Tune in Saturday November 11th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Friday 10 November 2023
Grammys/Morgan Wallen
"Pink Floyd's Roger Waters says Hamas massacre 'thrown out of all proportion'"
That's from the "Telegraph," behind a paywall, but you can read the story in the "Jerusalem Post" here: https://tinyurl.com/yvwej9nw or if you need an American source, check out the story and watch the video on "Breitbart" here: https://tinyurl.com/ynccs5rr
As far as left wing publications, as far as music publications, the NME covered the story, but if you are aware of it, I'm surprised. Then again, if you're a progressive you might be wary of appearing to support Israel.
Let's see, Roger Waters thinks 10/7 was a "false flag operation." And "how the hell did the Israelis not know this was going to happen?" he said. "'there's something very fishy about that.'"
But Roger Waters is not antisemitic. No way.
Yeah right, when accused, he's doubling down. It's almost like Donald Trump, when attacked they don't examine the accusation, they just fight back with more strength.
But the real criminal is Morgan Wallen.
I was truly offended by Wallen's use of the "N-word." However, when you watch the video... He was drunk and saying goodbye to his friend using language he has heard again and again on hip-hop records. Does that make it right? Of course not. It demonstrates ignorance. But how long are we going to keep this guy in jail, are we ever going to forgive him?
Morgan Wallen has the biggest album of the year, by far. A double album, it has sat in the Top Ten for a year. But you can't earn a Grammy for that, no way. His song "Last Night" was nominated, but he wasn't one of the writers of it, so Wallen is shut out.
Now if Wallen was included would Blacks protest?
Maybe. There could be quite a kerfuffle. But maybe we could have a discussion about forgiveness.
If you go to jail for shooting someone, you come out and are forgiven. Seems like it's a revolving door, there are many performers who get incarcerated, it's almost a badge of honor. But some dumb bloke from the sticks says something, just utters a word, and he's a pariah for all time.
And unlike Waters, Wallen has apologized. Bent over backward to atone. But it's just not good enough. The holier-than-thou country music haters won't let him off the hook, there's no coming back. One and done, that's what it's like in music, in the arts. Huh?
Not that Morgan Wallen cares, not that his audience cares. It's not affecting his business whatsoever. Wallen plays stadiums. He's rolling in dough. He doesn't need some phony, trumped-up award to make himself feel good. That's just for those with little commercial success, to put on their resumes, so they can book gigs in the future. If you're a star, you don't need no stinking Grammy.
Kind of like Barbra Streisand. Did you listen to any of her interview with Howard Stern? I'm only an hour in myself. But one thing is for sure, she's f'ing nuts. But in truth they all are. Get to meet your heroes, most are one dimensional, narcissistic, in many ways out of touch. And their focused drive has allowed them to make it, but if you think you can be friends with them, want to be friends with them, if you put them on a pedestal, you're just plain wrong. Howard brings up Streisand's Oscars, as if they should make her feel good for all time. The truth is, you win an award and the hit of adrenaline, the self-satisfaction, the wonder, usually lasts about 24 hours, then it's back to your regular life, to the grind. It's only those who don't win awards who think they make a difference. Now more than ever, when there are endless verticals, endless niches.
Yes, you could look at the endless Grammy categories and think either you're completely out of touch or the nominations represent only a small slice of the music universe. Chances are your favorite act is not included.
Yet people rail on about the Grammys because... In today's world we are looking for points of connection, things we are all aware of, that we have an opinion on, that we can argue over. Yes, I'll posit the Grammys, the organization and the show, is more important than the awards themselves. There aren't enough women, there aren't enough Blacks, there aren't enough pygmies, it's fixed by the labels... That you can argue about, but the individual categories? Who cares!
But to leave Morgan Wallen out...
I'm trying to think of the equivalent. Maybe excluding the best team from the Super Bowl. Or handing the Presidency to the runner-up.
Imagine if either of these scenarios occurred. People would be up in arms, they'd go insane! But Morgan Wallen is excluded from the Grammys and most shrug their shoulders. However, Wallen's fans, those in Nashville, they feel the snub. They get it, you're better than them, they're just crackers, they've got to learn their lesson.
But the bottom line is Morgan Wallen made the most listenable mainstream album of the past year. That doesn't seem to account for anything anymore. Better to laud the critics' darling Jon Batiste. Who the hell do you expect to pay attention, other than the labels and those who hope to profit off the nominations and awards, even though the Grammy bounce, in any significant way, is a relic of the past.
But this zero tolerance policy...even in the arts? I mean who else should we exclude?
Well, definitely Picasso. I'm surprised he isn't canceled yet. I expect protests, insisting his paintings be removed from museums. I mean this guy didn't even apologize.
And how about all those rockers who raped and pillaged in the seventies. Better not play their music.
The bottom line is most Trumpers are not that different from most fans of Biden. There are a few significant points of contention, and on the rest they agree. But you've got to decide which side you are on, and if you're on the other team you're a pariah.
And how many times do you have to pay for your offense? Does this mean Morgan Wallen can never be nominated for an award ever again? He was excluded for "Dangerous," now for "One Thing at a Time," what's a poor boy to do? Play in a rock and roll band?
I was talking to a venerated artist yesterday, and I asked her about some of her career choices, and she said she was a rebel, through and through, forever, even though she's an aged baby boomer. She doesn't want to be controlled, she doesn't want to be told what to do. She doesn't want to suck up to anybody.
But that's what the Grammys are, a giant suck-up.
Art can bring people together. Believe me, it's not only southern rednecks listening to Morgan Wallen, even a Black NFL player plays Wallen to inspire his team.
Yet the fat cats in the Grammys, they know better.
But they don't.
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That's from the "Telegraph," behind a paywall, but you can read the story in the "Jerusalem Post" here: https://tinyurl.com/yvwej9nw or if you need an American source, check out the story and watch the video on "Breitbart" here: https://tinyurl.com/ynccs5rr
As far as left wing publications, as far as music publications, the NME covered the story, but if you are aware of it, I'm surprised. Then again, if you're a progressive you might be wary of appearing to support Israel.
Let's see, Roger Waters thinks 10/7 was a "false flag operation." And "how the hell did the Israelis not know this was going to happen?" he said. "'there's something very fishy about that.'"
But Roger Waters is not antisemitic. No way.
Yeah right, when accused, he's doubling down. It's almost like Donald Trump, when attacked they don't examine the accusation, they just fight back with more strength.
But the real criminal is Morgan Wallen.
I was truly offended by Wallen's use of the "N-word." However, when you watch the video... He was drunk and saying goodbye to his friend using language he has heard again and again on hip-hop records. Does that make it right? Of course not. It demonstrates ignorance. But how long are we going to keep this guy in jail, are we ever going to forgive him?
Morgan Wallen has the biggest album of the year, by far. A double album, it has sat in the Top Ten for a year. But you can't earn a Grammy for that, no way. His song "Last Night" was nominated, but he wasn't one of the writers of it, so Wallen is shut out.
Now if Wallen was included would Blacks protest?
Maybe. There could be quite a kerfuffle. But maybe we could have a discussion about forgiveness.
If you go to jail for shooting someone, you come out and are forgiven. Seems like it's a revolving door, there are many performers who get incarcerated, it's almost a badge of honor. But some dumb bloke from the sticks says something, just utters a word, and he's a pariah for all time.
And unlike Waters, Wallen has apologized. Bent over backward to atone. But it's just not good enough. The holier-than-thou country music haters won't let him off the hook, there's no coming back. One and done, that's what it's like in music, in the arts. Huh?
Not that Morgan Wallen cares, not that his audience cares. It's not affecting his business whatsoever. Wallen plays stadiums. He's rolling in dough. He doesn't need some phony, trumped-up award to make himself feel good. That's just for those with little commercial success, to put on their resumes, so they can book gigs in the future. If you're a star, you don't need no stinking Grammy.
Kind of like Barbra Streisand. Did you listen to any of her interview with Howard Stern? I'm only an hour in myself. But one thing is for sure, she's f'ing nuts. But in truth they all are. Get to meet your heroes, most are one dimensional, narcissistic, in many ways out of touch. And their focused drive has allowed them to make it, but if you think you can be friends with them, want to be friends with them, if you put them on a pedestal, you're just plain wrong. Howard brings up Streisand's Oscars, as if they should make her feel good for all time. The truth is, you win an award and the hit of adrenaline, the self-satisfaction, the wonder, usually lasts about 24 hours, then it's back to your regular life, to the grind. It's only those who don't win awards who think they make a difference. Now more than ever, when there are endless verticals, endless niches.
Yes, you could look at the endless Grammy categories and think either you're completely out of touch or the nominations represent only a small slice of the music universe. Chances are your favorite act is not included.
Yet people rail on about the Grammys because... In today's world we are looking for points of connection, things we are all aware of, that we have an opinion on, that we can argue over. Yes, I'll posit the Grammys, the organization and the show, is more important than the awards themselves. There aren't enough women, there aren't enough Blacks, there aren't enough pygmies, it's fixed by the labels... That you can argue about, but the individual categories? Who cares!
But to leave Morgan Wallen out...
I'm trying to think of the equivalent. Maybe excluding the best team from the Super Bowl. Or handing the Presidency to the runner-up.
Imagine if either of these scenarios occurred. People would be up in arms, they'd go insane! But Morgan Wallen is excluded from the Grammys and most shrug their shoulders. However, Wallen's fans, those in Nashville, they feel the snub. They get it, you're better than them, they're just crackers, they've got to learn their lesson.
But the bottom line is Morgan Wallen made the most listenable mainstream album of the past year. That doesn't seem to account for anything anymore. Better to laud the critics' darling Jon Batiste. Who the hell do you expect to pay attention, other than the labels and those who hope to profit off the nominations and awards, even though the Grammy bounce, in any significant way, is a relic of the past.
But this zero tolerance policy...even in the arts? I mean who else should we exclude?
Well, definitely Picasso. I'm surprised he isn't canceled yet. I expect protests, insisting his paintings be removed from museums. I mean this guy didn't even apologize.
And how about all those rockers who raped and pillaged in the seventies. Better not play their music.
The bottom line is most Trumpers are not that different from most fans of Biden. There are a few significant points of contention, and on the rest they agree. But you've got to decide which side you are on, and if you're on the other team you're a pariah.
And how many times do you have to pay for your offense? Does this mean Morgan Wallen can never be nominated for an award ever again? He was excluded for "Dangerous," now for "One Thing at a Time," what's a poor boy to do? Play in a rock and roll band?
I was talking to a venerated artist yesterday, and I asked her about some of her career choices, and she said she was a rebel, through and through, forever, even though she's an aged baby boomer. She doesn't want to be controlled, she doesn't want to be told what to do. She doesn't want to suck up to anybody.
But that's what the Grammys are, a giant suck-up.
Art can bring people together. Believe me, it's not only southern rednecks listening to Morgan Wallen, even a Black NFL player plays Wallen to inspire his team.
Yet the fat cats in the Grammys, they know better.
But they don't.
--
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--
Listen to the podcast:
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Thursday 9 November 2023
Joan Baez-This Week's Podcast
The legend. And the subject of the new documentary film "I Am a Noise."
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/joan-baez-127784539/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joan-baez/id1316200737?i=1000634248578
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6sKcEXqSCwozQKH4ax8K2h?si=zdhYe1mbSQCYnApmwWtkTQ
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/e994e000-4139-4758-a2f0-6a8b789139f9/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-joan-baez
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/joan-baez-127784539/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joan-baez/id1316200737?i=1000634248578
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6sKcEXqSCwozQKH4ax8K2h?si=zdhYe1mbSQCYnApmwWtkTQ
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/e994e000-4139-4758-a2f0-6a8b789139f9/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-joan-baez
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Wednesday 8 November 2023
Mailbag
From: Craig Anderton
Subject: Re: Future Ticket Sales
Bob, during the pandemic there was an explosion in sales of music and recording equipment. Companies thought this would create a new generation of musicians and it would go on forever. Well, it didn't. Music is a discipline and despite the "kids just push buttons these days" mentality, it's damn hard to push the right buttons at the right time, and have them play back the right sounds...let alone learn how to play guitar.
Besides, people forget demand for anything that's not a necessity goes in cycles. So yes...ticket prices will crash, along with other luxury items.
Craig
___________________________________
From: Jeff Laufer
Subject: antisemitism in Comedy
Dear Bob,
I thought comedy is the one art form where antisemitism would not exist.
Well I was mistaken....
A week ago I was at a comedy gig and the booker made a blatant anti-Semitic joke.
The punchline was, "I Jewed him down".
I was dumbfounded... I couldn't believe it!
I didn't know what to do... should I let it pass?
If I say something will this dumb ass not book me anymore?
F*ck it!
I loudly booed him during the rest of his set!
The other comics said, "Hey, it was only a joke".
I didn't care...it was a bad joke and to be honest it wasn't funny!
It's like when a "white" comic uses the 'N-word".
Afterword I told the host how I felt and he realized he made a terrible error.. and he apologized.
And this putz was a chemistry grad student at UCLA!
Still, I lost my respect for the guy...
BTW... he still books me for spots...
kindest cheers,
Jeff Laufer aka Barney Kugel
___________________________________
Subject: Re: Sam Bankman-Fried
Bob,
The canary in the coal mine signaling the beginning of our society revering people who happened to have a lot of money was "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" years ago. And the fascination has yet to let up. "Succession" played to the same audience!
Both shows and everything in between couldn't be less interesting. Perhaps Sam and Liz will be cell mates.
David Epstein
___________________________________
From: Randy Thomas
Subject: Re: Fair Play
I called my 100 year old mom living in Florida, who is always looking for something good on Netflix to watch. After your review I recommended it. Then I watched. Mom called to thank me for it yesterday. I asked her "Are you sure there wasn't too much sex?" She replied "Oh no! I love it!!". That's my mom the one and only Terry Thomas.
Randy Thomas
___________________________________
From: Amy Mantis
Subject: Re: The Wired Article
Bob, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I wish I hadn't studied music business at Berklee. Not because I didn't learn a lot - I did. But almost none of it is relevant anymore.
If you're going to go to music school - or college in general, whatever your field is, study something rooted in first principles. Be it writing, music, art, science, math. You can use that knowledge forever even as the world turns upside down.
Keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Amy
___________________________________
Subject: Re: More Israel
The "Ambassador" from "The Transcendence Embassy" says that Iran has the second largest population of Jews after Israel? I looked it up. They do have a small Jewish population that has been getting smaller every year. Has this guy ever heard of the United States?
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1351079/jewish-pop-by-country/
Not even close.
Toby Mamis
ALIVE ENTERPRISES
___________________________________
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
Bob
Kenny Greenberg and I produced two records on Joan, and I became close friends with her in the process. She lived at my home for many months. One Tennessee summer night I heard bells jingling and I looked out my window…..and Joan was dancing alone in the moonlight with bells on her fingers.
She is definitely a star, and she's definitely a vulnerable, beautiful, special spirit. The world is a much better place with her in it.
Wally Wilson
Nashville
___________________________________
From: James E. Anderson III
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
I was the marketing guy at the Universal Amphitheatre for three years back in the 80s. We did a crazy number of shows back then, and I often worked 12 hour plus days. It was a grind, but I refer to it as my music business grad school days. I worked with, and was mentored by, Larry Vallon and Jay Marciano, but I digress.
On many of those long days and nights I would dine alfresco with the crews during load-in from a makeshift buffet set up behind the theatre. Everyone ate at large communal tables. The acts never ate with the crew. Never. Except that one time, when Joan Baez sat next to me at a table populated primarily by stage hands and roadies. I remember it clearly as the unassuming act of someone who did not place herself above the hoi polloi, who was there to work, and who probably really did dream of Joe Hill. She was warm, funny, engaging, and the spinach between her teeth when she smiled sealed the deal, endearing her to me forever. She was real. She was one of us.
___________________________________
From: Bill Berger
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
You had to have been there to feel her impact. I bought the first Vanguard album and became hooked. Borrowed money from my parents and bought a Goya guitar and the accompanying songbook and for hours in my bedroom practicing.
Went to Ole Miss my Freshman year and that was a stone's throw from Montgomery, Greenville, Selma.
Went to the marches/boycotts and Joan was always in the forefront. Just being with MLK in Washington cements her place in the history of Civil Rights.
___________________________________
From: Elliott Murphy
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
Hi Bob,
This year 2023 marks my "50 years on the road" anniversary. And in that time I've opened for countless headliners: Kinks, Starship, ELO, Hall and Oates, Supertramp, Buddy Guy, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, New York Dolls, Aerosmith, Meatloaf, Phoebe Snow, Billy Joel, Melissa Manchester, Tom Waits, Toto, Bob Dylan and so many others … great artists all and always an honor for me.
But a few years back when I opened for Joan Baez in Vichy, France, after soundcheck I ran into her backstage and introduced myself. We sat down and talked for quite a while; Joan asked questions, told me about her son who was playing percussion, asked why I moved to France, got to know me, her opening act. In 50 years that's the only time that ever happened. As the French say, "La classe" and Joan has got it in spades.
From Paris
Elliott Murphy
___________________________________
From: coral sea
Subject: State of Independence - Jon Anderson & Todmobile - Live
Knocks spots off all the other versions Bob
Anderson + Todmobile + orchestra + choir in Iceland, 2013
https://vid.puffyan.us/watch?v=80sL3gfNz1Y
rgds
LC
___________________________________
Subject: Re: Fall Freshman Year Playlist
Firesign Theater needs way more recognition. When I worked for Dan Fogelbeg he and I would toss FT lines and melodies back and forth all day.
Great times.
Mark Hogue
___________________________________
From: Alan Pell
Subject: Re: Electric Cars
Vinyl is to the record industry what the classic car market is to the auto industry.
You love your 57 Bel Air, but it's not your daily drive……..
Vinyl in the house, streaming on the move.( and only then when everyones out and you can chill out and relax!)
___________________________________
From: Kevin Cronin
Subject: Re: The Dirty Knobs At The Bellwether
Hey Bob,
Not many guitarists can get me out of my pajamas and into LA. But to see and hear Mike Campbell, I would totally throw on some jeans and and my vintage Heartbreakers tour t-shirt from a gig in Dortmund, Germany, circa 1985, and make the drive. And crank up Damn the Torpedoes all the way in! Hey, REO throws in "Listen to her Heart" as our final encore when the spirit moves us; I love singing that tune.
Anyway, my 24 year old twin sons Josh and Shane are talented young artists, (I should be so lucky to sing and play as well as Shane, or be as soulful and intuitive as Josh). And their songs are well-written, unique, and relatable. I pass along your posts about the importance of authenticity and delivering a real live performance to my sons. They hear a similar message from me any time the subject comes up, but hearing it from you, in your inimitable way likely makes a deeper dent. And the truth is, they get it.
Yeah, they are a young band, but they have old souls when it comes to music. Authenticity has been their watch-word since they swapped their Nike Mambas for Beatle boots after their sophomore season as stars of the Westlake High School basketball team. (That's when they realized that you can impress the girls as much with a guitar as with a crossover dribble or a no-look pass.) And they have never looked back. The guys are part of a musical community that stretches from Thousand Oaks, to the USC Pop Music program, into Echo Park, and beyond. All dedicated young musicians and songwriters, practicing in garages, making demos in their bedrooms, honing their crafts, actually playing their instruments! Yeah, they record digitally and use plug-ins, but their mentality is analog all the way, and their music is a breath of fresh air. It is inspirational. It is lean, sometimes mean, and other times sweet. And always soulful.
I don't need to tell you that it is a different world for young musicians today. But from what I see and hear, many of these up-and-comers share the basic values which guys like you, me, and Mike Campbell hold dear. It's our job to pass along these values in support of this new generation of artists who have more in common with the Beatles than Bad Bunny. … kc
___________________________________
From: Brian Alvey
Subject: Re: Rob Price-This Week's Podcast
Great interview with Rob Price. I'm glad he mentioned Earasers for hearing protection, too. Excellent product.
When we moved our family from NY to CA eight years ago, our kids didn't know anyone or play any sports. A new School of Rock was opening near us in San Ramon, so we enrolled all three kids. Today, my oldest is a junior in college in Nashville studying music technology at Belmont. He sings, plays keyboards/guitar/drums and recreates songs like ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky" on his laptop. He wants to be the next Butch Walker. My daughter sang and played keyboards in 17 School of Rock shows, got into doing local musicals and now plans to work on Broadway. She wants to be the next Sara Bareilles.
How cool is that?
We owe a lot to School of Rock. Their teaching method with solo lessons and group rehearsals every week leading up to a big concert performance every few months works really well. Even during the pandemic, the Zoom lessons worked great and it was a social lifeline for our kids. The only downside is that some song that we've heard hundreds of times will come on in the car and one of our kids will say, "Don't change the channel, I played bass on this song!"
Brian Alvey
___________________________________
From: Jared Polin
Subject: Re: Taylor Lorenz's Book
Took your advice and bought the book.
I live the life you're describing. I started in "social media" before social media was even a term. I ended up on the road with Perry Farrell in 2007 with a digital camera and a video camera…dslrs didn't do both yet. Perry hired my friend and I to help him get more MySpace spins. We were able to take him from 300 to 3000 spins in a matter of days by simply posting fresh content every day. Perry is a visionary and always seems to be ahead of the curve. He gave me all access to capture and share whatever I wanted. Everything from the tour bus to backstage where I often found he and his wife cuddling and rolling around on the floor. He let me capture everything.
After that tour I attempted to find other bands who wanted and needed content creation. I latched on with a local band who had five members. I told them they each get a day of the week to post content. One was into
Movies, so they would do a movie review. Another food, another photography, so on and so forth. But they never kept up with it, they never did what I thought they should to let their audience in.
So after struggling with a social media business that was a little too early, I said f*ck it, I'm going to do this myself. I launched FroKnowsPhoto on YouTube on June 1st 2010, with the goal of sharing my photography online with the hopes I end up getting more jobs. The jobs didn't happen, but what did happen is people stated asking photography questions. So every question and comment that came in I decided to make a video about it and share it with the world. Because if one person had that question, then 100 more had it as well and that's how I started growing my YouTube.
Here I am almost 14 years later with two full-time employees, a couple of properties, and millions of followers globally that I can reach with oppressive a button.
To me the key to success online is consistent quality content that you continue to evolve and grow. You can skip the gatekeepers because you beat down the door and found your way, and no longer need them because you're the ones who really matter and hold all the power.
Jared Polin
www.jaredpolin.com
www.froknowsphoto.com
___________________________________
From: Alan Childs
Subject: Re: Harold Bronson's Book
Hey Bob ,
What a crazy coincidence.
In the car tonight on the way to an Indian restaurant in San Jose with John Waite & Tim Hogan ( we have a gig up in the winery in Saratoga tomorrow night with Pat Benatar) we were talking about Hendrix at the Atlanta Pop Festival. There is also a documentary by Alex Cooley ; Time Has Come Today . I believe it's about the Atlanta Pop Festival. So 20 mins ago I Googled Alex and the pop festival and one of the results sent me to Amazon where I did see Harold's book. Not able to find where to watch the doc, I decided to look at my emails. Time Has Come Today, Your email. Crazy.
Like you said , the music business is nothing like it was back in the day. A few of us musicians are still hangin onto the touring world. I've been on tour for a majority of my adult life. I"m 70 , but the feeling you get when your road manager informs you you're on in 5 mins is the same feeling as in the mid 60's when a lot of us were just starting. That would be excitement and wanting to play. What I find very different now at venues (backstage) is that most people are very nice & accommodating. A far cry from the intense coked out & crazed attitudes of the 80's. Musicians yelling at techs( roadies) Drinking as well. Haha. Those days are gone. Another big difference is some of the audience enters the venue on walkers or wheelchairs. No Plaster Casters at our gigs. Haha.
The sunset years are upon us. For some of us still touring , it's obvious we'll continue till the end. For now it's business as usual. New Stones lp, McCartney going on tour again, U2 at the Sphere. Reading Noel Redding's book at the moment ( Are You Experienced ) Harold's book is next. Thanks Bob. Love your emails
Peace & Love. Alan Childs
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From: Gary Gold
Subject: Re: Now And Then
I was the original drummer on these three John Lennon songs.
?
A couple of years after John's death, I got a call to do a session in New York with the brilliant keyboardist (and chromatic harp player) Gary Schreiner. His record was being produced by Rob Stevens, who at the time was mixing and organizing all of John's stuff for Yoko. The session was unusual, to say the least. Yoko had some John piano/vocal demos - and she wanted to build real tracks around those bare piano/vocal recordings. There was some talk about there being a Broadway show in the works…
?
So there I sat in Evergreen Studios, an upper west side studio in the basement of a residential building, listening to tapes no one had ever heard… Just John at the piano... with Yoko there by my side.
?
I asked her if she knew what each song was about. We got into a talk about the approach of playing to the lyric of a song as opposed to the feel of the groove. What was most important for John was to say what he meant, she said.
?
I was blown away by how open and just… honest, and beautiful Yoko was. Everything I had thought about her before was just wrong. She wasn't some pretentious, entitled, shrieking witch who broke up the Beatles. She was ALL LOVE. Kind, thoughtful… the real deal. It was easy to see why John had fallen for her.
?
I was a session player at the time… I could play anything. Giving the producers what they wanted was my gig. That year alone I recorded with Donald Fagen, Rick Danko, Michael Brecker, Phoebe Snow, Robben Ford, Ben E. King, and Al Kooper. I had Jazz chops and RnB chops. Funk, Rock, Wrecking Crew Pop, Latin … you name it, I loved it and could play it
?
But these songs required one thing and one thing only.
?
Ringo.
?
No matter what I played to these tracks, what felt best was me doing my best Ringo imitation. I told Yoko this, and she was totally sympathetic. Again… ALL LOVE!
?
So we recorded three songs… Real Love, Free As a Bird, and Now and Then. I have a bit of a musical photographic memory. Anything I have ever recorded, I can remember... both the songs and exactly what I played. I remember thinking then that all the songs were beautiful and was keenly aware that I was privileged, but I had no illusions. I was filling in… and making believe that those four guys were in a room making music. Making believe that the magic broke through - the way it did when that fortunate rhythm was struck by those four special blokes being in the same room in London years prior.
?
I haven't heard this new version of Now and Then yet. Is it even a "version"? Similarly, I haven't seen all the biopics that have been made of Johnny Cash, Bird, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, et al.. I'm really not interested in anyone's cinematic fiction of the music that is sacred to me. I think it was Martin Mull who said, "It's like dancing about architecture."
?
Years later, I told George about the session and that I'd played on the John demos. He seemed more interested in our ukelele fun than talking about anything Beatles. I've never asked Ringo if the version of the song he first heard had any drums on it but the thought of Ringo hearing a song of John's with me on drums and then recutting the drums gives me chills. WOW!
?
As always, I love your words. Peace and love and thanks for all you do, Bob.
?
Gary Gold
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Subject: Re: Now And Then
Every day of the week, somewhere on this planet a musical masterpiece the likes of "Gimme Shelter" and "Yesterday" is being written and the world will never know about it because some twist of fate didn't play out just right for that artist.
So when an established artist releases something new, I always ask myself if that track was released by an unknown with the same degree of marketing support applied, would that track move any needles?
In the case of The Rolling Stones "Angry" and now The Beatles with "Now And Then", I really don't think so.
The tracks are fine and I completely understand and respect why diehard fans are loving them, but let's not kid ourselves, neither would stand alone without the legacy brands attached to them.
Chris Nissen
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From: Donny Kutzbach
Subject: Re: Declan McKenna At The Novo
Bob,
We did that Buffalo show you mention at Town Ballroom and it was a lot of young girls but I was also shocked at some of the "old heads" - dudes 20 years past the best date for those other fans - that I knew who were excited and came out to see Declan.
And for good reason: real music fans look beyond the age, the audience and the hype because they are looking for the songs.
I immediately saw/heard T.Rex, Oasis and Arctic Monkeys in his fantastic set.
And my 20 year old daughter Izzy shamed me, reminding me she had been into Declan years before and first told me about him.
