Sure, Billy McFarland is a sociopath and a crook.
But everybody working for him wanted to get paid.
And everybody who bought tickets to the festival wanted to live the dream.
This is not a music business story, even though it was first depicted as such.
The movie is about what a bad guy Billy is, and dumps all the blame on him, but what about everybody else who was complicit?
The acts were irrelevant. Sure, there had to be some on the bill. And this proves if you want to book a band, you can, even though newbies might end up paying double, like Fyre.
But what Fyre really was about was an entire generation of entitled people who want to party like rock stars, even though rock stars themselves oftentimes don't live this life.
As for the models...
You'll be stunned how young they appear.
In the ads, they're airbrushed, Photoshopped, but when you see them up close and personal, they're just tall, skinny youngsters, kinda geeky in fact. Kinda like when I stood next to Linda Evangelista at a Bryan Adams show... She wouldn't turn your head unless you knew who she was, and she was always my favorite of the supermodels.
You see it's an illusion. You think if you can just climb the social ladder, be in the room... Yes, "Hamilton" speaks of a room, but where it happens. Nothing happens at a party, other than drinking, drugging and if you're lucky, sex. Whereas the stars of "Hamilton" were building a country.
Then again, the guy running today's country is a con man just like Billy McFarland, his acolytes should watch this flick to see how they too are being duped.
But they'll cry no! Just like the brain-dead who could see things didn't add up and continued to work for Billy, those overpaying for a first year festival.
It was the advertisement, the social media campaign that got people interested.
When Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew derided the media, that's all we had. When Sarah Palin denigrated the mainstream media, it still had the majority of power. But today? Millennials get their news online. And not all of that news is about D.C. It's a giant community, I tell you, and they want to belong.
This is what baby boomers, Gen-X'ers, don't get. Used to be you only knew a small group of people, used to be your dreams would not be fulfilled. You didn't have access. But you can tweet the President these days, rock stars too, and chances are if you're negative enough, they'll read it.
Everybody can be a star.
And while the hard-working bitch about their college loans, nitwits who didn't go to college want to be like Kylie Jenner. And those who did want to keep the opioid-addicted at bay. That's why they overpay for V.I.P. Otherwise, they'd feel inadequate. Like the influencers pissed they flew coach to the Bahamas.
So you've got a population with cash who got it by working very hard or inheriting it and another population who gained fame, and probably not much cash, by acting as if they were rich and famous on social media, primarily the visually-oriented Instagram.
So if someone proposes a festival where you can all mingle, you say YES!
This is not Coachella, with nearly 200,000 attendees. This is a small group, of not even five figures. An elite. The rest of us can't afford it, or don't know about it, we're not allowed in.
The fact that the guy at the top was a crook?
That's secondary.
And I worked for a sociopath. It doesn't take long to realize they're such. Because you don't get paid. But they always find new marks, because their story is so good. How come more people didn't quit? How come people invested with this clown?
Because they wanted to believe. That they were on to something new. That they could beat the investment game. Hitch their ride to this tireless self-promoter and win.
And the funny thing is Billy McFarland is just at one end of the continuum. Most successful entrepreneurs are hucksters, but how big are their lies? Despite running a public company, Elon Musk keeps promising to deliver cars and charging stations and misses his targets. If Tesla goes bankrupt, what are all the hipsters who own one gonna say, when they can't get their cars repaired, when they're worthless?
And getting them repaired already is difficult.
So what we have here is an American story. Man without portfolio wants to make it to the top. So he charms and pays people to get close. With better planning, the Fyre Festival would have worked out, and then you would have felt left out.
Kinda like Woodstock, which was a gargantuan failure until the album and movie rescued it.
Watch this movie, and when you see Billy and the models cavorting on the island you say to yourself...THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN!
And if you can get yourself some of that, would you pay a few grand for the opportunity?
Oh, there are federal workers laid off for a month who say they can't make ends meet. On one hand, Americans can't stop poor-mouthing. But on the other, there are plenty of twenty and thirtysomethings with disposable income. And everybody seems to want to overpay for luxury items.
So Billy beat the usual suspect festival promoters at their own game. They're selling music, he's selling EXPERIENCES! And it's experiences that the millennials want.
This guy could make millions teaching old farts how to do it.
Meanwhile, everybody wanted in on the action, the experienced festival guy, the social media marketing company, they're all lining up for the dream, to get paid, while those with the truly deep pockets are kicking the tires and becoming reluctant. What did Marcie Allen recently say, corporations are done with tour sponsorships?
So if you want to take the pulse of America, watch this movie.
Although it is two years out of date. The internet and social media are not static, they evolve. But the desire of hucksters to get rich and nobodies to be cool is never-ending.
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Friday 18 January 2019
Thursday 17 January 2019
Re-Hickenlooper
In Congress there are 435 representatives in the House and 100 in the Senate. I'm betting none of them know who T-Bone Burnett is, let alone recognize him if he was sitting right next to them. Trump would say, "sure, T-Bone Burnett, that's a really big steak with bur-naise sauce." Pence would prob think T-Bone is a homosexual reference, like a verb, to be "T-boned." The T-Bone recognition caught me eye more than anything in your missive, Bob. So I'll bite, why not Hickenlooper? Of course, Trump will intentionally mispronounce his name as "Pooper Scooper," but every other potential Dem candidate to date, other than Bloomberg, who unfortunately can't possible win, is frankly just "meh."
Stuart K. Marvin
_____________________________________
I love this Bob! ...and I love Hick. We all love him here, he's our buddy! Each year I do an event called Sing It To Me Santa (i'm Santa) where we raise money for music education for schools in Colorado, we've raised over a million in the last 4 years. He told me the story this year of how he once met Janis Joplin when he was 18. He went to the Holding Company show and got to close to the stage and she told him, "you bet watch out boy" ..and they had a conversation. I am very left as well, and I can tell you I've never met any politician ever that's as good a guy as Hick. I, we, really hope he runs for President. We NEED a PERSON who is not a fake fuck, ....Hick is our bro!!
-Ryan Chrys
_____________________________________
Hey, Bob -- I'm a centrist. Well, actually a "social liberal & fiscal conservative" -- Jimmy Carter's description of himself, I believe. That's me.
The neoliberal centrists sold it all down the road -- Bill, Hillary, Al, et al -- with the deregulation of the financial industry. I think we could have survived some of the other shit: NAFTA (had it been tweaked), workfare, etc. But sucking up to the wealthy (and wanting so desperately to become wealthy) pulled the Clintons and so many others away from the lives of "regular people" and into the abyss of elitism. Kissing the middle class goodbye was their sad coda.
If John Hickenlooper is a genuine moderate-centrist-problem-solver -- I'm in.
Thanks, as always.
Kevin Ritchie
_____________________________________
Way cool. Great post, Bob.
Happy 2019!
Jon Regen
_____________________________________
'Can millennials get excited about a centrist?'
Absolutely not He's dead on arrival
Ben Jolly
_____________________________________
Very interesting commentary- I lived in Colorado 1991-2006.
Through my involvement on Swallow Hill Music Association- Board-multi- venue presenter/ school, etc
I met John several times and observed his gradual but steady rise.
We shall see re Presidency.
Someone needs to take on and defeat Trump and undo the regressive policies and attitudes that have engulfed our country in last 10 or so years . No more de-evolution please.
As you I love my country but know it can be a whole lot better for one and all.
Thanks Bob.
Stephen Bond Garvan
_____________________________________
Six degrees of separation — John Hickenlooper's cousin, George, who passed away in 2010, was an accomplished movie director, worked all the time, probably best known for Dogtown, but also directed The Man From Elysian Fields, with a pretty good cast, including Mick Jagger.
Jim Charne
_____________________________________
You heard it here first...
Bob Lefstez the political sage!
Vijay Thakur
_____________________________________
This is great news
Thanks bob!
Anne Buckley
_____________________________________
My fondest Hickenlooper (means hedge jumper in German, I seem to remember) story involves a set of gorgeous red Czech stemware. Years ago, John knew I had been to Prague and he asked for my recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, etc. (This was way before TripAdvisor, but I served the same purpose.) To thank me on his return, he gave me those beautiful red wine glasses, which I still have and use. It shows his thoughtfulness and his caring.
John asked me to come tour a building he and his business partner, Charlie Woolley, were thinking about buying, a big warehouse near downtown Denver. We discussed options, tossed around ideas on how the space could possibly be used, how the flow could go, etc., but I think it was one he ultimately passed on. The point is: He loved the creative process, and he listened. Nor was it all about him, or his ego.
In those days, everyone knew everyone in Denver. John opened the Wynkoop in 1988, the same year we opened Dudley's, the restaurant I was part-owner of until 1983. A few years down the road, I gave him a business plan I'd written for a nightclub/restaurant idea I had for a place to be called Red. It never took off, but John flattered me by opening a place called Red Room--not exactly the same but we both knew where he came up with the concept. In other words, he knew a good thing when he saw it and had a good memory.
Oh, and John isn't just a big music fan: he likes and knows and supports ALL the arts. He doesn't just talk about it, but he shows up! (By the way, his cousin was George Hickenlooper, the filmmaker who died way too young. John had a small part in one of his movies.) And his son, Teddy, has grown up to be a smart, super likable, engaging kid, which says something. John's first wife, Helen, is an incredible author, by the way.
Like everyone, especially politicians, John has his detractors. Colorado is a purple state, but he seemed to win over the righties along with the lefties. And isn't it a well-proven fact that Governors make good Presidents?
Could he? Just maybe.
Thom Wise
_____________________________________
I read this pretty carefully but I never did read an answer to your question "WHY". And I assume your question isn't why do you think you have a chance to win but why do you think you should be President?
By the way, job increases at the state level can be reflective of some governing skill, but the policies that get that result have nothing to do with job growth on the national level. At the state and local level, job growth is basically about competing with other states for existing jobs or for jobs to be created by private companies in the future. At the national level, it's not about competing, it's about adopting policies to encourage growth.
And, in case you hadn't noticed, centrism is dead.
Don Friedman
_____________________________________
John's the real deal. I have gotten to know him over the years and he is EXACTLY what our country needs. Someone who is genuine, who knows how to unite people rather than divide them, and who is a servant leader—the best kind of leader. He would be in it to make our country and people's lives better. Not for self-aggrandizement. And Robin is the real deal. I think she could accomplish more than any first lady in history.
Roger Lynch
_____________________________________
Never heard of him.
Problem #1 - lacking name recognition
Problem #2 - his presence ... he comes across as meek (I watched some videos)
We need someone who can BEAT TRUMP, winning the rust belt and all those critical electoral votes
Biden had his share of gaffes, for sure ... yet he is a character with a personality large enough to take on Trump.
I would love a Biden/Beto ticket.
My more shrill lib friends answer "more white men!" They are also still pissed at Biden over his treatment of Anita Hill
But that is ancient history ... he can and will apologize. And none of the women on the field right now are electable. Sad but true.
We must win, we must get the orange Demogorgon the F outta there!!!!
Colleen Kenny
_____________________________________
I heard Hickenlooper speak on a speaking tour he did with Kasich at the Brookings Institution in DC. He seemed like the real deal and he also seemed to smell like a potential candidate. Perhaps getting his feet wet or dipping a toe in the water.
He had me at "forgotten Americans".
Thanks for your words,
Bonny Mcclain
_____________________________________
Possibly, but I'm hoping for Andrew Yang. Check his interview on Freakonomics a few episodes back - he's pretty on point.
https://www.yang2020.com/
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/andrew-yang/
William Curtis
_____________________________________
I'm open to hearing about him, even though I really want Sherrod Brown in the race, too. So go for it, Gov! May the best person win.
Sandy Jones
Nashville
_____________________________________
Someone. Anyone. Just not Drumpf.
