I want to hear about it from someone else.
If you need to tell me how big you are, send me your reviews, then you can't be that big or great to begin with.
I know, this sounds just the opposite of today's overwhelming world with a million messages and a fight for attention, but if you're an artist, your work must speak for itself, or else you're doomed. No one can convince me you're great unless I feel it myself.
When you hype yourself it just seems desperate.
If your label does so...then you have plausible deniability. It's one step removed.
And then there are the people who ask you to vote for them for this or that. I mean really? Once again, if you need to ask... If it doesn't happen organically, then how deep a fan base do you have?
And it is all about fans, and respecting them.
If I'm a fan I already believe in you, I want a personal relationship, I don't want you to sell to me. This isn't multi-level marketing, this is a human connection. Don't pester me with hype, deliver information that makes me feel like I'm related to you. Be satisfied I'm paying attention at all. If I really like you I'll tell everybody I know about you. But don't ask me to do the work, unless you're appealing to pre-teens.
Charts... I never get an e-mail from someone saying they're not number one or two somewhere. Klezmer vinyl in Afghanistan, I'm number one! How could you be so big if I've never heard of you?
Never mind that TV and press mean so little these days. And often appears like it's bought.
Now there are some acts based on self-promotion. Like KISS. And Howard Stern. It's part of their personality. But even Howard doesn't do this anymore, he's achieved status, he doesn't need to constantly remind others of it.
If I can't experience the work and be affected, want to listen, you're in trouble. That's the only criterion. Doesn't matter who says what, I'm not interested.
Let's be clear, I'm talking about career acts here. And that's all that really matters anymore. These are not the acts the majors are concentrating on. It's beneath the dignity of a touring act with a fan base to constantly remind those already buying tickets how great they are.
And in a world with so many messages, yours telling us about your chart numbers, your reviews, actually works against you. It makes you look tiny and desperate.
I know it's a tough world out there. If you make marginal music, or music that is not widely adopted, you need to accept that. You've got a niche, do your best to monetize and be happy. Don't get frustrated you're not bigger if you are that klezmer artist. The great thing about the modern world is there's room for more acts than ever before, but fewer are big hit acts. And it's not Spotify that is holding you back, Spotify is helping you, exposing you. It's that the mass of public just isn't interested. If the majors can't break new acts, what are the odds that you're going to blow up based on a review in a publication I've never heard of telling me you're great?
We know your status. If you need to convince us you're bigger, that just makes us uneasy, realizing we've invested in someone who is really not that big.
In our eyes, you're a giant, if you don't believe this, you're screwed.
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Saturday 10 August 2024
Friday 9 August 2024
Re-Atlanta Rhythm Section
Hi Bob!
I was at Beaver Creek yesterday for some mountain biking before the rain ... stayed for the ARS show. Having played them on the radio since they first broke in the 70s, I was curous to see this cover band. Most memorable scene was the mom walking in with 3 little girls in tow, each of the kids with their hands over their ears and their faces showing agony. Promised myself to stay until they played one of the big hits... it was "So Into You" which included an excruciating extended jam/guitar solo. I left after that, along with at least a third of the rest of the audience... and the band had a half-hour to go...
Best,
Tom Fricke
________________________________
In 1980, ARS played a college show at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma where I was a student. The student body was the promoter, and we lost our shirt - like really blew the total ASB budget out of whack for the year.
I was the head of concerts as a Senior in 1983 - after 2 years without a "Headliner" show, We had a chance to book Jimmy Buffet acoustic on the "Somewhere over China" tour with very favorable economics. Due to the ARS Fiasco I couldn't get it approved, so we had to pass and went with a Jeff Lorber featuring Kenny G ... We were fortunate to turn a nice profit , and build back some goodwill , but passing on Jimmy Buffet haunts me.
Thanks
John Maltman
________________________________
The Atlanta Rhythm Section = Steely Dan with cowboy hats?
Formed from the ashes of The Classics IV and Roy Orbison's band The Candymen (who also launched the career of Bobby Goldsboro).
I saw ARS about ten years ago - Dean Daughtry and Rodney Justo were still with them - on a triple bill with Pure Prairie League and Firefall.
Best southern rock guitar clinic ever.
Vince Welsh
________________________________
Hi Bob,
Long time reader, Agree with some of your opinions, not so much others, but this review of the ARS is SPOT ON!! These guys are purveyors of snake oil!
I grew up on ARS in Atlanta in the 70s, went to every Champagne Jam in the late 70s at Georgia Tech's Grant Field. From R. Hammond's vocals to Dean Daughtry's sublime keyboard foundation and songwriting, to Barry Bailey's singing guitar sound, ARS was indeed the Steely Dan of southern rock. They were grizzled studio vets who, together, created a sound like no other. I've heard a recent "greatest hits" recording from the band with the "no hit maker" lineup, and they are lame, but live it is even worse.
I don't think I've ever read a review where you crucified a band like this, but think it is well deserved in this case. They need to stop trampling the ARS name...in the name of ARS.
Oh, and totally agree...Dog Days is the BEST of their compositions still today. I originally heard it and also HAD to own it. Mike McCarty's artwork on all of their albums was also very cool.
Will McBride
________________________________
July 4th, 1978. Saw Rolling Stones in Buffalo's Rich Stadium. The line up was: April Wine, Journey (Had never heard of them. No one had. Bought the album the next day.), Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Stones. Quite the fall over those decades!
Gary Sender
________________________________
I saw the "ARS" in a small Tuscaloosa, AL club in 89'. They still had original members keyboardist, Dean Daughtry and the lead guitarist, Barry Bailey. Barry Bailey was a great lyrical lead guitarist.
They played Champagne Jam as an encore. The instrumental break in the song was all Barry Bailey playing and I mean he was wailing. The audience members were jumping up and down to the beat of this instrumental shuffle break and the floor was moving up and down to the beat of the tune! The place was pulsing…
Tim Pringle
________________________________
A few days before my senior year of high school, in the August Dog Days of Georgia, I was at a Rum and Coke party out in the country. Despite nightfall, it was still hot. A group of us went for a drive, spiked, icy, sweating MicDonald's coke cups in hand with the windows down. We noticed a glow in the distance. Of course we investigated. We came upon a field to the left where in the center we witnessed a large wooded barn, in a solitary setting, totally consumed in the magnificent yellow and oranges of a fire. As we pulled over to watch, out of my Thunderbird's speakers came Dog Days. We absorbed that song as we enjoyed the sight. So fitting. No firetrucks yet, just crackle and Dog Days. We all give each other a buzzed knowing look. I want to go back Bob. I want to go back.
David Thomson
________________________________
3 of the best shows I've seen this year have been heritage acts with only one original member. I was more than skeptical but wanted to hear the music played live so I took a chance and had my meager expectations blown completely out of the water! If you get a chance and have any interest at all make an effort to see 10cc, Jon Anderson with the Band Geeks, and Os Mutantes while they're on the road right now. You will not be disappointed!
Doyle Davis
Grimey's Records
________________________________
Kinda glad I didn't see this.....Doraville has always slain me, one of the songs that came to Juneau in the mid-late 70's with my then roommate there in Juneau, a fierce Southern Boy drummer biker dude from Jacksonville straight out of Central Casting, who I always thought must be running from something back home, cause he always had a vibe of something about to go hard left about him...he turned me on to ARS, and Doraville was what sealed it for me....but those guys were serious session guys whose groove was thick and solid, and that guy could sing... I'm glad I didn't see the karaoke version, that woulda bummed me out hard, bums me out just to hear about it. And BTW, that bass player was monstrously good.
Wade Biery
________________________________
Ahhh yes, Ronnie Hammond and the original ARS...one of the great lead singers..the guitarists were pretty good too.. Yeah dead bands...I live near Daryl's House in Pawling NY...and all we seem to get is tribute bands...Like a Styx/REO Speedwagon/Joni/Janis/Jimi/Johnny Cash June Carter tribute acts...
Chip Lovitt
________________________________
Glad you brought this up. I love these bands like ARS, Guess Who, etc but hate what these fake bands do to their legacies. They even put out new albums which all suck and in my opinion hurt the real artists histories. Burton Cummings from The Guess Who goes after the GW fake band on social media and I applaud him for trying to warn fans of these imposters. And by the way The Guess Who is still NOT even considered for the Rock Hall which is ridiculous… I will say the Skynyrd concert I saw in March was great and honored the original band better than I thought was possible so I do give them a break..I am old and know rock n roll music better than most and could go on and on and on:). But won't for now. Thanks Bob and keep listening to the great and Real ARS. By the way I saw them several times and they could Play and Sing! What a concept. Van Fletcher
________________________________
Rolling Stone is so disappointing, it's like a bad cover band trying to perform like the original members and totally failing. So that story is kinda ironic.
Leaving aside the issue of the ownership of the Molly Hatchet name (the story's section on them doesn't read right to me), they include the Ventures, actually mention the current drummer by name, but don't point out that he took the drum chair in place of his father, Mel Taylor, upon his passing. That's at least some credible link, but goes unmentioned.
Toby Mamis
________________________________
I am a native of Atlanta. I grew up in Decatur, just a few miles from Doraville. Started attending concerts in 1972, including Fleetwood Mac opening for Deep Purple and 2 nights of the ABB (with Berry, never saw Duane, the most influential musician of my entire life). All 3 shows were in the first week of my junior year of hs. What a week!
I saw ZZ Top on August 30, 1974. Excited to see them. A fan since Rio Grande Mud. Tres Hombres was just out. Went into the show with GREAT anticipation to see this hot group and walked out that evening.....with Atlanta Rhythm Section tunes in my head! I was blown away by this band I had never heard of. Went out the very next day and bought Third Annual Pipe Dream. Then I had to go back and get the first 2 albums. The second album, Back Up Against The Wall is excellent. Go listen to the song Conversation from that album. Just beautiful. My favorite tune they ever played.
The Dog Days album was a monster. I know that So Into You was what made them blow up nationally, but here in Atlanta, they blew up with Dog Days and stayed on top for years. And I didn't even like So Into You. It was a departure from the early stuff. It just seemed too commercial. My interest waned after that. I saw them several times but not after they made it big nationally. To this day I still play their early records.
Zombie bands should be stopped. If you want to be a tribute band, go for it. At least people know what they are getting. There are many Allman Brothers tribute bands, with names like Live At The Fillmore. I'm sure they are entertaining but I would never pay to see them. With over 50 ABB concerts under my belt, why would I?
Neal Barfield
Atlanta, GA
________________________________
"Yes, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was on Polydor. Not quite as bad as Decca and MCA, but still pretty bad, even worse than RCA, which was a Mickey Mouse label."
That's insulting. There was a core group of veteran promotion and press people abetted by many newbies at Polydor, who busted their ass for The Atlanta Rhythm Section. "So Into You" was not an easy cross over. I remember Bob Pittman at some Chicago Top40 saying that "his research" came back saying that the track was "not a hit" when it was #5 nationally in Billboard. ARS got the ball rolling and we had success with many other artists (especially rock) over the next decade. I don't have to cite them chapter and verse. ARS eventually moved to Columbia and had no success there before breaking up. Say what you may about "labels" from the 70s and 80s, but here's some food for thought. If ARS were on Warners. the powers-that be- might have been satisfied with sales of 200,000 because they had plenty of those "respected acts" (eg Bonnie Raitt) and their high priorities like Rod Stewart, Madonna, Prince etal were the sacred cows of mainstream promotion. At Polydor (subsequently PolyGram), when we got our foot in the door we worked extra hard to break the damn door down. By the way ARS' manger and producer was Buddy (not Barry) Buie. "So Into You" was far bigger than "Imaginary Lover." An interesting side note- after So Into You, Polydor's head of promotion, Arnie Geller, left to go into business with Buddy Buie. ARS's summer extravaganzas in Atlanta, "Champagne Jam" attracted upwards of 50,000 in a football stadium at the same time they were playing clubs in the northeast. This Bronx Yid loved those guys. Indeed RIP.
-Jerry Jaffe
________________________________
Hilarious read! I can't recall you panning anything like this.
If you haven't already, check out ARS' last real studio album 1999's Eufaula. Contains some of their best work since Champagne Jam - especially Barry Bailey's guitar work.
The last time I saw them they toured to support that album and played The Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun in CT. They still had it.
Bob Levy
________________________________
All I can say I read the subject and thought… "this won't be good"
Tom Clark
I was at Beaver Creek yesterday for some mountain biking before the rain ... stayed for the ARS show. Having played them on the radio since they first broke in the 70s, I was curous to see this cover band. Most memorable scene was the mom walking in with 3 little girls in tow, each of the kids with their hands over their ears and their faces showing agony. Promised myself to stay until they played one of the big hits... it was "So Into You" which included an excruciating extended jam/guitar solo. I left after that, along with at least a third of the rest of the audience... and the band had a half-hour to go...
Best,
Tom Fricke
________________________________
In 1980, ARS played a college show at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma where I was a student. The student body was the promoter, and we lost our shirt - like really blew the total ASB budget out of whack for the year.
I was the head of concerts as a Senior in 1983 - after 2 years without a "Headliner" show, We had a chance to book Jimmy Buffet acoustic on the "Somewhere over China" tour with very favorable economics. Due to the ARS Fiasco I couldn't get it approved, so we had to pass and went with a Jeff Lorber featuring Kenny G ... We were fortunate to turn a nice profit , and build back some goodwill , but passing on Jimmy Buffet haunts me.
Thanks
John Maltman
________________________________
The Atlanta Rhythm Section = Steely Dan with cowboy hats?
Formed from the ashes of The Classics IV and Roy Orbison's band The Candymen (who also launched the career of Bobby Goldsboro).
I saw ARS about ten years ago - Dean Daughtry and Rodney Justo were still with them - on a triple bill with Pure Prairie League and Firefall.
Best southern rock guitar clinic ever.
Vince Welsh
________________________________
Hi Bob,
Long time reader, Agree with some of your opinions, not so much others, but this review of the ARS is SPOT ON!! These guys are purveyors of snake oil!
I grew up on ARS in Atlanta in the 70s, went to every Champagne Jam in the late 70s at Georgia Tech's Grant Field. From R. Hammond's vocals to Dean Daughtry's sublime keyboard foundation and songwriting, to Barry Bailey's singing guitar sound, ARS was indeed the Steely Dan of southern rock. They were grizzled studio vets who, together, created a sound like no other. I've heard a recent "greatest hits" recording from the band with the "no hit maker" lineup, and they are lame, but live it is even worse.
I don't think I've ever read a review where you crucified a band like this, but think it is well deserved in this case. They need to stop trampling the ARS name...in the name of ARS.
Oh, and totally agree...Dog Days is the BEST of their compositions still today. I originally heard it and also HAD to own it. Mike McCarty's artwork on all of their albums was also very cool.
Will McBride
________________________________
July 4th, 1978. Saw Rolling Stones in Buffalo's Rich Stadium. The line up was: April Wine, Journey (Had never heard of them. No one had. Bought the album the next day.), Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Stones. Quite the fall over those decades!
Gary Sender
________________________________
I saw the "ARS" in a small Tuscaloosa, AL club in 89'. They still had original members keyboardist, Dean Daughtry and the lead guitarist, Barry Bailey. Barry Bailey was a great lyrical lead guitarist.
They played Champagne Jam as an encore. The instrumental break in the song was all Barry Bailey playing and I mean he was wailing. The audience members were jumping up and down to the beat of this instrumental shuffle break and the floor was moving up and down to the beat of the tune! The place was pulsing…
Tim Pringle
________________________________
A few days before my senior year of high school, in the August Dog Days of Georgia, I was at a Rum and Coke party out in the country. Despite nightfall, it was still hot. A group of us went for a drive, spiked, icy, sweating MicDonald's coke cups in hand with the windows down. We noticed a glow in the distance. Of course we investigated. We came upon a field to the left where in the center we witnessed a large wooded barn, in a solitary setting, totally consumed in the magnificent yellow and oranges of a fire. As we pulled over to watch, out of my Thunderbird's speakers came Dog Days. We absorbed that song as we enjoyed the sight. So fitting. No firetrucks yet, just crackle and Dog Days. We all give each other a buzzed knowing look. I want to go back Bob. I want to go back.
