Tune in Saturday August 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
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Friday 11 August 2023
Lucinda Williams At The Ford
She had a white hot band.
The music business is still not completely up to speed post-covid. What I mean is there are not as many lunches, as many hangs, as there were pre-pandemic. Which means I'm still at home a bunch, and I don't like it. Sure, I like to read my books and watch my shows, and unlike many I'm hearing from people all day long, but there's nothing like being out and about.
Like last night at the Ford.
I went alone. I used to always go to the show alone. You know those who talk about shows being parties? That was never me. It's always been about what's on the stage and my communication with the music, setting my mind adrift, setting me free. It's a religious experience. Related to listening to recordings, but different.
And I don't want to drag someone to a show. I don't want to feel responsible for anybody else. I don't want my experience impaired. But if no one else will go, that won't hold me back.
So...
As soon as I parked my car and got on the golf cart to take me up the hill, a feature at the Ford, I encountered people and my mood changed. After picking up my ticket and going through security and entering the building I got a feeling you can only get at a show, a feeling of anticipation and excitement. Not only is this why live will never die, but it's also why live is burgeoning. In an era where so much is done inside, at home, it's great to go outside, it refreshes your mood and inspires you. In the pre-internet era we were always out of the house, home was anathema, all the action was at the club, the movie theatre, the arena... But now people stay at home not only to stream TV, but to play video games, dedicate time to their devices, such that out is such a huge contrast. And no matter how many gigs you've been to, the feeling when you walk inside the building remains palpable, you're never completely relaxed, you're waiting, to be lifted off, jetted into the stratosphere.
Now it's not like Lucinda Williams is unknown. But she's never had a hit record, not even one, not one cut that everybody knows. She has been the beneficiary of a ton of press, but press means less than ever before. Used to be your PR person could get you in enough traditional publications to get the word out, so everybody was aware of you, but that's impossible today. Even worse, the younger you are the less you even read/are exposed to mainstream publications. My name was mentioned three times in an article on ticketing in the "Los Angeles Times" last week and I only heard about it from one person, my sister. In the pre-internet era there would be a plethora of incoming. My point being if you get your name in the newspaper, if you're on TV, enjoy it, because it almost never leads anywhere.
So...
Lucinda Williams recently released an autobiography and a new album, and that generated some of the aforementioned press, but in today's world if you're not a fan, you're not interested. No one sits at home and says...that's sounds interesting, I think I'll go. Because there are so many events that are in your wheelhouse. The looky-loos stay away. Then again, there are cultural events, like the Taylor Swift tour, that incite FOMO, but for most shows this is not the case.
Now in the past century, in a much smaller music business, charts meant everything, you could quantify someone's success. Despite there still being charts, today they're notable for what they miss as opposed to what they include. In other words, the charts won't tell you what is happening. Like the fact that Lucinda Williams has a hard core, dedicated fan base who will keep her career alive.
Now it's important to know that Lucinda fandom is not casual. People find the lyrics speak to them. They're devoted.
And almost all of them are oldsters. At least last night.
It was the opposite of TMZ, the opposite of Kardashian, the opposite of almost everything everybody tells us is important and dominates. I haven't seen this much gray hair at a show in memory. And I'm not talking about the men so much as the women. They were not conforming to society's beauty standards. And a lot of the men and women had imperfect bodies. But boy were they into the music. Like the people who came down the aisles to get closer. The guy who sidled up next to me was in his seventies, but he just needed to get closer to the sound, to the show, and he was not the only one.
And this is different from our parents. Our parents were not constantly going to see their heroes live. They might occasionally go to a popular music show in their later years, but if anything they went to hear the symphony, classical music. Their popular music was not classic, but ours is. They call it classic rock because it is. And it's a sound and an attitude and...
You need it. Boomers go to shows on a regular basis. Sure, a lot of times to see older acts, but not always. Then again, so much of the modern music is rooted in the sounds of yore.
So...
Have you ever listened to "Get-Yer-Ya-Ya's Out!"? This classic Stones album from 1970 is unlike today's live albums. In that it's rough, it's a feeling as much as the sound, it's not impenetrable, if anything it draws you deeper in, because it's alive and breathing and...
If you got a bunch of teenagers in the venue last night you could have sold Fenders by the dozens on the way out. Because you wanted to be one of those guys on stage, playing. It looked like the height of living. It had nothing to do with money, but the happy expressions on their faces, the way they locked in together and squeezed out the notes, the way they played effortlessly.
Now if you've ever picked up a guitar you know it's far from effortless, at least beyond a few chords. You've got to spend your time, pay your dues. The hurdle is pretty high. The rewards come deep in your career. And that's too hard a lift for most today. Or they want to show off before they are ready. But these guys are seasoned and ready.
So...
You've probably heard that Lucinda Williams had a stroke. Based on the scuttlebutt, I thought she was doing better than she is. Sure, stairs can be dangerous territory for the most agile person, so I understood her slow movement down the steps, on the arm of a helper, but when she crossed the stage to the microphone tentatively...
I was reminded that she had more days behind her than in front of her. That this is the case with me and everybody in the audience. This is it, this is our time, pay attention, because it won't be long before it's over.
And Lucinda was performing this way. She was not punching the clock, this was not just another gig, this was more than that. The music used to be more than that. With Lucinda, it still is.
So...
The show began with "Let's Get the Band Back Together," and this was...
Well, like being hooked up to thousand watt electrodes. The audience was instantly energized, swinging, this is the sound that they grew up with, that's in their DNA, this is rock and roll.
They say that rock is dead, but if you were at the Ford last night you'd think otherwise. And it wasn't nostalgia, everybody was worse for wear but they were pushing forward.
I really can't describe it, it's something you feel. When the band lights up and so do you, when you can't help but move, dance in your seat, even if instinctively you're too uptight to dance in public, you just can't help yourself.
It was inspiring, it was overwhelming. And I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest Lucinda Williams fan, and I'd seen her before, but this was something different. She was the headliner, the venue was small, this was her audience, she damn rocked the place.
Now I'm not saying there were not quieter moments, but you sat there and felt like whatever you believed in, the sound of yore, the roots, back from the sixties and seventies, were still alive and blooming. There were no hard drives, no synths, it was what you used to do with your buddies in the garage, but on a professional level.
The bass player's Precision was worn down around the edges, the finish was gone, that's how long he'd been playing it.
And the drummer? He had a kit bigger than most touring musicians today. But what was really interesting was between songs he reached behind his seat and extracted a new Paiste and changed cymbals. I mean really, it made that much difference, he needed to put in the effort? Yes it did and he did.
And two lead guitarists, intertwining. Akin to the Stones when Mick Taylor was in the band. Like on "Ya-Ya's." And no one was showing off, no one was grimacing, squeezing out the note, they were just playing.
But it wouldn't have mattered if not for Lucinda. Because sans songs you've got nothing.
And Lucinda does not come from the Moon/June school of songwriting. It's personal, with attitude. She lived the rock and roll lifestyle. You know, the clubs, the drunken nights, the road less taken. Then again, we too used to go to the clubs on a regular basis, back when they still existed, when they had live music at the bar down the street.
But today everybody puts money first. And if they bother to go down the music path they want quick results, they don't want to be lifers, they don't want to sacrifice, they want brand extensions. But Lucinda Williams is not a brand, but a person, an artist, and it's a big difference. She doesn't stand for something, she is something!
Now if you were unfamiliar with the music you still would have gotten it. But if you were...
What a long strange trip it's been, kids who were born after Jerry died pledging fealty to a Dead that's been cast in amber, as opposed to the living, breathing ensemble that Garcia drove into the future. That's right, as good as Dead and Company were, and they were excellent, it was nostalgia.
Lucinda Williams is not selling nostalgia. She's still pushing the envelope.
But she's not the only one. There are so many scenes out there garnering fans that get no big time attention. They are what's keeping music alive.
So, last night was a triumph, for Lucinda, the audience and me. Yes, I got out into the world, I felt alive. And being a member of an audience, even though I spoke to not a single person, made me feel like I belonged, that other people were on my wavelength. And Lucinda Williams was the ringleader, with songs, stories and attitude. It was reverse charisma. She didn't need to be a star, this was her job.
It was inspiring. She's still here and so are we. And we won't be forever, but we still want that hit, the live music, sans the trappings of dancing, even production. We want the sound, the feel, and we don't want it to be exactly like it was before. And we want to feel like it's being built from scratch every night, that everybody isn't just going through the motions, that playing these songs is a coming together, a meshing, a living, breathing enterprise, all done without a net.
You see you don't have to be two-dimensional to triumph. You don't have to get plastic surgery and refuse to age. You don't have to adopt a look and a persona. What we want most is three-dimensional, malleable human beings wrestling with the same questions we all are, but soldiering on, shedding light and inspiring us at the same time, helping ease our journey in this confusing life.