Rik Shafer
_____________________________________
Pretty interesting read...
KP Obrien
_____________________________________
Just what America needs, another white rich dude.
Elizabeth Warren 2020. It's time for the dudes to get out of the way for once.
-Gerry Bayne
_____________________________________
Thanks for this one, Bob. Hickenlooper was at the Lauryn Hill show here at Belly Up Aspen a few weeks ago.
Andrew Travers
Arts Editor
The Aspen Times
_____________________________________
Bob, I'm glad you like this guy. Maybe he's cool to hang out with. But the Democrat energy has shifted massively to the left, and a no-name, generic lab-grown centrist isn't going to make it out of Iowa, let alone take down Trump.
It's Bernie, Bitch: https://thebaffler.com/all-tomorrows-parties/its-bernie-bitch-frost
PS. If Franken wanted to keep his job, maybe he shouldn't have been a sleaze.
PPS. I'm also a bit concerned about your references to money. If you think the "monied" people are going to factor heavily in 2020, you haven't been paying attention.
John Potter
_____________________________________
Sure, why not? All the candidates have baggage. So let's see how they "handle" it; the more the merrier. Let the process play out. But I'm also a no on Gillibrand; can't forgive her for railroading Al. And I'm a little in love with Klobuchar. Let the best (wo)man win. When they do, I'm confident they will be up to the challenge.
Randi Swindel
_____________________________________
Ugh!! Gag me with a spoon...John Hickenlooper is the relative of George Hickenlooper (RIP),who made the film Mayor of the Sunset Strip. I ought to know--I was in that film with Rodney Bingenheimer!
George Hickenlooper died,of course,because of cocaine use (age 50).
Give me Bernie.
Sincerely,
Ronald Vaughan
_____________________________________
Amen and i agree from Nashville! I say I will vote for a Black republican or a white ceo.Hickenlooper checks that box. As an independent it is quite clear that if the Dems want to win last thing they need to put up is a left DT. A centrist is their (our) best hope. Plus imagine the inaugural parties :)
John Huie
_____________________________________
Too bad he does not rank in the top 10 Power Rankings: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/2020-democrats/index.html. Perhaps his problem is that he is a centrist and neither party weants to give the voters a choice to move toward the middle, but continue to have to choose an extreme they consider the lesser of evils.
William Frey
_____________________________________
You have your finger on the pulse of what's important to people of several different generations. Not sure how you do that, but you do.
Keep advising Hickenlooper - he just might win with you talking in his ear!
Count me in!!
Lynn Manning
_____________________________________
I've lived in Colorado almost my whole life, and I think Hick is great. One of the reasons is because I didn't even know whether he was a Democrat or Republican for a while when he got elected. He wasn't interested in playing the politician game - he wanted to get things done that needed doing. And he's been that way the whole time. A lot of my lefty friends give him a lot of grief for various things - fracking mainly, and I tend to agree with that. But he finds a way to get things done and move forward, without making the issues about him. He seems exceedingly effective to me, and very much not full of shit. And isn't that refreshing. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat, and campaign for him too.
Thanks again for what you do - DR
Don Richmond
_____________________________________
Bob---Presidential candidates should be REQUIRED to have served as a state governor. Like the presidency, governorship is an administrative position; most senators lack necessary administrative background. Paul Lanning
_____________________________________
I think Hickenlooper's name works FOR him. People will remember it and play with it. He'll be made fun of but it will only make him more popular, I think.
Hey, Bob, what do you think of Sherrod Brown, the senator from Ohio? He seems pretty great, and here's his wonderful wife, Connie Shultz:
https://yhoo.it/2RX5Gha
When she talks about her mother, near the end, it really hits home. To women of a certain age — our mothers were invisible and we all are looking for ways to not be invisible, hopefully without being obnoxious.
Tracy Newman
_____________________________________
Amen on Gillibrand re: Franken. Unforgivable...
Tom Zito
_____________________________________
I heard him last year on NPRs Wait Wait. I would vote for him.
dw davis
_____________________________________
So long as a Dem wins and the horrid, horrid, republicans are sent scuttling off to prison and under rocks as far away from civilization as possible, I could care less who the person is that sits in the White House. And, I expect, I am far from alone in my wishful thinking. Anybody. Anybody with a D beside their name who wins the primary gets our family's vote.
The country ain't seen nothing yet…2018 midterms were just the warmup act.
Cheers Bob, really love your musings!
Owen Dearing
_____________________________________
Another good read, thanks Bob. I would vote for him as well. But I would vote for anybody not a Republican. Yesterday that schmeckle ( small schmuck) Romney voted with the rest of the Ruskie/Trump butt kissing Republicans to reduce the sanctions on one of Putin's best buddies' company, for no known reason. These Republican bastards in Congress and in the Trump Administration are throwing America under the Russian bus, to win the approval of a lying, con man, thug and self serving traitor. Why?
And we can't forget that holier than thou hypocrite, Pence who after 4 Americans were killed yesterday in Syria by ISIS, gave a speech saying ISIS is defeated in Syria. The country has been hijacked by mini morons, doing the bidding of a giant moron doing the bidding of his wallet and Putin.
And then there is the Trump shut down for his wall............and on and on. Trump and his Republican boot lickers have turned America into a failed reality show, and Russia and China are sitting back laughing and thinking who ever thought it would be this easy.
alan segal san diego.
_____________________________________
Hi Bob - That's great that Hickenlooper is authentic, but most of the electorate won't have the opportunity to sit down with him and get to know him like you did. We'll have to do it through the media. Will he shine through in a crowded field? Lord help us this next cycle.
Todd Brooks
_____________________________________
Nope. He's pro-fracking and that's a non-starter for me. No ifs, ands, or buts. Let's see him try and win Pennsylvania with that stance.
Peter Kohan
_____________________________________
With all the "noise" out there, you put this in context that I can understand, relate to.
I grew up on the West Coast and I'll be honest, was hoping for change, like Trump I thought, "this might be what we need". Hillary just didn't set well with me.
Well...Trump is just as, if not more, way more crooked than the rest. I don't understand why people keep saying that no one will will be able to defeat Trump? It appears some serious shit is going to hit the fan for him, his administration, and the country very soon!
I've watched a few interviews with Beto, I'm hopeful for a fresh start and energy like him. I'll keep my ear/eye out for Hickenlooper.
Steve Anderrko
Syracuse NY
_____________________________________
No way... he should be running for Senate. He's a longshot in the Dem primary, but would be a heavy favorite to flip Cory Gardner's Senate seat. If Dems don't flip that seat and close the gap in the Senate, even if they win the presidency, they will have no way to enact any policy. Hickenlooper barely appeals to any of the core constituencies in the Dem party. (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-5-key-constituencies-of-the-2020-democratic-primary/)
Also, I'd rethink blaming Gillebrand for Franken. It's ok for Democrats to hold each other to a higher standard. See the following clip
https://twitter.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1085669727433703424
-Ken Brown
_____________________________________
Hi Bob,
Good morning. Long time reader. Thank you for your writing.
Hickenlooper has been on my radar for some time. I agree that he has a real shot to win. Warning: sports metaphor incoming. He reminds me of Belgium before the World Cup. They had a talented team, hiding in plain sight, compared to better-known, perennial favorites such as Brazil and Germany. Alas, despite a very strong showing, ultimately Belgium did not win the Cup. That said, Belgium's betting odds pre-tournament represented very good value. Hickenlooper may not win, but I do think he will have a strong showing and make it to the final four (geez, another sports metaphor).
I lived in a tent in Colorado for a few summers. The state is a fascinating microcosm, reflecting the many contradictions of the larger country. Hickenlooper seems poised to navigate these competing forces.
As reference, Ridgway has dispensaries, fleece, and mountain bikes. A progressive enclave, to be sure - nicknamed Pebble, given its similar politics, but smaller size, relative to lefty stronghold Boulder.
Drive only thirty minutes north on 550 and you arrive in Montrose, which has gun shops, flannel, and ATVs. Quite a conservative town.
But Colorado is shifting slowly left, as is the country. Grand Junction, for example, which broke for Trump in 2016, I predict will abandon him in 2020. The con is up.
Yes, Colorado needs energy jobs, but why not green jobs that don't jeopardize earth's habitability. Water - Colorado's greatest asset - is far more important than oil. And I'll bet that the many federal employees of the various National Forests and National Parks in Colorado agree with me.
Regards,
Adam
P.S. Gillibrand did not cause Franken to misbehave. Franken caused Franken to misbehave.
P.P.S. You should try heli-skiing in Silverton, CO.
P.P.P.S. It's a cynical perspective but sadly true, I feel - theoretically, if he makes it to the general, Hickenlooper's whiteness and maleness may help him peel off some of Trump's white-male-loving base for the win.
_____________________________________
Hey Bob
You just gave him something that he could not get with cash. I've already forwarded it to 10 people.
Tom Hedtke in Sac
_____________________________________
Man, I love Hickenlooper.
I lived in Denver for about 5 years. Worked with Tedder a bit, Played some stuff with The Lumineer and Nathaniel and the Meese boys. It's just a small music town, really.
He'd have my vote. Because he, like Obama, understands the next generation. He digs beer and weed and music. Now, those topics might not play in Trump Town, but the 2 parties have been so laser-focused on getting people who actually vote to vote for them. I think Hickenlooper will get people who DONT vote, to vote. (there is a whole hell of a lot of them) He might not win, but he will get people to vote.
That's the issue here. It's the centrists that aren't voting. They don't show up. No one is going after them. Both parties are trying to swing people farther away from the center while MILLIONS of us are sitting in the center saying "hey, guys, there's a better way" The Democrats demonize anything that is different. (ahem AOC, anyone?)
He gets taxes. He gets industry. He gets politics. He gets fun. He gets community. the beer/music scene is strong in Denver. One of the best. There are better bands. Better venues. Better promoters. All because the TOP LEVEL of local government supports the arts. Look at the small venues that host local shows 2-3 times a week. Look at the local bands booking opening slots on national tours. That's what I did. It changes things. When you go see your favorite band on stage and a bunch of kids you see at the local coffee shop open up? That's pride. Denver has local pride.
Tedder lives in LA now. Nate and The Lumineers belong to the world. But, Denver still loves them. The Fray still sells out Red Rocks and they don't produce anymore. Denver is proud of what Denver does.
We need a woman in office, though. Warren, Gillibrand, fine choices. Pull Hickenlooper as VP and you'd have a ticket. (or, vice versa)
People say "centrists won't win." People said Trump wouldn't win.
"People" don't know.
We need someone in the middle to talk to both sides. Someone who can pull minorities and understand their issues. Someone who can get rich old white dudes to understand that it's better for business to open things up.
Women buy gillette for their husbands. Black people buy Nikes. Causes matter. Because people matter. And, business is better when they listen. To causes and to people. Don't kowtow, don't bend. Listen. Adjust. Our Government needs to listen.
I love Hickenlooper.
- Jon Johnson
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Stuart K. Marvin
_____________________________________
I love this Bob! ...and I love Hick. We all love him here, he's our buddy! Each year I do an event called Sing It To Me Santa (i'm Santa) where we raise money for music education for schools in Colorado, we've raised over a million in the last 4 years. He told me the story this year of how he once met Janis Joplin when he was 18. He went to the Holding Company show and got to close to the stage and she told him, "you bet watch out boy" ..and they had a conversation. I am very left as well, and I can tell you I've never met any politician ever that's as good a guy as Hick. I, we, really hope he runs for President. We NEED a PERSON who is not a fake fuck, ....Hick is our bro!!
-Ryan Chrys
_____________________________________
Hey, Bob -- I'm a centrist. Well, actually a "social liberal & fiscal conservative" -- Jimmy Carter's description of himself, I believe. That's me.
