"Jack White Just Shut Down The Trump Administration With One Brutal And Lengthy Instagram Post"
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/jack-white-fired-back-white-191021365.html
What cracks me up is all the people e-mailing me saying not to use their name. Nobodies from nowhere saying inoffensive things. As if the long arm of the law is going to reach out and do...exactly what to them? A veritable nation of pussies I tell you, especially on the left. These are not men, these are mice.
And how do you turn them around?
By showing the way, as Peter Frampton would say. By standing up and being a beacon.
Like Jack White.
Used to be you stood up to the man via music, now you do so with your words.
Will Jack White lose out economically as a result of his words? No, because he's not part of the music industrial complex, he's stood aside, and therefore he's not dependent upon the gatekeepers for success. No, Jack White has a hard core fan base, built over decades, and he knows people respect him, not only for his music, but for his other enterprises... If Jack White and Third Man are involved, you know it's authentic, you know Jack believes in it, EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!
Respect. Isn't that what Ali G said?
Not something one has for most of the people with a profile in music anymore. Who don't want to risk the brand, don't want to offend a single potential customer, who are tools of the system.
Think about this, you can criticize the President and immediately get a response. Whereas a record does no such thing. You see White hit Trump where he's vulnerable, where he cares...his design and decorating taste.
An artist criticizing a businessman. HOW DARE YOU! Aesthetics...something that are no longer a focus in our commerce driven music world. Of course it's a business, but can anybody say no, can anybody have a backbone?
Those on the right seem to have no problem doing this. They're firing up their keyboards as I write this. They believe if they clap back immediately with strength I will cower into submission. That's their game plan. The exact OPPOSITE of those on the left. Who are afraid to speak up.
Unlike Jack White.
Do you get Chuck Schumer railing against the gaudiness of the Trump redecoration of "the people's house"?
Of course not, because his whole being is based on compromise.
That's the essence of an artist, to be UNCOMPROMISED!
As for the message...
Got to give Bill Maher credit, he's got it right, it's a slow moving coup, just like he was right about Trump not leaving the office back in 2020.
It's not like Trump's actions are not documented in the news. But we've got a somnambulant public which believes it'll all work out in the end. Just wait until 2028! Yeah, right, as if the Texas redistricting is not a harbinger of what's coming in the voting sphere.
At what point do you say NO MAS!
Historically, too late. Just ask the Jews in Germany.
Don't accuse me of being histrionic.
I'm no fan of John Bolton, but this revenge tour by Trump is positively scary. You think you're immune... By time they come looking for those afraid to speak up today it will be too late, can you say CHECKMATE?
What has been proven by both Gavin Newsom and Jack White is the best way to get to Trump is to make fun of him, that makes his skin boil. Point out that he's a doofus.
Policy? Trump doesn't care what you think.
Image? He's got the thinnest skin extant. His clap back tweets are laughable on Truth Social.
As for his supporters... If you're waiting for them to come around, good luck. The truth is they hate you more than they care about anything Trump does. Now if you're rich and a Republican, I get it. But I constantly hear from Uber drivers, those barely keeping their heads above water, who are dyed-in-the-wool Trumpers. Not because they believe Trump is going to lift them up, but because they believe he's going to put the libs down.
So who's sticking up for the libs?
No one has as much power as an artist. Maybe some of them can stop putting out multiple iterations of vinyl and take a stand.
Hell, how about a blackout night, when there are NO SHOWS across the nation.
How about an icon every artist can post to TikTok, and then a newspaper ad listing everybody who did this (you might not read the newspaper, but Trump and his team live to see what's in the "New York Times").
We are not fighting against Trump so much as for America.
For those who believe in the Constitution...
We've got a compromised legal system that is allowing this guy to do whatever he wants. And when they say no, he goes ahead and does it anyway.
And now he's got troops in the street.
And he takes advice from Viktor Orbán, who is a hero of the right.
Please explain that to me. You want to emulate a strongman?
Jack White is doing the work you won't. He's got a profile, you don't, but you're afraid to go on the record.
As for music... The only hope is a single song, like "We Are the World." Radio will refuse to play it, but radio is no longer in control, the audience is. And the track can be driven to number one on streaming services instantly. And then you've got a news story and...
You've got to stand up at some point.
Or else you'll be shut up.
Don't lose your voice.
--
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
Saturday, 23 August 2025
Friday, 22 August 2025
Cutting The Cord-SiriusXM This Week
Subscriptions and cancellations
Tune in Saturday August 23rd 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
--
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
Tune in Saturday August 23rd 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
--
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
Wallen's Grammy Snub
"Morgan Wallen Will Not Submit Latest Album for Grammys Consideration - The country singer became the latest major artist to abandon the awards, declining to enter his chart-topping fourth album, "I'm the Problem," for the 2026 ceremony."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/arts/music/morgan-wallen-grammys.html
I've got a bug up my ass about the Grammys. It seems the only people who take the awards seriously are those who need the accolades to justify their work, so they can put it on their Wikipedia pages so we can be impressed.
I'm not.
What makes me further crazy is when obituaries mention winning or nominations for Grammys. As if that evidences a level of status. Will people think less of Morgan Wallen in the future because he does not have a slew of Grammys?
Now I can understand Black artists complaining about racism. Unfortunately, it's true. But the kind of person who is motivated to join the organization, who's got the inclination and the time to vote, tends to be not plugged into the top line of the music business, where Black artists oftentimes dominate. It's a divide as wide as Beverly Hills and Compton. No one in Beverly Hills even drives through Compton, they're too scared, and when Comptonites come into Beverly Hills all the whites are on guard, with their hands on their purses and wallets.
As for Morgan Wallen...
This is another reason Trump got elected, under the rubric of free speech. Yes, Wallen employed the N-word, but it was clear that he was drunk and using it in a way evidenced in Black culture, he was imitating the rappers and their videos as opposed to making a racist comment.
I know, I know, you absolutely can't use the N-word, and I agree, I give Wallen no pass, but does he have to be a pariah forever? Can he never be let out of jail?
Not that Wallen himself probably cares. But when the biggest recording artist in America is snubbed by an award-granting organization...what does that say?
Actually, this is rock star behavior from the old school. From when the Grammys were irrelevant and the musicians showed up for events in their everyday streetwear instead of tuxedos. Now it's techies who do that. Because the techies believe they're above the rest of us, whereas the musicians are all subservient...to the organization, to the corporation, to the BUCKS! God, a techie will speak truth before a musician. Ain't that sad.
I don't want to defend Wallen the man. Throwing that chair off the roof. But back in the seventies antics like this were celebrated. And you wonder why men are neutered.
Let me try to thread the needle here. There's no reason Wallen should have thrown that chair, but the constant pressure to behave drives men nuts. They feel neutered. Do you really expect them to vote for Kamala who is in bed with all those strident women?
WHEW! "Strident"?
It's kind of like the troops in D.C. I don't believe Trump should have brought in forces, but now even Maureen Dowd has gone on record that there's a crime problem in D.C. We can't be so busy being politically correct that we ignore the problem.
And the Grammys are a politically correct organization run by small men drunk with power. It's like those short men who become policemen. They want to get back at all the bullies, and the Grammy gatekeepers want to get back at all those acts they see as no-talents who get all the money and attention. Who'd want part of that? Not Wallen.
He's put out one monster album after another and all we hear about is Taylor Swift and the circle jerk of friendship bracelets. But Wallen is more dominant in recordings and sells out stadiums too! But that doesn't mean anything to the arbiters of decorum. Wallen is on the wrong side. He's always on the wrong side. Nothing he can do can satiate those who hate him in principle. A hick from nowhere with an accent who dominates all the charts? Screw him, WE'RE GOING TO TEACH HIM A LESSON!
The Grammys are like the school administration, lording it over you. You can't wait until you graduate and are done with them. God, if I think about all the things teachers said to me in my schooling. They wanted to break me, rub off the rough edges, make me just like them, AND WHO ARE THEY?
Yes, I've got a problem with organizations. But when it comes to art...
Then again, we can't even have a legitimate chart in the music business. They weigh physical more than streams and it's all ridiculous. And unlike the manipulators of the game, Wallen isn't releasing endless vinyl variations of his albums to maintain his chart position, in his case, THE MUSIC IS ENOUGH!
Think about that... You don't see Wallen boasting that he's number one. He's going on none of the victory laps seemingly every other successful artist does today. He hasn't gone Hollywood... No wonder people hate him, he's not doing it their way!
And let's say he didn't utter the N-word and didn't throw that chair, what are the odds any of his projects would have gotten Album of the Year? ZILCH! We don't give that to hicks playing that music... We need to give the award to respectable people, like Herbie Hancock.
Now don't e-mail me trying to justify the Grammys, I don't care. The bottom line is an artist is an outsider who questions precepts, not someone who drinks the kool-aid to get along. You become an artist because you want to avoid the rules, not play by them!
If the Grammys had balls, and it doesn't, they would give Wallen a special award during the telecast. Acknowledge the level of his success.
But no, they can't do that... Once again, there are rules. He didn't submit, so he's out.
No, you messed with him and it's your move. Why don't you do the right thing? Don't expect him to show up for the award, don't even invite him, just do it.
Or maybe we just give Grammys to everybody. That's another thing that pisses me off about the organization. There are nearly a hundred categories, if you can't get nominated you don't make music. The awards become meaningless.
If Michelle Obama can win a Grammy, and Bill Clinton too (well, at least he played the saxophone)... What do the two of them have to do with music, other than having ears to listen?
You could whittle the categories down to just the majors, like the Brits, but then the rank and file would complain, they need to win their Grammys, what about them?
And isn't that exactly the point???
--
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
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/arts/music/morgan-wallen-grammys.html
I've got a bug up my ass about the Grammys. It seems the only people who take the awards seriously are those who need the accolades to justify their work, so they can put it on their Wikipedia pages so we can be impressed.
I'm not.
What makes me further crazy is when obituaries mention winning or nominations for Grammys. As if that evidences a level of status. Will people think less of Morgan Wallen in the future because he does not have a slew of Grammys?
Now I can understand Black artists complaining about racism. Unfortunately, it's true. But the kind of person who is motivated to join the organization, who's got the inclination and the time to vote, tends to be not plugged into the top line of the music business, where Black artists oftentimes dominate. It's a divide as wide as Beverly Hills and Compton. No one in Beverly Hills even drives through Compton, they're too scared, and when Comptonites come into Beverly Hills all the whites are on guard, with their hands on their purses and wallets.
