Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0g5Q91cZOhHEUWdmoS1C3N?si=89b7c7d59771476f
1
He was a survivor.
Until he wasn't.
I won't say he reinvented himself as much as Bowie or Madonna, then again Johansen was forced to, because nothing he seemed to do broke through, rained down cash.
So if you were a child of the sixties, you didn't want to go into tech, never mind finance, you wanted to be in a rock and roll band. That was the highest goal. We'd all seen the Beatles, watched the scene mutate from the British Invasion to the Jefferson Airplane and Hendrix and Cream and we wanted some of that. The lifestyle, the fame...the women.
Now most people gave up. They couldn't throw off their upbringing, couldn't go all in on something with such low odds of success. Or else they played and realized they just weren't that good. But some...some carried on.
David Johansen didn't start as a scenester at the Mercer Arts Center, he worked his way up to that. From Staten Island to Manhattan. And in the mid-seventies, that's where it was happening, New York City. Sure, there was the country rock scene in Los Angeles, inspired by the Byrds and culminating in the Eagles, but in New York it was dirtier. Everything happened late at night, whereas in L.A. everybody was already in bed. It was about being there, having the experience.
Or else being outside and looking in, as a result of the little press that leaked out.
Yes, there was this band playing at the Arts Center who dressed as women but everyone said were great. Then again, how many people actually saw them? This was not Max's Kansas City, this was something new, something closer to the edge, the progenitors of punk, albeit inspired by the glam scene in England to push the fashion envelope.
Then the Mercer Arts Center collapsed. Just when the New York Dolls' first LP was released, on one of the worst labels extant, Mercury. However, it was produced by Todd Rundgren, who was at the peak of his powers.
2
Now if you listen to the scuttlebutt of those who were there, in the band, Rundgren didn't capture the excitement, the power of the Dolls on wax. We hear this all the time. Outsider band finally gets signed, they're hooked up with a professional and when the album stiffs, it's the producer's fault.
But the truth is the Dolls' first album was way ahead of the audience. It was noisy and in your face in an era where acts were growing their hair long and smoking dope and laying back. It was out of time, like in that Rolling Stones song. And it was still out of time when the Ramones pressed on, inspired by the sound. But then, punk exploded in the U.K. and it was fed back to us over here. But the truth is, punk didn't really break through in America until Nirvana in the nineties.
So that very first album...
To succeed in the recording world you must have a hit. Something listeners can glom on to quickly, hopefully that radio will pick up on. But when Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their first LP in '76 it was seen as too outside, classified as punk, and success had to happen over in England before the band was embraced first in Los Angeles, and then across the nation.
"Personality Crisis"?
If you were a hipster, if you were a denizen or observer of the scene, you got it. But despite everybody being against the Vietnam War at this point, there was a clear line between those in the know and those outside. In most of the nation the FM airwaves were dominated by meat and potatoes rock. "Personality Crisis" could not be understood.
And there were a few more tracks on the debut that deserve mention, like "Jet Boy" and "Looking for a Kiss" and "Lonely Planet Boy," but either you were in the know or you were not, and most were not, and didn't care a whit.
I went to see the Dolls at their first L.A. show, at the Whisky, promoting the album at the end of the summer of '73. The venue was not full. Hipsters were checking them out, but L.A. hipsters are laid back and even though Johansen and company gave it their all, it didn't resonate, it didn't convert those who were not already converted. You can take the band out of New York City, but odds are outside the metropolis most people won't get it. And they didn't.
But there was a second album, produced by Shadow Morton, whose credits were with the Shangri-Las and Janis Ian. And, of course, the Vanilla Fudge, but was this a good fit for the Dolls?
OF COURSE NOT!
But Shadow was seen as dark. And the Dolls were dark. And you'll find people who love the second album, but it had even less commercial impact than the debut. I enjoyed "Stranded in the Jungle," but most people didn't hear the album if they even knew it existed and then the Dolls were done. Bands without commercial success implode. And that's what the Dolls did. Leaving their legend and recorded output to be discovered by future generations. Then again, the legacy of the Dolls is akin to that of the Ramones, the music has become secondary to the image, of testing the limits, of doing it your own way.
But what was David Johansen supposed to do?
Go solo.
3
What you've got to understand is most failed rockers have no options. They didn't graduate from college, if they even went. Their business skills are limited. Which is why they keep trying, believing ultimately it will all work. Otherwise, what was it for?
We thought Johansen had disappeared. It had been four years since the last Dolls album. He'd gotten his shot, the Dolls were overseen by Leber and Krebs, the biggest managers on the east coast, with Aerosmith already in their stable. The music continued to evolve. Dressing up in women's clothing was passé, there was no room for David Johansen. Or was there?
Now Johansen was managed by Steve Paul, who had his own label with Columbia, Blue Sky. And when Johansen's solo debut was released...
Timing looked good.
David had left the glam behind. He was a straight ahead rocker now. You could fit him in with Elvis Costello and the rest of the new wave, conceptually anyway. Then again, he had that New York attitude.
But that's what made the music so great.
The album started off with "Funky but Chic," delivering on all the promise of the Dolls. If you were a fan, this was an elixir, this was what all the hype had been about.
"I got a pair of shoes I swear that somebody gave me
My mama thinks I look pretty fruity but in jeans I feel rockin'
I don't wear nothin' not too fussy or neat
I just want somethin' baby to be able to walk down your street
Hey come on baby, let's get on down to the boutique
Let's bring back somethin' that's a funky but chic, I said now"
This was the flip side of "Saturday Night Fever." Fashion counted, but there was no slickness involved. And certainly no disco. But ultimately radio never bit, so "Funky but Chic" became a fan favorite.
But the piece-de-resistance was the closer, "Frenchette," the best thing David Johansen ever did.
"You call that love in French, but it's just Frenchette
I've been to France, so let's just dance
I get all the love I need in a luncheonette
In just one glance, so let's just dance
I can't get the kind of love that I want
Or that I need, so let's just dance"
It was a different era, just because you were not educated, that did not mean you were not intelligent, that you did not have insight, and a sense of humor.
But "Frenchette" was too sophisticated for the hoi polloi. Yet if you were a David Johansen fan... This was all you needed.
4
But the follow-up, 1979's "In Style," co-produced with Mick Ronson, missed the target. It's not that it was bad, it's just that none of the tracks stood out and deserved attention. And honestly, if you were a fan, you were disappointed.
And in 1981 there was another Blue Sky album that got even less attention.
But then came the live album, "Live It Up."
Sure, it had "Personality Crisis," even "Stranded in the Jungle" and "Funky but Chic" and "Frenchette." But despite the greatest hits lineup, it was the covers that delivered, and finally resonated with radio programmers, hip radio programmers in the city.
The Animals were a sixties curio, they'd been forgotten, but Johansen brought them right back with a medley of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place, "Don't Bring Me Down" and "It's My Life." A killer trilogy. Then again, just "Don't Bring Me Down" is enough to seal the deal. Johansen was a modern day Eric Burdon. With the same darkness and attitude. Man, was that medley great... It killed at the Roxy when I saw him. Yes, David Johansen still couldn't sell any tickets. By this time many knew his name, but not many wanted to pay to see him.
The other gem on the live album was a cover of "Build Me Up Buttercup," long before it became a movie staple later in the century. Johansen sped it up and added attitude and then...
That was it. There was another studio album, on indie Passport. And it was the heyday of MTV and there was no place for David Johansen.
So he reinvented himself as a lounge singer, the antithesis of his previous incarnation out on the ledge. Then again, Buster Poindexter had an edge. It was all a joke. Or was it? There was even a hit, "Hot Hot Hot," that penetrated the consciousness of America, everybody knew it.
But most didn't know who David Johansen used to be.
5
And to survive you've got to have relationships. David leveraged his to secure acting roles. He was a man about town in New York City, you saw him on TV, never mind movies. He was staying alive, which is the hardest thing to do as a musician.
