Shamrock Holdings has nothing to worry about, their investment is safe.
I had a long conversation with Steven Wilson, the famous remixer, known for his redos of everyone from King Crimson to Jethro Tull to Chicago to Yes. And the first thing he said is the remixes were for the FANS! And you can't change a single note.
Fripp heard what he'd done and wanted to make changes. Wilson said he could not. The fans had listened to these albums for decades, purchased the vinyl, the CD and the remastered CD, they knew the tunes better than the artist himself!
This is the truth. Most artists never ever listen to their albums after they're done. But these tracks become iconic in the ears of the listener. Change anything, anything at all, and the listener notices and is caught off guard.
This is my main complaint about the Beatles remixes. They don't sound the way I've heard this music for decades, it's instantly recognizable, they're a completely different animal. But what is worse is these may become the definitive statement in the future. In the old days, the remix would be released, sold to fans and then disappear. Now, these remixes live forever, and there's a very good chance they'll supersede the original mixes, and that's a tragedy, they're just not the same.
"Fearless" is Taylor Swift's best album. When she was still innocent, when she still worked with Liz Rose, before she became an international celebrity suspect to the blowback, when she was something instead of everything. "Fearless" was cut before the arena tours. She was not resting on her laurels, she had something to prove, but really it was about succeeding on country radio. But singing her truth from her heart with catchy melodies ended up endearing her to so many more, the word spread, when the tour cycle was over she became the person she is now.
It's hard to pick a favorite. But mine is "Tell Me Why," it's got all the melodic changes absent from today's hit parade, you're immediately engrossed, the fiddle sets the tone, and then you're off on the roller coaster... Remember the first time you rode one of those? Initially you were apprehensive, but then as the train continued to twist and turn you were filled with glee.
But "Love Story" was the song Taylor decided to recut and release first.
The original is excellent. Intimate, heartfelt, going from zero to sixty like a teenager's emotions.
Now making a record is not a scientific experience. The goal is to capture lightning in a bottle and not only not mess it up in the mixing and mastering, but to enhance it! It's an alchemy created on the fly, by instinct and feel more than thought, that's the creative process. And the final product is set in amber, that's it. And the truth is so many projects were finished to meet a deadline, the start of a tour... The pressure is felt, it causes you to complete, sometimes to your advantage, sometimes to your disadvantage. But you just cannot re-create this atmosphere. Hell, if you could all those oldsters searching for a hit would have another one. As for repeating yourself... It cannot be done, no matter how hard you try. You're different, you're working with different people, and even if it's the same people they don't remember exactly how they did it so they cannot repeat it.
The new version of "Love Story" is a bust, from the beginning. The picking is labored, as if the player is trying to get it right. And Swift's vocal is self-conscious, and the instruments are clearer, and not in a good way. It's nearly impossible to get through. Truly. If you're a fan at all I dare you to play it from beginning to end. It's not a hit, it's a re-creation, and as established above you just can't do this. Or to put it another way, you just can't go home again.
I get it, I get it. Swift is pissed her catalog was sold out from under her. And I don't want to revisit all the shenanigans, I just want to talk about the music. And the new version just doesn't have it, that elusive magic. The original was not labored, everything was new, the recut is paint-by-numbers, and you know that the paint-by-numbers version is never as good as the original, never ever. It's a facsimile at best.
You've got to let the past go. Otherwise you become mired in it, it paralyzes you.
The best example is John Fogerty. Getting bad business advice the Creedence assets were sold. Fogerty just couldn't get over this, how he was ripped-off. And he wrote a song about Saul Zaentz and he ended up getting into legal imbroglios with the man and his Fantasy label and the result was that Fogerty didn't put out new music that charmed his listeners, he was too hung up about being ripped-off.
The funny thing is the Fantasy assets are now owned by Concord, where Fogerty records, and the company graciously reinstated Fogerty's royalty stream, demonstrating if you wait long enough, things sometimes work out. Not always, but...
Isn't that the American spirit? You lift yourself up, write off the past and march forward. Hell, I'll argue the Sony lawsuits contributed to Steve Popovich's death. Pop was right, but his battles with Sony consumed his life, to the exclusion of essentially everything else.
It's not like Taylor Swift no longer gets royalties from those old records. She just doesn't own them. And rather than spend all that time recutting she's better off just making new music, forgetting about the hurt from the past.
Then again, this has been Swift's greatest challenge. She built her career on the past, settling scores, biting back, but that paradigm played out, it's become a joke that haunts her. She's now in her thirties, it's time to pivot. Which to a great degree with her last two albums she has done.
But neither is in the league of "Fearless."
Maybe it was a time and a place. Maybe the magic cannot be recaptured. Bob Dylan has gone on record multiple times that he can no longer do what he used to, that torrent of words encapsulating the angst of America, so he no longer tries, he's pushing new boundaries. It's his footsteps Swift should follow in. Scooter Braun is a businessman. Shamrock is a faceless investment firm.
But Taylor Swift is an artist.
But the recut of "Love Story" is not artistry.
She should punt. Get over it. In truth no one really cares other than her. And people don't care about business anywhere near as much as they do about art, to the degree they even focus on the business at all.
Swift and her compatriots captured lightning in a bottle once, congratulations, that record will exist for all time.
And it's time to make a new one. To try to be a new Taylor Swift, somebody she's never been before. Someone with perspective, who can laugh at herself, who recaptures the intimacy, who does not succumb to Michael Jackson disease, insisting you be the King or Queen of Pop forevermore.
It killed Michael Jackson. And the truth is Taylor Swift didn't have much of a childhood either. But the point is art is not competitive. There's always room for someone new, something great. That is the goal, career management is secondary. Swift can tour to a substantial number of fans until she dies. Isn't that enough?
It is.
Don Henley worked with the Eagles, and when that became intolerable he went solo, found his legs, and made equally legendary music with a whole new set of people. It can be done. As long as you keep trying to push the envelope. And who knows, like Henley with the Eagles, it all might come back together in the future. That's life, it's completely unpredictable, you've got to live it to find out what happens. And although at times it's scary, THAT'S WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT IT!
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-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Friday 12 February 2021
Thursday 11 February 2021
Ted Lasso
1
It's a stupid show. But that's why it's so good!
Apple TV+ has been improperly analyzed. It's more akin to Amazon Prime Video than Netflix or Disney+. You see it's a perk, it's not a standalone purchase. It's an extra, a bonus, not something you debate subscribing to.
Bottom line, 62% of Apple TV+ subscribers are on free accounts. How can that be you ask, especially if you're still a member of the Wintel/Android world. Well, the truth is if you buy almost any Apple product, you get a free subscription.
But what keeps you watching?
This is unlike Apple's Arcade. I got that free too but I don't plan to renew, I've never even cracked it. But gaming, as large as it is, has a smaller footprint than television. The pool of potential TV watchers is gigantic, essentially everybody. And what drives streaming platform success? HITS!
And to succeed in any artistic endeavor, you have to come up to the plate on a regular basis, whether you're an act or a record company or TV channel or streaming platform... You see it's very hard to predict a hit. Every once in a while, a few times a year, there's a project so undeniable that you know it is going to succeed, but those are rare. Which is why you see supposed sure shots, even Paul McCartney in the eighties as well as today, so heavily marketed/promoted. Turns out most people need to be reminded, they're not following the scene that closely, now more than ever, where the channel is so cluttered, and there are so many avenues of interest. This is what is hurting the music business, the lack of a translatable superstar, the last one was Adele, who do we have now? Someone who essentially everybody can love? No one.
So, Netflix pivoted to streaming and invested a plethora of money into production. Knowing all of the above rules. Disney came with a catalog of children's programming, and a low price, which boosted its subscriptions. As for competitors? Well, for most people Hulu is essentially a network/cable service, a place where you can dial up last night's shows. Sure, there is some original programming, and some licensed too, but not enough to get you to pay all that dough per month.
So Hulu survives.
Amazon Prime Video? It hasn't made as many shows as Netflix and certainly doesn't have the hit to crap ratio that Netflix does, but its problem is the service is perceived to be free, and therefor the shows get little buzz/traction. But, you say, isn't this the same with Apple TV+? Not exactly, there is no cult of Amazon, as much as people use the service, but there is an Apple cult, large and motivated, people want to watch Apple TV+ so their links to Cupertino are even stronger, they're even rooting for the platform! Sounds ridiculous, but what can you believe in these days, Rihanna? Who has forsaken music for branding/licensing, not knowing you're only as hot as your last hit, which is why her LVMH deal failed. Youngsters may be completely unaware of Rihanna, they have no incentive to overpay for her luxury goods.
So Apple TV+ gets attention. But so far, it has been unable to build on that attention. Every show that Apple promoted, oftentimes via Tim Cook himself, has been released to a chorus of...nothing. "The Morning Show." That Earth show. None of it has truly clicked until "Ted Lasso." Oh, there was some buzz on "Dickinson," but perception was it was for young girls, and perception is king. Well, after distribution.
But Apple didn't promote "Dickinson" either. As for "Ted Lasso," I just considered it another mediocre Apple production, throwing too much money at a celebrity to do their passion project. Come on, despite the hoopla, "Mank" sucked. Not in the league of any awards, at least not for content, maybe cinematography. But, once again, marketing has influenced "news" and the whole enterprise has detached from the public, which is why the Oscar show has tanked...people don't care, they can't relate to it. As for fashion? You go to Instagram and YouTube for that, to the influencers, to people who live for fashion 365 days a year, not one.
But then there started to be a buzz on "Ted Lasso."
I still wouldn't watch it, because I refuse to watch any show that is dribbled out week by week. I get it, Apple is trying to build buzz, it's got very little content to begin with, but that buzz approach is positively last century. We live in an on demand culture, we want it all and we want it now! Come on, Steve Jobs was famous for that. He loved to introduce a product and say it's available NOW! And instantly there'd be a buying frenzy, you want to catch people when they're hyped-up, manic.
But now, months later, I finally dove into "Ted Lasso."
2
Jason Sudeikis has no star power in my universe, just another latter-day SNL star who reached his expiration date and has been trying to make it on his own ever since.
So Sudeikis was no reason for me to watch "Ted Lasso."
As for the other main star...supposedly she was in "Game of Thrones." Yes, I know, I know, but I'm not into fantasy, not whatsoever, maybe when I'm washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered iPad I'll give it a go, but it's far from a priority for me.
But "Lasso" was on Apple, and I'm part of the cult, and my free subscription seems to go on forever, if for no other reason than I'm signed up to the new iPhone every year plan. As for the prohibitive cost, which I'm paying through the nose for? HOW MUCH DO YOU USE YOUR SMARTPHONE? It's my most used device, by far, why should I be living in a backwater? It's about the chip and the features. As for the chip...I've got an iPad Air 2, I purchased it at the end of 2014, and it's almost unusable, it's best just as a TV streaming device. Another user might find its lag time tolerable, but compared to my iPhone 12 Pro Max? IT'S GLACIAL!
So I decided to try "Ted Lasso."
Sudeikis/Lasso never breaks character, never ever. And at first it's intolerable, but then it becomes magical. And when his wife want to divorce him because he's too optimistic, I GET IT!
