Self-Quarantine-Day Two

"Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach"

"The Boys Of Summer"
Don Henley

Are you bored yet?

There was certainly no one on the road yesterday. The 405 south was a ghost land. However, on the way back up the hill there was traffic, because it's raining. It hadn't rained since January 1st, now we're getting a week of wetness. Which is kind of weird, because the days are getting longer. We equate wetness with winter, darkness. What did George Harrison say, "Beware of darkness"?

So it started to feel like "Testament." You remember that Jane Alexander movie from 1983, don't you? The people are slowly dying after a nuclear bomb. It's grim, but it's not panicky. You're just enduring...

I'm convinced I'm gonna get the virus. Yup, after Angela Merkel said 60-70% of the public would get it. And then there was that U.S. prognosticator who claimed 40-60% yesterday. It seems that we're self-quarantining as to not overwhelm the health system, but how long is that gonna last?

My text and e-mail feeds yesterday were full of people at loose ends. Funny how you're always looking for free time, but when you get it you don't know what to do with it.

But I finished "The Underground Railway" by Colson Whitehead, you know, the book that won the Pulitzer and the National Book Award? The one wherein the underground railroad is really a railroad? I'd started it, but couldn't finish it. But then I got hooked earlier this week. I'm trying to finish all the books I've purchased but haven't read, but first I might have to read Erik Larson's "The Splendid and the Vile," his book about Churchill during the bombing. I swore I'd never read another Whitehead book after "Sag Harbor," which is one of the first books I bought when I got my Kindle back in 2009, it was a slog. And at first I got really hooked on "The Underground Railroad," then again, it's not one of those books where you can concentrate on every word. I do not skim, but if you read "The Underground Railroad" word by word, you're gonna get bogged down and still not fully understand what's going on. And yesterday I almost fell asleep reading after partaking of the kokosh which Avi Ellman sent me. And earlier in the week Fiona Bloom sent me some babka from Breads Bakery. Actually, the cinnamon one was better than the chocolate one. And I've got insulin resistance so sweets put me to sleep and is that why I was having trouble reading "The Underground Railroad" or is it Colson's style? I'd say both, although I will say there's a good ending, not great, but good.

Let's see, what else have I read...

I finished Jenny Offill's "Dept. of Speculation." I used to write in this style in college, it flummoxed the teacher. But I don't recommend it.

"Strangers and Cousins" was better, but also not great. I don't have a single new book I can recommend. I've read other stuff, but if you read those books you'll never trust me again, just like we can no longer trust Trump.

Oh, a couple of days ago the story was how the governors usurped Trump's power, but today...I kind of feel like I want to tune out the news, if something dramatic happens, I'll hear about it. Like Vail and Alterra closing all their ski resorts, my text feed blew up about that.

As for Trump, there's a "New York Times" article about all the lies he's told in the past few days. But I'm still getting e-mail from his acolytes saying it's Obama's fault and there's not really a problem. Proving, once again, if the Democrats are planning to win by swaying Trumpers, forget about it, like Bitecofer said, it's about rousing their base. As for the election itself...it may not happen. Come on, if states can postpone primaries do you really think that Trump can't postpone the election?

And I've heard a couple of cool tunes on the Spectrum. That's Sirius XM's adult rock station. If you pay attention to the media, we live in a hip-hop world 24/7, but that is not true. We need a new metric for success, streaming quantity is important, but it's not everything.

Anyway, I thought I didn't like the Black Keys, but then I heard the opening cut from their new album, "Shine A Little Light," on the aforementioned Spectrum and I got into it, if you're a rocker you will too. Also, the channel plays "Uneventful Days" from Beck's last album, "Hyperspace." We've been overhyped on both these acts, tried them and been disappointed, but these two cuts don't fit today's cookie-cutter world, they don't pay attention to streaming rules, they evolve, as opposed to needing to grab you immediately, if only there were a way to bring music other than hip-hop to the forefront.

And we finished "Safe," the first Harlan Coben Netflix show. The ending sucked, unpredictable and unsatisfying. The road was fun to follow, but don't put it on the top of your list.

But now we're four episodes into "Giri/Haji," which I picked because it was number five in some online list of the best Netflix shows ever. And it's really damn good. I don't know how it slipped under the public's radar. Maybe it's the title, maybe it's the occasional subtitles, but "Giri/Haji" uses film production techniques, it's visually interesting, and the story is intriguing too. Just watch the first episode, you'll be hooked. Now I really want to go to Japan (although most of the series is set in London). More when I finish.

And speaking of streaming... Isn't this the time when some studio should launch a new movie pay per view? I mean Disney is releasing "Frozen 2" on its streaming service Sunday, but I'm talking about a theatrical film that's never been released. It's not like God is gonna make new weekends, flicks will be dying on the vine. Sell them to Apple, they'll pay and they need a hit. Better yet, Netflix. Or, you could go pay per view, as I said above, but the distributors are too anxious about pissing off the theatre owners, as if everyone's gonna continue to go out to the movies in the future, like everyone is still buying CDs...

