Amazon Prime trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nKRJGXgK0Q
This is not a good show.
And the problem is its star, Maggie Q. She's a cold character with no charisma, the kind of good-looking person in your office who gets the job done but you don't want to hang with after hours. One whose affect is almost always downbeat. Is looking to be offended. Who takes her job too seriously. You just can't warm up to her.
Which is a far cry from Titus Welliver as Bosch. Leave him out of the equation and you've got something barely a notch above network television. As a matter of fact, I had to convince Felice to continue. I guess I just wanted to see Titus/Bosch reappear, which had been promoted in the press, and he does come on, but very briefly.
But it's worse than Maggie Q. The supporting cast is not in the league of Crate and Barrel, who lift the show at the funeral, and Mo Bossi, who also appears here, however briefly. The supporting cast in the original "Bosch" was outstanding. Now you've got the B-team.
What we've got here is a ragtag bunch of losers in the basement trying to solve cold cases. Sound like "Dept. Q"? Well not only is Maggie Q no Matthew Goode, who is capable of showing his emotions and being 3-D, "Dept. Q" proves how much better foreign TV is than domestic. I laughed at the Emmy nominations. All that American dreck. And then there was that article that said "Adolescence" should immediately be given all the awards, which I agree with, it is the best show of the year BY FAR! Then again, America doesn't do well with the nitty-gritty, they see TV and movies as escape, whereas I prefer to see life reflected back upon me, I want to be made to contemplate and think. And then there are those saying they've stopped in the middle of "Adolescence." But you must continue, every episode raises new questions.
I would have been happy if they'd made Titus/Bosch shows ad infinitum, forever. His attitude. His prickliness. His occasional warmth and protectiveness. His evidencing humanity when you least expect it. But Amazon said NO MAS! They killed off the original "Bosch" and we got "Bosch: Legacy," but now Titus has ridden into the sunset.
As for the supporting cast...
We've got Michael Mosley as Ted Rawls, who was absolutely phenomenal as the preacher in "Ozark," but here he is two-dimensional, his character is not fleshed out. Why is he so prickly? Why is he there to begin with, since his private security business is doing so well?
Rebecca Field as the volunteer ultimately shines. At first she seems one note, but unlike Maggie Q she can show emotion, she's a lot more alive and fun.
I could list the rest of the characters, but I'd rather just focus on one, John Carroll Lynch as Thomas Laffont. Lynch evidences a warmth and humanity that he normally doesn't show in roles. I liked him, whereas usually his characters are off-putting.
As for the plotting...
It's traditional Connelly. In that you know the original suspects won't prove to be the culprits. There are ten episodes, and you've got to live through the twists and turns. Which is ultimately the only reason I stayed with the series, purely for plot.
But all the bells and whistles, the zings of the Welliver shows, are absent. The cop captain is so forgettable I can't even remember his name. Cardboard.
Remember the early "Bosch"? With police chief Irving? Unfortunately Lance Reddick has passed, but so has the intensity, the sense of danger and risk, you just can't get as involved with "Ballard."
They got a new Darren in "Bewitched," can they please get a new Renée Ballard?
This has got nothing to do with sexism. We've already had successful female cop shows. Both Cagney AND Lacey were warmer and more fleshed-out than Maggie Q's Ballard here. How about someone feisty. There are numerous actresses who could do well with this role. Why in the hell did they employ Maggie Q?
And while I'm at it, the writing is definitely from the B-team but what was most offensive was the cuts. Now that Amazon Prime is all about advertising the show fades to black constantly, one time literally in the middle of a scene! Got to make holes for those commercials. We paid the $2.99 to get rid of them, but still...the cuts were jarring.
"Ballard" is a formulaic product made for TV. This is what "The Sopranos," et al, were a rebellion against. Reinvent the formula and apply the art and techniques of film. "Ballard" just fills space. Couldn't anybody blow the whistle and get rid of Maggie Q? They do this in film, not regularly, but when an actor doesn't work out, they fire them. Maggie Q should be fired immediately, before the next season is shot. And can they get a showrunner who cares?
I doubt it.
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Saturday, 19 July 2025
Friday, 18 July 2025
The Joan Didion Diaries
"Notes to John": https://shorturl.at/PJFLg
1
This is an utterly astounding book that should be read by everybody.
I must admit, I am not a huge Joan Didion fan. I loved "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," but found "Play It As It Lays" flat. As for the vaunted books thereafter, I found them dense and mannered and thought I was the only one until I found out my college buddy John agreed, he couldn't read them either.
Then I got hooked on the books about Eve Babitz, wherein Didion was excoriated. Seen as someone at remove, who was so quiet she made you talk and then used your words against you. Furthermore, it was stated that Joan used her short stature to portray innocence when this was far from accurate.
I was surprised that "Notes to John" doubles down on this. Didion reveals all these character flaws. She's SO F*CKED UP!
Then again, maybe you are too.
In truth, we're all screwed up. The only question is whether we try to untie the knot and advance ourselves. Most people do not. And neither did Joan Didion until her daughter Quintana got caught up in the throes of alcoholism and was seen as suicidal. Quintana saw a psychiatrist who suggested that Joan see a psychiatrist too, to help her deal with what was going on with Quintana. But ultimately this Dr. MacKinnon focuses on Joan herself, and what a tale it is to tell.
Joan never would have allowed these diaries to be published if she were still alive. They're from the turn of the century and she didn't die until 2021 so she seemed to want to keep them private. But the estate assembled these notes and...
These are diary entries that she gives to her husband John Gregory Dunne so he will be informed as to what is going on. I don't know how long it took her to write them, but I do admire the skill with which Didion puts words together. Having said that, the diaries can at times be confusing. You're not exactly sure who she's talking about. I advise you to just go with the flow. Once again, these were not written for public consumption, never mind edited by Joan.
2
So Joan is clueless as to her behavior. Why she acts the way she does and how it impacts those around her.
On some level she's living the life of a literary star. There are enough names dropped here to make you feel inadequate. And, once again, since these missives were not written for public consumption, you know they are real. Also, Joan is always bitching about money, but they spend Thanksgiving in St. Bart's and go to Paris for Christmas and...this is a jet set lifestyle only a tiny elite partake in. Not that Joan came from money, but maybe hanging with the rich and famous and trying to keep up with the Joneses she lost all perspective. A little budgeting would have gone a long way. Ironically, this is a complaint she has about her daughter, not being able to see the same quality in herself.
Another theme is Joan and John's wish to give up writing movies because it's so unfulfilling. Dealing with young know-it-alls. Totally frustrating. But can they pay the bills doing what they want to? Ultimately they take this path, the shrink helps her do this. This is a quandary for so many. You end up making a living doing something you fell into, can you put it aside?
So Quintana was adopted and Joan is always anxious that she's working too much and therefore is not paying enough attention to her daughter. The shrink says just the opposite is true, that Joan thinks about Quintana all the time and won't let go.
The relationship between mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, is analyzed deeply and everyone will gain insight from reading this book.
These words from Dr. MacKinnon struck me:
"'People learn to negotiate as infants. Tiny children. Or they don't. They learn to negotiate by negotiating with their parents. Or, they accept their parents as unnegotiable, all-powerful. They acquiesce. They may resent it, but they do what their parents want them to do without questioning it. They even anticipate what their parents want.'"
This is something that comes up in couples therapy all the time. When I hear no, why do I not ask again? And I tell the doctor in my family if you asked again YOU GOT HIT!
Furthermore, I had to do so much I didn't want to as a child that I don't want to make ANYBODY do ANYTHING they don't want to. I don't want to push them. But the end result is I hear no and accept it and become resentful.
Continuing with MacKinnon's words:
"'Children get angry with their parents. If they don't grow up, they stay angry."
I hear it in my family... What my mother would think. But she's been DEAD for nearly five years!
But I get the point. This was a huge breakthrough for me. I went to the psychiatrist who got me to stand up to my mother and she went INSANE! Asked me when I was going to stop seeing that doctor. We argued for months. But it was very freeing. I was willing to sacrifice everything to become an adult.
This is a huge issue delineated in the book. People trying to please their parents. Having guilt about it. God, to break through from my parents' wishes... Even though obeying them would be crippling to the point of being paralyzed.
While I'm quoting the book...
"You have trouble engaging."
Funny, because Joan was always present, she was anything but a hermit. But she kept herself apart, aloof. She knew she never felt a member of the group. Whether it be her family or the college sorority she painfully extricated herself from. But she had no idea that people PERCEIVED HER THIS WAY!
This is what blows my mind constantly. People who have no idea how others see them. They're blind and it costs them. This is something we focused on in therapy. I get to manage interactions. First I must assess my personality and then decide upon my goal. If I want to be a member of the group, to get along, I let inaccuracies slide, I watch my tone. Then again, sometimes you're confronted with bullies and you should bring out the hammer. I've historically been afraid to do this. That's another thing I've addressed with the shrink. Famous names piling upon me...me trying to negotiate peace, which involves enduring the abuse until they hopefully flame out. Better to walk away or stand up to them.
Back to negotiation...
I HATE IT!
That's the essence of being a successful business person. You have to negotiate. It's a game. I'd rather get right to the nitty-gritty. This is the deal, are we doing it or not? But really, you have to be nice, establish a relationship, do some back and forth... Joan says she's bad at it, so she has lawyers and agents do this work. In most cases I do this now too. But some deals in everyday life you just have to do on your own. Maybe as simple as buying a car.
3
The insights in this book are so brilliant that you're constantly employing them to analyze your own life. Sure, you wince at famous Joan's lack of insight into herself, but that just proves the point. We're putting up a front, faking it until we make it, and we don't even recognize this is a burden, never mind the fallout. And then there are those who decline help, they say they can figure things out themselves, or their friends can help them. Not only is this wrong, usually they're afraid of going to therapy, for fear they'll appear inadequate. And then there are those who balk at the cost. Believe me, to afford someone as good as Dr. MacKinnon you either have to be rich or sacrifice.
When many people would rather buy a car, or go on vacation. Not realizing that therapy will probably allow them to earn even more money.
4
Now I'm pretty f*cked up too. But unlike Joan Didion and most of the population I've benefited from years of psychotherapy.
However, I still have my issues, believe me I have my issues.
This truly resonated with me:
"Working was how I filled the hole. I reminded her that you and I always worked on weekends. I said we hadn't always done so. But at some point we had discovered that working through the weekend could allay what we had always called the Sunday jits."
BINGO!
There comes a point on Sunday where I'm losing it and the only way to get back on track is to work.
I marvel at the Jerry Maguire types who can be with people 24/7. I need my alone time, to think. People are great, then again...
The book addresses aging. How you don't want to hang with marginal friends anymore. Instinctively you feel you only have a certain amount of time left, and you don't want to waste it. When you're younger you're hanging on to these friendships for what they might lead to. When you're old, you are where you are.
Ditto, you see less of a need to throw and go to parties. You want to expend your energy on that which will fulfill you.
Now I know most people will never read this book.
And I know many will dismiss it as psychobabble.
And although not difficult to read, "Notes to John" does not cut like butter. But you get addicted and you're in this private space contemplating your own issues and...
I've never read a book that made me think about myself this much. NEVER!
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1
This is an utterly astounding book that should be read by everybody.
I must admit, I am not a huge Joan Didion fan. I loved "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," but found "Play It As It Lays" flat. As for the vaunted books thereafter, I found them dense and mannered and thought I was the only one until I found out my college buddy John agreed, he couldn't read them either.
Then I got hooked on the books about Eve Babitz, wherein Didion was excoriated. Seen as someone at remove, who was so quiet she made you talk and then used your words against you. Furthermore, it was stated that Joan used her short stature to portray innocence when this was far from accurate.
I was surprised that "Notes to John" doubles down on this. Didion reveals all these character flaws. She's SO F*CKED UP!
Then again, maybe you are too.
In truth, we're all screwed up. The only question is whether we try to untie the knot and advance ourselves. Most people do not. And neither did Joan Didion until her daughter Quintana got caught up in the throes of alcoholism and was seen as suicidal. Quintana saw a psychiatrist who suggested that Joan see a psychiatrist too, to help her deal with what was going on with Quintana. But ultimately this Dr. MacKinnon focuses on Joan herself, and what a tale it is to tell.
Joan never would have allowed these diaries to be published if she were still alive. They're from the turn of the century and she didn't die until 2021 so she seemed to want to keep them private. But the estate assembled these notes and...
These are diary entries that she gives to her husband John Gregory Dunne so he will be informed as to what is going on. I don't know how long it took her to write them, but I do admire the skill with which Didion puts words together. Having said that, the diaries can at times be confusing. You're not exactly sure who she's talking about. I advise you to just go with the flow. Once again, these were not written for public consumption, never mind edited by Joan.
2
So Joan is clueless as to her behavior. Why she acts the way she does and how it impacts those around her.
On some level she's living the life of a literary star. There are enough names dropped here to make you feel inadequate. And, once again, since these missives were not written for public consumption, you know they are real. Also, Joan is always bitching about money, but they spend Thanksgiving in St. Bart's and go to Paris for Christmas and...this is a jet set lifestyle only a tiny elite partake in. Not that Joan came from money, but maybe hanging with the rich and famous and trying to keep up with the Joneses she lost all perspective. A little budgeting would have gone a long way. Ironically, this is a complaint she has about her daughter, not being able to see the same quality in herself.
