https://spoti.fi/3Uzjbkq
1. "Hey, Western Union Man" - Bruce Springsteen
2. "Hey, Western Union Man" - Jerry Butler
3. "Hey, Western Union Man" - Al Kooper
4. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - Bruce Springsteen
5. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" - Frankie Valli
6. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - Walker Brothers
7. "I Wish It Would Rain" - Bruce Springsteen
8. "I Wish It Would Rain" - The Temptations
9. "I Wish It Would Rain" - Faces
10. "Nightshift" - Bruce Springsteen
11. "Nightshift" - Commodores
12. "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" - Bruce Springsteen
13. "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" - Jimmy Ruffin
14. "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" - Paul Young
15. "Someday We'll Be Together" - Bruce Springsteen
16. "Someday We'll Be Together" - Johnny & Jackey
17. "Someday We'll Be Together" - Diana Ross & The Supremes
18. "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" - Bruce Springsteen
19. "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" - Tyrone Davis
20. "Vigilante Man" - Bruce Springsteen
21. "Vigilante Man" - Woody Guthrie
22. "Vigilante Man" - Ry Cooder
23. "Highway 61 Revisited" - Bruce Springsteen/Jackson Browne/Bonnie Raitt
24. "Highway 61 Revisited" - Bob Dylan
25. "Viva Las Vegas" - Bruce Springsteen
26. "Viva Las Vegas" - Elvis Presley
27. "Highway To Hell" - Bruce Springsteen
28. "Highway To Hell" - AC/DC
29. "I Fought The Law" - Bruce Springsteen
30. "I Fought The Law" - The Bobby Fuller Four
31. "I Fought The Law" - The Clash
32. "Purple Rain" - Bruce Springsteen
33. "Purple Rain" - Prince
34. "Take It Easy" - Bruce Springsteen
35. "Take It Easy" - Eagles
36. "Trapped" - Bruce Springsteen
37. "Trapped" - Jimmy Cliff
38. "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Bruce Springsteen
39. "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Glen Campbell
40. "War" - Bruce Springsteen
41. "War" - Edwin Starr
42. "Goin' Back" - Bruce Springsteen
43. "Goin' Back" - Dusty Springfield
44. "Goin' Back" - The Byrds
45. "Goin' Back" - Carole King
46. "Goin' Back" - Nils Lofgren
47. "Detroit Medley: Devil With The Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly/C.C. Rider/Jenny Take A Ride" - Bruce Springsteen
48. "Devil With The Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels
49. "C.C. Rider" - Jerry Lee Lewis
50. "Jenny Take A Ride" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels
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Saturday 12 November 2022
Springsteen's Covers-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in today, Saturday November 12th, 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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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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Thursday 10 November 2022
Inside Man
Are you watching this?
Jake texted me about it, I immediately went to Rotten Tomatoes. The numbers were less than 80, not by a minor amount, so...I wrote it down, but did not put it at the top of the list.
But last night, wanting to start a new show, I pulled up "Endeavour," which had amazing ratings, and Felice rather quickly said she thought she'd seen it, after all it was on Masterpiece Theatre, and all that English stuff on PBS gets a ton of press.
Now in truth I've got a list. Quite lengthy. But it's on my phone. And my phone was in the other room. And I'm lying on the bed, icing my knees after hiking (works really well if you've got tendinitis, do it for 20 minutes, no more, and I recommend frozen peas instead of frozen water) and I really didn't want to get up. And I was worn out and not in the best mood anyway.
So, I pushed the Netflix button on the Roku. Netflix has the best interface, and they list the shows in terms of popularity and I wasn't sure I'd find anything I wanted to watch but what came up immediately was "Inside Man."
But it wasn't Jake's recommendation that made me decide to watch it. It was David Tennant, you could see him right there in the picture. And Tennant is an amazing actor, with a snide intensity, who I knew from "Broadchurch" and so much more. Anything with David Tennant is worth checking out.
So I pushed play.
And what I got was a scene on the train that was very intense, but wholly up to date. Male toxicity mixed with technology. I don't want to give anything away, but I love shows that reflect modern life. We live in the internet world, can we acknowledge it?
And the interaction between the two women when they got off the train was interesting, there was a subtext that I couldn't quite read, but it was intriguing.
Then the show flipped to a jail in the U.S.
And we were in a room with a guy playing a Senator, a large Black man who was jovial but had committed heinous crimes, and Stanley Tucci.
Stanley Tucci. He's been getting a lot of ink recently. For those CNN shows about eating in Italy. They're pretty good, but does Stanley really eat anything, he's so skinny!
And there's banter amongst the three and...
Tucci evidences this charisma. Based on intelligence. You don't see him acting, unlike with Meryl Streep, he seems to be the character.
And he's not sycophantic, actually he's a modern day hero, the kind that went out with the war on men, you know, the strong male individual, like Paul Newman, but with a harder edge. A guy's guy.
But that's not who Tucci really is. He's a criminal law professor. An egghead, and teachers are supposed to be wimpy with no soul.
But believe me, Tucci has soul.
Now unlike Tucci I'm anxious having written about the war on males, but it's a hot topic right now, there's pushback, and I'm not saying men have been neutered, but I will say that exactly what the media complains about men is oftentimes what women like most about them. They all say they want someone warm and fuzzy, who listens to them, and then they pick the edgy hunk and now...I've dug an even deeper hole for myself.
And then the show jumps back to the U.K., and what transpires...is not wholly believable. It just would never go down this way. And I'm wondering whether I can endure this show, my time is valuable, and then...
They go back to the jail.
Tucci is eating up the screen without asking for attention. He's smart, and distant, and confident in his opinions and actions and you're just marveling how damn good he is.
But he's not a traditional movie hunk. He's got a very short haircut, he's essentially bald. And he wears glasses. And I don't know, I'm straight, but I can see a woman going for him, it's just something he radiates, from inside.
Now Tucci has truly been a member of the firmament since "Big Night," a movie you couldn't make today, and if you did almost no one would see it. And despite all the hoopla about the young and the superheroes, he's a real star.
So, in truth, I've only watched one episode of "Inside Man." But I'm eager to fire up the flat screen again tonight, just to see Tucci.
This is what I live for. Excellence, the edge, and Stanley delivers.
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Jake texted me about it, I immediately went to Rotten Tomatoes. The numbers were less than 80, not by a minor amount, so...I wrote it down, but did not put it at the top of the list.
But last night, wanting to start a new show, I pulled up "Endeavour," which had amazing ratings, and Felice rather quickly said she thought she'd seen it, after all it was on Masterpiece Theatre, and all that English stuff on PBS gets a ton of press.
Now in truth I've got a list. Quite lengthy. But it's on my phone. And my phone was in the other room. And I'm lying on the bed, icing my knees after hiking (works really well if you've got tendinitis, do it for 20 minutes, no more, and I recommend frozen peas instead of frozen water) and I really didn't want to get up. And I was worn out and not in the best mood anyway.
So, I pushed the Netflix button on the Roku. Netflix has the best interface, and they list the shows in terms of popularity and I wasn't sure I'd find anything I wanted to watch but what came up immediately was "Inside Man."
But it wasn't Jake's recommendation that made me decide to watch it. It was David Tennant, you could see him right there in the picture. And Tennant is an amazing actor, with a snide intensity, who I knew from "Broadchurch" and so much more. Anything with David Tennant is worth checking out.
So I pushed play.
And what I got was a scene on the train that was very intense, but wholly up to date. Male toxicity mixed with technology. I don't want to give anything away, but I love shows that reflect modern life. We live in the internet world, can we acknowledge it?
And the interaction between the two women when they got off the train was interesting, there was a subtext that I couldn't quite read, but it was intriguing.
Then the show flipped to a jail in the U.S.
And we were in a room with a guy playing a Senator, a large Black man who was jovial but had committed heinous crimes, and Stanley Tucci.
