Tune in Saturday June 21st to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
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Friday, 20 June 2025
Fighting Back
Democrats are never going to win on the immigration issue.
Sure, our nation depends upon undocumented immigrants to pick our fruit, provide our low-paying manual labor, however you're just not going to convince the vast majority of Americans that people who are here illegally deserve to be so. I am stunned, and happily surprised, that residents are standing up to ICE in L.A., it illustrates there is a line that when crossed people say NO MAS, but these deportations will not be the fulcrum upon which American power shifts. Not to mention that Trump seems to have halted illegal immigration overnight, something the Democrats deemed impossible. People entering this country illegally? That's not something the majority is going to agree with, no matter which political party you're a member of.
And then there's due process. We all want it, but oftentimes we don't encounter/are exposed to/need it. It's kind of like getting males excited about the lack of abortion rights. Unless it affects you personally, most people cannot get energized.
No, James Carville was right on this one, it all comes down to the economy, it's staring the Democrats in the eye, but they continue to blink.
Unfortunately, economic issues are soft issues politically. It's not like the government itself raises prices. Sure, interest rates may go up for treasuries, but the average person doesn't own any and can't relate. But the average person can relate when they go to the grocery store, seem to buy nothing and end up spending more than a hundred dollars. And then there are cars, which are projected to go up $1700 as a result of tariffs. The average person is being squeezed. I think about the money I've got, feel good about my income, and then realize I've lost twenty percent over the Biden years. Oh, don't tell me it's not his fault, that's not the point. The point is despite increases in income, I'm treading water, or falling behind, and I'm not the only one.
And Democrats did not seem to understand this.
So I was at the car stereo place Wednesday and I asked the proprietor how business was. He said all right, but he was hurting as a result of the fires and Trump. And then he said he couldn't believe he'd voted for the man. I asked him why he did so. And he said "I couldn't vote for HER!"
How come the average person can see the truth but the educated elite, who control the Democratic party and look down upon the rest of us, can't?
Harris was a bad candidate. A phony who could not get the public excited and sealed the deal on the nomination through a coup. Most insiders wanted some sort of primary system, even though they were wondering whether this was possible when Biden took so long to step down, but Joe believed he had to put his weight behind Kamala, after all, he'd picked her to be VP, and he gave her a heads-up early and she immediately called all her potential competitors and asked whether they were on her team, closing out competition.
The mechanics are interesting, but not definitive.
As for those saying we've got to stop looking at the past, these are the same people who won't let you say anything negative about Kamala and her campaign. It's this litmus test that makes people hate Democrats. You have to sign up for the orthodoxy, be all-in, or you're excommunicated. Which gives talking points to the right. The Democrats won't say no to anybody, and therefore test limits that the majority aren't in agreement with. The whole pronoun thing... The Dems let themselves be labeled "woke" and never denied it, no matter what the truth, and it stuck to them.
AND NOW YOU'RE PISSED OFF!
Because you know better. Why are all these loser Democrats so convinced since they're educated and watch MSNBC they know what the score is? Not to mention that you can only divine the score by turning on your smartphone, which they consider anathema, never mind social media. But the Democratic elite knows better, when it is out of touch.
And you can't completely discount right wing news. There was an opinion piece in the "Wall Street Journal" that said the No Kings protests were self-satisfying, a way for demonstrators to feel good about themselves, with no ultimate real effect. BINGO! Just because you stood outside holding a sign don't expect any true change to be fomented, that always comes down to economic issues. Then again, so many of the protesters are upper middle class and are fearful of losing out financially themselves.
Trump only reacts to money. He blinked on ICE cracking down when he heard from farmers saying they were relying on undocumented workers. He understands MONEY, but the Democrats refuse to enter the arena, all the while saying what a great job Joe Biden did.
Well, that's not public perception, irrelevant of the truth.
If you want change you have to hurt Trump and his core constituency economically. And/or you've got to prove to Trumpers that they're' being hurt.
I'd start right there, with a campaign based on how much extra money the average person is spending as a result of Trump's policies. Be SPECIFIC! Talk in dollars and cents, not generalities, that the public can understand.
Don't try to spook people conceptually, it doesn't resonate.
I'm a big believer in a national strike. One day when no one goes to work. There are not enough National Guard or military troops to knock on every door in America, keep everybody in line. You divide and conquer. This is how they do it in Europe, it's not like it's unfathomable, but elected Democrats won't touch it, this has to come from the people.
All we hear from the Democrats is what we SHOULDN'T do. Don't be violent. Okay, but does that mean all I can do is stand in the park with a sign?
Right now America isn't good for anybody. Everybody is being hurt. From tech to auto manufacturers to the rank and file. Instead of pitting people against each other, organize on this theme and FIGHT BACK!
Even all those Trumpers who defend everything he does. That's team sports more than reality. Don't talk to them about Trump, but what they are LOSING!
And don't depend upon the courts. Please. Even if you get a ruling, sans enforcement it's meaningless. And Trump has avoided enforcing rulings again and again.
No, it all comes down to us and it all comes down to money. That's the message, plain and simple.
And never forget, no one is immune to public perception and blowback. First and foremost, Trump wants to be liked. Once he feels that his own people aren't on board, are pushing back, then he'll reconsider. Don't make it Democrats versus Trump, the Trumpers will rally around him. But if you focus on the economic issues, are people hurting...only people who are rich and want tax cuts disagree, and there are very few of those people.
Some blows have landed, like TACO. There will be more. But the key is to pull away from the day to day and strategize. Don't expect the media to lead you, the media just reports. We the people lead. And we the people are demoralized, because our representatives have let us down.
This is truly simple. Make it about the money. Point out where Trump's actions have hurt people. Take action financially re boycotts, etc., on those who are in bed with Trump.
This is easier than you think.
But the protesters are congratulating themselves and so much of the population is disillusioned that nothing is happening.
But it can.
--
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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Sure, our nation depends upon undocumented immigrants to pick our fruit, provide our low-paying manual labor, however you're just not going to convince the vast majority of Americans that people who are here illegally deserve to be so. I am stunned, and happily surprised, that residents are standing up to ICE in L.A., it illustrates there is a line that when crossed people say NO MAS, but these deportations will not be the fulcrum upon which American power shifts. Not to mention that Trump seems to have halted illegal immigration overnight, something the Democrats deemed impossible. People entering this country illegally? That's not something the majority is going to agree with, no matter which political party you're a member of.
And then there's due process. We all want it, but oftentimes we don't encounter/are exposed to/need it. It's kind of like getting males excited about the lack of abortion rights. Unless it affects you personally, most people cannot get energized.
No, James Carville was right on this one, it all comes down to the economy, it's staring the Democrats in the eye, but they continue to blink.
Unfortunately, economic issues are soft issues politically. It's not like the government itself raises prices. Sure, interest rates may go up for treasuries, but the average person doesn't own any and can't relate. But the average person can relate when they go to the grocery store, seem to buy nothing and end up spending more than a hundred dollars. And then there are cars, which are projected to go up $1700 as a result of tariffs. The average person is being squeezed. I think about the money I've got, feel good about my income, and then realize I've lost twenty percent over the Biden years. Oh, don't tell me it's not his fault, that's not the point. The point is despite increases in income, I'm treading water, or falling behind, and I'm not the only one.
And Democrats did not seem to understand this.
So I was at the car stereo place Wednesday and I asked the proprietor how business was. He said all right, but he was hurting as a result of the fires and Trump. And then he said he couldn't believe he'd voted for the man. I asked him why he did so. And he said "I couldn't vote for HER!"
How come the average person can see the truth but the educated elite, who control the Democratic party and look down upon the rest of us, can't?
Harris was a bad candidate. A phony who could not get the public excited and sealed the deal on the nomination through a coup. Most insiders wanted some sort of primary system, even though they were wondering whether this was possible when Biden took so long to step down, but Joe believed he had to put his weight behind Kamala, after all, he'd picked her to be VP, and he gave her a heads-up early and she immediately called all her potential competitors and asked whether they were on her team, closing out competition.
The mechanics are interesting, but not definitive.
As for those saying we've got to stop looking at the past, these are the same people who won't let you say anything negative about Kamala and her campaign. It's this litmus test that makes people hate Democrats. You have to sign up for the orthodoxy, be all-in, or you're excommunicated. Which gives talking points to the right. The Democrats won't say no to anybody, and therefore test limits that the majority aren't in agreement with. The whole pronoun thing... The Dems let themselves be labeled "woke" and never denied it, no matter what the truth, and it stuck to them.
AND NOW YOU'RE PISSED OFF!
Because you know better. Why are all these loser Democrats so convinced since they're educated and watch MSNBC they know what the score is? Not to mention that you can only divine the score by turning on your smartphone, which they consider anathema, never mind social media. But the Democratic elite knows better, when it is out of touch.
And you can't completely discount right wing news. There was an opinion piece in the "Wall Street Journal" that said the No Kings protests were self-satisfying, a way for demonstrators to feel good about themselves, with no ultimate real effect. BINGO! Just because you stood outside holding a sign don't expect any true change to be fomented, that always comes down to economic issues. Then again, so many of the protesters are upper middle class and are fearful of losing out financially themselves.
Trump only reacts to money. He blinked on ICE cracking down when he heard from farmers saying they were relying on undocumented workers. He understands MONEY, but the Democrats refuse to enter the arena, all the while saying what a great job Joe Biden did.
Well, that's not public perception, irrelevant of the truth.
If you want change you have to hurt Trump and his core constituency economically. And/or you've got to prove to Trumpers that they're' being hurt.
I'd start right there, with a campaign based on how much extra money the average person is spending as a result of Trump's policies. Be SPECIFIC! Talk in dollars and cents, not generalities, that the public can understand.
Don't try to spook people conceptually, it doesn't resonate.
I'm a big believer in a national strike. One day when no one goes to work. There are not enough National Guard or military troops to knock on every door in America, keep everybody in line. You divide and conquer. This is how they do it in Europe, it's not like it's unfathomable, but elected Democrats won't touch it, this has to come from the people.
All we hear from the Democrats is what we SHOULDN'T do. Don't be violent. Okay, but does that mean all I can do is stand in the park with a sign?
Right now America isn't good for anybody. Everybody is being hurt. From tech to auto manufacturers to the rank and file. Instead of pitting people against each other, organize on this theme and FIGHT BACK!
Even all those Trumpers who defend everything he does. That's team sports more than reality. Don't talk to them about Trump, but what they are LOSING!
And don't depend upon the courts. Please. Even if you get a ruling, sans enforcement it's meaningless. And Trump has avoided enforcing rulings again and again.
No, it all comes down to us and it all comes down to money. That's the message, plain and simple.
And never forget, no one is immune to public perception and blowback. First and foremost, Trump wants to be liked. Once he feels that his own people aren't on board, are pushing back, then he'll reconsider. Don't make it Democrats versus Trump, the Trumpers will rally around him. But if you focus on the economic issues, are people hurting...only people who are rich and want tax cuts disagree, and there are very few of those people.
Some blows have landed, like TACO. There will be more. But the key is to pull away from the day to day and strategize. Don't expect the media to lead you, the media just reports. We the people lead. And we the people are demoralized, because our representatives have let us down.
This is truly simple. Make it about the money. Point out where Trump's actions have hurt people. Take action financially re boycotts, etc., on those who are in bed with Trump.
This is easier than you think.
But the protesters are congratulating themselves and so much of the population is disillusioned that nothing is happening.
But it can.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
The Titan Documentary
"Titan: The OceanGate Disaster" - Netflix trailer: https://rb.gy/2235z2
This was not the film I expected it to be, not the gory details of the explosion, but the choices and behaviors leading up to it. Sure, they show some of the retrieved detritus, but there are not panicked recordings...
But you will be positively unnerved at the noises of carbon cracking as the titan descends during other dives.
So what we've got here is a self-serving educated man who believed not only that he was right, but that everybody else was wrong. Sound familiar? Absolutely yes. But most people are not playing with other people's lives.