Another theme is Joan and John's wish to give up writing movies because it's so unfulfilling. Dealing with young know-it-alls. Totally frustrating. But can they pay the bills doing what they want to? Ultimately they take this path, the shrink helps her do this. This is a quandary for so many. You end up making a living doing something you fell into, can you put it aside?
So Quintana was adopted and Joan is always anxious that she's working too much and therefore is not paying enough attention to her daughter. The shrink says just the opposite is true, that Joan thinks about Quintana all the time and won't let go.
The relationship between mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, is analyzed deeply and everyone will gain insight from reading this book.
These words from Dr. MacKinnon struck me:
"'People learn to negotiate as infants. Tiny children. Or they don't. They learn to negotiate by negotiating with their parents. Or, they accept their parents as unnegotiable, all-powerful. They acquiesce. They may resent it, but they do what their parents want them to do without questioning it. They even anticipate what their parents want.'"
This is something that comes up in couples therapy all the time. When I hear no, why do I not ask again? And I tell the doctor in my family if you asked again YOU GOT HIT!
Furthermore, I had to do so much I didn't want to as a child that I don't want to make ANYBODY do ANYTHING they don't want to. I don't want to push them. But the end result is I hear no and accept it and become resentful.
Continuing with MacKinnon's words:
"'Children get angry with their parents. If they don't grow up, they stay angry."
I hear it in my family... What my mother would think. But she's been DEAD for nearly five years!
But I get the point. This was a huge breakthrough for me. I went to the psychiatrist who got me to stand up to my mother and she went INSANE! Asked me when I was going to stop seeing that doctor. We argued for months. But it was very freeing. I was willing to sacrifice everything to become an adult.
This is a huge issue delineated in the book. People trying to please their parents. Having guilt about it. God, to break through from my parents' wishes... Even though obeying them would be crippling to the point of being paralyzed.
While I'm quoting the book...
"You have trouble engaging."
Funny, because Joan was always present, she was anything but a hermit. But she kept herself apart, aloof. She knew she never felt a member of the group. Whether it be her family or the college sorority she painfully extricated herself from. But she had no idea that people PERCEIVED HER THIS WAY!
This is what blows my mind constantly. People who have no idea how others see them. They're blind and it costs them. This is something we focused on in therapy. I get to manage interactions. First I must assess my personality and then decide upon my goal. If I want to be a member of the group, to get along, I let inaccuracies slide, I watch my tone. Then again, sometimes you're confronted with bullies and you should bring out the hammer. I've historically been afraid to do this. That's another thing I've addressed with the shrink. Famous names piling upon me...me trying to negotiate peace, which involves enduring the abuse until they hopefully flame out. Better to walk away or stand up to them.
Back to negotiation...
I HATE IT!
That's the essence of being a successful business person. You have to negotiate. It's a game. I'd rather get right to the nitty-gritty. This is the deal, are we doing it or not? But really, you have to be nice, establish a relationship, do some back and forth... Joan says she's bad at it, so she has lawyers and agents do this work. In most cases I do this now too. But some deals in everyday life you just have to do on your own. Maybe as simple as buying a car.
3
The insights in this book are so brilliant that you're constantly employing them to analyze your own life. Sure, you wince at famous Joan's lack of insight into herself, but that just proves the point. We're putting up a front, faking it until we make it, and we don't even recognize this is a burden, never mind the fallout. And then there are those who decline help, they say they can figure things out themselves, or their friends can help them. Not only is this wrong, usually they're afraid of going to therapy, for fear they'll appear inadequate. And then there are those who balk at the cost. Believe me, to afford someone as good as Dr. MacKinnon you either have to be rich or sacrifice.
When many people would rather buy a car, or go on vacation. Not realizing that therapy will probably allow them to earn even more money.
4
Now I'm pretty f*cked up too. But unlike Joan Didion and most of the population I've benefited from years of psychotherapy.
However, I still have my issues, believe me I have my issues.
This truly resonated with me:
"Working was how I filled the hole. I reminded her that you and I always worked on weekends. I said we hadn't always done so. But at some point we had discovered that working through the weekend could allay what we had always called the Sunday jits."
BINGO!
There comes a point on Sunday where I'm losing it and the only way to get back on track is to work.
I marvel at the Jerry Maguire types who can be with people 24/7. I need my alone time, to think. People are great, then again...
The book addresses aging. How you don't want to hang with marginal friends anymore. Instinctively you feel you only have a certain amount of time left, and you don't want to waste it. When you're younger you're hanging on to these friendships for what they might lead to. When you're old, you are where you are.
Ditto, you see less of a need to throw and go to parties. You want to expend your energy on that which will fulfill you.
Now I know most people will never read this book.
And I know many will dismiss it as psychobabble.
And although not difficult to read, "Notes to John" does not cut like butter. But you get addicted and you're in this private space contemplating your own issues and...
I've never read a book that made me think about myself this much. NEVER!
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Even More Summer Of '75-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in Saturday July 19th 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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Re-Steve Miller
I don't know why they don't just say they are cancelling for poor ticket sales? Since nobody has bought a ticket, nobody will be surprised. The weather excuse is the true embarrassment, not poor sales. I mean, in 2025 who thought Steve Miller would sell any tickets to begin with?
Jake Malloy
____________________________________
Weather? Looking at that seating map, it's blue skies everywhere!!
Eric Howarth
____________________________________
Did someone actually pay money for this all-time hall of shame junk press release?
Deb Wilker
____________________________________
Steve Miller = The Pompatus of Lies?
Vince Welsh
____________________________________
Well all I can say is… Bet you weren't ready for that!
Tom Clark
____________________________________
Time for someone to Fly Like an Eagle......
Jeff Pinhey
____________________________________
He thinks our cash is nothing but trash?
Dennis Pelowski
____________________________________
Bob, I have my own reason to dislike Steve Miller Band. I had just turned 20 in 1967 when my band, the Shades Of Dawn, were slated to play at what I believe was the first Love In, (then called Human Be In), at Elysian Park on Easter Sunday March 26, 1967. (this was before the Griffith Park Love-ins). My band was backstage waiting for the band before us, the Steve Miller Band, to finish. Slated to play after us was the Iron Butterfly, relatively unknown at the time. But because Steve Miller played way past their cutoff time, a guy told us that in order to get back on schedule, they would have to skip us and let the Iron Butterfly play. So we never got to play!
Sterling Howard, founder/owner
https://www.MusiciansContact.com
____________________________________
For the first time ever, we took out extra insurance on our biggest outdoor gigs of the summer to ensure we get paid in the event of an extreme weather cancellation. I think the statutory rate is something like 3% of the artist's net? We added it for 13 of our 30 something summer shows. For a mid-size act like Umphrey's McGee this deal made sense, offering us some protection and reduced touring anxiety.
Joel Cummins
____________________________________
Blaming poor sales on unforeseen circumstances is nothing new. You've got your last minute 'scheduling issues' when the issue was scheduling into a too large venue. You've got your 'illness' when a show passes through a poor selling region. You've got your postponement when the 'staging ain't ready' which is designed to get more press before the tour launch. You've got your 'serious illness' when the whole tour needs to be scrapped. And let's not forget the Kelly Clarkson 'I rehearsed too hard.'
It must be hard for a former rock star that can't get work on a Workday commercial to realize their 'appeal has become more selective.'
In all seriousness. The concert industry is a bit overblown. The hoi polloi is being priced out by ticket cost, parking fees, beer and hassle. We have to be more selective. Can't go to everything like we did in our youth. I fear The Who may have to cancel - and I'm planning on seeing that one. Maybe the excuse will the 'Roger fired another band member.'
Jeffrey Wirtz
____________________________________
Miller cancelled on us in New Mexico a couple of years ago, too. That was it for me – he was put on my "declining" list after that. This process has only accelerated..
I bought front row tickets for Neil Young at the bowl last year, months in advance. My 28 year old daughter was pretty excited to see him and as for me, somehow after 40 years of being a deep fan, I only saw him once at the Buffalo Springfield reunion. But this was with Crazy Horse. It was about time, and I was happy to pay thousands for our seats.
Since we'd be in LA for a few days, I saw that Heart was in town during those days, and the YouTube videos of recent shows were pretty great, so I purchased front row seats for that show as well.
Neil cancelled, because of illness. Refunded our money immediately. But now, as you point out, we've booked flights, hotels, etc. for LA, so we would do more visiting of our old haunts around town and see Heart.
Heart "postponed", because of Anne's treatments. Totally understandable. But now we're out thousands of dollars we weren't nearly as excited about spending. Finally, we decided to go to Paris during Heart's rescheduled shows, so I sold my tickets on StubHub, and someone – who wasn't watching Anne's post-treatment performances which were sad to watch, though we all root for her – bought them.
So, after a sunk cost of thousands, we did not see either of these artists.
Anne appears to be recovering pretty well – it's good to see this.
But my mental model for these shows is completely different. I will no longer fly anywhere or pay these rates to see these acts. It's too much hassle, and the diminishing returns of seeing musicians I love perform at a subpar level are no longer interesting. This process started as they got older in the late 10's and has sped up. Brian leaving the stage mid-song during "Sail On Sailor". Graeme Edge walking away from the drums he just sat at while the real drummer played. Justin playing along with a recording of that flamenco-speed acoustic at the beginning of Questions. McCartney's croaking voice. Pete's stomach flapping around during his hops, with windmills that don't include a single strike on the strings.
Again, I sit front-row only at these heritage acts. There are great shows – Fogerty still brings it, ZZ Top was in the pocket (before Dusty died), and so on. Stones right before Charlie left us – well done. Got exactly what I wanted. Same with Frampton. I think 2020 was a turning point. After that, it's been difficult to book and reliably see an uncanceled show.
I love all these people too much to watch the decline from the front row or deal with the travel logistics of their changes to avoid insurance problems, etc. The era is past. I had a great time for 50 years seeing these people. You had to be there.
Gary Lang
____________________________________
From: Kenny Lee Lewis
Re: Steve Miller Tour Cancellation
Well I share your letter once and a while on social media when you serve up the jagged pill for weak liberals and cultist conservatives to swallow and I have to defend you all the time to those you offend because of your truth at any cost honesty.
But this time you are wrong you cranky old fart.
You didn't see Steve Miller hanging over a railing after our first outdoor stadium show opening in the sun for Journey and Def Leopard in Atlanta trying to fend off heat exhaustion. I was really worried about him.
Nest couple outdoor shows the crew had to arrange the stage air coolers with flexible ducts on him as he also wore frozen gel packs on his neck and shoulders. He looked like the Michelin Man! And he still almost passed out.
It's easy for your snow-skiing ass not to have ever felt this humid senior-killer heat and sit back in your armchair and point your finger and call lies. Shame on you Bob. You don't know the half of it. This has got nothing to do with poor tickets sales. The man is trying to be smart about his health!
Now when we finally got into some air-conditioned stadiums and arenas with with a lid it greatly improved the situation.
This prompted Steve to seek indoor arena shows only for this year. Unfortunately that didn't happen for several reasons and he reluctantly signed off to keep doing some outdoor shed shows for the sake of keeping our family employed and giving the fans what they wanted.
This decision did not come lightly. When Covid hit in 2020 Steve was one of the first to pull the plug on his tour before any of the other acts did because he knew the severity of the situation and that the pandemic was going to shut everything down. People complained then as well but then the government got involved and we were all out of work.Steve was right.
The Joker has always relied on instincts and in this case he is rolling that pair of dice again. It's too frickin hot for an 81 year-old to go out on that stage as temperatures keep breaking records even if you are the closer as the sun sets.
As for his indoor shows that were cancelled on this tour I can't comment on. I'm sure the logistics of fragmenting the dates and changing routimg and days off layovers would have been a nightmare for production. So he just chose to cancel everything. And there you have it.
Now go pick on someone else you cranky old contrarian.
44 year Steve Miller Bandmember
Kenny Lee Lewis
____________________________________
From: Kenny Lee Lewis
Re: Steve Miller Tour Cancellation
You need to take beat, think about your rather narcissist position you are taking on this, that is, not taking responsibility and blaming others for your error, and put on the big boy pants and admit you just wanted the clicks on your letter rather than being open-minded to health concerns for this cancellation. Calling Steve Miller a liar and all about the money is going to make you lose respect from your followers rather than temper your self righteous steel. My threads are blowing up supporting my retort to you Bob. You can dig into all the metrics you want about ticket sales. We've always down well with walk-ups and last minute buys. But even if sales were down Steve has been concerned about this heat for years . That same Atlanta show I mentioned we had to send our stage manager to the hospital for a mini stroke that day! It's not just the band it's the crew as well. The heat is no joke but apparently you are.
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Jake Malloy
____________________________________
Weather? Looking at that seating map, it's blue skies everywhere!!
Eric Howarth
____________________________________
Did someone actually pay money for this all-time hall of shame junk press release?