But I'm a glass half-empty kind of guy. But watching Ted, I started to wonder if there was a benefit in optimism. Furthermore, at times Lasso gets low, has regrets, so there's a bit of three-dimensionality, but you have to wait for it.
As for Ms. Game of Thrones, Hannah Waddingham? She's incredible! A great foil for Sudeikis, a star in her own right. She's forceful and then vulnerable, unable to get over her divorce, and Lasso is supportive... We don't see this much in celebrity culture, someone tending to another's wounds, it's all about me me ME! But here it's endearing.
And the supporting players...
The almost nonverbal coach, who has a passion for chess and a knowledge of kink.
And Nathan... The unappreciated underling who is a soccer genius, at least compared to Ted.
The blurbs didn't have it right. American football coach takes the helm of a Premier League team. Sounds too hokey. But that ends up being just the point, IT IS HOKEY!
Everybody ultimately caves to Ted's magic. And he knows when he works it.
As for Keeley... Julien Temple has a daughter old enough to play the love interest? Remember the legendary music video director? Yes, we're getting older by the minute, the times keep changing, and the whole world is what have you done for me lately? It's hard to keep up.
But that's why you rely on word-of-mouth, your friends, the buzz.
Otherwise I never would have even watched "Ted Lasso." Apple certainly wasn't hammering it, it was only my friends the sports acolytes. And then the buzz grew wider, so I had to check it out.
As for you?
My favorite stupid movie is "Stripes." It's genius.
Stupid means it doesn't have to comport with real life, it can be broad, it can go from joke to joke.
But too many stupid movies are just that, stupid, which is why Adam Sandler gets such a bad rap. His flicks have no iconic scenes involving Tito Puente or some other obscure reference. The references bond us, keep us interested.
But there are not that many belly laughs in "Ted Lasso," and on some level it's an SNL production, but unlike SNL, "Ted Lasso" does not reek of insiderism, no one breaks character, it's a fantasy world and in today's scary world, it's a relief.
The characters are very broad. And mostly two-dimensional But that was the goal!
As for the Diamond Dogs... I can't remember a comparable scene in any production, where nerds, regular people, gather to support and analyze a friend's love life. And hell, "Ted Lasso" even gets divorce right! You stood up in front of all those people, it's legal...emotionally it's hard to break.
It's hard to do comedy. So hard, that most people don't even attempt it. Come on, streaming services are laden with cop shows, and supernatural/horror shows. Comedy? It either works or it doesn't. And oftentimes it doesn't.
And I can't give "Ted Lasso" a ringing endorsement, I can't say it's a must-see, but I will tell you once you watch about an episode and a half, you'll finish it. Because you'll like the mood, you'll like the respite from the real world, and ultimately...things don't always play out the way you expect them to, which is a relief.
3
So Apple TV+ has a hit. It's a sleeper, it's taken time to grow, but that's how almost everything is these days, a work of art must percolate in the marketplace before it gets traction. As for marketing? If marketing were truly king, most movies released would be a success, when this is patently untrue.
And the truth is there are very few great things out there, stuff worth talking about, telling others about. And your personal credibility comes into play, whether you know it or not. Recommend a couple of losers and people no longer listen to you, their time is too precious. And personal credibility is one of the key traits in today's world, where everything is a service or an experience, on demand. You want your friends to listen to you. Seemingly nobody else is, ultimately it's how you become embedded in the social fabric, where all the rewards are.
So, Apple is on to something. The company should never cut off the freebies, it should continue to give a free subscription to Apple TV+ with every purchase of an Apple item. It reinforces the cult! And once you have a hit, all eyeballs are upon you.
Hell, HBO wasn't a juggernaut until "The Sopranos," which boosted the already extant "Sex and the City." As for "Larry Sanders"? However good it was, it was a cult item.
And "House of Cards" was the best show on any platform, network, cable or streaming, just like "The Sopranos." And what "The Sopranos" and "House of Cards" also have in common is...signing a producer/creator and giving them a lot of money and free rein.
And Apple is now trying to sell package subscriptions. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't understand pricing. There's very little incentive to sign up, the price is too high, which is the complaint about all of Apple's products. I'll buy the package if I'm paying less than I am now and get a whole 'nother service absolutely free. As for the services I'm already passing on...if I wanted them that bad, I'd buy them, and I haven't.
And too many of Apple's subscription products are me-too. Spotify is an alternative to Apple Music. News is everywhere. As for exercising... Sure, Peleton is much more expensive, but it's hot and cool at the same time! Apple's exercise program Fitness+ is not! Steve Jobs understood this...once you're competing with everybody, when you're approaching commodity status, you lower the price, like he did with the iPod, killing all other entrants.
People forget the stiffs. Whether it's TV or music. There's just too much on offer these days. All those lame Apple TV+ shows? No one cares if they can get "Ted Lasso."
Apple TV+'s biggest disadvantage was audience. Because distribution is king. You may have the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if no one can see it... But by giving away free subscriptions, EVERYBODY CAN SEE IT! Furthermore, this is the tech ethos... It starts off free until you hit critical mass. Then you either charge or make it continue to feel free, like Google and Facebook.
There are no monopolies in Hollywood anymore. The town elders have lost control. You don't fight the future, YOU JOIN THE FUTURE! Which is what all the creators have done. A hit can come from anywhere these days, be on any platform, but the key is to HAVE HITS!
Apple TV+ has a start with "Ted Lasso." Watch it, not so much because you'll love it, but because then you'll be part of the discussion. We're dying for talking points, we're dying to be members of the club. So, people are incentivized to check out hits, because they want to belong!
Trust me, you want to belong to the "Ted Lasso" cult.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
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-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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It's a stupid show. But that's why it's so good!
Apple TV+ has been improperly analyzed. It's more akin to Amazon Prime Video than Netflix or Disney+. You see it's a perk, it's not a standalone purchase. It's an extra, a bonus, not something you debate subscribing to.
Bottom line, 62% of Apple TV+ subscribers are on free accounts. How can that be you ask, especially if you're still a member of the Wintel/Android world. Well, the truth is if you buy almost any Apple product, you get a free subscription.
But what keeps you watching?
This is unlike Apple's Arcade. I got that free too but I don't plan to renew, I've never even cracked it. But gaming, as large as it is, has a smaller footprint than television. The pool of potential TV watchers is gigantic, essentially everybody. And what drives streaming platform success? HITS!
And to succeed in any artistic endeavor, you have to come up to the plate on a regular basis, whether you're an act or a record company or TV channel or streaming platform... You see it's very hard to predict a hit. Every once in a while, a few times a year, there's a project so undeniable that you know it is going to succeed, but those are rare. Which is why you see supposed sure shots, even Paul McCartney in the eighties as well as today, so heavily marketed/promoted. Turns out most people need to be reminded, they're not following the scene that closely, now more than ever, where the channel is so cluttered, and there are so many avenues of interest. This is what is hurting the music business, the lack of a translatable superstar, the last one was Adele, who do we have now? Someone who essentially everybody can love? No one.
So, Netflix pivoted to streaming and invested a plethora of money into production. Knowing all of the above rules. Disney came with a catalog of children's programming, and a low price, which boosted its subscriptions. As for competitors? Well, for most people Hulu is essentially a network/cable service, a place where you can dial up last night's shows. Sure, there is some original programming, and some licensed too, but not enough to get you to pay all that dough per month.
So Hulu survives.
Amazon Prime Video? It hasn't made as many shows as Netflix and certainly doesn't have the hit to crap ratio that Netflix does, but its problem is the service is perceived to be free, and therefor the shows get little buzz/traction. But, you say, isn't this the same with Apple TV+? Not exactly, there is no cult of Amazon, as much as people use the service, but there is an Apple cult, large and motivated, people want to watch Apple TV+ so their links to Cupertino are even stronger, they're even rooting for the platform! Sounds ridiculous, but what can you believe in these days, Rihanna? Who has forsaken music for branding/licensing, not knowing you're only as hot as your last hit, which is why her LVMH deal failed. Youngsters may be completely unaware of Rihanna, they have no incentive to overpay for her luxury goods.
So Apple TV+ gets attention. But so far, it has been unable to build on that attention. Every show that Apple promoted, oftentimes via Tim Cook himself, has been released to a chorus of...nothing. "The Morning Show." That Earth show. None of it has truly clicked until "Ted Lasso." Oh, there was some buzz on "Dickinson," but perception was it was for young girls, and perception is king. Well, after distribution.
But Apple didn't promote "Dickinson" either. As for "Ted Lasso," I just considered it another mediocre Apple production, throwing too much money at a celebrity to do their passion project. Come on, despite the hoopla, "Mank" sucked. Not in the league of any awards, at least not for content, maybe cinematography. But, once again, marketing has influenced "news" and the whole enterprise has detached from the public, which is why the Oscar show has tanked...people don't care, they can't relate to it. As for fashion? You go to Instagram and YouTube for that, to the influencers, to people who live for fashion 365 days a year, not one.
But then there started to be a buzz on "Ted Lasso."
I still wouldn't watch it, because I refuse to watch any show that is dribbled out week by week. I get it, Apple is trying to build buzz, it's got very little content to begin with, but that buzz approach is positively last century. We live in an on demand culture, we want it all and we want it now! Come on, Steve Jobs was famous for that. He loved to introduce a product and say it's available NOW! And instantly there'd be a buying frenzy, you want to catch people when they're hyped-up, manic.
But now, months later, I finally dove into "Ted Lasso."
2
Jason Sudeikis has no star power in my universe, just another latter-day SNL star who reached his expiration date and has been trying to make it on his own ever since.
So Sudeikis was no reason for me to watch "Ted Lasso."
As for the other main star...supposedly she was in "Game of Thrones." Yes, I know, I know, but I'm not into fantasy, not whatsoever, maybe when I'm washed up on a desert island with a solar-powered iPad I'll give it a go, but it's far from a priority for me.
But "Lasso" was on Apple, and I'm part of the cult, and my free subscription seems to go on forever, if for no other reason than I'm signed up to the new iPhone every year plan. As for the prohibitive cost, which I'm paying through the nose for? HOW MUCH DO YOU USE YOUR SMARTPHONE? It's my most used device, by far, why should I be living in a backwater? It's about the chip and the features. As for the chip...I've got an iPad Air 2, I purchased it at the end of 2014, and it's almost unusable, it's best just as a TV streaming device. Another user might find its lag time tolerable, but compared to my iPhone 12 Pro Max? IT'S GLACIAL!
So I decided to try "Ted Lasso."
Sudeikis/Lasso never breaks character, never ever. And at first it's intolerable, but then it becomes magical. And when his wife want to divorce him because he's too optimistic, I GET IT!
But I'm a glass half-empty kind of guy. But watching Ted, I started to wonder if there was a benefit in optimism. Furthermore, at times Lasso gets low, has regrets, so there's a bit of three-dimensionality, but you have to wait for it.
As for Ms. Game of Thrones, Hannah Waddingham? She's incredible! A great foil for Sudeikis, a star in her own right. She's forceful and then vulnerable, unable to get over her divorce, and Lasso is supportive... We don't see this much in celebrity culture, someone tending to another's wounds, it's all about me me ME! But here it's endearing.
And the supporting players...
The almost nonverbal coach, who has a passion for chess and a knowledge of kink.
