Re-JD Souther

Bob: JD was a crusty cowboy whose machismo rivalled Steve McQueen, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson. David Geffen and I thought if we could get him in the, as yet unnamed, Eagles, they would be bigger than The Beatles.

We rented the Troubadour during the day for a week and the five of them rehearsed. By Friday afternoon it was all over, maybe Don Henley could tell you why. Eve Babitz took a photo of the assemblage behind the club, but I've never been able to find it online. 

JD Souther was my friend and a superstar, but you had to be close to see the brightness of his light. We will forever bear the weight of his absence. Thank you for this fitting tribute to one of the greats.

As ever, Hartmann

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Thank you for that thoughtful piece, which captured a lot of what JD Souther was about. Without question, he was one of the important figures in the creation and development of California Country Rock, a style of music that inarguably dominated the American music scene in the 1970s. I met him and Glenn after a Longbranch-Pennywhistle set at the Troubadour in 1970, and I remember that when I found out he was from the Texas panhandle, we immediately got into a mutual love fest over Underwood's Texas Barbecue, a famous place on Route 66 in Amarillo well known to every road musician.

There is one word I'd like to add to this and that is "collaborator." JD was masterful at this in two ways: first off, he could get stuck on writing a song, like he did with "New Kid in Town," and have the understanding to go to Don and Glenn to help him finish it, along with enough wisdom to recognize what their contribution brought to the work. But for me, one of his most unsung talents was his amazing harmony singing.

The harmony part he came up with on Linda's version of "Faithless Love" is not only pleasing to the ear, but from a musical perspective it is utterly original. As a musician, I listen to that part and I have no idea how he came up with it, only that it works superbly. I urge you to listen to it now and compare it to the more standard, Everly Brothers style two-part.

All of us in our little community are deeply saddened by this sudden loss. I will miss JD and our fifty-year friendship more than I can say.

Best,
John Boylan

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In my early teens J.D. Souther was one of the first people that I became aware of that was this thing called a "songwriter". Seeing his name peppered across Eagles credits on album jackets and connecting the dots that painted an intriguing picture: a disproportionate number of the best Eagles songs had his name on them.
 
I stayed with him through the Souther, Hillman Furay debacle. I think your analysis of why they failed is right, though at the time and as a fan I also thought I could intuitively sense that they were "put together" by corporate interests, not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that - when it doesn't show through!
 
In the early '90s when he sold his catalog to EMI publishing I had the great fortune to be in a few meetings with him, and probably annoyed him with all my questions. My favorite moment was when I said "given all your relationships with the Eagles and their extended community before the band was formed, all your extensive co-writing, and the rumour (that he confirmed) that you had actually jammed with them one day as a prospective member, why WEREN'T you a member? His response was to look me up and down with a bit of world weary disgust/contempt, and he said in a dead pan manner "I'm not a BAND kind of guy". Point taken!
 
Michael McCarty

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I found JD to be a gem.  I'd always loved his songs, and when he played the Dakota (Minneapolis) or MIM (Phoenix), he was personable and focused.  Tuned in and a little shy. He told me one night how much he loved Nellie McKay and would love to sing with her.  I called Nellie and they did a couple of nights together at the Dakota.  The apparent ingenue with an incisive edge and the grizzled master with an open heart made for delicious nights of music.  JD wanted to do more dates, but Nellie's not into touring. He had dates planned this winter with Karla Bonoff, another one of our songwriting masters and I'll never get to hear them. I'm really sorry he's gone.
Thanks for the great article.

Lowell Pickett

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Oh no! So shocked and sorry to hear about JD Souther passing on. These days (to use a poignant Jackson Browne title that takes on even deeper meaning nowadays) when I read your epistles of sanity in a world gone mad, you often open by mentioning someone in the past tense (was vs. is) and at that moment my heart jumps into my throat and I Google to see if he or she is still among the living. But undeniably the actors who played major roles in the golden age of rock are leaving the stage one by one …

JD epitomised LA cool at an extraordinary moment which lasted less then a decade, when rock, country, counter-culture and unbelievable f*cking musicianship emerged innocent, energised and undiluted in the City of Angels. Then the cocaine epidemic hit but that's another story. JD and I played a show together at Kent State in the mid 70's (yes, the "four dead in Ohio" college) which was spooky in itself and spent a long after show talking about F. Scott Fitzgerald. Always hoped I'd see him again down the road … alas.

From Paris,
Elliott Murphy

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Years ago, I was asked to perform my songs as part of a songwriter in the round
at the HBO offices. I said yes without knowing who else was going to be there. On the day of the event, I showed up with my mandolin and found out. On stage to my right was Rosanne Cash, to her right was Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics) and to his right was J.D. Souther. Songs were sung, stories were told. It was an honor to be a part of it all.

I was shocked to hear about Souther. His songs will forever stand the test of time.

Marvin Etzioni

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Thank you for your lovely words about JD Souther.  One more from the Front Line Files circa 1984:  as an assistant, we often got random requests from the artists, and one day JD's beautiful girlfriend cut her hand badly and they went to the ER.  He called the office and asked for assistant support so Howard Kaufman sent me.  While we were waiting, he talked about his growing up, his dad (who also sang; sometime later JD played me the LP of his dad singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas") , and his music.  Pretty sure he was just a bit anxious;)

The thing I clearly remember was JD talking about the difference between Don Henley and himself.  He loved that Don was relentless in pursuit of perfection but for himself, he always wanted to tweak things for a little flaw.  Always reminds me of  Leonard Cohen's ANTHEM "…there's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in…".

Love that JD was going out with Karla Bonoff later this month.  Rest well, John David.

Love, 
Robin Ruse-Rinehart

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Thank you so much for this beautiful tribute. I especially appreciate the quoted lyrics. He is unmatched.

Johanna Hall

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Great piece on J.D. I produced several shows beginning in the mid-eighties that featured him.
We hung out quite a few times and had mutual friends.

Very brilliant man, an intellectual. His writing was as good as it gets and that voice! One of the most special and inimitable voices ever heard. Better than anyone in the Eagles I think.

The last time I saw him was at the Bluebird Cafe playing an intimate show. Even in his seventies his voice hadn't lost a thing. He told me he had just bought a farm in Franklin.

So saddened to hear of his passing. We are losing the greatest generation of singer-songwriters. :(

Jack Hayford

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Back when he was still a student at Tacosa High School in Amarillo, J.D. Souther (along with the rest of Sammy & The Emeralds - J.D. was the drummer) cut his first ever record - "Miss Tiny Tears" b/w "Oh, Am I Blue" at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis.

Vince Welsh

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Hey Bob, I was lucky enough to manage JD, a couple of times. But I was lucky to have as a friend. He lived every word that he wrote. He had an unmatched sense of humor, and he could find fun anywhere. Everything you said is true. But fame was never what he was looking for, it was always the next great lyric. He seemed to always find it. But now he's gone, in life goes on. Thanks for this amazing tribute for my dear friend. 

David Spero

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Thanks for the heads up Bob. I was fortunate to catch him live - with Jackson at the Cellar Door in 1972 and later with Richie and Chris Hillman. A great talent. 

David Murphy

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Interviewed JD on the phone (he couldn't have been any nicer) and met him when he played in Birmingham shortly thereafter. He was gracious to his fans and was available for photo ops and autographs after the show. Another great one from this generation that has left us - thanks for your tribute to him. 

Brent Thompson 

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Still have all his LPs, as in vinyl. I caught JD many times when he came East...last time maybe a dozen years ago...(ya know time slips away and levis with nothing but boring stories of glory days, right?) Up in Torrington CT...your home state...Anyway he couldn't have been nicer...and all those songs...

Chip Lovitt

I loved this JD Souther song from the instant I saw the song title...this was the demo before JD speeded up his song for his first LP. What a great song...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MvswJ2glyo

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He was my neighbor in New Mexico. Kept
To himself but a good neighbor. I knew of his passing but couldn't say anything to friends because of privacy. Was good to me. Will be missed for sure. 

tjlambert

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I so appreciate every word that you wrote on this email. I connected about four dozen times. He was the reason I wanted to get to California as fast as I could!  JD Souther!!
He is still my favorite single writer.  
I just played "Silver Blue" last week for some reason...
Now I know why...

Steven McClintock 

37 Records

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Total bummer. His songs were on the musical tree of life.

Rest in peace.

Will Eggleston

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He was a monster writer singer and influence. Plus he was so super cool and mysterious and sexy! Just a quiet GIANT. RIP. Thx for this Bob. 

Peter van Roden

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Wonderful tribute to a treasure:  a one of a kind poet & singer & presence. Viva "Black Rose."  

Walt Wilkins

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OMG. I'm really bummed. Had tickets to see him at the Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale Tuesday night with Karla Bonoff. 

So many deaths the last few years. So sad

May he rest in peace 

Randy Schaaf

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Aw, damn.  RIP.
I haven't read your piece yet, but I met JD at one of our record store conventions a decade or so back.  He did a songwriters' roundtable performance with Jill Sobule and, I believe, Ray Lamontagne.  I spoke to JD after as I was such a Zevon fan, and he was very lovely and so nice.  We talked about the business and my store and Charleston, and he said he'd really like to come to Charleston some time and see the store, meanwhile his manager is trying to get him out of there, yeah yeah we'll look at going to Charleston, come on, we have places to go.  Seemed like his focus was wont to stray from time to time.  Anyway I won't soon forget that meeting.  Good guy.

catmonster

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Lovely tribute. Another musical hero gone too soon. 

