Tune in tomorrow, Saturday October 15th, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
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-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Friday 14 October 2022
Netflix Ad-Supported Tier
The problem with Netflix isn't the price, but the content!
Man do they have it wrong.
In a world with a plethora of streaming options, one is ready to cancel any at a whim if there is not programming they want to see. Don't tell me about dripping out product... No way I'm subscribing to Apple TV+ for multiple months to see "Bad Sisters," I'm just waiting until it's over to partake.
Or not. When the buzz is done, do I need to see it?
The "Squid Game" mania... Talked to anybody who's watched the series recently? I certainly haven't, it's old news. Sure, some series survive, I'm aware of all those stories about the "Friends" reruns, but "Friends" was created in a completely different era. Today's productions have a very short shelf life. You watch them and move on. All you're doing by dripping out the episodes is leaving people on the sidelines, who won't even bother to subscribe. As for lowering the price, how does NOTHING sound. Ad-supported for free sounds good to me. Make the damn commercials so onerous that only the truly cheap will take this option. Michael Eisner said 10% of the public will never pay, never ever. A lower price ain't gonna work, never.
As for the lower price...
It's not like we live in a vacuum, with no data. The freemium model has existed for years. You give away a hobbled version and people get so addicted they're willing to pay for the real thing. This is Spotify's model. 45% of people who use Spotify's free tier ultimately convert to the paid tier: https://on.wsj.com/3MzKaZU People have the money if you have a desirable product. And if you don't, there's no lowering of the price that can entice me.
Does Apple have two tiers of prices? OF COURSE NOT! Apple leaves the low-priced goods to the rest of the companies, and ain't it interesting that Apple is the only company that consistently makes money on handsets.
Turns out all those other people, those on Android, don't want to pay for goods. Yes, Apple has a smaller market share, but almost all of the income from apps. I mean first and foremost, you go for the people who PAY!
Netflix was seen as a premium product. Now the brand has taken a hit. Having a Netflix account was a badge of honor. And maybe it's less strong since competitors have entered the marketplace, but everybody knows Netflix has the most new product, and it's all about new product, because new product ultimately becomes old product, and money can be reaped forever, especially with the Netflix model, where they buy out all the rights.
Did people think "Mayberry" was gonna run forever? Ron Howard will be long in the grave and people will be watching the small town shenanigans. Does every series have legs? Absolutely not, but you've got to make many to find out. This is the flaw in the Zaslav model. Once you start cutting production, you're cutting yourself off at the knees. You need a lot of product, because even the best idea on paper might be a turd in the final result. And you never know what will catch on with the public. People will be watching "Stranger Things" for decades. Did anybody anticipate that? NO!
So, you pay attention to the seers on Wall Street and you're cooked. Look at Amazon. Everybody bitched about its bottom line, but Bezos wouldn't cut back, he wouldn't yield. And then came Prime and then came AWS (Amazon Web Services). Neither was in the original plan. In cost-cutting mode you never take the chance, but if you're willing to spend, new opportunities develop and come to fruition. Once you cut spending to improve your numbers...death. Especially in new model, tech companies.
Netflix shouldn't cut back production to save money, it should stay the course, because only with hit product will people pay every month.
As for paying, many many people are watching without paying. They're hooked on the product, but instead of hoovering up that money, Netflix is trolling for those who haven't opened their wallets, who can live without the service, HOW DUMB IS THAT?
Everybody believes they're getting away with something when they share passwords. It's kinda like Napster. Users knew it was free, but there was no modern alternative. Also, staying with Napster, users saw it as a protest against the outdated business model, of $15 for a CD with one good track. If you're not pissed about the streaming world, you're not a user. I used to pay one price for everything on cable, it was expensive, but it was my choice. Now I feel like I'm being pecked to death by ducks. I can only watch one show at one time, but I've got to subscribe to all these services? I'm not canceling because they're too expensive, I can afford it, it's just an insult. Sell me all the services, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Apple+, Discovery+...never mind Sundance Now an BritBox and Topic...for one price, just name it, I don't care. If I'm paying for the complete cable package it's not like I'm pissed that I'm watching one channel at a time.
What's gonna happen if Netflix cuts off password-sharers. They're gonna disconnect? THEY'RE NOT PAYING TO BEGIN WITH! People pony up for what they want, and these people already want it. Who do you want to try and convince to pay, those already in your store or the random person on the street? Those inside the store, those sharing passwords, are already interested!
So I'm sitting at home, thinking whether I want to pay $6.99 for Netflix with ads. I'm not paying to begin with. It's a hurdle I don't want to jump.
But there are plenty of free services out there: Freevee, Roku... Most of it is junk, but you've got to pay for the good stuff. Rolex doesn't sell a model with a Timex inside.
I just don't know who the people are who are going to pay for something they aren't already. I'm not paying for Paramount+, I'm not paying for Discovery+. because they're complete rip-offs, also-rans. You want me to pay to watch one good show when the rest is recycled dreck? I can live without that program. I want you to go out of business, or merge, or license your product to one of the big kahunas.
That's what these services don't understand, WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT ANY OF THEM! Streaming services are not the most important purchases in our lives, they've got to earn our money. It's a yes/no proposition, it's black and white, it's not a matter of price. Look, a movie costs fifteen to twenty bucks but I'm going to haggle over paying fifteen bucks for a service with tons of product for a MONTH? No, it's just a matter of if I'm interested in what's being purveyed.
You can't be all things to all people. That's a bad business model. It doesn't work for anybody. You're inherently dumbing-down the product. Want to make more money Netflix...RAISE THE PRICE! You've got to give me something for it, maybe one theatrical release a month, free, immediately, but my wallet is open for the desirable, most people's is. Are we really arguing over a handful of bucks, do they really think that's why people are not subscribing to Netflix?
And the cable companies make you subscribe for a year, but Netflix is month-to-month. SiriusXM offers year-long discount products. Better to commit the person for a year at a lower price then try to get them pay month by month, it's one decision instead of twelve. And if you commit for a year, odds are you're going to watch, get hooked, you've made the deal. Do you buy a product, use it once and then discard it? No, if it's expensive enough you try to make it work, you Google instructions, it's going to take a lot for you to put it in a corner to collect dust. You're INVESTED!
So now streaming TV is just like network. That's the model. Netflix was a NEW model, but now it's undercut itself, gone backwards.
This reminds me of the early 2000s in the music business. We'd have all these focus groups with teenagers asking them about the value of music, what it was worth. And almost every one said $10-$15 for a CD was fair. But the dirty little secret was when we asked how many people bought CDs at this price? NONE! They were opining about something they weren't involved in, and they were telling the questioners what they wanted to hear as they continued to download music from Napster. We could never convince these kids to buy CDs again, we had to come up with a new model. It's not like if the CD was five bucks they'd buy it, THEY DIDN'T WANT IT AT ANY PRICE!
Just like the people not subscribing to Netflix.
Everybody knew there would come a time when Netflix would run out of potential subscribers. Everybody convinced themselves that we weren't there yet, that we were living in an unending go-go era, but once you have one smartphone, HOW MANY MORE DO YOU NEED?
You saturate the marketplace and if you want more money you extend the brand, like Spotify, or merge with another company. Patagonia doesn't do this, but it was privately owned. It wasn't about the short term insanity of the stock price. And Patagonia's value, financially and in esteem, has only gone UP! And when they limited sales, saying they wouldn't sell their vests for corporate retreats, owners of Patagonia products felt even better about their purchases, and went out and bought more, Patagonia was something to BELIEVE IN! And still is.
I used to believe in Netflix.
Now I just see a bunch of businessmen bending in the wind to placate the financial community which has its head up its rear end. It was the bleeding edge product that kept me testifying. But they got rid of the person responsible for that. It would be like HBO firing its development staff and hiring ABC's. MAKES NO SENSE!
We live in a soulless world where brands are kings, even more than people. Ask me who I believe in most. It certainly ain't anybody in the Spotify Top 50, I believe in Apple more than them. Apple makes the finest products and doesn't enter every field. I can feel good about owning Apple products. And Apple is the most valuable company in the world! And their products are more expensive than everybody else's!
So there are Apple-haters. No problem, it just makes my belief in Apple stronger, especially since most of the haters are having a knee-jerk reaction. Sure, you can customize Android more, but how many people actually want to do that? But even worse, most of the phones can't be upgraded, Android has the greatest market share, with everybody on a different operating system. Which yields a worse user experience. Apple just pushes the update to everybody.
Does Apple make mistakes? OF COURSE!
But at least Tim Cook has balls. When asked why he didn't make iMessage RCS compatible, that is work with Android, so the person's mom could see videos better, he said "Buy your mom an iPhone." He didn't weasel, he owned it. And I want to tell you, when I see a green bubble I judge the person. They didn't get the message? You're still using an Android? Don't complain, it's useless, this is how we iPhone users feel, ALL OF US!
Meanwhile, Reid Hastings and Ted Sarandos are afraid of both the Street and the public. Let's make it more palatable, let's play by your rules. Didn't you win by BREAKING those rules?
This is a product few are interested in. But Netflix felt pressured by Wall Street...
Never a good motivation.
Now Netflix is another bottom line TV company when it used to be so much more. Viewers were in bed with Netflix. I don't want them under the covers ANYMORE!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
Man do they have it wrong.
In a world with a plethora of streaming options, one is ready to cancel any at a whim if there is not programming they want to see. Don't tell me about dripping out product... No way I'm subscribing to Apple TV+ for multiple months to see "Bad Sisters," I'm just waiting until it's over to partake.
Or not. When the buzz is done, do I need to see it?
The "Squid Game" mania... Talked to anybody who's watched the series recently? I certainly haven't, it's old news. Sure, some series survive, I'm aware of all those stories about the "Friends" reruns, but "Friends" was created in a completely different era. Today's productions have a very short shelf life. You watch them and move on. All you're doing by dripping out the episodes is leaving people on the sidelines, who won't even bother to subscribe. As for lowering the price, how does NOTHING sound. Ad-supported for free sounds good to me. Make the damn commercials so onerous that only the truly cheap will take this option. Michael Eisner said 10% of the public will never pay, never ever. A lower price ain't gonna work, never.
As for the lower price...
It's not like we live in a vacuum, with no data. The freemium model has existed for years. You give away a hobbled version and people get so addicted they're willing to pay for the real thing. This is Spotify's model. 45% of people who use Spotify's free tier ultimately convert to the paid tier: https://on.wsj.com/3MzKaZU People have the money if you have a desirable product. And if you don't, there's no lowering of the price that can entice me.
Does Apple have two tiers of prices? OF COURSE NOT! Apple leaves the low-priced goods to the rest of the companies, and ain't it interesting that Apple is the only company that consistently makes money on handsets.
Turns out all those other people, those on Android, don't want to pay for goods. Yes, Apple has a smaller market share, but almost all of the income from apps. I mean first and foremost, you go for the people who PAY!
Netflix was seen as a premium product. Now the brand has taken a hit. Having a Netflix account was a badge of honor. And maybe it's less strong since competitors have entered the marketplace, but everybody knows Netflix has the most new product, and it's all about new product, because new product ultimately becomes old product, and money can be reaped forever, especially with the Netflix model, where they buy out all the rights.
Did people think "Mayberry" was gonna run forever? Ron Howard will be long in the grave and people will be watching the small town shenanigans. Does every series have legs? Absolutely not, but you've got to make many to find out. This is the flaw in the Zaslav model. Once you start cutting production, you're cutting yourself off at the knees. You need a lot of product, because even the best idea on paper might be a turd in the final result. And you never know what will catch on with the public. People will be watching "Stranger Things" for decades. Did anybody anticipate that? NO!
So, you pay attention to the seers on Wall Street and you're cooked. Look at Amazon. Everybody bitched about its bottom line, but Bezos wouldn't cut back, he wouldn't yield. And then came Prime and then came AWS (Amazon Web Services). Neither was in the original plan. In cost-cutting mode you never take the chance, but if you're willing to spend, new opportunities develop and come to fruition. Once you cut spending to improve your numbers...death. Especially in new model, tech companies.
Netflix shouldn't cut back production to save money, it should stay the course, because only with hit product will people pay every month.
As for paying, many many people are watching without paying. They're hooked on the product, but instead of hoovering up that money, Netflix is trolling for those who haven't opened their wallets, who can live without the service, HOW DUMB IS THAT?