And Nathan... The unappreciated underling who is a soccer genius, at least compared to Ted.
The blurbs didn't have it right. American football coach takes the helm of a Premier League team. Sounds too hokey. But that ends up being just the point, IT IS HOKEY!
Everybody ultimately caves to Ted's magic. And he knows when he works it.
As for Keeley... Julien Temple has a daughter old enough to play the love interest? Remember the legendary music video director? Yes, we're getting older by the minute, the times keep changing, and the whole world is what have you done for me lately? It's hard to keep up.
But that's why you rely on word-of-mouth, your friends, the buzz.
Otherwise I never would have even watched "Ted Lasso." Apple certainly wasn't hammering it, it was only my friends the sports acolytes. And then the buzz grew wider, so I had to check it out.
As for you?
My favorite stupid movie is "Stripes." It's genius.
Stupid means it doesn't have to comport with real life, it can be broad, it can go from joke to joke.
But too many stupid movies are just that, stupid, which is why Adam Sandler gets such a bad rap. His flicks have no iconic scenes involving Tito Puente or some other obscure reference. The references bond us, keep us interested.
But there are not that many belly laughs in "Ted Lasso," and on some level it's an SNL production, but unlike SNL, "Ted Lasso" does not reek of insiderism, no one breaks character, it's a fantasy world and in today's scary world, it's a relief.
The characters are very broad. And mostly two-dimensional But that was the goal!
As for the Diamond Dogs... I can't remember a comparable scene in any production, where nerds, regular people, gather to support and analyze a friend's love life. And hell, "Ted Lasso" even gets divorce right! You stood up in front of all those people, it's legal...emotionally it's hard to break.
It's hard to do comedy. So hard, that most people don't even attempt it. Come on, streaming services are laden with cop shows, and supernatural/horror shows. Comedy? It either works or it doesn't. And oftentimes it doesn't.
And I can't give "Ted Lasso" a ringing endorsement, I can't say it's a must-see, but I will tell you once you watch about an episode and a half, you'll finish it. Because you'll like the mood, you'll like the respite from the real world, and ultimately...things don't always play out the way you expect them to, which is a relief.
3
So Apple TV+ has a hit. It's a sleeper, it's taken time to grow, but that's how almost everything is these days, a work of art must percolate in the marketplace before it gets traction. As for marketing? If marketing were truly king, most movies released would be a success, when this is patently untrue.
And the truth is there are very few great things out there, stuff worth talking about, telling others about. And your personal credibility comes into play, whether you know it or not. Recommend a couple of losers and people no longer listen to you, their time is too precious. And personal credibility is one of the key traits in today's world, where everything is a service or an experience, on demand. You want your friends to listen to you. Seemingly nobody else is, ultimately it's how you become embedded in the social fabric, where all the rewards are.
So, Apple is on to something. The company should never cut off the freebies, it should continue to give a free subscription to Apple TV+ with every purchase of an Apple item. It reinforces the cult! And once you have a hit, all eyeballs are upon you.
Hell, HBO wasn't a juggernaut until "The Sopranos," which boosted the already extant "Sex and the City." As for "Larry Sanders"? However good it was, it was a cult item.
And "House of Cards" was the best show on any platform, network, cable or streaming, just like "The Sopranos." And what "The Sopranos" and "House of Cards" also have in common is...signing a producer/creator and giving them a lot of money and free rein.
And Apple is now trying to sell package subscriptions. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't understand pricing. There's very little incentive to sign up, the price is too high, which is the complaint about all of Apple's products. I'll buy the package if I'm paying less than I am now and get a whole 'nother service absolutely free. As for the services I'm already passing on...if I wanted them that bad, I'd buy them, and I haven't.
And too many of Apple's subscription products are me-too. Spotify is an alternative to Apple Music. News is everywhere. As for exercising... Sure, Peleton is much more expensive, but it's hot and cool at the same time! Apple's exercise program Fitness+ is not! Steve Jobs understood this...once you're competing with everybody, when you're approaching commodity status, you lower the price, like he did with the iPod, killing all other entrants.
People forget the stiffs. Whether it's TV or music. There's just too much on offer these days. All those lame Apple TV+ shows? No one cares if they can get "Ted Lasso."
Apple TV+'s biggest disadvantage was audience. Because distribution is king. You may have the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if no one can see it... But by giving away free subscriptions, EVERYBODY CAN SEE IT! Furthermore, this is the tech ethos... It starts off free until you hit critical mass. Then you either charge or make it continue to feel free, like Google and Facebook.
There are no monopolies in Hollywood anymore. The town elders have lost control. You don't fight the future, YOU JOIN THE FUTURE! Which is what all the creators have done. A hit can come from anywhere these days, be on any platform, but the key is to HAVE HITS!
Apple TV+ has a start with "Ted Lasso." Watch it, not so much because you'll love it, but because then you'll be part of the discussion. We're dying for talking points, we're dying to be members of the club. So, people are incentivized to check out hits, because they want to belong!
Trust me, you want to belong to the "Ted Lasso" cult.
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Bode Miller-This Week's Podcast
Bode Miller is America's most decorated male alpine skier, winner of two World Cups and six Olympic medals. Bode is a self-taught wunderkind. We dive into his philosophy on education and go deep into his roots and his career, stopping along the way to investigate his innovations and his choices. Bode may have retired from competitive skiing, but he's involved in more than a dozen ventures, which keep him quite busy. I guarantee you if you're a ski fan you will have questions answered that have never been asked anywhere else. You'll learn about equipment, coaching, doping...all the aspects of ski racing at the elite level. Bode is intelligent and articulate, I was high for a day after talking to him!
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/?keyid%5B0%5D=The%20Bob%20Lefsetz%20Podcast&keyid%5B1%5D=Jake%20Gold&sc=podcast_widget
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bode-miller/id1316200737?i=1000508584256
https://open.spotify.com/episode/20ueCaIgjqv6XfnNP74nUm?si=YJvnIlfzQtylS7qoPylFEA
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast
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Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/?keyid%5B0%5D=The%20Bob%20Lefsetz%20Podcast&keyid%5B1%5D=Jake%20Gold&sc=podcast_widget
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bode-miller/id1316200737?i=1000508584256
https://open.spotify.com/episode/20ueCaIgjqv6XfnNP74nUm?si=YJvnIlfzQtylS7qoPylFEA
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast
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-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Impeachment
It's a moral issue.
I was brought up with the notion that people knew, if they were elected to top positions, if they ran the corporation, they were skilled with insight.
This has not turned out to be true.
This is what Washington has wrought. We've now learned that everybody is human, everybody screws up, and even the most educated and talented have blind spots and those with blind spots can often supersede those who know.
It's inspiring and disillusioning. It's inspiring because it demonstrates I can compete, the playing field is level, those in power, those with status positions, are truly no better than me. But it's disillusioning because chaos reigns, there is truly no there there, what holds America together is a very thin thread. We've been living under the fallacy that we're all connected through a moral fabric, we're all in it for the common good, that truth and justice will out.
That's no longer true.
Let's start with Clinton. Hell, let's start with Gary Hart. Rumor was he was having an affair. He said no, to follow him, and then they caught him in the act. What was Hart thinking, that he was truly immune? Clinton had a reputation as a playboy. A reasonable person would keep his penis in his pants for his term. But it turns out Clinton couldn't, he was no different from the guy running the local machine shop or manufacturing plant, taking advantage of his position, not worrying about social mores. But was Clinton's behavior so egregious that he should be kicked out of office? I won't walk you through the details, but it's clear the Republicans were out to get him, and if getting a blow job and lying about it means you lose your job...women would run the Fortune 500.
And Clinton's election coincided with the rise of Newt Gingrich, who turned politics into a zero sum game. Either you win or I win. No different from Monopoly, or Careers. Compromise was out the window.
And then Roger Stone got Bush elected via the Brooks Brothers riot.
A black man became president.
And then it all imploded.
Now I get the Republican position, they're playing a team sport. But this is not what everybody was taught about politics growing up. Politics was for the greater good. And if someone crossed the line, they were excised. Now you can break the law, brag about it, and keep on ruling, more powerful than ever, can you say "Ukraine"?
Don't argue with me. That's not the point. Don't quote Fox talking points. Yesterday, they cut away from the impeachment process. Their talking heads were more important, after all, ratings are everything, and what someone is not exposed to they do not know. This would have never happened in the three network era. But that era is long gone.
Later I listened to Mark Levin spew his inanities on Sean Hannity's show. The Democrats were stupid and laughable. There was no respect, no decency. And sure, those concepts went out the window eons ago, but my point is what impact does this have on Fox fans?
Oh, don't quote the false equivalencies, Russian collusion, Benghazi... As for Russian collusion, turns out Bill Barr got out ahead of the Mueller Report and Robert Mueller himself punted.
But let's not get caught up in the past.
Now we have video evidence. Of a Capitol riot. What we're hearing from the right is no one is responsible but the rioters themselves, they operated in a vacuum and Trump is not culpable. So, you tell me my eyes are lying?
As for the legal defense of the ex-president... The founder of the Federalist Society said the impeachment was legal, and those who haven't gone to law school don't realize that everybody, every criminal, is entitled to a defense...but that does not make them innocent.
Come on, you see it in the news every day. Outrageous claims that should exculpate behavior.
But what stresses me out, has me wondering, is the future. Yes, if those at the top lie and get away with it, WHY SHOULD I TELL THE TRUTH!
This is the America we now live in. Only the poor get caught and get incarcerated because there are security cameras everywhere and they can't afford good lawyers. As for white collar criminals? Hire good enough attorneys and you can delay to the point where the prosecutor at the government leaves his post, and maybe a friend of yours gets elected and can make it all go away.
It's all about gangs and who you know. Is there any wonder we've got gangs in the inner cities? There's no future for these people, no money for training, many join the gang just to survive. And if you're a rapper, you may get shot. We don't live in the wild west anymore, but maybe we do! Westerns used to be fantasies, now they're realities.
So what do these senators who refuse to convict Trump say to their friends, their families, their heirs? Well, it's not radically different from what a member of the Crips or the Bloods would say... I was forced into it, if I went against the gang I'd lose my job, maybe even worse. And without money and power you become a second-class citizen who is forgotten.
So what lesson are we teaching further generations?
You're on your own baby. Do not trust institutions. Everybody is out to get you if you raise your head above the fray, and it's important to build your team to fight them. Loyalty is everything, truth is out the window.
Lying in court? EVERYBODY DOES IT! Used to be taboo, now it's de rigueur.
"Nearly 140 police officers were injured in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to the Capitol Police union. Officers suffered brain injuries, smashed spinal discs, and cracked ribs, and one is likely to lose his eye. Two officers have committed suicide."
NBCNews.com via "The Week"
I thought the right was the party of the police. But what do you say to the injured, the dead and their families? That their efforts were in vain? That it was nobody's fault and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time on the wrong day and these are the risks you take?
When a building collapses we hold the contractors accountable. But when it comes to politicians, everything's up for grabs, how good a team do you have, one as good as the Yankees, the Buccaneers?
Accountability itself is up for grabs.