And there were the lounge shows. And ultimately a Dolls reunion. Yes, some of the audience had caught up with what had happened decades before. But even though there was a new album, this was nostalgia. Because people grow up. And you can try to suspend disbelief, but you can't. You can be young and dangerous, but very few can be old and dangerous. David Johansen grew up. And so did we. But since Johansen had morphed, just hadn't repeated the same damn formula, he continued to be thought of, to be hip, he had a place in the firmament.
And then he died.
6
Music is a hard game. Sure, you hear about the money of the titans. Billy Joel could lose it all and then make it back.
But most people don't make it in the first place.
And we all need money to live.
Most of Johansen's contemporaries faded away into irrelevance, or died. But he soldiered on, figuring it out along the way.
Will he be remembered by the masses?
I don't think so. I doubt he'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, unless it's in some special category.
But if you were there...
You were paying attention to the scene. I went to see the Dolls in '73 because that's the only way you could experience them. There was no TV, never mind internet. There was just a little bit of press.
And there were those of us who lived on the edge, who needed to know about the new acts, who had to check them out. And some of them broke through, and a ton of them did not. But still, we have our favorites.
Despite the brashness of his character in the Dolls David ended up beloved. And I think he knew that.
The circus lost another act yesterday.
But if you were there, you'll never forget David Johansen.
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Saturday, 1 March 2025
Don't Look To Music
The audience is hipper than the musicians.
The internet not only broke news, it broke music. First came the loss of ubiquity. You just can't reach everybody. Kind of like the Democrats complaining that the Republicans are not reading the "New York Times." THEY HAVE ALTERNATIVES! Ditto on cable news, never mind the endless niches purveyed online. Why should it be any different in music? IT"S NOT!
So what we've got in music is the three major labels selling the blandest, easiest to market music while stripping the number of new releases like a newspaper in a backwater trying to survive. There's consolidation, a focus on the bottom line... Meanwhile, the aforementioned "New York Times" flourished by adding cooking and games and product advice...and now has 11.4 million subscribers. Meanwhile, the labels are focusing on superfans, a subset of the overall audience. They think it's growth, but it's really marginalization. Focusing on net, they're forgoing gross.
But you've got to sell something the public wants to consume.
Doesn't a diss war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake look quaint and out of touch today? The whole world is watching, as they did at the Super Bowl, and the supposed victory was Lamar putting the stake in the heart of the Canadian rapper. This is no different from the Marvel movies released by the major studios, who've marginalized themselves into irrelevance. Once again, fewer releases in fewer genres, overhyping material that most people don't ever want to see. Meanwhile, after eradicating comedies because they don't translate overseas, China's market is now filled with domestic product, they've just had their highest grossing pic ever!
If you're looking for the future, what's happening, don't go to the boardroom of an entertainment company, go to social media.
So music demand blew up with the Beatles and the ensuing tsunami professionalized the business. Money was rolling in in the seventies until the audience got sick of being served lowest common denominator crap, like corporate rock and mindless disco. The business crashed and then was resuscitated by MTV, an entirely new paradigm. But then hair bands came along like classic rock and despite indie rock and rap making inroads in the nineties the channel turned to half hour non-music shows, after all it was TELEVISION, not music. Television is long-form, music is bite-sized.
And then came the excitement of Napster. All the music you ever wanted, even that which was never sold commercially, was at your fingertips. Took ten years to figure out distribution, but Spotify ushered in the on demand streaming culture fifteen years ago and the music scene has been moribund ever since.
You see it's now about software, i.e. music. And innovation is lacking. And it's harder than ever to make a living period, never mind in music. So those who might have been innovative and testing boundaries are in other fields. They just don't want to take the risk of being broke.
Meanwhile, there are singing competition shows. The lionization of no or little talents with brand extensions. The music is no longer the end result, but just a means to become a brand. And despite pledging fealty to the fans, acts can't wait to separate themselves from them, flying private, showing off their wealth, illustrating rather than being just like the listeners, they're completely different.
People keep asking whether they'll be playing the music of today at the parties of tomorrow, how much of today's music will last decades... Almost none of it! Heard Bobby Rydell recently? Fabian? Just because it sells once doesn't mean it lasts forever.
Music is just like it was before the Beatles. A business, but not the cutting edge. Tripe sold to the brain dead.
But then came folk music. Which grew out of social consciousness.
But today's generations are all disillusioned, and would rather focus on their screens than worry about the state of the nation.
Until they do.
Want to take the pulse of the nation? Just go on TikTok. Immediately after the Zelensky/Trump/Vance kerfuffle, there were videos on the platform. Where were the musicians? Silent! Or getting wardrobe fittings. Or complaining Spotify, et al, just don't pay enough per stream. Meanwhile, these musicians don't understand the payments just like MAGA doesn't understand the facts. But it makes a good story! The U.S. sent $350 billion to Ukraine! Only the truth is it was less than half of that and Europe sent MORE!
In the folk music era it was about performance rather than sales too, just like today. And acts showed up everywhere for the cause. There was a pulse. Sure, people wanted to get paid, but not each and every time.
You see it was about hearts and minds. Uniting the audience and the performers. As I said above, now they're separate.
And there's no tradition. I may remember the sixties, but the frame of reference for those coming up today is Mariah Carey, or Maroon 5. Trifles. No nougat present.
So if you're waiting for protest music...
It ain't gonna be like it was in the sixties... Because the whole world is not listening to ANYBODY! And if everybody is not listening, the musicians don't want to write and play it. And they're not arbiters of truth, they're just cottage industries trying to get rich.
The spark has to come from somewhere.
So just like Netflix stole Hollywood's lunch, the public has stolen the power of music, the immediacy, the truth. That's right, TikTok is more vital than today's music. And it spreads to YouTube and Instagram Reels too. Everybody wants to play, unfiltered. Sure, there are moneygrubbing influencers, but there's also a ton of truth.
So... Just like politics will be saved by spontaneous generation, the same thing will happen with music. Someday. Maybe not even for a long time. First and foremost it must be innovative and different. Which is anathema to the food chain, because there's no instant cash. The outside takes a while to percolate before it gains traction.
As for the money...
It's not about money, it's about POWER!
Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk...they blow with the wind. They've lost all credibility. All they're worried about is their power.
Meanwhile, the "New York Times" has tons of power and its asset value is a fraction of Amazon or Facebook or Tesla...
If you're getting into music to get rich...
You've got it wrong.
We want truth. The cash comes afterward, if at all.
Today you play and you see if your music catches on. If it doesn't, change or give up. But the trophy for last place generation believes it's entitled to attention and riches, that somehow it's been screwed. No, you're just not good enough, sorry.
And back in the day, in the sixties, you'd be stunned how few albums some of the legends sold. You're complaining you can't get paid, THEY NEVER GOT A ROYALTY, EVER!
So if you're looking for music to lead in times of crisis... Keep looking, it ain't gonna happen. Music is mini-moguls, and no one in the industry has a backbone, for fear of pissing off a potential customer. It's more like General Mills than the Beatles.
So if you want to know which way the wind blows...
Go on social media.
Do not listen to a record, even though everybody in the music food chain will tell you you're wrong.
Music blew up as a result of free thinking, individuals putting it all on the line, not holding back punches.
Today everybody holds back. The musicians, the Democrats. That's part of Trump's appeal, he lets it fly. You can too. That's the modern game.
But you must have something to say and say it well.
And most people don't.
But we're looking for leaders.
AND WATCH THE PARKING METERS!
--
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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The internet not only broke news, it broke music. First came the loss of ubiquity. You just can't reach everybody. Kind of like the Democrats complaining that the Republicans are not reading the "New York Times." THEY HAVE ALTERNATIVES! Ditto on cable news, never mind the endless niches purveyed online. Why should it be any different in music? IT"S NOT!
So what we've got in music is the three major labels selling the blandest, easiest to market music while stripping the number of new releases like a newspaper in a backwater trying to survive. There's consolidation, a focus on the bottom line... Meanwhile, the aforementioned "New York Times" flourished by adding cooking and games and product advice...and now has 11.4 million subscribers. Meanwhile, the labels are focusing on superfans, a subset of the overall audience. They think it's growth, but it's really marginalization. Focusing on net, they're forgoing gross.