Stanley Tucci. He's been getting a lot of ink recently. For those CNN shows about eating in Italy. They're pretty good, but does Stanley really eat anything, he's so skinny!
And there's banter amongst the three and...
Tucci evidences this charisma. Based on intelligence. You don't see him acting, unlike with Meryl Streep, he seems to be the character.
And he's not sycophantic, actually he's a modern day hero, the kind that went out with the war on men, you know, the strong male individual, like Paul Newman, but with a harder edge. A guy's guy.
But that's not who Tucci really is. He's a criminal law professor. An egghead, and teachers are supposed to be wimpy with no soul.
But believe me, Tucci has soul.
Now unlike Tucci I'm anxious having written about the war on males, but it's a hot topic right now, there's pushback, and I'm not saying men have been neutered, but I will say that exactly what the media complains about men is oftentimes what women like most about them. They all say they want someone warm and fuzzy, who listens to them, and then they pick the edgy hunk and now...I've dug an even deeper hole for myself.
And then the show jumps back to the U.K., and what transpires...is not wholly believable. It just would never go down this way. And I'm wondering whether I can endure this show, my time is valuable, and then...
They go back to the jail.
Tucci is eating up the screen without asking for attention. He's smart, and distant, and confident in his opinions and actions and you're just marveling how damn good he is.
But he's not a traditional movie hunk. He's got a very short haircut, he's essentially bald. And he wears glasses. And I don't know, I'm straight, but I can see a woman going for him, it's just something he radiates, from inside.
Now Tucci has truly been a member of the firmament since "Big Night," a movie you couldn't make today, and if you did almost no one would see it. And despite all the hoopla about the young and the superheroes, he's a real star.
So, in truth, I've only watched one episode of "Inside Man." But I'm eager to fire up the flat screen again tonight, just to see Tucci.
This is what I live for. Excellence, the edge, and Stanley delivers.
--
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--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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Steve Case-This Week's Podcast
AOL cofounder Steve Case has a new book entitled "The Rise of the Rest" about the startup scene outside Silicon Valley, New York and Boston. We discuss startup culture, the companies Steve has found and invested in, and his personal history and the history of AOL.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/steve-case-104424899/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-case/id1316200737?i=1000585751583
https://open.spotify.com/episode/21biPc9MNNv05eKdDPUyoF?si=n033VWYxSNWk2bnjCzJbxQ
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/5a369b2f-8304-4058-a7f1-4084978a9b79/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-steve-case
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/steve-case-208399273
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/steve-case-104424899/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-case/id1316200737?i=1000585751583
https://open.spotify.com/episode/21biPc9MNNv05eKdDPUyoF?si=n033VWYxSNWk2bnjCzJbxQ
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/5a369b2f-8304-4058-a7f1-4084978a9b79/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-steve-case
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/steve-case-208399273
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Wednesday 9 November 2022
Vogue/Drake/21 Savage
"Drake's Fans Love His Fake Promotional Tour. Vogue, Not So Much. - Vogue's publisher is suing Drake and collaborator 21 Savage for trademark infringement for making fake copies of the magazine to promote their new album, 'Her Loss'": https://on.wsj.com/3tfPqJe
This is why the mainstream media gets no respect. It's completely out of touch!
And telling us for a month to beware of a red wave that doesn't seem to be manifesting just shy of midnight on Election Day. They cited polls, analyzed to death, when in truth these mainstream outlets were participating in a circle jerk of their own devise. They listen to each other, but not the public. They've got no idea what is going on with the public.
Like "Vogue."
I bet you didn't know that Drake and 21 Savage put out a fake issue of "Vogue" to promote their new album "Her Loss."
You probably also don't know that the tracks from "Her Loss" have completely displaced those from Taylor Swift's "Midnights" in the Spotify Top 10. Well, Taylor does have one track at #4, but... If you paid attention to the mainstream media you probably didn't even know that "Her Loss" had come out! But everybody knows Ms. Swift has put out a new album, because the brain dead media that is losing credibility each and every day just repeats what industry publicists say, skewing the view of the readers, assuming anybody is reading to begin with.
Yes, rather than do traditional publicity for their new collection, Drake and 21 Savage created their own campaign with fake media. Once upon a time the "Harvard Lampoon" owned this sphere, most notoriously with a fake issue of "Time" that appeared on newsstands. What did "Time" do back in the sixties... NOTHING! "Time" realized it was ultimately an homage, if you're big enough to parody...you must be really big!
And what are Drake and 21 Savage going to say to the press about their new album anyway. It's all this is our best work yet, let me tell you the pain of making it, these articles are all over the newspapers and I don't know who they're for, I certainly don't read them, THEY'RE PURE HYPE!
So Drake and 21 Savage are being creative, just when we thought every trick had been employed. Their campaign is brilliant. AND they didn't push it to the usual outlets, it was fan-targeted, and only fans care. Furthermore, it was rare, unique merch. In an era where people collect sneakers, although the market hasn't been good recently, everybody is looking for a collectible, especially in a virtual world where you own almost nothing physical.
And to give further kudos to Drake and 21 Savage... They didn't only come up with this parody idea, THEY EXECUTED! Ideas are a dime a dozen, execution is the difficult part.
Now that's a free link to the "Wall Street Journal" article above. And in the first paragraph you will read that Drake and 21 Savage...
"...have released a series of fake media appearances—a fake NPR 'Tiny Desk' concert; a fake interview with Howard Stern; a fake musical performance on 'Saturday Night Live'; a fake Vogue cover—to promote their new album 'Her Loss.'"
They covered the marketplace.
Come on, "Tiny Desk" is the ultimate in credibility, for public radio listeners, who take their listening seriously, the ones who still read the "New York Times."
SNL is a laugh, it's the only place the labels can think to promote their priorities, everything else is meaningless.
As for Howard Stern... Stern is savvy, I mean when you have the biggest rapper extant paying you homage, WHAT COULD BE BETTER! HE MADE IT!
Howard talked about the fake interview, that's another thing, if you mention someone they comment on it. If SNL is smart, they'll do a takeoff on the takeoff.
Howard knows it's an honor, he praised Drake and 21 Savage...
BUT VOGUE?
VOGUE SUED!
Now who actually reads "Vogue"... Well, some fashion conscious women. But its reach is narrowing and it was never that broad to begin with. Drake and 21 Savage were doing "Vogue" a favor. As for "Vogue"'s argument that someone would be confused and buy the bogus "Vogue" instead of the real one... It could happen, I doubt it, but what would be the loss here anyway, do you think the purchaser would be mad at "Vogue"? OF COURSE NOT!
But that's not my main point here, not why I'm writing this screed at all, rather it's that "Vogue" is completely out of touch with today's world, with internet life. If someone does something you don't like IGNORE IT! There's so much in the pipeline, each and every day, that almost nothing gains traction. But if you pour gasoline on the smoldering story it ignites and there's a conflagration EVERYBODY SEES!
Yes, most people in America never would have known about Drake and 21 Savage's fake campaign. Which is fine, because they know if you play to everybody you ultimately lose your core. As big as you are, you have to appear inside, you have to appear cool, to try and appeal to those not already clued-in is a complete mistake. That's what these newspaper articles are all about, trolling for the barely interested, the uninterested. Because in today's market, fans are rabid, THEY KNOW! I know people don't like to hear this, they want to believe they can reach newbies, but really the only way to do this is through fans/listeners/readers/watchers. They have to tell others. Everything depends on virality today, EVERYTHING!
See how long the overhyped new release stays in the public conversation. Most stuff disappears immediately, which is really bad, because in music it's all about longevity these days, being so good and important that people stream your tracks for months, a year. That adds up, not only in numbers, but money!
And albums can stiff overnight these days. A big brouhaha upon release, and after a weekend, maybe a week, but sometimes only a day, they're history. All that effort, that marketing plan, POOF! GONE!
