Netflix trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSAx12d3Rho
This is not for the faint of heart. Felice cut bait after one episode. But if you like your entertainment dark and visceral, this is your ticket.
"Rivers of Fate" is set in Brazil. And French Guiana. And life couldn't be more different from America. The standard of living is not high and lawlessness rules. If you're dependent on the police, you're SOL. They're just trying to make the trains run on time, they're not up for solving the problem. And there's so much nefarious activity transpiring that it cannot be combatted.
You start on the river. This landscape is totally foreign. With travelers and thieves making their way. There are restaurants in the middle of the water. The big city is just a boat ride away, but despite infrastructure, things are not much better there. Who can you trust. Can you trust anybody?
A girl commits a modern faux pas. The kind you read about. And her parents punish her for this. And you know there will be consequences. Boy, are there.
And everybody's out for themselves, everybody's trying to get ahead. And no one is looking out for the lost and downtrodden. You're on your own. Janalice was going to school and living a safe life, and then...
Man, this made me thankful I wasn't a woman. I was walking in a parking structure close to midnight last night and I was anxious. But if I was female?
The men in "Rivers of Fate" are not constricted by the mores of America. Seems like everybody is willing to bend the rules and get theirs.
So we've got Janalice, a gang, human traffickers, multiple stories happening at once, but the series is completely comprehensible.
It's shot in the modern way... In that the cinematography and editor are right up front, right there with the story. The effects, the cuts... But in this case it's not for humor, like so many American productions, it just adds to the intensity.
"Rivers of Fate" is from the team that brought you "City of God." If that was too much for you, don't even start this four episode series. But if you thought that film was art, far from the dreck produced by the studios, you need to check this series out.
There's a ton of action. And many themes, not that you have to analyze, you can just go with the flow. It never devolves to cops and robbers, but lives are on the line, and just about everybody is corrupt. And the good guys don't always triumph, never mind live, and...
There is no buzz on this series. But it's right there, available on Netflix. It's got an 83 critics' rating on RottenTomatoes, and no audience rating whatsoever. Now that I'm done, I'm not exactly sure whether "Rivers of Fate" was great or a bit too pulpy. But one thing is for sure, I was riveted.
Watch a bit and you'll get an idea.
But be forewarned, it only gets more edgy and intense, more visceral. But if you're looking for something to take you away this is it.
Assuming you can handle it.
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Saturday, 30 August 2025
Friday, 29 August 2025
Dead Money
https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Money-Novel-Jakob-Kerr-ebook/dp/B0D2W1B4KN?ref_=ast_author_mpb
If you're looking for a book to read this holiday weekend, I highly recommend this one.
What we've got here is something conventionally called a thriller, and normally I don't read that kind of book, but reviews have been great and the action all takes place in the heart of San Francisco tech.
Jakob Kerr gets it right. Probably because he was one of the first employees at Airbnb. He could afford to take years off to write a book. And the funny thing is he's just gone to work for Anthropic, you know, the AI firm that just settled with authors. But all the hype says he's a lawyer, a role he hasn't played in a long time, he's a master of communications at these enterprises, but knowing the law Kerr could construct an interesting legal wrinkle that gets the book going.
So what we've got is a murder. Of a guy who runs an Uber-type company. He's loosely based on Travis Kalanick. If you're a student of the game, you can recognize the real people behind the characters.
Like Eleanor... She's obviously based on Sheryl Sandberg, albeit with a bit more self-knowledge.
As for Hammersmith the VC... Kerr gets Sand Hill Road down right.
What makes the book so fascinating is not the plot, but the characterization of the world-beating techies. You've got the one only looking out for himself. The eccentric brilliant coder. The dreamer... They've all come together to make billions, and they all believe their sh*t doesn't stink and they're above the law.
So they're pursuing the killer. And Mackenzie is translating for the FBI, she works for the VC, and she too started off in law, but gave up a gig at the big firm to go to the coast and try to make her fortune.
Furthermore, there's a lot of lessons in this book. If you're directionless, you might want to read "Dead Money" to learn the score.
"Dead Money" is the best fiction book about the tech culture I've ever read. And fiction is more honest than nonfiction, meaning there are some great nonfiction tales about tech, but usually the author is too invested, or at arm's length, and can't see what is really going in. "Dead Money" tells you the truth.
Having said that, the last section of the book, which concentrates on the plot, becomes somewhat fantastical, kind of like a movie, with twists and a scene at a popular location I won't name, however the ending redeems the book.
This is an easy read. It will call out to you after you've read just a little bit, you will be hooked.
Wisdom is dropped throughout, I'm going to list some of what is said:
"Hammersmith had always been proof of an old Silicon Valley axiom: The worse a man dressed, the richer he was."
If you're rich you don't have to prove anything. You're satisfied with who you are. Sure, you want more, but you don't have to advertise your wealth, you're above that.
"It doesn't matter how original your idea is: All that matters is how well you execute it."
Ideas are a dime a dozen. Who has the perseverance to bring an idea to fruition? Very few.
"He wore expensive un-scuffed leather boots, the type favored by men who consider themselves outdoorsy because they take an annual trip to the Yellowstone Club."
Kerr nails the players. He makes you laugh. People don't understand that you can see right through their trappings.
"You work yourself into the right places, get connected to the right people. Eventually you'll be met with an opportunity... A chance at something truly big."
You've got to be in the game. Even founders can't exist outside the game, they need the VC's money. I've found this paradigm in music. Those who think they know the most, who drop names, are often completely outside the game.
Once you get a toehold, you've got to find a way to advance. Will you choose to do what Mackenzie does? If you want the big money you have to play by different rules.
"Humans have yet to discover a sum of money large enough that they couldn't find a manner of wasting it."
My grandmother gave each grandkid 10k upon her death. She would harangue my mother over the details of the giving and how it would be used. And my mother's response was, THEY CAN SPEND $10,000 IN A DAY!
"Our world is not built on fairness. It's not built on right and wrong, hard work, smarts. It's built on one thing and one thing only: ruthlessness. Our system rewards those who sacrifice. Those who are ruthless enough to give things up in pursuit of their goal. Give up their friends, give up their time, give up their ideas about the way they thought their life was supposed to go."
Wow, I should just send these words to all the people complaining to me that the system is stacked against them, that with a level playing field they'd succeed. IT'S NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD! And Kerr doesn't embrace the trope that nepo babies will get their comeuppance, oftentimes that's not true. "Ruthlessness" has a bad connotation. Unfortunately, to succeed in business that's usually the way you have to be. Unless you're a worker bee. And sacrifice? That's another thing the wannabes have no idea of. They complain they can't make the car payment and mortgage and can't put shoes on their kids with their Spotify revenue. Who told you to buy a house, have kids, even have a car? You think this is unfathomable, but these are the kinds of sacrifices winners make.
"He texted like a Boomer—sporadically, with unnecessary punctuation"
Boomers HATE hearing this, they consider themselves digitally-savvy and no one can tell them otherwise, even though in most cases this is untrue.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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If you're looking for a book to read this holiday weekend, I highly recommend this one.
What we've got here is something conventionally called a thriller, and normally I don't read that kind of book, but reviews have been great and the action all takes place in the heart of San Francisco tech.
Jakob Kerr gets it right. Probably because he was one of the first employees at Airbnb. He could afford to take years off to write a book. And the funny thing is he's just gone to work for Anthropic, you know, the AI firm that just settled with authors. But all the hype says he's a lawyer, a role he hasn't played in a long time, he's a master of communications at these enterprises, but knowing the law Kerr could construct an interesting legal wrinkle that gets the book going.
So what we've got is a murder. Of a guy who runs an Uber-type company. He's loosely based on Travis Kalanick. If you're a student of the game, you can recognize the real people behind the characters.
Like Eleanor... She's obviously based on Sheryl Sandberg, albeit with a bit more self-knowledge.
As for Hammersmith the VC... Kerr gets Sand Hill Road down right.
What makes the book so fascinating is not the plot, but the characterization of the world-beating techies. You've got the one only looking out for himself. The eccentric brilliant coder. The dreamer... They've all come together to make billions, and they all believe their sh*t doesn't stink and they're above the law.
So they're pursuing the killer. And Mackenzie is translating for the FBI, she works for the VC, and she too started off in law, but gave up a gig at the big firm to go to the coast and try to make her fortune.
Furthermore, there's a lot of lessons in this book. If you're directionless, you might want to read "Dead Money" to learn the score.
"Dead Money" is the best fiction book about the tech culture I've ever read. And fiction is more honest than nonfiction, meaning there are some great nonfiction tales about tech, but usually the author is too invested, or at arm's length, and can't see what is really going in. "Dead Money" tells you the truth.
Having said that, the last section of the book, which concentrates on the plot, becomes somewhat fantastical, kind of like a movie, with twists and a scene at a popular location I won't name, however the ending redeems the book.
This is an easy read. It will call out to you after you've read just a little bit, you will be hooked.
Wisdom is dropped throughout, I'm going to list some of what is said:
"Hammersmith had always been proof of an old Silicon Valley axiom: The worse a man dressed, the richer he was."
If you're rich you don't have to prove anything. You're satisfied with who you are. Sure, you want more, but you don't have to advertise your wealth, you're above that.
"It doesn't matter how original your idea is: All that matters is how well you execute it."
Ideas are a dime a dozen. Who has the perseverance to bring an idea to fruition? Very few.
"He wore expensive un-scuffed leather boots, the type favored by men who consider themselves outdoorsy because they take an annual trip to the Yellowstone Club."
Kerr nails the players. He makes you laugh. People don't understand that you can see right through their trappings.
"You work yourself into the right places, get connected to the right people. Eventually you'll be met with an opportunity... A chance at something truly big."
You've got to be in the game. Even founders can't exist outside the game, they need the VC's money. I've found this paradigm in music. Those who think they know the most, who drop names, are often completely outside the game.
Once you get a toehold, you've got to find a way to advance. Will you choose to do what Mackenzie does? If you want the big money you have to play by different rules.
"Humans have yet to discover a sum of money large enough that they couldn't find a manner of wasting it."
My grandmother gave each grandkid 10k upon her death. She would harangue my mother over the details of the giving and how it would be used. And my mother's response was, THEY CAN SPEND $10,000 IN A DAY!
"Our world is not built on fairness. It's not built on right and wrong, hard work, smarts. It's built on one thing and one thing only: ruthlessness. Our system rewards those who sacrifice. Those who are ruthless enough to give things up in pursuit of their goal. Give up their friends, give up their time, give up their ideas about the way they thought their life was supposed to go."
Wow, I should just send these words to all the people complaining to me that the system is stacked against them, that with a level playing field they'd succeed. IT'S NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD! And Kerr doesn't embrace the trope that nepo babies will get their comeuppance, oftentimes that's not true. "Ruthlessness" has a bad connotation. Unfortunately, to succeed in business that's usually the way you have to be. Unless you're a worker bee. And sacrifice? That's another thing the wannabes have no idea of. They complain they can't make the car payment and mortgage and can't put shoes on their kids with their Spotify revenue. Who told you to buy a house, have kids, even have a car? You think this is unfathomable, but these are the kinds of sacrifices winners make.
"He texted like a Boomer—sporadically, with unnecessary punctuation"
Boomers HATE hearing this, they consider themselves digitally-savvy and no one can tell them otherwise, even though in most cases this is untrue.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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Thursday, 28 August 2025
Charley Crockett
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1IUfHpSPlAIVHekxbHiZLs?si=91164d942a994ee2
"Tennessee Quick Cash" stood out in the Pulse of Americana playlist on Spotify. That's what you're looking for, something that jumps out and grabs you, and this did, so I decided to dive deeper. And I found that Crockett had a new album, "Dollar a Day," that came out on August 8th, and his previous record, "Lonesome Drifter," had just come out in March.