But you've got to sell something the public wants to consume.
Doesn't a diss war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake look quaint and out of touch today? The whole world is watching, as they did at the Super Bowl, and the supposed victory was Lamar putting the stake in the heart of the Canadian rapper. This is no different from the Marvel movies released by the major studios, who've marginalized themselves into irrelevance. Once again, fewer releases in fewer genres, overhyping material that most people don't ever want to see. Meanwhile, after eradicating comedies because they don't translate overseas, China's market is now filled with domestic product, they've just had their highest grossing pic ever!
If you're looking for the future, what's happening, don't go to the boardroom of an entertainment company, go to social media.
So music demand blew up with the Beatles and the ensuing tsunami professionalized the business. Money was rolling in in the seventies until the audience got sick of being served lowest common denominator crap, like corporate rock and mindless disco. The business crashed and then was resuscitated by MTV, an entirely new paradigm. But then hair bands came along like classic rock and despite indie rock and rap making inroads in the nineties the channel turned to half hour non-music shows, after all it was TELEVISION, not music. Television is long-form, music is bite-sized.
And then came the excitement of Napster. All the music you ever wanted, even that which was never sold commercially, was at your fingertips. Took ten years to figure out distribution, but Spotify ushered in the on demand streaming culture fifteen years ago and the music scene has been moribund ever since.
You see it's now about software, i.e. music. And innovation is lacking. And it's harder than ever to make a living period, never mind in music. So those who might have been innovative and testing boundaries are in other fields. They just don't want to take the risk of being broke.
Meanwhile, there are singing competition shows. The lionization of no or little talents with brand extensions. The music is no longer the end result, but just a means to become a brand. And despite pledging fealty to the fans, acts can't wait to separate themselves from them, flying private, showing off their wealth, illustrating rather than being just like the listeners, they're completely different.
People keep asking whether they'll be playing the music of today at the parties of tomorrow, how much of today's music will last decades... Almost none of it! Heard Bobby Rydell recently? Fabian? Just because it sells once doesn't mean it lasts forever.
Music is just like it was before the Beatles. A business, but not the cutting edge. Tripe sold to the brain dead.
But then came folk music. Which grew out of social consciousness.
But today's generations are all disillusioned, and would rather focus on their screens than worry about the state of the nation.
Until they do.
Want to take the pulse of the nation? Just go on TikTok. Immediately after the Zelensky/Trump/Vance kerfuffle, there were videos on the platform. Where were the musicians? Silent! Or getting wardrobe fittings. Or complaining Spotify, et al, just don't pay enough per stream. Meanwhile, these musicians don't understand the payments just like MAGA doesn't understand the facts. But it makes a good story! The U.S. sent $350 billion to Ukraine! Only the truth is it was less than half of that and Europe sent MORE!
In the folk music era it was about performance rather than sales too, just like today. And acts showed up everywhere for the cause. There was a pulse. Sure, people wanted to get paid, but not each and every time.
You see it was about hearts and minds. Uniting the audience and the performers. As I said above, now they're separate.
And there's no tradition. I may remember the sixties, but the frame of reference for those coming up today is Mariah Carey, or Maroon 5. Trifles. No nougat present.
So if you're waiting for protest music...
It ain't gonna be like it was in the sixties... Because the whole world is not listening to ANYBODY! And if everybody is not listening, the musicians don't want to write and play it. And they're not arbiters of truth, they're just cottage industries trying to get rich.
The spark has to come from somewhere.
So just like Netflix stole Hollywood's lunch, the public has stolen the power of music, the immediacy, the truth. That's right, TikTok is more vital than today's music. And it spreads to YouTube and Instagram Reels too. Everybody wants to play, unfiltered. Sure, there are moneygrubbing influencers, but there's also a ton of truth.
So... Just like politics will be saved by spontaneous generation, the same thing will happen with music. Someday. Maybe not even for a long time. First and foremost it must be innovative and different. Which is anathema to the food chain, because there's no instant cash. The outside takes a while to percolate before it gains traction.
As for the money...
It's not about money, it's about POWER!
Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk...they blow with the wind. They've lost all credibility. All they're worried about is their power.
Meanwhile, the "New York Times" has tons of power and its asset value is a fraction of Amazon or Facebook or Tesla...
If you're getting into music to get rich...
You've got it wrong.
We want truth. The cash comes afterward, if at all.
Today you play and you see if your music catches on. If it doesn't, change or give up. But the trophy for last place generation believes it's entitled to attention and riches, that somehow it's been screwed. No, you're just not good enough, sorry.
And back in the day, in the sixties, you'd be stunned how few albums some of the legends sold. You're complaining you can't get paid, THEY NEVER GOT A ROYALTY, EVER!
So if you're looking for music to lead in times of crisis... Keep looking, it ain't gonna happen. Music is mini-moguls, and no one in the industry has a backbone, for fear of pissing off a potential customer. It's more like General Mills than the Beatles.
So if you want to know which way the wind blows...
Go on social media.
Do not listen to a record, even though everybody in the music food chain will tell you you're wrong.
Music blew up as a result of free thinking, individuals putting it all on the line, not holding back punches.
Today everybody holds back. The musicians, the Democrats. That's part of Trump's appeal, he lets it fly. You can too. That's the modern game.
But you must have something to say and say it well.
And most people don't.
But we're looking for leaders.
AND WATCH THE PARKING METERS!
--
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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--
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Friday, 28 February 2025
America Songs-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in Saturday March 1st to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Zelensky/Trump/Vance
This reminds me of nothing so much as being called to the principal's office in high school.
Somehow you offended the teacher, who wants you to respect them because of their twenty years of tenure, even though you're more intelligent than they are.
Or some weasel kiss-ass cried wolf and since you're the outsider, you're the one who colors outside the lines, you're at fault.
So you're marched down to the office where some grand poohbah excoriates you, doesn't want to hear your defense, just wants to sentence you to detention.
And when you emerge from the building having paid your penance, you run into the bullies on the schoolyard. There's no one there to come to your defense. And it's always the number two who is the consigliere, who warns you of the power of the number one, who stands there silently, staring at you, as you get ready to take a punch.
As for the number two... Sans the presence of number one he's a wimp, who will beg for forgiveness if confronted when alone.
So you stand there and take your punches. There's no alternative. No one can outrun these bullies, they're a crowd, immersed in groupthink, and you're the enemy, because you won't pledge fealty, you won't be on their side. You're the outcast and for that alone, they're gonna pick on you.
So...
Somewhere along the line the term "rock star" became equivalent to money. But the money always came last, after rock stars emerged and owned their piece of the firmament. Being a rock star is not about cash, it's about being an individual who thinks for himself. Doesn't worry what others have to say. And therefore, people are drawn to him.
The rock star was never the captain of the football team. Was never Prom King. The rock star was someone who stood on the fringe, observing, refusing to play the game.
And America is about the game. You've got to get good grades to get into a good college! And you have to network to work your way up the corporate ladder! That's Jeff Bezos, all the rest of the two-dimensional wanks who've got money but no character.
And a rock star has character.
Steve Jobs was never perfect, but he didn't want to lord his power over us. He wanted to create products so good that we were drawn to them, and him.
Elon Musk needs the adulation. He bought his own social network. He thinks he alone can solve the nation's problems.
A rock star specializes in seeing the problem. Analyzing it and playing it back to us. Elon Musk can't even see himself.
Back in the heyday of the rock star it was all about personal development, insight. You wanted to learn about yourself, how you fit into the world. And if ever the press and the public got close to understanding you, you pulled back and/or obfuscated. That's Bob Dylan's specialty, he's constantly telling untruths, not to put one over on you, but to keep you guessing, and thinking.
And during Dylan's heyday he famously said not to listen to him. That he was just one person speaking his truth. That you must find your own truth. Contrast that with the tech blowhards lording it over us each and every day.
Zelensky is a rock star. He spoke truth to power. And power didn't like it.
The two bullies, Trump and Vance.
Trump has always been a bully. Who has never acceded to the infirmity or lack of status of those below them. He sees himself as a benevolent king.
