Steven Page Live From Home XLI

That's forty one, if I can still decode Roman numerals.

The best part of this two hour and fifteen minute zoomcast was the very end, when the camera pointed at all the attendees...THEY WERE SO NORMAL!

I do it for my fans...

Fans have become caricatures, people with no life, who will talk nonstop about their faves, post hate to naysayers online...and there are some of those, but they are not the majority, by far, and you need a fan base to keep your career alive. A fan base is more important than a hit, you can have a hit and no fans, but chances are you won't have too large of a fan base if you've never had a hit.

Steven Page has had hits, with his prior act, Barenaked Ladies.

Then again, BNL were from Canada. Which is a giant high school. Try to act like you're cool, better than everybody else, and you'll be put in place by your peers. Then again, Canada outpunches its weight in music because the government supports it, and the country has a great safety net. Let me set you straight, with national health care you can leave your job whenever you want, whereas in the States, if you're not a gig-worker to begin with, you're married to your job for the health insurance.

And since content supersedes flash, since the interior is more important than the exterior, BNL built a fan base and then even ended up having hits, which was so unpredictable, then again, even twenty years ago Top Forty had a much broader playlist, "One Week" could not triumph on the format today, then again it'd be killer on TikTok.

Seymour Stein signed BNL. As much credit as Seymour gets, it's still not enough. As much money as he's made, it's still not enough. Mo Ostin said so in the new book "Sonic Boom," which charts the history of Warner Brothers Records, not that I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Its author has written a string of music books with little fanfare, because there's seemingly always another one much more authoritative, with access, that supersedes it. But the problem with "Sonic Boom" is Peter Ames Carlin's writing style. When he sticks to the facts, he's great, but he too often extemporizes, creates images out of thin air trying to replicate a feeling decades prior. If you want to do this, write fiction. There's a bunch of interesting stuff in "Sonic Boom," but if you paid attention and lived through it not much of it is new, read Stan Cornyn's book, then again, I always thought that Mo's parents changed his last name, turns out he did, from Ostrofsky, back when he was at UCLA, as bad as anti-Semitism is today, it was even worse then. But the shocking thing about "Sonic Boom" was how long ago all that was, even though some of the acts still have standing. Bob Morgado ruined the Warner Music Group twenty five years ago! Remember when we were all glued to the saga? Probably not.. I spoke to a music business class last week and as I was telling my story I realized...most of the students weren't even born in the days of Napster, time fades away.

So, Steven Page left BNL. Not that so many people even knew who Steven Page was, but if you were a fan of the band...

And now Steven Page is doing his best to make the internet work for him. That's what you've got to do if you made your bones in the pre-internet era, you've got to use the new tools to cobble together a living and stop complaining that Spotify stole your cheese. Back then you could only sell music and go on the road, now you can do so much more!

So, every weekend Page has an extravaganza, not only on Zoom, but Patreon too.

Here's the deal with Patreon... You can make money on the platform, but you cannot grow your career. If you're fine with that, cool, but too many are not. It's a closed system, it's an echo chamber, since the material is paid for, it cannot be displayed anywhere else, unless you want to undermine your subscriber base.

Now the great thing about Page's Patreon is it's CHEAP! You can't think from your perspective, how much money you need to make, you've got to look at it from a fan's perspective, how much they're willing to pay. Page's prices are three, five and ten dollars a month. Most people have uber-expensive tiers, not realizing those who sign up end up looking like pariahs, they're the definition of income inequality, or people who are so into it as to be out of it. It's about the community, not the dollars. If you have a community there's always a way to make a buck.

As for the live show I just watched?

It's eight bucks. And that's nothing, you don't worry about the price if you're interested in going, and two hundred fifty people were. And almost all of them watched the entire presentation, two hours and fifteen minutes worth, because they paid! If you pay you have an investment, if you don't...you have no problem clicking off. Even so, a hundred thirty five minutes is a long time. But what else do you have to live for, especially when your fave is performing right in front of you!

Yes, this show was for fans only. If you're not a fan, you won't be interested. You need to know the songs to make it work. Sure, Page threw in tidbits, like a few bars of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You," but he said he was influenced by the KISS cover, not the Argent original. Then he speculated that the song had made Rod Argent rich. Um, no. If Argent is rich at all, it's from those Zombies songs. And "Hold Your Head Up."

And this was an all request show. And he played twenty four songs, you can see the set list here: https://bit.ly/3ulseIP And he sat down at the piano, after standing with his guitar, and suddenly I realized...HE'S PLAYING "BABY SEAT"

That's my favorite BNL song. You should check it out:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2NOWk6H

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3sd791A

It's melodic and hooky, and even has a forceful descending riff, but it's the lyrics that put it over the top. THEY'RE CLEVER! And their cleverness does not detract from the song. Page is not showing off, he's evidencing intelligence, remember when that was a characteristic of music, before it was only about sex and good times?

And there was a Zoom text thread. Where the participants could interact, community is everything. I bet the return rate is extremely high.

But during the final song, "Brian Wilson," when the camera switched to the attendees from Page I truly became elated. Because these people...

Were just like me.

They weren't dressed up for the disco. They didn't focus on their look. They might be fans, but they were bringing home the bacon too, they had jobs, they had lives. And Steven Page made their lives that much more special, worth living. And since the show was not made for everyone, just the core, those who knew the songs by heart, it was even more special. Going on Twitch and playing to millions might be exciting, but twenty five years later tell me how many people are gonna pony up to watch you on screen anywhere.

These people on screen were the bedrock of music culture. There's this fantasy that everybody in America is cool, or struggling to be so. But that is completely wrong. Sure, most people care about money, but mostly they care about being comfortable, having a life.

So let's do the math. Two hundred fifty people at eight bucks a head is...two thousand dollars. Might seem like chump change to you, but it's all net. Oh, Steven had some musicians play along with him at times, but if they got paid at all, how much could it be? And Steven played from his own home. Zoom costs are de minimis. Not many people can clear two grand for just over two hours work. There were no road costs, no travel expenses, no hotels and no meals...

But the major label system enabled all this. Without those BNL hits, Steven Page would have a hard time cobbling together this audience and sustaining it. But he is a beneficiary of what once was. Now you've got to build it yourself, and that's a very slow process.

So, there's a paradigm here. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn't.

But it works for a lot of fans. And without fans you're out of business.

Steven Page has fans.

P.S. I was totally wrong about Page's Patreon price levels. Turns out if you scroll down the page you can click on a button that says "See all 7 levels." And then you find tiers for twenty five dollars, and fifty and a hundred and two hundred. But, like I said, this smells bad to me. It replicates the income inequality which has ravaged our country. Make it democratic, make it feel like everybody's in it together. Then again, I must admit, there are people who just can't help spending all this dough on you. But, the truth is you don't want to know them, which the act has to to charge these prices. You've got to give access, that's part of the deal. And there are some superfans who are great, who can become real friends, who know where the line is. But most of them are delusional and crazy. They think since they spent that money they own you, they're entitled to more, and if you don't deliver, they'll scream to high heaven that they've been ripped-off. As for the opposite paradigm, look at Garth Brooks, who charges less than any superstar and plays in a city long enough to satiate demand, killing scalping. Garth is forever, too many acts are not.

https://www.stevenpage.com

"Sonic Boom: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna to Prince": https://amzn.to/3aBvic8

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Nomadland

Streaming TV could save independent cinema. Assuming purveyors decided to go directly to the platforms and outlets paid for exhibition.

The indie movie model is broken. You make a film, tour it to film festivals for years trying to build buzz so that a distributor will purchase the rights so they can exhibit it in cinemas to a tiny audience. Good luck getting your money back. Then again, a huge slice of independent films are not worth seeing at all, especially in today's overburdened world where scarcity is history and more entertainment than you can ever consume is just a click away.

Every Friday, the "New York Times" publishes umpteen movie reviews. Sometimes I scan the ones labeled "Critic's Pick," but generally I ignore them. I'm not going to the cinema...as a matter of fact I stopped going to the cinema years ago. Nothing is so hot that I can't wait for it. That's a factor of age, but it's also a factor of so much happening that nothing is gigantic and everything is ultimately at your fingertips as time passes on. But the problem with indie pictures is you make a mental note that you want to see them, and then you forget about them, because too much time goes by before they're available on TV and there's a firehose of product every week, overwhelming the consumer.

The key is to go day and date. Theatres and flat screen at the same time. So that marketing can truly work its effect and the public can embrace and talk about a film.

This happens all the time with streaming TV series. A buzz builds, and then everybody is watching, they want to find out what is going on. Happened with "Stranger Things." Happened with "Tiger King." Could have even happened with the new Woody Allen series, except HBO is dripping it out week by week, it thinks it's building enticement, water cooler talk, but the truth is just the opposite, we live in an on demand world, we want it all and we want it now, and that's not how word of mouth works anymore, the channel is too clogged, you've got to concentrate the buzz or else you're overlooked, forgotten.

But not "Nomadland."

To tell you the truth, I didn't know much about it. I just looked to see if the reviews were good or bad. I don't need a recitation of the plot, shoot the critics who do that, they ruin the experience, which should be fresh and exciting, positively new.

Not that I cannot tell you what "Nomadland" is about...

Itinerant workers who live in vehicles. Some outsiders, choosing this life, others forced into it by work conditions. That's right, you can just be going about your life and you can lose your job for no reason that you control. Your performance can be great, but the plant closed. Or the hedge fund which purchased the company loaded it up with debt, took dividends and then the enterprise went bankrupt. You lost your gig, they made millions. Another reason why I believe today's America cannot sustain, why we're inching towards an Arab Spring. The conflagration will be unforeseen in terms of exact date, but it will happen, income inequality is just too great, people are pissed, when they're not working like dogs just to keep their heads above water. Hopefully, unlike in the Middle East, the end result won't be strongmen/dictators, but the present economic model in the U.S. cannot hold.

So, what you see is Frances McDormand living in her van, going to work at the Amazon warehouse... Which looks just like the Amazon warehouse, I'm stunned the company let them film there, it'd be hard to replicate. And it's not solely that the workers hate their jobs, they have a sense of camaraderie, they're not lonely. And life is about working and conversation, laughs. You want to be so busy you don't have time to think about your problems, because the alternative is anathema. If you're broke all you're thinking about is your next gig, which is elusive. And the truth is no one cares about you anyway, the American safety net is hobbled, and jobs are so specialized that they're hard to get as you get older without specific skills. You're forgotten, you're waiting to die, if you don't take your own life in the process.