As for Morgan Wallen...
This is another reason Trump got elected, under the rubric of free speech. Yes, Wallen employed the N-word, but it was clear that he was drunk and using it in a way evidenced in Black culture, he was imitating the rappers and their videos as opposed to making a racist comment.
I know, I know, you absolutely can't use the N-word, and I agree, I give Wallen no pass, but does he have to be a pariah forever? Can he never be let out of jail?
Not that Wallen himself probably cares. But when the biggest recording artist in America is snubbed by an award-granting organization...what does that say?
Actually, this is rock star behavior from the old school. From when the Grammys were irrelevant and the musicians showed up for events in their everyday streetwear instead of tuxedos. Now it's techies who do that. Because the techies believe they're above the rest of us, whereas the musicians are all subservient...to the organization, to the corporation, to the BUCKS! God, a techie will speak truth before a musician. Ain't that sad.
I don't want to defend Wallen the man. Throwing that chair off the roof. But back in the seventies antics like this were celebrated. And you wonder why men are neutered.
Let me try to thread the needle here. There's no reason Wallen should have thrown that chair, but the constant pressure to behave drives men nuts. They feel neutered. Do you really expect them to vote for Kamala who is in bed with all those strident women?
WHEW! "Strident"?
It's kind of like the troops in D.C. I don't believe Trump should have brought in forces, but now even Maureen Dowd has gone on record that there's a crime problem in D.C. We can't be so busy being politically correct that we ignore the problem.
And the Grammys are a politically correct organization run by small men drunk with power. It's like those short men who become policemen. They want to get back at all the bullies, and the Grammy gatekeepers want to get back at all those acts they see as no-talents who get all the money and attention. Who'd want part of that? Not Wallen.
He's put out one monster album after another and all we hear about is Taylor Swift and the circle jerk of friendship bracelets. But Wallen is more dominant in recordings and sells out stadiums too! But that doesn't mean anything to the arbiters of decorum. Wallen is on the wrong side. He's always on the wrong side. Nothing he can do can satiate those who hate him in principle. A hick from nowhere with an accent who dominates all the charts? Screw him, WE'RE GOING TO TEACH HIM A LESSON!
The Grammys are like the school administration, lording it over you. You can't wait until you graduate and are done with them. God, if I think about all the things teachers said to me in my schooling. They wanted to break me, rub off the rough edges, make me just like them, AND WHO ARE THEY?
Yes, I've got a problem with organizations. But when it comes to art...
Then again, we can't even have a legitimate chart in the music business. They weigh physical more than streams and it's all ridiculous. And unlike the manipulators of the game, Wallen isn't releasing endless vinyl variations of his albums to maintain his chart position, in his case, THE MUSIC IS ENOUGH!
Think about that... You don't see Wallen boasting that he's number one. He's going on none of the victory laps seemingly every other successful artist does today. He hasn't gone Hollywood... No wonder people hate him, he's not doing it their way!
And let's say he didn't utter the N-word and didn't throw that chair, what are the odds any of his projects would have gotten Album of the Year? ZILCH! We don't give that to hicks playing that music... We need to give the award to respectable people, like Herbie Hancock.
Now don't e-mail me trying to justify the Grammys, I don't care. The bottom line is an artist is an outsider who questions precepts, not someone who drinks the kool-aid to get along. You become an artist because you want to avoid the rules, not play by them!
If the Grammys had balls, and it doesn't, they would give Wallen a special award during the telecast. Acknowledge the level of his success.
But no, they can't do that... Once again, there are rules. He didn't submit, so he's out.
No, you messed with him and it's your move. Why don't you do the right thing? Don't expect him to show up for the award, don't even invite him, just do it.
Or maybe we just give Grammys to everybody. That's another thing that pisses me off about the organization. There are nearly a hundred categories, if you can't get nominated you don't make music. The awards become meaningless.
If Michelle Obama can win a Grammy, and Bill Clinton too (well, at least he played the saxophone)... What do the two of them have to do with music, other than having ears to listen?
You could whittle the categories down to just the majors, like the Brits, but then the rank and file would complain, they need to win their Grammys, what about them?
And isn't that exactly the point???
--
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
Code Of Silence
BritBox trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qavn9WlmZzE
This would be the talk of the town if it was on Netflix. There'd be features about Rose Ayling-Ellis in all the newspapers and people would be talking about it, but...
It's on BritBox.
Having said that, it's number one on BritBox, deservedly so.
The only time I've felt this tense watching a TV series was when I viewed "The Bureau." Not only was I on the edge of my seat during the first three episodes, I actually considered turning it off, my anxiety was just too high.
Now we'd just seen Rose Ayling-Ellis in "Ludwig," the feel good series on BritBox. At times it's silly, but it's ultimately satisfying. What you've got is a misanthropic puzzle maker solving murders. I don't want to tell you much more other than to say one of the murders is of a teacher. And another member of the faculty is Ayling-Ellis. Who when questioned has an interpreter employing sign language to get the words across, even though she can respond in what seems like an almost regular voice.
So I was very surprised to watch "Code of Silence" and find Ayling-Ellis once again hearing challenged. Turns out in real life she's nearly deaf, she wears hearing aids but relies also on lip-reading and... If you do your research, you'll see that Ayling-Ellis was awarded an MBE...
But, what we've got here is a nearly deaf woman trying to make it in life, just wanting an opportunity, but despite lip service, no one wants to really give her a chance. So she's relegated to a cleaning job and...
She ends up working for the police, reading lips, but they always keep her at arm's length and she decides to take matters into her own hands and...
You're just waiting for her to get into trouble, to be exposed.
Stunningly, the series does not play out as one would expect. The plot twists, not in an unnatural way, but an unexpected one.
There are six episodes forty five minutes in length, it's not a big commitment, but you do have to sign up for BritBox, which is too heavy a lift for most people. And I get it, it's like being pecked to death by ducks with all these subscriptions. Apple just raised the price $3?? There's nothing on the damn channel. They drip out very few shows episode by episode and this discourages me from subscribing and by time the show is over all the hoopla, assuming there is any, is gone, and do I want to pay all that cash just to see one show?
You see Rose Ayling-Ellis making bad choices, but you can also see where she's coming from. You get what it's like to be non-hearing in a hearing world.
This is a really great series, I highly recommend 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
This would be the talk of the town if it was on Netflix. There'd be features about Rose Ayling-Ellis in all the newspapers and people would be talking about it, but...
It's on BritBox.
Having said that, it's number one on BritBox, deservedly so.
The only time I've felt this tense watching a TV series was when I viewed "The Bureau." Not only was I on the edge of my seat during the first three episodes, I actually considered turning it off, my anxiety was just too high.
Now we'd just seen Rose Ayling-Ellis in "Ludwig," the feel good series on BritBox. At times it's silly, but it's ultimately satisfying. What you've got is a misanthropic puzzle maker solving murders. I don't want to tell you much more other than to say one of the murders is of a teacher. And another member of the faculty is Ayling-Ellis. Who when questioned has an interpreter employing sign language to get the words across, even though she can respond in what seems like an almost regular voice.
So I was very surprised to watch "Code of Silence" and find Ayling-Ellis once again hearing challenged. Turns out in real life she's nearly deaf, she wears hearing aids but relies also on lip-reading and... If you do your research, you'll see that Ayling-Ellis was awarded an MBE...
But, what we've got here is a nearly deaf woman trying to make it in life, just wanting an opportunity, but despite lip service, no one wants to really give her a chance. So she's relegated to a cleaning job and...
She ends up working for the police, reading lips, but they always keep her at arm's length and she decides to take matters into her own hands and...
You're just waiting for her to get into trouble, to be exposed.
Stunningly, the series does not play out as one would expect. The plot twists, not in an unnatural way, but an unexpected one.
There are six episodes forty five minutes in length, it's not a big commitment, but you do have to sign up for BritBox, which is too heavy a lift for most people. And I get it, it's like being pecked to death by ducks with all these subscriptions. Apple just raised the price $3?? There's nothing on the damn channel. They drip out very few shows episode by episode and this discourages me from subscribing and by time the show is over all the hoopla, assuming there is any, is gone, and do I want to pay all that cash just to see one show?
You see Rose Ayling-Ellis making bad choices, but you can also see where she's coming from. You get what it's like to be non-hearing in a hearing world.
This is a really great series, I highly recommend 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
The Devo Doc
Netflix trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgV8X2x6xvE
This is utterly fantastic. On some level stupendous. This is not your average rock doc...you know, a linear retelling of the band's career, pure fact with a bit of rearview interpretation by those still alive. RATHER, this is all about the inspiration, this is all about the ARTISTRY!
And we haven't had that spirit here for a very long time.
If you're a baby boomer, you will remember. The inspiration of old films, from W.C. Fields to the Marx Brothers to "Inherit the Wind," which had a profound effect on Mark Mothersbaugh.
Who is inspired by a pamphlet given to him by a teacher which lays out so much of the Devo philosophy long before there even is a band.
You see Gerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh were art students.
You're laughed at if you study art today. Which is one reason our music is so vapid. It's paint by numbers, there's no THINKING involved. And Devo was all about thinking. The thinking came first, audience acceptance second. They were projecting their ethos into the atmosphere, and how people reacted was important. Then again, they believed eventually people would get it, instead we've truly devolved. When you see the images from the "Beautiful World" video you know we've truly lost the plot. Things are ugly, but if you say so you're the enemy. We're all supposed to be mindless winners, in love with society. But what if you look at the dirty underside?
People don't like it. Those in control. You've got to blame the game.
The essence of the music business is revealed when Mark asks the exec why if cassettes are cheaper to make and more profitable to the label that the band gets a lower royalty rate. The response is THAT'S THE WAY IT IS!
Do you accept that?
This film will demonstrate that while youngsters can sing and maybe even play, there's no artistry involved. As a matter of fact, Devo and this doc are the antithesis of today's music business. Where having a good voice is considered artistry.
Then again, maybe I'm just a smug baby boomer lifting the curtain on the warts of society.
Don't confuse me, or Devo, with the boomers in D.C. who won't let go. As a matter of fact, there's lot of anti-Reagan stuff in the flick. Devo are outsiders, like all great artists. They're reacting to what they see. They're not a part of it, they wouldn't deign to be a part of it!
How to explain...
You really can't.
It's a sensibility.
It's the opposite of going to Harvard and going to work in finance. It's about having an idea and living in squalor believing in the mission, not even knowing if the mission will pay off, only that you need to stay on the path.
