The only people who know how to party harder than Canadians are Australians.
Greetings from Whistler, Canada. Where your money goes far and the hills are long. And from the moment I got here, Andy has told me I need to see the Hair Farmers.
Hmm...
You know we insiders, we can go hear live music every night of the week. Name talent. Do we really want to see a cover band?
But I did. And it was the best music experience I've had in quite a while.
It's been warm here. But you can still ski to the bottom. Freezing level is 1900 meters, i.e. two-thirds of the way up the hill. The glacier is still winter, but the rest of the mountain is spring.
The glacier... The Horstman t-bar has been closed all year because the glacier is shrinking and moving. They couldn't open it if the footings hadn't moved anyway, the top is now too steep. Climate change... Either you believe in it or you don't. But we see evidence of it everywhere. Did you read about the record temperatures in Alaska? It was 70!
And Canada is a foreign country, but it's kinda like the U.S., so it's disorienting. You feel like you're home and then they order Kohanee beer. Huh? I remember when it was cool to drink Olympia, the other water beer besides Coors. But Olympia and its white cans with yellow accents disappeared, kinda like Fudgetown cookies and everything else you used to love.
And Canadians have no airs. You feel it. No one's boasting. Sure, there's money in Whistler, but you just don't see it the way you do in Aspen or Vail.
And it's international. Not only visitors, but locals. Hard to imagine the racism we have in the U.S. existing in Canada. Supposedly Toronto has more ethnicities than any other city in the world. And Asian and South Asian people are de rigueur. If you're racist, Canada is not the place for you.
And Andy and I spent the day skiing with Marcel and his family. Marcel is 77. But he's a ski instructor and can beat just about anybody down the mountain.
And he loves music! He was testifying about J Lo at the Grammys, how he recorded the performance to watch over and over again. I don't think J Lo can sing, but it turned out Marcel was enamored of the dancers! He's a fan of Lady Gaga. They showed me video of him dancing at her show in Vancouver that he went to for his 75th. He pops, he locks, but he doesn't moonwalk since "Leaving Neverland."
But I didn't know all this when we were skiing. At light speed.
We hiked up to the glacier, it's eerie.
But the best run of the day was Springboard, under the new gondola, it was long with a consistent pitch and the snow was like Cream of Wheat, it was delectable.
And then Marcel said we had to get down to Merlin's, to get a seat, to see the Hair Farmers!
So we raced down, and it being Canada, they sell cans of beer at the entrance. And we couldn't get a seat anyway, because everybody was there to see the Hair Farmers!
Now what you get is a bearded husky guy with a high voice playing conga drums and a bearded lanky guy strumming a Takamine who does the harmonies, but it sounded like a full band.
And when we got there, they were playing "Crazy On You." You know, the Heart song.
And every song I knew by heart, and seemingly everybody else did too.
They led us in a singalong of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away." And Canadians are not shy, everybody was standing, with their arms in the air, testifying.
And then Marcel got up on stage and started popping and locking and posing and...he was the only one up there, and everybody was paying attention, and he LOVED IT!
He ended up singling out young women in the audience to dance with. He'd stride up to their stool, dance in front of them, and they'd get up and join him.
And they're playing "Night Moves." And "Tiny Dancer." And the only song they played from the last thirty years was "Shallow." Oh, that's right, they played a version of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever...," but it seemed more parody than truth.
And then they said they were gonna play "Highway To Hell," but they didn't. But they did play "Heartbreaker."
And they had the name that tune section of the program. Someone called "Back In Black" in one chord.
And I'm standing there thinking this is the last music all of us knew, before the world fractured. Classic rock is all that's classic, other than Motown. They played the riff of "Day Tripper" and everybody knew it.
And they even went a bit deeper, playing a non-bar track, "Sultans of Swing." And you're standing there, singing along with every line, and you feel part of the group, which is rare in this splintered internet world.
And then to the background of "Iko Iko," they had a limbo contest. I haven't seen that since the sixties. And this really tall girl almost won, I don't know how she did it.
And all nationalities participated and nothing was famous but the songs. The Hair Farmers were having more fun performing them than those who wrote them.
They did an amped-up version of Weezer's cover of Toto's "Africa."
And of course they played "Don't Stop Believin'"... And I'm thinking "The Sopranos" ended in 2009, can you believe it?
But the music remains.
And people are grooving in ski boots. Old and young. No one was boasting about their billions, there was no pecking order, you were either inside or you weren't, the music was leveling the room, it was the great equalizer.
And it's so strange. What happened to today's music? The youth like it, the media tells us it matters, but classic rock still rules.
And then, as if we were in Fenway Park, the duo went into "Sweet Caroline."
And we're all standing, with our arms in the air, singing along with the chorus and I'm wondering, are they gonna do the refrain?
And then, on cue, a great segment of the assembled multitude sang with all their might, for emphasis...
SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD!!
And it was.
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Friday 29 March 2019
Wednesday 27 March 2019
The Apple Keynote
Apple built its business on being late to the market but better. Starting with CD burners and iTunes, then the iPod and iPhone. All had predecessors, all worked better than they did. Furthermore, Apple worked best when it was a de facto monopoly. Like with the iPod and then the initial years of the iPhone. WHAT IS THE COMPANY'S STRATEGY NOW?
One person can make a difference. Look at AOC, working in a bar before this. And despite all the income and the money in the bank, there's no one with vision at Apple. That's Elon Musk at Tesla. Sure, he's insane, uncontrollable, geniuses oftentimes are. And at this point it looks like Tesla might not survive, but he single-handedly made electric cars the norm. You don't know it, but your gasoline-powered car is heading for the scrapheap. Lease, don't buy, because the value of that expensive iron is about to crater. So what we've got here is a company playing catch-up, poorly, where there's a first-mover advantage if the company keeps innovating, and in this case it's Netflix.
The real innovation here is in news. Apple has already purveyed all magazines for one low monthly price via its purchase of Texture, but no one knew about it. Now all those subscriptions are integrated into the News app, and...
Analysts are reading it wrong, quizzing the hoi polloi. The truth is this is a value proposition for those magazine and news addicted. If you're a voracious reader of periodicals, this is a deal. Is it enough to keep magazines alive? And are magazines better in print? As for the inclusion of the "Los Angeles Times"...a brilliant move by the new owner who is behind the 8-ball on digital subscriptions. And it's different content from the WSJ, although they're ADDING reporters to fill the niche. Either you can go it alone, like the NYT or the WaPo, or you need to be on this service.
But most people won't pay. Most people won't pay for ANYTHING! That's the freemium model in a nutshell. So, this $10 a month news tier is for junkies. Magazine junkies primarily. Not a huge segment of today's population. How many people subscribe to multiple periodicals, making $120 a year worth it? Few.
As for TV...
If the new app simplifies things, Apple couldn't simply get its message across. Let me see, you can log in to all your favorites via the Apple app. That's not that big a deal, one fires up their smart TV or Roku and all the apps are there. As for remembering passwords, that's cool, but usually you set it once and are done, even if you do tend to forget the passwords. There's just not enough innovation here.
As for Apple's TV service, its originals... What is it again? Apple has a whole event and nobody knows the price, the launch date...
All they know is Tim Cook paraded a bunch of aged celebrities to show credibility.
Let's see, Spielberg, the man who wants to exclude Netflix from the Oscars. Very prescient and up-to-date. As for "Amazing Stories," it wasn't a big hit the first time around.
Oprah... Isn't she just Johnny Carson? Someone fading in the rearview mirror who the younger generation is unaware of? If you're not on TV every day... Ellen DeGeneres is bigger than Oprah, it's just the oldsters in the media did not get the message. Apple is famous for bringing out hip acts in its music events, shouldn't we have seen Jordan Peele?
Oh, he's too edgy for the PG-rated Apple.
Boobs are just a click away on Netflix. HBO had the Khaleesi topless. But Apple wants to be wholesome in a world so coarse, just watch and listen to the rappers. Then again, Cardi B is hipper than anybody in Cupertino.
I'm not paying another subscription fee for limited inventory. That's HBO, and compared to Netflix it's a rip-off. Netflix has a huge catalog of licensed material and is making new stuff at a ragged pace to create its own catalog. They're spending, but furthermore it's not always about money. TV is about story and people and it's a crapshoot. Apple used to be a distributor, still is in news. But becoming both maker and distributor? That's a recipe for failure usually. Facebook counts on users populating the site with content. Amazon makes the most money selling other people's wares. Google search is just a vehicle to sell ads.
As for the music paradigm...
Apple's got a long history in music, not in television. And the brand only means so much, especially these days. People used to testify about their Apple products, now even diehards are questioning their functionality. Why is it my iPhone screen always gets stuck in the horizontal position? And it's not only me, I've seen it on other phones.
And why in Mail do I click on a message and get no content? Happens all the time, and on others' Macs too. But Apple is so busy moving forward, it's not taking care of what it's already built.
And we criticize the behemoth because we expect it to lead. We expect Jobs's mantra IT JUST WORKS to continue. But oftentimes it does not.
You don't ask for everybody's attention and then fail to deliver. Then people will stop paying attention. And Apple is on the verge of this.
And sure, video games are hot, but Google announced play in a browser and Apple...wants you to pay to play, when hand-held games are all about getting people to play for free and then getting them to pay for upgrades, can you say FORTNITE?
The days of gadgets are gone. All you need is a smartphone.
We're living in the era of software and services.
But, once again, Apple is coming from behind and delivering little.
Jobs showed us you pick a lane and overdeliver.
But Apple is trying to do a little bit of everything half-heartedly and that's a recipe for...
Failure.
That's right, twenty-odd years of internet tech has shown us that one player gets the lion's share of the market, the rest play for scraps. We've got Google, we've got Amazon, we've got Facebook...
We used to have Apple.
We don't anymore.
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One person can make a difference. Look at AOC, working in a bar before this. And despite all the income and the money in the bank, there's no one with vision at Apple. That's Elon Musk at Tesla. Sure, he's insane, uncontrollable, geniuses oftentimes are. And at this point it looks like Tesla might not survive, but he single-handedly made electric cars the norm. You don't know it, but your gasoline-powered car is heading for the scrapheap. Lease, don't buy, because the value of that expensive iron is about to crater. So what we've got here is a company playing catch-up, poorly, where there's a first-mover advantage if the company keeps innovating, and in this case it's Netflix.
The real innovation here is in news. Apple has already purveyed all magazines for one low monthly price via its purchase of Texture, but no one knew about it. Now all those subscriptions are integrated into the News app, and...
Analysts are reading it wrong, quizzing the hoi polloi. The truth is this is a value proposition for those magazine and news addicted. If you're a voracious reader of periodicals, this is a deal. Is it enough to keep magazines alive? And are magazines better in print? As for the inclusion of the "Los Angeles Times"...a brilliant move by the new owner who is behind the 8-ball on digital subscriptions. And it's different content from the WSJ, although they're ADDING reporters to fill the niche. Either you can go it alone, like the NYT or the WaPo, or you need to be on this service.