And at the beginning the film is so bleak. It's gonna be eighty degrees in L.A. next week, but the first twenty-odd years of my life I lived in four season world, and I don't mean the hotel. You've never known loneliness until you've driven alone through the west on a winter's day, gray, with few towns along the highway, the mountains in the distance, covered in snow, partially obscured by clouds. This is why California has such a big homeless problem. The homeless got smart, they went where the weather suited their clothes. And I'm not joking here, especially in an era where middle class people can become homeless in a matter of months, if not sooner.

And then it becomes about choices. One thing is for sure, you're off the grid. It's just you and the land. You can't reintegrate even if you want to. You don't have a computer to keep tabs on jobs. You probably live outside of cell range. So, you might as well check out the sights before you pass, probably from untreated medical problems.

These are the forgotten people. They're trying their best, supporting each other, but the truth about homelessness is it's very hard to climb out of, after a very short period of time, months, sometimes weeks, you become depressed, you lose the skills, clothes, attitude and money to get back into the mainstream and...

You live in your van.

Now "Nomadland" is not a typical movie, with the so-called three act structure, building towards a satisfying conclusion. It's more of a slice of life. But in "Nomadland," the stories are real. Literally vandwellers portray themselves. This is not a Hollywood fantasy, this is real life.

And Frances McDormand kills.

Reach forty in Hollywood, maybe a few years before, and you're confronted with the choice...do you get plastic surgery to look young, or do you let yourself age naturally? Those who want to work tend to do the former, and they end up looking like zombies, of no determinate age, the laugh is on them, never mind that they're never believable in roles. But Frances McDormand took the latter choice. And at first she looks plain and unattractive, but then she evidences this inner glow that draws you to her. This is what we really want in life. Forget about the celebrities jumping from beauty to beauty, getting married four times, they're never really known and never really happy. Unless you wait until the honeymoon period is over, unless you struggle, knowing some aspects of the person will never change, unless you look inside yourself, at your own flaws, you never have a serious relationship, irrelevant of what the law says. And when you bond this way and it breaks up...it's very painful. Fern married Bo and then he got sick and died. What do you do with that? You wonder if you did enough, if your choices were right, and the hole inside...it never seems to go away.

So in "Nomadland" very little plays out according to audience expectations, where we're looking for that spark of romance and a happy ending, because that's not how real life works. Yes, chance encounters change your course, but they don't always yield friends and happiness. The goal is to keep on keepin' on, unless you just get so burned out you want to close your eyes forever.

Life becomes very basic on the road. After all, you can only take so much stuff with you. You find out what is truly important. And, at the end of the day, it's always about people and experiences, which are free to everyone, assuming you want to partake of them, as opposed to locking yourself into the rat race or being so afraid of your own shadow that you never go out of your house, you never risk.

So I don't want to rate "Nomadland" on a scale of one to ten, never mind one to one hundred. It's got excellent RottenTomatoes numbers, but that might skew your expectations.

"Nomadland" is a ride, with people that you probably have never encountered. But for most of us, we're just a step away.

And at first you're riveted but wincing. Then you're wondering about the choices. And then you're wondering about life itself. Do you compromise, what truly makes you rich, we all need money to survive, but once you can pay the bills then what do you want to do?

Now chances are you're not going to go to the theatre, not in this Covid era, and the truth is "Nomadland" skews to an adult audience, not that youngsters won't enjoy it and become edified, but oldsters are the ones taking precautions.

But through the magic of Covid positivity, the changes that have been wrought in the landscape that are actually beneficial, you don't have to go to the theatre to see "Nomadland," you can just pull it up on Hulu.

Maybe you don't have Hulu. Is it worth it to sign up for one month? I'd say yes, because there are a few other must-sees on the channel, like "Prisoners of War" and "Normal People." But the real reason you want to fire up Hulu and watch "Nomadland" is to belong, to be part of the discussion.

We're all functioning on skew lines these days. There's very little we interact on, very little we have in common, very little we can talk about. But with "Nomadland" just a click away on the flat screen, we can all pull it up "opening weekend" and converse about it amongst ourselves.

That's one of the reasons I watched it. I wanted to get in on the mania. This was not a marshmallow test, I saw "Nomadland" reviewed in the papers and it built a desire to immediately watch it, when most people did, to be part of the excitement, to feel like I belonged, to feel like I'm part of this great patchwork of people living in the land we call America. There's a lot to talk about here, a lot to unpack, and now we can all do it at the same time.

You'll continue to hear buzz about "Nomadland." You'd hear more if it was on Netflix, the streaming kahuna, or maybe even Disney+, but this film is the first dent in the movie universe this year. It's an E-ticket ride, you will be touched, you might even be scared.

And it's all true.

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More Texas/California

Just a quick note about the 'Green Power" failure.
For years my brother worked for a renewable power company based in Waitsfield, Vermont. One of his many trips to install and service solar and wind power took him to Antarctica.

Antarctica.

The failure of "Green Power" in Texas has zero to do with the mechanisms of wind and solar in cold climates and everything to do with private power companies who don't want to pay to have their equipment prepared for the weather.

Rich Costey
Putney, Vermont

________________________________

Green energy didn't fail. Windmills are running in sub zero temps all over the world. Those windmills are winterized. The ones in Texas? They are not. No regulations mean cut corners and pay yourselves king ransoms.

Rob Meder

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I don't get it. I live in Canada and our windmills don't freeze. We live in winter 6 months of the year. It goes far deeper.

Mike Hansen

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Life goes on in Iowa. Overnight temperatures have been below zero for 10 days straight, and the snow is 16" deep, but our homes are warm and water is flowing. Ho-hum.

walkerpaul3

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Wow, sometimes its hard to understand how almost half the country voted for #45 and then the reality hits, like how they seem to focus on BLM's socialist founder and not the idea that police target African Americans, or how they link climate change with the Welfare state. Sometimes they use the False Equivalency fallacy sometimes Ad Hominum, but it always is some kind of definable fallacy.
Do you remember when conspiracy theories were fun... it's not fun anymore.
Keep up the good work. Regards Chris Kavanaugh

________________________________

Well I've lived in MN most of my life and I love it here in the twin cities.
I love NYC to visit. mMy Son and my younger Brother lived in Cal. for a bit. Both loved it, but they had to leave because it just cost too much to pay the rent there.
Bill Scherer live in MN.

________________________________

"where the fuck are all the smart people?"

We didn't move from Jersey to fucking Texas! hahaha

Kevin Kiley

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Yikes. Who are these people?

"Don't mess with Texas."
No reason to - it's already a mess!

Best regards,
Darryl Mattison

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WISH ALL YOU DOWN ON TEXAS WOULD LEAVE
WE NEVER WANTED THAT HERE !!!!!!!!!! BESIDES FIRST STORM LIKE THIS IN 31 YEARS .. STUPID GREEN BULLSHIT WINDMILLS …WE LIKE OIL , GAS, COAL . END OF STORY

Nancy Nalley

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Fuck Texas...ok, except for Austin.
Guess you might need a functioning govt sometimes, huh?

Jan Ramsey

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The problem in Texas is not preparation, but supply. My whole family lives in Texas while I enjoy life in the sun of L.A., but the main issue was not preparedness - they just did not have enough power to feed the 11 million households. 60% of Texans heat their homes with electricity unlike those in the Upper Midwest and Northeast with oil and gas to do the job. Yes, ERCOT is a mess and that's an issue unto itself, but they're main problem is that they can't get power from bordering states in times of crisis; they have to allocate within the state and there was not enough to do so.

Let's stop making this about politics and just blame the cold ass weather.

Chadd Barksdale

________________________________

Some of the people who've emailed you get it. Others saying that it's "green energy" are just clowns. Perhaps they should stop watching the garbage on Fox all day and start actually thinking. Someone should point out to them that 2/3 (67%) of Texas' electricity production is fossil fuels - coal and gas-fired plants. Only 20% wind, 1 % solar and the rest is nuclear. The gas lines froze, that's what caused their outages. As several have pointed out, their infrastructure sucks. If windmills can continue working year round in Denmark and Alaska, why not Texas? And this is from a neutral observer up in Toronto, Canada.

Hope you are well Bob.

Baris Ozyetis

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To paraphrase Yogi Berra: Nobody goes to California anymore, it's too crowded.
Paul Ruta

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I love how people love to dis CA. Especially those who have never lived here or toured anything but Hollywood and SF. We left SF. But, as have most who have left SF, we just moved a little further out. In our case, 70 miles north to Sonoma County. Today, we decided to drive to the coast for lunch. We drove through rolling hills and farmland, wonderous at the beautiful place we live in. Dis us all you want. We live a good life.

Dave Smith

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Damn, I love reading your in-box. And maybe I'm just a tourist visiting my kid and granddaughter in the Bay area twice a year (pre-Covid), I love California, its climate, the landscape, the ocean, the skiing, the diversity in all things, and the people. Easy to knock the Golden State, the traffic, real estate prices...just like they do New York. I've loved the state since 1962 when my parents took us to Disney world and then drove up the coast through Big Sur, Monterey and on into SF. There was and is definitely a magic and spirit about the place. I did a good bit of business in LA in the 70s and 80s and loved being out there having fun, in that warm California sun! (I hate to offend my Texas friends, but here's a joke for you: "What's the best way to see Texas?" In your rear view mirror. Stay safe...and warm...ha ha ha!

Chip Lovitt

________________________________

Move to Michigan, all four season, a few crazies but at least we don't have some in high places of power in Congress, cue Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes, easy to obtain solar power, I know as I have it now, took 6 months with COVID happening, Bill Maher is still waiting…...no earthquakes, a tornado rarely, no big fires, and the largest supply of freshwater in the continental US. Added bonus homes under 1M, + Homes with acreage and Detroit will come back.

LA is on fire, droughts, and earthquakes. Nice weather just don't live anywhere at risk which is where again?