And now is the time to get your Kindle! Or use the Kindle app on your iPad or smartphone. No touching needed! Just go online and the book is whisked to you. Try it, you might like it.

And yesterday everybody was too freaked out to leave the house.

But after being in the house for days straight, I ventured out to Poquito Mas to get some grub. At first I was gonna sit there, but then Felice wanted me to bring her some takeout, but I was stunned that people were sitting in booths like they always do. And unlike yesterday, you could get a spot in the Gelson's parking lot (that's a market, for those not SoCal savvy).

As for the Shell station (you know, where the turtles go), I figured they'd be out of paper towels, but they had plenty, and I did use them to hold the pump, then again, my hand hit the side of the dispenser and...

I realized, this self-quarantine ain't gonna stay on lockdown soon. Yesterday people were scared, today...it wasn't like Italy out there, it was almost like a normal Saturday afternoon. Unless someone they know dies, expect people to come out of their houses. Sure, offices may not be open, primarily because of liability, but people are social animals, they can stay inside for a few days, but not much more than that unless there's a grave danger.

Then again, I'm convinced I'm gonna get it. I mean that's what Tom Petty said, right, "You're gonna get it", but I am anxious because of my compromised immune system. But yesterday I thought if I was vigilant, I just might escape, but now I'm thinking the only way to be that vigilant is to never leave your house, never accept any mail and grow your own food. I'm not saying you should go to a concert, but I am saying that people are gonna loosen the reins.

As for Trump?

No one is listening to him anymore except those that are.

But Trump has been successful in making science and facts irrelevant, unfortunately.

So I'm leaving you to your own judgment.

Until tomorrow...

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Alex Hodges-This Week's Podcast

The CEO of Nederlander Concerts, Alex Hodges started in Macon with his school buddy Phil Walden and ultimately went from day to day with Otis Redding to agent for the Capricorn bands to the manager for Gregg Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan and...listen for the stories!

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alex-hodges/id1316200737?i=1000468190949

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2t21Khu0sRQzrw9jsoifJt

https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=67972024


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Trump On The Coronavirus

What are we supposed to do?

I went to the hospital today, UCLA, the waiting room was nearly empty, what normally takes three hours took seventy five minutes, what was going on? THE CORONAVIRUS!

The phlebotomist told me there'd been a patient in the hospital, that they'd closed the entire floor.

The hematologist just heard they were closing his kids' school. But didn't that expert in the "New York Times" say that young kids aren't getting it and this makes no sense?

I'm getting e-mail from people holding tickets to canceled/postponed concerts.

Everybody thinks that by the fall we'll be back to normal, BUT WHO KNOWS?

Should I fly or not?

Should I touch door handles or not?

Should I stay at home or not?

What places do I avoid?

Do I stop going to the doctor because I might get sick as a result of the visit?

This is the conversation, and no one has any facts, because facts have been discredited, by Trump and the right wing, by the anti-vaxxers, people who are convinced they're right because it feels good to them or they find bogus, discredited info online or because they're trying to manipulate the populace. Trump tells us to come together? IT'S EVERY PERSON FOR THEMSELVES!

This is where we've ended up.

We couldn't be protected because it costs too much. And we no longer care about what happens outside our borders. Who cares if the rest of the world is sick, WE'RE THE UNITED STATES!

Trump laid the blame on Europe.

Yup, China and the rest of Asia may get a pass, but those bad people in Europe, they let the virus foster.

Meanwhile, I've heard from a source in Italy that the reason the numbers are so high there is because they've tested so many people. And they're taking strict measures to prevent further infections. How many people have been tested in the U.S? How many people have got it? I mean if someone at CPAC had it, what are the odds I'll encounter a patient at Ralphs?

I only watched Trump's "speech" because I wanted to see him go off-script, like he always does, exhibit emotions, ramble, but they wrote a script and he stuck to it, reading it like a hostage, as Frank Rich said on Twitter.

It was a political speech. We have the greatest economy, even though the stock market is in bear territory. We've got the greatest health system, even though the uninsured infected are wary of seeking care because of the cost. Did you hear that? Insurers will wave copays, but what about the uninsured?

And the focus on small businesses. As if they're the only ones in America. Trump was preaching to his base, and telling us it'll be all right, as believable as that guy in the Isuzu commercials.

And my point is not to beat up on Trump, even though it's so damn easy, but to point out that Trump did not assess the situation for us, did not tell us what to do, he didn't make us feel at ease.

Read some of the stories. They don't know the percentage of deaths because they don't know the percentage of infected. One expert postulated the death rate could be TEN TIMES what has been bandied about.

And, if the virus is already here...sure, keeping foreigners out might help, but how much quarantining should we do in America?

And the quarantining makes no sense. College after college is closing, like my alma mater in Vermont, but I'd posit the students would be safer isolated in Middlebury than they will be in their own hometowns, almost all with a greater population, never mind the flights/trips home.

But it's about liability. No one wants to be on the hook. And if you shut down, you're cool.