Everybody believes they're getting away with something when they share passwords. It's kinda like Napster. Users knew it was free, but there was no modern alternative. Also, staying with Napster, users saw it as a protest against the outdated business model, of $15 for a CD with one good track. If you're not pissed about the streaming world, you're not a user. I used to pay one price for everything on cable, it was expensive, but it was my choice. Now I feel like I'm being pecked to death by ducks. I can only watch one show at one time, but I've got to subscribe to all these services? I'm not canceling because they're too expensive, I can afford it, it's just an insult. Sell me all the services, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Apple+, Discovery+...never mind Sundance Now an BritBox and Topic...for one price, just name it, I don't care. If I'm paying for the complete cable package it's not like I'm pissed that I'm watching one channel at a time.
What's gonna happen if Netflix cuts off password-sharers. They're gonna disconnect? THEY'RE NOT PAYING TO BEGIN WITH! People pony up for what they want, and these people already want it. Who do you want to try and convince to pay, those already in your store or the random person on the street? Those inside the store, those sharing passwords, are already interested!
So I'm sitting at home, thinking whether I want to pay $6.99 for Netflix with ads. I'm not paying to begin with. It's a hurdle I don't want to jump.
But there are plenty of free services out there: Freevee, Roku... Most of it is junk, but you've got to pay for the good stuff. Rolex doesn't sell a model with a Timex inside.
I just don't know who the people are who are going to pay for something they aren't already. I'm not paying for Paramount+, I'm not paying for Discovery+. because they're complete rip-offs, also-rans. You want me to pay to watch one good show when the rest is recycled dreck? I can live without that program. I want you to go out of business, or merge, or license your product to one of the big kahunas.
That's what these services don't understand, WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT ANY OF THEM! Streaming services are not the most important purchases in our lives, they've got to earn our money. It's a yes/no proposition, it's black and white, it's not a matter of price. Look, a movie costs fifteen to twenty bucks but I'm going to haggle over paying fifteen bucks for a service with tons of product for a MONTH? No, it's just a matter of if I'm interested in what's being purveyed.
You can't be all things to all people. That's a bad business model. It doesn't work for anybody. You're inherently dumbing-down the product. Want to make more money Netflix...RAISE THE PRICE! You've got to give me something for it, maybe one theatrical release a month, free, immediately, but my wallet is open for the desirable, most people's is. Are we really arguing over a handful of bucks, do they really think that's why people are not subscribing to Netflix?
And the cable companies make you subscribe for a year, but Netflix is month-to-month. SiriusXM offers year-long discount products. Better to commit the person for a year at a lower price then try to get them pay month by month, it's one decision instead of twelve. And if you commit for a year, odds are you're going to watch, get hooked, you've made the deal. Do you buy a product, use it once and then discard it? No, if it's expensive enough you try to make it work, you Google instructions, it's going to take a lot for you to put it in a corner to collect dust. You're INVESTED!
So now streaming TV is just like network. That's the model. Netflix was a NEW model, but now it's undercut itself, gone backwards.
This reminds me of the early 2000s in the music business. We'd have all these focus groups with teenagers asking them about the value of music, what it was worth. And almost every one said $10-$15 for a CD was fair. But the dirty little secret was when we asked how many people bought CDs at this price? NONE! They were opining about something they weren't involved in, and they were telling the questioners what they wanted to hear as they continued to download music from Napster. We could never convince these kids to buy CDs again, we had to come up with a new model. It's not like if the CD was five bucks they'd buy it, THEY DIDN'T WANT IT AT ANY PRICE!
Just like the people not subscribing to Netflix.
Everybody knew there would come a time when Netflix would run out of potential subscribers. Everybody convinced themselves that we weren't there yet, that we were living in an unending go-go era, but once you have one smartphone, HOW MANY MORE DO YOU NEED?
You saturate the marketplace and if you want more money you extend the brand, like Spotify, or merge with another company. Patagonia doesn't do this, but it was privately owned. It wasn't about the short term insanity of the stock price. And Patagonia's value, financially and in esteem, has only gone UP! And when they limited sales, saying they wouldn't sell their vests for corporate retreats, owners of Patagonia products felt even better about their purchases, and went out and bought more, Patagonia was something to BELIEVE IN! And still is.
I used to believe in Netflix.
Now I just see a bunch of businessmen bending in the wind to placate the financial community which has its head up its rear end. It was the bleeding edge product that kept me testifying. But they got rid of the person responsible for that. It would be like HBO firing its development staff and hiring ABC's. MAKES NO SENSE!
We live in a soulless world where brands are kings, even more than people. Ask me who I believe in most. It certainly ain't anybody in the Spotify Top 50, I believe in Apple more than them. Apple makes the finest products and doesn't enter every field. I can feel good about owning Apple products. And Apple is the most valuable company in the world! And their products are more expensive than everybody else's!
So there are Apple-haters. No problem, it just makes my belief in Apple stronger, especially since most of the haters are having a knee-jerk reaction. Sure, you can customize Android more, but how many people actually want to do that? But even worse, most of the phones can't be upgraded, Android has the greatest market share, with everybody on a different operating system. Which yields a worse user experience. Apple just pushes the update to everybody.
Does Apple make mistakes? OF COURSE!
But at least Tim Cook has balls. When asked why he didn't make iMessage RCS compatible, that is work with Android, so the person's mom could see videos better, he said "Buy your mom an iPhone." He didn't weasel, he owned it. And I want to tell you, when I see a green bubble I judge the person. They didn't get the message? You're still using an Android? Don't complain, it's useless, this is how we iPhone users feel, ALL OF US!
Meanwhile, Reid Hastings and Ted Sarandos are afraid of both the Street and the public. Let's make it more palatable, let's play by your rules. Didn't you win by BREAKING those rules?
This is a product few are interested in. But Netflix felt pressured by Wall Street...
Never a good motivation.
Now Netflix is another bottom line TV company when it used to be so much more. Viewers were in bed with Netflix. I don't want them under the covers ANYMORE!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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The Billboard Article
"Too Many Songs, Not Enough Hits: Pop Music Is Struggling to Create New Stars - Execs say that a deluge of new music — and the difficulty of influencing TikTok's algorithm — has made building an audience harder than ever for new acts.": https://bit.ly/3CCHSEz
You know it's the truth when the mainstream press locks on to the story.
In every walk of life, the boomer-owned institutions profess the inaccurate claim that we live in one homogenous society upon which they exert control. But we live in an era of chaos. And today it's nearly impossible to gain traction, which really means an audience. You can get noticed, but for a day. Yesterday's meme is sophomoric today, if you employ it you look bad. Culture moves incredibly quickly, and almost nothing sticks. But the powers-that-be keep telling us they can make it stick, when they cannot.
Want an example? Beyonce's new album. It was hosannas all around. Queen Bey has come down from her throne with her miraculous creations which all the "tastemakers" have frothed at the mouth over. This is what we've been waiting for, a glorified superstar firing on all cylinders.
Check the Spotify Top 50, there's not a SINGLE Beyonce song! Not one!
Now in the old paradigm they would have sold millions of albums immediately, based on the mania, but today that paradigm is dead. Today it's all about streaming longevity, and there is none with Beyonce.
As for the "Billboard" album chart, ignore it completely, It doesn't reflect reality. Streams are king and on that chart physical and files mean more, but even worse, acts release vinyl to bump their numbers and everywhere you see they're number one, but not in the eyes (and ears) of the public.
And then there's that fiction that terrestrial radio still counts. That was the majors' domain, they controlled it.
"'A No. 1 radio song doesn't mean fuck anymore,' laments one longtime A&R executive."
Whew, when the labels are saying it you know it must be true. This is their ace in the hole. The head of promotion made more money than everybody at the label other than the president. But now he or she has no effectiveness.
Let's start with the statistics, tracks, where the chart is much more reliable:
"'It's a bigger and more level playing field, and everything is getting lost,' says Chris Anokute, who co-manages Muni Long. 'Everyone's an artist, but almost nobody's breaking."
"There are many ways to judge — and argue over — what 'breaking' means today; label executives tend to use streaming numbers as a barometer, while most managers prefer to look at ticket sales. But the number of new acts vaulting into the top 10 of the Hot 100 has declined precipitously in the last few years. From 2001 to 2004, over 30 first-timers cracked the top 10 annually. In 2019, however, only 15 first-timers reached the top 10, and 2021 had the lowest number of new entrants this millennium: just 13."
You can't reach the top of the heap unless you've already established a beachhead, and as we've seen with Beyonce above, that's no guarantee.
Acts like Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band benefit from breaking in the last era wherein music television meant something, they were all over MTV and especially VH1. That avenue is now dead. You can post a video to YouTube for free, but that doesn't mean you'll gain a mass of eyeballs, odds are no one will see it other than you and your friends!
And even acts like the Weeknd. He broke when insider buzz still mattered and there were fewer acts out there and streaming was not yet established. If Abel comes out today, he's got much less mass, no matter how good the records are. Furthermore, that which is made for the mainstream, with the usual suspects following the established formulas, tends not to succeed, the public is looking for something new.
Like Zach Bryan. Who has got the #6 song in the U.S. Spotify Top 50.
This guy was unheard of, with no traction, and he sounds more like a singer-songwriter of the seventies than the dreck played on country radio. The public is looking for authenticity, Bryan delivers it. And quality songs, that are recognizable as songs.
The Morgan Wallen kerfuffle has superseded the music itself in the conversation. But if you listen to Wallen's double album it's fantastic, a step above. You can pooh-pooh its success, but that just means you're turned off by a southern accent and biased against those in the south and...
"Dangerous" is #3 this week and I'll quote from the "New York Times":
"'Dangerous,' released at the beginning of 2021, has now spent 90 weeks in the Top 10, matching 'South Pacific' — the soundtrack to a 1958 film whose songs go back to a 1949 Broadway production. In the 66-year history of the Billboard 200, the magazine's flagship album chart, only five other releases have logged more weeks in the Top 10, all soundtracks and cast albums from the 1950s and '60s."
https://nyti.ms/3rXmkO8
And Bad Bunny is the biggest act in the world and he's Latin and Sam Smith might have a number one track right now with Kim Petras, but Sam also broke before the chaos became extreme.
Music is a business. People like to think of it as art, but that's not how the major labels see it. They look for an edge, just like the people spamming you with e-mails and texts. They employ leverage, trade on their size and catalogs, but in today's world, everything they bring to the table isn't working:
"'The market's dry as fuck,' declares a veteran major-label A&R executive who requested anonymity to speak candidly. 'There's less and less shit working. The front-line label business, signing new artists, is in trouble.' 'I can honestly say right now that nobody — nobody — knows what's going on,' another longtime major-label A&R says."
As for the fiction that streaming playlists are everything:
"'Now, just because you're in a top 10 slot on a big Spotify playlist, it doesn't mean your audience is growing,' one manager says.
As for the old formula:
"Taken together, all these factors mean that seizing — and then holding — the attention of the music-loving masses is that much more challenging. 'It used to be that you released an album, got Rolling Stone to review it, got on tour, got on late-night TV, and that was how you broke,' says one senior executive at a major label. Even if luck was a factor, the path was clear. 'It was four or five things. Now you need four or five things a week, or at least a month, or else your streams don't go up.'"
As for the power of TikTok:
"The rise of TikTok has complicated matters, too. The platform has become a hit-maker — helping Em Beihold's 'Numb Little Bug' and Nicky Youre's 'Sunroof' climb the charts, for example — but it's an unpredictable marketing tool, less susceptible to manipulation and less responsive to star power than other platforms. Engineering a viral moment is akin to walking into a corner store and emerging with a winning lottery ticket. 'There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what breaks there,' says Justin Lehmann, who manages Aminé and Khai Dreams, among others. 'And without breaking there, it's difficult to say what else can cause a big moment to happen for anybody.'"
The lunatics have taken over the asylum. It's a free-for-all. The supposed gatekeepers, the keepers of the flame, the manipulators, have been stopped dead in their tracks. You can do the same old thing, but you're not going to get the old result, chances are you're going to get almost nothing.
So the playing field is being leveled.
And the dream is dying.
You remember the dream, where you start out humble and end up world famous, known by everybody, and rich? Nearly impossible today. You can shoot someone, but you'll only be famous for a day. Come on, we shrug our shoulders at school shootings now. And if you fight to be in the public eye all the time, it backfires. Elon Musk's image has taken a huge hit. And the more Kanye and Trump talk, the crazier they look. So if you think you can just spam your way to a career by posting 24/7, buying followers...you can end up with statistics but no career, maybe not even any traction at all. And sure, today's youth don't mind you pitching yourself, but that's if you're a nobody, an influencer. But it's different if you're not a member of the rank and file, if you think you're better than those on TikTok or other platforms, those are owned by the users, not you, the more you press, the worse you look. And then there's desperation... No one wants to be close to the desperate.
So...
Today's paradigm is you're not a star. If you want to create myth and mystique, if you want to hold back your identity, if you want to do all the crap that worked from the fifties to yesterday, you're screwed. Your only option is to get into the pit, reveal your warts and predilections, and say you're no better than anybody else, but this is what you do, create music.