"Tennessee Quick Cash" was on the new album, so I decided to fire it up and have been playing it ever since.
Kinda reminds me of Ry Cooder. Not the sound really, but Cooder started to get traction with his second solo LP, 1972's "Into the Purple Valley," which focused on songs from the past that became contemporary when remade by Cooder. "FDR in Trinidad"? Most listeners were completely unaware of Roosevelt's 1936 trip, but that didn't inhibit enjoyment of the music.
I purchased "Into the Purple Valley" unheard, and believe me, it didn't sound like anything I'd heard before, but it penetrated me, I got into it and played it incessantly, I can sing every word on the album. Even though the radio played none. But I went to see Ry in Jackson Hole in the fall of '74, and bought every album for a long while. But "Into the Purple Valley" was always my favorite, and I believe it's the best, but the slickly produced debut and "Paradise and Lunch" are close. Ultimately Ry got some mainstream press, with the supposed first digital album, "Bop Till You Drop," and entered the public consciousness with his movie soundtracks. But when Ry was making albums in the seventies, he was in his own lane, his own genre, he wasn't in the traditional music business, but I was a big fan and I wasn't the only one.
Now Charley Crockett's music is not as out of date as Cooder's, not as idiosyncratic, but this is not the kind of stuff you find in the Spotify Top 50, not even in the country chart, but it resonates more than all that stuff because there's an authenticity, an honesty not found elsewhere. Along with changes and...
At first you might be caught off guard by Crockett's voice. It's not traditionally radio friendly. More akin to a Texas troubadour, someone from the sixties and seventies. But the more you listen...
Which is what I did.
The opener, the title cut, "Dollar a Day," is a cover, but it's intimate, an introduction, just Crockett, a guitar and vocal. It's a prelude. Instead of hitting you over the head, it's an invitation, you get the sense something serious is going on here. And there's a delicious change in the middle and the song is not even two minutes long and the album segues into "Crucified Son," which sounds like the Dust Bowl. With background vocals akin to "O Brother."
"Caught a plane out of Austin
This morning in the drizzling rain
Bluebonnets line the highwayside
Let me know it's spring"
You can visualize it. This is not the platitudes of wannabe hit music.
And then:
"They wanna put me in a TV show
I don't know if it's right"
There's self-knowledge involved, we're living in the present, the music is not a complete throwback. And when was the last time an act wondered if a TV appearance was right for them? Crockett ultimately does it, but he thought about it.
But the best song is track four, "Ain't That Right," which has a honky tonk feel. As well as a bunch of changes, which is a revelation after hit music based on one chord.
And this ain't modern Nashville music, with babies and trucks and church. And it's neither left nor right. More the story of an adventurer. Which reflects Crockett's nomadic life. Which is not brief like the barely pubescent wannabe chart toppers. Charley is forty one. Didn't they used to say this was too old?
Not anymore, there are no rules.
Furthermore, Crockett's made fifteen albums. I don't know what kept him going, a lot of self belief. But also some positive indicators. If things aren't improving and you continue to make albums you're probably more of a hobbyist, but to have a career you've got to cause a reaction, such that people want to pull your music in the future, and tell people they know about it, and want to see you.
And I was immediately thinking of seeing Crockett listening to his music. This is the kind of sound you can get into, not the overamplified wash of noise that is too often experienced at the venue. This music is more intimate, without being precious. It's about the vocal and the lyrics, you get to know Crockett's persona, they all come together to paint a 3-D picture. This is the kind of music you don't have to know to enjoy the live show, and that's very rare, and if you do know the songs you sing along with a smile on your face.
As for "Tennessee Quick Cash," you're hooked from the lyrical picking of the intro, which slowly becomes louder and louder.
"Well I'm hard to understand
And I can't work for the man"
THERE'S the essence of being a musician, it's the only thing you can do, not because you don't want to work for the man, but because you CAN'T! You don't fit in, you can't subjugate your personality, play by insane rules, kiss ass to move up the ladder, no, you can only be yourself, expressing yourself.
"I earn my livin'
Playin' one night shows
On a long and windin' road
I don't care about where it goes"
This is not the star business, this is the music business, earning enough to make it all work, not worried if everybody knows your name. And the funny thing is the more you adopt this persona, the more people are drawn to you. You're not living your life in public on TMZ, you're not ripping us off with multiple versions of the same damn album to move up the chart, it's solely about the music. And if the music is good enough... And this Charley Crockett album is...good, that is.
"Well the memory it stays with me
I went on before the committee
They put me up so late
The doggone joint was closed
But before they cut out the light
On number eighty two that night
A woman lockin' the door
Gave me some good advice"
Once again, there's self-knowledge, and you can relate. Open mic night in Nashville, a rite of passage if you want to make it, but it's disheartening, you play late to a tired, jaded audience, what are you going to?
BORROW SOME MONEY!
"If you need some money fast
Hit the Tennessee Quick Cash"
Not that Charley doesn't know the downside:
"Now I know what you're about to say
About their predatory ways
But brother at least they let you know it right up front
'Cause if you take that ride downtown
Where them rounders hang around
You'll find anything in the world but a fair deal"
If you're broke and desperate, you've got no choice.
For more go to:
https://tnquickcash.com
It's a real place, if it's a real story I don't know, but I do know the business wouldn't exist if it didn't have customers. It's not only hard to get ahead, it can be very hard to keep your head above water.
But irrelevant of the lyrics, the music has you nodding your head, tapping your toe, and there's that rollicking piano and everybody's having a good time, even if they don't have any money.
Now when you make records like this...your goal is to capture lightning in a bottle, it's not about having a hit, you just want your music to have that something extra that catches the ear of people. It's not do or die. It's not the label needing something commercial. It's digging deep and driving on instinct. Trying to convey emotions, so people can relate. People can admire hit music, but usually it's hard to relate to. Whereas this sounds like real people playing real music, sans artifice, just like you.
Do I expect Charley Crockett to suddenly become a critics' darling, with features in every publication to man? No. Hell, "Dollar a Day" isn't even fleshed out on his Wikipedia page, for that you need an army of rabid fans. Then again, Wikipedia will give you the outlines, but you can't hear it. And today you can hear everything, even for free. But so much is dreck you find yourself not wanting to listen to anything new. But then you find something and it's like an oasis in the desert.
That's how I feel about Charley Crockett's "Dollar a Day."
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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"Tennessee Quick Cash" stood out in the Pulse of Americana playlist on Spotify. That's what you're looking for, something that jumps out and grabs you, and this did, so I decided to dive deeper. And I found that Crockett had a new album, "Dollar a Day," that came out on August 8th, and his previous record, "Lonesome Drifter," had just come out in March.
"Tennessee Quick Cash" was on the new album, so I decided to fire it up and have been playing it ever since.
Kinda reminds me of Ry Cooder. Not the sound really, but Cooder started to get traction with his second solo LP, 1972's "Into the Purple Valley," which focused on songs from the past that became contemporary when remade by Cooder. "FDR in Trinidad"? Most listeners were completely unaware of Roosevelt's 1936 trip, but that didn't inhibit enjoyment of the music.
I purchased "Into the Purple Valley" unheard, and believe me, it didn't sound like anything I'd heard before, but it penetrated me, I got into it and played it incessantly, I can sing every word on the album. Even though the radio played none. But I went to see Ry in Jackson Hole in the fall of '74, and bought every album for a long while. But "Into the Purple Valley" was always my favorite, and I believe it's the best, but the slickly produced debut and "Paradise and Lunch" are close. Ultimately Ry got some mainstream press, with the supposed first digital album, "Bop Till You Drop," and entered the public consciousness with his movie soundtracks. But when Ry was making albums in the seventies, he was in his own lane, his own genre, he wasn't in the traditional music business, but I was a big fan and I wasn't the only one.
Now Charley Crockett's music is not as out of date as Cooder's, not as idiosyncratic, but this is not the kind of stuff you find in the Spotify Top 50, not even in the country chart, but it resonates more than all that stuff because there's an authenticity, an honesty not found elsewhere. Along with changes and...
At first you might be caught off guard by Crockett's voice. It's not traditionally radio friendly. More akin to a Texas troubadour, someone from the sixties and seventies. But the more you listen...
Which is what I did.
The opener, the title cut, "Dollar a Day," is a cover, but it's intimate, an introduction, just Crockett, a guitar and vocal. It's a prelude. Instead of hitting you over the head, it's an invitation, you get the sense something serious is going on here. And there's a delicious change in the middle and the song is not even two minutes long and the album segues into "Crucified Son," which sounds like the Dust Bowl. With background vocals akin to "O Brother."
"Caught a plane out of Austin
This morning in the drizzling rain
Bluebonnets line the highwayside
Let me know it's spring"
You can visualize it. This is not the platitudes of wannabe hit music.
And then:
"They wanna put me in a TV show
I don't know if it's right"
There's self-knowledge involved, we're living in the present, the music is not a complete throwback. And when was the last time an act wondered if a TV appearance was right for them? Crockett ultimately does it, but he thought about it.
But the best song is track four, "Ain't That Right," which has a honky tonk feel. As well as a bunch of changes, which is a revelation after hit music based on one chord.
And this ain't modern Nashville music, with babies and trucks and church. And it's neither left nor right. More the story of an adventurer. Which reflects Crockett's nomadic life. Which is not brief like the barely pubescent wannabe chart toppers. Charley is forty one. Didn't they used to say this was too old?
Not anymore, there are no rules.
Furthermore, Crockett's made fifteen albums. I don't know what kept him going, a lot of self belief. But also some positive indicators. If things aren't improving and you continue to make albums you're probably more of a hobbyist, but to have a career you've got to cause a reaction, such that people want to pull your music in the future, and tell people they know about it, and want to see you.
And I was immediately thinking of seeing Crockett listening to his music. This is the kind of sound you can get into, not the overamplified wash of noise that is too often experienced at the venue. This music is more intimate, without being precious. It's about the vocal and the lyrics, you get to know Crockett's persona, they all come together to paint a 3-D picture. This is the kind of music you don't have to know to enjoy the live show, and that's very rare, and if you do know the songs you sing along with a smile on your face.
As for "Tennessee Quick Cash," you're hooked from the lyrical picking of the intro, which slowly becomes louder and louder.
"Well I'm hard to understand
And I can't work for the man"
THERE'S the essence of being a musician, it's the only thing you can do, not because you don't want to work for the man, but because you CAN'T! You don't fit in, you can't subjugate your personality, play by insane rules, kiss ass to move up the ladder, no, you can only be yourself, expressing yourself.
"I earn my livin'
Playin' one night shows
On a long and windin' road
I don't care about where it goes"
This is not the star business, this is the music business, earning enough to make it all work, not worried if everybody knows your name. And the funny thing is the more you adopt this persona, the more people are drawn to you. You're not living your life in public on TMZ, you're not ripping us off with multiple versions of the same damn album to move up the chart, it's solely about the music. And if the music is good enough... And this Charley Crockett album is...good, that is.
"Well the memory it stays with me
I went on before the committee
They put me up so late
The doggone joint was closed
But before they cut out the light
On number eighty two that night
A woman lockin' the door
Gave me some good advice"
Once again, there's self-knowledge, and you can relate. Open mic night in Nashville, a rite of passage if you want to make it, but it's disheartening, you play late to a tired, jaded audience, what are you going to?
BORROW SOME MONEY!