Because ultimately it comes down to the art, the music, the TV show, the...
So what you want to do is ignite your fans, super-serve them.
And when you hype yourself, that's the worst, you lose all your dignity. Oh, tell me people don't care anymore...you're wrong. If you want longevity, you've got to have a modicum of self-respect and credibility. It's like in the old days, CBS vs. Warner. CBS was known for selling more per album. Because they didn't give up until they reached every possible customer. Whereas Warner would hold back, not put out another single, let the act lay fallow, so when it came out with new music subsequently the audience wasn't disdainful, didn't shrug its shoulders, angry that they'd been beaten over the head for years about an album they bought the first month it came out, the first week, or didn't really care about to begin with. You've got to be in it for the long haul these days.
So...
Drake and 21 Savage put out this fake issue of "Vogue."
One thing you've got to know about Anna Wintour, she's convinced her doody doesn't stink. She's above it all, with her iconic haircut and front row fashion show seating... She's positively old school, pre-internet, in the internet world you get down on the level of the public, you open your wounds, you say you're no better than anybody else, reigning above is so last century.
Somebody at "Vogue" probably reached out to the legal team. And the legal team gave them a legal answer. However, the line is blurry when it comes to parody. Anyway, caught off guard, not knowing to wait to cool off, "Vogue" pushed back...AND MADE DRAKE AND 21 SAVAGE'S FAKE CAMPAIGN APPEAR EVERYWHERE!
Yes, fire up the Google Machine. It's positively EVERYWHERE! GOOGLE SHOWS 3,330,00O results! You can't avoid the story. And Drake and 21 Savage did nothing to cause this, the story blew up because "Vogue" sued! And now "Vogue"'s image is going to be hurt. I mean who can come down on the side of the suing corporation, even if it's right? "Vogue" has no knowledge of the context of the world. Your image is everything. And you don't want to lose control of it. VOGUE HAS LOST CONTROL, IT'S A LAUGHINGSTOCK!
Oh, believe me, they're never going to go to trial, collect a dime. As for the fake "Vogue" issues...there's going to be a run on them tomorrow, they don't need to be recalled, they're going to disappear immediately, believe me. So you've got a fashion magazine going up against the world's biggest rapper? THERE'S NO WAY VOGUE CAN WIN IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION, AND THAT'S EVERYTHING!
Now if "Vogue" were smart, it would immediately claim that the lawsuit was fake, say it was a way to get the magazine's name out, to associate itself with Drake and 21 Savage. And then say that the two will be guest editors for a future issue. It's a WIN WIN!
But don't expect this.
Do expect a mea culpa, when the blowback begins. "Vogue" is going to be bombarded by calls from media insiders telling them how wrong they got it and telling them how to get out of the hole. Then again, how many friends does Anna Wintour really have? People like to see her fail. Have you seen "The Devil Wears Prada"?
So the world lives online. Cancel your Facebook account and get on TikTok. Immerse yourself in social media if you want to reach the public. Know the landscape before you play.
And remember the number one rule of internet hate...IGNORE IT! If you don't like something, don't say anything, it will almost definitely fade away. Whereas if you push back... This is exactly what your "foe" wants! They're dying for attention. I'm sure Drake and 21 Savage have been laughing uncontrollably all night! They didn't foresee this lawsuit, they didn't foresee this blowing up of what was viral but not as viral as it is now!
The world has changed, and it's mostly baby boomers who refuse to acknowledge it. They believe if they have an iPhone, they're in touch. But it's how you use it! And if you pooh-pooh the usage of it 24/7 by youngsters, the joke is on YOU! That's where America lives now, ONLINE! And we can delineate all the negatives of this, but really it's a net positive. No one is alone and out of touch anymore. Go online and you can find like-minded people. You can find laughs. You can feel part of the fabric in an alienated world. But you must PARTICIPATE!
GE is being broken up. Sony no longer owns the TV sphere, Samsung is the big kahuna. As for Cadillac... No one under thirty would own one, under forty, if they even have a driver's license to begin with. You know what's really sexy? Not having a car at all! Yes, who wants to drive...you can't be on the phone, better to be schlepped around!
So "Vogue" has done a disservice not only to itself, but to its brethren legacy media.
As for me... I FIND IT HYSTERICAL!
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This is why the mainstream media gets no respect. It's completely out of touch!
And telling us for a month to beware of a red wave that doesn't seem to be manifesting just shy of midnight on Election Day. They cited polls, analyzed to death, when in truth these mainstream outlets were participating in a circle jerk of their own devise. They listen to each other, but not the public. They've got no idea what is going on with the public.
Like "Vogue."
I bet you didn't know that Drake and 21 Savage put out a fake issue of "Vogue" to promote their new album "Her Loss."
You probably also don't know that the tracks from "Her Loss" have completely displaced those from Taylor Swift's "Midnights" in the Spotify Top 10. Well, Taylor does have one track at #4, but... If you paid attention to the mainstream media you probably didn't even know that "Her Loss" had come out! But everybody knows Ms. Swift has put out a new album, because the brain dead media that is losing credibility each and every day just repeats what industry publicists say, skewing the view of the readers, assuming anybody is reading to begin with.
Yes, rather than do traditional publicity for their new collection, Drake and 21 Savage created their own campaign with fake media. Once upon a time the "Harvard Lampoon" owned this sphere, most notoriously with a fake issue of "Time" that appeared on newsstands. What did "Time" do back in the sixties... NOTHING! "Time" realized it was ultimately an homage, if you're big enough to parody...you must be really big!
And what are Drake and 21 Savage going to say to the press about their new album anyway. It's all this is our best work yet, let me tell you the pain of making it, these articles are all over the newspapers and I don't know who they're for, I certainly don't read them, THEY'RE PURE HYPE!
So Drake and 21 Savage are being creative, just when we thought every trick had been employed. Their campaign is brilliant. AND they didn't push it to the usual outlets, it was fan-targeted, and only fans care. Furthermore, it was rare, unique merch. In an era where people collect sneakers, although the market hasn't been good recently, everybody is looking for a collectible, especially in a virtual world where you own almost nothing physical.
And to give further kudos to Drake and 21 Savage... They didn't only come up with this parody idea, THEY EXECUTED! Ideas are a dime a dozen, execution is the difficult part.
Now that's a free link to the "Wall Street Journal" article above. And in the first paragraph you will read that Drake and 21 Savage...
"...have released a series of fake media appearances—a fake NPR 'Tiny Desk' concert; a fake interview with Howard Stern; a fake musical performance on 'Saturday Night Live'; a fake Vogue cover—to promote their new album 'Her Loss.'"
They covered the marketplace.
Come on, "Tiny Desk" is the ultimate in credibility, for public radio listeners, who take their listening seriously, the ones who still read the "New York Times."
SNL is a laugh, it's the only place the labels can think to promote their priorities, everything else is meaningless.
As for Howard Stern... Stern is savvy, I mean when you have the biggest rapper extant paying you homage, WHAT COULD BE BETTER! HE MADE IT!
Howard talked about the fake interview, that's another thing, if you mention someone they comment on it. If SNL is smart, they'll do a takeoff on the takeoff.
Howard knows it's an honor, he praised Drake and 21 Savage...
BUT VOGUE?
VOGUE SUED!
Now who actually reads "Vogue"... Well, some fashion conscious women. But its reach is narrowing and it was never that broad to begin with. Drake and 21 Savage were doing "Vogue" a favor. As for "Vogue"'s argument that someone would be confused and buy the bogus "Vogue" instead of the real one... It could happen, I doubt it, but what would be the loss here anyway, do you think the purchaser would be mad at "Vogue"? OF COURSE NOT!