That's what Lucinda Williams did last night.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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The music business is still not completely up to speed post-covid. What I mean is there are not as many lunches, as many hangs, as there were pre-pandemic. Which means I'm still at home a bunch, and I don't like it. Sure, I like to read my books and watch my shows, and unlike many I'm hearing from people all day long, but there's nothing like being out and about.
Like last night at the Ford.
I went alone. I used to always go to the show alone. You know those who talk about shows being parties? That was never me. It's always been about what's on the stage and my communication with the music, setting my mind adrift, setting me free. It's a religious experience. Related to listening to recordings, but different.
And I don't want to drag someone to a show. I don't want to feel responsible for anybody else. I don't want my experience impaired. But if no one else will go, that won't hold me back.
So...
As soon as I parked my car and got on the golf cart to take me up the hill, a feature at the Ford, I encountered people and my mood changed. After picking up my ticket and going through security and entering the building I got a feeling you can only get at a show, a feeling of anticipation and excitement. Not only is this why live will never die, but it's also why live is burgeoning. In an era where so much is done inside, at home, it's great to go outside, it refreshes your mood and inspires you. In the pre-internet era we were always out of the house, home was anathema, all the action was at the club, the movie theatre, the arena... But now people stay at home not only to stream TV, but to play video games, dedicate time to their devices, such that out is such a huge contrast. And no matter how many gigs you've been to, the feeling when you walk inside the building remains palpable, you're never completely relaxed, you're waiting, to be lifted off, jetted into the stratosphere.
Now it's not like Lucinda Williams is unknown. But she's never had a hit record, not even one, not one cut that everybody knows. She has been the beneficiary of a ton of press, but press means less than ever before. Used to be your PR person could get you in enough traditional publications to get the word out, so everybody was aware of you, but that's impossible today. Even worse, the younger you are the less you even read/are exposed to mainstream publications. My name was mentioned three times in an article on ticketing in the "Los Angeles Times" last week and I only heard about it from one person, my sister. In the pre-internet era there would be a plethora of incoming. My point being if you get your name in the newspaper, if you're on TV, enjoy it, because it almost never leads anywhere.
So...
Lucinda Williams recently released an autobiography and a new album, and that generated some of the aforementioned press, but in today's world if you're not a fan, you're not interested. No one sits at home and says...that's sounds interesting, I think I'll go. Because there are so many events that are in your wheelhouse. The looky-loos stay away. Then again, there are cultural events, like the Taylor Swift tour, that incite FOMO, but for most shows this is not the case.
Now in the past century, in a much smaller music business, charts meant everything, you could quantify someone's success. Despite there still being charts, today they're notable for what they miss as opposed to what they include. In other words, the charts won't tell you what is happening. Like the fact that Lucinda Williams has a hard core, dedicated fan base who will keep her career alive.
Now it's important to know that Lucinda fandom is not casual. People find the lyrics speak to them. They're devoted.
And almost all of them are oldsters. At least last night.
It was the opposite of TMZ, the opposite of Kardashian, the opposite of almost everything everybody tells us is important and dominates. I haven't seen this much gray hair at a show in memory. And I'm not talking about the men so much as the women. They were not conforming to society's beauty standards. And a lot of the men and women had imperfect bodies. But boy were they into the music. Like the people who came down the aisles to get closer. The guy who sidled up next to me was in his seventies, but he just needed to get closer to the sound, to the show, and he was not the only one.
And this is different from our parents. Our parents were not constantly going to see their heroes live. They might occasionally go to a popular music show in their later years, but if anything they went to hear the symphony, classical music. Their popular music was not classic, but ours is. They call it classic rock because it is. And it's a sound and an attitude and...
You need it. Boomers go to shows on a regular basis. Sure, a lot of times to see older acts, but not always. Then again, so much of the modern music is rooted in the sounds of yore.
So...
Have you ever listened to "Get-Yer-Ya-Ya's Out!"? This classic Stones album from 1970 is unlike today's live albums. In that it's rough, it's a feeling as much as the sound, it's not impenetrable, if anything it draws you deeper in, because it's alive and breathing and...
If you got a bunch of teenagers in the venue last night you could have sold Fenders by the dozens on the way out. Because you wanted to be one of those guys on stage, playing. It looked like the height of living. It had nothing to do with money, but the happy expressions on their faces, the way they locked in together and squeezed out the notes, the way they played effortlessly.
Now if you've ever picked up a guitar you know it's far from effortless, at least beyond a few chords. You've got to spend your time, pay your dues. The hurdle is pretty high. The rewards come deep in your career. And that's too hard a lift for most today. Or they want to show off before they are ready. But these guys are seasoned and ready.
So...
You've probably heard that Lucinda Williams had a stroke. Based on the scuttlebutt, I thought she was doing better than she is. Sure, stairs can be dangerous territory for the most agile person, so I understood her slow movement down the steps, on the arm of a helper, but when she crossed the stage to the microphone tentatively...
I was reminded that she had more days behind her than in front of her. That this is the case with me and everybody in the audience. This is it, this is our time, pay attention, because it won't be long before it's over.
And Lucinda was performing this way. She was not punching the clock, this was not just another gig, this was more than that. The music used to be more than that. With Lucinda, it still is.
So...
The show began with "Let's Get the Band Back Together," and this was...
Well, like being hooked up to thousand watt electrodes. The audience was instantly energized, swinging, this is the sound that they grew up with, that's in their DNA, this is rock and roll.
They say that rock is dead, but if you were at the Ford last night you'd think otherwise. And it wasn't nostalgia, everybody was worse for wear but they were pushing forward.
I really can't describe it, it's something you feel. When the band lights up and so do you, when you can't help but move, dance in your seat, even if instinctively you're too uptight to dance in public, you just can't help yourself.
It was inspiring, it was overwhelming. And I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest Lucinda Williams fan, and I'd seen her before, but this was something different. She was the headliner, the venue was small, this was her audience, she damn rocked the place.
Now I'm not saying there were not quieter moments, but you sat there and felt like whatever you believed in, the sound of yore, the roots, back from the sixties and seventies, were still alive and blooming. There were no hard drives, no synths, it was what you used to do with your buddies in the garage, but on a professional level.
The bass player's Precision was worn down around the edges, the finish was gone, that's how long he'd been playing it.
And the drummer? He had a kit bigger than most touring musicians today. But what was really interesting was between songs he reached behind his seat and extracted a new Paiste and changed cymbals. I mean really, it made that much difference, he needed to put in the effort? Yes it did and he did.
And two lead guitarists, intertwining. Akin to the Stones when Mick Taylor was in the band. Like on "Ya-Ya's." And no one was showing off, no one was grimacing, squeezing out the note, they were just playing.
But it wouldn't have mattered if not for Lucinda. Because sans songs you've got nothing.
And Lucinda does not come from the Moon/June school of songwriting. It's personal, with attitude. She lived the rock and roll lifestyle. You know, the clubs, the drunken nights, the road less taken. Then again, we too used to go to the clubs on a regular basis, back when they still existed, when they had live music at the bar down the street.
But today everybody puts money first. And if they bother to go down the music path they want quick results, they don't want to be lifers, they don't want to sacrifice, they want brand extensions. But Lucinda Williams is not a brand, but a person, an artist, and it's a big difference. She doesn't stand for something, she is something!
Now if you were unfamiliar with the music you still would have gotten it. But if you were...
What a long strange trip it's been, kids who were born after Jerry died pledging fealty to a Dead that's been cast in amber, as opposed to the living, breathing ensemble that Garcia drove into the future. That's right, as good as Dead and Company were, and they were excellent, it was nostalgia.
Lucinda Williams is not selling nostalgia. She's still pushing the envelope.
But she's not the only one. There are so many scenes out there garnering fans that get no big time attention. They are what's keeping music alive.
So, last night was a triumph, for Lucinda, the audience and me. Yes, I got out into the world, I felt alive. And being a member of an audience, even though I spoke to not a single person, made me feel like I belonged, that other people were on my wavelength. And Lucinda Williams was the ringleader, with songs, stories and attitude. It was reverse charisma. She didn't need to be a star, this was her job.
It was inspiring. She's still here and so are we. And we won't be forever, but we still want that hit, the live music, sans the trappings of dancing, even production. We want the sound, the feel, and we don't want it to be exactly like it was before. And we want to feel like it's being built from scratch every night, that everybody isn't just going through the motions, that playing these songs is a coming together, a meshing, a living, breathing enterprise, all done without a net.
You see you don't have to be two-dimensional to triumph. You don't have to get plastic surgery and refuse to age. You don't have to adopt a look and a persona. What we want most is three-dimensional, malleable human beings wrestling with the same questions we all are, but soldiering on, shedding light and inspiring us at the same time, helping ease our journey in this confusing life.
That's what Lucinda Williams did last night.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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Thursday 10 August 2023
Steve Ferrone-This Week's Podcast
Drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Average White Band and more!