"If you need some money fast
Hit the Tennessee Quick Cash"
Not that Charley doesn't know the downside:
"Now I know what you're about to say
About their predatory ways
But brother at least they let you know it right up front
'Cause if you take that ride downtown
Where them rounders hang around
You'll find anything in the world but a fair deal"
If you're broke and desperate, you've got no choice.
For more go to:
https://tnquickcash.com
It's a real place, if it's a real story I don't know, but I do know the business wouldn't exist if it didn't have customers. It's not only hard to get ahead, it can be very hard to keep your head above water.
But irrelevant of the lyrics, the music has you nodding your head, tapping your toe, and there's that rollicking piano and everybody's having a good time, even if they don't have any money.
Now when you make records like this...your goal is to capture lightning in a bottle, it's not about having a hit, you just want your music to have that something extra that catches the ear of people. It's not do or die. It's not the label needing something commercial. It's digging deep and driving on instinct. Trying to convey emotions, so people can relate. People can admire hit music, but usually it's hard to relate to. Whereas this sounds like real people playing real music, sans artifice, just like you.
Do I expect Charley Crockett to suddenly become a critics' darling, with features in every publication to man? No. Hell, "Dollar a Day" isn't even fleshed out on his Wikipedia page, for that you need an army of rabid fans. Then again, Wikipedia will give you the outlines, but you can't hear it. And today you can hear everything, even for free. But so much is dreck you find yourself not wanting to listen to anything new. But then you find something and it's like an oasis in the desert.
That's how I feel about Charley Crockett's "Dollar a Day."
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Margo Price-This Week's Podcast
She's got a new album, "Hard Headed Woman."
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/margo-price/id1316200737?i=1000723863463
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DY5T4kXbgrkWdTMgSlWQO?si=T8y_MPzMQYGHfyTbxVXwTg
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/margo-price-291036446/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/11644543-e6f4-4d0b-a19c-aff3914a6f05/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-margo-price
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/margo-price/id1316200737?i=1000723863463
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DY5T4kXbgrkWdTMgSlWQO?si=T8y_MPzMQYGHfyTbxVXwTg
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/margo-price-291036446/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/11644543-e6f4-4d0b-a19c-aff3914a6f05/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-margo-price
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Wednesday, 27 August 2025
More Oasis
The Oasis Reunion is one of brotherly love. My son, Joey Waronker, is now drumming for the Gallagher Brothers. He began when Liam invited him to join he and Jon Squire to record an album two years ago and tour the UK. In January 2025, Noel requested a visit from Joey in London to meet. In mid-May Joey returned to London to begin rehearsal for this monumental event of brothers reuniting and coming together through music to heal the past. My husband Jered and I attended the concert in Toronto on 8/25 to witness and share in the ecstasy of the crowd's celebration they have been waiting for. As an artist from the Sixties experiencing Beatlemania, I find this experience as a parallel.
Donna Loren
________________________________________
You are spot on. When the shows were first announced, I was caught in the initial hype and so close to dropping serious $$ for tickets/travel to NYC.
Then I started thinking, beyond the "Morning Glory" album, what have they really accomplished? Not much as you noted. This band has such an aura because of the brotherly drama which I think leads to the hype. You didn't mention Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" but this is such a money grab. God bless them if people are willing to pay it. It just won't be me.
Frankly, the more successful band is the opening act Cage The Elephant. And that is who I'd rather see. So, I'll pass on the Oasis hype and catch Cage this fall as they do their own tour. I can pay a fraction of the cost to see them in a more intimate venue playing 2 hours of material, which isn't enough time to cover the strength of their repertoire.
Thanks for your work.
Kevin Smith
________________________________________
It may be an age thing - I have noticed that a lot of the super-fan letters have come from folks right around my age (49). Oasis was a revelation to many of us when, during our freshman year in college, they ushered in a period of post-grunge, melodic brit-rock with attitude. My friend and Penn classmate played for me a bootleg of them covering "I am the Walrus" and I was floored.
I went on to see them twice during Spring Break (March '95) - first at the Stone Pony and then I went into the city to try and find tickets to see them at the Academy. When I was almost out of time and luck, I saw Matt Pinfield outside and let him know I saw him introduce the band at the Pony a few days earlier. He asked if I was going to the show and I said that my friend and I couldn't find tickets. He handed me a ticket, saying "here is one, I'll be right back." Two minutes later, he handed me the second ticket and this 18-year old kid was sold forever on the power of rock and roll.
My buddy Barry and I ended up backstage with Bonehead and snuck into the after-party (Liam actually announced onstage that they will be partying at Rebar on 16th and 8th after the show), even though we didn't have fake IDs. Barry and I had a good chat outside the coat room with Liam about Dennis Rodman's purple hair - he was really into the NBA at the time.
Fast forward to early sophomore year when, using dial-up internet, we were able to access a 30-second clip of Wonderwall before it came out. It is hard to describe in words the impact of that moment. We grew up listening to our baby boomer parents talk about that night on Ed Sullivan and spent our lives to that point waiting for our version of that event - this tugged those strings. It was such a blast following the band around during the fall of 1995 as the country was gradually waking up to the incredible songs coming off the pen of Noel Gallagher. We hung by their tour bus outside Hammerjack's and accidentally tried to sell an extra ticket to Sheryl Crow outside the Roseland Ballroom.
Jonathan Zucker
Santa Monica, CA
________________________________________
I'm an Oasis fanatic, so I admit bias at the start of this email. I traveled from the USA to the show July 16 in Manchester, England, and here are two aspects about the resonance of this reunion tour I think you missed.
One, Oasis reached its peak right before the true dawn of the digital age. It was one of the last globally big bands at its creative and popular zenith right before digital technology began to infiltrate our lives. So, while everyone has their phones up at these shows, the music and communal joy at these shows revive memories of a simpler time without social media and other apps. You lived more in the moment than in front of a screen, and I got that vibe at the Manchester show more than any I've attended in the last 25 years.
The evidence of people desiring that return to a simpler time was overwhelming in Manchester. Everyone sang every word at the top of their lungs for two hours. Grown men were weeping -- those reports are not exaggerations; I SAW it right in front of me.
Plus, I'm 60 and have been to a ton of shows, and the communal experience at the Oasis show was incredible. Unlike anything I've experienced. People hugging. Proper strangers turning around and embracing me and calling me a "f*cking legend, mate," all because I came to the show from America. Everyone enjoying each other in complete communal joy. No assholes.
But the biggest reason this tour resonates is that unlike most 401K tours by aging bands, Oasis sounds AMAZING. Liam must be off cocaine and cigarettes because his voice has turned back its biological clock to the late 1990s. The band's sound is monstrous with secret weapon and original member Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs back in the lineup in a three-guitar attack for the first time. Noel is back on lead guitar for the first time since Oasis broke up in 2009, and while never being mistaken for Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Johnson, the man is unleashed.
I expected to see a band rediscovering itself in its 50s, not a band that was as tight and even more powerful than its mid-90s peak when the band members were in their 20s and 30s.
Nostalgia is great, but it doesn't mean sh*t if the band sounds lousy. And Oasis sounded BIBLICAL July 16 in Manchester.
Love the newsletter.
Thanks,
Paul Kelly
Marcellus, New York
________________________________________
Hi Bob! Being from a small town and being brought up in a less-than-ideal home situation, the Oasis rags-to-riches story resonated with me as much as the music did. I bought every record, single, poster, magazine and even dressed like them. I was loyal and followed them all the way through their last LP Dig Out Your Soul. One of my stories about seeing the band on that tour is featured in a new book by Melissa Locker (And After All: A Fan History of Oasis) so I guess you could call me a pretty big Oasis fan. However, I didn't bother to purchase tickets for this tour and haven't even taken up a few offers to go for free. As Liam sings in "Hello"…"it's never gonna be the same". Plus, I'm sober these days so the pre-gig pub ritual certainly wouldn't be as wild!
-Greg Glover
KNRK-FM Portland
________________________________________
"Now I can completely understand why Oasis sold out stadiums in the U.K. It's not only the music, but the cultural element. Northern lower middle class boys giving the finger to London and those who think they're better. There were hits, a whole movement. But in America?"
Which is so ironic Bob as that's the lifestyle they pursued and achieved. Locations in London don't get much more desirable than Maida Vale or Primrose Hill.
Liam is a lovely bloke though and I didn't "get them" until I saw the noise they made on stage which was quite hypnotic. The Albums weren't exactly my idea of great but the self belief was and I do admire the honesty interviews especially in this current climate. They inspired arrogance in place of talent in the Punk tradition.
The far more middle class Blur did the post grunge "Woo Hoo" song but they didn't like slogging the States at that level like many of us Brit artists doing well. Europe is so individually cultured, closer and easier compared to the Mid-West, not to mention the financial returns are so much better.
Paul Godfrey - Morcheeba
________________________________________
I caught the first show in Cardiff not knowing what to expect and it was one of the greatest concerts I've seen anywhere, the fans, the energy the pre show hype, it was worth the travel from London. Catch a show if you can, you might be pleasantly surprised.
DANNY ROBSON
________________________________________
Plant singing his brother's once-in-a-lifetime songs. A band that generates a lyricism through a mix of loud, bleeding, and distorted guitars. However, Oasis, like the Beatles, will only appeal to those who were once young - those who were born old will simply never understand.
It ain't over yet, my brother.
With from Toronto,
Nigel Russell
________________________________________
I was a 1990s teenager and, while there was nothing like the hysteria for Oasis that I now know was happening in the UK, my recollection is that Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova were constants on MTV and the radio, back when both counted for a lot. They were big enough to play arenas when they toured (What's The Story) Morning Glory? in America. In August 1996, right before the start of my senior year of high school, I saw them in Philly (side note: the arena there was then named the First Union Center. A Philly venue being called the FU Center was perfect). What a disappointment, one of the worst live acts I've ever seen. They obliterated all the dynamics the songs had on record and didn't bring any string or keyboard players with them so it was all the same loud mush. I love when a band is more aggressive live than on record (cf Radiohead) but that wasn't what was going on that night, they just didn't give a sh*t.
I heard a story once that when Oasis were playing some club at the beginning of their career, a record excec ran up to the stage in the middle of their cover of I Am The Walrus to sign them. Probably not true, but if it is, that guy's ears were busted. The played it in Philly and it sucked. The only musical enjoyment I got out of the night was Noel's three song solo acoustic set.
Some of the old hits still sound OK to me, but I had zero motivation to try for a ticket on the reunion tour. A lot of people writing in seem to've had a great time and good for them, but I'm not taking a chance after seeing them in their prime and knowing, even as a teenager, that the performance was lousy.
Jeremy Berg
________________________________________
Americans don't understand Oasis, simple as that
Sàndor Von Mallasz
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Donna Loren
________________________________________
You are spot on. When the shows were first announced, I was caught in the initial hype and so close to dropping serious $$ for tickets/travel to NYC.
Then I started thinking, beyond the "Morning Glory" album, what have they really accomplished? Not much as you noted. This band has such an aura because of the brotherly drama which I think leads to the hype. You didn't mention Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" but this is such a money grab. God bless them if people are willing to pay it. It just won't be me.
Frankly, the more successful band is the opening act Cage The Elephant. And that is who I'd rather see. So, I'll pass on the Oasis hype and catch Cage this fall as they do their own tour. I can pay a fraction of the cost to see them in a more intimate venue playing 2 hours of material, which isn't enough time to cover the strength of their repertoire.
Thanks for your work.