As for J.D. Vance... He's that number two I was referencing in the schoolyard above. Let's see him make those statements in other circumstances, without the protection of Trump.
As for Lindsey Graham and Mike Johnson and the rest of the pussies patrolling the halls of Congress... We grew up with people like this. Sucking up to the popular and powerful. They're concerned about their status in the hierarchy, not the truth, the truth has nothing to do with it.
And the truth is this exchange was on television. And now all over the internet. So the only thing up for grabs is interpretation.
On the right there are hosannas, we've finally got a leader, respect us.
But this reminds me of high school gangs who have no power after they graduate. There's no context.
And here the context is the world.
You can live in the MAGA echo chamber, think everybody in Europe is a two bit idiot. But that is not the truth.
Trump has now told the world that you can't count on him to fulfill the nation's obligations. Isn't this what Zelensky said today about Putin not fulfilling his promises?
But liars love liars.
The more you remove yourself from the world, the less power you have, never mind lacking insight.
People don't want those damn immigrants in their neighborhood. And while you're at it, get rid of everybody not like them, the Blacks, the trans people... Like I said, it's like high school. There's a big club but you're not in it.
Everyone thought that Putin would wipe out Ukraine in a matter of days.
But that's not what happened. Because it's hard to conquer hearts and minds.
Meanwhile, America is rolling over to autocracy. If only we had a Zelensky on our side of the pond.
But Zelensky was a comic, who first and foremost knew people, relationships, and that's what the world is all about.
As for negotiation... Do you know anybody who negotiates for a living? They don't do it at all like Trump. What they're looking for is a win-win, because you always end up coming back to the table, you see the same people throughout your life.
Bully and piss off people like Trump and Vance and you may think you've won, but the rest of the negotiating public is now on notice, doesn't trust you and if it deals with you at all refuses to compromise.
The art of the deal?
The art of the SCHLEMIEL!
I'll throw Biden and Kamala and the rest of the Democratic Party under the bus while I'm at it. They were so busy looking at each other that they had no idea of the temperature of the public.
And while we're at it, let's blame Fox News and the internet, because facts are now fungible. There is really no truth. No matter what you say, if you point to the words of the Brittanica or Einstein, it doesn't matter. Because today emotions rule.
But you've got to know when to keep your emotions in check.
Yup, tell me to be thankful while you're whipping me. God, it's like a parent beating a kid while telling them they're not going to quit until the child stops crying.
If you think America won today, you're myopic.
We need more rock stars like Zelensky. They are our true leaders.
But just because you make music or have money that does not make you a rock star.
Like George Harrison sang, you must think for yourself. Own your position.
"Do what you want to do
And go where you're going to
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there for you"
The principal ain't going to be there for you. Nor the bullies.
And certainly not Donald Trump.
Then again, George had it right about Trump too.
"You're telling all those lies
About the good things we can have
If we close our eyes"
That's what they want us to be, sheep. Get in line, close our eyes and march in lockstep.
It ain't me babe.
And it ain't Zelensky.
As for those who are following in Trump's footsteps...
The true believers, the non-thinking people who trust their leaders always have their best interests at heart... They learn the truth last.
Russia's economy is teetering. This was the moment Ronald Reagan was waiting for. The weakness that will make the entire edifice collapse.
But Trump wants to prop it up and rescue it.
Thank god there are people like Zelensky, who channeled Daryl Hall today and said I CAN'T GO FOR THAT!
--
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Somehow you offended the teacher, who wants you to respect them because of their twenty years of tenure, even though you're more intelligent than they are.
Or some weasel kiss-ass cried wolf and since you're the outsider, you're the one who colors outside the lines, you're at fault.
So you're marched down to the office where some grand poohbah excoriates you, doesn't want to hear your defense, just wants to sentence you to detention.
And when you emerge from the building having paid your penance, you run into the bullies on the schoolyard. There's no one there to come to your defense. And it's always the number two who is the consigliere, who warns you of the power of the number one, who stands there silently, staring at you, as you get ready to take a punch.
As for the number two... Sans the presence of number one he's a wimp, who will beg for forgiveness if confronted when alone.
So you stand there and take your punches. There's no alternative. No one can outrun these bullies, they're a crowd, immersed in groupthink, and you're the enemy, because you won't pledge fealty, you won't be on their side. You're the outcast and for that alone, they're gonna pick on you.
So...
Somewhere along the line the term "rock star" became equivalent to money. But the money always came last, after rock stars emerged and owned their piece of the firmament. Being a rock star is not about cash, it's about being an individual who thinks for himself. Doesn't worry what others have to say. And therefore, people are drawn to him.
The rock star was never the captain of the football team. Was never Prom King. The rock star was someone who stood on the fringe, observing, refusing to play the game.
And America is about the game. You've got to get good grades to get into a good college! And you have to network to work your way up the corporate ladder! That's Jeff Bezos, all the rest of the two-dimensional wanks who've got money but no character.
And a rock star has character.
Steve Jobs was never perfect, but he didn't want to lord his power over us. He wanted to create products so good that we were drawn to them, and him.
Elon Musk needs the adulation. He bought his own social network. He thinks he alone can solve the nation's problems.
A rock star specializes in seeing the problem. Analyzing it and playing it back to us. Elon Musk can't even see himself.
Back in the heyday of the rock star it was all about personal development, insight. You wanted to learn about yourself, how you fit into the world. And if ever the press and the public got close to understanding you, you pulled back and/or obfuscated. That's Bob Dylan's specialty, he's constantly telling untruths, not to put one over on you, but to keep you guessing, and thinking.
And during Dylan's heyday he famously said not to listen to him. That he was just one person speaking his truth. That you must find your own truth. Contrast that with the tech blowhards lording it over us each and every day.
Zelensky is a rock star. He spoke truth to power. And power didn't like it.
The two bullies, Trump and Vance.
Trump has always been a bully. Who has never acceded to the infirmity or lack of status of those below them. He sees himself as a benevolent king.
As for J.D. Vance... He's that number two I was referencing in the schoolyard above. Let's see him make those statements in other circumstances, without the protection of Trump.
As for Lindsey Graham and Mike Johnson and the rest of the pussies patrolling the halls of Congress... We grew up with people like this. Sucking up to the popular and powerful. They're concerned about their status in the hierarchy, not the truth, the truth has nothing to do with it.
And the truth is this exchange was on television. And now all over the internet. So the only thing up for grabs is interpretation.
On the right there are hosannas, we've finally got a leader, respect us.
But this reminds me of high school gangs who have no power after they graduate. There's no context.
And here the context is the world.
You can live in the MAGA echo chamber, think everybody in Europe is a two bit idiot. But that is not the truth.
Trump has now told the world that you can't count on him to fulfill the nation's obligations. Isn't this what Zelensky said today about Putin not fulfilling his promises?
But liars love liars.
The more you remove yourself from the world, the less power you have, never mind lacking insight.
People don't want those damn immigrants in their neighborhood. And while you're at it, get rid of everybody not like them, the Blacks, the trans people... Like I said, it's like high school. There's a big club but you're not in it.
Everyone thought that Putin would wipe out Ukraine in a matter of days.
But that's not what happened. Because it's hard to conquer hearts and minds.
Meanwhile, America is rolling over to autocracy. If only we had a Zelensky on our side of the pond.
But Zelensky was a comic, who first and foremost knew people, relationships, and that's what the world is all about.
As for negotiation... Do you know anybody who negotiates for a living? They don't do it at all like Trump. What they're looking for is a win-win, because you always end up coming back to the table, you see the same people throughout your life.
Bully and piss off people like Trump and Vance and you may think you've won, but the rest of the negotiating public is now on notice, doesn't trust you and if it deals with you at all refuses to compromise.
The art of the deal?
The art of the SCHLEMIEL!
I'll throw Biden and Kamala and the rest of the Democratic Party under the bus while I'm at it. They were so busy looking at each other that they had no idea of the temperature of the public.