But that's not my main point here, not why I'm writing this screed at all, rather it's that "Vogue" is completely out of touch with today's world, with internet life. If someone does something you don't like IGNORE IT! There's so much in the pipeline, each and every day, that almost nothing gains traction. But if you pour gasoline on the smoldering story it ignites and there's a conflagration EVERYBODY SEES!
Yes, most people in America never would have known about Drake and 21 Savage's fake campaign. Which is fine, because they know if you play to everybody you ultimately lose your core. As big as you are, you have to appear inside, you have to appear cool, to try and appeal to those not already clued-in is a complete mistake. That's what these newspaper articles are all about, trolling for the barely interested, the uninterested. Because in today's market, fans are rabid, THEY KNOW! I know people don't like to hear this, they want to believe they can reach newbies, but really the only way to do this is through fans/listeners/readers/watchers. They have to tell others. Everything depends on virality today, EVERYTHING!
See how long the overhyped new release stays in the public conversation. Most stuff disappears immediately, which is really bad, because in music it's all about longevity these days, being so good and important that people stream your tracks for months, a year. That adds up, not only in numbers, but money!
And albums can stiff overnight these days. A big brouhaha upon release, and after a weekend, maybe a week, but sometimes only a day, they're history. All that effort, that marketing plan, POOF! GONE!
Because ultimately it comes down to the art, the music, the TV show, the...
So what you want to do is ignite your fans, super-serve them.
And when you hype yourself, that's the worst, you lose all your dignity. Oh, tell me people don't care anymore...you're wrong. If you want longevity, you've got to have a modicum of self-respect and credibility. It's like in the old days, CBS vs. Warner. CBS was known for selling more per album. Because they didn't give up until they reached every possible customer. Whereas Warner would hold back, not put out another single, let the act lay fallow, so when it came out with new music subsequently the audience wasn't disdainful, didn't shrug its shoulders, angry that they'd been beaten over the head for years about an album they bought the first month it came out, the first week, or didn't really care about to begin with. You've got to be in it for the long haul these days.
So...
Drake and 21 Savage put out this fake issue of "Vogue."
One thing you've got to know about Anna Wintour, she's convinced her doody doesn't stink. She's above it all, with her iconic haircut and front row fashion show seating... She's positively old school, pre-internet, in the internet world you get down on the level of the public, you open your wounds, you say you're no better than anybody else, reigning above is so last century.
Somebody at "Vogue" probably reached out to the legal team. And the legal team gave them a legal answer. However, the line is blurry when it comes to parody. Anyway, caught off guard, not knowing to wait to cool off, "Vogue" pushed back...AND MADE DRAKE AND 21 SAVAGE'S FAKE CAMPAIGN APPEAR EVERYWHERE!
Yes, fire up the Google Machine. It's positively EVERYWHERE! GOOGLE SHOWS 3,330,00O results! You can't avoid the story. And Drake and 21 Savage did nothing to cause this, the story blew up because "Vogue" sued! And now "Vogue"'s image is going to be hurt. I mean who can come down on the side of the suing corporation, even if it's right? "Vogue" has no knowledge of the context of the world. Your image is everything. And you don't want to lose control of it. VOGUE HAS LOST CONTROL, IT'S A LAUGHINGSTOCK!
Oh, believe me, they're never going to go to trial, collect a dime. As for the fake "Vogue" issues...there's going to be a run on them tomorrow, they don't need to be recalled, they're going to disappear immediately, believe me. So you've got a fashion magazine going up against the world's biggest rapper? THERE'S NO WAY VOGUE CAN WIN IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION, AND THAT'S EVERYTHING!
Now if "Vogue" were smart, it would immediately claim that the lawsuit was fake, say it was a way to get the magazine's name out, to associate itself with Drake and 21 Savage. And then say that the two will be guest editors for a future issue. It's a WIN WIN!
But don't expect this.
Do expect a mea culpa, when the blowback begins. "Vogue" is going to be bombarded by calls from media insiders telling them how wrong they got it and telling them how to get out of the hole. Then again, how many friends does Anna Wintour really have? People like to see her fail. Have you seen "The Devil Wears Prada"?
So the world lives online. Cancel your Facebook account and get on TikTok. Immerse yourself in social media if you want to reach the public. Know the landscape before you play.
And remember the number one rule of internet hate...IGNORE IT! If you don't like something, don't say anything, it will almost definitely fade away. Whereas if you push back... This is exactly what your "foe" wants! They're dying for attention. I'm sure Drake and 21 Savage have been laughing uncontrollably all night! They didn't foresee this lawsuit, they didn't foresee this blowing up of what was viral but not as viral as it is now!
The world has changed, and it's mostly baby boomers who refuse to acknowledge it. They believe if they have an iPhone, they're in touch. But it's how you use it! And if you pooh-pooh the usage of it 24/7 by youngsters, the joke is on YOU! That's where America lives now, ONLINE! And we can delineate all the negatives of this, but really it's a net positive. No one is alone and out of touch anymore. Go online and you can find like-minded people. You can find laughs. You can feel part of the fabric in an alienated world. But you must PARTICIPATE!
GE is being broken up. Sony no longer owns the TV sphere, Samsung is the big kahuna. As for Cadillac... No one under thirty would own one, under forty, if they even have a driver's license to begin with. You know what's really sexy? Not having a car at all! Yes, who wants to drive...you can't be on the phone, better to be schlepped around!
So "Vogue" has done a disservice not only to itself, but to its brethren legacy media.
As for me... I FIND IT HYSTERICAL!
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Sunday 6 November 2022
The R&RHOF Induction Ceremony
The highlight was John Mellencamp, but I'll get to that.
After some lighthearted remarks by John Sykes, an unrecognizable man hit the stage to over-testify about Duran Duran. Wearing a lime green suit he looked like a cartoon character. It turned out to be Robert Downey, Jr.
And I'm sitting there thinking, can you get this emotional about Duran Duran?
And then they showed the video package, you know, the career highlights, and my mind goes to now, are today's good-looking young acts any different from Duran Duran? OH YEAH! Way different. But I didn't realize that until Duran Duran started to play.
So what we had here was the Microsoft Theater, built to compete with the Universal Amphitheatre, but the latter had soul and the former never did. What was then known as the Nokia had few accoutrements, it was akin to a barn, but then they tore the Universal Amphitheatre down to build a Harry Potter ride and the Nokia, now renamed Microsoft, was the only game in town. Sure, there's the Shrine, but it's long in the tooth. And what was then the Kodak, which is now known as the Dolby, has only half the seats, 3,400 as opposed to 7,100, which is good for the Oscars, but not for the Rock Hall induction ceremony, which is now open to the hoi polloi, paying a lot to be inside with their heroes.
All this is to say...
In the L.A. Live area, there's Staples, now known as Crypto.com. A soccer stadium. The poorly designed club now known as the Novo. And the Microsoft Theater and a bunch of restaurants. What does this all mean? IT'S UNAPPROACHABLE! As in the traffic is HORRENDOUS! The "campus" is an hour solid from just about anywhere, even more. And when you get there, it's gridlock.
The lot I pulled up to was for limos only. Just this one night.
The appropriate lot was full.
I ended up parking in the Convention Center lot, yes, that's there too, even though they threatened to close it early, when the Kings game was over. Can't say my evening started off on the right foot.
But getting inside the building was a breeze. No line for my pass or the metal detector.
And right down front were the high stakes tables. And I was lucky enough to snag a seat in the neighborhood. And the reason this is important is... Almost nobody in the industry seats claps. It's kind of like when comics get together. One can make an hilarious crack and there will be no laughter, eventually one of the assembled will say softly "that's funny." You see for the people at the tables down front this was business. But for everybody else...
I wondered if there had been a warmup act. This was being recorded for HBO. Did a comic come out and tell the audience in seats to scream at the top of their lungs on a regular basis, to show enthusiasm?