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/steve-ferrone-120782055/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-ferrone/id1316200737?i=1000624030253
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0V6GucL7eLaGpBnmzge1bQ?si=2xQ4hKmKRHKGy3zewHZx4A
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/7659e352-ba93-4767-8f27-b49e1a2c23a8/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-steve-ferrone
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/steve-ferrone-306192292
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/steve-ferrone-120782055/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-ferrone/id1316200737?i=1000624030253
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0V6GucL7eLaGpBnmzge1bQ?si=2xQ4hKmKRHKGy3zewHZx4A
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/7659e352-ba93-4767-8f27-b49e1a2c23a8/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-steve-ferrone
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/steve-ferrone-306192292
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Wednesday 9 August 2023
Not Everybody Has Talent
And not everybody can make it.
My old friend Barney Kugel invited me to celebrate his 70th birthday at the Comedy Chateau in North Hollywood. After decades in the music business, and haunting the rock clubs after sacrificing his last industry job, Barney has shifted his focus to comedy, he says that's where the action is. Furthermore, so many of the rock clubs he frequented closed during Covid and never reopened.
So of course I'm gonna go. Barney and his wife were very good to me after my wife moved out. We share history.
Now the Comedy Chateau would be considered a house on the east coast, not that anybody ever lived in it. But it's got that feel, wooden beams, high ceiling...this is not unusual in Los Angeles. So, you get this homey feeling.
And there was a two-drink minimum. This is what they used to have at all the music clubs in the sixties and seventies. The admission fee only got them so far, they needed to pay the bills, and clubs have never been a good business.
So...
After sitting down and being greeted by Barney, he started introducing me to his friends. There was a whole scene. Akin to the rock scene of yore. But in this case no one was in their twenties. As a matter of fact, a lot of these people were in their fifties or even older. But there was a sense of belonging, I could see why this appealed to Barney.
And then the standup began.
It was Sunday night, New Faces night, i.e. amateur night.
There's a long history of this in both music and comedy. One night when you sign up and you get to strut your stuff. And I expected everybody to be just that, an amateur, a new face, but this was not the case at all. Nobody was a newbie, everybody had done it before, much more than once, most had a relatively well-honed act, they did not look at their notes, they gave it their all for five minutes and then the red light came on...and most stretched another minute or two.
Meanwhile, Barney told me that there was a lot of politics involved. Just getting on the bill, never mind your placement. There was a host, a la Richard Belzer back in the days of Catch a Rising Star, not only introducing, but insulting, making jokes, keeping the night going.
And even though Barney and his minions ultimately left early, I stayed until the very end. First and foremost because of the lure of live entertainment, in a club you're right there. So different from being at home in front of the flat screen. And second because I was fascinated by the talent, the experience, what was going on.
Lenny Clarke was the king of Boston comedy. Hosted an evening of comedy. And he got a representative from "The Tonight Show" to come one evening. This was his big chance. As well as that of the rest of his buddies, they'd been doing this for years, their acts were honed, they were on the way to the big time.
But the "Tonight Show" man was only interested in one person, almost a newbie, he ignored Lenny and his friends, he was only interested in Steven Wright.
Steven Wright? That guy just started, he hadn't paid his dues, he was not one of the kingpins, this was patently unfair.
But Wright went to the west coast, was on "The Tonight Show" and became an instant star, in the mid-eighties, before the comedy boom really took hold.
You may be aware of Steven Wright. You may even know some of his jokes by heart. I certainly do, I employ them on a regular basis. I don't steal them, I credit Wright, because the insight is so good and the jokes so bizarre...
My favorite is the night Wright came home and put his key into the front door and his house started up. And since it was going, he decided to take it around the block for a spin. And he's stopped by a cop, who asks Steven where he lives, and Wright says "Right here."
And then the one liner, saying "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it."
I can watch an entire one hour comedy special and not remember a single joke. But these from Steven Wright, are embedded in my brain.
So...
Sunday night there were about fifteen comics. One said she went on the road, Barney could not confirm this, and it was hard to believe. And another was a special guest in from Vegas, and I'm not sure exactly what that meant, but he was better than most, not that I'd pay to see just him.
However, there was this one woman. In her thirties. Not beautiful and not dressed to the nines. She looked like someone you went to high school with, sans makeup, like a complete amateur. But this woman...
She had an identity. An affect. She wasn't just telling jokes. She had a persona. It was odd her in an odd world. But small, talking about her individual life, situations we'd all been in and could identify with, but personalized to her.
She could make it.
And she was the only one.
Everybody else told jokes. Some of them funny. You can get jokes anywhere. But you can't get stars almost anywhere.
On the way out she was sitting at the bar with her buddies and I told her she was the best one. She didn't react. I'm not sure if she's going for the brass ring. Doesn't matter how talented you are, you've got to want it, badly.
So my point is you can do this on a pretty high level, even write your own reasonable songs, but that does not mean you can make it. Odds are you won't. We are looking for stars, people with that je ne sais quoi.
Think about it. Was Freddie Mercury struck from a mold? David Bowie? You saw them and realized these people were different. And it wasn't only about the visage, it was the whole package, the music was there, the look, the performance.
And Bowie had been kicking around for years before "Ziggy Stardust." He meant nothing in the States, nothing, and not a whole hell of a lot more in the U.K. either. "Space Oddity" had already been released, but sans context. It was a song, a record, not part of a whole milieu.
It was a bit faster for Freddie, but not that fast. Although I love the initial Queen album from '73, at the time I didn't know a single other person who owned it and I never heard it on the radio. "Queen II" was different, you started to hear it on the radio in Los Angeles. The breakthrough was the third LP, "Sheer Heart Attack," with "Killer Queen" and "Stone Cold Crazy." Queen didn't sound like anything else, it stuck out. And then came "A Night at the Opera."
And you can't fake it and you can't learn it. Either you're a star or you're not. This is after the music. Either you've got it or you don't. Sure, you might start off wet behind the ears, but you learn stagecraft over time, you improve, in your songwriting too. But to have a long career you can't fake it, that's who you've really got to be, and you've got to be all-in.
Come on, you remember high school. There was always a kid or two, a girl or a boy, who was different. Who wore different clothes and didn't care what you thought. They did not need to be popular. And they were usually not denigrated, because they didn't count, they were not even part of the scene. Oftentimes they were into art, in their own private backwater with their buddies. These are the people who became stars in the days of yore, and these are still the people who triumph today. Sure, you've got to need it, but you've got to be it.
Now chances are this is not you. And that's perfectly fine. But don't plan on being a music star. Most musicians are bad at hanging, making friends, having conversations, especially when it's not people from their scene. You might be great at that. You can be a salesman, and there are salespeople who make millions a year, believe me. And in Silicon Valley, billions! Everybody's got a skill. Don't try to push yours into a hole in which it does not fit. Sure, you love music. As a matter of fact, the music business is overrun with people who tried to make it as musicians but found they just weren't good enough, and got into the business side to stay close to the music.
So I always tell people to stay out of music. Yes, I try to scare them away. Encouragement is for the birds. Either you know this is your path or you don't. And if you think it is... Go to an amateur night, hang with your competitors, see how you measure up. Maybe you'll be inspired and get better. But chances are you'll find you're just not good enough. And that's fine. But don't expect spamming tastemakers about your tracks on Spotify and your social media numbers will make a difference, because it won't. Because the expertise in the music business is recognizing stars and helping them with their careers, to get bigger, to break them. And it's very hard work. The shortcuts of yore are gone. Used to be if you got a record deal you were way ahead of everybody else, and if you got on the radio you'd nearly made it. Today no media outlet equals that of the past. You've got to make it on your own. Which means you've got to be so good, so different, so special, that when people encounter you they never forget it.
Is this you?
Probably not.
My old friend Barney Kugel invited me to celebrate his 70th birthday at the Comedy Chateau in North Hollywood. After decades in the music business, and haunting the rock clubs after sacrificing his last industry job, Barney has shifted his focus to comedy, he says that's where the action is. Furthermore, so many of the rock clubs he frequented closed during Covid and never reopened.
So of course I'm gonna go. Barney and his wife were very good to me after my wife moved out. We share history.
Now the Comedy Chateau would be considered a house on the east coast, not that anybody ever lived in it. But it's got that feel, wooden beams, high ceiling...this is not unusual in Los Angeles. So, you get this homey feeling.
And there was a two-drink minimum. This is what they used to have at all the music clubs in the sixties and seventies. The admission fee only got them so far, they needed to pay the bills, and clubs have never been a good business.
So...
After sitting down and being greeted by Barney, he started introducing me to his friends. There was a whole scene. Akin to the rock scene of yore. But in this case no one was in their twenties. As a matter of fact, a lot of these people were in their fifties or even older. But there was a sense of belonging, I could see why this appealed to Barney.
And then the standup began.
It was Sunday night, New Faces night, i.e. amateur night.
There's a long history of this in both music and comedy. One night when you sign up and you get to strut your stuff. And I expected everybody to be just that, an amateur, a new face, but this was not the case at all. Nobody was a newbie, everybody had done it before, much more than once, most had a relatively well-honed act, they did not look at their notes, they gave it their all for five minutes and then the red light came on...and most stretched another minute or two.