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From: Nate Dorough
Subject: Re: Declan McKenna At The Novo
Sold out a 200 cap room in Lansing, Michigan with Declan in 2018. He's built it organically, has always delivered a great live show. The TikTok stuff just helps put it over the edge. Even in that little dive bar 5 1/2 years ago, the starpower was undeniable.
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From: Jason Orr
Subject: Re: Declan McKenna At The Novo
Listening to brazil I feel like I just got transported back to the mid to late aughts when vampire weekend, and phoenix, death cab, and the shins, and two door cinema ruled the rock scene. Best thing I've heard in rock since then. Thanks for sharing.
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From: coral sea
Subject: Declan Mckenna - infectious is the word you were looking for
I'm same age as you Bob - normally I don't care for any of your recent recommendations - never heard ths guy/band before, but nevertheless I checked out youtube.
Not difficult to see his appeal - he really connects - touch zany, pleasantly messy, somewhat scattergun - anything but journeyman.
Refreshing in this era. Yes, is reminiscent of late '70s but is firmly now.
The drummer is also a livewire. Great to see.
Check out when Declan jumps into the crowd here. (3min 20sec onward)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIBu_Ju8-iU
Regards
L.C
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From: GEOFFREY CUSHING-MURRAY
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
Something/Anything was my master class in songwriting. I own the late Chris Bond's acoustic guitar played on Sara Smile. And I was blown away by my old pal legendary engineer Barry Rudolph's tales of recording Hall's vocals. One take and a second perfect double. I'm gassed that Daryl's House is back. I guess some people don't get it, but then I have socks that declare me a music snob. GEOFFREY CUSHING-MURRAY
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Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
In March I will be 50, so I am the generation that was raised on MTV. It was everything to us. The 60's had Woodstock. The 80's kids had MTV. You can argue the merits of one vs the other, but at the heart of both of these cultural phenomenons was music. We may not have been demonstrating or protesting a war (something that seemingly gets held against us by subsequent generations), but music was our life.
I gravitated toward the hair bands. The first time I heard and then saw Ratt on MTV was the first indication to me that there was a whole other world out there other than the one I lived in and I wanted to be a part of it. Even though I was a heavy metal kid, there was no denying the appeal of the pop hits of the day and Hall & Oates were enormous. Their songs were everywhere for the first half of the decade.
A number of years ago, my wife gifted me tickets for Hall & Oates at Ravinia. Ravinia is a venue in Highland Park, IL. As a point of reference, it's the same town Risky Business took place in, which is to say it's an affluent suburb on the north shore of Chicago. Ravinia is an event each concert season. While there is a small pavilion, most of the concert goers sit on the lawn. But, it's far from your typical soulless concert shed. It's a beautiful setting sewn into a forest. And people go all out with their Ravinia gear, not unlike how football fans tailgate. The setups are elaborate. It's like if you were to take your dining room tailgating. Fancy tablecloths. Candlesticks. Wine bottles chilling in ice buckets. As I said, it's an event.
Hall & Oates was the perfect band to see here because you aren't going to see them for their elaborate stage show or their newest costumes. It's not a KISS concert. You're going for the songs! And man, they were outstanding live. Toward the end of the show I made my way to the bathroom to relieve myself before the long trek back to the car. It was of course jam packed. Among the crowd was maybe 4 or 5 guys wearing Harley shirts. They looked the part. Beards, wallet chains, leather vests, etc. They looked like they were at an AC/DC show. While we were in the bathroom, Hall & Oates started playing You Make My Dreams (Come True). One of these guys got completely giddy and slapped his friends on their shoulders and said, "Guys! This is it! We've gotta hear them play this one." It was a surreal scene that just goes to show, music is a universal language.
Neil Johnson
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From: JOHN FIELDS
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
I was honored to have produced some Daryl solo songs in 2010 and i asked him to show me how to properly play "You Make My Dreams"
my dear friend/drummer Michael Bland took this video of the lesson
https://youtu.be/rpAYNAdfQGQ?si=PETtl2OqCea0pmOc
Continue to rock bob!
John Fields
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From: Greg Cagle
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
We saw the same show in Indio last Saturday. Utterly amazing, and your description was what I wish I could express. At the end I turned to my wife and said "I can't believe we got to see this." The mere fact that Todd and Daryl's guitar player just NAILED the dual guitar thing from I Saw The Light was enough for me. Well done.
Greg Cagle
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From: Michael Urbano
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
This show sounds like it was amazing. I've been watching clips online and they both are on fire.
Todd changed my life. He produced my first band (Bourgeois Tagg's) 2nd record. He was hard on me while making that record. I was young and a perfectionist. He immediately got on me and sternly made me let go and just play in the moment. "Don't do it the same way every take!" He literally yelled that at me. I know now that he taught me more in the 3 months of making that record than I've learned anywhere else in my life. Yup, Todd is god.
When Bourgeois Tagg broke up Todd called me. "Wanna make a record with me?" I was stunned. I thought he hated my drumming. He said, "nah, that was just me producing you, trying to make you do things differently."So I made Nearly Human with him (along with the great Prairie Prince and Willie Wilcox) and then I toured internationally with Todd for that record. It was incredible. Our band was incredible. Vince Welnick, Byron Alred, Larry Tagg, Lyle Workman, Scott Mathews, Jenny Malduar, Shandi Cinnamon, Todd's now wife Michelle Rundgren, Bobby Strickland, Max Hasket. We killed it every night, I was spoiled after that. All that talent on one stage all at once. Hard to ever feel something so magical again. It came again in different forms but never quite like that. Every night Todd would go all the way to the edge, and then just jump off. God I love that dude.
uRbAn0
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Subject: RE: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
Bob, I still have a receipt for $5 from Todd when he came into my office in the Whisky in August, 1969. He was looking for a keyboardist for his band, at that time called Runt. Never knew if I found him one or not......
Sterling Howard, founder/owner
https://www.MusiciansContact.com
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Subject: Re: Future Ticket Sales
Bob, during the pandemic there was an explosion in sales of music and recording equipment. Companies thought this would create a new generation of musicians and it would go on forever. Well, it didn't. Music is a discipline and despite the "kids just push buttons these days" mentality, it's damn hard to push the right buttons at the right time, and have them play back the right sounds...let alone learn how to play guitar.
Besides, people forget demand for anything that's not a necessity goes in cycles. So yes...ticket prices will crash, along with other luxury items.
Craig
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From: Jeff Laufer
Subject: antisemitism in Comedy
Dear Bob,
I thought comedy is the one art form where antisemitism would not exist.
Well I was mistaken....
A week ago I was at a comedy gig and the booker made a blatant anti-Semitic joke.
The punchline was, "I Jewed him down".
I was dumbfounded... I couldn't believe it!
I didn't know what to do... should I let it pass?
If I say something will this dumb ass not book me anymore?
F*ck it!
I loudly booed him during the rest of his set!
The other comics said, "Hey, it was only a joke".
I didn't care...it was a bad joke and to be honest it wasn't funny!
It's like when a "white" comic uses the 'N-word".
Afterword I told the host how I felt and he realized he made a terrible error.. and he apologized.
And this putz was a chemistry grad student at UCLA!
Still, I lost my respect for the guy...
BTW... he still books me for spots...
kindest cheers,
Jeff Laufer aka Barney Kugel
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Subject: Re: Sam Bankman-Fried
Bob,
The canary in the coal mine signaling the beginning of our society revering people who happened to have a lot of money was "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" years ago. And the fascination has yet to let up. "Succession" played to the same audience!
Both shows and everything in between couldn't be less interesting. Perhaps Sam and Liz will be cell mates.
David Epstein
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From: Randy Thomas
Subject: Re: Fair Play
I called my 100 year old mom living in Florida, who is always looking for something good on Netflix to watch. After your review I recommended it. Then I watched. Mom called to thank me for it yesterday. I asked her "Are you sure there wasn't too much sex?" She replied "Oh no! I love it!!". That's my mom the one and only Terry Thomas.
Randy Thomas
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From: Amy Mantis
Subject: Re: The Wired Article
Bob, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I wish I hadn't studied music business at Berklee. Not because I didn't learn a lot - I did. But almost none of it is relevant anymore.
If you're going to go to music school - or college in general, whatever your field is, study something rooted in first principles. Be it writing, music, art, science, math. You can use that knowledge forever even as the world turns upside down.
Keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Amy
___________________________________
Subject: Re: More Israel
The "Ambassador" from "The Transcendence Embassy" says that Iran has the second largest population of Jews after Israel? I looked it up. They do have a small Jewish population that has been getting smaller every year. Has this guy ever heard of the United States?
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1351079/jewish-pop-by-country/
Not even close.
Toby Mamis
ALIVE ENTERPRISES
___________________________________
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
Bob
Kenny Greenberg and I produced two records on Joan, and I became close friends with her in the process. She lived at my home for many months. One Tennessee summer night I heard bells jingling and I looked out my window…..and Joan was dancing alone in the moonlight with bells on her fingers.
She is definitely a star, and she's definitely a vulnerable, beautiful, special spirit. The world is a much better place with her in it.
Wally Wilson
Nashville
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From: James E. Anderson III
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
I was the marketing guy at the Universal Amphitheatre for three years back in the 80s. We did a crazy number of shows back then, and I often worked 12 hour plus days. It was a grind, but I refer to it as my music business grad school days. I worked with, and was mentored by, Larry Vallon and Jay Marciano, but I digress.
On many of those long days and nights I would dine alfresco with the crews during load-in from a makeshift buffet set up behind the theatre. Everyone ate at large communal tables. The acts never ate with the crew. Never. Except that one time, when Joan Baez sat next to me at a table populated primarily by stage hands and roadies. I remember it clearly as the unassuming act of someone who did not place herself above the hoi polloi, who was there to work, and who probably really did dream of Joe Hill. She was warm, funny, engaging, and the spinach between her teeth when she smiled sealed the deal, endearing her to me forever. She was real. She was one of us.
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From: Bill Berger
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
You had to have been there to feel her impact. I bought the first Vanguard album and became hooked. Borrowed money from my parents and bought a Goya guitar and the accompanying songbook and for hours in my bedroom practicing.
Went to Ole Miss my Freshman year and that was a stone's throw from Montgomery, Greenville, Selma.
Went to the marches/boycotts and Joan was always in the forefront. Just being with MLK in Washington cements her place in the history of Civil Rights.
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From: Elliott Murphy
Subject: Re: The Joan Baez Movie
Hi Bob,
This year 2023 marks my "50 years on the road" anniversary. And in that time I've opened for countless headliners: Kinks, Starship, ELO, Hall and Oates, Supertramp, Buddy Guy, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, New York Dolls, Aerosmith, Meatloaf, Phoebe Snow, Billy Joel, Melissa Manchester, Tom Waits, Toto, Bob Dylan and so many others … great artists all and always an honor for me.
But a few years back when I opened for Joan Baez in Vichy, France, after soundcheck I ran into her backstage and introduced myself. We sat down and talked for quite a while; Joan asked questions, told me about her son who was playing percussion, asked why I moved to France, got to know me, her opening act. In 50 years that's the only time that ever happened. As the French say, "La classe" and Joan has got it in spades.
From Paris
Elliott Murphy
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From: coral sea
Subject: State of Independence - Jon Anderson & Todmobile - Live
Knocks spots off all the other versions Bob
Anderson + Todmobile + orchestra + choir in Iceland, 2013
https://vid.puffyan.us/watch?v=80sL3gfNz1Y
rgds
LC
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Subject: Re: Fall Freshman Year Playlist
Firesign Theater needs way more recognition. When I worked for Dan Fogelbeg he and I would toss FT lines and melodies back and forth all day.
Great times.
Mark Hogue
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From: Alan Pell
Subject: Re: Electric Cars
Vinyl is to the record industry what the classic car market is to the auto industry.
You love your 57 Bel Air, but it's not your daily drive……..
Vinyl in the house, streaming on the move.( and only then when everyones out and you can chill out and relax!)
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From: Kevin Cronin
Subject: Re: The Dirty Knobs At The Bellwether
Hey Bob,
Not many guitarists can get me out of my pajamas and into LA. But to see and hear Mike Campbell, I would totally throw on some jeans and and my vintage Heartbreakers tour t-shirt from a gig in Dortmund, Germany, circa 1985, and make the drive. And crank up Damn the Torpedoes all the way in! Hey, REO throws in "Listen to her Heart" as our final encore when the spirit moves us; I love singing that tune.
Anyway, my 24 year old twin sons Josh and Shane are talented young artists, (I should be so lucky to sing and play as well as Shane, or be as soulful and intuitive as Josh). And their songs are well-written, unique, and relatable. I pass along your posts about the importance of authenticity and delivering a real live performance to my sons. They hear a similar message from me any time the subject comes up, but hearing it from you, in your inimitable way likely makes a deeper dent. And the truth is, they get it.
Yeah, they are a young band, but they have old souls when it comes to music. Authenticity has been their watch-word since they swapped their Nike Mambas for Beatle boots after their sophomore season as stars of the Westlake High School basketball team. (That's when they realized that you can impress the girls as much with a guitar as with a crossover dribble or a no-look pass.) And they have never looked back. The guys are part of a musical community that stretches from Thousand Oaks, to the USC Pop Music program, into Echo Park, and beyond. All dedicated young musicians and songwriters, practicing in garages, making demos in their bedrooms, honing their crafts, actually playing their instruments! Yeah, they record digitally and use plug-ins, but their mentality is analog all the way, and their music is a breath of fresh air. It is inspirational. It is lean, sometimes mean, and other times sweet. And always soulful.
I don't need to tell you that it is a different world for young musicians today. But from what I see and hear, many of these up-and-comers share the basic values which guys like you, me, and Mike Campbell hold dear. It's our job to pass along these values in support of this new generation of artists who have more in common with the Beatles than Bad Bunny. … kc
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From: Brian Alvey
Subject: Re: Rob Price-This Week's Podcast
Great interview with Rob Price. I'm glad he mentioned Earasers for hearing protection, too. Excellent product.
When we moved our family from NY to CA eight years ago, our kids didn't know anyone or play any sports. A new School of Rock was opening near us in San Ramon, so we enrolled all three kids. Today, my oldest is a junior in college in Nashville studying music technology at Belmont. He sings, plays keyboards/guitar/drums and recreates songs like ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky" on his laptop. He wants to be the next Butch Walker. My daughter sang and played keyboards in 17 School of Rock shows, got into doing local musicals and now plans to work on Broadway. She wants to be the next Sara Bareilles.