And there were two sets of bleachers ON STAGE! So it was a curious effect. Where I was it was quiet, but outside there was a thunderous roar, well, with a higher pitch verging on screams and I must say I realized these people were paying, a lot, and I realized the Rock Hall needs the money, but this was not an insider event, the way it used to be. This show was made for television.
As for rubbing elbows like at Musicares...
It wasn't like that either.
No one was hanging in the lobby kibbitzing, and the show ran so seamlessly.
Now if you've been to a TV taping you know it's endless. With the breaks, with the repeats. But there was no time to go to the bathroom last night, like that old Diane Warren Aerosmith song, I didn't want to miss a thing.
So Simon Le Bon hasn't aged well. But he's 64! For that age he looks great, but he's no longer cute. Nor is Nick Rhodes. As for John Taylor... I once did Jonesy's Jukebox with him and I was intimidated and felt inadequate because he was so GOOD-LOOKING! Most people don't live up to the image, John Taylor looked better! But last night he was an elder statesman, your dad's buddy.
So they take the stage and they immediately go into...GIRLS ON FILM!
It was shocking. I shot right up!
This was the first single, with a wild video you almost never saw in its unedited version, something you probably couldn't even make in the #MeToo era, but the track was so infectious I had to buy the album, just to hear it. And now they're performing it live and they're so well-rehearsed and... This was not the Grammys, last night was not on hard drive, everybody came to shine and the performances were EXCELLENT!
And that's when I realized it was all about the music. Doesn't matter how Duran Duran looks today. The records sustain.
Then after "Rio," the band...I knew it.
I remember hearing it for the first time, when they debuted it at KROQ's Acoustic Christmas back in '92, they were playing ORDINARY WORLD! It was so good, I'm tingling as I write this. The music superseded the somnambulant crowd down front and the overenthusiastic public to penetrate my heart and brain and bring me right back to who I am and why I do this. Really, fantastic.
No one played Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's music, but other than Mellencamp, they had the best speeches. They were down to earth yet part of the fabric. They were introduced by Janet Jackson who had a hairdo you'll see in all the magazines, this wasn't the only time I marveled that people showed up to boost their career, to make defining moments, and Janet looked great but had a very quiet voice, yet what I couldn't hear I could read on the teleprompter in the audience. It was when the speaker spoke sans the words being on the big screen that you knew something worthwhile would be said.
Terry Lewis talked about their beginning. But Jimmy Jam talked about needing music in schools, the value of music in schools, how it teaches you... And there was a beat, and I was wondering what he was going to say, because there are all these studies saying taking music lessons improves your other learning and then there are those that dispute this. But this is not what Jimmy Jam was talking about. He said we even learn our ABC's with music. And he sang the first half of the alphabet and then the audience sang the rest, it was a magical moment.
But the true musical highlight of the evening was Judas Priest. I don't even think I'm a big Priest fan. There was a long introduction by Alice Cooper, and then the band hit the stage. A white-goateed Rob Halford was wearing his leather, most of the band was wearing leather and chains and studs and they started to play and it was ELECTRIFYING! It was like taking the best of Priest and distilling it down to ten minutes and being there to witness it. The people down front didn't completely get it, the people in the audience didn't completely get it, because times have changed, used to be metal was part of the fabric, it was all over MTV (thank god the video package showed Beavis & Butt-head grooving to "Breaking the Law). Now metal is a sideshow, but last night it was the MAIN SHOW! Man, Priest just killed. THIS IS ROCK AND ROLL!
The other transcendent performance? Eurythmics. Now I did a podcast with Dave Stewart, he was so engaging, sans airs, but last night he inhabited the rock star persona. As for Annie Lennox... What can I say, she was the overlord, with her powerful voice she blasted over the venue and the sound penetrated down and we were all infected like rats, our heads were exploding like in that SNL skit imitating Oprah giving her audience cars. Lennox was not being a diva. She wasn't wearing clothing that said "designer." Basically, it was just her, AND THAT WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH! You just stood there marveling, and at this point we were all marveling, that someone could have this voice and sing original songs and reach us and... I'm thinking of how I went to see them at the Palace, on their first tour, back in '82, and now they were even more electric, and believe me they were great that night.
As for the rest of the show...
I have to say, Lionel Richie probably got the most applause, the best reaction for a musical performance. And despite some less than great plastic surgery, he's still got it, his voice, his ability to play... And I must admit I've always loved "All Night Long," and that brought the house down, but really, is Lionel Richie rock and roll?
He made a claim that he was in his speech thereafter, and he almost convinced me, but no...
I get it, I really do.
There's been a changing of the guard. John Sykes has replaced Jann Wenner, and unlike Mr. Rolling Stone Sykes is anything but aloof and above, and Rick Krim has replaced Jon Landau and...where is the Hall supposed to go?
Now I've always argued they should have shut the doors long ago. Every museum does not contain works from every period. Even worse, too many deserving acts of yore are not in. Let's start with Bad Company. The criteria keep shifting, you have to be an influence... How about an influence to get out of your head, be happy and have sex, is that not good enough? And if Priest is in, Iron Maiden should be too. Not because I worked with them, I'm not even that big a fan. But in truth they're nearly as successful as they've always been. Unlike their brethren, they still put out new music and it still sells. Yes, Maiden fans buy the damn albums, they need to own them as part of their identity. I'd prefer to listen to Priest, but in truth today Maiden has an even harder core fan base.
So, I'm not going to say that since I was there everything with the Rock Hall is hunky-dory. As for Dolly Parton, even she joked about it. And then came out with an electric guitar and sang a freshly-penned rock tune that made me smile, but that's about it.
However, following that, everybody got on stage like they used to in the old days to sing and play together, the number was Parton's "Jolene"? Come on, that's the first Parton song I knew and liked, back in the seventies, but that's a personal statement, not a mass effort. But I must tell you, seeing her share the microphone with Rob Halford, still in his regalia, was priceless.
So what about the rest of the show.
Dr. Dre did an excellent job introducing Eminem, but Marshall's performance... Was too frenzied for this audience, they didn't catch it, it didn't wholly work, the words were going by so fast that unless you already knew them, there was no way you could decipher them. And in his speech, he listed all his influences, all the rappers who paved the way for him, and that was cool, yet it ultimately lost its effect as a result of the list being so long.
And Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Turns out he's the one with the personality. But when Pat sang "Heartbreaker," it was almost as good as Duran Duran. I give her so much credit for playing a song from the first album, still my favorite, still the best, I had to buy it for "We Live for Love"... Pat's induction was way overdue.
Carly Simon didn't show up. She's got stage fright, but probably she's still mourning the death of her two sisters, on consecutive days. Sara Bareilles radiated liveliness and charisma giving her introductory speech, but still it was canned. As for Sara performing Carly's Bond song "Nobody Does It Better"... Superfluous dreck. Carly cut so much meaningful stuff, why sing this bombastic number that touches no souls? Olivia Rodrigo evidenced chops, but really, like with Harry Belafonte, who also didn't show, there should have been no live performances.
Like with Belafonte, there were just video packages for Elizabeth Cotten and Sylvia Robinson, but the latter's was quite good.
Which leaves us with...
Jimmy Iovine.
Bruce kissed Jimmy's ass so hard it almost made me wince. And then Jimmy got up and recited his credits and he thanked David Geffen and I was wondering exactly who this speech was for. It didn't endear the audience to him, it made them know who he was, but even though he came from the streets, he's now on the mountaintop and it's nearly impossible to relate to him anymore.
Unlike Allen Grubman.
If you've been following the news, Jann Wenner blew a gasket that Grubman was going to be inducted. That's the rumor anyway.
But...
John Mellencamp sauntered up to the mic and...
He sauntered, as in slowly. His speech was not on the teleprompter. It was written down, but he was playing the role of a Shakespearian actor. Mellencamp was giving a performance, whereas everybody else was just going through the motions. And he was phenomenally good, but so self-assured, a short man with sky high hair, Sean Penn-like, evidencing machismo exactly...why? And he had all of us in the palm of his hand, and then he mentions that Allen Grubman is Jewish.