Adam Bauer

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These replies are all an exercise in subjective opinions. Everyone is so sure they are right.
I love Cali, but the traffic and smog would not be good for my health.
I love TX, well, really just Austin.
We all have free will, and if you end up someplace you don't like, you are free to relocate or change your vote.
I would not leave Maryland, because all our friends are here. And what's life without friends?
Armand Sadlier

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I loved California when I moved there in '72, but when I left 23 years later, it was no longer the same California that had drawn me like a magnet.

I moved to Nashville temporarily, by accident, because of the Gibson gig. I've since fallen in love with it for many reasons, but the main ones are that existence is less stressful, people are kinder, prices are lower, and Nashville is indeed music city (it's not just a marketing tagline, it's a specification). Yeah, it's a red state, but it's a lighter shade of red, with a fairly high level of tolerance.

As you know, I've travelled and toured over pretty much the entire United States as well as significant parts of the world. From a practical standpoint, I could live anywhere. Yet here is where I've landed.

Just tell people from LA not to move here, unless they want a combination of the midwest and south. Tennessee has little in common with the coasts, and anyone who enjoys that particular ambiance will be disappointed.

Craig Anderton

________________________________

I was born in STL and spent my working days in several large Midwest cities. My wife and I visited most of the 50 states on various business trips and family vacations over the years and we most enjoyed visiting LA and SD. But yes, housing in both markets is expensive. We wanted to retire early to SoCal and wound up relocating to Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley (Riverside County). It is everything we could have hoped for: culturally, politically, and is the most affordable resort town we could have chosen to make our dreams for the next chapter come true.

Yep, hot in the summer, but that's why we have air conditioning. People are great and the desert has a cool vibe. And we have learned that with 350 days of sunshine a year, and winter temps in the 80s, we don't have to shovel snow or scrape ice off the windshield. Working part time now, so only semi-retired, but we want to stay active, make a contribution someplace and we are living the dream. Nothing like blue skies, snow capped mountains off in the distance flanked by tall palm trees here in the Coachella Valley. And from PSP, both LA and SD (and the beaches, museums, concerts) are both a short drive away.

Bill Knopf

________________________________

That's some feedback...probably a little slanted at the moment as folks in Texas are living through hell. It will pass...

Reminds me of the late seventies in Chicago...big snowstorm and the first new Mayor not named Daly was blamed for being slow plowing the streets...next election the city's first female was elected, Jane Byrne...she made sure there was enough salt and snowplows...but the city continued its long and steady slide into the abyss. She lasted 4 years...then Chicago first black mayor, Harold Washington...no change...then Richy Daly...no change...then Emanual...no change...now Lightfoot...all very nice people, but it's just musical chairs...it wouldn't have mattered if the mayor was white, black, female, male, democrat or republican...they are all the same...the city and state continues its decline hoping, while the dumb Governors and City Alderman continue to find they look good in orange jumpsuits, the rest avoid getting caught...and the good folks hope the Feds will bail them out...

I've lived in San Fran and Carmel for a decade in the 90s...like Chicago a great place to visit, but like many I can no longer live there...taxes, traffic primarily...all my neighbors living in those multi million dollar homes have transitioned them to their second and third homes as they prefer to visit and have long moved to WA, NV, TX, TN or FL...CA was definitely the best place to live many decades ago...and even today as long as you don't earn much and you bought your home decades ago paying little in property taxes...I may look forward to retiring there some day. However, I did find my paradise. It's no well kept secret, but no reason to tell others, they are finding it all too fast as it is...

Take care my friend...

Ed Kelly

________________________________

I'm 57 and a life long Texan, living in Austin. We have experienced nothing like this in my lifetime. I'm told the last snow like this in Austin was in 1937. Yes, ERCOT failed us, no question. It was designed for 105 degree summers, not 7 degree winters. Normal low is in the 20s and only one to two short times a year. ERCOT will be fixed. It must be. But everyone should know you can always prepare for the 4-6 standard deviation event, it just cost more money, sometimes a lot more. Its not a red/blue thing, it's a how much to invest on what thing. It may be another 83 years before we see this again or maybe not. Yes, the market should be prepared for the unexpected. Politicians on both sides of the isle fail us, and the quants that run the numbers fail us at the extremes. Fortunately most me can get past the rhetoric to the truth.

Brad L. Beago, CFA

________________________________

I'd be interested to know the age of some of those replying. My wife and I are in are mid/late 30s, with a 5yr old daughter and one more on the way in June. My wife is from NorCal and we lived in the Bay Area for 12 years. We are artists, musicians, teachers, and non-profit employees. WE CAN'T AFFORD California! We worked directly with the homeless population in the Tenderloin district of SF. Necessary, important work, with decent salaries (for non-profits, though not nearly enough).
Our back up plan was always to move to the foothills of the mountains, so beautiful, but deep, dark red fire danger every year from Sept-Oct and only getting worse. Even if you manage to escape the fire, the smoke and particles are everywhere. And, it was already so expensive out there in the mountains, we were about 10 years too late. We could pay a high rent to live in fire danger year after year, NEVER able to buy a home, commuting farther and farther because its too expensive near SF. Or we could live in a tiny apartment closer to the city in a rough area of Oakland or even farther out? No way. It sucks and was/is still heartbreaking. We would love to live in California for the ethos, history, and natural beauty. But the cost of living, the amount of people, the lack of water (just wait over the next 20-30 years), and the fires make it very very scary and unsustainable for people like us. Factor in we don't have rich parents and the future looks very sketchy raising a family in CA.
-What about those of us that aren't techies, lawyers, or have business degrees? The people you mentioned that can make it..the dreamers, doer's, nonconformists, etc. Can people like us raise a family in California anymore? It surely didn't feel like it. We moved to a college town, a beautiful forested area in a Midwest red state. The college town affords us the amenities and arts/culture we want, and the cost of living and quieter pace gives our daughters a great place to grow up. If it were just me and my wife, we may have risked staying longer in CA due to her family and our deep love of the state, but it was no place to raise a family, unfortunately.

Kirby Hammel

-Former Bay Area resident and reluctant mover to the Midwest.

________________________________

I am in the Dallas Texas area.
We had rolling blackouts, and lost internet service until last night.
I guess we were feeling pretty good about Texas until this disaster hit.
As a nation, we seem very bad in handling disasters - whether it is pandemics, fire, or extreme weather events.
We also enjoy schadenfreude - ha ha California - not so funny when it happens to us.

I am hoping as a nation we move towards more resilience - making our systems more secure.
I would like us to move our supply chain home which would serve multiple purposes:
Reduce shortages in extreme events
Provide higher paying jobs
Eliminate the threat of a hostile "partner" nation in withholding essential commodities.
This may raise our prices, but reducing the number of poor people is worth it. Plus the added benefit of being more self-reliant and secure.

When I read Catch-22 over 40 years ago as a new immigrant, the one part of it that made the biggest impression on me was Milo Milerbender - the mess officer - who was paid by the Germans to bomb his own base. At the time I thought - how American!
Our top CEOs sent our jobs overseas to increase profits and quarterly bonuses. They did this, not because foreign workers were better at the time, but because they could pay them a tiny fraction of US wages. Eventually much of our best technology followed.

Regards,
Dave Machanick

________________________________

It seems to me that what we're seeing is a glimpse of what happens when the unfathomably complex public systems that have been developed and evolving over centuries, to run, organize and keep stable, a country of now 330 million people, are abandoned, privatized, and thought of by 75 million Americans as being "the man" trying to control their lives. Those systems took a huge hit under the previous president, who unfortunately never had the capacity to understand the importance or functioning of any of them, or even the good sense to surround himself with those who might have, and a lot can unravel in four years of neglect and dismantling. (Just take his early act of tossing out of the Pandemic Playbook alone.) Fear is the new currency and the ensuing chaos creates more fear, begets more guns and on it goes.
Please America - learn from this. Continue to vote in the people who genuinely care about you and your families' well being, and will prepare your states for these tougher times - and stick it out with you.

Shari Ulrich
Vancouver, BC (formerly California 'til 1973)

________________________________

we are one of the lucky ones, had power the whole time. Lost water supply, so feeling gross can't shower or wash hair.

People have shown to be a big part of problems and solutions.

For instance, water came on slightly today and Austin Water asked everyone to still boil and conserve—but within hours it was gone again—due to massive overuse.

Food is another issue. Trudged through ice and snow to market on Tuesday, stood in line over an hour watching people leave with massive carts of food that could last them a month. By the time the people in my part of the line got in shelves were and still are empty.

Supply chains should be back early into the week, so stocking up massive amounts was unnecessary and caused others to go without. I know humans are not by nature egalitarian, but come on.

But on the other side of the swinging pendulum, a stranger on twitter offered to bring my mom over—she'd been without power for days. I live in hills and without a 4w drive vehicle, driving is too risky. Plus so many trees broke and and fell over under the weight of the ice, including a large cedar that blocked my car in, even if I did want to risk driving.

So I vetted the stranger who turned out to be a samaritan and had been giving rides to several people. He got stuck leaving my house and a guy came to help, saw my car blocked by tree, showed up an hour later with a chainsaw and dismembered the tree so when roads are drivable, I can get out!!

AND, 2 people I met on the street when we walked on Tuesday—I had pointed out my house and said we were able to get very little at market, they show up yesterday, unnannounced, with bottled water, fruit and oatmeal. And a coveted 12pack of LaCroix.

unbelievable day.

The end is in sight. May not have normal water, enough to shower etc until next week. I have to walk on ice to pool and try to bring back buckets of water without slipping and breaking a bone so we can flush pooop. I have to boil snow to wash dishes and it takes a very long time. I pretend I'm a pioneer woman.

Temperatures rising. We can live off pasta til tomorrow! And we are warm!!!! Lucky.

Next I'll be looking at thousands to repair and replant all my beautiful landscaping. All the sega palms, jasmine, cactus, succulents, ferns, flower beds—I love my plants---my favorite juniper tree fell down. Sad about that. but we are warm!!!

I wanted to smack "Ted" who wrote you blaming wind turbines. idiots.

Kathy Valentine

P.S. So much snow melted in the afternoon after I sent this that I could get out and drive!
Luxury! went to the market, found produce, arugula!! no water. amazing how thirsty you are when your water is limited.

