Spotify: https://shorturl.at/JMPXZ
THE CYRUS ERIE
"Get the Message" - 1969
RASPBERRIES
"Go All the Way" -1972
"I Wanna Be With You" - 1972
"Let's Pretend" - 1973
"Tonight" - 1973
"Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" - 1974
"Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" -1980
Cherie and Marie Currie
ERIC CARMEN-1975
"All By Myself"
Celine Dion version - 1996
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"
"That's Rock and Roll"
Shaun Cassidy version - 1976
BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT - 1977
"She Did It"
"Love Is All That Matters"
"Marathon Man"
"Nowhere to Hide"
"Run Away"
CHANGE OF HEART - 1978
"Hey Deanie"
Shaun Cassidy version - 1977
TONIGHT YOU'RE MINE - 1980
"It Hurts Too Much"
ERIC CARMEN - 1985
"I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips"
DIRTY DANCING - 1987
"Hungry Eyes"
Franke and the Knockouts version - 1984
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHqkja5GPxk
RASPBERRIES POP ART LIVE - 2004
"Go All the Way"
"Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)"
"Ticket to Ride"
"Baby's in Black"
"I Can't Explain"
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Saturday 16 March 2024
Friday 15 March 2024
Eric Carmen-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in Saturday March 16th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Thursday 14 March 2024
Mailbag
Subject: Re: Neil Young Returns To Spotify
Hi Bob,
Finally!
A little perspective from a Label Owner / Artist Manager...
I understand the conceptual pushback from artists. And I won't adress that here. For my company, I have seen my revenue (on my 2,000 song catalog) increase as a result of streaming. Yes. It took a few years…
As Streaming has become the predominant way of listening, and millions have decided to pay for subscriptions, the proportional net of the "deal" is not much different from the Physical income model. It just skews to everyone now instead of just the biggest selling albums at any given time. The main difference is that now the fan pays a modest flat fee to enjoy practically the entire music universe on demand, and we get paid "forever."
Simultaneously, the label no longer needs a staff to manage and sell all the physical product, nor to manufacture (ok… Vinyl for some, and a trickle of CDs), ship, maintain inventories, process returns, account for "breakage", hope to get paid by stores like Sam Goody or Transworld (remember those clowns, who paid in returns!), pay for extortionate "programs", create/disseminate POP, get caught up in bankruptcies (including a few one stops asking to claw back money paid for product in addition to not paying for product they bought but had not yet paid for, true story). Plus most albums (including the Majors) were never released in foreign territories. I could go on….
In summary, a lot less effort, for, in my case, more money and, much more important, ubiquitous world wide availablility. The Net effect has been great for Labels.
The Label deals with their artists is another, complex, story that differs from artist to artist and from company to company.
Best Always!
Rob Gordon
_____________________________________
From: tres sasser
Subject: Re: The Medium Affects The Message
Bob,
That was fantastic and so on the money! I produced an artist and sent a few tracks to a very high up blues/hip hop label friend of mine
who promptly called me back and said "this artist is phenomenal! Best thing I've heard in years." I said, "great, let's set up a time for you to see his live show and you guys talk."
He stopped me and said "Man..I checked out his socials and he's only got 200,000 monthly listeners. His numbers aren't high enough."
I then said "So you're telling me if I bring you the most AMAZING artist ever and their numbers are low you wouldn't be interested?" "That's right," he said.
I told him "that's a huge part of what's wrong with the music business."
It's so frustrating to find undiscovered talent and work on it and capture it, all the time knowing the music is secondary.
But I believe music will find a way to overcome the system, shatter the ceiling and let genuinely talented artists shine.
Again, great article!
Tres
_____________________________________
From: michael rosenblatt
Subject: Re: Universal Publishing Joins TikTok Takedown
My favorite line about the music business was written by Stan Cornyn in his book Exploding..."When it comes to racing into any new technology, the record business finishes just ahead of the Amish." He wrote that 23 years ago, was true then is true now.
_____________________________________
Subject: RE: The Judee Sill Movie
Hey Bob,
Can't wait to see this documentary! I knew Judee well and loved her music. I cut one of her songs, "Ridge Rider," on a solo album by Russ Giguere of the Association. I saw her perform a number of times and even went on the road with her briefly. She was a true original, both as a writer and as a person. Although you're right that she never had any big hits, I urge everyone to listen to her composition, "Lady-O,' beautifully recorded by the Turtles. It's one of Howard's best vocals and the harmony singing is amazing. It made it onto the Billboard charts, but in the lower echelon. I'm hoping this film will help to elevate her place in the pantheon of California singer-songwriters.
Best,
John Boylan
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: The Judee Sill Movie
Man. Judee Sill. Her music is the truth. Nate Wood, the drummer of our band Kneebody showed Judee's music to us about 20 years ago. (You should check out Nate too! He's one of the most incredible musical minds out there). Nate's from Laguna Beach and his parents are Steve Wood and Beth Fitchet Wood from the band Honk. I remember him telling us that his folks knew Judee from around in the music scene in the early 70s and that back when they met her they knew her as a bassist. At the time they had never really known that she was making such incredible music. It reminds me of the music scene now - people I've known for years that I know in a certain context as a sideman or side woman that have all of this music in them and when it comes out and they step away from their gig they really do blossom. Anyway Steve and Beth showed him her music that they never knew that she had been making at the time and he showed it to the rest of us. And I'd like to think we've all been huge Judee Sill ambassadors ever since. We did a concert of her music in brooklyn about 15 years ago and it was so much fun to get into those songs. It's some of the most beautiful and original music I've ever heard. It's such a world that she created that is so a part of the era that she was in but totally unique. She was completely on her on path. Just listening to the harmony and odd lyrics and specific twists and turns of the melodies it's clear that she was one of the most unique and incredible artists. And bless David Geffen for putting that out. It's also so clear why she didn't have the commercial success or whatever was expected in that sense. You can hear that in the live recordings where she's solo on tour on an opening slot (was it for Graham Nash…?) and she's rambling to the crowd about the fugal line that she's written after the guitar solo in Archetypal Man mentioning that she intended for it to be for oboe but sang it instead - and you can hear what plays as a joke for her kind of falling flat with the crowd. It's heady nerdy stuff - and sounds like you're listening to a chess grandmaster speak about deep strategy instead of flirtatious happy go lucky stage banter. It reminds me of what people said about Nick Drakes painfully awkward solo performances or some of the times I got to hear Elliot Smith live and watch him deal with the heaviness of expressing this beautiful thing that is coming from inside. Her music is all so deliberate and couldn't be any other way than how she heard it. And yes her story is pretty unbelievable and tragic and sad. Thanks for writing about her. I'm so glad that a film was made and I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Kaveh Rastegar
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: The Judee Sill Movie
Thanks so much, Bob, for the wonderful review of our film, Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill. When co-director Brian Lindstrom and I began what became a nine year labor of love to tell Judee's story, we knew that we had an excellent head start with a small but beautiful and inspiring body of work, and if we could harness that we'd be in good shape. All through the process, we met generous participants who expressed hope that Judee might soon get her due. Interviews with Judee's close pals, like Tommy Peltier, Russ Giguere, Vicki Randall and JD Souther, helped us in our effort to portray a fun-loving, charismatic and complicated person, far different than the dark, gloomy figure that emerges from her Wikipedia profile. It's bittersweet, of course, that she can't be here to experience the appreciation herself, but it's easy to imagine how thrilled she'd be by all it.
?
Andy Brown
co-director Lost Angel
_____________________________________
From: Steve Page
Subject: Re: God & Country
This is a quintessential example of how out of touch people are trying to market old media in 2024.
I'm on my phone, by pure happenstance, I opened this email and read enough of it to be interested in the project (having previously never heard of it, despite being vaguely familiar with Oscilloscope). TIME SPENT: 1 min 30 secs
I click the trailer link you provided. I watch about 30 secs of the trailer, OK, still interested. I click the link that says "Learn more about God & Country" because it's the only thing promising to give me more info. Nowhere on this YouTube page does it tell me: when it will be released or how I will be able to watch it. TIME SPENT: 30 secs
Now I'm on the mobile iteration of the film's site. I'm presented with the same trailer that just brought me here... a wall of text explaining the film... and a single hamburger menu top right. Still, I've not been informed where or when I will be able to watch it, including taking the unthinkable effort to scroll down to the bottom of the page. TIME SPENT: 30 secs
I click the hamburger menu. At this point, I'm still engaged mostly to find out if the information I'm seeking even exists, not necessarily because I still actually want to watch this project. I'm presented with site navigation, none of which says RELEASE DATE, HOW CAN I WATCH... I click on "Theaters" as my best option... ***note, one of the navigation options is: "Share Tools & Resources" ... as if I'm going to be doing their marketing for them when I can't figure out when it will be available. LOL. TIME SPENT: 15 secs
On the "Theaters" page, I can plug in my zip code - OK great, I live in the dead middle of Los Angeles so I figure it will at least be playing at some off hours at an AMC, maybe Vidiots, or a smaller theater featuring it for promotional purposes. However, it warns me ahead of time that "if you want the film to come to your local theater, INQUIRE WITH THE THEATER DIRECTLY"... LMAO... I plug in my zip code.. scroll down beyond an empty retrograde map UI.... "No screenings found". TIME SPENT: 15 secs
So after a grand total of ~3 mins of my precious time and a determined effort to learn more about this thing that I'm vaguely interested in watching (exclusively because I happened to read some of your personal endorsement), here's what I've learned:
- it's not streaming anywhere RIGHT NOW (I had time today, I could've watched it tonight! I could've been so blown away by the film that I actually logged back on to the site to click on "Share Tools & Resources"!)
- it's not playing in any theaters near me (and I live in arguably one of the best zip codes in the *world* for access to seeing cinema in a physical theater)
- crucially, I did NOT learn when I might be able to see it, even if my interest carried over beyond the 3 mins it took to find out I couldn't watch it
The entire marketing effort of this project culminated with a CTA for me personally to do the distribution leg work for them... to call/convince a local theater that they should show it. This is when I already have a never-ending list of other content I'm behind on and that came out TODAY on a platform I already pay for. I'd say I found this experience shocking... but it's not... and instead I'll probably just forget it even exists by tomorrow morning.
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Eric Carmen
Thanks Bob for the super words on Eric Carmen.
I was one of the original execs at Arista where I ran International. When 'All By Myself' from the EC album started climbing I wanted to bring Eric to Europe.
I begged Jimmy Ienner, my contact for Eric, (Donnie Ienner still worked for his older brother then) numerous times to get Eric to put a band together and play Europe. The answer was Eric doesn't want to do it. So I asked for Eric to come and do some TV. Again the answer was no. 'All By Myself' was a hit but the album and more important Eric could have been huge.
Please note I took Barry Manilow on his first trip to Europe to do TV and he's still a star attraction there. I then took Pattie Smith and her band on their first tour of Europe. 'Horses' broke huge after that and Patti can still tour the world today.
PS: Our Marketing guy at Arista then was Jon Peisinger who started Vestron Video after he left Arista. He did a deal for a film nobody wanted called 'Dirty Dancing'. That's how Jimmy Ienner ended up producing the soundtrack and having Eric cut 'Hungry Eyes'.
Best,
Aaron Sixx
_____________________________________
From: Mario
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Bob,
Have you ever heard Eartha Kitt's incredible rendition of All By Myself? A perfect piece of performance art. Man, I imagine every songwriter strives to write a classic. One so good that many others want to do it. One that generations to come will continue to visit and bring their own to. Mr. Eric Carmen did just that with this song. Here's Eartha's take in case you've noit seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NcuDP867jA
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Hi Bob,
Where else can our community share thoughts
about Carmen and Wallinger.
Here's a thought:
What if they were in the same band together?
All By Myself and She's The One
both stand along side
Nilsson's Without You
and McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed.
The singles by The Raspberries stand the test of time
alongside early singles by The Beatles and The Who.
I fool myself into believing there is no end in sight
so I continue writing songs. I wrote one for Carmen
on Tuesday, and one for Wallinger on Wednesday.
It was just a few months ago when I was speaking with Wayne Kramer
to let him know that Lone Justice had recorded Sister Ann
on the forthcoming album and I had invited him to the studio
to hear it. He was so exited.
On the day we were going to get together he called
and said he was moving into a new home and we'd reschedule.
We never did. I'll never forget the joy he had in his voice
when we spoke about music.
Carry on my friends.
Marvin Etzioni
Regional Records
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Bob,
It was the winter of 1961 when we moved to a suburb called Lyndhurst, from the Little Italy neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. Walking into the fifth grade class of Ridgebury elementary school after class had already begun was a bit terrifying. Miss Hall said let's welcome our new student and instructed me to take the open seat in the row by the windows. Sitting in front of me was Eric Carmen. Eric turns around in his seat and says hi, I'm Eric and immediately made me feel at ease. We became friends at that moment and we stayed friends throughout.
One day that summer, just before the sixth grade, for the first time, I walked over to his house thinking we'd play a board game or run around in the yard. Instead, Eric sits at his grand piano and starts to play Bach, Chopin, I had not a clue. And…we are twelve years old! As Eric is pounding out a classical composition in the living room, over in the dining room, his mother is hand-painting a beautiful wall-mural landscape… free-hand! ?At that moment I knew, I was way out of my league. But it didn't matter, we were friends and that was the only thing that truly mattered.
From Junior high and through high school I watched and listened in the school gyms and neighborhood dance halls as his talent evolved within the various musical groups he lead.
Recently, we had been communicating, kind of reestablishing our old friendship and planning on spending time together in Scottsdale. I had the chance to tell him, "Boats Against The Current," which I'd not listened to since it came out, was brilliant and I agreed that the label f*cked up the sequencing. I jabbed at him with, "where was your management!"
Losing one of us is tough; we are a community. The lesson; tomorrow is not guaranteed. I wanted to spend more time with Eric, but I also wanted Eric to spend more time with us.
Talented, for sure… But also kind and caring; just what you'd expect from a friend.
We miss you… RIP Eric.
Tom Consolo
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Hey Bob - The outpouring of love and support from Eric's fans, friends and the music community has been overwhelming and is much appreciated by those close to Eric.
Eric always wished his music could be heard by the masses as he heard it in his head, and he never felt the sound recreated on his band and solo releases quite captured the sound he wanted others to hear. Then in 2014 "The Essential Eric Carmen" was released, and thanks to the brilliant work of Timothy J. Smith at Sony Legacy and Mark Wilder's amazing mastering, Eric felt these tracks finally could be experienced as Eric wanted them to sound. The same goes for 2017's Raspberries' "Pop Art Live", released on digital, CD and vinyl by Brad Rosenberger and the great team at Omnivore Recordings. This was the very first reunion concert on November 26, 2004, and Eric felt that Tommy Allen's production and mixing perfectly captured the raw emotion, adrenaline and power of that first reunion concert, and that this release was as close as it gets to how Eric always wanted those songs to sound live. If anyone wants to discover or re-discover Eric's body of work, I know for a fact that these two releases are where he'd like people to start with.
Please know Bob that Eric always appreciated your support and loved reading your takes.
Best,
Al Kaston
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Bob -
The insanely potent and compositionally creative run the great Eric Carmen had between 1972 - 1977 is absolutely remarkable - go back and listen again - it's mind-blowing.
The man was a true power pop maestro who wrote hooks so universally relatable - they were impossible to shake. Nor would you ever want to.
What an honor and career-high it was to be gifted the opportunity to partner with the Artist on 2014's 'Essential' compilation. I mean - this was with the dude who forever impacted this young kid right smack in the middle of that above mentioned run. Then being able to help him record his first new track in nearly 20 years - and sadly now his final - the gloriously optimistic 'Brand New Year'.
And then to develop and continue a true friendship after that project.
I'll miss that guy. Forever to me will be - The Essential EC.
Thanks,
TJS
__________________________
Timothy J. Smith
Director of A&R
Digital Catalog Research & Development
Legacy Recordings
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
The first time I heard Eric sing is same time that I realized I can't sing
Kerry Brown
Licorice Pizza Records
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Hey Bob - The Seatrain album produced by George Martin was not done in the UK; it was recorded at Seaweed Studios North of Boston in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Thus the name of the album, "Marblehead Messenger." I had the honor of sitting at the board next to George Martin during a couple of the sessions. He was laid back yet created significant nuance with his masterful direction.
John Garabedian
_____________________________________
From: John Lobel
Subject: Re: Speaking Of Disruption
I'm in China now and the cars are way ahead of the American ones.