Kevin Smith
________________________________________
It may be an age thing - I have noticed that a lot of the super-fan letters have come from folks right around my age (49). Oasis was a revelation to many of us when, during our freshman year in college, they ushered in a period of post-grunge, melodic brit-rock with attitude. My friend and Penn classmate played for me a bootleg of them covering "I am the Walrus" and I was floored.
I went on to see them twice during Spring Break (March '95) - first at the Stone Pony and then I went into the city to try and find tickets to see them at the Academy. When I was almost out of time and luck, I saw Matt Pinfield outside and let him know I saw him introduce the band at the Pony a few days earlier. He asked if I was going to the show and I said that my friend and I couldn't find tickets. He handed me a ticket, saying "here is one, I'll be right back." Two minutes later, he handed me the second ticket and this 18-year old kid was sold forever on the power of rock and roll.
My buddy Barry and I ended up backstage with Bonehead and snuck into the after-party (Liam actually announced onstage that they will be partying at Rebar on 16th and 8th after the show), even though we didn't have fake IDs. Barry and I had a good chat outside the coat room with Liam about Dennis Rodman's purple hair - he was really into the NBA at the time.
Fast forward to early sophomore year when, using dial-up internet, we were able to access a 30-second clip of Wonderwall before it came out. It is hard to describe in words the impact of that moment. We grew up listening to our baby boomer parents talk about that night on Ed Sullivan and spent our lives to that point waiting for our version of that event - this tugged those strings. It was such a blast following the band around during the fall of 1995 as the country was gradually waking up to the incredible songs coming off the pen of Noel Gallagher. We hung by their tour bus outside Hammerjack's and accidentally tried to sell an extra ticket to Sheryl Crow outside the Roseland Ballroom.
Jonathan Zucker
Santa Monica, CA
________________________________________
I'm an Oasis fanatic, so I admit bias at the start of this email. I traveled from the USA to the show July 16 in Manchester, England, and here are two aspects about the resonance of this reunion tour I think you missed.
One, Oasis reached its peak right before the true dawn of the digital age. It was one of the last globally big bands at its creative and popular zenith right before digital technology began to infiltrate our lives. So, while everyone has their phones up at these shows, the music and communal joy at these shows revive memories of a simpler time without social media and other apps. You lived more in the moment than in front of a screen, and I got that vibe at the Manchester show more than any I've attended in the last 25 years.
The evidence of people desiring that return to a simpler time was overwhelming in Manchester. Everyone sang every word at the top of their lungs for two hours. Grown men were weeping -- those reports are not exaggerations; I SAW it right in front of me.
Plus, I'm 60 and have been to a ton of shows, and the communal experience at the Oasis show was incredible. Unlike anything I've experienced. People hugging. Proper strangers turning around and embracing me and calling me a "f*cking legend, mate," all because I came to the show from America. Everyone enjoying each other in complete communal joy. No assholes.
But the biggest reason this tour resonates is that unlike most 401K tours by aging bands, Oasis sounds AMAZING. Liam must be off cocaine and cigarettes because his voice has turned back its biological clock to the late 1990s. The band's sound is monstrous with secret weapon and original member Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs back in the lineup in a three-guitar attack for the first time. Noel is back on lead guitar for the first time since Oasis broke up in 2009, and while never being mistaken for Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Johnson, the man is unleashed.
I expected to see a band rediscovering itself in its 50s, not a band that was as tight and even more powerful than its mid-90s peak when the band members were in their 20s and 30s.
Nostalgia is great, but it doesn't mean sh*t if the band sounds lousy. And Oasis sounded BIBLICAL July 16 in Manchester.
Love the newsletter.
Thanks,
Paul Kelly
Marcellus, New York
________________________________________
Hi Bob! Being from a small town and being brought up in a less-than-ideal home situation, the Oasis rags-to-riches story resonated with me as much as the music did. I bought every record, single, poster, magazine and even dressed like them. I was loyal and followed them all the way through their last LP Dig Out Your Soul. One of my stories about seeing the band on that tour is featured in a new book by Melissa Locker (And After All: A Fan History of Oasis) so I guess you could call me a pretty big Oasis fan. However, I didn't bother to purchase tickets for this tour and haven't even taken up a few offers to go for free. As Liam sings in "Hello"…"it's never gonna be the same". Plus, I'm sober these days so the pre-gig pub ritual certainly wouldn't be as wild!
-Greg Glover
KNRK-FM Portland
________________________________________
"Now I can completely understand why Oasis sold out stadiums in the U.K. It's not only the music, but the cultural element. Northern lower middle class boys giving the finger to London and those who think they're better. There were hits, a whole movement. But in America?"
Which is so ironic Bob as that's the lifestyle they pursued and achieved. Locations in London don't get much more desirable than Maida Vale or Primrose Hill.
Liam is a lovely bloke though and I didn't "get them" until I saw the noise they made on stage which was quite hypnotic. The Albums weren't exactly my idea of great but the self belief was and I do admire the honesty interviews especially in this current climate. They inspired arrogance in place of talent in the Punk tradition.
The far more middle class Blur did the post grunge "Woo Hoo" song but they didn't like slogging the States at that level like many of us Brit artists doing well. Europe is so individually cultured, closer and easier compared to the Mid-West, not to mention the financial returns are so much better.
Paul Godfrey - Morcheeba
________________________________________
I caught the first show in Cardiff not knowing what to expect and it was one of the greatest concerts I've seen anywhere, the fans, the energy the pre show hype, it was worth the travel from London. Catch a show if you can, you might be pleasantly surprised.
DANNY ROBSON
________________________________________
Plant singing his brother's once-in-a-lifetime songs. A band that generates a lyricism through a mix of loud, bleeding, and distorted guitars. However, Oasis, like the Beatles, will only appeal to those who were once young - those who were born old will simply never understand.
It ain't over yet, my brother.
With from Toronto,
Nigel Russell
________________________________________
I was a 1990s teenager and, while there was nothing like the hysteria for Oasis that I now know was happening in the UK, my recollection is that Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova were constants on MTV and the radio, back when both counted for a lot. They were big enough to play arenas when they toured (What's The Story) Morning Glory? in America. In August 1996, right before the start of my senior year of high school, I saw them in Philly (side note: the arena there was then named the First Union Center. A Philly venue being called the FU Center was perfect). What a disappointment, one of the worst live acts I've ever seen. They obliterated all the dynamics the songs had on record and didn't bring any string or keyboard players with them so it was all the same loud mush. I love when a band is more aggressive live than on record (cf Radiohead) but that wasn't what was going on that night, they just didn't give a sh*t.
I heard a story once that when Oasis were playing some club at the beginning of their career, a record excec ran up to the stage in the middle of their cover of I Am The Walrus to sign them. Probably not true, but if it is, that guy's ears were busted. The played it in Philly and it sucked. The only musical enjoyment I got out of the night was Noel's three song solo acoustic set.
Some of the old hits still sound OK to me, but I had zero motivation to try for a ticket on the reunion tour. A lot of people writing in seem to've had a great time and good for them, but I'm not taking a chance after seeing them in their prime and knowing, even as a teenager, that the performance was lousy.
Jeremy Berg
________________________________________
Americans don't understand Oasis, simple as that
Sàndor Von Mallasz
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Monday, 25 August 2025
Stadium Sellouts
There have been guaranteed stadium sellouts all summer long.
Some examples:
Beyoncé
Coldplay
Shakira
Ed Sheeran
Robbie Williams
Dua Lipa
The Weeknd
Never mind Guns N' Roses who go nearly clean despite touring almost every year with no new material.
And Zach Bryan can play stadiums and sell out whenever he wants.
Then there's Kenny Chesney and Chris Stapleton...
But what is even more interesting is the acts whose profile is not as high as those above who are also selling out stadiums. This number of successful stadium shows has been heretofore unknown.
Having said that, these acts are not those who dominate today's Spotify Top 50 so much as having paid their dues and broken through in a much less cluttered world wherein the old methods of carpet bomb promotion/publicity still worked. Will there be new stadium acts created? Yes. But it appears it's less about a recent hit than a number of successful songs over a period of time.
What accounts for this? A unique experience that is unavailable elsewhere. We've all got the same smartphones, access to Netflix, but once in lifetime experiences that everybody can't attend? Those are rare. Other than travel and in some cases food, music owns the sphere.
Never forget that there are 50% more people in America than there were in the last heyday of stadium shows in the seventies.
But you don't have to be known by all, you don't have to be plastered all over the news to sell out a stadium today. Either people know you're doing a show and have to go or they couldn't care less or the news is ignored or never even flies on their radar screen.
Note: Many of the acts below have more stadium sellouts this summer beyond the ones listed.
STRAY KIDS
Strade de France - 2 shows -117,382 - $16,951,814
Tottehnam Hotspur Stadium - 2 shows - 89,225 - $15,991,035
As well as sellouts here:
2 at SoFi
2 at CitiField
2 at Globe Life Field
CHRIS BROWN
MetLife Stadium - 2 shows - 107,256 - $15,001,827
Ford Field - 2 shows - 90,437 - $14,619,415
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
Dodger Stadium - 2 shows - 87,431 - $14,965,124
MetLife Stadium - 45,511 - $9,334,216
Globe Life Field - 38,246 - $8,267,228
ULTIMO
Not a sellout, 94%
Studio Olimpico - 3 shows - 174,544 - $13,134,558
IMAGINE DRAGONS
Stadion Letzigrund - 47,071 - $9,708,963
IRON MAIDEN
London Stadium - 69,419 - $8,920,154
Paris La Défense Arena - 2 shows - 75,483-$7,660,857
LANA DEL REY
Aviva Stadium - 51,445 - $8,417,738
MAX PEZZALI
Not a sellout, 97% business
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari-82,446 - $6,624,840
RUFUS DU SOUL
Sports Illustrated Stadium - 2 shows - 48,226 - $5,895,519
STEREOPHONICS
Principality Stadium - 57,175 - $5,784,354
LUMINEERS
Empower Field at Mile High - 54,247 - $5,102,102
NOAH KAHAN
Marlay Park - 39,967 - $4,990,161
SAM FENDER
(98%, not sellouts)
St. James Park - 2 shows- 50,377 - $9,821,458
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Some examples:
Beyoncé
Coldplay
Shakira
Ed Sheeran
Robbie Williams
Dua Lipa
The Weeknd
Never mind Guns N' Roses who go nearly clean despite touring almost every year with no new material.
And Zach Bryan can play stadiums and sell out whenever he wants.
Then there's Kenny Chesney and Chris Stapleton...
But what is even more interesting is the acts whose profile is not as high as those above who are also selling out stadiums. This number of successful stadium shows has been heretofore unknown.
Having said that, these acts are not those who dominate today's Spotify Top 50 so much as having paid their dues and broken through in a much less cluttered world wherein the old methods of carpet bomb promotion/publicity still worked. Will there be new stadium acts created? Yes. But it appears it's less about a recent hit than a number of successful songs over a period of time.
What accounts for this? A unique experience that is unavailable elsewhere. We've all got the same smartphones, access to Netflix, but once in lifetime experiences that everybody can't attend? Those are rare. Other than travel and in some cases food, music owns the sphere.
Never forget that there are 50% more people in America than there were in the last heyday of stadium shows in the seventies.
But you don't have to be known by all, you don't have to be plastered all over the news to sell out a stadium today. Either people know you're doing a show and have to go or they couldn't care less or the news is ignored or never even flies on their radar screen.
Note: Many of the acts below have more stadium sellouts this summer beyond the ones listed.