And in order for it to grow, you'll need the public to adopt it. And you cannot push it, it doesn't work. Believe me, the labels are in bed with TikTok, TikTok pushes priorities to big time users, but even if they make a video with the song...it does not mean it will be picked up by others and will become a phenomenon. First it must have that je ne sais quoi. AND, the creator/influencer has to add their own spin, so the concoction becomes MORE than just your song. This is anathema to the oldsters who were so afraid that their work tapes would become available on Napster. God, you're dying to have your work tapes released, you're dying for ANYBODY TO LISTEN TO THEM!
That's the hardest challenge.
So we've got dinosaurs and...
Everybody else.
Everybody else must adjust their outlook.
Let's start with the festivals. Coachella is bigger than any act, Coachella has the power, as do Lollapalooza, ACL and Outside Lands. Didn't used to be this way. But after the festival books a headliner or three, which is harder than ever to do, the slots are precious. It's the only way to expose yourself to a mass audience live. And the traditional ladder has lost its bottom rungs. The club scene is minimal and sure, arena business is good, but getting from here to there?
And the acts keep complaining, looking for culprits, pointing the finger at streaming services. But the truth is, if you're not making much from Spotify, YOU'RE NOT BEING LISTENED TO MUCH! And no one mentions that Spotify killed piracy and turned recorded music revenues around. No, there must be a return to the past, where almost no one got a deal, you lived off the advance and there was much less, MUCH LESS, competition.
Do I think it's going to formalize, turn around?
No.
The internet has the power to reach everybody, nearly instantly. But we've found out that there's so much stuff that it's hard to reach anybody. Adele had her big moment when CDs still counted. The albums after that, despite the hoopla, did nowhere near as well. And the younger audience...doesn't care about her, not much anyway.
And in truth most people cut off huge swaths of media. They haven't heard or seen or read it and it does not bother them at all. They've found what appeals to them and that's enough. And it's always visceral and human. That's the essence of TikTok, which the same boomers living in the past refuse to explore. TikTok is where the PEOPLE are, where the INNOVATION is. And Netflix doesn't have to worry about HBO Max or Disney+, it has to worry about TikTok, that's where all the viewing hours of the young are spent.
Music was the canary in the coal mine for digital disruption. And for a long time, the powers-that-be thought they could kill Napster, et al, through sheer will. And then the legal system. Nothing worked until the iTunes store and Spotify. You have to deliver it the way the public wants it. And if you want to enrapture the public, you've got to GET AHEAD OF IT!
Yes, now is the worst time for me-too, to be playing it safe. Now is the time to experiment, to be different, to be great, because innovation always sparks a reaction. Then again, the old model of hipsters gravitating to the outside act and then it becoming mainstream is gone too, once again, there's just too much in the channel.
And no one cares.
You think you're better than me? I don't care about this, I don't know that, I came late to the product... WE'RE ALL LATE! Assuming we see any need to go outside our own little satisfying purview. And they're not making more time. I want to choose wisely, I don't want to waste twelve hours on a mediocre series.
As for music, listening to the whole album... You're lucky if you get people to listen to ONE SONG! Stop the blowback, that's just how precious people's time is. If you want our attention you must deserve it. And you do it through being truly great and special, and that's no guarantee of stardom, it's just the start of traction, which could die out.
Is it depressing?
Absolutely. But that does not mean it's not reality.
The professionals are throwing up their hands, they don't know how to manipulate the market, crack it.
The acts are complaining that they can't be rich and famous like they used to be.
But the public? It's overfed and overwhelmed, so it chooses its experiences wisely, wasting time is taboo.
You make your own schedule. Just like you choose your own wallpaper on your laptop and smartphone.
And you can't trust pollsters, you can't trust anybody telling you the way it is, THEY DON'T KNOW! You only know for yourself.
Becoming a brand? There needs to be a foundation. People were so focused on becoming a corporation that they ignored the underlying product. They don't want to put that much effort in, they don't want to be poor, they want it to be fast and easy...
Steve Lacy may have made it to number one, but:
"Lacy's career began seven years ago, with The Internet, and his first solo album in 2019 had already earned him a Grammy Award nomination."
He's been around for years! That's how long it takes. You want to succeed now or go to graduate school? Short circuit the whole process, just go to graduate school. Your ten year old sings and you believe they have talent and deserve a spot on the hit parade? Then they must drop out of school, work hard for ten years and probably still won't hit. Better to at least get an education, which will ultimately pay dividends, which a failed career will not.
But the silver lining is the world has been flattened, and the monoliths of old are in the same boat as the pipsqueak in their basement.
And everybody can play. Put their songs online. Market the hell of out themselves, NEARLY FOR FREE!
The new world is definitely not like the old world.
It's a longer road than ever to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.
But the audience still desires music. There's still a marketplace. It just does not resemble the pyramid of old.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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You know it's the truth when the mainstream press locks on to the story.
In every walk of life, the boomer-owned institutions profess the inaccurate claim that we live in one homogenous society upon which they exert control. But we live in an era of chaos. And today it's nearly impossible to gain traction, which really means an audience. You can get noticed, but for a day. Yesterday's meme is sophomoric today, if you employ it you look bad. Culture moves incredibly quickly, and almost nothing sticks. But the powers-that-be keep telling us they can make it stick, when they cannot.
Want an example? Beyonce's new album. It was hosannas all around. Queen Bey has come down from her throne with her miraculous creations which all the "tastemakers" have frothed at the mouth over. This is what we've been waiting for, a glorified superstar firing on all cylinders.
Check the Spotify Top 50, there's not a SINGLE Beyonce song! Not one!
Now in the old paradigm they would have sold millions of albums immediately, based on the mania, but today that paradigm is dead. Today it's all about streaming longevity, and there is none with Beyonce.
As for the "Billboard" album chart, ignore it completely, It doesn't reflect reality. Streams are king and on that chart physical and files mean more, but even worse, acts release vinyl to bump their numbers and everywhere you see they're number one, but not in the eyes (and ears) of the public.
And then there's that fiction that terrestrial radio still counts. That was the majors' domain, they controlled it.
"'A No. 1 radio song doesn't mean fuck anymore,' laments one longtime A&R executive."
Whew, when the labels are saying it you know it must be true. This is their ace in the hole. The head of promotion made more money than everybody at the label other than the president. But now he or she has no effectiveness.
Let's start with the statistics, tracks, where the chart is much more reliable:
"'It's a bigger and more level playing field, and everything is getting lost,' says Chris Anokute, who co-manages Muni Long. 'Everyone's an artist, but almost nobody's breaking."
"There are many ways to judge — and argue over — what 'breaking' means today; label executives tend to use streaming numbers as a barometer, while most managers prefer to look at ticket sales. But the number of new acts vaulting into the top 10 of the Hot 100 has declined precipitously in the last few years. From 2001 to 2004, over 30 first-timers cracked the top 10 annually. In 2019, however, only 15 first-timers reached the top 10, and 2021 had the lowest number of new entrants this millennium: just 13."
You can't reach the top of the heap unless you've already established a beachhead, and as we've seen with Beyonce above, that's no guarantee.
Acts like Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band benefit from breaking in the last era wherein music television meant something, they were all over MTV and especially VH1. That avenue is now dead. You can post a video to YouTube for free, but that doesn't mean you'll gain a mass of eyeballs, odds are no one will see it other than you and your friends!
And even acts like the Weeknd. He broke when insider buzz still mattered and there were fewer acts out there and streaming was not yet established. If Abel comes out today, he's got much less mass, no matter how good the records are. Furthermore, that which is made for the mainstream, with the usual suspects following the established formulas, tends not to succeed, the public is looking for something new.
Like Zach Bryan. Who has got the #6 song in the U.S. Spotify Top 50.
This guy was unheard of, with no traction, and he sounds more like a singer-songwriter of the seventies than the dreck played on country radio. The public is looking for authenticity, Bryan delivers it. And quality songs, that are recognizable as songs.
The Morgan Wallen kerfuffle has superseded the music itself in the conversation. But if you listen to Wallen's double album it's fantastic, a step above. You can pooh-pooh its success, but that just means you're turned off by a southern accent and biased against those in the south and...
"Dangerous" is #3 this week and I'll quote from the "New York Times":
"'Dangerous,' released at the beginning of 2021, has now spent 90 weeks in the Top 10, matching 'South Pacific' — the soundtrack to a 1958 film whose songs go back to a 1949 Broadway production. In the 66-year history of the Billboard 200, the magazine's flagship album chart, only five other releases have logged more weeks in the Top 10, all soundtracks and cast albums from the 1950s and '60s."
https://nyti.ms/3rXmkO8
And Bad Bunny is the biggest act in the world and he's Latin and Sam Smith might have a number one track right now with Kim Petras, but Sam also broke before the chaos became extreme.
Music is a business. People like to think of it as art, but that's not how the major labels see it. They look for an edge, just like the people spamming you with e-mails and texts. They employ leverage, trade on their size and catalogs, but in today's world, everything they bring to the table isn't working:
"'The market's dry as fuck,' declares a veteran major-label A&R executive who requested anonymity to speak candidly. 'There's less and less shit working. The front-line label business, signing new artists, is in trouble.' 'I can honestly say right now that nobody — nobody — knows what's going on,' another longtime major-label A&R says."
As for the fiction that streaming playlists are everything:
"'Now, just because you're in a top 10 slot on a big Spotify playlist, it doesn't mean your audience is growing,' one manager says.
As for the old formula:
"Taken together, all these factors mean that seizing — and then holding — the attention of the music-loving masses is that much more challenging. 'It used to be that you released an album, got Rolling Stone to review it, got on tour, got on late-night TV, and that was how you broke,' says one senior executive at a major label. Even if luck was a factor, the path was clear. 'It was four or five things. Now you need four or five things a week, or at least a month, or else your streams don't go up.'"
As for the power of TikTok:
"The rise of TikTok has complicated matters, too. The platform has become a hit-maker — helping Em Beihold's 'Numb Little Bug' and Nicky Youre's 'Sunroof' climb the charts, for example — but it's an unpredictable marketing tool, less susceptible to manipulation and less responsive to star power than other platforms. Engineering a viral moment is akin to walking into a corner store and emerging with a winning lottery ticket. 'There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what breaks there,' says Justin Lehmann, who manages Aminé and Khai Dreams, among others. 'And without breaking there, it's difficult to say what else can cause a big moment to happen for anybody.'"
The lunatics have taken over the asylum. It's a free-for-all. The supposed gatekeepers, the keepers of the flame, the manipulators, have been stopped dead in their tracks. You can do the same old thing, but you're not going to get the old result, chances are you're going to get almost nothing.
So the playing field is being leveled.
And the dream is dying.
You remember the dream, where you start out humble and end up world famous, known by everybody, and rich? Nearly impossible today. You can shoot someone, but you'll only be famous for a day. Come on, we shrug our shoulders at school shootings now. And if you fight to be in the public eye all the time, it backfires. Elon Musk's image has taken a huge hit. And the more Kanye and Trump talk, the crazier they look. So if you think you can just spam your way to a career by posting 24/7, buying followers...you can end up with statistics but no career, maybe not even any traction at all. And sure, today's youth don't mind you pitching yourself, but that's if you're a nobody, an influencer. But it's different if you're not a member of the rank and file, if you think you're better than those on TikTok or other platforms, those are owned by the users, not you, the more you press, the worse you look. And then there's desperation... No one wants to be close to the desperate.
So...
Today's paradigm is you're not a star. If you want to create myth and mystique, if you want to hold back your identity, if you want to do all the crap that worked from the fifties to yesterday, you're screwed. Your only option is to get into the pit, reveal your warts and predilections, and say you're no better than anybody else, but this is what you do, create music.
And in order for it to grow, you'll need the public to adopt it. And you cannot push it, it doesn't work. Believe me, the labels are in bed with TikTok, TikTok pushes priorities to big time users, but even if they make a video with the song...it does not mean it will be picked up by others and will become a phenomenon. First it must have that je ne sais quoi. AND, the creator/influencer has to add their own spin, so the concoction becomes MORE than just your song. This is anathema to the oldsters who were so afraid that their work tapes would become available on Napster. God, you're dying to have your work tapes released, you're dying for ANYBODY TO LISTEN TO THEM!
That's the hardest challenge.
So we've got dinosaurs and...
Everybody else.
Everybody else must adjust their outlook.
Let's start with the festivals. Coachella is bigger than any act, Coachella has the power, as do Lollapalooza, ACL and Outside Lands. Didn't used to be this way. But after the festival books a headliner or three, which is harder than ever to do, the slots are precious. It's the only way to expose yourself to a mass audience live. And the traditional ladder has lost its bottom rungs. The club scene is minimal and sure, arena business is good, but getting from here to there?