Her Town Too, and New Kid In Town will always be my favorite songs that JD lent his talents to.  As for Black Rose…what a record!  If You Have Crying Eyes…with that INCREDIBLE duet/harmony exchange with Linda. Stunning.  And Joe Walsh's guitar on Baby Come Home is unmistakable.

I finally got to see him perform solo at City Winery a decade or so ago and he totally delivered!  New Kid in Town was raw and tender at the same time…trademark JD Souther.

Marc Reiter

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Your writing is wonderful. Thank you for this moving and thoughtful piece on an artist who has profoundly resonated with me over the course of my musical life. 

I was born too late for the Canyon scene, the solo albums, or the Souther Hillman Furay records. I'm unsure I can pinpoint when I heard J.D.'s work, but Black Rose is an all-time favorite. Not a bad song on it. And my god, that last song, the harmonies, the playing.… the spacing between left and right channel. The sense of a proto Hotel California. Predicting the death of a scene before the Eagles got there. That song that album activated a lifelong love with that era and the more cerebral enclaves of the Canyon. (I put fellow Asylum artist Ned Doheny in that category too). 

I saw J.D. play in London and New York. Each time, he was erudite and incredibly chic (for a boomer rock star). He had stripped the essence of these songs down to their most elemental, full of vim, arrogance, and frailty. What a performance, what a writer, what an artist. 

Thank you. 

James Denman

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One of the best concerts I ever attended was JD's solo show. Unbelievable. That man can sing and is hella funny. 

Mimi Chen

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Very nice Bob. Thanks for this. Such a good guy and he was so crazy talented.

Jeff Pollack

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Thank you Bob. I have felt off all day after learning that J.D. has passed. 
Much like Dan Fogelberg I heard the second record first and went back and then got the first one, but you are so right about Black Rose being a masterpiece.

I have played that record from start to finish an embarrassing amount of times since it's nearly 50 years ago release, often making my musician pals who are not familiar with it sit still for all 40 minutes. 

I was learning guitar in the early 70s and had graduated from Neil Young songs to James and Fogelberg and when I heard Black Rose and the opening chord to Doors Swing Open, it was like a whole new box of paints had opened up. 

And that voice, and the lyrics that made it impossible to pin down a writing style.  
Midnight Prowl w/ Lowell George!

As I dug deeper, I focused on how he sang harmony weaving in and out of the melody with Linda on her versions of his songs, almost as if he was creating a whole separate melody while still supporting the lead vocal. 

I met him briefly in Austin at the Cactus Café one afternoon and like many of my hero singer / songwriters he was polite and friendly to me.

Thanks for what you do Bob. There's music and there's the music business and I often feel like you help folks see that though they are deeply connected, they are also separate and very different.

Peace. 
Michael Lille 

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John David Souther, in many ways, was the quintessential 70's male role model for me. He, along with Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg and Don Henley, taught me everything I know about love and relationships and how a man handles those things and more.

His songs were chock full of the ache and longing that comes with daring to love and be loved.  I listened to them over and over, feeling what Fogelberg called "that old familiar pain."  In the thrall of that music, I would imagine myself in a love affair that elicits that kind of joy and desire, even before I experienced the real thing.

And his songs were so perfectly suited to the voices of the artists who covered them: The Eagles, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and especially - the original Sweetheart of the Rodeo and his once girlfriend - Linda Ronstadt.  Her cover of his Faithless Love was so perfect and powerful it would stop you in your tracks.  But, all these years later, I find J.D.'s recording every bit as perfect and even more moving with the knowledge that the words and music had eminated from the very same soul singing it to me.

Years after his music captured my heart, I had the opportunity to cast him in a short film I directed called Lonely at the Top.  I had directed only one short previously, but he was gracious enough to read my script, watch my film and - miraculously - agree to work with me.  He played an unapologetic cut-throat business man, and told me that he "knew this guy."  That proved to be accurate.  He electrified every scene of the movie, and was a joy to work with, despite non-existent pay, a meager budget and an exhausting all nighters.  We were shooting nights in Mark Platt's office at Orion, and couldn't set up until everyone went home, and then had to clean up and be out the door before the studio geared up the next morning.  He never complained once, and had a great sense of humor throughout. 

We grew to be friends through that experience, and while we didn't stay in close touch in the intervening years, I would run into him from time to time. He was always gracious, warm and affectionate, in a manner that belied his status as rock 'n' roll royalty.

When I heard he had left us, I immediately threw Black Rose on the turntable. The whole album is exquisite, but one line from Faithless Love always thrills me and exemplifies the sheer poetry of his songwriting and the understate power of his voice.

"Faithless love like a river flows
Like raindrops falling on a broken rose
Down in some valley where nobody goes
Faithless love has found me
Thrown its chilly arms around me
Faithless love, like a river flows."

Godspeed J.D., you cowboy poet.  You have carved yourself an indelible place in the universe.

Marc A. Von Arx

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In early 2010, Nashville based producer Fred Mollin and I were mastering the first of two albums of duet performances of classic songs by the great Jimmy Webb, for what was then eOne Music. We enjoyed working together on that project and started kicking around ideas for something else to do. Fred mentioned John David Souther as a good bet for an album of his own great hit songs previously recorded (and made famous) by others. I immediately jumped at the chance to work with an artist who I regarded, despite all his success, as still underrated.

Fred and John David didn't hit it off in the studio right away, but I encouraged them to stay with it and the result was, in my admittedly biased opinion, as good a retrospective of great songs at the source as there is. John David and I became friends, and Natural History got some attention, including an unforgettable live natuon radio appearance on Imus In The Morning. It sold well enough to justify a second album. As John David and I discussed ideas, I became aware of his love for Jazz and the great writers of the American Songbook. He asked me what I'd think if he wanted to record an album of standards and I replied that I would think I was talking to someone who couldn't write ten more songs. By the time he was ready with them, I had moved over to Sony Masterworks. We enlisted the great Larry Klein to produce, someone both John David and I knew could marry his singer-songwriter core with his late career jazzier inclinations, bringing the latter forward but also keeping them in check with a studio-full of LA's finest. John David called the album Tenderness, and despite a whole bunch of good reviews, the project was sadly stillborn. I wholeheartedly agree with you that Black Rose is his masterpiece, but I encourage anyone who loved JD and hasn't heard it to get over to your streamer and spend some time with Tenderness.

I've been retired for a good while now but I still talked to John David every year on his birthday. He always reminded me of a character out of a Ross MacDonald Southern California detective novel: a little hard bitten and cynical on the outside, a true romantic at his core, and so tremendously gifted in expressing and reconciling both sides in great and timeless songs. I remain absorbed with all of his work and am so grateful I got the chance to know him, befriend him, and release his last recordings. His loss hits me hard.

All the best, 

Chuck Mitchell 

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From: Brad Talley

Bob - 

You and I met in the summer of 2011, during the weekend of Carmageddon. We had invited you to McCabe's for one of JD's two-night performances. I was so glad you were able to attend, and I'm happy to know that you and JD continued to stay in touch over the years. 

Like John David himself, our relationship was complex. He was a force of nature, capable of sudden, meteoric shifts—sometimes destructive, sometimes breathtakingly beautiful, like a sunset casting a perfect palette of blues, reds, and purples. When I met him, I was a frayed, splintered wooden spoon. Seven years later, he had reshaped me into a finely crafted steak knife. 

Watching the show Succession, I often saw shades of Logan Roy in John David. His presence made me nervous, as his boyish grin could suddenly turn mean with the lightning quickness of a snake—and his bite could be just as venomous. But if you were brave enough to look past the delivery, you could find your own truth and growth in his message. 

While my partner Edward had the ability and patience to talk him off the ledge, I developed what I called the 'Lethal Weapon' management style. Lacking the credentials or status for him to lean into, my only chance to back down the lion was to seem more demonstrative—to give off that 'you wanna get nuts, let's get nuts' energy, hoping the predator would reassess its prey. When I broke, it was as if he'd immediately abandon character, breaking the fourth wall. He'd get quiet, then in a soft voice say, 'Hey man, you're freaking me out—I'm the artist, I'm supposed to be the crazy one.' He often called me *El Sensitivo*, one of several nicknames he coined over the years. 

Now, from where I stand in my life, I know what it's like to build something—and I understand the fear of trusting others with it. He had reluctantly trusted us with his career, and when he saw me pushed to my breaking point, I imagine it reassured him that I truly fought for him. 

At our best, our relationship echoed the dynamic between Chris O'Donnell and Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. He tested my limits, put me in difficult situations—and in doing so, he taught me how to expand into them, not shrink. 

We hadn't spoken in a decade, nearly to the month. When our relationship ended, I declined his calls. 