And businesses... I work at home, but then I realized I go to the SiriusXM studios every week, do you know how many people pass through there, from all over the world?

I'm not paranoid, I'm not gonna stop going unless they tell everybody not to, but...

You could have a plan, like Italy, shut everything down and wait for the cases to burn out.

But in America we have no plan, to discover who has got the virus and how to contain it. Americans are very willing to get together for the greater good if a leader convinces them so, but tonight I'm just convinced that I need to take my own counsel.

But then there are those who get their news from Fox. My friend John Dick at Civic Science did a poll and found out that Fox viewers were less concerned with the coronavirus, less worried about it...BECAUSE THEY'RE PRIVY TO DISINFORMATION!

I don't care if you're left or right. I just need to know, do we go into the bunker or not?

And in Italy, it can take six days for food to be delivered from the grocery store. Forget people being a month away from bankruptcy, how much food do you have in the house, were the survivalists right?

And this is a crisis unlike any we've experienced. None of the traditional solutions work. It's not about money, it's not about partisan politics and it's not about Wall Street.

As sophisticated as we've become, it's no different from primitive times.

And isn't it funny that the anti-vaxxers believe a coronavirus vaccine will appear soon but they won't let their kids get measles shots, so measles is rampant while smallpox has been eviscerated.

Ain't that America, the land of disinformation.

It's uncontrollable, but almost no one is taking responsibility.

Margaret Sullivan in the WaPo told Murdoch to tell his troops at Fox to lay off the falsehoods, for the good of the country. This is a guy who needs to be shamed.

As for the anti-vaxxers... They're like anti-abortion advocates when their kids get pregnant, then an abortion is all right. When it happens to you, it's different.

But the coronavirus is not threatened by military attack, all that money poured into the Pentagon is useless.

Only two things can combat it, science and leadership.

Meanwhile, science is out the window, we're all running on feel. There are cold days, so climate change cannot be happening. The elites are always the problem, and to a degree they deserve this reputation, so we can't hand the reins to a qualified person. Mike Pence? You can't fight the coronavirus with religion!

America is a dumb nation. With smart people in it. We fight over everything but the real thing. Mexican immigrants did not deliver the coronavirus. Gay people did not deliver the coronavirus. Everybody's waiting for a bogeyman when the truth is we only have ourselves to blame.

You got it. Those who voted for Trump. (Oh, don't shake your fist at me, he got rid of the pandemic response team.)

Those who believe if they just accumulate enough money they'll be immune.

Those who believe taxes are bad and the government wastes money so it must be drowned.

If everybody needs to stay home for a month TELL US, WE'LL DO IT!

But we don't want to live our lives normally only to find out in thirty days it's worse.

But it looks like that's what's gonna happen.


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Biden Surges

That's how much people hate Trump.

This reminds me of the record companies suing Napster. Of course music shouldn't be free, it took a while, but they shut Napster down. And then KaZaA and lockers appeared and harmony did not reign until the advent of Spotify. Once again, music is the canary in the coal mine for disruption, how come others can't see and learn the lessons?

No one likes Joe Biden. He's just the least offensive of those who are left. Furthermore, he couldn't win one damn debate amongst his peers, imagine how well he'll do against Trump...awful!

But it gets worse. Biden has baggage. Let's start with Ukraine. Joe let the Republicans lambaste him for days before he mounted an aggressive defense. Illustrating he does not know how to fight, despite all the malarkey tying himself to Obama, who didn't do so well fighting either. Obama kept wanting the Republicans to be reasonable, to play by the rules, but they refused to. The Republicans had their finger on the pulse of America. Times were hard, people were pissed about paying for others, they wanted someone to stand up for them, and they got him, Donald Trump.

Trump was the beneficiary of all those years on television. But in his campaign he went straight to the public, via Twitter, while the political class and their pundit lackeys kept complaining he just wasn't being decent. Been online recently? Decency is nowhere to be found. Because people are ANGRY! The reason they bitch at you is because they believe you've got their job, you've won and they've lost. And with social media they get a chance to hit back.

Which is what Tik Tok is all about. The hoi polloi get to be stars!

But not in politics.

The DNC and the media won, they needed Bernie to fail so they got candidates to drop out and scared the public into believing Sanders was a commie who loved dictators who was gonna take your money and your health care and leave you in a worse position. Who wants that? NOBODY!

This is why the younger generation hates traditional media, because it's biased. I'm not talking about Trump's fake news, but viewpoint, this Biden/Bernie fiasco has shown that in many ways the left wing press is just as bad as Fox News, only in this case the left is fighting against itself, as opposed to the right wing enemy.

So, "The New York Times" prints a story saying Bernie tied in with a Soviet city but it was all a ruse for spying. Immediately "The New Yorker" says it's not true, days later the "Times" prints a letter from the government official responsible for the program, saying the "Times" had it wrong and there was no spying involved.

They were out to get Bernie.

Never forget these bozos work for corporations, they are not individual hustlers building their own companies. They're beholden to their bosses, they're part of the elite and they don't want to sacrifice.