But most people won't pay. Most people won't pay for ANYTHING! That's the freemium model in a nutshell. So, this $10 a month news tier is for junkies. Magazine junkies primarily. Not a huge segment of today's population. How many people subscribe to multiple periodicals, making $120 a year worth it? Few.
As for TV...
If the new app simplifies things, Apple couldn't simply get its message across. Let me see, you can log in to all your favorites via the Apple app. That's not that big a deal, one fires up their smart TV or Roku and all the apps are there. As for remembering passwords, that's cool, but usually you set it once and are done, even if you do tend to forget the passwords. There's just not enough innovation here.
As for Apple's TV service, its originals... What is it again? Apple has a whole event and nobody knows the price, the launch date...
All they know is Tim Cook paraded a bunch of aged celebrities to show credibility.
Let's see, Spielberg, the man who wants to exclude Netflix from the Oscars. Very prescient and up-to-date. As for "Amazing Stories," it wasn't a big hit the first time around.
Oprah... Isn't she just Johnny Carson? Someone fading in the rearview mirror who the younger generation is unaware of? If you're not on TV every day... Ellen DeGeneres is bigger than Oprah, it's just the oldsters in the media did not get the message. Apple is famous for bringing out hip acts in its music events, shouldn't we have seen Jordan Peele?
Oh, he's too edgy for the PG-rated Apple.
Boobs are just a click away on Netflix. HBO had the Khaleesi topless. But Apple wants to be wholesome in a world so coarse, just watch and listen to the rappers. Then again, Cardi B is hipper than anybody in Cupertino.
I'm not paying another subscription fee for limited inventory. That's HBO, and compared to Netflix it's a rip-off. Netflix has a huge catalog of licensed material and is making new stuff at a ragged pace to create its own catalog. They're spending, but furthermore it's not always about money. TV is about story and people and it's a crapshoot. Apple used to be a distributor, still is in news. But becoming both maker and distributor? That's a recipe for failure usually. Facebook counts on users populating the site with content. Amazon makes the most money selling other people's wares. Google search is just a vehicle to sell ads.
As for the music paradigm...
Apple's got a long history in music, not in television. And the brand only means so much, especially these days. People used to testify about their Apple products, now even diehards are questioning their functionality. Why is it my iPhone screen always gets stuck in the horizontal position? And it's not only me, I've seen it on other phones.
And why in Mail do I click on a message and get no content? Happens all the time, and on others' Macs too. But Apple is so busy moving forward, it's not taking care of what it's already built.
And we criticize the behemoth because we expect it to lead. We expect Jobs's mantra IT JUST WORKS to continue. But oftentimes it does not.
You don't ask for everybody's attention and then fail to deliver. Then people will stop paying attention. And Apple is on the verge of this.
And sure, video games are hot, but Google announced play in a browser and Apple...wants you to pay to play, when hand-held games are all about getting people to play for free and then getting them to pay for upgrades, can you say FORTNITE?
The days of gadgets are gone. All you need is a smartphone.
We're living in the era of software and services.
But, once again, Apple is coming from behind and delivering little.
Jobs showed us you pick a lane and overdeliver.
But Apple is trying to do a little bit of everything half-heartedly and that's a recipe for...
Failure.
That's right, twenty-odd years of internet tech has shown us that one player gets the lion's share of the market, the rest play for scraps. We've got Google, we've got Amazon, we've got Facebook...
We used to have Apple.
We don't anymore.
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--
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Tuesday 26 March 2019
The Mueller Report
It doesn't matter.
It's kinda like hip-hop. You either love it or hate it and there's no track that's gonna change your mind.
That's America in 2019. Polarized. But it's even worse, not only are we on two sides, we can't even agree on the rules. One side watches o Fox and reads Breitbart and the Daily Caller and the other watches MSNBC and reads "The New York Times" and Daily Kos. We get different facts, different opinions, and we're not about to change our minds. It's like one side is playing football and the other baseball.
Oh, there are those on the left saying the right is playing unfair and employing falsehoods, but their exhortations are falling on deaf ears. Nobody on the other side is listening. Although I will say for the past few decades the left has been vulnerable to the right's criticisms, although that is changing.
So the report is out. Sure, we felt there might be a bombshell. But when there wasn't, we just switched the channel, believing the report was no different from a prize fight or Evel Knievel jumping the Snake River Canyon. Endless hype, and then the event happens and we move on.
The rank and file didn't believe Trump colluded with the Russians anyway. They don't perceive him to be that smart and that Machiavellian. Trump's like a pinball and we keep expecting the machine to tilt but he keeps bouncing off the rubber bands and bumpers, wreaking havoc, but now we're used to it.
We've got outrage fatigue.
For a while we were excited by the Democrats' control of the House, but that's now faded too. We've found out that the individual has no power, it's a game and we're left out, and now that the Dems control the House there's gridlock, a brake on the system and we can stop paying attention.
We're dying to stop paying attention. It's been three years already where we've been focused on the news, we want to get back to our regular lives. The only movie that's interesting is the Presidential election of 2020 and the Democratic nomination process. We know Trump will run as the Republican candidate, we know his minions will support him, but can the left beat him?
It's not looking good. There's chaos. Nancy Pelosi looks like Jeremy Corbyn, refusing to sanction Ilan Omar for her anti-Semitic trope about Jews having dual loyalty. To the point where the left is afraid to show up at AIPAC, even though the organization's total lobbying expenditures amounted to $3.5 million and it's not even in the Top 50. (https://nyti.ms/2JEAz7m) But I bet there are lefties who don't believe this, it's not only the right that picks and chooses facts.
And that's just damn sad.
The point being is the left experiencing a Trump moment, or is it shooting itself in the foot? Has the Democratic base moved far left, or is the far left just getting attention?
The mainstream media missed Trump, those left behind, those who are racist. Are they missing people who don't want to move that far left?
And then we've got the Green New Deal. Sounds good on paper, but then read John Hickenlooper's opinion piece in today's "Washington Post": https://wapo.st/2TCjQkw Hickenlooper says it's not possible, that we must move in that direction, but realistically.
But realism has left the discussion. Trump's wall will never be built and there won't be a Green New Deal. Trump is agitating for the wall to solidify his base. The left is for addressing climate change, but are we on the verge of a guaranteed income? I doubt it when everybody's bitching about welfare and Betsy DeVos wants to defund the Special Olympics.
That's the nation we live in today. A narcissistic one. You might say the youth are different, with their school loans and hobbled futures, but they're busy posting on Instagram and trying to be influencers. Meanwhile, it's now de rigueur to move back in with your parents after graduating from college and actresses want a minimum wage for waiters and waitresses but they say they don't want it. The actresses' hearts are in the right place, they just don't know the inner workings of the restaurant world. Just because you eat that doesn't make you an expert on food service.
But you can't tell anybody they're wrong these days. If you do, expect to be hectored on social media. And it's to the point where we've dropped friends because they're on the other side of the political fence.
So Trump says the Mueller report is a triumph, a complete exoneration, and the left says the devil is in the details and when we see the actual report...
And the rank and file are watching Netflix.
There's a thin layer of people addicted to the news. The rest of us have been glued ever since the Trump phenomenon gained traction, but we're sick of it now. With the cheerleading cable channels, the newspapers that trump up one side or the other. It's a 24/7 circus, it never shuts down, everything's important.
But it's not.
That's what we've learned. We only have power over our own little lives. And we want to refocus on them. Sure, we'll vote in the next election, but one thing's for sure, there's always an election thereafter.
Or as George Carlin so eloquently put it, "Save the planet? SAVE YOURSELF!"
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It's kinda like hip-hop. You either love it or hate it and there's no track that's gonna change your mind.
That's America in 2019. Polarized. But it's even worse, not only are we on two sides, we can't even agree on the rules. One side watches o Fox and reads Breitbart and the Daily Caller and the other watches MSNBC and reads "The New York Times" and Daily Kos. We get different facts, different opinions, and we're not about to change our minds. It's like one side is playing football and the other baseball.
Oh, there are those on the left saying the right is playing unfair and employing falsehoods, but their exhortations are falling on deaf ears. Nobody on the other side is listening. Although I will say for the past few decades the left has been vulnerable to the right's criticisms, although that is changing.
So the report is out. Sure, we felt there might be a bombshell. But when there wasn't, we just switched the channel, believing the report was no different from a prize fight or Evel Knievel jumping the Snake River Canyon. Endless hype, and then the event happens and we move on.
The rank and file didn't believe Trump colluded with the Russians anyway. They don't perceive him to be that smart and that Machiavellian. Trump's like a pinball and we keep expecting the machine to tilt but he keeps bouncing off the rubber bands and bumpers, wreaking havoc, but now we're used to it.
We've got outrage fatigue.
For a while we were excited by the Democrats' control of the House, but that's now faded too. We've found out that the individual has no power, it's a game and we're left out, and now that the Dems control the House there's gridlock, a brake on the system and we can stop paying attention.
We're dying to stop paying attention. It's been three years already where we've been focused on the news, we want to get back to our regular lives. The only movie that's interesting is the Presidential election of 2020 and the Democratic nomination process. We know Trump will run as the Republican candidate, we know his minions will support him, but can the left beat him?
It's not looking good. There's chaos. Nancy Pelosi looks like Jeremy Corbyn, refusing to sanction Ilan Omar for her anti-Semitic trope about Jews having dual loyalty. To the point where the left is afraid to show up at AIPAC, even though the organization's total lobbying expenditures amounted to $3.5 million and it's not even in the Top 50. (https://nyti.ms/2JEAz7m) But I bet there are lefties who don't believe this, it's not only the right that picks and chooses facts.
And that's just damn sad.
The point being is the left experiencing a Trump moment, or is it shooting itself in the foot? Has the Democratic base moved far left, or is the far left just getting attention?
The mainstream media missed Trump, those left behind, those who are racist. Are they missing people who don't want to move that far left?
And then we've got the Green New Deal. Sounds good on paper, but then read John Hickenlooper's opinion piece in today's "Washington Post": https://wapo.st/2TCjQkw Hickenlooper says it's not possible, that we must move in that direction, but realistically.
But realism has left the discussion. Trump's wall will never be built and there won't be a Green New Deal. Trump is agitating for the wall to solidify his base. The left is for addressing climate change, but are we on the verge of a guaranteed income? I doubt it when everybody's bitching about welfare and Betsy DeVos wants to defund the Special Olympics.
That's the nation we live in today. A narcissistic one. You might say the youth are different, with their school loans and hobbled futures, but they're busy posting on Instagram and trying to be influencers. Meanwhile, it's now de rigueur to move back in with your parents after graduating from college and actresses want a minimum wage for waiters and waitresses but they say they don't want it. The actresses' hearts are in the right place, they just don't know the inner workings of the restaurant world. Just because you eat that doesn't make you an expert on food service.