The neoliberal centrists sold it all down the road -- Bill, Hillary, Al, et al -- with the deregulation of the financial industry. I think we could have survived some of the other shit: NAFTA (had it been tweaked), workfare, etc. But sucking up to the wealthy (and wanting so desperately to become wealthy) pulled the Clintons and so many others away from the lives of "regular people" and into the abyss of elitism. Kissing the middle class goodbye was their sad coda.
If John Hickenlooper is a genuine moderate-centrist-problem-solver -- I'm in.
Thanks, as always.
Kevin Ritchie
_____________________________________
Way cool. Great post, Bob.
Happy 2019!
Jon Regen
_____________________________________
'Can millennials get excited about a centrist?'
Absolutely not He's dead on arrival
Ben Jolly
_____________________________________
Very interesting commentary- I lived in Colorado 1991-2006.
Through my involvement on Swallow Hill Music Association- Board-multi- venue presenter/ school, etc
I met John several times and observed his gradual but steady rise.
We shall see re Presidency.
Someone needs to take on and defeat Trump and undo the regressive policies and attitudes that have engulfed our country in last 10 or so years . No more de-evolution please.
As you I love my country but know it can be a whole lot better for one and all.
Thanks Bob.
Stephen Bond Garvan
_____________________________________
Six degrees of separation — John Hickenlooper's cousin, George, who passed away in 2010, was an accomplished movie director, worked all the time, probably best known for Dogtown, but also directed The Man From Elysian Fields, with a pretty good cast, including Mick Jagger.
Jim Charne
_____________________________________
You heard it here first...
Bob Lefstez the political sage!
Vijay Thakur
_____________________________________
This is great news
Thanks bob!
Anne Buckley
_____________________________________
My fondest Hickenlooper (means hedge jumper in German, I seem to remember) story involves a set of gorgeous red Czech stemware. Years ago, John knew I had been to Prague and he asked for my recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, etc. (This was way before TripAdvisor, but I served the same purpose.) To thank me on his return, he gave me those beautiful red wine glasses, which I still have and use. It shows his thoughtfulness and his caring.
John asked me to come tour a building he and his business partner, Charlie Woolley, were thinking about buying, a big warehouse near downtown Denver. We discussed options, tossed around ideas on how the space could possibly be used, how the flow could go, etc., but I think it was one he ultimately passed on. The point is: He loved the creative process, and he listened. Nor was it all about him, or his ego.
In those days, everyone knew everyone in Denver. John opened the Wynkoop in 1988, the same year we opened Dudley's, the restaurant I was part-owner of until 1983. A few years down the road, I gave him a business plan I'd written for a nightclub/restaurant idea I had for a place to be called Red. It never took off, but John flattered me by opening a place called Red Room--not exactly the same but we both knew where he came up with the concept. In other words, he knew a good thing when he saw it and had a good memory.
Oh, and John isn't just a big music fan: he likes and knows and supports ALL the arts. He doesn't just talk about it, but he shows up! (By the way, his cousin was George Hickenlooper, the filmmaker who died way too young. John had a small part in one of his movies.) And his son, Teddy, has grown up to be a smart, super likable, engaging kid, which says something. John's first wife, Helen, is an incredible author, by the way.
Like everyone, especially politicians, John has his detractors. Colorado is a purple state, but he seemed to win over the righties along with the lefties. And isn't it a well-proven fact that Governors make good Presidents?
Could he? Just maybe.
Thom Wise
_____________________________________
I read this pretty carefully but I never did read an answer to your question "WHY". And I assume your question isn't why do you think you have a chance to win but why do you think you should be President?
By the way, job increases at the state level can be reflective of some governing skill, but the policies that get that result have nothing to do with job growth on the national level. At the state and local level, job growth is basically about competing with other states for existing jobs or for jobs to be created by private companies in the future. At the national level, it's not about competing, it's about adopting policies to encourage growth.
And, in case you hadn't noticed, centrism is dead.
Don Friedman
_____________________________________
John's the real deal. I have gotten to know him over the years and he is EXACTLY what our country needs. Someone who is genuine, who knows how to unite people rather than divide them, and who is a servant leader—the best kind of leader. He would be in it to make our country and people's lives better. Not for self-aggrandizement. And Robin is the real deal. I think she could accomplish more than any first lady in history.
Roger Lynch
_____________________________________
Never heard of him.
Problem #1 - lacking name recognition
Problem #2 - his presence ... he comes across as meek (I watched some videos)
We need someone who can BEAT TRUMP, winning the rust belt and all those critical electoral votes
Biden had his share of gaffes, for sure ... yet he is a character with a personality large enough to take on Trump.
I would love a Biden/Beto ticket.
My more shrill lib friends answer "more white men!" They are also still pissed at Biden over his treatment of Anita Hill
But that is ancient history ... he can and will apologize. And none of the women on the field right now are electable. Sad but true.
We must win, we must get the orange Demogorgon the F outta there!!!!
Colleen Kenny
_____________________________________
I heard Hickenlooper speak on a speaking tour he did with Kasich at the Brookings Institution in DC. He seemed like the real deal and he also seemed to smell like a potential candidate. Perhaps getting his feet wet or dipping a toe in the water.
He had me at "forgotten Americans".
Thanks for your words,
Bonny Mcclain
_____________________________________
Possibly, but I'm hoping for Andrew Yang. Check his interview on Freakonomics a few episodes back - he's pretty on point.
https://www.yang2020.com/
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/andrew-yang/
William Curtis
_____________________________________
I'm open to hearing about him, even though I really want Sherrod Brown in the race, too. So go for it, Gov! May the best person win.
Sandy Jones
Nashville
_____________________________________
Someone. Anyone. Just not Drumpf.
Rik Shafer
_____________________________________
Pretty interesting read...
KP Obrien
_____________________________________
Just what America needs, another white rich dude.
Elizabeth Warren 2020. It's time for the dudes to get out of the way for once.
-Gerry Bayne
_____________________________________
Thanks for this one, Bob. Hickenlooper was at the Lauryn Hill show here at Belly Up Aspen a few weeks ago.
Andrew Travers
Arts Editor
The Aspen Times
_____________________________________
Bob, I'm glad you like this guy. Maybe he's cool to hang out with. But the Democrat energy has shifted massively to the left, and a no-name, generic lab-grown centrist isn't going to make it out of Iowa, let alone take down Trump.
It's Bernie, Bitch: https://thebaffler.com/all-tomorrows-parties/its-bernie-bitch-frost
PS. If Franken wanted to keep his job, maybe he shouldn't have been a sleaze.
PPS. I'm also a bit concerned about your references to money. If you think the "monied" people are going to factor heavily in 2020, you haven't been paying attention.
John Potter
_____________________________________
Sure, why not? All the candidates have baggage. So let's see how they "handle" it; the more the merrier. Let the process play out. But I'm also a no on Gillibrand; can't forgive her for railroading Al. And I'm a little in love with Klobuchar. Let the best (wo)man win. When they do, I'm confident they will be up to the challenge.
Randi Swindel
_____________________________________
Ugh!! Gag me with a spoon...John Hickenlooper is the relative of George Hickenlooper (RIP),who made the film Mayor of the Sunset Strip. I ought to know--I was in that film with Rodney Bingenheimer!
George Hickenlooper died,of course,because of cocaine use (age 50).
Give me Bernie.
Sincerely,
Ronald Vaughan
_____________________________________
Amen and i agree from Nashville! I say I will vote for a Black republican or a white ceo.Hickenlooper checks that box. As an independent it is quite clear that if the Dems want to win last thing they need to put up is a left DT. A centrist is their (our) best hope. Plus imagine the inaugural parties :)
John Huie
_____________________________________
Too bad he does not rank in the top 10 Power Rankings: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/2020-democrats/index.html. Perhaps his problem is that he is a centrist and neither party weants to give the voters a choice to move toward the middle, but continue to have to choose an extreme they consider the lesser of evils.
William Frey
_____________________________________
You have your finger on the pulse of what's important to people of several different generations. Not sure how you do that, but you do.
Keep advising Hickenlooper - he just might win with you talking in his ear!
Count me in!!
Lynn Manning
_____________________________________
I've lived in Colorado almost my whole life, and I think Hick is great. One of the reasons is because I didn't even know whether he was a Democrat or Republican for a while when he got elected. He wasn't interested in playing the politician game - he wanted to get things done that needed doing. And he's been that way the whole time. A lot of my lefty friends give him a lot of grief for various things - fracking mainly, and I tend to agree with that. But he finds a way to get things done and move forward, without making the issues about him. He seems exceedingly effective to me, and very much not full of shit. And isn't that refreshing. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat, and campaign for him too.
Thanks again for what you do - DR
Don Richmond
_____________________________________
Bob---Presidential candidates should be REQUIRED to have served as a state governor. Like the presidency, governorship is an administrative position; most senators lack necessary administrative background. Paul Lanning
_____________________________________
I think Hickenlooper's name works FOR him. People will remember it and play with it. He'll be made fun of but it will only make him more popular, I think.
Hey, Bob, what do you think of Sherrod Brown, the senator from Ohio? He seems pretty great, and here's his wonderful wife, Connie Shultz:
https://yhoo.it/2RX5Gha
When she talks about her mother, near the end, it really hits home. To women of a certain age — our mothers were invisible and we all are looking for ways to not be invisible, hopefully without being obnoxious.
Tracy Newman
_____________________________________
Amen on Gillibrand re: Franken. Unforgivable...
Tom Zito
_____________________________________
I heard him last year on NPRs Wait Wait. I would vote for him.
dw davis
_____________________________________
So long as a Dem wins and the horrid, horrid, republicans are sent scuttling off to prison and under rocks as far away from civilization as possible, I could care less who the person is that sits in the White House. And, I expect, I am far from alone in my wishful thinking. Anybody. Anybody with a D beside their name who wins the primary gets our family's vote.
The country ain't seen nothing yet…2018 midterms were just the warmup act.
Cheers Bob, really love your musings!
Owen Dearing
_____________________________________
Another good read, thanks Bob. I would vote for him as well. But I would vote for anybody not a Republican. Yesterday that schmeckle ( small schmuck) Romney voted with the rest of the Ruskie/Trump butt kissing Republicans to reduce the sanctions on one of Putin's best buddies' company, for no known reason. These Republican bastards in Congress and in the Trump Administration are throwing America under the Russian bus, to win the approval of a lying, con man, thug and self serving traitor. Why?
And we can't forget that holier than thou hypocrite, Pence who after 4 Americans were killed yesterday in Syria by ISIS, gave a speech saying ISIS is defeated in Syria. The country has been hijacked by mini morons, doing the bidding of a giant moron doing the bidding of his wallet and Putin.
And then there is the Trump shut down for his wall............and on and on. Trump and his Republican boot lickers have turned America into a failed reality show, and Russia and China are sitting back laughing and thinking who ever thought it would be this easy.
alan segal san diego.
_____________________________________
Hi Bob - That's great that Hickenlooper is authentic, but most of the electorate won't have the opportunity to sit down with him and get to know him like you did. We'll have to do it through the media. Will he shine through in a crowded field? Lord help us this next cycle.
Todd Brooks
_____________________________________
Nope. He's pro-fracking and that's a non-starter for me. No ifs, ands, or buts. Let's see him try and win Pennsylvania with that stance.
Peter Kohan
_____________________________________
With all the "noise" out there, you put this in context that I can understand, relate to.
I grew up on the West Coast and I'll be honest, was hoping for change, like Trump I thought, "this might be what we need". Hillary just didn't set well with me.
Well...Trump is just as, if not more, way more crooked than the rest. I don't understand why people keep saying that no one will will be able to defeat Trump? It appears some serious shit is going to hit the fan for him, his administration, and the country very soon!