At the end of the doc it's said that Stockton Rush was in pursuit of fame. Which he ultimately got, but not in the way he desired.
"Stockton"... On some level that's all you really need to know. Of course his first name is not "Stockton," it's RICHARD! Was he always called "Stockton"? It's possible, because prep school kids adopt these nontraditional first names that are sometimes derived out of thin air, but are oftentimes family names, which are their middle names, in this case it's "Richard Stockton Rush III."
I didn't know anybody named "Brooke" until I went to Middlebury. That's the advantage of going to an elite institution. Being exposed to those who never touched the public school system, who've been living an alternative life from day one. There were a lot of lessons this middle class Jewish suburbanite learned from being exposed to the prepsters. One, don't take anything too seriously, it's just another chapter in your life (then again, they had a job lined up from birth). The due date was flexible, not a strict deadline you had to obey. Give respect to authority's face, denigrate in private. Don't be flashy and stand out, better to wear chinos and Top-Siders than anything out of a fashion magazine. You don't want to draw attention to yourself, that's for the nouveau-riche, who are never accepted by the bluebloods. But the bluebloods run the world.
However it is a bit different today. Not everybody who is rich inherited their money, those who made it like to parade it. But the real string-pullers are people you don't know the name of but wield incredible inside power, the ones who will benefit from the tax cut in Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, if it passes.
That's who Stockton was. He went to Exeter, and then on to Princeton. He only played at the top, and the only way he could make a name for himself was to do something extraordinary, ordinary riches were not for him, he wanted to go down in the HISTORY BOOKS!
So was Stockton Rush like a typical techie, pushing the envelope despite the naysaying, or was he out of his league from day one?
The latter.
Stockton hired all the experts. Who were intrigued by the idea. But when they blew the whistle, he froze them out and/or fired them. To the point where you were afraid to speak up. This was not Steve Jobs. Steve would insult you for poor work, he was in search of excellence, but his first move was not to fire you, furthermore he liked those most who could challenge him to create ever better things. Rush had an idea, and he was going to shoehorn his efforts to fit it, science be damned.
So on one hand you're watching this documentary asking why Rush didn't listen, on the other you're thinking how almost every envelope-pusher does not. Then again, once again, most envelope-pushers are not dealing with people's lives.
And you only hear about the winners, when they're far outnumbered by the losers. Yes, delusional hypesters are plentiful, especially in the arts, where the barrier to entry is so low. People with little talent who spend decades trying to make it and don't, because they're just not good enough. They believe the system is stacked against them, that someone is out to get them, which is kind of what Stockton felt, except he had that pedigree and a modicum of intelligence.
You don't change the world by listening to the establishment.
But you can't bend the rules of science either.
So this is the story of Stockton's adventure, from having an idea for a submersible to charge people to visit Titanic to actually doing it, whilst ignoring all the red flags along the way.
Everybody else built their submersible out of solid material, like steel, whereas Rush built his out of carbon fiber, because it would be lighter and cheaper.
They've been using carbon fiber in skis for years now. It's light, and it's strong, but no one has been able to get it right to the point where the skis are cheap and as good as what's already on the market, most manufacturers have given up on the idea of carbon-fiber based skis. But if you bought a pair and didn't like them, they didn't disintegrate all at once and send you into a tree.
And you think the naysayers are all wusses who played along until the disaster. But this turns out not to be true. Are you willing to quit when you no longer believe?
Most people are not. They rationalize staying.
So ultimately "Titan" is an American story. An entrepreneur who convinces others to join the team by spinning a fantasy. Turns out being a great salesman is a key part of success. These people don't care about you, just that they get what they want. Beware of salesmen, always.
But if you can't sell, you're never going to be a successful entrepreneur. Venture capital is built upon hopes and dreams, fantasies, the cutting edge, and oftentimes it's discovered the purveyor is a huckster and the idea is faulty. This is especially true in entertainment, where everybody is full of sh*t and it's hard to separate winners and losers, truth from fiction. This is what a big swinging dick in the entertainment business can do, ferret out who is real and who is not. Which is why executives are prone to working with those they know as opposed to those they do not. Especially in a world where everybody lies and everything is built on hype. The show that's sold out oftentimes is not. The act has ten million streams on their single? Dig deep and you'll oftentimes they don't even have a hundred thousand, and when you catch them in a lie they just double-down. Hell, look at Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy, he lost in court this week, in a definitive decision, and what did he then say? HE WON! Then again, Donald Trump is a huckster/hypester and he lies all the time. And even his minions know this. So what's the truth worth?
The truth is Stockton Rush was a bad guy whose effort was always going to end up in failure. The lights were flashing brightly. But when you see it all laid out in a movie, it makes you question more than the man, you have to rejigger your take on America, who is a bully with bluster with nothing at the core, do you do what is right or stay with the team?
There are bad actors out there. And not all of them are uneducated gang members in the inner city. Some come from the elite.
Like Stockton Rush.
This was not the film I expected it to be, not the gory details of the explosion, but the choices and behaviors leading up to it. Sure, they show some of the retrieved detritus, but there are not panicked recordings...
But you will be positively unnerved at the noises of carbon cracking as the titan descends during other dives.
So what we've got here is a self-serving educated man who believed not only that he was right, but that everybody else was wrong. Sound familiar? Absolutely yes. But most people are not playing with other people's lives.
At the end of the doc it's said that Stockton Rush was in pursuit of fame. Which he ultimately got, but not in the way he desired.
"Stockton"... On some level that's all you really need to know. Of course his first name is not "Stockton," it's RICHARD! Was he always called "Stockton"? It's possible, because prep school kids adopt these nontraditional first names that are sometimes derived out of thin air, but are oftentimes family names, which are their middle names, in this case it's "Richard Stockton Rush III."
I didn't know anybody named "Brooke" until I went to Middlebury. That's the advantage of going to an elite institution. Being exposed to those who never touched the public school system, who've been living an alternative life from day one. There were a lot of lessons this middle class Jewish suburbanite learned from being exposed to the prepsters. One, don't take anything too seriously, it's just another chapter in your life (then again, they had a job lined up from birth). The due date was flexible, not a strict deadline you had to obey. Give respect to authority's face, denigrate in private. Don't be flashy and stand out, better to wear chinos and Top-Siders than anything out of a fashion magazine. You don't want to draw attention to yourself, that's for the nouveau-riche, who are never accepted by the bluebloods. But the bluebloods run the world.
However it is a bit different today. Not everybody who is rich inherited their money, those who made it like to parade it. But the real string-pullers are people you don't know the name of but wield incredible inside power, the ones who will benefit from the tax cut in Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, if it passes.
That's who Stockton was. He went to Exeter, and then on to Princeton. He only played at the top, and the only way he could make a name for himself was to do something extraordinary, ordinary riches were not for him, he wanted to go down in the HISTORY BOOKS!
So was Stockton Rush like a typical techie, pushing the envelope despite the naysaying, or was he out of his league from day one?
The latter.
Stockton hired all the experts. Who were intrigued by the idea. But when they blew the whistle, he froze them out and/or fired them. To the point where you were afraid to speak up. This was not Steve Jobs. Steve would insult you for poor work, he was in search of excellence, but his first move was not to fire you, furthermore he liked those most who could challenge him to create ever better things. Rush had an idea, and he was going to shoehorn his efforts to fit it, science be damned.
So on one hand you're watching this documentary asking why Rush didn't listen, on the other you're thinking how almost every envelope-pusher does not. Then again, once again, most envelope-pushers are not dealing with people's lives.
And you only hear about the winners, when they're far outnumbered by the losers. Yes, delusional hypesters are plentiful, especially in the arts, where the barrier to entry is so low. People with little talent who spend decades trying to make it and don't, because they're just not good enough. They believe the system is stacked against them, that someone is out to get them, which is kind of what Stockton felt, except he had that pedigree and a modicum of intelligence.
You don't change the world by listening to the establishment.
But you can't bend the rules of science either.
So this is the story of Stockton's adventure, from having an idea for a submersible to charge people to visit Titanic to actually doing it, whilst ignoring all the red flags along the way.
Everybody else built their submersible out of solid material, like steel, whereas Rush built his out of carbon fiber, because it would be lighter and cheaper.
They've been using carbon fiber in skis for years now. It's light, and it's strong, but no one has been able to get it right to the point where the skis are cheap and as good as what's already on the market, most manufacturers have given up on the idea of carbon-fiber based skis. But if you bought a pair and didn't like them, they didn't disintegrate all at once and send you into a tree.
And you think the naysayers are all wusses who played along until the disaster. But this turns out not to be true. Are you willing to quit when you no longer believe?
Most people are not. They rationalize staying.
So ultimately "Titan" is an American story. An entrepreneur who convinces others to join the team by spinning a fantasy. Turns out being a great salesman is a key part of success. These people don't care about you, just that they get what they want. Beware of salesmen, always.
But if you can't sell, you're never going to be a successful entrepreneur. Venture capital is built upon hopes and dreams, fantasies, the cutting edge, and oftentimes it's discovered the purveyor is a huckster and the idea is faulty. This is especially true in entertainment, where everybody is full of sh*t and it's hard to separate winners and losers, truth from fiction. This is what a big swinging dick in the entertainment business can do, ferret out who is real and who is not. Which is why executives are prone to working with those they know as opposed to those they do not. Especially in a world where everybody lies and everything is built on hype. The show that's sold out oftentimes is not. The act has ten million streams on their single? Dig deep and you'll oftentimes they don't even have a hundred thousand, and when you catch them in a lie they just double-down. Hell, look at Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy, he lost in court this week, in a definitive decision, and what did he then say? HE WON! Then again, Donald Trump is a huckster/hypester and he lies all the time. And even his minions know this. So what's the truth worth?
The truth is Stockton Rush was a bad guy whose effort was always going to end up in failure. The lights were flashing brightly. But when you see it all laid out in a movie, it makes you question more than the man, you have to rejigger your take on America, who is a bully with bluster with nothing at the core, do you do what is right or stay with the team?
There are bad actors out there. And not all of them are uneducated gang members in the inner city. Some come from the elite.
Like Stockton Rush.
--
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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Thursday, 19 June 2025
Donnie Iris-This Week's Podcast
From "The Rapper" to "Ah! Leah!"
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/donnie-iris/id1316200737?i=1000713550413
https://open.spotify.com/episode/652I7CZ3RYH6ra8u6huCNT?si=0LWKQ1sFTBendlDCOzUnMA
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/donnie-iris-281954308/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/137b885d-157f-4794-95d2-3aed873bd0b5/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-donnie-iris
--
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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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/donnie-iris/id1316200737?i=1000713550413
https://open.spotify.com/episode/652I7CZ3RYH6ra8u6huCNT?si=0LWKQ1sFTBendlDCOzUnMA
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/donnie-iris-281954308/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/137b885d-157f-4794-95d2-3aed873bd0b5/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-donnie-iris
--
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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Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Lightnin' Strikes
Spotify: https://rb.gy/sqfyaf
YouTube: https://rb.gy/2xe2yn
1
We knew the record, we knew the name, but we couldn't pick Lou Christie out of a lineup.
That's how it was back in '66, when the Brits still had a hold on the Top 40, album rock was becoming a thing, but every once in a while something American would sneak into the chart from left field, something that sounded so right, but could have been released before the Beatles as opposed to two years after.
But we were all addicted to the radio. Top 40 ruled. Underground FM was still a year away. And there were anomalies that would confound you now, but were part of the fabric back then. Like Mike Douglas's "The Men in My Little Girl's Life" being number six on the WABC 1/18/66 chart, when "Lightnin' Strikes" broke in at number 19. Unfathomable today, where the niches are so narrow, where tons of very popular music does not only not make it on to terrestrial Top 40, but doesn't break the Spotify Top 50 either. But back in the day, if you were on the chart, you were popular, and everybody knew your song.
