I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know

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I bought "Child Is Father To The Man" used, one of only two albums I ever purchased that had previously been played, the other being Bob Dylan's "John Wesley Harding" a year later in college. I'd seen a note on the community bulletin board that someone was selling their records and I went up to their room in Starr Hall, where I wouldn't live for three years, and purchased an LP that looked like the guy had ironed his skis over it. I was caught up in the college experience, you know, when everything is brand new, before you become jaded and ultimately can't wait to graduate. That Dylan album, which I paid two bucks for, convinced me that from then on every album I ever bought would be brand new, because no one treated their records like I did, I dare you to find a fingerprint on a single one. That's me, that's OCD. People forget the downsides of vinyl, the scratches, the skips, the warps... CDs were a revelation. Files even better. And if you want to buy an old analog album on vinyl, go for it. But if you're buying a digitally cut album on vinyl, you're actually missing a bunch of the music, vinyl is inherently limited in response, and then there's the issue of the angle of the needle as it crosses the record and I have all of my vinyl, I never sold it, but I must admit I'm scratching my head on this vinyl revolution, furthermore it's not like most of the buyers have a playback system good enough to hear the nuances anyway.

"Child Is The Father To The Man" was delivered to me in Modern European History, an AP class so boring I don't think I retained a single thing. And a boring teacher too. I've had very few good teachers in my educational experience, a great teacher can make the most boring material interesting, it's a reason to take that course, but oftentimes school was just dull, that's the last place I ever want to go back to, the classroom.

So, the copy of "Child Is Father To The Man" even had the original clear plastic inner sleeve, as opposed to the paper with mini-album pictures of most other labels, it was a step up, or was perceived to be.

And my copy was not perfect, but it's not like it was played only at a gram or so on a great turntable. Yes, the key element of a stereo system is the speakers, but back then a record player/needle could ruin a record, which is why I popped for a Dual 1228, even though it was years before the rest of my system lived up to that quality, and by that time I'd upgraded to a Technics direct drive.

Now at this point in time, over fifty years later, my favorite track on "Child Is Father To The Man' is the closer, the Gerry Goffin/Carole King song "So Much Love." Kooper is testifying, with the organ in the background, and then the horns flourish and the number goes from subtle to in-your-face and you can't help but pay attention, you're along for the ride, and oh, what a ride it is.

But for a long time my favorite cut on the LP was the second side opener, "I Can't Quit Her," a direct message delivered directly. With melody and emotion. It's a tour-de-force.

And then there are the covers. Harry Nilsson's "Without Her,' a year before Three Dog Night had a hit with "One," back when no one was covering Harry, you could read about him in the press if you were dedicated, but his was not a household name. Although Gene Pitney covered "Just One Smile," it wasn't until 1972 and "Sail Away" that most people had any idea who Randy Newman was. And "Morning Glory" originally appeared on Tim Buckley's second album the previous year. Buckley never broke through to mass appeal, his son is famous, but the father was the darling of the cognoscenti back then, at least for a while.

And then there were the other originals. Steve Katz wrote "Megan's Gypsy Eyes," and the rest were Kooper's. And "Somethin' Goin' On" and "My Days Are Numbered" deserve their own analysis, but today I'm focusing on the first track after the "Overture," "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know."

This "Overture" was a year before the one opening the Who's "Tommy," and it was shorter, but it was a symphonic version of what you were going to hear and then...there's this hysteric laughing, a chorus of "YEAH" and then...there's a soulful, stinging guitar, underpinned by organ chords, locked into an R&B groove and then...

How many times have I listened to "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"? Zillions! But Thursday night I finally got it. All those years I thought it was blustery bragging, the guy's in control, but he wants the woman to know that he does care about her, he really does, as he goes on the road and takes advantage of opportunities and forgets about her.

But that's not what's really happening at all. He's the underdog. He's the one who needs her. He's coming from the bottom, not the top. He's down on his knee, emoting with all his heart, trying to convince her to believe.

"If I ever leave you
You can say I told you so"

He realizes she's doubtful. After all, he's a musician. And not a rich one. She's not totally in, she's holding back a little bit of herself, to avoid the inevitable hurt down the road.

"And if I ever hurt you, baby
You know I hurt myself as well"

He's not talking about kicking her to the curb, crawling from the wreckage into a brand new car, if he missteps he's gonna suffer the consequences, be broken up just as much as she is.

"Is that any way for a man to carry on
You think he wants his little loved one gone"

The music changes, it's a pre-chorus, there's an additional level of heaviness. Does she really think he wants her gone? He's not going to misbehave, that's not how he's going to carry on.

"I love you, baby
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know"

More than you'll ever know. There are no words. It's something he feels deep inside. He's more than committed, he's connected, he not only wants her, HE NEEDS HER!

"I'm not trying to be any kind of man
I'm trying to be somebody
You can love, trust and understand"

Trust. You don't often hear that on the hit parade. But that's the essence of a relationship, along with commitment. He's not average, he's not run-of-the-mill, he's one of a kind, and he wants her to know!

"I know that I can be, yeah
A part of you that no one else could see
I just gotta hear, hear you say it
It's all right, yeah, yeah, yeah"

He's begging her, shine her light back on him, tell him she got the message, that she feels the way he does. PLEASE!

"I'm only flesh and blood
But I could be anything that you demand
I could be president of General Motors, baby
Or just a tiny little grain of sand"

Al tells a great story about Donny Hathaway's version of "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know." He gets a copy of it and THEY CHANGED THE LYRICS! Al is incensed, he calls Jerry Wexler all heated-up, complaining, and when he can finally get a word in edgewise, Wexler says AL, A BLACK MAN COULD NEVER BE PRESIDENT OF GENERAL MOTORS!

That's 1973, fifty years ago. We've since had a Black president, but we've still got a long way to go.

Al's at her mercy. He'll be whatever she wants. Just as long as she commits and stays true. He's doing it all for her, not himself.

"When I wasn't making too much money
You know where my paycheck went
You know I brought it home to baby
And I never spent one red cent"

He's hers. Everything he owns is hers. He's doing it all for his baby.

And the amazing thing about listening to these old records is they sound amazingly clean, but they were mixed completely differently. Instruments play in one ear only. Engineers and acts wanted to demonstrate stereo, which was really just coming into vogue, after the labels raised the price of mono albums to those of stereo and then eliminated mono completely.

So we've got the stinging guitar, with just a bit of distortion added in. Clean. And an angelic choir in the left ear. And the organ in the right and all the instruments breathe, there's enough air around them that they can be heard. And then a string flourish in the right ear. And then Fred Lipsius is blowing his alto sax in the right ear, setting your mind adrift, to think and contemplate.

It's a who's who on the track. Randy Brecker was in the original incarnation of the group. Jerry Weiss too. They left with Kooper before the second album.

But it's not only the players, it's the backup singers too, Melba Moore and Valerie Simpson. John Simon arranged the strings. Stephen Stills is even credited as an engineer!

"I love you, I love you, I love you, baby
Well, all right
I told you so many times before
I love you, I love you, I love you
You know, I got to tell you one more time
I love you, I love you, I love you"

He's bearing witness like James Brown. The track contains everything but the cape. He wants her to get it. He needs her to get it. She's gonna get it, right?

You never know.

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Re-Blood, Sweat & Tears

I'm thrilled that our film captured your interest and compelled you to take two hours out of your busy day to watch.

My phone and inbox have been blowing up in the past few hours from readers of "The Lefsetz Letter," some of whom knew I was the filmmaker behind "What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?," some of whom did not…thinking I should be aware of the film about which you wrote so eloquently and passionately.

I very much appreciate your thoughtful perspective about BS&T, the political parallels and, as you say, "counterpoints" to today.

Thanks, too, for your kind words about the documentary. It was a real passion project from start to finish and I've got so many cool behind-the-scenes production stories on which I'm sure I'll be dining for some time to come.

I'm very proud of this film and very much hope others will be equally affected by it.

All the best –
John Scheinfeld
Director/Writer/Producer
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS?

