs.

You want to live in bizarro world, read the SoundScan Top Ten, where albums are boosted by ticket inclusion and the sale of physical product and downloads when the truth is anybody who's a fan has given up on those formats. It's all about streaming baby, and if you believe otherwise, you're part of the problem, not part of the solution.

That's right, some have to be dragged into the present. Others decide to sit the future out and be left forever behind. Ironically, those are the ones who scream loudest and should be ignored.

GM can see the looming crisis coming.

Not only does nobody want to buy a car, soon many won't buy an automobile at all! You won't need to own one. Never mind Uber, self-driving automobiles will show up when you need them. Insurance will be built-in, as will be fuel. And we'll need a whole hell of a lot less of them.

Kinda like the Apple stock drop.

Huh?

People don't need a new iPhone. If you read the papers, you're always a few years behind. It's all about stock going up and up. But to tell you the truth, my iPhone Xs Max is unnecessary. Its camera is a bit better, otherwise it's a needless upgrade for most. So they don't. Phones are now mature, like computers. But that did not stop the press from trumpeting Apple's trillion dollar value. Apple's got a product problem. Sure they can make some dough with services, but the company's a one-trick pony, whereas Microsoft not only has software, but the cloud.

You've got to diversify, you've got to sleep with one eye open, you've got to contemplate the future.

It's not like car companies can't crash. Just look at 2008!

Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids are a concept that has passed, so Chevrolet is axing the Volt. The music business refuses to get alta kachers to stream, even though streaming saved their ass. Get those oldsters to subscribe to Spotify, or Apple or Amazon, it benefits the entire music business. But the labels don't want to kill their cash cow. But Adobe went from boxes to subscriptions and their business went through the roof. The transition is always painful, but if you play it right, at the end you reap rewards.

Yes, people are gonna lose their jobs. But if the corporation dies, EVERYBODY loses their job.

And our myopic populace doesn't realize that China and Europe have already gone green. The WSJ bitches about Tesla and electric car subsidies, meanwhile those selling gasoline automobiles will go bankrupt in the future, there will be no demand. Electrics have more torque and accelerate more quickly and are more efficient and pollute less. And yes, electricity has to be created to power them, but LESS! But you don't want to deal in science, but emotion. Emotion is good for art, but not business. Like they say, WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?

The bottom line is Mary Barra is preparing for not only Tesla, but BMW and Mercedes and Uber and... She's doubling-down on electrics and driverless to win in the future, to EXIST in the future. As if Warner Brothers hadn't refused to license Spotify in America for two years, allowing YouTube to become a streaming music powerhouse. You beat the alternatives to market, you don't deny them or try to shut them down. Especially when the public wants them.

Those who prepare for the on demand, driverless future will win in the end.

Government is always hampered and gets it wrong. Because government doesn't understand. The representatives know all about running for office, they know little about industry. They hold hearings to no effect. I'm not saying government is irrelevant and powerless, I'm just saying it categorically cannot see the future. Like the effects of Article 13 on the Internet.

Lyor is hated, but Article 13 is gonna hamper the net. Just listen to Seth Godin's podcast below.

But Google is big and artists are warm and fuzzy and the past must be protected, even though it doesn't square with the future.

How do you lose your business?

Very slowly, and then all at once.

That's what happens in tech. That's what could happen to Apple.

It certainly could happen to GM.

But GM is preparing, trying to turn the battleship.

Meanwhile, the President and the emotionalists are mad.

God, if these people are mad at you you must be doing something right!

Imagine a world with no Spotify, where you still had to pay up to twenty bucks to hear one good track on a CD so artists could get rich from recordings. We saw how that worked out, they called it Napster. And right now automobile giants are fighting over the future, but you don't know this unless you're paying attention. But ain't that America, where the uninformed babble ignorantly about that which is beyond their pay grade. Where expertise is excoriated. Where being smart and experienced holds no value. Where a woman trying to save an industrial power is crapped upon for threatening the old boys' world.

Seth Godin "All Rights Reserved" (start at 14:15 to hear about Article 13, or listen to the entire podcast to further understand the issues): https://bit.ly/2SeVL36


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The Show's The Thing: The Legendary Promoters Of Rock

They got it right.

When so many get it so wrong.

Of course I've got complaints. First and foremost, those who were left out. Then again, those who pay for the writing of history control it. And the people involved did a mighty fine job. If you were there, you'll resonate. If you weren't, maybe now you'll understand.

Most people believe the business was always here. That it arrived fully formed. As if there was no development. They lived through the tech tsunami... Then again, most people don't remember when you had to be your own mechanic in order to compute. Now the devices just work. They didn't. And there was no Genius Bar, you had to be your own genius.

And the people who built the rock and roll business were just that, geniuses.

Never number one in their class. Never the most popular. Always outsiders with a twinkle in their eye. Willing to take a risk, not knowing what was on the other side, but believing in their hearts...the journey was worth it.

It began with the Beatles.

Because before that national tours were not organized, and the caravans that existed were comprised of lineups of acts. The belief was that an hour plus show of one act would bore the attendees. But the attendees ate it up. Because music was everything, it delivered meaning, it was the only thing we had and we were glad.

So what this film does is give Frank Barsalona his due. He opens and closes the film but truly, his story should dominate, he built the touring circuit, he built the bands. The record companies and the radio stations think they did, but the truth is classic rock was built on the road, and you had to start somewhere, usually at the bottom of the bill, and Frank put you there, by trading much bigger horses. If you delivered, word spread, momentum built, you were on your way. The hit record was just the icing on the cake, oftentimes unforeseen, can you say FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE?

And the promoters were all young guys who gave up their path to join the circus. They were not playing it safe, not going into finance, not becoming a doctor or a lawyer as you did for insurance back then, but living on their wits.