#1 that week was "We Can Work It Out," the Beatles' Xmas single which featured "Day Tripper" on the flip side, one of the amazing Beatle two-sided singles, and neither of these numbers were part of "Rubber Soul," which was released on December 5, 1965. What a long strange trip it was from "Beatles '65" the previous year to "In My Life" and "Norwegian Wood."
#2 was Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence," which ruled over the holiday. Not only did people wonder whether Garfunkel was his real name, there was endless debate regarding the meaning of the song, something we no longer have in today's scramble for cash music business.
#3? The Stones' ballad, "As Tears Go By."
#4? The sadly overlooked by today's kids Kinks, with one of their best songs ever, "A Well Respected Man."
#5? Gary Lewis and the Playboys' best song, "She's Just My Style," which Leon Russell had a hand in and sounded like a modern day Beach Boys cut.
And then came that Mike Douglas number.
But there were other anomalies, like the Statler Brothers' "Flowers on the Wall," which everyone loved and sang...
"Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me, I've nothin' to do"
I'm not going to delineate every record on the chart, but I will say that the Supremes and the Marvelettes were on there, as well as one of the best English-sounding American tracks, the Knickerbockers' "Lies" and one other record that fit into the same slot as "Lightnin' Strikes," "Five O'clock World" by the Vogues, which had been completely forgotten until Bowling For Soup did a cover for "The Drew Carey Show" and we realized how f-ing great that number had been. It was there in our memory banks, but "Lightnin' Strikes"? We never forgot that, hell, I was singing it to myself just yesterday, truly!
2
"Listen to me baby, you gotta understand"
It was the urgency that got to us. And the record has a great intro, with even horns, but oftentimes the deejay cut that off and got right to the lyrics. But the intensity, it BUILT!
"Listen to me baby, it's hard to settle down
Am I asking too much for you to stick around"
Ah, the need, the desire, the hormones. Believe me, we were hopped up, we felt it.
And then a complete change.
Which was heralded by a veritable twinkle, which set up the unexpected section:
"Every boy wants a girl
He can trust to the very end
Baby, that's you
Won't you wait, but 'til then"
The feel has completely changed. In the opening verse he's begging for her attention, but now he's got it. He's softened his delivery, he's looking into her eyes.
And then the number gets truly intense, like a teenager unable to control their will.
"When I see lips beggin' to be kissed
(Stop)
I can't stop
(Stop)
I can't stop myself
(Stop, stop)"
Have you got it, he cannot STOP! He's gone from begging to reasoning to PURE EMOTION, which then bubbles over.
"Lightning's striking again
Lightning's striking again"
He's cast off all self-consciousness, he's raw emotion, he's in the moment, HE JUST CAN'T HOLD BACK! The release is palpable!
The falsetto chorus, angels singing from heaven, are on Lou's side. I mean what woman can deny THIS?
It's a veritable tour-de-force, and then the number breaks down once again, but with an added level of intensity:
"Nature's takin' over my one track mind
Believe it or not, you're in my heart all the time
All the girls are sayin' that you'll end up a fool
For the time being, baby, live by my rules"
Now he and the background singers are positively testifying, his message is undeniable, how can she not be on his side?
As for "live by my rules"... You may think the sixties were a dark age culturally, but I must say, these words made the listener squirm even back in '66. The man's rules?
"When I settle down
I want one baby on my mind
Forgive and forget
And I'll make up for all lost time"
Believe me, listeners weren't thinking about settling down, this was a hangover from a previous era, the Beatles didn't sing lyrics like this, and the aforementioned Kinks? They were singing social commentary.
Now the number is completely amped up.
There's a break with a solo, but ultimately those high vocals come in over and over again, talking about lightning strikin' again.
"There's a chapel in the pines
Waiting for us, around the bend
Picture in your mind
Love forever, but 'til then"
The record is taken to a level unforeseen, an intensity that squeezes out everything else in the world, the listener is carried away, they're all in.
But it's the outro that seals the deal. Lightning is not only going to strike, not only going to strike again, but AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!
This was the essence of a hit record in the sixties. When it was over, you could not wait to hear it again, which drove you to the record shop to buy it to spin it at home over and over and OVER again until you were finally satiated, worn out, and you were just starting to be hooked by another record and ultimately repeated the process. But not all of those records were all time, but LIGHTNIN' STRIKES IS!
3
I can literally remember hearing "Lightnin' Strikes" hanging outside junior high waiting for the bell. Wearing my sweater as I'd agreed with Peter we would do. Although I wore a shirt underneath, he didn't bother, I couldn't do this, the itchiness would get to me.
These records lived everywhere. At the school dance, at the bowling alley, they were part of the fabric.
By the next week, "Lightnin' Strikes" was at number 7, and the week after that, the chart of February 1, 1966, it went all the way to NUMBER ONE! And it stayed there, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, three more weeks, four weeks in a row. And then it started to descend and by March 29th, "Lightnin' Strikes" was off the chart completely. Which meant you rarely heard it on the radio anymore, but you didn't need to, YOU KNEW IT BY HEART!
We all learned about the records at the same time. You couldn't claim to be hip by knowing a song before everybody else did, we all started from the same line. Records did not take a year to break, hell, a year after their success an act could be working a day job. A hit was oftentimes a lark, a one time shot.
But Lou Christie had another hit, "Rhapsody in the Rain," which was great, but not "Lightnin' Strikes." You don't know how you reach the peak, you're inspired, you're channeling an energy that came from parts unknown, you lay it down and you know what you have but good luck trying to climb to the top of the mountain once again.
"Rhapsody in the Rain" had a very memorable chorus, but the dynamics were as not extreme and the verses were not as good as they were in "Lightnin' Strikes." "Rhapsody in the Rain" was fodder for the radio, "Lightnin' Strikes" was LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE!
4
So I walked in the door and Felice told me Lou Christie had died, she'd heard it from her sister. I was completely out of the loop, it was news to me, and news period, the death was on Wikipedia but you could not find it searching the Google News. Nor Apple News+. I was living it in real time.
And I'm thinking about those who didn't live through the era. They only know the track as an oldie, with the detritus of years of charts cleaned away so only the true goodies survive. And put against the rest of the songs from that era "Lightnin' Strikes" may not be seen as quite the triumph it was. We were addicted to the radio, every Tuesday night I did my homework to Cousin Brucie doing the weekly countdown. When a record emerged it rode shotgun with our complete life, everybody we knew knew it, in a way today's culture knows almost nothing, when even the average person can't say who won the World Series, but back then...our cultural moments were universal peaks we all shared.
Now I was shocked to see that Lou Christie tried and tried and tried. He never gave up, kept searching for another hit, at times changing with the times, writing song after song after song, oftentimes with his partner Twyla Herbert, who was twenty years older than he was.
Songwriting partner, not romantic partner. That was Francesca Winfield, an English model who he stayed married to, just like in the song, it was forever.
And I knew he'd changed his name. After all, I'd researched him over the years, that's one of the magical elements of the internet, the past comes alive.
And Wikipedia tells me Lou was on "Where the Action Is," but I don't remember that. Then again, other than Paul Rever and the Raiders....that show was on five days a week, much of it was a blur. Then again, I remember rushing home to watch the Yardbirds perform "For Your Love" on the show. So I couldn't pick Lou Christie out of a lineup. But that's not what he was selling. The acts of the late sixties and seventies were selling more than the songs, their identities were enmeshed with the music. As for "Lightnin' Strikes"...it was written to strike on the hit parade, right?
But that does not mean it was not great, just that the song has superseded its singer. And co-writer, the aforementioned Twyla. But Lou was involved with two noted crooks, Morris Levy and Stan Polley, did he end up with any rights, never mind royalties? I hope so. Then again, what do you want, riches or a hit? You think they always come together, but not necessarily. You can be famous and broke, believe me.
But being ensconced in the hearts and minds of an entire generation? That's an achievement nearly beyond comprehension, very few achieve that, and when you do...
You and your record are for all time. Everywhere you go, every time you're introduced, people are stopped in their tracks, they start to testify where they were when they listened to your record, what it meant to them, you're just human, but to listeners, you're a GOD!
AI couldn't write "Lightnin' Strikes." It wasn't a paint by numbers dream. There had to be inspiration and excitement, not only in the composition, but the recording!
Technology was primitive. There were no synthesizers. You could replicate these records at home, if not always their rudimentary reverb and other effects.
Then again, I don't remember any local band playing "Lightnin' Strikes." That'd be like trying to impersonate God. It's untouchable. Baked into the grooves is pure magic. From the piano to the horns to the backup vocals...not pieced together over days, with the vocals comped, but laid down all together, all at once.
Then again, the record was more than Lou. "Lightnin' Strikes" was produced by legendary arranger Charles Callelo, who Al Kooper has testified about to me again and again and again. Then again, Kooper was in bed with and ultimately ripped off by Stan Polley too.
But that's all music business history.
Then again, it was a different business back then, peopled by renegade hypesters, people who could promote and intimidate, and artists with little portfolio but an unbelievable hunger to make it.
Like Lou Christie.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
YouTube: https://rb.gy/2xe2yn
1
We knew the record, we knew the name, but we couldn't pick Lou Christie out of a lineup.
That's how it was back in '66, when the Brits still had a hold on the Top 40, album rock was becoming a thing, but every once in a while something American would sneak into the chart from left field, something that sounded so right, but could have been released before the Beatles as opposed to two years after.
But we were all addicted to the radio. Top 40 ruled. Underground FM was still a year away. And there were anomalies that would confound you now, but were part of the fabric back then. Like Mike Douglas's "The Men in My Little Girl's Life" being number six on the WABC 1/18/66 chart, when "Lightnin' Strikes" broke in at number 19. Unfathomable today, where the niches are so narrow, where tons of very popular music does not only not make it on to terrestrial Top 40, but doesn't break the Spotify Top 50 either. But back in the day, if you were on the chart, you were popular, and everybody knew your song.
#1 that week was "We Can Work It Out," the Beatles' Xmas single which featured "Day Tripper" on the flip side, one of the amazing Beatle two-sided singles, and neither of these numbers were part of "Rubber Soul," which was released on December 5, 1965. What a long strange trip it was from "Beatles '65" the previous year to "In My Life" and "Norwegian Wood."
#2 was Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence," which ruled over the holiday. Not only did people wonder whether Garfunkel was his real name, there was endless debate regarding the meaning of the song, something we no longer have in today's scramble for cash music business.
#3? The Stones' ballad, "As Tears Go By."
#4? The sadly overlooked by today's kids Kinks, with one of their best songs ever, "A Well Respected Man."
#5? Gary Lewis and the Playboys' best song, "She's Just My Style," which Leon Russell had a hand in and sounded like a modern day Beach Boys cut.
And then came that Mike Douglas number.
But there were other anomalies, like the Statler Brothers' "Flowers on the Wall," which everyone loved and sang...
"Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me, I've nothin' to do"
I'm not going to delineate every record on the chart, but I will say that the Supremes and the Marvelettes were on there, as well as one of the best English-sounding American tracks, the Knickerbockers' "Lies" and one other record that fit into the same slot as "Lightnin' Strikes," "Five O'clock World" by the Vogues, which had been completely forgotten until Bowling For Soup did a cover for "The Drew Carey Show" and we realized how f-ing great that number had been. It was there in our memory banks, but "Lightnin' Strikes"? We never forgot that, hell, I was singing it to myself just yesterday, truly!
2
"Listen to me baby, you gotta understand"
It was the urgency that got to us. And the record has a great intro, with even horns, but oftentimes the deejay cut that off and got right to the lyrics. But the intensity, it BUILT!
"Listen to me baby, it's hard to settle down
Am I asking too much for you to stick around"
Ah, the need, the desire, the hormones. Believe me, we were hopped up, we felt it.
And then a complete change.
Which was heralded by a veritable twinkle, which set up the unexpected section:
"Every boy wants a girl
He can trust to the very end
Baby, that's you
Won't you wait, but 'til then"
The feel has completely changed. In the opening verse he's begging for her attention, but now he's got it. He's softened his delivery, he's looking into her eyes.