How cool is that?
We owe a lot to School of Rock. Their teaching method with solo lessons and group rehearsals every week leading up to a big concert performance every few months works really well. Even during the pandemic, the Zoom lessons worked great and it was a social lifeline for our kids. The only downside is that some song that we've heard hundreds of times will come on in the car and one of our kids will say, "Don't change the channel, I played bass on this song!"
Brian Alvey
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From: Jared Polin
Subject: Re: Taylor Lorenz's Book
Took your advice and bought the book.
I live the life you're describing. I started in "social media" before social media was even a term. I ended up on the road with Perry Farrell in 2007 with a digital camera and a video camera…dslrs didn't do both yet. Perry hired my friend and I to help him get more MySpace spins. We were able to take him from 300 to 3000 spins in a matter of days by simply posting fresh content every day. Perry is a visionary and always seems to be ahead of the curve. He gave me all access to capture and share whatever I wanted. Everything from the tour bus to backstage where I often found he and his wife cuddling and rolling around on the floor. He let me capture everything.
After that tour I attempted to find other bands who wanted and needed content creation. I latched on with a local band who had five members. I told them they each get a day of the week to post content. One was into
Movies, so they would do a movie review. Another food, another photography, so on and so forth. But they never kept up with it, they never did what I thought they should to let their audience in.
So after struggling with a social media business that was a little too early, I said f*ck it, I'm going to do this myself. I launched FroKnowsPhoto on YouTube on June 1st 2010, with the goal of sharing my photography online with the hopes I end up getting more jobs. The jobs didn't happen, but what did happen is people stated asking photography questions. So every question and comment that came in I decided to make a video about it and share it with the world. Because if one person had that question, then 100 more had it as well and that's how I started growing my YouTube.
Here I am almost 14 years later with two full-time employees, a couple of properties, and millions of followers globally that I can reach with oppressive a button.
To me the key to success online is consistent quality content that you continue to evolve and grow. You can skip the gatekeepers because you beat down the door and found your way, and no longer need them because you're the ones who really matter and hold all the power.
Jared Polin
www.jaredpolin.com
www.froknowsphoto.com
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From: Alan Childs
Subject: Re: Harold Bronson's Book
Hey Bob ,
What a crazy coincidence.
In the car tonight on the way to an Indian restaurant in San Jose with John Waite & Tim Hogan ( we have a gig up in the winery in Saratoga tomorrow night with Pat Benatar) we were talking about Hendrix at the Atlanta Pop Festival. There is also a documentary by Alex Cooley ; Time Has Come Today . I believe it's about the Atlanta Pop Festival. So 20 mins ago I Googled Alex and the pop festival and one of the results sent me to Amazon where I did see Harold's book. Not able to find where to watch the doc, I decided to look at my emails. Time Has Come Today, Your email. Crazy.
Like you said , the music business is nothing like it was back in the day. A few of us musicians are still hangin onto the touring world. I've been on tour for a majority of my adult life. I"m 70 , but the feeling you get when your road manager informs you you're on in 5 mins is the same feeling as in the mid 60's when a lot of us were just starting. That would be excitement and wanting to play. What I find very different now at venues (backstage) is that most people are very nice & accommodating. A far cry from the intense coked out & crazed attitudes of the 80's. Musicians yelling at techs( roadies) Drinking as well. Haha. Those days are gone. Another big difference is some of the audience enters the venue on walkers or wheelchairs. No Plaster Casters at our gigs. Haha.
The sunset years are upon us. For some of us still touring , it's obvious we'll continue till the end. For now it's business as usual. New Stones lp, McCartney going on tour again, U2 at the Sphere. Reading Noel Redding's book at the moment ( Are You Experienced ) Harold's book is next. Thanks Bob. Love your emails
Peace & Love. Alan Childs
___________________________________
From: Gary Gold
Subject: Re: Now And Then
I was the original drummer on these three John Lennon songs.
?
A couple of years after John's death, I got a call to do a session in New York with the brilliant keyboardist (and chromatic harp player) Gary Schreiner. His record was being produced by Rob Stevens, who at the time was mixing and organizing all of John's stuff for Yoko. The session was unusual, to say the least. Yoko had some John piano/vocal demos - and she wanted to build real tracks around those bare piano/vocal recordings. There was some talk about there being a Broadway show in the works…
?
So there I sat in Evergreen Studios, an upper west side studio in the basement of a residential building, listening to tapes no one had ever heard… Just John at the piano... with Yoko there by my side.
?
I asked her if she knew what each song was about. We got into a talk about the approach of playing to the lyric of a song as opposed to the feel of the groove. What was most important for John was to say what he meant, she said.
?
I was blown away by how open and just… honest, and beautiful Yoko was. Everything I had thought about her before was just wrong. She wasn't some pretentious, entitled, shrieking witch who broke up the Beatles. She was ALL LOVE. Kind, thoughtful… the real deal. It was easy to see why John had fallen for her.
?
I was a session player at the time… I could play anything. Giving the producers what they wanted was my gig. That year alone I recorded with Donald Fagen, Rick Danko, Michael Brecker, Phoebe Snow, Robben Ford, Ben E. King, and Al Kooper. I had Jazz chops and RnB chops. Funk, Rock, Wrecking Crew Pop, Latin … you name it, I loved it and could play it
?
But these songs required one thing and one thing only.
?
Ringo.
?
No matter what I played to these tracks, what felt best was me doing my best Ringo imitation. I told Yoko this, and she was totally sympathetic. Again… ALL LOVE!
?
So we recorded three songs… Real Love, Free As a Bird, and Now and Then. I have a bit of a musical photographic memory. Anything I have ever recorded, I can remember... both the songs and exactly what I played. I remember thinking then that all the songs were beautiful and was keenly aware that I was privileged, but I had no illusions. I was filling in… and making believe that those four guys were in a room making music. Making believe that the magic broke through - the way it did when that fortunate rhythm was struck by those four special blokes being in the same room in London years prior.
?
I haven't heard this new version of Now and Then yet. Is it even a "version"? Similarly, I haven't seen all the biopics that have been made of Johnny Cash, Bird, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, et al.. I'm really not interested in anyone's cinematic fiction of the music that is sacred to me. I think it was Martin Mull who said, "It's like dancing about architecture."
?
Years later, I told George about the session and that I'd played on the John demos. He seemed more interested in our ukelele fun than talking about anything Beatles. I've never asked Ringo if the version of the song he first heard had any drums on it but the thought of Ringo hearing a song of John's with me on drums and then recutting the drums gives me chills. WOW!
?
As always, I love your words. Peace and love and thanks for all you do, Bob.
?
Gary Gold
___________________________________
Subject: Re: Now And Then
Every day of the week, somewhere on this planet a musical masterpiece the likes of "Gimme Shelter" and "Yesterday" is being written and the world will never know about it because some twist of fate didn't play out just right for that artist.
So when an established artist releases something new, I always ask myself if that track was released by an unknown with the same degree of marketing support applied, would that track move any needles?
In the case of The Rolling Stones "Angry" and now The Beatles with "Now And Then", I really don't think so.
The tracks are fine and I completely understand and respect why diehard fans are loving them, but let's not kid ourselves, neither would stand alone without the legacy brands attached to them.
Chris Nissen
___________________________________
From: Donny Kutzbach
Subject: Re: Declan McKenna At The Novo
Bob,
We did that Buffalo show you mention at Town Ballroom and it was a lot of young girls but I was also shocked at some of the "old heads" - dudes 20 years past the best date for those other fans - that I knew who were excited and came out to see Declan.
And for good reason: real music fans look beyond the age, the audience and the hype because they are looking for the songs.
I immediately saw/heard T.Rex, Oasis and Arctic Monkeys in his fantastic set.
And my 20 year old daughter Izzy shamed me, reminding me she had been into Declan years before and first told me about him.
___________________________________
From: Nate Dorough
Subject: Re: Declan McKenna At The Novo
Sold out a 200 cap room in Lansing, Michigan with Declan in 2018. He's built it organically, has always delivered a great live show. The TikTok stuff just helps put it over the edge. Even in that little dive bar 5 1/2 years ago, the starpower was undeniable.
___________________________________
From: Jason Orr
Subject: Re: Declan McKenna At The Novo
Listening to brazil I feel like I just got transported back to the mid to late aughts when vampire weekend, and phoenix, death cab, and the shins, and two door cinema ruled the rock scene. Best thing I've heard in rock since then. Thanks for sharing.
___________________________________
From: coral sea
Subject: Declan Mckenna - infectious is the word you were looking for
I'm same age as you Bob - normally I don't care for any of your recent recommendations - never heard ths guy/band before, but nevertheless I checked out youtube.
Not difficult to see his appeal - he really connects - touch zany, pleasantly messy, somewhat scattergun - anything but journeyman.
Refreshing in this era. Yes, is reminiscent of late '70s but is firmly now.
The drummer is also a livewire. Great to see.
Check out when Declan jumps into the crowd here. (3min 20sec onward)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIBu_Ju8-iU
Regards
L.C
___________________________________
From: GEOFFREY CUSHING-MURRAY
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
Something/Anything was my master class in songwriting. I own the late Chris Bond's acoustic guitar played on Sara Smile. And I was blown away by my old pal legendary engineer Barry Rudolph's tales of recording Hall's vocals. One take and a second perfect double. I'm gassed that Daryl's House is back. I guess some people don't get it, but then I have socks that declare me a music snob. GEOFFREY CUSHING-MURRAY
___________________________________
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
In March I will be 50, so I am the generation that was raised on MTV. It was everything to us. The 60's had Woodstock. The 80's kids had MTV. You can argue the merits of one vs the other, but at the heart of both of these cultural phenomenons was music. We may not have been demonstrating or protesting a war (something that seemingly gets held against us by subsequent generations), but music was our life.
I gravitated toward the hair bands. The first time I heard and then saw Ratt on MTV was the first indication to me that there was a whole other world out there other than the one I lived in and I wanted to be a part of it. Even though I was a heavy metal kid, there was no denying the appeal of the pop hits of the day and Hall & Oates were enormous. Their songs were everywhere for the first half of the decade.
A number of years ago, my wife gifted me tickets for Hall & Oates at Ravinia. Ravinia is a venue in Highland Park, IL. As a point of reference, it's the same town Risky Business took place in, which is to say it's an affluent suburb on the north shore of Chicago. Ravinia is an event each concert season. While there is a small pavilion, most of the concert goers sit on the lawn. But, it's far from your typical soulless concert shed. It's a beautiful setting sewn into a forest. And people go all out with their Ravinia gear, not unlike how football fans tailgate. The setups are elaborate. It's like if you were to take your dining room tailgating. Fancy tablecloths. Candlesticks. Wine bottles chilling in ice buckets. As I said, it's an event.
Hall & Oates was the perfect band to see here because you aren't going to see them for their elaborate stage show or their newest costumes. It's not a KISS concert. You're going for the songs! And man, they were outstanding live. Toward the end of the show I made my way to the bathroom to relieve myself before the long trek back to the car. It was of course jam packed. Among the crowd was maybe 4 or 5 guys wearing Harley shirts. They looked the part. Beards, wallet chains, leather vests, etc. They looked like they were at an AC/DC show. While we were in the bathroom, Hall & Oates started playing You Make My Dreams (Come True). One of these guys got completely giddy and slapped his friends on their shoulders and said, "Guys! This is it! We've gotta hear them play this one." It was a surreal scene that just goes to show, music is a universal language.
Neil Johnson
___________________________________
From: JOHN FIELDS
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
I was honored to have produced some Daryl solo songs in 2010 and i asked him to show me how to properly play "You Make My Dreams"
my dear friend/drummer Michael Bland took this video of the lesson
https://youtu.be/rpAYNAdfQGQ?si=PETtl2OqCea0pmOc
Continue to rock bob!
John Fields
___________________________________
From: Greg Cagle
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
We saw the same show in Indio last Saturday. Utterly amazing, and your description was what I wish I could express. At the end I turned to my wife and said "I can't believe we got to see this." The mere fact that Todd and Daryl's guitar player just NAILED the dual guitar thing from I Saw The Light was enough for me. Well done.
Greg Cagle
___________________________________
From: Michael Urbano
Subject: Re: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
This show sounds like it was amazing. I've been watching clips online and they both are on fire.
Todd changed my life. He produced my first band (Bourgeois Tagg's) 2nd record. He was hard on me while making that record. I was young and a perfectionist. He immediately got on me and sternly made me let go and just play in the moment. "Don't do it the same way every take!" He literally yelled that at me. I know now that he taught me more in the 3 months of making that record than I've learned anywhere else in my life. Yup, Todd is god.
When Bourgeois Tagg broke up Todd called me. "Wanna make a record with me?" I was stunned. I thought he hated my drumming. He said, "nah, that was just me producing you, trying to make you do things differently."So I made Nearly Human with him (along with the great Prairie Prince and Willie Wilcox) and then I toured internationally with Todd for that record. It was incredible. Our band was incredible. Vince Welnick, Byron Alred, Larry Tagg, Lyle Workman, Scott Mathews, Jenny Malduar, Shandi Cinnamon, Todd's now wife Michelle Rundgren, Bobby Strickland, Max Hasket. We killed it every night, I was spoiled after that. All that talent on one stage all at once. Hard to ever feel something so magical again. It came again in different forms but never quite like that. Every night Todd would go all the way to the edge, and then just jump off. God I love that dude.
uRbAn0
___________________________________
Subject: RE: Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
Bob, I still have a receipt for $5 from Todd when he came into my office in the Whisky in August, 1969. He was looking for a keyboardist for his band, at that time called Runt. Never knew if I found him one or not......
Sterling Howard, founder/owner
https://www.MusiciansContact.com
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Tuesday 7 November 2023
Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren At The Pantages
If shows were this good, I'd go out every night.
I went to hear "Foolish Pride" and "Black Maria," but I got so much more.
Todd was the opener. And it was Daryl's crowd. You could tell by the applause. It was like they didn't realize that what they were experiencing was extremely rare. After confounding audiences for years, Todd took the stage and played...HIS GREATEST HITS!