Meanwhile, Barney told me that there was a lot of politics involved. Just getting on the bill, never mind your placement. There was a host, a la Richard Belzer back in the days of Catch a Rising Star, not only introducing, but insulting, making jokes, keeping the night going.
And even though Barney and his minions ultimately left early, I stayed until the very end. First and foremost because of the lure of live entertainment, in a club you're right there. So different from being at home in front of the flat screen. And second because I was fascinated by the talent, the experience, what was going on.
Lenny Clarke was the king of Boston comedy. Hosted an evening of comedy. And he got a representative from "The Tonight Show" to come one evening. This was his big chance. As well as that of the rest of his buddies, they'd been doing this for years, their acts were honed, they were on the way to the big time.
But the "Tonight Show" man was only interested in one person, almost a newbie, he ignored Lenny and his friends, he was only interested in Steven Wright.
Steven Wright? That guy just started, he hadn't paid his dues, he was not one of the kingpins, this was patently unfair.
But Wright went to the west coast, was on "The Tonight Show" and became an instant star, in the mid-eighties, before the comedy boom really took hold.
You may be aware of Steven Wright. You may even know some of his jokes by heart. I certainly do, I employ them on a regular basis. I don't steal them, I credit Wright, because the insight is so good and the jokes so bizarre...
My favorite is the night Wright came home and put his key into the front door and his house started up. And since it was going, he decided to take it around the block for a spin. And he's stopped by a cop, who asks Steven where he lives, and Wright says "Right here."
And then the one liner, saying "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it."
I can watch an entire one hour comedy special and not remember a single joke. But these from Steven Wright, are embedded in my brain.
So...
Sunday night there were about fifteen comics. One said she went on the road, Barney could not confirm this, and it was hard to believe. And another was a special guest in from Vegas, and I'm not sure exactly what that meant, but he was better than most, not that I'd pay to see just him.
However, there was this one woman. In her thirties. Not beautiful and not dressed to the nines. She looked like someone you went to high school with, sans makeup, like a complete amateur. But this woman...
She had an identity. An affect. She wasn't just telling jokes. She had a persona. It was odd her in an odd world. But small, talking about her individual life, situations we'd all been in and could identify with, but personalized to her.
She could make it.
And she was the only one.
Everybody else told jokes. Some of them funny. You can get jokes anywhere. But you can't get stars almost anywhere.
On the way out she was sitting at the bar with her buddies and I told her she was the best one. She didn't react. I'm not sure if she's going for the brass ring. Doesn't matter how talented you are, you've got to want it, badly.
So my point is you can do this on a pretty high level, even write your own reasonable songs, but that does not mean you can make it. Odds are you won't. We are looking for stars, people with that je ne sais quoi.
Think about it. Was Freddie Mercury struck from a mold? David Bowie? You saw them and realized these people were different. And it wasn't only about the visage, it was the whole package, the music was there, the look, the performance.
And Bowie had been kicking around for years before "Ziggy Stardust." He meant nothing in the States, nothing, and not a whole hell of a lot more in the U.K. either. "Space Oddity" had already been released, but sans context. It was a song, a record, not part of a whole milieu.
It was a bit faster for Freddie, but not that fast. Although I love the initial Queen album from '73, at the time I didn't know a single other person who owned it and I never heard it on the radio. "Queen II" was different, you started to hear it on the radio in Los Angeles. The breakthrough was the third LP, "Sheer Heart Attack," with "Killer Queen" and "Stone Cold Crazy." Queen didn't sound like anything else, it stuck out. And then came "A Night at the Opera."
And you can't fake it and you can't learn it. Either you're a star or you're not. This is after the music. Either you've got it or you don't. Sure, you might start off wet behind the ears, but you learn stagecraft over time, you improve, in your songwriting too. But to have a long career you can't fake it, that's who you've really got to be, and you've got to be all-in.
Come on, you remember high school. There was always a kid or two, a girl or a boy, who was different. Who wore different clothes and didn't care what you thought. They did not need to be popular. And they were usually not denigrated, because they didn't count, they were not even part of the scene. Oftentimes they were into art, in their own private backwater with their buddies. These are the people who became stars in the days of yore, and these are still the people who triumph today. Sure, you've got to need it, but you've got to be it.
Now chances are this is not you. And that's perfectly fine. But don't plan on being a music star. Most musicians are bad at hanging, making friends, having conversations, especially when it's not people from their scene. You might be great at that. You can be a salesman, and there are salespeople who make millions a year, believe me. And in Silicon Valley, billions! Everybody's got a skill. Don't try to push yours into a hole in which it does not fit. Sure, you love music. As a matter of fact, the music business is overrun with people who tried to make it as musicians but found they just weren't good enough, and got into the business side to stay close to the music.
So I always tell people to stay out of music. Yes, I try to scare them away. Encouragement is for the birds. Either you know this is your path or you don't. And if you think it is... Go to an amateur night, hang with your competitors, see how you measure up. Maybe you'll be inspired and get better. But chances are you'll find you're just not good enough. And that's fine. But don't expect spamming tastemakers about your tracks on Spotify and your social media numbers will make a difference, because it won't. Because the expertise in the music business is recognizing stars and helping them with their careers, to get bigger, to break them. And it's very hard work. The shortcuts of yore are gone. Used to be if you got a record deal you were way ahead of everybody else, and if you got on the radio you'd nearly made it. Today no media outlet equals that of the past. You've got to make it on your own. Which means you've got to be so good, so different, so special, that when people encounter you they never forget it.
Is this you?
Probably not.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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Tuesday 8 August 2023
The Music Is Not Enough
You've got to have an identity.
And around that identity you build culture.
And when people adhere to your identity, buy into your culture, you have a cult. And then you can sustain, which is what the music business is all about. The money's in the long term. That's the streaming paradigm. It's not what you make today, but what you make over the life of the copyright.
This is anathema to the major label. No one working there has skin in the game, no one working there will be employed long enough to reap the rewards of long term investment.
But it's even worse. The major labels are all focused on one thing, image, and that's a bygone paradigm.
You remember the MTV era, right? Or maybe you don't, but it was all about a pretty face. The classic rockers were up in arms, believing it should be about the music. They reluctantly made videos. And they were ultimately left behind. You found the person, then you built the act around them, via stylists, via high end production, it was all about the image.
But if you want image today, you go with the Kardashians, the rest of the model elite. That's all they are selling, they're inherently two-dimensional. That's not artistry, that's business. And by going into competition with the Kardashians, et al, the music business loses again and again. As for all those brand extensions... The Kardashians are about makeup, fragrances, clothing, that's their essence. For an artist that's the penumbra. It cheapens the so-called brand and is an also-ran to the Kardashians, looking bad in comparison.
Notice that there are no movie stars anymore? Because they sell image, not identity. They're different in every film/TV show/production. And in the internet era, with so much information available, most can be seen to be nincompoops, or narcissists focused on plastic surgery to achieve an image that is fake, but palatable to Hollywood, which has lost direction too. Sure, there are blockbuster high concept movies, featuring comic book characters. But the only other avenue of success is story, and that's exactly what the studios don't want, because it's a risk, you're starting from ground zero each and every time and you could experience complete failure. But streaming TV is all about story and risk, which is why it's triumphed, supplanted movies, because people can relate to it, can be wowed, can be intrigued in a way the big screen has abdicated.
So if the music is not enough...
I'm not saying the music is unimportant, it's still the most important thing, but in the old days a hit record could have its own life and build a career, but that was back when everybody was paying attention to the same stuff, and those days are through. Today everybody is on their own. If you're making music you are truly not competing with anybody else. No act is keeping you off streaming services. This is not MTV or radio, where there were only a few slots, now there are unlimited slots, how are you going to gain attention?
By having an identity.
This is why young teenage acts rarely sustain. They've got nothing to say, they haven't lived enough. And this is also why older acts, like Jason Isbell, are triumphing today. It's no penalty to be older today. No one is keeping you out except yourself. You don't need a record deal. If you think somebody is holding you back...if you investigate you'll find it's just you.
So...
Work on the music.
But when the music is ready to hit the world...
Well, it's great if the music itself has an identity, if you're saying something. Platitudes work against you. The more edge you've got in the lyrics, in the music, the more you express your inner self, the greater a chance that people will be hooked. You don't want to be me-too, you want to be unique. Not so unique that no one can relate, but different enough that people will be intrigued and adopt you as a cause.
All the rules are wrong. Weigh in about politics. Did wonders for Jason Aldean, he had his first big hit in a decade. Illustrating that not everybody has to like you, just a group of people have to like you.
I'm not saying you have to pontificate willy-nilly, maybe politics is not even your thing, but something must be. The younger generations are all about ecology, global warming, they're anti-waste. If you feel this way, say so, it'll help align people to you. And, I hate to say it, but you can be the opposite. Against battling climate change, denying it. Standing up for something draws like-minded people to you.