Deb Wilker
____________________________________
Steve Miller = The Pompatus of Lies?
Vince Welsh
____________________________________
Well all I can say is… Bet you weren't ready for that!
Tom Clark
____________________________________
Time for someone to Fly Like an Eagle......
Jeff Pinhey
____________________________________
He thinks our cash is nothing but trash?
Dennis Pelowski
____________________________________
Bob, I have my own reason to dislike Steve Miller Band. I had just turned 20 in 1967 when my band, the Shades Of Dawn, were slated to play at what I believe was the first Love In, (then called Human Be In), at Elysian Park on Easter Sunday March 26, 1967. (this was before the Griffith Park Love-ins). My band was backstage waiting for the band before us, the Steve Miller Band, to finish. Slated to play after us was the Iron Butterfly, relatively unknown at the time. But because Steve Miller played way past their cutoff time, a guy told us that in order to get back on schedule, they would have to skip us and let the Iron Butterfly play. So we never got to play!
Sterling Howard, founder/owner
https://www.MusiciansContact.com
____________________________________
For the first time ever, we took out extra insurance on our biggest outdoor gigs of the summer to ensure we get paid in the event of an extreme weather cancellation. I think the statutory rate is something like 3% of the artist's net? We added it for 13 of our 30 something summer shows. For a mid-size act like Umphrey's McGee this deal made sense, offering us some protection and reduced touring anxiety.
Joel Cummins
____________________________________
Blaming poor sales on unforeseen circumstances is nothing new. You've got your last minute 'scheduling issues' when the issue was scheduling into a too large venue. You've got your 'illness' when a show passes through a poor selling region. You've got your postponement when the 'staging ain't ready' which is designed to get more press before the tour launch. You've got your 'serious illness' when the whole tour needs to be scrapped. And let's not forget the Kelly Clarkson 'I rehearsed too hard.'
It must be hard for a former rock star that can't get work on a Workday commercial to realize their 'appeal has become more selective.'
In all seriousness. The concert industry is a bit overblown. The hoi polloi is being priced out by ticket cost, parking fees, beer and hassle. We have to be more selective. Can't go to everything like we did in our youth. I fear The Who may have to cancel - and I'm planning on seeing that one. Maybe the excuse will the 'Roger fired another band member.'
Jeffrey Wirtz
____________________________________
Miller cancelled on us in New Mexico a couple of years ago, too. That was it for me – he was put on my "declining" list after that. This process has only accelerated..
I bought front row tickets for Neil Young at the bowl last year, months in advance. My 28 year old daughter was pretty excited to see him and as for me, somehow after 40 years of being a deep fan, I only saw him once at the Buffalo Springfield reunion. But this was with Crazy Horse. It was about time, and I was happy to pay thousands for our seats.
Since we'd be in LA for a few days, I saw that Heart was in town during those days, and the YouTube videos of recent shows were pretty great, so I purchased front row seats for that show as well.
Neil cancelled, because of illness. Refunded our money immediately. But now, as you point out, we've booked flights, hotels, etc. for LA, so we would do more visiting of our old haunts around town and see Heart.
Heart "postponed", because of Anne's treatments. Totally understandable. But now we're out thousands of dollars we weren't nearly as excited about spending. Finally, we decided to go to Paris during Heart's rescheduled shows, so I sold my tickets on StubHub, and someone – who wasn't watching Anne's post-treatment performances which were sad to watch, though we all root for her – bought them.
So, after a sunk cost of thousands, we did not see either of these artists.
Anne appears to be recovering pretty well – it's good to see this.
But my mental model for these shows is completely different. I will no longer fly anywhere or pay these rates to see these acts. It's too much hassle, and the diminishing returns of seeing musicians I love perform at a subpar level are no longer interesting. This process started as they got older in the late 10's and has sped up. Brian leaving the stage mid-song during "Sail On Sailor". Graeme Edge walking away from the drums he just sat at while the real drummer played. Justin playing along with a recording of that flamenco-speed acoustic at the beginning of Questions. McCartney's croaking voice. Pete's stomach flapping around during his hops, with windmills that don't include a single strike on the strings.
Again, I sit front-row only at these heritage acts. There are great shows – Fogerty still brings it, ZZ Top was in the pocket (before Dusty died), and so on. Stones right before Charlie left us – well done. Got exactly what I wanted. Same with Frampton. I think 2020 was a turning point. After that, it's been difficult to book and reliably see an uncanceled show.
I love all these people too much to watch the decline from the front row or deal with the travel logistics of their changes to avoid insurance problems, etc. The era is past. I had a great time for 50 years seeing these people. You had to be there.
Gary Lang
____________________________________
From: Kenny Lee Lewis
Re: Steve Miller Tour Cancellation
Well I share your letter once and a while on social media when you serve up the jagged pill for weak liberals and cultist conservatives to swallow and I have to defend you all the time to those you offend because of your truth at any cost honesty.
But this time you are wrong you cranky old fart.
You didn't see Steve Miller hanging over a railing after our first outdoor stadium show opening in the sun for Journey and Def Leopard in Atlanta trying to fend off heat exhaustion. I was really worried about him.
Nest couple outdoor shows the crew had to arrange the stage air coolers with flexible ducts on him as he also wore frozen gel packs on his neck and shoulders. He looked like the Michelin Man! And he still almost passed out.
It's easy for your snow-skiing ass not to have ever felt this humid senior-killer heat and sit back in your armchair and point your finger and call lies. Shame on you Bob. You don't know the half of it. This has got nothing to do with poor tickets sales. The man is trying to be smart about his health!
Now when we finally got into some air-conditioned stadiums and arenas with with a lid it greatly improved the situation.
This prompted Steve to seek indoor arena shows only for this year. Unfortunately that didn't happen for several reasons and he reluctantly signed off to keep doing some outdoor shed shows for the sake of keeping our family employed and giving the fans what they wanted.
This decision did not come lightly. When Covid hit in 2020 Steve was one of the first to pull the plug on his tour before any of the other acts did because he knew the severity of the situation and that the pandemic was going to shut everything down. People complained then as well but then the government got involved and we were all out of work.Steve was right.
The Joker has always relied on instincts and in this case he is rolling that pair of dice again. It's too frickin hot for an 81 year-old to go out on that stage as temperatures keep breaking records even if you are the closer as the sun sets.
As for his indoor shows that were cancelled on this tour I can't comment on. I'm sure the logistics of fragmenting the dates and changing routimg and days off layovers would have been a nightmare for production. So he just chose to cancel everything. And there you have it.
Now go pick on someone else you cranky old contrarian.
44 year Steve Miller Bandmember
Kenny Lee Lewis
____________________________________
From: Kenny Lee Lewis
Re: Steve Miller Tour Cancellation
You need to take beat, think about your rather narcissist position you are taking on this, that is, not taking responsibility and blaming others for your error, and put on the big boy pants and admit you just wanted the clicks on your letter rather than being open-minded to health concerns for this cancellation. Calling Steve Miller a liar and all about the money is going to make you lose respect from your followers rather than temper your self righteous steel. My threads are blowing up supporting my retort to you Bob. You can dig into all the metrics you want about ticket sales. We've always down well with walk-ups and last minute buys. But even if sales were down Steve has been concerned about this heat for years . That same Atlanta show I mentioned we had to send our stage manager to the hospital for a mini stroke that day! It's not just the band it's the crew as well. The heat is no joke but apparently you are.
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Thursday, 17 July 2025
Firing Colbert
You NEGOTIATE!
Which is how we know that CBS canceled the "Late Show" for political reasons.
Let me see now... You take a top producer, a revenue positive show, and you cancel it willy-nilly?
Let's say income is down. Then like the news outlets, you renegotiate the contracts with the talent, you give them the option of staying at less remuneration. But not here!
And then CBS puts out a press release saying the decision was purely financial. Then why don't you publish the figures? OF COURSE YOU WON'T, BECAUSE THE SHOW IS MAKING MONEY!
Welcome to Trumpworld, where the truth is irrelevant and you lie with impunity.
And they're coming for you next.
Just like Trump said he was coming for Rosie O'Donnell.
Does he have the right to? Not under the Constitution, but the Supreme Court has been giving him a green light on so many questionable things.
But you, sitting at home, are you really going to utter or write anti-Trump venom? Colbert can afford to lose his job, can you? You probably have to keep your mouth shut.
Is this another Kaepernick situation?
In a normal world, another network would immediately scarf up Colbert, he's the ratings victor. But will competitors hold back for fear of pissing off Trump?
And don't depend on the law to save you, there's the aforementioned bogus, biased Supreme Court and the lawyers settled with Trump... It ain't about what is right or wrong, but the MONEY!
Trumpers think they're immune. But Trump can turn on a dime, suddenly the Epstein files are a Democratic hoax perpetrated on the Republicans. You're just grist for the mill, you don't matter, freedom my ass.
In Constitutional law there's the concept of the chilling effect. Whether a law will cause people not to act, even if the action is legal, for fear of consequences.
It's a cold winter in America already.
When you have to think twice before you speak up.
What's next? What other unthinkable domino will fall?
Cut the weather people, undermine FEMA, get rid of the Department of Education...
It ain't funny.
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Which is how we know that CBS canceled the "Late Show" for political reasons.
Let me see now... You take a top producer, a revenue positive show, and you cancel it willy-nilly?
Let's say income is down. Then like the news outlets, you renegotiate the contracts with the talent, you give them the option of staying at less remuneration. But not here!
And then CBS puts out a press release saying the decision was purely financial. Then why don't you publish the figures? OF COURSE YOU WON'T, BECAUSE THE SHOW IS MAKING MONEY!
Welcome to Trumpworld, where the truth is irrelevant and you lie with impunity.
And they're coming for you next.
Just like Trump said he was coming for Rosie O'Donnell.
Does he have the right to? Not under the Constitution, but the Supreme Court has been giving him a green light on so many questionable things.
But you, sitting at home, are you really going to utter or write anti-Trump venom? Colbert can afford to lose his job, can you? You probably have to keep your mouth shut.
Is this another Kaepernick situation?
In a normal world, another network would immediately scarf up Colbert, he's the ratings victor. But will competitors hold back for fear of pissing off Trump?
And don't depend on the law to save you, there's the aforementioned bogus, biased Supreme Court and the lawyers settled with Trump... It ain't about what is right or wrong, but the MONEY!
Trumpers think they're immune. But Trump can turn on a dime, suddenly the Epstein files are a Democratic hoax perpetrated on the Republicans. You're just grist for the mill, you don't matter, freedom my ass.
In Constitutional law there's the concept of the chilling effect. Whether a law will cause people not to act, even if the action is legal, for fear of consequences.
It's a cold winter in America already.
When you have to think twice before you speak up.
What's next? What other unthinkable domino will fall?
Cut the weather people, undermine FEMA, get rid of the Department of Education...
It ain't funny.
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Mitch Ryder-This Week's Podcast
Good golly, Miss Molly, take a ride with Mitch!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mitch-ryder/id1316200737?i=1000717685918
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ID3qOFz76kUr8iySfTYrs?si=UXxx-zpTQBi9LTGTRGlqFA
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/mitch-ryder-286454498
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/cdb5bde0-d2e2-4203-b7ed-e0db4adc3786/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-mitch-ryder
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mitch-ryder/id1316200737?i=1000717685918
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ID3qOFz76kUr8iySfTYrs?si=UXxx-zpTQBi9LTGTRGlqFA
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/mitch-ryder-286454498
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/cdb5bde0-d2e2-4203-b7ed-e0db4adc3786/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-mitch-ryder
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Raw Stupidity
This is what happens when old people spew their b.s. and think the hoi polloi will buy it.
Steve Miller blames the weather, believing the public will buy this specious reason for the tour cancellation, but no one on his team is sharp enough TO PULL THE SHOWS DOWN FROM TICKETMASTER!
I heard from the agency, from a band member, trying to spin the story, but...
If you go back to the thread I linked you to, if you clicked through to the comments, you'll see people posting the Ticketmaster seat maps, and it's UTTERLY LAUGHABLE!
Check this one out: https://x.com/schristy1975/status/1945836341901545648?s=61
Or this one: https://x.com/josephlofrumen2/status/1945714483269103628?s=61
Steve Miller is being EXCORIATED online.
But you've got his lackeys e-mailing me to try to make me feel bad about writing the truth.
But I'm irrelevant compared to the public at large. Everybody is so myopically up their own ass that they have no idea of the world we live in. That everybody is online and the truth always outs, you cannot lie. What the consequences are?
Well, if you're a politician, the amazing thing is you might be able to get way with it.
But if you're a musician you're risking your credibility and your career!
What kind of crazy f*cked up world do we live in where Donald Trump is more internet savvy than Steve Miller? Then again, Miller is two years older than the President!
If you're not digitally native, if you're not aware of all the platforms and what goes on there, as Bob Dylan sang:
"Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'"
P.S. Once again, you can check out the replies to Steve Miller's X post here: https://x.com/smbofficial/status/1945635867055313343?s=61
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Steve Miller blames the weather, believing the public will buy this specious reason for the tour cancellation, but no one on his team is sharp enough TO PULL THE SHOWS DOWN FROM TICKETMASTER!