And it was so fulfilling.

It's hard for a young 'un to understand what once was, even though many of the bands are still plying the boards. But if you watch this documentary, you'll get it.

But will people see it?

It's so hard to break a film these days, to break anything, that there's a long lead-up of marketing to gain accolades and attention to get you to view it. But this is a documentary that should skip theatres and go directly to Netflix. After maybe screenings at legendary rock clubs, the ones that still survive. It needs to hide in plain sight so you discover it, so you watch it.

Sillerman rolled up the promoters more than two decades ago. Just as the internet hit, long before social media. Some in the business have only known Live Nation. And the one thing about Live Nation is they're not promoters, there are hardly any promoters left. There are people who rent out halls and put tickets on sale, but few who actively work to get butts in the seats. It's too hard, it's just too much effort, and the people in charge work for the man and are too far from the epicenter and although they have little upward mobility, their jobs are safe.

Nothing was safe back in the day. Not the bands, the promoters or the labels. You were fighting for it all day long. And all night too. You worked 24/7 and you enjoyed it. Because you serviced the people, you allowed them to have a good time.

And although there are great songs and clips and pics, there are a couple of times when your skin tingles, like Ron Delsener setting up Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park and then hearing the duo sing "America."

Now nobody drives cross-country. Everybody has the answers, nobody's looking for anything, just promoting themselves. But way back when that was the ethos of the younger generation. We were searchers.

So I could walk you through from Delsener to Law to Magid to Belkin to Granat to Graham, but either you know the names or you don't. Either this movie is second nature, or brand new.

But the most fascinating thing is said by Peter Rudge. Who mentions that he's been through thirty or forty presidents of Columbia Records, but he's still dealing with the same handful of promoters.

There's an excitement, a rush when the lights go down.

And it doesn't matter if you're sitting in the front row or the upper deck.

You feel the surge of adrenaline. The speakers start to pump and you become euphoric. This is the place, this is where it's happening, there's nowhere you'd rather be.

If anything, I wish this film were longer. Maybe a ten part series. Kinda like a Ken Burns production, but not made by him, he sanitizes everything, takes it too seriously. But music always had a streak of irreverence. And this flick is only the tip of the iceberg. These stories need to be told.

And some of them I've heard differently, like how Graham lost the Stones.

But that's rock and roll, it's an oral tradition, you learn on the job, all the awards and certifications are b.s., there's no school that can teach you. But if you were there, it was the most important thing to you.

And for many of us...

It still is.


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Rap-Love It Or Hate It-SiriusXM This Week

Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday November 27th, on Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863 

Twitter: @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive 

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive 


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Mailbag

From: Dave Logan
Subject: RE: Bob Geldof

Bob,

You're right about Geldof. We invited him to accept an award at the Abrams Superstars Programming Convention in 1986 following his triumphant Live Aid project and he said yes. His band (The Boomtown Rats) had appeared a couple years earlier to perform at our meetings in San Diego and while onstage, Geldof basically trashed all the radio folk in attendance. Brutally. But following Live Aid, it seemed he'd mellowed a bit. After a couple calls, he said he'd come and accept our award and address our clients. I made arrangements for him to fly first class from London to Miami where I would pick him up and ride with him to our convention site in Ft. Lauderdale. I got to the airport plenty early and when his flight arrived, Bob was nowhere to be found. I tried calling his house in Europe but got no answer. This was well before email and texting too so I assumed he'd given us the finger once again and blown us off. When I arrived at the opening cocktail party ready to deliver the bad news, I was shocked to see Bob already there, mingling with the crowd and charming everyone. When he saw my incredulous look of disbelief, he smiled and said "I missed my flight." Instead of trying to rebook, he simply walked over to the BOAC counter and asked if they had a flight that could get him to Miami. Geldof said, "They remembered me from Live Aid and my flight on the Concorde. They had a flight leaving in 20 minutes so they told me to just hop aboard." And he did. Without a ticket. Talk about a free ride. After landing in Miami, he grabbed a cab and rode up to Ft. Lauderdale, beating me to the party by a half hour. The next day, he gave an impassioned speech about human caring and how we all have it in us to be just like him. Well, maybe not the free airline ticket part. That was pure Geldof.

Check out "This Is The World Calling" to get what he's talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8fiJEeaFrk

____________________________________

From: Ken Kragen
Subject: Re: Bob Geldof

Bob, I love that the best Geldof story was about playing boggle with Barbara Streisand and Gregory Peck because it was in my breakfast room that we did that. They were my neighbors and it's always been a memorable night for me and my wife Cathy as well. Geldof and Streisand were an incredible competitive match for each other. They'd get like 50 words a turn while the rest of us struggled to get at least 10. Two amazing intellects.

I've got a few dozen Bob Geldof stories. He's certainly outspoken. When I was managing Kenny Rogers we flew him over from England to present him an award at the United Nations for his humanitarian work. As he accepted he chose to use the moment to criticize strongly the UN.

The fact is however, that Bob Geldof was clearly the inspiration for me organizing the "We Are The World" recording. When Harry Belafonte saw the pictures on television of children starving to death in Africa he sought me out to organize a concert to raise money for a relief effort. I suggested instead that Geldof's "Do They Know It's Christmas" which had become a big hit in England was a perfect blueprint for us here in the US and that we could do it even bigger with the artist we had like Michael Jackson and my client Lionel Richie as well as so many others.

I flew Geldof over where the recording session at A&M Studios in Hollywood and he gave a terrific talk to the assembled artists about how important it was that they were doing this. Unfortunately he also went in into the adjoining sound stage where a few hundred agents and managers spouses and others connected to these artists had congregated to watch on a large projection television we had placed there. He criticize them for eating the The food we laid out for them since it was going to take all night to accomplish the recording session. A large part of the crowd left as a result before I could get in and rescue things. Bob had fed the artists at his London recording session With Kentucky fried chicken he went out and bought and he didn't realize everything at our place had been donated.