But as the years passed, perception evolved into perspective. I became more grateful for our time together and the impact he had on my life. He opened doors to people, places, and experiences I could never have imagined, and he became the gateway to relationships that remain important to me today. He taught me the power of a good sport coat and well-worn side-zip boots, how to make a martini, and introduced me to quality scotch. I learned that money has its perks, but happiness can still be elusive. We shared a love of dogs, good filmmaking, mischief, and sharp wit. When asked a question outside of business, he'd often say he didn't want to talk about it—but if you embraced silence at just the right moment, he'd fill it with stories that could make you rich. To this day, I always dress nicely when I fly, no matter the destination. 'When people see you,' he'd say, 'they should know you're traveling with purpose.' 

As his manager, I helped him move mountains. But when the time came for us to simply enjoy being the friends we surely would have been, I found myself out of breath—muscles weak with jitters—and I took the space I needed to rest. Yet, over the years, he was still there for me. When I felt abandoned or misunderstood, I'd often remember something he'd remind me of: 

'When people don't know what you mean, they may laugh at you and call you green. They'll say your words are stupid, and your plans are only schemes. The truth is simple, but rarely ever seen.' 

I'd sing it quietly in my head, and in doing so, I felt seen, heard, and known.  

After COVID, I left the music industry to become a mental health therapist. As it turns out, working in the music industry is mental-health adjacent. I now focus much of my practice on artists and industry professionals. While John David remains nameless, I often tell clients something a wise man once told me: 'Never agree to anything but flying first class, because if you do, you'll never fly first class again.' 

Of course, they usually stare back at me, confused. I respond with a gentle smirk and say, 'You see… if you don't stand up for yourself—your values, your integrity, your relationships, your truth—if you don't set your own worth, someone else will.' 
—
I woke up to the news of his passing on Wednesday morning. I was surprised by how disoriented I felt, as if I'd been ejected from orbit and was now spinning off into space. But when the world loses someone who exerted such gravity in your life, the same physics apply. I found myself unusually quiet, and when I opened my mouth, no words came. I listened to Natural History on repeat throughout the day, and when I went to bed that night, I had a dream. Unlike most dreams, I remember this one in vivid detail.

He was sitting alone at a table in a dimly lit, empty bar—it felt as if it had been created on a soundstage. There was a magenta hue that faded softly into the darkness where perhaps an audience had sat earlier in the evening. An untouched martini sat off to his right. His tie was loosened, draped just below the undone buttons of his blue oxford shirt. His suit was a darker shade of gray than usual. When he saw me, he smiled and rose to embrace me. It was a smile I rarely saw over the years, one that only appeared when he was truly relaxed and happy. His brow unfurled, and his narrowed eyes opened like shades, emitting light and warmth—a guarded oasis that gave life to such beautiful songs. 

We spoke for what felt like a long time, communicating through visions and expressions. He showed me pieces of a puzzle that helped me see the larger picture of our relationship. Most of this I will keep between us, but I will cherish it. However, he did want me to tell you to stop putting the initials in his name—he prefers it as JD. 

Though you and I only met in passing, I've read your blog for years and can see the similarities between you and JD. A thinker, often a curmudgeon, one who says the things most people don't want to hear—but most importantly, someone who is, at their core, moved by the power of music. 

I'm glad we connected along the way, Bob. I appreciate how you wrote about JD. 

All the best,  
Bradford

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I spent the day trying to process the loss of JD Souther, who passed away September 17th, alone at his home outside Albuquerque. I met JD in 1970, soon after I moved from north Texas to Los Angeles and lived in an apartment above Golden West studio in Hollywood. It was down the street from the office of Amos Records, headed by Jimmy Bowen. JD and Glenn Frey were signed to that label as a duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle. Also on that label were my friends from North Texas State University, Jim Ed Norman and Don Henley. Their band was Shiloh, which also included Richard and Mike Bowden and Al Perkins. I saw JD and Glen perform at the Troubadour, and was impressed and inspired by their music, a country/folk mix which would now be labeled Americana, with strong songwriting and harmony singing. It was the music I was drawn to, having moved to Los Angeles as a fan of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Poco. I formed a group called Uncle Jim's Music and we were produced by John Boylan, who had been producing Linda Ronstadt's records. JD and Linda were living together at this time and we would go to Linda's house to hear our rough mixes because John's favorite speakers were there. By 1972 Glenn Frey and Henley formed the Eagles and had immediate amazing radio success, and my band split up and I played bars around LA until I moved back to Texas in 1973. I didn't see JD for years until he moved to Nashville, we renewed our friendship and attempted to write a few songs. It was great to have him in our circle of friends. Everyone loved his wonderful songs and singing, and he did some acting in the "Nashville" TV series. He eventually sold his place in Nashville and moved to Sandia Park outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2022 I spent some time with him there, just hangin out and catching up, not seriously trying to write songs. He told me about his musical family, that his dad was a great big band style singer and had a music store in Amarillo. The last time I saw him was when he came to perform at the Franklin Theater. I don't know anything more about the cause of his death except that he was alone and his housekeeper found him. My hope is that he didn't suffer. Our common friend Jack Tempchin had spoken to him recently and said that he had sat in at an Eagles show, and had played a solo show only five days before he passed. JD was a sweet friend to me and was generous in acknowledging my songwriting, and I of course was a huge fan of his iconic compositions that have become a part of our culture. It may not be known by some that JD played drums, saxophone and piano as well as guitar. He had a defined compositional style all his own and a broad harmonic imagination, with that beautiful vocal delivery. I'm so proud to have known him through the years, he will be missed by many, and his contribution to American music will live on. I remember loving his first record so much, and all that followed. I recommended a deep dive into his recordings for everyone who loves expertly crafted songs and beautiful singing. Deepest condolences to his family in Amarillo and his ex-wife Sarah and her daughter whom he loved dearly. Rest in peace our gifted friend.

Gary Nicholson

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From: Jack Tempchin

Thanks for writing about him.  You wrote things no one else wrote.
I met JD and Glenn long before they were famous.  JD and I were very close friends for about 54 years.
Always a fascinating guy and a deep river....
I loved every minute I ever spent with him.
We wrote very few songs together....One was called "One More Chance To Break My Heart Again"  and was recorded by Trisha Yearwood.

I wrote this the day he died, it's not much but it made me feel a little better....

another door closed forever.
Jack

FOR J.D.SOUTHER    
ME AND YOU
2024-09-17

I know you can't go back again
but sometimes it's nice
to remember when
we smoked some joints 
and played guitar
and for a minute
the world was ours

we never said 
words like love
but the angels smiled on us 
from above
every moment was forever
in the songs we'd sing
I guess back then
we had everything

we saw each other
every day
but you know how time
just slips away
and our lives  change
as the river flows
and the years they come
and the years they go

Still I called you just
the other day
and I said I Iove you 
in my way
and we said hey lets get together again
and we laughed the way we did back then

But the chance is gone
and the world is blue
and there is nothing I can do
but just remember
me and you

Those good old times
Old friend of mine
when it was me and you

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Mentions

Billy Corgan mentioned me.

I was eating a late lunch reading "Pollstar" and...

I always read while I eat. I know some who watch TV, I never understood that, if for no other reason than you have to take your eyes off the screen to look at your food, to take a bite. And, it was illegal to watch TV during family dinners growing up. And it was always family dinners, we all ate together, and everybody ate the same meal, and if you didn't like what was served, tough noogies. Yes, a few times during the Vietnam war my mother turned on the evening news, but usually she asked my father about his day and then we all had to recite what had happened in school and I can't tell you how many times it ended up in a fight, my father had a short temper, he'd reach over and smack you with little provocation, one time he accused me of scraping my teeth on the tines of my fork, which was true, but I didn't know that was a slap-worthy offense.

But sans a book I can't eat. Kinda like Groucho in "A Night at the Opera," I think... He gets locked in the bathroom and yells to let him out or throw him a magazine. Have the Marx Brothers been lost to the sands of time, looks like it.

And I was in the "Wall Street Journal" earlier in the week. I get up and review the news, could take ten minutes, could take half an hour, catching up with the present on my phone while I sit on the throne, and I saw a piece in the "Wall Street Journal" about Ticketmaster and Oasis and figuring this would be an interesting take, from an authority as opposed to a punter, I read it and continued to read it, this guy was right and I wanted to see if he continued to be right, and then all of a sudden he quotes me. And quotes me again.

And I'm not telling you to impress you, I'm telling you because NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT IT!

Used to be in the old days, let's call them the pre-Spotify days, before the business got some relief, not only would I be in the news a certain amount, but I'd wake up to people telling me. If Howard mentioned me. Some publication. I'm on the west coast, three hours behind the times, and I'm not an early riser and...

The last time I was on Stern I found out myself. In a replay a couple of days later.

Now I'd read the three physical newspapers with my yogurt, and done my radio show, and I was reading this lengthy book by Claire Lombardo entitled "Same As It Ever Was" and it was nearing five and the funny thing is I rarely feel hungry, but intellectually I knew I had to eat.

So I went down to the mailbox, to see if anything had been delivered, and nothing had, so that left me with two magazines, "The Week" and "Pollstar." I'd coursed through the entire edition of "The Week," there were still some nuggets to extract, but I'd only looked at the photos and some of the grosses in "Pollstar" so I decided to start there.