License plates for evs are green, blue for gas, so it's easy to see how many are evs. Not so many in the rural areas, but they still have charging stations all over. Even the gas ones are modern and cool and have more features than most American cars.
I've ridden in several of both gas and electric, they're all good and comfy. No idea how they'll age, but all the ones I've been in are good to great.
There are some tiny ones that look perfect for many tasks. You'll see a few large vehicles too, but most vehicles seem appropriate for the job rather than for making a statement. I'll forward a photo of a tiny electric one that was way out in the countryside far from a city.
The other day we were in one that had screens on the front pillar between the windshield and the front window. Yes, they replaced the mirrors. Pretty cool, and probably aerodynamically efficient.
We've also been in a few older vehicles and they are pretty funky so it's obvious that they are making rapid progress.
What's even more advanced are the airports! Some of the ones in cities I've never even heard of are enormous, efficient, attractive, and way better than most any airport in the US. Impressive.
Having said all this I'm still glad I live in the US!
Cheers,
John
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Caitlin Clark
I graduated from Iowa and played basketball in high school so my level of excitement is off the chart!
I just bought 2 floor tickets for $7,000 for the Final Four in Cleveland assuming we make it lol!! Worse case scenario I can sell the tickets for more than I bought them.
Ticket prices are already insane and there's no way I could afford good seats if I waited to find out who made the final four.
So I'm gambling!!
Who would have thought the next Michael Jordan is a white girl from Iowa?! She breaks an NCAA record every game. Watching her play is mind blowing!! Never seen anything like it. Her passes and assists are equally as impressive as her half court 3 point shots lol!! It's poetry in motion.
Kami Knake
_____________________________________
From: Fritz Manger
Subject: Re: Perseverance -Magical parking lot snow
I have to tell you I went to CU Boulder for school and everyone always talked about the "magical lighter than air snow" and I didn't even know what that meant being from Seattle. But one night my Junior year, it started snowing around 4pm and a few of us were at the library until about 9pm, and then we went back to someone's dorm and had a couple of beers and by 11 we thought it was a good idea to walk to TacoBell. I remember walking across the business school parking lot in almost chest deep powder and it just sort of parted for you as you walked through it. I turned to a friend and said "watch this" and proceeded to fall backward like a trust fall to make a snow angel, and unbelievably I smacked the back of my head on the blacktop of the parking lot so hard I thought I had a concussion. There was zero resistance from the snow to catch me. I didn't even make to ?? it hurt so badly. Unreal. Never seen it since. It was magical. Painful, but magical!
Hi Bob,
Finally!
A little perspective from a Label Owner / Artist Manager...
I understand the conceptual pushback from artists. And I won't adress that here. For my company, I have seen my revenue (on my 2,000 song catalog) increase as a result of streaming. Yes. It took a few years…
As Streaming has become the predominant way of listening, and millions have decided to pay for subscriptions, the proportional net of the "deal" is not much different from the Physical income model. It just skews to everyone now instead of just the biggest selling albums at any given time. The main difference is that now the fan pays a modest flat fee to enjoy practically the entire music universe on demand, and we get paid "forever."
Simultaneously, the label no longer needs a staff to manage and sell all the physical product, nor to manufacture (ok… Vinyl for some, and a trickle of CDs), ship, maintain inventories, process returns, account for "breakage", hope to get paid by stores like Sam Goody or Transworld (remember those clowns, who paid in returns!), pay for extortionate "programs", create/disseminate POP, get caught up in bankruptcies (including a few one stops asking to claw back money paid for product in addition to not paying for product they bought but had not yet paid for, true story). Plus most albums (including the Majors) were never released in foreign territories. I could go on….
In summary, a lot less effort, for, in my case, more money and, much more important, ubiquitous world wide availablility. The Net effect has been great for Labels.
The Label deals with their artists is another, complex, story that differs from artist to artist and from company to company.
Best Always!
Rob Gordon
_____________________________________
From: tres sasser
Subject: Re: The Medium Affects The Message
Bob,
That was fantastic and so on the money! I produced an artist and sent a few tracks to a very high up blues/hip hop label friend of mine
who promptly called me back and said "this artist is phenomenal! Best thing I've heard in years." I said, "great, let's set up a time for you to see his live show and you guys talk."
He stopped me and said "Man..I checked out his socials and he's only got 200,000 monthly listeners. His numbers aren't high enough."
I then said "So you're telling me if I bring you the most AMAZING artist ever and their numbers are low you wouldn't be interested?" "That's right," he said.
I told him "that's a huge part of what's wrong with the music business."
It's so frustrating to find undiscovered talent and work on it and capture it, all the time knowing the music is secondary.
But I believe music will find a way to overcome the system, shatter the ceiling and let genuinely talented artists shine.
Again, great article!
Tres
_____________________________________
From: michael rosenblatt
Subject: Re: Universal Publishing Joins TikTok Takedown
My favorite line about the music business was written by Stan Cornyn in his book Exploding..."When it comes to racing into any new technology, the record business finishes just ahead of the Amish." He wrote that 23 years ago, was true then is true now.
_____________________________________
Subject: RE: The Judee Sill Movie
Hey Bob,
Can't wait to see this documentary! I knew Judee well and loved her music. I cut one of her songs, "Ridge Rider," on a solo album by Russ Giguere of the Association. I saw her perform a number of times and even went on the road with her briefly. She was a true original, both as a writer and as a person. Although you're right that she never had any big hits, I urge everyone to listen to her composition, "Lady-O,' beautifully recorded by the Turtles. It's one of Howard's best vocals and the harmony singing is amazing. It made it onto the Billboard charts, but in the lower echelon. I'm hoping this film will help to elevate her place in the pantheon of California singer-songwriters.
Best,
John Boylan
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: The Judee Sill Movie
Man. Judee Sill. Her music is the truth. Nate Wood, the drummer of our band Kneebody showed Judee's music to us about 20 years ago. (You should check out Nate too! He's one of the most incredible musical minds out there). Nate's from Laguna Beach and his parents are Steve Wood and Beth Fitchet Wood from the band Honk. I remember him telling us that his folks knew Judee from around in the music scene in the early 70s and that back when they met her they knew her as a bassist. At the time they had never really known that she was making such incredible music. It reminds me of the music scene now - people I've known for years that I know in a certain context as a sideman or side woman that have all of this music in them and when it comes out and they step away from their gig they really do blossom. Anyway Steve and Beth showed him her music that they never knew that she had been making at the time and he showed it to the rest of us. And I'd like to think we've all been huge Judee Sill ambassadors ever since. We did a concert of her music in brooklyn about 15 years ago and it was so much fun to get into those songs. It's some of the most beautiful and original music I've ever heard. It's such a world that she created that is so a part of the era that she was in but totally unique. She was completely on her on path. Just listening to the harmony and odd lyrics and specific twists and turns of the melodies it's clear that she was one of the most unique and incredible artists. And bless David Geffen for putting that out. It's also so clear why she didn't have the commercial success or whatever was expected in that sense. You can hear that in the live recordings where she's solo on tour on an opening slot (was it for Graham Nash…?) and she's rambling to the crowd about the fugal line that she's written after the guitar solo in Archetypal Man mentioning that she intended for it to be for oboe but sang it instead - and you can hear what plays as a joke for her kind of falling flat with the crowd. It's heady nerdy stuff - and sounds like you're listening to a chess grandmaster speak about deep strategy instead of flirtatious happy go lucky stage banter. It reminds me of what people said about Nick Drakes painfully awkward solo performances or some of the times I got to hear Elliot Smith live and watch him deal with the heaviness of expressing this beautiful thing that is coming from inside. Her music is all so deliberate and couldn't be any other way than how she heard it. And yes her story is pretty unbelievable and tragic and sad. Thanks for writing about her. I'm so glad that a film was made and I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Kaveh Rastegar
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: The Judee Sill Movie
Thanks so much, Bob, for the wonderful review of our film, Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill. When co-director Brian Lindstrom and I began what became a nine year labor of love to tell Judee's story, we knew that we had an excellent head start with a small but beautiful and inspiring body of work, and if we could harness that we'd be in good shape. All through the process, we met generous participants who expressed hope that Judee might soon get her due. Interviews with Judee's close pals, like Tommy Peltier, Russ Giguere, Vicki Randall and JD Souther, helped us in our effort to portray a fun-loving, charismatic and complicated person, far different than the dark, gloomy figure that emerges from her Wikipedia profile. It's bittersweet, of course, that she can't be here to experience the appreciation herself, but it's easy to imagine how thrilled she'd be by all it.
?
Andy Brown
co-director Lost Angel
_____________________________________
From: Steve Page
Subject: Re: God & Country
This is a quintessential example of how out of touch people are trying to market old media in 2024.
I'm on my phone, by pure happenstance, I opened this email and read enough of it to be interested in the project (having previously never heard of it, despite being vaguely familiar with Oscilloscope). TIME SPENT: 1 min 30 secs
I click the trailer link you provided. I watch about 30 secs of the trailer, OK, still interested. I click the link that says "Learn more about God & Country" because it's the only thing promising to give me more info. Nowhere on this YouTube page does it tell me: when it will be released or how I will be able to watch it. TIME SPENT: 30 secs
Now I'm on the mobile iteration of the film's site. I'm presented with the same trailer that just brought me here... a wall of text explaining the film... and a single hamburger menu top right. Still, I've not been informed where or when I will be able to watch it, including taking the unthinkable effort to scroll down to the bottom of the page. TIME SPENT: 30 secs
I click the hamburger menu. At this point, I'm still engaged mostly to find out if the information I'm seeking even exists, not necessarily because I still actually want to watch this project. I'm presented with site navigation, none of which says RELEASE DATE, HOW CAN I WATCH... I click on "Theaters" as my best option... ***note, one of the navigation options is: "Share Tools & Resources" ... as if I'm going to be doing their marketing for them when I can't figure out when it will be available. LOL. TIME SPENT: 15 secs
On the "Theaters" page, I can plug in my zip code - OK great, I live in the dead middle of Los Angeles so I figure it will at least be playing at some off hours at an AMC, maybe Vidiots, or a smaller theater featuring it for promotional purposes. However, it warns me ahead of time that "if you want the film to come to your local theater, INQUIRE WITH THE THEATER DIRECTLY"... LMAO... I plug in my zip code.. scroll down beyond an empty retrograde map UI.... "No screenings found". TIME SPENT: 15 secs
So after a grand total of ~3 mins of my precious time and a determined effort to learn more about this thing that I'm vaguely interested in watching (exclusively because I happened to read some of your personal endorsement), here's what I've learned:
- it's not streaming anywhere RIGHT NOW (I had time today, I could've watched it tonight! I could've been so blown away by the film that I actually logged back on to the site to click on "Share Tools & Resources"!)
- it's not playing in any theaters near me (and I live in arguably one of the best zip codes in the *world* for access to seeing cinema in a physical theater)
- crucially, I did NOT learn when I might be able to see it, even if my interest carried over beyond the 3 mins it took to find out I couldn't watch it
The entire marketing effort of this project culminated with a CTA for me personally to do the distribution leg work for them... to call/convince a local theater that they should show it. This is when I already have a never-ending list of other content I'm behind on and that came out TODAY on a platform I already pay for. I'd say I found this experience shocking... but it's not... and instead I'll probably just forget it even exists by tomorrow morning.
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Eric Carmen
Thanks Bob for the super words on Eric Carmen.
I was one of the original execs at Arista where I ran International. When 'All By Myself' from the EC album started climbing I wanted to bring Eric to Europe.
I begged Jimmy Ienner, my contact for Eric, (Donnie Ienner still worked for his older brother then) numerous times to get Eric to put a band together and play Europe. The answer was Eric doesn't want to do it. So I asked for Eric to come and do some TV. Again the answer was no. 'All By Myself' was a hit but the album and more important Eric could have been huge.
Please note I took Barry Manilow on his first trip to Europe to do TV and he's still a star attraction there. I then took Pattie Smith and her band on their first tour of Europe. 'Horses' broke huge after that and Patti can still tour the world today.
PS: Our Marketing guy at Arista then was Jon Peisinger who started Vestron Video after he left Arista. He did a deal for a film nobody wanted called 'Dirty Dancing'. That's how Jimmy Ienner ended up producing the soundtrack and having Eric cut 'Hungry Eyes'.
Best,
Aaron Sixx
_____________________________________
From: Mario
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Bob,
Have you ever heard Eartha Kitt's incredible rendition of All By Myself? A perfect piece of performance art. Man, I imagine every songwriter strives to write a classic. One so good that many others want to do it. One that generations to come will continue to visit and bring their own to. Mr. Eric Carmen did just that with this song. Here's Eartha's take in case you've noit seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NcuDP867jA
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Hi Bob,
Where else can our community share thoughts
about Carmen and Wallinger.
Here's a thought:
What if they were in the same band together?
All By Myself and She's The One
both stand along side
Nilsson's Without You
and McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed.
The singles by The Raspberries stand the test of time
alongside early singles by The Beatles and The Who.
I fool myself into believing there is no end in sight
so I continue writing songs. I wrote one for Carmen
on Tuesday, and one for Wallinger on Wednesday.
It was just a few months ago when I was speaking with Wayne Kramer
to let him know that Lone Justice had recorded Sister Ann
on the forthcoming album and I had invited him to the studio
to hear it. He was so exited.
On the day we were going to get together he called
and said he was moving into a new home and we'd reschedule.
We never did. I'll never forget the joy he had in his voice
when we spoke about music.
Carry on my friends.
Marvin Etzioni
Regional Records
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Bob,
It was the winter of 1961 when we moved to a suburb called Lyndhurst, from the Little Italy neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. Walking into the fifth grade class of Ridgebury elementary school after class had already begun was a bit terrifying. Miss Hall said let's welcome our new student and instructed me to take the open seat in the row by the windows. Sitting in front of me was Eric Carmen. Eric turns around in his seat and says hi, I'm Eric and immediately made me feel at ease. We became friends at that moment and we stayed friends throughout.
One day that summer, just before the sixth grade, for the first time, I walked over to his house thinking we'd play a board game or run around in the yard. Instead, Eric sits at his grand piano and starts to play Bach, Chopin, I had not a clue. And…we are twelve years old! As Eric is pounding out a classical composition in the living room, over in the dining room, his mother is hand-painting a beautiful wall-mural landscape… free-hand! ?At that moment I knew, I was way out of my league. But it didn't matter, we were friends and that was the only thing that truly mattered.
From Junior high and through high school I watched and listened in the school gyms and neighborhood dance halls as his talent evolved within the various musical groups he lead.
Recently, we had been communicating, kind of reestablishing our old friendship and planning on spending time together in Scottsdale. I had the chance to tell him, "Boats Against The Current," which I'd not listened to since it came out, was brilliant and I agreed that the label f*cked up the sequencing. I jabbed at him with, "where was your management!"
Losing one of us is tough; we are a community. The lesson; tomorrow is not guaranteed. I wanted to spend more time with Eric, but I also wanted Eric to spend more time with us.
Talented, for sure… But also kind and caring; just what you'd expect from a friend.
We miss you… RIP Eric.
Tom Consolo
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Hey Bob - The outpouring of love and support from Eric's fans, friends and the music community has been overwhelming and is much appreciated by those close to Eric.
Eric always wished his music could be heard by the masses as he heard it in his head, and he never felt the sound recreated on his band and solo releases quite captured the sound he wanted others to hear. Then in 2014 "The Essential Eric Carmen" was released, and thanks to the brilliant work of Timothy J. Smith at Sony Legacy and Mark Wilder's amazing mastering, Eric felt these tracks finally could be experienced as Eric wanted them to sound. The same goes for 2017's Raspberries' "Pop Art Live", released on digital, CD and vinyl by Brad Rosenberger and the great team at Omnivore Recordings. This was the very first reunion concert on November 26, 2004, and Eric felt that Tommy Allen's production and mixing perfectly captured the raw emotion, adrenaline and power of that first reunion concert, and that this release was as close as it gets to how Eric always wanted those songs to sound live. If anyone wants to discover or re-discover Eric's body of work, I know for a fact that these two releases are where he'd like people to start with.
Please know Bob that Eric always appreciated your support and loved reading your takes.
Best,
Al Kaston
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Bob -
The insanely potent and compositionally creative run the great Eric Carmen had between 1972 - 1977 is absolutely remarkable - go back and listen again - it's mind-blowing.
The man was a true power pop maestro who wrote hooks so universally relatable - they were impossible to shake. Nor would you ever want to.