And the truth is that Trump lied incessantly during his tenure, loyal news outlets refused to correct him and people are completely misinformed as to what went on. But ignorance is a badge of honor these days. You're not from some highfalutin' family, you didn't go to college, no, you stay at home and drink beer and...how exactly do you pay the bills, wages are so damn low! Or else you're a Christian conservative, an upper middle class nitwit protecting your right not to sacrifice, not to lose anything in this game we call life. But there are no guarantees, nothing is future-proof. They make no more Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles either. Kodak is a shell of itself. What, are we supposed to hold back progress so some people don't get hurt? YES! You hear this argument again and again, in life, in business, give me protection from the future, hold the ingrates back, it's not only white supremacists who rig the game. What do you think all those lobbyists are about?
And the establishment media tells us to lionize Sheryl Sandberg when she's a fount of misinformation and misdirection. Facebook was an insignificant driver of the January 6th insurrection. OH YEAH? They expect us to buy all this crap. They know they're lying when their lips move. But since they're so rich and powerful they can get away with it. Hell, Zuckerberg himself is willing to throw our privacy under the bus to save small businesses, even though this in itself is a falsehood. Turns out small businesses are a very small part of Facebook's advertising base. But Apple wants to protect people and this just can't happen, Facebook must survive, operate unfettered.
And then there's the case of Twitter. Wall Street is down on the company because it's just not growing fast enough, as if that was the only criterion, the only measure of success. And then the naysayers say Twitter is not America...then why was Trump on it? During the window between the inauguration and the impeachment trial did you notice Trump was nearly completely out of the news? And you wonder why...he couldn't spew his falsehoods on social media!
Today they shut down Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for spewing vaccine falsehoods, debunked evidence, on Instagram. But we're supposed to respect this idiot, because he's a Kennedy! Like Bush got elected president because his father was president.
America is truly rotten at the core. No one is interested in doing the right thing, sacrificing their own self-interest, putting themselves at the end of the line. And when senators do this in plain sight, with the cameras on, the fabric of America frays. And rust never sleeps. We can't teach evolution in schools, it's like we're pulling the hood over America, to keep it in darkness, as it isolates itself from the rest of the world believing it can go it alone when the truth today is NO country in the world can go it alone.
One could hope that Republican senators will wake up and do the right thing, but hope is now hopeless. The game is rigged before you start. Yes, the evidence the House managers are giving is irrelevant. The Republicans don't want their faces shown on camera, a slew are not even paying attention, their minds were made up before the trial even began!
Expand upon that. You were arrested and when you get to court you realize it doesn't matter what the evidence is, you're gonna get convicted.
And then there are people like Springsteen, who gets drunk and drives. So let me get this straight, everybody in these United States is perfect and if you commit a faux pas you're history forever? You can't learn from your mistakes? As for Morgan Wallen...he's in the penalty box, we've got to let him out at some point, otherwise it just demonstrates cancel culture knows no limits, no boundaries, never mind none of the focus on Wallen's behavior was why the country star was out partying with his boys during Covid anyway! No, that's not sexy, but that's bad behavior!
But science is no longer facts. The virus leaked out of a lab in Wuhan. Masks and vaccines don't work. Just go on about your business, you're safe. And if it turns out you weren't, well, too bad. Scientists say if everybody in America wore a mask the virus would be gone in two weeks. But no, we'd rather argue about freedom for two years.
But if your parents defended you against the principal...
If your daddy got you your job...
If your bros covered up your bad behavior...
WHY SHOULD THINGS CHANGE NOW!
Almost fifty years ago, John Dean claimed there was a cancer on the presidency. Nixon resigned? BECAUSE REPUBLICAN SENATORS TOLD HIM TO!
But now everything is topsy-turvy. And we've let things fester and slide for so long that the cancer has spread throughout our nation. But just like climate change, it cannot be addressed. Government is a team sport, there is no such thing as the common good.
Actions have consequences.
Don't parrot legal mumbo-jumbo. If Trump gets off, our nation will be the worse for it. Truth and justice will be gone, the American Way completely eviscerated. BUT WE'VE GOT OUR FREEDOM!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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I was brought up with the notion that people knew, if they were elected to top positions, if they ran the corporation, they were skilled with insight.
This has not turned out to be true.
This is what Washington has wrought. We've now learned that everybody is human, everybody screws up, and even the most educated and talented have blind spots and those with blind spots can often supersede those who know.
It's inspiring and disillusioning. It's inspiring because it demonstrates I can compete, the playing field is level, those in power, those with status positions, are truly no better than me. But it's disillusioning because chaos reigns, there is truly no there there, what holds America together is a very thin thread. We've been living under the fallacy that we're all connected through a moral fabric, we're all in it for the common good, that truth and justice will out.
That's no longer true.
Let's start with Clinton. Hell, let's start with Gary Hart. Rumor was he was having an affair. He said no, to follow him, and then they caught him in the act. What was Hart thinking, that he was truly immune? Clinton had a reputation as a playboy. A reasonable person would keep his penis in his pants for his term. But it turns out Clinton couldn't, he was no different from the guy running the local machine shop or manufacturing plant, taking advantage of his position, not worrying about social mores. But was Clinton's behavior so egregious that he should be kicked out of office? I won't walk you through the details, but it's clear the Republicans were out to get him, and if getting a blow job and lying about it means you lose your job...women would run the Fortune 500.
And Clinton's election coincided with the rise of Newt Gingrich, who turned politics into a zero sum game. Either you win or I win. No different from Monopoly, or Careers. Compromise was out the window.
And then Roger Stone got Bush elected via the Brooks Brothers riot.
A black man became president.
And then it all imploded.
Now I get the Republican position, they're playing a team sport. But this is not what everybody was taught about politics growing up. Politics was for the greater good. And if someone crossed the line, they were excised. Now you can break the law, brag about it, and keep on ruling, more powerful than ever, can you say "Ukraine"?
Don't argue with me. That's not the point. Don't quote Fox talking points. Yesterday, they cut away from the impeachment process. Their talking heads were more important, after all, ratings are everything, and what someone is not exposed to they do not know. This would have never happened in the three network era. But that era is long gone.
Later I listened to Mark Levin spew his inanities on Sean Hannity's show. The Democrats were stupid and laughable. There was no respect, no decency. And sure, those concepts went out the window eons ago, but my point is what impact does this have on Fox fans?
Oh, don't quote the false equivalencies, Russian collusion, Benghazi... As for Russian collusion, turns out Bill Barr got out ahead of the Mueller Report and Robert Mueller himself punted.
But let's not get caught up in the past.
Now we have video evidence. Of a Capitol riot. What we're hearing from the right is no one is responsible but the rioters themselves, they operated in a vacuum and Trump is not culpable. So, you tell me my eyes are lying?
As for the legal defense of the ex-president... The founder of the Federalist Society said the impeachment was legal, and those who haven't gone to law school don't realize that everybody, every criminal, is entitled to a defense...but that does not make them innocent.
Come on, you see it in the news every day. Outrageous claims that should exculpate behavior.
But what stresses me out, has me wondering, is the future. Yes, if those at the top lie and get away with it, WHY SHOULD I TELL THE TRUTH!
This is the America we now live in. Only the poor get caught and get incarcerated because there are security cameras everywhere and they can't afford good lawyers. As for white collar criminals? Hire good enough attorneys and you can delay to the point where the prosecutor at the government leaves his post, and maybe a friend of yours gets elected and can make it all go away.
It's all about gangs and who you know. Is there any wonder we've got gangs in the inner cities? There's no future for these people, no money for training, many join the gang just to survive. And if you're a rapper, you may get shot. We don't live in the wild west anymore, but maybe we do! Westerns used to be fantasies, now they're realities.
So what do these senators who refuse to convict Trump say to their friends, their families, their heirs? Well, it's not radically different from what a member of the Crips or the Bloods would say... I was forced into it, if I went against the gang I'd lose my job, maybe even worse. And without money and power you become a second-class citizen who is forgotten.
So what lesson are we teaching further generations?
You're on your own baby. Do not trust institutions. Everybody is out to get you if you raise your head above the fray, and it's important to build your team to fight them. Loyalty is everything, truth is out the window.
Lying in court? EVERYBODY DOES IT! Used to be taboo, now it's de rigueur.
"Nearly 140 police officers were injured in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to the Capitol Police union. Officers suffered brain injuries, smashed spinal discs, and cracked ribs, and one is likely to lose his eye. Two officers have committed suicide."
NBCNews.com via "The Week"
I thought the right was the party of the police. But what do you say to the injured, the dead and their families? That their efforts were in vain? That it was nobody's fault and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time on the wrong day and these are the risks you take?
When a building collapses we hold the contractors accountable. But when it comes to politicians, everything's up for grabs, how good a team do you have, one as good as the Yankees, the Buccaneers?
Accountability itself is up for grabs.
And the truth is that Trump lied incessantly during his tenure, loyal news outlets refused to correct him and people are completely misinformed as to what went on. But ignorance is a badge of honor these days. You're not from some highfalutin' family, you didn't go to college, no, you stay at home and drink beer and...how exactly do you pay the bills, wages are so damn low! Or else you're a Christian conservative, an upper middle class nitwit protecting your right not to sacrifice, not to lose anything in this game we call life. But there are no guarantees, nothing is future-proof. They make no more Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles either. Kodak is a shell of itself. What, are we supposed to hold back progress so some people don't get hurt? YES! You hear this argument again and again, in life, in business, give me protection from the future, hold the ingrates back, it's not only white supremacists who rig the game. What do you think all those lobbyists are about?
And the establishment media tells us to lionize Sheryl Sandberg when she's a fount of misinformation and misdirection. Facebook was an insignificant driver of the January 6th insurrection. OH YEAH? They expect us to buy all this crap. They know they're lying when their lips move. But since they're so rich and powerful they can get away with it. Hell, Zuckerberg himself is willing to throw our privacy under the bus to save small businesses, even though this in itself is a falsehood. Turns out small businesses are a very small part of Facebook's advertising base. But Apple wants to protect people and this just can't happen, Facebook must survive, operate unfettered.
And then there's the case of Twitter. Wall Street is down on the company because it's just not growing fast enough, as if that was the only criterion, the only measure of success. And then the naysayers say Twitter is not America...then why was Trump on it? During the window between the inauguration and the impeachment trial did you notice Trump was nearly completely out of the news? And you wonder why...he couldn't spew his falsehoods on social media!
Today they shut down Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for spewing vaccine falsehoods, debunked evidence, on Instagram. But we're supposed to respect this idiot, because he's a Kennedy! Like Bush got elected president because his father was president.
America is truly rotten at the core. No one is interested in doing the right thing, sacrificing their own self-interest, putting themselves at the end of the line. And when senators do this in plain sight, with the cameras on, the fabric of America frays. And rust never sleeps. We can't teach evolution in schools, it's like we're pulling the hood over America, to keep it in darkness, as it isolates itself from the rest of the world believing it can go it alone when the truth today is NO country in the world can go it alone.
One could hope that Republican senators will wake up and do the right thing, but hope is now hopeless. The game is rigged before you start. Yes, the evidence the House managers are giving is irrelevant. The Republicans don't want their faces shown on camera, a slew are not even paying attention, their minds were made up before the trial even began!
Expand upon that. You were arrested and when you get to court you realize it doesn't matter what the evidence is, you're gonna get convicted.