Probably the funniest moment of all with Bob was at the press conference we had a few days after the recording. We had some T-shirts and sweatshirts left over so I brought them and offered them to the media who were there. Bob immediately stood up and said loudly "Fuck That! If you people want the shirts you can pay for them." Bob and I left with our pockets stuffed with cash which we gave to the USA for Africa charity.

I guess I'm a bit jealous of Bob for the fact that he got knighted by the queen which he greatly deserved. On the other hand I ended up with the United Nations Peace Metal.

Ken Kragen

____________________________________

Subject: Philip Lynott Statue

Hi Bob
I enjoyed your letter on Dublin
Especially your visit to the Philip Lynott statue ..
The Bruce Springsteen comment about the Boys Are Back in Town owes a lot to Philip listening to Greetings from Asbury Park NJ
This was in a time when artists would buy the album and have it on the turntable constantly..
The song was originally called ' GI Joe is Back '
It was about a GI coming home from Nam and hooking up with the old gang .
However it was changed to the Boys in studio after my suggestion to make it more universal .. every town every gang and every one called Johnny ..
Enjoy your time in Dublin
Chris O'Donnell
Manager

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Re-Elton John

Bob,

Did Steve Knill mention that before slinging vinyl for MCA out of Cleveland, he was Eric Carmen's bass player in the Raspberries? Too modest to be the rock star that he is.

By the time the Elton/Ray tour was mounted, I had escaped Toledo for KDKB/Phoenix, where they did a final dress rehearsal at Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural and sonic masterpiece, Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium. The audience, as best I can recall was no more than fifteen people, comprised of me, a bunch of MCA execs, and the PD's from LA's reining rockers, KWST and KLOS.

I've seen Elton a lot through the years, but never better than in Las Vegas for his "Million Dollar Piano" residency. Management told me that Elton thought they were pulling his leg when they offered him $500K per 70 minute set, and was still skeptical when they told him the catch was he had to do two sets a night, or ten sets a week. That's right, $5M a week to get on the elevator and go from penthouse suite to his own theatre. Sweet gig, and he definitely made the most of it. He was in top form, and it was the cleanest stage setting, best lighting and best sound I can remember experiencing.

Jon Sinton

____________________________________

Subject: Pittsburgh and Anti-Semitism

Dear Bob,

You are so correct that Anti-Semitism is always there, just laying dormant until something awakens it. I can recall a Platinum artist at Elektra asking me if I was "Jewing" her down on tour support, more than one artist asking me not release their albums in Israel, a Chairman of a major music group stating "Oh, right - forgot you're Jewish" when I was asking about budgets and the Vice President of Sales at Warner Brother Records asking me in front of his Italian pals at a Martell Dinner, if I knew what "Morto Christi" meant - means Christ Killer in Italian. It's always there and it doesn't take a lot to flush it out.

Love your columns.

Best regards
Bill Berger

____________________________________

From: Mike Flanigan
Subject: Re: My Night With Dwight

Dwight is a character. I booked him several years ago, his tour manager wanted to know if we had a washer and a dryer. He took his jeans, washed them, then put them in the drier for ten minutes, then Dwight put them on. They dried while he was wearing them and they were the tightest jeans I have ever seen. "Women like tight jeans" he said, "Even if they don't like my music".

____________________________________

Subject: Re: My Night With Dwight

Bob,

When we booked him at The Halsey Company from day one with the GUITARS, CADILLACs video just smoking hot, out on the road Dwight would read encyclopedias on the bus. I kid you not. This was long before the internet. He is very intelligent and extremely well read.

James Yelich

____________________________________

Subject: Re: My Night With Dwight

Hi Bob I've written to you many times.
This is a subject I know a bit about.

I worked with Dwight years ago and this Summer on the LSD tour. Lucinda, Steve Earle and Dwight. It was nothing short of special every night. Dwight knew everyone and everything on the tour, how it sold what it all cost. I found him super smart and respectful. He knew what my job was and gave a shit about the crew. I've toured for the past 10 years with all the major Hip Hop and a few Pop Artists. Good if you like your show in a box, and above it all no vibe or real respect for anyone from the top.
I would march into a dark alley for Dwight.
I forgot how much I missed live music no computers and hearing music played from the heart. Sometimes it's sloppy but it's always true. And they were good every night.
Great Article Bob what fun, you don't always sound like you have as good a time.
And the Band, Mitch, Eugene, Jamison, Eric
Fucking tight band

See you next summer Dwight

Bobby Schneider

____________________________________

Subject: Steve Lukather-Sirius XM TODAY!

Bob

A simple fact about the most under-appreciated band and supreme players that made up Toto is that 30 years after their string of hit records---the living core of the band can still sell out good-sized halls in Europe (they're still Stars in Holland) and Japan as well as numerous other markets internationally.
Why ?....because they were/are GREAT players and they made terrific records.

The question remains....why aren't they in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame ? ! ?
If one listens to Luke's burning guitar and the late Jeff Pocaro's driving percussion----that IS Rock 'n Roll.

Yet Abba's in the R 'n R H of F......sure, they had a flock of huge hit records but they're about as rock 'n roll as Peggy Lee !
The Hall of Fame should be embarrassed.

Regards
Bob Sherwood

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Steve Lukather-Sirius XM TODAY!

Hi Bob,

A quick cute story about "Africa" that just happened a couple of weeks ago. My 36-year-old son picked up his 4-year-old son and a classmate from preschool and was headed home with the 2 of them in the back seat. It had been raining but stopped. The little classmate looked out the window and said "It has stopped raining". My grandson turns to him and says "But it is still raining in Africa". His friend looks at him puzzled and my grandson says "you know...like the song." It was all my son could do to maintain control of the car.