And then the number gets truly intense, like a teenager unable to control their will.
"When I see lips beggin' to be kissed
(Stop)
I can't stop
(Stop)
I can't stop myself
(Stop, stop)"
Have you got it, he cannot STOP! He's gone from begging to reasoning to PURE EMOTION, which then bubbles over.
"Lightning's striking again
Lightning's striking again"
He's cast off all self-consciousness, he's raw emotion, he's in the moment, HE JUST CAN'T HOLD BACK! The release is palpable!
The falsetto chorus, angels singing from heaven, are on Lou's side. I mean what woman can deny THIS?
It's a veritable tour-de-force, and then the number breaks down once again, but with an added level of intensity:
"Nature's takin' over my one track mind
Believe it or not, you're in my heart all the time
All the girls are sayin' that you'll end up a fool
For the time being, baby, live by my rules"
Now he and the background singers are positively testifying, his message is undeniable, how can she not be on his side?
As for "live by my rules"... You may think the sixties were a dark age culturally, but I must say, these words made the listener squirm even back in '66. The man's rules?
"When I settle down
I want one baby on my mind
Forgive and forget
And I'll make up for all lost time"
Believe me, listeners weren't thinking about settling down, this was a hangover from a previous era, the Beatles didn't sing lyrics like this, and the aforementioned Kinks? They were singing social commentary.
Now the number is completely amped up.
There's a break with a solo, but ultimately those high vocals come in over and over again, talking about lightning strikin' again.
"There's a chapel in the pines
Waiting for us, around the bend
Picture in your mind
Love forever, but 'til then"
The record is taken to a level unforeseen, an intensity that squeezes out everything else in the world, the listener is carried away, they're all in.
But it's the outro that seals the deal. Lightning is not only going to strike, not only going to strike again, but AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!
This was the essence of a hit record in the sixties. When it was over, you could not wait to hear it again, which drove you to the record shop to buy it to spin it at home over and over and OVER again until you were finally satiated, worn out, and you were just starting to be hooked by another record and ultimately repeated the process. But not all of those records were all time, but LIGHTNIN' STRIKES IS!
3
I can literally remember hearing "Lightnin' Strikes" hanging outside junior high waiting for the bell. Wearing my sweater as I'd agreed with Peter we would do. Although I wore a shirt underneath, he didn't bother, I couldn't do this, the itchiness would get to me.
These records lived everywhere. At the school dance, at the bowling alley, they were part of the fabric.
By the next week, "Lightnin' Strikes" was at number 7, and the week after that, the chart of February 1, 1966, it went all the way to NUMBER ONE! And it stayed there, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, three more weeks, four weeks in a row. And then it started to descend and by March 29th, "Lightnin' Strikes" was off the chart completely. Which meant you rarely heard it on the radio anymore, but you didn't need to, YOU KNEW IT BY HEART!
We all learned about the records at the same time. You couldn't claim to be hip by knowing a song before everybody else did, we all started from the same line. Records did not take a year to break, hell, a year after their success an act could be working a day job. A hit was oftentimes a lark, a one time shot.
But Lou Christie had another hit, "Rhapsody in the Rain," which was great, but not "Lightnin' Strikes." You don't know how you reach the peak, you're inspired, you're channeling an energy that came from parts unknown, you lay it down and you know what you have but good luck trying to climb to the top of the mountain once again.
"Rhapsody in the Rain" had a very memorable chorus, but the dynamics were as not extreme and the verses were not as good as they were in "Lightnin' Strikes." "Rhapsody in the Rain" was fodder for the radio, "Lightnin' Strikes" was LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE!
4
So I walked in the door and Felice told me Lou Christie had died, she'd heard it from her sister. I was completely out of the loop, it was news to me, and news period, the death was on Wikipedia but you could not find it searching the Google News. Nor Apple News+. I was living it in real time.
And I'm thinking about those who didn't live through the era. They only know the track as an oldie, with the detritus of years of charts cleaned away so only the true goodies survive. And put against the rest of the songs from that era "Lightnin' Strikes" may not be seen as quite the triumph it was. We were addicted to the radio, every Tuesday night I did my homework to Cousin Brucie doing the weekly countdown. When a record emerged it rode shotgun with our complete life, everybody we knew knew it, in a way today's culture knows almost nothing, when even the average person can't say who won the World Series, but back then...our cultural moments were universal peaks we all shared.
Now I was shocked to see that Lou Christie tried and tried and tried. He never gave up, kept searching for another hit, at times changing with the times, writing song after song after song, oftentimes with his partner Twyla Herbert, who was twenty years older than he was.
Songwriting partner, not romantic partner. That was Francesca Winfield, an English model who he stayed married to, just like in the song, it was forever.
And I knew he'd changed his name. After all, I'd researched him over the years, that's one of the magical elements of the internet, the past comes alive.
And Wikipedia tells me Lou was on "Where the Action Is," but I don't remember that. Then again, other than Paul Rever and the Raiders....that show was on five days a week, much of it was a blur. Then again, I remember rushing home to watch the Yardbirds perform "For Your Love" on the show. So I couldn't pick Lou Christie out of a lineup. But that's not what he was selling. The acts of the late sixties and seventies were selling more than the songs, their identities were enmeshed with the music. As for "Lightnin' Strikes"...it was written to strike on the hit parade, right?
But that does not mean it was not great, just that the song has superseded its singer. And co-writer, the aforementioned Twyla. But Lou was involved with two noted crooks, Morris Levy and Stan Polley, did he end up with any rights, never mind royalties? I hope so. Then again, what do you want, riches or a hit? You think they always come together, but not necessarily. You can be famous and broke, believe me.
But being ensconced in the hearts and minds of an entire generation? That's an achievement nearly beyond comprehension, very few achieve that, and when you do...
You and your record are for all time. Everywhere you go, every time you're introduced, people are stopped in their tracks, they start to testify where they were when they listened to your record, what it meant to them, you're just human, but to listeners, you're a GOD!
AI couldn't write "Lightnin' Strikes." It wasn't a paint by numbers dream. There had to be inspiration and excitement, not only in the composition, but the recording!
Technology was primitive. There were no synthesizers. You could replicate these records at home, if not always their rudimentary reverb and other effects.
Then again, I don't remember any local band playing "Lightnin' Strikes." That'd be like trying to impersonate God. It's untouchable. Baked into the grooves is pure magic. From the piano to the horns to the backup vocals...not pieced together over days, with the vocals comped, but laid down all together, all at once.
Then again, the record was more than Lou. "Lightnin' Strikes" was produced by legendary arranger Charles Callelo, who Al Kooper has testified about to me again and again and again. Then again, Kooper was in bed with and ultimately ripped off by Stan Polley too.
But that's all music business history.
Then again, it was a different business back then, peopled by renegade hypesters, people who could promote and intimidate, and artists with little portfolio but an unbelievable hunger to make it.
Like Lou Christie.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Haim "Relationships"
Spotify: https://rb.gy/rmm2oj
YouTube: https://rb.gy/3p9h96
I know this track came out in March. I even know that HAIM is about to drop a new album on Friday. But don't ask me how I stumbled on this, I can't remember. But about halfway through this cut I got hooked.
Well, let me explain that. I'm not telling you for your opinion, I'm not even sure I'm trying to turn you on to it, or maybe that's just me trying to avoid the tsunami of abuse from the minions. Everybody has to prove their taste is better than yours. There's a chilling effect. But...
I've been unable to get this song out of my head, even though this has never happened previously with a HAIM track...nice normal girls, at least the one time I hung out around them, but the music was just one step left of repeatability, it was more intellectual than emotional, whereas "Relationships" is the latter. If you want to know what the seventies sounded like, after Vietnam was in the rearview mirror, after the protests were history, this is the feeling, if not the actual notes. That's one thing that's been lost in the last few decades, optimism. We've got anger, frustration, and they're roots of rock and roll, definitely, but hope and everyday hedonism, driving with the windows down with the radio blasting or sitting on the beach or out anywhere in the elements, that's been eliminated. Whereas our music used to enhance our good feelings. It wouldn't make you happy if you weren't, but if you were, the music rode shotgun and lifted your mood even higher, that's the alchemy of identity and music, they meld together to yield something more, that you cannot get anywhere else.
"Wasting time, driving through the Eastside
Doing my thing 'cause I can't decide if we're through
Well, are we?
And if we are, what are we gonna do?"
Only a woman could sing these lyrics. Men don't reveal this straightforward honesty in music, or real life either. If men even deign to discuss relationships it's with attitude, a power dynamic, whereas the amazing thing about the lyrics here are they're sans heaviness, which makes them so appealing.
"Baby, how can I explain when an innocent mistake
Turns into seventeen days f*ckin' relationships?"
After finding out that "Relationships" came out three months ago I Googled the lyrics, and this is the one that stood out. What exactly is going on here? I don't think of innocent mistakes leading to relationships, just the opposite. As for seventeen days... That's the life of rock stars or people floating in social circles far from mine, where the threshold to getting involved is low and you can get over someone in the blink of an eye. I mean it might take me seventeen days to reach out, have a conversation back and forth and maybe go on two dates, but this entire relationship was seventeen days from beginning to end?
"Don't they end up all the same
When there's no one left to blame?
I think I'm in love, but I can't stand f*ckin' relationships"
Actually, they don't all end up the same. But I get the concept of the thrill of love and the baggage of the actual relationship. You look into their eyes and feel the connection, you walk with a bounce in your step, but then you find out you've got completely different values, they can't show up on time and you hate their friends and...
"You gotta tell me the truth
If you don't want to try
I hear a voice in my head
And it keeps asking, 'Why am I in this relationship'"
The power imbalance. When you want it more than them. When you're not even sure if you are in a relationship. They're present and then they're elusive. You're invested and they're hit and run. And you get frustrated and ask yourself whether you should disconnect, but just like in "Annie Hall" you find it difficult, because you need the eggs.
"Oh, this can't just be the way it is
Or is it just the sh*t our parents did
And had to live with it in their relationship?
Relationships
F*ckin' relationships"
What's with all the profanity? I love when girls swear, when they're not prim and proper. But if I spell the word out completely this e-mail will be blocked by corporations all over the world. Then again, there is a clean version of this song, but... How did our parents do it? Was it just a matter of commitment? And none of the HAIM women is married or has children, it used to be only men did this, maybe they froze their eggs, maybe they don't care about having a family, I never did, then again, my window of opportunity never closed.
"But I would do it all again
If you put down your defenses
I think I'm in love, so why I am trying to escape from it?
Maybe that's just how it goes
When you're not fully grown"
It's not only men who have defenses, then again, as I've referenced above, women will talk about their feelings, men almost never will, so you can't even get down to the real nitty-gritty. She's all-in, she's ready to play, but he isn't...is it because he doesn't want to, doesn't know how to or is afraid to? Meanwhile, the woman in this song is exactly the one most men want to be involved with. For all the debonair elusive dudes, most men are clueless and want women to make the move and lead, at the same time so many are afraid that by committing and tying themselves down they'll miss out on...exactly what? Someone better who never arrives? And then there's that twist of the knife, about him not being fully grown, not mature, women can see the window of opportunity will shut, men think it's open forever.
Having written all of the above, the magic of the lyrics in "Relationships" comes LAST!
Maybe some musicologist from Berklee can explain exactly what is happening in this track, all I can say it's hypnotic, your mind is nodding your head, even if your cabeza really isn't.
You get into a trance, that you want to continue, which is why I put "Relationships" on endless repeat.
And then there's that piano note. I think it's a piano. Then again, I don't like the fake drums and the fact that there may be a chorus but no real changes, so "Relationships" is not for all time, just now, but it fits a niche that is too often empty.