These are weirdos. From back when being a weirdo was a badge of honor. When you knew you weren't cool and didn't pretend to be. When you laughed at the cheerleaders and football players, meatheads who'd drunk the kool-aid.
Art is about questioning precepts. Why is it that way? Should it be that way? How do I make people aware of the conundrum?
Of course you've got some music business lore in this film. Record labels, MTV...but they are subsidiary to the story. I'd like to say they were tools of Devo, but that's not an accurate description. They unknowingly exposed Devo and its message, unaware of the group's underlying beliefs, and when they'd had their fill, they abandoned the group.
Timing is everything. If it weren't for the Ramones and CBGB's and the new wave, Devo probably never would have broken through. For all I know, they were not the only band on this path. But they stuck with it, and making it is about hard work and luck, and then taking advantage of the opportunity.
Devo never completely sells out. They can see the cognitive dissonance of going on "Merv Griffin" and "American Bandstand," they stay true to their diffident personalities. Who's using who?
This is what it used to be like, this is what we're missing.
Of course Devo can't be replicated exactly today, for numerous reasons. Then again, the tools of creation and exhibition are cheap and available to all, so if you do have a message you can get the word out. Will it resonate and spread?
There was less competition back then, because fewer acts could get the record label push. Today you do it all yourself, but as referenced above, you can do this, with no interference.
But really this is not about the system, the music business, but the band and its vision.
Where does your inspiration come from? If you just want to be rich and famous, so be it, you're not going to change the world. You change the world by having a message and getting it out. And when it's not the mainstream message, you must be subversive.
How do you learn how to do this?
By paying attention to the words of Max Ernst. Seeing films that have more depth than superheroes on parade.
Just watch it. We'd be in a better place, music would be in a better place, if everybody in the food chain watched this film.
Can you question your preconceptions?
Can you speak truth to authority?
These were the values of the baby boomers, before they sold out when Reagan legitimized greed. But some stayed on course, true to their beliefs, like Devo.
I've never seen a rock doc like this before. This is a perennial, to be viewed by up and comers of all ages for all time.
I'm stunned that they laid it all out there and got it right.
Then again, to do this you must be in control and do it your way, not compromising for commerciality. Only then do you have a chance of truly resonating and changing the world.
Music did change the world.
Not anymore.
But once upon a time there was an energy, and Devo weren't the only ones, but they made it and never compromised and are still aware of what they did while having a sense of humor all the while.
WOW!
--
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
This is utterly fantastic. On some level stupendous. This is not your average rock doc...you know, a linear retelling of the band's career, pure fact with a bit of rearview interpretation by those still alive. RATHER, this is all about the inspiration, this is all about the ARTISTRY!
And we haven't had that spirit here for a very long time.
If you're a baby boomer, you will remember. The inspiration of old films, from W.C. Fields to the Marx Brothers to "Inherit the Wind," which had a profound effect on Mark Mothersbaugh.
Who is inspired by a pamphlet given to him by a teacher which lays out so much of the Devo philosophy long before there even is a band.
You see Gerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh were art students.
You're laughed at if you study art today. Which is one reason our music is so vapid. It's paint by numbers, there's no THINKING involved. And Devo was all about thinking. The thinking came first, audience acceptance second. They were projecting their ethos into the atmosphere, and how people reacted was important. Then again, they believed eventually people would get it, instead we've truly devolved. When you see the images from the "Beautiful World" video you know we've truly lost the plot. Things are ugly, but if you say so you're the enemy. We're all supposed to be mindless winners, in love with society. But what if you look at the dirty underside?
People don't like it. Those in control. You've got to blame the game.
The essence of the music business is revealed when Mark asks the exec why if cassettes are cheaper to make and more profitable to the label that the band gets a lower royalty rate. The response is THAT'S THE WAY IT IS!
Do you accept that?
This film will demonstrate that while youngsters can sing and maybe even play, there's no artistry involved. As a matter of fact, Devo and this doc are the antithesis of today's music business. Where having a good voice is considered artistry.
Then again, maybe I'm just a smug baby boomer lifting the curtain on the warts of society.
Don't confuse me, or Devo, with the boomers in D.C. who won't let go. As a matter of fact, there's lot of anti-Reagan stuff in the flick. Devo are outsiders, like all great artists. They're reacting to what they see. They're not a part of it, they wouldn't deign to be a part of it!
How to explain...
You really can't.
It's a sensibility.
It's the opposite of going to Harvard and going to work in finance. It's about having an idea and living in squalor believing in the mission, not even knowing if the mission will pay off, only that you need to stay on the path.
These are weirdos. From back when being a weirdo was a badge of honor. When you knew you weren't cool and didn't pretend to be. When you laughed at the cheerleaders and football players, meatheads who'd drunk the kool-aid.
Art is about questioning precepts. Why is it that way? Should it be that way? How do I make people aware of the conundrum?
Of course you've got some music business lore in this film. Record labels, MTV...but they are subsidiary to the story. I'd like to say they were tools of Devo, but that's not an accurate description. They unknowingly exposed Devo and its message, unaware of the group's underlying beliefs, and when they'd had their fill, they abandoned the group.
Timing is everything. If it weren't for the Ramones and CBGB's and the new wave, Devo probably never would have broken through. For all I know, they were not the only band on this path. But they stuck with it, and making it is about hard work and luck, and then taking advantage of the opportunity.
Devo never completely sells out. They can see the cognitive dissonance of going on "Merv Griffin" and "American Bandstand," they stay true to their diffident personalities. Who's using who?
This is what it used to be like, this is what we're missing.
Of course Devo can't be replicated exactly today, for numerous reasons. Then again, the tools of creation and exhibition are cheap and available to all, so if you do have a message you can get the word out. Will it resonate and spread?
There was less competition back then, because fewer acts could get the record label push. Today you do it all yourself, but as referenced above, you can do this, with no interference.
But really this is not about the system, the music business, but the band and its vision.
Where does your inspiration come from? If you just want to be rich and famous, so be it, you're not going to change the world. You change the world by having a message and getting it out. And when it's not the mainstream message, you must be subversive.
How do you learn how to do this?
By paying attention to the words of Max Ernst. Seeing films that have more depth than superheroes on parade.
Just watch it. We'd be in a better place, music would be in a better place, if everybody in the food chain watched this film.
Can you question your preconceptions?
Can you speak truth to authority?
These were the values of the baby boomers, before they sold out when Reagan legitimized greed. But some stayed on course, true to their beliefs, like Devo.
I've never seen a rock doc like this before. This is a perennial, to be viewed by up and comers of all ages for all time.
I'm stunned that they laid it all out there and got it right.
Then again, to do this you must be in control and do it your way, not compromising for commerciality. Only then do you have a chance of truly resonating and changing the world.
Music did change the world.
Not anymore.
But once upon a time there was an energy, and Devo weren't the only ones, but they made it and never compromised and are still aware of what they did while having a sense of humor all the while.
WOW!
--
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
Thursday, 21 August 2025
Martin Porter & David Goggin-This Week's Podcast
The story of their new book "Buzz Me In: Inside the Record Plant Studios."
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-goggin-martin-porter/id1316200737?i=1000722936461
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Zi9dtnmq6QNqLJouqGz7Q?si=ExTMLUpjQe2koQm2XObqRg
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/david-goggin-martin-porter-290295940/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/b340b055-312e-4b9a-abbc-00beb2fffa88/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-david-goggin-martin-porter
--
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
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-goggin-martin-porter/id1316200737?i=1000722936461
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Zi9dtnmq6QNqLJouqGz7Q?si=ExTMLUpjQe2koQm2XObqRg
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/david-goggin-martin-porter-290295940/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/b340b055-312e-4b9a-abbc-00beb2fffa88/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-david-goggin-martin-porter
--
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
Wednesday, 20 August 2025
Newsom
This is what made me write the "Fandom" post.
Newsom's been all over my social media feeds giving it back to Trump and the Republicans, but in the mainstream media...crickets.
Until today.
Today the "Times," Politico, Yahoo and more got on board.
But the account he's posting from still only has 430,000 X(Twitter) followers. But I don't blame Newsom, I BLAME THE DEMOCRATS! Who've demonized social media to the point where it's a crime to be on it. Whereas voters eat this stuff up. Young voters. But the Democratic party is controlled by oldsters who can't be attacked, for if you do so it's AGEISM! Forget that Biden was losing his marbles, HE WAS TOO DAMN OLD! Nobody wants a president who's 86...it's unfathomable.
But whenever I wrote that my inbox went wild with self-righteous lefties who thought they knew better. It's like a Bob Dylan song come to life...except this time the times have already changed, will you please get out of the way?
If the Democrats even play online it's sanitized, for fear of pissing someone off. That's the Democratic party, you've got to shut up because someone somewhere might take offense. Boy have the Republicans won on this issue... I mean let people speak! And tell me once again why trans females should be playing in women's sports? Forget that there aren't that many, does every minority group have the right to do everything?
No, and this never will be. We are all prisoners of our limitations. Face them and do your best.
But the funny thing is the people defending these supposedly marginal groups almost always aren't members of them! Whenever I'm accused of sexism it comes from men. Same deal if you mention something about Latinos or native Americans or Blacks. These minorities are sick and tired of middle class whitey hijacking their cause while saying they know better. THIS is one of the main reasons why minority groups shifted to Trump in greater numbers, never mind the fact that the Democrats say a lot and do little for these factions.
I can see my inbox right now, HERESY! Why are you attacking the Democrats, you must be loyal to the TEAM! A team almost everyone has abandoned? That is out of touch with the populace? Can't anybody look at themselves and change?
Rogan and Von win because they are regular guys. Where are the regular guys on the left who young men can relate to? On the left everybody is highbrow, and the Democrats who dip their toes into podcasts are so damn media-trained that no one thinks they're honest. Today you must speak your mind and let the cards fall where they may. Stop APOLOGIZING! How did that start in America. Everybody's always apologizing, as if this lets them off the hook, and oftentimes they should have stood their ground, but once again, they're fearful of offending someone.
I'd be stunned if Gavin Newsom can win the presidency. Because the right has spent years labeling California a hellhole. Not a week goes by without a major story about companies or people moving to Texas or Oklahoma... California is a passé state with too many regulations, even Ezra Klein came down on it.
I don't agree, but I don't want to argue with perception, perception is EVERYTHING!