Neal Barfield

Atlanta, GA

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Steve Lukather-Sirius XM TODAY!

Steve Luthaker - what a guy! About 15 years ago, Toto were playing Bercy Arena (like Madison Square Garden but in Paris!) and I opened for them. I was thrilled to be there because Bobby Kimball, long before he joined Toto and sang Africa to the top of the charts, had done backing vocals on my second album LOST GENERATION (1975) produced by the late great Paul Rothschild (Doors, Janis, Paul Butterfield ...) and this would be the first time I had seen Bobby since Elektra Studios on La Cienega Blvd in '75. Apparently back then, Paul Rothschild had brought Bobby and virtuoso slide guitarist Sonny Landreth up from Louisiana to LA to get them a record deal and produce them. Don't know what happened with that project but I do know that when Paul asked Bobby and Sonny how much they wanted for their sessions on my album they looked at each other for a moment and replied in unison, "Can you pay our rent?" Priceless! So that night at Bercy, while I was reminiscing with Bobby, my son Gaspard who was about 13 years old and had just starting playing the guitar, grabbed my acoustic and was wandering around strumming it backstage when he ran into Steve who was warming up on his own guitar. Steve looked at Gaspard and said, "Hey, you wanna play something together?" to which Gaspard replied. "Sure … do you know Little Red Rooster?" and Luthaker laughed and said , "I think so," and they gave it a shot, standing outside my dressing room while 20,000 people were waiting for Toto to come on stage. My son has never forgotten that magic moment and neither have I. What a guy!

All the best,
Elliott Murphy

____________________________________

From: John Boylan
Subject: RE: Richie Furay Delivers At The Troubadour

Hi Bob,

Just one correction to this really nice piece about a wonderful musician: Richie hired Timothy B. Schmit after Randy Meisner quit Poco in a dispute with Jim Messina over mixing issues. Randy didn't go unemployed for long - I hired him almost immediately to help form Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, after which he became a founding member of the Eagles. And the ultimate irony is that years later, when Randy Meisner left the Eagles, Glenn and Don hired Timothy to replace him.

Best,
JB

____________________________________

From: Tom Ross
Subject: Re: Richie Furay Delivers At The Troubadour

I was another person who never dreamed I would be here 50 years later but your article on Poco lit up my memory bank with much nostalgia. Poco was the very first "newcomer" that I was convinced was the American answer to the Beatles. I spent so many evenings with the band as their agent, along with my friend and mentor Larry Heller, who had signed the band to APA. Rusty was the most incredible steel guitarist, Richie and Randy's vocals were pure honey and then spun with Tim's high end voice and we knew nobody was doing music and harmonizing like they were. I always was bothered that the East coast never got their sound as strongly as they were revered on the West. They worked the road hard and built a great foundation across the country. They were set to explode but it just never happened and it has plagued me that these standouts never reached the super success they deserved! I think their manager was so difficult to get along with that it kept them from going all the way to the end-zone as he was very stubborn and pompous and often wouldn't let the Band be accessible to many folks who wanted to be part of their success and career. They were always a gifted and special group in my career and it was heartbreaking that the music they played wasn't met with much more of the fabric of the times they lived and wrote about. The fact that they still have such ardent and loyal followers from those days is proof that the public missed out on some exceptional players who created a happy and festive feeling and they can still pick up the pieces to re-create their specialness. Thanks for recapturing and reminding what made them so unique. Cheers, Tom Ross

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Richie Furay Delivers At The Troubadour

Sorry, Richie is pro-trump ultra-rightwing whack-a-doo espousing to be a Christian but really non-"Christian" in everything he stands for, this (for me) has fully negated everything positive he's done musically in the past. These are serious times, those that aren't with us are destroying anything that remains of this country, a hypocrite tying to make a living from his past while downplaying his true beliefs when he can put a few asses in seats to make some cash. No.

G. DaPonte, Joshua Tree CA

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Richie Furay Delivers At The Troubadour

Bob,

I feel the same way about Pastor Furay's exemplary music career.

But…if you dig a little, (very little), you will find that he became an extreme right-wing pastor of, (what some believe to be tantamount to), a religious cult. For example: Jews won't be allowed in heaven if they don't accept Christ as their savior.
He's fervent, diehard Trump supporter who shows very little "Christian Love" to those who dare to disagree with him, politically, on his Facebook page. A professed "man of peace and love" that who is, at times, driven to anger and snark. A man that believes HIS truth is the only truth, that his tax dollars, when used to help those less fortunate, is socialism. A man that professes his jingoistic patriotism and love of the Constitution, but feels no compunction about censoring or deleting fact-based comments that undermine his, sometimes ridiculous, political stances. Facts don't matter if they collide with bible verse…or common sense
If he feels the sands moving under his feet in a political discussion, he lashes out. In July of 2015, on a post where he decried America "unravelling at the seams" under the Obama administration, (that happened during our sustained drought in California and the ensuing wildfires), I brought up that I didn't think God really cared about Obamacare or marriage rights for gay Americans. The He likely was more concerned about the destruction of the environment and the plight of the poor and he replied:
" I think He does care; Oh, by the way, how's the water situation out there in CA under the environmental protection agency and how are the poor doing out your way … ", as if those were a direct result of liberal policies. That God had smitten us with a drought because he hates gay people..or something.
Yes…I love his music from the Springfield to Poco to the SHF band…and still listen to all of them, regularly. I have met him and have heard others talk about how nice he is, in person. And he was very nice when I was buying his CD at a show that the band I was in, at the time, opened for him. But he is much more than his music, these days. To be honest, politically, he's pretty fucking scary. As are some of his followers...
Credit where credit is due ? He did pray for me. Several times, if I am to believe him.