And while we're at it, let's blame Fox News and the internet, because facts are now fungible. There is really no truth. No matter what you say, if you point to the words of the Brittanica or Einstein, it doesn't matter. Because today emotions rule.
But you've got to know when to keep your emotions in check.
Yup, tell me to be thankful while you're whipping me. God, it's like a parent beating a kid while telling them they're not going to quit until the child stops crying.
If you think America won today, you're myopic.
We need more rock stars like Zelensky. They are our true leaders.
But just because you make music or have money that does not make you a rock star.
Like George Harrison sang, you must think for yourself. Own your position.
"Do what you want to do
And go where you're going to
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there for you"
The principal ain't going to be there for you. Nor the bullies.
And certainly not Donald Trump.
Then again, George had it right about Trump too.
"You're telling all those lies
About the good things we can have
If we close our eyes"
That's what they want us to be, sheep. Get in line, close our eyes and march in lockstep.
It ain't me babe.
And it ain't Zelensky.
As for those who are following in Trump's footsteps...
The true believers, the non-thinking people who trust their leaders always have their best interests at heart... They learn the truth last.
Russia's economy is teetering. This was the moment Ronald Reagan was waiting for. The weakness that will make the entire edifice collapse.
But Trump wants to prop it up and rescue it.
Thank god there are people like Zelensky, who channeled Daryl Hall today and said I CAN'T GO FOR THAT!
--
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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--
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Thursday, 27 February 2025
Stan Lynch-This Week's Podcast
The original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has a new band, The Speaker Wars. You'll love Stan!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stan-lynch/id1316200737?i=1000696520478
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Cj687x4tk5to7fgaSGS2W?si=lBli7TqBTP-NWc73hi2WqQ
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/stan-lynch-269104323/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/a713a39a-14c2-4288-be9b-3c779fb628cd/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-stan-lynch
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--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stan-lynch/id1316200737?i=1000696520478
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Cj687x4tk5to7fgaSGS2W?si=lBli7TqBTP-NWc73hi2WqQ
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/stan-lynch-269104323/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/a713a39a-14c2-4288-be9b-3c779fb628cd/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-stan-lynch
--
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Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Article Of The Week
"The right-wing media machine is hitting a wall"
Free link: https://wapo.st/3XgG5QU
Most of the negative feedback I get is anti-Biden, anti-Democratic party, there's not so much support for the efforts of Trump other than to say the government wastes money and THE DEBT!
But how many of these people are there?
Turns out Trump and Musk are not viewed so favorably by the public at large.
"Consider recent polling conducted by YouGov for the Economist. It found that only about a third of Americans supported the Trump-Musk push to fire hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Among Republicans, more than 6 in 10 supported the idea. Among non-Republicans, though, fewer than 1 in 5 did."
But here's the nougat:
"Why the divide? Unquestionably in part because Trump supporters exist in a disinformation bubble, to paraphrase a prominent foreign leader. They don't see it that way, of course; in their view, their news diet represents an escape from falsehoods propagated by left-leaning elites. But the falsity of that framing is easily demonstrated."
Of course Trumpists will dismiss these statements out of hand, if for no other reason than they're in the "Washington Post."
But it's not all bad news for the right:
"The news sources most trusted among the strongest Trump supporters? Fox News and Musk's X. The effort to denigrate the media has been so effective, in fact, that other recent YouGov polling shows that Americans — and not only Republicans — have more confidence in the accuracy of the Trump administration than of the media overall."
In any event, despite the falsehoods and propaganda of the right, when it comes to Trump and Musk's actions since the inauguration, most of America is thumbs-down. And it's only Trump and Musk and their cronies who are unaware of this.
Now of course this may not matter. Trump is not only President, he controls the military and the money and...
But this discontent amongst the hoi polloi... As we learned in Vietnam, it's not so easy to defeat hearts and minds.
So how does this play out?
Spontaneously. We cannot predict the future. For decades we've depended upon our elected leaders to foment change. That's history when it comes to the left. No, it will be something from the grass roots, akin to the Arab Spring. A person or group who acts and captures the public's will and desires in the process.
If this sounds ridiculous, just think back a couple of months to UnitedHealth. The fat cats, those with money, those with power, were lamenting the death of the executive, meanwhile, the public was on the side of the shooter. They were frustrated, finally someone had taken action.
Now it turned out that Luigi was crazy.
And I'm not advocating assassination.
But there is an undercurrent of discontent that can be tapped into.
Will this happen?
I won't guarantee it.
Will Trump and his team quash any uprising?
Possibly.
Then again, look at the protests in Israel prior to 10/7, about the undercutting of the Supreme Court's power. The government ultimately blinked.
We are in uncharted territory. But if you think the public is calm, that everything is hunky-dory...
You think that you finally own the libtards and are posting for virality on X.
Pride comes before a fall. Never forget it.
P.S. Trump and his team are not bulletproof. They are incredibly vulnerable themselves, just read this:
"Speaking of excessive government spending, it was reported last week that the Department of Homeland Security would spend $200 million on an ad campaign touting administration efforts to restrict migration across the border with Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem — very familiar with the right's attention economy — stars in the ads, heaping praise on Trump (reportedly at his request)."
P.P.S. I know you're busy, I know you're burned out. But you should read this article. It's not only opinion, there is quantification, there are numbers. When one team takes it too far...the pendulum usually swings back.
--
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--
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--
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Free link: https://wapo.st/3XgG5QU
Most of the negative feedback I get is anti-Biden, anti-Democratic party, there's not so much support for the efforts of Trump other than to say the government wastes money and THE DEBT!
But how many of these people are there?
Turns out Trump and Musk are not viewed so favorably by the public at large.
"Consider recent polling conducted by YouGov for the Economist. It found that only about a third of Americans supported the Trump-Musk push to fire hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Among Republicans, more than 6 in 10 supported the idea. Among non-Republicans, though, fewer than 1 in 5 did."
But here's the nougat:
"Why the divide? Unquestionably in part because Trump supporters exist in a disinformation bubble, to paraphrase a prominent foreign leader. They don't see it that way, of course; in their view, their news diet represents an escape from falsehoods propagated by left-leaning elites. But the falsity of that framing is easily demonstrated."
Of course Trumpists will dismiss these statements out of hand, if for no other reason than they're in the "Washington Post."
But it's not all bad news for the right:
"The news sources most trusted among the strongest Trump supporters? Fox News and Musk's X. The effort to denigrate the media has been so effective, in fact, that other recent YouGov polling shows that Americans — and not only Republicans — have more confidence in the accuracy of the Trump administration than of the media overall."
In any event, despite the falsehoods and propaganda of the right, when it comes to Trump and Musk's actions since the inauguration, most of America is thumbs-down. And it's only Trump and Musk and their cronies who are unaware of this.
Now of course this may not matter. Trump is not only President, he controls the military and the money and...
But this discontent amongst the hoi polloi... As we learned in Vietnam, it's not so easy to defeat hearts and minds.
So how does this play out?
Spontaneously. We cannot predict the future. For decades we've depended upon our elected leaders to foment change. That's history when it comes to the left. No, it will be something from the grass roots, akin to the Arab Spring. A person or group who acts and captures the public's will and desires in the process.
If this sounds ridiculous, just think back a couple of months to UnitedHealth. The fat cats, those with money, those with power, were lamenting the death of the executive, meanwhile, the public was on the side of the shooter. They were frustrated, finally someone had taken action.
Now it turned out that Luigi was crazy.
And I'm not advocating assassination.
But there is an undercurrent of discontent that can be tapped into.
Will this happen?
I won't guarantee it.
Will Trump and his team quash any uprising?
Possibly.
Then again, look at the protests in Israel prior to 10/7, about the undercutting of the Supreme Court's power. The government ultimately blinked.
We are in uncharted territory. But if you think the public is calm, that everything is hunky-dory...
You think that you finally own the libtards and are posting for virality on X.
Pride comes before a fall. Never forget it.
P.S. Trump and his team are not bulletproof. They are incredibly vulnerable themselves, just read this:
"Speaking of excessive government spending, it was reported last week that the Department of Homeland Security would spend $200 million on an ad campaign touting administration efforts to restrict migration across the border with Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem — very familiar with the right's attention economy — stars in the ads, heaping praise on Trump (reportedly at his request)."