But you can't tell anybody they're wrong these days. If you do, expect to be hectored on social media. And it's to the point where we've dropped friends because they're on the other side of the political fence.
So Trump says the Mueller report is a triumph, a complete exoneration, and the left says the devil is in the details and when we see the actual report...
And the rank and file are watching Netflix.
There's a thin layer of people addicted to the news. The rest of us have been glued ever since the Trump phenomenon gained traction, but we're sick of it now. With the cheerleading cable channels, the newspapers that trump up one side or the other. It's a 24/7 circus, it never shuts down, everything's important.
But it's not.
That's what we've learned. We only have power over our own little lives. And we want to refocus on them. Sure, we'll vote in the next election, but one thing's for sure, there's always an election thereafter.
Or as George Carlin so eloquently put it, "Save the planet? SAVE YOURSELF!"
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-TuneIn: http://tunein.com/lefsetz
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Def Leppard On Howard Stern
They sounded like a garage band.
And I mean that as a compliment.
I was listening to Joe Elliott tell stories of hanging with Bono and Bowie, that his favorite song was "All The Young Dudes," and then the band fired up and played "Ziggy Stardust."
That's not the track that remains, not the one that gets airplay. People focus on the later hits, especially from the MTV era, like "Let's Dance." But before Bowie turned into a young American, he explored the rock genre, and his apotheosis was the album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars," which was much bigger in the U.K. than it was in the U.S., where Bowie didn't really break through until "Rebel Rebel"
Bowie, T. Rex, Roxy Music, they were burgeoning in '72 while America was still caught up in southern rock. It was a veritable hotbed of exploration I tell you.
And Joe Elliott was hooked. A dreamer. Who came up with the name "Deaf Leopard" before he had a band.
At first we wanted to be baseball players. Maybe a football/soccer player in England. And then the Beatles hit and we all wanted to be in bands. And this lasted a very long time, from the Beatles to the disco encroachment of the late seventies, to the rebirth on MTV until it became how you looked more than how well you played and the video outlet was no longer an AOR station.
Oh, there was a last gasp, with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the indie scene, but by the mid-nineties, it was all over. It's still over.
You didn't need lessons, only three chords. G, D and A. And when Viv or Phil, it's hard to tell on the radio, busted out a demonstration you knew the feeling, of power and distortion.
So they're gonna play a cover of the aforementioned "Ziggy Stardust," the title track. I'd have preferred "Moonage Daydream," but it wasn't my call.
And then...
The guitars wailed. That's one thing a non-athletic person could do well, make a glorious sound with guitar and amp.
And then you realized, they sounded just like the album, but a little bit different. And Joe started to sing and he was a bit overpowered by the guitars and he was doing his best to sound like Bowie but he too was a little bit different and it took me back to...
The garage.
Or in my case, Marc's basement. And Michael's living room.
We all plugged in, and then we started to play.
We looked at others for the chords, for the changes. There was always someone better in the band than we were. But we locked on to songs. Of course the Beatles, but stuff easy to play, like "Gloria," the Shadows of Knight version, not the Van Morrison/Them original.
And we were into gear. We knew the models. The same way you used to know what was inside your computer.
And we went to gigs not to hang with our friends and meet people, but to bask in the glorious sound coming from the stage.
It was a religion, I tell you.
You went to the record store. You saw all that you couldn't buy. A purchase was not a casual decision.
And you played those records until you knew every lick by heart. You'd sit in front of the turntable and learn the licks. Maybe slow it down or speed it up so it was in tune with your guitar.
And you'd write down the chords to remember.
And you'd dream about the guitar you were gonna buy.
And then you discovered you weren't quite good enough. Your gear gathered dust. But the music was still in you, you were still addicted. You did everything you could to get closer to it. Became a roadie, worked in a record store, maybe even at the label, not because you wanted to get rich, but because you wanted to be closer to the dope.
It ain't that way anymore.
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And I mean that as a compliment.
I was listening to Joe Elliott tell stories of hanging with Bono and Bowie, that his favorite song was "All The Young Dudes," and then the band fired up and played "Ziggy Stardust."
That's not the track that remains, not the one that gets airplay. People focus on the later hits, especially from the MTV era, like "Let's Dance." But before Bowie turned into a young American, he explored the rock genre, and his apotheosis was the album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars," which was much bigger in the U.K. than it was in the U.S., where Bowie didn't really break through until "Rebel Rebel"
Bowie, T. Rex, Roxy Music, they were burgeoning in '72 while America was still caught up in southern rock. It was a veritable hotbed of exploration I tell you.
And Joe Elliott was hooked. A dreamer. Who came up with the name "Deaf Leopard" before he had a band.
At first we wanted to be baseball players. Maybe a football/soccer player in England. And then the Beatles hit and we all wanted to be in bands. And this lasted a very long time, from the Beatles to the disco encroachment of the late seventies, to the rebirth on MTV until it became how you looked more than how well you played and the video outlet was no longer an AOR station.
Oh, there was a last gasp, with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the indie scene, but by the mid-nineties, it was all over. It's still over.
You didn't need lessons, only three chords. G, D and A. And when Viv or Phil, it's hard to tell on the radio, busted out a demonstration you knew the feeling, of power and distortion.
So they're gonna play a cover of the aforementioned "Ziggy Stardust," the title track. I'd have preferred "Moonage Daydream," but it wasn't my call.
And then...
The guitars wailed. That's one thing a non-athletic person could do well, make a glorious sound with guitar and amp.
And then you realized, they sounded just like the album, but a little bit different. And Joe started to sing and he was a bit overpowered by the guitars and he was doing his best to sound like Bowie but he too was a little bit different and it took me back to...
The garage.
Or in my case, Marc's basement. And Michael's living room.
We all plugged in, and then we started to play.
We looked at others for the chords, for the changes. There was always someone better in the band than we were. But we locked on to songs. Of course the Beatles, but stuff easy to play, like "Gloria," the Shadows of Knight version, not the Van Morrison/Them original.
And we were into gear. We knew the models. The same way you used to know what was inside your computer.
And we went to gigs not to hang with our friends and meet people, but to bask in the glorious sound coming from the stage.
It was a religion, I tell you.
You went to the record store. You saw all that you couldn't buy. A purchase was not a casual decision.
And you played those records until you knew every lick by heart. You'd sit in front of the turntable and learn the licks. Maybe slow it down or speed it up so it was in tune with your guitar.
And you'd write down the chords to remember.
And you'd dream about the guitar you were gonna buy.
And then you discovered you weren't quite good enough. Your gear gathered dust. But the music was still in you, you were still addicted. You did everything you could to get closer to it. Became a roadie, worked in a record store, maybe even at the label, not because you wanted to get rich, but because you wanted to be closer to the dope.
It ain't that way anymore.
--
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Monday 25 March 2019
Re-Motley Crue
A few thoughts on "The Dirt" --
Acting and directing aside, and just for the record --
Tom Zutaut was solely responsible for signing the Crue,
he wasn't an errand boy for Elektra, he was very smart, and he was good at his job. I hired him as my assistant and he then lobbied for me to produce them. It worked.
Doc's drug bust was firmly in the distant past. He's a smart, generous and extremely effective manager. He handled this biker gang intelligently, firmly, and with a healthy dose of humor. As difficult as it was, he made it look easy. Doug Thaler, mentioned in only one line, had the hard part. He was on the road with them -- a Herculean task.
As far as none of the characters being believable, I was delighted to see that the drummer almost WAS Tommy -- in perfect character every second of the way. In terms of behavior and personality, the actors may not have been Oscar level, but they did do their homework.
Bottom line is that alot of people worked really hard to keep this band on the rails.
The quality of the movie? No comment.
Bob, I don't subscribe to Rolling Stone any more, but I do continue to learn from your blog. Write on.
Tom Werman
_____________________________________
Mr. Lefsetz ...
makes some incontravertable observations.
However, i don't remember him 'being' there either.
And I was.
Signed Motley to Greenworld, did the sales, promotion and marketing for that first record. One of the many unwanted sonic lepers I championed.
{Nikki loves to claim they 'self released.' Coffman brought the record in. I, and my young terrific staff, did the rest. The band were nowhere to be seen ... they did not place it with Stark/Camelot, Pizza, Tower, Record Bar, Sam Goody or wherever. Making it look bigger than it truly was - some 15,000 units between the US and my UK retailers. They didn't stuff promo envelopes. On Saturdays.]
Got it placed at Elektra. Steered them away from Virgin and my old boss and one of his 'cases of cash'. (Bet Warrior wished I had done that for them - heres a hit that should have been).
Helped Zoots get his first A&R gig.
My point. Motley always were, in my modest and possibly wrong opinion, and are, shits. The film did not get what I know right. Its an exercise of selective memory and mythological propaganda. Standard Frank. Bob should have learned by now - Momma always said 'don't defen' da devil, chile.'
I once had an affair with one of Vince's girls. He surely fucked her up.
The finale of the story behind Zutaut's date, trumpeted in both book and film, is truly tragic.
Bob usually has a really decent take on things. Here, he is way way off.
They don't deserve or require his endorsement.
Alan Niven
_____________________________________
I was the V P of Promotion at Elektra when Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil" was released in 1983. I dealt with the band, Doc, Doug Thaler and Zutaut A LOT.
There were some wild nights for the band…..but, that said….IF Tommy or Nikki committed to do something, you could take it to the bank.
It did not matter if it was an interview at 7:30 AM or an in store appearance at 3PM. They were THERE, on time, every time. One of the most dependable bands with which I worked.
They may have been hung over, but they showed up.
They were in it to win it.
Mike Bone
_____________________________________
WICKED review Bob!!
For all the critics that are slagging The Dirt, it's just a slice of life of that time. It happened.
Did any critic slag Spielberg for showing hands and heads being blown off in Saving Private Ryan ?
No, it is a piece of history available for those who want to see it.
Love your line about VIPs. You had to be one back in the Dirt days. Now the rich kids buy their VIP passes like their college admissions. Backstage and VIP passes have become ATM cards!!
Its Only Rock and Roll but I .......
Native Wayne Jobson
Los Angeles
_____________________________________
As a Crüe head and self proclaimed Crüe historian watching the movie was at times difficult because of all the inaccuracies. But it was based on a book that may or may not be entirely true. Who cares, it's hands down the best book about rock n roll ever written.
Enough time has passed that most people forget how crazy that 80's Sunset Strip scene was. All anyone remembers now are the hits and the hair. Young men from all over the country were relocating to the Sunset Strip to "start a band". And when they got there they were greeted by a scene that was at once a frat house party and an orgy with plenty of willing participants.