_________________________________

Hello: I'm really looking forward to this..AL KOOPERS' input and influence extended past the first album..The original group with Al Singing was performing You Made Me So Very Happy, Smiling Phases,and More and More in their Live Show..All made it to the Second album with DCT singing Lead.

Louis Levin

_________________________________

Something/someone important left out of the BS&T story - James William Guercio. He brought Chicago Transit Authority to Clive Davis at Columbia in '68. Clive agreed to sign them, IF, Guercio agreed to produce the second Blood, Sweat & Tears album, which was to be released first. He did it, won the Grammy for album of the year (back when that still mattered), and then went on to produce 11 albums for Chicago, including 5 in a row that went Billboard number 1, (back when THAT still mattered.
Got this story from Jim Foglesong, back when he briefly headed Columbia.
Cheers.
Michael Canfield

_________________________________

Bob. BST put out two great, but very different, albums: Child is the father to man and the first one with DCT. I would play both on the console stereo (before component took over) at home and mom and dad ignored the first but loved the DCT outing. Dad was a child of the Big Band era and the influences of the second album rung clear to him. You talk of the counterculture in the 60s and how our music connected a generation, and our battle with the over 30 crowd and the Vietnam war and how we were going to change the world. Yup, that was an amazing time and we talked about the unjust war and Mayor Daly and Kent and we wrote songs of protest - and they were everywhere. Street corner buskers yelling down the war. It was, truly, visceral. And, yes, we took off our bell bottoms and beads and went to work for the man and still smoked - at home. But it never leaves you. Not even today. It (indeed) was the best of times and the worst of times. And my vinyl still rolls.

Robert Tussey

_________________________________

Thanks for the reminders...
I was in NYC in 68 and 69 and B,S & T's owned it. America had changed the game once again.and i too am happy to have have had the Al Kooper experience in my live...
Best , o

Andrew Loog Oldham

_________________________________

Wow!! Thanks for the heads up, Bob.
My first concert was The Chambers Brothers and Blood, Sweat & Tears at Fordham University. I was 13. It was fantastic! After the show, we went to a White Castle on Fordham Road and had a few 20-cent burgers.
I'll never forget that night.

Vicky Germaise

_________________________________

Child Is Father to the Man is one of my top five records ever.

My kids are in their mid 30's. Their father was in Vietnam Veterans Against the War, I made them listen to my music all the time growing up, and I've made them watch 60's-70's documentaries. But I just can't get them to feel it. How sure we were that we were changing the world. And how our music was everything

Kids…..

Amy Polan Clarke

_________________________________

Thanks for writing about this. BS&T is an important band for many reasons; several of which you talked about. They were arguably the first jazz-rock band (Chicago took a little longer to gain traction).

And —-yes, as usual I'm talking about drummers—there is Bobby Colomby.

His clearly jazz inspired playing was really the first time you heard Philly Joe Jones' influence in a rock band.

Bobby is a brilliant drummer… highly influential on many…. Of course he's happily still with us; I just wish I could hear more of his playing on more records.

Regards,
Mark Feldman

_________________________________

I'm an old Al Kooper fan and remember him from The Blues Project and earlier coming from Queens, NY and his first wife was my best friend. He used to hang around my house and play our baby grand piano.

Loved their first album... It's the best thing BS&T ever did, I agree. Kooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" Is one of the best songs ever written period.

Al's a musical genius!

Iona S. Elliott

_________________________________

I Can't Quit Her is my favorite on BS&T, so many times Bob you send me back into my vinyl collection; I have 4 Al Kooper albums, but Child Is Father To The Man must have been lent out and not returned (understandably) and I only have the CD. Those 5 albums influenced my writing More Than You'll Ever Know. I can't wait to see this movie, please give us a 'heads up' when it's available.

Jeff Watz

_________________________________

I've been listening to Al Kooper solo records on repeat (I Stand Alone, You Never Really Know Who Your Friends Are, Act Like Nothing's Wrong) for the past 3 days and then you sent me thismissive! Serendipity.
As a former high school band geek, BS&T were worshipped! I love all the LPs, even Nuclear Blues! ??
I certainly appreciate that David Clayton-Thomas is never afraid to "Say Somethin'"

Cheers,
EveAnna Dauray Manley

_________________________________

I love Al Kooper. Have all of his solo LP's, all the Blues Project albums, and all of the BS&T albums. The first BS&T album is amazing and the second album is a classic. I cannot wait to see this movie.

Count me in the crowd.

Dennis Paulik

_________________________________

Now I'm excited! Thanks for the info. This is one that I will find. One of my all time favorite autobiographies is Al Kooper's. He was the Forrest Gump of the music scene. From growing up with Paul Simon to Dylan, to BS&T, to Skynyrd and so much in between. Will be on the lookout for this film.

Patti Martin

_________________________________

I was a big fan of the Blues Project…attended their "final" concert at Town Hall and their reunion show years later at the Bond? Not sure of the venue name…1981?
I filled in the Blues Project's songs I didn't own on Napster.
The first CD I bought was a gold edition of BS&T's, Father Is Child To The Man.
The great songs and performances of both bands still hold up.
Over the years I also wondered what the hell happened to them.
If you get wind of where and when this documentary will be available please let us know.
Thanks Bob.
Alan Crane

_________________________________

Hi Bob — the first single off of BS&T3, was Hi-De-Ho. That album followed up the DCT first post-Al Kooper album, the album with, what, three enormous hit singles; the album that won Album of the Year, beating out Abbey Road (imagine that!). So .. no pressure when the band went in to record the follow-up!

JIm Charne

_________________________________

The godfathers of smooth jazz? "You've Made Me So Very Happy" is to Spyro Gyra what "All Day And All Of The Night" is to The Ramones.

Also responsible for launching the careers of Al Kooper and Bobby Colomby, without whom we wouldn't have Lynyrd Skynyrd or Jaco Pastorius.

Vince Welsh

_________________________________

What goes up, must come down….I played alto saxophone (not very well!) in the jazz band in middle school when Spinning Wheel was on WABC in NYC multiple times per day.
Thanks for the memories and pointing me to this documentary- very much looking forward !

David Levin

_________________________________

Very few records from this era still sound good 50+ years later. I equate BS&Tears( Lou's trumpet solo is still a master class) Katz Kooper and DC were beyond years. Of course the drama with DCT comes up into play

But Spinning Wheel and Zep and Doors records still sound good. Rest of the crap sounds like poorly recorded records that sonically still sound like crap . BS@T s first record from the horn intros is still a piece of art. I still have it on vinyl. Don't need a movie that I will never watch change that. You fail to mention the additional MOFOs that played on this record

Chris Apostle

_________________________________

Thank you, Bob Lefsetz. I read you religiously and agree less than 1/2 the time. I am 76 years old, an early "Boomer" and love our music. Can't wait to see this movie. Keep us posted.

Jeff Douglas

_________________________________

Did they get into when the great Jerry LaCroix was in the band?
Ex Boogie Kings, White Trash, then later joined Rare Earth for a while.
And 2 VERY GOOD solo albums.
Check out him singing I'll Love You More Than You'll Ever Know from 1974 and giving Kooper props.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO_gKV6oTiQ

Fun fact: It's pronounced LaCraw. There's an interview where I heard him say it.

Kevin Kiley

_________________________________

Thanks for your review of the up of BS&T doc, Bob. Looking forward to it.

I saw BS&T at Topanga Days a few years back… needless to say I was a bit worried about how they sounded after all these years… to my surprise the were excellent! I went back in time when I listened to them via my older brother and sister, who had the their album in 1968. When I Die was very profound for this young girl.

I'm now liking their songs on Spotify to listen to on my way to work tomorrow.

Thanks for the reminder.

Best,

Darlene Gorzela

_________________________________

Worst band ever. Double bubblegum nonsense that led to the second worst popular band …ewww the RAMONES. One chord kindergarten stupidity that the world had to swallow because of numb ass critical reviews!
It's all the fault of clown Andy Warhol!
Lol

Kenn Kweder

_________________________________

Loved your comment on the Ramones, for me they are the most underrated band in music. They were great songwriters who's sound blazed a trail for hundreds of artists to follow. As you mentioned their sound was was so different it took years for people to get it.