P.P.S. I know you're busy, I know you're burned out. But you should read this article. It's not only opinion, there is quantification, there are numbers. When one team takes it too far...the pendulum usually swings back.
--
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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--
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Monday, 24 February 2025
The U.N. Resolution
"U.S. Clashes With European Allies at the U.N. Over Ukraine - The United States voted against a resolution, backed by most of Europe, demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukraine — a deep fissure between allies, and a sharp shift in American policy."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/world/middleeast/us-eurpe-russia-ukraine-un.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU4.laf8.nlaNVonqFqW9&smid=url-share
Who is going to stand up to this motherf*cker?
Is this the will of the people? To do a 180 on eighty years of American policy? To say the good guys are Russian and the bad guys are those fighting for western interests?
Do you think I want to write about Trump and Musk? OF COURSE NOT! I'd rather go back to my regular life. I regularly think what it was like, back in the day, when politics was over there, not top of mind, when I thought the people in D.C. had a handle on it.
Not anymore.
The problem is many people did not live through the Cuban Missile Crisis. Just like they didn't live through polio and measles. So they're not aware of how bad these actors are.
You're safe until you're not. You don't get the MMR shot and are worry-free until you get measles and are hospitalized. And don't look at my generation, we all got the disease back in the fifties, those who survived have natural immunity. It's the younger, know better, ignorant generations who are paying the price.
Let's put everybody at risk. From politics to health. Let's throw truth out the window. Let's make it up as we go along. THIS IS RAW INSANITY!
It's like my entire education was worthless. What I learned was the power of analysis. Trump knows the power of the dick. He's the guy who wants to make sure he's not left out of the bathroom when the two most famous people are in there doing coke. He's worried about his image, not the country. Getting rich all the while. Did you see that Melania is going to pocket $28 million from that Amazon documentary? And that you can get your name in the credits for ten mil?
Never mind the business leaders kowtowing to this doofus.
And if you think Trump is for the underclass... You never took a sh*t on his golden toilet. You don't know rich people. Most of them want nothing to do with the hoi polloi. They live behind gates and they vacation on private islands that they fly to on private jets...
Everything is up for grabs. Everything you know is wrong, like the Firesign Theatre said.
But that was a different era, when artists questioned authority. Now they just accept it. You play music to get rich. Or you bitch that you're playing music and are not rich. For what it's worth...this is not the sixties anymore, with musicians speaking truth to power with the entire younger generation in thrall.
So...
Putin is smarter than Trump. Period. He's got a failing economy, he's nationalizing private businesses. The country is barely hanging on. And now he's paying Trump like a fiddle.
And what is end game here? Putin is aligned with China and North Korea. Are we part of that club now? Are we part of the axis of evil?
And who is going to trust America ever again. We say we have your back and then...tough noogies.
And what about Europe, sharing boundaries with Russia. Have you ever been there? These countries are oh-so-close. Like New York and Connecticut. What's to stop Putin now?
We let this guy get Crimea after the 2014 Olympics without uttering a peep.
Then he invades Ukraine and the entire globe thinks it's a fait accompli that he'll triumph, but Zelensky and the will of the people stand up to this world power. And continue to do so. Sure, with our money. But what is our money for if it not safety? If you don't draw the line over there, it will come closer to you over here.
I want to know the MAGA people who support this. Who think this is a good idea. Tell me what's in it for you. Tell me how it helps the United States.
I can't figure it out.
So we've been bitching for decades that the U.N. is worthless, beholden to minor countries with flawed agendas preventing any true progress. And now we align with THEM?
Russia is the aggressor here.
As for Trump demanding minerals from Ukraine... That's not America, we help people, we don't rape people. We want to be your ally.
So now with this alignment with Russia and the end of USAID...the front moves here. Our lines of defense over there are evaporating. They attack here next.
And who is aligned with the U.S?
Not Europe, not Canada, not Mexico... All we do is threaten our allies with tariffs, trying to extort money from them.
As for other countries not paying their fair share for the Ukrainian war effort... They're stepping up now. And is everything transactional? If you've got more, you can pay more. And that's America. And if you're always trying to balance the books you're losing sight of the goal.
As for NATO... Europe is SOL.
Trump has gone rogue. The party of Reagan...who is standing up now? Where are those on the right who will loudly proclaim this is wrong?
And it is.
Making a peace deal while leaving Ukraine out?
Musk and Vance advancing the cause of the anti-immigrant right in Germany?
Be afraid, be very afraid.
I just can't understand this. The Gulf of America was one thing. But are we now truly supposed to believe that Trump is going to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal and Canada is in play?
This guy has too much power. And for years, the Republicans have been advancing the idea of an executive presidency, with the official having more power.
Where is Congress?
Where are the American people?
Silent as history is being rewritten.
Actions have consequences. And if you think it will be easy to pull back from this alignment with Putin...
You're wrong.
--
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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/world/middleeast/us-eurpe-russia-ukraine-un.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU4.laf8.nlaNVonqFqW9&smid=url-share
Who is going to stand up to this motherf*cker?
Is this the will of the people? To do a 180 on eighty years of American policy? To say the good guys are Russian and the bad guys are those fighting for western interests?
Do you think I want to write about Trump and Musk? OF COURSE NOT! I'd rather go back to my regular life. I regularly think what it was like, back in the day, when politics was over there, not top of mind, when I thought the people in D.C. had a handle on it.
Not anymore.
The problem is many people did not live through the Cuban Missile Crisis. Just like they didn't live through polio and measles. So they're not aware of how bad these actors are.
You're safe until you're not. You don't get the MMR shot and are worry-free until you get measles and are hospitalized. And don't look at my generation, we all got the disease back in the fifties, those who survived have natural immunity. It's the younger, know better, ignorant generations who are paying the price.
Let's put everybody at risk. From politics to health. Let's throw truth out the window. Let's make it up as we go along. THIS IS RAW INSANITY!
It's like my entire education was worthless. What I learned was the power of analysis. Trump knows the power of the dick. He's the guy who wants to make sure he's not left out of the bathroom when the two most famous people are in there doing coke. He's worried about his image, not the country. Getting rich all the while. Did you see that Melania is going to pocket $28 million from that Amazon documentary? And that you can get your name in the credits for ten mil?
Never mind the business leaders kowtowing to this doofus.
And if you think Trump is for the underclass... You never took a sh*t on his golden toilet. You don't know rich people. Most of them want nothing to do with the hoi polloi. They live behind gates and they vacation on private islands that they fly to on private jets...
Everything is up for grabs. Everything you know is wrong, like the Firesign Theatre said.
But that was a different era, when artists questioned authority. Now they just accept it. You play music to get rich. Or you bitch that you're playing music and are not rich. For what it's worth...this is not the sixties anymore, with musicians speaking truth to power with the entire younger generation in thrall.
So...
Putin is smarter than Trump. Period. He's got a failing economy, he's nationalizing private businesses. The country is barely hanging on. And now he's paying Trump like a fiddle.
And what is end game here? Putin is aligned with China and North Korea. Are we part of that club now? Are we part of the axis of evil?
And who is going to trust America ever again. We say we have your back and then...tough noogies.
And what about Europe, sharing boundaries with Russia. Have you ever been there? These countries are oh-so-close. Like New York and Connecticut. What's to stop Putin now?
We let this guy get Crimea after the 2014 Olympics without uttering a peep.
Then he invades Ukraine and the entire globe thinks it's a fait accompli that he'll triumph, but Zelensky and the will of the people stand up to this world power. And continue to do so. Sure, with our money. But what is our money for if it not safety? If you don't draw the line over there, it will come closer to you over here.
I want to know the MAGA people who support this. Who think this is a good idea. Tell me what's in it for you. Tell me how it helps the United States.
I can't figure it out.
So we've been bitching for decades that the U.N. is worthless, beholden to minor countries with flawed agendas preventing any true progress. And now we align with THEM?
Russia is the aggressor here.