But the rank and file are part time contractors, they work at the company but are paid by third parties, they've got no recourse, they just want someone to stand up for them.

Joe Biden?

He wants a lower taxes on the rich than Bloomberg! Think about that!

Of course I want to wipe out Trump and have a return to...

We're never going back to normalcy, because the right hates the left just that much, and they're far more organized.

So, the right is hijacked by Donald Trump, and lo and behold, HE WINS! Because Trump was more in touch with the proletariat than the party and the pundits. Think about that. Sure, you might abhor his policies, but Trump is always serving his base. Who is the DNC serving? The elites, they're so far out of touch with their base that they're ripe for the picking, and they will be, it's just a matter of when.

I'm getting older by the minute but I must say I've about given up. I'll vote for Old Joe, but the only difference it will make is getting rid of the Donald.

Are you watching TV, are you reading the news? The broadcasters and writers are GLOATING! They pulled victory from the jaws of defeat! This illustrates their power, it's still there baby, as opposed to the Republicans, who realized Trump was in charge and rallied around him.

So, we've rallied around an aging man who can barely get it out. Just because the DNC and the media decided he was the safest bet against Trump. EVERYBODY knows that safe never works. It oftentimes loses, and at best it stands for the status quo, and the target keeps on moving, you've got to be prepared.

Talk to a professional athlete. Safe is anathema. Safe you're self-conscious, safe you make mistakes, safe you lose. The DNC and the media are overthinking, winners run on instinct. Trump does, but he's got no preparation. Without experience, instinct is worthless.

As far as taking the temperature of the public...the DNC and the media refused to do this, they just made the public's blood boil, to the point people threw in the towel and cried uncle. If you think this is a victory, you probably think everything's kumbaya in Guantanamo.

When I grew up blue bloods had the money, they inherited it.

Today, it's all new money, people worked very hard to make it.

When I grew up, it was all about albums, AM was a joke starting with "Sgt. Pepper."

Today it's all about the single, but the old farts keep crying about the album, as the youngsters ignore them and forge their own way.

When I grew up the enemy was television.

Today the enemy is smartphones. There's never acceptance of the new, it's always flawed with consequences, you've got to do it the old way.

Kinda like print books. You're reading this on a screen. Without screens, I wouldn't be able to reach all of you at once!

Like the musicians who bitch about the decline of major label record deals when today they can make, distribute and hype FOR FREE! The truth is the channel is cluttered, even worse is people don't want to hear their music.

So Elizabeth Warren was the frontrunner, but she caved to the cabal. She thinks the insiders run the game, when the truth is now, more than ever, outsiders rule, insiders find out last, they try to deal with the consequences.

And this election was never about Medicare for all, it was always about Trump, but arguing about health care and commies made good television, no one put the kibosh on it, because no one is in charge.

We need people in charge. This is what Trump has got right. When things are confusing you want an all-knowing seer to take charge and lead the way. Trump promised this, even though he can't deliver it. What do the Democrats do? Endorse an aged guy whose votes are all over the map who can't even fight his way out of a paper bag. Joe Biden someone to believe in? NO WAY!

And the reason Obama won is because he offered hope, a new beginning, to the point where the fact that he was African-American didn't matter. Biden isn't offering hope, and hope is what gets people energized, they want to believe in a better future. As for 2008-2016, income inequality still reigned. Corporations gained even more power. If those are the glory days Springsteen's song is meaningless.

It's not about Bernie, it's about a vision, a viewpoint, the future.

It wasn't supposed to be Bernie, it was supposed to be Elizabeth, but she blew it. And these same media wankers can't stop saying it's criminal that the voters didn't choose a woman, or a person of color. I watched the debates...THEY DIDN'T DESERVE IT! Being a woman or a person of color had nothing to do with it. It'd be like letting Buttigieg start for the Lakers, not everybody can do everything.

So, do I think that income inequality will wane?

It certainly didn't under Obama.

Do I think the corporations will be corralled?

Not by a guy who comes from Delaware.

I think Biden will win, the DNC and the media will breathe a sigh of relief and try and convince the public that everything is okay.

But it's not!

The underlying problems of this country will not be addressed. And this rally around a loser doesn't engender confidence amongst the public. But the DNC doesn't like risk, it learned lessons from 2016 and the RNC, BUT THE WRONG LESSONS!

It's not about ganging up on the insurgent, but examining why the insurgent is doing so well and tapping into that. The DNC has lost the younger generation in one fell swoop. And young people get older every day, what makes you think they'll remain Democrats? What is the party doing for them? Just fighting the evil bully Trump is not enough, you've got to move the needle and deliver something positive. There are losses in change. That doesn't mean you should stay with the status quo!

I'm disgusted. I'm sick of groupthink. In tech, it's one leader with a vision. Elon Musk showed the practicality of electric cars, with more performance than a Porsche. What did the media do? EXCORIATE HIM!

We've seen this movie before. Once again in music. We're going to go electric, someone is gonna win, it might not be Tesla, but it will be somebody. And never forget, Tower Records did not survive and Spotify was not in existence at the turn of the century.