I heard from the agency, from a band member, trying to spin the story, but...
If you go back to the thread I linked you to, if you clicked through to the comments, you'll see people posting the Ticketmaster seat maps, and it's UTTERLY LAUGHABLE!
Check this one out: https://x.com/schristy1975/status/1945836341901545648?s=61
Or this one: https://x.com/josephlofrumen2/status/1945714483269103628?s=61
Steve Miller is being EXCORIATED online.
But you've got his lackeys e-mailing me to try to make me feel bad about writing the truth.
But I'm irrelevant compared to the public at large. Everybody is so myopically up their own ass that they have no idea of the world we live in. That everybody is online and the truth always outs, you cannot lie. What the consequences are?
Well, if you're a politician, the amazing thing is you might be able to get way with it.
But if you're a musician you're risking your credibility and your career!
What kind of crazy f*cked up world do we live in where Donald Trump is more internet savvy than Steve Miller? Then again, Miller is two years older than the President!
If you're not digitally native, if you're not aware of all the platforms and what goes on there, as Bob Dylan sang:
"Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'"
P.S. Once again, you can check out the replies to Steve Miller's X post here: https://x.com/smbofficial/status/1945635867055313343?s=61
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Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Steve Miller Tour Cancellation
"Steve Miller Band Cancels All Tour Dates Due to Recent Weather Disasters"
https://share.google/9vtKKJ25PMt4k2J4G
Well the President lies. Blatantly. And this is the lamest excuse ever for canceling a tour with poor ticket sales. I mean Steve Miller is 81 years old. Couldn't he just claim a health issue, like 77 year old Jeff Lynne?
The punters were pissed in Manchester, but everybody believes Mr. ELO had an infection. As for the Gangster of Love?
Maybe the audience has seen this show at these prices enough. Maybe Mr. Miller has gone back to the well one too many times.
And it's not like the audience doesn't know it. Scroll down on the above-linked page and click on the comments. Sure, Miller gets some support, because brain dead fans never believe their heroes can be at fault, but most are angry and know this is a cover-up, an excuse for poor ticket sales.
And this hurts everybody.
They want you to buy tickets nearly a year in advance. Not only do they have your money, you've rearranged your entire schedule around this show. Maybe you didn't buy tickets for a competing show, after all, no one has unlimited resources. And now you've found out it's history?
So the next time you go to lay out your cash far in advance...maybe you don't.
The business may have opaque ticketing practices, but it's not only the scalpers who are eating the business's lunch. The scalpers prove that too many tickets are underpriced. Sure, there's an issue with bots buying up seats, but the bottom line is tickets for so many arena and larger shows are too cheap, inviting the secondary market. There's this canard that the public is pissed about these high ticket prices... Well anybody with a rudimentary knowledge of economics knows the acts wouldn't be charging these prices if fans weren't willing to pay them.
HOWEVER, we live in an information society and not only do we have fans blowing back at Miller, we've got posters on X tracking ticket sales, showing what is not sold out, even though promoters say ticket sales are fantastic, these online oracles are telling consumers TO WAIT!
I mean at most of these big shows you're going to be sitting so far from the stage why not wait a while to see if you can get a cheaper ticket. Especially when the act is doing multiples.
Now there are acts so hot that they can sell every ticket no problem.
But there are acts that keep touring year after year, or too soon between cycles, at high prices in big places and the public is saying NO MAS!
And if these dates don't go close to clean, someone is losing plenty. Maybe the act has a touring deal, a guarantee, but sans a give-back they're going to have a hard time getting promoters to play along in the future.
Or, you could tour more cheaply. Do you really need the extravaganza, with dancers, lasers, flying cars... That stuff costs, and you know who has to pay for it? THE FANS! And sometimes they say NO!
At least with the airlines the prices are flexible, you've got a feel for what is going on, but buying a concert ticket is a bit like gambling...you may find out later you way overpaid. Or the show might even be canceled, as with Miller!
You're blaming it on the weather?
Who came up with this cockamamie idea? If this was truly a factor, Pat Green and Robert Earl Keen wouldn't be having their benefits in Texas, but they're not scared.
And a huge chunk of the population believes global warming is a hoax. So by blaming it on the weather Miller alienates these people...
I mean how much can you abuse your audience?
Give credit to the Black Keys, at least they admitted they couldn't sell the tickets and canceled their tour and went out the next time in smaller buildings. Honesty is the best policy!
But in a nation where everybody lies, the truth is fungible and when confronted with contradictory facts, people double down, no wonder Steve Miller thought he could get away with this lie.
But he doesn't know what he's selling. Music is about a feeling, authenticity, a bond with the audience, and if you break it...
Which is why traditionally those dependent on Top Forty hits were only as good as their last one. Sans a new hit, concert business was off.
Stunningly, that has changed a bit. You need fewer hits to sustain an audience, however everybody is not going to come ad infinitum at these prices, and the prices have to be high because of the costs!
As for the acts... Some truly want to play and connect with the audience. But there's not a soul alive who doesn't think Oasis got back together for the money. Money changes everything, isn't that what that old song says?
Nothing goes on forever. There's this thought that music can only burgeon, that it never goes in reverse. But this is untrue. The audience sustains this business, it's not funded by the government, and the audience can pull back on a whim, and oftentimes acts and promoters are surprised when tickets don't sell.
And now, more than ever, if tickets don't sell well at the on sale... They trickle in until the dates play. Will there be a big walk-up? Do you want to take that risk?
I'm not saying this is a Billy Squier moment, then again, when Neil Young couldn't sell tickets at the Forum, having gone back to the well too many times, he blamed it on the union, not wanting his fans to cross the picket line. Believable, if untrue.
This is the society we live in. Truth is history. Art used to be a bastion of truth. But Steve Miller is trading on songs he cut eons ago. He wants that money. Where is the truth?
Where is the truth in so many shows? They're spectacles, supposed bang for the buck, but except for the young lemmings needing to see the latest act breaking in the teenybop world, so many others are checked out.
Never have I known so few into music.
No one ever talks about that.
Yes, we were addicted to the radio in the sixties and seventies. And then there was MTV in the eighties and nineties. But now, some people have no time, never mind interest in music. They're playing video games. No one wants to say the emperor is wearing no clothes. Guys with dyed hair and plastic surgery lying about their age say it's the same as it ever was, no different from the heydays of yore, that boomers are just too old to get the new music.
Wrong.
Music is too often a sideshow made by committee that fills a need but doesn't change the culture, change one's life.
But why not lie about it?
Things are GREAT!
Except for that damn weather problem. I wonder who else will cancel because of the storms?
Yeah, right.
--
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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https://share.google/9vtKKJ25PMt4k2J4G
Well the President lies. Blatantly. And this is the lamest excuse ever for canceling a tour with poor ticket sales. I mean Steve Miller is 81 years old. Couldn't he just claim a health issue, like 77 year old Jeff Lynne?
The punters were pissed in Manchester, but everybody believes Mr. ELO had an infection. As for the Gangster of Love?
Maybe the audience has seen this show at these prices enough. Maybe Mr. Miller has gone back to the well one too many times.
And it's not like the audience doesn't know it. Scroll down on the above-linked page and click on the comments. Sure, Miller gets some support, because brain dead fans never believe their heroes can be at fault, but most are angry and know this is a cover-up, an excuse for poor ticket sales.
And this hurts everybody.
They want you to buy tickets nearly a year in advance. Not only do they have your money, you've rearranged your entire schedule around this show. Maybe you didn't buy tickets for a competing show, after all, no one has unlimited resources. And now you've found out it's history?
So the next time you go to lay out your cash far in advance...maybe you don't.
The business may have opaque ticketing practices, but it's not only the scalpers who are eating the business's lunch. The scalpers prove that too many tickets are underpriced. Sure, there's an issue with bots buying up seats, but the bottom line is tickets for so many arena and larger shows are too cheap, inviting the secondary market. There's this canard that the public is pissed about these high ticket prices... Well anybody with a rudimentary knowledge of economics knows the acts wouldn't be charging these prices if fans weren't willing to pay them.
HOWEVER, we live in an information society and not only do we have fans blowing back at Miller, we've got posters on X tracking ticket sales, showing what is not sold out, even though promoters say ticket sales are fantastic, these online oracles are telling consumers TO WAIT!
I mean at most of these big shows you're going to be sitting so far from the stage why not wait a while to see if you can get a cheaper ticket. Especially when the act is doing multiples.
Now there are acts so hot that they can sell every ticket no problem.
But there are acts that keep touring year after year, or too soon between cycles, at high prices in big places and the public is saying NO MAS!
And if these dates don't go close to clean, someone is losing plenty. Maybe the act has a touring deal, a guarantee, but sans a give-back they're going to have a hard time getting promoters to play along in the future.
Or, you could tour more cheaply. Do you really need the extravaganza, with dancers, lasers, flying cars... That stuff costs, and you know who has to pay for it? THE FANS! And sometimes they say NO!
At least with the airlines the prices are flexible, you've got a feel for what is going on, but buying a concert ticket is a bit like gambling...you may find out later you way overpaid. Or the show might even be canceled, as with Miller!
You're blaming it on the weather?
Who came up with this cockamamie idea? If this was truly a factor, Pat Green and Robert Earl Keen wouldn't be having their benefits in Texas, but they're not scared.
And a huge chunk of the population believes global warming is a hoax. So by blaming it on the weather Miller alienates these people...
I mean how much can you abuse your audience?
Give credit to the Black Keys, at least they admitted they couldn't sell the tickets and canceled their tour and went out the next time in smaller buildings. Honesty is the best policy!
But in a nation where everybody lies, the truth is fungible and when confronted with contradictory facts, people double down, no wonder Steve Miller thought he could get away with this lie.
But he doesn't know what he's selling. Music is about a feeling, authenticity, a bond with the audience, and if you break it...
Which is why traditionally those dependent on Top Forty hits were only as good as their last one. Sans a new hit, concert business was off.
Stunningly, that has changed a bit. You need fewer hits to sustain an audience, however everybody is not going to come ad infinitum at these prices, and the prices have to be high because of the costs!
As for the acts... Some truly want to play and connect with the audience. But there's not a soul alive who doesn't think Oasis got back together for the money. Money changes everything, isn't that what that old song says?
Nothing goes on forever. There's this thought that music can only burgeon, that it never goes in reverse. But this is untrue. The audience sustains this business, it's not funded by the government, and the audience can pull back on a whim, and oftentimes acts and promoters are surprised when tickets don't sell.
And now, more than ever, if tickets don't sell well at the on sale... They trickle in until the dates play. Will there be a big walk-up? Do you want to take that risk?
I'm not saying this is a Billy Squier moment, then again, when Neil Young couldn't sell tickets at the Forum, having gone back to the well too many times, he blamed it on the union, not wanting his fans to cross the picket line. Believable, if untrue.
This is the society we live in. Truth is history. Art used to be a bastion of truth. But Steve Miller is trading on songs he cut eons ago. He wants that money. Where is the truth?
Where is the truth in so many shows? They're spectacles, supposed bang for the buck, but except for the young lemmings needing to see the latest act breaking in the teenybop world, so many others are checked out.
Never have I known so few into music.
No one ever talks about that.
Yes, we were addicted to the radio in the sixties and seventies. And then there was MTV in the eighties and nineties. But now, some people have no time, never mind interest in music. They're playing video games. No one wants to say the emperor is wearing no clothes. Guys with dyed hair and plastic surgery lying about their age say it's the same as it ever was, no different from the heydays of yore, that boomers are just too old to get the new music.
Wrong.
Music is too often a sideshow made by committee that fills a need but doesn't change the culture, change one's life.
But why not lie about it?
Things are GREAT!
Except for that damn weather problem. I wonder who else will cancel because of the storms?
Yeah, right.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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Hard Work
Twice in the last two days I've seen an Instagram Reels clip claiming someone quit their job to do OnlyFans and got almost no subscribers. One was an RN, and after two months she only had twelve paying customers.
I know, I know, porn is a dicey subject, but porn always blazes the trail and it's edifying to look at the landscape.
In case you've been under a rock, individuals now rule the pornography roost. The intermediaries have gone out of business. Now you can go direct to the consumer and make 80% of the dough. That's right, OnlyFans only takes 20%, but you've got to bring in the customers.
This isn't radically different from Spotify and other streaming outlets. Which take approximately a third of revenue. They're paid for hosting your songs, but getting people to stream so you can get paid, that's YOUR job!
But seemingly too many musicians think it's somebody else's job.
Meanwhile, the traditional powers might sign you, but they don't know how to break you either. At best, they can blow up what you've already created. And why should you give them such a big cut for this? I read earlier today that Zac Brown is releasing his new album independently. I'm sure he could get a major deal, but at what cost, and what would the label do for him anyway? Now he's in business with himself. If he can get people to stream, he makes money. If not? Never mind that he owns the product.
What those not on Reels or TikTok don't realize is the successful people not only post every day, but oftentimes MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY!
I know, I know, for years we've been hearing that you're a musician and you don't want to learn a new skill and expend the effort, but the game has changed and this is the world we now live in.