As for Trump demanding minerals from Ukraine... That's not America, we help people, we don't rape people. We want to be your ally.
So now with this alignment with Russia and the end of USAID...the front moves here. Our lines of defense over there are evaporating. They attack here next.
And who is aligned with the U.S?
Not Europe, not Canada, not Mexico... All we do is threaten our allies with tariffs, trying to extort money from them.
As for other countries not paying their fair share for the Ukrainian war effort... They're stepping up now. And is everything transactional? If you've got more, you can pay more. And that's America. And if you're always trying to balance the books you're losing sight of the goal.
As for NATO... Europe is SOL.
Trump has gone rogue. The party of Reagan...who is standing up now? Where are those on the right who will loudly proclaim this is wrong?
And it is.
Making a peace deal while leaving Ukraine out?
Musk and Vance advancing the cause of the anti-immigrant right in Germany?
Be afraid, be very afraid.
I just can't understand this. The Gulf of America was one thing. But are we now truly supposed to believe that Trump is going to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal and Canada is in play?
This guy has too much power. And for years, the Republicans have been advancing the idea of an executive presidency, with the official having more power.
Where is Congress?
Where are the American people?
Silent as history is being rewritten.
Actions have consequences. And if you think it will be easy to pull back from this alignment with Putin...
You're wrong.
--
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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Sunday, 23 February 2025
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Because the networks and the cable outlets are afraid of being sued by Trump.
The real reason the politicians wanted to get rid of TikTok is because they didn't want you to have a voice. They wanted to quash public discourse. They wanted to continue the twentieth century top down paradigm which has been eviscerated by the internet.
But the revolution is happening. And it's happening on TikTok. Because that's where you see the stories in the news come alive. Most specifically, the town halls.
Accountability. While President Musk asks government workers to justify their jobs, to prove they're working hard, congresspeople have been slacking. The only problem is, unlike Musk, congresspeople are accountable to the public.
And the public has had enough.
Oh, let's not relitigate the last election. Trump won fair and square. Because Biden kept saying he was competent when he wasn't...notice we haven't heard a peep from him since he stepped down...and Kamala Harris was anointed the candidate and evidenced the inauthenticity that killed her presidential campaign in 2020.
So, the people voted for Trump. But that does not mean they believe in Trump.
And now they feel they've been sold a bill of goods.
The Democrats may evaporate, like the Whigs, we may need a whole new party. They're living in the last century. The Republicans have been fighting for decades, bullying the Democrats, spouting falsehoods and like teachers' pets the Democrats have remained silent, for fear of getting in trouble, losing points on their grade. And now the backlash is getting bigger.
So, you've got the Pritzker speech. Man, at least he spoke English. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, just scroll TikTok for a while and it will come up.
And the press has anointed Chris Murphy of Connecticut as the attack dog for the left.
But the real action is taking place at the grass roots level. If you're on TikTok you're inundated with videos of town halls wherein citizens ask straightforward questions and the Republican officials...
It's hilarious, you've got to watch. Do you support Russia or Ukraine? Who started the war? And the response is...IT'S COMPLICATED!
But no, it's not. And the people know this.
In one state after another you've got informed citizens asking elected officials why they're doing nothing, sitting on their hands, as Trump rapes and pillages.
Sure there is a minority who still believe in him. But even Kid Rock said he'd have trouble if Trump ran for a third term, which the Donald keeps talking about.
What you've got mainly is the bros on TikTok, the outcast males who bit back. They're the driver of the right wing tsunami. But the problem is much of what Musk says is untrue and he even has his minions attacking a blind person. So the scope and influence of X keeps declining. It's an echo chamber even worse than Fox News.
So who are the people still on the Trump bus?
Well, you've got to know that many of them hate liberals more than they love Trump. And now that the liberals are inactive, out of power and somnambulant, there is no enemy and they're confronted with Trump's actions. And the fallout is just beginning. All the services people count on...they're going to find out they're not there.
And since the Democrats are asleep, Bernie Sanders is doing their bidding. Then again, the Dems are in bed with the oligarchs and Sanders never was. Sanders invented the paradigm of the small donation.
We've been screwed for decades. The biggest problem in America is income inequality. And the politicians have been partaking from the trough, both right and left, but you and me know...
We can't trust the "Washington Post" because they refused to run an anti-Trump ad after they said they would. You can undercut your credibility with one action. Bezos, et al, are so busy sucking up to Trump that they've lost track of the fact that their businesses depend on purchases by the public.
You've probably seen that economic blackout memo that's going around.
It's on Facebook, where the old people are, still boasting via vacation pictures and missing the memo that they're out of touch. They should all jump to TikTok and Instagram Reels immediately. But they're afraid. Yes, old people are afraid of change, it's documented.
So we rely on the young 'uns to foment change.
As for boycotts...
The problem with the Facebook echo chamber, the left wing echo chamber, is these people are completely out of touch with society today.
YOU ONLY BOYCOTT THAT WHICH HAS AN ALTERNATIVE!!!
You don't boycott Amazon. Nor a specific social media outlet. When the right boycotted Bud Light, there were a bunch of alternative beers.
Want to boycott?
Start with Chevron or some other gas company. You don't need to buy your gas at Chevron.
Or CVS or Walgreens. They don't have a monopoly, you can go to another outlet.
You don't boycott monopolies, never ever, it doesn't work.
Now the details of the boycott spreading on Facebook tell us these efforts will only last one day, and that's okay, then again, if I don't order from Amazon today, I can order from the company tomorrow.
You need to make people HURT!
Just like Trump is making people hurt.
And since the Supreme Court said corporations are people... These are the duplicitous people we need to hurt.
Once again, this is no longer a left versus right battle. It's an us versus them battle. And we are the people, and they are Trump and Musk and everybody pledging fealty to them.
As Bernie Sanders said... Two hundred fifty years ago the colonies stood up to big bad England and triumphed.
So if you're on TikTok you're also seeing the video of James Carville on Hannity. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. The right wing positions are so lame.
Sure, we want government to be more efficient. But we don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater!
And Musk is lying as much as Trump. Every major media outlet has said the $55 billion he claims to have already saved is fallacious.
Every day I wake up, look at my phone and am horrified. It's hard to function. The analogies to Nazi Germany are true, things can change on a dime, in an instant, that's what the past few weeks have taught us.
But I thought if autocracy was imminent, the public would rise up, but for over a month people have been asleep, seemingly going on about their business as the right lionizes people like Orban in Hungary.
You see there's so much news that people are better informed than ever before, this is what the internet has wrought.
Of course, of course, there's a ton of misinformation out there. Spewed by Fox News and right wing sites the left hasn't even heard of.
But the puck keeps moving. Talk radio, yesterday's news. As is print. Everything is about video now. The left wanted stories on the "Times," Trump went on Joe Rogan, podcasts were king.
But the game has already moved on. Podcasts are entertainment. Social media video, primarily on TikTok, is directly from the proletariat to the proletariat, with no middle man/woman. And that's its power.
Rogan? Theo Von? Shawn Ryan? They're still powerful, but they're not where the battle is being fought. The battle is being fought on TikTok, where the public is mixing it up.
And strangely unified in the belief that Trump and Musk are out of control and screwing things up. And because of the algorithm... The echo chamber of yore is not as prevalent. You don't get to choose your videos. You're gonna see stuff you wouldn't pull, but it's being pushed to you.
So...
I'm suddenly optimistic. Because unlike the politicians, the public has woken up.
And let's be very clear, most of the public is on the same page. They want to live safely and get their Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security. Just over half the voters were burned out on Biden/Harris, but don't think they wanted the American way of life undercut. Which is what is happening.
Now the truth is no one can predict the future. But one thing we've learned, even in this century, is one person can make a difference. One overeducated fruit vendor started the Arab Spring. And we're on the verge of the same thing happening here. Because both the left and the right, the Democrats and Republicans, have lost touch with the people and the people have no choice but to take matters into their own hands, WHICH THEY ARE DOING!