Scott Sechman

____________________________________

Subject: "Late for the Sky" story

Bob,
To maybe help certify your desert album choice:

Bruce Springsteen came into a record store I was running.
He looked through all the cassettes we had and bought "Late for the Sky" by Jackson Browne.
I asked why he chose that one...
His answer...
I need it for when it's real late and I'm out driving all alone.

Marty Bender

____________________________________

From: Sir Harry Cowell
Subject: Re: The Peter Grant Book-2
Happy weekend Bob,

Not a fan of the business model set up by Peter and others like Don Arden whom I came up against at the age of 24 years old, however in the early 80's I became friends with Boz Burrell (bass player in Bad Co) and eventually ended up being neighbors in Chiswick, West London. He could not speak more highly of Peter and told me that he would never have to worry about working or money again however badly he behaved, as Peter had stashed money away for Boz so that he got a dribble but was unable to blow it all. There is no doubt that if Peter was on your side you were a winner, if you weren't watch out.

Kindest,

Sir Harry

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Ringo, et al, At The Greek

Hi Bob -

Hope you're great.

I do a few Ringo shows every other year or so. He is truly a professional in every sense of the word. He loves to perform and always give his fans the best he has.

In Lincoln a few years back, I thanked him for the show.

His response was, "Thank you. I'm a working musician and I need places to play. Thank YOU."

Have you ever heard a more humble response from a member of one of the world's greatest bands?

Wow -what a legend and a great guy as well.

Cheers -

Mike Krebs

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Zhu

Hi Bob!
Zhu was in FIFA 17 (released in Sept of 2016). Ask Marc (he is a
believer)?. that?s a great way to get millions and millions of kids to
discover your music.

Zhu joined the list of many artists who all got their start through a
placement in FIFA.
Hope this finds you well!
Steve

One more thing:
Aside from a song in FIFA 17, we also included a Zhu downloadable kit
(custom soccer uniforms) for FIFA 18 (released in Sept of 2017).

https://www.youredm.com/2017/09/30/zhus-clothing-line-featured-fifa-18/

Steve Schnur
Worldwide Executive, President Music
Electronic Arts

____________________________________

From: Andrew Keller
Subject: Re: Zhu

Bob,

I've gotten your emails for years but never responded, but I have to keep the ZHU lovefest going.

I signed ZHU when I was at Columbia Records after "Faded" started taking off internationally and worked with him on his second EP and first full length album. We've not worked together in years, but I believe him to be one of the most talented individuals I have the pleasure to know, and am constantly amazed by his clarity of vision and his absolute perfectionism.

His vision, executed by David Dann from his management/label Mind of a Genius, and by his team at WME, as well as others, has grown and guided him from an artist who literally hid behind a curtain and could have been considered a flash in the pan at the tail-end of the EDM bubble, to one who now comes out from behind the booth at his shows, sings front and center on stage, performs truly unique songs, has a high end fashion/merch line, and is likely still just getting started.

As you pointed out, he does what he does quietly. While some artists pose for pictures in front of any step-and-repeat to post on their socials, he was nominated for a Grammy but didn't want to walk red carpets. His fans weren't waiting for posts, they were waiting for music and tickets. His first NY show was two nights at an unmarked warehouse in Brooklyn and the only way to get tickets was to line up for them at a physical location at which time the location of the late night show was revealed. I saw him play Brooklyn again a few weeks ago on this tour, and while the venues and production are massively stepped up, the devotion of his fans remains the same.

His is a true artist development story, and one of patience, belief, and perseverance from him and everyone on his team from day one.

Best,
Keller

____________________________________

Subject: RE: Audience & Impact

Bob:

Great post. Spot on.

And if it's the money that matters, know this: The financial value of music is directly related to the quantity and quality of the crowd it draws.

If you know you're drawing a substantial crowd and aren't getting paid, you need a new manager.

If you aren't drawing a substantial crowd, no manager can save you.

Jim Griffin

P.S. Re: MMA -- Meet the world halfway: Register the music you write (including splits) and the sound recordings you make along with all the information you have about them and keep your whereabouts updated. If you aren't properly registered in the databases of the world, you aren't getting paid properly and never will -- which is a favor to everyone else because they are splitting your unclaimed money by market share.

____________________________________

From: Joe Schuld
Subject: Re: What Is A Hit

A hit is song women love and men will tolerate.

____________________________________

Subject: Re: More Prep School

Hi Bob,

I went to Guilford High. Lots of prep boys on weekends, holidays, summers. A few times, Yes, aggressive behavior. One young man locked me in his car and insisted he lick my tits while he masterbated. I fought my way out and told my dad, who immediately went to his house, talked to his father and they confronted the young man. The next year he was out of prep and into Military school. My dad did that a couple more times - he had my back.

Kate Fagan

____________________________________

From: Sonny Rock
Subject: Sling TV

Hey Bob,

You have a huge audience and you point out when whatever the case may be, does not make sense?

In June, we cut the chord to COX Cable. I decided to see if we could save a few bucks by streaming only VS my $300 a month COX bill (includes broadband)

So far, so good, until Saturday night. Saturday night my daughters were watching channel 'Free Form' "the 25th Anniversary of movie, "Hocus Pocus". I went upstairs to watch college football game, Arizona VS UCLA on ESPN2.
I kept getting logged out? For some reason, only 1 TV were being allowed to watch 'SlingTV'? I was pissed!!! I called Sling's 800#, but, they stop taking customer service calls & chats at 1:00 a.m. It was now 10:10 p.m. Pacific time. Fair enough.
Yesterday morning I called the 800# and was told that even though I pay for the top tier package (saving us $45 monthly VS COX) Disney Corp, who owns ESPN,ABC,Free Form, and Disney channel, of course, will only allow "streaming" to 1 device at a time?