If you look at the most successful women on OnlyFans, they're not the most attractive, the most beautiful, they're the ones WHO WORK IT THE MOST!
Instagram is your primary point of contact. If you get banned, you're out of business, and this happens all the time.
And if you hook someone, it's your job to serve them such that they do not unsubscribe. This is the mentality a musical act needs today. Forget the middleman, think about the end user...how can you get them to listen to your music constantly and come to the show?
Well, you're going to have to feed them information and music constantly.
Once again, you're not trying to serve EVERYBODY, just a slice of the public, that's enough to make you rich if you do it right.
So these two women who failed at OnlyFans... They both had big boobs. BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!
Being good at your craft is not enough.
Being signed to a label is not enough.
No, you have to personally go out and sell yourself. Which is why I wince when acts say they have staff do their social media. Then it's inherently flawed. It's not about raw information, it's about creating a BOND!
These women trolling for OnlyFans subscriptions... They don't only talk porn. They talk about their lives, their hopes and dreams, and sure, a good amount is fantasy, but that's the essence of music anyway, you're selling a dream to the listener!
Being good and having good material is not enough. No way. It's about how well you market yourself. And when you see something successful that started out on TikTok and you say you could do better, you're missing the point. How good is your social media, how good is your marketing?
It's more than the music, there's creativity involved, just like there was in the heyday of MTV. And sure, creativity can be visual effects, but now more than ever it's a twist on your personality, your view of the world, you can't be bland, you must have an identity such that people become hooked on you. And the music rides right alongside.
A clip of music is not enough. It doesn't engender virality. The visuals, the concepts, eclipse the music at first, the music is secondary, like it is in a film. But films are expensive to make and you can make a social media clip instantly, for free! Everybody's got a smartphone, everybody's got access to the internet.
Music is cottage industry, just like porn. It comes down to the individual, how well they sell their assets.
And you have to keep selling.
As for those OnlyFans women...truly successful people are selling phone calls that are not even them, they're provided by a farm! And you can get a personal video or a signed photo... These women are in business 24/7, they can't even go on vacation, for fear they'll be forgotten.
If it sounds like a grind, it is.
But the difference between porn and music is that in music you're selling more than your body, you're selling your mind, your talent, what you come up with, THE TUNES! And if the tunes gain traction they will sustain you. And social media is not only an incentive for streaming the song, but also coming to the show, where people can be up close and personal!
Some of the biggest acts now sit in the lobby selling merch after the gig. Not only is it a huge revenue stream, it bonds the audience to them.
So how hard are you willing to work?
Don't talk to me about talent, sure, it's necessary, at least to a degree, but if you believe the most talented people have triumphed in the music business you're sorely mistaken. It's always been the ones who've been willing to work hardest.
As for that work... Most people have no idea how hard it was. Travel, multiple radio appearances, if you saw the schedule of hit acts you'd be flabbergasted. For a long time the music alone has not been enough.
If your goal is press, if your goal is impressing the industry, you're doing it completely wrong. These OnlyFans babes are not concerned with getting stories in the newspaper or on TV, just how much money they make (although successful ones do brag that they're in the top 1% or 5%).
How do I know all this?
Because porn, women trolling for OnlyFans subscribers, floods Instagram. You can't avoid it. Less on TikTok, but it's there too.
In other words, on social media you're being exposed to a lot of stuff that may not interest you. But the algorithm is serving up stuff and...you never know what you might like that you previously thought you didn't.
Now if you're starting...
Man, I have to write a whole screed about this. The most important thing is STARTING! Don't worry if it's good enough, if it isn't no one will see it anyway! And you can only learn the skill if you participate.
Oldsters will bitch, say it's too much work, rail against substandard songs that break through, whereas the youth have already bought into the paradigm and are playing, and winning.
And you can too.
Assuming you're willing to work around the clock.
If not, you're probably not going to make it.
But if you don't play, you DEFINITELY won't make it!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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
I know, I know, porn is a dicey subject, but porn always blazes the trail and it's edifying to look at the landscape.
In case you've been under a rock, individuals now rule the pornography roost. The intermediaries have gone out of business. Now you can go direct to the consumer and make 80% of the dough. That's right, OnlyFans only takes 20%, but you've got to bring in the customers.
This isn't radically different from Spotify and other streaming outlets. Which take approximately a third of revenue. They're paid for hosting your songs, but getting people to stream so you can get paid, that's YOUR job!
But seemingly too many musicians think it's somebody else's job.
Meanwhile, the traditional powers might sign you, but they don't know how to break you either. At best, they can blow up what you've already created. And why should you give them such a big cut for this? I read earlier today that Zac Brown is releasing his new album independently. I'm sure he could get a major deal, but at what cost, and what would the label do for him anyway? Now he's in business with himself. If he can get people to stream, he makes money. If not? Never mind that he owns the product.
What those not on Reels or TikTok don't realize is the successful people not only post every day, but oftentimes MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY!
I know, I know, for years we've been hearing that you're a musician and you don't want to learn a new skill and expend the effort, but the game has changed and this is the world we now live in.
If you look at the most successful women on OnlyFans, they're not the most attractive, the most beautiful, they're the ones WHO WORK IT THE MOST!
Instagram is your primary point of contact. If you get banned, you're out of business, and this happens all the time.
And if you hook someone, it's your job to serve them such that they do not unsubscribe. This is the mentality a musical act needs today. Forget the middleman, think about the end user...how can you get them to listen to your music constantly and come to the show?
Well, you're going to have to feed them information and music constantly.
Once again, you're not trying to serve EVERYBODY, just a slice of the public, that's enough to make you rich if you do it right.
So these two women who failed at OnlyFans... They both had big boobs. BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!
Being good at your craft is not enough.
Being signed to a label is not enough.
No, you have to personally go out and sell yourself. Which is why I wince when acts say they have staff do their social media. Then it's inherently flawed. It's not about raw information, it's about creating a BOND!
These women trolling for OnlyFans subscriptions... They don't only talk porn. They talk about their lives, their hopes and dreams, and sure, a good amount is fantasy, but that's the essence of music anyway, you're selling a dream to the listener!
Being good and having good material is not enough. No way. It's about how well you market yourself. And when you see something successful that started out on TikTok and you say you could do better, you're missing the point. How good is your social media, how good is your marketing?
It's more than the music, there's creativity involved, just like there was in the heyday of MTV. And sure, creativity can be visual effects, but now more than ever it's a twist on your personality, your view of the world, you can't be bland, you must have an identity such that people become hooked on you. And the music rides right alongside.
A clip of music is not enough. It doesn't engender virality. The visuals, the concepts, eclipse the music at first, the music is secondary, like it is in a film. But films are expensive to make and you can make a social media clip instantly, for free! Everybody's got a smartphone, everybody's got access to the internet.
Music is cottage industry, just like porn. It comes down to the individual, how well they sell their assets.
And you have to keep selling.
As for those OnlyFans women...truly successful people are selling phone calls that are not even them, they're provided by a farm! And you can get a personal video or a signed photo... These women are in business 24/7, they can't even go on vacation, for fear they'll be forgotten.
If it sounds like a grind, it is.
But the difference between porn and music is that in music you're selling more than your body, you're selling your mind, your talent, what you come up with, THE TUNES! And if the tunes gain traction they will sustain you. And social media is not only an incentive for streaming the song, but also coming to the show, where people can be up close and personal!
Some of the biggest acts now sit in the lobby selling merch after the gig. Not only is it a huge revenue stream, it bonds the audience to them.
So how hard are you willing to work?
Don't talk to me about talent, sure, it's necessary, at least to a degree, but if you believe the most talented people have triumphed in the music business you're sorely mistaken. It's always been the ones who've been willing to work hardest.
As for that work... Most people have no idea how hard it was. Travel, multiple radio appearances, if you saw the schedule of hit acts you'd be flabbergasted. For a long time the music alone has not been enough.
If your goal is press, if your goal is impressing the industry, you're doing it completely wrong. These OnlyFans babes are not concerned with getting stories in the newspaper or on TV, just how much money they make (although successful ones do brag that they're in the top 1% or 5%).
How do I know all this?
Because porn, women trolling for OnlyFans subscribers, floods Instagram. You can't avoid it. Less on TikTok, but it's there too.
In other words, on social media you're being exposed to a lot of stuff that may not interest you. But the algorithm is serving up stuff and...you never know what you might like that you previously thought you didn't.
Now if you're starting...
Man, I have to write a whole screed about this. The most important thing is STARTING! Don't worry if it's good enough, if it isn't no one will see it anyway! And you can only learn the skill if you participate.
Oldsters will bitch, say it's too much work, rail against substandard songs that break through, whereas the youth have already bought into the paradigm and are playing, and winning.
And you can too.
Assuming you're willing to work around the clock.
If not, you're probably not going to make it.
But if you don't play, you DEFINITELY won't make it!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Passion/Viewpoint/Craft
PASSION
If you don't believe it, we won't.
Passion trumps everything but craft. Once you have the skill to deliver your message, it becomes completely about how you deliver your message. This is what is absent from TV competition shows, this is what is absent from too many songs in the Spotify Top 50, this is what is absent from too many of today's movies, TV shows and books. If you don't care about it, if we don't believe it's the most important thing to you, we'll shrug and pass.
Passion is what AI cannot replace. Because it cannot be defined, it's only something you feel. Sure, it can be faked, but we know that too. We're looking for sincerity, credibility, and that's the essence of all great art.
Don't worry if you miss a note, or if you're singing flat or are a bit pitchy, oftentimes you shouldn't even eliminate the flaws via computer. It's these variations from perfection that make you human, that allow us to relate. We want to feel there's a person under the message. And that it's coming directly from them to us. We don't want the intermediaries involved, which is why too much cowritten stuff may be commercial but is too often junk. Yes, you can get three people in a room and they can passionately create something, but that is rare. Passion comes from a mood, a state of mind, and it's anything but workmanlike.
And the more you can "fix" a product with new tools, the more you're eliminating the passion.
Doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, whether people agree with you or not, but whether you convey your message CONVINCINGLY!
It's all about the spark. And carrying through on this inspiration.
VIEWPOINT
Bland is anathema. Especially in art. You get along with everybody to get ahead in business, but that is not how it works in art. In art you are singular. With a vision. And that vision can both reflect society back upon itself or lead people. If you're afraid of offending someone, you're doing it wrong. As long as it's from the heart, with passion, your message, your work, will have an impact.
And to have a viewpoint you must live, have experiences. Which is why the work of the barely pubescent always sucks. They don't have enough life experience to know what is going on. Artists have to do things, let their minds breathe, you don't want to spend all your time in the recording studio or writing in front of a computer. Sans input, you don't have anything to react to, nothing to inform your viewpoint.
Jagged edges hook people. And without hooks it slides right off of people. You must SAY something! It could be about politics, love, ecology, anything, as long as you're passionate about it. And don't weigh in if you're uninformed.
CRAFT
The building blocks are crucial. You have to know how to play your instrument, you have to know how to write. No one is great out of the box, NO ONE! You have to work at it. To the point where it's second nature. Where you don't have to think about forming the chords and changes come to you naturally, without even thinking, via inspiration. Everybody wants a shortcut, and now, more than ever, digital tools offer them. But you have to learn how to code, build a website...get some design experience before you can employ fonts to their best effect, learn that sometimes less is more.
You've got to pay your dues.
Having said that, don't be crippled by your dues and craft. The key is to use the basics as bedrock, a jumping off point.
If you're spamming people with songs at age thirteen, you're doing it wrong. You're probably doing it wrong if you're fifteen or sixteen too.
You go to college for the experience, the broadening of your horizons, to learn about people and things and have something to bounce off of.
DO NOT get caught up in the anti-college gobbledygook spread by politicians. If you think college is a trade school, you're not an artist. Most of what you learn in college happens outside the classroom.
Not that you need to go to college, but if you don't... Just don't do the same things, repeating yourself. Go to new places, meet new people, do new things, otherwise you'll have nothing to write about.
Which to a great degree is why today's music does not resonate with the masses. The people making it just aren't worldly enough. They can use the usual suspects to create something that sounds professional, but that does not mean it will resonate, and its odds of lasting are small.
Don't get caught up in the numbers game. No one ever listened to a record and thought "Where is it on the chart?" A record stands alone, in its own space, and it either resonates or it doesn't.
And if your work doesn't resonate, refer back to the above elements. And know that artistry is a calling, a long hard road into the unknown. Now that creation is easier everybody is doing it, but that is why so much is not great. You may be ahead of the game, people may not get you, but ask yourself...what makes you so special? So you can write, sing and play. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! To rise above you must be unique, it's a 360 degree endeavor. If people don't react to your music on the first listen chances are you haven't got it. Because we all recognize magic. Everybody from two year olds to ninety two year olds. Because it's something you feel.
You've got to make people feel something. That's your number one job.
Or else you're not an artist.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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If you don't believe it, we won't.
Passion trumps everything but craft. Once you have the skill to deliver your message, it becomes completely about how you deliver your message. This is what is absent from TV competition shows, this is what is absent from too many songs in the Spotify Top 50, this is what is absent from too many of today's movies, TV shows and books. If you don't care about it, if we don't believe it's the most important thing to you, we'll shrug and pass.