What an honor and career-high it was to be gifted the opportunity to partner with the Artist on 2014's 'Essential' compilation. I mean - this was with the dude who forever impacted this young kid right smack in the middle of that above mentioned run. Then being able to help him record his first new track in nearly 20 years - and sadly now his final - the gloriously optimistic 'Brand New Year'.
And then to develop and continue a true friendship after that project.
I'll miss that guy. Forever to me will be - The Essential EC.
Thanks,
TJS
__________________________
Timothy J. Smith
Director of A&R
Digital Catalog Research & Development
Legacy Recordings
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
The first time I heard Eric sing is same time that I realized I can't sing
Kerry Brown
Licorice Pizza Records
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: More Carmen/Wallinger
Hey Bob - The Seatrain album produced by George Martin was not done in the UK; it was recorded at Seaweed Studios North of Boston in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Thus the name of the album, "Marblehead Messenger." I had the honor of sitting at the board next to George Martin during a couple of the sessions. He was laid back yet created significant nuance with his masterful direction.
John Garabedian
_____________________________________
From: John Lobel
Subject: Re: Speaking Of Disruption
I'm in China now and the cars are way ahead of the American ones.
License plates for evs are green, blue for gas, so it's easy to see how many are evs. Not so many in the rural areas, but they still have charging stations all over. Even the gas ones are modern and cool and have more features than most American cars.
I've ridden in several of both gas and electric, they're all good and comfy. No idea how they'll age, but all the ones I've been in are good to great.
There are some tiny ones that look perfect for many tasks. You'll see a few large vehicles too, but most vehicles seem appropriate for the job rather than for making a statement. I'll forward a photo of a tiny electric one that was way out in the countryside far from a city.
The other day we were in one that had screens on the front pillar between the windshield and the front window. Yes, they replaced the mirrors. Pretty cool, and probably aerodynamically efficient.
We've also been in a few older vehicles and they are pretty funky so it's obvious that they are making rapid progress.
What's even more advanced are the airports! Some of the ones in cities I've never even heard of are enormous, efficient, attractive, and way better than most any airport in the US. Impressive.
Having said all this I'm still glad I live in the US!
Cheers,
John
_____________________________________
Subject: Re: Caitlin Clark
I graduated from Iowa and played basketball in high school so my level of excitement is off the chart!
I just bought 2 floor tickets for $7,000 for the Final Four in Cleveland assuming we make it lol!! Worse case scenario I can sell the tickets for more than I bought them.
Ticket prices are already insane and there's no way I could afford good seats if I waited to find out who made the final four.
So I'm gambling!!
Who would have thought the next Michael Jordan is a white girl from Iowa?! She breaks an NCAA record every game. Watching her play is mind blowing!! Never seen anything like it. Her passes and assists are equally as impressive as her half court 3 point shots lol!! It's poetry in motion.
Kami Knake
_____________________________________
From: Fritz Manger
Subject: Re: Perseverance -Magical parking lot snow
I have to tell you I went to CU Boulder for school and everyone always talked about the "magical lighter than air snow" and I didn't even know what that meant being from Seattle. But one night my Junior year, it started snowing around 4pm and a few of us were at the library until about 9pm, and then we went back to someone's dorm and had a couple of beers and by 11 we thought it was a good idea to walk to TacoBell. I remember walking across the business school parking lot in almost chest deep powder and it just sort of parted for you as you walked through it. I turned to a friend and said "watch this" and proceeded to fall backward like a trust fall to make a snow angel, and unbelievably I smacked the back of my head on the blacktop of the parking lot so hard I thought I had a concussion. There was zero resistance from the snow to catch me. I didn't even make to ?? it hurt so badly. Unreal. Never seen it since. It was magical. Painful, but magical!
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Jed Weitzman-This Week's Podcast
Jed Weitzman is head of music at Logitix, he specializes in employing data to properly price tickets. We also talk about Jed's upbringing in Los Angeles as the scion of a legendary attorney and the stepson of a legendary actor, as well as his career in management and more. The Morrissey stories are priceless!
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/jed-weitzman-158840669/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jed-weitzman/id1316200737?i=1000649159928
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https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/3bab4ce3-e0fc-40cb-909e-78a433284187/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-jed-weitzman
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Wednesday 13 March 2024
More Carmen/Wallinger
Oh Bob I guess it's not gonna stop huh?
One by one they go marching off stage but never to be forgotten.
I remember the day I got the call from Clive.
He said I have this album I can't seem to get finished. The producer quit and I think it's a really great record. Would you come in and finish it?
Eric Carmen - Boats Against The Current.
That voice and persona will be missed for sure.
Val Garay
_______________________________________
Damn!
I promoted "She Did It" when I worked for Arista in Detroit.
Rosalie played it for me at CKLW in Detroit.
He used to call me from Ohio when he'd hear it on "The Big 8."
Nice guy.
Hugh Surratt
_______________________________________
the coolest bands in cleveland were james gang and cyrus erie. that was eric and wally's pre raspberries band. they had a single out (maybe on epic). saw them open for the Who at a small place (400 attendance maybe pre monterey) my dad took me when i was maybe in 6th grade. song is Get the Message -it's on spotify - you can hear the raspberries were not a big step - just better craftsmanship
Bob Pfeiffer
_______________________________________
For a musician, playing music with your heroes is probably the most exhilarating experience you can have. Imagine a bunch of 20 year olds in a local band getting asked to be the back-up band for one of those on his first solo album. Eric took a giant leap of faith on us when Jimmy Ienner wanted NY studio musicians. It changed all our lives and I think provided a partial band cocoon for him as he transitioned to a serious solo artist. There are great stories from that first tour. Getting the telegram from Elton John saying Eric was robbed of a #1 with "All By Myself" was just one.
I will always be a fan. It's very sad he's gone as I know there was a lot more music in him if he had wanted to let it out
Best…
Stephen Knill
_______________________________________
In high school in Cleveland, the first artist I ever managed was Eric Carmen & his band, 'The Sounds of Silence'. During the Summer break after my Freshman year at Ithaca College, I booked Eric's newly-signed band, Cyrus Erie (Epic Records) to play at the Chagrin Falls National Guard Armory; it sold out & I bought my first tech gear, a Wollensak 1/4" reel-to-reel tape deck. I then followed his Raspberries period from a distance.
We reconnected when he opened for the Beach Boys in support of his Arista debut, we traded current contact info. He invited me to the Raspberries reunion show at the Hollywood House of Blues, the set exceeded my expectations.
The last time I saw him in person, we had lunch in Cleveland in November 2015, he was in good spirits.
Ted Cohen
_______________________________________
Those three big hits from Raspberries ("Go All the Way," "Let's Pretend" and "I Wanna Be With You") STILL sound fantastic!
Mark B. Spiegel
_______________________________________
Even if he hadn't done anything else Eric Carmen coined the greatest catch all phrase that exemplifies the spirit and frustration of the music industry: That's Rock 'n Roll!!
Grant Futtock
_______________________________________
Thank you for the very thoughtful and touching piece about Eric and Karl, and the follow-up responses.
I am a big fan of both men. As well as a long-time close friend of Kevin Sutter's. Jeff Laufer was gracious in commenting about Kevin's contributions. Kevin loved Karl's music and we talked about it often
Thanks again for all you do.
Yours,
Joe Moss
_______________________________________
i'm not sure which piano ballad is more touching and powerful, "All By Myself" or "She's The One"...but man, to lose those two icons on the same day makes this music fan's heart ache. RIP Eric and Karl.....I am going to put a playlist together today which I will share with you. thanks Bob
Mike Farley
_______________________________________
For Eric Carmen, my number one has always been LETS PRETEND- sexy, romantic, touching all at once -
On the Waterboys second album 'A Pagan Place' (with Karl Wallinger) it's always been CHURCH NOT MADE WITH HANDS and ALL THE THINGS SHE GAVE ME -
All of these are terrific,
Best to you, Phil Klausner
_______________________________________
Re: World Party/Karl
Tell me this isn't the saddest breakup song ever…
"And I Fell Back Alone": https://open.spotify.com/track/3iLd1w35nTO6aWSsNMsroB?si=1bb1ce93d5d046dc
Jim Guerinot
_______________________________________
When I heard that Karl Wallinger passed away at 66 and my local station in NY , WFUV played his song She's the One, it made me cry.
Besides wishing I had someone who felt that way about me( haha) I was thinking how we can all die at any time, like you say Bob. I'm 70 and if I had died when I was 66 I wouldn't even have known my youngest four-year-old grandchild. That's the sad part of dying. Missing everything!!
We need to enjoy every minute while we are still here!!
Joanne Schenendorf
_______________________________________
Eric Carmen was a big talent and an extraordinary musician.
I will always remember that he borrowed themes for a couple of songs from Rachmaninoff. "All By Myself" was based on the 2nd movement of the 2nd piano concerto. "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" came from the 3rd movement of the 2nd symphony. Might as well borrow from the best. I believe he got caught up in some copyright complications with the composer's estate.
I saw Seatrain live at when I was in college in the early 70s. They were outstanding. "13 Questions" was their encore.
Richard Franklin
_______________________________________
SEATRAIN!
Thanks for remembering the band!!!
I might have been 1 of the 19 German youngsters who bought their amazing debut LP at the time — and played it incessantly!
I was astonished to notice someone (at Capitol?) sent the band to London where they were "Produced by George Martin"!
Sure you can find out more about these mysteries and let us know.
Thanks
Werner Balzert
_______________________________________
Don't forget Mojo Nixon
He was a one of a kind soul.
Tom Overby
_______________________________________
I'm a little late to this party, but Eric's All By My Self was a huge hit in Canada in the mid 70s. It was beautiful, dark, and eerie, and also had the best pregnant (important) drum fill ever right before the last chorus. Three toms,boom.. boom….boom…….smash…all by my self…
Life changing for a passionate musician like myself:)
Love you Bob!!
John Ellis, Vancouver
_______________________________________
I enjoyed your post about Eric that was shared by another friend from our junior high days. After moving to Texas, I lost track of Eric until the Dirty Dancing tour came to Dallas. My kids knew Eric's music and wanted to see that show. We were able to get backstage and have a quick mini-reunion. Fast forward to 1997 and we connected again at a high school reunion. I remember Susan being very pregnant at the time.
Since then, it's been social media posts and listening to the music and retrieving some memories. Tuesday morning, I was bummed. Another of us bites the dust. By the end of the day, the remembrances on social media, then listening again to his music, had lifted my spirits.
I shared some of my stories with co-workers today. They're mostly Gen X like my kids. Some of them love Eric Carmen. Everyone knew his songs. Maybe we won't be the last ones.
My Best Always,
Phil Daneman
_______________________________________
So Saturday night, around 11:00, I'm watching TV with my wife here in NJ, and out of nowhere a song pops into my head. It's a World Party song--Sweet Soul Dream. The only World Party stuff that I really know is the album Goodbye Jumbo, which I bought when it was new and that I think is a great album, but I haven't listened to it in maybe 5 years. Anyway, Sweet Soul Dream comes into my head and I feel compelled to learn it on guitar and vocals (I am an amateur, and like to learn songs--I like to get them to the point where I have them memorized and can perform them competently, which I sometimes do at open mikes, etc., but mostly just to amuse myself). But it's not something I do all the time and it's not usually a song that just pops into my head out of nowhere and I don't usually feel I have to learn the song immediately when I think of it. So after my wife goes to bed I pick up the guitar and, into the early hours of Sunday, work out Sweet Soul Dream and get it down to my satisfaction. Maybe I'll post a FB or YT video. Imagine my amazement when I learn, from you, that Karl (who is right around my age) died on the same day (and who knows, maybe the same time) that all of the above happened! I am not into the occult or anything like that, but man, that is some weird coincidence, is it not?
Rich Cohn
_______________________________________
To me, The Raspberries and Eric Carmen always seem evergreen…something that is always fresh, exciting and will somehow never die, even though they were from a certain time, and obviously everything and everyone has an expiration date.
I remember seeing them perform "Go All The Way", on "Don Kirschner's Rock Concert" many, many years after it originally aired. Eric was in a white, bell-bottomed stage suit, shirtless with that full head of hair, looking the part of the heartthrob, but was absolutely SLASHING at that guitar with all the stage moves.
I wondered "where has this band been all my life?!?!" What a talented group and one that changed my music listening forever, as I never knew true "power-pop" before that! They had it all, yet so few seemed to know about them. Solo Eric had the biggest hits.
Thanks again for never missing, Bob.
Brian Friel
_______________________________________
.....when i first heard the opening salvo of "go all the way" in the summer of 1972, it was as if someone had flipped the "on" switch on ME.......it is impossible for me to overstate the profound influence the raspberries had on my life....i saw them in syracuse after the release of their second album and was hypnotized........from then on my efforts to convert the masses were in full swing......my entire family would take turns calling the local radio stations requesting airplay, my high school desks were festooned with etched raspberries logos, each record was meticulously inspected with forensic interest.....it's fair to say i was obsessed.........i first "met" eric when i crashed a soundcheck in 1976 and asked him if i could take a picture....he said, "yeah, if you can take it from there", (he was at the piano, i was standing below the rim of the stage).....ten years later i was living in nyc and joined a band with a songwriter named john denicola who had written a pair of songs for the movie "dirty dancing", one of which was "hungry eyes".....it was around then when i met eric briefly for a second time at the hard rock cafe in nyc.....a great thrill for me at the time.......in 1991 as a recent resident of california, temporarily housed in the pacific palisades rented home of a jingle producer, i was learning how to program a new drum machine that was in the home studio, using "all by myself" as the learning template, when the phone rang, my then girlfriend was in the studio singing on a coca-cola jungle and said, "you'll never guess who i'm standing next to"......it was eric, and naturally she told him of my fan-boy status.....she handed the phone to him and from that moment on a relationship was cultivated......now, i'm not unaware that in the early stages of what was a decades long friendship it was more an artist/fan dynamic, but over the next months and years he let me in, in ways only a friend would allow.......there are countless things over the years that led to him trusting me with some of his music and as an occasional collaborator, and every moment for me was an experience of great magnitude......when i was mixing the raspberries first reunion show that would become "pop art live" it was quite literally a dream come true........i am bereft right now, but his music that has meant so much to me will continue to inspire and fascinate me for the rest of my days...........he was a friend, a very good friend.....a mentor, a very good mentor........and i will miss him...........meeting your heroes might not always be what you expect, but i can say with certainty that this hero was everything and more................tommy allen/nyc
_______________________________________
Loved your homage to Eric Carmen.
I was 12 when Overnight Sensation came out. I'm pretty sure I first heard it on Casey Kasem's American Top 40, which I religiously listened to every Saturday.
I went out and bought the 45, so played It many times even 'tho it never got much radio airplay. It is one of the top 10 songs of my youth. My favorite part is at the end where you actually hear (what at least sounds like) Overnight Sensation being played on the radio.
I respected Eric's solo work, but can't say I was a fan. I'd moved on to Rock, Punk, and early New Wave by then.
Karl Wallinger, on the other hand, was someone whose music I listened to and loved during my 20s. Both his work with the Waterboys and his own band, World Party. Ship of Fools is seared into my brain. I hadn't known about Karl's struggles with ill health until reading the obits.
As Warren Zevon famously said, enjoy every sandwich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm3EX1jYBG0
Rob Glaser
One by one they go marching off stage but never to be forgotten.
I remember the day I got the call from Clive.
He said I have this album I can't seem to get finished. The producer quit and I think it's a really great record. Would you come in and finish it?
Eric Carmen - Boats Against The Current.
That voice and persona will be missed for sure.
Val Garay
_______________________________________
Damn!
I promoted "She Did It" when I worked for Arista in Detroit.
Rosalie played it for me at CKLW in Detroit.
He used to call me from Ohio when he'd hear it on "The Big 8."
Nice guy.
Hugh Surratt
_______________________________________
the coolest bands in cleveland were james gang and cyrus erie. that was eric and wally's pre raspberries band. they had a single out (maybe on epic). saw them open for the Who at a small place (400 attendance maybe pre monterey) my dad took me when i was maybe in 6th grade. song is Get the Message -it's on spotify - you can hear the raspberries were not a big step - just better craftsmanship
Bob Pfeiffer
_______________________________________
For a musician, playing music with your heroes is probably the most exhilarating experience you can have. Imagine a bunch of 20 year olds in a local band getting asked to be the back-up band for one of those on his first solo album. Eric took a giant leap of faith on us when Jimmy Ienner wanted NY studio musicians. It changed all our lives and I think provided a partial band cocoon for him as he transitioned to a serious solo artist. There are great stories from that first tour. Getting the telegram from Elton John saying Eric was robbed of a #1 with "All By Myself" was just one.