This idiotic policy is an encumbrance towards the exact target market they continually seek : THE FAMILY. Dad upstairs watching Disney owned channel, kids downstairs watching Disney owned channel. Isn't that their "goal"?

Is this Disney's stranglehold for setting the stage of their own platform soon to break free from Netflix,etc.?

Considering the millions invested in market research and innovation, doesn't mean a damn thing if the company cannot relate to their core customer.

For now, stay with COX. The participating content providers are not ready for the early adopters.

*Feel free to modify, rearrange,etc., if you see fit.

Thanks, Bob

Sonny

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Dublin Day One, Two and Three

Thanks for the travel guide and rock music historical reflections for Dublin Bob. Always love Phil and Gary. Diane and I will be there just before Halloween for 3 days off after our shows with Fogerty. We didn't have any plans made for tourist activities and you have seeded our prospects. I haven't been there since the Abracadabra Tour in 82 and all I can remember is Air Lingus stewardesses and wine bars.

Speaking of Bono and the boys, they were our warm up act on that tour and I got to know them pretty well. "I Will Follow" was their break out hit and I remember thinking how The Edge was pulling off a two note guitar solo (still not besting Neil Young's one note solo on Cinnamon Girl haha!) and wondering even then where hero guitar leads where heading.

We were number #1 with Abracadabra in Ireland and Bono was livid about these fat, ugly Americans who were dominating the airwaves and soiling the sanctity of his fair green nation. So much so that when myself and several other band mates where being entertained by the stewardesses I just mentioned at a wine bar one night, Bono shows up with his meager posse and has us thrown out of the table we were occupying because he wanted for himself. Apparently he grew up with the establishment's owner and had some street muscle to flex. Little sawed off prick that he was.

Fast forward two years to Rockpalast in Germany 1984 where we went back to milk the last drops of Abra residue and we were still the headliner over U2 who coming on strong. Miller was kind enough to let them use our cushy backstage hang complete with fake palm trees and oasis fountain so they could look cool for a television interview. He also suggested to Bono that he join us for the encore at the end of the show and sing Midnight Hour with us. Bono got a glint in his eye that I noticed and agreed to be a part of the starlight intermingling. But alas at the end of their set just before ours, Bono goes into the Wilson Pickett hit with his band and brings the house down and then splits! He finally got his revenge with Miller and went on to become the little sawed off prick megastar he became that we all know today. The guys in the rest of the band are cool and Adam and I drank a couple stove stack whiskies that night after the show and bonded. But Bono? He never hung with us and has been on my shit list for decades. Here me Paul? I'm coming to soil the Erin sanctity once again in three weeks. Bam!

Kenny Lee Lewis-Steve Miller Band

____________________________________

From: Timothy J Collins
Subject: Good morning

Hey Bob so happy to see the accurate and kind words you had for Dorothy's book. Thank you for the accolade, good man. Perhaps the only thing we disagree with is I loved the second half of the book. But that again I knew all the players so well. We all lived it with her didn't we?

Just for the record I self exiled for my mental, emotional and spiritual health,. I love playing whatever small role I can in others and my own healing through 12 step recovery, spirituality, therapy and physical transformation. That's what I'm involved in now. I was offered so many top Artists to manage and or work with and I did consulting for a while. I kept it on the QT. But we share the same view on the music industry. As my dear old Aunt Weese Who was vice president of a bank before many women had that role used to say "my key to success was knowing when to leave the party"

Redefining success perhaps I should be writing that book.

How do we help Dorothy get her book out there?

I hope you're well my friend and I miss reading you. I'll check out your website and see if I can sign up. Take good care

Tim

____________________________________

From: Rob Falk
Subject: Re: The Ticketmaster Nightmare

Hi Bob,

Damn, this bums me out.

Back in the mid-1990s I was part of the management team that created the Aerosmith fan club ticketing program. For $18 a year, in addition to all the typical fan club chozzerai, a member could purchase 2 tickets in the first 30 rows to every show on the tour, at face value. Tickets were picked up at will call with club and photo ID. No bots, no scalping… just die hard fans with great seats at every show.

Did we give away money? Yeah, I guess. A couple years ago I ran into a scalper - I mean ticket agent - who had always wondered about "what the hell" we were doing. He just couldn't believe there was no inside scheme. He yelled at me for giving away his money!

The idea, perhaps naive, was to make sure that the real fans… kids who truly loved the band, would be in, up front, and feel appreciated. The longer you were in the club, the closer you got to the front. No merch purchase or album purchase requirements. No markups. We thought it was good for everyone. We also ran affordable travel packages so fans could see a string of shows, meet each other, and meet the band.

I wonder if something has been lost all around. Isn't it hard for a kid to be loyal to a band when it costs a couple grand to be near them, and hundreds more for a photo or autograph?

How does it feel to play every night to a front of house made up of investment bankers, trust fund babies and other elites who don't really give a shit about the band or even know the album cuts… it's just another party night on the town?

Yeah, yeah… supply and demand, maximize profits, returns to shareholders, bigger private jets, bigger boats and more houses on more private islands.

I think I liked it all better when it was about rebellion and meeting chicks.

I hope you're feeling well.

Rob

____________________________________

From: justin gray
Subject: Re: Festival Observations

Hi Bob,

My wife & I we're in San Diego last weekend and had free passes to the Kaaboo Festival in Del Mar. I loathe festivals for many of the reasons you point out, but free parking & entry, what the hell.