So I went to YouTube and found a magic video which only had 1.9 million views. But the images had the same feel as the lyrics, and listening with the captions on I realized "an innocent mistake" might have been casual sex...women might refer to that as a mistake, men never do. Also, for some reason the break where all the instruments fall out and then slowly come back in, the bass and then the piano(?) is part of the magic.
And then I go on Spotify and see there are 20 million streams, so... You can't get rich on that number, but it does show people are listening...
And I was about to check out Mediabase to see if there was any radio action and then it occurred to me that fans of HAIM would not be listening to terrestrial radio with all its commercials, they want to hear what they want to when they want to.
So is "Relationships" a hit or irrelevant?
Neither. Not everybody knows it. Media has been telling us a new HAIM album has been coming for months, the hype building in intensity up to Friday's release, but despite knowledge of its imminent drop, I had no intention of listening to it, but then for some reason I can't put my finger on, I ended up playing it, and playing it...
And then I played the rest of the already released cuts from the new album and they didn't resonate the same way.
So I went back to the earlier work, listened to track after track and felt like I always had, I had no desire to hear them ever again, never mind play all the way through.
But I can't stop listening to "Relationships," I can't get it out of my head. It just makes me feel GOOD!
YouTube: https://rb.gy/3p9h96
I know this track came out in March. I even know that HAIM is about to drop a new album on Friday. But don't ask me how I stumbled on this, I can't remember. But about halfway through this cut I got hooked.
Well, let me explain that. I'm not telling you for your opinion, I'm not even sure I'm trying to turn you on to it, or maybe that's just me trying to avoid the tsunami of abuse from the minions. Everybody has to prove their taste is better than yours. There's a chilling effect. But...
I've been unable to get this song out of my head, even though this has never happened previously with a HAIM track...nice normal girls, at least the one time I hung out around them, but the music was just one step left of repeatability, it was more intellectual than emotional, whereas "Relationships" is the latter. If you want to know what the seventies sounded like, after Vietnam was in the rearview mirror, after the protests were history, this is the feeling, if not the actual notes. That's one thing that's been lost in the last few decades, optimism. We've got anger, frustration, and they're roots of rock and roll, definitely, but hope and everyday hedonism, driving with the windows down with the radio blasting or sitting on the beach or out anywhere in the elements, that's been eliminated. Whereas our music used to enhance our good feelings. It wouldn't make you happy if you weren't, but if you were, the music rode shotgun and lifted your mood even higher, that's the alchemy of identity and music, they meld together to yield something more, that you cannot get anywhere else.
"Wasting time, driving through the Eastside
Doing my thing 'cause I can't decide if we're through
Well, are we?
And if we are, what are we gonna do?"
Only a woman could sing these lyrics. Men don't reveal this straightforward honesty in music, or real life either. If men even deign to discuss relationships it's with attitude, a power dynamic, whereas the amazing thing about the lyrics here are they're sans heaviness, which makes them so appealing.
"Baby, how can I explain when an innocent mistake
Turns into seventeen days f*ckin' relationships?"
After finding out that "Relationships" came out three months ago I Googled the lyrics, and this is the one that stood out. What exactly is going on here? I don't think of innocent mistakes leading to relationships, just the opposite. As for seventeen days... That's the life of rock stars or people floating in social circles far from mine, where the threshold to getting involved is low and you can get over someone in the blink of an eye. I mean it might take me seventeen days to reach out, have a conversation back and forth and maybe go on two dates, but this entire relationship was seventeen days from beginning to end?
"Don't they end up all the same
When there's no one left to blame?
I think I'm in love, but I can't stand f*ckin' relationships"
Actually, they don't all end up the same. But I get the concept of the thrill of love and the baggage of the actual relationship. You look into their eyes and feel the connection, you walk with a bounce in your step, but then you find out you've got completely different values, they can't show up on time and you hate their friends and...
"You gotta tell me the truth
If you don't want to try
I hear a voice in my head
And it keeps asking, 'Why am I in this relationship'"
The power imbalance. When you want it more than them. When you're not even sure if you are in a relationship. They're present and then they're elusive. You're invested and they're hit and run. And you get frustrated and ask yourself whether you should disconnect, but just like in "Annie Hall" you find it difficult, because you need the eggs.
"Oh, this can't just be the way it is
Or is it just the sh*t our parents did
And had to live with it in their relationship?
Relationships
F*ckin' relationships"
What's with all the profanity? I love when girls swear, when they're not prim and proper. But if I spell the word out completely this e-mail will be blocked by corporations all over the world. Then again, there is a clean version of this song, but... How did our parents do it? Was it just a matter of commitment? And none of the HAIM women is married or has children, it used to be only men did this, maybe they froze their eggs, maybe they don't care about having a family, I never did, then again, my window of opportunity never closed.
"But I would do it all again
If you put down your defenses
I think I'm in love, so why I am trying to escape from it?
Maybe that's just how it goes
When you're not fully grown"
It's not only men who have defenses, then again, as I've referenced above, women will talk about their feelings, men almost never will, so you can't even get down to the real nitty-gritty. She's all-in, she's ready to play, but he isn't...is it because he doesn't want to, doesn't know how to or is afraid to? Meanwhile, the woman in this song is exactly the one most men want to be involved with. For all the debonair elusive dudes, most men are clueless and want women to make the move and lead, at the same time so many are afraid that by committing and tying themselves down they'll miss out on...exactly what? Someone better who never arrives? And then there's that twist of the knife, about him not being fully grown, not mature, women can see the window of opportunity will shut, men think it's open forever.
Having written all of the above, the magic of the lyrics in "Relationships" comes LAST!
Maybe some musicologist from Berklee can explain exactly what is happening in this track, all I can say it's hypnotic, your mind is nodding your head, even if your cabeza really isn't.
You get into a trance, that you want to continue, which is why I put "Relationships" on endless repeat.
And then there's that piano note. I think it's a piano. Then again, I don't like the fake drums and the fact that there may be a chorus but no real changes, so "Relationships" is not for all time, just now, but it fits a niche that is too often empty.
So I went to YouTube and found a magic video which only had 1.9 million views. But the images had the same feel as the lyrics, and listening with the captions on I realized "an innocent mistake" might have been casual sex...women might refer to that as a mistake, men never do. Also, for some reason the break where all the instruments fall out and then slowly come back in, the bass and then the piano(?) is part of the magic.
And then I go on Spotify and see there are 20 million streams, so... You can't get rich on that number, but it does show people are listening...
And I was about to check out Mediabase to see if there was any radio action and then it occurred to me that fans of HAIM would not be listening to terrestrial radio with all its commercials, they want to hear what they want to when they want to.
So is "Relationships" a hit or irrelevant?
Neither. Not everybody knows it. Media has been telling us a new HAIM album has been coming for months, the hype building in intensity up to Friday's release, but despite knowledge of its imminent drop, I had no intention of listening to it, but then for some reason I can't put my finger on, I ended up playing it, and playing it...
And then I played the rest of the already released cuts from the new album and they didn't resonate the same way.
So I went back to the earlier work, listened to track after track and felt like I always had, I had no desire to hear them ever again, never mind play all the way through.
But I can't stop listening to "Relationships," I can't get it out of my head. It just makes me feel GOOD!
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Monday, 16 June 2025
My Roots Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ZY4ZHhqV5fT87EmDWVAvZ?si=1d16ef61c7394fe8
MY FAIR LADY
"With a Little Bit of Luck"
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
"Witch Doctor"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjrTcYMqBM
"The Chipmunk Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joAXosrtocg
"Alvin's Harmonica"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA2mHTsCjS4
"Alvin for President"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW7DWVJi3t0
RUFF & REDDY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/h3aiDarcyOw
SHEP WOOLEY
"Purple People Eater"
THE TEMPOS
"See You in September"
BRYAN HYLAND
"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini"
CHUBBY CHECKER
"The Twist"
PETER, PAUL & MARY
"If I Had a Hammer"
ALLAN SHERMAN
"Sarah Jackman"
"Gotta Jump Down, Spin Around Pick a Dress of Cotton"
"Al N' Yetta"
"Won't You Come Home Disraeli"
"Camp Granada (Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"
"RattFink"
"Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue"
"You Went the Wrong Way Old King Louie"
THE FIRST FAMILY/VAUGHN MEADER
"Motorcade"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auW01BSenpA
THE FOUR SEASONS
"Big Girls Don't Cry"
"Walk Like a Man"
"Dawn (Go Away) "
"Ronnie"
"Rag Doll"
JIMMY CLANTON
"Venus in Blue Jeans"
LITTLE EVA
"Loco-Motion"
BOBBY "BORIS" PICKETT
"Monster Mash"
THE RAN-DELLS
"The Martian Hop"
THE SURFARIS
"Wipe Out"
LITTLE PEGGY MARCH
"I Will Follow Him"
THE ROOFTOP SINGERS
"Walk Right In"
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MY FAIR LADY
"With a Little Bit of Luck"
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
"Witch Doctor"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjrTcYMqBM
"The Chipmunk Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joAXosrtocg
"Alvin's Harmonica"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA2mHTsCjS4
"Alvin for President"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW7DWVJi3t0
RUFF & REDDY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/h3aiDarcyOw
SHEP WOOLEY
"Purple People Eater"
THE TEMPOS
"See You in September"
BRYAN HYLAND
"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini"
CHUBBY CHECKER
"The Twist"
PETER, PAUL & MARY
"If I Had a Hammer"
ALLAN SHERMAN
"Sarah Jackman"
"Gotta Jump Down, Spin Around Pick a Dress of Cotton"
"Al N' Yetta"
"Won't You Come Home Disraeli"
"Camp Granada (Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh"
"RattFink"
"Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue"
"You Went the Wrong Way Old King Louie"
THE FIRST FAMILY/VAUGHN MEADER
"Motorcade"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auW01BSenpA
THE FOUR SEASONS
"Big Girls Don't Cry"
"Walk Like a Man"
"Dawn (Go Away) "
"Ronnie"
"Rag Doll"
JIMMY CLANTON
"Venus in Blue Jeans"
LITTLE EVA
"Loco-Motion"
BOBBY "BORIS" PICKETT
"Monster Mash"
THE RAN-DELLS
"The Martian Hop"
THE SURFARIS
"Wipe Out"
LITTLE PEGGY MARCH
"I Will Follow Him"
THE ROOFTOP SINGERS
"Walk Right In"
--
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--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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Sunday, 15 June 2025
Re-Tyler Childers
The best artist in America for me.
Joe Taylor
Record of the Day
_________________________________
The last public event I attended before COVID lockdown was a concert in Pittsburgh where he opened for Sturgill Simpson. I swear, half the crowd left after Childers was done. I've never seen anything like it.
As for his politics, check out his song (and video) "In Your Love," and the heat he took for it. It'll explain all you need to know.
Lastly, my then 17 and 21yo daughters "stole" the tickets I had bought to see him last summer. They would choose him over Taylor Swift in a second, which I admit is unusual. But it speaks to his very broad appeal.
The dude is sneaky popular.
John Dick
_________________________________
Tyler sold out the University of Kentucky football stadium in Lexington a few weeks ago. His opening act was Wynonna. As in Judd.
He's also a great guy. We used him in a pro bono TV spot during COVID and he donated his services.
If you know, you know.
Best regards
David Vawter
_________________________________
I'm assuming when you say he doesn't have a hit you mean that he hasn't charted. But I'll tell you, I'm not a country music fan, but have 3 kids aged 20-24 and Tyler Childers is at the top of their lists of artist they listen too. And if his song Feathered Indians isn't a hit….then I'm not sure what is. I've heard that song 100's of times with my kids and their friends and they all sing every word…and I live in the heart of Dallas so maybe that has something to do with it, but from where I sit Tyler is a star and Feathered Indians is absolutely a "hit". And I love that song too!
Now go listen to Zach Top…he's next.
Chad Jones
_________________________________
Tyler played on my little stage in the specialty camp I managed at Bonnaroo 2018. He literally brought his middle school teacher Dave along for the ride and had him playing on stage. The teacher is better known as the Laid Back Country Picker and he was telling me how he knew Tyler was going somewhere after Tyler shared some poems he'd written with him back then.