The two biggest bands to make it out of that scene were Mötley Crüe and Guns N Roses and they were also the two hardest partying. Growing up reading about these bands and seeing their videos and interviews on MTV, you looked at these men as Gods. As the saying goes, women wanted to be with them and men wanted to be them. The music reflected the lifestyle. And the lifestyle worked until it didn't.
You can do a lot of things with your Mac and Protools in your bedroom at your parents house. But they'll never create a scene like that. And that scene mattered. A community of like minded musicians creating music for a generation to grow up with. I thank God every day that I grew up listening to those bands as opposed to what's out there today.
Neil Johnson
_____________________________________
Just finished it, it's everything the 7th grade dr feelgood loving Rocker in me wanted from, even Doc got his due
Dan Steinberg
_____________________________________
Great piece. Born in '81, my career has been about electronic music but felt like I was in dazed and confused.
Alex Becket
_____________________________________
I love/loved Van Halen! They were the gateway to rock and metal for me. Along with Ozzy and Sabbath, I was bought in!! Then, 1983, Mötley came into the scene....at least in Tulsa, OK. Unless you lived on the coasts, you were behind the 8-ball (btw, pre-internet years sucked!!).
Instantly, my grades plummeted, and I HATED school. My attitude at home? Blown! I wanted to be Vince Neil so bad....I bleached my hair and everything (still do.....sigh)... Mötley Crüe was the biggest band in the world of a 13-20 year old at this time. IF ANYONE says they didn't like Crüe from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood, they are prob lying. They were who guys wanted to be! Changed my life....music became the most important thing in my life and it stayed that way. Were Nikki and the boys pulling the wool over midwestern boys' eyes ?? Sure! Selling that image.
The shit worked! No joke
Jason Jameson
_____________________________________
Nice write up! I thought it good- casting was right on. Especially Ozzy! Great scene! Although, Very "Behind the Music" as far as pacing/ structure and it almost went off the rails as a Lifetime flick. However, it was nice to see some 'Debauchery' — just to remind folks that shit was messed up— yet, Good times, never had again. Nevertheless, Motley Crue was a joke. Always the joke. They sucked. However, more entertaining than Queen and especially that 'bio pic'.
Matthew Erhartic
_____________________________________
I watched The Dirt twice this weekend. It took me back. I was there. So much was missing, But the director got so much right!. They really captured the scene of the sunset strip in the 80s. Gazzarri's, Rainbow, Roxy and Whiskey. Dead on. I cried when Razzle dies, skylar died and Vince came back to his brothers. Also laughed at the raunchiness and over the top sex and drug scenes. Hard to watch Nikki's closet drug scenes. Triple A+ for casting.
kkanl
_____________________________________
This is a terrible exploitive film that comes in stark contrast to a Nikki Sixx doc done a few years ago when it was clear there was a shitload more method to his madness than what appears in this piece of shit. I have been blown away recently by the piss poor quality of Netflix films from the Chevy Chase/Richard Dreyfuss and Ray Romano/Mark Duplass. But this is low end kife. No band just fucks their way into where the Crue found themselves. Not only with Sixx instrumental but Tommy Lee is a whole lot smarter than what was shown.
On the other hand, Crue was a business venture from Day One and should have been treated as such in the film.
And it's a vulgar business to be sure but must we have our noses rubbed in it. Vince Neil was never as good as Diamond Dave.
Jonathan Gross
_____________________________________
Bob, like you the hype brought me to it. The crappy production values AND the unreal acting after a half hour turned me off.
Should have made a straight documentary of this group. That would be honest! Tom.
Tom Battista
_____________________________________
Well put! I agree with everything you said Bob.
Mark Stockwell
_____________________________________
I snort-laughed out my beverage when you ended the Crue piece with "SUCKAS." Spot on about their movie, Bob. All the people offended in their reviews.... They're all off. It's a highly entertaining, if not ludicrous, story of a completely different time in music and our culture. Glad I saw them in their prime. Highly recommended!
Josh Valentine
_____________________________________
Actually a lot of women hung around bands because they loved the music, possibly because they were themselves "creatives" and they themselves wanted to have the lifestyles these bands were "allowed" to have. But of course women and girls were barred from entry to a world that apparently only men have the right to want: sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. So the next best thing is to have a boyfriend, lover, one night stand that allows you to live it for a minute, right? Isn't that what all fans want when they are trying to get close?
Difference for women is even if you have the talent – you are not allowed. Very hard and all the men knock you down. A lot of women never even try.
In a nutshell – women want to BE the rockers (or A&R execs, etc.). But fucking them is like the next best thing to being them. [at least it seems like it when you're young, dumb and full of cum]
Please don't publish my name.
_____________________________________
"The Dirt" was unashamed to show the drugs, misogyny and stupidity of the times.
Bohemian Rhapsody just wanted the largest audience possible to garner the largest box office.
A bland, vanilla interpretation of that rock 'n roll era.
Next up… ROCKETMAN. Did Elton have a dark period? Will the filmmakers reveal what we already know?
Peace & Love. PACE AND LOVE!
Bob Mori
Los Angeles, California
_____________________________________
On the money, Honey.
Hugo Burnham
_____________________________________
I swear I felt myself getting dumber watching that clown show.
Bill Tibbs
_____________________________________
And how about ZZ Top - Tush?!
Can you imagine a band releasing a song like that .. with those lyrics .. today?
They'd be on the next flight to Siberia and those notes would never hit the air.
Feh.
Seth Lachs
_____________________________________
I did enjoy The Dirt, never was a fan of hard rock, hair bands etal, still not. However, currently being in the middle of nowhere *Atacama desert/Chile I stopped into a hole in the wall bar for a drink late yesterday afternoon. Guess what was blaring on the stereo? Hairbands and hard rock. This strain of music is like a cockroach, it will go on and on long after.............. *having almost spent years outside of the US, this is what I've encountered everywhere on the planet I went.
Sjaak Blaauw
_____________________________________
It's gonna be a must-see for me. The Dirt is still one of my favorite music biographies, if not #1. I always got the sense these guys won the rock n' roll lottery, but their success didn't happen by chance. Hats off to the Crue!
Brett Alperowitz
_____________________________________
I don't think anyone doubts the power of that era, but the movie itself is laughably bad. Poorly directed, horribly shot, a script that sounds like it was written by a 3-year-old and crucially, god-awful acting. The story here isn't the movie but rather how the fuck Netflix keeps throwing money at stuff like this. "The Dirt" makes "Bohemian Rhapsody" look like "Citizen Kane."
Paul Cantor
_____________________________________
Best part was at the end with the side by sides with the real thing and the reenactment.
Alan Fenton
_____________________________________
Brilliant post
Brian Rawling
_____________________________________
It was fantastic! Even though they did cram the 90's into the last 15 minutes, it was still better than any critic will admit. It should've been a series. Too bad there wasn't enough dough (faith) for that to happen, but they've always been underestimated.
It's now time for the flood gates to open for everyone else's biopic. Sure to happen quickly and painfully.
I've got an idea...
Terry Gottschalk
_____________________________________
I'm sitting here watching The Dirt and it's a cool production of a not so great band. I wish there was the same thing for Tom or Bruce or fill in the blank. Fleetwood would be amazing
Neil Dahlgren
_____________________________________
I just finished watching the movie and saw your email. Growing up in SCAL at the time this movie is correect. Good write up Bob!
Kyle J. Ferraro
_____________________________________
Watching it. Love it! Brings back so many memories and the energy is perfect! And they're all so adorable.
Melissa Ward
_____________________________________
Good Shabbos! Thanks for the suggestion- we just watched it and really enjoyed it - your missive was spot on. But Oy the actor playing Tommy Lee...
Josh Dorf
_____________________________________
Dead Fucking On. I've had this argument with so many for so long. I didn't like Crue but they practiced what they preached.
Marc Paschke
_____________________________________
And it is true/lol. As a side note......Doc McGhee had a home in Coto not too long ago (probably a lot like the $16 mil one you just saw. He may still have it but believe he spends most of his time in the bay area now) He is still rich and probably still has drugs. Haven't worked with him for at least 10 years. But he is legend and fortunately he liked me working with his groups was never dull. And truly that is when musicians ruled their world and a lot of other people's too.
Pamela Forney
_____________________________________
Hey Bob,
Loved this email. I was there in the day too. I saw Motley Crue in 1982 at the Roxy before their album got rereleased on Elektra (they put it out first as an independent). I was leaning against the stage in front of Mick Mars that night and he let me strum his guitar during "Take Me to the Top," their opening song.
I remember it all. As a 13 year old, it was life changing.
I was a miserable teenager and joining a band gave me hope. Later, we got signed to RCA and got played a lot on Headbangers Ball. You're right about the girls and the scene. On the Strip and everywhere else.
Everyone has crazy tour stories, but I do have one oddity to contribute:
We pulled into Salt Lake City on our first tour, and all brought girls back to the hotel after the show. The next morning, the girl I was with said she needed to call her mom to come pick her up before our bus left.
I said, "What? Your mom?" She said "Don't worry. It's cool."
Next thing I know there are 3 cars with parents pulling into our hotel parking lot picking up all the girls who spent the night. They were very nice and happy to meet us. The parents asked us to sign posters on the hoods of their cars. It was like carpool pickup at school. The whole time I'm thinking…"we brought your daughters back to our hotel. They spent the night. We all know what happened here. And you want autographs?"
I liked the girl I was with. Even tried to call her not long after that night. She never called me back.
SLC was always notorious for the craziest escapades.
I wouldn't want to live it all again, but that period had its moments. And the scene in LA was palpable.
Always love hearing your take on things.
Thanks!
Rob Grad
_____________________________________
Looking forward to seeing this movie. I am not sure why I wasn't consulted, as I was to promoters as MC was to rock bands. We were different. We were the scene, not part of it. We rocked. Not for the faint of heart.
Motley played their first show outside of California for me opening for KISS at the Aladdin Theatre (now Zappos) I paid them $2500, where, after the show, I sat with the 4 of them in a closet backstage upstairs, with Doc and Doug Thaler, smoking a fattie, and Tommy said, "do you think we can make it? You know, you're a fucking god promoter! TELL ME!"
Point blank, I told him they could be the biggest there ever was, if they did it right, and listened to their managers.
Good for them, they did listen. And they became HUGE. And wrote a couple of huge tunes to boot, the key to rock success.
I loved them all, and became especially close with Tommy, over the years. Very cool guys, although brother Vince and Nikki would go off on me from time to Time, but they were really representing rock. Mick and I never really hung but that boy can play some mean guitar. No Motley without him.
They truly were what the name said. They didn't regret that name ever. They lived it.
They had more fun, more girls, (usually with their permission(!) and became icons, despite themselves. No disrespect, but they were wild dogs.
I was a big promoter when I met them and was a bigger promoter when I was done promoting shows with them. Sadly, during the promoter consolidation, I was lost in the shuffle and no longer did shows with them once they were getting their multi jillion dollar tour deals, but god bless them, they beat the system doing it.