The smartphone is your friend. It's how you connect with others. TikTok is the heartbeat of the world, if you're not on it you're out of touch. Sure, you can waste time on it, but chances are you'll learn more about what's going on than reading a newspaper or watching cable news.
And TikTok is back in the app stores of both Apple and Google.
Don't be afraid. Don't be left out. This is the battle of your lifetime. You have more power now than ever before. This is the time to join the campaign, to get your hands dirty.
And this is about America, this is about freedom. Musk talks all about freedom, but keeps naysayers off his platform. Meanwhile, X is so lean that it can't control the platform.
Musk may be rich, but he's just a person. More flawed than many.
This is a movement. Forget trying to convince those who don't believe, most of them will come around, if they haven't already. Join the fray, join the charge...
IT'S HAPPENING NOW!
--
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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--
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The real reason the politicians wanted to get rid of TikTok is because they didn't want you to have a voice. They wanted to quash public discourse. They wanted to continue the twentieth century top down paradigm which has been eviscerated by the internet.
But the revolution is happening. And it's happening on TikTok. Because that's where you see the stories in the news come alive. Most specifically, the town halls.
Accountability. While President Musk asks government workers to justify their jobs, to prove they're working hard, congresspeople have been slacking. The only problem is, unlike Musk, congresspeople are accountable to the public.
And the public has had enough.
Oh, let's not relitigate the last election. Trump won fair and square. Because Biden kept saying he was competent when he wasn't...notice we haven't heard a peep from him since he stepped down...and Kamala Harris was anointed the candidate and evidenced the inauthenticity that killed her presidential campaign in 2020.
So, the people voted for Trump. But that does not mean they believe in Trump.
And now they feel they've been sold a bill of goods.
The Democrats may evaporate, like the Whigs, we may need a whole new party. They're living in the last century. The Republicans have been fighting for decades, bullying the Democrats, spouting falsehoods and like teachers' pets the Democrats have remained silent, for fear of getting in trouble, losing points on their grade. And now the backlash is getting bigger.
So, you've got the Pritzker speech. Man, at least he spoke English. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, just scroll TikTok for a while and it will come up.
And the press has anointed Chris Murphy of Connecticut as the attack dog for the left.
But the real action is taking place at the grass roots level. If you're on TikTok you're inundated with videos of town halls wherein citizens ask straightforward questions and the Republican officials...
It's hilarious, you've got to watch. Do you support Russia or Ukraine? Who started the war? And the response is...IT'S COMPLICATED!
But no, it's not. And the people know this.
In one state after another you've got informed citizens asking elected officials why they're doing nothing, sitting on their hands, as Trump rapes and pillages.
Sure there is a minority who still believe in him. But even Kid Rock said he'd have trouble if Trump ran for a third term, which the Donald keeps talking about.
What you've got mainly is the bros on TikTok, the outcast males who bit back. They're the driver of the right wing tsunami. But the problem is much of what Musk says is untrue and he even has his minions attacking a blind person. So the scope and influence of X keeps declining. It's an echo chamber even worse than Fox News.
So who are the people still on the Trump bus?
Well, you've got to know that many of them hate liberals more than they love Trump. And now that the liberals are inactive, out of power and somnambulant, there is no enemy and they're confronted with Trump's actions. And the fallout is just beginning. All the services people count on...they're going to find out they're not there.
And since the Democrats are asleep, Bernie Sanders is doing their bidding. Then again, the Dems are in bed with the oligarchs and Sanders never was. Sanders invented the paradigm of the small donation.
We've been screwed for decades. The biggest problem in America is income inequality. And the politicians have been partaking from the trough, both right and left, but you and me know...
We can't trust the "Washington Post" because they refused to run an anti-Trump ad after they said they would. You can undercut your credibility with one action. Bezos, et al, are so busy sucking up to Trump that they've lost track of the fact that their businesses depend on purchases by the public.
You've probably seen that economic blackout memo that's going around.
It's on Facebook, where the old people are, still boasting via vacation pictures and missing the memo that they're out of touch. They should all jump to TikTok and Instagram Reels immediately. But they're afraid. Yes, old people are afraid of change, it's documented.
So we rely on the young 'uns to foment change.
As for boycotts...
The problem with the Facebook echo chamber, the left wing echo chamber, is these people are completely out of touch with society today.
YOU ONLY BOYCOTT THAT WHICH HAS AN ALTERNATIVE!!!
You don't boycott Amazon. Nor a specific social media outlet. When the right boycotted Bud Light, there were a bunch of alternative beers.
Want to boycott?
Start with Chevron or some other gas company. You don't need to buy your gas at Chevron.
Or CVS or Walgreens. They don't have a monopoly, you can go to another outlet.
You don't boycott monopolies, never ever, it doesn't work.
Now the details of the boycott spreading on Facebook tell us these efforts will only last one day, and that's okay, then again, if I don't order from Amazon today, I can order from the company tomorrow.
You need to make people HURT!
Just like Trump is making people hurt.
And since the Supreme Court said corporations are people... These are the duplicitous people we need to hurt.
Once again, this is no longer a left versus right battle. It's an us versus them battle. And we are the people, and they are Trump and Musk and everybody pledging fealty to them.
As Bernie Sanders said... Two hundred fifty years ago the colonies stood up to big bad England and triumphed.
So if you're on TikTok you're also seeing the video of James Carville on Hannity. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. The right wing positions are so lame.
Sure, we want government to be more efficient. But we don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater!
And Musk is lying as much as Trump. Every major media outlet has said the $55 billion he claims to have already saved is fallacious.
Every day I wake up, look at my phone and am horrified. It's hard to function. The analogies to Nazi Germany are true, things can change on a dime, in an instant, that's what the past few weeks have taught us.
But I thought if autocracy was imminent, the public would rise up, but for over a month people have been asleep, seemingly going on about their business as the right lionizes people like Orban in Hungary.
You see there's so much news that people are better informed than ever before, this is what the internet has wrought.
Of course, of course, there's a ton of misinformation out there. Spewed by Fox News and right wing sites the left hasn't even heard of.
But the puck keeps moving. Talk radio, yesterday's news. As is print. Everything is about video now. The left wanted stories on the "Times," Trump went on Joe Rogan, podcasts were king.
But the game has already moved on. Podcasts are entertainment. Social media video, primarily on TikTok, is directly from the proletariat to the proletariat, with no middle man/woman. And that's its power.
Rogan? Theo Von? Shawn Ryan? They're still powerful, but they're not where the battle is being fought. The battle is being fought on TikTok, where the public is mixing it up.
And strangely unified in the belief that Trump and Musk are out of control and screwing things up. And because of the algorithm... The echo chamber of yore is not as prevalent. You don't get to choose your videos. You're gonna see stuff you wouldn't pull, but it's being pushed to you.
So...
I'm suddenly optimistic. Because unlike the politicians, the public has woken up.
And let's be very clear, most of the public is on the same page. They want to live safely and get their Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security. Just over half the voters were burned out on Biden/Harris, but don't think they wanted the American way of life undercut. Which is what is happening.
Now the truth is no one can predict the future. But one thing we've learned, even in this century, is one person can make a difference. One overeducated fruit vendor started the Arab Spring. And we're on the verge of the same thing happening here. Because both the left and the right, the Democrats and Republicans, have lost touch with the people and the people have no choice but to take matters into their own hands, WHICH THEY ARE DOING!
The smartphone is your friend. It's how you connect with others. TikTok is the heartbeat of the world, if you're not on it you're out of touch. Sure, you can waste time on it, but chances are you'll learn more about what's going on than reading a newspaper or watching cable news.
And TikTok is back in the app stores of both Apple and Google.
Don't be afraid. Don't be left out. This is the battle of your lifetime. You have more power now than ever before. This is the time to join the campaign, to get your hands dirty.
And this is about America, this is about freedom. Musk talks all about freedom, but keeps naysayers off his platform. Meanwhile, X is so lean that it can't control the platform.
Musk may be rich, but he's just a person. More flawed than many.
This is a movement. Forget trying to convince those who don't believe, most of them will come around, if they haven't already. Join the fray, join the charge...
IT'S HAPPENING NOW!
--
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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