David Thomson
________________________________
3 of the best shows I've seen this year have been heritage acts with only one original member. I was more than skeptical but wanted to hear the music played live so I took a chance and had my meager expectations blown completely out of the water! If you get a chance and have any interest at all make an effort to see 10cc, Jon Anderson with the Band Geeks, and Os Mutantes while they're on the road right now. You will not be disappointed!
Doyle Davis
Grimey's Records
________________________________
Kinda glad I didn't see this.....Doraville has always slain me, one of the songs that came to Juneau in the mid-late 70's with my then roommate there in Juneau, a fierce Southern Boy drummer biker dude from Jacksonville straight out of Central Casting, who I always thought must be running from something back home, cause he always had a vibe of something about to go hard left about him...he turned me on to ARS, and Doraville was what sealed it for me....but those guys were serious session guys whose groove was thick and solid, and that guy could sing... I'm glad I didn't see the karaoke version, that woulda bummed me out hard, bums me out just to hear about it. And BTW, that bass player was monstrously good.
Wade Biery
________________________________
Ahhh yes, Ronnie Hammond and the original ARS...one of the great lead singers..the guitarists were pretty good too.. Yeah dead bands...I live near Daryl's House in Pawling NY...and all we seem to get is tribute bands...Like a Styx/REO Speedwagon/Joni/Janis/Jimi/Johnny Cash June Carter tribute acts...
Chip Lovitt
________________________________
Glad you brought this up. I love these bands like ARS, Guess Who, etc but hate what these fake bands do to their legacies. They even put out new albums which all suck and in my opinion hurt the real artists histories. Burton Cummings from The Guess Who goes after the GW fake band on social media and I applaud him for trying to warn fans of these imposters. And by the way The Guess Who is still NOT even considered for the Rock Hall which is ridiculous… I will say the Skynyrd concert I saw in March was great and honored the original band better than I thought was possible so I do give them a break..I am old and know rock n roll music better than most and could go on and on and on:). But won't for now. Thanks Bob and keep listening to the great and Real ARS. By the way I saw them several times and they could Play and Sing! What a concept. Van Fletcher
________________________________
Rolling Stone is so disappointing, it's like a bad cover band trying to perform like the original members and totally failing. So that story is kinda ironic.
Leaving aside the issue of the ownership of the Molly Hatchet name (the story's section on them doesn't read right to me), they include the Ventures, actually mention the current drummer by name, but don't point out that he took the drum chair in place of his father, Mel Taylor, upon his passing. That's at least some credible link, but goes unmentioned.
Toby Mamis
________________________________
I am a native of Atlanta. I grew up in Decatur, just a few miles from Doraville. Started attending concerts in 1972, including Fleetwood Mac opening for Deep Purple and 2 nights of the ABB (with Berry, never saw Duane, the most influential musician of my entire life). All 3 shows were in the first week of my junior year of hs. What a week!
I saw ZZ Top on August 30, 1974. Excited to see them. A fan since Rio Grande Mud. Tres Hombres was just out. Went into the show with GREAT anticipation to see this hot group and walked out that evening.....with Atlanta Rhythm Section tunes in my head! I was blown away by this band I had never heard of. Went out the very next day and bought Third Annual Pipe Dream. Then I had to go back and get the first 2 albums. The second album, Back Up Against The Wall is excellent. Go listen to the song Conversation from that album. Just beautiful. My favorite tune they ever played.
The Dog Days album was a monster. I know that So Into You was what made them blow up nationally, but here in Atlanta, they blew up with Dog Days and stayed on top for years. And I didn't even like So Into You. It was a departure from the early stuff. It just seemed too commercial. My interest waned after that. I saw them several times but not after they made it big nationally. To this day I still play their early records.
Zombie bands should be stopped. If you want to be a tribute band, go for it. At least people know what they are getting. There are many Allman Brothers tribute bands, with names like Live At The Fillmore. I'm sure they are entertaining but I would never pay to see them. With over 50 ABB concerts under my belt, why would I?
Neal Barfield
Atlanta, GA
________________________________
"Yes, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was on Polydor. Not quite as bad as Decca and MCA, but still pretty bad, even worse than RCA, which was a Mickey Mouse label."
That's insulting. There was a core group of veteran promotion and press people abetted by many newbies at Polydor, who busted their ass for The Atlanta Rhythm Section. "So Into You" was not an easy cross over. I remember Bob Pittman at some Chicago Top40 saying that "his research" came back saying that the track was "not a hit" when it was #5 nationally in Billboard. ARS got the ball rolling and we had success with many other artists (especially rock) over the next decade. I don't have to cite them chapter and verse. ARS eventually moved to Columbia and had no success there before breaking up. Say what you may about "labels" from the 70s and 80s, but here's some food for thought. If ARS were on Warners. the powers-that be- might have been satisfied with sales of 200,000 because they had plenty of those "respected acts" (eg Bonnie Raitt) and their high priorities like Rod Stewart, Madonna, Prince etal were the sacred cows of mainstream promotion. At Polydor (subsequently PolyGram), when we got our foot in the door we worked extra hard to break the damn door down. By the way ARS' manger and producer was Buddy (not Barry) Buie. "So Into You" was far bigger than "Imaginary Lover." An interesting side note- after So Into You, Polydor's head of promotion, Arnie Geller, left to go into business with Buddy Buie. ARS's summer extravaganzas in Atlanta, "Champagne Jam" attracted upwards of 50,000 in a football stadium at the same time they were playing clubs in the northeast. This Bronx Yid loved those guys. Indeed RIP.
-Jerry Jaffe
________________________________
Hilarious read! I can't recall you panning anything like this.
If you haven't already, check out ARS' last real studio album 1999's Eufaula. Contains some of their best work since Champagne Jam - especially Barry Bailey's guitar work.
The last time I saw them they toured to support that album and played The Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun in CT. They still had it.
Bob Levy
________________________________
All I can say I read the subject and thought… "this won't be good"
Tom Clark
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Old Records You Still Play-SiriusXM This Week
Not the ones you talk about, but the ones you actually listen to on a regular basis.
Tune in Saturday August 10th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Tune in Saturday August 10th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
Twitter: @lefsetz
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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JSX
It's so much more civilized!
It's not quite like flying private, but you're much less worn out and you end up with so much more time. You can fly and get right back to work.
Assuming JSX flies where you want to. And that's not many places.
It used to just be a west coast thing, but now there are flights from the New York metropolitan area to Florida, and I'd recommend you try it.
Check out the routes here:
jsx.com
Now the bottom line is the major airlines are trying to cancel JSX, claiming that it is skirting regulations and is employing pilots with a lot less experience. Which I didn't think much of until I landed in Rocky Mountain Airport but didn't. We almost touched down and then the pilot pulled back up. Sure, it was raining, but that does not usually make a difference. And then we flew straight for a long time and went on this very, very long arc, that had me anxious something was wrong with the plane.
But there wasn't. I asked the pilot as I got off. He was so young I was stunned. He said something about weather and...
That's as much as I got.
So if you live in L.A. you've been hearing about JSX for years now. It almost seems too good to be true. The private jet experience at economy prices. Well, not always that cheap, but not that expensive. As a a matter of fact, if you're renting a car, it works out the same, because car rental prices are jacked up at the big airports, to pay for all the taxes and fees. Now you can rent a car right at the minor airport you fly into, but I don't recommend that, unless money really means nothing to you, the prices are stratospheric, especially if it's a multi-day trip. I always take an Uber to a local joint, but the funny thing is at Rocky Mountain you can drop the car off at the airport, don't push me on the logic.
As for car rental...
You've got to have an American Express Platinum card. Maybe other premium credit cards have the same perks, but I get this Amex card free with this account I have. I'm not going to sit here and rationalize the normal $695 price, but the bottom line is if you work it, you can get all that money back through perks.
Not that I'm a points guy. Life's too short. I learned this from my mother, who refused to cut coupons. I'm not saying I'm trashing my points, but I'm not constantly trying to add to my total, by shopping here and there, they constantly send out e-mail re bonuses.
But with an Amex card you get instant status at multiple car rental joints, and you can sign up for this plan wherein you get primary insurance on your rental car, from dollar one, for a flat rate of somewhere between $19.95 to $24.95 per trip. PER TRIP/RENTAL! Up to 42 days! You sign up for this perk and every time you rent the charge is activated, with no additional effort, which means you can drive headache free. Check out the details here:
https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do
Now if you're a road warrior you already know all this, and much more. You're probably laughing right now. Okay. But I don't fly every week, at least most of the time. And normally it's on someone else's dime and I'm not renting a car.
So back to JSX. They only fly from secondary airports. Although the hub in L.A. is in Burbank. So if you're closer to LAX, you're SOL, or have to drive further.
And believe me, the whole experience is not luxurious. You wait in a hangar, literally. Although other airports are more decked out. But not as good as an Amex Platinum lounge at the regular airport.
But that's okay. Because check-in is insignificant, you're not treated like you're going to blow up the plane.
And here's the kicker...
YOU CAN CHECK IN UP TO 15 MINUTES BEFORE TAKEOFF!
Read that again. You're not blowing your whole day before you even get on the plane.
As for the plane...
It's a jet. An Embraer. Built in Brazil, but not the kind I read about crashing while I was on today's flight. Yes, JSX has free WiFi, and it's not glacial.
And on the plane...
There is no overhead bin. Seats are more akin to a commuter jet than even an economy seat on a major. And on one side you can feel the curve of the plane by your feet. The aircraft is not that small, there are thirty seats. But I don't want you to think you're living it up. It's all about convenience, and time.
You can only take one item on the plane, although two bags are checked free.
And the bags are available within minutes of landing. Sometimes right by the ramp.
So, the only time you're really burning is when you're in the air, which in many cases is shorter than the time you spend getting to and fro from a conventional airport.
Now the thing about flying is it's become a game. How cheap can you get your ticket. When in most cases, paying just a bit more delivers peace of mind. Like on Southwest...
I love Southwest. It keeps changing, but for around twenty bucks you go to the front of the line and can get on early...
After all the pre-boarding, which is offensive. How many of these people are really handicapped? I've read about fliers getting on the plane via wheelchair and getting off walking with no problem.
And then there's the saving issue.
One person in the group pays extra and saves seats. I had an incident regarding this. I went to put my computer bag in the overhead bin, right by a divider so it wouldn't slide, and the person in the row in front of me slammed the door shut before I could put my bag in.
Then she did it again.
I couldn't figure out what was going on, the bin was empty.
Then she said she was saving it.
This pissed me off.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle. Someone called the flight attendant. And when told the story she said, and I quote, "You can put your bag wherever you want."
That solved the problem, but not really.
I like an aisle seat. If you pay the twenty bucks or so you always get one, because a lot of the pre-boarders stick together, as do people with a lower number.
But abuses of the system have made Southwest change its policy, now you're going to have to reserve your seat. It used to be equitable, Southwest was like a flying bus, the attendants were irreverent, but the public ruined it, everybody wants an edge, no one can abide by the rules, whereas the rules used to work so well on Southwest.
On JSX... Doesn't matter if you're first on the plane or last, because with no bins, there's no storage issue. Once again, the process is civilized.
Oh, did I mention you can take your pet on JSX?
I'm not a pet person, but for many this is mega-important. There were three dogs on today's flight. Very well behaved, I didn't hear a peep, but could this ultimately be a problem?
So the bottom line is the average person isn't going to pay the little bit extra for JSX. They just can't rationalize it.
And to tell you the truth, on some routes I've had a hard time myself.
But now, after today's flight, I'm now going to take JSX whenever it's available. For peace of mind if nothing else. It's a no-stress event.
Maybe it's getting older. When you're young you'll wait in line for hours, you'll camp out. When you're old you want no hassle. You've done it the old way, and after decades you feel entitled.
You should check out JSX.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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It's not quite like flying private, but you're much less worn out and you end up with so much more time. You can fly and get right back to work.
Assuming JSX flies where you want to. And that's not many places.
It used to just be a west coast thing, but now there are flights from the New York metropolitan area to Florida, and I'd recommend you try it.
Check out the routes here:
jsx.com
Now the bottom line is the major airlines are trying to cancel JSX, claiming that it is skirting regulations and is employing pilots with a lot less experience. Which I didn't think much of until I landed in Rocky Mountain Airport but didn't. We almost touched down and then the pilot pulled back up. Sure, it was raining, but that does not usually make a difference. And then we flew straight for a long time and went on this very, very long arc, that had me anxious something was wrong with the plane.
But there wasn't. I asked the pilot as I got off. He was so young I was stunned. He said something about weather and...
That's as much as I got.
So if you live in L.A. you've been hearing about JSX for years now. It almost seems too good to be true. The private jet experience at economy prices. Well, not always that cheap, but not that expensive. As a a matter of fact, if you're renting a car, it works out the same, because car rental prices are jacked up at the big airports, to pay for all the taxes and fees. Now you can rent a car right at the minor airport you fly into, but I don't recommend that, unless money really means nothing to you, the prices are stratospheric, especially if it's a multi-day trip. I always take an Uber to a local joint, but the funny thing is at Rocky Mountain you can drop the car off at the airport, don't push me on the logic.
As for car rental...
You've got to have an American Express Platinum card. Maybe other premium credit cards have the same perks, but I get this Amex card free with this account I have. I'm not going to sit here and rationalize the normal $695 price, but the bottom line is if you work it, you can get all that money back through perks.
Not that I'm a points guy. Life's too short. I learned this from my mother, who refused to cut coupons. I'm not saying I'm trashing my points, but I'm not constantly trying to add to my total, by shopping here and there, they constantly send out e-mail re bonuses.
But with an Amex card you get instant status at multiple car rental joints, and you can sign up for this plan wherein you get primary insurance on your rental car, from dollar one, for a flat rate of somewhere between $19.95 to $24.95 per trip. PER TRIP/RENTAL! Up to 42 days! You sign up for this perk and every time you rent the charge is activated, with no additional effort, which means you can drive headache free. Check out the details here:
https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do
Now if you're a road warrior you already know all this, and much more. You're probably laughing right now. Okay. But I don't fly every week, at least most of the time. And normally it's on someone else's dime and I'm not renting a car.
So back to JSX. They only fly from secondary airports. Although the hub in L.A. is in Burbank. So if you're closer to LAX, you're SOL, or have to drive further.
And believe me, the whole experience is not luxurious. You wait in a hangar, literally. Although other airports are more decked out. But not as good as an Amex Platinum lounge at the regular airport.
But that's okay. Because check-in is insignificant, you're not treated like you're going to blow up the plane.
And here's the kicker...
YOU CAN CHECK IN UP TO 15 MINUTES BEFORE TAKEOFF!
Read that again. You're not blowing your whole day before you even get on the plane.
As for the plane...
It's a jet. An Embraer. Built in Brazil, but not the kind I read about crashing while I was on today's flight. Yes, JSX has free WiFi, and it's not glacial.
And on the plane...
There is no overhead bin. Seats are more akin to a commuter jet than even an economy seat on a major. And on one side you can feel the curve of the plane by your feet. The aircraft is not that small, there are thirty seats. But I don't want you to think you're living it up. It's all about convenience, and time.
You can only take one item on the plane, although two bags are checked free.
And the bags are available within minutes of landing. Sometimes right by the ramp.
So, the only time you're really burning is when you're in the air, which in many cases is shorter than the time you spend getting to and fro from a conventional airport.
Now the thing about flying is it's become a game. How cheap can you get your ticket. When in most cases, paying just a bit more delivers peace of mind. Like on Southwest...
I love Southwest. It keeps changing, but for around twenty bucks you go to the front of the line and can get on early...
After all the pre-boarding, which is offensive. How many of these people are really handicapped? I've read about fliers getting on the plane via wheelchair and getting off walking with no problem.
And then there's the saving issue.
One person in the group pays extra and saves seats. I had an incident regarding this. I went to put my computer bag in the overhead bin, right by a divider so it wouldn't slide, and the person in the row in front of me slammed the door shut before I could put my bag in.
Then she did it again.