And the acts keep complaining, looking for culprits, pointing the finger at streaming services. But the truth is, if you're not making much from Spotify, YOU'RE NOT BEING LISTENED TO MUCH! And no one mentions that Spotify killed piracy and turned recorded music revenues around. No, there must be a return to the past, where almost no one got a deal, you lived off the advance and there was much less, MUCH LESS, competition.
Do I think it's going to formalize, turn around?
No.
The internet has the power to reach everybody, nearly instantly. But we've found out that there's so much stuff that it's hard to reach anybody. Adele had her big moment when CDs still counted. The albums after that, despite the hoopla, did nowhere near as well. And the younger audience...doesn't care about her, not much anyway.
And in truth most people cut off huge swaths of media. They haven't heard or seen or read it and it does not bother them at all. They've found what appeals to them and that's enough. And it's always visceral and human. That's the essence of TikTok, which the same boomers living in the past refuse to explore. TikTok is where the PEOPLE are, where the INNOVATION is. And Netflix doesn't have to worry about HBO Max or Disney+, it has to worry about TikTok, that's where all the viewing hours of the young are spent.
Music was the canary in the coal mine for digital disruption. And for a long time, the powers-that-be thought they could kill Napster, et al, through sheer will. And then the legal system. Nothing worked until the iTunes store and Spotify. You have to deliver it the way the public wants it. And if you want to enrapture the public, you've got to GET AHEAD OF IT!
Yes, now is the worst time for me-too, to be playing it safe. Now is the time to experiment, to be different, to be great, because innovation always sparks a reaction. Then again, the old model of hipsters gravitating to the outside act and then it becoming mainstream is gone too, once again, there's just too much in the channel.
And no one cares.
You think you're better than me? I don't care about this, I don't know that, I came late to the product... WE'RE ALL LATE! Assuming we see any need to go outside our own little satisfying purview. And they're not making more time. I want to choose wisely, I don't want to waste twelve hours on a mediocre series.
As for music, listening to the whole album... You're lucky if you get people to listen to ONE SONG! Stop the blowback, that's just how precious people's time is. If you want our attention you must deserve it. And you do it through being truly great and special, and that's no guarantee of stardom, it's just the start of traction, which could die out.
Is it depressing?
Absolutely. But that does not mean it's not reality.
The professionals are throwing up their hands, they don't know how to manipulate the market, crack it.
The acts are complaining that they can't be rich and famous like they used to be.
But the public? It's overfed and overwhelmed, so it chooses its experiences wisely, wasting time is taboo.
You make your own schedule. Just like you choose your own wallpaper on your laptop and smartphone.
And you can't trust pollsters, you can't trust anybody telling you the way it is, THEY DON'T KNOW! You only know for yourself.
Becoming a brand? There needs to be a foundation. People were so focused on becoming a corporation that they ignored the underlying product. They don't want to put that much effort in, they don't want to be poor, they want it to be fast and easy...
Steve Lacy may have made it to number one, but:
"Lacy's career began seven years ago, with The Internet, and his first solo album in 2019 had already earned him a Grammy Award nomination."
He's been around for years! That's how long it takes. You want to succeed now or go to graduate school? Short circuit the whole process, just go to graduate school. Your ten year old sings and you believe they have talent and deserve a spot on the hit parade? Then they must drop out of school, work hard for ten years and probably still won't hit. Better to at least get an education, which will ultimately pay dividends, which a failed career will not.
But the silver lining is the world has been flattened, and the monoliths of old are in the same boat as the pipsqueak in their basement.
And everybody can play. Put their songs online. Market the hell of out themselves, NEARLY FOR FREE!
The new world is definitely not like the old world.
It's a longer road than ever to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.
But the audience still desires music. There's still a marketplace. It just does not resemble the pyramid of old.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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Thursday 13 October 2022
Ramy-Season 3
There's no buzz.
That used to be the mark of success, whether people were talking about it. You could feel it, it was palpable, you had to investigate, check it out.
Now almost nothing has sustained buzz. You're foraging by yourself, deciding whether to dip in or not. Sure, there might be hype at the advent, upon release, but after that you're on your own.
What is it, is it hard to gain traction on Hulu?
Then again, people were talking about "Normal People," I still here it referenced now and again. Then again, it was romance-centered, it was not challenging.
Netflix still gives you the best shot. But only for a short period of time if the production does not turn into a phenomenon.
Amazon is a black hole.
Disney+ is seen as kid-centric.
The sleeper here is Apple. With little product, and that which there is is dripped out week by week. Apple has got the show with the most buzz today, "Bad Sisters." It comes up at dinner, Felice's hair stylist mentioned it. I haven't started yet, I'm waiting for the final episode to drop next week. And people have e-mailed me frustrated about the week by week drip, and I do not think that created the buzz. I think it's about the quality. Apple could win this race by focusing solely on quality, not trying to be everything to everybody. Apple sticks with a show as opposed to canceling it willy-nilly. It's a more diverse HBO, but without the attitude. Apple's whole business has been about appealing to the elite, the thinkers, the creators, those who are not brain dead. It just may work for them in the streaming sphere. And they've got enough money to wait it out.
Oh, HBO Max. Who the hell knows what is going on there. Canceling foreign development. Few HBO Max-specific shows. The merger with Discovery now has a stink upon it, the press mania is gone, will the company, unlike Apple, be hobbled by financial considerations?
Which brings us back to Hulu. What exactly is it? A cable substitute? With both new streaming fare and on demand network and cable shows? People say they must have Netflix, I never hear the same thing about Hulu. Sure, they've got "The Handmaid's Tale," but unlike "Stranger Things," buzz has not sustained. People don't think of Hulu when they think about made for streaming fare, which leaves some shows unseen, like "Ramy."
You must watch it. On a most basic level, it's the singular viewpoint of Ramy Youssef. Even the most vaunted comedies are written by committee, and they feel like it. Whereas "Ramy" feels of a piece, it doesn't waver.
So the first season is the best.
And the second season is really good.
The third? It starts off slowly, almost a caper movie, and just when you think that's going to be the arc of the entire season, it settles back down in New Jersey, the true locus of the show.
So what you've got here is...
An American family, but they're Muslim. And they're believers.
Farouk, the father, is a dreamer. As are many who find themselves at the bottom, they're trying to get rich. His wife, Maysa, played so well by Hiam Abbass, is an intelligent thinker subservient to her husband under Muslim law, but not happy about it. She doesn't want to hear contradictory opinions, but she knows something isn't right.
Ramy's sister Dena is trying to escape. Going to law school. Not wanting to live by conventional Muslim mores.
And then there's the supporting cast, who are just as good, if not better, than the main characters.
Mo. An entrepreneur with a ghost kitchen is up-to-date, positively modern, yet is still a believer.
Naseem, a closeted, self-hating gay jewelry merchant who believes the world is against him, looking out for those who want to take advantage of him 24/7.
And of course Steve. Who has muscular dystrophy, but that's not what you focus on, his identity shines through.
So, Ramy has given up his dreams and become a jewelry entrepreneur in order to pay the bills. The progeny of immigrants want to fly from the nest, be artists, live their dreams, but like so many in America, Ramy's dreams died, reality interfered, he's earning a living.
And he's conflicted constantly by religion.
How much does the average person know about Muslims and their religion? Well, other than that terrorist thing, not much. And I'd tell you to watch "Ramy" for educational purposes, but also because it's so funny!
And the mix of religious issues with practical life issues.
Ahmed is married, but his wife won't commit to a baby, which he wants so much.
Mo wants Little Mo to win the Quran competition like others want their kids to win the spelling bee, or soccer trophy.
And everybody wants love. But religion is never far away, it plays a part, it interferes.
I wish Ramy was featured in every episode, but ultimately the focus on the supporting characters pays dividends, getting into their unique problems.
Dena working in a law office before taking the Bar Exam... She screws up. Every young lawyer does. And is reprimanded by a higher up, and usually not nicely. She has a crisis of confidence, is this the right career for her?
And Farouk and Ahmed plead their case in their respective situations and you think everything is going to go their way, but it does not, just like in real life.
And the desire of the flesh, the Quran says one thing, but your body says another. You want to have sex but have to hold off and do you end up inexperienced and...
Some are re-evaluating their choices, and others are too fearful to look inside.
Maysa is practical. They're going to lose their house. She turns to Instacart. But when she delivers for friends, the issue of status comes up. Do you want to admit you're struggling?
And everybody wants more.
I've told you so much, but really I've told you so little.
Just like Liv Lisa Fries in the latest season of "Babylon Berlin," Ramy has grown up, he's no longer a child, but an adult. He's physically aged. And once you become an adult the rules change.
And there are issues of friendship. What you'll do for others and whether you disappoint them and...
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is I strongly recommend "Ramy." The third season might not be quite as good as what came before, but it's not like the usual sitcom in later years, just proffering situations to keep the series going and the money flowing. The Muslim religion underlies everything, and whatever religion you may believe in, the questions remain the same: do you do what's in your heart or what the good book says, does religion ultimately make you feel better or worse, to what degree is God involved in your everyday life...
In a three or four network world...
"Ramy" doesn't even get made.
In the old basic and pay cable world...
Well, sitcoms are hard to do, and HBO has focused more on dramas.
And in the streaming world, now financially challenged, it's becoming more about mainstream fare, that which catches on immediately, but in truth, that's what "Ramy" is. Everybody can relate. How do we get everybody to partake? The hurdles are too high. You've got to subscribe to Hulu, you've got to find the time...
The old paradigm that if you're great people will find you is dead. You can be great today and no one can find you.
But if you don't watch "Ramy" it's your loss.
Really.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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That used to be the mark of success, whether people were talking about it. You could feel it, it was palpable, you had to investigate, check it out.
Now almost nothing has sustained buzz. You're foraging by yourself, deciding whether to dip in or not. Sure, there might be hype at the advent, upon release, but after that you're on your own.
What is it, is it hard to gain traction on Hulu?
Then again, people were talking about "Normal People," I still here it referenced now and again. Then again, it was romance-centered, it was not challenging.
Netflix still gives you the best shot. But only for a short period of time if the production does not turn into a phenomenon.
Amazon is a black hole.
Disney+ is seen as kid-centric.
The sleeper here is Apple. With little product, and that which there is is dripped out week by week. Apple has got the show with the most buzz today, "Bad Sisters." It comes up at dinner, Felice's hair stylist mentioned it. I haven't started yet, I'm waiting for the final episode to drop next week. And people have e-mailed me frustrated about the week by week drip, and I do not think that created the buzz. I think it's about the quality. Apple could win this race by focusing solely on quality, not trying to be everything to everybody. Apple sticks with a show as opposed to canceling it willy-nilly. It's a more diverse HBO, but without the attitude. Apple's whole business has been about appealing to the elite, the thinkers, the creators, those who are not brain dead. It just may work for them in the streaming sphere. And they've got enough money to wait it out.
Oh, HBO Max. Who the hell knows what is going on there. Canceling foreign development. Few HBO Max-specific shows. The merger with Discovery now has a stink upon it, the press mania is gone, will the company, unlike Apple, be hobbled by financial considerations?
Which brings us back to Hulu. What exactly is it? A cable substitute? With both new streaming fare and on demand network and cable shows? People say they must have Netflix, I never hear the same thing about Hulu. Sure, they've got "The Handmaid's Tale," but unlike "Stranger Things," buzz has not sustained. People don't think of Hulu when they think about made for streaming fare, which leaves some shows unseen, like "Ramy."
You must watch it. On a most basic level, it's the singular viewpoint of Ramy Youssef. Even the most vaunted comedies are written by committee, and they feel like it. Whereas "Ramy" feels of a piece, it doesn't waver.
So the first season is the best.
And the second season is really good.
The third? It starts off slowly, almost a caper movie, and just when you think that's going to be the arc of the entire season, it settles back down in New Jersey, the true locus of the show.
So what you've got here is...
An American family, but they're Muslim. And they're believers.
Farouk, the father, is a dreamer. As are many who find themselves at the bottom, they're trying to get rich. His wife, Maysa, played so well by Hiam Abbass, is an intelligent thinker subservient to her husband under Muslim law, but not happy about it. She doesn't want to hear contradictory opinions, but she knows something isn't right.
Ramy's sister Dena is trying to escape. Going to law school. Not wanting to live by conventional Muslim mores.
And then there's the supporting cast, who are just as good, if not better, than the main characters.
Mo. An entrepreneur with a ghost kitchen is up-to-date, positively modern, yet is still a believer.
Naseem, a closeted, self-hating gay jewelry merchant who believes the world is against him, looking out for those who want to take advantage of him 24/7.