Passion is what AI cannot replace. Because it cannot be defined, it's only something you feel. Sure, it can be faked, but we know that too. We're looking for sincerity, credibility, and that's the essence of all great art.
Don't worry if you miss a note, or if you're singing flat or are a bit pitchy, oftentimes you shouldn't even eliminate the flaws via computer. It's these variations from perfection that make you human, that allow us to relate. We want to feel there's a person under the message. And that it's coming directly from them to us. We don't want the intermediaries involved, which is why too much cowritten stuff may be commercial but is too often junk. Yes, you can get three people in a room and they can passionately create something, but that is rare. Passion comes from a mood, a state of mind, and it's anything but workmanlike.
And the more you can "fix" a product with new tools, the more you're eliminating the passion.
Doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, whether people agree with you or not, but whether you convey your message CONVINCINGLY!
It's all about the spark. And carrying through on this inspiration.
VIEWPOINT
Bland is anathema. Especially in art. You get along with everybody to get ahead in business, but that is not how it works in art. In art you are singular. With a vision. And that vision can both reflect society back upon itself or lead people. If you're afraid of offending someone, you're doing it wrong. As long as it's from the heart, with passion, your message, your work, will have an impact.
And to have a viewpoint you must live, have experiences. Which is why the work of the barely pubescent always sucks. They don't have enough life experience to know what is going on. Artists have to do things, let their minds breathe, you don't want to spend all your time in the recording studio or writing in front of a computer. Sans input, you don't have anything to react to, nothing to inform your viewpoint.
Jagged edges hook people. And without hooks it slides right off of people. You must SAY something! It could be about politics, love, ecology, anything, as long as you're passionate about it. And don't weigh in if you're uninformed.
CRAFT
The building blocks are crucial. You have to know how to play your instrument, you have to know how to write. No one is great out of the box, NO ONE! You have to work at it. To the point where it's second nature. Where you don't have to think about forming the chords and changes come to you naturally, without even thinking, via inspiration. Everybody wants a shortcut, and now, more than ever, digital tools offer them. But you have to learn how to code, build a website...get some design experience before you can employ fonts to their best effect, learn that sometimes less is more.
You've got to pay your dues.
Having said that, don't be crippled by your dues and craft. The key is to use the basics as bedrock, a jumping off point.
If you're spamming people with songs at age thirteen, you're doing it wrong. You're probably doing it wrong if you're fifteen or sixteen too.
You go to college for the experience, the broadening of your horizons, to learn about people and things and have something to bounce off of.
DO NOT get caught up in the anti-college gobbledygook spread by politicians. If you think college is a trade school, you're not an artist. Most of what you learn in college happens outside the classroom.
Not that you need to go to college, but if you don't... Just don't do the same things, repeating yourself. Go to new places, meet new people, do new things, otherwise you'll have nothing to write about.
Which to a great degree is why today's music does not resonate with the masses. The people making it just aren't worldly enough. They can use the usual suspects to create something that sounds professional, but that does not mean it will resonate, and its odds of lasting are small.
Don't get caught up in the numbers game. No one ever listened to a record and thought "Where is it on the chart?" A record stands alone, in its own space, and it either resonates or it doesn't.
And if your work doesn't resonate, refer back to the above elements. And know that artistry is a calling, a long hard road into the unknown. Now that creation is easier everybody is doing it, but that is why so much is not great. You may be ahead of the game, people may not get you, but ask yourself...what makes you so special? So you can write, sing and play. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! To rise above you must be unique, it's a 360 degree endeavor. If people don't react to your music on the first listen chances are you haven't got it. Because we all recognize magic. Everybody from two year olds to ninety two year olds. Because it's something you feel.
You've got to make people feel something. That's your number one job.
Or else you're not an artist.
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Youthquake
This is society's Napster moment.
They never could kill P2P with the legal system. It took a bright twentysomething from a foreign country to save the record labels' lunch. And now said labels are trying to survive by purchasing the distribution systems of much younger companies led by entrepreneurs. NO ONE running a major label today has ever had skin in the game, they've always worked for the man. They don't know how to be nimble, they're tied to the balance sheet.
But when you're starting with a blank piece of paper...
All the brass at Apple is over 60. Any wonder that the company missed AI? It was so busy trying to squeeze money out of the App Store and subscriptions that it missed the future.
I woke up today to a story in the "Washington Post" about a 25 year old running for a Congressional seat:
"Democrats face another split over age and values in Arizona - Adelita Grijalva is the front-runner to replace her father in Congress but faces an unexpectedly competitive primary featuring a young social-media-savvy newcomer."
Free link: https://wapo.st/3GI7h63
The money quote?
"Her campaign has been fueled by her large social media following"
I've yet to find a boomer testify positively about social media. Record execs will reluctantly admit records are broken by TikTok, but they don't know how to do this. As for boomers and Gen-X'ers? Social media is THE DEVIL!
Oh, some are still on Facebook, connecting with their high school buddies and showing off, not knowing that TikTok is something different. TikTok is creative, it's about connecting. And to anybody over fifty, it's ANATHEMA!
There's a gap as wide as the culture in between.
Not that Trump is in touch with youngsters either. In fact, if you're on TikTok or Instagram Reels you're constantly chuckling at the AI depictions of our President. He's being mocked on a regular basis, and his team doesn't even know it!
https://www.tiktok.com/@rev_repeat_offender/video/7494028856190373162?q=ai%20videos%20featuring%20fat%20trump%20kfc&t=1752600637537
As for the bros on X... That's about dissatisfaction over their inability to get laid, inability to get a reasonable job, leaving them with all this time to waste on the service which has a very narrow appeal.
The culture has moved on from the political system. Trump's only hope is he can control the youth via autocratic methods, because the penny is about to drop.
Tucker Carlson? He's 56 and made his name on TV, do you think youngsters care?
So oldsters said Napster was stealing, they sicced the legal system on the service and the end result was that new decentralized services erupted to replace it. Talk about Whac-A-Mole.
Then the brass tried to teach the users a lesson by suing them. And then installed rootkits in the CDs.
Not only was there backlash, NONE OF THIS WORKED!
The MP3 didn't sound good enough, physical product was everything. But the younger generations cottoned to streaming, saving the record labels. They know that access is everything, that ownership is passé. Youngsters don't care that concerts replaced records, they're into the EXPERIENCE!
Meanwhile, my inbox is still filled with people waiting for the old, pre-internet world to come back... IT ISN'T!
This is akin to the youthquake of yesteryear, the one in the sixties. The old guard was just too out of touch. No one wanted to be shipped to Vietnam to be killed.
Today's driver is economic death. Not only can they not get a reasonable job that will allow them to buy a house, the government is adding debt that will hobble their future AND THEY KNOW IT!
Enough of the canard that the youth are ignorant. They're online all day AND THAT'S WHERE THE NEWS IS! Never has a generation been so well-informed, and able to interact with its peers all around the world, instantly, FOR FREE!
Just like you can record in your bedroom for free. The old record label model has been demolished. Recording is cheaper and a broader swath of product is being consumed and the majors' market share is declining. The old model of being able to control the marketplace is gone, NO ONE can break an act. Because today breaking an act means starting so small the old pros can't even see it. It's done in the bedroom using the new tools, communicating with your brethren. Forget polishing it, just PLAY!
That's another thing the politicians can't understand. Stop being measured and start being out there. The past is plowed under by the future nearly instantly. If you don't play you can't win. Making a mistake? It happens! Best to be in the game. Not every TikTok post is good, not every one gains traction, but that does not make people self-conscious, they continue, waiting to catch lightning in a bottle. And on TikTok, as opposed to YouTube or Instagram, the algorithm will allow nobodies to gain instant traction. The past is only prologue to a degree. The youth are used to new heroes constantly appearing and disappearing. Society has never been more fluid. But the oldsters insist it is moribund.
And like Napster all this is happening right in front of our eyes, in plain sight, but oldsters refuse to see it.
This is much bigger than Trump posting on Twitter and now Truth Social. The ball has moved, in typical modern media fashion, and not only are the Democrats behind, so are the Republicans. To succeed in modern society not only do you need to be agile, you must be willing to throw out the past and jump into the future on a regular basis.
Not only are the youth disillusioned, they are growing in number, EACH AND EVERY DAY! It's only a matter of time until their values rule. They're sleeper cells all over the country, just waiting to erupt. And oldsters can't even see them!
Streaming has eclipsed network yet oldsters still ask for money to advertise on linear TV. Who is watching? Furthermore, youngsters HATE ADS!
This is not a right or left issue, Democrat or Republican, this is a societal issue.
Then again, the young lean left.
But it's more than politics. It's culture. And culture drives society.
The markers of change are out there, but in today's multifarious world the obvious can be ignored, until...
--
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--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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They never could kill P2P with the legal system. It took a bright twentysomething from a foreign country to save the record labels' lunch. And now said labels are trying to survive by purchasing the distribution systems of much younger companies led by entrepreneurs. NO ONE running a major label today has ever had skin in the game, they've always worked for the man. They don't know how to be nimble, they're tied to the balance sheet.
But when you're starting with a blank piece of paper...
All the brass at Apple is over 60. Any wonder that the company missed AI? It was so busy trying to squeeze money out of the App Store and subscriptions that it missed the future.
I woke up today to a story in the "Washington Post" about a 25 year old running for a Congressional seat:
"Democrats face another split over age and values in Arizona - Adelita Grijalva is the front-runner to replace her father in Congress but faces an unexpectedly competitive primary featuring a young social-media-savvy newcomer."
Free link: https://wapo.st/3GI7h63
The money quote?
"Her campaign has been fueled by her large social media following"
I've yet to find a boomer testify positively about social media. Record execs will reluctantly admit records are broken by TikTok, but they don't know how to do this. As for boomers and Gen-X'ers? Social media is THE DEVIL!
Oh, some are still on Facebook, connecting with their high school buddies and showing off, not knowing that TikTok is something different. TikTok is creative, it's about connecting. And to anybody over fifty, it's ANATHEMA!
There's a gap as wide as the culture in between.
Not that Trump is in touch with youngsters either. In fact, if you're on TikTok or Instagram Reels you're constantly chuckling at the AI depictions of our President. He's being mocked on a regular basis, and his team doesn't even know it!
https://www.tiktok.com/@rev_repeat_offender/video/7494028856190373162?q=ai%20videos%20featuring%20fat%20trump%20kfc&t=1752600637537
As for the bros on X... That's about dissatisfaction over their inability to get laid, inability to get a reasonable job, leaving them with all this time to waste on the service which has a very narrow appeal.
The culture has moved on from the political system. Trump's only hope is he can control the youth via autocratic methods, because the penny is about to drop.
Tucker Carlson? He's 56 and made his name on TV, do you think youngsters care?
So oldsters said Napster was stealing, they sicced the legal system on the service and the end result was that new decentralized services erupted to replace it. Talk about Whac-A-Mole.
Then the brass tried to teach the users a lesson by suing them. And then installed rootkits in the CDs.
Not only was there backlash, NONE OF THIS WORKED!
The MP3 didn't sound good enough, physical product was everything. But the younger generations cottoned to streaming, saving the record labels. They know that access is everything, that ownership is passé. Youngsters don't care that concerts replaced records, they're into the EXPERIENCE!
Meanwhile, my inbox is still filled with people waiting for the old, pre-internet world to come back... IT ISN'T!
This is akin to the youthquake of yesteryear, the one in the sixties. The old guard was just too out of touch. No one wanted to be shipped to Vietnam to be killed.
Today's driver is economic death. Not only can they not get a reasonable job that will allow them to buy a house, the government is adding debt that will hobble their future AND THEY KNOW IT!
Enough of the canard that the youth are ignorant. They're online all day AND THAT'S WHERE THE NEWS IS! Never has a generation been so well-informed, and able to interact with its peers all around the world, instantly, FOR FREE!
Just like you can record in your bedroom for free. The old record label model has been demolished. Recording is cheaper and a broader swath of product is being consumed and the majors' market share is declining. The old model of being able to control the marketplace is gone, NO ONE can break an act. Because today breaking an act means starting so small the old pros can't even see it. It's done in the bedroom using the new tools, communicating with your brethren. Forget polishing it, just PLAY!
That's another thing the politicians can't understand. Stop being measured and start being out there. The past is plowed under by the future nearly instantly. If you don't play you can't win. Making a mistake? It happens! Best to be in the game. Not every TikTok post is good, not every one gains traction, but that does not make people self-conscious, they continue, waiting to catch lightning in a bottle. And on TikTok, as opposed to YouTube or Instagram, the algorithm will allow nobodies to gain instant traction. The past is only prologue to a degree. The youth are used to new heroes constantly appearing and disappearing. Society has never been more fluid. But the oldsters insist it is moribund.
And like Napster all this is happening right in front of our eyes, in plain sight, but oldsters refuse to see it.
This is much bigger than Trump posting on Twitter and now Truth Social. The ball has moved, in typical modern media fashion, and not only are the Democrats behind, so are the Republicans. To succeed in modern society not only do you need to be agile, you must be willing to throw out the past and jump into the future on a regular basis.