And your everyday life. What is important to you? Talk about it. I don't care if it's cornhole or cooking, tell people about it. That's what social media is for, don't think about it as sending your career into the stratosphere, but as evidencing your identity, bonding people to you. Maybe you love to play volleyball... One of the reasons people love Rachel Maddow is her love of fishing. Makes Maddow different from the usual talking head, who tells us they work so hard, spews about their family. It's not that I love to fish, but that Rachel has another life other than newscasting. I don't care if you abhor Rachel Maddow, that's not the point, the point is what are you into? Tell people.
And once you gain traction, have career momentum, in today's seemingly unlimited landscape of no context, where there is no true hierarchy dictating to consumers, your identity/career is inherently us vs. them. It's you, and you're unique, and those who adhere to you feel not only that they like you, but that they and you are different from the rest, and this makes them feel good.
TV singing shows can't mint stars anymore because they're about image. That kind of TV is inherently phony. And passé. And the contestants are vocalists, not writers. If you don't write your own material, how are you going to build an identity? Your songs say who you are. As for cowrites and remixes... Forget all that, that's polishing the turd for mass consumption and that no longer works anyway. As a matter of fact, rough edges and mistakes make you human, and bond people to you. Don't comp the vocals. I'm not saying make the audio bad, but the recording should be about capturing magic, not delivering something so inert that no one can really relate to it.
The major labels don't want to hear any of the foregoing, because it would mean they have to retool, put in a lot more effort for few initial returns. The major labels want moonshots, they think they're in the movie business. Find something, invest in it, polish it, promote it and...either the public buys it or it doesn't. But the public has rejected this, which is why the majors can no longer break new acts. The majors have to go back to the old days, of finding unique talent and nurturing it. And the success of these acts almost never happens on the first album. There's an investment of time and money with no guaranteed return.
Look at Zach Bryan. Tell me who he's like, what scene he's a part of. Oh, you can try to categorize him, but really Zach Bryan is in the Zach Bryan business and that only. And it's not about hit recordings, the recordings are just fuel for the live show, which lives and breathes every night, which has no dancing, no click tracks. This is what the public hungers for.
As for Morgan Wallen's faux pas... They helped his career. They gave him an identity. He was drunk and used the n-word as a term of endearment. Should he have done this? Of course not. But haven't you been drunk and made mistakes? Have you never said anything wrong? That's for politics, hewing a line, in artistry it's about going your own way.
Who are you?
That's what I want to know. And then I can evaluate if you're a friend of mine, if I like you. And if I do, I'll tell everybody about you, because I want to hip people to you, that's human nature, telling others about something great. If it's in the news, if the public can't own it, if it's overhyped, you've killed it. It's got to be more organic.
Is the above the only way to have a hit? No. But this is the future for the music business, own it.
But deep down inside you know.
Of if you don't, it's time to wake up!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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And around that identity you build culture.
And when people adhere to your identity, buy into your culture, you have a cult. And then you can sustain, which is what the music business is all about. The money's in the long term. That's the streaming paradigm. It's not what you make today, but what you make over the life of the copyright.
This is anathema to the major label. No one working there has skin in the game, no one working there will be employed long enough to reap the rewards of long term investment.
But it's even worse. The major labels are all focused on one thing, image, and that's a bygone paradigm.
You remember the MTV era, right? Or maybe you don't, but it was all about a pretty face. The classic rockers were up in arms, believing it should be about the music. They reluctantly made videos. And they were ultimately left behind. You found the person, then you built the act around them, via stylists, via high end production, it was all about the image.
But if you want image today, you go with the Kardashians, the rest of the model elite. That's all they are selling, they're inherently two-dimensional. That's not artistry, that's business. And by going into competition with the Kardashians, et al, the music business loses again and again. As for all those brand extensions... The Kardashians are about makeup, fragrances, clothing, that's their essence. For an artist that's the penumbra. It cheapens the so-called brand and is an also-ran to the Kardashians, looking bad in comparison.
Notice that there are no movie stars anymore? Because they sell image, not identity. They're different in every film/TV show/production. And in the internet era, with so much information available, most can be seen to be nincompoops, or narcissists focused on plastic surgery to achieve an image that is fake, but palatable to Hollywood, which has lost direction too. Sure, there are blockbuster high concept movies, featuring comic book characters. But the only other avenue of success is story, and that's exactly what the studios don't want, because it's a risk, you're starting from ground zero each and every time and you could experience complete failure. But streaming TV is all about story and risk, which is why it's triumphed, supplanted movies, because people can relate to it, can be wowed, can be intrigued in a way the big screen has abdicated.
So if the music is not enough...
I'm not saying the music is unimportant, it's still the most important thing, but in the old days a hit record could have its own life and build a career, but that was back when everybody was paying attention to the same stuff, and those days are through. Today everybody is on their own. If you're making music you are truly not competing with anybody else. No act is keeping you off streaming services. This is not MTV or radio, where there were only a few slots, now there are unlimited slots, how are you going to gain attention?
By having an identity.
This is why young teenage acts rarely sustain. They've got nothing to say, they haven't lived enough. And this is also why older acts, like Jason Isbell, are triumphing today. It's no penalty to be older today. No one is keeping you out except yourself. You don't need a record deal. If you think somebody is holding you back...if you investigate you'll find it's just you.
So...
Work on the music.
But when the music is ready to hit the world...
Well, it's great if the music itself has an identity, if you're saying something. Platitudes work against you. The more edge you've got in the lyrics, in the music, the more you express your inner self, the greater a chance that people will be hooked. You don't want to be me-too, you want to be unique. Not so unique that no one can relate, but different enough that people will be intrigued and adopt you as a cause.
All the rules are wrong. Weigh in about politics. Did wonders for Jason Aldean, he had his first big hit in a decade. Illustrating that not everybody has to like you, just a group of people have to like you.
I'm not saying you have to pontificate willy-nilly, maybe politics is not even your thing, but something must be. The younger generations are all about ecology, global warming, they're anti-waste. If you feel this way, say so, it'll help align people to you. And, I hate to say it, but you can be the opposite. Against battling climate change, denying it. Standing up for something draws like-minded people to you.
And your everyday life. What is important to you? Talk about it. I don't care if it's cornhole or cooking, tell people about it. That's what social media is for, don't think about it as sending your career into the stratosphere, but as evidencing your identity, bonding people to you. Maybe you love to play volleyball... One of the reasons people love Rachel Maddow is her love of fishing. Makes Maddow different from the usual talking head, who tells us they work so hard, spews about their family. It's not that I love to fish, but that Rachel has another life other than newscasting. I don't care if you abhor Rachel Maddow, that's not the point, the point is what are you into? Tell people.
And once you gain traction, have career momentum, in today's seemingly unlimited landscape of no context, where there is no true hierarchy dictating to consumers, your identity/career is inherently us vs. them. It's you, and you're unique, and those who adhere to you feel not only that they like you, but that they and you are different from the rest, and this makes them feel good.
TV singing shows can't mint stars anymore because they're about image. That kind of TV is inherently phony. And passé. And the contestants are vocalists, not writers. If you don't write your own material, how are you going to build an identity? Your songs say who you are. As for cowrites and remixes... Forget all that, that's polishing the turd for mass consumption and that no longer works anyway. As a matter of fact, rough edges and mistakes make you human, and bond people to you. Don't comp the vocals. I'm not saying make the audio bad, but the recording should be about capturing magic, not delivering something so inert that no one can really relate to it.
The major labels don't want to hear any of the foregoing, because it would mean they have to retool, put in a lot more effort for few initial returns. The major labels want moonshots, they think they're in the movie business. Find something, invest in it, polish it, promote it and...either the public buys it or it doesn't. But the public has rejected this, which is why the majors can no longer break new acts. The majors have to go back to the old days, of finding unique talent and nurturing it. And the success of these acts almost never happens on the first album. There's an investment of time and money with no guaranteed return.
Look at Zach Bryan. Tell me who he's like, what scene he's a part of. Oh, you can try to categorize him, but really Zach Bryan is in the Zach Bryan business and that only. And it's not about hit recordings, the recordings are just fuel for the live show, which lives and breathes every night, which has no dancing, no click tracks. This is what the public hungers for.
As for Morgan Wallen's faux pas... They helped his career. They gave him an identity. He was drunk and used the n-word as a term of endearment. Should he have done this? Of course not. But haven't you been drunk and made mistakes? Have you never said anything wrong? That's for politics, hewing a line, in artistry it's about going your own way.
Who are you?
That's what I want to know. And then I can evaluate if you're a friend of mine, if I like you. And if I do, I'll tell everybody about you, because I want to hip people to you, that's human nature, telling others about something great. If it's in the news, if the public can't own it, if it's overhyped, you've killed it. It's got to be more organic.
Is the above the only way to have a hit? No. But this is the future for the music business, own it.
But deep down inside you know.