Now this show was booked for 7:30, and it started right on the dot. Todd bounced on the stage and started singing...REAL MAN!
Your head would explode, if you were paying attention. And by that time only the diehards were. 1975's "Initiation" was the first truly left field album, after the underrated double album "Todd" the year before.
"And my world is something you can't see
But it's still very real to me
You can find it in the hole where I keep my soul
There it is, way down inside me
There's a real man
Forget about my body and be a real man"
The change in the middle is delicious, it's a rub of the tummy, it's what endears us to music, that which we can't truly explain but feels so good.
And from there "Love of the Common Man." From the originals side of the album after "Initiation," the one with the covers of sixties classics filling up the first side, "Faithful." You know, or maybe you don't. Todd was now a cult item, and most were not members of the cult.
But everybody in the audience knew "We Gotta Get You a Woman," even if they didn't know it was about Paul Fishkin. It was a semi-hit on the radio when most people didn't know who Todd was.
And Todd played the opening cut from "Something/Anything?, "I Saw the Light," which everybody seemed to know. But very few knew the following number, a veritable Todd Rundgren classic, "Black Maria."
"Black Maria
You scare me so
I feel as though
My heart stop dead"
And then the guitar wails! Todd is squeezing all his talent out on the strings, and his talent is prodigious.
Now eventually "Something/Anything?" became a hit, but at first it was for fans only, who were small in number. After the Nazz, after being an engineer for the Band, Todd started out recording for Albert Grossman's Bearsville label, distributed by Ampex. Do people today even know that was a tape company? (And recording devices too, save me the correction.) And putting an album out on that label was like...it not coming out. There were multiple versions of the first LP, the one with "We Gotta Get You a Woman," and the second album, the piece de resistance, Todd's absolute best work, "The Ballad of Todd Rundgren," was the second LP on Bearsville/Ampex. You couldn't even find them in stores. But being overproduced in numbers and not purchased, they ended up in cutout bins and they were snatched up and for years thereafter were unavailable.
But then Ampex Records cratered, Bearsville switched to Warner Bros. for distribution, and "Something/Anything?" was the beneficiary of that relationship.
You opened the gatefold cover, and there was a picture of Todd, from the back, in his studio Secret Sound. And that same image was projected on the screen last night, an homage to what once was, our belief.
And ultimately Todd played his cover of the Nazz song "Hello It's Me,' the audience genuflected, but what came after...
The Philly soul medley from "A Wizard/A True Star?"
If you were a fan... This was all you could want.
But even stranger, the band was Daryl's, which freed Todd up to prowl the stage sans instrument, working the crowd, actually performing, as opposed to be being burdened by his guitar and...
I'm sitting there thinking how this is the way it was, in the seventies. If you dropped a young 'un into the Pantages, they'd get it. Music known by heart by some of the audience, hits known by everybody, and the whole thing being hermetically sealed, only for those in attendance. No one was playing to the back row, they were just playing music. No one was dancing, there was no production, there were no hard drives... It made you want to be a musician, and I haven't had that feeling for a very long time.
And then Daryl Hall took it up a notch.
Yes, Todd hearkened back to what once was, you could call it nostalgia, but that's not the way the numbers were performed. It was if they were cut yesterday, Todd was giving it his all. This was very different from the classic acts knocking it out shed by shed over the summer, painting by numbers. The show had the feel of a bygone era, despite the music being so vibrant. Like I said, this was the way it once was.
As for Daryl... Do you know anybody who doesn't like this kind of music, you know, R&B influenced?
Everybody in attendance did, and there were no youngsters, everybody looked old and decrepit, just like me. They had many miles on them, but they remembered when music was everything, when they had to go to the show, not to shoot selfies, not to be able to tell someone, but because they needed to resonate with the sound, it was the elixir of life, and everybody there last night wanted another hit.
So Daryl bounces on stage, and launches into a couple of solo numbers. He's playing guitar, a different one on each number, performing like it was the only thing anybody ever wanted to do in life.
Yes, it was palpable last night, the guys on stage were having fun! And fun is the one thing that money can't buy. And too many calcified boomers have given up on fun, they're too old, afraid of risk, and then these two septuagenarians take the stage as if the seventies were yesterday, they're so into it. Sure, it was a performance. But it wasn't that far removed from the garage. What I mean is everybody had paid their dues, they'd jumped through the hoops, they'd become professional musicians, that was their calling, their life's work, and they can still do it and enjoy it, maybe more, to this day.
I mean Daryl Hall has nothing to prove. And if it's only about money, he can partner with John Oates and play the hits in arenas to those who just want to relive the past.
Which is what most of these acts are doing. If you don't think it's all about the money...
And then Daryl played "Foolish Pride."
"And I've got this foolish price
And pride goes before a fall
Yeah, I've got this foolish pride"
It's the best cut on 1986's "Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine." I bought it, didn't you? I guess not. But we were fans, we bought everything our favorites put out, and we spun them to the point they revealed themselves to us.
And I'd never heard "Foolish Pride" live before.
Daryl eventually put down the axe and sat behind the piano and played his version of "Everytime You Go Away," you know, the number Paul Young had a giant hit with, you can picture the video in your mind's eye.
But the Hall & Oates version is a little slower, a little more emphatic. Daryl was sitting at the piano and wringing every last emotion out of the number. And yes, he was playing the piano after the guitar. This guy was skilled, he was a musician.
One of the absolute highlights was a cover of Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again," with just an acoustic guitar accompaniment to Daryl's piano and vocal. Didn't sound like the original, but it resonated even more.
We got "Sara Smile," the real breakthrough, from the first RCA album, the "Silver Album" if you bought it early enough in its run, it had a foil cover, but then gray cardboard, just like "Wheels of Fire."
"When I feel cold, you warm me
And when I feel I can't go on
You come and hold me
It's you and me forever,
SARA SMILE!"
Yes, about Daryl's then girlfriend, a flight attendant. But the mood of the music along with the lyrics...you can see your own life in the song. The music sets you free. It's anything but the assault we've got today
And by this time, heads were exploding, as if Oprah had given away cars. And you've got all these old people, standing and weaving, dancing, entranced by the music, it could have been 1975, but it was also 2023, because some songs, some music, is timeless.
And then came "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)."
This was monstrous in 1981, at the advent of MTV. This was the heyday, this was when Hall & Oates were the biggest band in the land, years after they'd begun.
"Yeah, I, I'll do anything
That you want me to
Yeah, I'll do almost anything
That you want me to"
The pre-chorus, it's the magic, Daryl effortlessly evidencing his vocal talent, so sweet, so resonant. Man, he's playing this song and I'm standing up swaying, with my head in the air, singing along. And nobody was looking at me, because everybody else was standing up too. And although we were all together it was a personal experience, my entire life scrolling through my brain, it was transcendent, and it built and went on and when it was done we were all nearly exhausted.
Daryl left the stage, we couldn't ask for more, but then Todd came out and sat on a stool, Daryl stood behind the electric keyboard, and they knocked out "Wait for Me," from the stiff "X-Static," a minor hit song at best. Hall & Oates had triumphed in 1976 with "Rich Girl," and then they couldn't find their way back, album after album did worse commercially, they even ended up playing clubs. And by time they put out 1980's "Voices," they resorted to a cover, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," in a desperate search for a hit, but it didn't, but...
So, they're duetting on "Wait for Me," always an engaging number, and then came...
The best of "Mink Hollow," Todd's "Can We Still Be Friends."
"We can't play this game anymore
But can we still be friends"
Now Daryl's taking the lead. And when the song evolves, Todd's adding little asides, and body movements, taking the song to a whole 'nother level.
And then the two Philly souls do an extended cover of "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" by the Delfonics.
Every boomer knows this song, from when AM still meant something, before there was FM in every car, never mind a tape deck, when there still wasn't even an FM rock station in many markets.
So these guys are up there showing their roots, truly blowing our minds. They're in a trance, it's almost as if we're not even there, they're so into it.
You don't get this every night, you almost never get it at all, but here on a Monday, when most people stay home, these two were taking us to heaven and beyond. It was truly spectacular. Not in the jaw-dropping way, but in a religious way, they were channeling the divine and we were along for the ride.
And then Todd left the stage, Daryl started pounding out the notes on the keyboard, and it was clear to everybody in the building, this was YOU MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE!
Everybody jumped up, as if they'd gotten a hypodermic to the ass, they couldn't help but move around, nearly mindless, uniting who they once were with who they are now, seeing the long continuum of life coming together, they're still here, they're still alive, and so is Daryl Hall. He's not running on fumes, he's giving it his all, he's got the music in him.
"Kiss on My List" was the surprise comeback track on "Voices," it went all the way to number one, Hall & Oates were back in the hit parade, something that rarely happens once you've gone.
But this was only the beginning, as great as "Kiss on My List" is, it's one of the best things in life, it was followed up by "You Make My Dreams."
"What I want you've got and it might be hard to handle
But like a flame that burns the candle, the candle feeds the flame"
An electric number, as if the band plugged into a socket, and the electricity poured over the audience, we were jumping as if we'd been electrocuted.
"Well, well, well you
You make my dreams come true"
But then there's that moment, almost two-thirds of the way through the song, the change.
"Well, listen to this
Ow!"
The instrumental break, you're twisting and turning, it's so simple, but it's like you're doubled-up after being squeezed in a bear hug, it's something only music can do, can make you feel, it's so simple, yet so right.
And it's got nothing to do with spandex. Dancing. Acrobatics. The song is enough, nothing else is needed, the music infiltrates your body and makes you feel alive, even if your significant other dumped you, you lost your job, your money, "You Make My Dreams" makes life worth living.
And then the band left the stage. I really expected "She's Gone," you know how they like to let you down easy, calm you down before you exit the building, but the band ended on a high note, giving it their all, and you believed they could go all night, maybe they were going to an all-hours club to continue, because that's what they do, and they can do it forever, and they'd play for free if they had to, because this is who they are.
But this is who you are. From back when you knew the hits, when they enlivened society, when they permeated the culture, when they were bigger than anything and everything today. And even though it's forty years old ,"You Make My Dreams" sounds just as fresh as yesterday. Which is pretty amazing if you think about it.
So the lights came up and I was on a high. As was the assembled multitude. In this theatre, on a weekday night, we'd been provided with the essence of music, the essence of rock and roll.
Our parents went to hear classical music, maybe an old jazz performer, maybe even a crooner, but they were not like us, their progeny. Music is one of our basic building blocks, more important than milk and vitamins. It was everywhere and everything.
It made our dreams come true!
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I went to hear "Foolish Pride" and "Black Maria," but I got so much more.
Todd was the opener. And it was Daryl's crowd. You could tell by the applause. It was like they didn't realize that what they were experiencing was extremely rare. After confounding audiences for years, Todd took the stage and played...HIS GREATEST HITS!
Now this show was booked for 7:30, and it started right on the dot. Todd bounced on the stage and started singing...REAL MAN!
Your head would explode, if you were paying attention. And by that time only the diehards were. 1975's "Initiation" was the first truly left field album, after the underrated double album "Todd" the year before.
"And my world is something you can't see
But it's still very real to me
You can find it in the hole where I keep my soul
There it is, way down inside me
There's a real man
Forget about my body and be a real man"
The change in the middle is delicious, it's a rub of the tummy, it's what endears us to music, that which we can't truly explain but feels so good.
And from there "Love of the Common Man." From the originals side of the album after "Initiation," the one with the covers of sixties classics filling up the first side, "Faithful." You know, or maybe you don't. Todd was now a cult item, and most were not members of the cult.
But everybody in the audience knew "We Gotta Get You a Woman," even if they didn't know it was about Paul Fishkin. It was a semi-hit on the radio when most people didn't know who Todd was.
And Todd played the opening cut from "Something/Anything?, "I Saw the Light," which everybody seemed to know. But very few knew the following number, a veritable Todd Rundgren classic, "Black Maria."
"Black Maria
You scare me so
I feel as though
My heart stop dead"
And then the guitar wails! Todd is squeezing all his talent out on the strings, and his talent is prodigious.
Now eventually "Something/Anything?" became a hit, but at first it was for fans only, who were small in number. After the Nazz, after being an engineer for the Band, Todd started out recording for Albert Grossman's Bearsville label, distributed by Ampex. Do people today even know that was a tape company? (And recording devices too, save me the correction.) And putting an album out on that label was like...it not coming out. There were multiple versions of the first LP, the one with "We Gotta Get You a Woman," and the second album, the piece de resistance, Todd's absolute best work, "The Ballad of Todd Rundgren," was the second LP on Bearsville/Ampex. You couldn't even find them in stores. But being overproduced in numbers and not purchased, they ended up in cutout bins and they were snatched up and for years thereafter were unavailable.
But then Ampex Records cratered, Bearsville switched to Warner Bros. for distribution, and "Something/Anything?" was the beneficiary of that relationship.
You opened the gatefold cover, and there was a picture of Todd, from the back, in his studio Secret Sound. And that same image was projected on the screen last night, an homage to what once was, our belief.
And ultimately Todd played his cover of the Nazz song "Hello It's Me,' the audience genuflected, but what came after...
The Philly soul medley from "A Wizard/A True Star?"
If you were a fan... This was all you could want.
But even stranger, the band was Daryl's, which freed Todd up to prowl the stage sans instrument, working the crowd, actually performing, as opposed to be being burdened by his guitar and...
I'm sitting there thinking how this is the way it was, in the seventies. If you dropped a young 'un into the Pantages, they'd get it. Music known by heart by some of the audience, hits known by everybody, and the whole thing being hermetically sealed, only for those in attendance. No one was playing to the back row, they were just playing music. No one was dancing, there was no production, there were no hard drives... It made you want to be a musician, and I haven't had that feeling for a very long time.
And then Daryl Hall took it up a notch.
Yes, Todd hearkened back to what once was, you could call it nostalgia, but that's not the way the numbers were performed. It was if they were cut yesterday, Todd was giving it his all. This was very different from the classic acts knocking it out shed by shed over the summer, painting by numbers. The show had the feel of a bygone era, despite the music being so vibrant. Like I said, this was the way it once was.
As for Daryl... Do you know anybody who doesn't like this kind of music, you know, R&B influenced?