STRAY KIDS
Strade de France - 2 shows -117,382 - $16,951,814
Tottehnam Hotspur Stadium - 2 shows - 89,225 - $15,991,035
As well as sellouts here:
2 at SoFi
2 at CitiField
2 at Globe Life Field
CHRIS BROWN
MetLife Stadium - 2 shows - 107,256 - $15,001,827
Ford Field - 2 shows - 90,437 - $14,619,415
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
Dodger Stadium - 2 shows - 87,431 - $14,965,124
MetLife Stadium - 45,511 - $9,334,216
Globe Life Field - 38,246 - $8,267,228
ULTIMO
Not a sellout, 94%
Studio Olimpico - 3 shows - 174,544 - $13,134,558
IMAGINE DRAGONS
Stadion Letzigrund - 47,071 - $9,708,963
IRON MAIDEN
London Stadium - 69,419 - $8,920,154
Paris La Défense Arena - 2 shows - 75,483-$7,660,857
LANA DEL REY
Aviva Stadium - 51,445 - $8,417,738
MAX PEZZALI
Not a sellout, 97% business
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari-82,446 - $6,624,840
RUFUS DU SOUL
Sports Illustrated Stadium - 2 shows - 48,226 - $5,895,519
STEREOPHONICS
Principality Stadium - 57,175 - $5,784,354
LUMINEERS
Empower Field at Mile High - 54,247 - $5,102,102
NOAH KAHAN
Marlay Park - 39,967 - $4,990,161
SAM FENDER
(98%, not sellouts)
St. James Park - 2 shows- 50,377 - $9,821,458
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The Attention Game
You've got to decide which track you're on, whether you truly have a mass cause or something that is inherently narrow and promote accordingly.
In entertainment nothing is for everyone. We got the last hurrah of the power of overwhelming publicity with Taylor Swift's Eras tour, which all media believed was a phenomenon and convinced the public of same. However, now there are multiple acts playing stadiums. In multiple genres. Some of which you don't like, if not all of them. So the publicity slides right off of you or alienates you or BOTH!
Now if you're in the narrowcasting business, the niches, which is almost everybody, truth and credibility are key, your goal is to create a solid bond with an audience that will never leave you.
If you're going broad, it's about frequency and bombast, the truth is irrelevant.
This is the new world. Almost no one can help you but yourself.
Yesterday's "New York Times" article on Lola Young says this:
"A few years ago, Shymansky brought on Lily West, a friend of his younger sister, to make honing Young's visual persona fun, instead of a chore dictated by her label. They tried for years to 'crack it,' West said, making amateur montages of couples in public, jumping on forced trends, filming bad dances.
"Eventually, they happened upon a gimmick that worked, bringing attention to Young's textured voice by putting her behind a huge professional microphone in unlikely locations (a swing, a canoe, a beach) and allowing her to sing live."
http://bit.ly/45CnUda
You break yourself, on social media, and to do that you have to uncover a strategy that works, and feed the monster CONSTANTLY!
Never mind all the no-talents doing the same thing trying to gain traction. You're competing against the greatest hits of all time, all of them available on streaming services, and the great unwashed who believe they deserve attention, who've got a lot more drive than talent.
So think small. Everybody in the music business should think small. It's all about knowing who your fanbase is and superserving them. Only they can grow you. The rest of the public has too much going on to pay attention to you. And chances are if they check you out as a result of hype they won't like you. Your only hope is that your superfans spread the word.
If someone hears positive things from superfans multiple times, they might give you a listen. Otherwise...
You can bug gatekeepers, but in truth they've lost their power. Radio goes on records AFTER they've been broken and are climbing the chart on Spotify.
You are responsible for your own success. And the music is not enough, it must be available.
Now on TikTok you have an opportunity to make fans, because the algorithm is in control, feeding viewers stuff that they probably wouldn't pull. So is your video so arresting that people will want to see more of you? If not, give up.
Now if you've established a career the old way in the old days, you can muddle along. But if you're just starting out, trying to break, this is the game you must play.
Forget the labels, they can't do anything for you other than write a check and give you a bad royalty rate. You have to do it for yourself.
Everybody is cottage industry these days. Even Trump. That's what makes his social media posts so arresting... They come directly from him, outrage and misspellings galore! You may not like it, but those who support him love it! It's almost punk. Even though he went to Penn, he's showing his fans that all the decorum and erudition of the elite is irrelevant to him, he's down and dirty, a veritable metal band.
And the Democrats are flummoxed.
We live in the era of the individual. The corporations have made the tools...then again, we can't stop hearing about Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg...they're all out there making pronouncements willy-nilly, whereas the majordomos of old school enterprises are quiet. Hell, Lucian Grainge should be all over social media, drawing attention to Universal Music (then again, he's so overpaid the blowback might be fierce). Daniel Ek is smart, he knows he's a target, so he stays quiet. But if you've got something to sell, you must be in the game constantly.
Ticketmaster, like Ek, shuts up, because it knows nothing it can say can sway the public's perception of them. And like Netanyahu, THEY DON'T CARE! We were made to believe that news and public opinion swayed the minds of those in power. No more! Beat up on Trump all you want, so far it hasn't made a difference, all you can do is steal attention from him. That's how you win in today's game, with attention. And the underlying message is not enough. The beast, the public needs to be fed 24/7.
Railing against the system is doing you no good. Which is why all the anti-tech screeds in elite publications are a joke. The smartphone and social media are here to stay. Do you think the people scrolling TikTok care what the "New York Times" has to say about it? That's like convincing people not to see superhero movies because they're lowbrow. We no longer live in a cohesive society, everybody is on their own path, and the sooner you realize the better.
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In entertainment nothing is for everyone. We got the last hurrah of the power of overwhelming publicity with Taylor Swift's Eras tour, which all media believed was a phenomenon and convinced the public of same. However, now there are multiple acts playing stadiums. In multiple genres. Some of which you don't like, if not all of them. So the publicity slides right off of you or alienates you or BOTH!
Now if you're in the narrowcasting business, the niches, which is almost everybody, truth and credibility are key, your goal is to create a solid bond with an audience that will never leave you.
If you're going broad, it's about frequency and bombast, the truth is irrelevant.
This is the new world. Almost no one can help you but yourself.
Yesterday's "New York Times" article on Lola Young says this:
"A few years ago, Shymansky brought on Lily West, a friend of his younger sister, to make honing Young's visual persona fun, instead of a chore dictated by her label. They tried for years to 'crack it,' West said, making amateur montages of couples in public, jumping on forced trends, filming bad dances.
"Eventually, they happened upon a gimmick that worked, bringing attention to Young's textured voice by putting her behind a huge professional microphone in unlikely locations (a swing, a canoe, a beach) and allowing her to sing live."
http://bit.ly/45CnUda
You break yourself, on social media, and to do that you have to uncover a strategy that works, and feed the monster CONSTANTLY!
Never mind all the no-talents doing the same thing trying to gain traction. You're competing against the greatest hits of all time, all of them available on streaming services, and the great unwashed who believe they deserve attention, who've got a lot more drive than talent.
So think small. Everybody in the music business should think small. It's all about knowing who your fanbase is and superserving them. Only they can grow you. The rest of the public has too much going on to pay attention to you. And chances are if they check you out as a result of hype they won't like you. Your only hope is that your superfans spread the word.
If someone hears positive things from superfans multiple times, they might give you a listen. Otherwise...
You can bug gatekeepers, but in truth they've lost their power. Radio goes on records AFTER they've been broken and are climbing the chart on Spotify.
You are responsible for your own success. And the music is not enough, it must be available.
Now on TikTok you have an opportunity to make fans, because the algorithm is in control, feeding viewers stuff that they probably wouldn't pull. So is your video so arresting that people will want to see more of you? If not, give up.
Now if you've established a career the old way in the old days, you can muddle along. But if you're just starting out, trying to break, this is the game you must play.
Forget the labels, they can't do anything for you other than write a check and give you a bad royalty rate. You have to do it for yourself.
Everybody is cottage industry these days. Even Trump. That's what makes his social media posts so arresting... They come directly from him, outrage and misspellings galore! You may not like it, but those who support him love it! It's almost punk. Even though he went to Penn, he's showing his fans that all the decorum and erudition of the elite is irrelevant to him, he's down and dirty, a veritable metal band.
And the Democrats are flummoxed.
We live in the era of the individual. The corporations have made the tools...then again, we can't stop hearing about Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg...they're all out there making pronouncements willy-nilly, whereas the majordomos of old school enterprises are quiet. Hell, Lucian Grainge should be all over social media, drawing attention to Universal Music (then again, he's so overpaid the blowback might be fierce). Daniel Ek is smart, he knows he's a target, so he stays quiet. But if you've got something to sell, you must be in the game constantly.
Ticketmaster, like Ek, shuts up, because it knows nothing it can say can sway the public's perception of them. And like Netanyahu, THEY DON'T CARE! We were made to believe that news and public opinion swayed the minds of those in power. No more! Beat up on Trump all you want, so far it hasn't made a difference, all you can do is steal attention from him. That's how you win in today's game, with attention. And the underlying message is not enough. The beast, the public needs to be fed 24/7.
Railing against the system is doing you no good. Which is why all the anti-tech screeds in elite publications are a joke. The smartphone and social media are here to stay. Do you think the people scrolling TikTok care what the "New York Times" has to say about it? That's like convincing people not to see superhero movies because they're lowbrow. We no longer live in a cohesive society, everybody is on their own path, and the sooner you realize the better.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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Sunday, 24 August 2025
Two Books
"So Far Gone": http://bit.ly/45xCfr7
"Among Friends": http://bit.ly/4lMM09V
We're watching the second season of "The Ex-Wife" and it too is very intense.
To tell you the truth, we forgot most of the plot of the first season when we started the second, it's been three years, and the catch-up at the beginning of the first episode of the new season was not comprehensive enough, but having watched two episodes we went back and watched it again and understood more.
This was after we tried "Outrageous," which had a tone problem despite the positive reviews, and slogging through "Hostage," this week's hot new Netflix show. Suranne Jones is always good, and as seemingly only a French actress can do, Julie Delpy has not fought the aging process and this combined with her acting chops makes her very believable. HOWEVER, despite great casting and performances, the plot is so unbelievable and predictable to the point where you want your money back. I really wouldn't recommend it. Having said that, "The Ex-Wife" is a total winner, but in the U.S. you've got to have BritBox...then again, my inbox is full of raves for "Code of Silence."
And after turning off the TV I went back to "So Far Gone," which I read in two days, I stayed up late to finish it.
"So Far Gone" is an easy read. It wraps up seemingly all the issues of the day without the reader feeling that they've been forced upon them.
You've got the hermit of a father, who finds his grandkids at his front door, and from there a caper ensues.
What have we got here?
Christian nationalism.
Dedication to a losing musical career.
EDM/hippies.
Multiple marriages.
"So Far Gone" is a novel of today. The more I'm thinking about it, the more I don't want to tell you any more about the plot. But I will say, "So Far Gone" is not a chore, it's not so highbrow that you feel you're being talked down to, it's funny and truthful and I haven't seen it hyped everywhere, I see the usual best sellers on the lists and this is not there, so I want to hip you to it. No one is going to read "So Far Gone" and want their time or money back. Will you think it's the greatest book you've ever read? Doubtful, but somewhere in there you'll see yourself or your life. And you'll laugh.
As for "Among Friends," it IS highbrow. So if you're looking for literary fiction, the kind of stuff that is not hyped by Jenna or GMA or Reese...this is for you. "Among Friends" does not cut like butter, you may find yourself rereading sections to fully understand what they're saying, but what is being said...
What you've got here is two fiftysomething men who've been friends since college. They come from very different backgrounds, but the college experience bonds them, they remain best friends, they integrate their families as life unfolds.