I will always be a fan. It's very sad he's gone as I know there was a lot more music in him if he had wanted to let it out
Best…
Stephen Knill
_______________________________________
In high school in Cleveland, the first artist I ever managed was Eric Carmen & his band, 'The Sounds of Silence'. During the Summer break after my Freshman year at Ithaca College, I booked Eric's newly-signed band, Cyrus Erie (Epic Records) to play at the Chagrin Falls National Guard Armory; it sold out & I bought my first tech gear, a Wollensak 1/4" reel-to-reel tape deck. I then followed his Raspberries period from a distance.
We reconnected when he opened for the Beach Boys in support of his Arista debut, we traded current contact info. He invited me to the Raspberries reunion show at the Hollywood House of Blues, the set exceeded my expectations.
The last time I saw him in person, we had lunch in Cleveland in November 2015, he was in good spirits.
Ted Cohen
_______________________________________
Those three big hits from Raspberries ("Go All the Way," "Let's Pretend" and "I Wanna Be With You") STILL sound fantastic!
Mark B. Spiegel
_______________________________________
Even if he hadn't done anything else Eric Carmen coined the greatest catch all phrase that exemplifies the spirit and frustration of the music industry: That's Rock 'n Roll!!
Grant Futtock
_______________________________________
Thank you for the very thoughtful and touching piece about Eric and Karl, and the follow-up responses.
I am a big fan of both men. As well as a long-time close friend of Kevin Sutter's. Jeff Laufer was gracious in commenting about Kevin's contributions. Kevin loved Karl's music and we talked about it often
Thanks again for all you do.
Yours,
Joe Moss
_______________________________________
i'm not sure which piano ballad is more touching and powerful, "All By Myself" or "She's The One"...but man, to lose those two icons on the same day makes this music fan's heart ache. RIP Eric and Karl.....I am going to put a playlist together today which I will share with you. thanks Bob
Mike Farley
_______________________________________
For Eric Carmen, my number one has always been LETS PRETEND- sexy, romantic, touching all at once -
On the Waterboys second album 'A Pagan Place' (with Karl Wallinger) it's always been CHURCH NOT MADE WITH HANDS and ALL THE THINGS SHE GAVE ME -
All of these are terrific,
Best to you, Phil Klausner
_______________________________________
Re: World Party/Karl
Tell me this isn't the saddest breakup song ever…
"And I Fell Back Alone": https://open.spotify.com/track/3iLd1w35nTO6aWSsNMsroB?si=1bb1ce93d5d046dc
Jim Guerinot
_______________________________________
When I heard that Karl Wallinger passed away at 66 and my local station in NY , WFUV played his song She's the One, it made me cry.
Besides wishing I had someone who felt that way about me( haha) I was thinking how we can all die at any time, like you say Bob. I'm 70 and if I had died when I was 66 I wouldn't even have known my youngest four-year-old grandchild. That's the sad part of dying. Missing everything!!
We need to enjoy every minute while we are still here!!
Joanne Schenendorf
_______________________________________
Eric Carmen was a big talent and an extraordinary musician.
I will always remember that he borrowed themes for a couple of songs from Rachmaninoff. "All By Myself" was based on the 2nd movement of the 2nd piano concerto. "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" came from the 3rd movement of the 2nd symphony. Might as well borrow from the best. I believe he got caught up in some copyright complications with the composer's estate.
I saw Seatrain live at when I was in college in the early 70s. They were outstanding. "13 Questions" was their encore.
Richard Franklin
_______________________________________
SEATRAIN!
Thanks for remembering the band!!!
I might have been 1 of the 19 German youngsters who bought their amazing debut LP at the time — and played it incessantly!
I was astonished to notice someone (at Capitol?) sent the band to London where they were "Produced by George Martin"!
Sure you can find out more about these mysteries and let us know.
Thanks
Werner Balzert
_______________________________________
Don't forget Mojo Nixon
He was a one of a kind soul.
Tom Overby
_______________________________________
I'm a little late to this party, but Eric's All By My Self was a huge hit in Canada in the mid 70s. It was beautiful, dark, and eerie, and also had the best pregnant (important) drum fill ever right before the last chorus. Three toms,boom.. boom….boom…….smash…all by my self…
Life changing for a passionate musician like myself:)
Love you Bob!!
John Ellis, Vancouver
_______________________________________
I enjoyed your post about Eric that was shared by another friend from our junior high days. After moving to Texas, I lost track of Eric until the Dirty Dancing tour came to Dallas. My kids knew Eric's music and wanted to see that show. We were able to get backstage and have a quick mini-reunion. Fast forward to 1997 and we connected again at a high school reunion. I remember Susan being very pregnant at the time.
Since then, it's been social media posts and listening to the music and retrieving some memories. Tuesday morning, I was bummed. Another of us bites the dust. By the end of the day, the remembrances on social media, then listening again to his music, had lifted my spirits.
I shared some of my stories with co-workers today. They're mostly Gen X like my kids. Some of them love Eric Carmen. Everyone knew his songs. Maybe we won't be the last ones.
My Best Always,
Phil Daneman
_______________________________________
So Saturday night, around 11:00, I'm watching TV with my wife here in NJ, and out of nowhere a song pops into my head. It's a World Party song--Sweet Soul Dream. The only World Party stuff that I really know is the album Goodbye Jumbo, which I bought when it was new and that I think is a great album, but I haven't listened to it in maybe 5 years. Anyway, Sweet Soul Dream comes into my head and I feel compelled to learn it on guitar and vocals (I am an amateur, and like to learn songs--I like to get them to the point where I have them memorized and can perform them competently, which I sometimes do at open mikes, etc., but mostly just to amuse myself). But it's not something I do all the time and it's not usually a song that just pops into my head out of nowhere and I don't usually feel I have to learn the song immediately when I think of it. So after my wife goes to bed I pick up the guitar and, into the early hours of Sunday, work out Sweet Soul Dream and get it down to my satisfaction. Maybe I'll post a FB or YT video. Imagine my amazement when I learn, from you, that Karl (who is right around my age) died on the same day (and who knows, maybe the same time) that all of the above happened! I am not into the occult or anything like that, but man, that is some weird coincidence, is it not?
Rich Cohn
_______________________________________
To me, The Raspberries and Eric Carmen always seem evergreen…something that is always fresh, exciting and will somehow never die, even though they were from a certain time, and obviously everything and everyone has an expiration date.
I remember seeing them perform "Go All The Way", on "Don Kirschner's Rock Concert" many, many years after it originally aired. Eric was in a white, bell-bottomed stage suit, shirtless with that full head of hair, looking the part of the heartthrob, but was absolutely SLASHING at that guitar with all the stage moves.
I wondered "where has this band been all my life?!?!" What a talented group and one that changed my music listening forever, as I never knew true "power-pop" before that! They had it all, yet so few seemed to know about them. Solo Eric had the biggest hits.
Thanks again for never missing, Bob.
Brian Friel
_______________________________________
.....when i first heard the opening salvo of "go all the way" in the summer of 1972, it was as if someone had flipped the "on" switch on ME.......it is impossible for me to overstate the profound influence the raspberries had on my life....i saw them in syracuse after the release of their second album and was hypnotized........from then on my efforts to convert the masses were in full swing......my entire family would take turns calling the local radio stations requesting airplay, my high school desks were festooned with etched raspberries logos, each record was meticulously inspected with forensic interest.....it's fair to say i was obsessed.........i first "met" eric when i crashed a soundcheck in 1976 and asked him if i could take a picture....he said, "yeah, if you can take it from there", (he was at the piano, i was standing below the rim of the stage).....ten years later i was living in nyc and joined a band with a songwriter named john denicola who had written a pair of songs for the movie "dirty dancing", one of which was "hungry eyes".....it was around then when i met eric briefly for a second time at the hard rock cafe in nyc.....a great thrill for me at the time.......in 1991 as a recent resident of california, temporarily housed in the pacific palisades rented home of a jingle producer, i was learning how to program a new drum machine that was in the home studio, using "all by myself" as the learning template, when the phone rang, my then girlfriend was in the studio singing on a coca-cola jungle and said, "you'll never guess who i'm standing next to"......it was eric, and naturally she told him of my fan-boy status.....she handed the phone to him and from that moment on a relationship was cultivated......now, i'm not unaware that in the early stages of what was a decades long friendship it was more an artist/fan dynamic, but over the next months and years he let me in, in ways only a friend would allow.......there are countless things over the years that led to him trusting me with some of his music and as an occasional collaborator, and every moment for me was an experience of great magnitude......when i was mixing the raspberries first reunion show that would become "pop art live" it was quite literally a dream come true........i am bereft right now, but his music that has meant so much to me will continue to inspire and fascinate me for the rest of my days...........he was a friend, a very good friend.....a mentor, a very good mentor........and i will miss him...........meeting your heroes might not always be what you expect, but i can say with certainty that this hero was everything and more................tommy allen/nyc
_______________________________________
Loved your homage to Eric Carmen.
I was 12 when Overnight Sensation came out. I'm pretty sure I first heard it on Casey Kasem's American Top 40, which I religiously listened to every Saturday.
I went out and bought the 45, so played It many times even 'tho it never got much radio airplay. It is one of the top 10 songs of my youth. My favorite part is at the end where you actually hear (what at least sounds like) Overnight Sensation being played on the radio.
I respected Eric's solo work, but can't say I was a fan. I'd moved on to Rock, Punk, and early New Wave by then.
Karl Wallinger, on the other hand, was someone whose music I listened to and loved during my 20s. Both his work with the Waterboys and his own band, World Party. Ship of Fools is seared into my brain. I hadn't known about Karl's struggles with ill health until reading the obits.
As Warren Zevon famously said, enjoy every sandwich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm3EX1jYBG0
Rob Glaser
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Neil Young Returns To Spotify
"I cannot leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers."
Distribution is king. Content is important, but if you've got nowhere to see it/hear it, it's like it doesn't exist.
This is the battle Universal is having with TikTok. Music companies are used to having the ultimate leverage, after all, they control the content! But TikTok carries on without Universal's music. Doesn't seem to be missing a beat. Sure, hobbled a bit, but distribution is king. One can posit that "Texas Hold 'Em" is even bigger than it would have been because of the lack of competition from Universal artists and writers on TikTok. Nature abhors a vacuum, and Beyonce is filling it. To the detriment of Universal acts, I must say. Take the side of the company at your peril, it does not have your best interests at heart. Sure, rights holders should be fairly paid on TikTok, but if you think that money is going to go into your coffers in a significant amount, you must be a superstar, and most people are not. That's right, the switch has flipped, exposure/publicity is more important than a few measly cents. A few measly cents for each artist adds up for Universal, but not the individual act. The individual act needs the promotion, the exposure, and twenty five years of the internet have proven that you have to know when to monetize, if you're charging at every step of the way you're sacrificing your audience. There are more ways to make money than ever before in music today, and you should not be upset/angered that some that used to be primary are now secondary. Like recordings. As for all those acts with few Spotify streams... Yeah, just imagine your music was unavailable on Spotify, you'd be like Neil Young, SOL.
As for Joe Rogan...
Today he's bigger than Neil Young. And more influential than any musician I can think of. Probably because of his association with the UFC. There's that pesky distribution element once again. That's what made Trump President, distribution on NBC, on "The Apprentice." And network impact keeps cratering, but if you're not on television at all...
And speaking of TV, all those channels in the cable package you pay for and don't watch, assuming you still subscribe, are on life support. They're paid by the cable providers, and if you cut the cord they make less, they're evaporating in front of our very eyes.
And speaking of distribution... It doesn't only cut one way. All the studios thought they could compete with Netflix but it turns out they can't, they don't have first mover advantage and they refuse to follow Netflix's paradigm, which is a plethora of product. Do you subscribe to Apple TV? Unless you're a diehard Apple fan, I doubt it. The outlet just doesn't have enough product. And they dribble it out week by week. It's not consumer friendly, it's hit dependent, and it's hard to predict and make a hit.
As for Disney, it thought children's programming and a bit of "Star Wars" was enough. That's like walking into Walmart and seeing ten products for sale.
And as far as Paramount and Peacock go... Really?
Netflix not only has a ton of product, it has invested in foreign product, which was not hurt by the strikes. Meanwhile, Zaslav cut foreign production in order to balance the books, to Max's detriment. Furthermore, Zaslav has not invested in technical infrastructure. The Max app is a puzzle. Figure out how to fast-forward. It's not like brain surgery, it's just that Zaslav himself has never used the app.
Whereas Netflix... You can always find something to watch. Netflix is the subscription you're going to cancel last.
As for Joe Rogan... He's got the edginess that musical artists used to have. Musicians are trolling for corporate endorsements, privates and selling perfume. Rogan has it right, it's the art itself that counts. While musical artists are perfecting their wares and dribbling out new material, Rogan is in the studio pounding it out essentially every day. For hours. And not every minute is riveting, but there's enough nougat to keep dedicated listeners tuned in, and to have clips go viral on the internet. With Rogan it's about the essence, not the penumbra.
Then again, you've got to give Rogan credit for owning his identity. If I hear one more musician thank his audience... If you do it right you should be thanking yourself! Neil Young has made a number of fan-unfriendly moves, like playing all new material on an arena tour after "Harvest," but it has ultimately burnished his image as a true original, putting artistry first. Rogan is a bro into the UFC, in many cases an uneducated nitwit pontificating on what he hears via scuttlebutt, as opposed to facts. Just like his listeners! He's perfect for the internet world, where the truth is fungible and he or she with the most eyeballs wins.
Not that I listen to or support Rogan. But you can't deny his success.
As for Spotify... It learned that its exclusive podcast formula was detrimental. That when it comes to content, it's best to have it available everywhere! You don't want any walls. Pull it down at your peril.
This is also beneficial to musicians, because they keep on coming up with new portals of distribution. It's not only Spotify and TikTok, but it's Twitch and so many more. And you've got to be everywhere or it's akin to being nowhere.
Sure, Spotify needs Universal's content. But I can't say the same about Amazon and Apple. Music at those two companies is a feature, and far from the main one. Meaning they have more leverage. And also can undercut and take more risks than Spotify because music is not their main income driver. Tower went out of business when physical collapsed, but not Best Buy.
So kudos to Neil Young for recognizing the landscape has changed, unlike our politicians, mired in pledges not to tax and so much else from the past. You've got to assess the landscape, be willing to change.
But first and foremost you want your product to be available everywhere. To think otherwise is to hurt yourself. Musicians are dope dealers. The first one is free, but once you're hooked...you'll be paying forever.
Distribution is king. Content is important, but if you've got nowhere to see it/hear it, it's like it doesn't exist.
This is the battle Universal is having with TikTok. Music companies are used to having the ultimate leverage, after all, they control the content! But TikTok carries on without Universal's music. Doesn't seem to be missing a beat. Sure, hobbled a bit, but distribution is king. One can posit that "Texas Hold 'Em" is even bigger than it would have been because of the lack of competition from Universal artists and writers on TikTok. Nature abhors a vacuum, and Beyonce is filling it. To the detriment of Universal acts, I must say. Take the side of the company at your peril, it does not have your best interests at heart. Sure, rights holders should be fairly paid on TikTok, but if you think that money is going to go into your coffers in a significant amount, you must be a superstar, and most people are not. That's right, the switch has flipped, exposure/publicity is more important than a few measly cents. A few measly cents for each artist adds up for Universal, but not the individual act. The individual act needs the promotion, the exposure, and twenty five years of the internet have proven that you have to know when to monetize, if you're charging at every step of the way you're sacrificing your audience. There are more ways to make money than ever before in music today, and you should not be upset/angered that some that used to be primary are now secondary. Like recordings. As for all those acts with few Spotify streams... Yeah, just imagine your music was unavailable on Spotify, you'd be like Neil Young, SOL.
As for Joe Rogan...
Today he's bigger than Neil Young. And more influential than any musician I can think of. Probably because of his association with the UFC. There's that pesky distribution element once again. That's what made Trump President, distribution on NBC, on "The Apprentice." And network impact keeps cratering, but if you're not on television at all...
And speaking of TV, all those channels in the cable package you pay for and don't watch, assuming you still subscribe, are on life support. They're paid by the cable providers, and if you cut the cord they make less, they're evaporating in front of our very eyes.