Of if you don't, it's time to wake up!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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Monday 7 August 2023
Proves The Point
Re: The Cult Era
Hi Bob,
You can't help yourself bashing Trump that's all you have. You are the Gladis Kravitz of music business looking for attention. The lawyer thing didn't work out or the head of a label. Now you bash conservatives, show your economic ignorance. You say Biden's not a cult well your just blind.. You are the party that props up poor Diane Feinstein who can stay in the Senate but has given the power of attorney to her daughter. You think you are fooling everyone. You are the cult of ignorance. You are the Nazis taking away free speech. You know very little about your own people. You are an embarrassment to yourself our people. I hope you wake up. Sadly your quest to be relevant and cool is your priority over truth.
David Price
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Hi Bob,
You can't help yourself bashing Trump that's all you have. You are the Gladis Kravitz of music business looking for attention. The lawyer thing didn't work out or the head of a label. Now you bash conservatives, show your economic ignorance. You say Biden's not a cult well your just blind.. You are the party that props up poor Diane Feinstein who can stay in the Senate but has given the power of attorney to her daughter. You think you are fooling everyone. You are the cult of ignorance. You are the Nazis taking away free speech. You know very little about your own people. You are an embarrassment to yourself our people. I hope you wake up. Sadly your quest to be relevant and cool is your priority over truth.
David Price
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The Cult Era
We all want to belong
First it was baseball, then it was the Beatles and finally it was MTV. We all paid attention, we all knew what was happening, and even the barely hip caught the references.
Today you've got no idea what people are talking about, unless they're a member of your cult.
We're all people, living on the planet, but we're all separate, lonely, and this doesn't feel good. We're looking to connect. We're living to connect. So how do we handle this? We join a cult.
There's no center anymore, nothing everyone is aware of and agrees upon. And this is disorienting. So you're not just a fan of something, you're a member of the cult. Like "Succession." The numbers were anemic. But you can't tell that to anybody who watched the show, they'll get pissed off. They'll tell you how great it was, how you're missing out. And they'll point to the "New York Times" and other newspapers' coverage of the finale to prove their point. But the "Times" is a cult too. You're either in it or outside of it. The right has demonized the "Times," therefore readers double-down and testify about it. It used to just be a newspaper, now people believe in it, it's nearly a religion.
Just like politics on the right. It doesn't matter how many times Trump gets indicted, it's not going to change the minds of his cult members, his believers. It's not about right and wrong, it's about belonging. They decided to jump in and were greeted warmly. Used to be a cult was small and its members did their best to keep you out. Today it's just the opposite, cults are large and everybody is welcome, as long as they drink the kool-aid and become a true believer.
There was One Direction. Huge in America with only one hit. Now we've got BTS. Most people have never ever heard the act's music. But those who have? There are no casual BTS fans, they're all-in. And it's not just listening to the music, it's going to the show, buying merchandise, quoting the lyrics, once again, it's belief.
Like Taylor Swift. In the scheme of things, she reaches fewer people than any superstar of the pre-internet era. But her cult is large and fearless, out to combat any naysayers. Ben Sisario pointed this out on the front page of yesterday's "Times":
"The power of Swift's fan army — and fear of crossing the star, or even appearing to — has kept nearly all of the press about the tour sunny.": https://tinyurl.com/5n9ast7w
Cross Taylor at your peril. Say something negative and you will be canceled by her army.
As for the attendance at her shows... Talk to some of those who are going, they need to be there, it's a rite of passage, they need to be able to talk about their experience. They know all the lyrics, they dance and sing, Taylor Swift gives them reason to live.
Like hip-hop. It's a cult. There are few casual listeners. There are haters and defenders. But hip-hop is not a perfect example, because it burgeoned in the last century, it' not brand new.
Like classic rock acts. Everybody knows them, there's nowhere near the passion for them like there is for twenty first century acts. Everybody knows the music, they want to see the band one last time, but they're not foaming at the mouth over it, they're not talking 24/7 about it, whereas the modern acts?
That's what you're building, not a fan base, but a rabid cult, which is dedicated to you and not only bringing in new members, but excoriating those who don't believe, who put the act down.
It's not about Donald Trump, it's about the cult. It's a symbiotic relationship. Trump is not part of the machine. Trump is theirs. He speaks to them, they listen. Trump's not listening to the Republican Party, he's not even listening to the legal system. They love this, he is theirs, uncompromised, and if you say anything negative they'll come bite you in the ass. How can you say something like that?
As for Biden... There's no cult. Are people scared enough about the prospect of Trump being re-elected that they'll show up for old Joe? We'll find out. But he won't win on his policies, because that's not what it's about. Bidenomics? No one cares. You can testify all day long about his achievements, it's irrelevant. Even the Republican officials who voted against the infrastructure bill who are now praising the positive effects in their own burgs? You might think by pointing this out you're winning, but not whatsoever. Because people aren't listening to you. And if they are, they think you're a hater and should be ignored.
The broad of the past?
Crickets.
Well, a little more than that, but not a whole hell of a lot more.
Network TV? No one watches because you can't be a cult member, everything has its edges shaved off, the ads undercut the content, what's to believe in? Nothing!
This is why Netflix's ad-tier is a mistake. The company is not reaching guaranteed numbers, but this is not a business proposition. We can't let everybody in, just those who pay, who are really dedicated. We don't want the casual, we want believers, who are going to pay for Netflix and watch and testify about shows.
This is what Zaslav didn't realize about HBO. It's a cult. He dismantled it overnight. Do you know how hard it is to build a cult? Well, Zaslav and Iger are members of an elite cult themselves, that's why they're so tone-deaf when it comes to the WGA/SAG strike. They're so insular, flying private, boasting about their triple-digit million compensation packages that they've got no idea what the other cult thinks, never mind its power. Yes, there's a huge cult that believes it's been screwed financially. Bernie Sanders knew this and almost gained the Democratic nomination. The Democratic party was surprised, went for Hillary, who was safe, who supposedly deserved it. And then she lost. There was no and still is no Hillary Clinton cult. Nonexistent. Nobody passionate about her, who will defend and debate you about her. And that's why she lost. It's a no-brainer. Vote for her and be ignored?
Yes, the cult member wants dividends. They want something for their devotion. Forget that Trump promises stuff he doesn't deliver, that he too often defends the rich instead of the poor. Trump is the best they've got, so they're sticking with him. Just like Taylor Swift. In all the accolades about the tour do you see anybody talking about the music? No. It's not about that. The music is in service to the cult. This is not Sinéad O'Connor. Sinéad died and everybody's testifying as to her talent, her lyrics, her beliefs, her actions. No one's talking about dedication to her, her grosses, that's not what Sinéad was selling. Sinéad was anti-cult. But that was a different era. During the MTV heyday everybody in the world could be aware of "Nothing Compares 2 U," that's an impossibility today. That's right, impossible, no one can reach everybody, no one. And those who try are on a fool's errand.
Like SNL. The media reports on it even though few watch it. Why? Because you no longer get the references. Used to be SNL was a club, there was a wink between the performers and the audience, they were all in it together. Now there's a huge gulf between those on stage and off stage. You might be a fan, but you don't think they're going to come to your house, that you've got anything in common. The outside references were inside in the seventies, now they fall on deaf ears.
If you're trying to reach everybody, you're failing. Because if you're reaching everybody there's no us vs. them. Part of being in the cult is not only believing in the performer, but hating and being down on all competitors. It's your hero and a bunch of zeros.
And you've got to know who your audience is. Record companies are flummoxed because now you can go direct to fan, intermediaries mean little, but it's hard to build a cult, it takes time, one fan at a time. Even Taylor Swift had the benefit of breaking in an earlier era, in country, when Top Forty reached many more people. Those days are through.
Coachella is a cult. Doesn't matter who is on stage, that's not why you buy a ticket, you do to say you were there!
The festivals are much more important than the talent. Meaning if your festival doesn't have gravitas, if there's no core system of values, nothing extra, every year you're starting from scratch, if you can survive at all.
It's culture. But not culture for everybody, just a select few.
Once again, don't be holier-than-thou, don't be rational. You watched that documentary on NXIVM, right? Rationality was irrelevant, people liked being involved, belonging, playing volleyball, being a member of the group. Extricating someone from a cult is nearly impossible. Because the cult provides so much. As for blowback, isn't the granddaddy here Scientology? Break with the cult, say something negative and your life will be ruined. Good luck relying on the police... The police are not prepared for this. If you're looking to the system to protect yourself from the cult you're dreaming.
And this is all based on the loneliness of the human being, the feeling of detachment, of floating in a wilderness of too many options, none of which reach everybody. Sure, there's politics, but if you're on the left and vocal about it you'll be told you have TDS, "Trump Derangement Syndrome," that you are the one who is delusional, you are the one who keeps harping, that you are the one who needs to shut up. This is classic cult, anybody who says anything negative is a target.
So if you're trying to compete with a cult...
Good luck, you've got to become a cult yourself.
And what is the essence of a cult?