And of course Steve. Who has muscular dystrophy, but that's not what you focus on, his identity shines through.
So, Ramy has given up his dreams and become a jewelry entrepreneur in order to pay the bills. The progeny of immigrants want to fly from the nest, be artists, live their dreams, but like so many in America, Ramy's dreams died, reality interfered, he's earning a living.
And he's conflicted constantly by religion.
How much does the average person know about Muslims and their religion? Well, other than that terrorist thing, not much. And I'd tell you to watch "Ramy" for educational purposes, but also because it's so funny!
And the mix of religious issues with practical life issues.
Ahmed is married, but his wife won't commit to a baby, which he wants so much.
Mo wants Little Mo to win the Quran competition like others want their kids to win the spelling bee, or soccer trophy.
And everybody wants love. But religion is never far away, it plays a part, it interferes.
I wish Ramy was featured in every episode, but ultimately the focus on the supporting characters pays dividends, getting into their unique problems.
Dena working in a law office before taking the Bar Exam... She screws up. Every young lawyer does. And is reprimanded by a higher up, and usually not nicely. She has a crisis of confidence, is this the right career for her?
And Farouk and Ahmed plead their case in their respective situations and you think everything is going to go their way, but it does not, just like in real life.
And the desire of the flesh, the Quran says one thing, but your body says another. You want to have sex but have to hold off and do you end up inexperienced and...
Some are re-evaluating their choices, and others are too fearful to look inside.
Maysa is practical. They're going to lose their house. She turns to Instacart. But when she delivers for friends, the issue of status comes up. Do you want to admit you're struggling?
And everybody wants more.
I've told you so much, but really I've told you so little.
Just like Liv Lisa Fries in the latest season of "Babylon Berlin," Ramy has grown up, he's no longer a child, but an adult. He's physically aged. And once you become an adult the rules change.
And there are issues of friendship. What you'll do for others and whether you disappoint them and...
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is I strongly recommend "Ramy." The third season might not be quite as good as what came before, but it's not like the usual sitcom in later years, just proffering situations to keep the series going and the money flowing. The Muslim religion underlies everything, and whatever religion you may believe in, the questions remain the same: do you do what's in your heart or what the good book says, does religion ultimately make you feel better or worse, to what degree is God involved in your everyday life...
In a three or four network world...
"Ramy" doesn't even get made.
In the old basic and pay cable world...
Well, sitcoms are hard to do, and HBO has focused more on dramas.
And in the streaming world, now financially challenged, it's becoming more about mainstream fare, that which catches on immediately, but in truth, that's what "Ramy" is. Everybody can relate. How do we get everybody to partake? The hurdles are too high. You've got to subscribe to Hulu, you've got to find the time...
The old paradigm that if you're great people will find you is dead. You can be great today and no one can find you.
But if you don't watch "Ramy" it's your loss.
Really.
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Joe Coscarelli-This Week's Podcast
"New York Times" reporter Joe Coscarelli's "Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story" is the definitive book on today's rap scene. Whether you're a fan of rap or not, you need to read "Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story" to understand the culture, not only where the rappers come from, but how they make their impact and cash. This is the story of what is happening now!
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/joe-coscarelli-103226546/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joe-coscarelli/id1316200737?i=1000582515519
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HZNsWkDAKel9PGKZAQPun?si=bfcuFBWVRfmW2wTJ4ORyAA
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/00a9db38-cb92-490b-bae1-82daba71ef6c/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-joe-coscarelli
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/joe-coscarelli-207570360
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/joe-coscarelli-103226546/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joe-coscarelli/id1316200737?i=1000582515519
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HZNsWkDAKel9PGKZAQPun?si=bfcuFBWVRfmW2wTJ4ORyAA
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/00a9db38-cb92-490b-bae1-82daba71ef6c/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-joe-coscarelli
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/joe-coscarelli-207570360
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Tuesday 11 October 2022
The Sinead O'Connor Documentary
Showtime trailer: https://bit.ly/3Vdo0R0
It's great, I give it a big thumbs-up, but it's not the movie I thought it would be.
You see today's documentaries are not truth, they're hagiography. The one that bugs me the most is the Bee Gees'...watching it you'd believe they were as big as the Beatles in the sixties, when nothing could be further from the truth, they were just another act, not to take anything away from their disco years. And unfortunately, as time goes by these documentaries become the historical record, because no one else cares enough, or can land enough cash, to set the record straight, meanwhile those who were there and can testify fade away.
So...
You're watching this flick and thinking how Sinead O'Connor was ahead of her time, that she was right. Especially about the Catholic Church. But then this is all the film turns out to be, and you want so much more. Obviously, if there was more, Sinead wouldn't have participated. Because if the acts do, it's hard to get them to agree to something negative, but that's what I was most interested in, the past two decades. It's not like Sinead's not been in the news, she's been making news, which has left a lot of us scratching our heads. The film does an excellent job of telling us where Sinead came from, explaining her early behavior, but the four children with four fathers, the death of her son, the diagnosis of mental illness, the chest tattoo, the "crazy" statements in the press...these are barely referenced, if touched upon at all.
So what we've got here is a young woman from a broken home with an alcoholic mother who dies on her. Along the way, she's put in an institution because of uncontrollable behavior and...
It's amazing she survived, never mind became a big star.
But it was thirty years ago, even longer. You watch the movie and you're shocked. Because it was such a different era. MTV still ruled. Everybody saw the "Nothing Compares 2 U" video. And when she ripped up the Pope's picture on SNL... There might have been cable, but there was no streaming and certainly no internet and therefore it was big news, whereas nothing's that big anymore, even Kanye, people have already stopped talking about his heinous remarks, and Kanye's got the most media attention of any musician.
And it wasn't hip-hop back in the late eighties, early nineties. Rock still ruled. Sure, hip-hop had a presence, and indie, especially punk and Nirvana, was nascent, but the big labels with their big spends still dominated the business. You had to be with a major to play, to get albums in the store, to get on radio and TV. And if you had a hit, it was EVERYWHERE!
So, it doesn't appear that Sinead was inherently rebellious, but more that she was sheltered, couldn't see the bigger picture, and saw no reason to compromise, to not be herself 24/7.
She's probably still pissed at the Catholic Church, even though she's now a Muslim. You don't get over a background that bad that quickly, even though everybody tells you to, it smolders.
So...
Sinead O'Connor was Irish in an era where we didn't really know what that meant. Before liberalization. Before women's rights and abortion rights. Yes, they can have a national referendum in Catholic Ireland, and abortion can be legalized, but in the U.S. we're going in the wrong direction. If only we had a spokesperson like Sinead with that reach. But music has fallen from its perch in importance, and the acts are all about becoming brands, and money is paramount. Sacrificing and standing up for your rights? No one does that anymore. Oh, they'll e-mail me protesting, but believe me, times were different.
Then again, thirty years ago wasn't like the sixties. By the time Sinead broke music was huge business and acts were making more money, were being ripped-off less, still being ripped-off, but there were more dollars in the pot and more awareness of what was going on.
Not that Sinead was involved in the business end of things.
Nigel Grainge found her in Ireland and brought her to the U.K. But since Nigel is gone, he can't speak. But Nigel was an interesting character. With a sense of humor, someone who could see the truth and articulate it, a smart guy but also a fun guy, in an intellectual way, not a rousing, beer-drinking way. But we do get the opinions of Peaches and...how come they have to use contemporary voices when it comes to history? In time, these people will be forgotten. Sinead will outlast all of the acts featured in this flick, at least her music will. I don't want reflections, I want the essence, what went down.
They do talk about her taking control of the reins and insisting "The Lion and the Cobra" be recut, she hated the initial version. And she resisted the label's call for an abortion when she got pregnant. She has always had a backbone. And when she stands at the mic and starts screaming...
You realize what a long strange trip it's been, how this isn't the sound anymore. But she loved to scream, to get the energy, the anger out.
But Sinead could also be quiet.
And she always stood her ground. Standing up for Public Enemy at the Grammys and refusing to appear the following year. But the Grammys are a period piece too. Today "Hits" is rambling about secret committees at the top and I just can't get excited, no matter how flawed the organization is. If you need an award to feel good about yourself, you must have huge self-confidence/image issues. And now no one watches, and no one remembers who won, but back then...
I remember being at the Lilith Fair at the Rose Bowl. I'd left the stadium to go outside to the second stage to see K's Choice, remember "Not an Addict," and Billie Myers, remember "Kiss the Rain"...you probably don't, but the latter was a smash and even the former got MTV airplay, but in a moment of silence, through the tunnel, I heard:
"I am stretched on your grave
And will lie there forever"
I RAN to the football field. I had to get closer to the sound. I've got goosebumps writing about it now. Sinead's voice transcended the venue. She had the loudest and most piercing and most memorable vocal of anybody appearing, and she was not at the top of the bill. And after that, "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" became one of my favorite songs.
Which had been "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance," about her former manager Fachtna O' Ceallaigh. I know Fachtna, a great guy. I figured representing an urchin and being from Ireland he would be dark and edgy, but he is not. But the film says he previously ran U2's label and...I remembered the excitement of the old music business, when titans truly were, when everybody tried to get a foothold, when it was exciting, when it was EVERYTHING! TV and movies were behind the time, now it's reversed, never mind social media.
And then there was the appearance on Letterman. I recorded it and saved it so I could watch it again and again. It was literally the best performance I ever saw on Dave's show.
Crap, it's been taken down from YouTube, but Sinead was singing "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" from the movie "In the Name of the Father" and she had her eyes closed when the music was quiet and then she started stomping her foot and the song became louder and she was completely animated, looking into the camera, and she was singing like she MEANT IT, which is something else that's gone by the wayside.
So, who is Sinead O' Connor?
That I'd like to know more about. This film is a canonization. But no one's perfect, far from it. So she made it and offended people and...
That's another thing, some things never change. The same crap they were mad at Sinead for thirty years ago, they're still mad at today. She ripped the Pope's picture...no one's got a sense of humor, no one can say anything negative about religion. As for refusing to air the National Anthem at her live show... I mean come on, WHO WOULD WANT THAT? It's your gig, people paid to see YOU, it's not a baseball game, it's not a law. God, why are people so offended.
Because they're dumb and caught in a rut, defending that which oftentimes they cannot even see. Once upon a time, music made you question, the creators were vessels who had opinions we hung on, now they're just mannequins for clothing, selling perfume and tchotchkes trying to get rich when in truth they can never be as wealthy as the rulers of this country. You might get seven figures to pay the private, but there's a good chance people won't even pay attention to you, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW LITTLE THE MONEY MEANS TO THEM! You're just a court jester, when you used to be so much more.
"Nothing Compares" will rivet you. It will make you think.
But it will leave you wanting.
I'd like a subsequent documentary, but I doubt that's forthcoming, after all the credits say this documentary was first played at a film festival back in 2019, THREE YEARS AGO! It's a game, raising money, getting distribution, no wonder the youth just make it themselves on their hi-res phones and put it on TikTok, those clips have a lot more authenticity than the ones that are labored over.
At this point, Sinead O'Connor is a fading footnote. This brings more attention to her talents and career, which she fully deserves. If only we could have more.
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It's great, I give it a big thumbs-up, but it's not the movie I thought it would be.
You see today's documentaries are not truth, they're hagiography. The one that bugs me the most is the Bee Gees'...watching it you'd believe they were as big as the Beatles in the sixties, when nothing could be further from the truth, they were just another act, not to take anything away from their disco years. And unfortunately, as time goes by these documentaries become the historical record, because no one else cares enough, or can land enough cash, to set the record straight, meanwhile those who were there and can testify fade away.
So...
You're watching this flick and thinking how Sinead O'Connor was ahead of her time, that she was right. Especially about the Catholic Church. But then this is all the film turns out to be, and you want so much more. Obviously, if there was more, Sinead wouldn't have participated. Because if the acts do, it's hard to get them to agree to something negative, but that's what I was most interested in, the past two decades. It's not like Sinead's not been in the news, she's been making news, which has left a lot of us scratching our heads. The film does an excellent job of telling us where Sinead came from, explaining her early behavior, but the four children with four fathers, the death of her son, the diagnosis of mental illness, the chest tattoo, the "crazy" statements in the press...these are barely referenced, if touched upon at all.
So what we've got here is a young woman from a broken home with an alcoholic mother who dies on her. Along the way, she's put in an institution because of uncontrollable behavior and...
It's amazing she survived, never mind became a big star.