There was an article about wrestling entitled "Rock & Rings," about the similarities to live music shows, and I perused it for an insight I didn't find and moved on. I grew up with wrestling, when it was localized, when you'd watch it on Channel 9 on Saturday night, with Haystacks Calhoun. And Bruno Sammartino. We knew it was fake, but nobody admitted it. I even went to what was then called an arena, which only held a few thousand people, to see it live, but I either moved on or outgrew it, I'll leave the choice to you.

But then came the WWF which turned into the WWE and I didn't get it. All cartoons. I've got nothing against it, I just can't get into it. But Bob Mould wrote for the WCW, and I knew Billy Corgan was involved...

Corgan was on the cover of "Pollstar." I couldn't exactly figure out why. And I'm not the biggest Pumpkins fan, but they were quite the rage back in the early nineties. There was a buzz, everybody on the inside was talking about them and then they were on MTV and they were the biggest band in the land for a while there.

And then Billy Corgan shaved his head. I guess I want to admit I'm bald. And broke up the band and had a zillion different concoctions, but now it's the Pumpkins again but without D'arcy and it's been that way for a few years and I know that Billy is smarter than the average bear, yet he can whine, but I figured I'd check in and see if he had anything to say.

The article started with wrestling, Billy's invested, so I skipped to the middle, which was about going on the road with Green Day, and Billy had a fix on the modern world, about streaming and sales and new material and it was a breath of fresh air after everybody who made it with him, was popular in the early nineties, has gone on record that Spotify is the devil and they lament the passage of the good old days.

Billy's articulate and insightful and I realize this and after a few questions, I decide to go back to the top, to catch the complete interview.

And I'm stunned that I'm even reading it. Because music interviews today are nitwits on parade. Thinly-veiled promotions. The new album is the best they've ever made and things are great and sure, they'll talk a bit about the person they're screwing. Used to be the interviews were intellectual. Then again, that's when the people making the music were intellectuals. They might not have had college degrees, but they could read and think.

In other words, there's more than grosses and streams. What does it all mean? And underneath it there's that pesky issue of creativity. How do you manage that.

So Billy knows he's never going to be the flavor of the month again, doesn't even want to, because that's pop and he's rock, and he's talking about seeing AC/DC and hanging with Bowie and the lessons he's learned and I turn the page and...

"There was a recent 'Lefsetz Letter' — not my favorite guy in the world but someone sent it to me — where he was talking about the new modality is pop stars selling perfume. They don't really need music anymore as long as they get their brand's support.
Well nobody's calling me up to sell any perfume. I'm here to sell music."

Billy Corgan is reading what I wrote?

I have no idea who is reading what I write.

Then again, Billy talks about Bowie escaping his image and just doing what he wanted to do, and how that worked after David flailed commercially in the late eighties and nineties.

Billy talks a lot about giving people what they want. How that's ultimately death, not only personally, but of your career. Sure, you have to play some hits, but you've got to do more than that.

Believe me, interact with the public and you know what works. And a business would keep giving the audience what it wants, but that's emotional death, and at some point people stop wanting that.

But it's so scary to march into the wilderness.

Billy is talking about the old music business being dead and...

If you read the trade press, anybody who works at a record label, you'd think it's 1965 or 1975 or even 1985. Same as it ever was, to quote David Byrne.

So what's a poor boy to do?

Certainly not play in a rock and roll band. There's no money in it. There's little money to begin with, and you've got to split what there is four, five or six ways...

And with modern technology you can make it yourself. And the audience may never go to a club.

So how are you supposed to start?

And if you have started, how are you supposed to continue?

It's not getting better, this is the new normal. Decentralization.

So on one hand you're not sure where you are in the firmament. I'm at home on a Saturday afternoon, completely disconnected, and voila!, I'm eating tuna fish and Billy Corgan is talking about me?

And I'm not a musician. And to be a successful musician you have to be good at relationships, networking. Sure, I know a ton of musicians, but I don't hang out much. I'm a writer, it's a different thing.

So am I left out?

But if I write something... Who knew I was reaching that guy at the "Wall Street Journal" and Billy Corgan.

And there are other times I read something or see something on TV and realize they've read what I wrote, because no one else ever talked about it or I did in a certain way and that's the way they're presenting it.

Let's be clear. This pays no dividends. And you feel good for maybe a minute, not much more. Winning a Grammy? If that floats your boat, you probably need it. But true creators are always mining the turf, looking for new stuff. And it's not so much that an award is meaningless, which it is, but who is doing the voting anyway? Almost everything great never gets awards.

So where does this leave you?

As for Billy taking a swing at me... I know why, he appeared at the Hollywood Bowl and I said something negative. Not horrible, but not positive. And if I do this, it's open season, wail on me all you want, I get it. But it's those I don't mention who try to eviscerate me that I don't understand.

So there's this connection to Billy, but I'm still isolated.

This is the world we're all living in. You're on your own, there's no context. And unlike in the pre-Spotify days, there's so much info that most goes unseen by most. Used to be if you were in the L.A. "Times" everybody saw it, now nobody I know gets it.

A couple of days later someone e-mailed me that they had seen me in the "Journal," cool, but if I thought that appearance was going to get me anywhere...

You have no idea what's going to get you anywhere. You've just got to put your nose to the grindstone and keep doing it. Which is tough for all, but certainly difficult for those financially challenged. You have to build it, no one else can do this for you. Sure, you'll get attention if you light yourself on fire, even Billy mentioned this, but you'll be forgotten just as soon.

There's no center.

Just a million points of light.

You'd better feel good about yourself, you'd better have a solid work ethic, because if you're depending on the penumbra, on mentions and appearances to make a big difference, to break you, you're dreaming. You just keep doing it and then one mention catches the eye of someone who reaches out and then...

Or maybe this never happens and you just grow your fanbase slowly.

I'm reading voraciously all day long.

But when people tell me about a commercial they've seen...you know the one...no I don't! I can't remember the last time I watched linear TV. Never!

So I know something, but not everything.

Same deal with everybody else.

And we all know different things.

Will people know you, respect you and continue to pay attention to you?

That's the challenge.


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Worst Live Albums-SiriusXM This Week

Tune in Saturday September 21st 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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Universal Superfandom

What a crock of sh*t.

This is what happens when you get caught with your pants down. When you've got amateurs running a public company and the books are not cooked and investors see that you don't present upside and your stock tanks.

Let's be clear, investor relations is a skill. Keeping the stock price up is a skill. The supposed greatest CEO of the twentieth century, GE's Jack Welch, consistently reported great numbers and the stock soared, even though he did this through financial engineering and decades later the truth is coming out.

Or there's Guy Hands, who purchased Capitol-EMI and didn't realize the company had been lying consistently. Shipping stock to make the Christmas numbers, and then getting it in return over the ensuing year.

It's a game. But one thing you don't do is underdeliver. That's death in the stock market. You want your business to be seen as on a never-ending upward curve. You can talk about minimal growth, but as soon as you say there's going to be negative growth, or have a bad quarter, missing expectations, you're toast.

Not that Universal's last report was so terrible, it's just that they didn't tell a good story for the future, everybody wants to hear about a roadmap. Where you're going. And that it's rosy.

This is not what Universal did. And now it's making up for it. With this cockamamie story about superfans.

Rip off your hard core fans at your peril. You want them to be with you all along the way, for decades! The more you charge them in their mania, the more they'll resent you when your hits cool. And they will, everybody's chart action dries up. Then again, by that point the acts are off the label, illustrating the short term thinking of those running these companies today. They've got no skin in the game, they didn't start them, they're only thinking about their bonuses and their exit strategies.

Want to make more money? Break more hit acts!

But the major labels are unable to do this. But that's where the action is.

As a matter of fact, the indie sector is soaring while the majors' share is going down. Hits are being streamed less. But to monetize the indie sector is something the majors are unprepared for. They've streamlined, they've focused on the hits. They're not tooled for the modern music business.

As for an increase in revenue, which is really what this is all about...

There is a question how many more streaming subscriptions can be attained. No one is quite sure what the future holds, there will be growth, but...

If growth stalls they'll just raise the price. Quick, look at your Netflix number. Did you cancel when it went up? And in truth, Spotify has much lower churn than video streaming services. That's how much people love music. And music streaming is still a bargain. But now as it matures, the price can be slowly increased.

And the details are hazy... Grainge is talking to Spotify about a supertier, but didn't he once say there'd be no exclusives? What about Amazon and Apple, never mind the minor players.

And what will you get for more money?

Higher audio rates are a canard. Almost no one cares. Just a vocal minority of oldsters. And now that this quality is available, most of these wankers don't even take advantage of it! As for charging more... Tell me about the growth of Tidal...there is none! And Apple doesn't charge extra for high quality. So how is this going to work at Spotify again?

Not only can most people not hear the difference, most don't have the equipment to play it back, today's audio quality is good enough.

So what's going to come with the supertier?

And a hard core fan wants the price to be less, not more. Since they're so devoted they want a deal.

As for the umpteen versions of hit product to run albums to the top of the chart or keep them there... That is a fad. How many people without record players are going to continue to buy vinyl?

And sure, t-shirts and other merch are great, but mostly sold at the show and the rights are controlled by the act, and if Universal wants them they're going to have to pay dearly for them.