So Newsom is giving the Republicans a taste of their own medicine. For a few weeks Newsom's tweets have been so outrageous you almost believed someone was posting from a parody account. Normally Democrats post sans humor, which is why they have no virality. They don't mash up images, use AI...it's so dry you're about to die.
Want to do something? Turn off MSNBC, stop listening to left wing talk radio and start following @GovPressOffice immediately. Download X(Twitter) if you don't already have the app. Yes, break your cardinal rule against social media, USE IT! Then you'll have a clue what the young 'uns now in control of our country truly think.
And while you're at it download TikTok and follow @cagovernor
Or go directly to Newsom's posts here: https://www.tiktok.com/@cagovernor?lang=en
Why am I telling you to do this? BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD! You will smile. Trump and the Republicans are vulnerable, but all the elected Democratic officials do is sit on their rear ends and say their hands are tied. BUT NOT NEWSOM!
And you know why? Gavin Newsom is a product of California, he was born in San Francisco.
In California it doesn't matter what college you went to, who your parents are, all that east coast crap you're inundated with at the Ivys and in Manhattan and D.C. No, everybody starts from the same line and you make it up as you go. And the whole state is based on the long shot. Taking big risks. It's an ethos that has not flourished anywhere else in the nation. In California the sky's the limit, in the rest of the country you're taught to know your place. Don't agree? THEN YOU DON'T LIVE HERE!
Everybody is so pissed off. Everybody thinks things must go their way. The new is abhorred. Nobody is taking a risk, they don't want to put a single dollar in jeopardy. But since they went to a good school they're self-satisfied and believe they're better than the rest. And, unfortunately, THESE SAME DAMN PEOPLE ARE IN CONTROL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!
It's time to do your part, can the pessimism and embrace a bit of optimism.
If I hear one more Democrat talk about 2028... Do you truly think there's going to be a free and fair election then? It will be too late! We already saw Texas gerrymandering today. And Trump's minions want all the voting rolls. And no mail-in voting... You know, the Democrats too busy to wait in line at the polls because they're above it...
HAVE I PISSED YOU OFF YET?
If so, either change or get out of the way. How come you can't question your precepts, how come you need to believe you're better than everybody else?
Every party needs a leader. And right now the Democrats have a vacuum. It's like a hot potato, no one wants to stick their neck out.
Don't you get it, THE REPUBLICANS ARE VULNERABLE!
Ultimately it's about hearts and minds, didn't we learn that in Vietnam?
But all we've got is defeated poobahs with horrific loss records saying to follow them. NO!
Let's jump into the fray and get our hands dirty.
But no, the Democrats are like France...they believe their language and culture are superior but then they capitulate whenever challenged, they don't even put up a good fight.
Where is the ATTITUDE on the left?
With Gavin Newsom and nobody else.
Newsom runs the largest state in the nation, one that keeps the red states alive with its taxes. Yet the perception is the state is a pariah.
Innovation? It was supposed to come from Florida...what a joke. Ditto Texas. As for New York? You've got to be rich to live there and the tech scene has always been anemic.
California is the fourth largest economy in the world. Why is everybody apologizing for it? Not Newsom, he's embracing the power and flaunting it. Let him be a beacon to those on the left.
Newsom represents hope. And isn't that what Obama won on, even if he didn't do so much in office?
Newsom has real power, and he's wielding it. KUDOS!
--
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
Newsom's been all over my social media feeds giving it back to Trump and the Republicans, but in the mainstream media...crickets.
Until today.
Today the "Times," Politico, Yahoo and more got on board.
But the account he's posting from still only has 430,000 X(Twitter) followers. But I don't blame Newsom, I BLAME THE DEMOCRATS! Who've demonized social media to the point where it's a crime to be on it. Whereas voters eat this stuff up. Young voters. But the Democratic party is controlled by oldsters who can't be attacked, for if you do so it's AGEISM! Forget that Biden was losing his marbles, HE WAS TOO DAMN OLD! Nobody wants a president who's 86...it's unfathomable.
But whenever I wrote that my inbox went wild with self-righteous lefties who thought they knew better. It's like a Bob Dylan song come to life...except this time the times have already changed, will you please get out of the way?
If the Democrats even play online it's sanitized, for fear of pissing someone off. That's the Democratic party, you've got to shut up because someone somewhere might take offense. Boy have the Republicans won on this issue... I mean let people speak! And tell me once again why trans females should be playing in women's sports? Forget that there aren't that many, does every minority group have the right to do everything?
No, and this never will be. We are all prisoners of our limitations. Face them and do your best.
But the funny thing is the people defending these supposedly marginal groups almost always aren't members of them! Whenever I'm accused of sexism it comes from men. Same deal if you mention something about Latinos or native Americans or Blacks. These minorities are sick and tired of middle class whitey hijacking their cause while saying they know better. THIS is one of the main reasons why minority groups shifted to Trump in greater numbers, never mind the fact that the Democrats say a lot and do little for these factions.
I can see my inbox right now, HERESY! Why are you attacking the Democrats, you must be loyal to the TEAM! A team almost everyone has abandoned? That is out of touch with the populace? Can't anybody look at themselves and change?
Rogan and Von win because they are regular guys. Where are the regular guys on the left who young men can relate to? On the left everybody is highbrow, and the Democrats who dip their toes into podcasts are so damn media-trained that no one thinks they're honest. Today you must speak your mind and let the cards fall where they may. Stop APOLOGIZING! How did that start in America. Everybody's always apologizing, as if this lets them off the hook, and oftentimes they should have stood their ground, but once again, they're fearful of offending someone.
I'd be stunned if Gavin Newsom can win the presidency. Because the right has spent years labeling California a hellhole. Not a week goes by without a major story about companies or people moving to Texas or Oklahoma... California is a passé state with too many regulations, even Ezra Klein came down on it.
I don't agree, but I don't want to argue with perception, perception is EVERYTHING!
So Newsom is giving the Republicans a taste of their own medicine. For a few weeks Newsom's tweets have been so outrageous you almost believed someone was posting from a parody account. Normally Democrats post sans humor, which is why they have no virality. They don't mash up images, use AI...it's so dry you're about to die.
Want to do something? Turn off MSNBC, stop listening to left wing talk radio and start following @GovPressOffice immediately. Download X(Twitter) if you don't already have the app. Yes, break your cardinal rule against social media, USE IT! Then you'll have a clue what the young 'uns now in control of our country truly think.
And while you're at it download TikTok and follow @cagovernor
Or go directly to Newsom's posts here: https://www.tiktok.com/@cagovernor?lang=en
Why am I telling you to do this? BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD! You will smile. Trump and the Republicans are vulnerable, but all the elected Democratic officials do is sit on their rear ends and say their hands are tied. BUT NOT NEWSOM!
And you know why? Gavin Newsom is a product of California, he was born in San Francisco.
In California it doesn't matter what college you went to, who your parents are, all that east coast crap you're inundated with at the Ivys and in Manhattan and D.C. No, everybody starts from the same line and you make it up as you go. And the whole state is based on the long shot. Taking big risks. It's an ethos that has not flourished anywhere else in the nation. In California the sky's the limit, in the rest of the country you're taught to know your place. Don't agree? THEN YOU DON'T LIVE HERE!
Everybody is so pissed off. Everybody thinks things must go their way. The new is abhorred. Nobody is taking a risk, they don't want to put a single dollar in jeopardy. But since they went to a good school they're self-satisfied and believe they're better than the rest. And, unfortunately, THESE SAME DAMN PEOPLE ARE IN CONTROL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!
It's time to do your part, can the pessimism and embrace a bit of optimism.
If I hear one more Democrat talk about 2028... Do you truly think there's going to be a free and fair election then? It will be too late! We already saw Texas gerrymandering today. And Trump's minions want all the voting rolls. And no mail-in voting... You know, the Democrats too busy to wait in line at the polls because they're above it...
HAVE I PISSED YOU OFF YET?
If so, either change or get out of the way. How come you can't question your precepts, how come you need to believe you're better than everybody else?
Every party needs a leader. And right now the Democrats have a vacuum. It's like a hot potato, no one wants to stick their neck out.
Don't you get it, THE REPUBLICANS ARE VULNERABLE!
Ultimately it's about hearts and minds, didn't we learn that in Vietnam?
But all we've got is defeated poobahs with horrific loss records saying to follow them. NO!
Let's jump into the fray and get our hands dirty.
But no, the Democrats are like France...they believe their language and culture are superior but then they capitulate whenever challenged, they don't even put up a good fight.
Where is the ATTITUDE on the left?
With Gavin Newsom and nobody else.
Newsom runs the largest state in the nation, one that keeps the red states alive with its taxes. Yet the perception is the state is a pariah.
Innovation? It was supposed to come from Florida...what a joke. Ditto Texas. As for New York? You've got to be rich to live there and the tech scene has always been anemic.
California is the fourth largest economy in the world. Why is everybody apologizing for it? Not Newsom, he's embracing the power and flaunting it. Let him be a beacon to those on the left.
Newsom represents hope. And isn't that what Obama won on, even if he didn't do so much in office?
Newsom has real power, and he's wielding it. KUDOS!
--
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
E-Mail Of The Day
Re: Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs Chart
Bob,
This letter made me chuckle, because you ain't wrong. And what Spotify shows for last week unwittingly aligns with what we sell as PHYSICAL copies in an indie record store in St. Louis (Euclid Records).
When it comes to sales of FMac Rumours, they should just issue that album to every child at birth!
And that Goo Goo Dolls ranking is not surprising to us.
Here's a snapshot of our top sellers for 2024. The totals are a combination of new and used vinyl & CDs:
DESCRIPTION NAME SALESLAST365
1. Aerovons "Resurrection" 330
2. Chappell Roan "The Rise and Fall 184
of a Midwest Princess"
3. Taylor Swift "The Tortured Poets 172
Department"
4. Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" 95
5. Goo Goo Dolls "Greatest Hits Vol. 1" 75
6. Charli XCX "Brat" 65
7. Vince Guaraldi "Charlie Brown 60
Xmas"
8. Taylor Swift "Midnights" 58
9. Taylor Swift "1989 T.'s Version" 57
10. Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" 52
11. Billie Eilish "Hit Me Hard and 52
Soft"
12. MF DOOM "Mm...Food" 52
13. Vampire Weekend "Only God Was 52
Above Us"
14. Led Zeppelin "IV (ZOSO)" 51
15. Pink Floud "Dark Side of the 47
Moon"
16. Beatles "White Album" 46
17. Jack White No Name 46
18. The Cure "Songs of a Lost 44
World"
19. Kendrick Lamar "Good Kid 43
M.A.A.D. City"
20. Sturgill Simpson/ "Passage Du Desir" 43
Johnny Blue Skies
21. Weezer Blue Album 43
22. Beatles "Revolver" 42
23. Noah Kahan "Stick Season" 42
24. Hozier Hozier 39
25. Beyoncé "Cowboy Carter" 38
26. Olivia Rodrigo "Guts" 38
27. Smile "Wall of Eyes" 37
We sold 30 copies of Arctic Monkeys AM in 2024. And this year, it remains a title we can't get enough of to keep in regular stock.