I've watched a few interviews with Beto, I'm hopeful for a fresh start and energy like him. I'll keep my ear/eye out for Hickenlooper.
Steve Anderrko
Syracuse NY
_____________________________________
No way... he should be running for Senate. He's a longshot in the Dem primary, but would be a heavy favorite to flip Cory Gardner's Senate seat. If Dems don't flip that seat and close the gap in the Senate, even if they win the presidency, they will have no way to enact any policy. Hickenlooper barely appeals to any of the core constituencies in the Dem party. (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-5-key-constituencies-of-the-2020-democratic-primary/)
Also, I'd rethink blaming Gillebrand for Franken. It's ok for Democrats to hold each other to a higher standard. See the following clip
https://twitter.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1085669727433703424
-Ken Brown
_____________________________________
Hi Bob,
Good morning. Long time reader. Thank you for your writing.
Hickenlooper has been on my radar for some time. I agree that he has a real shot to win. Warning: sports metaphor incoming. He reminds me of Belgium before the World Cup. They had a talented team, hiding in plain sight, compared to better-known, perennial favorites such as Brazil and Germany. Alas, despite a very strong showing, ultimately Belgium did not win the Cup. That said, Belgium's betting odds pre-tournament represented very good value. Hickenlooper may not win, but I do think he will have a strong showing and make it to the final four (geez, another sports metaphor).
I lived in a tent in Colorado for a few summers. The state is a fascinating microcosm, reflecting the many contradictions of the larger country. Hickenlooper seems poised to navigate these competing forces.
As reference, Ridgway has dispensaries, fleece, and mountain bikes. A progressive enclave, to be sure - nicknamed Pebble, given its similar politics, but smaller size, relative to lefty stronghold Boulder.
Drive only thirty minutes north on 550 and you arrive in Montrose, which has gun shops, flannel, and ATVs. Quite a conservative town.
But Colorado is shifting slowly left, as is the country. Grand Junction, for example, which broke for Trump in 2016, I predict will abandon him in 2020. The con is up.
Yes, Colorado needs energy jobs, but why not green jobs that don't jeopardize earth's habitability. Water - Colorado's greatest asset - is far more important than oil. And I'll bet that the many federal employees of the various National Forests and National Parks in Colorado agree with me.
Regards,
Adam
P.S. Gillibrand did not cause Franken to misbehave. Franken caused Franken to misbehave.
P.P.S. You should try heli-skiing in Silverton, CO.
P.P.P.S. It's a cynical perspective but sadly true, I feel - theoretically, if he makes it to the general, Hickenlooper's whiteness and maleness may help him peel off some of Trump's white-male-loving base for the win.
_____________________________________
Hey Bob
You just gave him something that he could not get with cash. I've already forwarded it to 10 people.
Tom Hedtke in Sac
_____________________________________
Man, I love Hickenlooper.
I lived in Denver for about 5 years. Worked with Tedder a bit, Played some stuff with The Lumineer and Nathaniel and the Meese boys. It's just a small music town, really.
He'd have my vote. Because he, like Obama, understands the next generation. He digs beer and weed and music. Now, those topics might not play in Trump Town, but the 2 parties have been so laser-focused on getting people who actually vote to vote for them. I think Hickenlooper will get people who DONT vote, to vote. (there is a whole hell of a lot of them) He might not win, but he will get people to vote.
That's the issue here. It's the centrists that aren't voting. They don't show up. No one is going after them. Both parties are trying to swing people farther away from the center while MILLIONS of us are sitting in the center saying "hey, guys, there's a better way" The Democrats demonize anything that is different. (ahem AOC, anyone?)
He gets taxes. He gets industry. He gets politics. He gets fun. He gets community. the beer/music scene is strong in Denver. One of the best. There are better bands. Better venues. Better promoters. All because the TOP LEVEL of local government supports the arts. Look at the small venues that host local shows 2-3 times a week. Look at the local bands booking opening slots on national tours. That's what I did. It changes things. When you go see your favorite band on stage and a bunch of kids you see at the local coffee shop open up? That's pride. Denver has local pride.
Tedder lives in LA now. Nate and The Lumineers belong to the world. But, Denver still loves them. The Fray still sells out Red Rocks and they don't produce anymore. Denver is proud of what Denver does.
We need a woman in office, though. Warren, Gillibrand, fine choices. Pull Hickenlooper as VP and you'd have a ticket. (or, vice versa)
People say "centrists won't win." People said Trump wouldn't win.
"People" don't know.
We need someone in the middle to talk to both sides. Someone who can pull minorities and understand their issues. Someone who can get rich old white dudes to understand that it's better for business to open things up.
Women buy gillette for their husbands. Black people buy Nikes. Causes matter. Because people matter. And, business is better when they listen. To causes and to people. Don't kowtow, don't bend. Listen. Adjust. Our Government needs to listen.
I love Hickenlooper.
- Jon Johnson
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823
That's the number of albums A Boogie Wit da Hoodie sold last week to enter the chart at number one. And those were downloads, there wasn't even a physical version.
So this ends the debate, everybody bitching about streaming, the war is over. Actually, complaining about music distribution/consumption is so old school. And a consumption game it is, would "Baby Shark" have hit the chart in a sales era? No. Because you buy it and every time you play it not only do the rightsholders not get paid, no one knows you did, it doesn't get counted. So, hit streaming tracks are the gift that keeps on giving. They have an eternal life span, even though many hits don't generate repeated play down the line, but some do!
So, we don't have CDs. As for vinyl, a sideshow. And ignore the financial figures. They always trumpet gross numbers when net is what's important. They add up list price instead of wholesale, never mind the end result in rightsholders' pockets. But that's the twenty first century, where facts are fungible and everybody believes every statistic they read. Not a month goes by without the virality of some oldster complaining that they had millions of streams and made no money. First and foremost, Pandora pays differently from on demand, and terrestrial radio doesn't even pay on the recording. And someone only has a piece of a song and doesn't own the publishing so you keep on hearing anti-streaming sentiment when the truth is the train has left the station and if you're into physical, you're left behind, at most you're selling souvenirs, and no one's got a CD player and if you saw the "stereo" systems people play their vinyl on...
You'd be better off with a boom box.
But it's not only physical that's dead, but the album too.
This is complicated. Because actually, every track on A Boogie Wit da Hoodie's album "Hoodie SZN" has at least seven figures of streams, but it's driven by the hits. And it's the hits that pushed the album to number one.
That's right, an album with ten tracks where one has eight figures of plays and the rest are barely listened to can still go to number one, because of the failings in "Billboard"'s system. The truth is, with sales de minimis, it's usually one track driving the entire album to number one, so really, in many cases, the album chart is a SINGLES CHART!
And if they get rid of the album chart, what will happen to albums?
All those alta kachers, wanting to go to number one, bundling tickets... Suddenly, that paradigm doesn't work anymore, there are no bragging rights, you're better off just putting out a single, since no one is listening to the rest of the LP anyway.
But with newer acts, especially rappers, there is a desire for more. But not just as an album, but as a regular flow of product.
As for Hoodie, he's employing the usual paradigm of featuring other stars, like 6ix9ine and Offset and Tag and Juice WRLD, to get recognition. In other words, other stars are lifting up Hoodie and making him a star.
And what are the rockers doing?
Well, they did duets, a la Sinatra, then they did covers, and then they found out no one was listening.
Now I'm not saying other genres should have featured artists on tracks, but I am saying that hip-hop has a culture that is lacking in other musical fields. And it's a self-perpetuating culture, with one act building upon another.
Then again, Hoodie's playing clubs and other genres sell out arenas.
And of course it's more complicated than that, but there's a disconnect between breaking music and chart appearances. If only the public read about touring numbers as opposed to "albums" in the press.
Now country has a culture.
But in other fields, it's every person to themselves, to their detriment.
The "Billboard" chart serves the major labels, but it does not serve music.
That's gotta change.
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So this ends the debate, everybody bitching about streaming, the war is over. Actually, complaining about music distribution/consumption is so old school. And a consumption game it is, would "Baby Shark" have hit the chart in a sales era? No. Because you buy it and every time you play it not only do the rightsholders not get paid, no one knows you did, it doesn't get counted. So, hit streaming tracks are the gift that keeps on giving. They have an eternal life span, even though many hits don't generate repeated play down the line, but some do!
So, we don't have CDs. As for vinyl, a sideshow. And ignore the financial figures. They always trumpet gross numbers when net is what's important. They add up list price instead of wholesale, never mind the end result in rightsholders' pockets. But that's the twenty first century, where facts are fungible and everybody believes every statistic they read. Not a month goes by without the virality of some oldster complaining that they had millions of streams and made no money. First and foremost, Pandora pays differently from on demand, and terrestrial radio doesn't even pay on the recording. And someone only has a piece of a song and doesn't own the publishing so you keep on hearing anti-streaming sentiment when the truth is the train has left the station and if you're into physical, you're left behind, at most you're selling souvenirs, and no one's got a CD player and if you saw the "stereo" systems people play their vinyl on...
You'd be better off with a boom box.
But it's not only physical that's dead, but the album too.
This is complicated. Because actually, every track on A Boogie Wit da Hoodie's album "Hoodie SZN" has at least seven figures of streams, but it's driven by the hits. And it's the hits that pushed the album to number one.
That's right, an album with ten tracks where one has eight figures of plays and the rest are barely listened to can still go to number one, because of the failings in "Billboard"'s system. The truth is, with sales de minimis, it's usually one track driving the entire album to number one, so really, in many cases, the album chart is a SINGLES CHART!
And if they get rid of the album chart, what will happen to albums?
All those alta kachers, wanting to go to number one, bundling tickets... Suddenly, that paradigm doesn't work anymore, there are no bragging rights, you're better off just putting out a single, since no one is listening to the rest of the LP anyway.
But with newer acts, especially rappers, there is a desire for more. But not just as an album, but as a regular flow of product.
As for Hoodie, he's employing the usual paradigm of featuring other stars, like 6ix9ine and Offset and Tag and Juice WRLD, to get recognition. In other words, other stars are lifting up Hoodie and making him a star.
And what are the rockers doing?
Well, they did duets, a la Sinatra, then they did covers, and then they found out no one was listening.
Now I'm not saying other genres should have featured artists on tracks, but I am saying that hip-hop has a culture that is lacking in other musical fields. And it's a self-perpetuating culture, with one act building upon another.
Then again, Hoodie's playing clubs and other genres sell out arenas.
And of course it's more complicated than that, but there's a disconnect between breaking music and chart appearances. If only the public read about touring numbers as opposed to "albums" in the press.
Now country has a culture.
But in other fields, it's every person to themselves, to their detriment.
The "Billboard" chart serves the major labels, but it does not serve music.
That's gotta change.
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Wednesday 16 January 2019
Hickenlooper
I know him.
The only other politician I know up close and personal is my old friend Stanton Lesser, the attorney for the Town of Fairfield, then again, that's not an elected position.
John's wife Robin tracked me down, she's a subscriber, she works at Liberty, and when they were in town last fall she suggested we get together. We did, at the Tavern in Brentwood, John noticed T-Bone Burnett sitting next to us, so I introduced them, you see Hickenlooper loves music. I remember riding the Highline Express when Strasburg took a call from the Governor, I think Don was working on the party for his inauguration, but if you know Strasburg, it's so funny he knows the governor. As does Chuck.
But John Hickenlooper is not Governor of Colorado anymore, now he's probably gonna run for President.
And I asked him, at that first meeting, WHY HIM? Especially because I could never imagine running for President myself. I mean who am I? I was brought up being told I was a s___head, and there was always someone else who could do it better. And John's not one of those guys who overwhelms you, one of those can-do blowhards who you can listen to but cannot interact with.