D.C. is like the coronavirus. You can't go there without being infected. The big bitch about Sanders is he wouldn't compromise, wouldn't make sausage. Ever hear of Neil Young compromising? Doesn't happen, he's got a vision, and Neil keeps trying to adjust for the future as his contemporaries play their oldies to the aged.

The familiar is comfortable, but the familiar does not sustain, it's the new that sustains.

Sure, a lot of the public is made up of nitwits. But not all of the populace are idiots, just looking to be entertained. Chance the Rapper did it by himself, do you think the young 'uns won't do it by themselves when it comes to news, do you think the youngsters will just glom on to the institutions of their parents?

Watching the coverage today reminds me of going to school.

You remember school, don't you?

There were rules. Sometimes insensible. But you had to obey them.

The administration was king and you couldn't wait to graduate.

And isn't it funny that those who loved school, who stayed in, did not change the world. The dropouts changed it! Because school was antiquated and couldn't teach them what they needed to know, never mind quickly enough.

Rule-breakers always win in the end. Those who play the game are surprised when the rules no longer apply. But as they whine how they want a return to what once was they become less and less relevant.

Maybe the Orange Menace was just that bad.

Or, maybe the Democrats could have sold a comprehensive plan for the future. The people without medical coverage want Medicare for all. The media could have scared the rich by saying the poor are not being tested for the coronavirus. But instead, it just vilified Bernie's vision of the future by focusing on the past.

This dream will not die. People will not forget. But next time, they will not bother to exercise their power via the system.

Be ready.


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Rain Songs-SiriusXM This Week

https://spoti.fi/3aI5msm

"Rainsong"
Moodswings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CdnrmHzHMo

This is not on Spotify, Amazon or Apple...

But it's in my heart.

Music used to be precious, it used to be rare, to get on a label's mailing list was the holy grail, and this came out on Arista.

Hmm... They didn't usually release this type of thing, I've got no idea what the deal was, literally, but they put out not only the album but a two-pack of CD singles, somebody was behind this, but it got no traction.

When it rains in L.A. it pours, and I believe it was back in '92, the year this album, "Moodfood," was released, that it poured for six out of seven days.

Funny to be in the metropolis and unable to leave your house. I remember I got sick of being inside so I journeyed out to Norm's, a low-rent diner/dinner place that had these specials, including salad and sundae, for an insanely low price, I got hooked on them. And I was driving down Pico and hit a big puddle...you can drown your engine, it happens. It was almost as white-knuckle as driving in a snowstorm.

Anyway, when I think of "Rainsong" I think of that time.

And my ex-wife coming to my house two years later.

Now actually, "Moodfood" is famous for two reasons. One is it contains the definitive version of John Anderson/Vangelis's "State of Independence," in this iteration entitled "Spiritual High," with Chrissie Hynde taking the lead vocal.

The most well-known take on "State of Independence" is on Donna Summer's 1982 LP, her first for Geffen, produced by Quincy Jones. An album produced by Giorgio Moroder was shelved, and this was made in its place, and it wasn't really successful, even though all these years later it resonates, even though Donna Summer is dead, my how time flies. The "hit" on the album is "Love Is In Control (Finger on the Trigger)," which wears its age pretty well, but the killer was always track number three, "The Woman In Me," talk about smoky and sexy...

The other reason "Moodfood" is famous is it contains an exquisite instrumental entitled "Skinthieves" that features blistering guitar work by Jeff Beck. This was before his "comeback," when Seattle was booming and Slash was slaying, but no one can hold a candle to Beck, you know it's him from the very first note. And I'd put the CD in the drawer and play "Skinthieves" over and over again. But sometimes I'd forget to hit the single play repeat button and it would drift into the following track, "Rainsong," that's how I've discovered so many of my favorites.

"Caught in a rainstorm
Wondering what I must do
I'm standing alone
So many miles from you"

In today's WSJ they've got the story of the making of Hall & Oates's "She's Gone." Oates wrote the chorus, but the verses were written by Hall, who was getting divorced and just couldn't get over it. Everybody was telling him his bad mood would pass, but it didn't feel like that to him. Divorce, the scourge of America, it eviscerates your belief in trust.

"I was thinking about our life together
Knowing it must be now or never
To get back to you"

I hadn't seen her in years, but we were not divorced. I'd lost everything, from my father to a body part to all my money. I held on to this marriage, believing it was the only thing that could save me, it was not. But on this last night she ever came to my house I showed her what I'd written, it was brilliant, she had her legs over mine as she read it, she made no comment, and this was the last time she ever walked through my front door.

"Mamunia"
Paul McCartney and Wings

"The next time you see L.A. rain clouds
Don't complain it rains for you and me"

McCartney was not on a roll. He'd lost most of his credibility.

And then he put out the best album of the year, "Band On The Run," but it took a long time for the world to catch up with it. It came out at the end of '73 and I bought it based on the amazing reviews and I remember playing it all day as I futzed with the lock on my dorm room door.