And we are continually astounded at how much Journey (and Kansas!) gets scooped up. It's used vinyl, because the labels haven't re-issued them yet. Meaning, we can only sell what used copies come in the door, so their sales are limited by inventory.
It's intriguing to see Spotify numbers translating to when people of all ages decide it's time to have a physical copy of it.
And side bar to a previous letter topic:
We need a music streaming service on our iPad to play sealed new releases in the store to generate in-store interest and sales (labels just don't send promo copies like they used to).
We recently canceled our Spotify subscription and hooked up with Tidal.
The sound quality is noticeably better.
And many of our popular sellers (like King Gizz) are no longer on Spotify. We need a streamer that HAS the artists whose new titles we're trying to sell.
Thanks for another intriguing letter,
Toby Weiss
--
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
Bob,
This letter made me chuckle, because you ain't wrong. And what Spotify shows for last week unwittingly aligns with what we sell as PHYSICAL copies in an indie record store in St. Louis (Euclid Records).
When it comes to sales of FMac Rumours, they should just issue that album to every child at birth!
And that Goo Goo Dolls ranking is not surprising to us.
Here's a snapshot of our top sellers for 2024. The totals are a combination of new and used vinyl & CDs:
DESCRIPTION NAME SALESLAST365
1. Aerovons "Resurrection" 330
2. Chappell Roan "The Rise and Fall 184
of a Midwest Princess"
3. Taylor Swift "The Tortured Poets 172
Department"
4. Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" 95
5. Goo Goo Dolls "Greatest Hits Vol. 1" 75
6. Charli XCX "Brat" 65
7. Vince Guaraldi "Charlie Brown 60
Xmas"
8. Taylor Swift "Midnights" 58
9. Taylor Swift "1989 T.'s Version" 57
10. Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" 52
11. Billie Eilish "Hit Me Hard and 52
Soft"
12. MF DOOM "Mm...Food" 52
13. Vampire Weekend "Only God Was 52
Above Us"
14. Led Zeppelin "IV (ZOSO)" 51
15. Pink Floud "Dark Side of the 47
Moon"
16. Beatles "White Album" 46
17. Jack White No Name 46
18. The Cure "Songs of a Lost 44
World"
19. Kendrick Lamar "Good Kid 43
M.A.A.D. City"
20. Sturgill Simpson/ "Passage Du Desir" 43
Johnny Blue Skies
21. Weezer Blue Album 43
22. Beatles "Revolver" 42
23. Noah Kahan "Stick Season" 42
24. Hozier Hozier 39
25. Beyoncé "Cowboy Carter" 38
26. Olivia Rodrigo "Guts" 38
27. Smile "Wall of Eyes" 37
We sold 30 copies of Arctic Monkeys AM in 2024. And this year, it remains a title we can't get enough of to keep in regular stock.
And we are continually astounded at how much Journey (and Kansas!) gets scooped up. It's used vinyl, because the labels haven't re-issued them yet. Meaning, we can only sell what used copies come in the door, so their sales are limited by inventory.
It's intriguing to see Spotify numbers translating to when people of all ages decide it's time to have a physical copy of it.
And side bar to a previous letter topic:
We need a music streaming service on our iPad to play sealed new releases in the store to generate in-store interest and sales (labels just don't send promo copies like they used to).
We recently canceled our Spotify subscription and hooked up with Tidal.
The sound quality is noticeably better.
And many of our popular sellers (like King Gizz) are no longer on Spotify. We need a streamer that HAS the artists whose new titles we're trying to sell.
Thanks for another intriguing letter,
Toby Weiss
--
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
Fandom
At what point did you give up your fandom for a band...if ever?
And what made you become a fan of the band to begin with?
Now a band needs a lead singer, a front person, usually a man but it can also be a woman. Look, Linkin Park is now fronted by a woman. And that front person must have a personality. Alice Cooper was the name of the band, not Vince Furnier, but because of his antics up front, Vince became known as Alice and continued to have a career when the rest of the band did not.
Now it's best if that front person is edgy. After all, a band is the antithesis to society. We don't need you to agree, but to point out all the inequities, all the injustices. The more you stick it to the man, the more we like you. Furthermore, we want you to live a lifestyle we cannot, because we neither have the cash nor the opportunities, never mind the road manager with a roll of hundred dollar bills to make any problem go away. We like that you elude the law. We even like it when you're drunk and out of control, proving that society's norms have no purchase on your soul.
As for big pronouncements... The Beatles bigger than Jesus? How come I'm still referencing this offhand remark by John Lennon over half a century later. He's rich, he's got fans, he can say whatever he wants, whereas those working for the man cannot...their entire lives are compromised, they've got to give to get, it's a network of obligations, most of which you don't want to fulfill, but you need to.
As for solo acts...
There's a reason acts are wary of going out sans the band's name. Kevin Cronin just experienced this. He's the front person for REO Speedwagon, but without that moniker...the populace is confused, they think they're not getting what they used to, if they're even aware of the fact that it's the same guy who sings the songs.
Starting as a solo act... You're best if there's a penumbra, more than your music. Elton John had the outfits, the outrageousness. That's fallen away today, but if you were around back then it was a key part of a fan's attachment to him.
In other words, the music is not enough. You need a personality. Hopefully with some rough edges that can hook the audience.
Which is why you can have hits but no career. What is your IMAGE? And an image is more than beauty.
Speaking of beauty... We loved that our acts went out with models and actresses. They WON! Peter Wolf with Faye Dunaway? Everybody in America was salivating over her and this scruffy guy from a band got her. Rod Stewart and his babes?
Rod Stewart's a good example... What did it take for me to turn on him?
Those execrable "American Songbook" albums he did with Clive Davis. If you're only doing it for the money... Then again, like Frank Zappa, you can poke fun at the whole thing, saying WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY!
Was this the same Rod the Mod who grew up in Gasoline Alley? Who was up on deck when she bit his neck? This guy didn't know who his audience was, and he alienated me. But I've still got a soft spot in my heart for Rod...I remember those early records.
Trump is an incredible front man. He acts like the rules don't apply to him. Does whatever he wants, damn the consequences, someone else will clean up the detritus.
He's traded one babe for another, he's married to a model now.
He's beaten the system time and again. Stiffing banks and contractors.
He's a rebel I tell you, a veritable RENEGADE!
But those battling against him point to the facts. It's like a classical music aficionado trying to convince you why Ozzy Osbourne sucks. Who cares, they don't get it!
Trump jets around and acts like a bozo with world leaders... Isn't this like Keith Moon? If you're a fan of the man you're loving it, you're not wincing, you're WINNING!
So what is it going to take for you to abandon Trump? I mean you've drunk the kool-aid, you're a fan.
Well, you could become a fan of a new band.
But the Democrats don't have any acts they're purveying other than Gavin Newsom, who they're sidelining.
Schumer? He's not even as credible and desirable as the Carpenters.
Who amongst the Democrats inspires the base, makes them fans?
I can't think of a single person. I can think of a few people who are good on paper, like Shapiro, Pritzker and Whitmer... But I wouldn't go to the show. Get in my car, travel and pay to see any of them. As for their greatest hits...what exactly are they? There's no there there.
So the Democrats keep trying to convince Trump voters that they shouldn't, be fans of Trump.
They point to cuts that will hurt the Trumpers... But the Trumpers are not listening, it's like parents trying to tell their kids about the evils of Elvis Presley, they're doubling-down.
Now in music there's been a tradition of outlaws, which has now been squandered. Do you remember the turn of the decade, from the eighties to the nineties, when Snoop started singing about gin and juice and there were these rap wars and all we heard was f*ck the police? Not only were these rappers dangerous, they were spewing truth! And isn't it funny how even today when a rapper goes to jail it doesn't hurt their career.
But that dangerous front person paradigm is hard to find in today's music. Because you just can't repeat what's been done before, you must plow new ground. So if you sing music that hearkens back to the days of yore and you're dating models...we've seen that before, how about something new?
And you're ripping us off all the while.
We don't need your stinking merch, even though you keep telling us so. Trump executed on this model before it became completely burned out, before the Kardashians perfected it, proving that you don't even have to have any talent to sell merch, that it's all a big grift. At the core of it you've got to have something...
So if your songs are written by committee...
It's harder for the audience to embrace you. We want to believe they're YOUR words, YOUR story. Which is one of the reasons music blew up back in the sixties and seventies. Now the focus is on hits. Whatever it takes to make a hit. Give the audience something palatable. Whereas it used to be about the audience coming to the act, not compromising whatsoever. Have you listened to "Are You Experienced"? There's not a hit on it. But when you first heard "Purple Haze" you wanted more of that.
Norms... Stars challenge the norms.
As for today's record labels, they're just like the consultants who convinced Biden he could win. They wanted to keep their jobs, they wanted their bonuses. But the joke was on them, because the audience knew...
Hell, look at the recent concert grosses. They're not so big if you're not a big star. As for some long in the tooth stars... How many times are you going to go back to the well and rip me off? I've seen the show, and you want how much money?
It's tough for a fan.
And we wall want to be fans. That's part of our identity, part of our well-being. And music has punted here, believing commerce triumphs artistry.
What did Trump say during his first run? I'M RICH AND I DON'T NEED YOUR MONEY! Imagine a musical act saying that today.
You can challenge the veracity of that, but musical acts have been lying from day one. The show is sold out? Yeah, right. You've sold a million copies of your independent album? I'd be stunned if you sold a hundred thousand. Or, as Jerry Heller once told me regarding N.W.A...my company, my number!
So you Democrats keep trying to poke holes in the Trump edifice. You might as well try and convince young girls not to believe in K-pop.
But it's even worse. The Democrats are abdicating all their power. They're all about old media when it's been trumped by new media...everybody gets their information online and what do the Democrats say? SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE DEVIL! And when you ask them if they're on TikTok, they say they wouldn't deign to be so...but the joke is on them.