I was positively shocked. There was plenty of time to think, because Mellencamp was delivering his speech so slowly. And based on what Mellencamp said previously, about Grubman helping him out in business, I thought John was going to reference the old trope about Jews and money, I really did. And I'm sitting there contemplating, if he does, do I stand up and shout back? I mean it's television. It will be so disruptive. Like the Nazi in the "Producers," but we just cannot let this stuff slide.
But, Mellencamp leans back into the mic and says:
"'Allen is Jewish, and I bring that up for one reason: I'm a gentile, and my life has been enriched by countless Jewish people.'
'I cannot tell you how f–king important it is to speak out if you're an artist against anti-Semitism. I don't give a f–k, I don't care... Here's the trick: Silence is complicity. I'm standing here tonight loudly and proudly with Allen, his family and all of my Jewish friends and all of the Jewish people of the world.'
'F–k anti-Semitism, and f–k anybody who says anything in that manner.'"
It was positively astounding, positively jaw-dropping. And it took Mellencamp much longer to say these words than it did for you to read them. What he's declaring is slowly penetrating the audience, and everybody in attendance starts to clap and stands up and continues clapping and it goes on and on and...it made me feel like we were in it together, the music industry and the music fans, that we stood up for truth, not what was expedient, that we Jews weren't out there alone. I mean come on, this is a guy who's known as an a-hole and refers to HIMSELF as "Little B..tard." THIS is the guy who's standing up for us? A guy who is usually seen as only being in it for himself? Mellencamp stole the gravitas award from Bruce Springsteen instantly, Bono was no match. Because the truth is everything. And if you're not willing to stand up for others...it's just a matter of time before they come after you.
As for Grubman himself... Unlike Iovine, who really was okay, I don't want to beat up on him too heavily, Allen was humble. He was endearing. You could tell why he was so successful.
And then he told the story of the formation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He got a call from Ahmet.
Ahmet's gone now. He was never perfect, over time the image has been smoothed out, but Ahmet was dignified and cool in a way no other music exec has ever been.
Ahmet said to come to lunch at Pearl's on Monday.
PEARL'S! A legendary Chinese restaurant that's no longer there. I mean it cracked me up, my parents took us to Pearl's, it rooted the story for me.
And Allen asked Ahmet who else would be there. And Ahmet said Seymour Stein and Jann Wenner.
And Grubman gets to the restaurant and orders the spareribs, testifies how great the spareribs at Pearl's are, and he's busy chomping away and Ahmet is talking and then Allen suddenly hears him say "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." And that was the defining moment.
The story of how I.M. Pei ended up designing the building in Cleveland was great too. Ahmet said he knew I.M., Grubman said no way he'd do it. So, Ahmet calls I.M., who as Grubman put it, does the Brooklyn mumble, you know where your mouth is moving and words are coming out but really nothing is being said, the goal is to get away without making any commitments.
But right thereafter, I.M. called up and said he was DYING to do it.
WHAT HAPPENED?
You know what happened. I knew what happened before Allen finished the story. HE TOLD HIS KIDS! And his kids said, YOU HAVE TO DO IT!
That's the power of music, that's the power of rock and roll.
And it ain't like it used to be. If it was, today's art would be equivalent to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, and it's not. People are painting, I'm not saying there's no good stuff, I'm just saying...
Times were different.
Never mind the sixties and seventies. MTV in the eighties, Judas Priest and Duran Duran?
I get it, they have to continue to induct people into the Hall to keep it relevant, to keep the money flowing. But I don't think this is the mission Ahmet was pursuing.
But, once again, Ahmet is gone. Still, I wish they would change the moniker, especially in an era where rock is dying. Steven Tyler came out to sing with Eminem and it was like a relic from a different era. And it won't be long before they're all gone. Not only the progenitors of blues and rock, but the stars of the sixties, seventies and eighties.
We're all old.
Well, maybe you're not. But everybody down front at the tables was. At first I was anxious about going, fearful I'd be the oldest guy in the room, which has happened at a couple of recent concerts I've been to. But I was nowhere close last night, down on the floor I was nearly a young 'un. We'd all been there, we'd all seen the movie, we'd all been touched...
But the feeling is not the same. You see you get old enough and you've seen so much. You don't have to be there, because you've been there already. It's not your first rodeo.
But that's when it hit me, that old Sly and the Family Stone song...EVERYBODY IS A STAR!
Everybody is on their own journey, everybody is on their own search for excellence, everybody wants highs, respect, adulation.
And in truth we can all get it.
The musicians are just that. Watching last night, it was clear stardom was a job. They showed Eminem writing in the private jet. All the outfits and the interviews...you might think it's only about the music, but it's not. That's what they chose, you get to choose your own path. Don't feel jealous, BUT DO MARVEL!
Yes, in my lifetime, going back to the sixties, seventies and eighties, music was everything. And the funny thing is that's the only thing that doesn't change. The people who make it, the listeners, they age, become different people, but not the records. The records still give us the same hit of adrenaline, bring us back, root us, same as they ever did. Actually, that's what last night reinforced. It may have been decades ago that these acts triumphed, but it was clear why they had, and the music meant just as much to us, if not more!
Ultimately, after it seemed like it was all over, Bruce and John and others in the cast came out and did a rollicking version of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." And it was very good, but it wasn't transcendent.
This was not the induction ceremonies of old. Private affairs with a jam session at the end for the players, a unique event, no matter how much of a train-wreck. This was just another part of the show.
And in truth, you might feel differently when you watch HBO's cut in a couple of weeks. I'm sitting there thinking how rock never translates on TV.
You see you had to be there.
And I was there last night.
And it was not about the hang. It wasn't that kind of evening.
And it wasn't about feeling special.
And in truth, these awards shows made for television can be endless. Everybody's worn out at the end, assuming you haven't left already, and I saw a number of household names exit hours before the conclusion.
But being there...
There is something about the power of live music. And being in the room where it happens. It's like nothing else. The performers are there in the flesh, playing songs you know by heart, expertly, and you're in the moment as simultaneously your entire life goes through your brain. I can't truly articulate it, but you know exactly what I'm talking about. That distance between you and the act evaporates, they're right there and so are you.
So that was my experience, your mileage may vary, but that's just the point. Rock is about individualism, having a viewpoint and letting your freak flag fly, uncompromised. And even though we sometimes do what is expedient in our lives, the music is always there, to lift us up, reinvigorate and inspire us when we need it.
Yes, sweet dreams are made of that.
And if you don't agree with me, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!
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After some lighthearted remarks by John Sykes, an unrecognizable man hit the stage to over-testify about Duran Duran. Wearing a lime green suit he looked like a cartoon character. It turned out to be Robert Downey, Jr.
And I'm sitting there thinking, can you get this emotional about Duran Duran?
And then they showed the video package, you know, the career highlights, and my mind goes to now, are today's good-looking young acts any different from Duran Duran? OH YEAH! Way different. But I didn't realize that until Duran Duran started to play.
So what we had here was the Microsoft Theater, built to compete with the Universal Amphitheatre, but the latter had soul and the former never did. What was then known as the Nokia had few accoutrements, it was akin to a barn, but then they tore the Universal Amphitheatre down to build a Harry Potter ride and the Nokia, now renamed Microsoft, was the only game in town. Sure, there's the Shrine, but it's long in the tooth. And what was then the Kodak, which is now known as the Dolby, has only half the seats, 3,400 as opposed to 7,100, which is good for the Oscars, but not for the Rock Hall induction ceremony, which is now open to the hoi polloi, paying a lot to be inside with their heroes.
All this is to say...