It was a different era. "Band On The Run" blew your mind, but it was months before it became a single and most people knew it. Kind of like "Hotel California," the radio was all over "New Kid In Town," but when you dropped the needle on the title track the day the LP came out you couldn't believe what was coming out of the speakers.

Now when I played "Mamunia" I'd been to L.A., actually just the summer before, but despite knowing the Albert Hammond song, I really did not know it never rained in Southern California, but it's gonna rain tomorrow, and "Mamunia" is going through my head in anticipation.

"Rain"
The Beatles

It was the flip side of "Paperback Writer." They don't make upbeat music like that anymore, that touches your soul and forces you to get out of your chair and boogie. But the flip side was the the opposite, it was dark and moody, and contained backward vocals, and we all knew this.

"The Rain Song"
Led Zeppelin

I never need to hear "D'yer Mak'er" ever again. I hated it then and I still don't cotton to it today. My favorite song on "Houses Of The Holy" was always the second side opener, "Dancing Days," which is well known today, but was rarely heard on the radio back then.

I just don't get how people say "Houses Of The Holy" is the best Zeppelin album. Even worse, there's now a whole coterie who say "III" is the best, huh?

Up until recently, everybody seemed to agree the best was "IV," which, being the contrary person I am, I could never agree with. But I love "IV" now, ironically not for the big famous tracks. I won't say I turn off "Stairway To Heaven" every time I hear it, but I don't need to hear it, as for "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll"...I heard them on the jukebox every night at Tony's Pizza in Middlebury, Vermont, but they too are not my favorites.

Let's start with "When The Levee Breaks." It's all about the heaviness of Bonzo's drums, quite possibly the heaviest rock track ever cut, not to discount Jimmy's exquisite playing and Plant's peals.

But my real favorite is "The Battle Of Evermore," if it weren't for it, almost nobody would remember Sandy Denny...and do you ever get her and Madeline Bell confused? They didn't look alike, but Madeline played the Sandy role on Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells A Story," providing the vocal abrasives.

And the third in my triumvirate of "IV" favorites is "Going To California," that's what made Zeppelin legendary, they could rock...and they could roll, quietly.

For a long time the first album was my favorite. I loved it from the first note of "Good Times Bad Times," and then came "Communication Breakdown" but the heart of the album is the quieter, slower numbers. I'll start with "Dazed And Confused," then "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and finish with "Your Time Is Gonna Come, which I sing to myself when I'm skiing alone on dark days...

"Lyin', cheatin', hurtin', that's all you seem to do
Messing around with every guy in town
Putting me down for thinking of someone new
Always the same, playing your game
Drive me insane, trouble is gonna come to you
One of these days and it won't be long
You'll look for me but baby I'll be gone
That is all I gotta say to you woman

YOUR TIME IS GONNA COME"

You tell yourself when you're on the losing end of distance. Is it correct? Not always.

But then I lived with six other guys and one woman, a wife, in a condo in Mammoth Lakes and skied for the month of May '75 and Jimmy Kay played his eight track of "Physical Graffiti" every day to the point where it revealed itself to me, I thought I was burned out on Zeppelin, I thought I could never hear "II" again, but I was brought back, primarily by "Kashmir" and "Ten Years Gone"...and "Trampled Under Foot" and "In The Light" and "Down By The Seaside" (what a set-up for "Ten Years Gone") and "Night Flight" and "Boogie With Stu" and..."In My Time Of Dying."

"Ashes The Rain And I"
James Gang

I could be the only person on the planet who prefers the debut, "Yer' Album" to "Rides Again," but despite "Funk #49" being the breakthrough on "Rides Again," this cut was always my favorite, people forget that Joe Walsh isn't all bombast and humor, that he's got a soft, sensitive side too, but my second favorite cut on "Rides Again" is "The Bomber..."

"Box Of Rain"
The Grateful Dead"

And I seem to be the only person who prefers "Workingman's Dead" to "American Beauty."

"Coloured Rain"
Al Kooper

The original is on the first Traffic LP, but Al does the definitive version, overproduced, as opposed to the underproduced original, with horns and sound effects, "I Stand Alone" is a classic.

"Early Morning Rain"
Gordon Lightfoot

You missed it, he still plays, but he can no longer sing.

Gordon did great work, but I must admit I prefer his latter hit the best, "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald," which sounds like you're really on a boat on Lake Superior, in a no cell zone, where it's just the wind and your thoughts.

"Same Old Lang Syne"
Dan Fogelberg

This is how I met Irving Azoff. I wrote about this song and he insisted I come to his office at MCA so he could tell me the real story.

I always liked this number, but speaking of the mailing list...Epic sent a double LP Live album in '91 entitled "Greetings From The West" and it contains the definitive version of "Same Old Lang Syne."

"And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain"

That's the worst, it's so depressing, snow is so lovely, it makes you feel good, but when it changes into rain, especially when it lands on snow...ick.

"I Wish It Would Rain"
The Faces

Speaking of Rod Stewart...