I couldn't figure out what was going on, the bin was empty.
Then she said she was saving it.
This pissed me off.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle. Someone called the flight attendant. And when told the story she said, and I quote, "You can put your bag wherever you want."
That solved the problem, but not really.
I like an aisle seat. If you pay the twenty bucks or so you always get one, because a lot of the pre-boarders stick together, as do people with a lower number.
But abuses of the system have made Southwest change its policy, now you're going to have to reserve your seat. It used to be equitable, Southwest was like a flying bus, the attendants were irreverent, but the public ruined it, everybody wants an edge, no one can abide by the rules, whereas the rules used to work so well on Southwest.
On JSX... Doesn't matter if you're first on the plane or last, because with no bins, there's no storage issue. Once again, the process is civilized.
Oh, did I mention you can take your pet on JSX?
I'm not a pet person, but for many this is mega-important. There were three dogs on today's flight. Very well behaved, I didn't hear a peep, but could this ultimately be a problem?
So the bottom line is the average person isn't going to pay the little bit extra for JSX. They just can't rationalize it.
And to tell you the truth, on some routes I've had a hard time myself.
But now, after today's flight, I'm now going to take JSX whenever it's available. For peace of mind if nothing else. It's a no-stress event.
Maybe it's getting older. When you're young you'll wait in line for hours, you'll camp out. When you're old you want no hassle. You've done it the old way, and after decades you feel entitled.
You should check out JSX.
--
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
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Thursday 8 August 2024
Atlanta Rhythm Section In Beaver Creek
Spotify playlist: https://t.ly/outZb
1
Positively awful.
And I was in such a good mood driving from Vail to Beaver Creek, listening to John Mayer's channel on SiriusXM. This show bummed me out completely. I wouldn't hire this band to do a Bar Mitzvah, never mind a wedding.
Every single member of the Atlanta Rhythm Section is dead except for the original lead singer, Rodney Justo, who quit the band before you ever heard of them, after they recorded one album for Decca and one album for MCA, two of the worst labels in the business.
And although I was aware of "Third Annual Pipe Dream," (what a title!), I didn't join the fan club until 1975's "Dog Days," I heard the title track on the radio and had to own it.
"The dog days were scorchers
Southern torture"
It's the dog days right now, maybe you should check out this song, which has been lost to the sands of history.
But the real triumph was 1975's "Red Tape," with "Another Man's Woman," every bit the equal of the other southern rock bands, but with a lot less traction.
Yes, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was on Polydor. Not quite as bad as Decca and MCA, but still pretty bad, even worse than RCA, which was a Mickey Mouse label.
The key was the twin guitar interplay between J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey. These were session cats, they could nail it, in the studio and live.
I know because I saw them, at the Roxy, right after their breakthrough with "A Rock and Roll Alternative" and its single "So Into You."
You used to get rock bands at the Roxy and the Whisky. Not anymore, there's just not enough money in it, rock in general. I'm not talking about metal, what is now called "Active Rock," which is supported by its narrow, yet deep, devoted fans, but regular rock.
There are no more bands. At least that's what the media keeps telling us. Everybody's a solo act. Hell, who wants to split the money? Never mind trying to keep the band together, which is a huge chore, and if there are hits it gets even worse, because then everybody starts arguing about the money.
But back in the seventies, you could go see a band that could barely fit on the Roxy stage, and they'd tear the roof off the joint. And going to the club was a cultural rite, you went often, to hear the up and coming acts. Now a concert is an overpriced show where you go see an act in a barn and shoot selfies. The culture is gone.
And thereafter the Atlanta Rhythm Section had a few hits. The aforementioned "So Into You," "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight" and their most well-known and successful single, "Imaginary Lover," never mind a remake of "Spooky," whose original version was also produced by Barry Buie, and featured J.R. Cobb.
The Atlanta Rhythm Section is now known for ballads, for soft rock, but boy could that band play. And it was all about the playing, their powerful bass player Paul Goddard looked straight out of math class, with his horn-rimmed glasses, a nerd if there ever was one.
2
So don't think I didn't do research before I went to tonight's show. I knew most of the members were dead, but it turned out Rodney Justo was still alive and touring with the act and that was worth the effort, I'd never seen him, I wondered how he'd do Ronnie Hammond's numbers.
But when the band took the stage...
There was no one that old in evidence, at least on stage, most of the audience was from the era before these players were active, when the band had its original hits.
Well, this is weird. I did research on my phone, everything pointed to Rodney Justo still being in the band. But a recent review, well, from last December, said he'd missed a gig because he was ill and... Has he ever rejoined? After all, he's seventy nine, the road may go on forever, but not everyone can drive it.
Okay, okay. These weren't twentysomething ringers, they were old enough to have experience. And they plugged in and...
Couldn't really play the music. One guitarist approximated the sound, but the act never came together. They had long hair, the look, but their countenances told you they'd rather be anywhere but here. This was a gig for money. They didn't even try to get the original sound down.
And then one of the guitarists stepped up to the mic and sang.
I wouldn't let this guy do lead vocals in a garage band, never mind that he sounded nothing like Ronnie Hammond, NOTHING LIKE HIM!
I'd checked out the set list, and they hewed to it, and one of my other favorite Atlanta Rhythm Section songs, "Doraville," was featured, and that's one reason I went. The original cuts a groove, it powers forward, Ronnie's vocal is sweet, you can see Doraville in your mind's eye. But all I could see when this band of jokers played the song was a turd.
AND THEN IT GOT WORSE!
I'm wondering what the audience is thinking. Are they that starved for entertainment? Then again, the show was free.
I just couldn't stay. And you can count the number of gigs I've left early on one hand. If I go, I'm in for the duration.
But this was offensive.
It was like the owner of the name booked the show and called some blokes who rehearsed once and hoped that the audience wouldn't get angry.
I mean it would be one thing if they were a good cover band, BUT THEY WERE NOT!
3
Just this week, "Rolling Stone" did a story on bands with no original members:
"Zombie Bands Attack! These Touring Groups Don't Have a Single Original Member - From Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Four Tops, our rundown of bands that continue to tour without a single classic-era member"
https://t.ly/BS_If
Stunningly, this article is not behind a paywall, like most of the magazine's content. And speaking of the magazine, not only did they go monthly from weekly, their summer issue is a double, July and August combined, which means whatever brand value the moniker has, it's not as a magazine. Other than "The New Yorker," which sustains as a result of a stratospheric subscription price, I'm not sure any magazine will exist in a few years. Renew at your peril.
But it doesn't matter what's in "Rolling Stone," whether it be behind a paywall or not. There's just too much information, too many articles, and you realize they're usually written by people who don't write well who know little about the subject, so why bother?
If you want an expert, go online, maybe even to Reddit, the people there are much more knowledgeable than the ones writing for magazines. Even social media experts are usually better than periodical scribes.
All to say that the fact this bogus iteration of Atlanta Rhythm Section is awful won't make any difference. It's not like they're headlining arenas, they're playing soft ticket shows, places that need to fill out their schedules. As for word of mouth, there is none.
And stunningly, this terrible version of the Atlanta Rhythm Section has more gigs lined up. But not a ton, you know these players can't sustain themselves on this impersonation alone, this is just one of the many things they do to stay alive.
But that's how far we've come.
But having said that, the Atlanta Rhythm Section's success is half a century in the rearview mirror. That's right, fifty years. Not quite, but close.
Are all the original members up in heaven, or hell, proud that the name is being carried on?
At first I think yes, but then I think there are people who might see this troupe and believe that the original band sucked, and nothing could be further from the truth.
But nothing lasts forever. Literally nothing, get old enough and you realize this. Even Michelangelo, Renoir, the Beatles are just a blip in time.
Don't take yourself too seriously...
Then again, that's a quote from Todd Rundgren's "Chain Letter," just one of the many classics from "Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren." If only today's songwriters and producers listened to it the hit parade would be much better. But there are even Todd fans who don't know this album, whose original release was on Ampex.
So is it all just grist for the mill?
Well, if you actually saw the original Atlanta Rhythm Section firing on all cylinders, with precision, after Duane Allman was dead and buried, you'd say no.
But that was a long, long time ago.
But I can still remember how it used to be.
And tonight's performance by this ragtag bunch was nothing like it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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1
Positively awful.
And I was in such a good mood driving from Vail to Beaver Creek, listening to John Mayer's channel on SiriusXM. This show bummed me out completely. I wouldn't hire this band to do a Bar Mitzvah, never mind a wedding.
Every single member of the Atlanta Rhythm Section is dead except for the original lead singer, Rodney Justo, who quit the band before you ever heard of them, after they recorded one album for Decca and one album for MCA, two of the worst labels in the business.
And although I was aware of "Third Annual Pipe Dream," (what a title!), I didn't join the fan club until 1975's "Dog Days," I heard the title track on the radio and had to own it.
"The dog days were scorchers
Southern torture"
It's the dog days right now, maybe you should check out this song, which has been lost to the sands of history.
But the real triumph was 1975's "Red Tape," with "Another Man's Woman," every bit the equal of the other southern rock bands, but with a lot less traction.
Yes, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was on Polydor. Not quite as bad as Decca and MCA, but still pretty bad, even worse than RCA, which was a Mickey Mouse label.
The key was the twin guitar interplay between J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey. These were session cats, they could nail it, in the studio and live.
I know because I saw them, at the Roxy, right after their breakthrough with "A Rock and Roll Alternative" and its single "So Into You."
You used to get rock bands at the Roxy and the Whisky. Not anymore, there's just not enough money in it, rock in general. I'm not talking about metal, what is now called "Active Rock," which is supported by its narrow, yet deep, devoted fans, but regular rock.
There are no more bands. At least that's what the media keeps telling us. Everybody's a solo act. Hell, who wants to split the money? Never mind trying to keep the band together, which is a huge chore, and if there are hits it gets even worse, because then everybody starts arguing about the money.
But back in the seventies, you could go see a band that could barely fit on the Roxy stage, and they'd tear the roof off the joint. And going to the club was a cultural rite, you went often, to hear the up and coming acts. Now a concert is an overpriced show where you go see an act in a barn and shoot selfies. The culture is gone.
And thereafter the Atlanta Rhythm Section had a few hits. The aforementioned "So Into You," "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight" and their most well-known and successful single, "Imaginary Lover," never mind a remake of "Spooky," whose original version was also produced by Barry Buie, and featured J.R. Cobb.
The Atlanta Rhythm Section is now known for ballads, for soft rock, but boy could that band play. And it was all about the playing, their powerful bass player Paul Goddard looked straight out of math class, with his horn-rimmed glasses, a nerd if there ever was one.
2
So don't think I didn't do research before I went to tonight's show. I knew most of the members were dead, but it turned out Rodney Justo was still alive and touring with the act and that was worth the effort, I'd never seen him, I wondered how he'd do Ronnie Hammond's numbers.
But when the band took the stage...
There was no one that old in evidence, at least on stage, most of the audience was from the era before these players were active, when the band had its original hits.
Well, this is weird. I did research on my phone, everything pointed to Rodney Justo still being in the band. But a recent review, well, from last December, said he'd missed a gig because he was ill and... Has he ever rejoined? After all, he's seventy nine, the road may go on forever, but not everyone can drive it.
Okay, okay. These weren't twentysomething ringers, they were old enough to have experience. And they plugged in and...
Couldn't really play the music. One guitarist approximated the sound, but the act never came together. They had long hair, the look, but their countenances told you they'd rather be anywhere but here. This was a gig for money. They didn't even try to get the original sound down.
And then one of the guitarists stepped up to the mic and sang.
I wouldn't let this guy do lead vocals in a garage band, never mind that he sounded nothing like Ronnie Hammond, NOTHING LIKE HIM!
I'd checked out the set list, and they hewed to it, and one of my other favorite Atlanta Rhythm Section songs, "Doraville," was featured, and that's one reason I went. The original cuts a groove, it powers forward, Ronnie's vocal is sweet, you can see Doraville in your mind's eye. But all I could see when this band of jokers played the song was a turd.
AND THEN IT GOT WORSE!
I'm wondering what the audience is thinking. Are they that starved for entertainment? Then again, the show was free.
I just couldn't stay. And you can count the number of gigs I've left early on one hand. If I go, I'm in for the duration.
But this was offensive.
It was like the owner of the name booked the show and called some blokes who rehearsed once and hoped that the audience wouldn't get angry.
I mean it would be one thing if they were a good cover band, BUT THEY WERE NOT!
3
Just this week, "Rolling Stone" did a story on bands with no original members:
"Zombie Bands Attack! These Touring Groups Don't Have a Single Original Member - From Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Four Tops, our rundown of bands that continue to tour without a single classic-era member"
https://t.ly/BS_If
Stunningly, this article is not behind a paywall, like most of the magazine's content. And speaking of the magazine, not only did they go monthly from weekly, their summer issue is a double, July and August combined, which means whatever brand value the moniker has, it's not as a magazine. Other than "The New Yorker," which sustains as a result of a stratospheric subscription price, I'm not sure any magazine will exist in a few years. Renew at your peril.
But it doesn't matter what's in "Rolling Stone," whether it be behind a paywall or not. There's just too much information, too many articles, and you realize they're usually written by people who don't write well who know little about the subject, so why bother?
If you want an expert, go online, maybe even to Reddit, the people there are much more knowledgeable than the ones writing for magazines. Even social media experts are usually better than periodical scribes.
All to say that the fact this bogus iteration of Atlanta Rhythm Section is awful won't make any difference. It's not like they're headlining arenas, they're playing soft ticket shows, places that need to fill out their schedules. As for word of mouth, there is none.
And stunningly, this terrible version of the Atlanta Rhythm Section has more gigs lined up. But not a ton, you know these players can't sustain themselves on this impersonation alone, this is just one of the many things they do to stay alive.
But that's how far we've come.
But having said that, the Atlanta Rhythm Section's success is half a century in the rearview mirror. That's right, fifty years. Not quite, but close.
Are all the original members up in heaven, or hell, proud that the name is being carried on?
At first I think yes, but then I think there are people who might see this troupe and believe that the original band sucked, and nothing could be further from the truth.
But nothing lasts forever. Literally nothing, get old enough and you realize this. Even Michelangelo, Renoir, the Beatles are just a blip in time.
Don't take yourself too seriously...
Then again, that's a quote from Todd Rundgren's "Chain Letter," just one of the many classics from "Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren." If only today's songwriters and producers listened to it the hit parade would be much better. But there are even Todd fans who don't know this album, whose original release was on Ampex.
So is it all just grist for the mill?
Well, if you actually saw the original Atlanta Rhythm Section firing on all cylinders, with precision, after Duane Allman was dead and buried, you'd say no.
But that was a long, long time ago.
But I can still remember how it used to be.
And tonight's performance by this ragtag bunch was nothing like it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
The Medium Affects The Message
Ergo the Kendrick/Drake beef. It could not have happened without the internet. Old systems were not prepared for daily releases, never mind even more frequently. But online, you can post instantly.
It was said at the turn of the century that Napster would be the death of the major labels. That did not turn out to be the case, but Spotify, et al, along with YouTube and TikTok, the internet in general, is destroying the major labels and the only thing they seem capable of doing is doubling-down on their previous paradigm.
Everything was fine and groovy during the AM heyday of the sixties. Top Forty ruled. There were a limited number of hits and singles were everything.
And then along came FM. Which played completely different music, and featured album cuts, and suddenly albums became more important than singles.
And then came MTV. For a minute there, the old acts triumphed, but new acts harnessed the power of the medium to success. The breakthrough was Duran Duran... An expensive, exotic video could drive a hit to the top of the chart. It became about visuals. It became about the track. The single was once again triumphant. Sure, the goal was still to sell albums, but the labels achieved this by cutting out singles, if they were released at all, and making customers buy the entire album. This is one of the reasons Napster triumphed, finally you could get the song you wanted without overpaying for the rest of the dreck. Assuming you downloaded back then, you first went for singles you wanted to own but could never rationalize buying the album for, like "Liar" by Argent... I was never going to buy that LP, even though I purchased the act's third album "All Together Now," I yearned to hear the song on the radio, it had an indelible place in my mind, and now I had it and could play it whenever I wanted to, and I did.