In the L.A. Live area, there's Staples, now known as Crypto.com. A soccer stadium. The poorly designed club now known as the Novo. And the Microsoft Theater and a bunch of restaurants. What does this all mean? IT'S UNAPPROACHABLE! As in the traffic is HORRENDOUS! The "campus" is an hour solid from just about anywhere, even more. And when you get there, it's gridlock.
The lot I pulled up to was for limos only. Just this one night.
The appropriate lot was full.
I ended up parking in the Convention Center lot, yes, that's there too, even though they threatened to close it early, when the Kings game was over. Can't say my evening started off on the right foot.
But getting inside the building was a breeze. No line for my pass or the metal detector.
And right down front were the high stakes tables. And I was lucky enough to snag a seat in the neighborhood. And the reason this is important is... Almost nobody in the industry seats claps. It's kind of like when comics get together. One can make an hilarious crack and there will be no laughter, eventually one of the assembled will say softly "that's funny." You see for the people at the tables down front this was business. But for everybody else...
I wondered if there had been a warmup act. This was being recorded for HBO. Did a comic come out and tell the audience in seats to scream at the top of their lungs on a regular basis, to show enthusiasm?
And there were two sets of bleachers ON STAGE! So it was a curious effect. Where I was it was quiet, but outside there was a thunderous roar, well, with a higher pitch verging on screams and I must say I realized these people were paying, a lot, and I realized the Rock Hall needs the money, but this was not an insider event, the way it used to be. This show was made for television.
As for rubbing elbows like at Musicares...
It wasn't like that either.
No one was hanging in the lobby kibbitzing, and the show ran so seamlessly.
Now if you've been to a TV taping you know it's endless. With the breaks, with the repeats. But there was no time to go to the bathroom last night, like that old Diane Warren Aerosmith song, I didn't want to miss a thing.
So Simon Le Bon hasn't aged well. But he's 64! For that age he looks great, but he's no longer cute. Nor is Nick Rhodes. As for John Taylor... I once did Jonesy's Jukebox with him and I was intimidated and felt inadequate because he was so GOOD-LOOKING! Most people don't live up to the image, John Taylor looked better! But last night he was an elder statesman, your dad's buddy.
So they take the stage and they immediately go into...GIRLS ON FILM!
It was shocking. I shot right up!
This was the first single, with a wild video you almost never saw in its unedited version, something you probably couldn't even make in the #MeToo era, but the track was so infectious I had to buy the album, just to hear it. And now they're performing it live and they're so well-rehearsed and... This was not the Grammys, last night was not on hard drive, everybody came to shine and the performances were EXCELLENT!
And that's when I realized it was all about the music. Doesn't matter how Duran Duran looks today. The records sustain.
Then after "Rio," the band...I knew it.
I remember hearing it for the first time, when they debuted it at KROQ's Acoustic Christmas back in '92, they were playing ORDINARY WORLD! It was so good, I'm tingling as I write this. The music superseded the somnambulant crowd down front and the overenthusiastic public to penetrate my heart and brain and bring me right back to who I am and why I do this. Really, fantastic.
No one played Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's music, but other than Mellencamp, they had the best speeches. They were down to earth yet part of the fabric. They were introduced by Janet Jackson who had a hairdo you'll see in all the magazines, this wasn't the only time I marveled that people showed up to boost their career, to make defining moments, and Janet looked great but had a very quiet voice, yet what I couldn't hear I could read on the teleprompter in the audience. It was when the speaker spoke sans the words being on the big screen that you knew something worthwhile would be said.
Terry Lewis talked about their beginning. But Jimmy Jam talked about needing music in schools, the value of music in schools, how it teaches you... And there was a beat, and I was wondering what he was going to say, because there are all these studies saying taking music lessons improves your other learning and then there are those that dispute this. But this is not what Jimmy Jam was talking about. He said we even learn our ABC's with music. And he sang the first half of the alphabet and then the audience sang the rest, it was a magical moment.
But the true musical highlight of the evening was Judas Priest. I don't even think I'm a big Priest fan. There was a long introduction by Alice Cooper, and then the band hit the stage. A white-goateed Rob Halford was wearing his leather, most of the band was wearing leather and chains and studs and they started to play and it was ELECTRIFYING! It was like taking the best of Priest and distilling it down to ten minutes and being there to witness it. The people down front didn't completely get it, the people in the audience didn't completely get it, because times have changed, used to be metal was part of the fabric, it was all over MTV (thank god the video package showed Beavis & Butt-head grooving to "Breaking the Law). Now metal is a sideshow, but last night it was the MAIN SHOW! Man, Priest just killed. THIS IS ROCK AND ROLL!
The other transcendent performance? Eurythmics. Now I did a podcast with Dave Stewart, he was so engaging, sans airs, but last night he inhabited the rock star persona. As for Annie Lennox... What can I say, she was the overlord, with her powerful voice she blasted over the venue and the sound penetrated down and we were all infected like rats, our heads were exploding like in that SNL skit imitating Oprah giving her audience cars. Lennox was not being a diva. She wasn't wearing clothing that said "designer." Basically, it was just her, AND THAT WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH! You just stood there marveling, and at this point we were all marveling, that someone could have this voice and sing original songs and reach us and... I'm thinking of how I went to see them at the Palace, on their first tour, back in '82, and now they were even more electric, and believe me they were great that night.
As for the rest of the show...
I have to say, Lionel Richie probably got the most applause, the best reaction for a musical performance. And despite some less than great plastic surgery, he's still got it, his voice, his ability to play... And I must admit I've always loved "All Night Long," and that brought the house down, but really, is Lionel Richie rock and roll?
He made a claim that he was in his speech thereafter, and he almost convinced me, but no...
I get it, I really do.
There's been a changing of the guard. John Sykes has replaced Jann Wenner, and unlike Mr. Rolling Stone Sykes is anything but aloof and above, and Rick Krim has replaced Jon Landau and...where is the Hall supposed to go?
Now I've always argued they should have shut the doors long ago. Every museum does not contain works from every period. Even worse, too many deserving acts of yore are not in. Let's start with Bad Company. The criteria keep shifting, you have to be an influence... How about an influence to get out of your head, be happy and have sex, is that not good enough? And if Priest is in, Iron Maiden should be too. Not because I worked with them, I'm not even that big a fan. But in truth they're nearly as successful as they've always been. Unlike their brethren, they still put out new music and it still sells. Yes, Maiden fans buy the damn albums, they need to own them as part of their identity. I'd prefer to listen to Priest, but in truth today Maiden has an even harder core fan base.
So, I'm not going to say that since I was there everything with the Rock Hall is hunky-dory. As for Dolly Parton, even she joked about it. And then came out with an electric guitar and sang a freshly-penned rock tune that made me smile, but that's about it.
However, following that, everybody got on stage like they used to in the old days to sing and play together, the number was Parton's "Jolene"? Come on, that's the first Parton song I knew and liked, back in the seventies, but that's a personal statement, not a mass effort. But I must tell you, seeing her share the microphone with Rob Halford, still in his regalia, was priceless.
So what about the rest of the show.
Dr. Dre did an excellent job introducing Eminem, but Marshall's performance... Was too frenzied for this audience, they didn't catch it, it didn't wholly work, the words were going by so fast that unless you already knew them, there was no way you could decipher them. And in his speech, he listed all his influences, all the rappers who paved the way for him, and that was cool, yet it ultimately lost its effect as a result of the list being so long.
And Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Turns out he's the one with the personality. But when Pat sang "Heartbreaker," it was almost as good as Duran Duran. I give her so much credit for playing a song from the first album, still my favorite, still the best, I had to buy it for "We Live for Love"... Pat's induction was way overdue.