And then...
"Among Friends" has got a ton of interior dialogue, especially in the first half. You know, the stuff you think in your head that you never say out loud. The unfiltered words. Your anger at other people, your anger at life, your hopes and dreams... We all have this tape going in our brains. They say you can never really know another person, this is why. So I loved the first half.
The second half is the same characters, but something happens. Whereas the first half is not based on a plot point. It's just people living their lives, their choices, their petty feelings.
And even if you end up a big swinging dick, can you truly escape your upbringing? Will those born to a higher status accept you? And can you accept that you've moved on?
A lot of questions are asked in "Among Friends," questions we all consider, but unlike "So Far Gone," "Among Friends" is not for everyone. If you can handle more description than necessary, occasional words you might not understand, not that much action...have I lost you yet? Funny how a book is a solo experience of a populated world, but since reading is an effort which many people find too heavy a lift, it's not like you can run into someone who's read the same book.
Unless you're talking about best sellers that are too often about plot and not much more.
So I know most of my audience doesn't care about books, and would rather I don't write about them, but the above two are fulfilling, and for those who e-mail me thanking me for my recommendations, here are two more.
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"Among Friends": http://bit.ly/4lMM09V
We're watching the second season of "The Ex-Wife" and it too is very intense.
To tell you the truth, we forgot most of the plot of the first season when we started the second, it's been three years, and the catch-up at the beginning of the first episode of the new season was not comprehensive enough, but having watched two episodes we went back and watched it again and understood more.
This was after we tried "Outrageous," which had a tone problem despite the positive reviews, and slogging through "Hostage," this week's hot new Netflix show. Suranne Jones is always good, and as seemingly only a French actress can do, Julie Delpy has not fought the aging process and this combined with her acting chops makes her very believable. HOWEVER, despite great casting and performances, the plot is so unbelievable and predictable to the point where you want your money back. I really wouldn't recommend it. Having said that, "The Ex-Wife" is a total winner, but in the U.S. you've got to have BritBox...then again, my inbox is full of raves for "Code of Silence."
And after turning off the TV I went back to "So Far Gone," which I read in two days, I stayed up late to finish it.
"So Far Gone" is an easy read. It wraps up seemingly all the issues of the day without the reader feeling that they've been forced upon them.
You've got the hermit of a father, who finds his grandkids at his front door, and from there a caper ensues.
What have we got here?
Christian nationalism.
Dedication to a losing musical career.
EDM/hippies.
Multiple marriages.
"So Far Gone" is a novel of today. The more I'm thinking about it, the more I don't want to tell you any more about the plot. But I will say, "So Far Gone" is not a chore, it's not so highbrow that you feel you're being talked down to, it's funny and truthful and I haven't seen it hyped everywhere, I see the usual best sellers on the lists and this is not there, so I want to hip you to it. No one is going to read "So Far Gone" and want their time or money back. Will you think it's the greatest book you've ever read? Doubtful, but somewhere in there you'll see yourself or your life. And you'll laugh.
As for "Among Friends," it IS highbrow. So if you're looking for literary fiction, the kind of stuff that is not hyped by Jenna or GMA or Reese...this is for you. "Among Friends" does not cut like butter, you may find yourself rereading sections to fully understand what they're saying, but what is being said...
What you've got here is two fiftysomething men who've been friends since college. They come from very different backgrounds, but the college experience bonds them, they remain best friends, they integrate their families as life unfolds.
And then...
"Among Friends" has got a ton of interior dialogue, especially in the first half. You know, the stuff you think in your head that you never say out loud. The unfiltered words. Your anger at other people, your anger at life, your hopes and dreams... We all have this tape going in our brains. They say you can never really know another person, this is why. So I loved the first half.
The second half is the same characters, but something happens. Whereas the first half is not based on a plot point. It's just people living their lives, their choices, their petty feelings.
And even if you end up a big swinging dick, can you truly escape your upbringing? Will those born to a higher status accept you? And can you accept that you've moved on?
A lot of questions are asked in "Among Friends," questions we all consider, but unlike "So Far Gone," "Among Friends" is not for everyone. If you can handle more description than necessary, occasional words you might not understand, not that much action...have I lost you yet? Funny how a book is a solo experience of a populated world, but since reading is an effort which many people find too heavy a lift, it's not like you can run into someone who's read the same book.
Unless you're talking about best sellers that are too often about plot and not much more.
So I know most of my audience doesn't care about books, and would rather I don't write about them, but the above two are fulfilling, and for those who e-mail me thanking me for my recommendations, here are two more.
--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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Mailbag
Subject: Re: C.T.E.
Hey Bob,
Thank you for your sentiments in regards to CTE and the NFL.
It is sad to know that young men who never played in the NFL (or even college football) are also suffering from this disease, with many taking their own lives.
Most of the population isn't aware (or doesn't want to hear) of the risks of CTE and youth tackle football. The risk is there, even if their boys never play past the high school level.
Football is a religion. People don't want to question their "faith". It's a hard thing for people to accept, and many avoid the conversation altogether. It's easier not to look up.
However, many do openly receive this information. I'm hopeful your writings on CTE and football will inspire those who do to help spread the word and raise awareness. We lost our only son, Chandler Kimball, to this horrific disease. We try to honor Chan's memory by simply raising awareness. Thank you for bringing attention.
Jason Kimball
www.lifesbigwin.com
___________________________________________
Re: The Devo Doc
I produced the DEVO doc on Netflix and just wanted to thank you for the piece you wrote about it. You nailed exactly what Chris Smith and I hoped the film would convey: it's not just about a band, but about people who love making things, who have something to say, and who let their muse take them wherever it leads. We wanted it to feel like a love letter to anyone who draws inspiration from art and ideas and then turns that spark into creation.
And I should also say — a few years back you wrote a wonderful piece on the Netflix Fyre Festival doc that Chris directed and I produced, and I've never forgotten that. Thanks for shining a light on both projects.
Take care,
Danny Gabai
___________________________________________
Re: The Devo Doc
Bob, you are so right about the DEVO documentary.
One of the few of the genre to be made in the spirit of the artist/band it covers. But then Devo were/are one of just a few to base their music on a consistent philosophy. I loved Jerry Casale's remark that the band was "a musical laxative for a constipated society."
Just as I was lamenting the absence of their brilliant song/video "Beautiful World," it popped up as the finale. Criticized for being "pessimistic," Casale's brilliant riposte was "If the Captain of the Titanic tells you the ship is sinking, is he a pessimist?"
It is excellent and, as you say, it's a must-see film.
If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stands for anything, this band should be in it.
Paul Flattery
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Fandom
Bob
Interesting question you ask, at what point did you give up your fandom for a band? I'm a lifelong fan of KISS and Mötley Crüe and whether they or their fans know it or not, both of those bands indirectly and directly asked their fans to make a lot of rationalizations over the years. As a diehard music fan I wanted to know EVERYTHING about these bands. I wanted to know more about them beyond what you could read in Metal Edge or Circus. So, you start reading books by accountants, former managers and anything else you can get your hands on. And you THINK you want to know everything about them. But, it's kind of like your parent's marriage. Maybe some things just aren't worth knowing. At some point, you learn that even though these bands (and I mean every band and/or artist) may have started out with the greatest intentions and maybe initially it was all that band of brothers bullsh*t, at some point (sooner than most people think) it becomes a business. Paul Stanley very bluntly once said, "Do you like everyone you work with?" I probably read that in my mid 20's and that's about when the fantasy was put to rest for me. I still love the music and I'll defend the bands I love, because it's a business for all of them. Some are just more transparent and honest about it. As for Trump being an outlaw "rock star". Look, in 1984 Vince Neil killed someone ("Razzle" from Hanoi Rocks) in a drunk driving accident and it did nothing to derail his or the band's trajectory. Their biggest successes were yet to come. People are more upset about his current inability to sing live than they were about that incident. Those same people very likely voted for Trump. How upset do you think they are about anything he's done? This is what the Democrats are up against.
Neil Johnson
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs Chart
Hello, Bob.
I am reading your post and I am laughing my ass off.
My 22-year-old son is visiting me this week and I asked what music he is listening to these days. He told me that he is listening to a lot of Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also loves Yacht Rock because of the Guardian of the Galaxy soundtracks.
I asked him what radio station he is listening to back in Minneapolis and he just laughs and says, "No one my age listens to the radio!" He then proceeds to tell me about all of the comedians' podcasts that he listens to.
That is the music and media landscape for a 22-year-old these days.
Andy Schaal
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Mailbag-Ed Sullivan
One more thing... In my first year in the business, I was managing The Doors and we did the Sullivan show at the dress rehearsal we found out Ed didn't like us very much and cut us down to one song and gave Steve and Edie another one. He walked over to the band and said to JIm "very interesting but do you have to be so somber?". Jim Smiled. Later the producer came back and told us that the band could not use the lyric "girl you couldn't get much higher". They had decided it was a drug reference and JIm agreed to change the lyric. Of course the show was live and JIm figured we'd never do the show again anyway, so he i sang the original lyric. We were advised we would never do the show again. Didn't hurt us much.
Bill Siddons
___________________________________________
Subject: Billy Joel Doc--Phil Ramone
Bob,
I've just finished the Billy Joel Doc, and it has me thinking about Phil Ramone.
While Phil is certainly acknowledged in the Doc, the scale of his contribution should be underscored.
Phil produced SIX CONSECUTIVE STUDIO ALBUMS for Billy!
Bob, your audience of record-makers will certain appreciate how incredibly rare that is.
What other Producer did Six consecutive hit-packed albums with one Artist?
George Martin, yes. Maybe Jimmy Miller. Maybe Roy Thomas Baker. Others?
And these Six that Phil produced comprise the core of Billy's songbook, and the majority of his hits.
A bit after Phil died suddenly in 2013, his wife Karen and his sons arranged a memorial in a theater in NYC.
It was invitation-only for 500 or 600 of Phil's friends from his entire career.
Tony Bennett, Billy, and Paul Simon each performed a few songs.
Billy said "Phil was the best member of my Band," and then did "Only the Good Die Young."
Paul Simon did "Still Crazy."
Then while tuning his guitar, looked up and said "I know you all think you were Phil's best friend... (long pause)…but that was Me."
Then he did "Slip Sliding Away."
You still hear Phil's many productions everywhere all the time.
But Six consecutive hit albums. Whew!
He is missed.
Best regards,
Hank Neuberger
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Dead right! I love this band and, like you, I particularly love this song. It's dramatic, infectious and ironically uplifting given the lyric.
The structure of the verse and pre-chorus is very daring, musical and quite sophisticated in my opinion - though I would have had a more prominent high harmony in the pre-chorus to lift it a bit more from the verse.
In any event I think Tobias and his band are brilliant and I love seeing them appreciated like this. They definitely deserve it.
Bob Ezrin
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I took a buddy to see Ghost this summer, and halfway through the show he leans over and says: "I thought it was uncool to wear the shirt of the band you're seeing, but it looks like 20,000 people didn't get that memo. These people are obsessed." Exactly. Ghost isn't just a band—it's a full-blown religion. The campy YouTube "Chapters," the revolving cast of Papas, the lore—it all keeps you coming back.
And for me, "Spillways" might be the catchiest song ever written about depression—an anthem you belt out while it quietly guts you. That's Ghost's magic: taking the heavy, the dark, the theatrical, and turning it into hooks that live in your head for weeks. The new album Skeletal is the best '80s hard rock album released since 1989.