And for a while there, it appeared that the internet was all about the single. But something has happened in the ensuing decade, since the launch of Spotify, the album has become more important.
Don't get me wrong, singles are still stratospheric. But dedicated music fans want more, and they don't even care if there is a single.
But the major labels refuse to feed this growing sphere, believing that a hit single is everything, the only way to drive consumption, and therefore it's best to focus on moonshots, massaging the product, trying to create something that climbs the Spotify Top 50, when hits have never meant less.
Let me be clear, I don't want to denigrate hits, there's nothing wrong with a successful song, but this paradigm of single hits is not the one that will grow the business, and it's not the one that hard core music fans want, the ones who spread the word and keep the business going and growing.
On streaming services everything is equal. Majors and their sycophants don't want to admit this. They don't want to acknowledge that they have no power. But there's no dominant terrestrial radio like in the days of yore, there's no dominant music video medium, like MTV, all tracks begin from the same starting line.
And when this is the case we find that the audience wants a broader spectrum of acts and musical styles.
We only have to look at every other vertical online to see this.
News... Numerous sources, with no overarching outlet.
A zillion different influencers and videos on TikTok.
This is the world we're living in, one of overwhelming choice, one in which you don't have to consume that which you don't like, only that which you do like, and the majors are putting out fewer records in narrow genres. Sure, hip-hop and pop might be the largest genres left, but they're shrinking, and the majors are yielding every other style of music to the indies.
The last universal hit act we had was Adele.
As for Taylor Swift, she actually made her bones in country, in a controlled market, she's more akin to Coldplay and the Dave Matthews Band than the acts of the past decade or so.
No other act sounded like Adele and no act has come along to replicate her success. Think about that, Adele is unique, to the point where she can't be copied.
But don't expect more Adeles, and certainly not more Taylor Swifts. Because the market has fragmented, and no one in the record business wants to admit this. They want us to believe that everybody is consuming the hits, just like in the past, when nothing could be further from the truth. And when you point this out, you're a hater. Look at Swift's chart success, look at her grosses! Yes, but how many people know her music?
And I only single out Swift because she is at the top of the heap, she is the industry's darling, the acts below her have even narrower reach.
Why do Spotify, YouTube and TikTok succeed? Because they're all things to all people. Once again, distribution is king, and they're distributors.
But as far as purveyors go...
Music is akin to tech in that if you're not innovating and growing you fall by the wayside. Unlike tech, in music your past still has value, but the music business runs on the new, and this is where the majors are faltering.
Believe me, people are making new music of different stripes all day long and distributing it via the platforms above. However, the best and the brightest are not going into music because it's seen as a backwater that no longer drives the culture. Today's recorded music business is akin to Biden and his ultimate replacement by Harris, Sure, there were fans of Biden. And his circle, his seconds, were saying everything was great when it wasn't, just like the major labels. And as soon as the screw turned, when Biden stepped down and Harris replaced him, there was this incredible excitement and surge of support.
That was the Beatles. They didn't sound like anything that came before them. They revolutionized the business. They were inescapable, they owned it. They were not created by idolmakers, they were not empty vessels, and they kept on pushing the envelope.
Where are these beacons in music today?
I can't see them.
So there's no one to follow.
The public has been sold the canard that divas are everything. That brand maximization is everything. That merch is a great revenue source. There's no road for and appreciation of people who are just musicians. And therefore inspiration is stilted.
But that does not mean there isn't a latent desire for more on the part of the public. But it's got to be different. This was the key to success of Netflix, its hit shows could not be seen anywhere else, not even HBO. Netflix threw the long ball, made shows the public could not even conceive of. The major labels?
Robert Kyncl has it wrong. He shouldn't have made Elliott Grainge head of Atlantic, but a talent buyer. All the innovation, demonstration of career traction, happens live these days. When I talk to Don Strasburg he tells me about acts selling tickets that not only have I not heard of, but don't have major label deals. This is where the rubber meets the road, at the box office.
As far as finding the rapper du jour, putting him or her together with the producer du jour, after having the song written by committee... That could possibly drive a hit, but the odds of having a career are not long. Furthermore, the more people you put on the project, the more it loses its soul. In tech it's been proven that small teams write software faster and better than large teams. The same rule applies to music, both involve inspiration and creativity.
It all comes down to the talent. If you can find it, it's not that hard to sell. In other words, the major label skill set has never meant less. It's finding an act people want to listen to, want to embrace, that is hard. But rather than looking for this, the majors are looking for shortcuts, instant success, essentially doing the same thing they've done for decades.
But the majors believe their catalogs make them immune, just like the movie studios. And in the past this was true, the largest and most successful independent movie company, Carolco, went bankrupt without a library of old films. And the movie studios put out fewer and fewer high concept films in narrower genres and then...
Netflix came along to eat its lunch. Aided by cheaper flat screens at bigger sizes and higher resolutions. And Covid... Which put the stake in the heart of the theatre business.
In other words, the studios were cruising until they crashed.
Which is the story of Warner Bros. Discovery, which just took a $9.1 billion charge because its traditional TV business cratered. Zaslav cut production, was so busy balancing the books, retiring debt, that he lost control of the entire enterprise. What is TNT without the NBA? Marginalizing HBO. The list goes on and on. It's not like the handwriting wasn't on the wall, Zaslav was inured to the old model and it was dying. As far as matching the NBA's new offer, Warner Bros. Discovery can't, because Amazon has assets and capabilities WBD does not!
How do you lose a fortune? Very slowly, and then all at once.
This is how Biden lost the nomination. This is the future of the major labels. What they are providing is not what the public wants. The public wants a vast cornucopia of music, not all of it accepted worldwide en masse. Then again, it is a worldwide market, and streaming has made distribution and monetization cheaper. The systems keep changing, the audience has abandoned the past and the major labels are still doing the same as they've ever done.
Point me to one other business where this has worked. Eventually you hit a wall, you've got to change.
Maybe Greenwald had to go, maybe she needed to be replaced, but Grainge is closer to her than anything that squares with the new business.
And if you know the road titans... They're anything but flash. Rapino, Marciano, Capshaw, all the people making beaucoup bucks via the road, they're not in the gossip columns, they don't show up in the right places and it's rare that you even see articles about them. They know the penumbra is irrelevant, they're focusing on the business as it presently exists. Look at Irving Azoff... He once ran a major label, had his own independent with a major, but now he's building and managing venues with Tim Leiweke as the Oak View Group.
You've got to put your finger to the wind, you've got to read the tea leaves, the world changes and if you don't change with it...
You die.
It was said at the turn of the century that Napster would be the death of the major labels. That did not turn out to be the case, but Spotify, et al, along with YouTube and TikTok, the internet in general, is destroying the major labels and the only thing they seem capable of doing is doubling-down on their previous paradigm.
Everything was fine and groovy during the AM heyday of the sixties. Top Forty ruled. There were a limited number of hits and singles were everything.
And then along came FM. Which played completely different music, and featured album cuts, and suddenly albums became more important than singles.
And then came MTV. For a minute there, the old acts triumphed, but new acts harnessed the power of the medium to success. The breakthrough was Duran Duran... An expensive, exotic video could drive a hit to the top of the chart. It became about visuals. It became about the track. The single was once again triumphant. Sure, the goal was still to sell albums, but the labels achieved this by cutting out singles, if they were released at all, and making customers buy the entire album. This is one of the reasons Napster triumphed, finally you could get the song you wanted without overpaying for the rest of the dreck. Assuming you downloaded back then, you first went for singles you wanted to own but could never rationalize buying the album for, like "Liar" by Argent... I was never going to buy that LP, even though I purchased the act's third album "All Together Now," I yearned to hear the song on the radio, it had an indelible place in my mind, and now I had it and could play it whenever I wanted to, and I did.
And for a while there, it appeared that the internet was all about the single. But something has happened in the ensuing decade, since the launch of Spotify, the album has become more important.
Don't get me wrong, singles are still stratospheric. But dedicated music fans want more, and they don't even care if there is a single.
But the major labels refuse to feed this growing sphere, believing that a hit single is everything, the only way to drive consumption, and therefore it's best to focus on moonshots, massaging the product, trying to create something that climbs the Spotify Top 50, when hits have never meant less.
Let me be clear, I don't want to denigrate hits, there's nothing wrong with a successful song, but this paradigm of single hits is not the one that will grow the business, and it's not the one that hard core music fans want, the ones who spread the word and keep the business going and growing.
On streaming services everything is equal. Majors and their sycophants don't want to admit this. They don't want to acknowledge that they have no power. But there's no dominant terrestrial radio like in the days of yore, there's no dominant music video medium, like MTV, all tracks begin from the same starting line.
And when this is the case we find that the audience wants a broader spectrum of acts and musical styles.
We only have to look at every other vertical online to see this.
News... Numerous sources, with no overarching outlet.
A zillion different influencers and videos on TikTok.
This is the world we're living in, one of overwhelming choice, one in which you don't have to consume that which you don't like, only that which you do like, and the majors are putting out fewer records in narrow genres. Sure, hip-hop and pop might be the largest genres left, but they're shrinking, and the majors are yielding every other style of music to the indies.
The last universal hit act we had was Adele.
As for Taylor Swift, she actually made her bones in country, in a controlled market, she's more akin to Coldplay and the Dave Matthews Band than the acts of the past decade or so.
No other act sounded like Adele and no act has come along to replicate her success. Think about that, Adele is unique, to the point where she can't be copied.
But don't expect more Adeles, and certainly not more Taylor Swifts. Because the market has fragmented, and no one in the record business wants to admit this. They want us to believe that everybody is consuming the hits, just like in the past, when nothing could be further from the truth. And when you point this out, you're a hater. Look at Swift's chart success, look at her grosses! Yes, but how many people know her music?
And I only single out Swift because she is at the top of the heap, she is the industry's darling, the acts below her have even narrower reach.
Why do Spotify, YouTube and TikTok succeed? Because they're all things to all people. Once again, distribution is king, and they're distributors.
But as far as purveyors go...
Music is akin to tech in that if you're not innovating and growing you fall by the wayside. Unlike tech, in music your past still has value, but the music business runs on the new, and this is where the majors are faltering.
Believe me, people are making new music of different stripes all day long and distributing it via the platforms above. However, the best and the brightest are not going into music because it's seen as a backwater that no longer drives the culture. Today's recorded music business is akin to Biden and his ultimate replacement by Harris, Sure, there were fans of Biden. And his circle, his seconds, were saying everything was great when it wasn't, just like the major labels. And as soon as the screw turned, when Biden stepped down and Harris replaced him, there was this incredible excitement and surge of support.
That was the Beatles. They didn't sound like anything that came before them. They revolutionized the business. They were inescapable, they owned it. They were not created by idolmakers, they were not empty vessels, and they kept on pushing the envelope.
Where are these beacons in music today?
I can't see them.
So there's no one to follow.
The public has been sold the canard that divas are everything. That brand maximization is everything. That merch is a great revenue source. There's no road for and appreciation of people who are just musicians. And therefore inspiration is stilted.
But that does not mean there isn't a latent desire for more on the part of the public. But it's got to be different. This was the key to success of Netflix, its hit shows could not be seen anywhere else, not even HBO. Netflix threw the long ball, made shows the public could not even conceive of. The major labels?
Robert Kyncl has it wrong. He shouldn't have made Elliott Grainge head of Atlantic, but a talent buyer. All the innovation, demonstration of career traction, happens live these days. When I talk to Don Strasburg he tells me about acts selling tickets that not only have I not heard of, but don't have major label deals. This is where the rubber meets the road, at the box office.
As far as finding the rapper du jour, putting him or her together with the producer du jour, after having the song written by committee... That could possibly drive a hit, but the odds of having a career are not long. Furthermore, the more people you put on the project, the more it loses its soul. In tech it's been proven that small teams write software faster and better than large teams. The same rule applies to music, both involve inspiration and creativity.
It all comes down to the talent. If you can find it, it's not that hard to sell. In other words, the major label skill set has never meant less. It's finding an act people want to listen to, want to embrace, that is hard. But rather than looking for this, the majors are looking for shortcuts, instant success, essentially doing the same thing they've done for decades.
But the majors believe their catalogs make them immune, just like the movie studios. And in the past this was true, the largest and most successful independent movie company, Carolco, went bankrupt without a library of old films. And the movie studios put out fewer and fewer high concept films in narrower genres and then...
Netflix came along to eat its lunch. Aided by cheaper flat screens at bigger sizes and higher resolutions. And Covid... Which put the stake in the heart of the theatre business.
In other words, the studios were cruising until they crashed.
Which is the story of Warner Bros. Discovery, which just took a $9.1 billion charge because its traditional TV business cratered. Zaslav cut production, was so busy balancing the books, retiring debt, that he lost control of the entire enterprise. What is TNT without the NBA? Marginalizing HBO. The list goes on and on. It's not like the handwriting wasn't on the wall, Zaslav was inured to the old model and it was dying. As far as matching the NBA's new offer, Warner Bros. Discovery can't, because Amazon has assets and capabilities WBD does not!
How do you lose a fortune? Very slowly, and then all at once.
This is how Biden lost the nomination. This is the future of the major labels. What they are providing is not what the public wants. The public wants a vast cornucopia of music, not all of it accepted worldwide en masse. Then again, it is a worldwide market, and streaming has made distribution and monetization cheaper. The systems keep changing, the audience has abandoned the past and the major labels are still doing the same as they've ever done.
Point me to one other business where this has worked. Eventually you hit a wall, you've got to change.
Maybe Greenwald had to go, maybe she needed to be replaced, but Grainge is closer to her than anything that squares with the new business.
And if you know the road titans... They're anything but flash. Rapino, Marciano, Capshaw, all the people making beaucoup bucks via the road, they're not in the gossip columns, they don't show up in the right places and it's rare that you even see articles about them. They know the penumbra is irrelevant, they're focusing on the business as it presently exists. Look at Irving Azoff... He once ran a major label, had his own independent with a major, but now he's building and managing venues with Tim Leiweke as the Oak View Group.
You've got to put your finger to the wind, you've got to read the tea leaves, the world changes and if you don't change with it...
You die.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
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Darius Rucker-This Week's Podcast
He's got a new autobiography, "Life's Too Short."
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/darius-rucker/id1316200737?i=1000664710803
https://open.spotify.com/episode/412Xz8me0xWEOH2w2OUF4R?si=c173a8e8785f4580
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/darius-rucker-203616951/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d040cd30-232d-4955-b795-c51cf9de1988/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-darius-rucker
--
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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http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/darius-rucker/id1316200737?i=1000664710803
https://open.spotify.com/episode/412Xz8me0xWEOH2w2OUF4R?si=c173a8e8785f4580
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/darius-rucker-203616951/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d040cd30-232d-4955-b795-c51cf9de1988/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-darius-rucker
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
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Listen to the podcast:
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Wednesday 7 August 2024
Walz
Most Jews are not one issue voters.
Do you park your most effective governors in the VP slot?
There's this belief that the VP is entitled to the nomination after the President's term is up. Biden was mad he didn't get the nod in 2016. And in retrospect, he might have won if he'd run. But Trump didn't think twice about Pence this year. So the question is, if Harris wins, does her VP automatically get the nomination after Kamala's term(s) is up?
Now normally there's a primary, but it didn't make any difference on the Republican side, Trump didn't even bother to debate, and on the Democratic side...Biden and his team and the party scared off anyone from running, ultimately to our detriment. (Then again, this short campaign leaves Harris fresh and unbattered.)
So...
I'd rather see Josh Shapiro or Gretchen Whitmer as president than Kamala Harris.
I know, I know, the ship has sailed. I get it. But these are two of the brightest lights in the Democratic party, do we really want to take them off the stage for four to eight years? And god forbid Kamala loses, will this tarnish her VP?
So there's all this disappointment that Shapiro is not the VP.
Not me.
Sure, Pennsylvania is in play. But Nate Silver, who was pro-Shapiro, vocally, also wrote that the VP doesn't really make that much difference. Yes, Pennsylvania is a swing state, but it's not the only one. Harris would have to win more than PA. But...