It's definitely not about music. You don't actually see much music at a festival. If you're lucky you might be near some music, but if an act is appearing that you really care about, you watch the performance later on video, when you won't be distracted by the meatheads misbehaving and the wastoids who think THEY'RE the show. Or worrying about your sunburn.

The art galleries were our favorite aspect of the event, and the food & booze were great ($21 for a margarita, whatever) and after walking around in the heat all afternoon we decided to skip the legacy acts appearing later, worn down from repeated failed attempts to discover new music or be surprised by unknown performers - it just wasn't there. The areas directly in front of the big stages were bisected by fences keeping one half exclusive & reserved for VIP package ticket holders.

As we were walking out towards the shuttle stop my wife asks me what's the point of a music festival (apart from a cash cow for the promoters, an easy gig for the artists, etc.) and off the cuff I answered that festivals reinforce class distinctions. That seems to be the point. One huge event with several primary facets that only inspire you to want to spend more, do more, have more.

Think about it, you wear a wristband showing your status all weekend whether you're at the event or not. you can be a general-admission peon or you can choose from about 5 different VIP packages that are not private at all - they're openly advertised and coveted by the peons (who wouldn't want private bars & restrooms, covered seats with prime views of the stages and air conditioned lounges?) it's all about giving people FOMO - fear of missing out. Creating a mania for the better experience just out of reach. Never mind that the event itself is a hollow expression of art and culture. It's about making you want to pony up the bucks for the ultimate experience. Which is clouding the waters in live music in a very real, visceral way for me.

I think it's contaminating our whole culture, and I revere music and so I'm particularly annoyed when a festival supposedly about music perverts the message. Take several of my favorite things in life (music, food, drink, style & comfort) and put them into the context of a festival and it sucks all the goodness out of them.

Who is it good for?

____________________________________

Subject: Re: On Demand

Bob,

It's interesting that Dylan's camp has only allowed a ten-song sampler from his new More Blood, More Tracks collection while the Beatles have posted to Spotify more than 100 tracks, along with videos, from their new White Album release. I love Dylan but it seems like the Beatles "get it," at least in this case.

Ken Shane

____________________________________

From: Vince Bannon
Subject: Re: On Demand

Everything on Demand!

Best was 4 years ago, my oldest son and I were following The World Cup – when my son only 8 at the time comes in and tells me he wants to see Brazil play right now! I had to explain that the Teams need to play a "schedule" then as they won they moved in to better qualified brackets.

Music/ Movies/TV is all on demand and their preference today is to watch it on an iPad. Netflix is both my 5 + 12 year old preference – Spotify + Apple for music ( we had to unplug Alexa after Gabe -5 ordered a $300.00+ robot from Amazon

____________________________________

From: Vince Bannon
Subject: Re: The Election

Bob – we won! We won the popular vote – we won congress – really only fucking stupid people vote for trump – that I'm serious – those are the ones that somehow believe he will deliver than from evil , when really they are not only stupid – however stupidly evil.

The only good thing about trump is when either my 5 year old or 12 year old are not behaving – I can say "You're acting like trump" they immediately stop the bad behavior.

Best quote from the election in my home – my 5 year old says whilst I'm watching the returns "Did we get King trump out?"

____________________________________

Subject: Re: Sheryl Sandberg

This is what everyone has missed, Bob. If there is an "enemy of the people," it's Facebook. And Google. The media is flawed, but it's intent - with the exception of Fox News and a handful of others of that ilk - is not to mislead. These two internet behemoths have intentionally misled everyone - the public, the government, the media. And they've been allowed to destroy the entire business model for news, specifically locally news, through theft/financial co-opting of intellectual property. Those who defend this as good old capitalistic market disruption are either dense or disingenuous.

Craigslist gets blamed for killing newspapers because they "stole" classified ads. But that's utter bullshit. They created a better product and platform for classified ads, and profited from that. The newspaper industry couldn't compete. Fair and square. That's basic capitalism. Facebook and Google arguably created new, better platforms for disseminating news content, but news companies were left to foot the entire bill for the content while the two behemoths pocketed 80% of all digital ad revenue. Meanwhile, newsrooms across the country adjust their decimated news gathering operations in ways that destroy the main mission of journalism - to inform the public and hold the powerful to account - all in the increasingly fruitless hope of realizing the promised bonanza of these two digital platforms.

It's a Ponzi scheme and always has been. For two decades now, newsrooms have been the frog in the pot of boiling water, never realizing that they were being burned. Sandberg is merely one of the many hucksters responsible for selling this shell game. We've all been suckers. The thing is, now that we realize we've been had, what do we do about it? How do we fix it and hold them to account? That's the moment of truth for America as a democracy, in my opinion. Nothing about the mess we are in as a country gets made right until we do.

Jim Rich
Angry old man shaking his cane at the clouds

____________________________________

Subject: Lefsetz vs. Flom - "Super Sold Out" in NYC!

Hey Bob-

Great show in NYC - thanks so much to you and Jason for sharing your stories and insights.

Quick funny story about entering the venue. There was a guy in front of us without a ticket (looking for a "miracle" in Grateful Dead parlance) and the hostess told him the show was "super sold out."

I thought that term was hilarious and asked her "What is the difference between 'sold out' and 'super sold out?' Doesn't sold out mean there are no tickets left?"

She replied "Well, 'sold out' means that we officially call it sold out, but we hold spots for VIPs or friends of the performer. But tonight we are 'super sold out' so we don't even have those seats available. At this point no one else can get in."

Then ten seconds later she gets a call and quickly tells someone "We need to set up an extra table for one of Michael's investors." (Presumably Michael Dorf, founder of City Winery.) Sure enough, in the blink of an eye an extra table magically appeared! The place was packed - the only empty seats were a pair of no-shows at our four top! So that was great - except that we were right next to that screaming kid. Who the hell brings a screaming kid to Lefsetz vs. Flom????