________________________________

Hi Bob....emailing you from Austin...it was a rough week, especially when you care for a senior citizen in your household like I do....I was livid.
And somehow, with power outages, and a frozen water well, I was still showing up to work every day in my office to set up records and get them played.
How many people really died this week? Do we even really know yet?
As for the politics behind this.....here's the deal....the GOP Republicans in this state do NOT want to invest in its own people. Unless you are one of them, that is.
Probably why we rank #39 in education, yeah? I love living in TX, but we can be running this state so much better. We don't need folks in CA and NY telling us that either, Bob...WE KNOW!
Like marijuana legalization....we let Oklahoma beat us to that? Have you seen the property taxes we pay in Texas? Voters would approve legalization in a heartbeat if they knew if meant lowering their property taxes, paying teachers and first responders better, and improving infrastructure.
But NO....the GOP here can't think progressively outside of figuring out how to keep themselves enriched by our state's resources (I bet someone got rich from this winter debacle, yeah?)
And that's why the power grid failed....instead of mitigating these issues, they played the, "let's see what happens" card..and it came back to bite'em in the ass!
This is where change will come from the younger generation....but hey, I'm 49 now, and all the guys I was smoking dope with back in high school in rural west Texas now think they're some sort of gateway to morality and values.....they were drop outs or C students that never went to college, THAT is the reality. The guys I thought would help push change with me just fell into the same line of thinking as their daddies and each other.
Look at ol' Rick Perry...that turd went to my alma mater, Texas A&M..a very "red state" school....but it didn't make me one of them....that school taught me how to think for myself.
So...what will change after this?
I'm not sure yet...but I do hope some heads will roll and awaken the many Texans in the dark about how poorly the GOP is running our state.
I've lived here for 35 years....I never want to live in LA or NYC...even after this week, Bob...no way. Texas CAN be better.....hopefully we WILL be better.
When AOC delivers more to our state than Ted Cruz can, that says a LOT......but with a state as poorly educated as ours that has this Trump tribalism oozing through it, will they even notice? These folks are about to face a true reckoning with reality! I HOPE!

Have a good weekend!

Michael Starr

________________________________

Hi Bob,

I would like to add my two cents.

In regards to your post, and comments on living in Texas, versus California, etc.

I was raised in Chicago, IL. I have moved around in my music business career a number of times.

A career in the music business is a unique path.

I've lived in Chicago, IL, Oxford MS, Denver, CO, New York City, San Francisco, CA, before settling in Austin, TX, 15 years ago.

I'm very happy to call Austin, TX, my home now.

Our youngest daughter was born in Texas, she will be a Texan for the rest of her life.

Something people do not understand, unless you were born and raised in TX, my wife is from Austin, TX.

What most of these comments really miss about Texas, and the most important part of living in Texas…

THE PEOPLE.

People from Texas are warm, welcoming, genuine, and really do care about their neighbors, people who are visiting, you name it.

I could not think of a better environment to raise kids in, they learn the most important things you can in life, to be FRIENDLY and to genuinely CARE about other people.

SXSW brings people from all over the world to Austin, and the one comment everyone makes over and over, year in - year out.

"Wow the vibe here is so great, everyone is so friendly"... because it's real.

Bands who play in Austin ALWAYS have special shows, they can feel the energy coming back from the audience, and the appreciation the folks in the crowd have.

A musician playing on a stage is something they know is deserving of respect and admiration.

I loved the people and history of the deep South, the nature available in Colorado, the pace of NYC, and the beauty of Northern CA.

However, in my opinion, nothing can replace a wave from your neighbor, or a call to make sure everyone is doing ok after this past weather, snowstorms and power outages, how the community of Austin helped each other when this last week became a real crisis.

It's incredibly important to me, to know the people who you live with in your community.

Texas has some things to figure out, yes, the State of Texas leadership needs a change, but this will happen, future generations will make these changes - it's happening already.

I know California is always sunny, day to day living in CA is VERY pleasant.

I have some of my fondest memories ever of hiking on Mt Tam in the setting sun, just the beauty of living in the Bay Area.

California is a Wonder.

I just could not shake one nagging feeling, though, when I was living in California.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you, but if we never see each other again, that's ok with me too".

I don't know, this made life in CA always feel a little lonely, anonymous, no waves from the neighbors, just don't block my view, don't get in the way of me living my life.

A larger and more problematic symptom we are finding ourselves living with more each day, we are becoming more disconnected from each other, sadly.

Anyway, I felt compelled to write and share my thoughts, and hopefully stick up for my new found home.

Sincerely.

Matt Hickey
High Road Touring

________________________________

"Where are all the smart people?"
California

Michael Patterson

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Re-Bad Company

Bad Company is the very best Bad Company song among many.
Took my 13 year old to see his uncle play at The Forum with Joe Walsh,
my son's first real stadium rock show. We walked in and Bad Company
was playing and his jaw dropped from the band, the audience singing along,
the sound the lights…a real rock 'n roll show! He was excited to see his
uncle play, but he was blown away by Bad Company.
Don't tell my brother:)

Jimmy Wachtel

_____________________________________

Wait, what? How the fuck is Bad Company NOT in the Rock Hall? Utterly ridiculous.

Michael Witthaus

_____________________________________

Great points about Bad Co vs Foos

Wallace Sanders

_____________________________________

As the head of promo at atlantic at that time paul asked me to pick the first single. Those days I would listen in the car between NewYork and Greenwich. I pick the first single and he always thanks me.

Jerry Greenberg

_____________________________________

You are Good Company Bob.
Extol the virtues of the effortless, soulful sexuality of the great Paul Rodgers. The deft bluesyness of Paul Kossoff,The funky melody of Andy Fraser, the simplistic rhythmic power of Simon Kirke & the subtle, sexy hooks of the gifted Mick Ralphs. Bad & Free.. Fuck the RRHOF & be well...

Michael Des Barres.

_____________________________________

Bob - my wife Ann and I went to see Bad Co. at the local shed a few years ago, and it was great! Song after song I'm going "yeah... I know this one too! And this one! And this one!" We realized that we owned (and listened to) full ALBUMS back then. Of course we know all these songs... they are a part of a certain age group's collective DNA. And I agree that Rogers was a complete badass singer...

Dan Reed / WXPN

_____________________________________

Saw a lot of incredible shows in the 70s—even here in Lincoln, Nebraska. And the list of opening acts, in retrospect, was something to behold: Steely Dan for Zappa. Edgar Winter for West Bruce and Laing. Earth Wind & Fire for Santana (I think). Uriah Heep for the Beach Boys (no shit!). Saw Bad Company in Lincoln, Nebraska on their first tour as they opened for Edgar Winter (the year after they were the opener for WB&L). As a King Crimson and Mott fan, I was most interested in seeing Boz Burrell and Mick Ralphs. But Paul Rodgers blew me away. And you're right. "Bad Company" has a slinky, sinister Old West vibe—and I can still see Rodgers behind the keys wailing away. The fact that Bad Company et al are not even in the R&R HoF conversation is criminal. But at this point, what with the array of posers who continue to be nominated and inducted, I feel that by not being considered along with other seminal rock acts, Bad Company is actually in pretty Good Company.

DAVE BUCHHOLZ
Still in Lincoln, Nebraska

_____________________________________

Well said Bob. Both bands should be in the Rock Hall already, it's a no-brainer. "Seagull" is without doubt one of the greatest acoustic rock and roll songs ever.

Rory Johnston

_____________________________________

Like Groucho said, who wants to be a member of any club that would have you?

Paul is Everyman anyway - I have seen him play to 200 and 200,000 and he's the same guy, same swagger, same complete performer - he's a rock star and a front man and a worker bee, maybe in the reverse order, instantly able to capture the vibe of whatever it is the song calls for - for my money, it's between him and Ian Gillan as the most natural pipes - they go in and out of 5th gear so effortlessly and only hang there for a split second, for the power is a tease more than a display, making you appreciate the restraint!

I met him once and it was what you'd expect - classy, gentleman, old soul - and all business

Dennis Pelowski

_____________________________________

Paul Rodgers has got to be one of the best straight-ahead rock singers ever.
I saw Foo Fighters in Singapore when they opened for the far superior Sonic Youth. While I acknowledge Dave Grohl's role as Mr. Congeniality of the rock world, and I'm sure he's a wonderful human being, I'm still waiting for them to write a song anywhere near as good as anything on the first Bad Company album. Foo Fighters never felt like a proper band so much as a PR stunt with drums and electric guitars.

Paul Ruta, Hong Kong

_____________________________________

Enjoyed your Eagles review -- some hate their perfection. I love it -- a producer's wet dream.
But Bad Company's 1st being better than any Foos' album? The harder of the 2-disc set "In Your Honor" is the finest rock & roll CD produced in the last 20 years, hands down. To each his own....

Tom Werman

_____________________________________

I'm still living in hope of "Almost Free" with Paul and Simon plus Joe Bonamossa filling in for one of his heroes Paul Kossoff. And some jazz bass player.

Boz Burrell is often overlooked but he was an important part of the sound. Quite a different player but what would you expect with Robert Fripp as a teacher. And don't forget he was the singer in Crimson as well, before Bad Company.

Peter Burnside

_____________________________________

Agree 100%, Bad Company is classic, and Paul Rodgers sticks out in a good way even among the best,, nothing against anyone who's been nominated or inducted but many of them can't hold a candle to Bad Company.

Geronimo Son

_____________________________________

Paul Rodgers without a doubt one of the greatest rock singers ever.

Tag Gross

_____________________________________

Regarding Bad Company, I was a major Free and Mott The Hoople fan. I was in London, stopped by the Island Records office there and, if my usually reliable memory is correct, visiting (I think) former journo Jonh Ingham there, who dropped the needle on the turntable in his office on a white label test pressing of the first record by this new band featuring Rodgers and Kirke from Free and Ralphs from Bad Co. And from the very first notes of "Can't Get Enough," I knew it was a big deal.