This is akin to Clayton Christensen's "Innovator's Dilemma," the disruption Bible. When you focus on your regular customers, on a tinier slice of your regular market, your business is ultimately disrupted and eaten by nimble operators who look irrelevant at first and grow into juggernauts and supersede you. IBM couldn't compete with Dell, and ultimately sold its PC hardware business. IBM sold to companies who needed rock solid computers, so they tested them many times. Dell felt the quality was good enough, didn't overtest, sold at a bargain, and ended up owning the business. Hell, Dell even bought DEC! Never mind upstarts that ran into the void that Dell created, like Gateway.

The future of the record business is more acts each of which sells less than a superstar. Period.

And for all the blather about Taylor Swift being America's Sweetheart, how everybody loves her, did you read yesterday's "Times"?

"Who Do Voters Really Like? Taylor Swift. - The pop star Taylor Swift has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris — and is far more popular among Democrats and independents than Republicans."

https://t.ly/X_nxq

Sure, this is mainly about politics, but even some Democrats are not so hot on her.

So you've got a backward thinking record company in cahoots with a backward looking press/PR world self-congratulating and missing the point, the future, because they can't figure out how to execute in it.

Whenever you oversell, overcharge, bleed the superfan, there's backlash.

Kid/teen groups have a sell-by date. Sure, there are reunion tours (long after the acts are out of a deal with the label), but many feel queasy about their investment in the low talent trifle of their past. It's a schoolgirl crush. Sure, there may be some nostalgia, but...

As for concert ticket prices... Sure, you can charge top buck when you've got hits on the chart, but when you don't... Look at the Chainsmokers and J. Lo and...

Which is why you don't want to be hit dependent, you want your growth to be organic, you want a slot machine that sheds dollars over and over and over again.

These are not the acts Universal is focusing on. They want the big money win. They're all in. They don't want a skirmish, they want a war.

Their philosophy is out of date.

Quick, quiz your friends. Are you all watching the same streaming television shows? Absolutely not. And your favorite may not even appeal to your friend. And in music there are many more choices.

Universal needs to retool, all the majors do. They keep cutting back, consolidating, in a world that requires more growth to meet the needs of more people. But they'd rather reduce head count and please the Street, something else that is appealing when numbers are down.

And Facebook can always hire back programmers. But there is not a ready pool of music professionals. And those who get laid off by the label, if they're any good, find roles in management or the road or they set up shop by themselves. They've got no desire to go back in-house where they're a number as opposed to a name.

But let's just pretend everything is groovy. Sell investors a crock of sh*t so that the stock goes back up and continues to rise. Damn the future.

It's not like no one ever thought of monetizing superfans before. This is not a revelation. And the growth here is not stratospheric. It's not like these superfans are not spending already!

But investors don't know anything about the music business. So they're snookered, until they're not.

But those with history in music are scratching their heads, wondering what Universal is thinking here. At the end of the day, music is an entrepreneurial business, always has been. Thinking outside the box. Not only coming up from nowhere as the manager of a hit act, but Irving Azoff creating GMR out of thin air which now has a value of billions!

Never mind that music revenues keep going up and up because new areas of monetization crop up online. That's a much bigger story than bleeding superfans. In the past all you had was the retail outlet, physical goods, now site after site crops up online that needs music, that ultimately licenses music, and it does not negatively impact other income streams whatsoever!

Which is why you should never sell your publishing.

But that's another story.

This is what happens when you report to the Street.

Does the manager do so? The act? They're independent operators, they're the heart and soul of this business more than ever. That's where the action is. Hell, as stated above, the majors can't even break a new act. You have to do that yourself. Oftentimes in a genre the majors are not interested in.

Music has an upside. It's on a growth curve. But it's less about bleeding the superfans, than creating superstars. That's the history of this business. One unique act lifts all boats, creates excitement, from Elvis to the Beatles to... That's what we've lost. Everybody's so busy looking for money that they forget that music is about heart and soul, touching people. And the new and different is what people are looking for. There's a business in the same old thing, but there's not growth. And, once again, the true growth here is in the world of independents, where creativity develops and grows.

Not that I expect the Street to buy any of what I say above. Because it doesn't have the time, it's invested in many companies. It reads balance sheets instead of truly knowing a company's business.

And it doesn't understand music at all.

But Universal doesn't understand the Street.

It's a match made in hell.


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Dry Macular Degeneration

1

The lines were no longer straight on my computer.

I noticed it about five weeks ago. The right side of windows...there was a subtle curve in what I thought to be straight vertical lines.

I rebooted. That's always the first resort, even on a Mac. But they remained.

I chalked it up to the age of my machine. My 27" iMac 5k is vintage 2014. I waited for it to come out. I wanted that display. Which is superior to the HD display I purchased with my Mac Pro in 2006, which I now use as a second monitor.

And this iMac has served me well. You have no idea how much additional screen real estate helps. I don't know how people work on small laptops, even my 15" MacBook Pro...I miss stuff.

And I want to buy a new computer. I have to buy a new computer. Because Apple has stopped supporting this iMac. I'm stopped at Big Sur, there are no more security updates.

But damned if I'll spend $4500 on an already obsolete Mac Studio.

When the Mac Studio was introduced in 2022 the complaint was the monitor, which costs $1500, was behind the times. That's a lot of bread for an antique. But I didn't need a new computer just then.

And by the following June, the cycle for this product, an introduction during the Worldwide Developers Conference, they'd certainly upgrade the monitor. They did put in new updated chips, M2s, but they didn't do a thing to the monitor.

And then they stopped supporting my iMac in November 2023. And I decided to just hold on until the following June, and lay down my cash then. But during the WWDC this year they didn't upgrade the Mac Studio and monitor at all, even the Mac Pro, which is overkill, is still running on an ancient chip.

No, I don't want a MacBook Air. No I don't want an external monitor for my laptop. MacBook Airs are good machines, but inherently hobbled, they're for hobbyists, amateurs, you never know when you're going to need more power. That app you never use, suddenly you do. I record on my MacBook Pro, thank god I maxed it out. And I even have 32 gigs of RAM in my iMac. Go for greatness, I say.

But then they introduced the M3 chip. And Mark Gurman, the Bloomberg guru who is the expert on Apple said they were going to jump all the way to the M4 for most products. New M4 MacBook Pros are supposed to be imminent. And they're going to upgrade the iMac too, but the screen size is only 24", and those three extra inches make a difference. Actually, Apple said they were never going to make another 27" iMac, which is why I focused on the Mac Studio. But now Gurman says they've got one in development, for 2026!

As for the Mac Studio, that's scheduled for an update in June.

I want to give Apple my money, can't they give me a machine I can buy?

2

So this went on for a couple of weeks, and then I got on the plane to London and I noticed the exact same curve in the lines on my iPhone. Obviously it's an Apple problem, I'd just never looked that closely before.

And that iPhone isn't even a year old.

And my iPad Pro is pretty recent, and when I got back to the States I was lying on the couch reading the news and...

I saw that same damn curved line.

Obviously I had a problem.

Now I know you're not supposed to Google your problem, but in truth I don't agree with that. As long as you're not a hypochondriac, as long as you're not LOOKING for a problem, it's incredibly useful.

And bingo, it came right up. Macular degeneration. There was a definitive test. You block one eye, look at a grid that's the equivalent of graph paper, and if the lines curve...

Needless to say, mine did.

So now I've got to get in to see the doctor, who is notoriously booked. But if it's a crisis, he's always found time.

And I used to see an ophthalmologist, but now I see an optometrist, one of the best moves I've ever made. I ran into Robert Smith at the Troubadour and he didn't recognize me and he blamed his eyes and I needed a new doctor and he recommended Dr. Silver.

What an experience.

Ophthalmologists don't want to test your eyes, don't want to prescribe glasses, they're looking for serious problems, which few have. Silver works in both Santa Monica and Sherman Oaks and if you want a checkup, call now, you might have to wait a year.

Silver does contacts for the movies, but he's not that guy, not a starf@cker, and those doctors are rampant in Los Angeles.

And he's got all these machines, it's totally up to date, stuff the ophthalmologist didn't have.

But my schedule was hell. He wasn't in the office on Monday and Tuesday I was booked solid and as a matter of fact, I couldn't even make it in until 3:00 or later on Wednesday.

And when nothing came up, they told me to leave a phone message for Silver and he got right back to me, could I come in at 3:15 on Wednesday? ABSOLUTEY!

And that's when I start feeling guilty. Is my problem big enough?

It was illegal to be sick in my house. You toughed it out. If you complained to my mother she told you to go to school and see how you felt. And this strategy has gotten me in trouble. I'm working on going to the doctor. AND THIS IS MY EYES!

3

So they run all these tests and then Silver gives me a heads-up on rods and cones, brings up the pictures and shows right below the dip of the cone, there's a gray swath in the left eye. That's a problem. He thinks it's fluid, but he won't go on record, he says I need to see the retina guy. WHO KNEW THERE WAS SUCH A THING!

So we go to the front desk where they call the office and ultimately I get an appointment eight days later, for today at 1:30.

Now Silver said it was a possibility I'd need an injection in my eyeball. That sounds like fun. And I'm strategizing when I could do this. You need a ride for this stuff, and they don't let you use Uber.