But it was thirty years ago, even longer. You watch the movie and you're shocked. Because it was such a different era. MTV still ruled. Everybody saw the "Nothing Compares 2 U" video. And when she ripped up the Pope's picture on SNL... There might have been cable, but there was no streaming and certainly no internet and therefore it was big news, whereas nothing's that big anymore, even Kanye, people have already stopped talking about his heinous remarks, and Kanye's got the most media attention of any musician.
And it wasn't hip-hop back in the late eighties, early nineties. Rock still ruled. Sure, hip-hop had a presence, and indie, especially punk and Nirvana, was nascent, but the big labels with their big spends still dominated the business. You had to be with a major to play, to get albums in the store, to get on radio and TV. And if you had a hit, it was EVERYWHERE!
So, it doesn't appear that Sinead was inherently rebellious, but more that she was sheltered, couldn't see the bigger picture, and saw no reason to compromise, to not be herself 24/7.
She's probably still pissed at the Catholic Church, even though she's now a Muslim. You don't get over a background that bad that quickly, even though everybody tells you to, it smolders.
So...
Sinead O'Connor was Irish in an era where we didn't really know what that meant. Before liberalization. Before women's rights and abortion rights. Yes, they can have a national referendum in Catholic Ireland, and abortion can be legalized, but in the U.S. we're going in the wrong direction. If only we had a spokesperson like Sinead with that reach. But music has fallen from its perch in importance, and the acts are all about becoming brands, and money is paramount. Sacrificing and standing up for your rights? No one does that anymore. Oh, they'll e-mail me protesting, but believe me, times were different.
Then again, thirty years ago wasn't like the sixties. By the time Sinead broke music was huge business and acts were making more money, were being ripped-off less, still being ripped-off, but there were more dollars in the pot and more awareness of what was going on.
Not that Sinead was involved in the business end of things.
Nigel Grainge found her in Ireland and brought her to the U.K. But since Nigel is gone, he can't speak. But Nigel was an interesting character. With a sense of humor, someone who could see the truth and articulate it, a smart guy but also a fun guy, in an intellectual way, not a rousing, beer-drinking way. But we do get the opinions of Peaches and...how come they have to use contemporary voices when it comes to history? In time, these people will be forgotten. Sinead will outlast all of the acts featured in this flick, at least her music will. I don't want reflections, I want the essence, what went down.
They do talk about her taking control of the reins and insisting "The Lion and the Cobra" be recut, she hated the initial version. And she resisted the label's call for an abortion when she got pregnant. She has always had a backbone. And when she stands at the mic and starts screaming...
You realize what a long strange trip it's been, how this isn't the sound anymore. But she loved to scream, to get the energy, the anger out.
But Sinead could also be quiet.
And she always stood her ground. Standing up for Public Enemy at the Grammys and refusing to appear the following year. But the Grammys are a period piece too. Today "Hits" is rambling about secret committees at the top and I just can't get excited, no matter how flawed the organization is. If you need an award to feel good about yourself, you must have huge self-confidence/image issues. And now no one watches, and no one remembers who won, but back then...
I remember being at the Lilith Fair at the Rose Bowl. I'd left the stadium to go outside to the second stage to see K's Choice, remember "Not an Addict," and Billie Myers, remember "Kiss the Rain"...you probably don't, but the latter was a smash and even the former got MTV airplay, but in a moment of silence, through the tunnel, I heard:
"I am stretched on your grave
And will lie there forever"
I RAN to the football field. I had to get closer to the sound. I've got goosebumps writing about it now. Sinead's voice transcended the venue. She had the loudest and most piercing and most memorable vocal of anybody appearing, and she was not at the top of the bill. And after that, "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" became one of my favorite songs.
Which had been "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance," about her former manager Fachtna O' Ceallaigh. I know Fachtna, a great guy. I figured representing an urchin and being from Ireland he would be dark and edgy, but he is not. But the film says he previously ran U2's label and...I remembered the excitement of the old music business, when titans truly were, when everybody tried to get a foothold, when it was exciting, when it was EVERYTHING! TV and movies were behind the time, now it's reversed, never mind social media.
And then there was the appearance on Letterman. I recorded it and saved it so I could watch it again and again. It was literally the best performance I ever saw on Dave's show.
Crap, it's been taken down from YouTube, but Sinead was singing "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" from the movie "In the Name of the Father" and she had her eyes closed when the music was quiet and then she started stomping her foot and the song became louder and she was completely animated, looking into the camera, and she was singing like she MEANT IT, which is something else that's gone by the wayside.
So, who is Sinead O' Connor?
That I'd like to know more about. This film is a canonization. But no one's perfect, far from it. So she made it and offended people and...
That's another thing, some things never change. The same crap they were mad at Sinead for thirty years ago, they're still mad at today. She ripped the Pope's picture...no one's got a sense of humor, no one can say anything negative about religion. As for refusing to air the National Anthem at her live show... I mean come on, WHO WOULD WANT THAT? It's your gig, people paid to see YOU, it's not a baseball game, it's not a law. God, why are people so offended.
Because they're dumb and caught in a rut, defending that which oftentimes they cannot even see. Once upon a time, music made you question, the creators were vessels who had opinions we hung on, now they're just mannequins for clothing, selling perfume and tchotchkes trying to get rich when in truth they can never be as wealthy as the rulers of this country. You might get seven figures to pay the private, but there's a good chance people won't even pay attention to you, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW LITTLE THE MONEY MEANS TO THEM! You're just a court jester, when you used to be so much more.
"Nothing Compares" will rivet you. It will make you think.
But it will leave you wanting.
I'd like a subsequent documentary, but I doubt that's forthcoming, after all the credits say this documentary was first played at a film festival back in 2019, THREE YEARS AGO! It's a game, raising money, getting distribution, no wonder the youth just make it themselves on their hi-res phones and put it on TikTok, those clips have a lot more authenticity than the ones that are labored over.
At this point, Sinead O'Connor is a fading footnote. This brings more attention to her talents and career, which she fully deserves. If only we could have more.
--
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--
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Walker & Trump
The Republicans have the Democrats exactly where they want them. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
Every day there's another faux pas by Trump and Walker in the news. Sometimes criminal behavior. There's a belief that if we just add enough data, people's minds will be changed. THIS IS A FICTION!
Let's start with the vaunted "independent" voter. They're almost nonexistent. Frequently, they're Republicans afraid of admitting they voted for or will vote for Trump. And they'll go haywire when I say this, but ask them the last time they voted for a Democrat. They say they might, BUT THEY NEVER DO!
And it's not only me. Thom Hartmann feels the same way. Because we both interact with these people each and every day. Whereas most people are so deep in their camps that they believe they've got a handle on what is going on when in truth, THEY'VE GOT NO CLUE!
Also, please remember, it's not the media's responsibility to take up the cause and enact change. Yes, the right does, with Fox News and the "New York Post," but on the left, the NYT and the WaPo, they're just reporting the facts. Sure, on the opinion pages writers might take a stand, the outlet itself might take a stand in an editorial, but don't confuse these papers with the Party. It's the Democrats themselves who need to take action, you can't rely on the media to do your bidding.
But, if the Democrats take a stand, one that is not inclusive of absolutely every American, they're excoriated, not only by the right, but by the media itself, even the "left-leaning" media, which is fearful of appearing biased. Yes, the Republicans have the media under their thumb too. Forget that they've convinced the rank and file not to even read the NYT or WaPo, they've beaten up these papers so much that the papers are gun-shy. Ergo false equivalencies. The right gets to render an opinion, even if the facts are clear and there's only one side. A Republican shoots someone and the media ask the right for an explanation. And they pull one out of their ass. The left does this too, but in truth it's the right that is undermining elections and democracy, and to say otherwise is to create one of those false equivalencies referenced above.
So, if Biden takes a stand for democracy... IT'S NOT INCLUSIVE ENOUGH! Old Joe was beaten up so bad that he blinked and no one supported him, even though there's not a single rank and file Democrat who doesn't believe that democracy is in peril. The Democratic leadership is being held hostage by the Republicans and the media, and the Republicans are laughing all the way to the ballot box.
Every single day Trump utters a falsehood. But that's fine, because he's Trump, he's a Republican. But a Democrat can't be outrageous, can't call it like it truly is. Not only will the right and the media beat him or her up, but so will people in their own party! Yes, the Democrats are always convinced that the sky is falling and they must play it safe, when in truth they've got to play for the win, it's the only way TO WIN!
There have been so many revelations. But the Republicans stand behind Trump. Chris Christie was bloviating on Bill Maher's show how bad the Republicans are, but then he said he voted for Trump both times and wouldn't rule out voting for him again. Yes, they kick and complain, but then they fall into line. And if they don't, they're excommunicated. Like Lynn Cheney. It's all about the party. And the party says Herschel Walker must be elected, even though he's a lying, cheating scumbag who paid for an abortion, BECAUSE HE'S A REPUBLICAN!
Don't you get it, no one's changing their mind!
But let's get really scary. Two weeks ago there was an election in Brazil. Bolsonaro was even worse, more detached from reality, more of an autocrat than Trump. All the polls said he was gonna lose. And then people voted... AND IT WAS DAMN CLOSE, no one got 50% so there's going to be a runoff, and Bolsonaro just might pull it out.
Kinda like 2020. Forget that Biden won, the truth is it was damn close, not in total votes, but in the electoral college. The polls said one thing, but they turned out to be untrue.
Do you really think all those "independents" are going to answer poll takers correctly, IF THEY ANSWER AT ALL! Come on, you know people who were good friends, who were always silent on politics, but if you pushed them hard enough, you found out they voted for Trump. Mostly because of their pocketbook. And then there are those who feel they've been left behind by the Democrats and want to throw a spanner in the works. Even want things they think will benefit them that don't. Like lower income taxes when they don't pay any at all. And like every American except the few who are winners, they're overwhelmed by how hard life is so they dream of making it, otherwise life is too depressing, and when they do THEY don't want to pay taxes. They feel a kinship with the rich, even though the rich don't give them a second thought.
God, some Democrat tells the truth and they're seen as a pariah. Everybody's so afraid of turning off a theoretical voter that they won't go on record. Meanwhile, wishy-washy turns people off. But what these wankers don't understand is people aren't changing their minds, they're not going from Republican to Democrat, not going to happen, and the only way out of this is to excite the base, to get them to come out and VOTE!
I'm completely disillusioned. Other than Biden, they're all wimps. Chuck Schumer never gets mad, never raises his voice, and always says his hands are tied. Pelosi is a bit better, but not much. Who would want these people to represent them, especially when those on the other side have no problem playing dirty and making outrageous comments. Spineless Lindsey Graham was outspent, cried foul, and STILL WON ANOTHER SENATE TERM IN SOUTH CAROLINA!
We keep hearing it's about money. But really it's not. He said/she said is worthless. It's about energizing the base. How come the Republicans know this and the Democrats don't? Do you think voters are running from nitwit Marjorie Taylor Greene? Even her husband abandoned her. As for Kellyanne Conway, a new book says she was hated by Trump's team. But no one says this publicly, and the news doesn't even laugh at her, they take her seriously, whereas AOC is excoriated all around, even though she's young and a fighter, which resonates with not only those who do vote, but those who have historically not. I mean give me some fresh blood, will you? The NFL doesn't tolerate losing teams. They fire the coach, someone takes the blame and they start again from scratch, whereas with Democrats it's all about legacy. WHAT legacy? The sixties were long ago.
The truth is the Democrats have been branded coastal elites, and they keep denying this while history shows us they were all behind shipping the jobs overseas. The optics are bad, irrelevant of the truth. And sure, the Republicans were even worse, but a lot of this was enacted during Clinton's reign. Oh, the truth is the Democrats have been tarred by the Republicans, rightly or wrongly, and they keep saying the Republicans have it wrong and it's a worthless argument. Like the Democrats are going to change the Republicans' position? IT'S WORKING!
As for change, Tucker Carlson is worse than Bill O'Reilly. And Murdoch's son seems to have no conscience. If you're waiting for all wounds to be healed by time, you're expecting the right to castigate Orban's authoritarianism and to embrace Ukraine as opposed to Russia.
They get away with it. BECAUSE WE LET THEM!
And now the big story is we'd better not prosecute Trump, all hell will break loose. So the left blinks, is very afraid. When in truth the proletariat is disillusioned, if the President can break the law, go scot-free, even after ADMITTING THE CRIME, why in the hell should they fly straight?
Kinda like Clinton. Lying under oath. Let's not get into definitions, that's the perception. Now people don't think twice about lying under oath. Why tell the truth? It's not to your advantage. And you want to support the team at all costs.
So forget the news. Nothing is going to make ANYBODY change their mind re who they're going to vote for. No, it's all about the parties themselves. Give the Republicans credit, they're super-organized, while the Democrats are in disarray, with no bench to boot.
What do they say, get your own house in order first?