Shapiro is for vouchers, there's the sex "scandal" in his past, and he's Jewish...
We Jews have been persecuted for centuries and are pessimistic. Ask a Jew, do they really want a Jewish candidate? Of course they'd like a Jewish president, but in order to be one, you have to win. And is America ready for a Jewish president?
Sure, in 1960 they said America was not ready for a Catholic president, and Kennedy won.
And no boomer believed growing up that we'd ever have a Black president, yet Obama won two terms.
But it's not only Shapiro being Jewish, it's also the fact that Kamala is a woman of color.
Believe me, I don't think there was any antisemitism involved. After all, Harris is married to a Jewish man. And I can't speak to Harris's process, I can only speak to my own viewpoint and that of my fellow Jews.
Yes, I know Jews who are voting for Trump on his support of Israel and that alone. But I also know frummies, I know a lot of super-Orthodox Jews who have viewpoints radically different from my own. I'm not saying they can't live how they want. Then again, the way some groups take over communities, live on welfare and don't educate their children...
Jewish infighting. If you think Jews are a monolith, you're not one.
And unlike Christian religions, Judaism is based on questioning. You don't have to believe in God to be a Jew. All opinions are welcome, at least inside the camp. As far as outside...
Yes, there are pro-Palestinian Jews. Many from younger generations who did not live through 1967, never mind Munich and 1973, but they're not jumping to the Republican side with the nomination of Walz, if anything they feel more comfortable with Walz than Shapiro on the issue of Israel.
But the rest of us...
Jews are about intellectual curiosity. About helping each other. Does this sound like the Republican ethos to you?
I'm not going to delineate every quality of the Jews. And there are heinous Jews. And Jews who vote Republican. But the majority of Jews vote Democratic, and if you think the fact that Walz is not as vocally pro-Israel as Shapiro means they're going to vote for Trump or RFK, Jr., or sit out, you're delusional.
Jews are practical. Because we've been victims of antisemitism forever. If a Jew tells you they've never experienced antisemitism they're lying to themselves. I've experienced antisemitism from my earliest years, and it's amped up since October 7th, but that does not make me a one issue voter. I want antisemitism to go, but my loyalty is not to Israel first, but the U.S. There's this canard that all Jews put Israel over the U.S. That's completely untrue. However, I must honestly admit that I like that Israel exists, that I know there's a country where I can go and be accepted if antisemitism gets too far out of control. And if you don't think this is possible, you're probably a Holocaust denier.
As for Walz...
You can't argue with his resumé. He didn't grow up rich and he's got a long history of standing up for the hoi polloi.
That's what a lot of this Harris mania is all about. People feel like there's someone standing up for them. And it isn't even so much about Harris herself but the belief that something finally gave, that the dam has broken, that the old generations have been pushed aside, that we're in a new era and someone intelligent can see who we are and what are needs are.
This is where Trump and Vance lose. Even the concept of MAGA. Not only was America not so great in the past, we're all living in the present, with the future coming down the pike every day. Where's the plan, where's the hope. That's one of the reasons Obama won, hope. Which is evidenced in Harris's campaign, that things can change.
Biden was running against Trump. Believing if he just painted Trump negatively enough, he would win. That was not a strategy for victory.
Harris's campaign seems to be running independently of Trump at this point, it's got its own momentum, it's dismissive of Trump, as if he doesn't count, which is what the "weird" campaign is all about, like you can't take Trump and Vance seriously, they're cartoons, not worthy of your time and attention.
The momentum shifted just that fast. And it could shift back, that's the nature of politics, and sports. But so far, Trump has been employing a scorched-earth, self-immolation campaign. He's an out of control spinning top. He's not the alternative he was in 2016, a man running against the system, he's an egomaniac believing only he matters and victory is everything. You can't win without the team, and politics requires a huge team, and Trump keeps taking aim at his compatriots.
As for Vance... A phony with no experience. An out of touch flip-flopper.
I'm not sure if it's about issues or identities.
The bottom line is, can you teach old dogs new tricks? Can you convince anybody their beliefs are wrong? Have you ever tried to change the mind of a Fox viewer?
X is a cesspool. Not only pro-Trump/Vance, but filled with conspiracies and ad hominem attacks. I read an extensive post about Pizzagate earlier today. Yes, Hillary and the Democrats are running a child prostitution ring out of a pizza parlor? You're not going to convince these people to vote for Harris.
So as far as informing the public...I'm not sure that makes a huge difference.
But if it comes down to identities... This is where Walz triumphs.
Shapiro would have outshone Harris, he's no one's number two.
But the ace in the hole is Walz's oratorical powers. Man, this guy was meant to give speeches and relate.
I want you to watch this video:
https://tinyurl.com/mr22pra9
Just a few seconds will give you the flavor. This is not a natural born politician, this is not Joe Biden who spent his life in politics, this is a plain-speaking high school coach/teacher who you can relate to, who you can bond to, who you can get behind, who you feel good about. This guy is one of us, which Trump and Vance are not, and if you want to, you can even question Harris's bona fides in this area, but not those of Walz.
So stop overanalyzing the VP pick. I'm down with Walz, and if anything he's a net positive.
Minnesota is a great progressive state in the middle of the country that is seen as a red morass. Prince came from Minnesota, and continued to live in Minnesota. Al Franken came from Minnesota.
Can you criticize Walz and his positions? OF COURSE! It goes with the territory. But Walz is a good mouthpiece.
Harris added fuel to the fire. Right now she's running ahead of Trump in the race.
Don't discount those who hate the Democrats, those who embrace the values Trump espouses. But that's all about hate, disparagement, whereas the Harris/Walz ticket is about hope, and the future.
This Jew is optimistic.
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Do you park your most effective governors in the VP slot?
There's this belief that the VP is entitled to the nomination after the President's term is up. Biden was mad he didn't get the nod in 2016. And in retrospect, he might have won if he'd run. But Trump didn't think twice about Pence this year. So the question is, if Harris wins, does her VP automatically get the nomination after Kamala's term(s) is up?
Now normally there's a primary, but it didn't make any difference on the Republican side, Trump didn't even bother to debate, and on the Democratic side...Biden and his team and the party scared off anyone from running, ultimately to our detriment. (Then again, this short campaign leaves Harris fresh and unbattered.)
So...
I'd rather see Josh Shapiro or Gretchen Whitmer as president than Kamala Harris.
I know, I know, the ship has sailed. I get it. But these are two of the brightest lights in the Democratic party, do we really want to take them off the stage for four to eight years? And god forbid Kamala loses, will this tarnish her VP?
So there's all this disappointment that Shapiro is not the VP.
Not me.
Sure, Pennsylvania is in play. But Nate Silver, who was pro-Shapiro, vocally, also wrote that the VP doesn't really make that much difference. Yes, Pennsylvania is a swing state, but it's not the only one. Harris would have to win more than PA. But...
Shapiro is for vouchers, there's the sex "scandal" in his past, and he's Jewish...
We Jews have been persecuted for centuries and are pessimistic. Ask a Jew, do they really want a Jewish candidate? Of course they'd like a Jewish president, but in order to be one, you have to win. And is America ready for a Jewish president?
Sure, in 1960 they said America was not ready for a Catholic president, and Kennedy won.
And no boomer believed growing up that we'd ever have a Black president, yet Obama won two terms.
But it's not only Shapiro being Jewish, it's also the fact that Kamala is a woman of color.
Believe me, I don't think there was any antisemitism involved. After all, Harris is married to a Jewish man. And I can't speak to Harris's process, I can only speak to my own viewpoint and that of my fellow Jews.
Yes, I know Jews who are voting for Trump on his support of Israel and that alone. But I also know frummies, I know a lot of super-Orthodox Jews who have viewpoints radically different from my own. I'm not saying they can't live how they want. Then again, the way some groups take over communities, live on welfare and don't educate their children...
Jewish infighting. If you think Jews are a monolith, you're not one.
And unlike Christian religions, Judaism is based on questioning. You don't have to believe in God to be a Jew. All opinions are welcome, at least inside the camp. As far as outside...
Yes, there are pro-Palestinian Jews. Many from younger generations who did not live through 1967, never mind Munich and 1973, but they're not jumping to the Republican side with the nomination of Walz, if anything they feel more comfortable with Walz than Shapiro on the issue of Israel.
But the rest of us...
Jews are about intellectual curiosity. About helping each other. Does this sound like the Republican ethos to you?
I'm not going to delineate every quality of the Jews. And there are heinous Jews. And Jews who vote Republican. But the majority of Jews vote Democratic, and if you think the fact that Walz is not as vocally pro-Israel as Shapiro means they're going to vote for Trump or RFK, Jr., or sit out, you're delusional.
Jews are practical. Because we've been victims of antisemitism forever. If a Jew tells you they've never experienced antisemitism they're lying to themselves. I've experienced antisemitism from my earliest years, and it's amped up since October 7th, but that does not make me a one issue voter. I want antisemitism to go, but my loyalty is not to Israel first, but the U.S. There's this canard that all Jews put Israel over the U.S. That's completely untrue. However, I must honestly admit that I like that Israel exists, that I know there's a country where I can go and be accepted if antisemitism gets too far out of control. And if you don't think this is possible, you're probably a Holocaust denier.
As for Walz...
You can't argue with his resumé. He didn't grow up rich and he's got a long history of standing up for the hoi polloi.
That's what a lot of this Harris mania is all about. People feel like there's someone standing up for them. And it isn't even so much about Harris herself but the belief that something finally gave, that the dam has broken, that the old generations have been pushed aside, that we're in a new era and someone intelligent can see who we are and what are needs are.
This is where Trump and Vance lose. Even the concept of MAGA. Not only was America not so great in the past, we're all living in the present, with the future coming down the pike every day. Where's the plan, where's the hope. That's one of the reasons Obama won, hope. Which is evidenced in Harris's campaign, that things can change.
Biden was running against Trump. Believing if he just painted Trump negatively enough, he would win. That was not a strategy for victory.
Harris's campaign seems to be running independently of Trump at this point, it's got its own momentum, it's dismissive of Trump, as if he doesn't count, which is what the "weird" campaign is all about, like you can't take Trump and Vance seriously, they're cartoons, not worthy of your time and attention.
The momentum shifted just that fast. And it could shift back, that's the nature of politics, and sports. But so far, Trump has been employing a scorched-earth, self-immolation campaign. He's an out of control spinning top. He's not the alternative he was in 2016, a man running against the system, he's an egomaniac believing only he matters and victory is everything. You can't win without the team, and politics requires a huge team, and Trump keeps taking aim at his compatriots.
As for Vance... A phony with no experience. An out of touch flip-flopper.
I'm not sure if it's about issues or identities.
The bottom line is, can you teach old dogs new tricks? Can you convince anybody their beliefs are wrong? Have you ever tried to change the mind of a Fox viewer?
X is a cesspool. Not only pro-Trump/Vance, but filled with conspiracies and ad hominem attacks. I read an extensive post about Pizzagate earlier today. Yes, Hillary and the Democrats are running a child prostitution ring out of a pizza parlor? You're not going to convince these people to vote for Harris.
So as far as informing the public...I'm not sure that makes a huge difference.
But if it comes down to identities... This is where Walz triumphs.
Shapiro would have outshone Harris, he's no one's number two.
But the ace in the hole is Walz's oratorical powers. Man, this guy was meant to give speeches and relate.
I want you to watch this video:
https://tinyurl.com/mr22pra9
Just a few seconds will give you the flavor. This is not a natural born politician, this is not Joe Biden who spent his life in politics, this is a plain-speaking high school coach/teacher who you can relate to, who you can bond to, who you can get behind, who you feel good about. This guy is one of us, which Trump and Vance are not, and if you want to, you can even question Harris's bona fides in this area, but not those of Walz.
So stop overanalyzing the VP pick. I'm down with Walz, and if anything he's a net positive.
Minnesota is a great progressive state in the middle of the country that is seen as a red morass. Prince came from Minnesota, and continued to live in Minnesota. Al Franken came from Minnesota.
Can you criticize Walz and his positions? OF COURSE! It goes with the territory. But Walz is a good mouthpiece.
Harris added fuel to the fire. Right now she's running ahead of Trump in the race.
Don't discount those who hate the Democrats, those who embrace the values Trump espouses. But that's all about hate, disparagement, whereas the Harris/Walz ticket is about hope, and the future.
This Jew is optimistic.
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The God Of The Woods
https://shorturl.at/Y8UHr
Ultimately this is a mystery, but it doesn't read like one.
First and foremost it is set in a summer camp. Where I spent some of my best years. And that's why I started reading it, and on that note it worked, but "The God of the Woods" is so much more.
Generally speaking I don't read genre books, because I find the endings unsatisfactory. There's an unforeseen twist, which makes you feel ripped off, angry you wasted so much time trying to figure it out.
Actually, I wasn't that invested in the mysteries of "The God of the Woods," the disappearance of two children. And thank god I didn't find out until the very end what happened to them, because these results were not as interesting as what came before. Which had to do with friendships, class relations, personal growth, individuality.
Yes, you have a multi-generational rich family. To what degree is it using its power to subvert justice. Or is it just playing at the level rich people prefer, which is essentially private. Rich people have their own means of travel, i.e. private jets, they have their own doctors, they vacation at places you can't afford, never mind know of, and they wield their relationships to pervert the course of justice. Real saints, right?
Actually, America reveres the rich and the poor, to be average is anathema. To have less is a badge of honor. If I had a nickel for every person who told me they grew up poor, and then let slip they went to a private high school and their parents drove luxury cars... And then there are the entitled rich who lord it over us. As if they deserve their perch. And then there are those who sit completely outside the system and don't want to be judged, just left alone.
So, the story is set in 1975, during the second disappearance. Although there are a lot of flashbacks to 1961, the first disappearance. And it is set amongst the upper-crust, who marry for money, in an era when women didn't even go to college, according to the book, anyway.
And you've got the woman who is nobody from nowhere who goes to college on a scholarship but still can't make ends meet and ends up going back home and doing low level jobs.
She believes she's the fiancée of a rich guy she met when she was at school. But he doesn't integrate her into his family.
And then you've got the new investigator, a female State Trooper afraid of getting it wrong but wanting to get it right.
Meanwhile, adjacent to the camp the owners have a mansion where they have an annual midsummer bacchanal to celebrate the disappearance of the black flies.
So there are all these players, all this history, what is the truth?
Well, it's ultimately revealed. But it's the characters who make the book so interesting.
And the setting, in the Adirondacks. It's got the feel of being off the grid. In a world where we're hooked up 24/7, where you can get signal everywhere, this is a different era, in the boondocks. The book has the feel of the woods, of a moist mountain morning. Reading it you will not contemplate your everyday life, you will be taken completely away. And it will not be long before you just want to sit down and read. This is the kind of book that you find hard to close, that you bargain with yourself over...just a few more pages, how tired will I be if I keep reading...
This is not literary fiction, but there are some insights. My favorite is:
"They'll be fine. The Hewitts—like Judy, like Louise Donnadieu, like Denny Hayes, even—don't need to rely on anyone but themselves.
"It's the Van Laars, and families like them, who have always depended on others."
In other words, the poor, the middle class, are independent, they're survivors, whereas the rich depend upon those on the payroll, and when left alone...
"The God of the Woods" is not the best book I've ever read. But it's still August, and if you're looking for something highly readable as opposed to the two-dimensional, simplistic beach reads, I'd put it near the top of your list.
Once again, "The God of the Woods" is readable, it does not take long to get into, and it will hook you.
From the time I read a review and reserved it a month ago at the library until it recently became available, "The God of the Woods" has become a huge seller, I'm not the only one.
Sometimes the wisdom of the crowd is right.
I reserved it because a reviewer compared it to Donna Tartt's "Secret History," which has a huge impact upon everyone who reads it. "The Secret History" is set at Bennington College, and the rest of the world might as well not exist. "The God of the Woods" has this same feel, but is not quite at the same level. "The Secret History" is a book you read and never forget, and I won't say "The God of the Woods" is forgettable, but it's written for everyone, not just the intellectual elite. You won't have to look up words, you won't feel like you can't relate to anybody...