Motley will always hold a sweet spot in my heart and soul, they were one of the last bands to be what rock n roll is really about.
Here's the short list:
Stuff that pisses off the parents and you get in trouble for coming home higher than hell and way after the agreed upon time
Something that Pisses off your jock boyfriend for digging the bad boys
Something as a promoter that others laughed at me about for promoting, before they became huge. Then they all "discovered" these guys! Sure thing.
Being into Motley at the beginning was just like me being into this English group who had a song called Please Please Me who were called the Beattles (not my spelling) I was on to something, was I ever. Then I met Motley a few decades later....
I Love these guys no matter what, and I hope the movie is great, but it doesn't matter. But I will tell you this: The real life movie in my mind is still alive and I will never forget them for their friendship, the great business we did, along with Doc who I will always love, too, and our camaraderie. They are great people and I hope the movie inspires kids to quit being so fucking serious and be kids again. Get out there and rock, let's get over all of this wimpy pop music and rap crap and turn it up again!
Have some fun! Get crazy. You'll be my age soon, remembering these good old days when Motley was a new band and then one of your serious successes. It can happen! And it will.
God bless MC!
Danny Zelisko
________
Ninety minutes later:
I watched the movie and loved it. The 4 guys playing the Crue really did a great job recreating what happened very organically but not quite as easily, in real life.
The real disappointment was whoever cast Doc never met him, as David Costabile wasn't close to the incredible Doc McGhee. Doc was the equivalent of PT Barnum. In fact I called him that on more than one occasion. He was the ringmaster. He was one of the Crue while he was taking care of them, rather than the drill sergeant that was shown on screen. The guy in the movie was modeled more after Norm, the Beatles manager in A Hard Days Night! This was not Doc, who was the funniest guy of the bunch, who once explained to me "it's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing milkbone shorts."
For a decade, Doc was the hottest manager in all of rock. He "got" his band and worked with them, not against them as their "boss."
I will never forget Sam Kinison saying to me one night, "I want YOU to be my Doc McGhee!"
I replied, "if you want Doc, here's his number, you don't want me. I can never be Doc. There is only one Doc." He was every bit a part of the band like the actual members.
The tours were done with precision, down to every detail, including their security detail and road managers. There was nothing sloppy about their presentation. First class each time.
Doug Thaler, their other manager, was also very responsible for their success, although it was funny how they took him out, but at least he got credit. He had the unenviable task of taking care of the band after Corabi joined, not an easy thing to deal with, as shown. There really was no Motley without Vince.
The dope shooting scenes were quite graphic although it was didn't seem to glorify the use as it was so obviously destructive to Nikki and the band, and was an awful time.
I imagine a lot of new rock groups will come out as a result of this film, wishing them luck here, in advance. It's a tough road.
Meanwhile, I am looking forward to seeing the boys on stage again someday. The world needs to rock, once again! Bring it!
Danny Zelisko
_____________________________________
Chris Nilsson here, one of the managers of Motley Crue and an Exec Producer on The Dirt.
I read your post today about the film and thought it was really amazing. Critics can be harsh but your perspective centered me to why we all wanted to do the film in the first place. I sent the post to the band and they loved it too. Thank you for putting it out there.
Take care.
Very Sincerely,
Chris Nilsson
President
10th St Entertainment
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Acting and directing aside, and just for the record --
Tom Zutaut was solely responsible for signing the Crue,
he wasn't an errand boy for Elektra, he was very smart, and he was good at his job. I hired him as my assistant and he then lobbied for me to produce them. It worked.
Doc's drug bust was firmly in the distant past. He's a smart, generous and extremely effective manager. He handled this biker gang intelligently, firmly, and with a healthy dose of humor. As difficult as it was, he made it look easy. Doug Thaler, mentioned in only one line, had the hard part. He was on the road with them -- a Herculean task.
As far as none of the characters being believable, I was delighted to see that the drummer almost WAS Tommy -- in perfect character every second of the way. In terms of behavior and personality, the actors may not have been Oscar level, but they did do their homework.
Bottom line is that alot of people worked really hard to keep this band on the rails.
The quality of the movie? No comment.
Bob, I don't subscribe to Rolling Stone any more, but I do continue to learn from your blog. Write on.
Tom Werman
_____________________________________
Mr. Lefsetz ...
makes some incontravertable observations.
However, i don't remember him 'being' there either.
And I was.
Signed Motley to Greenworld, did the sales, promotion and marketing for that first record. One of the many unwanted sonic lepers I championed.
{Nikki loves to claim they 'self released.' Coffman brought the record in. I, and my young terrific staff, did the rest. The band were nowhere to be seen ... they did not place it with Stark/Camelot, Pizza, Tower, Record Bar, Sam Goody or wherever. Making it look bigger than it truly was - some 15,000 units between the US and my UK retailers. They didn't stuff promo envelopes. On Saturdays.]
Got it placed at Elektra. Steered them away from Virgin and my old boss and one of his 'cases of cash'. (Bet Warrior wished I had done that for them - heres a hit that should have been).
Helped Zoots get his first A&R gig.
My point. Motley always were, in my modest and possibly wrong opinion, and are, shits. The film did not get what I know right. Its an exercise of selective memory and mythological propaganda. Standard Frank. Bob should have learned by now - Momma always said 'don't defen' da devil, chile.'
I once had an affair with one of Vince's girls. He surely fucked her up.
The finale of the story behind Zutaut's date, trumpeted in both book and film, is truly tragic.
Bob usually has a really decent take on things. Here, he is way way off.
They don't deserve or require his endorsement.
Alan Niven
_____________________________________
I was the V P of Promotion at Elektra when Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil" was released in 1983. I dealt with the band, Doc, Doug Thaler and Zutaut A LOT.
There were some wild nights for the band…..but, that said….IF Tommy or Nikki committed to do something, you could take it to the bank.
It did not matter if it was an interview at 7:30 AM or an in store appearance at 3PM. They were THERE, on time, every time. One of the most dependable bands with which I worked.
They may have been hung over, but they showed up.
They were in it to win it.
Mike Bone
_____________________________________
WICKED review Bob!!
For all the critics that are slagging The Dirt, it's just a slice of life of that time. It happened.
Did any critic slag Spielberg for showing hands and heads being blown off in Saving Private Ryan ?
No, it is a piece of history available for those who want to see it.
Love your line about VIPs. You had to be one back in the Dirt days. Now the rich kids buy their VIP passes like their college admissions. Backstage and VIP passes have become ATM cards!!
Its Only Rock and Roll but I .......
Native Wayne Jobson
Los Angeles
_____________________________________
As a Crüe head and self proclaimed Crüe historian watching the movie was at times difficult because of all the inaccuracies. But it was based on a book that may or may not be entirely true. Who cares, it's hands down the best book about rock n roll ever written.
Enough time has passed that most people forget how crazy that 80's Sunset Strip scene was. All anyone remembers now are the hits and the hair. Young men from all over the country were relocating to the Sunset Strip to "start a band". And when they got there they were greeted by a scene that was at once a frat house party and an orgy with plenty of willing participants.
The two biggest bands to make it out of that scene were Mötley Crüe and Guns N Roses and they were also the two hardest partying. Growing up reading about these bands and seeing their videos and interviews on MTV, you looked at these men as Gods. As the saying goes, women wanted to be with them and men wanted to be them. The music reflected the lifestyle. And the lifestyle worked until it didn't.
You can do a lot of things with your Mac and Protools in your bedroom at your parents house. But they'll never create a scene like that. And that scene mattered. A community of like minded musicians creating music for a generation to grow up with. I thank God every day that I grew up listening to those bands as opposed to what's out there today.
Neil Johnson
_____________________________________
Just finished it, it's everything the 7th grade dr feelgood loving Rocker in me wanted from, even Doc got his due
Dan Steinberg
_____________________________________
Great piece. Born in '81, my career has been about electronic music but felt like I was in dazed and confused.
Alex Becket
_____________________________________
I love/loved Van Halen! They were the gateway to rock and metal for me. Along with Ozzy and Sabbath, I was bought in!! Then, 1983, Mötley came into the scene....at least in Tulsa, OK. Unless you lived on the coasts, you were behind the 8-ball (btw, pre-internet years sucked!!).
Instantly, my grades plummeted, and I HATED school. My attitude at home? Blown! I wanted to be Vince Neil so bad....I bleached my hair and everything (still do.....sigh)... Mötley Crüe was the biggest band in the world of a 13-20 year old at this time. IF ANYONE says they didn't like Crüe from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood, they are prob lying. They were who guys wanted to be! Changed my life....music became the most important thing in my life and it stayed that way. Were Nikki and the boys pulling the wool over midwestern boys' eyes ?? Sure! Selling that image.
The shit worked! No joke
Jason Jameson
_____________________________________
Nice write up! I thought it good- casting was right on. Especially Ozzy! Great scene! Although, Very "Behind the Music" as far as pacing/ structure and it almost went off the rails as a Lifetime flick. However, it was nice to see some 'Debauchery' — just to remind folks that shit was messed up— yet, Good times, never had again. Nevertheless, Motley Crue was a joke. Always the joke. They sucked. However, more entertaining than Queen and especially that 'bio pic'.
Matthew Erhartic
_____________________________________
I watched The Dirt twice this weekend. It took me back. I was there. So much was missing, But the director got so much right!. They really captured the scene of the sunset strip in the 80s. Gazzarri's, Rainbow, Roxy and Whiskey. Dead on. I cried when Razzle dies, skylar died and Vince came back to his brothers. Also laughed at the raunchiness and over the top sex and drug scenes. Hard to watch Nikki's closet drug scenes. Triple A+ for casting.
kkanl
_____________________________________
This is a terrible exploitive film that comes in stark contrast to a Nikki Sixx doc done a few years ago when it was clear there was a shitload more method to his madness than what appears in this piece of shit. I have been blown away recently by the piss poor quality of Netflix films from the Chevy Chase/Richard Dreyfuss and Ray Romano/Mark Duplass. But this is low end kife. No band just fucks their way into where the Crue found themselves. Not only with Sixx instrumental but Tommy Lee is a whole lot smarter than what was shown.
On the other hand, Crue was a business venture from Day One and should have been treated as such in the film.
And it's a vulgar business to be sure but must we have our noses rubbed in it. Vince Neil was never as good as Diamond Dave.
Jonathan Gross
_____________________________________
Bob, like you the hype brought me to it. The crappy production values AND the unreal acting after a half hour turned me off.
Should have made a straight documentary of this group. That would be honest! Tom.
Tom Battista
_____________________________________
Well put! I agree with everything you said Bob.