And then there are people like Springsteen, who gets drunk and drives. So let me get this straight, everybody in these United States is perfect and if you commit a faux pas you're history forever? You can't learn from your mistakes? As for Morgan Wallen...he's in the penalty box, we've got to let him out at some point, otherwise it just demonstrates cancel culture knows no limits, no boundaries, never mind none of the focus on Wallen's behavior was why the country star was out partying with his boys during Covid anyway! No, that's not sexy, but that's bad behavior!
But science is no longer facts. The virus leaked out of a lab in Wuhan. Masks and vaccines don't work. Just go on about your business, you're safe. And if it turns out you weren't, well, too bad. Scientists say if everybody in America wore a mask the virus would be gone in two weeks. But no, we'd rather argue about freedom for two years.
But if your parents defended you against the principal...
If your daddy got you your job...
If your bros covered up your bad behavior...
WHY SHOULD THINGS CHANGE NOW!
Almost fifty years ago, John Dean claimed there was a cancer on the presidency. Nixon resigned? BECAUSE REPUBLICAN SENATORS TOLD HIM TO!
But now everything is topsy-turvy. And we've let things fester and slide for so long that the cancer has spread throughout our nation. But just like climate change, it cannot be addressed. Government is a team sport, there is no such thing as the common good.
Actions have consequences.
Don't parrot legal mumbo-jumbo. If Trump gets off, our nation will be the worse for it. Truth and justice will be gone, the American Way completely eviscerated. BUT WE'VE GOT OUR FREEDOM!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Tuesday 9 February 2021
2021 Rules
PERSEVERANCE
It takes longer than ever to make it. If you are not in it for the long haul, don't even start.
YOU CAN PLAY BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN WIN
The barrier to entry has never been lower, but the odds of getting noticed and growing have also never been lower.
YOU WILL NOT BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME
No one is anymore. Unless maybe you're president or a tech billionaire. You may want to increase the size of your audience, but there's absolutely no way you can reach everybody.
HATE
Once you have some success, you will have people taking you down online. Be prepared.
STUNTS MAY NOT GET YOU NOTICED
Used to be you could make a flashy video, perform some outrageous stunt and you'd get publicity and you'd be on your way. Today, the internet is an ongoing flashy stunt machine, can you say TikTok? Best to focus on the underlying art as opposed to the marketing.
MARKETING
You can have a campaign with a lot of tear sheets that ultimately reaches no one, has no effect.
NEWSPAPERS
Are worthless unless you're appealing to an older demo, the younger, more active audience just doesn't read them. Local newspapers have never meant less. Subscription levels keep decreasing. So you can send the article to your mother but you won't be any further down the road to success.
PRACTICE
In an era where everybody can do it, those who can do it well have a leg up. Furthermore, in an era where everything is easy, where the computer tools help you, being able to perform at a high level in the offline world is notable. You can fake it online, you can't fake it off, at least not without tech. In an era dominated more and more by machines, it's the human that translates. If you learn how to play an instrument, or paint, or do anything which is not easy, eventually people notice. They're awed because there are so few skilled at your level.
INSPIRATION NOT SKILLS
Inspiration is the basis of great art. Period. Without it you have something inert that does not affect people. Inspiration usually happens in a flash. The key is to act on it immediately, and don't let in your naysayer voice or outsider criticism. When you're inspired, you capture the zeitgeist. It's all about catching lightning in a bottle. You know it when you do it, but it happens very infrequently, usually when you're not even working.
LIVE A LIFE
Otherwise you have nothing to build upon, nothing to say.
THERE ARE NO RULES IN ART
You can get up at noon, you can work five minutes a day... Artists channel the world so the rest of the public can understand it.
YOUR GOAL IS TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING
There are no longer any markers that definitively say you've made it. No record deal, no TV appearance. You have to learn to be happy with the success you have, not the success you dreamed about.
ART FIRST MONEY SECOND
People can tell. They know what you're all about, what you're in it for. There's commerce and then there's art. There can be money in commerce, but don't confuse it with art. Art touches people, art lasts.
WHAT'S HATED TODAY IS LOVED TOMORROW AND VICE VERSA
You have to adhere to your own inner tuning fork. If you compromise and do it their way chances are your work will lose its essence. Sure, the Beatles were loved by critics in their era. But not Led Zeppelin. Which never changed its sound to satiate critics.
CRITICS
It used to be a small club based on access and free records and tickets. Today everybody has access and everybody's a critic, so criticism means less than ever before. Furthermore, don't pay attention to any criticism made by someone who doesn't love your work or genre to begin with. Who cares what a critic of Renaissance art has to say about abstract expressionism.
YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE ON YOUR TEAM
Culture has changed. Nobody's in it for the long haul, everybody's in it for themselves, everybody wants money and they want it now. As a result, you'll get a plethora of bad advice, mostly in the vein of do this now because everybody else is.
CONSTANT CREATION
You must be creating work on a regular basis, so that fans can keep up with you constantly, otherwise you're forgotten. Don't shoot the messenger, this is the reality. If you're waiting years to debut your work you're laboring under the fiction that people are eagerly waiting for its delivery. There are a few fans who feel this way, most people have moved on, because there are so many options/choices in the marketplace. You have to be really special for people to be waiting for your pearls of wisdom with bated breath. And if you believe mainstream publicity can bridge this gap you're wrong. Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities," his first and most successful fiction work, was serialized in "Rolling Stone" before publication.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS A CHOICE
The goal is to deliver a large enough audience that their chatter sustains your career. If part of your art is social media, interacting with your fans, go for it. But if it is not, don't. But, at the beginning, you're going to have to play this game, you're going to have to participate.
INVITE DON'T FORCE
No one wants anything jammed down their throat today, everybody is overscheduled, it's a privilege to be able to gain someone's attention and time. Don't hammer, don't chide, don't say you've delivered the best thing since sliced bread, be warm and open, invite, so that tastemakers will be interested in checking you out and spreading the word.
GROWTH
If it's not happening, you're doing it wrong. Or you've been too afraid to play, to allow your work/career to grow. You've got to post your work online. It doesn't matter if it's imperfect, if it's unfinished, just by participating you will improve and this will make more people stick to you.
VIRALITY
Happens very very slowly. Almost under the radar. Once or twice a year something blows up virally nearly instantly. And most of these have a short shelf life.
GENRE
There are no channels. Do whatever you want. Sure, some types of creative work have a larger built-in audience than others, but now, more than any time in history, the world is open to anything, you can grow an audience for anything. Don't shave off the edges to grow your career, it's the edges that hook people.
YESTERDAY'S HEROES
Can succeed on the nostalgia circuit, but barely have a leg up online. Your name gets you entry, but the work decides whether you get traction or not.
BITCHING AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Is positively fruitless. It's a waste of energy. Furthermore, there's this canard that there is an impenetrable system that is working against you. How can this be where anybody can post for free on YouTube or SoundCloud and for a de minimis price on streaming services like Spotify and Apple? You have a bigger chance than ever before. The system is working for you!
DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE SCUTTLEBUTT/NEWS
Successful people rarely bitch. It's only the unsuccessful, used to be successful and wannabes who spend their time complaining endlessly, it's easier than creating great work. Furthermore, most people writing in major news outlets have no real understanding of how the system truly functions, nor does the government. And the more people bitch, the more systems operators retreat from view, because there just can't be a rational discussion based on facts. Mob mentality rules today, as well as misinformation, don't be a victim of falsehood.
THE INTERNET IS THE MEANS
You create the end. Computers and the internet are your toolkit, mix and match and innovate. Some of the greatest products of all time were mistakes. And some of the greatest sounds in music history were created by people playing with equipment in the studio, oftentimes contrary to instructions by the manufacturers and the poohbahs.
YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE IT
It's a long hard road and success might be long in coming, or it might not come at all. Anybody who's a legend contemplated giving up at one point.
MEANS TO AN END
If your art is a way to get rich, to become a brand, sell clothing and tchotchkes...that paradigm does exist, but it's very different from creating art. Creating art takes all your time. You've got to experience, you've got to distill, you've got to polish...it's a full time job. Today money is paramount, most respected, but never confuse that with art. In a world where everybody can't get rich, in a world where no one is as big as they think they are, in a world where the public is searching for soul fulfillment...art is king.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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It takes longer than ever to make it. If you are not in it for the long haul, don't even start.
YOU CAN PLAY BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN WIN
The barrier to entry has never been lower, but the odds of getting noticed and growing have also never been lower.
YOU WILL NOT BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME
No one is anymore. Unless maybe you're president or a tech billionaire. You may want to increase the size of your audience, but there's absolutely no way you can reach everybody.
HATE
Once you have some success, you will have people taking you down online. Be prepared.
STUNTS MAY NOT GET YOU NOTICED
Used to be you could make a flashy video, perform some outrageous stunt and you'd get publicity and you'd be on your way. Today, the internet is an ongoing flashy stunt machine, can you say TikTok? Best to focus on the underlying art as opposed to the marketing.
MARKETING
You can have a campaign with a lot of tear sheets that ultimately reaches no one, has no effect.
NEWSPAPERS
Are worthless unless you're appealing to an older demo, the younger, more active audience just doesn't read them. Local newspapers have never meant less. Subscription levels keep decreasing. So you can send the article to your mother but you won't be any further down the road to success.
PRACTICE
In an era where everybody can do it, those who can do it well have a leg up. Furthermore, in an era where everything is easy, where the computer tools help you, being able to perform at a high level in the offline world is notable. You can fake it online, you can't fake it off, at least not without tech. In an era dominated more and more by machines, it's the human that translates. If you learn how to play an instrument, or paint, or do anything which is not easy, eventually people notice. They're awed because there are so few skilled at your level.
INSPIRATION NOT SKILLS
Inspiration is the basis of great art. Period. Without it you have something inert that does not affect people. Inspiration usually happens in a flash. The key is to act on it immediately, and don't let in your naysayer voice or outsider criticism. When you're inspired, you capture the zeitgeist. It's all about catching lightning in a bottle. You know it when you do it, but it happens very infrequently, usually when you're not even working.
LIVE A LIFE
Otherwise you have nothing to build upon, nothing to say.
THERE ARE NO RULES IN ART
You can get up at noon, you can work five minutes a day... Artists channel the world so the rest of the public can understand it.
YOUR GOAL IS TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING
There are no longer any markers that definitively say you've made it. No record deal, no TV appearance. You have to learn to be happy with the success you have, not the success you dreamed about.
ART FIRST MONEY SECOND
People can tell. They know what you're all about, what you're in it for. There's commerce and then there's art. There can be money in commerce, but don't confuse it with art. Art touches people, art lasts.
WHAT'S HATED TODAY IS LOVED TOMORROW AND VICE VERSA
You have to adhere to your own inner tuning fork. If you compromise and do it their way chances are your work will lose its essence. Sure, the Beatles were loved by critics in their era. But not Led Zeppelin. Which never changed its sound to satiate critics.
CRITICS
It used to be a small club based on access and free records and tickets. Today everybody has access and everybody's a critic, so criticism means less than ever before. Furthermore, don't pay attention to any criticism made by someone who doesn't love your work or genre to begin with. Who cares what a critic of Renaissance art has to say about abstract expressionism.
YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE ON YOUR TEAM
Culture has changed. Nobody's in it for the long haul, everybody's in it for themselves, everybody wants money and they want it now. As a result, you'll get a plethora of bad advice, mostly in the vein of do this now because everybody else is.
CONSTANT CREATION
You must be creating work on a regular basis, so that fans can keep up with you constantly, otherwise you're forgotten. Don't shoot the messenger, this is the reality. If you're waiting years to debut your work you're laboring under the fiction that people are eagerly waiting for its delivery. There are a few fans who feel this way, most people have moved on, because there are so many options/choices in the marketplace. You have to be really special for people to be waiting for your pearls of wisdom with bated breath. And if you believe mainstream publicity can bridge this gap you're wrong. Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities," his first and most successful fiction work, was serialized in "Rolling Stone" before publication.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS A CHOICE
The goal is to deliver a large enough audience that their chatter sustains your career. If part of your art is social media, interacting with your fans, go for it. But if it is not, don't. But, at the beginning, you're going to have to play this game, you're going to have to participate.
INVITE DON'T FORCE
No one wants anything jammed down their throat today, everybody is overscheduled, it's a privilege to be able to gain someone's attention and time. Don't hammer, don't chide, don't say you've delivered the best thing since sliced bread, be warm and open, invite, so that tastemakers will be interested in checking you out and spreading the word.
GROWTH
If it's not happening, you're doing it wrong. Or you've been too afraid to play, to allow your work/career to grow. You've got to post your work online. It doesn't matter if it's imperfect, if it's unfinished, just by participating you will improve and this will make more people stick to you.
VIRALITY
Happens very very slowly. Almost under the radar. Once or twice a year something blows up virally nearly instantly. And most of these have a short shelf life.
GENRE
There are no channels. Do whatever you want. Sure, some types of creative work have a larger built-in audience than others, but now, more than any time in history, the world is open to anything, you can grow an audience for anything. Don't shave off the edges to grow your career, it's the edges that hook people.
YESTERDAY'S HEROES
Can succeed on the nostalgia circuit, but barely have a leg up online. Your name gets you entry, but the work decides whether you get traction or not.
BITCHING AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Is positively fruitless. It's a waste of energy. Furthermore, there's this canard that there is an impenetrable system that is working against you. How can this be where anybody can post for free on YouTube or SoundCloud and for a de minimis price on streaming services like Spotify and Apple? You have a bigger chance than ever before. The system is working for you!
DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE SCUTTLEBUTT/NEWS
Successful people rarely bitch. It's only the unsuccessful, used to be successful and wannabes who spend their time complaining endlessly, it's easier than creating great work. Furthermore, most people writing in major news outlets have no real understanding of how the system truly functions, nor does the government. And the more people bitch, the more systems operators retreat from view, because there just can't be a rational discussion based on facts. Mob mentality rules today, as well as misinformation, don't be a victim of falsehood.
THE INTERNET IS THE MEANS
You create the end. Computers and the internet are your toolkit, mix and match and innovate. Some of the greatest products of all time were mistakes. And some of the greatest sounds in music history were created by people playing with equipment in the studio, oftentimes contrary to instructions by the manufacturers and the poohbahs.
YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE IT
It's a long hard road and success might be long in coming, or it might not come at all. Anybody who's a legend contemplated giving up at one point.
MEANS TO AN END
If your art is a way to get rich, to become a brand, sell clothing and tchotchkes...that paradigm does exist, but it's very different from creating art. Creating art takes all your time. You've got to experience, you've got to distill, you've got to polish...it's a full time job. Today money is paramount, most respected, but never confuse that with art. In a world where everybody can't get rich, in a world where no one is as big as they think they are, in a world where the public is searching for soul fulfillment...art is king.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Monday 8 February 2021
Your Favorite Music Book-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in tomorrow, February 9th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Sunday 7 February 2021
H.E.R. Beats Abel This Weeknd At The Super Bowl
Never was so much spent on so little.
You rise to the occasion. Getting the gig is one thing, delivering is another. And it's not as simple as performing, art is all about conception, and the Weeknd seems to have ceded his entire production to third parties and in the process lost control of his art. It was almost like we still live in the pre-internet era, when MTV ruled and if you didn't spend money and dance you couldn't make an impact, but those days are through. Contrary to mainstream disinformation this decade is about the niches, the triumphs away from the Spotify Top 50. Never has music been a bigger tent.
Name recognition. That's why you play the Super Bowl. It's not so much a notch in your belt as a step in growing your fan base. Usually tickets go on sale right after the performance, striking when the iron is hot, but there are no shows now and the Weeknd wasted his opportunity, in one flash he made the rest of the world outside the music industry bubble realize how big he is, but he didn't come close to closing them, at best you could shrug. My inbox is filling up with those who were non-plussed and disappointed, how could this travesty be presented? Sure, football is a spectacle, and music can be too, but oftentimes the bigger you make it the smaller it becomes, whereas that which is tiny and precious triumphs. Like H.E.R.'s rendition of "America the Beautiful."
Most people have no idea who she is. But she sang the song like she owned it, like she'd written it, and it wasn't only her vocal, it was her guitar-playing that wowed and made you pay attention, her performance stuck with you as the game progressed, a game hobbled by penalties...thank god there are no penalties in music, music is about being pure, distilling it all to an uncompromised essence, like H.E.R. did tonight.
We've gotten too far from the garden. We've become focused on stars as opposed to music. Money rules and it cannot be contradicted. If someone is successful you can't criticize them. I think it's ridiculous that the Weeknd wasn't nominated in the big Grammy categories, but I can't say his music is memorable, that it moves the needle, never mind the football, especially when he started working with producers-du-jour who homogenized his sound, sawed off the edges in pursuit of consumption. Yes, the Weeknd is now safe.
We want to be wowed, we want to take notice, we want to be able to tell everybody about it, we want to FEEL SOMETHING!
That's one thing that separates human beings from other species, we have feelings. And we live to be touched, otherwise it's just drudgery. And sure, one can be moved by athletic performance, but not as much as music, which when done right comes from the soul and transfers the message, the feeling, into the listener. I can try to explain H.E.R.'s magic, but it can't compete with what I felt, like I'd been remiss in not paying her much attention previously, that not only was she talented, she played like she owned the place. That's how Prince owned the Super Bowl, he was bequeathing his music, his material, to everybody watching, both in the stands and on TV. Can you remember who competed, never mind who won? OF COURSE NOT! Can you remember the production? NOT REALLY! All you remember is Prince wailing on the guitar and reaching you in a way no one else ever has in this setting, you had no choice but to take notice.
Funny that America's game is hobbled by penalties. This is why soccer, the rest of the world's football, is superior. It's just like life, make too many rules and people become dispirited and innovation wanes. But if you set people free you'll be amazed what they'll do.
And H.E.R. was set free tonight.
So expect further travesties at halftime at the Super Bowl. Bigger and better. But intimate is what really triumphs these days. It's the key to social media, the more money you put into it the fewer the rewards. We want to see YOU, not the trappings. Which is why you can spend a fortune on a music video and it still stiffs in the marketplace, because that paradigm hasn't really mattered since PSY, and that was years ago.
And Lil Nas X triumphed on TikTok. And it was the song that generated the videos. The public embraced it and expanded upon it. People want to be engrossed and participate, in the twenty first century watching is oftentimes not enough.
So you can play the Super Bowl and everybody knows your name, but it may not drive up your business, it may even backfire on you, as it did with Maroon 5. Just showing up is not enough, Just giving a performance is not enough. We're not looking for lights and lasers, we're not looking for dancing and production, we're looking to you...are you real or are you affected, do you have credibility or have you sold out, are you doing it their way or your way?
H.E.R. did it her way tonight. She sprinted far beyond the Weeknd. This one appearance will pay dividends. People have a good feeling about Gabriella Wilson, they're tuned in and want more. Watching Abel Tesfaye tonight you winced, you wanted to change the channel, and if you continued to watch you wanted it to get better, but it only got worse, especially with all the dancing fools at the end.
When we strike the production and effects, when it's just you on stage, it is quickly revealed whether you have it or not. In truth we're rooting for you, because so few have it. H.E.R. obviously practiced, she paid her dues, she was confident, you could see all her experience, all her talent in a couple of minutes. Let her be a beacon, if you want to triumph in music, if you want to have a long career, follow H.E.R., not the Weeknd.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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You rise to the occasion. Getting the gig is one thing, delivering is another. And it's not as simple as performing, art is all about conception, and the Weeknd seems to have ceded his entire production to third parties and in the process lost control of his art. It was almost like we still live in the pre-internet era, when MTV ruled and if you didn't spend money and dance you couldn't make an impact, but those days are through. Contrary to mainstream disinformation this decade is about the niches, the triumphs away from the Spotify Top 50. Never has music been a bigger tent.
Name recognition. That's why you play the Super Bowl. It's not so much a notch in your belt as a step in growing your fan base. Usually tickets go on sale right after the performance, striking when the iron is hot, but there are no shows now and the Weeknd wasted his opportunity, in one flash he made the rest of the world outside the music industry bubble realize how big he is, but he didn't come close to closing them, at best you could shrug. My inbox is filling up with those who were non-plussed and disappointed, how could this travesty be presented? Sure, football is a spectacle, and music can be too, but oftentimes the bigger you make it the smaller it becomes, whereas that which is tiny and precious triumphs. Like H.E.R.'s rendition of "America the Beautiful."
Most people have no idea who she is. But she sang the song like she owned it, like she'd written it, and it wasn't only her vocal, it was her guitar-playing that wowed and made you pay attention, her performance stuck with you as the game progressed, a game hobbled by penalties...thank god there are no penalties in music, music is about being pure, distilling it all to an uncompromised essence, like H.E.R. did tonight.
We've gotten too far from the garden. We've become focused on stars as opposed to music. Money rules and it cannot be contradicted. If someone is successful you can't criticize them. I think it's ridiculous that the Weeknd wasn't nominated in the big Grammy categories, but I can't say his music is memorable, that it moves the needle, never mind the football, especially when he started working with producers-du-jour who homogenized his sound, sawed off the edges in pursuit of consumption. Yes, the Weeknd is now safe.
We want to be wowed, we want to take notice, we want to be able to tell everybody about it, we want to FEEL SOMETHING!
That's one thing that separates human beings from other species, we have feelings. And we live to be touched, otherwise it's just drudgery. And sure, one can be moved by athletic performance, but not as much as music, which when done right comes from the soul and transfers the message, the feeling, into the listener. I can try to explain H.E.R.'s magic, but it can't compete with what I felt, like I'd been remiss in not paying her much attention previously, that not only was she talented, she played like she owned the place. That's how Prince owned the Super Bowl, he was bequeathing his music, his material, to everybody watching, both in the stands and on TV. Can you remember who competed, never mind who won? OF COURSE NOT! Can you remember the production? NOT REALLY! All you remember is Prince wailing on the guitar and reaching you in a way no one else ever has in this setting, you had no choice but to take notice.
Funny that America's game is hobbled by penalties. This is why soccer, the rest of the world's football, is superior. It's just like life, make too many rules and people become dispirited and innovation wanes. But if you set people free you'll be amazed what they'll do.
And H.E.R. was set free tonight.