Everybody in attendance did, and there were no youngsters, everybody looked old and decrepit, just like me. They had many miles on them, but they remembered when music was everything, when they had to go to the show, not to shoot selfies, not to be able to tell someone, but because they needed to resonate with the sound, it was the elixir of life, and everybody there last night wanted another hit.
So Daryl bounces on stage, and launches into a couple of solo numbers. He's playing guitar, a different one on each number, performing like it was the only thing anybody ever wanted to do in life.
Yes, it was palpable last night, the guys on stage were having fun! And fun is the one thing that money can't buy. And too many calcified boomers have given up on fun, they're too old, afraid of risk, and then these two septuagenarians take the stage as if the seventies were yesterday, they're so into it. Sure, it was a performance. But it wasn't that far removed from the garage. What I mean is everybody had paid their dues, they'd jumped through the hoops, they'd become professional musicians, that was their calling, their life's work, and they can still do it and enjoy it, maybe more, to this day.
I mean Daryl Hall has nothing to prove. And if it's only about money, he can partner with John Oates and play the hits in arenas to those who just want to relive the past.
Which is what most of these acts are doing. If you don't think it's all about the money...
And then Daryl played "Foolish Pride."
"And I've got this foolish price
And pride goes before a fall
Yeah, I've got this foolish pride"
It's the best cut on 1986's "Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine." I bought it, didn't you? I guess not. But we were fans, we bought everything our favorites put out, and we spun them to the point they revealed themselves to us.
And I'd never heard "Foolish Pride" live before.
Daryl eventually put down the axe and sat behind the piano and played his version of "Everytime You Go Away," you know, the number Paul Young had a giant hit with, you can picture the video in your mind's eye.
But the Hall & Oates version is a little slower, a little more emphatic. Daryl was sitting at the piano and wringing every last emotion out of the number. And yes, he was playing the piano after the guitar. This guy was skilled, he was a musician.
One of the absolute highlights was a cover of Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again," with just an acoustic guitar accompaniment to Daryl's piano and vocal. Didn't sound like the original, but it resonated even more.
We got "Sara Smile," the real breakthrough, from the first RCA album, the "Silver Album" if you bought it early enough in its run, it had a foil cover, but then gray cardboard, just like "Wheels of Fire."
"When I feel cold, you warm me
And when I feel I can't go on
You come and hold me
It's you and me forever,
SARA SMILE!"
Yes, about Daryl's then girlfriend, a flight attendant. But the mood of the music along with the lyrics...you can see your own life in the song. The music sets you free. It's anything but the assault we've got today
And by this time, heads were exploding, as if Oprah had given away cars. And you've got all these old people, standing and weaving, dancing, entranced by the music, it could have been 1975, but it was also 2023, because some songs, some music, is timeless.
And then came "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)."
This was monstrous in 1981, at the advent of MTV. This was the heyday, this was when Hall & Oates were the biggest band in the land, years after they'd begun.
"Yeah, I, I'll do anything
That you want me to
Yeah, I'll do almost anything
That you want me to"
The pre-chorus, it's the magic, Daryl effortlessly evidencing his vocal talent, so sweet, so resonant. Man, he's playing this song and I'm standing up swaying, with my head in the air, singing along. And nobody was looking at me, because everybody else was standing up too. And although we were all together it was a personal experience, my entire life scrolling through my brain, it was transcendent, and it built and went on and when it was done we were all nearly exhausted.
Daryl left the stage, we couldn't ask for more, but then Todd came out and sat on a stool, Daryl stood behind the electric keyboard, and they knocked out "Wait for Me," from the stiff "X-Static," a minor hit song at best. Hall & Oates had triumphed in 1976 with "Rich Girl," and then they couldn't find their way back, album after album did worse commercially, they even ended up playing clubs. And by time they put out 1980's "Voices," they resorted to a cover, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," in a desperate search for a hit, but it didn't, but...
So, they're duetting on "Wait for Me," always an engaging number, and then came...
The best of "Mink Hollow," Todd's "Can We Still Be Friends."
"We can't play this game anymore
But can we still be friends"
Now Daryl's taking the lead. And when the song evolves, Todd's adding little asides, and body movements, taking the song to a whole 'nother level.
And then the two Philly souls do an extended cover of "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" by the Delfonics.
Every boomer knows this song, from when AM still meant something, before there was FM in every car, never mind a tape deck, when there still wasn't even an FM rock station in many markets.
So these guys are up there showing their roots, truly blowing our minds. They're in a trance, it's almost as if we're not even there, they're so into it.
You don't get this every night, you almost never get it at all, but here on a Monday, when most people stay home, these two were taking us to heaven and beyond. It was truly spectacular. Not in the jaw-dropping way, but in a religious way, they were channeling the divine and we were along for the ride.
And then Todd left the stage, Daryl started pounding out the notes on the keyboard, and it was clear to everybody in the building, this was YOU MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE!
Everybody jumped up, as if they'd gotten a hypodermic to the ass, they couldn't help but move around, nearly mindless, uniting who they once were with who they are now, seeing the long continuum of life coming together, they're still here, they're still alive, and so is Daryl Hall. He's not running on fumes, he's giving it his all, he's got the music in him.
"Kiss on My List" was the surprise comeback track on "Voices," it went all the way to number one, Hall & Oates were back in the hit parade, something that rarely happens once you've gone.
But this was only the beginning, as great as "Kiss on My List" is, it's one of the best things in life, it was followed up by "You Make My Dreams."
"What I want you've got and it might be hard to handle
But like a flame that burns the candle, the candle feeds the flame"
An electric number, as if the band plugged into a socket, and the electricity poured over the audience, we were jumping as if we'd been electrocuted.
"Well, well, well you
You make my dreams come true"
But then there's that moment, almost two-thirds of the way through the song, the change.
"Well, listen to this
Ow!"
The instrumental break, you're twisting and turning, it's so simple, but it's like you're doubled-up after being squeezed in a bear hug, it's something only music can do, can make you feel, it's so simple, yet so right.
And it's got nothing to do with spandex. Dancing. Acrobatics. The song is enough, nothing else is needed, the music infiltrates your body and makes you feel alive, even if your significant other dumped you, you lost your job, your money, "You Make My Dreams" makes life worth living.
And then the band left the stage. I really expected "She's Gone," you know how they like to let you down easy, calm you down before you exit the building, but the band ended on a high note, giving it their all, and you believed they could go all night, maybe they were going to an all-hours club to continue, because that's what they do, and they can do it forever, and they'd play for free if they had to, because this is who they are.
But this is who you are. From back when you knew the hits, when they enlivened society, when they permeated the culture, when they were bigger than anything and everything today. And even though it's forty years old ,"You Make My Dreams" sounds just as fresh as yesterday. Which is pretty amazing if you think about it.
So the lights came up and I was on a high. As was the assembled multitude. In this theatre, on a weekday night, we'd been provided with the essence of music, the essence of rock and roll.
Our parents went to hear classical music, maybe an old jazz performer, maybe even a crooner, but they were not like us, their progeny. Music is one of our basic building blocks, more important than milk and vitamins. It was everywhere and everything.
It made our dreams come true!
Spotify playlist: https://tinyurl.com/2av6ejdv
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Monday 6 November 2023
Declan McKenna At The Novo
WHO?
The World Series was the least watched ever. It averaged 9.11 million viewers, a 23% decline from 2022's 11.78 million. In a country of 331.9 million.
That's right, not even 10% of Americans watched the World Series. As a matter of fact, only 3.6% of Americans watched the Series. And you know oldsters are into baseball, so we can't count them out. And sure, there are babies who won't watch, but theoretically baseball crosses all demos. Yet for some reason, the Series was not a priority.
Now the scuttlebutt is it was two wild card, minor market teams. Which is like saying no one in America watched the ski race because Mikaela Shiffrin wasn't participating. In other words, very few people are interested in watching ski racing, and very few are interested in watching baseball.
This is not to rag on baseball. I only went to one game this year, but the changes were palpable. I'm a traditionalist, I still can't get over the designated hitter, but if you're losing purchase with the audience you've got to change up the game. The endless stepping away from the mound and the batter's box, the endless shenanigans with a runner on first...these didn't happen, these abominations, stretches of the rules, had to be excised. Now all we need is automatic umpires. They've got them in tennis.
But the reason I mention the World Series is not to rag on baseball, but to illustrate it's niche. There are plenty of alternatives, on network, cable, streaming, social media... There used to be very few choices. So if you're a passionate baseball fan, you tune in. If not, you're fine avoiding the whole damn thing. And it's not like baseball is in your face 24/7, that's Taylor Swift. But that's the same damn thing, how many people are really interested in Taylor Swift? A lot fewer than you'd estimate reading the calcified news with no perspective.
Music is in bad shape. There, I said it. You can deny it, but if you want to know which way the wind blows, you certainly don't put on a record. I think we will ultimately be saved, then again the entire paradigm has changed. Used to be you and me, our band against the world. We rehearsed in the garage, we played for free, we got into the clubs, we drove within 50 miles and if we had success, we expanded our horizons. It was all done in a stealth way, not by choice, but because nobody else cared. You built it, hoping that someone with bucks, influence and relationships would come along to make you rich and famous.
But now if you've got anything to say, you immediately do so online. You don't woodshed, you get it right out there. You don't discover who you are, you troll for dollars from day one. Even worse, just like the World Series, you're competing for everybody's attention, and it's nearly impossible to get anybody to focus on you.
So, with so much effort involved, with so few guaranteed returns, there are few bands anymore. It's all solo artists. But still, there hasn't been anything new under the sun in eons. Howard Stern featured the Struts. They were actually very good, but I couldn't stop laughing at their appearance, the leather jackets and long hair. God, the sixties are over, even the seventies and eighties. Even James Hetfield cut his hair. Do you really expect anybody to buy your act, do you expect to have any influence? To do so, you've got to do it differently.
And one thing is for sure, Declan McKenna was doing it differently.
I went to hang with Cliff Burnstein. I too had never heard of Declan McKenna. But when I emerged from the bowels of L.A. Live, all I could see were girls. A plethora of them. They certainly couldn't be going to see Declan McKenna, there are a lot of options on campus. But doggone it, they were! You could barely get near the place. It wasn't only women, but I'd put the ratio at about six or seven to one.
HOW DID THEY KNOW?
That's the question, this is my business, I'm paying attention, the managers are my friends, and I was completely out of the loop.
And I'd done some research. Declan had one number with nearly half a billion streams on Spotify, one with just over a hundred million, and then nothing close. Don't forget, streaming numbers on Spotify, the ones I'm quoting, which are public on the desktop app, are cumulative, over the life of the record. Which means if you're complaining about getting ripped off for 100,000 streams, that you should make bank, adjust your mentality, the numbers keep going up and up, but not for everybody.
So what happened here?
"Brazil" had been used in a TikTok video, it had gone viral. Was it worked, did the label use connections? No, it happened serendipitously. And not yesterday, McKenna's been at it for nearly a decade. I mean you heard one song on TikTok, really just part of a song, and you were so infected that you became a fan of McKenna, listened to everything that came after?
Turns out so. Otherwise, how did all these people know every word. This wasn't the Beatles, but they literally knew every word, they were standing singing along.
So what was the act?
I didn't see a single tattoo on stage. Reminds me of being in college, when even the nerds had long hair. I cut mine. During Thanksgiving vacation, when a barber was near. People thought my parents made me do it. Not my parents. Maybe your parents. Yes, long hair once meant something. If I see a musician loaded up with tattoos today, I laugh. It doesn't mean you're dangerous, mostly that you're a conformist. And music was built by those who did not conform.
And the lead guitarist was a woman. Wearing baggy painter's pants and a baggy jacket. In other words, she was not trading on her sexuality. That was also a revelation.
As was the energy.
The late seventies punk/new wave scene in L.A. The English ska scene from the same era. And then the one hit wonder English bands on MTV. They were all about the same thing, rejecting the past and letting their youth and energy fly, they were infectious. You could not go to a ska show and not feel the vibe and dance, even if you abhorred the dance floor.
That's what Declan McKenna and his four bandmates were providing. Endless energy, the performance was upbeat, not dreary.
Declan was wearing a beige suit, with a tie and no shirt. The sartorial choices were different from the usual suspects, only the English seem to be able to do this.
So how did this happen?
Well, a Q Prime person discovered Declan McKenna on Bandcamp. Cliff and Peter listened with weary ears, but were stunned, they believed the song was a hit. They flew to England and signed him. Then they brought the band over to play minor markets, and when girls lined up to buy tickets at nine a.m. in Buffalo, they knew they had something. That was the plan, to play out of the way places, not the major markets. And to play venues in the suburbs, because that's where the audience was. Young people whose parents might be afraid of letting them go downtown.
Declan even played some acoustic numbers at high schools.
Then again, I got Cliff to admit that as good as his efforts had been, he didn't really know how it had all happened.
Ain't that the truth. All the tried and true methods not only don't work, you're not in control of those that do.
And Declan played for an hour and forty five minutes, no one could complain they did not get their money's worth, unlike in that "Wall Street Journal" article. Declan's got fans, and unlike the nobodies from nowhere who pop on to the Spotify Top 50, they'd definitely come the next time around. Declan isn't dependent upon hits, they'd help, but they're not necessary. He's got an audience.
Do I think Declan McKenna will be the new Sam Smith, nowhere to somewhere overnight? No. Then again, I'm not sure anybody can do that anymore. And if I sat here and told you that Declan McKenna was unique, an absolute star with A+ material, I'd be lying too. You never know what someone will develop into, but right now Declan appears to be a journeyman.
In the old days, journeypeople were subsidized by the record label. Today, you do it yourself, on the road.
So is Declan McKenna's success an inspiration or is it depressing?
You can spin it either way.
You can have success, make a good living, almost completely outside the major system. But that's all you may get.
And no one seems to know exactly how to break a new act these days.
But one thing I have to say for sure, Declan McKenna wasn't doing it exactly like everybody else. He didn't have a featured rapper. He wasn't writing bland pop tunes. He was speaking his truth, and it resonated with some people.
Yes, Declan is cute, and that never hurts.
But no one could exactly say why all the girls were there.
But they were.