Mark Stockwell
_____________________________________
I snort-laughed out my beverage when you ended the Crue piece with "SUCKAS." Spot on about their movie, Bob. All the people offended in their reviews.... They're all off. It's a highly entertaining, if not ludicrous, story of a completely different time in music and our culture. Glad I saw them in their prime. Highly recommended!
Josh Valentine
_____________________________________
Actually a lot of women hung around bands because they loved the music, possibly because they were themselves "creatives" and they themselves wanted to have the lifestyles these bands were "allowed" to have. But of course women and girls were barred from entry to a world that apparently only men have the right to want: sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. So the next best thing is to have a boyfriend, lover, one night stand that allows you to live it for a minute, right? Isn't that what all fans want when they are trying to get close?
Difference for women is even if you have the talent – you are not allowed. Very hard and all the men knock you down. A lot of women never even try.
In a nutshell – women want to BE the rockers (or A&R execs, etc.). But fucking them is like the next best thing to being them. [at least it seems like it when you're young, dumb and full of cum]
Please don't publish my name.
_____________________________________
"The Dirt" was unashamed to show the drugs, misogyny and stupidity of the times.
Bohemian Rhapsody just wanted the largest audience possible to garner the largest box office.
A bland, vanilla interpretation of that rock 'n roll era.
Next up… ROCKETMAN. Did Elton have a dark period? Will the filmmakers reveal what we already know?
Peace & Love. PACE AND LOVE!
Bob Mori
Los Angeles, California
_____________________________________
On the money, Honey.
Hugo Burnham
_____________________________________
I swear I felt myself getting dumber watching that clown show.
Bill Tibbs
_____________________________________
And how about ZZ Top - Tush?!
Can you imagine a band releasing a song like that .. with those lyrics .. today?
They'd be on the next flight to Siberia and those notes would never hit the air.
Feh.
Seth Lachs
_____________________________________
I did enjoy The Dirt, never was a fan of hard rock, hair bands etal, still not. However, currently being in the middle of nowhere *Atacama desert/Chile I stopped into a hole in the wall bar for a drink late yesterday afternoon. Guess what was blaring on the stereo? Hairbands and hard rock. This strain of music is like a cockroach, it will go on and on long after.............. *having almost spent years outside of the US, this is what I've encountered everywhere on the planet I went.
Sjaak Blaauw
_____________________________________
It's gonna be a must-see for me. The Dirt is still one of my favorite music biographies, if not #1. I always got the sense these guys won the rock n' roll lottery, but their success didn't happen by chance. Hats off to the Crue!
Brett Alperowitz
_____________________________________
I don't think anyone doubts the power of that era, but the movie itself is laughably bad. Poorly directed, horribly shot, a script that sounds like it was written by a 3-year-old and crucially, god-awful acting. The story here isn't the movie but rather how the fuck Netflix keeps throwing money at stuff like this. "The Dirt" makes "Bohemian Rhapsody" look like "Citizen Kane."
Paul Cantor
_____________________________________
Best part was at the end with the side by sides with the real thing and the reenactment.
Alan Fenton
_____________________________________
Brilliant post
Brian Rawling
_____________________________________
It was fantastic! Even though they did cram the 90's into the last 15 minutes, it was still better than any critic will admit. It should've been a series. Too bad there wasn't enough dough (faith) for that to happen, but they've always been underestimated.
It's now time for the flood gates to open for everyone else's biopic. Sure to happen quickly and painfully.
I've got an idea...
Terry Gottschalk
_____________________________________
I'm sitting here watching The Dirt and it's a cool production of a not so great band. I wish there was the same thing for Tom or Bruce or fill in the blank. Fleetwood would be amazing
Neil Dahlgren
_____________________________________
I just finished watching the movie and saw your email. Growing up in SCAL at the time this movie is correect. Good write up Bob!
Kyle J. Ferraro
_____________________________________
Watching it. Love it! Brings back so many memories and the energy is perfect! And they're all so adorable.
Melissa Ward
_____________________________________
Good Shabbos! Thanks for the suggestion- we just watched it and really enjoyed it - your missive was spot on. But Oy the actor playing Tommy Lee...
Josh Dorf
_____________________________________
Dead Fucking On. I've had this argument with so many for so long. I didn't like Crue but they practiced what they preached.
Marc Paschke
_____________________________________
And it is true/lol. As a side note......Doc McGhee had a home in Coto not too long ago (probably a lot like the $16 mil one you just saw. He may still have it but believe he spends most of his time in the bay area now) He is still rich and probably still has drugs. Haven't worked with him for at least 10 years. But he is legend and fortunately he liked me working with his groups was never dull. And truly that is when musicians ruled their world and a lot of other people's too.
Pamela Forney
_____________________________________
Hey Bob,
Loved this email. I was there in the day too. I saw Motley Crue in 1982 at the Roxy before their album got rereleased on Elektra (they put it out first as an independent). I was leaning against the stage in front of Mick Mars that night and he let me strum his guitar during "Take Me to the Top," their opening song.
I remember it all. As a 13 year old, it was life changing.
I was a miserable teenager and joining a band gave me hope. Later, we got signed to RCA and got played a lot on Headbangers Ball. You're right about the girls and the scene. On the Strip and everywhere else.
Everyone has crazy tour stories, but I do have one oddity to contribute:
We pulled into Salt Lake City on our first tour, and all brought girls back to the hotel after the show. The next morning, the girl I was with said she needed to call her mom to come pick her up before our bus left.
I said, "What? Your mom?" She said "Don't worry. It's cool."
Next thing I know there are 3 cars with parents pulling into our hotel parking lot picking up all the girls who spent the night. They were very nice and happy to meet us. The parents asked us to sign posters on the hoods of their cars. It was like carpool pickup at school. The whole time I'm thinking…"we brought your daughters back to our hotel. They spent the night. We all know what happened here. And you want autographs?"
I liked the girl I was with. Even tried to call her not long after that night. She never called me back.
SLC was always notorious for the craziest escapades.
I wouldn't want to live it all again, but that period had its moments. And the scene in LA was palpable.
Always love hearing your take on things.
Thanks!
Rob Grad
_____________________________________
Looking forward to seeing this movie. I am not sure why I wasn't consulted, as I was to promoters as MC was to rock bands. We were different. We were the scene, not part of it. We rocked. Not for the faint of heart.
Motley played their first show outside of California for me opening for KISS at the Aladdin Theatre (now Zappos) I paid them $2500, where, after the show, I sat with the 4 of them in a closet backstage upstairs, with Doc and Doug Thaler, smoking a fattie, and Tommy said, "do you think we can make it? You know, you're a fucking god promoter! TELL ME!"
Point blank, I told him they could be the biggest there ever was, if they did it right, and listened to their managers.
Good for them, they did listen. And they became HUGE. And wrote a couple of huge tunes to boot, the key to rock success.
I loved them all, and became especially close with Tommy, over the years. Very cool guys, although brother Vince and Nikki would go off on me from time to Time, but they were really representing rock. Mick and I never really hung but that boy can play some mean guitar. No Motley without him.
They truly were what the name said. They didn't regret that name ever. They lived it.
They had more fun, more girls, (usually with their permission(!) and became icons, despite themselves. No disrespect, but they were wild dogs.
I was a big promoter when I met them and was a bigger promoter when I was done promoting shows with them. Sadly, during the promoter consolidation, I was lost in the shuffle and no longer did shows with them once they were getting their multi jillion dollar tour deals, but god bless them, they beat the system doing it.
Motley will always hold a sweet spot in my heart and soul, they were one of the last bands to be what rock n roll is really about.
Here's the short list:
Stuff that pisses off the parents and you get in trouble for coming home higher than hell and way after the agreed upon time
Something that Pisses off your jock boyfriend for digging the bad boys
Something as a promoter that others laughed at me about for promoting, before they became huge. Then they all "discovered" these guys! Sure thing.
Being into Motley at the beginning was just like me being into this English group who had a song called Please Please Me who were called the Beattles (not my spelling) I was on to something, was I ever. Then I met Motley a few decades later....
I Love these guys no matter what, and I hope the movie is great, but it doesn't matter. But I will tell you this: The real life movie in my mind is still alive and I will never forget them for their friendship, the great business we did, along with Doc who I will always love, too, and our camaraderie. They are great people and I hope the movie inspires kids to quit being so fucking serious and be kids again. Get out there and rock, let's get over all of this wimpy pop music and rap crap and turn it up again!
Have some fun! Get crazy. You'll be my age soon, remembering these good old days when Motley was a new band and then one of your serious successes. It can happen! And it will.
God bless MC!
Danny Zelisko
________
Ninety minutes later:
I watched the movie and loved it. The 4 guys playing the Crue really did a great job recreating what happened very organically but not quite as easily, in real life.
The real disappointment was whoever cast Doc never met him, as David Costabile wasn't close to the incredible Doc McGhee. Doc was the equivalent of PT Barnum. In fact I called him that on more than one occasion. He was the ringmaster. He was one of the Crue while he was taking care of them, rather than the drill sergeant that was shown on screen. The guy in the movie was modeled more after Norm, the Beatles manager in A Hard Days Night! This was not Doc, who was the funniest guy of the bunch, who once explained to me "it's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing milkbone shorts."
For a decade, Doc was the hottest manager in all of rock. He "got" his band and worked with them, not against them as their "boss."
I will never forget Sam Kinison saying to me one night, "I want YOU to be my Doc McGhee!"
I replied, "if you want Doc, here's his number, you don't want me. I can never be Doc. There is only one Doc." He was every bit a part of the band like the actual members.
The tours were done with precision, down to every detail, including their security detail and road managers. There was nothing sloppy about their presentation. First class each time.
Doug Thaler, their other manager, was also very responsible for their success, although it was funny how they took him out, but at least he got credit. He had the unenviable task of taking care of the band after Corabi joined, not an easy thing to deal with, as shown. There really was no Motley without Vince.
The dope shooting scenes were quite graphic although it was didn't seem to glorify the use as it was so obviously destructive to Nikki and the band, and was an awful time.
I imagine a lot of new rock groups will come out as a result of this film, wishing them luck here, in advance. It's a tough road.
Meanwhile, I am looking forward to seeing the boys on stage again someday. The world needs to rock, once again! Bring it!
Danny Zelisko
_____________________________________
Chris Nilsson here, one of the managers of Motley Crue and an Exec Producer on The Dirt.
I read your post today about the film and thought it was really amazing. Critics can be harsh but your perspective centered me to why we all wanted to do the film in the first place. I sent the post to the band and they loved it too. Thank you for putting it out there.
Take care.
Very Sincerely,
Chris Nilsson
President
10th St Entertainment
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The First Cut Was The Deepest-Sirius XM This Week
Suggested by reader Rich Madow, he writes:
Bands / artists that could not top their debut album, possibly to their detriment. These immediately come to mind:
Pretenders - Pretenders
Go Go's - Beauty and The Beat
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Strokes - Is This It? (good question!!)