"Chewin' out a rhythm on my bubble gum
The sun is out and I want some
It's not hard, not far to reach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach"

Michael Rosenblatt

_________________________________

There is no other BS&T album! Just the first one! The Al Kooper one.
I don't care if the second one had hits, and Lara Nyro songs. It wasn't BS&T. And it certainly had no trace of the Blues Project.

"Child is Father to the Man" is still my hub (that's husband) and my go-to album.

It holds up. Really, really well. (And so does Super Session, just as an aside).

I didnt even know about the political problems of BS&T or the green card thing. The second album was painful for those of us who loved the "only" BS&T album and we moved on. We stayed with Al and wherever he went, we went. Al Kooper has always had his pulse on what should come next, before anyone else figured it out... and he did with BobDylan, the Blues Project, Shugie Otis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, with The Tubes and Standing Alone!

So, in memory of Danny Kalb... Thank you Bob for recognizing and celebrating Al Kooper. As an FYI, there is a crew of Erasmus Hall High School ( Brooklyn, NY) graduates, classes of 1966 and 1967, who feel as you do. As Al Kooper super fans, we attended all or most of his annual birthday shows in NYC at the Bottom Line, and at BB Kings, and I think there might have been one or two at other clubs.

AL KOOPER IS NYC ROCK AND ROLL!!

Amy Krakow

_________________________________

That first BS&T album is a classic, a fabulous album. I had both that and the second album and at one point back in the day, I knew the later one as well as the first. But I never listed to the second album and I come back to Child is Father to the Man frequently.

I recently went back and listed to Kooper's early solo albums after he left BS&T. Those albums are a bit uneven, but there's some terrific music on them.

Finally, as well known as Super Session is, Kooper's follow-up, Kooper Session with the young guitar phenom Shuggie Otis, is an even better album.

Don Friedman

_________________________________

The film sounds great. Al Kooper is a genius and the first BS&T album has been on my top-10 list ever since it came out and someone turned me on to it at summer camp. .

- Greg Dennis

_________________________________

I wore out three copies of 'Child Is The Father To The Man'. One of my all time favorite albums… the band had soul (thank you Al Kooper).

Couldn't get behind the David Clayton Thomas albums at all. Deep as a glass of water.

Bruce Garfield

_________________________________

I loved B,S &T. Respected David Clayton-Thomas's voice, but I couldn't stand hearing "Spinning Wheel" or "You've Made Me So Very Happy" at every bar mitzvah or wedding respectively that I went to as a kid in the early 70's. Right up there with "Joy to the World".

That first album "Child is Father to The Man"... before you even opened it, the cover alone said this is gonna be f@ckin' great. And it delivered. Kudos to the musicianship on the debut (Randy Brecker, Steve Katz, Bobby Colomby to name but a few), but Al Kooper was, and is still the man. Amongst his production credits, The Tubes debut was a fave. It wasn't mastered as well as it could've been in my opinion, like a lion without teeth, all roar, no bite...but the arrangements, holy sh*t!

Brian Diamond

_________________________________

Re: Brian Diamond e-mail

Sad, but true.

Al Kooper


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More Car Songs-SiriusXM This Week

Tune in tomorrow, Saturday February 25th, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz 

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What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?

This is one of the best rock documentaries ever made.

Today, with everybody having a 4k video camera in their pocket, there's a plethora of rock docs, done on the cheap, basically hagiography. You may start 'em, but it's hard to finish them, your mind wanders, you shut it off... In today's time-challenged on demand I only do what I want culture I'm stunned that I took two hours out of my day to watch this film, but I was just that interested. Furthermore, even if you've never even heard of Blood, Sweat & Tears you will dig this movie. You should see this movie!

So it was pitched to me as a documentary based on footage shot during BS&T's Eastern European, i.e. Communist, tour back in 1970. You know, found footage resurfacing to make a buck.

But that's not what this is.

You have no idea how big Blood, Sweat & Tears was back in '68 and '69, even into the spring of 1970. They were everywhere.

Also, if you were not alive in the era, you have no idea of the sixties counterculture, the protests against Vietnam...you've read about it, but you've never felt it.

You feel it in this movie.

It's also hard to explain what music was in the late sixties, really starting in January of '64, when the Beatles broke in the U.S. Music was EVERYTHING! It was Instagram, Netflix, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat all rolled into one. Everybody was paying attention and you tuned in not only to be satiated, but surprised. And no innovation was off the table. Pushing the envelope was de rigueur. It wasn't until the middle seventies, with the emergence of the Ramones, that there was a reaction, a return to simplicity, and in retrospect everybody can see that the Ramones' image might have been punk, but they could write and play, they were just using a different construct, and it was so far ahead of the audience that it took decades to be embraced.

So we're following the players. And the acts. And there's this one called the Blues Project, which morphs into Blood, Sweat & Tears. The link? Steve Katz and Al Kooper, who quickly stopped getting along.

You see it was Al's band. And I'm watching this documentary and I'm self-satisfyingly wincing how they've written Al out of history, and no one will ever know, but then they tell the story of the advent of the band, how it was really Al's idea and construction.

And that first album... It's the best thing BS&T ever did. As a matter of fact, Kooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" has longer legs than anything from the David Clayton-Thomas era. Sure, Thomas may have sung the hits, but Al wrote that song, Donny Hathaway covered it, and people are still singing it today, it's part of the ongoing culture, that's the power of a great song.

Now Al says he got kicked out of his own band.

In this film they say they asked him to remain, as bandleader, but not as the singer.

Al is extremely creative, but he does have edges, and he doesn't back down if he believes in his viewpoint/opinion. So, knowing Al, I can understand the others' frustration, after all Al wrote a song about visits to his psychiatrist's office and insisted it be on the LP.

However, nobody in BS&T proceeded to set the world on fire after that second album, the first with David Clayton-Thomas, and Kooper was involved in the Monterey Pop Festival, cut "Super Session" and found and recorded Lynyrd Skynyrd, never mind continuing with his own solo career and writing for TV.

But that's not what this film is about.

So Al's out of the band and although the hoi polloi embrace Clayton-Thomas, the cognoscenti never do. But this film goes a long way to rehabilitating his image. HE WAS A JUVENILE DELINQUENT!

And as a result, the U.S. government wanted to deport him. So the band agreed to do this Eastern European tour in exchange for David's green card. That's how the world works, horse-trading.

And according to this film, when the band came back and said how bad it was over there they were labeled tools of the administration, the hated Nixon administration, and were banned from the counterculture and the bad press ultimately led to the demise of the band.

Just one thing is left out. "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" was a stiff. It was highly anticipated, and the band did not deliver. "Lucretia MacEvil"? What was that about? Made for AM play, which it hardly got, not for the core audience that supported, that built this band. And sure, there's the Traffic song and another Laura Nyro song... But it's not the same.

Al says he established the blueprint for the second, hit album.

Whether true or not, the guidance was now gone. The third album was paint-by-numbers, more of what the audience wanted.

Only the audience didn't want it anymore.

In the fall of '69 "Led Zeppelin II" expanded the boundaries of what was considered hit music. "Whole Lotta Love" was EVERYWHERE!

And at the same time "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" was released, so was Traffic's reunion album, "John Barleycorn Must Die," Dave Mason's "Alone Together" and Eric Clapton's very first solo LP. Others were pushing the limits. BS&T were not.

And then there was the political thing.

BS&T were not cool. After all, their big hit album had come out over eighteen months before. In a fast-moving marketplace they shouldn't have waited that long. You don't milk every last dime out of the last album, you cut a new one. This was the difference between CBS and Warner Brothers. WB would leave money on the table, for the good of the act, CBS would sell until there was no one left to buy.

And having read "Rolling Stone" cover to cover, I remember the bad press. And this film amplifies it. And to be on the receiving end of that must have been very hard.