Not only are the youth disillusioned, they are growing in number, EACH AND EVERY DAY! It's only a matter of time until their values rule. They're sleeper cells all over the country, just waiting to erupt. And oldsters can't even see them!
Streaming has eclipsed network yet oldsters still ask for money to advertise on linear TV. Who is watching? Furthermore, youngsters HATE ADS!
This is not a right or left issue, Democrat or Republican, this is a societal issue.
Then again, the young lean left.
But it's more than politics. It's culture. And culture drives society.
The markers of change are out there, but in today's multifarious world the obvious can be ignored, until...
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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Monday, 14 July 2025
Compassion
Now wait just a second. There's a flood in Texas and over a hundred people die and it was an unforeseen act of God, but fire destroys homes in California and the fault lies with the mayor and the fire department and...
I'm not saying I don't care about the people who lost their lives and their loved ones, but I am saying America has devolved to the point where if it's not good for me, screw you!
Yes, it used to be different. As evidenced by the Youngbloods hit "Get Together":
"Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now"
That ethos is long gone. Then again, the people who experienced it are so busy protecting their nest eggs that they're not worried about selling youngsters' futures down the river. It's mine for me.
As for Mamdani...
Are you catching this? The Democratic brass, Silicon Valley and the major news outlets are FREAKING OUT! Instead of evaluating why Mamdani won, they want to take away his ability to change a city whose government is deeply flawed, where it's too expensive for the average punter to live in Manhattan, and even Williamsburg!
The young...
The government may not care about climate change, but the younger generations do. If you want Gen Z to buy your products not only must they be green, you must give back! Yes, there are a lot of right wing trolls on X, but just because someone yells loudest that does not mean everybody thinks the way they do.
And then there's Elon Musk trying to start a third party. Not a bad idea, if he didn't rape the government willy-nilly with DOGE. He lost the left who loved his cars. Now all he's got is his bros on X and his AI bot that is literally trained on his tweets!
I don't know about you, but I've checked out.
What I mean by this is I read the news, it affects me, but I don't do anything about it and I don't expect anybody else to do anything about it. We are already living under authoritarianism, but what is most confounding is people are accepting it. I thought if America turned into Hungary, run by the right wing hero Orbán, there'd be riots in the street. But we've got little more than crickets. Oldie leftists are disillusioned and living in the past and youngsters have been battling a negative future outlook for nearly their entire lives.
Don't ask me to protest. To show up with a sign. We did that and it had no effect. It's not 1968, never mind 1972 when the Republican Senators stood up to Nixon, who looks like a left wing saint compared to Trump.
And even Obama just excoriated the Democratic brass:
"Democrats Must 'Toughen Up' Against Trump, Obama Tells Donor - Frustrated that prominent Democrats have not fought harder, former President Barack Obama said in a speech that his party's leaders needed to step up."
Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/us/politics/barack-obama-trump-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Wk8.N4_H.V9k_dnJ6AklH&smid=url-share
And please stop asking me for money. What are you going to do with it, buy TV ads like Andrew Cuomo? Today it's not about money, it's about marshalling the troops online with sincere messages delivered in a clever way. But the fearful Democrats just can't understand, never mind accept, the new rules. Mamdani's their Napster.
So Kristi Noem insists she must sign off on every expenditure over 100k, which is like Jamie Dimon needing to approve the purchase of anything more than a cup of coffee at JPMorgan Chase. And as a result, the FEMA phone lines went unmanned, the contractors having been laid off/not renewed. I didn't see this story on Fox whatsoever and then Kristi Noem goes on a Sunday TV news program and denies calls weren't answered. Hell, in the Trump administration you just fake it 'til you make it, lie until you get caught. And then you have constituents/fans who will support you no matter what you say.
Should I get into RFK, Jr. and vaccines? I can't get the MMR shot because of an immune issue, hopefully my fifties immunity will hold. As for those keeping their kids from being vaccinated, they don't care about herd immunity, they only care about themselves!
Like the corporations who killed easy cancellation. Is there a soul in America who doesn't want to be able to cancel a subscription easily with one obvious click?
OF COURSE NOT!
But the individual not only has no power, Trump signed a bill that hurts the little guy and gal and the people who are aware of its contents are against it, overwhelmingly, but Congresspeople are afraid of their leader. What next, firings and suicides like in Russia, with Transport Minister Roman Starovoit?
I'm lucky. I live in California. You can denigrate it all you want, but it's the world's fourth largest economy and you can get an abortion and sure, it's imperfect, but when you lose your home to an act of God you get more than thoughts and prayers.
And the public just wants to anesthetize, things are so bad. "Superman" gets bad reviews but does boffo at the b.o. Then again, try getting something new noticed by the public, it's nearly impossible.
I don't have any kids. But I was watching a video about skiing the Vallée Blanche earlier today and the glacier in Chamonix had shrunk so much in ten years it was a strenuous climb to where you used to walk right into the gondola.
Check the video out here, you can see the shrinkage starting at 9:20 (and back up before to see even more of a dramatic change):
https://youtu.be/FEl-pSLJU94?si=wgZnCcE0B3M01VLu&t=562
But instead of addressing these climate disasters, let's just cut the weather service. Ignorance is bliss.
But that's what underlies so many of the world's problems, raw ignorance. Hell, the newspapers have been delineating all of Trump's faux pas, but the right has done a good job of marginalizing anything but Fox News and a bunch of websites those on the left have never even heard of.
And you want me to love my brother?
Yes, I keep hearing that from those on the left. We don't fight like they do, we go high when they go low. Well, that never worked on the schoolyard and even though MLK, Jr. preached nonviolence, he was a leader who riled up an agitated public as opposed to Schumer, et al, who throw their hands in the air and say, "Who me, coach?"
Everybody lies on the stand, why should I tell the truth.
The January 6th perps got pardoned. So what does the rule of law mean?
And then we've got the immigrants as scapegoats. God, you'd think they were an invading force about to take over the government, when the truth is they're doing all the jobs white citizens refuse to do.
Then again, under the rubric of rip-off, poor whites are going to lose their local hospitals. Let's make it more simple, why don't we have the government stop supporting ANYBODY! You're all on your own. Enough with this social safety net pioneered by Roosevelt. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps, go to work at Walmart and...
GOOD LUCK!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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I'm not saying I don't care about the people who lost their lives and their loved ones, but I am saying America has devolved to the point where if it's not good for me, screw you!
Yes, it used to be different. As evidenced by the Youngbloods hit "Get Together":
"Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now"
That ethos is long gone. Then again, the people who experienced it are so busy protecting their nest eggs that they're not worried about selling youngsters' futures down the river. It's mine for me.
As for Mamdani...
Are you catching this? The Democratic brass, Silicon Valley and the major news outlets are FREAKING OUT! Instead of evaluating why Mamdani won, they want to take away his ability to change a city whose government is deeply flawed, where it's too expensive for the average punter to live in Manhattan, and even Williamsburg!
The young...
The government may not care about climate change, but the younger generations do. If you want Gen Z to buy your products not only must they be green, you must give back! Yes, there are a lot of right wing trolls on X, but just because someone yells loudest that does not mean everybody thinks the way they do.
And then there's Elon Musk trying to start a third party. Not a bad idea, if he didn't rape the government willy-nilly with DOGE. He lost the left who loved his cars. Now all he's got is his bros on X and his AI bot that is literally trained on his tweets!
I don't know about you, but I've checked out.
What I mean by this is I read the news, it affects me, but I don't do anything about it and I don't expect anybody else to do anything about it. We are already living under authoritarianism, but what is most confounding is people are accepting it. I thought if America turned into Hungary, run by the right wing hero Orbán, there'd be riots in the street. But we've got little more than crickets. Oldie leftists are disillusioned and living in the past and youngsters have been battling a negative future outlook for nearly their entire lives.
Don't ask me to protest. To show up with a sign. We did that and it had no effect. It's not 1968, never mind 1972 when the Republican Senators stood up to Nixon, who looks like a left wing saint compared to Trump.
And even Obama just excoriated the Democratic brass:
"Democrats Must 'Toughen Up' Against Trump, Obama Tells Donor - Frustrated that prominent Democrats have not fought harder, former President Barack Obama said in a speech that his party's leaders needed to step up."
Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/us/politics/barack-obama-trump-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Wk8.N4_H.V9k_dnJ6AklH&smid=url-share
And please stop asking me for money. What are you going to do with it, buy TV ads like Andrew Cuomo? Today it's not about money, it's about marshalling the troops online with sincere messages delivered in a clever way. But the fearful Democrats just can't understand, never mind accept, the new rules. Mamdani's their Napster.
So Kristi Noem insists she must sign off on every expenditure over 100k, which is like Jamie Dimon needing to approve the purchase of anything more than a cup of coffee at JPMorgan Chase. And as a result, the FEMA phone lines went unmanned, the contractors having been laid off/not renewed. I didn't see this story on Fox whatsoever and then Kristi Noem goes on a Sunday TV news program and denies calls weren't answered. Hell, in the Trump administration you just fake it 'til you make it, lie until you get caught. And then you have constituents/fans who will support you no matter what you say.
Should I get into RFK, Jr. and vaccines? I can't get the MMR shot because of an immune issue, hopefully my fifties immunity will hold. As for those keeping their kids from being vaccinated, they don't care about herd immunity, they only care about themselves!
Like the corporations who killed easy cancellation. Is there a soul in America who doesn't want to be able to cancel a subscription easily with one obvious click?
OF COURSE NOT!
But the individual not only has no power, Trump signed a bill that hurts the little guy and gal and the people who are aware of its contents are against it, overwhelmingly, but Congresspeople are afraid of their leader. What next, firings and suicides like in Russia, with Transport Minister Roman Starovoit?
I'm lucky. I live in California. You can denigrate it all you want, but it's the world's fourth largest economy and you can get an abortion and sure, it's imperfect, but when you lose your home to an act of God you get more than thoughts and prayers.
And the public just wants to anesthetize, things are so bad. "Superman" gets bad reviews but does boffo at the b.o. Then again, try getting something new noticed by the public, it's nearly impossible.
I don't have any kids. But I was watching a video about skiing the Vallée Blanche earlier today and the glacier in Chamonix had shrunk so much in ten years it was a strenuous climb to where you used to walk right into the gondola.
Check the video out here, you can see the shrinkage starting at 9:20 (and back up before to see even more of a dramatic change):
https://youtu.be/FEl-pSLJU94?si=wgZnCcE0B3M01VLu&t=562
But instead of addressing these climate disasters, let's just cut the weather service. Ignorance is bliss.
But that's what underlies so many of the world's problems, raw ignorance. Hell, the newspapers have been delineating all of Trump's faux pas, but the right has done a good job of marginalizing anything but Fox News and a bunch of websites those on the left have never even heard of.
And you want me to love my brother?
Yes, I keep hearing that from those on the left. We don't fight like they do, we go high when they go low. Well, that never worked on the schoolyard and even though MLK, Jr. preached nonviolence, he was a leader who riled up an agitated public as opposed to Schumer, et al, who throw their hands in the air and say, "Who me, coach?"
Everybody lies on the stand, why should I tell the truth.
The January 6th perps got pardoned. So what does the rule of law mean?
And then we've got the immigrants as scapegoats. God, you'd think they were an invading force about to take over the government, when the truth is they're doing all the jobs white citizens refuse to do.
Then again, under the rubric of rip-off, poor whites are going to lose their local hospitals. Let's make it more simple, why don't we have the government stop supporting ANYBODY! You're all on your own. Enough with this social safety net pioneered by Roosevelt. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps, go to work at Walmart and...
GOOD LUCK!
--
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Sunday, 13 July 2025
Tanner Usrey
"These Days"
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Wl7KMkSivuQ5DX7vkYJzR?si=849849be5ba74e2d
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuzJA5tdoag
1
He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page.
I decided to play some new music. I've been reading this new novel and my eyes were starting to glaze over. I'm not sure I'll ever recommend it, because it's kinda dense with highfalutin' words, but a lot of it centers on Berlin club culture and I can relate to that. "Good Girl" is about a young woman of Afghan heritage who is troubled by her heritage and there's great insight into Muslim culture and on the surface even I didn't want to read it, but it's very intriguing.
But maybe it was the Sunday afternoon blues. I found myself checking out. So I decided to get my iPad and listen to some new music as I surfed the web. And first I listened to the new Wet Leg album, which is surprisingly good, and if it was the seventies I'd be a fan. Back then if you purchased an LP you played it enough to know it and like it but in today's hit and run world you don't listen that way anymore. But I played about half the album. I liked where it was coming from. They were thinking about this music before they made it, this is the punk ethos of the seventies, in this case the antithesis of the Spotify Top 50. But halfway through I decided I'd heard enough and...
I pulled up Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist, which can yield some gems, but is too often littered with old stuff I already know, and then I went to Release Radar and it stimulated some further listening. I heard that Bob Dylan duet with Barbra Streisand which made me research the album and see that she did a duet with James Taylor on "Secret o' Life," a genius song, but then I pulled up the duet and the worst part was Streisand herself, I was never a fan. She's the antithesis of what the rock revolution represented back in the late sixties and seventies.