--
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The World Series was the least watched ever. It averaged 9.11 million viewers, a 23% decline from 2022's 11.78 million. In a country of 331.9 million.
That's right, not even 10% of Americans watched the World Series. As a matter of fact, only 3.6% of Americans watched the Series. And you know oldsters are into baseball, so we can't count them out. And sure, there are babies who won't watch, but theoretically baseball crosses all demos. Yet for some reason, the Series was not a priority.
Now the scuttlebutt is it was two wild card, minor market teams. Which is like saying no one in America watched the ski race because Mikaela Shiffrin wasn't participating. In other words, very few people are interested in watching ski racing, and very few are interested in watching baseball.
This is not to rag on baseball. I only went to one game this year, but the changes were palpable. I'm a traditionalist, I still can't get over the designated hitter, but if you're losing purchase with the audience you've got to change up the game. The endless stepping away from the mound and the batter's box, the endless shenanigans with a runner on first...these didn't happen, these abominations, stretches of the rules, had to be excised. Now all we need is automatic umpires. They've got them in tennis.
But the reason I mention the World Series is not to rag on baseball, but to illustrate it's niche. There are plenty of alternatives, on network, cable, streaming, social media... There used to be very few choices. So if you're a passionate baseball fan, you tune in. If not, you're fine avoiding the whole damn thing. And it's not like baseball is in your face 24/7, that's Taylor Swift. But that's the same damn thing, how many people are really interested in Taylor Swift? A lot fewer than you'd estimate reading the calcified news with no perspective.
Music is in bad shape. There, I said it. You can deny it, but if you want to know which way the wind blows, you certainly don't put on a record. I think we will ultimately be saved, then again the entire paradigm has changed. Used to be you and me, our band against the world. We rehearsed in the garage, we played for free, we got into the clubs, we drove within 50 miles and if we had success, we expanded our horizons. It was all done in a stealth way, not by choice, but because nobody else cared. You built it, hoping that someone with bucks, influence and relationships would come along to make you rich and famous.
But now if you've got anything to say, you immediately do so online. You don't woodshed, you get it right out there. You don't discover who you are, you troll for dollars from day one. Even worse, just like the World Series, you're competing for everybody's attention, and it's nearly impossible to get anybody to focus on you.
So, with so much effort involved, with so few guaranteed returns, there are few bands anymore. It's all solo artists. But still, there hasn't been anything new under the sun in eons. Howard Stern featured the Struts. They were actually very good, but I couldn't stop laughing at their appearance, the leather jackets and long hair. God, the sixties are over, even the seventies and eighties. Even James Hetfield cut his hair. Do you really expect anybody to buy your act, do you expect to have any influence? To do so, you've got to do it differently.
And one thing is for sure, Declan McKenna was doing it differently.
I went to hang with Cliff Burnstein. I too had never heard of Declan McKenna. But when I emerged from the bowels of L.A. Live, all I could see were girls. A plethora of them. They certainly couldn't be going to see Declan McKenna, there are a lot of options on campus. But doggone it, they were! You could barely get near the place. It wasn't only women, but I'd put the ratio at about six or seven to one.
HOW DID THEY KNOW?
That's the question, this is my business, I'm paying attention, the managers are my friends, and I was completely out of the loop.
And I'd done some research. Declan had one number with nearly half a billion streams on Spotify, one with just over a hundred million, and then nothing close. Don't forget, streaming numbers on Spotify, the ones I'm quoting, which are public on the desktop app, are cumulative, over the life of the record. Which means if you're complaining about getting ripped off for 100,000 streams, that you should make bank, adjust your mentality, the numbers keep going up and up, but not for everybody.
So what happened here?
"Brazil" had been used in a TikTok video, it had gone viral. Was it worked, did the label use connections? No, it happened serendipitously. And not yesterday, McKenna's been at it for nearly a decade. I mean you heard one song on TikTok, really just part of a song, and you were so infected that you became a fan of McKenna, listened to everything that came after?
Turns out so. Otherwise, how did all these people know every word. This wasn't the Beatles, but they literally knew every word, they were standing singing along.
So what was the act?
I didn't see a single tattoo on stage. Reminds me of being in college, when even the nerds had long hair. I cut mine. During Thanksgiving vacation, when a barber was near. People thought my parents made me do it. Not my parents. Maybe your parents. Yes, long hair once meant something. If I see a musician loaded up with tattoos today, I laugh. It doesn't mean you're dangerous, mostly that you're a conformist. And music was built by those who did not conform.
And the lead guitarist was a woman. Wearing baggy painter's pants and a baggy jacket. In other words, she was not trading on her sexuality. That was also a revelation.
As was the energy.
The late seventies punk/new wave scene in L.A. The English ska scene from the same era. And then the one hit wonder English bands on MTV. They were all about the same thing, rejecting the past and letting their youth and energy fly, they were infectious. You could not go to a ska show and not feel the vibe and dance, even if you abhorred the dance floor.
That's what Declan McKenna and his four bandmates were providing. Endless energy, the performance was upbeat, not dreary.
Declan was wearing a beige suit, with a tie and no shirt. The sartorial choices were different from the usual suspects, only the English seem to be able to do this.
So how did this happen?
Well, a Q Prime person discovered Declan McKenna on Bandcamp. Cliff and Peter listened with weary ears, but were stunned, they believed the song was a hit. They flew to England and signed him. Then they brought the band over to play minor markets, and when girls lined up to buy tickets at nine a.m. in Buffalo, they knew they had something. That was the plan, to play out of the way places, not the major markets. And to play venues in the suburbs, because that's where the audience was. Young people whose parents might be afraid of letting them go downtown.
Declan even played some acoustic numbers at high schools.
Then again, I got Cliff to admit that as good as his efforts had been, he didn't really know how it had all happened.
Ain't that the truth. All the tried and true methods not only don't work, you're not in control of those that do.
And Declan played for an hour and forty five minutes, no one could complain they did not get their money's worth, unlike in that "Wall Street Journal" article. Declan's got fans, and unlike the nobodies from nowhere who pop on to the Spotify Top 50, they'd definitely come the next time around. Declan isn't dependent upon hits, they'd help, but they're not necessary. He's got an audience.
Do I think Declan McKenna will be the new Sam Smith, nowhere to somewhere overnight? No. Then again, I'm not sure anybody can do that anymore. And if I sat here and told you that Declan McKenna was unique, an absolute star with A+ material, I'd be lying too. You never know what someone will develop into, but right now Declan appears to be a journeyman.
In the old days, journeypeople were subsidized by the record label. Today, you do it yourself, on the road.
So is Declan McKenna's success an inspiration or is it depressing?
You can spin it either way.
You can have success, make a good living, almost completely outside the major system. But that's all you may get.
And no one seems to know exactly how to break a new act these days.
But one thing I have to say for sure, Declan McKenna wasn't doing it exactly like everybody else. He didn't have a featured rapper. He wasn't writing bland pop tunes. He was speaking his truth, and it resonated with some people.
Yes, Declan is cute, and that never hurts.
But no one could exactly say why all the girls were there.
But they were.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Sunday 5 November 2023
The New York Times Poll
"Trump Leads in 5 Critical States as Voters Blast Biden, Times/Siena Poll Finds - Voters in battleground states said they trusted Donald J. Trump over President Biden on the economy, foreign policy and immigration, as Mr. Biden's multiracial base shows signs of fraying."
Free link: https://tinyurl.com/5n8b3c7w
STFU. That's what all the boomer Democrats tell me when I express doubts about Biden. They're incensed, pissed that I would break the code, I must vote for Biden, because he's the only one who can beat Trump. OH YEAH?
Isn't it funny that the RNC has lost control of the Republican party and the DNC still has a firm grip upon the Democratic party.
What happened with the RNC is it lost control of the narrative, didn't understand its constituents, and then Donald Trump came along and took over the party. It's all MAGA, all the time. To the point where every elected official is afraid to say anything negative about him, they're afraid of being Cheneyed. Yes, go against the orthodoxy and you'll be primaried and you will lose. So everybody lines up, or gets in line after coloring outside the lines. They can't even impeach and convict this guy. A lot of Congresspeople decried 1/6, until they found out the public, their voters, and their news media, Fox, et al, thought it was a minor kerfuffle and Trump was innocent. Hell, Fox was afraid of having its lunch eaten by far right outlets, by OAN, so it too hewed to the Trump story.
A laugh, don't you think?
Well, you have no idea how much Republicans hate Democrats. Much more than Democrats hate Republicans. Republicans have been fed a diet of me-too for decades, MSNBC is no match for Fox, and Fox started indoctrinating its viewers years before. The Democrats are going to end democracy, don't you know? And they're going to take away your guns while they're at it, so you can't raise up in response, as if even AR-15s are a match for the military.
Don't bother me with the truth, it's irrelevant.
What blew my mind most this past week, what I can't get out of my head, was this piece I read in "The Week," from "The Bulwark."
"It is not polite to say so, but most voters 'are disconnected from reality,' said Jonathan V. Last. In a recent 'Bulwark'-organized focus group of swing voters, most parroted right-wing criticisms of President Biden that completely conflict with the factual evidence. One voter complained that 'our economy is in the dumpster due to Biden's "socialism."' In reality, unemployment is down to 3.8 percent, average wage gains of 4 percent are outpacing inflation, and the Dow is at 33,000 - 14 percent higher than at any point in Trump's presidency. Median household wealth is up 37 percent (!) since Trump left office, and as for 'socialism,' Trump raised the national debt by a record 7.4 trillion in just four years - a leap of more than 33 percent. One female voter conceded that 'Trump was just a nut,' but said he 'didn't leave the country in the shape that Joe Biden is leaving us in.' Hello? Trump left office with the unemployment rate at 6.3 percent, the economy in free fall, and more than 90,000 Americans dying of Covid every month, and with no real plan in place to distribute vaccines. When people are this misinformed, it's no wonder Trump still has a chance to regain the presidency."
So, please let's not talk about facts. They are not reaching voters. As for "Bidenomics," it's a riff on "Abenomics," the policies of the Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, which were seen as fully successful by few. Yup, that's the Democrats, go deep into Wonkville to come up with a moniker that most people don't resonate with. Good job guys!
Yes, the DNC has declared we all have to line up behind Biden. You'd think it's the law.
But it's not.
Friday night Dean Phillips was on Bill Maher's "Real Time," you know, the joke of a Congressman running to unseat Biden as the nominee. Not for himself, even he seems to know he's got no chance, but to illustrate the Democrats have a problem and someone else needs to be the candidate. And why? BECAUSE BIDEN IS JUST TOO DAMN OLD!
And boy was the point made listening to Phillips. He had power in his voice, verve, he was quick on his feet, he could crack jokes. When Joe steps up to the mic he seems to barely get it out, his voice is closer to a whisper than robust, and that does not inspire confidence.
Please stop telling me Biden's done a good job, I get it, I think so too. I've got my quibbles, but he's better than I thought he would be. And I tell these same people who tell me to STFU that if I could snap my fingers and make Biden the President for another four years, I would. But I don't have that power. This is not about the rearview mirror, but going forward. And going forward, it's absolutely clear, Joe Biden is too old.
Oh, don't tell me about ageism. You're only one step away from the college students with their microaggressions and trigger warnings and...everybody may be equal under the law, but that's not what we're talking about here. No one wants Biden to run except the Democratic cabal and some oldsters. The poll numbers are horrific, each and every one of them, a vast majority, seemingly almost everybody under the age of forty, along with many more advanced in years, think Joe is too old. But we're all supposed to hold our tongues, we can't go against the party line. Joe's our man!
Well, he's not mine. Nor was he mine back in 2020. He got the nomination, he won, but that was a cycle ago.
Oh, that's right, ABORTION! We are going to be saved by abortion rights, no one is going to vote for Trump. Well, it's really about only five states at most, forget the popular vote, and especially in the south, there doesn't seem to be the rabid anti-abortion sentiment there is up north. Furthermore, people have a long history of voting against their interests. So don't explain to me why people should do one thing while they do another. Just face reality.
I don't want to hear about Trump's indictments, I don't want to hear any criticism of Trump. The bottom line is only a few states matter and those states were tight the last time around, and now Biden has a record, upon which Trump can run against, which he didn't have before.
And Trump will whip out the right wing trope. That taxes are too high! Everybody wants to pay lower taxes, but they're not willing to forgo any services, which is why the debt rose so much under Trump.
People retire in sports, they retire in academics, but when it comes to politics we're told again and again that it's ageism, you should be able to serve until you die. Where else does this play? NOWHERE! They kick you out, or upstairs, and give you the title "emeritus."
Now you're going to respond to me with stories. About what Biden has done. But that's got nothing to do with it, as the "Bulwark" article and the "Times" poll tell us. Can you pull the lens back and look at the big picture?
No one is as rabid about Biden as they are about Trump. That's not what Joe inspires. And even worse, even though Joe has been running the country well for these past three years, the Republicans still control the narrative, the Democrats can't seem to come up with their own story and propagate it, spread it everywhere. There's no fighting spirit amongst Democrats, just self-satisfaction and exasperation, how can you win with that?
And I can't find a single person who wants Kamala Harris to be President, which is a big issue because of Joe's age, but I'm told she's a black woman and if she's excised from the ticket... Exactly what? Every black person and every woman is going to throw Joe or the ultimate Democratic candidate overboard?
That's the Democrats, the party of fear. They don't instill it, they just feel it. Which is why they're getting their lunch eaten in the Middle East crisis. Anyone paying attention, and there seem to be very few, knows that for decades now, BDS has been infiltrating college campuses. But no one seems to know that it's supported by the Palestinians. That's right, the Palestinians are better than the Democrats at getting their story across on campus. And in Hollywood. Come on, do you expect these sympathetic nitwits to understand world politics? If I watch one more show telling me about the poor Palestinians...
But now I've turned you off, now you've clicked away. Because you don't know the facts, that there are about the same number of Palestinians as Jews on the entire globe. But it's ethnic cleansing, genocide! Where did you learn math! As for the number of refugees... They're counting every descendant since 1948. Hell, by that metric, how many Americans can be called refugees? But don't let the facts get in the way of emotions.
And the point here is many of you disagree with me. And you're all bleeding heart liberals, who are never going to vote for a Republican anyway. But are you excited now that Biden is standing up for the Israelis?