But one thing was for sure, like I said above, Blood, Sweat & Tears were no longer cool, their moment had passed. Keep innovating or die. The public says it wants something new just like the old, but this is ultimately untrue.

Woven into the story of the band is the story of the Eastern European tour. And it is eye-opening. They're in Romania and the government throws a sh*t fit when the audience for the first night's show won't stop clapping, won't stop cheering for the U.S.A., they've gotten a taste of freedom and they LIKE IT!

Good for the U.S. Bad for U.S./Romanian relations.

And this is one place where a picture tells a thousand words.

Then again, this whole movie sits in counterpoint to today.

Back then all the young were anti-Vietnam, the youth were aligned. That is no longer true, the red and blue divide applies to all ages. Also, the thought of a dictator ruling by fiat was anathema, unheard of. Meanwhile, on 1/6/21, they invaded the Capitol in support of that.

Oh my, have times changed.

And most people look their age in this film. But that is reassuring. It demonstrates that not only is survival key, better than to O.D., but the power of youth. Back then NO ONE wanted to work for the bank. And there was no tech industry. Being in a rock and roll band was the height of status, and cash. Then again, with nine members in the band, not everybody could get rich, but the music came first, right?

Well, it did back then, not today. Where the goal is to create a brand and Rihanna plays the Super Bowl half a decade after releasing new music. There's just not enough money in music, it's a bad use of her time.

So you've got the story of politics, both in the U.S. and the Cold War, the story of Blood, Sweat & Tears, and a visual representation of the temperature back then, what it was really like during the sixties and ultimately the dawn of the seventies.

And the seventies were different. After Kent State... People went back to the land. And ultimately focused on their careers. They became money-hungry.

But before that...

P.S. The film is supposed to open in March. Meanwhile, the target audience doesn't even go to the theatre anymore. And documentaries can get lost on streaming television. But I think this one will have word of mouth, because it's visceral and real. And I know you can't see it now, but it affected me so much I wanted to write about it.


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Fair Ticketing Act

https://bit.ly/3Ir1yyj

Yesterday at the Pollstar conference, Irving Azoff hosted a panel with Garth Brooks, Jim Dolan and Makan Delrahim about ticketing.

It is not about Ticketmaster.

Irving started off by reading a multi-page explanation of the situation from the one true perspective. THE ARTIST'S PERSPECTIVE!

There is no show without the artist. To point the finger at Ticketmaster is to miss the point. Today, Live Nation finally fought back, and announced the desire for a Fair Ticketing Act. You can read the announcement at the above link.

Turns out Garth Brooks is hands-on, a student of the game. He participates in on-sales. Yes, you can adjust prices and inventory, even add shows during the on-sale. You can limit how high ticket prices flex. This is built into the system, most managers are hands-on, not all, but to have an act this involved is rare.

And another thing about Garth, he knows the fans, because he started out as a fan. Someone asked a question about underplays. Garth responded that too many people are left out, unhappy, that as much as we like an intimate show, for superstars it is impractical, other than a special occasion. The key is to make the most fans happy. You can play bigger buildings, add more shows, but the fans are primary.

As for attorney Makan Delrahim... He is very sharp, he used to work for the government. He cast the problem in legal terms, which it ultimately comes down to. Tickets as property, and who owns the property.

Dolan said we need press.

Now, finally, with Live Nation's announcement, we'll get some, and we need more, to shed light on what is really going on in touring.

Dolan talked about all the people who show up at the venue with bogus tickets. What does the building do? No, they don't instantly turn them away, they try to accommodate them, because you don't want to piss off fans. Should fans be more educated, be aware of bogus offerings? Sure. But the problem is not Ticketmaster. It was mentioned that every resale ticket posted on Ticketmaster is guaranteed to be valid.

Irving talked about U2 performing at Dolan's Sphere in Las Vegas.

THERE ARE ALREADY TICKETS ADVERTISED! Even though there are no dates set and Irving hasn't seen a manifest of the building.

And it was revealed by Delrahim and others that there are already laws against scalping on the books, but they're not enforced.

There's so much about the law people don't understand.

Let's start with the primary one... Just because you win in court that does not mean you'll get paid. The defendant might not have any money! You can win, but it's a pyrrhic victory. Which is why so many wrongdoers are never brought to trial.

But also, there is only so much money for law enforcement. And there are priorities. Where is ticketing on the priority list? Very far down. Do you want to risk getting shot or be protected from paying a lot for a ticket? Furthermore, the concert industry is just a blip on the radar screen when it comes to monies spent in America. Congress could focus on enforcement, state governments could focus on enforcement, but they'd rather grandstand and blame it all on Ticketmaster.

And the dirty little secret is much of the anti-Ticketmaster legislation and hoopla is generated by the scalpers themselves! Under the moniker of "Fan Freedom." Yeah, right. And, if ticketing is going to be cleaned up, that might mean you can't scalp your own tickets. Which there will be a little blowback about, but this is not a practice most people engage in.

So the artist sets the price. Sometimes it's too low, sometimes even too high. Sometimes it's adjusted on the fly. But one thing you've got to know is THE ARTIST SETS THE PRICE!

Some artists want a low price. But that bumps up against the immutable law of supply and demand. You might want to sell at a low price, but there are people like scalpers who are in the business of arbitrage, they want to get that lift. Even on a paperless show they can buy four tickets, walk three people in and still make a handsome profit. Which is why more and more artists are charging what the tickets are really worth. Aged acts have little problem with this. Youngsters... But maybe this is the way it should be, so the acts get the revenue, not the scalpers. Cars are not discounted below value, almost no physical goods are. Why should concert tickets be an exception? Oh, one caveat, no matter what is done you still might not get a ticket, but it's not because of Ticketmaster, but because DEMAND IS TOO HIGH!

As for separate fees... Ticketmaster has gone on record again and again that they're willing to bake all the fees in, it's the acts that don't want this. The acts want to appear that they're on the side of the fans, with a low face value, and it's predators gouging you on the fees. When the truth is the fees are part of the actual ticket price, they are not extras, take away the fees and there is no concert. The fees pay the promoter, pay the building, and yes, a chunk goes to Ticketmaster, which does provide a service. It'd be like bringing your car in for service and only be willing to pay for parts, refusing to pay for labor. Without the labor, the parts are not installed, the problem is not fixed!

I'm not gonna sit here and say there is no bad behavior in the concert business. But the problem is not Ticketmaster. Talk to anybody who actually sells through Ticketmaster and they'll say the service is the best, and also that Ticketmaster acts as a marketing platform that far exceeds that of any other ticketing company. As for the quality...did you see that Barclays dropped SeatGeek and returned to Ticketmaster? Because SeatGeek wasn't up to the job!

So the artist is in charge of ticketing, but the artist should not be hampered by bad actors, selling tickets that don't exist or scooping up inventory via bots.

This is a perspective change. Rather than starting with Ticketmaster, the end of the food chain, start at the beginning. We've got the act, it does or does not decide to go on tour. If it does decide, it needs a promoter. Could be Live Nation, could be AEG, could be an independent. And the dirty little secret is casinos pay the most! Generally speaking whoever pays the most gets the act. There's no inherent monopoly in concerts. Then again, few want to get in, because margins are so low. And promoters construct buildings to increase their margins.

As for the price... The acts decide. The Fair Ticketing Act is about letting the artists' decisions stand, eliminating the impediments.

Who knows if anything will happen.

But at least let's focus on the real issues.

As for me, looking like I'm on the side of the man...

I'm on the side of the artist, and everybody in the food chain works for the artist, REMEMBER THAT!


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I'm Glad My Mom Died

https://amzn.to/3lY50ZI

I reserved this book because it was constantly #1 in the "New York Times."

And because of its title.

No one ever talks about the liberation of the death of a parent. The evaporation of judgment (not that it completely evaporates!) When do you get to be an adult, make up your own mind, make your own decisions? Some people never, they're haunted by their parents until their own death.

My mother always told me I was not the one. And it wasn't until I was deep into adulthood that I realized she hated men. Other than a very few, who were always attractive, who still might cross a line and be thrown on the scrapheap. But women? Any achievement, any good turn of fate and she'd laud it.