And then I saw a duet with Buddy Guy and Joe Walsh, which I had to listen to. We're going back to the old days, where you make the album because you want a recorded document, which you issue into the ether, if you're banking on sales forget about it.
But Release Radar wasn't satisfying either, so I went to Amazon Music and couldn't find a playlist that resonated with me, so then I went to Qobuz and found this playlist entitled "New Releases":
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/2049430
And what appealed to me was that this was a multi-genre playlist, I wanted a taste of everything, which I got, there are 105 cuts on it.
And the tracks weren't by the usual suspects, at least not those at the beginning, and some I listened to and some I skipped through after thirty seconds or so and then...
I'm catching up on "Bloomberg Businessweek" in Apple News+, I'm not concentrating on the music, but I hear something that stops me, stops my reading and makes me take a moment to listen, to then research.
The cut was "These Days" by Tanner Usrey.
2
"A heart like mine is a hard one to love
'Cause I've gotten real damn good at really f*cking things all up
Now I'm fighting demons in the dark
I don't know where I should start
Oh lord I'm spiraling again"
This is why country music is having a moment, YOU CAN RELATE TO IT!
The Spotify Top 50 has become a caricature of itself, it's TMZ music, made for the penumbra, gossip columns and brand endorsements more than the music itself, oftentimes bluster and braggadocio, little different from a Marvel movie. It's relatively narrow, and then I hear someone like Tanner Usrey and he's totally outside.
This is not what the newspapers are writing about. There are genius acts plying the boards far superior to the overhyped dancing nitwits. How do you find them? Let me tell you, I rarely check out these playlists so don't see this as a ringing endorsement of them.
"Oh and I've been sinking down
Try to scream but can't make a sound
Tell me is it all just in my head
And I've grown so numb to it all
Oh God here comes the fall"
This is in the vein of singer-songwriter acts of the early seventies. Then again, James Taylor could not only pick and create songs with changes he had a way with words, and studying those of Tanner Usrey I had to admit that they weren't quite in JT's league.
Does he have it in him? When someone reaches this age, seemingly around thirty, and has been in the game for over a decade, usually not. Then again, there are some producers who can push them into their interior and squeeze greatness out of them.
Then again, there are very few great ones out there.
But the magic of "These Days" is more than the downtrodden lyrics, there's Usrey's vocal...THIS AI cannot reproduce. This is the magic. It's got nothing to do with "The Voice," that's got nothing to do with art, this guy's voice is soulful in that you truly get the impression he's singing from the heart, that it's truly him. And it's sweet with just a bit of whiskey/rough and can sustain a song all by its lonesome, sans effects.
And speaking of no effects, the instrumentation makes magic. The subtle piano, never mind the acoustic guitar, and some organ notes...
"These Days" is in the vein of those Stephen Stills songs on those Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young albums, like "4+20." Nobody seems to be trying to replicate that formula, even too many of the vaunted Americana artists who are overwriting their songs for gravitas and don't have voices as magical s Usrey's.
3
Now further research tells me that Usrey had a song in "Yellowstone." And I know "Yellowstone" is a phenomenon, but middlebrow soap is not for me, I watched enough "Bonanza," where's that at, if you want me I'll be in the bar.
And it seems that the initial "Yellowstone" placement got him a deal with Atlantic. Turns out it's from the pre-Grainge hip-hop all the time chasing online momentum regime. It didn't make cognitive sense, but Usrey is on Atlantic.
And doing deep research I see that Sacks & Co. is involved, what a waste of money. It's no longer about hype, about print, it's about LISTENING! No amount of press is going to get me to check out Tanner Usrey, another Texan cowboy who is a product of the Red Dirt scene and likes Skynyrd and... Now, more than ever, you've got to hear it to get it, and it's nearly impossible to get someone to hear it. But if something is good, despite not flying on the mainstream radar, someone is listening, Usrey's got four tracks with double digit million streams on Spotify, and they're not from "Jellystone." How did everybody find out? What accounts for the 49,393,234 streams of "Come Back Down"? Damned if I know.
Maybe it's those endless gigs, multiple recordings... If you're good enough you gain traction, and if you don't either you're doing something wrong or you and your music just aren't good enough.
4
Then I decided to check out some more Usrey songs. First I started with the most popular on Spotify, but I figured it would be best to go to the new album, also called "These Days," which was released on Friday, that major label big money can oftentimes be heard in the recordings.
And the opening cut, "Do It to Myself"...was a rocker, nothing like "These Days." At first kind of pedestrian, not that memorable, but then I could lock into the "Smuggler's Blues" vibe, but still... This was not magical.
And then I wondered if "These Days" was an anomaly, whether it was really a rock record with only this one introspective track. So I started sampling songs and I came across "Better Weather," which was even more intimate than "These Days," I thought it was superior to "These Days," but then going back to the latter I decided it was not, but it's pretty damn good.
Let's be clear, I don't see either of these tracks burning up the chart, whatever chart that might be. This is not appropriate for the flashy too often mindless in your face country chart, and it's more mainstream than the Americana niche, this is the type of music with broad-based appeal, this guy is one step away from BLOWING UP!
I mean I checked out Reddit. People who'd seen him were testifying, and I got it. This was completely different from the production of today's arena show, in this case just the man (or woman) and his music is enough. You're sitting there and the sound sets your mind free, adrift, you're in your own movie, we call this life.
5
There is definitely something here. Neither of these tracks are going to make Tanner a household name, then again, who is these days? But he could build a career and become...
Zach Bryan?
Well, Usrey is less country. It's the difference between Oklahoma and Texas. Then again, Bryan sells out stadiums, instantly. Could Usrey do the same? All I'll say is these two songs will ignite the average punter more than anything Bryan's done.
All you've got to do is listen.
"Better Weather"
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7xaSwspyKSD6gqX6l3UBhc?si=45870af084d24832
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9izL6DbXDM
--
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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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Wl7KMkSivuQ5DX7vkYJzR?si=849849be5ba74e2d
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuzJA5tdoag
1
He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page.
I decided to play some new music. I've been reading this new novel and my eyes were starting to glaze over. I'm not sure I'll ever recommend it, because it's kinda dense with highfalutin' words, but a lot of it centers on Berlin club culture and I can relate to that. "Good Girl" is about a young woman of Afghan heritage who is troubled by her heritage and there's great insight into Muslim culture and on the surface even I didn't want to read it, but it's very intriguing.
But maybe it was the Sunday afternoon blues. I found myself checking out. So I decided to get my iPad and listen to some new music as I surfed the web. And first I listened to the new Wet Leg album, which is surprisingly good, and if it was the seventies I'd be a fan. Back then if you purchased an LP you played it enough to know it and like it but in today's hit and run world you don't listen that way anymore. But I played about half the album. I liked where it was coming from. They were thinking about this music before they made it, this is the punk ethos of the seventies, in this case the antithesis of the Spotify Top 50. But halfway through I decided I'd heard enough and...
I pulled up Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist, which can yield some gems, but is too often littered with old stuff I already know, and then I went to Release Radar and it stimulated some further listening. I heard that Bob Dylan duet with Barbra Streisand which made me research the album and see that she did a duet with James Taylor on "Secret o' Life," a genius song, but then I pulled up the duet and the worst part was Streisand herself, I was never a fan. She's the antithesis of what the rock revolution represented back in the late sixties and seventies.
And then I saw a duet with Buddy Guy and Joe Walsh, which I had to listen to. We're going back to the old days, where you make the album because you want a recorded document, which you issue into the ether, if you're banking on sales forget about it.
But Release Radar wasn't satisfying either, so I went to Amazon Music and couldn't find a playlist that resonated with me, so then I went to Qobuz and found this playlist entitled "New Releases":
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/2049430
And what appealed to me was that this was a multi-genre playlist, I wanted a taste of everything, which I got, there are 105 cuts on it.
And the tracks weren't by the usual suspects, at least not those at the beginning, and some I listened to and some I skipped through after thirty seconds or so and then...
I'm catching up on "Bloomberg Businessweek" in Apple News+, I'm not concentrating on the music, but I hear something that stops me, stops my reading and makes me take a moment to listen, to then research.
The cut was "These Days" by Tanner Usrey.
2
"A heart like mine is a hard one to love
'Cause I've gotten real damn good at really f*cking things all up
Now I'm fighting demons in the dark
I don't know where I should start
Oh lord I'm spiraling again"
This is why country music is having a moment, YOU CAN RELATE TO IT!
The Spotify Top 50 has become a caricature of itself, it's TMZ music, made for the penumbra, gossip columns and brand endorsements more than the music itself, oftentimes bluster and braggadocio, little different from a Marvel movie. It's relatively narrow, and then I hear someone like Tanner Usrey and he's totally outside.
This is not what the newspapers are writing about. There are genius acts plying the boards far superior to the overhyped dancing nitwits. How do you find them? Let me tell you, I rarely check out these playlists so don't see this as a ringing endorsement of them.
"Oh and I've been sinking down
Try to scream but can't make a sound
Tell me is it all just in my head
And I've grown so numb to it all
Oh God here comes the fall"
This is in the vein of singer-songwriter acts of the early seventies. Then again, James Taylor could not only pick and create songs with changes he had a way with words, and studying those of Tanner Usrey I had to admit that they weren't quite in JT's league.
Does he have it in him? When someone reaches this age, seemingly around thirty, and has been in the game for over a decade, usually not. Then again, there are some producers who can push them into their interior and squeeze greatness out of them.
Then again, there are very few great ones out there.
But the magic of "These Days" is more than the downtrodden lyrics, there's Usrey's vocal...THIS AI cannot reproduce. This is the magic. It's got nothing to do with "The Voice," that's got nothing to do with art, this guy's voice is soulful in that you truly get the impression he's singing from the heart, that it's truly him. And it's sweet with just a bit of whiskey/rough and can sustain a song all by its lonesome, sans effects.
And speaking of no effects, the instrumentation makes magic. The subtle piano, never mind the acoustic guitar, and some organ notes...
"These Days" is in the vein of those Stephen Stills songs on those Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young albums, like "4+20." Nobody seems to be trying to replicate that formula, even too many of the vaunted Americana artists who are overwriting their songs for gravitas and don't have voices as magical s Usrey's.
3
Now further research tells me that Usrey had a song in "Yellowstone." And I know "Yellowstone" is a phenomenon, but middlebrow soap is not for me, I watched enough "Bonanza," where's that at, if you want me I'll be in the bar.
And it seems that the initial "Yellowstone" placement got him a deal with Atlantic. Turns out it's from the pre-Grainge hip-hop all the time chasing online momentum regime. It didn't make cognitive sense, but Usrey is on Atlantic.
And doing deep research I see that Sacks & Co. is involved, what a waste of money. It's no longer about hype, about print, it's about LISTENING! No amount of press is going to get me to check out Tanner Usrey, another Texan cowboy who is a product of the Red Dirt scene and likes Skynyrd and... Now, more than ever, you've got to hear it to get it, and it's nearly impossible to get someone to hear it. But if something is good, despite not flying on the mainstream radar, someone is listening, Usrey's got four tracks with double digit million streams on Spotify, and they're not from "Jellystone." How did everybody find out? What accounts for the 49,393,234 streams of "Come Back Down"? Damned if I know.
Maybe it's those endless gigs, multiple recordings... If you're good enough you gain traction, and if you don't either you're doing something wrong or you and your music just aren't good enough.
4
Then I decided to check out some more Usrey songs. First I started with the most popular on Spotify, but I figured it would be best to go to the new album, also called "These Days," which was released on Friday, that major label big money can oftentimes be heard in the recordings.
And the opening cut, "Do It to Myself"...was a rocker, nothing like "These Days." At first kind of pedestrian, not that memorable, but then I could lock into the "Smuggler's Blues" vibe, but still... This was not magical.
And then I wondered if "These Days" was an anomaly, whether it was really a rock record with only this one introspective track. So I started sampling songs and I came across "Better Weather," which was even more intimate than "These Days," I thought it was superior to "These Days," but then going back to the latter I decided it was not, but it's pretty damn good.
Let's be clear, I don't see either of these tracks burning up the chart, whatever chart that might be. This is not appropriate for the flashy too often mindless in your face country chart, and it's more mainstream than the Americana niche, this is the type of music with broad-based appeal, this guy is one step away from BLOWING UP!
I mean I checked out Reddit. People who'd seen him were testifying, and I got it. This was completely different from the production of today's arena show, in this case just the man (or woman) and his music is enough. You're sitting there and the sound sets your mind free, adrift, you're in your own movie, we call this life.
5
There is definitely something here. Neither of these tracks are going to make Tanner a household name, then again, who is these days? But he could build a career and become...
Zach Bryan?
Well, Usrey is less country. It's the difference between Oklahoma and Texas. Then again, Bryan sells out stadiums, instantly. Could Usrey do the same? All I'll say is these two songs will ignite the average punter more than anything Bryan's done.
All you've got to do is listen.
"Better Weather"
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7xaSwspyKSD6gqX6l3UBhc?si=45870af084d24832
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9izL6DbXDM
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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