-Adam Spriggs
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Great take on Ghost, Bob. I recently attended a show - and I can't remember a concert I've been to where upwards of 80% of the audience knew every word to every song. And one of those people was me, a GenXer. I have listened to Skeleta non-stop since its release. The songs are so rich and melodic, you can't get enough of them.
It was surreal to see no phone screens at the show, and I agree with you, it seems like a missed opportunity to generate social media posts - but the enthusiasm to be present was palpable.
Cheers,
Joe Wilford
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Great column, Bob. Saw the subject line this morning and thought, he's not referring to the Ghost song is he? He is! I'm a long time fan of the band and I tell people who ask, listen to their music first, don't watch the youtube stuff of them, it will cloud your judgement. For the most part, its very much classic 70's and 80's rock, metal is a loose term. As you point out, they're doing it right. Their tour is incredible, selling out arenas everywhere and they put their money into it. My wife went with my daughter and I and was blown away. Well worth the experience and the money for a ticket if you haven't seen them. And this year's show with our phones locked away was such a great experience. Sleep Token is next for you – another band that's killing it without radio or media, creating their own genre.
Chris Reese
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
My husband and I just witnessed our first Ghost show here in Austin. I only really got into their music this last year. Also the 2nd time we'd attended a Yondr show (which wow we need more of). Garth Brooks ACL Hall of Fame induction was the 1st and both times I ended up being so grateful the phone was locked up. It's such a drag playing a show where I'm pouring every ounce of my soul into it and look up to see the top of someone's head lost in a phone. Or trying to stand behind someone at a show filming every last moment.
I grew up on metal and seeing bands like Metallica, Def Leppard, and Queensrÿche (who coincidentally opened for the first two bands when I saw them), and the Ghost show not only reminded me of those early concerts without devices glowing everywhere, but it was an actual SHOW! Very thought out, choreographed, performed at a very high level of musicianship, and wildly entertaining. And yep - way more women there. Oh and their merch game? Sure they had plenty of shirts, but they also had a stuffed Papa doll, and even had a whole separate merch area just for the big fabric posters like the ones I used to hang up of Iron Maiden as a kid. And the best part for us was watching the "nameless ghoul," Cirrus aka Laura Scarborough - who came up in Austin and used to play shows with us at Momo's - absolutely kill it on keys.
Nakia Reynoso
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I'll be honest Bob, most of the time when you recommend something I don't get it. Usually it's because the I find that core musical elements are lacking – little structure, weak melodies, mimimal/elementary chord changes, limited vocal and instrumental skills, etc. Sometimes I can hear the sincerity that I know you value, but that's isn't usually enough to do it for me.
This track by Ghost is actual, real music. I actually listened to the whole thing. I can see why you say it isn't metal; it sounds more like Toto to me.
But the whole package is there – a structure that develops as the track unreels, chord changes, a melody, vocal harmony, instrumental skill.
The only possible downside (which is not an issue for me) is that it seems a bit retro/80s.
Richard Franklin
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I was late to this band (in 2017) and it was my first "New" genuinely moving music experience after yeaaaars of boredom with the rock scene. It sent me into a deep dive discovery mode to explore the back catalog sequentially, album by album. What a f*cking unabashedly fulfilling ride. Ghost's greatness is also a reflection of Tobias Forge who is essentially 100% of this band and an irrefutable genius, with Bob Marley level humility. His initial intent was to never reveal his identity, but he was forced to as a result of a lawsuit a few years ago from his hired musicians who tried to claim they were actually band members (they lost). So he was involuntarily outed. Listening to his interviews reveals what an absolute brilliant person he is, wanting nothing to do with the spotlight and making it about 100% the music and the imagery, with real …. f*cking …… amazing ……songs!
Kia Kamran
(No affiliation with them btw)
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Just saw them. Had no idea who they were....just phenomenal
Maria Brunner
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Being 51 I'm pretty much a child of the 80's hair/pop metal scene. Growing up in Top 40 AM radio I loved all those New Wave & pop hits(still do!) of the early 80's but as I started to enter my teens, of course I was looking for something a little harder, so you go with the stuff that's closer to pop initially. Of course I liked Bon Jovi and absolutely loved Van Halen, Def Leppard, Poison, Cinderella, etc. Then I got turned onto even the harder stuff; Metallica, Megadeth, even pseudo metal industrial with Sisters of Mercy. Then came along grunge, which also caused me to look back and really dig into bands like Black Sabbath who influenced Soundgarden, Alice In Chains. Where I got off the train was when a lot of the harder metal that was coming out after, was lacking any serious melody; death metal, doom metal, NU-Metal(Disturbed being the one exception as they clearly wore their Judas Priest influences in their sleeves). Even Metallica at their heaviest and thrashiest, had melodic hooks along with those chugging and thrashing guitars. When it came to death metal, or doom metal, it was all darkness, no light, ie. melody. The corpse paint and the growling "Cookie Monster" vocals did nothing for me and actually repelled me.
So of course, in the 2010s I start hearing about this band Ghost , still having not heard a single song. I saw the imagery but I didn't bother pursuing it because I assumed, them being from Sweden, it's that kind of doom gloomy, growling vocal metal I had no interest in. Then somewhere, I can't remember where/when, I heard something off their fourth album Prequelle. It took a second for me to realize it was from this band with the satanic catholic imagery GHOST! I was gob smacked! The catchiness of the grooves, the hooks of the melodies and yet still heavy and "metal" enough to satisfy me! So of course it became a deep dive into their discography for me. And yes, their first album is darker and heavier and less "pop", but those melodies were still there! And as they/he(Tobais) progressed, it was clear he was injecting more 80s metal pop sensibilities into the music with his Swedish death metal past and it WORKED!
The real clincher for me was when in 2017 their tour brought them to my secondary market city to play our arena(I'm just outside of Toronto). I figured I gotta see this live based on what YouTube clips I had seen already. Holy moly it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to! It's clear for smallish to midsize touring act that they were rolling all the money back into the production of the live show. The staging was epic and incredibly, the sound was so crystal clear! Even on the lowest bass notes, there was no muddiness or boominess, which I know achieving that especially in an arena is incredibly hard! which means they have spent the money on proper speakers and PA set ups and production to achieve that. I can't count how many times I've been to large scale concerts even by incredibly big acts, and the sound was either muddy on the low end, or piercing and painfully ear shattering on the high end(U2 Joshua Tree album anniversary concert in Toronto in 2019 was especially painful from the get-go of the Edge's opening guitar chords of Sunday Bloody Sunday as they started the show and never improved. Thank God, I brought earplugs!).
Ghost; if you get it, you'll love it! If you're on the fence, go see them live! If you're disappointed, then the issue was with you not the band or the production.
Michael Moniz
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I went to see the band Ghost play in Austin a couple of weeks ago, and I happened to read your letter about them just yesterday.
I went because I was curious to see what they were all about. I actually knew very little apart from a quick listen and being aware of the buzz around them!
I used to be super aware, but now a band with a number 1 album can slip under my radar!
I have worked with a fair few goth bands over the years such as HIM from Finland, and THE MISSION from UK, so I was interested to see what was going on.
The concert was at the Moody Center, our new largest venue in town, and what struck me first was the audience. Around ninety percent of the crowd was dressed up in fairly traditional GOTH outfits, white face paint, nun outfits, fishnet stockings, and skull makeup etc etc
What also stood out was that about eighty percent of the audience were women.
The lights, the atmosphere, and the Gregorian chants etc playing before they came on all set the mood. But once the band appeared I was surprised by how melodic the music was. I had expected something much darker and sombre, but instead it reminded me of STYX reimagined by a younger band with heavier guitars. The first song even felt familiar, and then I realized it reminded me of Journey 'Separate Ways'
I find the band being hidden by the masks etc makes then a bit insipid, I know it worked for KISS but to me it makes the members replaceable and lacking in character. They perform well, almost too well in my opinion but the band are another example of how music just re invents itself. Music trends are very cyclical. Melody and songs will always win in the end, no matter what genre!
The woman sitting next to me was not young but she was on her feet the whole night, screaming with total enthusiasm. I was surprised, but I do see the appeal of this band!
Tim Palmer
www.timpalmer.com
Hey Bob,
Thank you for your sentiments in regards to CTE and the NFL.
It is sad to know that young men who never played in the NFL (or even college football) are also suffering from this disease, with many taking their own lives.
Most of the population isn't aware (or doesn't want to hear) of the risks of CTE and youth tackle football. The risk is there, even if their boys never play past the high school level.
Football is a religion. People don't want to question their "faith". It's a hard thing for people to accept, and many avoid the conversation altogether. It's easier not to look up.
However, many do openly receive this information. I'm hopeful your writings on CTE and football will inspire those who do to help spread the word and raise awareness. We lost our only son, Chandler Kimball, to this horrific disease. We try to honor Chan's memory by simply raising awareness. Thank you for bringing attention.
Jason Kimball
www.lifesbigwin.com
___________________________________________
Re: The Devo Doc
I produced the DEVO doc on Netflix and just wanted to thank you for the piece you wrote about it. You nailed exactly what Chris Smith and I hoped the film would convey: it's not just about a band, but about people who love making things, who have something to say, and who let their muse take them wherever it leads. We wanted it to feel like a love letter to anyone who draws inspiration from art and ideas and then turns that spark into creation.
And I should also say — a few years back you wrote a wonderful piece on the Netflix Fyre Festival doc that Chris directed and I produced, and I've never forgotten that. Thanks for shining a light on both projects.
Take care,
Danny Gabai
___________________________________________
Re: The Devo Doc
Bob, you are so right about the DEVO documentary.
One of the few of the genre to be made in the spirit of the artist/band it covers. But then Devo were/are one of just a few to base their music on a consistent philosophy. I loved Jerry Casale's remark that the band was "a musical laxative for a constipated society."
Just as I was lamenting the absence of their brilliant song/video "Beautiful World," it popped up as the finale. Criticized for being "pessimistic," Casale's brilliant riposte was "If the Captain of the Titanic tells you the ship is sinking, is he a pessimist?"
It is excellent and, as you say, it's a must-see film.
If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stands for anything, this band should be in it.
Paul Flattery
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Fandom
Bob
Interesting question you ask, at what point did you give up your fandom for a band? I'm a lifelong fan of KISS and Mötley Crüe and whether they or their fans know it or not, both of those bands indirectly and directly asked their fans to make a lot of rationalizations over the years. As a diehard music fan I wanted to know EVERYTHING about these bands. I wanted to know more about them beyond what you could read in Metal Edge or Circus. So, you start reading books by accountants, former managers and anything else you can get your hands on. And you THINK you want to know everything about them. But, it's kind of like your parent's marriage. Maybe some things just aren't worth knowing. At some point, you learn that even though these bands (and I mean every band and/or artist) may have started out with the greatest intentions and maybe initially it was all that band of brothers bullsh*t, at some point (sooner than most people think) it becomes a business. Paul Stanley very bluntly once said, "Do you like everyone you work with?" I probably read that in my mid 20's and that's about when the fantasy was put to rest for me. I still love the music and I'll defend the bands I love, because it's a business for all of them. Some are just more transparent and honest about it. As for Trump being an outlaw "rock star". Look, in 1984 Vince Neil killed someone ("Razzle" from Hanoi Rocks) in a drunk driving accident and it did nothing to derail his or the band's trajectory. Their biggest successes were yet to come. People are more upset about his current inability to sing live than they were about that incident. Those same people very likely voted for Trump. How upset do you think they are about anything he's done? This is what the Democrats are up against.
Neil Johnson
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs Chart
Hello, Bob.
I am reading your post and I am laughing my ass off.