If the Democrats would start worrying about, appealing to those who agree with them, maybe they might come out and vote. Hell, Obama let McConnell slide re the Supreme Court and...now we're in this pickle, people don't even trust the court, but unless there's a revolution, it makes no difference. Meanwhile, all the talk of revolution is on the RIGHT! Man, I'd like a revolution. A fair and balanced Supreme Court. Elections based on popular vote. National health care. I could go on, but I'm supposed to shut my mouth for fear of offending...exactly who? Oh, I know, the vocal right who are never going to change their minds, period.
It's not like what I'm saying is hidden, it's completely obvious. How come Trump can state the obvious and get away with it, and the left keeps saying it's taboo. Forget his lies, Trump energized his voters by speaking like a regular person instead of in political gobbledygook, using swear words, not worried about being so politically correct as to be neutered.
But the left obfuscates. Or says it would like change, but it's impossible. Get in the back of the bus, no matter what color you are.
The public will respond if you give them hope. Where is my left wing, Democratic hope? All I see are professional politicians afraid of their own shadow. Can you at least GIMME SOME TRUTH?
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Every day there's another faux pas by Trump and Walker in the news. Sometimes criminal behavior. There's a belief that if we just add enough data, people's minds will be changed. THIS IS A FICTION!
Let's start with the vaunted "independent" voter. They're almost nonexistent. Frequently, they're Republicans afraid of admitting they voted for or will vote for Trump. And they'll go haywire when I say this, but ask them the last time they voted for a Democrat. They say they might, BUT THEY NEVER DO!
And it's not only me. Thom Hartmann feels the same way. Because we both interact with these people each and every day. Whereas most people are so deep in their camps that they believe they've got a handle on what is going on when in truth, THEY'VE GOT NO CLUE!
Also, please remember, it's not the media's responsibility to take up the cause and enact change. Yes, the right does, with Fox News and the "New York Post," but on the left, the NYT and the WaPo, they're just reporting the facts. Sure, on the opinion pages writers might take a stand, the outlet itself might take a stand in an editorial, but don't confuse these papers with the Party. It's the Democrats themselves who need to take action, you can't rely on the media to do your bidding.
But, if the Democrats take a stand, one that is not inclusive of absolutely every American, they're excoriated, not only by the right, but by the media itself, even the "left-leaning" media, which is fearful of appearing biased. Yes, the Republicans have the media under their thumb too. Forget that they've convinced the rank and file not to even read the NYT or WaPo, they've beaten up these papers so much that the papers are gun-shy. Ergo false equivalencies. The right gets to render an opinion, even if the facts are clear and there's only one side. A Republican shoots someone and the media ask the right for an explanation. And they pull one out of their ass. The left does this too, but in truth it's the right that is undermining elections and democracy, and to say otherwise is to create one of those false equivalencies referenced above.
So, if Biden takes a stand for democracy... IT'S NOT INCLUSIVE ENOUGH! Old Joe was beaten up so bad that he blinked and no one supported him, even though there's not a single rank and file Democrat who doesn't believe that democracy is in peril. The Democratic leadership is being held hostage by the Republicans and the media, and the Republicans are laughing all the way to the ballot box.
Every single day Trump utters a falsehood. But that's fine, because he's Trump, he's a Republican. But a Democrat can't be outrageous, can't call it like it truly is. Not only will the right and the media beat him or her up, but so will people in their own party! Yes, the Democrats are always convinced that the sky is falling and they must play it safe, when in truth they've got to play for the win, it's the only way TO WIN!
There have been so many revelations. But the Republicans stand behind Trump. Chris Christie was bloviating on Bill Maher's show how bad the Republicans are, but then he said he voted for Trump both times and wouldn't rule out voting for him again. Yes, they kick and complain, but then they fall into line. And if they don't, they're excommunicated. Like Lynn Cheney. It's all about the party. And the party says Herschel Walker must be elected, even though he's a lying, cheating scumbag who paid for an abortion, BECAUSE HE'S A REPUBLICAN!
Don't you get it, no one's changing their mind!
But let's get really scary. Two weeks ago there was an election in Brazil. Bolsonaro was even worse, more detached from reality, more of an autocrat than Trump. All the polls said he was gonna lose. And then people voted... AND IT WAS DAMN CLOSE, no one got 50% so there's going to be a runoff, and Bolsonaro just might pull it out.
Kinda like 2020. Forget that Biden won, the truth is it was damn close, not in total votes, but in the electoral college. The polls said one thing, but they turned out to be untrue.
Do you really think all those "independents" are going to answer poll takers correctly, IF THEY ANSWER AT ALL! Come on, you know people who were good friends, who were always silent on politics, but if you pushed them hard enough, you found out they voted for Trump. Mostly because of their pocketbook. And then there are those who feel they've been left behind by the Democrats and want to throw a spanner in the works. Even want things they think will benefit them that don't. Like lower income taxes when they don't pay any at all. And like every American except the few who are winners, they're overwhelmed by how hard life is so they dream of making it, otherwise life is too depressing, and when they do THEY don't want to pay taxes. They feel a kinship with the rich, even though the rich don't give them a second thought.
God, some Democrat tells the truth and they're seen as a pariah. Everybody's so afraid of turning off a theoretical voter that they won't go on record. Meanwhile, wishy-washy turns people off. But what these wankers don't understand is people aren't changing their minds, they're not going from Republican to Democrat, not going to happen, and the only way out of this is to excite the base, to get them to come out and VOTE!
I'm completely disillusioned. Other than Biden, they're all wimps. Chuck Schumer never gets mad, never raises his voice, and always says his hands are tied. Pelosi is a bit better, but not much. Who would want these people to represent them, especially when those on the other side have no problem playing dirty and making outrageous comments. Spineless Lindsey Graham was outspent, cried foul, and STILL WON ANOTHER SENATE TERM IN SOUTH CAROLINA!
We keep hearing it's about money. But really it's not. He said/she said is worthless. It's about energizing the base. How come the Republicans know this and the Democrats don't? Do you think voters are running from nitwit Marjorie Taylor Greene? Even her husband abandoned her. As for Kellyanne Conway, a new book says she was hated by Trump's team. But no one says this publicly, and the news doesn't even laugh at her, they take her seriously, whereas AOC is excoriated all around, even though she's young and a fighter, which resonates with not only those who do vote, but those who have historically not. I mean give me some fresh blood, will you? The NFL doesn't tolerate losing teams. They fire the coach, someone takes the blame and they start again from scratch, whereas with Democrats it's all about legacy. WHAT legacy? The sixties were long ago.
The truth is the Democrats have been branded coastal elites, and they keep denying this while history shows us they were all behind shipping the jobs overseas. The optics are bad, irrelevant of the truth. And sure, the Republicans were even worse, but a lot of this was enacted during Clinton's reign. Oh, the truth is the Democrats have been tarred by the Republicans, rightly or wrongly, and they keep saying the Republicans have it wrong and it's a worthless argument. Like the Democrats are going to change the Republicans' position? IT'S WORKING!
As for change, Tucker Carlson is worse than Bill O'Reilly. And Murdoch's son seems to have no conscience. If you're waiting for all wounds to be healed by time, you're expecting the right to castigate Orban's authoritarianism and to embrace Ukraine as opposed to Russia.
They get away with it. BECAUSE WE LET THEM!
And now the big story is we'd better not prosecute Trump, all hell will break loose. So the left blinks, is very afraid. When in truth the proletariat is disillusioned, if the President can break the law, go scot-free, even after ADMITTING THE CRIME, why in the hell should they fly straight?
Kinda like Clinton. Lying under oath. Let's not get into definitions, that's the perception. Now people don't think twice about lying under oath. Why tell the truth? It's not to your advantage. And you want to support the team at all costs.
So forget the news. Nothing is going to make ANYBODY change their mind re who they're going to vote for. No, it's all about the parties themselves. Give the Republicans credit, they're super-organized, while the Democrats are in disarray, with no bench to boot.
What do they say, get your own house in order first?
If the Democrats would start worrying about, appealing to those who agree with them, maybe they might come out and vote. Hell, Obama let McConnell slide re the Supreme Court and...now we're in this pickle, people don't even trust the court, but unless there's a revolution, it makes no difference. Meanwhile, all the talk of revolution is on the RIGHT! Man, I'd like a revolution. A fair and balanced Supreme Court. Elections based on popular vote. National health care. I could go on, but I'm supposed to shut my mouth for fear of offending...exactly who? Oh, I know, the vocal right who are never going to change their minds, period.
It's not like what I'm saying is hidden, it's completely obvious. How come Trump can state the obvious and get away with it, and the left keeps saying it's taboo. Forget his lies, Trump energized his voters by speaking like a regular person instead of in political gobbledygook, using swear words, not worried about being so politically correct as to be neutered.
But the left obfuscates. Or says it would like change, but it's impossible. Get in the back of the bus, no matter what color you are.
The public will respond if you give them hope. Where is my left wing, Democratic hope? All I see are professional politicians afraid of their own shadow. Can you at least GIMME SOME TRUTH?
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Sunday 9 October 2022
Kanye
If white lives truly matter, why is Morgan Wallen still a pariah and Kanye West gets a pass?
Maybe you've got no idea what I'm talking about. Maybe you not only are oblivious to Kanye's "White Lives Matter" clothing, but his anti-Semitic remarks, wherein he said he was going to go to "def con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." Instagram and Twitter cracked down on Kanye right away. The music business...CRICKETS!
Let's see, WME wants nothing to do with Morgan Wallen, he's put on "suspension" by his label, he's taken off radio and... Non-country music fans still hate him, even though they've got no idea what really happened here.
Yes. Morgan Wallen used the "n-word." As a term of endearment to his buddies. While drunk. He was too ignorant to know that no white person can utter the n-word, ever. Because he was brought up in nowheresville Tennessee and home-schooled for many of his years. Never mind he learned the terminology by embracing Black culture.
And when he left home, Wallen was surrounded by like-minded people. Do you know how many people have never met a Jew? Or have no regular contact with Black people? That's what the government should do, put EVERYBODY on a bus and schlepp them around the country so they can see how the other side not only lives, but thinks. But everybody on each side of the political spectrum knows better without knowing anything at all. And then there are the bogeypeople that become the focus of attention when they represent just a few. God, right wing bloviators would have you believe that every Democratic family has a trans child who wants to come into your bathroom and... You share a bathroom at home, why not at school?
And on the other side, forgetting the MAGA-insane, there are plenty of right wingers who don't approve of Trump. Will they vote for a Democrat? Absolutely not. But my point is most people are reasonable, but we end up hearing again and again about the fringe, to the point where we're gridlocked, not only politically, but socially, and nothing can be done.
Can I forgive Kanye West for his anti-Semitic comments? Of course I can, BECAUSE HE'S MENTALLY ILL!
I'm not saying I'm giving him an instant pass. But if he ultimately realizes the mistakes he's made, I'm not going to hold it against him forever. Have you ever met Kanye West? Most celebrities have two faces, the public and the private. But Kanye is that guy all the time. And no one can cut him loose. And if you manage to, he goes on a retribution spree.
Which the media loves. BECAUSE IT SELLS ADS!
Kanye is a public figure, making news 24/7.
Kind of like Elon Musk. Like this guy can solve the problems in Ukraine, like he knows more about the situation than Zelensky, like Ukraine should just accept that Crimea is now part of Russia, even though Russia stole it after the 2014 Olympics. There are people who can't get over what the state did to them a hundred years ago, but Ukrainians should just get over it. And how the hell would Elon even know? It's a full-time job keeping up on the world situation, and this guy already has two jobs, and he's angling for a third. The veneration of the rich makes me insane.
So, does Elon think that Kanye belongs on Twitter, that West should be able to spew his endless hate ad infinitum? Elon keeps telling us there is no line. But the fact that the line shifts, and is not always discernible, does not mean you eliminate it completely. What next, you gonna allow the Proud Boys to organize on Twitter too? They have the right?
Twitter is a private business. And unlike the opaque music business, it's afraid of faux pas. Whereas outrage inspires streams and sells tickets. The Tommy Mottola days are over, no one knows who runs these companies, they're faceless. So the execs count their millions as their acts self-destruct.
Kanye is addicted to the attention. Do you know how hard it is to get attention in today's society? NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE! You can build it, but that does not mean ANYBODY will come! Household names are not. Pick up a trade magazine, tell me how many of the acts you recognize. Used to be a pro knew all the records, now that's impossible. And the spotlight is not only on musicians and movie stars, but influencers, billionaires, techies, politicos...