Don't think of it as binary, us vs. them... There are more than two acts in music, and there is more than one politician. You can be successful without basing your entire ethos/marketing campaign on putting another act down. You're just rounding up all the people who don't believe in the other act, giving them something to invest their time, money and belief in. And if your act is powerful enough, some of the fans of another act will come to you.
And one thing is for sure, acts are not forever. Some have long careers on the road, but their hitmaking days are far behind them. You need new blood. Where is the new blood in the Democratic party? NONEXISTENT!
Beto O'Rourke said some good things, but he looked like a prep school kid out on a lark, not dangerous. Which was a criticism of Fetterman, that he hadn't done an honest day's work in his life, but at least he had tattoos and was wearing those damn SHORTS! And when he showed up in Congress in them and his hoodies... The old farts were offended, youngsters said they could see one of theirs in office. (However Fetterman had his stroke and his power has been to a great degree neutered.)
We're looking for leaders. And leaders also have a sense of humor about themselves.
What we're looking for is stars.
There are plenty of people with talent, but how many are stars?
Very few.
And gaining an audience is about more than talent, it's an ability to be warm, to communicate. There are variations on the theme, but talk to anybody in the music business, they know what a star is and who is one. Hell, there are stars with imperfect voices. That's why "The Voice" and other competition shows never mint stars, because it's not solely about the voice, that's just the starting point.
We want unconstrained people who can give the middle finger to the status quo. Trump fires on all cylinders. The Democrats? They can't even start their electric car.
So the next time you criticize people for being Trumpers... Ask yourself what you're offering in return. Also, know that generally speaking very little is being offered anyway, which is another reason why politics is king. Actors have been revealed to truly be two-dimensional as a result of social media and the "musicians" are all whored-out, who you gonna believe in in this topsy-turvy, difficult world?
And you've got to believe in someone.
And it's never just yourself. Unless you're John Lennon. Isn't it funny that despite his cutting personality, his poor treatment of women, that he's still revered, more than Paul McCartney? Paul NEEDS it, John didn't seem to. He wasn't begging for your attention, you were drawn to him.
Who is drawing us to them in the Democratic party?
No one.
But the Republicans, they've got TRUMP!
--
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
And what made you become a fan of the band to begin with?
Now a band needs a lead singer, a front person, usually a man but it can also be a woman. Look, Linkin Park is now fronted by a woman. And that front person must have a personality. Alice Cooper was the name of the band, not Vince Furnier, but because of his antics up front, Vince became known as Alice and continued to have a career when the rest of the band did not.
Now it's best if that front person is edgy. After all, a band is the antithesis to society. We don't need you to agree, but to point out all the inequities, all the injustices. The more you stick it to the man, the more we like you. Furthermore, we want you to live a lifestyle we cannot, because we neither have the cash nor the opportunities, never mind the road manager with a roll of hundred dollar bills to make any problem go away. We like that you elude the law. We even like it when you're drunk and out of control, proving that society's norms have no purchase on your soul.
As for big pronouncements... The Beatles bigger than Jesus? How come I'm still referencing this offhand remark by John Lennon over half a century later. He's rich, he's got fans, he can say whatever he wants, whereas those working for the man cannot...their entire lives are compromised, they've got to give to get, it's a network of obligations, most of which you don't want to fulfill, but you need to.
As for solo acts...
There's a reason acts are wary of going out sans the band's name. Kevin Cronin just experienced this. He's the front person for REO Speedwagon, but without that moniker...the populace is confused, they think they're not getting what they used to, if they're even aware of the fact that it's the same guy who sings the songs.
Starting as a solo act... You're best if there's a penumbra, more than your music. Elton John had the outfits, the outrageousness. That's fallen away today, but if you were around back then it was a key part of a fan's attachment to him.
In other words, the music is not enough. You need a personality. Hopefully with some rough edges that can hook the audience.
Which is why you can have hits but no career. What is your IMAGE? And an image is more than beauty.
Speaking of beauty... We loved that our acts went out with models and actresses. They WON! Peter Wolf with Faye Dunaway? Everybody in America was salivating over her and this scruffy guy from a band got her. Rod Stewart and his babes?
Rod Stewart's a good example... What did it take for me to turn on him?
Those execrable "American Songbook" albums he did with Clive Davis. If you're only doing it for the money... Then again, like Frank Zappa, you can poke fun at the whole thing, saying WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY!
Was this the same Rod the Mod who grew up in Gasoline Alley? Who was up on deck when she bit his neck? This guy didn't know who his audience was, and he alienated me. But I've still got a soft spot in my heart for Rod...I remember those early records.
Trump is an incredible front man. He acts like the rules don't apply to him. Does whatever he wants, damn the consequences, someone else will clean up the detritus.
He's traded one babe for another, he's married to a model now.
He's beaten the system time and again. Stiffing banks and contractors.
He's a rebel I tell you, a veritable RENEGADE!
But those battling against him point to the facts. It's like a classical music aficionado trying to convince you why Ozzy Osbourne sucks. Who cares, they don't get it!
Trump jets around and acts like a bozo with world leaders... Isn't this like Keith Moon? If you're a fan of the man you're loving it, you're not wincing, you're WINNING!
So what is it going to take for you to abandon Trump? I mean you've drunk the kool-aid, you're a fan.
Well, you could become a fan of a new band.
But the Democrats don't have any acts they're purveying other than Gavin Newsom, who they're sidelining.
Schumer? He's not even as credible and desirable as the Carpenters.
Who amongst the Democrats inspires the base, makes them fans?
I can't think of a single person. I can think of a few people who are good on paper, like Shapiro, Pritzker and Whitmer... But I wouldn't go to the show. Get in my car, travel and pay to see any of them. As for their greatest hits...what exactly are they? There's no there there.
So the Democrats keep trying to convince Trump voters that they shouldn't, be fans of Trump.
They point to cuts that will hurt the Trumpers... But the Trumpers are not listening, it's like parents trying to tell their kids about the evils of Elvis Presley, they're doubling-down.
Now in music there's been a tradition of outlaws, which has now been squandered. Do you remember the turn of the decade, from the eighties to the nineties, when Snoop started singing about gin and juice and there were these rap wars and all we heard was f*ck the police? Not only were these rappers dangerous, they were spewing truth! And isn't it funny how even today when a rapper goes to jail it doesn't hurt their career.
But that dangerous front person paradigm is hard to find in today's music. Because you just can't repeat what's been done before, you must plow new ground. So if you sing music that hearkens back to the days of yore and you're dating models...we've seen that before, how about something new?
And you're ripping us off all the while.
We don't need your stinking merch, even though you keep telling us so. Trump executed on this model before it became completely burned out, before the Kardashians perfected it, proving that you don't even have to have any talent to sell merch, that it's all a big grift. At the core of it you've got to have something...
So if your songs are written by committee...
It's harder for the audience to embrace you. We want to believe they're YOUR words, YOUR story. Which is one of the reasons music blew up back in the sixties and seventies. Now the focus is on hits. Whatever it takes to make a hit. Give the audience something palatable. Whereas it used to be about the audience coming to the act, not compromising whatsoever. Have you listened to "Are You Experienced"? There's not a hit on it. But when you first heard "Purple Haze" you wanted more of that.
Norms... Stars challenge the norms.
As for today's record labels, they're just like the consultants who convinced Biden he could win. They wanted to keep their jobs, they wanted their bonuses. But the joke was on them, because the audience knew...
Hell, look at the recent concert grosses. They're not so big if you're not a big star. As for some long in the tooth stars... How many times are you going to go back to the well and rip me off? I've seen the show, and you want how much money?
It's tough for a fan.
And we wall want to be fans. That's part of our identity, part of our well-being. And music has punted here, believing commerce triumphs artistry.
What did Trump say during his first run? I'M RICH AND I DON'T NEED YOUR MONEY! Imagine a musical act saying that today.
You can challenge the veracity of that, but musical acts have been lying from day one. The show is sold out? Yeah, right. You've sold a million copies of your independent album? I'd be stunned if you sold a hundred thousand. Or, as Jerry Heller once told me regarding N.W.A...my company, my number!
So you Democrats keep trying to poke holes in the Trump edifice. You might as well try and convince young girls not to believe in K-pop.
But it's even worse. The Democrats are abdicating all their power. They're all about old media when it's been trumped by new media...everybody gets their information online and what do the Democrats say? SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE DEVIL! And when you ask them if they're on TikTok, they say they wouldn't deign to be so...but the joke is on them.
Don't think of it as binary, us vs. them... There are more than two acts in music, and there is more than one politician. You can be successful without basing your entire ethos/marketing campaign on putting another act down. You're just rounding up all the people who don't believe in the other act, giving them something to invest their time, money and belief in. And if your act is powerful enough, some of the fans of another act will come to you.
And one thing is for sure, acts are not forever. Some have long careers on the road, but their hitmaking days are far behind them. You need new blood. Where is the new blood in the Democratic party? NONEXISTENT!
Beto O'Rourke said some good things, but he looked like a prep school kid out on a lark, not dangerous. Which was a criticism of Fetterman, that he hadn't done an honest day's work in his life, but at least he had tattoos and was wearing those damn SHORTS! And when he showed up in Congress in them and his hoodies... The old farts were offended, youngsters said they could see one of theirs in office. (However Fetterman had his stroke and his power has been to a great degree neutered.)
We're looking for leaders. And leaders also have a sense of humor about themselves.
What we're looking for is stars.
There are plenty of people with talent, but how many are stars?
Very few.
And gaining an audience is about more than talent, it's an ability to be warm, to communicate. There are variations on the theme, but talk to anybody in the music business, they know what a star is and who is one. Hell, there are stars with imperfect voices. That's why "The Voice" and other competition shows never mint stars, because it's not solely about the voice, that's just the starting point.
We want unconstrained people who can give the middle finger to the status quo. Trump fires on all cylinders. The Democrats? They can't even start their electric car.
So the next time you criticize people for being Trumpers... Ask yourself what you're offering in return. Also, know that generally speaking very little is being offered anyway, which is another reason why politics is king. Actors have been revealed to truly be two-dimensional as a result of social media and the "musicians" are all whored-out, who you gonna believe in in this topsy-turvy, difficult world?
And you've got to believe in someone.
And it's never just yourself. Unless you're John Lennon. Isn't it funny that despite his cutting personality, his poor treatment of women, that he's still revered, more than Paul McCartney? Paul NEEDS it, John didn't seem to. He wasn't begging for your attention, you were drawn to him.