John told me it was because he reinvented himself. Trained as a geologist, after losing his job he raised money to open a brew pub, ultimately having fourteen of them before they were sold. And he went into politics because...
Your dream. Do you even have one anymore? Or has America got you down to the point where you've lowered your expectations. Anyway, in the era I grew up in, the era Hickenlooper grew up in, you chose a profession and you stuck with it, the company took care of you, but homey don't play that no more, you're on your own in America.
So, seeing that businesses and communities needed to come together, he decided to run for Mayor of Denver. And won twice. Before becoming Governor twice, his term just ending. So what's the next step?
Hickenlooper specializes in listening, bringing people together, that's what he told me. And then he gave details, about rural and metropolitan, frackers and residents, public and charter schools. And the longer I listened, I thought...just maybe.
But everyone else said his name would stop him.
But if we can elect Barack Hussein Obama?
And to tell you the truth, I've got no problem with Elizabeth Warren, I'd vote for her in a heartbeat, but it seems everybody with money feels otherwise.
And then you start going down the list... Gillibrand...I'm never gonna forgive her for shooting Al Franken. Cory Booker? Some skeletons in the closet. As for the vaunted Joe Biden... Does anybody remember when he ran before? Just give Joe some time, and he'll put his foot in his mouth. While he grins under those hair plugs. Never pay attention to the spin doctors, the prognosticators in the press, hell, "New York" magazine just reported that AOC has moved the corporate media to the left.
But Hickenlooper is a centrist. Are we looking for a centrist? Can millennials get excited about a centrist?
Someone asked John that tonight. He said yes, because he's authentic.
And he is. He lacks charisma, he's not like Bill Clinton with his aura, everybody who ever met Bill testifies about the glow when you're in his presence. Hickenlooper is more like you and me. But maybe that's his secret weapon.
But what about Trump, who denigrated Hillary and got away with it, would Hickenlooper go mano a mano?
He said he wouldn't attack the Donald. But do we need someone who can put Donald in his place?
And then it comes down to track record. Hickenlooper's got one, not only the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, but number one in job increase, so many other markers that senators can't point to.
So, could he win?
I went to the Palisades tonight to hear him talk. It struck me how the attendees were monied. That's right, he's raising cash for an exploratory committee, and you need money, and without national name recognition can you do it like Bernie and Beto, one by one, via the public?
And so many of these people were in finance, working for the corporation. And I could not relate. Because I'm ten or fifteen years older, and our goals were different in a different time. We were about living the American Dream, less a house and a job and two cars in the garage than experiencing life, the good times. Hell, Hickenlooper went to Woodstock. Which was a financial disaster before the record and movie saved it.
Everybody's playing it safe today, unlike the sixties, today's generation is the man, and that bugs me. It's about lifestyle, look, as opposed to who you are and what you think. Stunningly, the man of the house where the event was held leaned to the right, as so many who've won the economic wars have.
So you can get depressed.
Or you can be optimistic.
Trump has to lose. It's just that simple.
But who is gonna beat him?
That's all I care about, that a Democrat wins. Personally, I'm left of left, but I just want someone to emerge and become victorious in the national election.
So who is the candidate gonna be?
And the longer I hang with Hickenlooper, and his consigliere/wife Robin, I start to think this guy has a real chance. Because the experience didn't shave off his rough edges. And he's enthusiastic, and that's contagious. He's that guy in the huddle who keeps you going when the chips are down. You start to believe.
So it's funny being at the beginning, even knowing a potential Presidential candidate. But that's where the written word'll get you. Hell, I didn't make a donation tonight. But my writing led Robin to me and suddenly I'm standing in the hallway discussing strategy with Hickenlooper.
And let's be honest, I don't think I belong there. I came in my jeans and sneakers, my Vail vest, when everybody else looked like they came from the boardroom.
Then again, just like at John's Wesleyan, at Middlebury it was all about who you were on the inside.
And Ryan Tedder spoke, he used to live in Colorado, he and Hickenlooper are friends, and said he didn't vote for Trump but he couldn't vote for Hillary.
WHY?
Because the Republicans defined her? Made a big deal about Benghazi and all the rest of the crap that meant nothing when Trump did and has done so much worse?
Then again, Hillary was anything but authentic.
Is there such a thing as an authentic politician?
So Hickenlooper is heavily involved in the music scene in Colorado. He knows Nathaniel Rateliff, he knows the Lumineers and their handlers. And he put in light rail so you can get to Red Rocks and the number of gigs at the legendary outdoor venue soared from double to triple digits. This guy is a fan, a believer. He was not brought up with a silver spoon, he's just like you and me.
In an era where we laud celebrities and people float Oprah's name as a candidate can someone who is relatively soft-spoken who has done the work win?
I think maybe so.
Watch this space. Expect Hickenlooper to announce. A relative with the same last name was an elected official in Iowa forever. John's got a relationship with a restaurant chain owner in New Hampshire.
He could win.
And I could know him.
How strange is that?
I guess I've got to say we still live in the greatest country in the world. There is still social fluidity. But we need more. More chances, more opportunities.
Could Hickenlooper deliver them?
Just maybe.
--
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The only other politician I know up close and personal is my old friend Stanton Lesser, the attorney for the Town of Fairfield, then again, that's not an elected position.
John's wife Robin tracked me down, she's a subscriber, she works at Liberty, and when they were in town last fall she suggested we get together. We did, at the Tavern in Brentwood, John noticed T-Bone Burnett sitting next to us, so I introduced them, you see Hickenlooper loves music. I remember riding the Highline Express when Strasburg took a call from the Governor, I think Don was working on the party for his inauguration, but if you know Strasburg, it's so funny he knows the governor. As does Chuck.
But John Hickenlooper is not Governor of Colorado anymore, now he's probably gonna run for President.
And I asked him, at that first meeting, WHY HIM? Especially because I could never imagine running for President myself. I mean who am I? I was brought up being told I was a s___head, and there was always someone else who could do it better. And John's not one of those guys who overwhelms you, one of those can-do blowhards who you can listen to but cannot interact with.
John told me it was because he reinvented himself. Trained as a geologist, after losing his job he raised money to open a brew pub, ultimately having fourteen of them before they were sold. And he went into politics because...
Your dream. Do you even have one anymore? Or has America got you down to the point where you've lowered your expectations. Anyway, in the era I grew up in, the era Hickenlooper grew up in, you chose a profession and you stuck with it, the company took care of you, but homey don't play that no more, you're on your own in America.
So, seeing that businesses and communities needed to come together, he decided to run for Mayor of Denver. And won twice. Before becoming Governor twice, his term just ending. So what's the next step?
Hickenlooper specializes in listening, bringing people together, that's what he told me. And then he gave details, about rural and metropolitan, frackers and residents, public and charter schools. And the longer I listened, I thought...just maybe.
But everyone else said his name would stop him.
But if we can elect Barack Hussein Obama?
And to tell you the truth, I've got no problem with Elizabeth Warren, I'd vote for her in a heartbeat, but it seems everybody with money feels otherwise.
And then you start going down the list... Gillibrand...I'm never gonna forgive her for shooting Al Franken. Cory Booker? Some skeletons in the closet. As for the vaunted Joe Biden... Does anybody remember when he ran before? Just give Joe some time, and he'll put his foot in his mouth. While he grins under those hair plugs. Never pay attention to the spin doctors, the prognosticators in the press, hell, "New York" magazine just reported that AOC has moved the corporate media to the left.
But Hickenlooper is a centrist. Are we looking for a centrist? Can millennials get excited about a centrist?
Someone asked John that tonight. He said yes, because he's authentic.
And he is. He lacks charisma, he's not like Bill Clinton with his aura, everybody who ever met Bill testifies about the glow when you're in his presence. Hickenlooper is more like you and me. But maybe that's his secret weapon.
But what about Trump, who denigrated Hillary and got away with it, would Hickenlooper go mano a mano?
He said he wouldn't attack the Donald. But do we need someone who can put Donald in his place?
And then it comes down to track record. Hickenlooper's got one, not only the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, but number one in job increase, so many other markers that senators can't point to.
So, could he win?
I went to the Palisades tonight to hear him talk. It struck me how the attendees were monied. That's right, he's raising cash for an exploratory committee, and you need money, and without national name recognition can you do it like Bernie and Beto, one by one, via the public?
And so many of these people were in finance, working for the corporation. And I could not relate. Because I'm ten or fifteen years older, and our goals were different in a different time. We were about living the American Dream, less a house and a job and two cars in the garage than experiencing life, the good times. Hell, Hickenlooper went to Woodstock. Which was a financial disaster before the record and movie saved it.
Everybody's playing it safe today, unlike the sixties, today's generation is the man, and that bugs me. It's about lifestyle, look, as opposed to who you are and what you think. Stunningly, the man of the house where the event was held leaned to the right, as so many who've won the economic wars have.
So you can get depressed.
Or you can be optimistic.
Trump has to lose. It's just that simple.
But who is gonna beat him?
That's all I care about, that a Democrat wins. Personally, I'm left of left, but I just want someone to emerge and become victorious in the national election.
So who is the candidate gonna be?
And the longer I hang with Hickenlooper, and his consigliere/wife Robin, I start to think this guy has a real chance. Because the experience didn't shave off his rough edges. And he's enthusiastic, and that's contagious. He's that guy in the huddle who keeps you going when the chips are down. You start to believe.
So it's funny being at the beginning, even knowing a potential Presidential candidate. But that's where the written word'll get you. Hell, I didn't make a donation tonight. But my writing led Robin to me and suddenly I'm standing in the hallway discussing strategy with Hickenlooper.
And let's be honest, I don't think I belong there. I came in my jeans and sneakers, my Vail vest, when everybody else looked like they came from the boardroom.
Then again, just like at John's Wesleyan, at Middlebury it was all about who you were on the inside.
And Ryan Tedder spoke, he used to live in Colorado, he and Hickenlooper are friends, and said he didn't vote for Trump but he couldn't vote for Hillary.
WHY?
Because the Republicans defined her? Made a big deal about Benghazi and all the rest of the crap that meant nothing when Trump did and has done so much worse?
Then again, Hillary was anything but authentic.
Is there such a thing as an authentic politician?
So Hickenlooper is heavily involved in the music scene in Colorado. He knows Nathaniel Rateliff, he knows the Lumineers and their handlers. And he put in light rail so you can get to Red Rocks and the number of gigs at the legendary outdoor venue soared from double to triple digits. This guy is a fan, a believer. He was not brought up with a silver spoon, he's just like you and me.
In an era where we laud celebrities and people float Oprah's name as a candidate can someone who is relatively soft-spoken who has done the work win?
I think maybe so.
Watch this space. Expect Hickenlooper to announce. A relative with the same last name was an elected official in Iowa forever. John's got a relationship with a restaurant chain owner in New Hampshire.
He could win.
And I could know him.
How strange is that?
I guess I've got to say we still live in the greatest country in the world. There is still social fluidity. But we need more. More chances, more opportunities.
Could Hickenlooper deliver them?
Just maybe.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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--
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Tuesday 15 January 2019
Re-Baby Shark
I saw this coming a couple months ago. In fact, I even posted a version on my personal Facebook page. You see about four months ago I gave up DirecTV because my cable bill was well over 250 a month with sports packages, etc, so I did the various free trials of Hulu, Sling, etc and ended up ironically with DirecTVNow. So with this patchwork lineup of channels that never fully satisfied, I found one that offered some interesting music stuff including the UK version of the show the X Factor. On this past season's finale, Simon Cowell's 6 or 7 year old son was put in charge of "a number," hence I joined the ranks of the informed, as I witnessed THIS:
https://youtu.be/rAqlpPU0NdY
So once again, the mind of Simon Cowell has dropped this bomb on us from abroad. Someone should build a g-d danged wall!!!!