And speaking of distribution... It doesn't only cut one way. All the studios thought they could compete with Netflix but it turns out they can't, they don't have first mover advantage and they refuse to follow Netflix's paradigm, which is a plethora of product. Do you subscribe to Apple TV? Unless you're a diehard Apple fan, I doubt it. The outlet just doesn't have enough product. And they dribble it out week by week. It's not consumer friendly, it's hit dependent, and it's hard to predict and make a hit.
As for Disney, it thought children's programming and a bit of "Star Wars" was enough. That's like walking into Walmart and seeing ten products for sale.
And as far as Paramount and Peacock go... Really?
Netflix not only has a ton of product, it has invested in foreign product, which was not hurt by the strikes. Meanwhile, Zaslav cut foreign production in order to balance the books, to Max's detriment. Furthermore, Zaslav has not invested in technical infrastructure. The Max app is a puzzle. Figure out how to fast-forward. It's not like brain surgery, it's just that Zaslav himself has never used the app.
Whereas Netflix... You can always find something to watch. Netflix is the subscription you're going to cancel last.
As for Joe Rogan... He's got the edginess that musical artists used to have. Musicians are trolling for corporate endorsements, privates and selling perfume. Rogan has it right, it's the art itself that counts. While musical artists are perfecting their wares and dribbling out new material, Rogan is in the studio pounding it out essentially every day. For hours. And not every minute is riveting, but there's enough nougat to keep dedicated listeners tuned in, and to have clips go viral on the internet. With Rogan it's about the essence, not the penumbra.
Then again, you've got to give Rogan credit for owning his identity. If I hear one more musician thank his audience... If you do it right you should be thanking yourself! Neil Young has made a number of fan-unfriendly moves, like playing all new material on an arena tour after "Harvest," but it has ultimately burnished his image as a true original, putting artistry first. Rogan is a bro into the UFC, in many cases an uneducated nitwit pontificating on what he hears via scuttlebutt, as opposed to facts. Just like his listeners! He's perfect for the internet world, where the truth is fungible and he or she with the most eyeballs wins.
Not that I listen to or support Rogan. But you can't deny his success.
As for Spotify... It learned that its exclusive podcast formula was detrimental. That when it comes to content, it's best to have it available everywhere! You don't want any walls. Pull it down at your peril.
This is also beneficial to musicians, because they keep on coming up with new portals of distribution. It's not only Spotify and TikTok, but it's Twitch and so many more. And you've got to be everywhere or it's akin to being nowhere.
Sure, Spotify needs Universal's content. But I can't say the same about Amazon and Apple. Music at those two companies is a feature, and far from the main one. Meaning they have more leverage. And also can undercut and take more risks than Spotify because music is not their main income driver. Tower went out of business when physical collapsed, but not Best Buy.
So kudos to Neil Young for recognizing the landscape has changed, unlike our politicians, mired in pledges not to tax and so much else from the past. You've got to assess the landscape, be willing to change.
But first and foremost you want your product to be available everywhere. To think otherwise is to hurt yourself. Musicians are dope dealers. The first one is free, but once you're hooked...you'll be paying forever.
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Tuesday 12 March 2024
Re-Eric Carmen/Karl Wallinger
From: Eric Greenspan
I sent Amy Carmen your article and here was her response.
Thanks for sharing … to brighten the mood here's a great EC memory:
Eric and I were in the car maybe 10-14 days ago when Casey Kasem's American Top 40 was replaying the October 1972 broadcast" & Overnight Sensation" came in on the top 40 chart at # 26 .
Eric was so pissed that Casey cut the end of the song off . But the great memory I have of him is watching him air drum -the drum fills!
Bob's right I only heard Overnight Sensation one other time on the radio and I think it was Little Steven's Underground Garage
Love,
Amy
_____________________________________
Let the truth be told, Kevin Sutter broke World Party. It was a labor of love… I've never worked with a person with such strong conviction to this artist.
From the onset we at Chrysalis Records realized that Karl Wallinger was a brilliant talent.
KROQ was not easy to convince to play the record as some people might think. It was not your typical Rick Carrol choice.. It took a lot of convincing, massaging and dinners..it eventually went on the radio. Jed the Fish was championing this record from day one.
Rock radio was not easy to garner… in the era of "more Zep you f*ckers"...World Party was no walk in the park. Program Directors said no… no and more no…
Sutter persevered and "Ship of Fools" became a radio hit….
What a mega hit!
The greatness of World Party was in their live performance…
Your jaw would drop….
Jeff Laufer
_____________________________________
I can't tell you how saddened I am about Karl Wallinger's passing.
Not only because his songs were the soundtrack of my twenties, but because he recently became a friend.
When my latest album 'Satisfied Mind' came out this past July, Karl was cheering me on, with Facebook messages and texts saying how much he loved the music.
"Good to see you getting good recognition," he wrote me.
I was floored. Here was one of the greatest songwriters affirming that I had something to say too.
In fact, it was only a few weeks ago when he texted me that he and his wife were digging the vinyl version of the album.
It felt like winning the lottery.
That nod of acceptance affected me deeply. We even talked about writing a song together.
Sadly, that wasn't to be. But I wanted to write to say that Karl's generosity and kindness were as strong as the songs he left us with.
And trust me, they've been on repeat over here.
Thanks for remembering him.
Jon Regen
_____________________________________
It is a sad revelation that we are rapidly losing our idols who are just a few years older than we are. Eric's death makes the second personal loss for me in the past week and the fourth in the past few months .
I was a fan of Raspberries from the first time I heard "Go All the Way" and I got their Starting Over album when it came out and thought it should have been a hit on FM Radio.
So in 2007 when I heard that ( the) Raspberries had reunited and were going to play the House Of Blues in LA, I contacted them and recorded the show in hopes of getting a live album released . There was no deal, no label it just seemed like a worthwhile thing to do. (I did that a lot in those days)
I worked with Eric long distance on the mixes after the band did some overdubs in Cleveland , and we eventually made a deal with Ryco to release a deluxe CD and DVD with both the 2007 live show and other recordings going back to the 70's.
When they came back to play the HOB later that year I had them come to my studio where we recorded two tracks which turned out to be the last recordings by the band.
Time marches on with the same eventual outcome for everyone including our idols. As the song says "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive"
Mark Linett
_____________________________________
Hi Bob,
Seatrain! Love you mentioned them! Many, sadly, never heard Seatrain/Marblehead Messenger! Shanda! Barry Goldberg turned me on to them when I was working with Albert Grossman! The office was casual, and artists often would just hang...this office, oy, I got stories, but I digress...
Thank you Bob for sharing Eric Carmen, an early Arista signing...
Respectfully,
Rose Gross-Marino
_____________________________________
Bob: I am so sad that there will never be another Raspberries reunion.
I bought the single Go All the Way in sixth grade and their second album (with 'I Wanna Be With You') through the Record Club of America. Remember ordering records through the mail and waiting eagerly for weeks for them to show up? I did, finally, see the Raspberries during the same reunion tour you did and they were great!!!
I always thought 'Go All The Way' was one of the greatest guitar songs EVER. Maybe the first true 'power pop' song.
Safe travels Eric Carmen, you (and the band) deserved more than you got.
Marty Hecker
Denver, CO
_____________________________________
It was sad to hear of Eric's passing.. I feel that his hit "Hungry Eyes" was one of the sexiest songs I remember hearing from that era.. It was one of those songs you hear on the radio and you just have to stop what you're doing and listen.. I found it to be a powerful statement.
Randy Dawson
_____________________________________
Well said Bob,
I remember one of my buddies like thirty years ago saying his Mom loved the Raspberries, "go all the way" I didn't get it but now I do
Another 67 year old guy remembering
Gerry Lauderdale
Boston MA
_____________________________________
Hey Bob
Eric Carmen's passing really hit a nerve (as does the theme of your article).
We were label mates of sorts: he (and The Raspberries) and my band were both groomed at the same Jimmy Ienner-run production company long, long ago
(although he/they were a few years ahead of me/us).
I was always a big fan, and I always thought he was underrated as a songwriter and a recording artist -
and I agree "Boats Against The Current" was a musical masterpiece of sorts.
Wallace Collins
_____________________________________
I can't say I was a big Eric Carmen fan, but Karl Wallinger led one of my favorite, "Kiss of Death" bands, World Party. They seem to come out of nowhere, I know he was in the Waterboys, but in America that was out of nowhere. He played all his own instruments like Emmett Rhoads, wrote great tunes and everything sounded great. I never got to see him live but I've got four really good records from him and that's hard to do.
RIP Karl.
Gary Jackson
_____________________________________
Watching these artists slip away is painful. Right now, we still have Paul & Ringo, Mick & Keith and that is a good thing, but so many have moved over the musical rainbow bridge in the past few years, it is a sad thing to absorb. I appreciate what you wrote here about YOUR personal memories. I have my Eric Carmen 45rpm of "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" that showed just how immense his talent was in the mid-1970's after Raspberries.
It is Karl Wallinger's passing that hit me so hard. His undying love for all things Beatles permeated his music and he was out in the open about those influences. He was fantastic and will be missed.
Marc Platt
_____________________________________
There were no better songs for high school love then Go All The Way and I Wanna Be With You. And Karl Wallinger's World Party's GoodBye Jumbo is a non skip masterpiece. Both Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger were superstars in their own right.
jeffsackstennis
_____________________________________
Seatrain!
Caught them live in my hometown (Princeton).
For the record (pun intended) they were also on Capitol, and I think the label did a good job with the texture of the album cover.
Thanks for the very fond walk down memory lane.
Scott Kauffman
_____________________________________
The reason The Silencers got to open for U2 at Cardiff Arms Park, on the Joshua Tree tour, Karl Wallinger was sick that day.
I saw World Party play live in London a few months earlier and was blown away. An amazing writer and performer.
The World Party albums were for me a sanctuary when things got a little tough, always an uplifting melancholic cuddle.
Thanks for writing about Karl.
Martin Stuart Hanlin
_____________________________________
SEATRAIN— fabulous, almost too-hip, reference
Fred Ansis
_____________________________________
"If you're afraid of being injured, you're afraid of living"
That is so perfect in all the factors of life. An extraordinary songwriter, arranger, and vocalist. Eric Carmen has left us with a treasure load of greatness.
I of course will live forever!
Thank you once again Bob for hitting that nail on the head..
Michael Des Barres
_____________________________________
I felt bad when I heard Eric died. Not sure why, I didn't know him. Other artists, other people die and I chalk it up to Nobody gets out alive stuff. But I loved the Raspberries. I owned an indie record store in the 70s "Something Else Records" named after the Eddie Cochran hit, when I was in my 20 s. I'm a Rocker was on heavy rotation in the store. I was working for BMG when Dirty Dancing came out. Not only did it help pay the rent, but loved the soundtrack, and Hungry Eyes. And I'm a sucker for lush ballads which he made cool. Later I found the Live Raspberries album at a used record shop and loved it. He made an impact on me, that few have. May he RIP.
Bob Morelli
_____________________________________
My uncle was a classmate of Eric Carmen's at Brush High School in Lyndhurst.
Back in the 60's my uncle's band The Cellmates played the same circuit as Eric's band The Sounds of Silence.
They would all get together and jam at the Brush High School reunions:
https://www.buckeyebeat.com/cellmates.html
Vince Welsh
_____________________________________
I turned my daughter onto 'the choir' last year "baby it's cold outside" and whenever she comes to visit me in London Ontario from her home just outside of Ottawa chilling at some point, she'll put that song on the Bluetooth player at least once during her long weekend visits.
She gets it she knows who Eric Carmen is and how he hooked up with the choir to form the Raspberries (did I spell it right? And I get it's more complicated than I've just spelled out), I'm glad I was able to share that with her last night that EC had died - because the kid gets it 25yrs old.
And also last night , before I was made aware, I listened to my two favourite live albums of all time: Deep Purple Made in Japan -,the second LP I ever bought, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer "welcome back my friends to the show that never ends' with new Apple earbuds,,, kind of neat that you mentioned Keith Emerson. Great article you wrote - I love Eric Carmen: may he rest in peace. You? stay safe stay sane.
Andrew Parr
_____________________________________
"I don't need anybody else to agree with me." (Bob Lefsetz)
Well, Bob...
Allow me to do so.
"Boats Against the Current" is exceptional.
It's simple.
It soars.
And with every bad review it got...
It got better and better with every listen.
Marty Bender
_____________________________________
Also two days ago— March 10
T. M. Stevens
Bassist supreme…. Amazing vocalist…. One of those cats who is on A MILLION albums, is on the radio every day on hits.. but not a household name outside certain musician circles
Albums and shows with Cissy Houston ….and was there for Whitney Houston's beginning, and played live w her. Lots of sessions on Narada Michael Walden productions…
… played bass & sang backups on the biggest charting and airplay James Brown hit … Living in America, co-written by Dan Hartman & Charlie Midnight.
Dan as you well know had massive hits instant Replay, I can Dream About You, and T.M. recorded and toured for years in Dan's projects & bands.
He had the usual dizzying resume of the journeyman bassist…..from Miles Davis and John McLaughlin to Tina Turner, Steve Vai, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Nona Hendryx, Little Steven, Stacy Lattisaw …was in the Pretenders for attending Get Close album, with Bernie Worrell, whose band he was also in….. Billy Joel , River Of Dreams album…… it's endless.
Any Electric bass player knows him from countless magazine ads since the 80s for strings, bass guitars and pedals…. unmistakable with his multicolor, African themed outfits and crazy dreadlocks
A brilliant Zelig of the funk-rock bass world, and a dear friend, has fallen. A fireball of energy and meticulous session musician with a distinct sound. He will be majorly missed. As you say…. This is talkin' bout our generation starting to die.
André Cholmondeley
_____________________________________
We as music obsessives will realize we didn't pay enough attention to Eric Carmen while he was here.
I'll miss him not just for the ballads but for the razor sharp power pop. Hell, he may have invented that particular subgenre.
We didn't pay enough attention to Karl Wallinger either.
Or Wayne Kramer.
Spot on as always Bob, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
As a grizzled Minnesota poet once said, "if you're not busy being born, your busy dying"
John Tierney
_____________________________________
My close friend and band partner from days gone by, Phil Sullivan, recommended I subscribe to your daily thoughts a few months back. I am so glad he did. I greatly enjoy reading your in sights … however, this one on Eric Carmen hit home with me like no other before.
Eric was brilliant and I loved his songs … "All by Myself" "Hungry Eyes" and The Raspberries "Go All The Way" and "I Saw the Light" are some of the "tunes of my life." He captured our inner thoughts with his lyrics and sang them as if there would not be a tomorrow… quite the passion.
I agree with you, the internet has killed the music artist and the (important) messages we need to hear from them; now maybe more than ever. On the other hand, you have er keep the fire burning … when you get off the next ski lift, make a run like there will never be another one, because maybe (at our age) ...
As Christopher Cross sings "Ride Like The Wind."
My best,
Gene Ellison
_____________________________________
Most excellent of you to mention the passing of Karl Wallinger. He was an excellent songwriter and all-around musician who beyond that initial "hit" phase, continued to make some really fine, well crafted albums.
I once called him the poor man's Warren Zevon but meant it as a compliment of the highest order. He will be missed.
- J. Pothier/Fairfield CT
_____________________________________
I got to see the Raspberries during the reunion in NYC on the second night. They were fantastic.
I am a fan of ALL of their music as well as Eric's solo stuff. You're right, they should've been bigger. "Let's pretend"could have gotten them bonafides as a serious act.
I was told the night before a cavalcade of famous people who they influenced came to see them. I know Bruce mentioned them, Paul Stanley, Bon Jovi and Cheap Trick have mentioned them too. It's kinda like that Velvet underground quote that said something like the album itself didn't do so well but it spawned 1000 bands.
He will be missed
Sincerely,
Robert Garcia
_____________________________________
My favorite Eric Carmen record (he's the remixer!)
Steve Popovich released this on his Cleveland International label.
Jim Charne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYHnBYZwP94
_____________________________________
Damn, Bob. That was a bummer of a post. Sometimes I really hate it when you push so hard on the truth. Re: Eric Carmen - I loved his BATC album too. Those songs have been inside me since the day it was released in 1977 - the same day I turned 21 and bought that record in Austin. But now for Eric, there's no more beating on against the current. Dear God, that's so so sad. :(
Roy Nelson Duffle
_____________________________________
"Peace comes after the laughter. I started to cry. And now I find I'm blind."
I might have been about 11 when I first heard this. It was the saddest song I'd ever heard and kind of scary. But I kept listening.
He wrote good hooks.