You'll dig it.
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Ultimately this is a mystery, but it doesn't read like one.
First and foremost it is set in a summer camp. Where I spent some of my best years. And that's why I started reading it, and on that note it worked, but "The God of the Woods" is so much more.
Generally speaking I don't read genre books, because I find the endings unsatisfactory. There's an unforeseen twist, which makes you feel ripped off, angry you wasted so much time trying to figure it out.
Actually, I wasn't that invested in the mysteries of "The God of the Woods," the disappearance of two children. And thank god I didn't find out until the very end what happened to them, because these results were not as interesting as what came before. Which had to do with friendships, class relations, personal growth, individuality.
Yes, you have a multi-generational rich family. To what degree is it using its power to subvert justice. Or is it just playing at the level rich people prefer, which is essentially private. Rich people have their own means of travel, i.e. private jets, they have their own doctors, they vacation at places you can't afford, never mind know of, and they wield their relationships to pervert the course of justice. Real saints, right?
Actually, America reveres the rich and the poor, to be average is anathema. To have less is a badge of honor. If I had a nickel for every person who told me they grew up poor, and then let slip they went to a private high school and their parents drove luxury cars... And then there are the entitled rich who lord it over us. As if they deserve their perch. And then there are those who sit completely outside the system and don't want to be judged, just left alone.
So, the story is set in 1975, during the second disappearance. Although there are a lot of flashbacks to 1961, the first disappearance. And it is set amongst the upper-crust, who marry for money, in an era when women didn't even go to college, according to the book, anyway.
And you've got the woman who is nobody from nowhere who goes to college on a scholarship but still can't make ends meet and ends up going back home and doing low level jobs.
She believes she's the fiancée of a rich guy she met when she was at school. But he doesn't integrate her into his family.
And then you've got the new investigator, a female State Trooper afraid of getting it wrong but wanting to get it right.
Meanwhile, adjacent to the camp the owners have a mansion where they have an annual midsummer bacchanal to celebrate the disappearance of the black flies.
So there are all these players, all this history, what is the truth?
Well, it's ultimately revealed. But it's the characters who make the book so interesting.
And the setting, in the Adirondacks. It's got the feel of being off the grid. In a world where we're hooked up 24/7, where you can get signal everywhere, this is a different era, in the boondocks. The book has the feel of the woods, of a moist mountain morning. Reading it you will not contemplate your everyday life, you will be taken completely away. And it will not be long before you just want to sit down and read. This is the kind of book that you find hard to close, that you bargain with yourself over...just a few more pages, how tired will I be if I keep reading...
This is not literary fiction, but there are some insights. My favorite is:
"They'll be fine. The Hewitts—like Judy, like Louise Donnadieu, like Denny Hayes, even—don't need to rely on anyone but themselves.
"It's the Van Laars, and families like them, who have always depended on others."
In other words, the poor, the middle class, are independent, they're survivors, whereas the rich depend upon those on the payroll, and when left alone...
"The God of the Woods" is not the best book I've ever read. But it's still August, and if you're looking for something highly readable as opposed to the two-dimensional, simplistic beach reads, I'd put it near the top of your list.
Once again, "The God of the Woods" is readable, it does not take long to get into, and it will hook you.
From the time I read a review and reserved it a month ago at the library until it recently became available, "The God of the Woods" has become a huge seller, I'm not the only one.
Sometimes the wisdom of the crowd is right.
I reserved it because a reviewer compared it to Donna Tartt's "Secret History," which has a huge impact upon everyone who reads it. "The Secret History" is set at Bennington College, and the rest of the world might as well not exist. "The God of the Woods" has this same feel, but is not quite at the same level. "The Secret History" is a book you read and never forget, and I won't say "The God of the Woods" is forgettable, but it's written for everyone, not just the intellectual elite. You won't have to look up words, you won't feel like you can't relate to anybody...
You'll dig it.
--
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--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Tuesday 6 August 2024
There Is No Top Forty
It all comes down to exposure. An organized market. Wherein you focus a huge slice of the public on a certain number of artists.
That no longer exists.
We had radio, we had MTV, now we have chaos.
We were shown this was going to happen with Napster. Napster illustrated that the public was in control, as opposed to the marketers. Yet the major labels still believe they have power and can dictate, but they can't, which is why there have been so few breakthrough artists recently. And with this difficulty, the majors have put their efforts behind fewer and fewer artists, leaving more and more of the business to the antiques and the indies.
So what does Lucian Grainge have to say about this? PAY ME MORE! Yes, he's been arguing that Spotify, et al, should pay his hit acts more because they're driving the lion's share of the market. This is the same flawed thinking employed at the turn of the century. Rather than admit their retail model was broken, the majors doubled-down, insulted and then sued their customers, declaring the CD was forever, and anybody who wasn't willing to buy a complete album at an inflated price was a pox on humanity.
How did that work out?
Daniel Ek came along and saved their lunch. As for those criticizing Spotify, this is the same element you see on X/Twitter, with an agenda, divorced from reality. Even Universal itself just said that Spotify's growth outpaces competitors. Why? It's simple, it's a better service, whose main driver is music, constantly adding features, whereas Apple's and Amazon's services are based on brand loyalty as opposed to the service itself.
So in a world where the customer is in charge you need to alter your philosophy. When you can't corral the customer, when you can't dictate, you need to innovate, broaden your offerings, seed the customer base and allow people to find and grow acts. Which they will do, can you say CHAPPELL ROAN?
Have you seen the video from Lollapalooza? Of everybody singing along?
Take a peek:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-NcwmcJWlE/?igsh=Z3QybW9ya2NzOTBz
Was this driven by radio? TV? None of the usual outlets delivered this, it was pure word of mouth, along with choice tour slots. Hell, Roan was dropped by Atlantic before she was picked up by Island. In the old days of Mo and Joe, you only signed an act if you believed in them, and you nurtured and stood by them, otherwise your judgment could be declared unsound. But today, if it doesn't happen right away, NEXT!
So instead of fashion, instead of looks, it's now about the music. Does it resonate with the public?
And it's not only teenagers consuming. Look at who is selling tickets, it's a smorgasbord of acts. But the majors?
As for the legacy acts, it's always based on sound. It's not the me-too acts that continue to sell tickets, but the sui generis ones, the ones that came from nowhere and were so good that the audience glommed on to them.
So the Spotify Top 50 shows the most consumption, but not necessarily the most mindshare, the most devotion.
Remember when FM came along and blew apart the AM model? Probably not, unless you're a boomer, but FM not only played different music, it played MORE music.
The Spotify Top 50 does not drive consumption, it's just a reflection of consumption, which is very different from the Top Forty radio of yore.
You need to be in all markets today, from metal to adult alternative. Because you never know what will resonate and blow up. Come on, before Zach Bryan did you think an act like that would sell out stadiums soon? OF COURSE NOT!
It's great that labels study the data, but it's soft skills that drive music consumption. We are not selling widgets here, nor shoes, nor some other needed consumable. No one needs any act. So how do you sell an act that people need?
Taylor Swift's audience believes she speaks for them. And there are enough in this niche to sell out stadiums. She exists in her own vacuum. She does not cross lines. No one does anymore.
Furthermore, I'll argue her music doesn't spread. You either like it or you don't. Like K-pop. Whereas someone like Chris Stapleton...if more people heard it, more people would like it. It's not adolescent, it's not puerile, Chris is not beautiful, he doesn't dance, he's just selling the music itself. You'd think Nashville would purvey more Stapletons, but the labels don't know how to do this. They triangulate, focus on looks, all these markers that have nothing to do with music.
In order to get the public excited about music...they must see something there other than commerce. The majors don't purvey art, but commerce. It's a business like it was before the Beatles.
And then the Beatles came along.
Don't count on the majors to deliver a new Beatles, they're not built for it. It will come from the outside. Because the majors have begged-off their obligation. They used to release the best music, now they release the most commercial music, which continues to shrink in market share.
Everybody's focused on hits when they should retool and focus on music. The majors are on an unending drive to marginalization.
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That no longer exists.
We had radio, we had MTV, now we have chaos.
We were shown this was going to happen with Napster. Napster illustrated that the public was in control, as opposed to the marketers. Yet the major labels still believe they have power and can dictate, but they can't, which is why there have been so few breakthrough artists recently. And with this difficulty, the majors have put their efforts behind fewer and fewer artists, leaving more and more of the business to the antiques and the indies.
So what does Lucian Grainge have to say about this? PAY ME MORE! Yes, he's been arguing that Spotify, et al, should pay his hit acts more because they're driving the lion's share of the market. This is the same flawed thinking employed at the turn of the century. Rather than admit their retail model was broken, the majors doubled-down, insulted and then sued their customers, declaring the CD was forever, and anybody who wasn't willing to buy a complete album at an inflated price was a pox on humanity.
How did that work out?
Daniel Ek came along and saved their lunch. As for those criticizing Spotify, this is the same element you see on X/Twitter, with an agenda, divorced from reality. Even Universal itself just said that Spotify's growth outpaces competitors. Why? It's simple, it's a better service, whose main driver is music, constantly adding features, whereas Apple's and Amazon's services are based on brand loyalty as opposed to the service itself.
So in a world where the customer is in charge you need to alter your philosophy. When you can't corral the customer, when you can't dictate, you need to innovate, broaden your offerings, seed the customer base and allow people to find and grow acts. Which they will do, can you say CHAPPELL ROAN?
Have you seen the video from Lollapalooza? Of everybody singing along?
Take a peek:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-NcwmcJWlE/?igsh=Z3QybW9ya2NzOTBz
Was this driven by radio? TV? None of the usual outlets delivered this, it was pure word of mouth, along with choice tour slots. Hell, Roan was dropped by Atlantic before she was picked up by Island. In the old days of Mo and Joe, you only signed an act if you believed in them, and you nurtured and stood by them, otherwise your judgment could be declared unsound. But today, if it doesn't happen right away, NEXT!
So instead of fashion, instead of looks, it's now about the music. Does it resonate with the public?
And it's not only teenagers consuming. Look at who is selling tickets, it's a smorgasbord of acts. But the majors?
As for the legacy acts, it's always based on sound. It's not the me-too acts that continue to sell tickets, but the sui generis ones, the ones that came from nowhere and were so good that the audience glommed on to them.
So the Spotify Top 50 shows the most consumption, but not necessarily the most mindshare, the most devotion.
Remember when FM came along and blew apart the AM model? Probably not, unless you're a boomer, but FM not only played different music, it played MORE music.
The Spotify Top 50 does not drive consumption, it's just a reflection of consumption, which is very different from the Top Forty radio of yore.
You need to be in all markets today, from metal to adult alternative. Because you never know what will resonate and blow up. Come on, before Zach Bryan did you think an act like that would sell out stadiums soon? OF COURSE NOT!
It's great that labels study the data, but it's soft skills that drive music consumption. We are not selling widgets here, nor shoes, nor some other needed consumable. No one needs any act. So how do you sell an act that people need?
Taylor Swift's audience believes she speaks for them. And there are enough in this niche to sell out stadiums. She exists in her own vacuum. She does not cross lines. No one does anymore.
Furthermore, I'll argue her music doesn't spread. You either like it or you don't. Like K-pop. Whereas someone like Chris Stapleton...if more people heard it, more people would like it. It's not adolescent, it's not puerile, Chris is not beautiful, he doesn't dance, he's just selling the music itself. You'd think Nashville would purvey more Stapletons, but the labels don't know how to do this. They triangulate, focus on looks, all these markers that have nothing to do with music.
In order to get the public excited about music...they must see something there other than commerce. The majors don't purvey art, but commerce. It's a business like it was before the Beatles.
And then the Beatles came along.
Don't count on the majors to deliver a new Beatles, they're not built for it. It will come from the outside. Because the majors have begged-off their obligation. They used to release the best music, now they release the most commercial music, which continues to shrink in market share.
Everybody's focused on hits when they should retool and focus on music. The majors are on an unending drive to marginalization.
--
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--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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Monday 5 August 2024
Re-Richie Furay
Hi Bob,
It was nice to see you and Andy up at Beaver Creek on Thursday. Yea, the big wheel keeps on turning and I keep going out to play if someone says there are people who want to take a trip down memory lane and hear a few new tunes as well. It's fun playing with my daughter, truthfully I wouldn't be doing this if she wasn't along for the ride- (she has four daughters of her own) and her husband is really supportive for the few shows we do.
Anyway, thanks for the nice article, you have a great way of taking people along on your personal journey as you observe the music. Thanks for coming out and for stopping by to say hello!!!
Richie
____________________________
I produced, engineered and mixed Richie's "Still DELiverin' Return to The Troubadour" a few years back, which was the 50th anniversary concert at the Troubadour of the iconic Poco record "DeLiverin.'"
Richie is a good man and a consumate pro and can still bring it live. It was a pleasure getting to hear those iconic Poco songs after all these years.
One never knows what makes one a star but I got the impression that Richie probably didn't care in the end about that.
Having worked with lots of stars there is something intangible that divides the "star" from the one that has sh*t gobs of talent but maybe doesn't really care about that specific part of one's career. I am not going to get in the secular religious piece of his or anyone's career but I have quite a few musician friends that have set off on that path and it doesn't really intersect with wanting to play the game.
Anyway, Richie's music will be in the DNA of American music forever regardless.
Best back
Ross Hogarth
____________________________
Hi Bob,
It was nice to see you and Andy up at Beaver Creek on Thursday. Yea, the big wheel keeps on turning and I keep going out to play if someone says there are people who want to take a trip down memory lane and hear a few new tunes as well. It's fun playing with my daughter, truthfully I wouldn't be doing this if she wasn't along for the ride- (she has four daughters of her own) and her husband is really supportive for the few shows we do.
Anyway, thanks for the nice article, you have a great way of taking people along on your personal journey as you observe the music. Thanks for coming out and for stopping by to say hello!!!
Richie
____________________________
I still stream Poco. I first met them at an outdoor gig I booked for them in 1971, I think, for the Simsbury (CT) Youth Center. Loved Pickin' Up the Pieces album so much. It was an exciting time to be around live music.
Tony D'Amelio
____________________________
Poco. Central Park, Summer '72. Powered mescaline. It started to drizzle during "Good Feeling to Know (with an extended jam at the end.) The stage lights lit the raindrops. Richie's voice and Paul Cotton's lead guitar turned the Manhattan night into one of the greatest musical moments of my life.
Matt Auerbach...
____________________________
One of the joys of producing concerts in the early days was the ability to make friends and keep them as they came through on tour. Every group had its own personality, created by its music, musicians and crew. Some you couldn't wait to see, others not so much.
You always looked forward to working with Poco. Not only was the music sublime, but they could sell tickets, and were a pleasure to hang out with.
If every group has a public face, Poco can credit then-road manager Denny Jones. I hope some of your readers with similar backgrounds feel the same way.
Alan DeZon
____________________________
But anyway bye bye..fave Richie vocal,thx Bob
Woody Price
____________________________
Nicely written, I saw Richie as the opener for one of the final Ronstadt tours, understated excellence.
About the origins of the LA sound epitomized by the Eagles I had the same conversation with Christian Nesmith at my house several years ago which included Furay but also Christian's Dad Michael and Rick Nelson's Stone Cyn Band. It was a great blender at the right time that all birthed some great music.
Don Adkins
SoCal Photographer
____________________________
As good as anything today:
"Starlight (Richie Furay Band: I've Got a Reason) (1976)"
https://youtu.be/WbPTXsvH61g?si=G9shsUT3olIIAp8i
Tom Lewis
____________________________
Oh boy! What a great column! A few years back, I had the chance to see Richie Furay at the Turning Point in Piermont NY. A wonderful small venue that still attracts the road warriors like Steve Forbert, and many others in the tri-state musician community. The Buffalo Springfield, for me, was just the coolest band ever. Stills with that hat, and Neil with his fringed leather jacket. But I was always captured by their guitars, Neil played a Gretsch White Falcon...a guitar to die for in 1965, but it cost a thousand bucks. No wonder I bought a Hagstrom III for $129. Richie played a covet-worthy Gibson electric 12-string. Couldn't afford a Fender Telecaster for $179 at the time...Anyway, Richie signed my copies of Poco albums, the first Buffalo Springfield LP...vinyl mind you...I bought the first version of the Buffalo Springfield's first LP...it didn't have For What It's Worth as the first cut...It was Baby Don't Scold Me. I brought the LP back to exchange it for the new version. That first LP without For What it's Worth, became a collector's item in the Buffalo Springfield saga. Richie signed my copy of Picking Up the Pieces and you could not have asked for a better meet and greet. Thanks for the report. I've been up at Vail and Beaver Creek when they get the music going and hey, rocky mountain high colorado!