Marc Nathan
A smart, astute A&R guy in Nashville
_______________________________________
LeBron James recently showed his family, singing this song, in his IG stories.
46.4M followers...
MP Doherty
_______________________________________
Have you seen this? Rob Halford doing the Baby Shark dance:
https://bit.ly/2AObX59
He posted that 3 weeks ago.
David Wildsmith
_______________________________________
I think it's because of this video.
https://youtu.be/JzfBedGaIjU
Peter Feld
_______________________________________
Rosabella has been listening to baby shark for 2 years. What's amazing is that she found it by herself on YouTube probably at 1 year old or maybe younger. We did not introduce it to her. For a while she was obsessed with it but not as much recently. But she knows all the dance moves for the various sharks in the song. And we have the app on our phones/iPad. The creator probably made a fortune!
Andrew Einhorn
_______________________________________
Haha I can't believe you just wrote about this song. My 4 and 6 year-old turds at home probably account for a couple of millions of those fucking views (and the reason it's stuck in my head on a daily basis), and although they have Spotify access (through Alexa), they ONLY watch/listen for it on YouTube. It's a uniquely visual thing for them (they request other shit on Alexa). The visual element of this song is the key here. Also, daaamn you Leftsetz now it's stuck in my head again all night (shaking fist -- limply).
Best,
Kia Kamran
_______________________________________
OMG my two year old is obsessed with this song. She asks for it on the Google Home all the time. Last thing I thought you'd ever write about, but a hit is a hit!
- Jared
_______________________________________
Hey Bob do de do de doooo
We had Baby Shark at the YouTube FanFests in Korea and Bangkok and the effect was remarkable, AMONGST THE PRODUCTION CREWS!
Teams that are more used to working with A-list talent and shows we're queuing up for backstage selfies and clamouring for free merch.
I know, I was one of them!
Jasper Donat
_______________________________________
Love this banda version https://youtu.be/sOZwHD5Bf7Y
Larry Sloven
_______________________________________
"Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark!"
10,000 hours.
Steve Lukather
_______________________________________
Wait a minute! Assuming you know this, but didn't see it mentioned... this streaming / viewing has to be all parents with toddlers. My 4 yr old son and 2 yr old daughter are obsessed with this tune and the "chomp" dance that goes with it. Have been for about a year, ever since their baby sitter (who was from Brazil) introduced them to it. We're probably responsible for about 5MM of those streams.
There's no way this is what they're rocking at college parties.
Matthew Colban
_______________________________________
I have a 2 yr old and all she sings is baby shark!
Albert Bale
_______________________________________
Reminds me of "My Sharona"
Kerry Gogan
_______________________________________
Hip hop is in its "hair metal" phase and I for one can't wait for it to sink. like when the titanic it was hit the iceberg that was Nirvana.
I look forward to your emails! Keep them coming, we need it.
All the best
Brantley Gutierrez
_______________________________________
2,171,849,596 views?!?! WTF. What else has that many? I feel like I need to be the L Ron Hubbard for kids…."if you wanna make the real money, make YouTube kids videos"
Zach Leary
_______________________________________
Well, I have to say that I never expected to see "Baby Shark" in one of your posts! LOL! But thanks for the ear worm, can't get it out of my head!
Kim McAllister
_______________________________________
Baby Shark started off as a YMCA song. Kylie Jenner gave it the cosign on an Instagram post months ago, and of course made it cool for every young mother to sing it to their kid. Expect for future consumer products and music to start making there ways to children, thanks to Kylie.
Daniel Rosario
_______________________________________
Baby Shark is old news. It was on the Gary and Shannon show on KFI months ago. It's a huge ear worm, but it's also the kind of song high school kids can get obsessive about.
People with little kids already knew about it, too. And have you heard the YouTube version of "the wheels on the bus?" Search for it on YouTube. It's about an hour long and it has MORE THAN 2 BILLION VIEWS! I'm an American music professional, living in Finland. I'm thinking it's time to make one of these channels. We're in the wrong business now, trying to make these pop hits. Ok, the cartoon aspect is part of that, but it's for sure paid itself back by now. Children's music is where it's at. And on top of that, my friends 2 year old speaks English perfectly! It's because of YouTube.
Tracy Lipp
_______________________________________
My 10-year old daughter and her 3-year old stepsister introduced this song to me about 2 months ago! Talk about zeitgeist
Vijay Thakur
_______________________________________
Hey Bob, as a parent I can tell you this song is a scourge. I've had to ban my kids from singing it, because it is an earworm that has the potential to nag you all day, especially when kids can't stop singing the first verse every few seconds. In an annoying voice.
Knowing that it's on the Billboard Hot 100 gives me mixed feelings. Initially I'm exasperated. But looking at it as a novelty song makes me appreciate it a little more - I love novelty songs, from the Martian Hop and My Bologna to Chocolate Rain and Friday. When one breaks through all the noise of the modern world to become part of the culture, I think we should celebrate that. It certainly is a phenomenon of the moment for kids, as visible as the dances from Fortnight or any song by Imagine Dragons. Kids love Imagine Dragons almost as much as Baby Shark. And to tell you the truth, their song "Thunder" isn't a far cry from Baby Shark. Maybe I can appreciate them more as a novelty act?
rob getzschman
_______________________________________
Summer 2017 was the summer of Baby Shark in our house. My daughter just turned two. Too old to leave in her crib when you need to get something done (get dressed, brush teeth, etc.), but too young to let lose around the house. We needed a short term babysitter... enter YouTube.
One day, after pulling up a playlist of preschool songs for her we hear "Baby Shark, doo doo doo-a-doo." Coming from our bedroom. Ever since then it was, "Daddy, play it again!" Over and over and over.
Kids, when they cling onto something, they CLING ON. It didn't take long for it to turn into a sort-of house anthem that lasted for months. On our drive down to Nashville and then to Charleston I remember my wife and I singing it over and over (that and the classic "Head and Shoulders") to our girl in the back by fervent request.
50 billion YouTube hits is totally understandable. Any parent of a toddler would agree. I think we contributed about half of those plays ourselves. Not to mention Spotify plays, etc.
Thanks Bob!
-Matthew Kalinauskas (Parent of two, Hamilton, Canada)
_______________________________________
Just when I got this out of my head…..
My 2.5 year old daughter is obsessed with it! My household is good for at least 300 of those steams.
Brian Aiello
_______________________________________
This song is literally decades old.. I sang it when I was a kid
Sara Sopher
_______________________________________
Reading this at 8 AM ON SAT
"Alexa, play Baby Shark!"
I laugh so hard I cry.
Next I forward to 25 friends. (Around the globe)
And so on and so on.
All within 3 minutes
Neil Lasher
_______________________________________
Long-time LefsetzLetter subscriber here. I look forward to your stuff. But damn you!
Catchy? Like the black death.
It keeps sneaking up on me. Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo...
If I don't sleep tonight it's all on you.
(but I'll keep reading the LefsetzLetter)
Kelly Mullen
_______________________________________
I've known you for a very long time... You've seen my daughter grow up. Anyway, you've lost it! You are working hard and traveled through so many time zones that it boggles the mind... This is total shit! Gimmie' Psy any day!
Jeff Laufer
_______________________________________
great! because of this i looked up that stupid song on youtube and have it stuck in my head singing it everywhere i go! ha, thanks bob!
Gabriel Heymann
_______________________________________
Elizabeth learned that song at one of the camps she went to and we used to sing it around the campfire in Canada!!!!!!!!! Some things are timeless!
Kate O'Laughlin
_______________________________________
I was going to ask you if Billboard had "Jumped the baby shark" with that one.
Chris Beytes
_______________________________________
Bob, you know 1-877-KARS-4KIDZ also has a very strong hook.
Tom Lehr
_______________________________________
Truly one of my favorite tunes.
Ezekiel Reed
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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https://youtu.be/rAqlpPU0NdY
So once again, the mind of Simon Cowell has dropped this bomb on us from abroad. Someone should build a g-d danged wall!!!!
Marc Nathan
A smart, astute A&R guy in Nashville
_______________________________________
LeBron James recently showed his family, singing this song, in his IG stories.
46.4M followers...
MP Doherty
_______________________________________
Have you seen this? Rob Halford doing the Baby Shark dance:
https://bit.ly/2AObX59
He posted that 3 weeks ago.
David Wildsmith
_______________________________________
I think it's because of this video.
https://youtu.be/JzfBedGaIjU
Peter Feld
_______________________________________
Rosabella has been listening to baby shark for 2 years. What's amazing is that she found it by herself on YouTube probably at 1 year old or maybe younger. We did not introduce it to her. For a while she was obsessed with it but not as much recently. But she knows all the dance moves for the various sharks in the song. And we have the app on our phones/iPad. The creator probably made a fortune!
Andrew Einhorn
_______________________________________
Haha I can't believe you just wrote about this song. My 4 and 6 year-old turds at home probably account for a couple of millions of those fucking views (and the reason it's stuck in my head on a daily basis), and although they have Spotify access (through Alexa), they ONLY watch/listen for it on YouTube. It's a uniquely visual thing for them (they request other shit on Alexa). The visual element of this song is the key here. Also, daaamn you Leftsetz now it's stuck in my head again all night (shaking fist -- limply).
Best,
Kia Kamran
_______________________________________
OMG my two year old is obsessed with this song. She asks for it on the Google Home all the time. Last thing I thought you'd ever write about, but a hit is a hit!
- Jared
_______________________________________
Hey Bob do de do de doooo
We had Baby Shark at the YouTube FanFests in Korea and Bangkok and the effect was remarkable, AMONGST THE PRODUCTION CREWS!
Teams that are more used to working with A-list talent and shows we're queuing up for backstage selfies and clamouring for free merch.
I know, I was one of them!
Jasper Donat
_______________________________________
Love this banda version https://youtu.be/sOZwHD5Bf7Y
Larry Sloven
_______________________________________
"Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark!"
10,000 hours.
Steve Lukather
_______________________________________
Wait a minute! Assuming you know this, but didn't see it mentioned... this streaming / viewing has to be all parents with toddlers. My 4 yr old son and 2 yr old daughter are obsessed with this tune and the "chomp" dance that goes with it. Have been for about a year, ever since their baby sitter (who was from Brazil) introduced them to it. We're probably responsible for about 5MM of those streams.
There's no way this is what they're rocking at college parties.
Matthew Colban
_______________________________________
I have a 2 yr old and all she sings is baby shark!
Albert Bale
_______________________________________
Reminds me of "My Sharona"
Kerry Gogan
_______________________________________
Hip hop is in its "hair metal" phase and I for one can't wait for it to sink. like when the titanic it was hit the iceberg that was Nirvana.
I look forward to your emails! Keep them coming, we need it.
All the best
Brantley Gutierrez
_______________________________________
2,171,849,596 views?!?! WTF. What else has that many? I feel like I need to be the L Ron Hubbard for kids…."if you wanna make the real money, make YouTube kids videos"
Zach Leary
_______________________________________
Well, I have to say that I never expected to see "Baby Shark" in one of your posts! LOL! But thanks for the ear worm, can't get it out of my head!
Kim McAllister
_______________________________________
Baby Shark started off as a YMCA song. Kylie Jenner gave it the cosign on an Instagram post months ago, and of course made it cool for every young mother to sing it to their kid. Expect for future consumer products and music to start making there ways to children, thanks to Kylie.
Daniel Rosario
_______________________________________
Baby Shark is old news. It was on the Gary and Shannon show on KFI months ago. It's a huge ear worm, but it's also the kind of song high school kids can get obsessive about.