Toby Mamis

_____________________________________

Totally Agree! I can still remember the FM station in NC playing full albums at midnight and listening to it every week not knowing what to expect. And then this album came on one of those nights Loved it ever since and always will. Second album was great as well.
Peace,
Van Fletcher

_____________________________________

I love the foo's but why isn't one of the greatest voices of R&R not in the HOF.
Paul Rodgers is the Rock Voice that has set the bar for singers ever since he arrived!
Bad Company was and still is the perfect example example of what is a rock band!
You are spot on!
George Cappellini

_____________________________________

Both should be in. Foo's are one of the only "modern" rock bands playing arenas/stadiums. I think everyone is realizing these hall of fame's/award shows are all BS and about politics these days anyway. Too many classics not inducted yet. Happy to see foo's in it though.

CJ Solar

_____________________________________

Yes Yes Yes. All Right Now and Can't Get Enough. Oh My God. Of course, I'm an old lady, so there's that.

Randi Swindel

_____________________________________

It's a shame that Bad Company isn't in the hall. I'm a producer in Nashville. You don't know that because I had to tell you. I'm 41 and I work with up and coming artists. I play Bad Company to them all the time. Bad Co. makes it sound so easy. Where are the hooks in modern music? Paul and Mick had them by the dozen. Everything just feels like one big verse today...with weaker solos...I'm doing what I can.

Schylar Shoates

_____________________________________

I worked at the Fabulous Forum in the 70's and saw Bad Co's Burning through the Sky tour. 1976 maybe? Anyway, managed to get to the back stage party and hung out for a while and drank some free beer. From what I remember, it ROCKED. I don't understand why Free/Paul Rodgers/Bad Co is not in the R&RHoF. Paul Rodgers is Rock & Roll. Maybe Jann Wenner is from Texas?

Alan Fenton

_____________________________________

Free, Mott the Hoople, and Bad Company not only belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame---
They deserve a whole wing.

Marty Bender

_____________________________________

What's cool about Rock Steady is...

. . . when the guitar hits that high note right after Rodgers sings "Rock Steady". Then the last time the guitar hits a note that is an octave lower. You expect the high note and Ralphs hits the lower note. Cool!

Steven Monk

_____________________________________

So right about BadCo and Free! Glad you point out the omission. Thank you!

All Right Now is my all-time fave song. Paul Kossoff is a most unheralded guitarist.

Used Bad Company for a Softball team I organized during law school that played in leagues in Queens and Nassau.

Corey Bearak

_____________________________________

Absolutely love this Bob.... Bad Company, and Free before that, were the essence of timeless bluesy guitar rock. Damn I miss music like this so much....

David Resch

_____________________________________

I've been advocating Bad Co. for the RRHOF for years and thought no one was listening. Thanks for the validation!

Danny Mager

_____________________________________

Dig your newsletter Bob, sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't. You won't care what I think, nor should you. That's cool.

Bad Company is amazing and, as you imply, underrated and often overlooked.

Your thing against Grohl and the Foos is hilarious and kind of pathological. Talk to your therapist about it.

Keep on rocking.

Matt Burnham

_____________________________________

Sorry,

Bad Company was their only really good album.

Rick Ciferno

_____________________________________

Cheap Trick's in and Bad Company isn't close...good lord..

Tom Clark on Maui

_____________________________________

I just loved this text - music combined with the hospital and your car! Thanks!

Martin Lorentzon

_____________________________________

Bob - if you've never heard it, you should check out Rickie Lee Jones's cover of 'Bad Company' from her most recent album, Kicks: https://open.spotify.com/track/38mNxijSijmitrrWkanjkQ?si=3KxMk4SVR3eWtuGMDQ2S7Q

Best,
Peter Wark

_____________________________________

Nobody sounds like Paul Rogers.

Bill Seipel

_____________________________________

This seems completely backwards to me with the RNR Hall of Fame. Bad Company should have been in a long time ago. Their music is timeless, most of these hits are still gold library songs, and even covered by current artists like Shinedown.
There is nothing more soulful than the way Paul Rogers sells you a song. The story of how their producer had him go out on the mountain to sing 'Bad Company' and get the natural reverb and feel of the song makes it a wonderful haunting song. The song Shooting Star is still one of the greatest stories told in rock, the sound of the Les Paul going to the neck pickup for the solo section, simply amazing with no fluff, IMO.

Bad Co should go first. No disrespect to the Foo.

Leni DiMancari

_____________________________________

Good one. Big Free fan so I was obviously gonna jump on Bad Company and they did not disappoint. And I totally agree about the song Bad Company being the best track of many great ones on that album.

Peter Roaman

_____________________________________

So great to read about Bad Company.
Made me put them straight on to my Spotify. Haven't knowingly listened to them for years.
You forgot Simple Man.
Love it!

Richard Griffiths

_____________________________________

Thanks for the great run-down on Bad Company...the Hall of Fame continues to be an embarrassing joke when one looks at the historical contributions of those who are "in" and those who are never considered.

John Bowes

_____________________________________

Bob, you're right, but Bad Company's music doesn't stand the test of time. It sounds very dated alongside that of its contemporaries. They will never get in. As for Foo Fighters, I find their music uninteresting in real time, today. I am baffled by their popularity. But it's why, if rock isn't dead, to paraphrase Frank Zappa on jazz, it sure smells funny.

Gary Yacoubian

_____________________________________

Foo Fighters are not in even in the same galaxy as Bad Co. First of all, they can write a great song. Oh, and the bonus of having the incredibly underrated rhythm section of Boz and Kirke, (check out Honey Child) and one of the best rock singers of all time. The HOF is nonsense. Ask Todd Rundgren.

Adam Bernstein

_____________________________________

Loved this piece.

I have long held these two simple things to be true.

1. Paul Rodgers is the greatest ever Rock Vocalist
2. Free is the most overlooked and underappreciated band in Rock History.

Yours In Rock,

Mike Marrone

_____________________________________

Dude, I agree. There are literally a ton of acts out there that haven't been nominated, and I really only saw 4 on the list that I thought were worthy of nomination, much less acceptance into the "Hall of the Pretty Good", and 1-2 there would be legit for a true HoF spot.

James Walker

_____________________________________

We get it: you're not a Foo Fighters fan.

But deciding to use them as your opener comparison to Bad Company's inability to get on the HoF ballot just shows your reluctance and cowardice to stand against the incomprehensible choices of Mary J. Blige (rock n' roll?), Fela Kuti (who?) and Dionne Warwick (you've got to be kidding), and instead pile on the easy choice, because hating the Foos is popular with hipsters and wannabe intellectuals such as yourself. I'd hope that even you would agree the Foos are at least marginally more rock n' roll than any of these artists, but obviously you won't admit it publicly, likely because you're afraid of being perceived as something that'll get you cancelled. Either that, or you really believe artists like Whitney Houston, an incredulous inductee, more represent the music, the style and the attitude of Rock than Dave Grohl & co. So which is it: you're a coward, or you're an idiot?

This isn't as much a defense of Foo Fighters as it is a calling out of you and your wimpish inability to stand against the nominations of artists who, while great in their own way, represent rock and roll maybe even less than you, which is hard to imagine.

Try growing a set of balls and speak out against nominations that make no sense, rather than driving the bandwagon of the impotent wimps of today.

Not surprised,

Aaron Spence

_____________________________________

Hi Bob,

a few years ago, Simon Kirke and GE Smith were recording a song for a movie soundtrack in my studio in NYC. Simon finished the drum track and then came into the control room to hear the take. As he sat behind me while I began to level and mix the basics, I noticed that my copy of Free: 'Molten Gold' Anthology was sitting to the left of the console with a few other CDs yet being that it was a larger package, it was noticeable. Btw, it had been there for weeks. Once i saw it, my eyes kept darting to it while thinking, "Simon must think i am such an ass kisser to place it there." I was so embarrassed. Suddenly, Simon is by my side grabbing for the Free anthology. He holds it up to his chest and while cradling it says, "my blankie." Maybe he saw that i had noticed it, maybe not but it diffused the moment. Simon and i have since become friends yet, I consider Simon's drumming a huge influence on me and it was a thrill to record him and his incredible British blues swing that day.

Rich Pagano

_____________________________________

The 1st album I bought and the 1st band I saw was at Earls Court (18,000 people) in London. When I saw Boz walk on stage in a white suit and cowboy hat I decided at 16 years old that I wanted some of that and started to think how I could achieve working in the music business at whatever cost, I wanted to travel the world and meet people and enjoy life even if it was hard work, to me it was a hobby and if I was any good the money would follow and I would never have to work for corporation.

The rest is history and I can not complain ever after the highs and lows over the last 40 plus years.

Stay, safe and well.

Sir Harry Cowell

_____________________________________

Bob .... I had the pleasure of representing Bad Company with one of the truly original and best barristers in the early days of the business WH became a great friend ... Stevens Weiss. We represented Bad Company with Paul, Simon & Mick. Three very distinct personalities that came from great English bands ( along with Boz ) to form the English Supergroup Bad Company and managed by Rock Manager Extrordinaire Peter Grant.
In London in the early days written all over the walls ... Clapton is God and also Rodgers the Voice. We are know Clapton was not god but a godlike guitar player. Paul Rodgers is the Voice.
Cheers,
Charlie Brusco

_____________________________________

Hey Bob
All of us at Bad Company thank you! And Paul was still one of your finest podcasts.
David Spero
Bad Co Management

_____________________________________

Thank you
I needed that
Peter Noone


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Rock Steady

Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2M4CLqL

1

Foo Fighters are nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Bad Company are not. Yet Bad Company's debut, never mind what followed, is better than any Foo Fighters album, period. Actually, I think Dave Grohl would agree! Paul Rodgers is a definitive rock singer, his earlier band Free deserves induction too, just listen to "Molten Gold: The Anthology": https://spoti.fi/3pyxoO3 But Rodgers and his bands are not even involved in the discussion, never mind members. Because they don't have champions, because they're not young and hip, yet their catalog stands up against almost all inductees', it's pure rock and roll. And unlike the aforementioned Foos, Bad Company developed, employing synths on 1979's "Desolation Angels," and burning up the airwaves and charts with their fifth straight hit album, after the relative disappointment of its predecessor, "Burnin' Sky," which only went gold. "Desolation Angels" was two times platinum. "Run With the Pack" one time platinum. "Straight Shooter" three times platinum. And the debut, "Bad Company," five times platinum. But the band gets no respect, even though nearly fifty years later their tracks are still staples on rock radio.