Biden and Blinken, talking out of two side of their mouths, afraid to piss off constituents by saying the war must go on. These two are afraid of angering the pro-Palestinian cohort. They could try to educate people, now that they're paying attention. Have you seen videos of the tunnels? Whew! And the oxygen tanks for Hamas in the supplies. Do you know the water is used for rockets and the fuel is hoarded by Hamas? I'm not saying it's not a thorny issue, I'm just saying that all people can express is sympathy for the Palestinians. Well, where in hell is the sympathy for Israel, for the Jews? Oh, that's right, these rich f*cks deserved it. Or people say it's not their battle.
Yes, the Middle East war has divided Democrats and Biden is doing a piss-poor job of bringing them together. Why can't anybody speak the truth? That's why Trump won in 2016, his fans thought he was speaking to them, their truth, that he was not pandering to the usual suspects. Meanwhile, Joe is in the White House, a veritable bunker, barely coming out and saying anything! And too often when he does make remarks, they're equivocal.
IS THIS A WINNING STRATEGY?
Of course not. But it's heresy to say this. Heresy to say both the Middle East and the election are complicated. That we have to separate the issues, dig down deep. But how can we do this in a country where you can't say anything negative about "Now and Then" because it's by the BEATLES! That's what we've lost in the race from the humanities, the power of analytical thinking. Now everything is black and white, for or against. If I question Biden's bona fides for re-election, if I analyze his statements and movements, I'm a hater. Like we all live in a country ruled by Taylor Swift.
Turns out despite so many thinking otherwise, we might actually be getting back together with Donald Trump. Swift may move on, but not the public.
So please, start talking about this. Start breaking the seal. Ask your friends, is Biden too old? Would you prefer someone younger to run?
And ask those younger than you, and outside your bubble. Their vote counts as much as yours.
As for those who say to ignore polls at this point, to forget approval ratings... I'm with you, but Biden is getting older each and every day. He is not Dorian Gray. He's aging in front of our very eyes. Why do you refuse to see it?
Because you don't like change. Bill Maher... He's anti-tech, every problem is caused by social media. Sure, social media has an influence, but BDS started growing on campus long before social media existed. And you go where the people are, you don't try and shut sites down. I get it, you want to pull us back to the past. How'd that work for the record companies?
The main effect of this "Times" poll will be to get the DNC to question itself. And it will only effect change if you start agitating yourself. We want a primary of multiple candidates and we want it now, we don't want '68, where we try to rally around Humphrey far too late.
I still think Biden is not going to run. But he's afraid of saying so now, for fear of being seen as a lame duck and losing power.
But I'll also tell you that I'm not sure Trump will be the candidate either. When everybody else drops out, Nikki Haley is a formidable contender. And against Biden it's no contest, Haley wins.
Things can change overnight in politics. We've seen it again and again. Remember Muskie? Governor Dean? Bush from Florida? But one thing is for sure, Joe Biden is not going to get any younger, and if three plus years are an example, he's not going to suddenly inspire and grow confidence. That's not how it works.
Biden is the reluctant candidate. From those who think they know, and have been wrong for more than a decade, and those who are afraid.
Can't you fight? Can't you see it's a contest? Can't you risk?
Change happens more rapidly than ever before these days, but the DNC moves glacially, if at all.
And if we're looking for leaders... Biden may be President, but he's not Presidential. A President inspires, he leads, he's not afraid of making a public statement. He's out with the people, convincing them.
Sure, Biden is making a tiny effort, but none of it memorable. His heart isn't in it. Maybe because his heart is no longer as strong.
It's his age, don't you get it?
Joe's got to go.
And if you think otherwise, you're part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Free link: https://tinyurl.com/5n8b3c7w
STFU. That's what all the boomer Democrats tell me when I express doubts about Biden. They're incensed, pissed that I would break the code, I must vote for Biden, because he's the only one who can beat Trump. OH YEAH?
Isn't it funny that the RNC has lost control of the Republican party and the DNC still has a firm grip upon the Democratic party.
What happened with the RNC is it lost control of the narrative, didn't understand its constituents, and then Donald Trump came along and took over the party. It's all MAGA, all the time. To the point where every elected official is afraid to say anything negative about him, they're afraid of being Cheneyed. Yes, go against the orthodoxy and you'll be primaried and you will lose. So everybody lines up, or gets in line after coloring outside the lines. They can't even impeach and convict this guy. A lot of Congresspeople decried 1/6, until they found out the public, their voters, and their news media, Fox, et al, thought it was a minor kerfuffle and Trump was innocent. Hell, Fox was afraid of having its lunch eaten by far right outlets, by OAN, so it too hewed to the Trump story.
A laugh, don't you think?
Well, you have no idea how much Republicans hate Democrats. Much more than Democrats hate Republicans. Republicans have been fed a diet of me-too for decades, MSNBC is no match for Fox, and Fox started indoctrinating its viewers years before. The Democrats are going to end democracy, don't you know? And they're going to take away your guns while they're at it, so you can't raise up in response, as if even AR-15s are a match for the military.
Don't bother me with the truth, it's irrelevant.
What blew my mind most this past week, what I can't get out of my head, was this piece I read in "The Week," from "The Bulwark."
"It is not polite to say so, but most voters 'are disconnected from reality,' said Jonathan V. Last. In a recent 'Bulwark'-organized focus group of swing voters, most parroted right-wing criticisms of President Biden that completely conflict with the factual evidence. One voter complained that 'our economy is in the dumpster due to Biden's "socialism."' In reality, unemployment is down to 3.8 percent, average wage gains of 4 percent are outpacing inflation, and the Dow is at 33,000 - 14 percent higher than at any point in Trump's presidency. Median household wealth is up 37 percent (!) since Trump left office, and as for 'socialism,' Trump raised the national debt by a record 7.4 trillion in just four years - a leap of more than 33 percent. One female voter conceded that 'Trump was just a nut,' but said he 'didn't leave the country in the shape that Joe Biden is leaving us in.' Hello? Trump left office with the unemployment rate at 6.3 percent, the economy in free fall, and more than 90,000 Americans dying of Covid every month, and with no real plan in place to distribute vaccines. When people are this misinformed, it's no wonder Trump still has a chance to regain the presidency."
So, please let's not talk about facts. They are not reaching voters. As for "Bidenomics," it's a riff on "Abenomics," the policies of the Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, which were seen as fully successful by few. Yup, that's the Democrats, go deep into Wonkville to come up with a moniker that most people don't resonate with. Good job guys!
Yes, the DNC has declared we all have to line up behind Biden. You'd think it's the law.
But it's not.
Friday night Dean Phillips was on Bill Maher's "Real Time," you know, the joke of a Congressman running to unseat Biden as the nominee. Not for himself, even he seems to know he's got no chance, but to illustrate the Democrats have a problem and someone else needs to be the candidate. And why? BECAUSE BIDEN IS JUST TOO DAMN OLD!
And boy was the point made listening to Phillips. He had power in his voice, verve, he was quick on his feet, he could crack jokes. When Joe steps up to the mic he seems to barely get it out, his voice is closer to a whisper than robust, and that does not inspire confidence.
Please stop telling me Biden's done a good job, I get it, I think so too. I've got my quibbles, but he's better than I thought he would be. And I tell these same people who tell me to STFU that if I could snap my fingers and make Biden the President for another four years, I would. But I don't have that power. This is not about the rearview mirror, but going forward. And going forward, it's absolutely clear, Joe Biden is too old.
Oh, don't tell me about ageism. You're only one step away from the college students with their microaggressions and trigger warnings and...everybody may be equal under the law, but that's not what we're talking about here. No one wants Biden to run except the Democratic cabal and some oldsters. The poll numbers are horrific, each and every one of them, a vast majority, seemingly almost everybody under the age of forty, along with many more advanced in years, think Joe is too old. But we're all supposed to hold our tongues, we can't go against the party line. Joe's our man!
Well, he's not mine. Nor was he mine back in 2020. He got the nomination, he won, but that was a cycle ago.
Oh, that's right, ABORTION! We are going to be saved by abortion rights, no one is going to vote for Trump. Well, it's really about only five states at most, forget the popular vote, and especially in the south, there doesn't seem to be the rabid anti-abortion sentiment there is up north. Furthermore, people have a long history of voting against their interests. So don't explain to me why people should do one thing while they do another. Just face reality.
I don't want to hear about Trump's indictments, I don't want to hear any criticism of Trump. The bottom line is only a few states matter and those states were tight the last time around, and now Biden has a record, upon which Trump can run against, which he didn't have before.
And Trump will whip out the right wing trope. That taxes are too high! Everybody wants to pay lower taxes, but they're not willing to forgo any services, which is why the debt rose so much under Trump.
People retire in sports, they retire in academics, but when it comes to politics we're told again and again that it's ageism, you should be able to serve until you die. Where else does this play? NOWHERE! They kick you out, or upstairs, and give you the title "emeritus."
Now you're going to respond to me with stories. About what Biden has done. But that's got nothing to do with it, as the "Bulwark" article and the "Times" poll tell us. Can you pull the lens back and look at the big picture?
No one is as rabid about Biden as they are about Trump. That's not what Joe inspires. And even worse, even though Joe has been running the country well for these past three years, the Republicans still control the narrative, the Democrats can't seem to come up with their own story and propagate it, spread it everywhere. There's no fighting spirit amongst Democrats, just self-satisfaction and exasperation, how can you win with that?
And I can't find a single person who wants Kamala Harris to be President, which is a big issue because of Joe's age, but I'm told she's a black woman and if she's excised from the ticket... Exactly what? Every black person and every woman is going to throw Joe or the ultimate Democratic candidate overboard?
That's the Democrats, the party of fear. They don't instill it, they just feel it. Which is why they're getting their lunch eaten in the Middle East crisis. Anyone paying attention, and there seem to be very few, knows that for decades now, BDS has been infiltrating college campuses. But no one seems to know that it's supported by the Palestinians. That's right, the Palestinians are better than the Democrats at getting their story across on campus. And in Hollywood. Come on, do you expect these sympathetic nitwits to understand world politics? If I watch one more show telling me about the poor Palestinians...
But now I've turned you off, now you've clicked away. Because you don't know the facts, that there are about the same number of Palestinians as Jews on the entire globe. But it's ethnic cleansing, genocide! Where did you learn math! As for the number of refugees... They're counting every descendant since 1948. Hell, by that metric, how many Americans can be called refugees? But don't let the facts get in the way of emotions.
And the point here is many of you disagree with me. And you're all bleeding heart liberals, who are never going to vote for a Republican anyway. But are you excited now that Biden is standing up for the Israelis?
Biden and Blinken, talking out of two side of their mouths, afraid to piss off constituents by saying the war must go on. These two are afraid of angering the pro-Palestinian cohort. They could try to educate people, now that they're paying attention. Have you seen videos of the tunnels? Whew! And the oxygen tanks for Hamas in the supplies. Do you know the water is used for rockets and the fuel is hoarded by Hamas? I'm not saying it's not a thorny issue, I'm just saying that all people can express is sympathy for the Palestinians. Well, where in hell is the sympathy for Israel, for the Jews? Oh, that's right, these rich f*cks deserved it. Or people say it's not their battle.
Yes, the Middle East war has divided Democrats and Biden is doing a piss-poor job of bringing them together. Why can't anybody speak the truth? That's why Trump won in 2016, his fans thought he was speaking to them, their truth, that he was not pandering to the usual suspects. Meanwhile, Joe is in the White House, a veritable bunker, barely coming out and saying anything! And too often when he does make remarks, they're equivocal.
IS THIS A WINNING STRATEGY?
Of course not. But it's heresy to say this. Heresy to say both the Middle East and the election are complicated. That we have to separate the issues, dig down deep. But how can we do this in a country where you can't say anything negative about "Now and Then" because it's by the BEATLES! That's what we've lost in the race from the humanities, the power of analytical thinking. Now everything is black and white, for or against. If I question Biden's bona fides for re-election, if I analyze his statements and movements, I'm a hater. Like we all live in a country ruled by Taylor Swift.
Turns out despite so many thinking otherwise, we might actually be getting back together with Donald Trump. Swift may move on, but not the public.
So please, start talking about this. Start breaking the seal. Ask your friends, is Biden too old? Would you prefer someone younger to run?
And ask those younger than you, and outside your bubble. Their vote counts as much as yours.
As for those who say to ignore polls at this point, to forget approval ratings... I'm with you, but Biden is getting older each and every day. He is not Dorian Gray. He's aging in front of our very eyes. Why do you refuse to see it?
Because you don't like change. Bill Maher... He's anti-tech, every problem is caused by social media. Sure, social media has an influence, but BDS started growing on campus long before social media existed. And you go where the people are, you don't try and shut sites down. I get it, you want to pull us back to the past. How'd that work for the record companies?
The main effect of this "Times" poll will be to get the DNC to question itself. And it will only effect change if you start agitating yourself. We want a primary of multiple candidates and we want it now, we don't want '68, where we try to rally around Humphrey far too late.
I still think Biden is not going to run. But he's afraid of saying so now, for fear of being seen as a lame duck and losing power.
But I'll also tell you that I'm not sure Trump will be the candidate either. When everybody else drops out, Nikki Haley is a formidable contender. And against Biden it's no contest, Haley wins.
Things can change overnight in politics. We've seen it again and again. Remember Muskie? Governor Dean? Bush from Florida? But one thing is for sure, Joe Biden is not going to get any younger, and if three plus years are an example, he's not going to suddenly inspire and grow confidence. That's not how it works.
Biden is the reluctant candidate. From those who think they know, and have been wrong for more than a decade, and those who are afraid.
Can't you fight? Can't you see it's a contest? Can't you risk?
Change happens more rapidly than ever before these days, but the DNC moves glacially, if at all.
And if we're looking for leaders... Biden may be President, but he's not Presidential. A President inspires, he leads, he's not afraid of making a public statement. He's out with the people, convincing them.
Sure, Biden is making a tiny effort, but none of it memorable. His heart isn't in it. Maybe because his heart is no longer as strong.
It's his age, don't you get it?
Joe's got to go.
And if you think otherwise, you're part of the problem, not part of the solution.
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