As for impressing my mother... It was almost impossible to do. And she was the ultimate arbiter. And if you disagreed...the blowback would be intense. I thought my mother knew everything, at least about the arts, until I went to college. As soon as I came home I learned to shut up, which she also didn't like, because I couldn't possibly know more than her, never mind have a different opinion.

But my mother was the straw who stirred the drink. Everybody loved her. And with the right personality you can be cutting, make jokes, and get away with it. Most people are dull and don't know where to go or what to do, my mother provided direction, she led them, she provided the entertainment, she was the leader.

She was not like Jennette McCurdy's mom, who traded on her looks. That was her calling card. Other than that she had no portfolio. So she dieted herself down to nothing but still felt unfulfilled, so she boosted her daughter's career to have something to live for, she thought she lost her chance when she got married and had kids.

That's what many people want. But if you want to test the limits, achieve riches and fame, you need very few encumbrances, very few obligations, because achievement takes all your time, and often doesn't pay dividends for years, if not decades.

So I start to read the book and...

I wonder if this is just an inferior version of Tara Westover's "Educated." If you haven't read that book, you should. It's mind-blowing. But also about growing up in a Mormon household.

The picture Jennette paints of growing up in Garden Grove, California... In a small house owned by her mother's parents, who ultimately move in. With little room, because Jennette's mom is a hoarder. The kids sleep in the living room, not in the bedroom. And they eat meals on a plastic tarp laid down in said living room. And you'd better not drip on the carpet!

These people are poor. We don't learn too much about the parents' background, but they're unskilled laborers, the father has two jobs, one in the kitchen design department at Home Depot, the other making cardboard cutouts for Hollywood Video... The grandfather works as a ticket-taker at Disneyland... There's no MONEY! And the mother is constantly on the phone trying to forestall paying bills and...

So, Jennette's mother Debra decides to imprint her dream upon her daughter, to become an actress.

And Debra is a force of nature. This is what most people don't realize, how much effort it takes to have an opportunity, never mind make it. Debra rings the phone off the hook at managers' and agents' offices. And she's always upgrading Jennette's representation and...

She insists Jennette take dance class so her resumé will be enhanced. It's a full time job for Jennette, and she's just a kid. As for education? She's homeschooled, all the kids are...you wonder what kind of education they ultimately get. You're a child actor, you run out of roles and then you're left by the side of the road without cash and skills and...

I thought that "I'm Glad My Mom Died" might just be one of those stories, child actor memoir. But it was more.

Jennette cannot say no to her mom. Because that's how Jennette feels good, by satisfying her mom, making her smile. And if Jennette does the opposite... Her cancer-surviving mom disapproves, extremely.

"This thing in Mom drives me nuts. This thing where she yearns to be pitied. She's got stage four cancer, she's already plenty pitied. She doesn't need to throw Wendy's on top of it."

Manipulative.

Debra recovered from bad cancer, she trades on it. Tells Jennette to tell casting directors about her mom's history to gain an advantage. As for Wendy's... When Jennette has money, and can pay for dinner anywhere, and Debra's cancer has returned, her mom says Wendy's is good. I certainly know people like this. They want to make you feel bad, for succeeding, for not properly acknowledging their situation.

So Jennette starts out as an extra. And it does not sound pretty. A lot of long days standing around in the heat.

And ultimately Jennette is cast in a costarring role in the Nickelodeon show "iCarly."

I know "iCarly." I've never seen it, but I follow the business. And I know it was a Dan Schneider show, the child actor become show creator who is now disgraced because of his abusive behavior.

And it sounds like a dream. And to a degree it is, the family's bills can be paid.

But Jennette can't shake her mother. Even when she moves out of the house, her mother ultimately moves in.

And Jennette is self-conscious about growing up, and when she confides this to her mother Debra leads her on the road to calorie-counting and anorexia, to make sure Jennette's boobs don't grow.

And Jennette likes this. Or thinks she does. She wants to forestall adulthood.

But then it arrives and she's on a show for youngsters. She wants to grow up and she's peddling this nonsense knowing it won't lead to anything more.

Then she gets her own show and her costar is the upcoming Ariana Grande and Jennette is eclipsed and then...

Well you know the story.

Only you don't.

Because ultimately Jennette gets off the hamster wheel. She quits acting. That's right up front. You know that. But that's not the way it usually goes down, most people are squeezed out. They try and try until they run out of cash and get a low-paying day job and become a laughingstock via pictures online, illustrating they're no better than the rest of us.

Which they are not.

They're told that fame is desirable, that it's what everybody wants. Read "I'm Glad My Mom Died" and you will never allow your kid to be an actor. McCurdy keeps saying she missed out on growing up, making mistakes. And when she finally dips her toe into the romantic field... It's very late with bad choices.

Kid actors are supposed to lose their virginity at 13 and start drinking shortly thereafter. Jennette ultimately does both, but almost a decade later, long after even the average person has experience.

And she finds her whackadoodle therapist online. You'd think she'd call one of her team for a recommendation. But does she even know to do this? Or maybe she's embarrassed. And her eating disorder and drinking get ever worse and...

"I'm Glad My Mom Died" is not a highbrow book.

But I wondered how lowbrow, how much respect it was getting.

Well, it was reviewed in the "New York Times," and that's a big achievement, most books are not. And it was far from excoriated.

So do you need to read it?

Well, if you ever watched "iCarly" you should.

But if the above doesn't interest you, intrigue you, forget it.

But if you have more questions than answers, wonder whether you're doing it right, trying to shake off bad influences, wondering how to march forward.

I highly recommend "I'm Glad My Mom Died."


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Brent Smith-This Week's Podcast

Shinedown has the most number one "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Songs (18) in the history of the chart (40 years), and Brent Smith is the band's lead singer. You might have no idea who he is, or have even heard Shinedown's music, but I guarantee you're going to find Brent and his story very interesting.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/brent-smith-109437548/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brent-smith/id1316200737?i=1000601250030

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3coQ9bd86PQDb7zhK4L5Fk?si=S_2Ovf0lQy6Uymcl96Bq_g

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d6a8ff8e-0fcf-4db8-8b5c-6cbe90fae77b/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-brent-smith

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/brent-smith-212240738


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More Mailbag

Some interesting things came across the transom today and I thought you'd be interested.
________

Hi Bob

Thank you for the super insightful interview with Fred Rosen. As Fred mentioned at one point latterly in your interview, it appears that Ticketmaster's most significant ongoing error (previous controversies aside) is its singular failure to communicate clearly to ticket buyers what value and practical benefits they are getting from what otherwise at first sight appear to be egregious service fees.

Even to both seasoned music industry professionals and concertgoers in the UK, I believe that there is a significant lack of awareness on this topic. To my mind there's either something fundamentally wrong with Ticketmaster's PR strategy. Or perhaps they're now so powerful that they simply don't care about public perception and are happy to be viewed as a "necessary evil".

Speaking of egregious, I would love to hear your thoughts on the US Dept of Homeland Security's proposed fee increases for O and P visa applications.

As the manager of a number of non-US bands, the proposed hike in P visa costs from US$460 to US$1,615 – a mere 250%! – will transform touring the US from being expensive to becoming impossible. One band I manage, Big Big Train, were initially set to tour North America for the first time ever in spring 2020. The pandemic put paid to that tour but we lost ca. US$10k in visa application costs which were unrecoverable. Post pandemic we have been dusting off our plans to play the USA (and Canada) but the hike in visa costs severely threatens the financial viability of the tour.

I completely get that DHS requires funding but US$1,615 per individual risks pricing the vast majority of non-US artists out of touring the States. Sure, if you're the Rolling Stones, U2, Adele or Ed Sheeran, we're just talking about visa application costs being a rounding error in the tour accounts. But for the 99% of mere mortal non-US musicians, these amounts are simply unaffordable. As such the US music market risks becoming more parochial. And surely local economies will suffer too if the proposals are enacted.

Has DHS really thought through the likely consequences of the cost increases properly? I suggest not!