So expect further travesties at halftime at the Super Bowl. Bigger and better. But intimate is what really triumphs these days. It's the key to social media, the more money you put into it the fewer the rewards. We want to see YOU, not the trappings. Which is why you can spend a fortune on a music video and it still stiffs in the marketplace, because that paradigm hasn't really mattered since PSY, and that was years ago.
And Lil Nas X triumphed on TikTok. And it was the song that generated the videos. The public embraced it and expanded upon it. People want to be engrossed and participate, in the twenty first century watching is oftentimes not enough.
So you can play the Super Bowl and everybody knows your name, but it may not drive up your business, it may even backfire on you, as it did with Maroon 5. Just showing up is not enough, Just giving a performance is not enough. We're not looking for lights and lasers, we're not looking for dancing and production, we're looking to you...are you real or are you affected, do you have credibility or have you sold out, are you doing it their way or your way?
H.E.R. did it her way tonight. She sprinted far beyond the Weeknd. This one appearance will pay dividends. People have a good feeling about Gabriella Wilson, they're tuned in and want more. Watching Abel Tesfaye tonight you winced, you wanted to change the channel, and if you continued to watch you wanted it to get better, but it only got worse, especially with all the dancing fools at the end.
When we strike the production and effects, when it's just you on stage, it is quickly revealed whether you have it or not. In truth we're rooting for you, because so few have it. H.E.R. obviously practiced, she paid her dues, she was confident, you could see all her experience, all her talent in a couple of minutes. Let her be a beacon, if you want to triumph in music, if you want to have a long career, follow H.E.R., not the Weeknd.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-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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Liz Cheney Stands Up
https://bit.ly/36SiPOR
What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where Liz Cheney stands up for truth, justice and the American Way?
"'People in the (Republican) party are mistaken. They believe that BLM and Antifa were behind what happened here at the Capitol, that's just simply not the case. It's not true. And we're going to have a lot of work we have to do. People have been lied to,' the congresswoman said."
One in which groupthink and fear have come to dominate the American way of life. America used to stand for the rugged individual, now it's for the cowering lemming afraid they'll be excommunicated for displaying thoughts that are not concomitant with what the group thinks. And god forbid you make a mistake, then you're canceled. Who came up with this policy? One strike and you're out, imagine if that applied to you, and we all make mistakes.
It's bigger than political parties. Say something negative about a pop act and that act's fans will inundate you with hate. Kinda funny how with all this talk about bullying it happens online constantly. And you're supposed to appeal to some theoretical referee to right the wrong but one doesn't exist, what you need to do is stand your ground and speak your truth, but too many were brought up in a world where their parents complained to the authorities to quash behavior, and this just doesn't work in the real world. In the real world you either have to remain silent or fight back, neither of which get any cred in society at large. In America you're supposed to accept the punches as punishment, for violating the policies of the the group, and if you fight back, no one comes to your rescue. Come on, you can't find a single man to weigh in when one of their brethren is canceled, when it comes to a discussion of women's rights. And there can't be a reasonable result without a conversation, so they're afraid. And true discussion, if there is any, goes underground.
I am not condoning heinous behavior. I am not condoning sexual abuse. But too often today if someone wants to get into the nuances, analyze the issues, they're booted off stage by a plethora of heckling, they're supposed to get back down in the hole they came from.
And too often the baby boomers are responsible. Believing their parents raised them improperly, they did their best to coddle their children, the millennials, going to bat for them AGAINST the teacher, complaining to the administration whenever Mallory or Phineas got in trouble. Furthermore, millennials' strongest desire is to be a member of the group. That is paramount. They all got trophies, no one is better than another, hogwash. We are not all alike, isn't that one of the great features of America, that you can be different and be accepted? At least that's the way it used to be.
"'The extent to which the president, President Trump, for months leading up to January 6th, spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged was a lie.'"
Truth. It's gone out the window. If it doesn't fit your agenda, ignore it, or deny it. The big story these past three months is how Fox has moved rightward because its audience was being stolen by Newsmax. So let me get this straight... If ignorant lemmings listen to the false spewings of ignoramuses you're supposed to abandon truth and get on board? In what world does this work? But ratings and money are everything. And even Fox is a team. Shephard Smith was hassled to the point where he jumped ship. But at least give him credit for standing up for truth for all those years before he did. It's hard to resist the mob, it's hard to be a party of one. But, once again, this is what America was based upon.
I really don't understand this. When I grew up it was clear who were the winners and losers. In sports, in school... But now under the aegis of togetherness, we've thrown out the statistics, competition is eviscerated in the name of harmony. In what era of history has this worked? There are superior people in all walks of life. Some are better athletically, some are better intellectually, and as Bob Dylan so famously sang:
"Now, each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don't underestimate me
I won't underestimate you"
Truly, no one is better than anybody else. The key is to find out what you're good at and pursue that, not to try to convince yourself that you're good at everything, equal to others in that pursuit.
But the truth is we now revere cash. And life is so hard that people who might have pursued their dream do not.
A good example of this is Amor Towles. Who has written the lauded and successful books "Rules of Civility" and "A Gentleman in Moscow." Even though his teachers told him he should pursue a career in writing, he worked for decades in banking, because you know mazuma is the highest calling in America. But it's the arts that give us insight and direction. But now all the artists are in pursuit of cash so that's history. And since everybody was brought up believing they could do everything they believe they can become a famous rapper or pop star, why not? Forget paying your dues, forget practicing. You were told from a young age you were special and you could do anything so...WHY NOT?
And people are confronted with this day in and day out. Work at the corporation and the number one criterion is getting along, it's more important than the work you do. Don't hang out, spend your time at your desk trying to push the envelope and chances are you'll be ostracized and excised. This is another reason old corporations fail... Once they've become established they're taken over by MBAs and bean counters, there's no American exceptionalism left, only the running of a machine until it sputters, usually as a result of a third party disrupter. You've got to deliver quarterly profits, that's more important than innovation, more important than the future. And isn't it funny how the biggest tech corporations in America haven't run that way. They brought in a manger at Google, Eric Schmidt, AND THEN THEY KICKED HIM OUT! Turns out so many of these techies don't need adult supervision. Case in point, Mark Zuckerberg. You may hate him, but you can't argue with his success, talk about making the stock rise... Zuckerberg has always pivoted and invested, unlike staid American companies. Yes, Zuckerberg paid zillions for WhatsApp and Instagram, do you think a conventional manager would have signed off on those purchases? No way! And Zuckerberg knew where the ball was going and went there while most people were ignorant.
Like Daniel Ek, who single-handedly save the recorded music business and has gotten shit for it ever since. Talk to the labels, they LOVE Spotify! But artists and ignorant writers and politicians don't stop excoriating Spotify and Ek, they won't be happy until the company is busted, gives all the cash to performers, especially the ones without listens. Who said you were entitled to be an artist? Who said you were entitled to make money at it? Those boomer parents once again? Hell, when I was brought up it was instilled in me that you had to be great to make it in show business. Artists went their own way, they were always different, not only in music. Then again, that's when you could make a living in so many artistic pursuits that you cannot now. Then again, the winds of change blow and if your goal is to calcify the landscape, freeze institutions, paralyze progress, you're heading for death. It always makes my head spin when people rail against streaming music when they can make their work for free on a laptop, promote it for free online and distribute it almost for free on streaming services. Don't they get it? In the old world they wouldn't even have gotten a chance to play, the doors would have been closed, costs would have been prohibitive. Then again, no one knows history anymore. And you're proud of your ignorance. Yes, Trump paid fealty to you and the elites are the problem. Elites do cause problems, but the day we denigrate education is the day our nation becomes a second class citizen in the world. Then again, that has happened! After Trump European countries are wary of the U.S., looking to it for leadership, falling in line behind America.
"'We will not forget what happened on January 6th. And that the single greatest threat to our republic is a president who would put his own self-interest above the Constitution, above the national interest.'"
Liz Cheney might have said this, but this ethos left the planet after the sixties. Now it's all about self-interest, even if it causes problems for others. As a matter of fact, it's the lower classes who are the most charitable, that's been statistically proven. So some billionaire gives away a micron of his fortune, why doesn't he pay more taxes! Oh, that's right, because the government will waste it and government is bad. So, let me see...you want a nation without roads and dams where the rich get even richer? That's been one of the pandemic stories, how the wealth of the super-rich has skyrocketed. Not only Jeff Bezos, but those invested in the stock market. Meanwhile, most people own no stock. As for the Redditors and GameStop...they may have been ignorant, they may have ultimately lost, but one thing they knew for sure was Wall Street is rigged, against them, and that's true.
"'We've had a situation where President Trump claimed for months that the election was stolen and then apparently set about to do everything he could to steal it himself.."
Even high-ranking Democrats don't put it so directly, for fear of Republican blowback. Yes, Trump tried to steal the election himself. But since nearly half of the country doesn't believe this, you can't say it. This is how far we've fallen, we must adjust the game to play to morons, or the woefully uninformed. As for the educated like Cruz playing to these people...his own party doesn't call out this behavior, because it aligns with the team, and it's all hogwash anyway, it's not about Trump, it's about laying the groundwork so he can ultimately become president, god forbid, self-interest rearing its ugly head once again.
But Rand Paul comes out and says there's no way Trump will be convicted in the Senate. But that begs the question...what does a president have to do to be impeached and convicted? Trump tries to steal an election and foments an insurrection and that's okay? And if some Democrats had fallen in the process, that would have been fine too, as long as the Republicans remained intact. But, the mob was going after Pence...isn't this akin to what Martin Niemoller said?
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
The team doesn't need you, everybody is expendable. You think you're integral, that you count, but the truth is you don't, everybody can be sacrificed to achieve the team's goal. And Liz Cheney realizes this and draws a line in the sand, says she won't take it anymore.
This all was said in conversation with Chris Wallace on Fox News today. But go to foxnews.com and you have to scroll down deeply to find it. Fox is burying its own story. Because it doesn't align with what its viewers think. Maybe you do that in entertainment, but not news.
But the truth is playing to the audience permeates all walks of life. In music, acts give people more of what they've already consumed. Go to a major label and tell them you're different and it will take time to develop and spread the word and they're not interested. Same deal with the film business, so busy making movies that will play around the world that it left real life stories, smaller stories, to television, which is eating the movie business's lunch. And streaming outlets don't control the artists like they do on networks and conventional channels. Netflix makes a rich deal with Shonda Rhimes, essentially giving her a blank check to do it her way. And her first project, "Bridgerton," is a raging success. The artist always know best. They don't always get it right, but they're the ones who hit the home runs. And it turns out the people are only interested in home runs, this philosophy has changed the fabric of baseball, and everyone is afraid to undercut it for fear fans will abandon the game, meanwhile the game gets further and further away from its essence, almost becomes a caricature of itself. Used to be Home Run Derby was once a year, just before the All Star Game, now it's 162 games a year, never mind the playoffs and World Series.
So, confronted with slings and arrows, from not only her party in Wyoming, but the national party in Congress, Cheney not only stood her ground, she barked back. She's not worried about her individual future, she's worried about what's right, about the nation at large. Therefore, she's a beacon, she evidences a spirit this country hasn't had since 1969, truly. We used to count on artists for this. But today if you've got a profile, artists are afraid to stand up and take a side for fear they might alienate a potential customer. But play to all and you ultimately play to none. You shave off all the edges such that your creation is ephemeral, it does not have deep impact and it disappears.