People with little kids already knew about it, too. And have you heard the YouTube version of "the wheels on the bus?" Search for it on YouTube. It's about an hour long and it has MORE THAN 2 BILLION VIEWS! I'm an American music professional, living in Finland. I'm thinking it's time to make one of these channels. We're in the wrong business now, trying to make these pop hits. Ok, the cartoon aspect is part of that, but it's for sure paid itself back by now. Children's music is where it's at. And on top of that, my friends 2 year old speaks English perfectly! It's because of YouTube.
Tracy Lipp
_______________________________________
My 10-year old daughter and her 3-year old stepsister introduced this song to me about 2 months ago! Talk about zeitgeist
Vijay Thakur
_______________________________________
Hey Bob, as a parent I can tell you this song is a scourge. I've had to ban my kids from singing it, because it is an earworm that has the potential to nag you all day, especially when kids can't stop singing the first verse every few seconds. In an annoying voice.
Knowing that it's on the Billboard Hot 100 gives me mixed feelings. Initially I'm exasperated. But looking at it as a novelty song makes me appreciate it a little more - I love novelty songs, from the Martian Hop and My Bologna to Chocolate Rain and Friday. When one breaks through all the noise of the modern world to become part of the culture, I think we should celebrate that. It certainly is a phenomenon of the moment for kids, as visible as the dances from Fortnight or any song by Imagine Dragons. Kids love Imagine Dragons almost as much as Baby Shark. And to tell you the truth, their song "Thunder" isn't a far cry from Baby Shark. Maybe I can appreciate them more as a novelty act?
rob getzschman
_______________________________________
Summer 2017 was the summer of Baby Shark in our house. My daughter just turned two. Too old to leave in her crib when you need to get something done (get dressed, brush teeth, etc.), but too young to let lose around the house. We needed a short term babysitter... enter YouTube.
One day, after pulling up a playlist of preschool songs for her we hear "Baby Shark, doo doo doo-a-doo." Coming from our bedroom. Ever since then it was, "Daddy, play it again!" Over and over and over.
Kids, when they cling onto something, they CLING ON. It didn't take long for it to turn into a sort-of house anthem that lasted for months. On our drive down to Nashville and then to Charleston I remember my wife and I singing it over and over (that and the classic "Head and Shoulders") to our girl in the back by fervent request.
50 billion YouTube hits is totally understandable. Any parent of a toddler would agree. I think we contributed about half of those plays ourselves. Not to mention Spotify plays, etc.
Thanks Bob!
-Matthew Kalinauskas (Parent of two, Hamilton, Canada)
_______________________________________
Just when I got this out of my head…..
My 2.5 year old daughter is obsessed with it! My household is good for at least 300 of those steams.
Brian Aiello
_______________________________________
This song is literally decades old.. I sang it when I was a kid
Sara Sopher
_______________________________________
Reading this at 8 AM ON SAT
"Alexa, play Baby Shark!"
I laugh so hard I cry.
Next I forward to 25 friends. (Around the globe)
And so on and so on.
All within 3 minutes
Neil Lasher
_______________________________________
Long-time LefsetzLetter subscriber here. I look forward to your stuff. But damn you!
Catchy? Like the black death.
It keeps sneaking up on me. Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo...
If I don't sleep tonight it's all on you.
(but I'll keep reading the LefsetzLetter)
Kelly Mullen
_______________________________________
I've known you for a very long time... You've seen my daughter grow up. Anyway, you've lost it! You are working hard and traveled through so many time zones that it boggles the mind... This is total shit! Gimmie' Psy any day!
Jeff Laufer
_______________________________________
great! because of this i looked up that stupid song on youtube and have it stuck in my head singing it everywhere i go! ha, thanks bob!
Gabriel Heymann
_______________________________________
Elizabeth learned that song at one of the camps she went to and we used to sing it around the campfire in Canada!!!!!!!!! Some things are timeless!
Kate O'Laughlin
_______________________________________
I was going to ask you if Billboard had "Jumped the baby shark" with that one.
Chris Beytes
_______________________________________
Bob, you know 1-877-KARS-4KIDZ also has a very strong hook.
Tom Lehr
_______________________________________
Truly one of my favorite tunes.
Ezekiel Reed
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Monday 14 January 2019
Secret Weapons-SiriusXM This Week
Marc Reiter, creative majordomo for Metallica, will be joining me tomorrow to analyze and discuss secret weapons.
As Marc so eloquently put it:
"Secret weapons: Band members who may not have seemed important , but in truth, were indispensable. Once they departed/were kicked out, the band was never the same.
Some examples:
Michael Anthony (VH)
Bill Berry (R.E.M.)
Stan Lynch (Heartbreakers) ...and Howie Epstein?
Bonehead from Oasis
Randy Meisner
Steve Clark from Def Leppard"
You get the picture, join the discussion!
Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday January 15, 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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As Marc so eloquently put it:
"Secret weapons: Band members who may not have seemed important , but in truth, were indispensable. Once they departed/were kicked out, the band was never the same.
Some examples:
Michael Anthony (VH)
Bill Berry (R.E.M.)
Stan Lynch (Heartbreakers) ...and Howie Epstein?
Bonehead from Oasis
Randy Meisner
Steve Clark from Def Leppard"
You get the picture, join the discussion!
Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday January 15, 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
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Land Of The Free
https://bit.ly/2M7VXiX
This is more like it.
The right is working the refs. I never see this story in the media, but I experience it every time I mention Trump's name, the usual suspects inundate me with blowback, putting me down as a "progressive," telling me about their "facts," laughing at me.
This is not easy to take, but I soldier on.
But it's why so many others stop. The right is organized. With their Fox News and talk radio. Hell, if it weren't for Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh the government would be open and the wall would be just another talking point.
This is the way it used to be before the youth woke up their brethren back in the sixties. The United States was the greatest country in the world, we could win any war, especially in backwater Vietnam, all hail the Red, White & Blue!
Until suddenly the artists took a different path.
You see we need leaders. And oftentimes they're those who think a little different, who don't get up at six to go into the office, who contemplate what's going on and lay it down in song, film or prose.
But it's hard to triumph in media these days. Where it takes years for a song to bubble up, where we're all in our own different silos.
But still, take a stand and you're gonna get blowback.
The Killers have taken a stand.
Of course they've got something at risk. This is not the seventies, when the youth was completely left, you can no longer tell someone's political bent by the length of their hair, music fans can be as right as Abbie Hoffman was left. And since today's "artists" believe that first and foremost they're a brand, a business enterprise, they don't want to offend any potential customer.
But that's not what they are, they're artists. Which side are you on, the truth or the dollar? You get to decide. And the further up the food chain you are, the more momentous the decision.
It's easy to be a nobody and take a stand, but when you're somebody...
And the classic acts have given up. No one wants to hear their new music and they don't want to offend the baby boomers who've accrued their fortune and have swung to the right, so they stay silent.
And, once again, if you don't, it's gonna be news in the right wing blogosphere. And the left wing will report it but not defend you, you'll be hanging out there alone.
So who is gonna take a risk?
Sure, rappers have. But so many people ignore rap the same way they ignored the exploits of R Kelly and his African-American victims. And in hip-hop, cash is king. Then again, African-Americans have been victimized throughout our history, screwed in the music business by Atlantic Records and so many more companies that didn't pay royalties.
And the hook here is supposed to be the Spike Lee film.
But in this case, unlike how it's been for decades, the song eclipses the video.
In this era where you've got to hook 'em quick and hook 'em good, "Land Of The Free" has got a long, instrumental intro, starting off quiet and building, it's more classic rock than Spotify.
"Washing his truck at the Sinclair station
In the land of the free"
That roots it, personalizes the song, the gas station with the dinosaur. In a song that seems like it's going to be about platitudes, it ends up intimate.
"His mother Adeline's family came on a ship
Cut coal and planted a seed
Down in them drift mines of Pennsylvania
In the land of the free"
That's why we came here, for the freedom, everything at risk in D.C. And we all came, almost nobody was here already, except for the Native Americans who've been abused for centuries.
"Land of the free, land of the free
In the land of the free"
If you're aged, you'll be reminded of Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is," with its anthemic chorus supported by a full choir. It makes the song important, that's the power of the voice in an era ruled by machines.
"But if you're the wrong color skin
You grow up looking over both your shoulders
In the land of the free"
Truth. So simple, but so right.
And like Leonard Cohen sang, everybody knows.
"We got more people locked up than the rest of the world
Right here in red, white and blue
Incarceration's become big business
It's harvest time out on the avenue"
CAN'T HE STAY IN HIS LANE! That's what the right wing agitated will say. Musicians can't talk about politics, and how many issues do you want to embed in one song. But the Killers are not holding back, once you break out of the restraints, freedom feels so good. And that's the problem in America today, the chilling effect, where a President says not to trust the media and if you cross him, you're gonna pay.
"So how may daughters, tell me how many sons
Do we have to put in the ground before we just beak down and face it
We got a problem with guns"
Whew, now he's singing about guns too? And isn't the NRA just too powerful? But the Parkland kids put a dent in 'em, and why do we need the guns anyway? The same nitwits who think a wall will solve immigration problems are the same idiots who think by owning a gun they can stand up and overthrow the government, in an era of drones, where you fight with software.
"Down at the border, they're gonna put up a wall
Concrete and rebar steel beams
High enough to keep all those filthy hands off of our hopes and our dreams
People who just want the same things we do
In the land of the free.
The message of the song, the message of the video. What does America stand for? But that wall hasn't been built yet and the Killers don't want it to be. They're making a statement that will reach their fans more than anything in the "New York Times," never mind Fox News. That's the power of art, to change minds.
And if this were the eighties, this video would be all over MTV, the talk of the nation. But in the teens, it's impossible to reach everybody. But disruption never sleeps, it's just a matter of who is willing to fight.
We've been overwhelmed with the innovation of the techies for two decades. But we've learned in the past few years that the majordomos have no moral center, which is why artists need to take the reins and make a statement.
Like the Killers.
https://spoti.fi/2CoO6ZG
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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This is more like it.
The right is working the refs. I never see this story in the media, but I experience it every time I mention Trump's name, the usual suspects inundate me with blowback, putting me down as a "progressive," telling me about their "facts," laughing at me.
This is not easy to take, but I soldier on.
But it's why so many others stop. The right is organized. With their Fox News and talk radio. Hell, if it weren't for Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh the government would be open and the wall would be just another talking point.
This is the way it used to be before the youth woke up their brethren back in the sixties. The United States was the greatest country in the world, we could win any war, especially in backwater Vietnam, all hail the Red, White & Blue!
Until suddenly the artists took a different path.
You see we need leaders. And oftentimes they're those who think a little different, who don't get up at six to go into the office, who contemplate what's going on and lay it down in song, film or prose.
But it's hard to triumph in media these days. Where it takes years for a song to bubble up, where we're all in our own different silos.
But still, take a stand and you're gonna get blowback.
The Killers have taken a stand.
Of course they've got something at risk. This is not the seventies, when the youth was completely left, you can no longer tell someone's political bent by the length of their hair, music fans can be as right as Abbie Hoffman was left. And since today's "artists" believe that first and foremost they're a brand, a business enterprise, they don't want to offend any potential customer.
But that's not what they are, they're artists. Which side are you on, the truth or the dollar? You get to decide. And the further up the food chain you are, the more momentous the decision.
It's easy to be a nobody and take a stand, but when you're somebody...
And the classic acts have given up. No one wants to hear their new music and they don't want to offend the baby boomers who've accrued their fortune and have swung to the right, so they stay silent.
And, once again, if you don't, it's gonna be news in the right wing blogosphere. And the left wing will report it but not defend you, you'll be hanging out there alone.
So who is gonna take a risk?
Sure, rappers have. But so many people ignore rap the same way they ignored the exploits of R Kelly and his African-American victims. And in hip-hop, cash is king. Then again, African-Americans have been victimized throughout our history, screwed in the music business by Atlantic Records and so many more companies that didn't pay royalties.