Best wishes

Nick Shilton
Kingmaker Management
________

I've been in a losing battle trying to convince people not to take Social Security until they hit 70, unless absolutely necessary, absolutely necessary.

Today the "Wall Street Journal" printed an article citing the statistics as to why you should wait until you are 70:

"The High Price Retirees Pay for Collecting Social Security Too Early - A study suggests that many retirees give up tens of thousands of dollars - Researchers found that almost 90% of workers age 45 to 62 would benefit by waiting until age 70 to collect Social Security.": https://on.wsj.com/3SrMKEk

If you're thinking of taking Social Security early, DEFINITELY read the above article.

For those click-averse (and that's a free link above), let me quote a couple of relevant sections:

"A recent study, funded by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, finds that retirees often give up tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars by taking Social Security benefits too early. That takes into account that if a retiree claims Social Security at age 70 instead of 62, the monthly benefit could be 76% higher, adjusted for inflation.

"The researchers looked at lifetime discretionary spending and determined that almost 90% of workers age 45 to 62 would benefit by waiting until age 70 to collect Social Security. Indeed, waiting would boost the typical worker's median discretionary spending over a lifetime by $182,370, or around 10%.

"Yet less than 10% of retirees are likely to wait that long, the researchers said."

"Another issue is that many retirees don't account for the value of their Social Security benefits over a 30- or 40-year period, thinking they won't live that long. Financial experts and even guidance on the Social Security website recommend that retirees use average death rates to estimate the value of their Social Security benefits and cash flow during retirement. But Prof. Kotlikoff says that 'using averages is highly irresponsible.'

'It's more important to think about how long you could possibly live,' he says, adding that Social Security becomes a lot more valuable if someone expects to live to 100 years old and maximizing benefit becomes even more essential."
________

The endless antisemitism conversation...

Noa Tishby wrote a necessary book re understanding Israel and the Palestinians entitled "Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth": https://amzn.to/3lZrysU
Unfortunately, those who need to read it won't. Tishby delineates the history of the land, from way back when, thousands of years ago, to today.
But like Tom Lehrer sang, "Everybody hates the Jews."
Anyway, Tishby recently posted on TikTok re the Super Bowl, Kanye and antisemitism.
I'm not going to address Tishby's point about Rihanna not singing songs that Kanye had a hand in, it's what comes after that resonates, that what people need to hear. THE BLOWBACK!

Tishby calls it "Being online while Jewish."

I certainly have experienced this.

You need to watch this video. It's not a big commitment. And Tishby delivers the message with all the appropriate intense emotion.

https://bit.ly/41bRHoN


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Mailbag-Carnes/Rosen/Murphy/More

RE: KIM CARNES/DON'T CALL IT LOVE

Hey, Bob. Thank you so much for your very kind words about "Don't Call It Love." You've given an old songwriter a big lift and I'm grateful.

Tom Snow

____________________________________

Original Tom Snow version of "Don't Call It Love"

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3YMY6oz

Hyperbolium

____________________________________

Hi Bob,

You don't know me personally, but after reading your Feb.15th letter I feel like you do. I was heavily involved in "Mistaken Identity" being the arranger on "Bette Davis Eyes", "Mistaken Identity" and writing the music for "Draw Of The Cards."

I wanted to give you a quick back story regarding "Don't Call It Love". EMI wanted that for the first single, but Kim was adamant about it being too commercial despite being the obvious choice. She felt it wan't unique to her, instead wanting something that was more of a game changer and more in the direction she was seeking.

Jim Mazza, Gary Gersh, Don Grierson all complained that BDEyes was not suitable for a radio single: No chorus, no guitar solo, synth based etc., etc.. Kim went to EMI daily to plead her case and finally got EMI president Jim Mazza to acquiesce. Of course, the rest is history along with the execs applauding "their decision" to release "Bette Davis Eyes" as the first single.

I was fortunate in having a long time relationship with Kim (still hang with her and husband Dave today) in that she was always open to hear new ideas. I never thought she would like the music, but I played her the song that would become Draw Of The Cards and she along with Val Garay (producer) loved it. The result was a waltz that rocked. By the way, the laughing at the end is Kim's husband Dave.

You are so right about memorable music. The home computer/studio opened the floodgates and the gate of talent required was removed. These days I rarely work in the studio unless I'm making music of merit (indie films) and also not expecting anything to become of it. I realize I am battling 2 fronts: Ageism and Public numbness. However that doesn't stop me from getting together to work with old friends like Dann Rogers who I've known for decades and putting out some quality pieces of work. We just put out a song (Let Go and Be Still) and if anyone listens, that's a bonus. Really can't ask for anything more. The pleasure of creating is always there.

Best regards,
Bill Cuomo

____________________________________

Should have been the 2nd single off that album as you're right it was a hit song and he gave me a demo of it when I was buying his Yahama C5 piano. But she insisted it be "Draw Of The Cards" which I co-wrote with her and it was written about Josh Leo getting cancer and I said it was all in the draw of the cards and so the song was written. Interesting insight Bob and yes Jerry's solo was killer. He called it playing "Elephants" where he would play a tenor and alto sax together at the same time.

Val Garay

____________________________________

I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to read your post about the song, "Don't Call It Love".

I spent most of my career as a song plugger and truth be told, you are only as good as the songs you pitch.

I was at Arista Music in 1984 when we acquired Dean Pitchford's catalogue and I was put in charge of going through it and finding songs to pitch.

At my initial meeting with Dean, I told him how much I loved "Don't Call It Love". Knowing it had been cut a few times before I asked him what his "Christmas wish" was for it. He said immediately, Dolly Parton. Challenge accepted.

I booked a trip to Nashville and played it in person for David Malloy, who was producing the next Dolly Parton album. He put it on hold immediately and was in the studio within weeks cutting the record.

In 1985, it was released as a single and reached number 3 on the Billboard country charts and awarded the grand prize for Song of The Year at BMI.

As a song plugger, one of my prouder moments.

Thanks for bringing attention to the song and the song writers!

Kindly
Judy Stakee

____________________________________

I was a baby rock critic when Dolly had the hit... and it has that full stop heading into the chorus, which just grabbed you.

It took a few listeners to realize it WAS the song from MISTAKEN IDENTITY, which everyone I knew obsessed with after Kim Carnes opened for -- I believe -- James Taylor at Blossom. She was so cool, in her oversized tuxedo jacket, that smoky, salty voice just sandpapered down to raw emotion.

The cleaner synth track of Carnes' track seemed poppier, but her vocal was delivered through (we thought) a lot of life.
Dolly's version, once I figured out it was the same song, was silkier, her voice a bit more rooted in the vibrato and the the full-on pledge. It was less fraught, more sweet.
Each woman, though, had iconic tone -- and were able to be all-in and then some without sounding like a cliche, over-emoting or having that amyl nitrate/coked up enthusiasm.
AND you;re right about the sax solo, too.

and if you really wanna hear Carnes' at her finest, a ballad called "Still Hold On." WHOOOOOOwooooooooooWH!

Holly Gleason\
Nashville, TN

____________________________________

I'm pretty sure my little brother's finger[prints are
all over Kim's album, most definitely Bette Davis Eyes.
FYI.

Jimmy Wachtel

____________________________________

"Don't Call it Love"
Yes, written by Tom Snow.
He wrote lots of great songs.
Had a few solo albums.
His first band was called 'Country"
There was a song on there called "Sylvie"
Lowell George plays slide guitar on it.
Ta-da!

Marty Bender

____________________________________

You forgot to mention that Kim Carnes didn't write Bette Davis Eyes either.

Original version here:

https://youtu.be/FAQsOJbs-yo

Best Regards,
Zach Goode
____________________________________
____________________________________

RE: FRED ROSEN PODCAST

____________________________________

Wow Bob

Blown away by that interview and wish it went another couple hours!

I hope he writes some sort of book. Hearing his perspective on the Pearl Jam fiasco, Dean Budnik's book, Telecharge's litany of bad business decisions, and how he ran TM... just wow. It all just seems like a no-brainer now, but clearly here's a guy who knows where the money is and how to make a deal, and then how to see the deal through.