A like-minded group of people who believe they've got the answers and everybody else is wrong. Who are emboldened by both their leaders and the group. This is what people don't understand about #MeToo and other sexual harassment. The action is only the end of the process. Men are talking in a special language amongst themselves, that they do not reveal to women. And if you don't speak this language you are ostracized. And then there are people who are in the cult and don't even know it, because it's all they've ever been exposed to.
But the media keeps reporting like everything is the same. Like all the news that's fit to print is really in the "Times." Nothing could be further from the truth. The "Times" only scratches the surface. However, if you get an article about your irrelevant enterprise in the "Times" you've got a leg up, because the cult members, the readers of the "Times," pay attention, they think the "Times" endorses it. As for the non-"Times" readers, they're usually completely unaware of it!
"Entertainment Tonight." "People." All the gossip sites of yore. They've got it completely wrong today. We don't need a plethora of celebrity information, we need a smaller amount with attitude, like TMZ. Hell, if a celebrity misbehaves or dies you're better off going to TMZ than the straight news media, TMZ has it first. TMZ is not about everything, but just certain things. Bad celebrity behavior? That's their vertical.
And if you're starting at the bottom don't play to the media. Because that lessens your credibility, you appear to be playing the game, selling out. The influencers don't do this. They build it themselves. People are fans of the influencers until they're not. It never lasts forever. The influencers burn out, or sell out too much to their advertisers or are supplanted by someone new with an edge. This is the story of social media. The kids dropped Facebook for Instagram and then Instagram for Snapchat and then Snapchat for TikTok. TikTok fans love that the government and the fat cat bloviators abhor it. It demonstrates how ignorant these pontificators are, like they know better, they're not on TikTok all day, if they've ever been there before. The bloviators are a joke to the TikTok users, who are members of a large cult.
And the only way you can understand a cult is to go undercover and become a member.
Fox News is a cult, MSNBC too. What is MSNBC for? Just to make its viewers feel good about their positions. MSNBC doesn't change the course of history, the course of government, the course of anything at all. That's not MSNBC's mission. MSNBC's mission is to be an antidote to Fox and gain and maintain viewers, that's it. As for Fox? It's similar, but there's a more marked agenda. Fox hammers certain points. Ignores others. It's a bubble. And you can't tell a cult member otherwise!
And the cult is bigger than any individual. At least when it comes to large cults like Fox. Tucker Carlson? Gone. Irrelevant. Fox soldiers on. Its agenda intact. Carlson thought he was bigger than the cult, he learned otherwise.
Kind of like Bruce Springsteen. He put out two solo albums and his audience went berserk. Where's the E Street Band? Bruce got the band back together, he was afraid of losing his audience.
The cult only accepts that which is on theme. Everybody today is worried about their audience. Which they should be, especially if they're not an artist. An artist evolves, changes it up. And there are some fans of that, like the people who still go to see Bob Dylan in concert, that can be a feature of the cult, but very rarely.
This is America, this is the world today. It's positively tribal. Like the Middle East. Like in the days of yore. All these religious wars overseas? They don't want peace, they don't think the opposition is entitled to their belief, their land, their religion. The opposition has got it wrong and needs to be told.
Which is why head-scratching things happen in America all the time. Most of America wants abortion rights, but those who do not are rabid, and when their leaders deliver limits they're thrilled and bonded even closer to the cause. Once again, forget the truth. Seems like everyone in America believes taxes are bad. Credit one person, Grover Norquist, he built a large cult over time, to the point where elected Republican officials must pledge fealty. Vote for a tax raise and you're out, you'll be primaried.
As for Liz Cheney? How dare she. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the mouthpiece of the cult, and the number one criterion of membership is loyalty, truth doesn't come into the equation.
So you think you can conquer the cult by pushing back. No way, that never worked. To beat the cult you've got to create a new cult, that's more attractive than the old one. Man, got to give the Republicans credit, they realized they were losing again and again and they started the Federalist Society to groom right wing judges and get them appointed.
Yes, there were cults in the past. But it was nothing like this. Because today there is no center.
We all saw the same movies, the same TV shows, the same sports, and if you didn't you were out of it. Now ESPN is on the verge of death because there are too many sports and most people don't want to pay for those they don't watch. ESPN was an upstart in the eighties, you could believe. Then it overcharged cable operators, who passed the fees on to subscribers, and now conventional wisdom is ESPN is a rip-off outlet that they don't want to pay for. Bob Iger completely missed this change. He was blinded by the cash cow.
Like record labels and the CD. The fat cats couldn't understand why anybody would steal on Napster. Never mind it was a better delivery service, people were sick of overpaying for one good track on a CD. Even if there was a single, once it became successful, the label cut it out and made people buy the album.
So there have been cults in the past, but nothing like today.
Nobody reaches everybody. And the power of the cults is so large that it's perceived they reach everybody, that everybody belongs, but this is patently untrue. Call it a disinformation campaign. And if you cross the line... As Ben Sisario points out, people are afraid to cross the line, not only will they be denigrated but they will lose access. Everybody wants access. But to get it, you've got to fall in line.
It's war in America today. And much is up for grabs.
But it's all grass roots, however large the cult might be, and those playing by rules of the past believe you can change the world from the top down. You can't.
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First it was baseball, then it was the Beatles and finally it was MTV. We all paid attention, we all knew what was happening, and even the barely hip caught the references.
Today you've got no idea what people are talking about, unless they're a member of your cult.
We're all people, living on the planet, but we're all separate, lonely, and this doesn't feel good. We're looking to connect. We're living to connect. So how do we handle this? We join a cult.
There's no center anymore, nothing everyone is aware of and agrees upon. And this is disorienting. So you're not just a fan of something, you're a member of the cult. Like "Succession." The numbers were anemic. But you can't tell that to anybody who watched the show, they'll get pissed off. They'll tell you how great it was, how you're missing out. And they'll point to the "New York Times" and other newspapers' coverage of the finale to prove their point. But the "Times" is a cult too. You're either in it or outside of it. The right has demonized the "Times," therefore readers double-down and testify about it. It used to just be a newspaper, now people believe in it, it's nearly a religion.
Just like politics on the right. It doesn't matter how many times Trump gets indicted, it's not going to change the minds of his cult members, his believers. It's not about right and wrong, it's about belonging. They decided to jump in and were greeted warmly. Used to be a cult was small and its members did their best to keep you out. Today it's just the opposite, cults are large and everybody is welcome, as long as they drink the kool-aid and become a true believer.
There was One Direction. Huge in America with only one hit. Now we've got BTS. Most people have never ever heard the act's music. But those who have? There are no casual BTS fans, they're all-in. And it's not just listening to the music, it's going to the show, buying merchandise, quoting the lyrics, once again, it's belief.
Like Taylor Swift. In the scheme of things, she reaches fewer people than any superstar of the pre-internet era. But her cult is large and fearless, out to combat any naysayers. Ben Sisario pointed this out on the front page of yesterday's "Times":
"The power of Swift's fan army — and fear of crossing the star, or even appearing to — has kept nearly all of the press about the tour sunny.": https://tinyurl.com/5n9ast7w
Cross Taylor at your peril. Say something negative and you will be canceled by her army.
As for the attendance at her shows... Talk to some of those who are going, they need to be there, it's a rite of passage, they need to be able to talk about their experience. They know all the lyrics, they dance and sing, Taylor Swift gives them reason to live.
Like hip-hop. It's a cult. There are few casual listeners. There are haters and defenders. But hip-hop is not a perfect example, because it burgeoned in the last century, it' not brand new.
Like classic rock acts. Everybody knows them, there's nowhere near the passion for them like there is for twenty first century acts. Everybody knows the music, they want to see the band one last time, but they're not foaming at the mouth over it, they're not talking 24/7 about it, whereas the modern acts?
That's what you're building, not a fan base, but a rabid cult, which is dedicated to you and not only bringing in new members, but excoriating those who don't believe, who put the act down.
It's not about Donald Trump, it's about the cult. It's a symbiotic relationship. Trump is not part of the machine. Trump is theirs. He speaks to them, they listen. Trump's not listening to the Republican Party, he's not even listening to the legal system. They love this, he is theirs, uncompromised, and if you say anything negative they'll come bite you in the ass. How can you say something like that?
As for Biden... There's no cult. Are people scared enough about the prospect of Trump being re-elected that they'll show up for old Joe? We'll find out. But he won't win on his policies, because that's not what it's about. Bidenomics? No one cares. You can testify all day long about his achievements, it's irrelevant. Even the Republican officials who voted against the infrastructure bill who are now praising the positive effects in their own burgs? You might think by pointing this out you're winning, but not whatsoever. Because people aren't listening to you. And if they are, they think you're a hater and should be ignored.
The broad of the past?
Crickets.
Well, a little more than that, but not a whole hell of a lot more.
Network TV? No one watches because you can't be a cult member, everything has its edges shaved off, the ads undercut the content, what's to believe in? Nothing!