Best,
Velina Brown
Stories: :"What Comes After": https://shorturl.at/jnrt0
_____________________________________
Please don't forget Eric Carmen's wonderful 1975 "All by Myself" - (albeit courtesy of Rachmaninov) (almost 50 years old!)
ELLIS S RICH OBE HON DMus CEO
Supreme Songs Limited
_____________________________________
For my money the best World Party song is All Come True. Can listen to that groove over and over.
John Hughes
_____________________________________
I grew up in Youngstown Ohio. I saw Hard Days Night there. I would drive with my buddies to Cleveland to see The Raspberries play. Eric Carmen burned it down doing The Beatles version of Twist And Shout.
The James Gang played Thursday nights in Youngstown at this weird club called The Freakout.
Joe Walsh and Phil Keagy killed it playing Jeff's Boogie there.
Bob Seger played there as well. Ramblin Gamblin Man at Maximum volume.
Eric Carmen and The Raspberries finally played there but only once.
I've lived in Nashville for the past forty years, writing songs. Lots of songs.
Country music has been very, very good to me.
But long ago and far away, I lived in Rock n Roll heaven. Where Eric is now.
Bob DiPiero
Nashville
_____________________________________
Karl Wallinger was born less than 2 weeks before me in 57, gives one pause. I was aware of World Party but never got into them. But I love The Waterboys and saw them a few years ago here in Halifax. Not sure if Wallinger was with them I just know it was an amazing show in a small venue.
Makes one ponder when we see our musical heroes fall by the wayside, Bowie was a tough one as was Cohen.
But for me Dylan will be the biggest. I've been a Dylan addict for a long time and this world will be a much sadder place without Bob. The fact he could pen Murder Most Fowl in his waning years is stunning.
Your right Bob, we oldsters don't have much time left, so we may, as much as possible enjoy it.
Doug Gillis
_____________________________________
Boy, are you right, Bob. I was living my best life when I found out I have terminal cancer on 12-26-23. Since then, friends who I thought were my best friends have faded away claiming they can't handle what's happening to me and don't know what to say. People I barely know on facebook offer me places to stay in Maryland when I go for a huge operation at Johns Hopkins in May.
My world has turned upside down. I had two music cruises planned, and decided I needed to not go and sell my room. StarVista (Flower Power cruise) said I couldn't sell the room to a person I found to buy it because I missed the deadline by ONE DAY. They would have made an extra $500 just by changing the name on the reservation. They said, "No, you can turn it in and we'll resell it." "What do I get?" "Nothing." It seems like each day a new insult happens.
We are all old cars heading for the junk heap. But when you have zero symptoms and a doctor looks you in the eye and says, "You have 9 to 18 months to live," it is shocking to your mind, heart and soul.
Katie Bradford
Portland, OR
_____________________________________
So I'm sitting in a waiting room at Gare du Nord station where I've spent the day in a studio in Paris working with a young 20 yr old singer on one of my songs for a movie ….….I had a few big hits as an artist in the Seventies ….produced 'Boogie Nights' and most of the Heatwave hits…. and carried on writing and producing through the 80's to now when I'm in my early Seventies….I'm reading you post and watching all my contemporaries fading away …….why am I still doing this ???
Barry Blue
_____________________________________
You speak the truth in your assement . At 70 we sold everything. I sold all my instruments except a few and my music computer. We then moved to Portugal because life is about experiences and that's what we want at this point. I want to remember everything that happened to me in 50 + years in the music world. We are experiencing new adventures here in Europe and we realize we are not going to be here forever but living here gives us a shot at extending the adventure.
People need to step back and then take the next step if you want the most out of this life
Greetings from Lisbon
Peace,Jason Miles
_____________________________________
Very well put, I just turned 79 and have wonderful memories having worked for Mercury, Capitol, ABC/Dunhill, MCA and Capricorn. All during what I consider the cream of the crop days of music. Radio was king in making the hits ! I still believe in the music and I feel it in my heart and soul, long live music!
Barry Pollack
_____________________________________
Great letter! I'm turning 80 next month, healthy, active , still working but I know it's only a matter of time.
Jan Burden
_____________________________________
My apologies for the golf analogy. As you may know, I LOVE golf. Millions of golfers dream of shooting a score of 72 when they're age is 72. In fact, it's called "shooting your age". I want to shoot 95 when I'm 95!! That will require me remaining to be younger than my years. That is also my motivation. If you're going to go, go all the way. Dream on, right?
Warm Regards,
Garland
_____________________________________
Sha La La Let's Live for Today
Warren Entner
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I sent Amy Carmen your article and here was her response.
Thanks for sharing … to brighten the mood here's a great EC memory:
Eric and I were in the car maybe 10-14 days ago when Casey Kasem's American Top 40 was replaying the October 1972 broadcast" & Overnight Sensation" came in on the top 40 chart at # 26 .
Eric was so pissed that Casey cut the end of the song off . But the great memory I have of him is watching him air drum -the drum fills!
Bob's right I only heard Overnight Sensation one other time on the radio and I think it was Little Steven's Underground Garage
Love,
Amy
_____________________________________
Let the truth be told, Kevin Sutter broke World Party. It was a labor of love… I've never worked with a person with such strong conviction to this artist.
From the onset we at Chrysalis Records realized that Karl Wallinger was a brilliant talent.
KROQ was not easy to convince to play the record as some people might think. It was not your typical Rick Carrol choice.. It took a lot of convincing, massaging and dinners..it eventually went on the radio. Jed the Fish was championing this record from day one.
Rock radio was not easy to garner… in the era of "more Zep you f*ckers"...World Party was no walk in the park. Program Directors said no… no and more no…
Sutter persevered and "Ship of Fools" became a radio hit….
What a mega hit!
The greatness of World Party was in their live performance…
Your jaw would drop….
Jeff Laufer
_____________________________________
I can't tell you how saddened I am about Karl Wallinger's passing.
Not only because his songs were the soundtrack of my twenties, but because he recently became a friend.
When my latest album 'Satisfied Mind' came out this past July, Karl was cheering me on, with Facebook messages and texts saying how much he loved the music.
"Good to see you getting good recognition," he wrote me.
I was floored. Here was one of the greatest songwriters affirming that I had something to say too.
In fact, it was only a few weeks ago when he texted me that he and his wife were digging the vinyl version of the album.
It felt like winning the lottery.
That nod of acceptance affected me deeply. We even talked about writing a song together.
Sadly, that wasn't to be. But I wanted to write to say that Karl's generosity and kindness were as strong as the songs he left us with.
And trust me, they've been on repeat over here.
Thanks for remembering him.
Jon Regen
_____________________________________
It is a sad revelation that we are rapidly losing our idols who are just a few years older than we are. Eric's death makes the second personal loss for me in the past week and the fourth in the past few months .
I was a fan of Raspberries from the first time I heard "Go All the Way" and I got their Starting Over album when it came out and thought it should have been a hit on FM Radio.
So in 2007 when I heard that ( the) Raspberries had reunited and were going to play the House Of Blues in LA, I contacted them and recorded the show in hopes of getting a live album released . There was no deal, no label it just seemed like a worthwhile thing to do. (I did that a lot in those days)
I worked with Eric long distance on the mixes after the band did some overdubs in Cleveland , and we eventually made a deal with Ryco to release a deluxe CD and DVD with both the 2007 live show and other recordings going back to the 70's.
When they came back to play the HOB later that year I had them come to my studio where we recorded two tracks which turned out to be the last recordings by the band.
Time marches on with the same eventual outcome for everyone including our idols. As the song says "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive"
Mark Linett
_____________________________________
Hi Bob,
Seatrain! Love you mentioned them! Many, sadly, never heard Seatrain/Marblehead Messenger! Shanda! Barry Goldberg turned me on to them when I was working with Albert Grossman! The office was casual, and artists often would just hang...this office, oy, I got stories, but I digress...
Thank you Bob for sharing Eric Carmen, an early Arista signing...
Respectfully,
Rose Gross-Marino
_____________________________________
Bob: I am so sad that there will never be another Raspberries reunion.
I bought the single Go All the Way in sixth grade and their second album (with 'I Wanna Be With You') through the Record Club of America. Remember ordering records through the mail and waiting eagerly for weeks for them to show up? I did, finally, see the Raspberries during the same reunion tour you did and they were great!!!
I always thought 'Go All The Way' was one of the greatest guitar songs EVER. Maybe the first true 'power pop' song.
Safe travels Eric Carmen, you (and the band) deserved more than you got.
Marty Hecker
Denver, CO
_____________________________________
It was sad to hear of Eric's passing.. I feel that his hit "Hungry Eyes" was one of the sexiest songs I remember hearing from that era.. It was one of those songs you hear on the radio and you just have to stop what you're doing and listen.. I found it to be a powerful statement.
Randy Dawson
_____________________________________
Well said Bob,
I remember one of my buddies like thirty years ago saying his Mom loved the Raspberries, "go all the way" I didn't get it but now I do
Another 67 year old guy remembering
Gerry Lauderdale
Boston MA
_____________________________________
Hey Bob
Eric Carmen's passing really hit a nerve (as does the theme of your article).
We were label mates of sorts: he (and The Raspberries) and my band were both groomed at the same Jimmy Ienner-run production company long, long ago
(although he/they were a few years ahead of me/us).
I was always a big fan, and I always thought he was underrated as a songwriter and a recording artist -
and I agree "Boats Against The Current" was a musical masterpiece of sorts.
Wallace Collins
_____________________________________
I can't say I was a big Eric Carmen fan, but Karl Wallinger led one of my favorite, "Kiss of Death" bands, World Party. They seem to come out of nowhere, I know he was in the Waterboys, but in America that was out of nowhere. He played all his own instruments like Emmett Rhoads, wrote great tunes and everything sounded great. I never got to see him live but I've got four really good records from him and that's hard to do.
RIP Karl.
Gary Jackson
_____________________________________
Watching these artists slip away is painful. Right now, we still have Paul & Ringo, Mick & Keith and that is a good thing, but so many have moved over the musical rainbow bridge in the past few years, it is a sad thing to absorb. I appreciate what you wrote here about YOUR personal memories. I have my Eric Carmen 45rpm of "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" that showed just how immense his talent was in the mid-1970's after Raspberries.
It is Karl Wallinger's passing that hit me so hard. His undying love for all things Beatles permeated his music and he was out in the open about those influences. He was fantastic and will be missed.
Marc Platt
_____________________________________
There were no better songs for high school love then Go All The Way and I Wanna Be With You. And Karl Wallinger's World Party's GoodBye Jumbo is a non skip masterpiece. Both Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger were superstars in their own right.
jeffsackstennis
_____________________________________
Seatrain!
Caught them live in my hometown (Princeton).
For the record (pun intended) they were also on Capitol, and I think the label did a good job with the texture of the album cover.
Thanks for the very fond walk down memory lane.
Scott Kauffman
_____________________________________
The reason The Silencers got to open for U2 at Cardiff Arms Park, on the Joshua Tree tour, Karl Wallinger was sick that day.
I saw World Party play live in London a few months earlier and was blown away. An amazing writer and performer.
The World Party albums were for me a sanctuary when things got a little tough, always an uplifting melancholic cuddle.
Thanks for writing about Karl.
Martin Stuart Hanlin
_____________________________________
SEATRAIN— fabulous, almost too-hip, reference
Fred Ansis
_____________________________________
"If you're afraid of being injured, you're afraid of living"
That is so perfect in all the factors of life. An extraordinary songwriter, arranger, and vocalist. Eric Carmen has left us with a treasure load of greatness.
I of course will live forever!
Thank you once again Bob for hitting that nail on the head..
Michael Des Barres
_____________________________________
I felt bad when I heard Eric died. Not sure why, I didn't know him. Other artists, other people die and I chalk it up to Nobody gets out alive stuff. But I loved the Raspberries. I owned an indie record store in the 70s "Something Else Records" named after the Eddie Cochran hit, when I was in my 20 s. I'm a Rocker was on heavy rotation in the store. I was working for BMG when Dirty Dancing came out. Not only did it help pay the rent, but loved the soundtrack, and Hungry Eyes. And I'm a sucker for lush ballads which he made cool. Later I found the Live Raspberries album at a used record shop and loved it. He made an impact on me, that few have. May he RIP.
Bob Morelli
_____________________________________
My uncle was a classmate of Eric Carmen's at Brush High School in Lyndhurst.
Back in the 60's my uncle's band The Cellmates played the same circuit as Eric's band The Sounds of Silence.
They would all get together and jam at the Brush High School reunions:
https://www.buckeyebeat.com/cellmates.html
Vince Welsh
_____________________________________
I turned my daughter onto 'the choir' last year "baby it's cold outside" and whenever she comes to visit me in London Ontario from her home just outside of Ottawa chilling at some point, she'll put that song on the Bluetooth player at least once during her long weekend visits.
She gets it she knows who Eric Carmen is and how he hooked up with the choir to form the Raspberries (did I spell it right? And I get it's more complicated than I've just spelled out), I'm glad I was able to share that with her last night that EC had died - because the kid gets it 25yrs old.
And also last night , before I was made aware, I listened to my two favourite live albums of all time: Deep Purple Made in Japan -,the second LP I ever bought, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer "welcome back my friends to the show that never ends' with new Apple earbuds,,, kind of neat that you mentioned Keith Emerson. Great article you wrote - I love Eric Carmen: may he rest in peace. You? stay safe stay sane.
Andrew Parr
_____________________________________
"I don't need anybody else to agree with me." (Bob Lefsetz)
Well, Bob...
Allow me to do so.
"Boats Against the Current" is exceptional.
It's simple.
It soars.
And with every bad review it got...
It got better and better with every listen.
Marty Bender
_____________________________________
Also two days ago— March 10
T. M. Stevens
Bassist supreme…. Amazing vocalist…. One of those cats who is on A MILLION albums, is on the radio every day on hits.. but not a household name outside certain musician circles
Albums and shows with Cissy Houston ….and was there for Whitney Houston's beginning, and played live w her. Lots of sessions on Narada Michael Walden productions…
… played bass & sang backups on the biggest charting and airplay James Brown hit … Living in America, co-written by Dan Hartman & Charlie Midnight.
Dan as you well know had massive hits instant Replay, I can Dream About You, and T.M. recorded and toured for years in Dan's projects & bands.
He had the usual dizzying resume of the journeyman bassist…..from Miles Davis and John McLaughlin to Tina Turner, Steve Vai, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Nona Hendryx, Little Steven, Stacy Lattisaw …was in the Pretenders for attending Get Close album, with Bernie Worrell, whose band he was also in….. Billy Joel , River Of Dreams album…… it's endless.
Any Electric bass player knows him from countless magazine ads since the 80s for strings, bass guitars and pedals…. unmistakable with his multicolor, African themed outfits and crazy dreadlocks
A brilliant Zelig of the funk-rock bass world, and a dear friend, has fallen. A fireball of energy and meticulous session musician with a distinct sound. He will be majorly missed. As you say…. This is talkin' bout our generation starting to die.
André Cholmondeley
_____________________________________
We as music obsessives will realize we didn't pay enough attention to Eric Carmen while he was here.
I'll miss him not just for the ballads but for the razor sharp power pop. Hell, he may have invented that particular subgenre.
We didn't pay enough attention to Karl Wallinger either.
Or Wayne Kramer.
Spot on as always Bob, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
As a grizzled Minnesota poet once said, "if you're not busy being born, your busy dying"
John Tierney
_____________________________________
My close friend and band partner from days gone by, Phil Sullivan, recommended I subscribe to your daily thoughts a few months back. I am so glad he did. I greatly enjoy reading your in sights … however, this one on Eric Carmen hit home with me like no other before.
Eric was brilliant and I loved his songs … "All by Myself" "Hungry Eyes" and The Raspberries "Go All The Way" and "I Saw the Light" are some of the "tunes of my life." He captured our inner thoughts with his lyrics and sang them as if there would not be a tomorrow… quite the passion.
I agree with you, the internet has killed the music artist and the (important) messages we need to hear from them; now maybe more than ever. On the other hand, you have er keep the fire burning … when you get off the next ski lift, make a run like there will never be another one, because maybe (at our age) ...
As Christopher Cross sings "Ride Like The Wind."
My best,
Gene Ellison
_____________________________________
Most excellent of you to mention the passing of Karl Wallinger. He was an excellent songwriter and all-around musician who beyond that initial "hit" phase, continued to make some really fine, well crafted albums.
I once called him the poor man's Warren Zevon but meant it as a compliment of the highest order. He will be missed.