Moby Grape - Moby Grape
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
Yaz (Yazoo) - Upstairs At Eric's
Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday March 26th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
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Bands / artists that could not top their debut album, possibly to their detriment. These immediately come to mind:
Pretenders - Pretenders
Go Go's - Beauty and The Beat
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Strokes - Is This It? (good question!!)
Moby Grape - Moby Grape
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
Yaz (Yazoo) - Upstairs At Eric's
Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday March 26th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz @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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Sunday 24 March 2019
Things Move Too Fast
"Finding Neverland" is already old news. You know Michael Jackson's handlers are aged boomers because they didn't know you don't fight back, you ignore it, and then people forget it.
In today's "New York Times Magazine" there's a letter from a fourteen year old complaining that the paper's list of "The Top 25 Songs That Matter Right Now" contained songs she and her friends had never heard of, never mind listened to. Another writer said that too many had not hit the radio. And others championed the inclusion of Bruce Springsteen.
That's the world we live in, one of chaos. Where the aged are addicted to the old and even youngsters are not comprehensive in their knowledge and experience.
The only way you can triumph is by having a continuing narrative. You can talk about albums all you want, but they don't fit the modern paradigm, oftentimes they're instantly forgotten. Kinda like Steve Perry's comeback. He should have dropped single after single and maybe one of them would have been great and connected. Instead, he released a compendium of tunes that seemingly no one has listened to, and most people don't even know he put out. Furthermore, if you're in the marketplace on a regular basis you get feedback and figure out what works.
And Netflix succeeds not because of any individual show, but the tsunami of product, there's always something new coming down the pike. Furthermore, almost everybody has a subscription so people can follow a suggestion, check something out and be part of the community, we all want to be part of the community.
Used to be in the pre-internet era there were self-anointed judges, who criticized your taste. You're not listening to or watching the right stuff. Now, no one cares. The judges are on their own island stuck in the twentieth century. We're all just trying to keep up, and oftentimes we don't even find the great stuff for years. Who cares that someone is denigrating our consumption, no one else is aware of the criticism! Kinda like Twitter. Someone spews hate and then you check their number of followers, which is almost always low. And it being Twitter, most followers never see the tweet anyway, so you can ignore it.
But social media triumphs because we all have access and it's free.
Meanwhile, the commentariat, the privileged, the wealthy, keep telling us to put our phones down and disconnect...they don't realize, this is the ONLY way we connect, that in real life everybody's pursuing their own dream in their silo and the only place everybody is in the town square is online. Ever try to schedule dinner or a playdate today? It's an exercise in frustration, everybody's BOOKED UP! But you can reach them in iMessage.
That's the beauty of text, people respond.
They burned out e-mail, people get too much, they should ban cc.
Now one of the reasons politics dominates today is because of the continuous narrative. Trump writes a new story every day. And the oldsters can't understand that time moves on. Yes, Trump was tweeting up a storm last Sunday, but that was LAST SUNDAY! Might as well have been 1962. It's the cumulative effect that creates the lasting image. Just look at the right, over decades they've labeled Democrats as tax and spend, to the point even Democrats believe it!
As for Republicans glomming on and supporting Trump in his message... Independence was something the boomers were into that their children, the millennials, have rejected. The rewards come from being a member of the group, you don't want to be isolated, outside. And on the internet, there are even groups for that! No one is alienated alone anymore, they can find their brethren online.
So we all have our interests and predilections. Oldsters are on Facebook, youngsters wouldn't be caught dead there. Therefore, what happens on Snapchat and Instagram goes unseen on Facebook. And Zuckerberg wants to make Facebook even more private, adding to the lack of cohesiveness in society.
And everywhere you go, no one talks about music, there's too much of it, we're all listening to different stuff.
And since movies are about superheroes and you have to go to the theatre and pay to see them, many choose not to. Meanwhile, the industry and media keep trumpeting the success of said pictures that most people have never seen and don't care about.
And a flick lasts a few weeks in the theatres and is gone. Every week there's a new number one. Quick, name the hit movies of October and November! How about January? You can't! Unless you're a student of the game.
Kind of like baseball. Which used to start the first week of April and end the first week of October. Now it goes from March to November, satiating those who care, but for those who don't... You mean I'm supposed to care in April, May, June and July? Wake me up in August, assuming I'm interested.
Baseball is not only no longer the national pastime, it's certifiably NICHE!
While youngsters watch video game competitions on Twitch.
And some kids are on traveling soccer squads.
And every day there's something new, that we're supposed to pay attention to. How? We wouldn't have a life of our own. And we're addicted to the internet just trying to catch up. We foreswear connection every once in a while, but it only lasts twenty four hours and then we're back in.
Steve Jobs's presentations used to be mandatory viewing. Monday's dog and pony show is for insiders only. Tim Cook is too boring and they haven't introduced something exciting since...Steve Jobs was alive. Proving you can lose the plot. And smartphones are a commodity and we don't need the latest one and...
Teenagers don't get driver's licenses and soon none of us will own cars.
But oldsters refuse to accept this. Oldsters always refuse to accept the present.
But the real story is the lack of traction of almost ANYTHING!
Theranos was last week's story. "Finding Neverland" the week's before.
And if you don't get in early...
I can't watch "Billions" or "Game of Thrones" because I've missed the previous seasons and I don't have the time to catch up. I don't have the time to live my life. And as big as "Game of Thrones" is, most people have never seen it. And have never heard Drake. And think Ariana Grande is something you order at Starbucks.
The internet made it almost frictionless to reach people, but they stopped paying attention, because they're overwhelmed.
And those in the business of attention refuse to admit the game has changed. The studios make fewer movies of a single stripe. The labels put out hip-hop records only. Only TV is experimenting, but it took the AT&T merger to get HBO on today's page. Why should I pay more than I am for Netflix for so little product?
It does come down to money.
But even more it comes down to time.
Money gets you through the door, isn't that the essence of the college admission scandal?
But after you graduate, when you're in the world, what do you want to do?
Oh, you've got choices, you might know.
But chances are the only person going there is you, along with a few friends.
Stars are not what they used to be, they don't have the same ubiquity and their images have been tarnished for being revealed.
This is the world we live in. If you have any success, any following at all, be grateful. But know that growing that success bigger is an incredibly long haul, because you're competing for attention with so many projects that you won't even get a look, never mind be rejected.
And chances are if you're trying to reach everybody, you're too bland when everybody can drill down to exactly what they want.
This is where we are, and we are never going back. The internet allows things to be bigger than ever, but when it comes to entertainment, nothing has become that big. Will it stay that way? For a while anyway. But when someone tells you you're a dodo for not knowing this or that, laugh in their face, and when you regain your composure, easily mention a bunch of stuff that they don't know, and can't even criticize because they've never experienced it.
We're living in the Tower of Babel.
But we refuse to admit it.
We don't know the same records, movies and TV shows, and we don't even know the same slang!
It's scary folks.
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In today's "New York Times Magazine" there's a letter from a fourteen year old complaining that the paper's list of "The Top 25 Songs That Matter Right Now" contained songs she and her friends had never heard of, never mind listened to. Another writer said that too many had not hit the radio. And others championed the inclusion of Bruce Springsteen.
That's the world we live in, one of chaos. Where the aged are addicted to the old and even youngsters are not comprehensive in their knowledge and experience.
The only way you can triumph is by having a continuing narrative. You can talk about albums all you want, but they don't fit the modern paradigm, oftentimes they're instantly forgotten. Kinda like Steve Perry's comeback. He should have dropped single after single and maybe one of them would have been great and connected. Instead, he released a compendium of tunes that seemingly no one has listened to, and most people don't even know he put out. Furthermore, if you're in the marketplace on a regular basis you get feedback and figure out what works.
And Netflix succeeds not because of any individual show, but the tsunami of product, there's always something new coming down the pike. Furthermore, almost everybody has a subscription so people can follow a suggestion, check something out and be part of the community, we all want to be part of the community.
Used to be in the pre-internet era there were self-anointed judges, who criticized your taste. You're not listening to or watching the right stuff. Now, no one cares. The judges are on their own island stuck in the twentieth century. We're all just trying to keep up, and oftentimes we don't even find the great stuff for years. Who cares that someone is denigrating our consumption, no one else is aware of the criticism! Kinda like Twitter. Someone spews hate and then you check their number of followers, which is almost always low. And it being Twitter, most followers never see the tweet anyway, so you can ignore it.
But social media triumphs because we all have access and it's free.
Meanwhile, the commentariat, the privileged, the wealthy, keep telling us to put our phones down and disconnect...they don't realize, this is the ONLY way we connect, that in real life everybody's pursuing their own dream in their silo and the only place everybody is in the town square is online. Ever try to schedule dinner or a playdate today? It's an exercise in frustration, everybody's BOOKED UP! But you can reach them in iMessage.
That's the beauty of text, people respond.
They burned out e-mail, people get too much, they should ban cc.
Now one of the reasons politics dominates today is because of the continuous narrative. Trump writes a new story every day. And the oldsters can't understand that time moves on. Yes, Trump was tweeting up a storm last Sunday, but that was LAST SUNDAY! Might as well have been 1962. It's the cumulative effect that creates the lasting image. Just look at the right, over decades they've labeled Democrats as tax and spend, to the point even Democrats believe it!
As for Republicans glomming on and supporting Trump in his message... Independence was something the boomers were into that their children, the millennials, have rejected. The rewards come from being a member of the group, you don't want to be isolated, outside. And on the internet, there are even groups for that! No one is alienated alone anymore, they can find their brethren online.
So we all have our interests and predilections. Oldsters are on Facebook, youngsters wouldn't be caught dead there. Therefore, what happens on Snapchat and Instagram goes unseen on Facebook. And Zuckerberg wants to make Facebook even more private, adding to the lack of cohesiveness in society.
And everywhere you go, no one talks about music, there's too much of it, we're all listening to different stuff.
And since movies are about superheroes and you have to go to the theatre and pay to see them, many choose not to. Meanwhile, the industry and media keep trumpeting the success of said pictures that most people have never seen and don't care about.
And a flick lasts a few weeks in the theatres and is gone. Every week there's a new number one. Quick, name the hit movies of October and November! How about January? You can't! Unless you're a student of the game.
Kind of like baseball. Which used to start the first week of April and end the first week of October. Now it goes from March to November, satiating those who care, but for those who don't... You mean I'm supposed to care in April, May, June and July? Wake me up in August, assuming I'm interested.
Baseball is not only no longer the national pastime, it's certifiably NICHE!
While youngsters watch video game competitions on Twitch.
And some kids are on traveling soccer squads.
And every day there's something new, that we're supposed to pay attention to. How? We wouldn't have a life of our own. And we're addicted to the internet just trying to catch up. We foreswear connection every once in a while, but it only lasts twenty four hours and then we're back in.