Carly Simon didn't show up. She's got stage fright, but probably she's still mourning the death of her two sisters, on consecutive days. Sara Bareilles radiated liveliness and charisma giving her introductory speech, but still it was canned. As for Sara performing Carly's Bond song "Nobody Does It Better"... Superfluous dreck. Carly cut so much meaningful stuff, why sing this bombastic number that touches no souls? Olivia Rodrigo evidenced chops, but really, like with Harry Belafonte, who also didn't show, there should have been no live performances.
Like with Belafonte, there were just video packages for Elizabeth Cotten and Sylvia Robinson, but the latter's was quite good.
Which leaves us with...
Jimmy Iovine.
Bruce kissed Jimmy's ass so hard it almost made me wince. And then Jimmy got up and recited his credits and he thanked David Geffen and I was wondering exactly who this speech was for. It didn't endear the audience to him, it made them know who he was, but even though he came from the streets, he's now on the mountaintop and it's nearly impossible to relate to him anymore.
Unlike Allen Grubman.
If you've been following the news, Jann Wenner blew a gasket that Grubman was going to be inducted. That's the rumor anyway.
But...
John Mellencamp sauntered up to the mic and...
He sauntered, as in slowly. His speech was not on the teleprompter. It was written down, but he was playing the role of a Shakespearian actor. Mellencamp was giving a performance, whereas everybody else was just going through the motions. And he was phenomenally good, but so self-assured, a short man with sky high hair, Sean Penn-like, evidencing machismo exactly...why? And he had all of us in the palm of his hand, and then he mentions that Allen Grubman is Jewish.
I was positively shocked. There was plenty of time to think, because Mellencamp was delivering his speech so slowly. And based on what Mellencamp said previously, about Grubman helping him out in business, I thought John was going to reference the old trope about Jews and money, I really did. And I'm sitting there contemplating, if he does, do I stand up and shout back? I mean it's television. It will be so disruptive. Like the Nazi in the "Producers," but we just cannot let this stuff slide.
But, Mellencamp leans back into the mic and says:
"'Allen is Jewish, and I bring that up for one reason: I'm a gentile, and my life has been enriched by countless Jewish people.'
'I cannot tell you how f–king important it is to speak out if you're an artist against anti-Semitism. I don't give a f–k, I don't care... Here's the trick: Silence is complicity. I'm standing here tonight loudly and proudly with Allen, his family and all of my Jewish friends and all of the Jewish people of the world.'
'F–k anti-Semitism, and f–k anybody who says anything in that manner.'"
It was positively astounding, positively jaw-dropping. And it took Mellencamp much longer to say these words than it did for you to read them. What he's declaring is slowly penetrating the audience, and everybody in attendance starts to clap and stands up and continues clapping and it goes on and on and...it made me feel like we were in it together, the music industry and the music fans, that we stood up for truth, not what was expedient, that we Jews weren't out there alone. I mean come on, this is a guy who's known as an a-hole and refers to HIMSELF as "Little B..tard." THIS is the guy who's standing up for us? A guy who is usually seen as only being in it for himself? Mellencamp stole the gravitas award from Bruce Springsteen instantly, Bono was no match. Because the truth is everything. And if you're not willing to stand up for others...it's just a matter of time before they come after you.
As for Grubman himself... Unlike Iovine, who really was okay, I don't want to beat up on him too heavily, Allen was humble. He was endearing. You could tell why he was so successful.
And then he told the story of the formation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He got a call from Ahmet.
Ahmet's gone now. He was never perfect, over time the image has been smoothed out, but Ahmet was dignified and cool in a way no other music exec has ever been.
Ahmet said to come to lunch at Pearl's on Monday.
PEARL'S! A legendary Chinese restaurant that's no longer there. I mean it cracked me up, my parents took us to Pearl's, it rooted the story for me.
And Allen asked Ahmet who else would be there. And Ahmet said Seymour Stein and Jann Wenner.
And Grubman gets to the restaurant and orders the spareribs, testifies how great the spareribs at Pearl's are, and he's busy chomping away and Ahmet is talking and then Allen suddenly hears him say "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." And that was the defining moment.
The story of how I.M. Pei ended up designing the building in Cleveland was great too. Ahmet said he knew I.M., Grubman said no way he'd do it. So, Ahmet calls I.M., who as Grubman put it, does the Brooklyn mumble, you know where your mouth is moving and words are coming out but really nothing is being said, the goal is to get away without making any commitments.
But right thereafter, I.M. called up and said he was DYING to do it.
WHAT HAPPENED?
You know what happened. I knew what happened before Allen finished the story. HE TOLD HIS KIDS! And his kids said, YOU HAVE TO DO IT!
That's the power of music, that's the power of rock and roll.
And it ain't like it used to be. If it was, today's art would be equivalent to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, and it's not. People are painting, I'm not saying there's no good stuff, I'm just saying...
Times were different.
Never mind the sixties and seventies. MTV in the eighties, Judas Priest and Duran Duran?
I get it, they have to continue to induct people into the Hall to keep it relevant, to keep the money flowing. But I don't think this is the mission Ahmet was pursuing.
But, once again, Ahmet is gone. Still, I wish they would change the moniker, especially in an era where rock is dying. Steven Tyler came out to sing with Eminem and it was like a relic from a different era. And it won't be long before they're all gone. Not only the progenitors of blues and rock, but the stars of the sixties, seventies and eighties.
We're all old.
Well, maybe you're not. But everybody down front at the tables was. At first I was anxious about going, fearful I'd be the oldest guy in the room, which has happened at a couple of recent concerts I've been to. But I was nowhere close last night, down on the floor I was nearly a young 'un. We'd all been there, we'd all seen the movie, we'd all been touched...
But the feeling is not the same. You see you get old enough and you've seen so much. You don't have to be there, because you've been there already. It's not your first rodeo.
But that's when it hit me, that old Sly and the Family Stone song...EVERYBODY IS A STAR!
Everybody is on their own journey, everybody is on their own search for excellence, everybody wants highs, respect, adulation.
And in truth we can all get it.
The musicians are just that. Watching last night, it was clear stardom was a job. They showed Eminem writing in the private jet. All the outfits and the interviews...you might think it's only about the music, but it's not. That's what they chose, you get to choose your own path. Don't feel jealous, BUT DO MARVEL!
Yes, in my lifetime, going back to the sixties, seventies and eighties, music was everything. And the funny thing is that's the only thing that doesn't change. The people who make it, the listeners, they age, become different people, but not the records. The records still give us the same hit of adrenaline, bring us back, root us, same as they ever did. Actually, that's what last night reinforced. It may have been decades ago that these acts triumphed, but it was clear why they had, and the music meant just as much to us, if not more!
Ultimately, after it seemed like it was all over, Bruce and John and others in the cast came out and did a rollicking version of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." And it was very good, but it wasn't transcendent.
This was not the induction ceremonies of old. Private affairs with a jam session at the end for the players, a unique event, no matter how much of a train-wreck. This was just another part of the show.
And in truth, you might feel differently when you watch HBO's cut in a couple of weeks. I'm sitting there thinking how rock never translates on TV.
You see you had to be there.
And I was there last night.
And it was not about the hang. It wasn't that kind of evening.
And it wasn't about feeling special.
And in truth, these awards shows made for television can be endless. Everybody's worn out at the end, assuming you haven't left already, and I saw a number of household names exit hours before the conclusion.
But being there...
There is something about the power of live music. And being in the room where it happens. It's like nothing else. The performers are there in the flesh, playing songs you know by heart, expertly, and you're in the moment as simultaneously your entire life goes through your brain. I can't truly articulate it, but you know exactly what I'm talking about. That distance between you and the act evaporates, they're right there and so are you.
So that was my experience, your mileage may vary, but that's just the point. Rock is about individualism, having a viewpoint and letting your freak flag fly, uncompromised. And even though we sometimes do what is expedient in our lives, the music is always there, to lift us up, reinvigorate and inspire us when we need it.
Yes, sweet dreams are made of that.
And if you don't agree with me, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!
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