Anyway - I thought in a way this was a microcosm of concert ticketing. There is 'sold out,' 'SUPER sold out," and "Michael's investors need a table!!" Congrats on being super sold out!!

Rich Madow

____________________________________

Subject: Brandi & Paul

Bob,

I'm also a huge fan of Brandi Clark. Here's a funny story:

This past summer I found myself waiting patiently at Henson Studios for a meeting with ?Paul McCartney, one of my musical heroes (of course). I was nervous and excited to say the least. I made sure to get there early and was sitting at a table outdoors by the studio entrance talking with a co-worker when the front gates opened and a purple Corvette with a white top drove through.

I knew this was Paul's car, I had spied it before when I worked at Capitol and he was recording in the studio there. As he pulled up to the door, someone from his team came out to the car to greet him. The car door opened and I smiled to myself… he was listening to one of my favorite songs of the year, The Joke by ?Brandi Carlile. For months I'd been playing this song for all of my friends and I had played and replayed her perfect (!) performance with her band from Stephen Colbert's show. I couldn't believe I was hearing it blasting out of ?Paul McCartney's 'vette right in front of me.

Paul walked past me into the building. When it was time for me and my co-worker to go in, Paul was standing by the inside studio door with ?Greg Kurstin to welcome us, what a guy. Greg graciously introduced me personally to Paul and I just had to mention how much I loved that he was listening to The Joke. I confessed to my obsession with the song, and we instantly connected (for the moment at least). We talked about the beautiful lyrics and just how undeniably powerful it is. What an unforgettable moment for me to be able to talk to one of the greatest living artists about a special piece of music (not his) and to learn that we had the same strong feelings about it.

After listening to Paul's new record we all stood around shooting the shit for a little while. We talked about drums and I got to tell him how much I liked his playing on the record. We went deep and even got into it about the old bass drum pedal he was using, he said: if it was good enough for Ringo, it was good enough for him! I was in heaven.

When it was time to go and we had said goodbyes, Paul turned to me and said that he had something to tell me. He proceeded to share with me a great, personal story about how he had discovered Brandi. Just a small-world story that you wouldn't expect from one of the most famous people in the world.

I live for music and I'm always in search of real connections in this life... and I will never forget that day. Had to tell you this after seeing what you had written about Brandi!

Thanks

Dan McCarroll
Amazon Music.

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The Luck Of The Draw

https://spoti.fi/2DWPztt

We've de-emphasized songwriting.

That used to be the holy grail, to write a song that encapsulated life, that's why music was the most powerful artistic medium, its ability to nail exactly what we were feeling.

Last night I was listening to Seth Godin's podcast about marketing. And Seth's smart, but marketing is the penumbra, it's the sell, not the essence.

And after that finished, I had an urge to hear Bonnie Raitt, the Queen of America before she slowly started to fade, because we all do, get older and get smaller in the rearview mirror until we're ultimately unseeable and then gone. Some are remembered, maybe by accident, like Journey and Queen, as a result of usage of their numbers in screen endeavors, the rest just live on in the hearts of those who were there when it all went down.

Now I got on the Bonnie Raitt train back in '72, with "Give It Up." I played the second side, with "Too Long At The Fair" and "You Told Me Baby," every day while I skipped lunch and slipped on my long underwear to go skiing at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl. And last night, I immediately heard a live take of Joel Zoss's side-opener, the aforementioned "Too Long At The Fair," nicked in the days of Napster, and then my iPhone switched to...

"One Part Be My Lover."

People are complicated, inexplicable. You think you know them, and then they surprise and confound you. What was together is now broken, like my marriage.

"They're not forever, they're just for today
One part be my lover, one part go away"

That's not what she said, but it is how she acted. She said I could never leave, that this would last, but then she wanted to push me away. And I ain't no saint, but I like to obey the rules, but this was a game I'd never played before. And when she ultimately left, all I had was my music.

"Not too much later she can't meet his glance
You see her start pulling away
Over and over like fire and ice
One is color, one is grey"

It's when they're pulling away that's the worst. You grasp for thin air. You're holding on to nothing. You're standing on the edge of the cliff, and then they're gone.

That was nearly thirty years ago. But some things you never forget, the experiences are emblazoned upon your brain, like the struggle thereafter.

Broke down and busted on the side of the road I felt alone, but when I listened to the title track of Bonnie's "Luck Of The Draw" I felt connected.

"These things we do to keep the flame burnin'
And write our fire in the sky
Another day to see the wheel turnin'
Another avenue to try"

When Paul Brady wrote these lyrics it was the pre-internet era, everybody was not trying to get rich quick in Silicon Valley, rather the easiest place to go from zero to hero was Hollywood, although the odds were long with no safety net.

"Tomorrow's letter by the hall doorway
Could be the answer to your prayers"

Now it's an e-mail, not even a phone call. We wait for contact. Although the truth is today everybody's selling, and those who sell best are those who create worst, because they're two different skills. What we've got now is boasters, tireless self-promoters, where we used to have artists. But there's no room for artists anymore, when it's all about your gross and if you're not topping the chart you're irrelevant.

But it didn't used to be that way.

But don't blame Spotify.

Blame America. You just can't make it as a bartender anymore. Your day job does not pay the bills. You can't scrape by trying to be a musician or a songwriter, what if you have a health problem, what if your car breaks down, then everybody just runs right over you and tells you it's your own damn fault, that you should have bought insurance and not gone down the road less taken.

And most people don't have the courage to march into the darkness. But it's their journeys we want to follow.

This is about more than money. More than splits. Everybody argues for what they're entitled to, they just ignore what gets them to the party in the first place, excellence, testimony from the heart.


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