This is why Netflix's ad-tier is a mistake. The company is not reaching guaranteed numbers, but this is not a business proposition. We can't let everybody in, just those who pay, who are really dedicated. We don't want the casual, we want believers, who are going to pay for Netflix and watch and testify about shows.
This is what Zaslav didn't realize about HBO. It's a cult. He dismantled it overnight. Do you know how hard it is to build a cult? Well, Zaslav and Iger are members of an elite cult themselves, that's why they're so tone-deaf when it comes to the WGA/SAG strike. They're so insular, flying private, boasting about their triple-digit million compensation packages that they've got no idea what the other cult thinks, never mind its power. Yes, there's a huge cult that believes it's been screwed financially. Bernie Sanders knew this and almost gained the Democratic nomination. The Democratic party was surprised, went for Hillary, who was safe, who supposedly deserved it. And then she lost. There was no and still is no Hillary Clinton cult. Nonexistent. Nobody passionate about her, who will defend and debate you about her. And that's why she lost. It's a no-brainer. Vote for her and be ignored?
Yes, the cult member wants dividends. They want something for their devotion. Forget that Trump promises stuff he doesn't deliver, that he too often defends the rich instead of the poor. Trump is the best they've got, so they're sticking with him. Just like Taylor Swift. In all the accolades about the tour do you see anybody talking about the music? No. It's not about that. The music is in service to the cult. This is not Sinéad O'Connor. Sinéad died and everybody's testifying as to her talent, her lyrics, her beliefs, her actions. No one's talking about dedication to her, her grosses, that's not what Sinéad was selling. Sinéad was anti-cult. But that was a different era. During the MTV heyday everybody in the world could be aware of "Nothing Compares 2 U," that's an impossibility today. That's right, impossible, no one can reach everybody, no one. And those who try are on a fool's errand.
Like SNL. The media reports on it even though few watch it. Why? Because you no longer get the references. Used to be SNL was a club, there was a wink between the performers and the audience, they were all in it together. Now there's a huge gulf between those on stage and off stage. You might be a fan, but you don't think they're going to come to your house, that you've got anything in common. The outside references were inside in the seventies, now they fall on deaf ears.
If you're trying to reach everybody, you're failing. Because if you're reaching everybody there's no us vs. them. Part of being in the cult is not only believing in the performer, but hating and being down on all competitors. It's your hero and a bunch of zeros.
And you've got to know who your audience is. Record companies are flummoxed because now you can go direct to fan, intermediaries mean little, but it's hard to build a cult, it takes time, one fan at a time. Even Taylor Swift had the benefit of breaking in an earlier era, in country, when Top Forty reached many more people. Those days are through.
Coachella is a cult. Doesn't matter who is on stage, that's not why you buy a ticket, you do to say you were there!
The festivals are much more important than the talent. Meaning if your festival doesn't have gravitas, if there's no core system of values, nothing extra, every year you're starting from scratch, if you can survive at all.
It's culture. But not culture for everybody, just a select few.
Once again, don't be holier-than-thou, don't be rational. You watched that documentary on NXIVM, right? Rationality was irrelevant, people liked being involved, belonging, playing volleyball, being a member of the group. Extricating someone from a cult is nearly impossible. Because the cult provides so much. As for blowback, isn't the granddaddy here Scientology? Break with the cult, say something negative and your life will be ruined. Good luck relying on the police... The police are not prepared for this. If you're looking to the system to protect yourself from the cult you're dreaming.
And this is all based on the loneliness of the human being, the feeling of detachment, of floating in a wilderness of too many options, none of which reach everybody. Sure, there's politics, but if you're on the left and vocal about it you'll be told you have TDS, "Trump Derangement Syndrome," that you are the one who is delusional, you are the one who keeps harping, that you are the one who needs to shut up. This is classic cult, anybody who says anything negative is a target.
So if you're trying to compete with a cult...
Good luck, you've got to become a cult yourself.
And what is the essence of a cult?
A like-minded group of people who believe they've got the answers and everybody else is wrong. Who are emboldened by both their leaders and the group. This is what people don't understand about #MeToo and other sexual harassment. The action is only the end of the process. Men are talking in a special language amongst themselves, that they do not reveal to women. And if you don't speak this language you are ostracized. And then there are people who are in the cult and don't even know it, because it's all they've ever been exposed to.
But the media keeps reporting like everything is the same. Like all the news that's fit to print is really in the "Times." Nothing could be further from the truth. The "Times" only scratches the surface. However, if you get an article about your irrelevant enterprise in the "Times" you've got a leg up, because the cult members, the readers of the "Times," pay attention, they think the "Times" endorses it. As for the non-"Times" readers, they're usually completely unaware of it!
"Entertainment Tonight." "People." All the gossip sites of yore. They've got it completely wrong today. We don't need a plethora of celebrity information, we need a smaller amount with attitude, like TMZ. Hell, if a celebrity misbehaves or dies you're better off going to TMZ than the straight news media, TMZ has it first. TMZ is not about everything, but just certain things. Bad celebrity behavior? That's their vertical.
And if you're starting at the bottom don't play to the media. Because that lessens your credibility, you appear to be playing the game, selling out. The influencers don't do this. They build it themselves. People are fans of the influencers until they're not. It never lasts forever. The influencers burn out, or sell out too much to their advertisers or are supplanted by someone new with an edge. This is the story of social media. The kids dropped Facebook for Instagram and then Instagram for Snapchat and then Snapchat for TikTok. TikTok fans love that the government and the fat cat bloviators abhor it. It demonstrates how ignorant these pontificators are, like they know better, they're not on TikTok all day, if they've ever been there before. The bloviators are a joke to the TikTok users, who are members of a large cult.
And the only way you can understand a cult is to go undercover and become a member.
Fox News is a cult, MSNBC too. What is MSNBC for? Just to make its viewers feel good about their positions. MSNBC doesn't change the course of history, the course of government, the course of anything at all. That's not MSNBC's mission. MSNBC's mission is to be an antidote to Fox and gain and maintain viewers, that's it. As for Fox? It's similar, but there's a more marked agenda. Fox hammers certain points. Ignores others. It's a bubble. And you can't tell a cult member otherwise!
And the cult is bigger than any individual. At least when it comes to large cults like Fox. Tucker Carlson? Gone. Irrelevant. Fox soldiers on. Its agenda intact. Carlson thought he was bigger than the cult, he learned otherwise.
Kind of like Bruce Springsteen. He put out two solo albums and his audience went berserk. Where's the E Street Band? Bruce got the band back together, he was afraid of losing his audience.
The cult only accepts that which is on theme. Everybody today is worried about their audience. Which they should be, especially if they're not an artist. An artist evolves, changes it up. And there are some fans of that, like the people who still go to see Bob Dylan in concert, that can be a feature of the cult, but very rarely.
This is America, this is the world today. It's positively tribal. Like the Middle East. Like in the days of yore. All these religious wars overseas? They don't want peace, they don't think the opposition is entitled to their belief, their land, their religion. The opposition has got it wrong and needs to be told.
Which is why head-scratching things happen in America all the time. Most of America wants abortion rights, but those who do not are rabid, and when their leaders deliver limits they're thrilled and bonded even closer to the cause. Once again, forget the truth. Seems like everyone in America believes taxes are bad. Credit one person, Grover Norquist, he built a large cult over time, to the point where elected Republican officials must pledge fealty. Vote for a tax raise and you're out, you'll be primaried.
As for Liz Cheney? How dare she. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the mouthpiece of the cult, and the number one criterion of membership is loyalty, truth doesn't come into the equation.
So you think you can conquer the cult by pushing back. No way, that never worked. To beat the cult you've got to create a new cult, that's more attractive than the old one. Man, got to give the Republicans credit, they realized they were losing again and again and they started the Federalist Society to groom right wing judges and get them appointed.
Yes, there were cults in the past. But it was nothing like this. Because today there is no center.
We all saw the same movies, the same TV shows, the same sports, and if you didn't you were out of it. Now ESPN is on the verge of death because there are too many sports and most people don't want to pay for those they don't watch. ESPN was an upstart in the eighties, you could believe. Then it overcharged cable operators, who passed the fees on to subscribers, and now conventional wisdom is ESPN is a rip-off outlet that they don't want to pay for. Bob Iger completely missed this change. He was blinded by the cash cow.
Like record labels and the CD. The fat cats couldn't understand why anybody would steal on Napster. Never mind it was a better delivery service, people were sick of overpaying for one good track on a CD. Even if there was a single, once it became successful, the label cut it out and made people buy the album.
So there have been cults in the past, but nothing like today.
Nobody reaches everybody. And the power of the cults is so large that it's perceived they reach everybody, that everybody belongs, but this is patently untrue. Call it a disinformation campaign. And if you cross the line... As Ben Sisario points out, people are afraid to cross the line, not only will they be denigrated but they will lose access. Everybody wants access. But to get it, you've got to fall in line.
It's war in America today. And much is up for grabs.
But it's all grass roots, however large the cult might be, and those playing by rules of the past believe you can change the world from the top down. You can't.
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