Who is drawing us to them in the Democratic party?
No one.
But the Republicans, they've got TRUMP!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Sushi and Coca-Cola
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5pGdWJIkt47ovJcBOKHl2S?si=37b1eea995ea47c9
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlR8JwdB8Qk
You've got to listen to the whole thing. While you're doing something else, distracted. So you can suddenly turn your head and say to yourself WHAT IS THIS?
I don't want to oversell "Sushi and Coca-Cola," that would do the track a disservice. Keep your expectations low and let your mind drift. When done right music penetrates you in a way nothing else does. Sure, there are some great in your face numbers that demand your attention, but what you really want is something to ride shotgun, something personal that can lift your mood and make you think you can conquer the world...or at least survive!
I know St. Paul & The Broken Bones had their moment a few years back, when that video from Letterman was ping-ponging around the internet. I didn't get it, I liked the emotion, but I didn't find the song to be that good. But this, THIS I LIKE!
I spent hours today trying to penetrate new music. Got to say the new Justin Bieber album is listenable, but do I want to listen to it? Unnecessary. It scares me that Olivia Rodrigo is a respected act. Have we sunk so low that we're kissing up to this two-dimensional stuff? This is paint by numbers, commerce. As for Chappell Roan...good for her that she's got success but do I think her music is for the ages, do I think it truly adds something to the canon? No.
Needless to say I burned out on the Spotify Top 50.
So then I started checking out Americana playlists. The best one was the best from 2024, but this is 2025, and I wanted something more current. And I heard a bunch of tracks that I understood, but didn't move me. And now I'm thinking of why "Sushi and Coca-Cola" moves me.
It's certainly not the lyrics. This is not Bob Dylan, this is simple, serviceable.
But there's no 808, THANK GOD! It's kind of like tattoos...if you want one, cool, but don't think you're rebelling.
And then there's the piano bed. Underpinning the entire thing.
And let's be clear, the vocal is EXQUISITE! Hearkens back to the days of yore, fifty plus years ago, before everybody thought they could sing and deserved Spotify royalties and you'd go to the local bar and there'd be a soul singer...
But then soul was eclipsed by hip-hop.
But really, what puts "Sushi and Coca-Cola" over the top is the HORNS! Do you know why we don't have more horns in today's music? IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE! That's one of the reasons we've got solo acts, not bands...no one wants to split the money that many ways. A drummer is necessary. A bassist. But can't you just hire horns when you need them? But the budgets of yore are out the window. Who is sitting in their home studio saying they're going to call in the horns?
Now this sounds nothing like Chicago. But once upon a time, there were horn bands...really started with Al Kooper and the initial iteration of Blood, Sweat & Tears. But that sound went out of favor...
Now if you were in the venue and St. Paul & The Broken Bones started to play "Sushi and Coca-Cola," you'd find it impossible to stay in your chair, you'd stand up and start to groove, and you wouldn't even need a partner, even though one would be fine. When the music penetrates you this way you put your phone down, you stop shooting selfies, you don't want to impinge upon the experience, you just want to revel in the mood.
Not that a major label is interested in a band like this. They don't want music, they want hits, they want instant commerciality. Something that just feels right, that might infect the populace and grow upon people...there's no room for that. And this isn't smooth, like the Average White Band, but that was fifty years ago itself. This is not a soul revue, this is too many musicians on a small stage playing for the love of it, because believe me, they can't be making much money.
Maybe you don't like this. You've got to know there are so many people immersed in the punk sound that if there's more than a couple of guitars and if the singer is not shouting they're out. Good for them, but most people have broader tastes.
Then again, the world is so broad that most music doesn't reach most people.
This is the kind of music you want at your Bar Mitzvah party, at your corporate retreat, the kind that makes people move and just feel good.
Once again, "Sushi and Coca-Cola" is not classic, but we haven't really had this sound since the Commitments thirty plus years ago, and St. Paul & The Broken Bones are more authentic.
So what we've got here is a journeyman band. Spreading their sound around the globe. You don't go to the show to hear the hits, you go to enter a trance, to levitate from this everyday world in a way that music used to specialize in but is hard to find today.
This is basic, this is human. It evidences talent. It's not about the looks, but the music. Do I expect everybody to glom on on instantly? Hell, this song has been out for a month and doesn't have significant traction, that's how hard it is to break through. You're on your own.
The record business is run by lemmings, but not all the acts are such.
We're looking for something authentic, that doesn't say BRAND in bright lights. Something that is basic, that is just music.
Like "Sushi and Coca-Cola."
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlR8JwdB8Qk
You've got to listen to the whole thing. While you're doing something else, distracted. So you can suddenly turn your head and say to yourself WHAT IS THIS?
I don't want to oversell "Sushi and Coca-Cola," that would do the track a disservice. Keep your expectations low and let your mind drift. When done right music penetrates you in a way nothing else does. Sure, there are some great in your face numbers that demand your attention, but what you really want is something to ride shotgun, something personal that can lift your mood and make you think you can conquer the world...or at least survive!
I know St. Paul & The Broken Bones had their moment a few years back, when that video from Letterman was ping-ponging around the internet. I didn't get it, I liked the emotion, but I didn't find the song to be that good. But this, THIS I LIKE!
I spent hours today trying to penetrate new music. Got to say the new Justin Bieber album is listenable, but do I want to listen to it? Unnecessary. It scares me that Olivia Rodrigo is a respected act. Have we sunk so low that we're kissing up to this two-dimensional stuff? This is paint by numbers, commerce. As for Chappell Roan...good for her that she's got success but do I think her music is for the ages, do I think it truly adds something to the canon? No.
Needless to say I burned out on the Spotify Top 50.
So then I started checking out Americana playlists. The best one was the best from 2024, but this is 2025, and I wanted something more current. And I heard a bunch of tracks that I understood, but didn't move me. And now I'm thinking of why "Sushi and Coca-Cola" moves me.
It's certainly not the lyrics. This is not Bob Dylan, this is simple, serviceable.
But there's no 808, THANK GOD! It's kind of like tattoos...if you want one, cool, but don't think you're rebelling.
And then there's the piano bed. Underpinning the entire thing.
And let's be clear, the vocal is EXQUISITE! Hearkens back to the days of yore, fifty plus years ago, before everybody thought they could sing and deserved Spotify royalties and you'd go to the local bar and there'd be a soul singer...
But then soul was eclipsed by hip-hop.
But really, what puts "Sushi and Coca-Cola" over the top is the HORNS! Do you know why we don't have more horns in today's music? IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE! That's one of the reasons we've got solo acts, not bands...no one wants to split the money that many ways. A drummer is necessary. A bassist. But can't you just hire horns when you need them? But the budgets of yore are out the window. Who is sitting in their home studio saying they're going to call in the horns?
Now this sounds nothing like Chicago. But once upon a time, there were horn bands...really started with Al Kooper and the initial iteration of Blood, Sweat & Tears. But that sound went out of favor...
Now if you were in the venue and St. Paul & The Broken Bones started to play "Sushi and Coca-Cola," you'd find it impossible to stay in your chair, you'd stand up and start to groove, and you wouldn't even need a partner, even though one would be fine. When the music penetrates you this way you put your phone down, you stop shooting selfies, you don't want to impinge upon the experience, you just want to revel in the mood.
Not that a major label is interested in a band like this. They don't want music, they want hits, they want instant commerciality. Something that just feels right, that might infect the populace and grow upon people...there's no room for that. And this isn't smooth, like the Average White Band, but that was fifty years ago itself. This is not a soul revue, this is too many musicians on a small stage playing for the love of it, because believe me, they can't be making much money.
Maybe you don't like this. You've got to know there are so many people immersed in the punk sound that if there's more than a couple of guitars and if the singer is not shouting they're out. Good for them, but most people have broader tastes.
Then again, the world is so broad that most music doesn't reach most people.
This is the kind of music you want at your Bar Mitzvah party, at your corporate retreat, the kind that makes people move and just feel good.
Once again, "Sushi and Coca-Cola" is not classic, but we haven't really had this sound since the Commitments thirty plus years ago, and St. Paul & The Broken Bones are more authentic.
So what we've got here is a journeyman band. Spreading their sound around the globe. You don't go to the show to hear the hits, you go to enter a trance, to levitate from this everyday world in a way that music used to specialize in but is hard to find today.
This is basic, this is human. It evidences talent. It's not about the looks, but the music. Do I expect everybody to glom on on instantly? Hell, this song has been out for a month and doesn't have significant traction, that's how hard it is to break through. You're on your own.
The record business is run by lemmings, but not all the acts are such.
We're looking for something authentic, that doesn't say BRAND in bright lights. Something that is basic, that is just music.
Like "Sushi and Coca-Cola."
--
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
Monday, 18 August 2025
Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs Chart
Everything old is new again.
SoundScan told us what was actually being sold.
Spotify tells us what is actually being played.
SoundScan taught us that country was much bigger than perceived.
Spotify teaches us that great songs never die, that they are discovered by younger generations. And no specific marketing event is necessary to make this happen. It appears cream rises to the top. Never in the history of the chart did we have a 48 year old album triumphing, as we do with "Rumours" below. It's Fleetwood Mac people want to listen to most, more than Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or even the Beatles...when it comes down to specific tracks.
Old albums will no longer die. As for new music... I want you to look at the concert grosses. You'll be positively stunned how many acts are making bank around the world. It's nearly incomprehensible, no one can know every act and their audience. And my point here is the world has splintered, and we see this nowhere near as much as in music, where all songs are on an equal footing, available to all.
It wasn't playlisting that caused these ancient songs to surface, it's sheer quality and word of mouth. It's not a rigged system.
Having said that, four of the top ten weekly Spotify songs are from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" movie. Proving first and foremost that distribution is king and a la carte is dead. This and "Happy Gilmore 2" are the two biggest movies of the summer in terms of audience share. The fact that the industry and the media don't acknowledge their penetration is irrelevant. Furthermore, never has anything so big been embraced by so few. All the juggernauts of today may be putting up big numbers, but their overall penetration of the marketplace/human consciousness is quite low. You had to see "Jaws" and "Star Wars," do you have to see ANY movie today? Despite all the fake hoopla?
In music it's the newbie's worst nightmare. Not only are you competing with new artists, you're competing with the greatest artists of all time. It's kind of like MTV... If you're jetted into the stratosphere immediately, you'll probably fall back quickly. But if your build is slow and steady you could be forever.
And acts have much longer career arcs.