And the hook here is supposed to be the Spike Lee film.
But in this case, unlike how it's been for decades, the song eclipses the video.
In this era where you've got to hook 'em quick and hook 'em good, "Land Of The Free" has got a long, instrumental intro, starting off quiet and building, it's more classic rock than Spotify.
"Washing his truck at the Sinclair station
In the land of the free"
That roots it, personalizes the song, the gas station with the dinosaur. In a song that seems like it's going to be about platitudes, it ends up intimate.
"His mother Adeline's family came on a ship
Cut coal and planted a seed
Down in them drift mines of Pennsylvania
In the land of the free"
That's why we came here, for the freedom, everything at risk in D.C. And we all came, almost nobody was here already, except for the Native Americans who've been abused for centuries.
"Land of the free, land of the free
In the land of the free"
If you're aged, you'll be reminded of Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is," with its anthemic chorus supported by a full choir. It makes the song important, that's the power of the voice in an era ruled by machines.
"But if you're the wrong color skin
You grow up looking over both your shoulders
In the land of the free"
Truth. So simple, but so right.
And like Leonard Cohen sang, everybody knows.
"We got more people locked up than the rest of the world
Right here in red, white and blue
Incarceration's become big business
It's harvest time out on the avenue"
CAN'T HE STAY IN HIS LANE! That's what the right wing agitated will say. Musicians can't talk about politics, and how many issues do you want to embed in one song. But the Killers are not holding back, once you break out of the restraints, freedom feels so good. And that's the problem in America today, the chilling effect, where a President says not to trust the media and if you cross him, you're gonna pay.
"So how may daughters, tell me how many sons
Do we have to put in the ground before we just beak down and face it
We got a problem with guns"
Whew, now he's singing about guns too? And isn't the NRA just too powerful? But the Parkland kids put a dent in 'em, and why do we need the guns anyway? The same nitwits who think a wall will solve immigration problems are the same idiots who think by owning a gun they can stand up and overthrow the government, in an era of drones, where you fight with software.
"Down at the border, they're gonna put up a wall
Concrete and rebar steel beams
High enough to keep all those filthy hands off of our hopes and our dreams
People who just want the same things we do
In the land of the free.
The message of the song, the message of the video. What does America stand for? But that wall hasn't been built yet and the Killers don't want it to be. They're making a statement that will reach their fans more than anything in the "New York Times," never mind Fox News. That's the power of art, to change minds.
And if this were the eighties, this video would be all over MTV, the talk of the nation. But in the teens, it's impossible to reach everybody. But disruption never sleeps, it's just a matter of who is willing to fight.
We've been overwhelmed with the innovation of the techies for two decades. But we've learned in the past few years that the majordomos have no moral center, which is why artists need to take the reins and make a statement.
Like the Killers.
https://spoti.fi/2CoO6ZG
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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Sunday 13 January 2019
Jeff Bezos/Lauren Sanchez
The rich are just like the rest of us.
Only with a lot more money.
Oh, maybe that's not true. Maybe they believe they're entitled to what they want, that the rules of both law and morality don't apply to them.
First and foremost Bezos lied about when his affair with Sanchez began.
Is he living in a vacuum? Does he not know that in today's world, the truth always outs? People can choose to believe it or not, but the only thing private is what you say to yourself, alone, in the dark.
And sending his junk in a photo, what is he sixteen? Celebrities bitch about Apple leaking their erotic photos, when the truth is it was their weak passwords at fault, and the world's richest man decides to send a photo of his personal parts anyway? What, did he think he was immune?
And you know what they say about getting involved with someone who left a marriage for you, they'll leave you too.
Oh, of course there are exceptions, but the axiom is proven true in most cases, especially for those who don't have the balls to be single. Play the field, see what it feels like to be alone in this world. As opposed to jumping from relationship to relationship, as if they're stones that will take you to the other end of the river, that you will never slip and fall and get wet.
And this guy is lionized in the press, he's a cultural institution. Maybe a bit weird, but hewing the line. Then he blows up his whole life over a woman? Proving, like my first sentence, we are all the same, and sex rules the world.
Kinda like Bill Clinton. If I were President, I'd keep my penis in my pants, especially if that's what people were looking for. Same deal with Gary Hart. But the rich and famous have large appetites, that seemingly can't be satiated, and like I said above, they don't think the rules apply to them.
She's Patrick Whitesell's wife. The couples are good friends. Shouldn't she be off limits?
Does nobody have any morality? Both Jeff and Lauren?
As for lying about the affair... Booking Lauren in the same hotel in Boston where you're staying with your wife to visit your kid at college... How daring do you want to be, how risky do you want to be, I mean you couldn't keep your dick in your pants for a weekend?
And lying about the timeline... You were already schtupping Lauren while you were celebrating your anniversary with Mackenzie?
This is why Trump gets elected. The rest of us are playing by the rules, written, ironically, by the masters. And then the masters ignore them. This is true of elites on both sides of the aisle. They worked hard to earn their riches and damned if they're going to kowtow to any poor people. They have contempt for poor people! Uneducated, on drugs. Screw 'em!
And while the poor get picked up for blue collar crimes, with cameras everywhere, white collar crime is rampant. They blow up the economy, and then the Republicans hobble the IRS so their tax returns are never investigated. That's right, your job withholds your taxes. But the bigwigs?? Let the games begin!
And the quality of the prose in the texts... As if Bezos had been reading YA novels. Or maybe watching cartoons. This is the language the richest man in America employs?
And I don't mean to be holier-than-thou, to moralize, but this guy has been canonized in the press, hell, even I've lauded him. Because we don't really know him. He's not some nitwit entertainer tweeting and Instagramming for attention, to further their so-called career, he's got a team of publicists releasing just what he wants to, when he wants to. He's sculpting his image.
And everybody buys it.
Hell, the "New York Times" admits that they bought Trump's charade, never investigated his financial claims deeply, even though he lived in New York.
So on one hand you can laugh, how this guy blew up his life. You know how it works... After the dust settles, Lauren dumps him, or he discovers that she's not what he believed her to be, after living with her for a while, and Mackenzie won't take him back and all he's got is his money, or half of it.
Then again, Hillary took Bill back and was excoriated in the press.
Then again, the press loves to beat up on females. And, ironically, women yell loudest about the behavior of other women. Hell, Lauren shared the texts with her friends, what is she in grade school? Even a middle schooler is aware of the pitfalls of this, that's why they invented Snapchat, so messages would disappear, and then when it was commonly known that with a screen capture they didn't, the social media outlet changed its business model. Furthermore, Sanchez has a teenager!
Speaking of which, Mackenzie is at home raising their four kids while Jeff is dilly-dallying out in the field, lying about it all the while. And if he lies to his wife, what are the odds he lies in his business...ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!
Life with Mackenzie is old. As it is with every long term relationship. You must invest, you must keep growing, or like in that old Woody Allen movie, you end up with a dead shark.
But the joke is on Jeff, not us. Everyone knows long term relationships pay dividends. That breakups oftentimes ruin not only your life, but those of the people surrounding you. But you've got to do what you've got to do. You're driven. You're in love. As if you won't wake up one day, when life has normalized and wonder...WHAT DID I DO?
P.S. The only good thing in this whole escapade is Bezos's lawyer's comment, that Jeff "supports journalistic efforts and does not intend to discourage reporting about him." If only our President felt the same way.
--
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--
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-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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Only with a lot more money.
Oh, maybe that's not true. Maybe they believe they're entitled to what they want, that the rules of both law and morality don't apply to them.
First and foremost Bezos lied about when his affair with Sanchez began.
Is he living in a vacuum? Does he not know that in today's world, the truth always outs? People can choose to believe it or not, but the only thing private is what you say to yourself, alone, in the dark.
And sending his junk in a photo, what is he sixteen? Celebrities bitch about Apple leaking their erotic photos, when the truth is it was their weak passwords at fault, and the world's richest man decides to send a photo of his personal parts anyway? What, did he think he was immune?
And you know what they say about getting involved with someone who left a marriage for you, they'll leave you too.
Oh, of course there are exceptions, but the axiom is proven true in most cases, especially for those who don't have the balls to be single. Play the field, see what it feels like to be alone in this world. As opposed to jumping from relationship to relationship, as if they're stones that will take you to the other end of the river, that you will never slip and fall and get wet.
And this guy is lionized in the press, he's a cultural institution. Maybe a bit weird, but hewing the line. Then he blows up his whole life over a woman? Proving, like my first sentence, we are all the same, and sex rules the world.
Kinda like Bill Clinton. If I were President, I'd keep my penis in my pants, especially if that's what people were looking for. Same deal with Gary Hart. But the rich and famous have large appetites, that seemingly can't be satiated, and like I said above, they don't think the rules apply to them.
She's Patrick Whitesell's wife. The couples are good friends. Shouldn't she be off limits?
Does nobody have any morality? Both Jeff and Lauren?
As for lying about the affair... Booking Lauren in the same hotel in Boston where you're staying with your wife to visit your kid at college... How daring do you want to be, how risky do you want to be, I mean you couldn't keep your dick in your pants for a weekend?
And lying about the timeline... You were already schtupping Lauren while you were celebrating your anniversary with Mackenzie?
This is why Trump gets elected. The rest of us are playing by the rules, written, ironically, by the masters. And then the masters ignore them. This is true of elites on both sides of the aisle. They worked hard to earn their riches and damned if they're going to kowtow to any poor people. They have contempt for poor people! Uneducated, on drugs. Screw 'em!
And while the poor get picked up for blue collar crimes, with cameras everywhere, white collar crime is rampant. They blow up the economy, and then the Republicans hobble the IRS so their tax returns are never investigated. That's right, your job withholds your taxes. But the bigwigs?? Let the games begin!
And the quality of the prose in the texts... As if Bezos had been reading YA novels. Or maybe watching cartoons. This is the language the richest man in America employs?
And I don't mean to be holier-than-thou, to moralize, but this guy has been canonized in the press, hell, even I've lauded him. Because we don't really know him. He's not some nitwit entertainer tweeting and Instagramming for attention, to further their so-called career, he's got a team of publicists releasing just what he wants to, when he wants to. He's sculpting his image.
And everybody buys it.
Hell, the "New York Times" admits that they bought Trump's charade, never investigated his financial claims deeply, even though he lived in New York.
So on one hand you can laugh, how this guy blew up his life. You know how it works... After the dust settles, Lauren dumps him, or he discovers that she's not what he believed her to be, after living with her for a while, and Mackenzie won't take him back and all he's got is his money, or half of it.
Then again, Hillary took Bill back and was excoriated in the press.
Then again, the press loves to beat up on females. And, ironically, women yell loudest about the behavior of other women. Hell, Lauren shared the texts with her friends, what is she in grade school? Even a middle schooler is aware of the pitfalls of this, that's why they invented Snapchat, so messages would disappear, and then when it was commonly known that with a screen capture they didn't, the social media outlet changed its business model. Furthermore, Sanchez has a teenager!
Speaking of which, Mackenzie is at home raising their four kids while Jeff is dilly-dallying out in the field, lying about it all the while. And if he lies to his wife, what are the odds he lies in his business...ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!
Life with Mackenzie is old. As it is with every long term relationship. You must invest, you must keep growing, or like in that old Woody Allen movie, you end up with a dead shark.
But the joke is on Jeff, not us. Everyone knows long term relationships pay dividends. That breakups oftentimes ruin not only your life, but those of the people surrounding you. But you've got to do what you've got to do. You're driven. You're in love. As if you won't wake up one day, when life has normalized and wonder...WHAT DID I DO?
P.S. The only good thing in this whole escapade is Bezos's lawyer's comment, that Jeff "supports journalistic efforts and does not intend to discourage reporting about him." If only our President felt the same way.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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