No one was waiting for Bad Company, unless you were a fan of Free and Mott the Hoople, and if there were many of those Free never would have broken up and Mick Ralphs never would have left Mott the Hoople. And expectations were not high. Ian Hunter was the star of Mott the Hoople, no one placed Mick Ralphs in the stratosphere of axe-slingers, he was seen as a journeyman, a behind the scenes player lucky to be involved in a band with the aforementioned Hunter. But Bad Company eclipsed the success of Mott the Hoople by legions!

It all started with "Can't Get Enough," which was written by Ralphs. Sure, Mick had already written "Ready for Love/After Lights," but that was soft and dreamy, not an in-your-face hit. "One of the Boys" was closer to the hit parade in sound, yet it was cowritten with Hunter, and only made it to #2 on the singles chart. Not an auspicious CV. Needless to say, "Can't Get Enough" went to #1 in "Cashbox"'s Top 100, only #5 on "Billboard"'s Hot 100, but that's not accounting for all the FM play, when FM was now dominant, where careers were made and sustained.

"Can't Get Enough" was a one time listen, that's all it took. We haven't got many of those anymore, the last undeniable one I can think of is Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," and that was all the way back in 2006. But it's these tracks that give us joy, that we hold close to our heart, that make us transcend everyday life into a rarefied air where nothing else matters and that's a power no other art form can deliver.

So, "Can't Get Enough" was an unexpected delight.

But the album was even better.

My favorite track was and still is the second side opener, the eponymous "Bad Company."

It was Paul Rodgers' pregnant piano intro. It set the mood, and then he began to sing:

"Company, always on the run
Destiny, mm, is a rising sun"

It sounded like the western movie that inspired the band's moniker. You were in the highlands, far from civilization, just you and your horse and your posse...

"Bad company and I can't deny
Bad company 'til the day I die"

The rock and roll outlaw spirit. You couldn't sing these lyrics and shill for Pepsi or Coke.

And "Bad Company" was written by Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke. But track seven, another classic, was solely the work of Mick Ralphs, he wrote "Movin' On" and it was his intro guitar flourish that immediately hooked you, that got you strapped in for the ride. However, even superior was the album's closing cut, a Ralphs/Rodgers composition, "Seagull."

Once again, the guitar is key, only the acoustic is played by Rodgers himself, it sets the mood, but it is superseded by Paul's haunting vocal, a rock choirboy, someone who's sacrificed none of his edge yet is somehow closer to God.

"Seagull you fly across the horizon
Into the misty morning sun
Nobody asks you where you are going
Nobody knows where you're from"

It's the essence of the rock and roll ethos. A free bird flying in its own direction. At least until somebody shoots you down.

Those are the best tracks on "Bad Company."

But I must mention the re-record of "Ready for Love." Most people had never heard the Mott the Hoople track, and I still prefer the original, with Ralphs's weak voice and the long instrumental outro, but a great song is a great song no matter who sings it, and if it's sung by Paul Rodgers...

2

Yesterday I went to UCLA hospital for a checkup. I'm less scared than I used to be, but I'm still uptight about touching anything, after all, isn't the hospital where sick people go?

And what you've got to know is it's always an ordeal. They make you come ninety minutes early for a blood test, and still sometimes when you see the doctor the bloodwork is not ready. Then again, you can sit long past your appointed time with no attention from your physician. And I'm always wary of bad news. Some of the numbers are always out of the normal range, I'm prepared for that now. However, I have to wait seven to ten days for the big test, the BCR-ABL test, which tells whether the cancer has returned. Needless to say, the whole process takes hours, and you're never completely relaxed, and when you're finally done it feels like the last day of school, assuming the numbers were in line. And then you must pay for parking, there's no other option, no street spots anywhere nearby, get in your car and provide your slip at the kiosk, and then go up the circular driveway and back into the light. And one thing about hospital traffic, it's oh-so-slow. I'm not sure whether drivers are just old, or preoccupied by illness, but when I'm exiting I want to VROOM out of there!

And my car has the power to do it. That's where I do most of my speeding, not on the freeway.

And I must tell you I'm frustrated by the slowpokes. I find myself accelerating around them, testing limits I should not. An automobile is a lethal weapon, but I can't hold back, I'm so taxed, anxiety for hours and now this release. I just want to get back home and into the groove.

So I drive through Westwood to Sepulveda, which is surprisingly uncrowded. And when I get on the 405...I mash the accelerator until the turbo kicks in when I suddenly hear "Rock Steady" on the radio. I think it was Classic Vinyl, could have been Deep Tracks, I don't remember.

And the sun is shining.

This road, keeps winding.

Through the prettiest country from Brentwood to Sherman Oaks.

And I've got the radio blasting around me.

My troubles are behind me.

I'm alive and I'm free...

WHO WOULDN'T WANNA BE ME!

That's the power of music, that's the power of a great record.

3

The groove is set from the intro, with the guitar. You're locked in. You're nodding your head. This is not passive, this is active, this is rock and roll.

"Well when I want to rock steady
I know I got to get ready"

You may not know that "rock" is a euphemism for sex in the black music world. I learned this from a majordomo at Norby Walters's agency back in the eighties. And that's what Rodgers is preparing for, with all the swagger of the music, with all the swagger of rock and roll.

"Turn on your light
And stay with me a while
AND ROCK STEADY!"

This is not intellectual music, it plays to your genitals, not your brain, it's something you feel throughout your body, it sets you free.

"Stay with me a while and rock, rock, rock, rock, rock, ROCK!"

This is why you went to the show, to feel the music, to look at your significant other or possible significant other, empowered by the sound, kicking you with all its force.

And in the pre-earbud era, the goal was to have a stereo that could reproduce this sound, play so loud and so clearly without distortion that the rest of the world was excised and you could luxuriate in the music. Listening to "Rock Steady" was not passive. You didn't sit on the couch reading a magazine, you were active, the music demanded your attention with its raw power.

There are eight songs on "Bad Company," and by my reckoning, "Rock Steady" is the sixth best. It's not the one you think of first, not the one you drop the needle on, not the one you program on your CD player, put on your greatest hits playlist, rather you learned "Rock Steady" back in the seventies because it came right after "Can't Get Enough" and the needle would slip into its groove, you'd be exposed to it, you'd hear it so much that you knew it by heart.

4

Now the 405 is a pinball machine. The key is to get on the highway before it becomes jammed up. As the afternoon wears on, it becomes bumper to bumper. You're nothing but frustrated. But if you hit it early enough, even though traffic slows down as you go through the curves and the hill ascends, you can still weave between the slowpokes and the trucks and make time.

But yesterday it wasn't about time, but power, kicking the accelerator down to align with that rush of adrenaline I was getting from the record.

And I'm driving and smiling, but I'm not thinking back to what once was, I'm absolutely, positively locked into the twenty first century, because rock is not something you grow out of, it's a virus you catch that stays with you forever. It's alive, it's powerful, turned up loud enough it's everything. And every once in a while you need to be reminded of this.

Like yesterday.

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Re-The Texas Miracle

I'm in Austin, TX, Bob and while we don't have any energy, we have enough guns to shoot our way out of a snowstorm, so at least we have that going for us.

Sad that a state that prides itself on the defense on personal freedom can't provide enough electricity in order for its citizens to pursue it.

"Don't Mess With Texas?" No, please, someone mess with us and shown us how to plan accordingly. The South will not rise again anytime soon because we don't even have running water.

No electricity. No water. No salt for the roads. No plows. No food on store shelves. No plan.

I wonder if someone will trade me a cheeseburger for my rifle?

- Keith Peterson

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The level of shitshow here is almost unbelievable. I'm originally from Phila/NJ area and have lived through my share of snow storms most which would make what happened here in Austin laughable, but due to the deregulation and privatization of infrastructure what has happened is something that could've been avoided but was not cause ya know "We're Texas and we don't need nobody and no Government liberals telling us to do" Well maybe for starters make sure the water system can handle below freezing for A FUCKING WEEK OR TWO!?! (I have no running water at the moment) Watching the Governor speak out both sides of his mouth on the news and finding out Ted Cruz went to Cancun today just makes me wonder "where the fuck are all the smart people?"

Normally not prone to anger
Tom Gillam
Austin Texas

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Bob, California is nothing but one natural disaster after another. How many people have lost their homes and livings from fires alone? Who can afford the insurance? I was in Burbank in 2016 and thought, wow this is nice, I could live here. Then I looked up Zillow and a 1 bedroom bungalow with about 100 sf of yard on a busy main street was $650,000. STOP IT. That's not normal. You always talk about how nobody can make it in America anymore? Prime example #1. Everyone used to go to California to chase their dreams. Not so much anymore. And I predict Zoom will have big role in eviscerating the population count in the next 10 years.

Keith Michaels

______________________________________

You totally missed the story here, Bob.

Texas WAS prepared to have surplus with green energy

But "green" energy is a myth, a lie, a truckload of bullshit. THAT is what failed. Now proof positive that environmental whackos are just that.

Ted

______________________________________

On my weekly call to my father in Florida, I asked him if he misses living in Texas. He launched right into the myth that wind power failed the state. Until all the misinformation dealt with, we will never all be on the same page.

Tim Redman

______________________________________

The deal with Florida is the water, the beaches. I've lived in California. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong. I lived in Santa Barbara. However, it's dry. My nose bled all the time. Beach was nice but water was cold. Sure pretty at times but have you ever seen the gulf? There are times you feel like you are on a tropical island. Oh, you are! Does it get humid? You betcha! But that's the best time to go for a bike ride and sweat it out then jump in the gulf or your pool! In Florida you don't see oil rigs anywhere! Not in the water or on the land. In Florida the air is clean (depending where you live I suppose). I live in Venice and the ocean breeze is wonderful! Do we get hurricanes? Yup, but what part of the country doesn't experience some sort of natural disaster? And then of course people. Sorry but people are a certain way in California generally speaking. I felt judged quite a bit. It's a bit pretentious. In Florida, it's flip flops and sun glasses. No one cares who you are. I haven't worn makeup since getting here! Is Florida full of assholes who love Trump still to this day? Yes. I'll give you that. There's quite a few stupid people here. But hopefully the rush of people coming to the state will be educated ones.
Cheers!
TerriHaram

______________________________________

Remember this one? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/us/politics/jerry-brown-on-a-california-exodus-tell-me-where-are-you-going-to-go.html?searchResultPosition=2
Jerry Brown asking those "fleeing" Calif: "Where are you going to go?".
And remote work....I talk to more and more people who are going insane with all the zoom meetings....
Wear your sunscreen
David Epstein
Oakland

______________________________________

agree, except Cali is on fire from July to Nov now so that means you can't do much here, so best to get out on the road those months and travel I think. Yes, the mosquitoes of New England suck, but it sure feels more like summer back in the northeast having lived on both coasts.