One of my friends and former bosses, Emily Cox, does Tyler's set design among other creative work for him. We have all known about him for a long while. He is the real deal and a very nice guy.
Beth Hardy McLennan
_________________________________
As someone who loves heavy hardcore music, Tyler often ends up intermingled amongst some of the heaviest songs on earth when I hit the randomiser button on my iTunes library. He ALWAYS holds his own.
Check the acoustic Whitehouse Road on his OurVinylSessions live record. The only thing in music I have heard intensity wise that matches the way he sings 'lawmen women or a shallow graves, same old blues just a different day' was when Zach refrained 'you've got a bullet in your head' in rage against the machine.
Tyler is arguably the most exciting artist I have ever heard in my life and after all these years of listening, I still have no idea why.
It's just really special
Paul Clegg
_________________________________
It's his voice, unique and sorrowful, cuts to the very essence of what is soul.
Julien Jørgensen
_________________________________
Tyler spoke up for BLM surrounding the Floyd thing. He posted online and said he realized that a lot of of his fan base would be at odds with his position. I was already a fan but that's when he got me for life.
I don't know how I found him. I've been listening for years. I fell in love with his solo unplugged version of White House Rd. from some YouTube thing.
Oh I just looked it up. Eight years ago I was talking about this dude. I wonder how it found me.
Ben Davis
_________________________________
I knew "You're all mine…." before the pandemic. Then heard a rarity (even detailed by you) a protest song. A Long Violent History was played in LA the other night and it just resonates.
Sean Tighe
Havertown PA
_________________________________
UK loves Tyler too (including me)! He's playing the O2 in London in the autumn. 20k cap. Not the right venue for him imho (too big), but it demonstrates his appeal.
Andy Fordyce
_________________________________
Tyler is a real southerner with a real consciousness. It's SO GREAT to have a young southern musician/writer who is not afraid to speak their mind. Someone who has "progressive" (basic humanity) values.
Take your toes in the sand and beer at the beach "country" music and shove it. Which side are you on?!
Kirby Hamel
_________________________________
reading you for 13 years now....Tyler is the best one you have introduced me to! Thanks!
Chris Rodinis
_________________________________
Love your stuff Bob. I was at that show to see Tyler and my great friend Robert Earl Keen who was the opener and introduced Tyler. Yes, Tyler has never has had a hit but Feathered Indians has now had almost 600 million spins on Spotify. Isn't that amazing that an Americana/country song could do that? I think so. It shows that sometime the listening public gets it right. As you wrote, the show was great. How about when he played those love songs out in the middle of the audience? As an early fan, I'm so happy to see him get the recognition and success he deserves.
Will Vogt
_________________________________
It's not rural south…this is Appalachia. It's a different American story Bob and he's just the guy to tell it. There's no more authentic artist than he. Glad you loved the show.
Best,
Jeff Rabhan
_________________________________
Tyler is doing so much right. And to be doing it from eastern KY is special. He's from the same neck of the woods (literally) as Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton and before them, Dwight Yoakam. And his accent isn't just rural southern. It's the hills (pronounced 'heels') of eastern KY. Nasal with the strongest twang.. Yep, the hard stuff. No polish here.
His buildup has been a slow burn starting in Pineville & Pikeville but now he regularly sells out Rupp Arena (23,000) in Lexington (where he taught voice for a while).
I'm looking forward to the Rick Rubin-produced album.
As someone from "the 606" myself, it's fantastic to watch and ride along in the cheapest of seats. He's the real deal.
Tim Wood
_________________________________
Loved reading this piece on Tyler Childers, Bob!
Re: wondering how fans found Tyler Childers… I found him because a local band I like plays "Whitehouse Road" as one of the covers in their set. So random. Found it on Spotify and went down the Tyler Childers rabbit hole from there.
Sarah Martin
_________________________________
Great write up of a great artist. We in the Drive-By Truckers/ Isbell/ Sturgill community have know about Tyler for a while. Country Squire was the big breakthrough, with semi-hit "Your'n". The triple album "Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven" from '22 was terrific; three versions of the same record, touching on Memphis gospel, Elton John, and Electronica.
I saw Tyler open with his band for the Rolling Stones in a stadium in Orlando last summer and he absolutely killed it, earning an invite out to duet on "Dead Flowers" with Mick.
There's plenty of good music out there you just gotta poke around.
If they're not on your radar yet, highly recommend the Drive-By Truckers. Deeper and way smarter than the name would indicate.
Dave Arbiter
Margaritaville, Daytona Beach, FL
_________________________________
Just like I was, you are several years late to Tyler. His breakthrough album, Purgatory was released in 2017, and I didn't get my first taste until roughly three years ago.
Purgatory is a masterpiece in songwriting. Minimal production - just great lyrics and melodies. He was my number one played artist on Spotify for two years in a row, and it was only songs off that album, and I don't even consider myself a country/bluegrass guy.
Please go explore that album, well worth the time. The opening number sets the tone, and is my personal favorite, even though Feathered Indians is the biggie. It's hard to find a no-skipper these days, so when I find one, I have to tell you about it!
-jared jones
_________________________________
Tyler is interesting in how he has built his career. He's definitely not a "Nashville guy". I first became aware of him in 2017 when Miles Miller, who is Sturgill Simpson's drummer, began talking him up online. The Sturgill-produced Purgatory album came out and got my attention. He did a three night solo acoustic residency at the Basement (150 capacity) in September of that year and I believe Miles sat in with him for part of it. I first saw him in December of that year when he returned with his band to headline the larger Basement East venue (575 capacity). That show sold out almost instantly and everyone there knew the words to every song-not just those from Purgatory, but ones from his earlier locally released records as well.
He returned in the Spring of 2018 to open 2 nights of Margo Price's 3 night Ryman Auditorium residency. I was at both of those and the crowd was there as much for him as they were Margo (who is an amazing artist as well!)
By the time Country Squire came out in 2019 he and his band had toured extensively in the US and Europe and appeared on both Fallon and Kimmel.
The turning point from my perspective was early 2020. Tyler headlined 4 nights at the Ryman, one of which I saw. The merchandise line prior to the show was one of the longest I've ever seen at the Ryman. Then Sturgill Simpson launched his first arena tour, the 'Good Look'n' tour in support of his left-turn rock album, Sound and Fury, with Tyler and his band as the special guest. Sound and Fury was a divisive record among Sturgill fans. Some loved it, some hated it.
I was at the first show in Birmingham on February 21. After Tyler played, there was a break and when Sturgill took the stage he played Sound and Fury all the way through before returning to his earlier work. I loved it, but by the time Sturgill had finished his second song, there were a noticeable amount of people leaving the arena, enough that Sturgill himself commented on it.
That was the point, in my mind, when Tyler became fully established as an artist with a fan base that was loyal, committed to his music, and growing. Last time I saw him was in August of last year, at a sold out Folsom Field Stadium at the U of Colorado. From what I can tell he has stayed fiercely loyal to his Ashland Kentucky/Huntington West Virginia roots-choosing to live around his family and long time friends. When you talk about people wanting authentic, he embodies it. That's what resonates with me and I would imagine, with most of his fans.
Jim Blaney
_________________________________
?I live in Philadelphia and I play 4 to 5 nights a week. For the past three years or so every time I play at a university in the Philadelphia area weather Villanova Trexall Saint Joseph's or Vilna University, Pennsylvania they have been always asking me for the last three years to play Tyler Childers. So I did my job. I learned a handful of his songs. It doesn't matter where I play what university or if I'm down in Center City, Philadelphia or out in the suburbs Philadelphia everybody knows Tyler Childers. I did not learn about them from the radio or anything. I learned about them from the dozens and dozens and dozens request which began over three years ago.I can't explain it all. I know I have a job to do. When people start requesting a certain artist over and over and over like Tyler Childers or Morgan Wallen. I learned those songs. It's a mystery but it's a good mystery.
Kenn Kweder
_________________________________
I'm a bluegrass guy-an obviously niche market (and thankfully not nearly as right leaning as it once was) and Tyler came up through this roots avenue. He's played a few sold out Red Rocks shows over the past few years and something that I found very impressive was how he handled both his openings acts as well as promotion of other music in the area when he was here in CO. Bringing in bands who would seemingly never have the opportunity to play such a venue as well as bringing hip hop acts to open for him, understanding about bringing diversity to his audiences. But the thing I found most impressive was that the morning between his 2 sold out Red Rocks a couple years ago himself and his band went to a local elementary school, set up, and performed for the kids and faculty.
That screams of authenticity and to me in this world of constant show, he really stands out.
Jason Hicks
Blue Canyon Boys
_________________________________
Tyler Childers is THE SH*T. He's Sturgill-stubborn, meaning he follows his own muse, labels be damned. He even released three different versions of his 2022 album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
His backing band is called the Food Stamps, a little clue to where his heart lies. I discovered him three or so years ago, when YouTube's algorithm served me his version of the Dead's Greatest Story Ever Told, replete with band intros and vamping instrumental jam: https://youtu.be/U6QMsnlL7DY?si=jr_AvqnRoovIjMnS
I loved his magnetism, leaned into the Food Stamps' mighty groove and went on a deep, deep dive. He's now at the top of my very short 'must see' list.
John Kendle
Winnipeg, Canada
_________________________________
Yes Bob to all of this! When the pandemic started here in Canada, we shut ourselves in at the cottage, stocked the beer fridge and worked on our playlists. We spent a lot of time in the garage by the woodstove, playing cribbage and listening to music. That's when we discovered Tyler Childers. So my boyfriend loves country (ugh) and I'm so in love with classic rock. The Outlaw country was a compromise and we discovered a lot of decent bands! Authentic and amazing guitar players like you mentioned. I thought Whitehouse road was a hit. It seemed like everyone we knew was listening to it. Anyways, our neighbours gave us tickets to Tyler Childers at Ottawa Bluesfest last year and I was so impressed! He has a groove and I was digging it. I'm not kidding you, he reminded me a smidge of Gord Downie...and that's huge. My friend leaned in and said are you getting Gord Downie vibes and I said yes absolutely holy sh*t!
Wondering about their political views - yes me too! I started doing that because one of my favourites The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies are from Tennessee and I wondered how I couldn't hear their southern accents and maybe they don't have a twang and maybe they're not Republican and maybe I'm completely ridiculous because it's sooooo likely they're all God Guns and Trump?! And I'm just going to listen to the music because I can handle the odd shout out to God but no more than that.
Susan Schreider
_________________________________
Bob, he's had NO radio hits, but he's been wildly talked about even before he was putting out records.
Tyler is a singular talent, true to the Kentucky he comes from. Bluegrass underpinnigs, Appalachian heart: it cuts into you that almost bray. AND his intensity. Few people mean it as much as Childers, who is respectful, almost shy and burning inside for his heart.
Sturgill as an ally is a good thing.
Jeremy Tepper, from SiriusXM Outlaw Country + Willie's Roadhouse*, wasn't just a believer, but a champion who knew how to program Childers' music for the win to people primed to like it.
AND like Willie, when he went back to Texas, Childers understands be true to the music, passionate + forthright, have a band that jangles with you? You're winning.
Saw him debut his last album at the Grand Ole Opry, both proud/dignified AND passionate/joyful.
People want authenticity, That's what permeates every line you wrote below. Tyler, so unlike most of us, so truly the hollers most will never see, is just that. It's why the production feels off-kilter and fascinating. Who needs smokebombs with that voice + that band?
You can't know 'til you see. Unless your friends turn you on.
Welcome to the club --
Holly Gleason
* and it'll be one year ago tomorrow, we lost Tepper. Came to Cleveland to see Mojo Nixon's artifacts in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- alongside roots iconoclasts Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites), Warner Hodges (Jason & the Scorchers), Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (the Del-Lords) + Cait O'Riordan (the Pogues) -- flew home to be with his family, and passed. Tepper knew how to slip artists like Tyler, Charlie Crockett, Joshua Ray Walker + elder country icons from John Anderson to Emmylou Harris to Kristofferson into a space of honor in our culture.