I'm sure I could come up with better words to express how amazing that interview is, let's just say that if Fred Rosen was as truly authentic during his time at Ticketmaster I certainly would have run through walls for him.

Not many in this biz inspire that kind of emotion in me that's for sure!

Get him back for round two!

Cheers

Dan Millen

____________________________________

How great to hear Fred's voice again.

Early in my career I was a Ticketmaster client in several markets, part of a number of Ticketron conversions, and never had a bad day using the service, striking new deals, getting data or payment or dealing with a smart, talented and diverse staff.

Later in my career, as a TM Vice-president (after Fred), we blazed new trails in Asia, cutting deals with global impact. Pound for pound probably the smartest group of people I've ever worked with.

Now, as an occasional consumer, but knowing all the history and backstories, I'm still amazed at the costs and machinations involved in selling a ticket.

Alan DeZon

____________________________________

SPECTACULAR Interview!!!

Steve Gerardi

____________________________________

Wow. Completely fascinating. I love hearing about the underbelly of the ticketing business. I'm no businessman but I was enthralled.

Russ Turk

____________________________________

Great interview!

Kyle JF
____________________________________
____________________________________

RE: SPRINGSTEEN TICKETS


Most of the third and fourth row behind the pit went unsold in Dallas. Even the $405 face value was too high for the folks who didn't fall prey to the "platinum" pricing.
I bought a side-stage ticket with an amazing view from a scalper 45 minutes before the show for $20.

Charles McGarry
____________________________________
____________________________________

RE: JACK ANTONOFF ON TOURING

As a former small market promoter, Mr. Goldsmith's comments are spot on.

As a former concert ticket buyer, the day the fees and parking exceeded the ticket price was the day I quit going to live events.

Add to that utter disregard for attendee safety shown recently by some artists in Festival settings and there is no way I'm going to or allowing my kids to go to such an event.

Allen Craft
____________________________________
____________________________________

RE: DAVID CROSBY

Hi Bob

Here's my David Crosby tale:

It was probably the late 80's. I used to eat breakfast at Saul's Deli (later Delmonico's) on Ventura in Encino. I'd occasionally see David Crosby there doing the same with his wife. We'd exchange, 'hi's' in passing. One morning, as I was walking by, he stopped me. HUH?! He gestured at a yellow, lined pad on the table in front of him containing scribbling, 'actually, my wife and I are having an argument about this song,' he said, 'I'm trying to finish it. Maybe you could help us out.' I picked my teeth up off the floor and responded with an enthusiastic, 'sure.' He smiled and pointed at the paper, 'she thinks it should be this. I think it should be the words of the hook.' I read through the words and said, 'well, being a songwriter (he'd never heard of me), I'm generally biased in favor of using the words in the hook.' He smiled broadly and said, 'me too!'He turned to his not-as broadly-smiling wife and chided, 'there - TOLD you!' We all laughed - nervously. The song eventually appeared on a solo album, but I remember no more than that - except the title was amazing. What writer's percentage should I have requested?! But seriously, that throw-away moment for him has always been one of my favorite memories. R.I.P., David.

Best,
Manny Freiser
____________________________________
____________________________________

RE: THE SHANE MCNALLY ARTICLE


"New Musical 'Shucked' Headed To Broadway This Spring With Songs By Nashville Hitmakers Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally": https://bit.ly/3xChUz7

Janet Richardson
____________________________________
____________________________________

RE: FOX NEWS SCANDAL/DAVID MURPHY

Proves what point, Bob? CNN's news reporting isn't inclined to cover Don Lemon's idiotic remark (on CNN, of course) about women over 50 being past their prime, either. Like people everywhere, news networks endeavor to protect their own reputations. Call it human nature.

Kevin Green
Washington, DC
_____

Note:

"Don Lemon apologizes to CNN colleagues for sexist remarks: 'I'm sorry that I said it': https://cnn.it/3xD7KhC

By Oliver Darcy, CNN
Published 11:31 AM EST, Fri February 17, 2023

____________________________________

Thanks for sharing. David is a smart man

Richard Carlson

____________________________________

And your point?
The majority of the country agrees with him. Myself included.
I feel like we're living in "All Along the Watchtower."

Thanks,
Ernie Canadeo
Chairman and Founder
The EGC Group
egcgroup.com
_____

Note: My inbox does not concur. Criticism of Mr. Murphy's opinions outnumbered those supporting them by a ratio of thirty to one.

____________________________________

Your emails have been so spotty lately that I've relegated them to the "read last" group. The just published string of replies you've received from Mr Murphy, however, have given me hope. Going forward, if you're to feel compelled to get political, please consult with him first.

Mark Terry

____________________________________

You really should listen to this David Murphy..I don't even know who he is, but he's spot on. Big disconnect that you're trying to make an example him and yet you cant see it.

Funktion808

____________________________________

Geez - thanks Bob.
You make me look pretty good here.

David Murphy

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The Shane McAnally Article

Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3YHgkYx

1

"Remaking Country's Gender Politics, One Barroom Weeper at a Time - The Nashville songwriter Shane McAnally is behind many of country music's No. 1 hits, which aren't as straight as they seem.": https://nyti.ms/3Kh19RC

You won't read this. That's the dirty little secret, nobody clicks through. They've been burned with bad, or mediocre, articles too many times, and they only have a limited amount of time to begin with, everybody, even babies, are overscheduled. Which demonstrates how hard it is to reach people today, ask them to listen to a three minute song and they won't, it's too big a chore.

Not that I recommend this article. It's not bad, but not great, not necessary reading. But I'm a fan of Shane's work and I was interested in a bit of backstory, what he was hyping.

Not that I could figure out what it was. You see no article just appears out of thin air. There's a publicist, the artist is promoting something. Maybe it's set-up for Shane's ultimate solo album, which he is working on, or something bigger, it's definitely part of a plan.

And every article has to have a hook. And the first one is that Shane is gay. Which everybody in Nashville knows, I certainly know, but that's not the audience they're looking for, they're trolling for newbies, and that's a revelation to them.

And, that McAnally lost his voice, it's psychological, he has trouble singing. It's coming back with treatment, however the extensive focus on this in the article was because...I'm not exactly sure why, it's not like he makes his living singing, at least not at this point.

Then again, you write these articles and then they're edited, and the final product might barely resemble what you laid down.

But the writer, Carlo Rotella, does nail songwriting:

"Think of a song as an ancient technology for imposing form and meaning on experience, a device for filtering the chaotic noise of inner life and the world around us so it can be translated into meaningful signal. Or think of a song as a container into which you can pour a distilled feeling that others can then imbibe by playing or singing or listening to it."

Could have been written in a more simple fashion, but intellectuals want to appeal to other intellectuals, to make themselves feel good, and the ultimate point comes across...

THE BEST SONGS ARE ABOUT INNER LIFE, WRITTEN IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO THEM.

Try relating to the hip-hop and pop songs dominating the Spotify Top 50. It's fantasies, cartoons, akin to the Marvel movies that dominate the cinema. It's far from your regular life. Or so bland as to be unrelatable.

But Shane McAnally's songs...

Now as you read the article you'll wince a bit. Over the fact that Nashville's a machine, and you play by the rules, or try to break them very very slowly, which McAnally is doing. It's a controlled marketplace.

I was listening to the Highway on SiriusXM yesterday and you could see the cynicism behind the songs. They were written to be hits. And therefore they didn't ring true, never mind being rehashed. But I did hear one good one, Kelsea Ballerini's "What I Have."

"I bought the shoes where the bottom is red
But who the hell am I tryin' to impress
When you sit back that's when you notice
The Joneses can't even keep up with the Joneses
I know, don't gotta shine to be gold"

Even I know the brand name of the shoes with the red soles. The name isn't checked, the reference is enough, a great songwriter knows when you're obvious you usually sacrifice greatness right out of the box, it might be a hit that panders to the masses, it might be serviceable, but it's not a classic.