We are looking for people to stand up and speak to our hearts and minds with truth. We've gotten so far from that mantra as to live in scary times. And of course the internet is at fault, but the only way we get out of this mess is through us, people. Yes, the machines are not going to save us, only we can save us. But we need leaders. Forward movement, putting a dent in the universe, is not a popularity contest. Come on, ever notice someone is hated until they are loved? That's because most people can't understand what they're doing. But that was also when people were confident enough in their identities and beliefs to put it all on the line. Liz Cheney might lose her next election. Or, it might turn out there are a lot more silent believers than vocal nitwits. But she is willing to sacrifice her own personal interests for the greater good. What a concept! We need more of this.
What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where Liz Cheney stands up for truth, justice and the American Way?
"'People in the (Republican) party are mistaken. They believe that BLM and Antifa were behind what happened here at the Capitol, that's just simply not the case. It's not true. And we're going to have a lot of work we have to do. People have been lied to,' the congresswoman said."
One in which groupthink and fear have come to dominate the American way of life. America used to stand for the rugged individual, now it's for the cowering lemming afraid they'll be excommunicated for displaying thoughts that are not concomitant with what the group thinks. And god forbid you make a mistake, then you're canceled. Who came up with this policy? One strike and you're out, imagine if that applied to you, and we all make mistakes.
It's bigger than political parties. Say something negative about a pop act and that act's fans will inundate you with hate. Kinda funny how with all this talk about bullying it happens online constantly. And you're supposed to appeal to some theoretical referee to right the wrong but one doesn't exist, what you need to do is stand your ground and speak your truth, but too many were brought up in a world where their parents complained to the authorities to quash behavior, and this just doesn't work in the real world. In the real world you either have to remain silent or fight back, neither of which get any cred in society at large. In America you're supposed to accept the punches as punishment, for violating the policies of the the group, and if you fight back, no one comes to your rescue. Come on, you can't find a single man to weigh in when one of their brethren is canceled, when it comes to a discussion of women's rights. And there can't be a reasonable result without a conversation, so they're afraid. And true discussion, if there is any, goes underground.
I am not condoning heinous behavior. I am not condoning sexual abuse. But too often today if someone wants to get into the nuances, analyze the issues, they're booted off stage by a plethora of heckling, they're supposed to get back down in the hole they came from.
And too often the baby boomers are responsible. Believing their parents raised them improperly, they did their best to coddle their children, the millennials, going to bat for them AGAINST the teacher, complaining to the administration whenever Mallory or Phineas got in trouble. Furthermore, millennials' strongest desire is to be a member of the group. That is paramount. They all got trophies, no one is better than another, hogwash. We are not all alike, isn't that one of the great features of America, that you can be different and be accepted? At least that's the way it used to be.
"'The extent to which the president, President Trump, for months leading up to January 6th, spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged was a lie.'"
Truth. It's gone out the window. If it doesn't fit your agenda, ignore it, or deny it. The big story these past three months is how Fox has moved rightward because its audience was being stolen by Newsmax. So let me get this straight... If ignorant lemmings listen to the false spewings of ignoramuses you're supposed to abandon truth and get on board? In what world does this work? But ratings and money are everything. And even Fox is a team. Shephard Smith was hassled to the point where he jumped ship. But at least give him credit for standing up for truth for all those years before he did. It's hard to resist the mob, it's hard to be a party of one. But, once again, this is what America was based upon.
I really don't understand this. When I grew up it was clear who were the winners and losers. In sports, in school... But now under the aegis of togetherness, we've thrown out the statistics, competition is eviscerated in the name of harmony. In what era of history has this worked? There are superior people in all walks of life. Some are better athletically, some are better intellectually, and as Bob Dylan so famously sang:
"Now, each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don't underestimate me
I won't underestimate you"
Truly, no one is better than anybody else. The key is to find out what you're good at and pursue that, not to try to convince yourself that you're good at everything, equal to others in that pursuit.
But the truth is we now revere cash. And life is so hard that people who might have pursued their dream do not.
A good example of this is Amor Towles. Who has written the lauded and successful books "Rules of Civility" and "A Gentleman in Moscow." Even though his teachers told him he should pursue a career in writing, he worked for decades in banking, because you know mazuma is the highest calling in America. But it's the arts that give us insight and direction. But now all the artists are in pursuit of cash so that's history. And since everybody was brought up believing they could do everything they believe they can become a famous rapper or pop star, why not? Forget paying your dues, forget practicing. You were told from a young age you were special and you could do anything so...WHY NOT?
And people are confronted with this day in and day out. Work at the corporation and the number one criterion is getting along, it's more important than the work you do. Don't hang out, spend your time at your desk trying to push the envelope and chances are you'll be ostracized and excised. This is another reason old corporations fail... Once they've become established they're taken over by MBAs and bean counters, there's no American exceptionalism left, only the running of a machine until it sputters, usually as a result of a third party disrupter. You've got to deliver quarterly profits, that's more important than innovation, more important than the future. And isn't it funny how the biggest tech corporations in America haven't run that way. They brought in a manger at Google, Eric Schmidt, AND THEN THEY KICKED HIM OUT! Turns out so many of these techies don't need adult supervision. Case in point, Mark Zuckerberg. You may hate him, but you can't argue with his success, talk about making the stock rise... Zuckerberg has always pivoted and invested, unlike staid American companies. Yes, Zuckerberg paid zillions for WhatsApp and Instagram, do you think a conventional manager would have signed off on those purchases? No way! And Zuckerberg knew where the ball was going and went there while most people were ignorant.
Like Daniel Ek, who single-handedly save the recorded music business and has gotten shit for it ever since. Talk to the labels, they LOVE Spotify! But artists and ignorant writers and politicians don't stop excoriating Spotify and Ek, they won't be happy until the company is busted, gives all the cash to performers, especially the ones without listens. Who said you were entitled to be an artist? Who said you were entitled to make money at it? Those boomer parents once again? Hell, when I was brought up it was instilled in me that you had to be great to make it in show business. Artists went their own way, they were always different, not only in music. Then again, that's when you could make a living in so many artistic pursuits that you cannot now. Then again, the winds of change blow and if your goal is to calcify the landscape, freeze institutions, paralyze progress, you're heading for death. It always makes my head spin when people rail against streaming music when they can make their work for free on a laptop, promote it for free online and distribute it almost for free on streaming services. Don't they get it? In the old world they wouldn't even have gotten a chance to play, the doors would have been closed, costs would have been prohibitive. Then again, no one knows history anymore. And you're proud of your ignorance. Yes, Trump paid fealty to you and the elites are the problem. Elites do cause problems, but the day we denigrate education is the day our nation becomes a second class citizen in the world. Then again, that has happened! After Trump European countries are wary of the U.S., looking to it for leadership, falling in line behind America.
"'We will not forget what happened on January 6th. And that the single greatest threat to our republic is a president who would put his own self-interest above the Constitution, above the national interest.'"
Liz Cheney might have said this, but this ethos left the planet after the sixties. Now it's all about self-interest, even if it causes problems for others. As a matter of fact, it's the lower classes who are the most charitable, that's been statistically proven. So some billionaire gives away a micron of his fortune, why doesn't he pay more taxes! Oh, that's right, because the government will waste it and government is bad. So, let me see...you want a nation without roads and dams where the rich get even richer? That's been one of the pandemic stories, how the wealth of the super-rich has skyrocketed. Not only Jeff Bezos, but those invested in the stock market. Meanwhile, most people own no stock. As for the Redditors and GameStop...they may have been ignorant, they may have ultimately lost, but one thing they knew for sure was Wall Street is rigged, against them, and that's true.
"'We've had a situation where President Trump claimed for months that the election was stolen and then apparently set about to do everything he could to steal it himself.."
Even high-ranking Democrats don't put it so directly, for fear of Republican blowback. Yes, Trump tried to steal the election himself. But since nearly half of the country doesn't believe this, you can't say it. This is how far we've fallen, we must adjust the game to play to morons, or the woefully uninformed. As for the educated like Cruz playing to these people...his own party doesn't call out this behavior, because it aligns with the team, and it's all hogwash anyway, it's not about Trump, it's about laying the groundwork so he can ultimately become president, god forbid, self-interest rearing its ugly head once again.
But Rand Paul comes out and says there's no way Trump will be convicted in the Senate. But that begs the question...what does a president have to do to be impeached and convicted? Trump tries to steal an election and foments an insurrection and that's okay? And if some Democrats had fallen in the process, that would have been fine too, as long as the Republicans remained intact. But, the mob was going after Pence...isn't this akin to what Martin Niemoller said?
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
The team doesn't need you, everybody is expendable. You think you're integral, that you count, but the truth is you don't, everybody can be sacrificed to achieve the team's goal. And Liz Cheney realizes this and draws a line in the sand, says she won't take it anymore.
This all was said in conversation with Chris Wallace on Fox News today. But go to foxnews.com and you have to scroll down deeply to find it. Fox is burying its own story. Because it doesn't align with what its viewers think. Maybe you do that in entertainment, but not news.
But the truth is playing to the audience permeates all walks of life. In music, acts give people more of what they've already consumed. Go to a major label and tell them you're different and it will take time to develop and spread the word and they're not interested. Same deal with the film business, so busy making movies that will play around the world that it left real life stories, smaller stories, to television, which is eating the movie business's lunch. And streaming outlets don't control the artists like they do on networks and conventional channels. Netflix makes a rich deal with Shonda Rhimes, essentially giving her a blank check to do it her way. And her first project, "Bridgerton," is a raging success. The artist always know best. They don't always get it right, but they're the ones who hit the home runs. And it turns out the people are only interested in home runs, this philosophy has changed the fabric of baseball, and everyone is afraid to undercut it for fear fans will abandon the game, meanwhile the game gets further and further away from its essence, almost becomes a caricature of itself. Used to be Home Run Derby was once a year, just before the All Star Game, now it's 162 games a year, never mind the playoffs and World Series.
So, confronted with slings and arrows, from not only her party in Wyoming, but the national party in Congress, Cheney not only stood her ground, she barked back. She's not worried about her individual future, she's worried about what's right, about the nation at large. Therefore, she's a beacon, she evidences a spirit this country hasn't had since 1969, truly. We used to count on artists for this. But today if you've got a profile, artists are afraid to stand up and take a side for fear they might alienate a potential customer. But play to all and you ultimately play to none. You shave off all the edges such that your creation is ephemeral, it does not have deep impact and it disappears.
We are looking for people to stand up and speak to our hearts and minds with truth. We've gotten so far from that mantra as to live in scary times. And of course the internet is at fault, but the only way we get out of this mess is through us, people. Yes, the machines are not going to save us, only we can save us. But we need leaders. Forward movement, putting a dent in the universe, is not a popularity contest. Come on, ever notice someone is hated until they are loved? That's because most people can't understand what they're doing. But that was also when people were confident enough in their identities and beliefs to put it all on the line. Liz Cheney might lose her next election. Or, it might turn out there are a lot more silent believers than vocal nitwits. But she is willing to sacrifice her own personal interests for the greater good. What a concept! We need more of this.
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