And I was thinking they'd put me out if they had to do it, but what would the recovery be like?

So I got there early, even though most doctors notoriously run late. But I wanted to give respect. Which also came into my sartorial choices. Of course I showered, even though I'd done so the night before, to have B.O. at a doctor's office...I just can't imagine it. And I shaved. But could I wear my shorts?

It's a club. Boomers in L.A. It's a style. You wear your shorts. It's a middle finger to the system.

Now I haven't lived on the east coast for a long time, but back then there were restaurants that not only required a jacket, but a tie. If you were doing business, you had to look sharp. But L.A. is a laid back culture.

But it wasn't really hot out. Actually, they said it might rain in the next few days, before the temperature soars on Sunday.

Okay, I'll wear long pants. But what about shoes? I mean I'm going to wear "trainers," but do I find my cleanest pair, one of the ones they sent me from Brooks? The New Balance Fresh Foams... I got the first edition for walking, in the second edition they changed the soles to black, but on mine they're white, and they're not dingy, but they're not the cleanest.

I decided they were all right.

You see there's a whole strategy in going to the doctor. One is to dress to the nines. Show that you're a big swinging dick, have places to go and people to see, that time is tight. My plan is different. I try to appear educated, smart, show that I'm not the average bear. Also, give them more information than necessary. I hate when someone comes back from the doctor and gives you a report and when you quiz them about something that was bothering them on the way in, the person says I DIDN'T ASK!

You've got to ask. And the more you talk...

You want a relationship. Assuming they'll have one with you. If they don't take insurance, like most top-notch doctors in L.A., they give you time, use it, let them know who you are. Doctors are dealing with boring patients all day long. Get them to look forward to having you in, be a breath of fresh air.

But with some top-notch specialists... They only deal with crises, and therefore they take insurance. There aren't enough patients to forgo insurance.

And speaking of insurance... Dr. Silver didn't even charge me! I asked at the desk what I owed and they said nothing. I was there for forty five minutes, had tests on multiple machines, that's testimony to a relationship right there. Not that a regular appointment with Silver is cheap. But, like everything in life, you get what you pay for. And when it comes to my health, I WANT THE BEST!

4

So I'm filling out the forms. Everybody's uptight about privacy. But I wish there was a central database of what drugs I'm taking, what surgeries I've had. Now if you're in the UCLA system, it can be accessed by their doctors. And actually, Cedars doctors can access this too. I once went for a second opinion at UCLA and when I went back to the Cedars doctor she started off by saying... "So you saw ___________." Freaked me right out. But a good doctor doesn't mind if you get a second opinion, they encourage it. And in truth, this Cedars doctor was more on the ball than the UCLA one. Actually, she left the Cedars system. They overwork you. She's now independent and she charges...whatever she wants to. But she sees me for an hour. And I can get ahold of her right away in text or e-mail. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but get older and...

I felt like my grandmother. I remember my mother taking her to doctors, it was a full time job. I pooh-poohed it.

And then there are those who believe they're immune. They don't need no stinking doctors! You may feel fine, you may look fine, you may even have plastic surgery to try and look younger, but your insides don't know that. I know too many people who've avoided the doctor and dropped dead. I know too many people who have a history of disease in their family, don't go to the specialist, and die of the same damn thing. Truly.

But this getting old thing... Everybody tells you that life goes by in the blink of an eye, that they feel young. But that's not even close to describing it.

You're just wandering through life. And believe me, even though I've had more than a few surgeries, I feel young and alive, I skied 89 days last year, I hike regularly in the mountains, but nobody lives forever. I mean just J.D! And Christine McVie didn't even make it to eighty. You reach a point where not only are their fewer years in front of you, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE END!

And you don't want to live to a hundred, because all your friends are dead.

It's a conundrum.

And most of my civilian contemporaries have retired. Many counting their dollars. On the cusp of the early bird special. I'm still working, I want to work, but how much runway do I have left?

But if I eat right, exercise, see the doctors, take the pills...it'll all work out, RIGHT?

Wrong.

I see friends who eat KFC. Onion rings. Sure, in our teens and twenties we ate everything, but have you had a scan recently? No one's arteries are clean. Then again, you can avoid the scan and live in ignorance.

Of course there are smokers who live to a hundred, but the odds are against you. I don't want to be dumb. My models are David Letterman and Bill Clinton, they had heart issues and wised right up. They eat healthy, they're thin, they want to LIVE! DO YOU?

5

Now looking at the printout before I left the house it said to schedule two hours, and have someone drive you.

Well they didn't say anything about driving in the text messages... Don't you love texts and e-mails? My goal is to talk to no one. It's never wrong in text. But when you're spelling your name over the phone, or giving your address, GOOD LUCK!

And since these jobs pay so poorly, they're not staffed by the brightest people. Be glad you're dealing with a machine.

So I enter the office and... I won't say it's empty, but close, which is a good sign.

And after filling out the forms, which I print on, I'm afraid to use script, my handwriting is so bad, no one could read it, even though I think no one's reading it anyway. I mean does an eye doctor need to know about a hernia operation?

And then they call me into a room where they ask me more questions and start giving me eye tests.

Eye tests, hearing tests... Are you doing well or poorly? And are the results accurate?

And I'm feeling unentitled. I mean my problems aren't that bad.

And then the tech puts in numbing drops and checks me for glaucoma and puts in dilation drops and then brings me to another waiting room.

Now I realized I really did need two hours.

Then they took me in another room to take pictures. Actually, the two machines they used Silver had too, but...

The tech at Silver... She'd tell me when to keep my eye open. This woman did not. I figured it didn't matter. But then I asked her and she said...GOOD QUESTION!

Whoa! This usually spikes my anxiety sky high. I'm taking this seriously, I need more than competence, I need THE EXPERT!

But she says the pictures are good...everything's digital and instant these days.

And then another tech comes along and hovers... At first I thought she wanted to ask a question. But she didn't interrupt and didn't leave, that's when I realized she was supervising. And the original tech was screwing stuff up and when we were finished, another tech came in and said to stop using the trainee, the waiting room was backed up!

So I went with the trainer to the next machine and it turned out the first tech didn't even enter my name, but it got worked out, I was brought to another room, and then there was a new tech to interact with! The doctor's direct tech.

And then he came in.

He was in his thirties. Which is not what you expect, but Silver handpicked this guy. And he's wearing scrubs and his Nikes...which are far more dirty and worn out than mine.

And he's studying all the pictures and he says I don't have macular degeneration. Whew, great!

And then he starts looking into my eyes. With the regular contraption and then this headgear he wears. And when he's got the headgear on he's telling me how to move my eyes. In forty five degree increments. And I feel good that I can immediately tell left from right, because you'd be surprised how many people cannot. I did not want him to judge me negatively.

And when it's all done..

I have macular degeneration.

Wait a second, I thought at the advent you said I did not!

He said he was responding to the note Silver sent, to check for wet macular degeneration, I've got dry.

Okay...

And then he says "This is now your baseline."

I've heard that before. That means they're not going to do anything.

Now wait a second, what is going on here?

Well, wet macular degeneration is a blood bleed, they address that. But dry macular degeneration? THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!

It's going to get worse and...

The yin is I don't have to have surgery. But the yang is I'm going to see this damn curve in lines every day for the rest of my life! And once I noticed it, I see it on the TV, on the edges of walls, it's EVERYWHERE!

Mostly in the left eye, but the right eye was not spared.

And what caused this?

AGE!

And I'm thinking about that "Twilight Zone" episode. You know, it's the end of the world and the old guy is thrilled that he can go to the library and read...and then his glasses fall off his nose and break on the concrete and...Rod Serling comes back in.

I'm doing everything right. I'm going for annual checkups. Isn't there anything you can do?

NO!

So I don't have to endure surgery. I've just got to monitor it, they gave me a grid to look at every day, and take this over the counter pill that's supposed to slow down the process.
Oh, don't give me sh*t, if you've even gotten this far. The real story is everybody's got something, they're just not talking about it. Because if they did, you might judge them. See them as old. Like the people who lie about their age. Who do you think you're kidding? And really, you're lying to yourself.

But I was convinced there'd be some treatment, that eyeball injection, and it would be scary, but I'd be back to normal.

No way.

This is my new life.

Now let's be clear, it's subtle. But it's there.

Is this the way this is going to go? Am I slowly going to start falling apart?

Once again, my contemporaries won't admit it. But I'm telling you now, and Freddie Garrity himself died back in 2006, he was 79. He took ill on vacation and...that was all she wrote.

Now in terms of perspective, this really isn't that big a thing.

But this is ME! I like everything to run at 100%. My car may be nineteen years old, but other than the cruise control, it runs like a champ, just like the day it came off the assembly line. Regular maintenance, baby.

And when it comes to skis...

I ain't putting a hundred days on them. They start going downhill after about fifteen or twenty. Sometime after fifty, they're not the same. And then, as they get up in age...

Why sacrifice? Just buy a new pair! Why have your enjoyment reduced by a pair of skis that don't hold that well on the ice.

I like things to work right. And I've always paid for them, but now I'm trying not to think twice. Compared to my dental bills, a new pair of skis is NOTHING!