_________________________________
My contention for why people love Childers:
- He doesn't use complex chord arrangements (most songs are G, C Am, F kinda thing using a capo to change keys...
- his image and lyrics are the opposite of everything shi*ty about Nashville manifested in people like Luke Bryan
- he's independent so much so that I would go so far as to say he's a modern day Outlaw country act a la Kristofferson/Willie Nelson/Jennings
- His voice is upper register
- Sounds as good live as on record
- great melodies
- and his lyrics paint a picture of his image which is that of a badass - blue AND white collar folk think he's cool and true and real when he sings about cocaine and gettin stone ragin blind etc...
Like this line from his song Charleston Girl:
"Charleston girl in a darkened room
And you don't know her like I do
We took the fire escape to her room
And got stoned, ragin' blind"
And later on in that song:
"I don't know if it's the wine or the coke
That makes her sound like her jaw is broke"
You can hear in early Zach Bryan lyrics his love for Childers music - no doubt he would've inspired Bryan to write his own songs. The album that put Childers on the map came out 2017 - so a bunch of kids saw his success then and now 8 years later are writing their own stuff ...
From Zach Bryan's Flying or Crying:
"We'll find a porch to hold us
Where we could all scream "Childers"
Drink the sh*t that kills us
Until we all remember"
Bryan sees himself as a Kerouacian rogue, smokin cigs, drinking JD, blastin' Cash, live fast die hard... and I think Childers was the first for a lot of young listeners to express that kind of raison d'etre...
Childers is in a lane of his own... and yes I'm a fan.
James Rose
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Joe Taylor
Record of the Day
_________________________________
The last public event I attended before COVID lockdown was a concert in Pittsburgh where he opened for Sturgill Simpson. I swear, half the crowd left after Childers was done. I've never seen anything like it.
As for his politics, check out his song (and video) "In Your Love," and the heat he took for it. It'll explain all you need to know.
Lastly, my then 17 and 21yo daughters "stole" the tickets I had bought to see him last summer. They would choose him over Taylor Swift in a second, which I admit is unusual. But it speaks to his very broad appeal.
The dude is sneaky popular.
John Dick
_________________________________
Tyler sold out the University of Kentucky football stadium in Lexington a few weeks ago. His opening act was Wynonna. As in Judd.
He's also a great guy. We used him in a pro bono TV spot during COVID and he donated his services.
If you know, you know.
Best regards
David Vawter
_________________________________
I'm assuming when you say he doesn't have a hit you mean that he hasn't charted. But I'll tell you, I'm not a country music fan, but have 3 kids aged 20-24 and Tyler Childers is at the top of their lists of artist they listen too. And if his song Feathered Indians isn't a hit….then I'm not sure what is. I've heard that song 100's of times with my kids and their friends and they all sing every word…and I live in the heart of Dallas so maybe that has something to do with it, but from where I sit Tyler is a star and Feathered Indians is absolutely a "hit". And I love that song too!
Now go listen to Zach Top…he's next.
Chad Jones
_________________________________
Tyler played on my little stage in the specialty camp I managed at Bonnaroo 2018. He literally brought his middle school teacher Dave along for the ride and had him playing on stage. The teacher is better known as the Laid Back Country Picker and he was telling me how he knew Tyler was going somewhere after Tyler shared some poems he'd written with him back then.
One of my friends and former bosses, Emily Cox, does Tyler's set design among other creative work for him. We have all known about him for a long while. He is the real deal and a very nice guy.
Beth Hardy McLennan
_________________________________
As someone who loves heavy hardcore music, Tyler often ends up intermingled amongst some of the heaviest songs on earth when I hit the randomiser button on my iTunes library. He ALWAYS holds his own.
Check the acoustic Whitehouse Road on his OurVinylSessions live record. The only thing in music I have heard intensity wise that matches the way he sings 'lawmen women or a shallow graves, same old blues just a different day' was when Zach refrained 'you've got a bullet in your head' in rage against the machine.
Tyler is arguably the most exciting artist I have ever heard in my life and after all these years of listening, I still have no idea why.
It's just really special
Paul Clegg
_________________________________
It's his voice, unique and sorrowful, cuts to the very essence of what is soul.
Julien Jørgensen
_________________________________
Tyler spoke up for BLM surrounding the Floyd thing. He posted online and said he realized that a lot of of his fan base would be at odds with his position. I was already a fan but that's when he got me for life.
I don't know how I found him. I've been listening for years. I fell in love with his solo unplugged version of White House Rd. from some YouTube thing.
Oh I just looked it up. Eight years ago I was talking about this dude. I wonder how it found me.
Ben Davis
_________________________________
I knew "You're all mine…." before the pandemic. Then heard a rarity (even detailed by you) a protest song. A Long Violent History was played in LA the other night and it just resonates.
Sean Tighe
Havertown PA
_________________________________
UK loves Tyler too (including me)! He's playing the O2 in London in the autumn. 20k cap. Not the right venue for him imho (too big), but it demonstrates his appeal.
Andy Fordyce
_________________________________
Tyler is a real southerner with a real consciousness. It's SO GREAT to have a young southern musician/writer who is not afraid to speak their mind. Someone who has "progressive" (basic humanity) values.
Take your toes in the sand and beer at the beach "country" music and shove it. Which side are you on?!
Kirby Hamel
_________________________________
reading you for 13 years now....Tyler is the best one you have introduced me to! Thanks!
Chris Rodinis
_________________________________
Love your stuff Bob. I was at that show to see Tyler and my great friend Robert Earl Keen who was the opener and introduced Tyler. Yes, Tyler has never has had a hit but Feathered Indians has now had almost 600 million spins on Spotify. Isn't that amazing that an Americana/country song could do that? I think so. It shows that sometime the listening public gets it right. As you wrote, the show was great. How about when he played those love songs out in the middle of the audience? As an early fan, I'm so happy to see him get the recognition and success he deserves.
Will Vogt
_________________________________
It's not rural south…this is Appalachia. It's a different American story Bob and he's just the guy to tell it. There's no more authentic artist than he. Glad you loved the show.
Best,
Jeff Rabhan
_________________________________
Tyler is doing so much right. And to be doing it from eastern KY is special. He's from the same neck of the woods (literally) as Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton and before them, Dwight Yoakam. And his accent isn't just rural southern. It's the hills (pronounced 'heels') of eastern KY. Nasal with the strongest twang.. Yep, the hard stuff. No polish here.
His buildup has been a slow burn starting in Pineville & Pikeville but now he regularly sells out Rupp Arena (23,000) in Lexington (where he taught voice for a while).
I'm looking forward to the Rick Rubin-produced album.
As someone from "the 606" myself, it's fantastic to watch and ride along in the cheapest of seats. He's the real deal.
Tim Wood
_________________________________
Loved reading this piece on Tyler Childers, Bob!
Re: wondering how fans found Tyler Childers… I found him because a local band I like plays "Whitehouse Road" as one of the covers in their set. So random. Found it on Spotify and went down the Tyler Childers rabbit hole from there.
Sarah Martin
_________________________________
Great write up of a great artist. We in the Drive-By Truckers/ Isbell/ Sturgill community have know about Tyler for a while. Country Squire was the big breakthrough, with semi-hit "Your'n". The triple album "Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven" from '22 was terrific; three versions of the same record, touching on Memphis gospel, Elton John, and Electronica.
I saw Tyler open with his band for the Rolling Stones in a stadium in Orlando last summer and he absolutely killed it, earning an invite out to duet on "Dead Flowers" with Mick.
There's plenty of good music out there you just gotta poke around.
If they're not on your radar yet, highly recommend the Drive-By Truckers. Deeper and way smarter than the name would indicate.
Dave Arbiter
Margaritaville, Daytona Beach, FL
_________________________________
Just like I was, you are several years late to Tyler. His breakthrough album, Purgatory was released in 2017, and I didn't get my first taste until roughly three years ago.
Purgatory is a masterpiece in songwriting. Minimal production - just great lyrics and melodies. He was my number one played artist on Spotify for two years in a row, and it was only songs off that album, and I don't even consider myself a country/bluegrass guy.
Please go explore that album, well worth the time. The opening number sets the tone, and is my personal favorite, even though Feathered Indians is the biggie. It's hard to find a no-skipper these days, so when I find one, I have to tell you about it!
-jared jones
_________________________________
Tyler is interesting in how he has built his career. He's definitely not a "Nashville guy". I first became aware of him in 2017 when Miles Miller, who is Sturgill Simpson's drummer, began talking him up online. The Sturgill-produced Purgatory album came out and got my attention. He did a three night solo acoustic residency at the Basement (150 capacity) in September of that year and I believe Miles sat in with him for part of it. I first saw him in December of that year when he returned with his band to headline the larger Basement East venue (575 capacity). That show sold out almost instantly and everyone there knew the words to every song-not just those from Purgatory, but ones from his earlier locally released records as well.
He returned in the Spring of 2018 to open 2 nights of Margo Price's 3 night Ryman Auditorium residency. I was at both of those and the crowd was there as much for him as they were Margo (who is an amazing artist as well!)
By the time Country Squire came out in 2019 he and his band had toured extensively in the US and Europe and appeared on both Fallon and Kimmel.
The turning point from my perspective was early 2020. Tyler headlined 4 nights at the Ryman, one of which I saw. The merchandise line prior to the show was one of the longest I've ever seen at the Ryman. Then Sturgill Simpson launched his first arena tour, the 'Good Look'n' tour in support of his left-turn rock album, Sound and Fury, with Tyler and his band as the special guest. Sound and Fury was a divisive record among Sturgill fans. Some loved it, some hated it.
I was at the first show in Birmingham on February 21. After Tyler played, there was a break and when Sturgill took the stage he played Sound and Fury all the way through before returning to his earlier work. I loved it, but by the time Sturgill had finished his second song, there were a noticeable amount of people leaving the arena, enough that Sturgill himself commented on it.
That was the point, in my mind, when Tyler became fully established as an artist with a fan base that was loyal, committed to his music, and growing. Last time I saw him was in August of last year, at a sold out Folsom Field Stadium at the U of Colorado. From what I can tell he has stayed fiercely loyal to his Ashland Kentucky/Huntington West Virginia roots-choosing to live around his family and long time friends. When you talk about people wanting authentic, he embodies it. That's what resonates with me and I would imagine, with most of his fans.
Jim Blaney
_________________________________
?I live in Philadelphia and I play 4 to 5 nights a week. For the past three years or so every time I play at a university in the Philadelphia area weather Villanova Trexall Saint Joseph's or Vilna University, Pennsylvania they have been always asking me for the last three years to play Tyler Childers. So I did my job. I learned a handful of his songs. It doesn't matter where I play what university or if I'm down in Center City, Philadelphia or out in the suburbs Philadelphia everybody knows Tyler Childers. I did not learn about them from the radio or anything. I learned about them from the dozens and dozens and dozens request which began over three years ago.I can't explain it all. I know I have a job to do. When people start requesting a certain artist over and over and over like Tyler Childers or Morgan Wallen. I learned those songs. It's a mystery but it's a good mystery.
Kenn Kweder
_________________________________
I'm a bluegrass guy-an obviously niche market (and thankfully not nearly as right leaning as it once was) and Tyler came up through this roots avenue. He's played a few sold out Red Rocks shows over the past few years and something that I found very impressive was how he handled both his openings acts as well as promotion of other music in the area when he was here in CO. Bringing in bands who would seemingly never have the opportunity to play such a venue as well as bringing hip hop acts to open for him, understanding about bringing diversity to his audiences. But the thing I found most impressive was that the morning between his 2 sold out Red Rocks a couple years ago himself and his band went to a local elementary school, set up, and performed for the kids and faculty.