King Lizard and the Wizard Gizzard just played the Hollywood Bowl. Kudos. But their first album came out in 2012,THIRTEEN YEARS AGO! Can you imagine an act launched in 1980 getting big airplay on MTV in 1993? Never mind that King Lizard and the Wizard Gizzard is still niche, most people have never heard their music, never mind of them.
Goose, which seems to be just now gaining major traction, released its first album in 2016, nine years ago.
Bands were done in a decade back when. And if they were still on the road they did not have hits. Now it takes a decade for people to find out about you.
The below songs are tried and true hits. They may not be your cup of tea, but consensus is that they're great. And the younger generations who dominate streaming agree.
Today the disposable rules...for a short while. And then the legends come back with a vengeance.
And it's only going to get worse. If you're in the me-too business, better change direction or give up.
If you're a new artist wanting to get paid for streaming, I only have one question, do you have a song as good as "Dreams"?
P.S. Just like there are no new songs of the summer this year, with last year's tracks dominating, the hits of the future will be smaller and smaller and smaller with less and less penetration.
______
Fleetwood Mac has two songs in the "Weekly Top Songs Global" chart:
#51 - "Dreams"
It has been as high as #20.
It was streamed 13,478,407 times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 2,255,207,970 times.
"Dreams" is #17 in the "Top 50 - USA" daily chart
#173 - "The Chain"
It has been as high as #119.
It was streamed 8,439,790 times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 1,440,773,242 times.
The Fleetwood Mac album "Rumours (Super Deluxe)" is #31 this week.
THE GOO GOO DOLLS:
#20 - "Iris"
It has been as high as #18.
It was streamed 18,928,523times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 2,617,179,657 times.
"Iris" is #24 in the "Top 50 - USA" daily chart
The Goo Goo Dolls' album "Dizzy Up the Girl" is #132 this week.
COLDPLAY
#32 = "Yellow"
It has been as high as #19.
It was streamed 15,797,887 times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 3,216,440,455 times.
#38 - "Sparks"
It has been as high as #33
It was streamed 14,781,201 times last week
Overall it has been streamed 1,544,132,437
#73 "Viva La Vida"
#93 "The Scientist"
#182 "A Sky Full of Stars"
The Coldplay album "Parachutes" is #44 this week.
The Coldplay album "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is #145 this week.
RADIOHEAD
#47 "Creep"
#65 -"Let Down"
The Radiohead album "OK Computer" is #67 this week.
ARCTIC MONKEYS
#48 "II Wanna Be Yours"
#81 "%05"
The Artic Monkeys album "AM" is #19 this week.
The Artic Monkeys album "Favorite Worst Nightmare" is #194 this week.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
#54 - "Sweater Weather"
BLACK EYED PEAS
#63 - Rock That Body
KEANE
#110 Somewhere Only We Know"
ONE REPUBLIC
#115 "Counting Stars"
LINKIN PARK
"#71 "In the End"
#117 "Numb"
The Linkin Park album "Meteora" is #52 this week.
The Linkin Park album "Hybrid Theory (Bonus Edition)" is #53 this week
The Linkin Park album is #150 this week.
a-ha
#135 "Take on Me"
NIRVANA
#139 "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
#197 "Come as You Are"
The Nirvana album "Nevermind" is #86 this week.
THE KILLERS
#140 "Mr. Brightside"
JOURNEY
#141 "Don't Stop Believin'"
EVANESCENCE
#144 "Bring Me to Life"
GORILLAZ/DE LA SOUL
#148 "Feel Good Inc."
TOTO
#151 - "Africa"
GUNS N' ROSES
#152 "Sweet Child O' Mine"
The Guns N' Roses album "Appetite for Destruction is #117 this week.
IMAGINE DRAGONS
#170 "Believer"
The Imagine Dragons album "Evolve" is #115 this week.
The Imagine Dragons album "Night Visions" is #192
TEARS FOR FEARS
#192 "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
HAMILTON
#54 on the album chart this week.
EMINEM
"The Eminem Show" is #114 this week.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
"Californication (Deluxe Edition)" is #134 this week.
ADELE
"21" is #137 this week.
50 CENT
"Get Rich or Die Tryin'" is #139 this week.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
"Toxicity" is #149 this week.
METALLICA
The Black Album is #172
NELLY FURTADO
"Loose" is #176
THREE DAYS GRACE
"Life Starts Now" is #179.
GREEN DAY
"American Idiot" is #184
--
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
SoundScan told us what was actually being sold.
Spotify tells us what is actually being played.
SoundScan taught us that country was much bigger than perceived.
Spotify teaches us that great songs never die, that they are discovered by younger generations. And no specific marketing event is necessary to make this happen. It appears cream rises to the top. Never in the history of the chart did we have a 48 year old album triumphing, as we do with "Rumours" below. It's Fleetwood Mac people want to listen to most, more than Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or even the Beatles...when it comes down to specific tracks.
Old albums will no longer die. As for new music... I want you to look at the concert grosses. You'll be positively stunned how many acts are making bank around the world. It's nearly incomprehensible, no one can know every act and their audience. And my point here is the world has splintered, and we see this nowhere near as much as in music, where all songs are on an equal footing, available to all.
It wasn't playlisting that caused these ancient songs to surface, it's sheer quality and word of mouth. It's not a rigged system.
Having said that, four of the top ten weekly Spotify songs are from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" movie. Proving first and foremost that distribution is king and a la carte is dead. This and "Happy Gilmore 2" are the two biggest movies of the summer in terms of audience share. The fact that the industry and the media don't acknowledge their penetration is irrelevant. Furthermore, never has anything so big been embraced by so few. All the juggernauts of today may be putting up big numbers, but their overall penetration of the marketplace/human consciousness is quite low. You had to see "Jaws" and "Star Wars," do you have to see ANY movie today? Despite all the fake hoopla?
In music it's the newbie's worst nightmare. Not only are you competing with new artists, you're competing with the greatest artists of all time. It's kind of like MTV... If you're jetted into the stratosphere immediately, you'll probably fall back quickly. But if your build is slow and steady you could be forever.
And acts have much longer career arcs.
King Lizard and the Wizard Gizzard just played the Hollywood Bowl. Kudos. But their first album came out in 2012,THIRTEEN YEARS AGO! Can you imagine an act launched in 1980 getting big airplay on MTV in 1993? Never mind that King Lizard and the Wizard Gizzard is still niche, most people have never heard their music, never mind of them.
Goose, which seems to be just now gaining major traction, released its first album in 2016, nine years ago.
Bands were done in a decade back when. And if they were still on the road they did not have hits. Now it takes a decade for people to find out about you.
The below songs are tried and true hits. They may not be your cup of tea, but consensus is that they're great. And the younger generations who dominate streaming agree.
Today the disposable rules...for a short while. And then the legends come back with a vengeance.
And it's only going to get worse. If you're in the me-too business, better change direction or give up.
If you're a new artist wanting to get paid for streaming, I only have one question, do you have a song as good as "Dreams"?
P.S. Just like there are no new songs of the summer this year, with last year's tracks dominating, the hits of the future will be smaller and smaller and smaller with less and less penetration.
______
Fleetwood Mac has two songs in the "Weekly Top Songs Global" chart:
#51 - "Dreams"
It has been as high as #20.
It was streamed 13,478,407 times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 2,255,207,970 times.
"Dreams" is #17 in the "Top 50 - USA" daily chart
#173 - "The Chain"
It has been as high as #119.
It was streamed 8,439,790 times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 1,440,773,242 times.
The Fleetwood Mac album "Rumours (Super Deluxe)" is #31 this week.
THE GOO GOO DOLLS:
#20 - "Iris"
It has been as high as #18.
It was streamed 18,928,523times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 2,617,179,657 times.
"Iris" is #24 in the "Top 50 - USA" daily chart
The Goo Goo Dolls' album "Dizzy Up the Girl" is #132 this week.
COLDPLAY
#32 = "Yellow"
It has been as high as #19.
It was streamed 15,797,887 times in the past week.
Overall, it has been streamed 3,216,440,455 times.
#38 - "Sparks"
It has been as high as #33
It was streamed 14,781,201 times last week
Overall it has been streamed 1,544,132,437
#73 "Viva La Vida"
#93 "The Scientist"
#182 "A Sky Full of Stars"
The Coldplay album "Parachutes" is #44 this week.
The Coldplay album "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is #145 this week.
RADIOHEAD
#47 "Creep"
#65 -"Let Down"
The Radiohead album "OK Computer" is #67 this week.
ARCTIC MONKEYS
#48 "II Wanna Be Yours"
#81 "%05"
The Artic Monkeys album "AM" is #19 this week.
The Artic Monkeys album "Favorite Worst Nightmare" is #194 this week.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
#54 - "Sweater Weather"
BLACK EYED PEAS
#63 - Rock That Body
KEANE
#110 Somewhere Only We Know"
ONE REPUBLIC
#115 "Counting Stars"
LINKIN PARK
"#71 "In the End"
#117 "Numb"
The Linkin Park album "Meteora" is #52 this week.
The Linkin Park album "Hybrid Theory (Bonus Edition)" is #53 this week
The Linkin Park album is #150 this week.
a-ha
#135 "Take on Me"
NIRVANA
#139 "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
#197 "Come as You Are"
The Nirvana album "Nevermind" is #86 this week.
THE KILLERS
#140 "Mr. Brightside"
JOURNEY
#141 "Don't Stop Believin'"
EVANESCENCE
#144 "Bring Me to Life"
GORILLAZ/DE LA SOUL
#148 "Feel Good Inc."
TOTO
#151 - "Africa"
GUNS N' ROSES
#152 "Sweet Child O' Mine"
The Guns N' Roses album "Appetite for Destruction is #117 this week.
IMAGINE DRAGONS
#170 "Believer"
The Imagine Dragons album "Evolve" is #115 this week.
The Imagine Dragons album "Night Visions" is #192
TEARS FOR FEARS
#192 "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
HAMILTON
#54 on the album chart this week.
EMINEM
"The Eminem Show" is #114 this week.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
"Californication (Deluxe Edition)" is #134 this week.
ADELE
"21" is #137 this week.
50 CENT
"Get Rich or Die Tryin'" is #139 this week.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
"Toxicity" is #149 this week.
METALLICA
The Black Album is #172
NELLY FURTADO
"Loose" is #176
THREE DAYS GRACE
"Life Starts Now" is #179.
GREEN DAY
"American Idiot" is #184
--
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)