- J. Pothier/Fairfield CT
_____________________________________
I got to see the Raspberries during the reunion in NYC on the second night. They were fantastic.
I am a fan of ALL of their music as well as Eric's solo stuff. You're right, they should've been bigger. "Let's pretend"could have gotten them bonafides as a serious act.
I was told the night before a cavalcade of famous people who they influenced came to see them. I know Bruce mentioned them, Paul Stanley, Bon Jovi and Cheap Trick have mentioned them too. It's kinda like that Velvet underground quote that said something like the album itself didn't do so well but it spawned 1000 bands.
He will be missed
Sincerely,
Robert Garcia
_____________________________________
My favorite Eric Carmen record (he's the remixer!)
Steve Popovich released this on his Cleveland International label.
Jim Charne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYHnBYZwP94
_____________________________________
Damn, Bob. That was a bummer of a post. Sometimes I really hate it when you push so hard on the truth. Re: Eric Carmen - I loved his BATC album too. Those songs have been inside me since the day it was released in 1977 - the same day I turned 21 and bought that record in Austin. But now for Eric, there's no more beating on against the current. Dear God, that's so so sad. :(
Roy Nelson Duffle
_____________________________________
"Peace comes after the laughter. I started to cry. And now I find I'm blind."
I might have been about 11 when I first heard this. It was the saddest song I'd ever heard and kind of scary. But I kept listening.
He wrote good hooks.
Best,
Velina Brown
Stories: :"What Comes After": https://shorturl.at/jnrt0
_____________________________________
Please don't forget Eric Carmen's wonderful 1975 "All by Myself" - (albeit courtesy of Rachmaninov) (almost 50 years old!)
ELLIS S RICH OBE HON DMus CEO
Supreme Songs Limited
_____________________________________
For my money the best World Party song is All Come True. Can listen to that groove over and over.
John Hughes
_____________________________________
I grew up in Youngstown Ohio. I saw Hard Days Night there. I would drive with my buddies to Cleveland to see The Raspberries play. Eric Carmen burned it down doing The Beatles version of Twist And Shout.
The James Gang played Thursday nights in Youngstown at this weird club called The Freakout.
Joe Walsh and Phil Keagy killed it playing Jeff's Boogie there.
Bob Seger played there as well. Ramblin Gamblin Man at Maximum volume.
Eric Carmen and The Raspberries finally played there but only once.
I've lived in Nashville for the past forty years, writing songs. Lots of songs.
Country music has been very, very good to me.
But long ago and far away, I lived in Rock n Roll heaven. Where Eric is now.
Bob DiPiero
Nashville
_____________________________________
Karl Wallinger was born less than 2 weeks before me in 57, gives one pause. I was aware of World Party but never got into them. But I love The Waterboys and saw them a few years ago here in Halifax. Not sure if Wallinger was with them I just know it was an amazing show in a small venue.
Makes one ponder when we see our musical heroes fall by the wayside, Bowie was a tough one as was Cohen.
But for me Dylan will be the biggest. I've been a Dylan addict for a long time and this world will be a much sadder place without Bob. The fact he could pen Murder Most Fowl in his waning years is stunning.
Your right Bob, we oldsters don't have much time left, so we may, as much as possible enjoy it.
Doug Gillis
_____________________________________
Boy, are you right, Bob. I was living my best life when I found out I have terminal cancer on 12-26-23. Since then, friends who I thought were my best friends have faded away claiming they can't handle what's happening to me and don't know what to say. People I barely know on facebook offer me places to stay in Maryland when I go for a huge operation at Johns Hopkins in May.
My world has turned upside down. I had two music cruises planned, and decided I needed to not go and sell my room. StarVista (Flower Power cruise) said I couldn't sell the room to a person I found to buy it because I missed the deadline by ONE DAY. They would have made an extra $500 just by changing the name on the reservation. They said, "No, you can turn it in and we'll resell it." "What do I get?" "Nothing." It seems like each day a new insult happens.
We are all old cars heading for the junk heap. But when you have zero symptoms and a doctor looks you in the eye and says, "You have 9 to 18 months to live," it is shocking to your mind, heart and soul.
Katie Bradford
Portland, OR
_____________________________________
So I'm sitting in a waiting room at Gare du Nord station where I've spent the day in a studio in Paris working with a young 20 yr old singer on one of my songs for a movie ….….I had a few big hits as an artist in the Seventies ….produced 'Boogie Nights' and most of the Heatwave hits…. and carried on writing and producing through the 80's to now when I'm in my early Seventies….I'm reading you post and watching all my contemporaries fading away …….why am I still doing this ???
Barry Blue
_____________________________________
You speak the truth in your assement . At 70 we sold everything. I sold all my instruments except a few and my music computer. We then moved to Portugal because life is about experiences and that's what we want at this point. I want to remember everything that happened to me in 50 + years in the music world. We are experiencing new adventures here in Europe and we realize we are not going to be here forever but living here gives us a shot at extending the adventure.
People need to step back and then take the next step if you want the most out of this life
Greetings from Lisbon
Peace,Jason Miles
_____________________________________
Very well put, I just turned 79 and have wonderful memories having worked for Mercury, Capitol, ABC/Dunhill, MCA and Capricorn. All during what I consider the cream of the crop days of music. Radio was king in making the hits ! I still believe in the music and I feel it in my heart and soul, long live music!
Barry Pollack
_____________________________________
Great letter! I'm turning 80 next month, healthy, active , still working but I know it's only a matter of time.
Jan Burden
_____________________________________
My apologies for the golf analogy. As you may know, I LOVE golf. Millions of golfers dream of shooting a score of 72 when they're age is 72. In fact, it's called "shooting your age". I want to shoot 95 when I'm 95!! That will require me remaining to be younger than my years. That is also my motivation. If you're going to go, go all the way. Dream on, right?
Warm Regards,
Garland
_____________________________________
Sha La La Let's Live for Today
Warren Entner
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Eric Carmen (& Karl Wallinger)
Now our generation is starting to die.
The first to go were born in the forties. Now, just like in that Police song, those born in the fifties are dropping dead.
That was the first thought that occurred to me when I heard that Eric Carmen had died. Sure, he was a few years older than me, but he was my contemporary.
The Beatles were not my contemporaries. Nor the Dave Cark Five.
We can argue whether rock and roll started with Ike Turner or Bill Haley. We can talk about the impact of Elvis Presley. But the true dividing line, the moment when rock truly blew up, when it became not only America's, but the world's sound, was the advent of the Beatles... First in the U.K. in '62, and then in the U.S. in '64. Hell, let's stick with '64, that's when "A Hard Day's Night" hit the theatres.
Sure, the Beatles were only in their early twenties, but that seemed ages from most of their fans. The Beatles were older, wiser and more experienced. Believe me, we knew exactly how old each Beatle was. All were born in the early forties.
And the San Francisco groups had a different upbringing and inspiration, folk and blues, and they were parallel to the Beatles, and also born in the forties.
And by time we hit the seventies, our generation took over, those born in the fifties. Not exclusively, we had Keith Emerson and James Taylor born in the forties, but the base age ticked up, our brethren were making the hit music.
And there was a victory lap in the eighties with MTV. Boomers were flush.
Then the internet came along and took the focus off of music, and it has never fully returned. Elon Musk is more of a rock star than anybody making music today, and this didn't used to be the case. If you wanted to know which way the wind blew, you listened to a record, not anymore.
This bothers me, how the MTV paradigm of a worldwide hit single now dominates. That there's no parallel alternative music and culture, of any significance, but they call it the music "business," and everybody follows the money. Starving artists don't pay fealty to the work, they just complain that they don't get paid.
The Raspberries were on a terrible label. Capitol might have had the Beach Boys and the Beatles and eventually the Band, but it was the last choice. You could tell by the album covers if nothing else. They were cheap in an era where the acts on Warner Brothers' were extensive gatefold manifestations.
And the Raspberries were an anomaly. Breaking on AM radio when all the action was on FM. Capitol didn't bother positioning the act as credible. The album covers made the band look like sixties boy band relics.
But the single hits were undeniable.
And then came "Overnight Sensation"...
"Well I know it sounds funny
But I'm not in it for the money"
I read about it in "Rolling Stone." Other music magazines. I couldn't hear it, because it was a complete stiff. To this day I've never heard "Overnight Sensation" on the radio.
But I took a risk, I dove in and bought it, at Sam Goody in Westport.
And I was positively stunned.
That would happen in the old days. You'd buy a record you'd read about, that had no hits, and you'd drop the needle and be positively overwhelmed. Like with Stories' "About Us." Sure, they ultimately tacked on the cover of "Brother Louie," but that was an anomaly, the rest of the album was Left Banke modernized for the seventies and I still sing the songs to myself regularly. "What comes after, the laughter..."
So I bought every Eric Carmen album thereafter.
My favorite is "Boats Against the Current." The final track, which Eric just wrote me should have been the opener, "Run Away," is majestic in a way today's records are not. Back then it was all about the record, the penumbra was secondary. Forget endorsements, personal hype, the music was a statement of your identity, it revealed your interior, not your exterior.
And then Eric faded from the scene but he returned with "Hungry Eyes" from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack.
Talk about a phenomenon. "Dirty Dancing" was seen as a B-movie. Not to be taken seriously. And over time it built and built to the point it became a cultural icon. Everybody saw it, more than once. And sure, it was about Baby and Johnny, but also about having the time of your life... It just made you feel good. Fully alive.
Two days ago I was riding the lift with this bearded guy who started a conversation because the four who were supposed to make six couldn't sidle up in time to make it, or chose not to.
This guy told me he was from Michigan. But he used to live in Vail in the winter. And I asked him about what he did for a living and he said he was retired. That he'd planned to spend the winter in Vail but he'd had a heart incident over the summer, he needed a valve replacement.
He was only 71.
If you can find a boomer sans health problems... I don't believe it. Everybody's got something. It's like we're automobiles, and not Toyotas or Hondas. We're Chevrolets, Fords, GM machines. All shiny and new but not made to last. Eventually we fall apart. We don't stop running completely, but pieces start to fail. And unlike with cars you can't cashier them and get a new one, your body is the only one you get.
And in fact, I never spoke with Eric Carmen, but we e-mailed plenty. I went to see the Raspberries reunion twenty years ago at the House of Blues. It was fantastic.
And now the House of Blues is gone too.
And he e-mailed me... I'm checking, the last e-mail I got from Eric was on January 7th. Two months ago. Fully alive, and now he's dead.
As for the Raspberries reunion...
Most people don't understand how the road works. You get offers, or you don't. And if you get offered enough cash you go on the road, assuming you want to, and if you don't, you don't. In other words, many of your old time favorites would love to tour, but no promoter will put up the money.
And if they didn't have that name, and if they were properly marketed by Capitol, the Raspberries would have been able to tour every year, like Styx and the rest, they had hits and they were that good, but the band ended up living in no-man's land.
But once they went all the way.
Very few records are perfect, but Eric Carmen made a few of them.
And I can't feel nostalgic about them, because they're in my head constantly. Really, the "Boats Against the Current" LP... It plays more in my brain than it does in Spotify, and I listen in Spotify on a regular basis.
Do I think others have the same experience?
No. Because I'm more passionate than most.
But I'm not the only one. Music was the most important thing to us. Which is why we knew the Beatles' ages. Quick, how old is Ariana Grande? Or the Weeknd? Or Drake?
That's not what they're selling. It's not about their true identities, it's about the exterior, the flash. Whereas on "Boats Against the Current"...
I relate to it because it speaks to my insides. I don't need anybody else to agree with me. It's just one on one with the record.
Will Eric Carmen's music have legs, past the death of the baby boomers?
I don't think so. Almost none of our music, other than the Beatles, will sustain, will travel. The Beatles, yes. The Stones, no. Never mind Seatrain and a bunch of albums I played incessantly in the seventies.
Hell, most of it is already gone.
And Glenn Frey too.
And David Bowie.
But now it's our contemporaries. Hell, Karl Wallinger was only 66. Even younger than me. Come on, you remember hearing "Ship of Fools" on KROQ, right?
That kind of music has been excised from today's hit parade. We don't want people who think, we don't want you to make a statement, we want you to be shiny and new...it's all about image, and your personal life lives online, not in your music.
In other words, the landscape has changed. And after all these decades, I don't expect it to change back. Today it's all about the hit. We live in a narrow Top 40 world, although we now call it the Spotify Top 50.
And sure, those records evidence success. And I know people love them. But they just don't represent what used to be. And if you dig beneath the surface, go deep into the catalogs of these acts, oftentimes you find nothing at all, only dreck.
So what I'm saying is it's your time. Time to focus on yourself. To be the hero of your own movie. You're not going to be here for long, but if you still see these aged musicians, alive or dead, as heroes, you're missing the point. Enjoy their music, but focus on yourself, because odds are you're not going to be here for that long.
I know you don't believe it. But soon it won't only be Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger, but your high school and college buddies. You'll chalk it up to luck, they got the Big C and you didn't. But then something will happen to you.
Maybe you'll just fall. Happens all the time. Your balance fades as you age. You may think you're twenty one, but you're not.
And it's hard to ignore politics, but it's even harder not to become somnambulant, to say yes instead of no.
It's never too late to try new things. If you're afraid of being injured, you're afraid of living.
New friends are around the corner. But you have to make an effort. And at our age, everybody has the same status. If you're a boomer and you're bragging about your house or your car you haven't grown up and are missing the point. You're just a person. Part of society. In an overwhelming world that will move on without you.
So it is about experiences and people and...
No one is keeping a record. He with the most toys when they die does not win.
And I've met a lot of these hitmakers, my heroes of yore. And I'm not saying their work is not worthy of adulation, but in truth they are people, just like you and me.
You are not going to live forever, no one ever has. Biohack all you want but you'd be better off just living in the now.
This is it, this is your life.
Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger may have enriched it, but they had their lives and you need to have yours.
Because the Grim Reaper is just around the corner. Believe me.
--
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The first to go were born in the forties. Now, just like in that Police song, those born in the fifties are dropping dead.
That was the first thought that occurred to me when I heard that Eric Carmen had died. Sure, he was a few years older than me, but he was my contemporary.
The Beatles were not my contemporaries. Nor the Dave Cark Five.
We can argue whether rock and roll started with Ike Turner or Bill Haley. We can talk about the impact of Elvis Presley. But the true dividing line, the moment when rock truly blew up, when it became not only America's, but the world's sound, was the advent of the Beatles... First in the U.K. in '62, and then in the U.S. in '64. Hell, let's stick with '64, that's when "A Hard Day's Night" hit the theatres.
Sure, the Beatles were only in their early twenties, but that seemed ages from most of their fans. The Beatles were older, wiser and more experienced. Believe me, we knew exactly how old each Beatle was. All were born in the early forties.
And the San Francisco groups had a different upbringing and inspiration, folk and blues, and they were parallel to the Beatles, and also born in the forties.
And by time we hit the seventies, our generation took over, those born in the fifties. Not exclusively, we had Keith Emerson and James Taylor born in the forties, but the base age ticked up, our brethren were making the hit music.
And there was a victory lap in the eighties with MTV. Boomers were flush.
Then the internet came along and took the focus off of music, and it has never fully returned. Elon Musk is more of a rock star than anybody making music today, and this didn't used to be the case. If you wanted to know which way the wind blew, you listened to a record, not anymore.
This bothers me, how the MTV paradigm of a worldwide hit single now dominates. That there's no parallel alternative music and culture, of any significance, but they call it the music "business," and everybody follows the money. Starving artists don't pay fealty to the work, they just complain that they don't get paid.
The Raspberries were on a terrible label. Capitol might have had the Beach Boys and the Beatles and eventually the Band, but it was the last choice. You could tell by the album covers if nothing else. They were cheap in an era where the acts on Warner Brothers' were extensive gatefold manifestations.
And the Raspberries were an anomaly. Breaking on AM radio when all the action was on FM. Capitol didn't bother positioning the act as credible. The album covers made the band look like sixties boy band relics.
But the single hits were undeniable.
And then came "Overnight Sensation"...
"Well I know it sounds funny
But I'm not in it for the money"
I read about it in "Rolling Stone." Other music magazines. I couldn't hear it, because it was a complete stiff. To this day I've never heard "Overnight Sensation" on the radio.
But I took a risk, I dove in and bought it, at Sam Goody in Westport.
And I was positively stunned.
That would happen in the old days. You'd buy a record you'd read about, that had no hits, and you'd drop the needle and be positively overwhelmed. Like with Stories' "About Us." Sure, they ultimately tacked on the cover of "Brother Louie," but that was an anomaly, the rest of the album was Left Banke modernized for the seventies and I still sing the songs to myself regularly. "What comes after, the laughter..."