This is from the final Faces LP, a live one, "Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners," which I purchased, because I was such a Rod Stewart fan, the guy he was, not the one he turned out to be, but I didn't play it much.

"Mandolin Rain"
Bruce Hornsby and the Range

From the amazing initial Hornsby LP, which contained the legendary "The Way It Is"...do you know what it was like hearing that piano come out of the radio in the summer of '86, I immediately had to run out and buy the album, and I was not disappointed. "Mandolin Rain" is probably the second best song, but I like "Down The Road Tonight" with Huey Lewis just after he became HUEY LEWIS!

"Neon Rainbow"

Does this qualify as a rain song? I'm not sure. This was a surprise after "The Letter," this was before Big Star, before we knew he was ALEX CHILTON, then again, after his name was in capitals I saw him in a bar in Downtown L.A.

"Raining On Sunday"
Keith Urban

From when he still thought he could do no wrong, from before his disappointment with "Defying Gravity," after he intellectualized his career, went for safety with pop "hits." The original is by Radney Foster, but this is one of the rare instances where the cover is superior to the original. I'll include Foster's version for comparison, but then I'm tempted to include "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me," from the same Urban LP, "Golden Road," my second favorite cut of his, with such a great message, you know...

"And the sun is shinin'
This road keeps windin'
Through the prettiest country
From Georgia to Tennessee
And I got the one I love beside me
My trouble behind me
I'm alive and I'm free
Who wouldn't wanna be me"

"Rain On The Roof"
Lovin' Spoonful

All we hear is "Summer In The City," maybe "Do You Believe In Magic," John Sebastian lost his voice and his image is tarred from his rainbow outfit at Woodstock and therefore his brilliance is never noted.

My second favorite is "Six O'Clock," which I did not know because it wasn't a big single on New York radio, but I heard it during a battle of the bands at the Jewish Community Center and never forgot it...the band that played it won! Remember that era, when we'd go to the gym for a battle of the bands, talk about passe.

But my absolute favorite is "Darlin' Be Home Soon"... I didn't truly realize how great it was until I heard the cover on Joe Cocker's second LP, but this song is just about as good as it gets.

"I Can Stand The Rain"
Lowell George

From his so-so solo album just before he O.D.'ed.

I'm thinking either no one will know Lowell George in the future or everybody will. That's how it is. Sometimes the secondary figures are prominent in the future, look at Lowell's work...he added spice, and never too much.

"Buckets Of Rain"
Bob Dylan

The last song on "Blood On The Tracks," for a long time it was my favorite, so simple... Does anybody talk about "Meet Me In The Morning" but me?

"Rain"
Patty Griffin

From her masterpiece, "1000 Kisses."

Once upon a time it mattered that A&M killed that Patty Griffin LP, but all these years later Patty and her style of music gets no traction in the world, making it a much harsher place.

"Baby The Rain Must Fall"
Glenn Yarbrough

I completely forgot this track until I got satellite radio and heard it and it sounded so good.

"Cry Like A Rainstorm"
Bonnie Raitt

Far superior to the ultimate Linda Ronstadt version, if Ronstadt gets a documentary, doesn't Raitt deserve one? With her ups and downs, more honest instead of a whitewash?

Of course, Eric Kaz wrote the tune, I'm gonna include it here, so he gets some recognition.

"Delta Rain"
The Blessing

The right album at the wrong time, released just as grunge was emerging, "Prince Of The Deep Water" tanked.

The band was managed by my friend. In a gesture of good faith he tore up the contract and then the band left him, it always happens this way.

I still remember him playing me the demo at his house on Monument in the Palisades, he said "Don't blow me out of the water on this.." and then pushed play. I'm a harsh critic, I never hear a good demo, but I loved this and told him so.

This is probably the best song on the album, which some say was overproduced, but I don't think so. It was produced by Neil Dorfsman, who was so hot, but then he called it a day.

So did my friend, he committed suicide, not over this, but I wish he were here now so I could tell him how great this track still is.

"When It's Raining"
The Samples

Jim Lewi was working for Rob Gordon, he told me they were putting out an album by the Samples, who'd left Arista after their first album, this was back in '92, before it was a badge of honor to be on an indie, I did not know the band, I figured the record would suck...anything but.

This is the opening cut on "No Room," the band's best work, but "Transmissions From The Sea Of Tranquility" is really good too, with the version of "The Last Drag," as a matter of fact all the Samples albums have winners, Sean Kelly was and is a real musical talent, just a bad businessman.

Listening to "The Last Drag" right now...makes me want to cry, that was so long ago, I'm connecting with who I used to be, before the internet both blew apart my life and saved it.

"Rainy Day Man"
James Taylor

From the very first album, on Apple, the definitive version, just before the magical cover of "Circle 'Round The Sun." This is the LP with the original, fast version of "Carolina In My Mind." It does not contain "Fire And Rain" which I could not listen to for a long time but still resonates when I hear it now, but my favorite cut today is the title track, "Sweet Baby James," with its lines...