- Brad Byrd

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I was raised in Los Angeles, but have stayed in NYC for 20 years after moving here for college 5 days before 9/11. I was born in Chicago so perhaps that's why I enjoy the seasonal pain; or my Swedish slice. Cold and dirt and shitty vibes keep you on your toes...

I do appreciate your points, but speaking as a bi-coastal man, I can say with certainty that New Yorkers denizens can outrun any long-haul LA resident in a marathon (business or otherwise)... comfort is over rated. You can sleep when you die, as they say.

I probably won't move. Except back to Los Angeles when I get older and more tired, or perhaps London or another godawfully rotten city full of horrible sycophants and brilliant dreamers; if I'm away from the city for too long, I start to melt. I truly believe it's the painful, everyday horrorshow of traditional megalopalypses (sic) and ghettos that will always be the bedrock of our beloved industry. Prove me wrong @internets.

Don't get me wrong - I love to visit Miami and Austin, and I'm down to cop an apartment in either or both if fate has it, but I don't see myself ever living outside of the OG towns of yore... But who fucking knows anymore.

Perhaps Mars is a better pivot.

Erik Schneider

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"All those people who left California? Expect them to come back..."


Bob-

______________________________________

You can tell them from me, a born and raised, hard working California, who is tired of hearing all the denigration of my state, and all of the BS parroted rhetoric from those who don't know the weight of the words they are saying about a state they know virtually zilch about:

"The door will be closed AND LOCKED...."

And DON'T BOTHER trying to drive backwards...

Expect severe tire damage...

Mr. Nice

______________________________________

Bob, as a native Californian who's been in NYC the past six years and is now looking to go back, I couldn't agree more. NYC is the best city, no question. But CA — northern or southern — is the best place to live. I laugh at all these rich idiots fleeing to make a point. If you can afford to live in California, why leave for some place with no services and crazy politicians and shitty weather? But at the same time, CA has to find an answer to the affordable housing problem. The rich folks hogging all those nice, prewar, low-rise, inner-ring suburbs around L.A. and S.F. will have to start letting some four-unit apartment buildings or whatever in their neighborhoods. And eventually they will. Then in 20 years the rest of the country will be touting The California Solution to the affordable housing problem: how the Golden State once again built the future for everyone else to follow ... just like it always has.

Ian S. Port

______________________________________

Elon Musk moving to Texas? Lol. Conservatives love supply and demand except when they don't. I'm surprised you didn't reference Gregg Abbot. The gov blamed AOC for his state's woes.... yikes.

Michael Fremer

______________________________________

Love it , believe it, miss it. I always tell people that when living in LA, almost every day you'll need sunglasses and sometimes a light jacket, ha!

And every election cycle, every dam politician preaches about investing in infrastructure but NOBODY does a dam thing.

Ps, Get ready for serious blowback Bob!

Steve in Syracuse

______________________________________

Spot on as usual! I have always marveled at California hatred...excuse me California jealousy! Let's face it, that is the real underlying cause for the snide and asides to the Golden State. It is obvious.

Time to place bets how many of those who recently made the exodus return within two years?

I am a native, born from two immigrants, one from Texas and one from post war Europe. When I would travel back to Texas as a teenager, let me say that I was treated like an exotic animal. It was rather fun to be honest, but those people loved their State and yes, state. Most I met had at least visited Cali or should I say, Disneyland. Of course I always wondered how anyone who should visit California would ever live anywhere else! Have you been to Houston in the Summer? It's as bad as Florida for heat, humidity and bugs! I would literally melt.

I was born and raised in the L.A. basin, lived in the Central Valley for a few years (the people did remind me of Texas) and since '97, the Bay area. I can't see myself ever living anywhere else than the jewel of the West Coast. I plan on retiring to Palm Springs. Why? Because California has everything and the price is always more than worth it!

As Jim Morrison says, "the West is the best". And he was pointing directly at California.

Christian Swain

______________________________________

Many of the institutions may be great but many of the people not so much. Giuliani, Trump, Hannity. All New Yorkers. My Dad made me listen to a NYC right wing talk show host in the 60s named Bob Grant. One of his interns was Hannity.

The NY liberals are just as bad.

—gene bryan johnson (NYC born and bred. Raised our daughter there. Lovin' LA.)

______________________________________

TX Governor, Lt. Governor & Sect. of State are the leaders of state government there. Right wing Republicans all. If you think they're incompetent you ought to see the folks who elected them!

Willie Perkins

______________________________________

You crack me up Bob when you talk about Texas. Seems like you take such glee that some Texans are suffering right now. Have fun with your next Earthquake you hate filled old fruitcake lol.

Such a shame cause I so dig your music columns. Such a shame.

Judd Allen, Houston Texan

______________________________________

We just disagree. Your opinions have gotten, in my opinion, very incongruent with moderation and have become unpalatable. Wishing you happy trails

John Blasucci

______________________________________

Bob, I am living by a flashlight this week here in Austin. I have cooked eggs and coffee we have two lighters. No water, no power. My car didn't wanna start without a tow truck jump. I'm not impressed with Texas ability to be prepared for anything. The road system is marginal to bad. Too many people are leaving California and coming here. Hopefully this learned their lesson and they move back.

Nick Wegener

P.S. And I lived in Southern California as well as Texas. While the things you said are correct, the people are arrogant, stuck up, shallow assholes generally speaking. I'll take the week of miserable Texas weather over the shallowness of the southern California folks any day. LA and Orange county are full of the worst people.

______________________________________

Republican strategy: nothing is our fault!

Deflect deflect deflect

Jeff Sackman

______________________________________

One of my favorite Harvey Milk quotes c. 1978:
"The cities will be saved by the people who like it here. The people who prefer the neighborhood stores to the shopping mall, who go to the plays and eat in the restaurants and go to the discos and worry about the education the kids are getting even if they have no kids of their own." (viahttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235662.The_Mayor_of_Castro_Street )

David Rubin in SF

______________________________________

I know some right wing east coasters who bash CA. in the same way they slam lefties, Pelosi, Biden etc.

I love to point out that if CA. were a country it would be the 36th most populous, 92nd largest in land area and have the fifth largest economy in the world right after Germany. It IS a country but with one hand tied behind its back. It is more complex on every level than any other state. No comparison.

So they can eat shit.

John Brodey

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LOL....LOL...LOL California?? The land of massive taxes...ridiculous traffic jams even at 2pm in the afternoon... FIRES, Mudslides, earthquakes, water issues... OH YEA..the livin is easy!! LOL, LOL, LOL

Needed the laugh...Thanks

JIm Ryan

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What you said. I lived in Texas and California—not by choice. Not much there. I was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Westchester with lots of time in Manhattan. I fucking Love California. Let 'em leave. More for us.

Steve Greene

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I saw a bumper sticker once that read "decisions, actions, consequences"

It wasn't in Texas

RG

______________________________________

thank you Bob!...yes please, Californians stop moving to our great state.

cj

______________________________________

I'm not sure you're right about this one Bob. Nearly a third of the folks I met in LA during my time there have now left. Citing the skyrocketing rents (good luck buying) worsening fire season and massive homeless issues, they've taken off. The trend seems to be moving to more medium sized towns that are warm and cheaper. Think Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Charlotte, Tampa. And as for Nashville? We've been going there since 2017 and it's absolutely the new hotbed for the music scene. But I could be wrong. I still love visiting LA when I can and miss the hiking, beaches and progressive attitude the Midwest lacks. But hey, nowhere is perfect :)

Danny Jay

______________________________________

Did you listen to Howard Stern today (Wednesday)? Howard was giving his opinions on the situation in Texas and, in so many words, saying that most of their elected officials like Cruz, Abbott, etc. are dumbasses. He started taking calls from listeners in TX. The first couple agreed with his thoughts and then he got to the caller who didn't. His big retort to Howard's opinion on TX and the deficiencies of the people running it? He brought up the ongoing conspiracy theory about Gov. Cuomo (NY) 'killing' senior citizens early in the pandemic. Straight to whataboutism, nothing of substance in defense of Abbott, Cruz, etc.

And that is what you are dealing with in the Trump base. It's always somebody else's fault or it's not the 'real crime'.

IF we ever get out of this mess that Trump, well, didn't create, but certainly brought to a head, then it's going to take decades.

Nick Tieder

______________________________________

I get it, you have a chance to push back on the Cali bashing, and Texas screwed up big and politicians like Cruz deserve their just deserts.

I'm all for rubbing in the fact that their gas and oil pipes froze and they weren't prepared, and I'm also all for correcting the false narrative by Fox News that "wind farms are not working" and people are dying. (Wind is not part of the critical systems mix and the industry should take a page from the voting machine companies and sue for slander).

I love LA too, but the one thing that struck me while you were pitching the lovely living in LA was, "try living off your own water". C'mon Bob, LA is unsustainable and can only suck resources from their neighbors for so long. You sound just as short sighted as the Texans.

Mcgowan Southworth

______________________________________

Mediocre white men in power , the great story of the United States since day 1 .

Chickens are coming baby ..:.

k d

______________________________________

About five years ago my cousin and her husband who both grew up in South Georgia and lived for many years in Arkansas, asked if they could visit for a few days on their way back home after visiting their daughter and son in law who had temporarily moved to Lodi.

I said sure, and laughed to myself when they were so surprised how "nice" it is out here. Whether strolling through the neighborhoods from my place to Palisades Park, getting coffee or dinner on Montana Avenue, encountering the cupcake ATM in Beverly Hills, or a gastro pub in the northern climes of Malibu after a hike across Point Dume.

No bugs!!! - beautiful homes and landscaping, and the beautiful beaches, great food, and the people are so nice. You're so close to Las Vegas!

They're seriously Christian as well as sober, yet their misconceptions flew in the face of their first hand experience. Still they hate the state of California and everyone in it.