Chip Lovitt
____________________________
I saw Jim Messina at Ridgefield Playhouse on the Thursday night before the Friday COVID shut live music down. A friend had extra tix and I was a little leery.
He was great. His band was like the Loggins and Messina bands, versatile with woodwinds and a lot of coloration and textures.
His voice and guitar were excellent and the songs were familiar and amazing. Acts from back in the day can be hit or miss when they reach a certain age but the Buffalo Springfield alums have done better than most.
William Nollman
Silvermine
____________________________
Saw Buffalo Springfield in 1966(?) when they toured with The Beach Boys. Became life-long fan of all the members of the band. Saw Poco in its original configuration at a local college. Last saw Richie Furay at Birchmere in Northern VA in with a band that included his daughter. He will always be among my favorite musicians.
William Hultman
____________________________
Once again, you nailed it.
On October 21, 2010 - a Thursday night in Seattle - I read online that the Buffalo Springfield were reuniting at the annual Bridge Concerts.
Withing minutes, I bought 2 10th-row tickets, booked a hotel, booked a first-class flight and, on Saturday, a friend and I were walking into the Shoreline to see them.
I patiently sat through an acoustic Billy Idol set, an acoustic Elvis Costello set (replacing an ailing Kristofferson), with Emmylou sitting in, etc.
Then there they were, Steven, Richie, and Neil with what was obviously Neil's rhythm section.
The whole set was a acoustic, of course (it's a Bridge Concert) but that didn't matter.
I couldn't believe this was happening - I was 12 when I bought Bluebird/Mr. Soul 45, and had everything they ever did on boxes, bootlegs, etc. A dead band. Yet there they were, starting with "On the Way Home", with Richie on vocals. Richie Furay, flanked by Stills and Young!
I call these events "Lazurus Moments".
I was close enough to see the looks on their faces and the state of their bodies. It was clear that Richie looked the same but with gray hair, and the other two looked as battle-worn as you'd expect.
Gary Lang
____________________________
Missed Furay at BC but I still have the SHF band album, from the cut-out section at Peaches. They tried to be the answer to CSN but no one cared. Richie was always close to stardom but never quite made it. I remember he was a Minister down in Boulder with his own Church years ago. Boulder had a great scene back then when Caribou Ranch was the place to be.
I saw that ASIA ad but there are two ASIA's touring, the other one with Geoff Downes, the one at Beaver Creek? Like the two Yes' a few years ago. So sad they can't just all get along.
I learned to ski at the Concord and at Kutsher's then went over to Holiday Mountain. They used to have tie-dyed snow at the Concord! Neil Sedaka's parents I think lived in Monticello and I taught his daughter Dara to ski, or tried to, she was impossible.
A surprisingly good free show at BC last year was Ambrosia who sounded great even without David Pack, who has one of the best and most underrated voices in music. They did have the other 3 original guys and played a mix of the classic Prog stuff, the big ballads and some great covers They even joked about being labeled as Yacht Rock actually playing front of people who likely have Yachts, They really surprised me.
Now I really have to see Gary Puckett and the Union Gap at BC!
Ciao,
Barry Levinson
____________________________
Damn, Bob...this brought me to tears several times, had to write.
A guy at my first job in the grocery store in 1975 turned me on to Poco, and I became obsessed. Made special trips to Austin just to buy their albums at one of the then seven record stores within walking distance of The Drag.
The history of it, starting with Buffalo Springfield, was like an occult treasure to a "different" kid in Bumfuq South Texas. Poco was part of the biggest geneaolocial tree of rock and roll there ever was. Who did what, where the others came from...all of it was fascinating to a 16 year kid who saw rock as a sacred thing.
I learned about Illinois Speed Press and found the album on one of the Austin trips. It was like a hidden sub-history, finding out where Paul Cotton came from, and seeing how he changed the sound of the band.
Good Feelin' To Know, as far as I was concerned, was a masterpiece of an album. THAT record should have broken them through. After that came Crazy Eyes, and you could tell Richie was leaving just by the writing, and the sound of the album itself. Finding out it was about Gram Parsons was like finding another bit of that history...that geneaology.
And the band shouldered on, became even tighter, if that's at all possible, and put out Seven, Cantamos, and then the album with "Keep On Tryin'." That song was what I would play people when I was trying to explain Poco to them and get them turned on to the band. I was a Pocovangelist when I was a sophomore in high school...I even did a massive painting of the cover of 'Seven' with the horseshoe, for my wall.
Then came Rose of Cimmaron, and when Timothy left, Rusty took over that airy-high vocal spot on the two records that finally "did it " for them, with covers by none other than Phil Hartman.
I'm just a few years behind you in the chronological scheme of it, in that final section of the Boom called "Generation Jones": too old to Boom, too young to GenX. I was anachronistic and autistic as a kid, glued to the radio from toddlerhood on.
I did deep dives on every kind of music, and the HISTORY OF IT was always first and foremost. The perspective of when it happened in the timeline, hell, just Historical Perspective in general, just doesn't exist in people now. And they don't want to know.
I am sad to see the natural progression. I feel as "cringe" as the old Big Bands my parents loved now. But rock and roll...it did bind kindred souls, no matter HOW old we were. Y'all may have been ten or so years older, but I was just as "there" with the music. The music bonded everyone, especially from '64 to '72, what to me were the "Golden Years" of pop music on AM.
The originals all passing, I feel an urge to make sure all that rock history that got me through a rocky teen-hood doesn't all disappear and die. Another friend sent me a copy of a book written about the Haight Ashbury, called "We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us Against" by Nicholas Won Hoffman. He wrote it as his Thesis for "Dr. Jolly"...it has given me a whole new window onto the Haight Street scene. This is history that needs to be passed on, to be perpetuated, not to die with those who lived it.
Thanks again for another good one, Bob,
Byron Beyer
____________________________
Well, if the lyrics "Colorado mountains I can see your distant sky, bringin' a tear of joy to my eye" didn't resonate w/ the folks at Beaver Creek, then it's unlikely they'd resonate anywhere else.
If I had to choose the most underrated band and artist from the 1970's, my ballot would likely have Poco and Richie Furay at the very top. I'd probably have to select both as a write-in vote given the shameful lack of recognition of each (beyond Furay's days w/ Buffalo Springfield), but those in the know certainly know. The Eagle's get all the accolades as pioneers of country rock, and probably deservedly so, but the quality of Poco's music isn't too far behind, and in several instances their work is arguably better. Poco's writing wasn't always consistent, (then again, whose is), but the band's lack of recognition and commercial success is a travesty.
No doubt if Ahmet and the strong promo team at Atlantic records had oversight of Poco's early releases, they would have had a much better chance of success, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. For those not familiar w/ Poco's body of work, check out their 2-disc compilation "The Forgotten Trail." Serious music enthusiasts are familiar w/ early stage Poco players Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, Timothy B. Schmit and Richie Furay, but the late Rusty Young is arguably one of the best pedal steel players of all-time.
Stuart K. Marvin
____________________________
I lived in Boulder and had my first commercial studio there in the 70s. Poco, Firefall, Tommy Bolin, and Boz Scaggs were staples of the times. Glad Richie's still doing it. As the Mighty Quinn said, "Take care of all your memories because you cannot relive them." My trash bin will be full of tapes and records and books when my kids clean up after I'm gone. They might keep some actual photos and a few of my instruments, and I'm okay with all that. The satisfaction is that at least some of my story will live on, in whatever form the digital now allows. Your readers will still be quoting you until AI replaces all reading and talking. "Any day now, I (we) shall be released."
Victor Levine
____________________________
I knew I was in trouble when I started seeing ads for bands I liked in junior high playing 4:30pm shows at The Villages. Hopefully rock 'n' roll never forgets.
Vince Welsh
____________________________
This inspired me to see where else he was playing. At first it looked like New Jersey but then saw he's at the Boulton Center on Long Island in Bay Shore on the 24th. Bought a couple of the few remaining tickets immediately. Looking forward to it.
Thank you!
Michael Williams
____________________________
August, Beaver Creek, the Rocky Mountains and Richie Furay... A Good Feeling To Know INDEED!
George Briner
____________________________
Bob: Thanks for remembering Poco. They belong in the RR Hall of Fame, as does America. Richie was the lead singer in Buffalo Springfield when I signed them to William Morris. They were a crusty bunch, except for Richie, he always was and has remained a kind hearted soul. The others eventually mellowed out, so kudos to them too.
Harlan Goodman and I managed Poco for eight albums, Poco Seven through Legend which delivered two top five singles and was their first and only platinum L.P.. They had a long string of managers, Green & Stone, Shiffman & Larson, Geffen & Roberts, Hartmann & Goodman, and Peter Golden. The story of their roller coaster career is classic American Rock & Roll.
The move to ABC is what changed the arc of their career. Abandoning one's catalog was not de rigueur in those days. You lost your leverage. but Epic was too comfortable selling 350K units and never supported a single. Mybrother Phil designed many of their covers, including Poco Seven and Legend, his Horse logo remained their emblem to the end.
Forty years later I was at an 'Old Timers Luncheon' and sat next to this guy who informed me that he used to run Epic, and I told him how I sent Epic prexy Ron Alexenburg an original Phil Hartman watercolor of the Poco 7 cover. When we moved Poco to ABC he stomped on it and broke the glass. He sent it to me complete with footprints. I reframed it with the broken glass included. He says to me I'm Ron Alexenburg. I was totally shocked. He had lost a hundred pounds and I didn't recognize him. He looked real good. We laughed a lot.
Music was our fuel in the sixties, Now it's just grease to get the young people from screen to screen.
Rock 'Til You Drop!
As ever,
John Hartmann
It was nice to see you and Andy up at Beaver Creek on Thursday. Yea, the big wheel keeps on turning and I keep going out to play if someone says there are people who want to take a trip down memory lane and hear a few new tunes as well. It's fun playing with my daughter, truthfully I wouldn't be doing this if she wasn't along for the ride- (she has four daughters of her own) and her husband is really supportive for the few shows we do.
Anyway, thanks for the nice article, you have a great way of taking people along on your personal journey as you observe the music. Thanks for coming out and for stopping by to say hello!!!
Richie
____________________________
I produced, engineered and mixed Richie's "Still DELiverin' Return to The Troubadour" a few years back, which was the 50th anniversary concert at the Troubadour of the iconic Poco record "DeLiverin.'"
Richie is a good man and a consumate pro and can still bring it live. It was a pleasure getting to hear those iconic Poco songs after all these years.
One never knows what makes one a star but I got the impression that Richie probably didn't care in the end about that.
Having worked with lots of stars there is something intangible that divides the "star" from the one that has sh*t gobs of talent but maybe doesn't really care about that specific part of one's career. I am not going to get in the secular religious piece of his or anyone's career but I have quite a few musician friends that have set off on that path and it doesn't really intersect with wanting to play the game.
Anyway, Richie's music will be in the DNA of American music forever regardless.
Best back
Ross Hogarth
____________________________
Hi Bob,
It was nice to see you and Andy up at Beaver Creek on Thursday. Yea, the big wheel keeps on turning and I keep going out to play if someone says there are people who want to take a trip down memory lane and hear a few new tunes as well. It's fun playing with my daughter, truthfully I wouldn't be doing this if she wasn't along for the ride- (she has four daughters of her own) and her husband is really supportive for the few shows we do.
Anyway, thanks for the nice article, you have a great way of taking people along on your personal journey as you observe the music. Thanks for coming out and for stopping by to say hello!!!
Richie
____________________________
I still stream Poco. I first met them at an outdoor gig I booked for them in 1971, I think, for the Simsbury (CT) Youth Center. Loved Pickin' Up the Pieces album so much. It was an exciting time to be around live music.
Tony D'Amelio
____________________________
Poco. Central Park, Summer '72. Powered mescaline. It started to drizzle during "Good Feeling to Know (with an extended jam at the end.) The stage lights lit the raindrops. Richie's voice and Paul Cotton's lead guitar turned the Manhattan night into one of the greatest musical moments of my life.
Matt Auerbach...
____________________________
One of the joys of producing concerts in the early days was the ability to make friends and keep them as they came through on tour. Every group had its own personality, created by its music, musicians and crew. Some you couldn't wait to see, others not so much.
You always looked forward to working with Poco. Not only was the music sublime, but they could sell tickets, and were a pleasure to hang out with.
If every group has a public face, Poco can credit then-road manager Denny Jones. I hope some of your readers with similar backgrounds feel the same way.
Alan DeZon
____________________________
But anyway bye bye..fave Richie vocal,thx Bob
Woody Price
____________________________
Nicely written, I saw Richie as the opener for one of the final Ronstadt tours, understated excellence.
About the origins of the LA sound epitomized by the Eagles I had the same conversation with Christian Nesmith at my house several years ago which included Furay but also Christian's Dad Michael and Rick Nelson's Stone Cyn Band. It was a great blender at the right time that all birthed some great music.
Don Adkins
SoCal Photographer
____________________________
As good as anything today:
"Starlight (Richie Furay Band: I've Got a Reason) (1976)"
https://youtu.be/WbPTXsvH61g?si=G9shsUT3olIIAp8i
Tom Lewis
____________________________
Oh boy! What a great column! A few years back, I had the chance to see Richie Furay at the Turning Point in Piermont NY. A wonderful small venue that still attracts the road warriors like Steve Forbert, and many others in the tri-state musician community. The Buffalo Springfield, for me, was just the coolest band ever. Stills with that hat, and Neil with his fringed leather jacket. But I was always captured by their guitars, Neil played a Gretsch White Falcon...a guitar to die for in 1965, but it cost a thousand bucks. No wonder I bought a Hagstrom III for $129. Richie played a covet-worthy Gibson electric 12-string. Couldn't afford a Fender Telecaster for $179 at the time...Anyway, Richie signed my copies of Poco albums, the first Buffalo Springfield LP...vinyl mind you...I bought the first version of the Buffalo Springfield's first LP...it didn't have For What It's Worth as the first cut...It was Baby Don't Scold Me. I brought the LP back to exchange it for the new version. That first LP without For What it's Worth, became a collector's item in the Buffalo Springfield saga. Richie signed my copy of Picking Up the Pieces and you could not have asked for a better meet and greet. Thanks for the report. I've been up at Vail and Beaver Creek when they get the music going and hey, rocky mountain high colorado!
Chip Lovitt
____________________________
I saw Jim Messina at Ridgefield Playhouse on the Thursday night before the Friday COVID shut live music down. A friend had extra tix and I was a little leery.
He was great. His band was like the Loggins and Messina bands, versatile with woodwinds and a lot of coloration and textures.
His voice and guitar were excellent and the songs were familiar and amazing. Acts from back in the day can be hit or miss when they reach a certain age but the Buffalo Springfield alums have done better than most.
William Nollman
Silvermine
____________________________
Saw Buffalo Springfield in 1966(?) when they toured with The Beach Boys. Became life-long fan of all the members of the band. Saw Poco in its original configuration at a local college. Last saw Richie Furay at Birchmere in Northern VA in with a band that included his daughter. He will always be among my favorite musicians.
William Hultman
____________________________
Once again, you nailed it.
On October 21, 2010 - a Thursday night in Seattle - I read online that the Buffalo Springfield were reuniting at the annual Bridge Concerts.
Withing minutes, I bought 2 10th-row tickets, booked a hotel, booked a first-class flight and, on Saturday, a friend and I were walking into the Shoreline to see them.
I patiently sat through an acoustic Billy Idol set, an acoustic Elvis Costello set (replacing an ailing Kristofferson), with Emmylou sitting in, etc.