That screams of authenticity and to me in this world of constant show, he really stands out.
Jason Hicks
Blue Canyon Boys
_________________________________
Tyler Childers is THE SH*T. He's Sturgill-stubborn, meaning he follows his own muse, labels be damned. He even released three different versions of his 2022 album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
His backing band is called the Food Stamps, a little clue to where his heart lies. I discovered him three or so years ago, when YouTube's algorithm served me his version of the Dead's Greatest Story Ever Told, replete with band intros and vamping instrumental jam: https://youtu.be/U6QMsnlL7DY?si=jr_AvqnRoovIjMnS
I loved his magnetism, leaned into the Food Stamps' mighty groove and went on a deep, deep dive. He's now at the top of my very short 'must see' list.
John Kendle
Winnipeg, Canada
_________________________________
Yes Bob to all of this! When the pandemic started here in Canada, we shut ourselves in at the cottage, stocked the beer fridge and worked on our playlists. We spent a lot of time in the garage by the woodstove, playing cribbage and listening to music. That's when we discovered Tyler Childers. So my boyfriend loves country (ugh) and I'm so in love with classic rock. The Outlaw country was a compromise and we discovered a lot of decent bands! Authentic and amazing guitar players like you mentioned. I thought Whitehouse road was a hit. It seemed like everyone we knew was listening to it. Anyways, our neighbours gave us tickets to Tyler Childers at Ottawa Bluesfest last year and I was so impressed! He has a groove and I was digging it. I'm not kidding you, he reminded me a smidge of Gord Downie...and that's huge. My friend leaned in and said are you getting Gord Downie vibes and I said yes absolutely holy sh*t!
Wondering about their political views - yes me too! I started doing that because one of my favourites The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies are from Tennessee and I wondered how I couldn't hear their southern accents and maybe they don't have a twang and maybe they're not Republican and maybe I'm completely ridiculous because it's sooooo likely they're all God Guns and Trump?! And I'm just going to listen to the music because I can handle the odd shout out to God but no more than that.
Susan Schreider
_________________________________
Bob, he's had NO radio hits, but he's been wildly talked about even before he was putting out records.
Tyler is a singular talent, true to the Kentucky he comes from. Bluegrass underpinnigs, Appalachian heart: it cuts into you that almost bray. AND his intensity. Few people mean it as much as Childers, who is respectful, almost shy and burning inside for his heart.
Sturgill as an ally is a good thing.
Jeremy Tepper, from SiriusXM Outlaw Country + Willie's Roadhouse*, wasn't just a believer, but a champion who knew how to program Childers' music for the win to people primed to like it.
AND like Willie, when he went back to Texas, Childers understands be true to the music, passionate + forthright, have a band that jangles with you? You're winning.
Saw him debut his last album at the Grand Ole Opry, both proud/dignified AND passionate/joyful.
People want authenticity, That's what permeates every line you wrote below. Tyler, so unlike most of us, so truly the hollers most will never see, is just that. It's why the production feels off-kilter and fascinating. Who needs smokebombs with that voice + that band?
You can't know 'til you see. Unless your friends turn you on.
Welcome to the club --
Holly Gleason
* and it'll be one year ago tomorrow, we lost Tepper. Came to Cleveland to see Mojo Nixon's artifacts in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- alongside roots iconoclasts Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites), Warner Hodges (Jason & the Scorchers), Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (the Del-Lords) + Cait O'Riordan (the Pogues) -- flew home to be with his family, and passed. Tepper knew how to slip artists like Tyler, Charlie Crockett, Joshua Ray Walker + elder country icons from John Anderson to Emmylou Harris to Kristofferson into a space of honor in our culture.
_________________________________
My contention for why people love Childers:
- He doesn't use complex chord arrangements (most songs are G, C Am, F kinda thing using a capo to change keys...
- his image and lyrics are the opposite of everything shi*ty about Nashville manifested in people like Luke Bryan
- he's independent so much so that I would go so far as to say he's a modern day Outlaw country act a la Kristofferson/Willie Nelson/Jennings
- His voice is upper register
- Sounds as good live as on record
- great melodies
- and his lyrics paint a picture of his image which is that of a badass - blue AND white collar folk think he's cool and true and real when he sings about cocaine and gettin stone ragin blind etc...
Like this line from his song Charleston Girl:
"Charleston girl in a darkened room
And you don't know her like I do
We took the fire escape to her room
And got stoned, ragin' blind"
And later on in that song:
"I don't know if it's the wine or the coke
That makes her sound like her jaw is broke"
You can hear in early Zach Bryan lyrics his love for Childers music - no doubt he would've inspired Bryan to write his own songs. The album that put Childers on the map came out 2017 - so a bunch of kids saw his success then and now 8 years later are writing their own stuff ...
From Zach Bryan's Flying or Crying:
"We'll find a porch to hold us
Where we could all scream "Childers"
Drink the sh*t that kills us
Until we all remember"
Bryan sees himself as a Kerouacian rogue, smokin cigs, drinking JD, blastin' Cash, live fast die hard... and I think Childers was the first for a lot of young listeners to express that kind of raison d'etre...
Childers is in a lane of his own... and yes I'm a fan.
James Rose
--
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--
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Families Like Ours
Netflix trailer: https://rb.gy/4kocqr
I wanted "Families Like Ours" to be good, but I wasn't expecting it to be one of the best series I've seen this year.
I've been kind of on a losing streak. I want my series to be as good as a movie. Then again, how many mediocre movies did I go to see back in the last century, when moviegoing was still a thing? I want more than entertainment. Not only do I want to be engrossed, I want to feel, and what I want to feel most is a connection to the human condition. In this frazzled world in which we live there's a focus on escape, but I'm more into the real nitty-gritty.
The Danes and the Israelis make the best television. "And "Families Like Ours" is Danish, but the premise... I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi, not that that's the proper description of the series.
The concept is very simple. The Danes can't hold back the encroaching water that has resulted from climate change, and they've decided to empty the country. But you're not prepared for a complete exploration of people's choices when they're broken down to zero, doing their best to escape a slide into poverty. You lose all your assets, you lose all your status, then what?
A secret cannot be held. This is why I doubt all those conspiracy theories. People love to talk, almost no one can hold back from telling others juicy, private news, always with the admonishment not to tell others, which they promptly do.
There's disbelief, before ultimate acceptance.
There's frustration with the system...after all, you had no part in this decision!
As for the rest of Europe, except for the Netherlands, it's business as usual. But EU rules do not apply. You cannot go to another country willy-nilly, there are rules, and they probably eliminate your choices, never mind hopes and dreams.
And under all this hopes and dreams remain. Some romantic, others career... What's more important, preparing for the inevitable future or being beside your loved ones?
One question after another is raised. To the point where you start to anticipate them, but just like human nature, you can't anticipate them all.
And unlike an American show, everything is not hunky-dory. The prick brother remains a prick.
There are so many issues. It's not just as simple as decamping. What about your relatives, your ex, do you have a responsibility to look after them? And if they go to a different country than you, will you ever be able to see them again?
Question upon question is raised. Everything is more complicated than you think it is. Can you hang back and go with the flow? When the government is being shut down and there's no one to look out for you?
Now they've made this kind of show/movie in America before. The closest analogue is 1983's "Testament," which is very good, but not as good as "Families Like Ours."
I tried to watch the Apple shows. "The Studio"? Elements of amazing insight, leavened by predictable insanity, it's hard to watch more. Maybe if you were watching week by week you'd have hope it got better, but now that the series has played completely, and everyone is unsatisfied, I see little reason to go back to it.
The venerated "Dope Thief"? Okay, maybe I'll go back, but despite the flip of the script, it's very American, and I say that in a negative way, two-dimensional actors playing to an audience that wants whiz-bang spectacle more than reality.
Now "Dope Thief" is not that bad, but in truth it's not really that good.
I want a show so good that I suspend disbelief, where I become entwined with the characters, to the point where I believe they're real and their trials and tribulations affect me.
That's "Families Like Ours."
There are none of the traditional America tropes. Sure, there is some violence, but that's the nature of life, unfortunately. Everything is normal and there are no real heroes and what's it like to start all over? Do you have to start all over? And what do you prioritize, your job or..?
I would expect "Families Like Ours" to be remade in English like other legendary Danish shows like "The Bridge" and "The Killing," and these regionalized remakes tend to be faithful to the original and very good, but never quite as good as the progenitor.
And you can see the original right now, on Netflix. Sure, it's subtitled, and you can watch with English voices dubbed, but one thing is for sure, you won't be bored, you'll become enraptured and stick with it.
Your move.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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I wanted "Families Like Ours" to be good, but I wasn't expecting it to be one of the best series I've seen this year.
I've been kind of on a losing streak. I want my series to be as good as a movie. Then again, how many mediocre movies did I go to see back in the last century, when moviegoing was still a thing? I want more than entertainment. Not only do I want to be engrossed, I want to feel, and what I want to feel most is a connection to the human condition. In this frazzled world in which we live there's a focus on escape, but I'm more into the real nitty-gritty.
The Danes and the Israelis make the best television. "And "Families Like Ours" is Danish, but the premise... I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi, not that that's the proper description of the series.
The concept is very simple. The Danes can't hold back the encroaching water that has resulted from climate change, and they've decided to empty the country. But you're not prepared for a complete exploration of people's choices when they're broken down to zero, doing their best to escape a slide into poverty. You lose all your assets, you lose all your status, then what?
A secret cannot be held. This is why I doubt all those conspiracy theories. People love to talk, almost no one can hold back from telling others juicy, private news, always with the admonishment not to tell others, which they promptly do.
There's disbelief, before ultimate acceptance.
There's frustration with the system...after all, you had no part in this decision!
As for the rest of Europe, except for the Netherlands, it's business as usual. But EU rules do not apply. You cannot go to another country willy-nilly, there are rules, and they probably eliminate your choices, never mind hopes and dreams.
And under all this hopes and dreams remain. Some romantic, others career... What's more important, preparing for the inevitable future or being beside your loved ones?
One question after another is raised. To the point where you start to anticipate them, but just like human nature, you can't anticipate them all.
And unlike an American show, everything is not hunky-dory. The prick brother remains a prick.
There are so many issues. It's not just as simple as decamping. What about your relatives, your ex, do you have a responsibility to look after them? And if they go to a different country than you, will you ever be able to see them again?
Question upon question is raised. Everything is more complicated than you think it is. Can you hang back and go with the flow? When the government is being shut down and there's no one to look out for you?
Now they've made this kind of show/movie in America before. The closest analogue is 1983's "Testament," which is very good, but not as good as "Families Like Ours."
I tried to watch the Apple shows. "The Studio"? Elements of amazing insight, leavened by predictable insanity, it's hard to watch more. Maybe if you were watching week by week you'd have hope it got better, but now that the series has played completely, and everyone is unsatisfied, I see little reason to go back to it.
The venerated "Dope Thief"? Okay, maybe I'll go back, but despite the flip of the script, it's very American, and I say that in a negative way, two-dimensional actors playing to an audience that wants whiz-bang spectacle more than reality.
Now "Dope Thief" is not that bad, but in truth it's not really that good.
I want a show so good that I suspend disbelief, where I become entwined with the characters, to the point where I believe they're real and their trials and tribulations affect me.
That's "Families Like Ours."
There are none of the traditional America tropes. Sure, there is some violence, but that's the nature of life, unfortunately. Everything is normal and there are no real heroes and what's it like to start all over? Do you have to start all over? And what do you prioritize, your job or..?
I would expect "Families Like Ours" to be remade in English like other legendary Danish shows like "The Bridge" and "The Killing," and these regionalized remakes tend to be faithful to the original and very good, but never quite as good as the progenitor.
And you can see the original right now, on Netflix. Sure, it's subtitled, and you can watch with English voices dubbed, but one thing is for sure, you won't be bored, you'll become enraptured and stick with it.
Your move.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
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Listen to the podcast:
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