"Now the first of December was covered with snow
So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Though the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go"

The Mass Pike had tolls, they gave you this card when you got on, do they still have them, I haven't been on it in years.

And I know the Berkshires by heart, but Mt. Tom is no longer a ski area and the snow so often turns to rain there, south of Vermont.

Spring sprung a few weeks back in L.A. I felt it, the sun was brighter, it boosted my mood, but really I'm more of a winter guy, I don't want the snow to go, maybe next time we'll do snow.
______________

Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday March 10th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

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Coachella Cancellation

Of course it's going to be canceled, it's just a matter of when.

You see it's all about the money. Goldenvoice has to pay the acts unless there's force majeure, essentially an act of God, something completely out of the control of the promoter.

As for insurance?

Ever since SARS the promoters have none.

So, it would probably be wise to announce a cancellation immediately. That would save Goldenvoice some money and allow patrons to cancel/adjust their plans.

But who is going to take the hit?

Of course everybody loses money if the event is canceled. But right now, the promoter and the acts are playing a game of chicken. Goldenvoice is waiting for an edict from the government that the gig can't happen, and the acts are not gonna cancel until that occurs.

So, we're waiting.

But we know what direction this is going in. Just look at Italy!

As for China, recent word is it's much worse than portrayed and it's not actually fading.

The upside?

The live business is burgeoning, because it's an experience in a world of fungible goods.

The downside?

It requires an assembly of masses of people.

Punters believe we live in a world of strict liability, one in which every loss is covered. It's kind of ridiculous if you think about it. Furthermore, corporations want to pay less, railing about the fees of the plaintiffs' attorneys. But the truth is those fees, and the ultimate payments, are usually quite small, relatively, and they're the only check against these companies, if they don't make you go to arbitration to begin with, where the company almost always wins. If you're waiting for the government to save you... Just look at Boeing, and many other industries, the corporations basically check themselves, or there are too few inspectors to do the work anyway, like in the meat business. So we need class actions and "shyster" attorneys to level the playing field. As for the McDonald's hot coffee case...on the surface, it sounds ridiculous, but in trying to make sure the coffee was still hot when you drank it at the office, McDonald's made it so hot that it burned a customer's skin. You want to be protected against that, right? As for bogus claims, they rarely get paid. Although nuisance claims get paid all the time, it's oftentimes cheaper to pay than to go through the process of litigation. It's an imperfect system, but it's the one we've got.

And, insurance companies are in the business of not paying. It's kind of like Vegas, if the gamblers were winning, the whole city would not exist. Insurers have to make a profit. And insurers can go broke. An agent writes the policy and oftentimes it's laid off on a bunch of reinsurance companies, to spread the risk, but when a catastrophe hits, there may not be enough money to make all the insureds whole, the insurance companies just declare bankruptcy.

So, if you paid for plane tickets and Coachella is canceled, you're eating them. Although, many airlines are saying if you book now and then cancel it's okay... But what about if you already booked?

Your hotel may or may not give you your money back.

All those businesses in Palm Springs... That money is lost.

And this is bigger than Coachella. This affects the entire nation. The aforementioned airlines are screwed, they're cutting back flights, but still costs are relatively static, whether people fly or not. As for the flight attendants and pilots, they'll be laid off.

As for the government?

So far, it's only saying it's going to help the corporations. As in socialism for the rich and democracy for the poor. The government has got enough money, it's just more concerned with the auto industry and other big donors than the individual. And sure, the big corporations do employ many people, but individuals are at the end of the line, always.

After Coachella...there goes Jazz Fest and Bonnaroo and the rest of the festivals. You've got to keep your customers safe, if they're dead they cannot buy tickets.

And this is a Tylenol situation. It'll be interesting to see whether promoters bend over backwards like Johnson & Johnson or deny like Perrier. In a crisis, too many companies do the wrong thing, especially since the executives did not start the outfit and have little ownership interest.

The promoters need to tell the ticketholders they will be made whole. Maybe, similar to the airlines, you can cancel any ticket two weeks out. This will give the promoter time to resell the ducat, frequently for a higher price.

The promoters have to say they won't lay people off.

The promoters must give the illusion that it's safety first. Which is why they should cancel these shows now instead of later, but it's all about the contracts, the public comes last.

As for the public... You're never gonna go to a show with tens of thousands of people from all over the world...no one will show up, they're too scared, especially in a world where European nations are already limiting the size of public gatherings.

And instead of denying the problem, promoters have to get ahead of it, they can't be like Trump telling everybody they're safe and more people die from the flu. You've got to be overly cautious so people trust you.

As for the coronavirus being gone by the hot weather...there were three waves of the Spanish flu, so...

We don't know what's gonna happen folks, at least with the coronavirus.

We do know what's gonna happen in the concert industry...shows will be canceled.

But what you don't know is many performers and managers live hand to mouth, I've heard from a number if their tours don't go out they'll be broke. There's this image that everybody in the music business is rich, but that is not so.

It's a good time to own Netflix stock.

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