My 22-year-old son is visiting me this week and I asked what music he is listening to these days. He told me that he is listening to a lot of Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also loves Yacht Rock because of the Guardian of the Galaxy soundtracks.
I asked him what radio station he is listening to back in Minneapolis and he just laughs and says, "No one my age listens to the radio!" He then proceeds to tell me about all of the comedians' podcasts that he listens to.
That is the music and media landscape for a 22-year-old these days.
Andy Schaal
___________________________________________
Subject: Re: Mailbag-Ed Sullivan
One more thing... In my first year in the business, I was managing The Doors and we did the Sullivan show at the dress rehearsal we found out Ed didn't like us very much and cut us down to one song and gave Steve and Edie another one. He walked over to the band and said to JIm "very interesting but do you have to be so somber?". Jim Smiled. Later the producer came back and told us that the band could not use the lyric "girl you couldn't get much higher". They had decided it was a drug reference and JIm agreed to change the lyric. Of course the show was live and JIm figured we'd never do the show again anyway, so he i sang the original lyric. We were advised we would never do the show again. Didn't hurt us much.
Bill Siddons
___________________________________________
Subject: Billy Joel Doc--Phil Ramone
Bob,
I've just finished the Billy Joel Doc, and it has me thinking about Phil Ramone.
While Phil is certainly acknowledged in the Doc, the scale of his contribution should be underscored.
Phil produced SIX CONSECUTIVE STUDIO ALBUMS for Billy!
Bob, your audience of record-makers will certain appreciate how incredibly rare that is.
What other Producer did Six consecutive hit-packed albums with one Artist?
George Martin, yes. Maybe Jimmy Miller. Maybe Roy Thomas Baker. Others?
And these Six that Phil produced comprise the core of Billy's songbook, and the majority of his hits.
A bit after Phil died suddenly in 2013, his wife Karen and his sons arranged a memorial in a theater in NYC.
It was invitation-only for 500 or 600 of Phil's friends from his entire career.
Tony Bennett, Billy, and Paul Simon each performed a few songs.
Billy said "Phil was the best member of my Band," and then did "Only the Good Die Young."
Paul Simon did "Still Crazy."
Then while tuning his guitar, looked up and said "I know you all think you were Phil's best friend... (long pause)…but that was Me."
Then he did "Slip Sliding Away."
You still hear Phil's many productions everywhere all the time.
But Six consecutive hit albums. Whew!
He is missed.
Best regards,
Hank Neuberger
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Dead right! I love this band and, like you, I particularly love this song. It's dramatic, infectious and ironically uplifting given the lyric.
The structure of the verse and pre-chorus is very daring, musical and quite sophisticated in my opinion - though I would have had a more prominent high harmony in the pre-chorus to lift it a bit more from the verse.
In any event I think Tobias and his band are brilliant and I love seeing them appreciated like this. They definitely deserve it.
Bob Ezrin
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I took a buddy to see Ghost this summer, and halfway through the show he leans over and says: "I thought it was uncool to wear the shirt of the band you're seeing, but it looks like 20,000 people didn't get that memo. These people are obsessed." Exactly. Ghost isn't just a band—it's a full-blown religion. The campy YouTube "Chapters," the revolving cast of Papas, the lore—it all keeps you coming back.
And for me, "Spillways" might be the catchiest song ever written about depression—an anthem you belt out while it quietly guts you. That's Ghost's magic: taking the heavy, the dark, the theatrical, and turning it into hooks that live in your head for weeks. The new album Skeletal is the best '80s hard rock album released since 1989.
-Adam Spriggs
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Great take on Ghost, Bob. I recently attended a show - and I can't remember a concert I've been to where upwards of 80% of the audience knew every word to every song. And one of those people was me, a GenXer. I have listened to Skeleta non-stop since its release. The songs are so rich and melodic, you can't get enough of them.
It was surreal to see no phone screens at the show, and I agree with you, it seems like a missed opportunity to generate social media posts - but the enthusiasm to be present was palpable.
Cheers,
Joe Wilford
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Great column, Bob. Saw the subject line this morning and thought, he's not referring to the Ghost song is he? He is! I'm a long time fan of the band and I tell people who ask, listen to their music first, don't watch the youtube stuff of them, it will cloud your judgement. For the most part, its very much classic 70's and 80's rock, metal is a loose term. As you point out, they're doing it right. Their tour is incredible, selling out arenas everywhere and they put their money into it. My wife went with my daughter and I and was blown away. Well worth the experience and the money for a ticket if you haven't seen them. And this year's show with our phones locked away was such a great experience. Sleep Token is next for you – another band that's killing it without radio or media, creating their own genre.
Chris Reese
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
My husband and I just witnessed our first Ghost show here in Austin. I only really got into their music this last year. Also the 2nd time we'd attended a Yondr show (which wow we need more of). Garth Brooks ACL Hall of Fame induction was the 1st and both times I ended up being so grateful the phone was locked up. It's such a drag playing a show where I'm pouring every ounce of my soul into it and look up to see the top of someone's head lost in a phone. Or trying to stand behind someone at a show filming every last moment.
I grew up on metal and seeing bands like Metallica, Def Leppard, and Queensrÿche (who coincidentally opened for the first two bands when I saw them), and the Ghost show not only reminded me of those early concerts without devices glowing everywhere, but it was an actual SHOW! Very thought out, choreographed, performed at a very high level of musicianship, and wildly entertaining. And yep - way more women there. Oh and their merch game? Sure they had plenty of shirts, but they also had a stuffed Papa doll, and even had a whole separate merch area just for the big fabric posters like the ones I used to hang up of Iron Maiden as a kid. And the best part for us was watching the "nameless ghoul," Cirrus aka Laura Scarborough - who came up in Austin and used to play shows with us at Momo's - absolutely kill it on keys.
Nakia Reynoso
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I'll be honest Bob, most of the time when you recommend something I don't get it. Usually it's because the I find that core musical elements are lacking – little structure, weak melodies, mimimal/elementary chord changes, limited vocal and instrumental skills, etc. Sometimes I can hear the sincerity that I know you value, but that's isn't usually enough to do it for me.
This track by Ghost is actual, real music. I actually listened to the whole thing. I can see why you say it isn't metal; it sounds more like Toto to me.
But the whole package is there – a structure that develops as the track unreels, chord changes, a melody, vocal harmony, instrumental skill.
The only possible downside (which is not an issue for me) is that it seems a bit retro/80s.
Richard Franklin
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I was late to this band (in 2017) and it was my first "New" genuinely moving music experience after yeaaaars of boredom with the rock scene. It sent me into a deep dive discovery mode to explore the back catalog sequentially, album by album. What a f*cking unabashedly fulfilling ride. Ghost's greatness is also a reflection of Tobias Forge who is essentially 100% of this band and an irrefutable genius, with Bob Marley level humility. His initial intent was to never reveal his identity, but he was forced to as a result of a lawsuit a few years ago from his hired musicians who tried to claim they were actually band members (they lost). So he was involuntarily outed. Listening to his interviews reveals what an absolute brilliant person he is, wanting nothing to do with the spotlight and making it about 100% the music and the imagery, with real …. f*cking …… amazing ……songs!
Kia Kamran
(No affiliation with them btw)
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Just saw them. Had no idea who they were....just phenomenal
Maria Brunner
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
Being 51 I'm pretty much a child of the 80's hair/pop metal scene. Growing up in Top 40 AM radio I loved all those New Wave & pop hits(still do!) of the early 80's but as I started to enter my teens, of course I was looking for something a little harder, so you go with the stuff that's closer to pop initially. Of course I liked Bon Jovi and absolutely loved Van Halen, Def Leppard, Poison, Cinderella, etc. Then I got turned onto even the harder stuff; Metallica, Megadeth, even pseudo metal industrial with Sisters of Mercy. Then came along grunge, which also caused me to look back and really dig into bands like Black Sabbath who influenced Soundgarden, Alice In Chains. Where I got off the train was when a lot of the harder metal that was coming out after, was lacking any serious melody; death metal, doom metal, NU-Metal(Disturbed being the one exception as they clearly wore their Judas Priest influences in their sleeves). Even Metallica at their heaviest and thrashiest, had melodic hooks along with those chugging and thrashing guitars. When it came to death metal, or doom metal, it was all darkness, no light, ie. melody. The corpse paint and the growling "Cookie Monster" vocals did nothing for me and actually repelled me.
So of course, in the 2010s I start hearing about this band Ghost , still having not heard a single song. I saw the imagery but I didn't bother pursuing it because I assumed, them being from Sweden, it's that kind of doom gloomy, growling vocal metal I had no interest in. Then somewhere, I can't remember where/when, I heard something off their fourth album Prequelle. It took a second for me to realize it was from this band with the satanic catholic imagery GHOST! I was gob smacked! The catchiness of the grooves, the hooks of the melodies and yet still heavy and "metal" enough to satisfy me! So of course it became a deep dive into their discography for me. And yes, their first album is darker and heavier and less "pop", but those melodies were still there! And as they/he(Tobais) progressed, it was clear he was injecting more 80s metal pop sensibilities into the music with his Swedish death metal past and it WORKED!
The real clincher for me was when in 2017 their tour brought them to my secondary market city to play our arena(I'm just outside of Toronto). I figured I gotta see this live based on what YouTube clips I had seen already. Holy moly it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to! It's clear for smallish to midsize touring act that they were rolling all the money back into the production of the live show. The staging was epic and incredibly, the sound was so crystal clear! Even on the lowest bass notes, there was no muddiness or boominess, which I know achieving that especially in an arena is incredibly hard! which means they have spent the money on proper speakers and PA set ups and production to achieve that. I can't count how many times I've been to large scale concerts even by incredibly big acts, and the sound was either muddy on the low end, or piercing and painfully ear shattering on the high end(U2 Joshua Tree album anniversary concert in Toronto in 2019 was especially painful from the get-go of the Edge's opening guitar chords of Sunday Bloody Sunday as they started the show and never improved. Thank God, I brought earplugs!).
Ghost; if you get it, you'll love it! If you're on the fence, go see them live! If you're disappointed, then the issue was with you not the band or the production.
Michael Moniz
___________________________________________
Re: Guiding Lights
I went to see the band Ghost play in Austin a couple of weeks ago, and I happened to read your letter about them just yesterday.
I went because I was curious to see what they were all about. I actually knew very little apart from a quick listen and being aware of the buzz around them!
I used to be super aware, but now a band with a number 1 album can slip under my radar!
I have worked with a fair few goth bands over the years such as HIM from Finland, and THE MISSION from UK, so I was interested to see what was going on.
The concert was at the Moody Center, our new largest venue in town, and what struck me first was the audience. Around ninety percent of the crowd was dressed up in fairly traditional GOTH outfits, white face paint, nun outfits, fishnet stockings, and skull makeup etc etc
What also stood out was that about eighty percent of the audience were women.
The lights, the atmosphere, and the Gregorian chants etc playing before they came on all set the mood. But once the band appeared I was surprised by how melodic the music was. I had expected something much darker and sombre, but instead it reminded me of STYX reimagined by a younger band with heavier guitars. The first song even felt familiar, and then I realized it reminded me of Journey 'Separate Ways'
I find the band being hidden by the masks etc makes then a bit insipid, I know it worked for KISS but to me it makes the members replaceable and lacking in character. They perform well, almost too well in my opinion but the band are another example of how music just re invents itself. Music trends are very cyclical. Melody and songs will always win in the end, no matter what genre!
The woman sitting next to me was not young but she was on her feet the whole night, screaming with total enthusiasm. I was surprised, but I do see the appeal of this band!
Tim Palmer
www.timpalmer.com
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