And we've got a war going on in America between the red and the blue, but in truth we're all just trying to get along. Then again, unless you're a member of the one percent, you're struggling. You can identify.

"'Cause I got a roof over my head
I got a warm body in bed
I'm doing all right where I'm at
With what I have"

A bit too optimistic, a bit too glass half-full for this boy, but the chorus immediately conveys what the song is about and it's catchy, the whole number is a bit sing-songy, but that's what hooks you. Does country radio want to play a soft number like this? That's irrelevant, "What I Have" is a good song. Not forever, but pretty good.

As for "Follow Your Arrow"...

2

The article says "Follow Your Arrow" is one of the lowest charting songs to ever be anointed the CMA's Song of the Year. It was cowritten with Shane by Brandy Clark and Kacey Musgraves, and the latter recorded it.

I figured the number was from Kacey's last album, you know, the one that wasn't country enough for the country awards.

But it turned out that "Follow Your Arrow" was from 2013. I'd never heard it. And that's something that media and society have yet to realize and acknowledge. Every person today has huge blind spots, they might know about certain subjects in depth, but they're clueless as to others. As stated above, time is precious, and there's no authoritative voice directing you to greatness outside your field(s) of interest. That used to be radio, especially back in the sixties, AM would play country tracks along with the Beatles. And MTV featured a smorgasbord of acts that everybody knew about, you couldn't avoid them. If you were alive in the early eighties, you not only know Culture Club, you can sing their hits, which is impossible with most of today's hit parade.

So I listened.

The article quotes the lyrics from the chorus, supporting the gay-theme penetrating country point of the article.

"So make lots of noise
Kiss lots of boys
Or kiss lot of girls
If that's something you're into
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little too straight
Roll up a joint, or don't"

Some might say it's subtle, but to me it's pretty obvious. If this is the breakthrough we're waiting for... We'll be waiting a very long time. Come on, there are gay people everywhere, you're related to them, this song is not going to change beliefs.

But the rest of the number...

"If you save yourself for marriage
You're a bore
You don't save yourself for marriage
You're a horrible person
If you won't have a drink
Then you're a prude
But they'll call you a drunk
As soon as you down the first one"

We ALL face these issues. It's not a matter of being born one way or another, you've got a choice, which path are you going to take? The religious one? The one society tells you to? Or the one that feels right to you? And if you stumble from your perch, take a risk, you will be labeled. Come on, we all grew up with the concept of refraining from sex until marriage. To break that taboo was not so easy.

"If you can't lose the weight
Then you're just fat
But if you lose too much
Then you're on crack"

This is brief, but brilliant.

You can't talk about being fat in a song, even worse you can't reference fat-shaming.

But come on, when you see these super-skinny people, don't you wonder if they're doing drugs? And the truth is, if you've been following the recent news, THEY ALL ARE! They're all taking the the diabetes drug Ozempic to lose weight. Hell, Lisa Marie Presley took drugs to lose 50 pounds in a matter of weeks, to look good for the potential awards for the "Elvis" movie. I have no idea if she was taking Ozempic, but while you're worried about exceeding size 10, the celebrities believe if they're not size 0, with no extra flesh on their bodies, THEY'RE FAT!

Ultimately "Follow Your Arrow" is not a hit. A hit is something you hear once and need to hear again. Or as Ahmet said, something you hear on the radio and have to get out of bed and go to the all night record shop to buy.

"One Night Standards" is closer.

3

"One Night Standards" I knew. From hearing the Ashley McBride song on the radio. It's got a groove and a catchy chorus to the point where you can like the song without even knowing most of the lyrics. Hell, I caught the chorus but not every word, but when I listened this afternoon...

"I ain't gonna stay for the weekend
I ain't gonna jump off the deep end
I ain't gonna ask where your ring is
Thing is, we all got secrets"

Let's skip the moral debate, the truth is an incredible percentage of people in relationships cheat. And girls as much as guys, some studies say more. And just because you're married that does not mean you don't look, don't fantasize, and "One Night Standards" speaks to the situation, the dilemma.

This is sex. Probably more. There's always a basic connection, but you don't really know the person. You have to jump over so many hurdles, endure so many hardships to make a relationship sustain. That person who titillates you at the bar, two or three days later might drive you nuts. But while you have the desire...

"It's just a room key
You ain't gotta lie to me
Can't you just use me like I'm using you
How it goes is bar closes
There's no king bed covered in roses
Just a room without a view"

It's down and dirty. She's empowered. This isn't a fantasy, what she wants is an experience, something physical, to take her away from her regular life, she knows you do too.

"Well I ain't Cinderella, but who is?
Call me what you want if the shoe fits
I ain't gonna say I never do this, 'cause truth is
Lonely makes a heart ruthless"

Self-knowledge. It's so appealing, and so rarely encountered. Few of us are Cinderella, and you know the cliché, show me a man married to a beautiful woman and... Sex happens inside the brain.

As for "lonely makes a heart ruthless," I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I know what it FEELS LIKE!

"No I don't give a damn about the morning after
Bottles on the floor don't even matter
I don't want a number, you ain't gonna answer
Let's just stick to the one night standards
The one night standards
The one night standards"

This isn't romance, this is sex. This isn't about the trappings, but the essence. You get hooked on the music and ultimately hear the song enough to get the rest of the lyrics, assuming you hear it to begin with.

4

Chris Stapleton keeps winning all the awards. People e-mailed me about his performance at the Super Bowl. He's the king of Nashville, he may have a few hits, but it's something more, Stapleton is authentic, he's doing it his way and having success, which everybody else wishes they could do, stop pandering and be real.

But the above lyrics are much more real than those you'll find in the Spotify Top 50. You can relate to them. They're issues you've thought about, dealt with.

And Ashley McBryde and Nicolette Hayford cowrote "One Night Standards" with Shane, and that checks the box for me of having the performer involved in the songwriting. Then again, writing sessions... I'm more about inspiration.

Then again, if you read every word of the article, you'll see that in truth it is all about inspiration. Shane doesn't show up to the writing room empty-handed, he's got an idea, a phrase he heard, at a party, at the grocery store. And it's a very short window within which you can lay it all down. Then the muse goes. You need to get caught up in the mood, lose your self-consciousness, and as soon as you think about what you're doing you lose it. Ultimately the great stuff is about inspiration.

It'd be one thing if I heard these words on Active Rock.

And too many of today's singer-songwriters have inadequate voices and substandard songs. When these "artists" complain, saying Bob Dylan has a poor voice, I always tell them that might be true, but Bob Dylan IS THE GREATEST LYRICIST OF THE PAST HALF-CENTURY!

Maybe Shane will have hits on his own.

As for making a complete album, I hope he enjoys the process, because getting people to check out an album of music today is nearly impossible unless there's a hit. If you want to be a star, find a hit and then build upon that. And go short with frequency if you want to make albums. Less than forty minutes, like the old days. And regular releases, to satiate not radio, but your FANS!

Of course the rules can be broken, but when Morgan Wallen released the double-album "Dangerous" he already had success under his belt.

I don't know where this leaves us. I'm inspired by these songs. But this movement is constrained by the Nashville establishment and doesn't spread that far to non-country fans. It could. At festivals. And despite country's image as being all-red, that's no longer the case, don't forget Maren Morris calling out Brittany Aldean's transphobic Instagram post and her her husband Jason's PR firm dropping him. As for trans issues... You use the same bathroom at home, right? And it's barely an issue. What I mean is gay people are not going to take over the world, be fifty percent of the population, and neither are trans people, can't you leave these people in peace and let them live their lives? After all, as in "Follow Your Arrow" we're all struggling, just trying to get along, why are you so interested in what everybody else is doing, especially when it doesn't even impact you?

But at least these songs lead to questions. There are no questions in the Spotify Top 50, just dashes for cash.

And cash is very important, but Shane McAnally was writing songs when he was in the single digits, it's not solely about the Benjamins, and how much money do you need anyway?

Enough.

But money isn't everything. You need soul fulfillment, you want art you can relate to. One thing is for sure, Shane McAnally and his posse are on the right path.


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