I didn't expect an implant to get infected and need to be redone. I didn't think I'd need a root canal. I didn't think another tooth would break in half. And I'm worried about the price of ski equipment?

I mean I'm all in. And if I told you how many pairs of skis I have... And other than two pairs, none are more than two years old.

But skiing is important to me. One of the most important things to me.

But there will be a time when they'll no longer see me in the shop.

Everybody dies.

But I thought it would happen all at once, or not until I was eighty five or so.

But it's starting.


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Rob Baker & Johnny Fay-This Week's Podcast

Rob Baker and Johnny Fay are members of the Tragically Hip, who have a new four part documentary on Amazon Prime. Whether you're a fan of the band or not, you'll like this.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rob-baker-johnny-fay/id1316200737?i=1000670035076
 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1BJPYtTwESdMcagVmY2bVs?si=69093db0c28c4347
 
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/rob-baker-johnny-fay-217902238/
 
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/9174d9be-9d85-4397-8184-2e7e79b256a4/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-rob-baker-johnny-fay


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J.D. Souther

Spotify playlist: https://t.ly/OL2Jm

1

Word was he was an as*hole, self-satisfied, difficult to work with.

But when I met him he was anything but.

The rep was spread in the press in the wake of the combustion of the Souther—Hillman—Furay Band. But Richie Furay told me he was responsible for the breakup. It was either the band or his marriage, and he chose his marriage. Richie said he was checked out during the recording of the second LP, "Trouble in Paradise," and that's why it suffered. It sank like a stone. But the debut...

"Life ain't so easy in this border town
Too much dope and too much running around"

I think that's when I first heard from J.D., after writing about "Border Town," his song that finished out the first side of "The Souther—Hillman—Furay Band." J.D. didn't just paint pictures, his songs were three-dimensional, you could see inside them, and if you couldn't identify, you wish you could.

And awareness of J.D. jumped when the Eagles broke big, which was really on their third album, "On the Border," "Desperado" was a masterpiece, but despite the iconic status of the title cut, the album stalled in the marketplace. It was when the band jettisoned Glyn Johns, an English engineer-producer, for the American mind-set of Bill Szymczyk, who opened up the sound, let it loose, that the Eagles became the biggest band in the land.

Yes, the debut had "Take It Easy," but you've got to know that that broke first on AM, instantly, unlike most of the credible acts, who started on FM and crossed over. The album was slick and perfect, and the connoisseurs, still baked in the ethos of the sixties, labeled it a trifle, something akin to the Starland Vocal Band. Boy were they wrong.

It was the "On the Border" number "Best of My Love" that made the Eagles iconic. They'd been in the game for three LPs, so there was no backlash, and this time they went all the way to number one.

And that song was cowritten by J.D. Souther, along with Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

So J.D.'s name was starting to permeate the public consciousness. If for no other reason than he was Linda Ronstadt's boyfriend, who was not yet America's sweetheart, but if you were in the know...

Expectations were high. David Geffen had negotiated her off Capitol, put her on his juggernaut of a label, Asylum. And J.D. co-produced her first record for the company, "Don't Cry Now," the title track of which he wrote.

J.D. was all over the album. Which stiffed in the marketplace. It was only when Linda went back in with Peter Asher and recorded "Heart Like a Wheel" that she exploded, on Capitol, which was owed one new album of their choice, and when they heard "Heart Like a Wheel" they selected it.

But this smash was followed up by 1975's "Prisoner in Disguise" on Asylum, whose title track J.D. wrote.

I'd say he was a mystery man, but J.D. put out his own album on Asylum, in 1972, just after the label launched, and it was a complete stiff. You'd see it in the bins, but no one I knew bought it, and in truth the sound just wasn't right, too thin, not rich enough.

But my point here is if you were scoring at home, you knew who J.D. Souther was, but if you were an average music fan, you did not.

Unless you read the credits on "Heart Like a Wheel," because J.D. wrote one of the most meaningful cuts on the entire album, "Faithless Love."

Faithless love like a river might flow, but it was the bridge that was indelible.

"Well I guess I'm standing in the hall of broken dreams
That's the way it sometimes goes
Whenever a new love never turns out like it seems
I guess the feeling comes and goes"

And then in the spring of 1974, came "The Souther—Hillman—Furay Band."

2

This was Richie Furay's last shot, his best shot. He'd been the frontman on the delicious debut by Poco, but despite stellar reviews and love from everybody who purchased it, the album didn't succeed commercially. And Poco continued to put out albums, people knew who they were, but Jim Messina left and it was a long hard slog.

So Richie jumped for this supergroup concocted by David Geffen.

Chris Hillman was the overlooked Byrd.

And then there was J.D. Souther, who was not a household name, who had not had commercial success equal to the other two (don't forget Richie was in Buffalo Springfield). And the album came out and...

It opened with "Fallin' in Love," a classic Furay cut ready for airplay and acceptance, but it wasn't a hit single.

And then came Chris Hillman's number, "Heavenly Fire," which showed us Hillman was more than a sideman in the Byrds.

And after that J.D. shined, with "The Heartbreaker."

"He's Mr. Deliver
He never lets you down
And now the life wrecker
Is comin' to town"

People today have no idea of the iconic status of rock stars in the sixties and seventies. It was much more than image, it was about lifestyle. They inhabited a world we could never enter, because we just were not cool enough. Sure, money mattered, but not as much as charisma. These guys were not playing by society's rules, and they were winning. Got all the girls... And you wonder why people moved to Los Angeles?

And after Richie's "Believe Me," came J.D.s aforementioned "Border Town." And just like with "The Heartbreaker," for the first time J.D.'s numbers got the production they deserved, that elevated them out of the woodwork to shine. This was more than coffee shop singer-songwriter.

Life sure wasn't easy in that border town, but you couldn't wait to go there.

And many did, at least in their minds. Despite being decried in the rock press as a fake group, this time the public caught on, "The Souther—Hillman—Furay Band" went gold, you heard it on the radio, suddenly J.D.'s performances were not living in obscurity.

And then the band broke up.

3

But then came "Black Rose."

The hottest producer of singer-songwriters was Peter Asher. He turned James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt into superstars. And now J.D. surrendered the reins to him.

There were no hit singles. But "Black Rose" was a masterpiece. It contained J.D.'s versions of songs made big by Linda Ronstadt, and although it started with the upbeat, jaunty, "Banging My Head Against the Moon" and then the quiet dirge of "If You Have Crying Eyes," the album truly came alive with the song in the middle of the first side, "Your Turn Now."

"The moon was yellow
And the sky was cool
The night can make a promise of love
Or it can make you a fool"

I sing these lines in my head more than any other. Maybe it's because they exude optimism, they're upbeat, if you just play the game, you could lose, but you could also win!

"Would anybody know it
If the real thing shined
You've seen so many movies
You'd probably think it was a line"

I was in love with the movie stars. Maybe I wasn't the only one. But ultimately you have to enter the real world, and it's so confusing. You could find someone real and never know.

"Well maybe it's your turn now
You'd be falling in love but you wouldn't know how"

All we hear about are the winners, the school champions, with girlfriends since puberty. But the rest of us?
We were not experienced, not that we would admit it.

"Let me tell you I can fight like a man
And cry like a little boy"

This is a vulnerability you don't hear in today's Top Forty material, certainly not in hip-hop. So much of today's music slides off the listener, but in the past, it went straight to the heart.

"If passion is always kind
How can love be cruel"

So many people my age no longer want to risk getting into relationships, they don't want to experience the pain of disconnection, a breakup.

"Maybe it's your turn
And you'll never know
If you're afraid to hold on tighter
And you're afraid to let go"

That's what love requires, hanging on tighter. You'd be surprised who is unable to do this. I guess they call it fear of commitment. But it's more than that, it's not wanting to journey into the unknown. And then there's the opposite, sometimes you need to let go but you can't, you don't want to lose whatever good you've still got.

4

Now the other stellar, iconic track on "Black Rose" was also new, having appeared nowhere previously, "Baby Come Home."

This is a song for anybody who's ever been left, anybody who's broken up and regrets it. Every word is brilliant, but there's one passage...

"If you could trust me, try to believe me
Listen to me when I say
When I say that love, is a burning fire
And it will not fade away
No, it will not fade away"

Whew!

And then two and a half minutes in, the chorus sings "Baby come home" as J.D. expresses regret and desire and it's just amazing.

5

And there's a quiet version of "Faithless Love" that I prefer to Ronstadt's.

Ditto on "Silver Blue."

And without Ronstadt's powerful lung capacity "Simple Man, Simple Dream" gains gravitas. The meaning shines through.

And the title track, "Black Rose," is the finale.

"I see you carry a black rose
Carry a black rose"

Tom Petty may have sung that the A&R man didn't hear a single, but that was in 1991. This was 1976. You could go quite far without ever appearing on AM radio. You could have fans. You didn't live in obscurity like those who don't make the Spotify Top 50 today. You could tour and...

J.D. wasn't on the road. But those records existed.

6

But then J.D. switched labels from Asylum to Columbia, after all David Geffen was long gone, and had a hit! "You're Only Lonely" had a retro, fifties feel, and it resonated with the public.