Steve Jobs's presentations used to be mandatory viewing. Monday's dog and pony show is for insiders only. Tim Cook is too boring and they haven't introduced something exciting since...Steve Jobs was alive. Proving you can lose the plot. And smartphones are a commodity and we don't need the latest one and...
Teenagers don't get driver's licenses and soon none of us will own cars.
But oldsters refuse to accept this. Oldsters always refuse to accept the present.
But the real story is the lack of traction of almost ANYTHING!
Theranos was last week's story. "Finding Neverland" the week's before.
And if you don't get in early...
I can't watch "Billions" or "Game of Thrones" because I've missed the previous seasons and I don't have the time to catch up. I don't have the time to live my life. And as big as "Game of Thrones" is, most people have never seen it. And have never heard Drake. And think Ariana Grande is something you order at Starbucks.
The internet made it almost frictionless to reach people, but they stopped paying attention, because they're overwhelmed.
And those in the business of attention refuse to admit the game has changed. The studios make fewer movies of a single stripe. The labels put out hip-hop records only. Only TV is experimenting, but it took the AT&T merger to get HBO on today's page. Why should I pay more than I am for Netflix for so little product?
It does come down to money.
But even more it comes down to time.
Money gets you through the door, isn't that the essence of the college admission scandal?
But after you graduate, when you're in the world, what do you want to do?
Oh, you've got choices, you might know.
But chances are the only person going there is you, along with a few friends.
Stars are not what they used to be, they don't have the same ubiquity and their images have been tarnished for being revealed.
This is the world we live in. If you have any success, any following at all, be grateful. But know that growing that success bigger is an incredibly long haul, because you're competing for attention with so many projects that you won't even get a look, never mind be rejected.
And chances are if you're trying to reach everybody, you're too bland when everybody can drill down to exactly what they want.
This is where we are, and we are never going back. The internet allows things to be bigger than ever, but when it comes to entertainment, nothing has become that big. Will it stay that way? For a while anyway. But when someone tells you you're a dodo for not knowing this or that, laugh in their face, and when you regain your composure, easily mention a bunch of stuff that they don't know, and can't even criticize because they've never experienced it.
We're living in the Tower of Babel.
But we refuse to admit it.
We don't know the same records, movies and TV shows, and we don't even know the same slang!
It's scary folks.
--
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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Gotta Get Up
Have you been watching "Russian Doll"? If so you can give me your explanation of the ending, I'm still trying to figure it out.
And if you haven't, it's just a matter of time until you do, you see "Russian Doll" is this year's "Stranger Things," something that has built momentum sans media by early adopters who've brought along the curious, it's all about the buzz I tell you. And I'm giving nothing away to say there's a "Groundhog Day" construct, as in the main character, Nadia, keeps repeating the same day, after dying. And Natasha Lyonne as Nadia makes this whole series works, she's do damn fine, proving once again that one person can carry a whole show, can make a difference, and the way she's so independent, saying what she feels, is so ingratiating.
And when Nadia is reborn in the bathroom, the music that is played is Nilsson's "Gotta Get Up."
Nilsson was a songwriter who had worked in a bank and had sung the theme to "Midnight Cowboy" that he didn't write and now had a huge hit with a Badfinger song that most people thought he did write. In between, he'd written the music to the children's film "The Point," the point being he had not been a star, but now he became one.
I got "Nilsson Schmilsson" as a premium, for subscribing to or renewing some magazine, maybe "Rolling Stone" when they still did this. It came all battered, which bugged me, I wanted my albums pristine, and the opening cut was "Gotta Get Up."
"Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes"
"Gotta Get Up" is a tear with a whole story, you're carried away, it's infectious. It's not what you expected in 1972, when progressive music was breaking through and if it was more pop, it was more ignored.
And eventually, that summer "Coconut" infected the airwaves, a song kinda like "Baby Shark" that you could not get out of your mind. People would start singing it spontaneously for no reason whatsoever..."put the lime in the coconut." DOCTOR! "Now let me get this straight..." It seemed a novelty song, but it was composed by a serious songwriter.
But it was the tracks that were not hits that truly got under your skin, that you were infected by.
"Gotta Get Up" was followed by "Driving Along," which was upbeat and groovy, kinda like driving in your car with the windows down listening to the radio. It seemed like it was the next afternoon and the same guy who had to get up had done what he had to do, and was cruising.
But the piece-de-resistance was the third cut, "Early In The Morning." This is the kind of track that made albums an art form. Never to be heard on the radio this music meant more to you than the hits. It sounded like early in the morning, with a bluesy feel, just Nilsson with some kind of keyboard. And I'll tell you, oftentimes early in the morning I've got nothin' but the blues too. I mean when I wake up too early. And the vocal gymnastics and the reference to himself creates a mood... A professional at his peak, with nothing but his talent on view, WHEW!
And "The Moonbeam Song" could have been straight off of "The Point." Dreamy and childlike. Sounding completely different from what came before. It was soothing.
And the closer of the first side, "Down," was pure bluesy rock, your body moved while you listened, this guy who seemed wimpy was nothing like that.
"Let The Good Times Roll" was a left field cover made completely Nilsson's own.
"Jump Into The Fire" was heavy, it sounded like someone who got too close to the flame, it too rocked.
"I'll Never Leave You," the closing cut, seemed misplaced, kind of like "Good Night" on the White Album.
"Nilsson Schmilsson" sounded like nothing else. And since it had two big radio hits, people bought the album and listened to it. It'd be like hearing a big rap hit on the radio and finding the album contained Shostakovich.
But our tastes were broader back then.
Oh, for a moment there it seemed like kids were listening to everything, but hip-hop has now dominated.
And "Son of Schmilsson", the follow-up, employed the same formula, but was not quite as good as what came before, but it contained the indelible "You're Breakin' My Heart," which got ink, but no airplay, because of the profanity. Seen as huggable, Nilsson was not.
But, "Son of Schmilsson" did contain the near masterpiece "Spaceman," which would have fit perfectly on "Nilsson Schmilsson."
And then Harry met John Lennon, partied too hard, blew out his voice, and lost the plot and died before his time.
Now you cannot talk about this period of Nilsson's work without crediting producer Richard Perry. Who was famous for slickness in an era that was rougher, but it succeeded, especially with Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," with its bass then guitar and piano intro that worked so well on the radio, you heard those bubbling notes and you got ready for the story.
And the Doors came back, and maybe Led Zeppelin never left.
But Harry Nilsson's work was positively buried until someone plucked it for use in "Russian Doll," where it not only fits so beautifully, but embeds itself into your brain to the point where it becomes a personal hit, you want more.
But there is none, if you were a fan.
But if you were not...
https://spoti.fi/2urg0Ru
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And if you haven't, it's just a matter of time until you do, you see "Russian Doll" is this year's "Stranger Things," something that has built momentum sans media by early adopters who've brought along the curious, it's all about the buzz I tell you. And I'm giving nothing away to say there's a "Groundhog Day" construct, as in the main character, Nadia, keeps repeating the same day, after dying. And Natasha Lyonne as Nadia makes this whole series works, she's do damn fine, proving once again that one person can carry a whole show, can make a difference, and the way she's so independent, saying what she feels, is so ingratiating.
And when Nadia is reborn in the bathroom, the music that is played is Nilsson's "Gotta Get Up."
Nilsson was a songwriter who had worked in a bank and had sung the theme to "Midnight Cowboy" that he didn't write and now had a huge hit with a Badfinger song that most people thought he did write. In between, he'd written the music to the children's film "The Point," the point being he had not been a star, but now he became one.
I got "Nilsson Schmilsson" as a premium, for subscribing to or renewing some magazine, maybe "Rolling Stone" when they still did this. It came all battered, which bugged me, I wanted my albums pristine, and the opening cut was "Gotta Get Up."
"Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes"
"Gotta Get Up" is a tear with a whole story, you're carried away, it's infectious. It's not what you expected in 1972, when progressive music was breaking through and if it was more pop, it was more ignored.
And eventually, that summer "Coconut" infected the airwaves, a song kinda like "Baby Shark" that you could not get out of your mind. People would start singing it spontaneously for no reason whatsoever..."put the lime in the coconut." DOCTOR! "Now let me get this straight..." It seemed a novelty song, but it was composed by a serious songwriter.
But it was the tracks that were not hits that truly got under your skin, that you were infected by.
"Gotta Get Up" was followed by "Driving Along," which was upbeat and groovy, kinda like driving in your car with the windows down listening to the radio. It seemed like it was the next afternoon and the same guy who had to get up had done what he had to do, and was cruising.
But the piece-de-resistance was the third cut, "Early In The Morning." This is the kind of track that made albums an art form. Never to be heard on the radio this music meant more to you than the hits. It sounded like early in the morning, with a bluesy feel, just Nilsson with some kind of keyboard. And I'll tell you, oftentimes early in the morning I've got nothin' but the blues too. I mean when I wake up too early. And the vocal gymnastics and the reference to himself creates a mood... A professional at his peak, with nothing but his talent on view, WHEW!
And "The Moonbeam Song" could have been straight off of "The Point." Dreamy and childlike. Sounding completely different from what came before. It was soothing.
And the closer of the first side, "Down," was pure bluesy rock, your body moved while you listened, this guy who seemed wimpy was nothing like that.
"Let The Good Times Roll" was a left field cover made completely Nilsson's own.
"Jump Into The Fire" was heavy, it sounded like someone who got too close to the flame, it too rocked.
"I'll Never Leave You," the closing cut, seemed misplaced, kind of like "Good Night" on the White Album.
"Nilsson Schmilsson" sounded like nothing else. And since it had two big radio hits, people bought the album and listened to it. It'd be like hearing a big rap hit on the radio and finding the album contained Shostakovich.
But our tastes were broader back then.
Oh, for a moment there it seemed like kids were listening to everything, but hip-hop has now dominated.
And "Son of Schmilsson", the follow-up, employed the same formula, but was not quite as good as what came before, but it contained the indelible "You're Breakin' My Heart," which got ink, but no airplay, because of the profanity. Seen as huggable, Nilsson was not.
But, "Son of Schmilsson" did contain the near masterpiece "Spaceman," which would have fit perfectly on "Nilsson Schmilsson."
And then Harry met John Lennon, partied too hard, blew out his voice, and lost the plot and died before his time.
Now you cannot talk about this period of Nilsson's work without crediting producer Richard Perry. Who was famous for slickness in an era that was rougher, but it succeeded, especially with Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," with its bass then guitar and piano intro that worked so well on the radio, you heard those bubbling notes and you got ready for the story.
And the Doors came back, and maybe Led Zeppelin never left.
But Harry Nilsson's work was positively buried until someone plucked it for use in "Russian Doll," where it not only fits so beautifully, but embeds itself into your brain to the point where it becomes a personal hit, you want more.
But there is none, if you were a fan.
But if you were not...
https://spoti.fi/2urg0Ru
--
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,
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If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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