Then there they were, Steven, Richie, and Neil with what was obviously Neil's rhythm section.
The whole set was a acoustic, of course (it's a Bridge Concert) but that didn't matter.
I couldn't believe this was happening - I was 12 when I bought Bluebird/Mr. Soul 45, and had everything they ever did on boxes, bootlegs, etc. A dead band. Yet there they were, starting with "On the Way Home", with Richie on vocals. Richie Furay, flanked by Stills and Young!
I call these events "Lazurus Moments".
I was close enough to see the looks on their faces and the state of their bodies. It was clear that Richie looked the same but with gray hair, and the other two looked as battle-worn as you'd expect.
Gary Lang
____________________________
Missed Furay at BC but I still have the SHF band album, from the cut-out section at Peaches. They tried to be the answer to CSN but no one cared. Richie was always close to stardom but never quite made it. I remember he was a Minister down in Boulder with his own Church years ago. Boulder had a great scene back then when Caribou Ranch was the place to be.
I saw that ASIA ad but there are two ASIA's touring, the other one with Geoff Downes, the one at Beaver Creek? Like the two Yes' a few years ago. So sad they can't just all get along.
I learned to ski at the Concord and at Kutsher's then went over to Holiday Mountain. They used to have tie-dyed snow at the Concord! Neil Sedaka's parents I think lived in Monticello and I taught his daughter Dara to ski, or tried to, she was impossible.
A surprisingly good free show at BC last year was Ambrosia who sounded great even without David Pack, who has one of the best and most underrated voices in music. They did have the other 3 original guys and played a mix of the classic Prog stuff, the big ballads and some great covers They even joked about being labeled as Yacht Rock actually playing front of people who likely have Yachts, They really surprised me.
Now I really have to see Gary Puckett and the Union Gap at BC!
Ciao,
Barry Levinson
____________________________
Damn, Bob...this brought me to tears several times, had to write.
A guy at my first job in the grocery store in 1975 turned me on to Poco, and I became obsessed. Made special trips to Austin just to buy their albums at one of the then seven record stores within walking distance of The Drag.
The history of it, starting with Buffalo Springfield, was like an occult treasure to a "different" kid in Bumfuq South Texas. Poco was part of the biggest geneaolocial tree of rock and roll there ever was. Who did what, where the others came from...all of it was fascinating to a 16 year kid who saw rock as a sacred thing.
I learned about Illinois Speed Press and found the album on one of the Austin trips. It was like a hidden sub-history, finding out where Paul Cotton came from, and seeing how he changed the sound of the band.
Good Feelin' To Know, as far as I was concerned, was a masterpiece of an album. THAT record should have broken them through. After that came Crazy Eyes, and you could tell Richie was leaving just by the writing, and the sound of the album itself. Finding out it was about Gram Parsons was like finding another bit of that history...that geneaology.
And the band shouldered on, became even tighter, if that's at all possible, and put out Seven, Cantamos, and then the album with "Keep On Tryin'." That song was what I would play people when I was trying to explain Poco to them and get them turned on to the band. I was a Pocovangelist when I was a sophomore in high school...I even did a massive painting of the cover of 'Seven' with the horseshoe, for my wall.
Then came Rose of Cimmaron, and when Timothy left, Rusty took over that airy-high vocal spot on the two records that finally "did it " for them, with covers by none other than Phil Hartman.
I'm just a few years behind you in the chronological scheme of it, in that final section of the Boom called "Generation Jones": too old to Boom, too young to GenX. I was anachronistic and autistic as a kid, glued to the radio from toddlerhood on.
I did deep dives on every kind of music, and the HISTORY OF IT was always first and foremost. The perspective of when it happened in the timeline, hell, just Historical Perspective in general, just doesn't exist in people now. And they don't want to know.
I am sad to see the natural progression. I feel as "cringe" as the old Big Bands my parents loved now. But rock and roll...it did bind kindred souls, no matter HOW old we were. Y'all may have been ten or so years older, but I was just as "there" with the music. The music bonded everyone, especially from '64 to '72, what to me were the "Golden Years" of pop music on AM.
The originals all passing, I feel an urge to make sure all that rock history that got me through a rocky teen-hood doesn't all disappear and die. Another friend sent me a copy of a book written about the Haight Ashbury, called "We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us Against" by Nicholas Won Hoffman. He wrote it as his Thesis for "Dr. Jolly"...it has given me a whole new window onto the Haight Street scene. This is history that needs to be passed on, to be perpetuated, not to die with those who lived it.
Thanks again for another good one, Bob,
Byron Beyer
____________________________
Well, if the lyrics "Colorado mountains I can see your distant sky, bringin' a tear of joy to my eye" didn't resonate w/ the folks at Beaver Creek, then it's unlikely they'd resonate anywhere else.
If I had to choose the most underrated band and artist from the 1970's, my ballot would likely have Poco and Richie Furay at the very top. I'd probably have to select both as a write-in vote given the shameful lack of recognition of each (beyond Furay's days w/ Buffalo Springfield), but those in the know certainly know. The Eagle's get all the accolades as pioneers of country rock, and probably deservedly so, but the quality of Poco's music isn't too far behind, and in several instances their work is arguably better. Poco's writing wasn't always consistent, (then again, whose is), but the band's lack of recognition and commercial success is a travesty.
No doubt if Ahmet and the strong promo team at Atlantic records had oversight of Poco's early releases, they would have had a much better chance of success, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. For those not familiar w/ Poco's body of work, check out their 2-disc compilation "The Forgotten Trail." Serious music enthusiasts are familiar w/ early stage Poco players Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, Timothy B. Schmit and Richie Furay, but the late Rusty Young is arguably one of the best pedal steel players of all-time.
Stuart K. Marvin
____________________________
I lived in Boulder and had my first commercial studio there in the 70s. Poco, Firefall, Tommy Bolin, and Boz Scaggs were staples of the times. Glad Richie's still doing it. As the Mighty Quinn said, "Take care of all your memories because you cannot relive them." My trash bin will be full of tapes and records and books when my kids clean up after I'm gone. They might keep some actual photos and a few of my instruments, and I'm okay with all that. The satisfaction is that at least some of my story will live on, in whatever form the digital now allows. Your readers will still be quoting you until AI replaces all reading and talking. "Any day now, I (we) shall be released."
Victor Levine
____________________________
I knew I was in trouble when I started seeing ads for bands I liked in junior high playing 4:30pm shows at The Villages. Hopefully rock 'n' roll never forgets.
Vince Welsh
____________________________
This inspired me to see where else he was playing. At first it looked like New Jersey but then saw he's at the Boulton Center on Long Island in Bay Shore on the 24th. Bought a couple of the few remaining tickets immediately. Looking forward to it.
Thank you!
Michael Williams
____________________________
August, Beaver Creek, the Rocky Mountains and Richie Furay... A Good Feeling To Know INDEED!
George Briner
____________________________
Bob: Thanks for remembering Poco. They belong in the RR Hall of Fame, as does America. Richie was the lead singer in Buffalo Springfield when I signed them to William Morris. They were a crusty bunch, except for Richie, he always was and has remained a kind hearted soul. The others eventually mellowed out, so kudos to them too.
Harlan Goodman and I managed Poco for eight albums, Poco Seven through Legend which delivered two top five singles and was their first and only platinum L.P.. They had a long string of managers, Green & Stone, Shiffman & Larson, Geffen & Roberts, Hartmann & Goodman, and Peter Golden. The story of their roller coaster career is classic American Rock & Roll.
The move to ABC is what changed the arc of their career. Abandoning one's catalog was not de rigueur in those days. You lost your leverage. but Epic was too comfortable selling 350K units and never supported a single. Mybrother Phil designed many of their covers, including Poco Seven and Legend, his Horse logo remained their emblem to the end.
Forty years later I was at an 'Old Timers Luncheon' and sat next to this guy who informed me that he used to run Epic, and I told him how I sent Epic prexy Ron Alexenburg an original Phil Hartman watercolor of the Poco 7 cover. When we moved Poco to ABC he stomped on it and broke the glass. He sent it to me complete with footprints. I reframed it with the broken glass included. He says to me I'm Ron Alexenburg. I was totally shocked. He had lost a hundred pounds and I didn't recognize him. He looked real good. We laughed a lot.
Music was our fuel in the sixties, Now it's just grease to get the young people from screen to screen.
Rock 'Til You Drop!
As ever,
John Hartmann
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Mountain Queen-The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa
Netflix trailer: https://tinyurl.com/mr86e6rk
I was into Everest before it was big.
That's what we used to say about rock acts in the sixties and seventies, like Yes, whose first album my dentist turned me on to and didn't break through until two LPs later, really three, with "Fragile."
That used to be the process. You discovered and owned an act, followed them from the club to the theatre to maybe the arena after they had a big AM hit, and when the hoi polloi came on board, that's what you'd say. Or as Bill Murray told his girlfriend in "Stripes," "You know one day Tito Puente's gonna be dead, and you're gonna say 'Oh, I've been listening to him for years, and I think he's fabulous.'"
The funny thing is Tito Puente didn't die for two decades.
But that's not the point.
The point is someone turned me on to the book "Annapurna" in high school. I vividly remember reading it, becoming enraptured with the tale of Himalayan mountain climbing.
And then in '96, the internet had progressed to the point where there were live reports from the Everest climbing season, and the disaster that ensued, ultimately covered in an "Outside" article by Jon Krakauer which was expanded into the book "Into Thin Air." I was into Krakauer early too, I went to a friend's birthday party and they gave out his first book, "Eiger Dreams," wherein a climber falls off the Eiger and lives, along with a bunch of other climbing tales.
And about two months ago, I read Will Cockrell's new book "Everest, Inc., The Renegades and Rogues who Built An Industry at the Top of the World": https://shorturl.at/4IfdN which delineates the modern history of climbing Everest, and how the Sherpas have taken over the business.
And then I listened to a recent Blister podcast entitled "Adrian Ballinger on Everest, Ethics, & Unexplored Places" https://shorturl.at/93iOG
All this to say when I read about "Mountain Queen" I was eager to see it, but you don't have to be a mountain acolyte to love this documentary.
Oh, one other Everest link, someone recently posted a drone video of the climbing route: https://shorturl.at/x7HlB
But that doesn't compare with the visuals in this movie. Especially climbing up the ever-shifting Khumbu Icefall, where death is seemingly inevitable every year.
So what we've got here is an uneducated woman with a son who decided to leave her mark, do something great, by being the first woman on Everest. First as porter, then as a guide.
It's an incredible achievement.
But then she meets this Romanian climber and moves to Hartford, CT, has a couple more kids, continues to climb Everest, and deals with his abuse.
"Mountain Queen" hit Netflix on the last day of last month, and I highly recommend it, I'd put it at the top of your list.
But I'd also say to upgrade to Netflix 4k just for this movie, the visuals are unbelievable.
It's an hour and forty four minutes and your mind will never wander.
Lhakpa climbs the mountain to inspire her children, and it didn't resonate with me until the very end. I wince when I read about a person doing this or that to inspire others, but when Lhakpa throws her arms in the air at the end of this doc, goddamn, it made me think I could do things too.
It's cognitive dissonance, Lhakpa is working in Whole Foods, then she flies to Nepal to climb the world's tallest mountain.
This is just not a story of mountain climbing, but of a person, born with no advantages who made her own way, despite the huge challenges in her path.
I've only been technical mountain climbing once. It's easy until it's difficult. Rappelling back down was no big deal. But when I had to pressure my hands against the overhanging rock as I scuffled along with my feet on this V-shaped formation laid on its side...that was too much.
I'd like to go to Everest Base Camp. I would not like to climb Everest, that's not how I want to die. But "Everest, Inc." says that if you're in shape, they can now even take you up K2, one of the most difficult climbs in the Himalayas.
And it used to be Everest was remote. Now we have satellite phones, the whole world is networked. Then again, it's pretty easy to be beaten by Mother Nature, I've had my own close calls.
As for non-climbers needing to make the trek for whatever reason... Everybody's trying to prove something to the world. When in truth, it's only about proving something to yourself. So, if you're climbing Everest to brag...I don't get it.
There are a lot of questions raised in "Mountain Queen." I don't care if you live on the water, if the nearest mountain is far away, you're going to be intrigued and moved.
This is a winner.
--
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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I was into Everest before it was big.
That's what we used to say about rock acts in the sixties and seventies, like Yes, whose first album my dentist turned me on to and didn't break through until two LPs later, really three, with "Fragile."
That used to be the process. You discovered and owned an act, followed them from the club to the theatre to maybe the arena after they had a big AM hit, and when the hoi polloi came on board, that's what you'd say. Or as Bill Murray told his girlfriend in "Stripes," "You know one day Tito Puente's gonna be dead, and you're gonna say 'Oh, I've been listening to him for years, and I think he's fabulous.'"
The funny thing is Tito Puente didn't die for two decades.
But that's not the point.
The point is someone turned me on to the book "Annapurna" in high school. I vividly remember reading it, becoming enraptured with the tale of Himalayan mountain climbing.
And then in '96, the internet had progressed to the point where there were live reports from the Everest climbing season, and the disaster that ensued, ultimately covered in an "Outside" article by Jon Krakauer which was expanded into the book "Into Thin Air." I was into Krakauer early too, I went to a friend's birthday party and they gave out his first book, "Eiger Dreams," wherein a climber falls off the Eiger and lives, along with a bunch of other climbing tales.
And about two months ago, I read Will Cockrell's new book "Everest, Inc., The Renegades and Rogues who Built An Industry at the Top of the World": https://shorturl.at/4IfdN which delineates the modern history of climbing Everest, and how the Sherpas have taken over the business.
And then I listened to a recent Blister podcast entitled "Adrian Ballinger on Everest, Ethics, & Unexplored Places" https://shorturl.at/93iOG
All this to say when I read about "Mountain Queen" I was eager to see it, but you don't have to be a mountain acolyte to love this documentary.
Oh, one other Everest link, someone recently posted a drone video of the climbing route: https://shorturl.at/x7HlB
But that doesn't compare with the visuals in this movie. Especially climbing up the ever-shifting Khumbu Icefall, where death is seemingly inevitable every year.
So what we've got here is an uneducated woman with a son who decided to leave her mark, do something great, by being the first woman on Everest. First as porter, then as a guide.
It's an incredible achievement.
But then she meets this Romanian climber and moves to Hartford, CT, has a couple more kids, continues to climb Everest, and deals with his abuse.
"Mountain Queen" hit Netflix on the last day of last month, and I highly recommend it, I'd put it at the top of your list.
But I'd also say to upgrade to Netflix 4k just for this movie, the visuals are unbelievable.
It's an hour and forty four minutes and your mind will never wander.
Lhakpa climbs the mountain to inspire her children, and it didn't resonate with me until the very end. I wince when I read about a person doing this or that to inspire others, but when Lhakpa throws her arms in the air at the end of this doc, goddamn, it made me think I could do things too.
It's cognitive dissonance, Lhakpa is working in Whole Foods, then she flies to Nepal to climb the world's tallest mountain.
This is just not a story of mountain climbing, but of a person, born with no advantages who made her own way, despite the huge challenges in her path.
I've only been technical mountain climbing once. It's easy until it's difficult. Rappelling back down was no big deal. But when I had to pressure my hands against the overhanging rock as I scuffled along with my feet on this V-shaped formation laid on its side...that was too much.
I'd like to go to Everest Base Camp. I would not like to climb Everest, that's not how I want to die. But "Everest, Inc." says that if you're in shape, they can now even take you up K2, one of the most difficult climbs in the Himalayas.
And it used to be Everest was remote. Now we have satellite phones, the whole world is networked. Then again, it's pretty easy to be beaten by Mother Nature, I've had my own close calls.
As for non-climbers needing to make the trek for whatever reason... Everybody's trying to prove something to the world. When in truth, it's only about proving something to yourself. So, if you're climbing Everest to brag...I don't get it.
There are a lot of questions raised in "Mountain Queen." I don't care if you live on the water, if the nearest mountain is far away, you're going to be intrigued and moved.
This is a winner.
--
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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