And the label also included his version of another number Ronstadt had covered, "White Rhythm and Blues."

"You say that somebody really loves you
You'd find her if you just knew how"

No one else wrote lyrics quite the same way.

And, once again, J.D.'s understated vocals let the words shine through, more than in Linda's version.

But even bigger than 1979's "You're Only Lonely" was J.D.'s unexpected duet with James Taylor, "Her Town Too."

"But now he's gone and life goes on"

That's J.D.'s line. A distinct contrast to James's mellifluous vocal.

And then he comes back with:

"Yes, and everyone can see you fall"

And:

"Somebody still loves you"

J.D. injects gravitas. He specialized in that. He could make any number just a bit more serious with his participation.

Unlike the "You're Only Lonely" album, "Her Town Too" was produced by Peter Asher, and sounded like it. Rich. And meaningful, without being overbearing. By this time most baby boomers had experienced breakups, they could identify, and aren't the the songs that resonate the ones you hold closest to your chest?

J.D. released another solo LP in 1984, but it didn't even break the Top 200. The eras had changed. Now it was about MTV and flash. Immediacy. And J.D. specialized in something more cerebral.

And then he showed up in "thirtysomething." As cool as ever.

J.D. was also in "Postcards from the Edge," but his acting career never blossomed into something bigger.

7

And then it was 2007, hell had already frozen over, back in 1994, and there'd been a few new tracks, but now the Eagles took the long road out of Eden and decided to lead with... "How Long"? A J.D. Souther song? From his very first album?

J.D. was back on the radio. The double album was sold exclusively by Walmart and the single made a dent, unlike the work by oldsters today. This was not the new Billy Joel single, the new work of Steve Perry. "How Long" did not sink like a stone, it was actually a radio hit.

And then J.D. came out of the woodwork.

It was a new century, with new rules. He hired a young management team and put out the jazzy live album "If the World Was You," and hit the road. Suddenly, J.D. was ACCESSIBLE!

Friendly, talkative and open.

What he was most proud of was his daughter, whom most people were unaware existed. She was in school in Paris and... Whenever I spoke with J.D. she came up.

Along with his Volvo.

And then he left NashVegas for New Mexico, tripped and...

"Hey Bob

I'd love to do your podcast. I missed a lot of emails this year I apologize, something I've had to become skilled at in the last few months.  I moved to New Mexico, which was interesting enough with two young frisky dogs but then tripped on a marble step in my new house (1ST MORNING!!) broke a rib and punctured a lung so my first week in The Land of Enchantment was spent at Presbyterian Hospital with a chest drain in my right side and the next few weeks spent trying to settle into the new place with various visiting friends to help and a great TM who stepped up and made it possible.

It's been a zoo but things are beginning to settle down at last. 

Let's do it!

JD"

We never did do that podcast.

But there was another e-mail:

RE: The Model Is Broken.

Bob, you're killing it, mate. Superbly reasoned piece and within it lies the awful truth…or is it that awful? Yes, in many ways, but change is always a new pair of boots that need breaking in.

The message at the heart of even this sea change is the same; write a great song and sing it well. It might not make you rich but then again, it just might and you can probably sleep a little better knowing you don't suck. Then get up and try to do it again.
 
Keep firing
JD Souther"


8

Sure I knew him, but I would have written all of the above even if I hadn't. Man, he wrote all those songs, he made that music, and he was cool and never sold out, never lost his identity.

Isn't that what it's all about?


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The Pagers

Jews are kvelling.

But they can't tell anybody.

This is like Trump and the shooters. All the stories covered in the mainstream. They don't go to the essence of the story, because they're afraid people are going to FREAK OUT!

The backlash has not begun, but it's coming. Those nasty Jews, how could they do this?

Well, in truth the idea is in the latest season of "Trigger Point," the Vicky McClure vehicle created by the same person who's responsible for "Line of Duty," one of the most beloved shows in England, and those who have viewed it worldwide. BENT COPPERS!

So in "Trigger Point" McClure is an EXPO. A bomb expert. She learned her skill in the military, and goes around London defusing bombs. Although unlike in American TV series, people die. Everybody's fair game, like in "The Sopranos." Beloved or not, they may go. Which keeps you on your toes.

So it's a cat and mouse game in the second season. The domestic terrorists, with an anti-capitalist agenda, keep amping up the ante. Sometimes with hoax bombs, that freak people out but will never blow up.

Then there's a tip. There's going to be an explosion in a business area, using drones, which were employed once before. The cops arrive, they're freaking out. They try to get the people off the sidewalks, they debate emptying the buildings, but that's a bridge too far.

And then they start hearing explosions.

Where are they coming from?

THE SCOOTERS!

Yes, you know, Bird, Lime, available in almost all major cities. The bombs are inside them. And McClure as Lana Washington runs after a woman on a scooter, trying to warn her, but she's wearing headphones and can't hear and...

She's blown up.

So it's kind of like Bush after 9/11. Who could come up with these ideas, who could think of this?

So now we've got the Mossad of the past, back in action.

Yes, the Israelis developed an incredible intelligence and military reputation. They were the envy of the world. America couldn't rescue hostages, but the Israelis could.

And then came 10/7.

But the johnny-come-latelies to the Middle East don't know the history. Israel's existence has been in danger from the moment the country was founded. The Palestinians were offered their own country, but they refused, they wanted all the land, no Israel at all.

So Israel is fighting battles all the time, on high alert. The country can only lose once.

And the mind-set is completely different from the U.S. In the U.S., the war always happens over there. We skated during WWII, other than Pearl Harbor, the end result of which was the dropping of nuclear bombs to finish the war. That's why 9/11 was so unfathomable, it happened HERE! And if it happens once, it could happen again. But it's funny to see people in the hinterlands who are deathly afraid of foreign terrorists. Do you really think they're going to bomb Kansas or Wyoming? They're way down the list.

So the average American does not pay attention to the Mideast conflict. I'm not even sure the average American knows where any of these countries are, never mind that those which surround Israel won't accept Palestinian refugees.

There have been constant battles with Hezbollah. Which we'll just call the Hamas of the north. Sure, the fit isn't perfect, but it's not completely wrong either.

So it turns out the Israelis could monitor cell phones, so Hezbollah decided to go with old school technology, pagers. And...

Notice that Israel has not yet accepted responsibility. Why? What's the advantage? In war it's all about stealth, surprise. Don't take a victory lap until it's all done, if at all.

Does Israel want Lebanon's land? Does it want to own Beirut?

Absolutely not, it just wants to be able to live in peace, which Hezbollah will not allow.

So explosives are embedded in pagers and...

Women were affected, and even a child. HOW DARE THEY?

But what in hell is a child doing with a Hezbollah pager?

This is what the Israelis are up against. I ask you, is your kid involved in subversive activities, is your kid at risk? NO, many home school their kids to avoid any negative influence. Can you imagine?

NO! Most people cannot.

Now modern warfare is confusing. Because everybody refrains from using atomic weapons. Which are truly the final solution, pardon the term. So what are the rules of modern war? I don't know. What can Ukraine do without Russia pushing back. Russia's army may be inept, but Russia's got a much deeper pocket. But if Ukraine gets just a bit more weaponry, they can attack Russia's big cities. What is the population going to say then? Statistically, most Russians support Putin, because they've been the victims of disinformation. They don't know the score. Kinda like so many in America, if you think about it.

So what happens now on the Israel/Lebanon front?

And it's not like the pagers that exploded were only in Lebanon, explosions were in Syria too! The Arabs are organized. The Israelis are fighting on all fronts.

So all the news has been bad. Before the war Netanyahu wanted to neutralize the Supreme Court, and then there's the settlements. It's hard to be a Jew in America and support Israel.

But when the entire country is threatened...

This pager story is too new for the anti-Israel protesters to get organized. But if past is prologue, it's coming. Because the Jews can't be aggressors. Arabs can be terrorists, but not the Jews!

And, once again, Israel is ahead of Hezbollah technologically. In case you didn't know, Israel is a hotbed of technological innovation. Do you use WAZE? That's an Israeli product.

So if you're a Jew...

You're smiling on the inside today. You can't tell anybody. Because then you'll be ostracized, set yourself up for blowback.

But after '67 and Munich and '73... Isn't Israel allowed to take the initiative? It's not like 10/7 where the Israelis were living in peace before Hamas attacked. Hezbollah has been provoking, missiles have been fired.

Never underestimate the power of antisemitism. It's coming re this pager story. And doesn't this fit the stereotype? The advanced, intelligent conniving Jew/Israeli?

This is what Israel is up against. This is what Jews are up against. Play nice all you want, but they don't hate you less.

If you haven't had someone say something antisemitic in front of you, you're probably wearing a kippah.

The Jews aren't able to play offense. Even though one could argue today's pager explosions were actually defense. They've got no right. They should just be happy they can coexist. Then again, this is not what the Arabs in the Middle East want, they want Israel GONE!

So Israel fights back and...

People die. That's the nature of war.

And it's not only Hamas, the active soldiers. Much of the populace is anti-Israel, whether they've been sold a bill of goods or not. Which is why women and children were carrying Hezbollah pagers.

So what does the world say now?

We're waiting to see.


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