And Kanye can't handle it that he's out of the news. So he keeps ginning up stories. And we let him. Because that's how sick our society is. If you're homeless it's your fault, pick yourself up by your bootstraps. And if you're mentally ill, don't make me pay for your treatment. Lower my taxes and stand on your own. And if you die in the process...just one less mouth to feed. And if you're Black... Yup, talk to white people. They don't even flinch when a rapper gets shot. And there's no national movement to stop it. I mean it's a scourge upon society. But it seems the shooting of rappers has only increased. And usually the perps are caught and go up the river forever. They didn't think it through before they pulled the trigger. Too many people don't think through what they're doing. Or they're not exposed to the truth/reality.
I've met Morgan Wallen. Talk to him, he's a soft guy with a brain who does not scream racism. He was an idiot, he used the n-word, but now he's canceled for all time? Oh, don't tell me he can play shows...I'm speaking to the knee-jerk liberals.
And it's not only them. In today's world you have an opinion and you stick to it, even if it's wrong. Learning, the essence of life, is anathema. It's like being told 5 + 3 = 9 and never admitting it doesn't.
The way you deal with Kanye is to limit his opportunities. No major label signs him. No TV station gives him airtime. Spotify removes him from playlists. Not to make Kanye pay an economic price, but to force him to get into treatment. He's like an addict, they either hit bottom or die. At some point families stop supporting addicts because they know from experience it doesn't address the problem. When are we going to stop supporting Kanye?
So his meds take away his edge. Ever read "An Unquiet Mind," the definitive statement on bipolar disorder? You know what the end result without medication usually is? DEATH, SUICIDE! But we keep enabling Kanye.
As for the toothless Grammy organization telling us about all the good they do with Musicares...where is their CEO testifying, telling Kanye they're ready to help him? Oh, that's right, Harvey Mason, Jr. is a musician. It's a club, no one can squeal on anybody else, otherwise you're excommunicated.
Everybody's lips are sealed as this guy self-destructs right in front of our eyes.
Come on, if Kanye supports Biden it's not a story. But if he supports Trump and goes on Tucker Carlson's show, it's a train-wreck everybody is interested in.
Just say no.
Not to drugs, they are what Kanye needs.
So Morgan Wallen is ignorant and Kanye West is mentally ill and we put each in a box and keep them there. Nothing can change, our opinions are fixed.
No, that's not the way to live your life.
As for the pretext that all Jews are rich and powerful... The numbers don't prove this. And don't get me started on the Palestinians... The Palestinian love is out of control. Don't you get it? The Israelis, who are pretty crazy themselves, would like a solution, an accommodation, but the goal of the Palestinians is to ELIMINATE ISRAEL! And there are endless terrorist events. Imagine if that happened in New York. People from New Jersey started shelling Manhattan. Don't you think you'd be wary of New Jerseyites crossing the bridge to the island?
And then you have Roger Waters...
This guy has been anti-Semitic from day one. Furthermore, he is smart and aware. But everybody gives him a pass until he goes completely off the rails. The Jews are a fine target, but when he says the war is the Ukrainians' fault...that's just too much, and his gigs in Poland are canceled.
Give these people enough rope and they hang themselves, they cancel themselves, you don't have to even do it for them. The key is to judge their behavior thereafter, if they see the error of their ways and fly straight. Do we see any evidence of Morgan Wallen using the n-word again? No. And you can never ever forgive him for his transgression? If you're not willing to forgive, why should anybody bother to change their ways?
And there's a long history of Blacks being anti-Semitic. Didn't used to be this way, the two minority groups were aligned, but starting in the sixties Blacks started blaming Jews for their problems. Last I checked, we've never had a Jewish president. It's a trope that's gone on for centuries. The problem is the Jews. Wasn't that Hitler's take? Then we've got people who deny the Holocaust even happened.
In a world without a center the most important thing is to take a stand, don't avoid going on the record. And you educate yourself, inform yourself so you know what is going on, so you can add to the discussion as opposed to taking away from it. Now if Morgan Wallen had ever seen a textbook with the history of slavery and the story of Black oppression, maybe he might have known better than to use the n-word. But now there's agitation to reduce information, to keep our kids in the dark.
Didn't they always say sunlight is the best disinfectant? What is everybody afraid of?
And what is the music industry afraid of with Kanye. He's just a very small slice of the pie. Do you think the rest of the Black entertainment community is going to stand up for him? No, wasn't that Diddy's point, that Kanye needs to cool it?
People listen to Kanye.
And they listen to Morgan Wallen too.
We cannot let their transgressions pass by without remarking upon them, trying to counter their bad behavior. That's our responsibility as a society.
And also to forgive.
I'm ready to forgive Kanye. When he provides a mea culpa. But it's only gonna happen when he realizes we've stopped enabling him.
But the music and media industries refuse to do this. He's just too profitable.
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Maybe you've got no idea what I'm talking about. Maybe you not only are oblivious to Kanye's "White Lives Matter" clothing, but his anti-Semitic remarks, wherein he said he was going to go to "def con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." Instagram and Twitter cracked down on Kanye right away. The music business...CRICKETS!
Let's see, WME wants nothing to do with Morgan Wallen, he's put on "suspension" by his label, he's taken off radio and... Non-country music fans still hate him, even though they've got no idea what really happened here.
Yes. Morgan Wallen used the "n-word." As a term of endearment to his buddies. While drunk. He was too ignorant to know that no white person can utter the n-word, ever. Because he was brought up in nowheresville Tennessee and home-schooled for many of his years. Never mind he learned the terminology by embracing Black culture.
And when he left home, Wallen was surrounded by like-minded people. Do you know how many people have never met a Jew? Or have no regular contact with Black people? That's what the government should do, put EVERYBODY on a bus and schlepp them around the country so they can see how the other side not only lives, but thinks. But everybody on each side of the political spectrum knows better without knowing anything at all. And then there are the bogeypeople that become the focus of attention when they represent just a few. God, right wing bloviators would have you believe that every Democratic family has a trans child who wants to come into your bathroom and... You share a bathroom at home, why not at school?
And on the other side, forgetting the MAGA-insane, there are plenty of right wingers who don't approve of Trump. Will they vote for a Democrat? Absolutely not. But my point is most people are reasonable, but we end up hearing again and again about the fringe, to the point where we're gridlocked, not only politically, but socially, and nothing can be done.
Can I forgive Kanye West for his anti-Semitic comments? Of course I can, BECAUSE HE'S MENTALLY ILL!
I'm not saying I'm giving him an instant pass. But if he ultimately realizes the mistakes he's made, I'm not going to hold it against him forever. Have you ever met Kanye West? Most celebrities have two faces, the public and the private. But Kanye is that guy all the time. And no one can cut him loose. And if you manage to, he goes on a retribution spree.
Which the media loves. BECAUSE IT SELLS ADS!
Kanye is a public figure, making news 24/7.
Kind of like Elon Musk. Like this guy can solve the problems in Ukraine, like he knows more about the situation than Zelensky, like Ukraine should just accept that Crimea is now part of Russia, even though Russia stole it after the 2014 Olympics. There are people who can't get over what the state did to them a hundred years ago, but Ukrainians should just get over it. And how the hell would Elon even know? It's a full-time job keeping up on the world situation, and this guy already has two jobs, and he's angling for a third. The veneration of the rich makes me insane.
So, does Elon think that Kanye belongs on Twitter, that West should be able to spew his endless hate ad infinitum? Elon keeps telling us there is no line. But the fact that the line shifts, and is not always discernible, does not mean you eliminate it completely. What next, you gonna allow the Proud Boys to organize on Twitter too? They have the right?
Twitter is a private business. And unlike the opaque music business, it's afraid of faux pas. Whereas outrage inspires streams and sells tickets. The Tommy Mottola days are over, no one knows who runs these companies, they're faceless. So the execs count their millions as their acts self-destruct.
Kanye is addicted to the attention. Do you know how hard it is to get attention in today's society? NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE! You can build it, but that does not mean ANYBODY will come! Household names are not. Pick up a trade magazine, tell me how many of the acts you recognize. Used to be a pro knew all the records, now that's impossible. And the spotlight is not only on musicians and movie stars, but influencers, billionaires, techies, politicos...
And Kanye can't handle it that he's out of the news. So he keeps ginning up stories. And we let him. Because that's how sick our society is. If you're homeless it's your fault, pick yourself up by your bootstraps. And if you're mentally ill, don't make me pay for your treatment. Lower my taxes and stand on your own. And if you die in the process...just one less mouth to feed. And if you're Black... Yup, talk to white people. They don't even flinch when a rapper gets shot. And there's no national movement to stop it. I mean it's a scourge upon society. But it seems the shooting of rappers has only increased. And usually the perps are caught and go up the river forever. They didn't think it through before they pulled the trigger. Too many people don't think through what they're doing. Or they're not exposed to the truth/reality.
I've met Morgan Wallen. Talk to him, he's a soft guy with a brain who does not scream racism. He was an idiot, he used the n-word, but now he's canceled for all time? Oh, don't tell me he can play shows...I'm speaking to the knee-jerk liberals.
And it's not only them. In today's world you have an opinion and you stick to it, even if it's wrong. Learning, the essence of life, is anathema. It's like being told 5 + 3 = 9 and never admitting it doesn't.
The way you deal with Kanye is to limit his opportunities. No major label signs him. No TV station gives him airtime. Spotify removes him from playlists. Not to make Kanye pay an economic price, but to force him to get into treatment. He's like an addict, they either hit bottom or die. At some point families stop supporting addicts because they know from experience it doesn't address the problem. When are we going to stop supporting Kanye?
So his meds take away his edge. Ever read "An Unquiet Mind," the definitive statement on bipolar disorder? You know what the end result without medication usually is? DEATH, SUICIDE! But we keep enabling Kanye.
As for the toothless Grammy organization telling us about all the good they do with Musicares...where is their CEO testifying, telling Kanye they're ready to help him? Oh, that's right, Harvey Mason, Jr. is a musician. It's a club, no one can squeal on anybody else, otherwise you're excommunicated.
Everybody's lips are sealed as this guy self-destructs right in front of our eyes.
Come on, if Kanye supports Biden it's not a story. But if he supports Trump and goes on Tucker Carlson's show, it's a train-wreck everybody is interested in.
Just say no.
Not to drugs, they are what Kanye needs.
So Morgan Wallen is ignorant and Kanye West is mentally ill and we put each in a box and keep them there. Nothing can change, our opinions are fixed.
No, that's not the way to live your life.
As for the pretext that all Jews are rich and powerful... The numbers don't prove this. And don't get me started on the Palestinians... The Palestinian love is out of control. Don't you get it? The Israelis, who are pretty crazy themselves, would like a solution, an accommodation, but the goal of the Palestinians is to ELIMINATE ISRAEL! And there are endless terrorist events. Imagine if that happened in New York. People from New Jersey started shelling Manhattan. Don't you think you'd be wary of New Jerseyites crossing the bridge to the island?
And then you have Roger Waters...
This guy has been anti-Semitic from day one. Furthermore, he is smart and aware. But everybody gives him a pass until he goes completely off the rails. The Jews are a fine target, but when he says the war is the Ukrainians' fault...that's just too much, and his gigs in Poland are canceled.
Give these people enough rope and they hang themselves, they cancel themselves, you don't have to even do it for them. The key is to judge their behavior thereafter, if they see the error of their ways and fly straight. Do we see any evidence of Morgan Wallen using the n-word again? No. And you can never ever forgive him for his transgression? If you're not willing to forgive, why should anybody bother to change their ways?
And there's a long history of Blacks being anti-Semitic. Didn't used to be this way, the two minority groups were aligned, but starting in the sixties Blacks started blaming Jews for their problems. Last I checked, we've never had a Jewish president. It's a trope that's gone on for centuries. The problem is the Jews. Wasn't that Hitler's take? Then we've got people who deny the Holocaust even happened.
In a world without a center the most important thing is to take a stand, don't avoid going on the record. And you educate yourself, inform yourself so you know what is going on, so you can add to the discussion as opposed to taking away from it. Now if Morgan Wallen had ever seen a textbook with the history of slavery and the story of Black oppression, maybe he might have known better than to use the n-word. But now there's agitation to reduce information, to keep our kids in the dark.
Didn't they always say sunlight is the best disinfectant? What is everybody afraid of?
And what is the music industry afraid of with Kanye. He's just a very small slice of the pie. Do you think the rest of the Black entertainment community is going to stand up for him? No, wasn't that Diddy's point, that Kanye needs to cool it?
People listen to Kanye.
And they listen to Morgan Wallen too.
We cannot let their transgressions pass by without remarking upon them, trying to counter their bad behavior. That's our responsibility as a society.
And also to forgive.
I'm ready to forgive Kanye. When he provides a mea culpa. But it's only gonna happen when he realizes we've stopped enabling him.
But the music and media industries refuse to do this. He's just too profitable.
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