Evil devil worshippers, heretics, baby murderers, and gays, who go against biblical law, and the disdain for guns which they fear will take theirs right out of their hands. Their main fears are any sexual identification outside of straight, married. Guns removed, "Mexicans" taking all the jobs, and illegally helping themselves to all the benefits, abortion murdering babies, and anything that shakes their Christian faith as they believe that God and Jesus ordained the United States and is a Christian prophecy come true in danger from heretics who don't agree with that story.

Melissa Ward

______________________________________

Hi Bob,

Texas. Have lived in Austin since 2006. I'm a chauffeur and drive billionaires day in & day out. Well, before Covid. Barely working now. At any rate, the conversations I hear are beyond disgusting. But first, let's talk Texas state govt. I'm sure I don't need to tell you or your readers Texas ranks at the bottom in all things quality of life: health care, education, poverty...We see it up close, before this latest fiasco that we are now being told is AOC'sfault! In my neighborhood alone, there are homes the state runs where they dump disabled and/or mentally challenged folks to live in. They hire the cheapest labor, $7 an hour here in the great Lone Star State (try living on that in Austin), to take care of these folks. It is appalling. If you peaked inside, the living conditions you'd see would leave a scar. Just hide them away, spending as little as possible. In a nutshell, this is how Texas deals with the common folks. Take care of the oil & gas, the corporations, keep those taxes low & everyone else can go pound sand.

Back to driving the billionaires, they are 99% all the same. White, racist & money is all that matters. I have no doubt they'd sell their wives & kids if it was profitable enough for them. Just a couple of weeks ago, I drove one who heads a large bank. He was on the phone. Here are bits of his conversation: Had been to Chicago recently & said Chicago is dead, nothing but black people, scariest place in the world! Yeah, Trump is a piece of shit but now you are going to pay through the nose in taxes, better get ready. Then made arrangements for his wife to fly down to Dallas to get her Covid shot as she couldn't get it right away where she lives. Was taking a group of friends to DC to meet with their Senator the following week. Blah, blah, blah. Just one of a million variations on these themes. This was not an unusual conversation.

These folks fly in & out on private jets, have multiple homes & see the world. But they can't afford to pay higher taxes. And that's why they love Texas. Low taxes and no regulation rule their world. They are disgusted by the homeless population & blame all of them for the predicament they are in. They have empathy for nobody but themselves & their bank accounts. They're all about Austin & the venture capitalists & our great state. Look at all those cranes over the skyline. Booming!

Am I generalizing? Yes. But I can only talk about the hundreds I have driven over the years. Every time I see I will be driving somebody from the finance world or CEO of some big company, I cringe, as I know it will be a long day. That said, for every 100 of them I drive, there might be a handful who seem to be decent people. And all the Europeans are kind, pleasant & respectful. Probably don't need to say it but the Americans, especially the New Yorkers, are the worst. By far.

Meanwhile, our current disaster. People are in bad shape. Many have had no power since Monday at 2am.You have single digit temperatures & no heat in an area that, right now, should have highs of 65 degrees. No plows or salt so roads are impassable. And if you can get somewhere the store/gas station/whatever, it's closed/bare shelves/no gas. The City of Austin is doing everything it can to help, providing transportation to warming centers, etc..but now even our hospitals are in trouble. No water! Yes, the entire city is under a boil order & they are evacuating hospitals. It's insane!

And surely you've heard about the idiot mayor of some small, redneck town in west Texas who had to resign after his little tirade: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-boyd-texas-mayor-colorado-city-resigns-power-outages/ Of course, he doubled down before he resigned. Classis Trump moron.

Abbott is in trouble. And that happened before this fiasco. The conservatives are pissed off at him because he suggested people wear masks. Oh, the tyranny! So, he's in the doghouse with all those who want the option of death over wearing a mask. And speaking of Abbott, Mr. We Need To Keep The State of Texas open for business. But guess what hoops people have to jump through to get inside the Governor's Mansion? You take a rapid test outside the mansion.15 minutes later, after your results, you have a temperature check & answer questions before entering. You must wear a mask!

But the rest of us poor working stiffs, we need to work & put up with non-mask wearing folks who have been God knows where doing whatever with who knows who because, you know, got to keep the state economy jumping. If I were to get sick or die, sacrifice. It's necessary.

This is all just the same old story. The wealthy have & the rest of us don't. But currently, the wealthy in Texas also have no heat & water so Abbott won't survive this. Not that I believe the next Governor will be a Democrat.

Take care out there in sunny, warm, southern California!
Name withheld and hoping I don't get fired. Off to pee in the sink because we have no water, toilet won't flush, fun times!

PS Austin musicians who built this city are fleeing in droves. Can't afford to live here anymore. Live Venture Capitalist of the World should be our motto these days. But that's another story.

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From a person living in this ridiculous state I can tell you exactly how it feels. Like you were dumped off in the middle of the artic with one match and one twig and a handshake followed by a hollow "Good luck and Fuck you dumbass"! Now don't forget to vote for me in the next election"! Yeah go fuck your own goofy looking ass you Trump loving piece of garbage Abbott. I never even considered him for my vote and will make sure that everyone remembers this week come election day. Sadly this is a entire nation of people who have a severe case of ADD and a lot of dementia. They will forget and he will tell them more lies and false promises that he has zero interest in keeping and they will keep him in office.

But the worst part is everyone is blaming each other. Abbott blames the deserted island company that he helped create and they are blaming, well actually I don't know who they are blaming but I do know that they are not taking any responsibility for the complete homicidal screw up. Abbott actually appointed the 3 and ONLY board members at what I choose to call the deserted island. And 2 of them don't even live in Texas so how does he know these people to give them jobs that pay as much $890,000. A year? Friends? In laws? Relatives? College buddies? I'd love to know.

I literally slept and hung out in my car for 3 days. I finally was able to travel 30 miles to get fuel and something hot to eat and I had not eaten since Sunday night before the lights went off. I had just spent around 200 on food for staying home during this shit only to loose every single bit of my groceries. Sickening. I used nearly 2 tanks of gasoline just to have a warm place to be during temperatures of the lowest being 8 degrees and the highest was 24. Had no way to heat up food so I just said fuck it I needed to loose some lbs anyway. Unlike the idiot guy from California in the stupid costume on January 6th I have real issues with some foods like processed meat. I will end up in a hospital if I eat more than one sandwich a month so sandwich is out for easy food while trying to stay alive.

I said I "slept" in my car, you never really get to "sleep" when you are spending most your time trying to get comfortable and in a position that doesn't hurt the sciatic nerve I have from being a paramedic for years and had to take medical retirement because of a severely screwed up back. At one point I tossed and moved around so much I was completely miserable and I did get myself to the point that I could have slept standing up in a hurricane. Only to hear, "Knock knock on my window. I had just finally passed out from the pain and misery and thought of how much weight can a beam actually hold 8 ft off the ground. I'm only a buck thirty so...nodded off at that point to hear the knocking off the charts knocking like a cop knocks and you swear that they are there to give you bad news knocking. I become wide awake and here is the most important question I have ever been asked in my life, "Are you going to sleep in your car"? Had I not accidentally fell on my dog while scrambling to get out of my car, and had her screaming in pain now and jar my ass back from killing mode the idiot who asked that stupid shit would have been murdered right beside my car in 10 degree weather. I told Einstein "No I am teaching my dog how to play MONOPOLY, she insists I be the dog and she be the car, you dumbass!" So there's that stupid shit to deal with. And that stupid shit happened 4 times. I would never dreamed a storm almost caused my ass to be charged with murder but I came very close. I didn't get sleep or food for 72 plus hours.

Now like everyone in my small rural town all the stores have to throw out all their perishable products and no telling when they can get trucks back out because the roads still have ice on them.

So this colossal fuck up is far worse than people hear about. Oh yeah we have no water either to add insult to misery.

And Abbott takes his dumbass to Friendly State TV Faux no news and bitches and whines about green energy being a big disaster when in reality this is solely a management and poor planning fuck up because the power is out there waiting to be used but if you don't order it before you need it and instead they are sitting around bitching and crying about some kids making a haul on Reddit and Robinhood, (literally that's what Abbott's been bitching and whining about since that story broke news.) In addition to trying to comfort the nation's enemy, Trump. Omg this guy's crush on Trump is absolutely disgraceful and embarrassing for us. I think even Republicans are saying, Dude control your pathetic self already "
Yeah it's been a complete fucking nightmare since Sunday for where I live in this third world country called Texas.

I am tired, hurting and completely miserable still and I have power again finally. Btw I literally live right next door to the only hospital for miles and miles and they have been running on generators since Sunday which is limiting how they are able to treat or not treat a severely sick or injured person. Remember people are getting frostbite and CO2 poisoning from stupid shit like bringing a BBQ pit inside for heating. It's unbelievable how common sense just evades people in a crisis. I learned many hurricanes ago that you absolutely must NEVER EVER depend on the government to save your ass in a crisis or your likely to end up regretting depending on the government as you literally take your last breathes of your life. New Orleans ring any bells? Too many people depended on local and federal and state governments to get them to safety before the hurricane but the mayor was more concerned with impressing out of town guest and setting them up in N.O. nicest hotels while people drowned in the rising sea and lake. The Gov. Was practicing her crying technique for TV and just being a dumb bitch in general I guess. Good grief why would anyone ever put their lives in the hands of criminals and thugs and liars and cheaters and thinking that they will be taken care of will always baffle me and I was in the business of rescuing people. Learn to swim and run away and know where the exits are is what parents should teach their children nowadays. Not call 911 expecting a miracle. It's what I taught my now 30 year old daughter. She's pretty self reliant now. Good for her and congratulations me!

But depending on the government for life saving fuel should be a federal crime. So I have something else that Biden can focus on if he finds himself tolling around the white house one night at bewitching a.m. what Abbott failed to do should come with a criminal charge. As the idiots who run....correction POORLY ran deserted island power hoarder. This is absolutely as big of a fuck up as New Orleans was during Katrina.

I'm moving the first chance I get. Back to Upstate NY where the summer is beautiful and the winters are a bitch but are managed properly.

Donna Connelly
Eagle Lake, Texas

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Fuck you!

Cory L. Moore

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