So I bought every Eric Carmen album thereafter.
My favorite is "Boats Against the Current." The final track, which Eric just wrote me should have been the opener, "Run Away," is majestic in a way today's records are not. Back then it was all about the record, the penumbra was secondary. Forget endorsements, personal hype, the music was a statement of your identity, it revealed your interior, not your exterior.
And then Eric faded from the scene but he returned with "Hungry Eyes" from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack.
Talk about a phenomenon. "Dirty Dancing" was seen as a B-movie. Not to be taken seriously. And over time it built and built to the point it became a cultural icon. Everybody saw it, more than once. And sure, it was about Baby and Johnny, but also about having the time of your life... It just made you feel good. Fully alive.
Two days ago I was riding the lift with this bearded guy who started a conversation because the four who were supposed to make six couldn't sidle up in time to make it, or chose not to.
This guy told me he was from Michigan. But he used to live in Vail in the winter. And I asked him about what he did for a living and he said he was retired. That he'd planned to spend the winter in Vail but he'd had a heart incident over the summer, he needed a valve replacement.
He was only 71.
If you can find a boomer sans health problems... I don't believe it. Everybody's got something. It's like we're automobiles, and not Toyotas or Hondas. We're Chevrolets, Fords, GM machines. All shiny and new but not made to last. Eventually we fall apart. We don't stop running completely, but pieces start to fail. And unlike with cars you can't cashier them and get a new one, your body is the only one you get.
And in fact, I never spoke with Eric Carmen, but we e-mailed plenty. I went to see the Raspberries reunion twenty years ago at the House of Blues. It was fantastic.
And now the House of Blues is gone too.
And he e-mailed me... I'm checking, the last e-mail I got from Eric was on January 7th. Two months ago. Fully alive, and now he's dead.
As for the Raspberries reunion...
Most people don't understand how the road works. You get offers, or you don't. And if you get offered enough cash you go on the road, assuming you want to, and if you don't, you don't. In other words, many of your old time favorites would love to tour, but no promoter will put up the money.
And if they didn't have that name, and if they were properly marketed by Capitol, the Raspberries would have been able to tour every year, like Styx and the rest, they had hits and they were that good, but the band ended up living in no-man's land.
But once they went all the way.
Very few records are perfect, but Eric Carmen made a few of them.
And I can't feel nostalgic about them, because they're in my head constantly. Really, the "Boats Against the Current" LP... It plays more in my brain than it does in Spotify, and I listen in Spotify on a regular basis.
Do I think others have the same experience?
No. Because I'm more passionate than most.
But I'm not the only one. Music was the most important thing to us. Which is why we knew the Beatles' ages. Quick, how old is Ariana Grande? Or the Weeknd? Or Drake?
That's not what they're selling. It's not about their true identities, it's about the exterior, the flash. Whereas on "Boats Against the Current"...
I relate to it because it speaks to my insides. I don't need anybody else to agree with me. It's just one on one with the record.
Will Eric Carmen's music have legs, past the death of the baby boomers?
I don't think so. Almost none of our music, other than the Beatles, will sustain, will travel. The Beatles, yes. The Stones, no. Never mind Seatrain and a bunch of albums I played incessantly in the seventies.
Hell, most of it is already gone.
And Glenn Frey too.
And David Bowie.
But now it's our contemporaries. Hell, Karl Wallinger was only 66. Even younger than me. Come on, you remember hearing "Ship of Fools" on KROQ, right?
That kind of music has been excised from today's hit parade. We don't want people who think, we don't want you to make a statement, we want you to be shiny and new...it's all about image, and your personal life lives online, not in your music.
In other words, the landscape has changed. And after all these decades, I don't expect it to change back. Today it's all about the hit. We live in a narrow Top 40 world, although we now call it the Spotify Top 50.
And sure, those records evidence success. And I know people love them. But they just don't represent what used to be. And if you dig beneath the surface, go deep into the catalogs of these acts, oftentimes you find nothing at all, only dreck.
So what I'm saying is it's your time. Time to focus on yourself. To be the hero of your own movie. You're not going to be here for long, but if you still see these aged musicians, alive or dead, as heroes, you're missing the point. Enjoy their music, but focus on yourself, because odds are you're not going to be here for that long.
I know you don't believe it. But soon it won't only be Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger, but your high school and college buddies. You'll chalk it up to luck, they got the Big C and you didn't. But then something will happen to you.
Maybe you'll just fall. Happens all the time. Your balance fades as you age. You may think you're twenty one, but you're not.
And it's hard to ignore politics, but it's even harder not to become somnambulant, to say yes instead of no.
It's never too late to try new things. If you're afraid of being injured, you're afraid of living.
New friends are around the corner. But you have to make an effort. And at our age, everybody has the same status. If you're a boomer and you're bragging about your house or your car you haven't grown up and are missing the point. You're just a person. Part of society. In an overwhelming world that will move on without you.
So it is about experiences and people and...
No one is keeping a record. He with the most toys when they die does not win.
And I've met a lot of these hitmakers, my heroes of yore. And I'm not saying their work is not worthy of adulation, but in truth they are people, just like you and me.
You are not going to live forever, no one ever has. Biohack all you want but you'd be better off just living in the now.
This is it, this is your life.
Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger may have enriched it, but they had their lives and you need to have yours.
Because the Grim Reaper is just around the corner. Believe me.
--
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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Monday 11 March 2024
Trump Self-Immolates?
You don't make fun of someone's height, name or physical disability.
I went to high school. You probably did too. There were bullies. Who seemed to pick on you for no reason. And they had a coterie of cronies who if they didn't cheer them on, stayed silent in mute acknowledgement of their behavior. But as the years passed and students aged the bullies receded into the background, they were ostracized, seen as brutes.
And this was back in the sixties, never mind today, with all the heightened consciousness over the issue.
I didn't watch the Oscars. My streak ended about a decade ago, when I was traveling and couldn't. And I've never resumed the habit.
Thinking about it, I wondered what the ratings for the younger demographics were. Because the show touches none of their buttons. It's too long about movies they haven't seen with variety elements that haven't worked on television since the seventies, if not the sixties.
But I did read about the show.
That's how you keep up today. You're on your own personal hejira. There used to be FOMO. That's gone, despite all the social media posters trying to tell us their lives are better than ours, despite the fact that beneath the skin they're insecure, otherwise why would they be posting this stuff?
So you choose how to spend your time, and you graze and catch up on the activities you're interested in in the news thereafter.
Like Mikaela Shiffrin coming back from injury and immediately winning. Used to be I'd tape the races. The results weren't available otherwise. But now, unless you stay up/wake up in the middle of the night to watch the runs you find out the results immediately upon waking, and I don't bother to watch the telecast. I might go on YouTube and see the winning run, but otherwise it's a bad use of my time.
But I do read the results.
And I do read who won Oscars and some reviews, to get a feel for the show.
And the snubs and surprises... They don't matter much to me, especially after seemingly every outlet did a feature on who should have won in the past and didn't.
But Jimmy Kimmel responding to Trump's comment on Truth Social...
You don't mess with someone who has a big audience. Despite shrinking, the audience is far greater for the Oscars and its fallout than Trump's comments on the rinky-dink Truth Social.
So Trump didn't like Kimmel and the show. But talking about George Stephanopolous's height? George had no control over that. Just like Trump had no control over the fact that he lost his hair. Then again, unlike Robert Reich, who owns his short stature, Trump tries to cover up his baldness. Just like a high school bully, who can show no vulnerability, their whole demeanor is one of impenetrability, until they find that everybody has abandoned them, because what we end up being attracted to most is vulnerability.
And in a speech before that, Trump made fun of Biden's stutter.
Now this is not about pronouns. This is not about politically correct leftism. This is about a modern society where we accept each other and treat each other as equal.
Trump seems categorically unable to do this.
Now in 2016, I must admit, I found Trump calling Warren, who I supported, "Pocahontas." He was poking fun, breaking taboos, and pointing up an issue that deserved study, i.e. Warren's Native American roots, or lack thereof.
I've got to admit, in 2016, Trump was a breath of fresh air. In that hoity-toity Washington was finally brought into the modern era, where people swore, where we had a much more fluid society.
But that was then and this is now.
Trump was a two-dimensional TV star. A revelation to many, especially compared to Hillary Clinton.
But that was eight years ago.
Who is Trump appealing to by these endless diminishments? It's one thing to hate the libs, its quite another to denigrate their physical characteristics.
We're all flawed. And some are unnaturally tall and others unnaturally short. We have physical disabilities, sometimes minor, but sometimes evident. And we have imperfect family members who we will not let anybody make fun of. And then this tyrant comes along and excoriates people willy-nilly?
I mean how many people qualify as good under Trump's rules? It looks like it's only him. Go against him and you're toast. Whether it be Nikki Haley or Liz Cheney. He demands total fealty.
But everybody knows, or should know, that the only way you neutralize a bully is by standing up to them. But everybody in the Trump, er, Republican, Party is afraid of him. Where does this work?
Well, in authoritarian societies.
But we're not there yet.
No one has the balls to blow the whistle on this guy. I mean in high school at least you have the administration as a last resort. But in this case, Trump lords his b.s. over us with impunity.
Sure, there are ignorant acolytes who will accept everything Trump does and defend him. Just like the circle of friends surrounding the bully.
But come on, if you were bullied you know it was only a matter of time before someone broke ranks, came up to you and if they didn't exactly apologize, they acknowledged that the bully was out of line.
Trump is on a scorched-earth mission. Who is this appealing to other than the diehards, who are not enough in number to gain victory?
This is the way it always happens. The bully drives themself into a corner, where they end up being defensive after realizing they've lost support.
I mean if you're one of the few undecided who will decide this election... Trump is making it very hard to vote for him. Sure, people tend to vote their pocketbook, there are certain issues that appeal to them, but most people have a problem holding their nose and voting for someone who is a pariah, which is what Trump is, and it's getting worse every day.
Trump can't read the room. Well, maybe the room of his speech attendees, but the public at large, which he needs to get elected? His ugly statements are amplified, and the rest of us are horrified.
Because we were brought up in a society where we knew this was taboo.
It makes Trump appear even more isolated. I mean where did you grow up, under what circumstances, that you could get away with this? It makes Trump look like the isolated elite his followers rail against. Someone who believes they're above the law, can act with impunity.
I don't buy that people love Trump more because he's been indicted, because of his legal problems. Like a mother standing up for her son, many will defend Trump no matter what. But not most.
And if this guy can't read the populace, how can he navigate the world? How can he deal with China, Russia, any complex situation where nuance is key in negotiation.
Eventually bullies are isolated and diminished.
But Trump believes he can use the bully pulpit and the legal system to stand up to anyone.
Kind of like the tax cheats who are stunned when they poke their head into public affairs and are revealed to be such, like Trump himself.
Trump may defeat himself.
It certainly looks like that.
He's self-immolating. One winces constantly at his behavior.
This is not a winning strategy.
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I went to high school. You probably did too. There were bullies. Who seemed to pick on you for no reason. And they had a coterie of cronies who if they didn't cheer them on, stayed silent in mute acknowledgement of their behavior. But as the years passed and students aged the bullies receded into the background, they were ostracized, seen as brutes.
And this was back in the sixties, never mind today, with all the heightened consciousness over the issue.
I didn't watch the Oscars. My streak ended about a decade ago, when I was traveling and couldn't. And I've never resumed the habit.
Thinking about it, I wondered what the ratings for the younger demographics were. Because the show touches none of their buttons. It's too long about movies they haven't seen with variety elements that haven't worked on television since the seventies, if not the sixties.
But I did read about the show.
That's how you keep up today. You're on your own personal hejira. There used to be FOMO. That's gone, despite all the social media posters trying to tell us their lives are better than ours, despite the fact that beneath the skin they're insecure, otherwise why would they be posting this stuff?
So you choose how to spend your time, and you graze and catch up on the activities you're interested in in the news thereafter.
Like Mikaela Shiffrin coming back from injury and immediately winning. Used to be I'd tape the races. The results weren't available otherwise. But now, unless you stay up/wake up in the middle of the night to watch the runs you find out the results immediately upon waking, and I don't bother to watch the telecast. I might go on YouTube and see the winning run, but otherwise it's a bad use of my time.
But I do read the results.
And I do read who won Oscars and some reviews, to get a feel for the show.
And the snubs and surprises... They don't matter much to me, especially after seemingly every outlet did a feature on who should have won in the past and didn't.
But Jimmy Kimmel responding to Trump's comment on Truth Social...
You don't mess with someone who has a big audience. Despite shrinking, the audience is far greater for the Oscars and its fallout than Trump's comments on the rinky-dink Truth Social.
So Trump didn't like Kimmel and the show. But talking about George Stephanopolous's height? George had no control over that. Just like Trump had no control over the fact that he lost his hair. Then again, unlike Robert Reich, who owns his short stature, Trump tries to cover up his baldness. Just like a high school bully, who can show no vulnerability, their whole demeanor is one of impenetrability, until they find that everybody has abandoned them, because what we end up being attracted to most is vulnerability.
And in a speech before that, Trump made fun of Biden's stutter.
Now this is not about pronouns. This is not about politically correct leftism. This is about a modern society where we accept each other and treat each other as equal.
Trump seems categorically unable to do this.
Now in 2016, I must admit, I found Trump calling Warren, who I supported, "Pocahontas." He was poking fun, breaking taboos, and pointing up an issue that deserved study, i.e. Warren's Native American roots, or lack thereof.
I've got to admit, in 2016, Trump was a breath of fresh air. In that hoity-toity Washington was finally brought into the modern era, where people swore, where we had a much more fluid society.
But that was then and this is now.
Trump was a two-dimensional TV star. A revelation to many, especially compared to Hillary Clinton.
But that was eight years ago.
Who is Trump appealing to by these endless diminishments? It's one thing to hate the libs, its quite another to denigrate their physical characteristics.
We're all flawed. And some are unnaturally tall and others unnaturally short. We have physical disabilities, sometimes minor, but sometimes evident. And we have imperfect family members who we will not let anybody make fun of. And then this tyrant comes along and excoriates people willy-nilly?
I mean how many people qualify as good under Trump's rules? It looks like it's only him. Go against him and you're toast. Whether it be Nikki Haley or Liz Cheney. He demands total fealty.
But everybody knows, or should know, that the only way you neutralize a bully is by standing up to them. But everybody in the Trump, er, Republican, Party is afraid of him. Where does this work?
Well, in authoritarian societies.
But we're not there yet.
No one has the balls to blow the whistle on this guy. I mean in high school at least you have the administration as a last resort. But in this case, Trump lords his b.s. over us with impunity.
Sure, there are ignorant acolytes who will accept everything Trump does and defend him. Just like the circle of friends surrounding the bully.
But come on, if you were bullied you know it was only a matter of time before someone broke ranks, came up to you and if they didn't exactly apologize, they acknowledged that the bully was out of line.
Trump is on a scorched-earth mission. Who is this appealing to other than the diehards, who are not enough in number to gain victory?
This is the way it always happens. The bully drives themself into a corner, where they end up being defensive after realizing they've lost support.
I mean if you're one of the few undecided who will decide this election... Trump is making it very hard to vote for him. Sure, people tend to vote their pocketbook, there are certain issues that appeal to them, but most people have a problem holding their nose and voting for someone who is a pariah, which is what Trump is, and it's getting worse every day.
Trump can't read the room. Well, maybe the room of his speech attendees, but the public at large, which he needs to get elected? His ugly statements are amplified, and the rest of us are horrified.
Because we were brought up in a society where we knew this was taboo.
It makes Trump appear even more isolated. I mean where did you grow up, under what circumstances, that you could get away with this? It makes Trump look like the isolated elite his followers rail against. Someone who believes they're above the law, can act with impunity.
I don't buy that people love Trump more because he's been indicted, because of his legal problems. Like a mother standing up for her son, many will defend Trump no matter what. But not most.
And if this guy can't read the populace, how can he navigate the world? How can he deal with China, Russia, any complex situation where nuance is key in negotiation.
Eventually bullies are isolated and diminished.
But Trump believes he can use the bully pulpit and the legal system to stand up to anyone.
Kind of like the tax cheats who are stunned when they poke their head into public affairs and are revealed to be such, like Trump himself.
Trump may defeat himself.
It certainly looks like that.
He's self-immolating. One winces constantly at his behavior.
This is not a winning strategy.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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