Leland Sklar-This Week's Podcast

Legendary bassist. You know, the guy with the long beard who's played with seemingly EVERYBODY! VIDEO: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=r9cRgq4WQLs&si=S67aBYnuLybzXuPZ&drli=1 AUDIO: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leland-sklar/id1316200737?i=1000797598116 https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wvlwL69LNkbbKMrGt0YqW?si=HF3Uv16zRZSTF3_zW1MGgg https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/leland-sklar-348175653 https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/c00a9591-d7e6-400e-8a18-acaa4cb0d36e/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-leland-sklar?ref=dm_sh_T0rNp9oM4kHIGiMeUqhMOjHpv -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

More Stranger Songs-SiriusXM This Week

So, tune in Saturday October 17h to Faction Talk, channel 137, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West. If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Podcast Now On YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/@TheBobLefsetzPodcast -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Re-Mike Love

I’m going for 75 minutes until I am 90! Living the dream!!! Peter Noone  ____________________________________________ Great write-up on Mike Love.  Mike was my boss for 23 years, including when I met you at the Vilar in 2019.  You’ve hit the nail on the head - Mike really loves performing for the fans.  Summers on tour with The Beach Boys were often brutal - like 32 shows in the month of August alone, each in a different city!  But as hard as it was for the band and crew, I never forgot that Mike would also spend all day doing phone interviews for radio, print and the web for upcoming shows, even early “drive time” hours.  Fielding show offers, planning the routing, and more. He is truly the epitome of a hard-working guy!  So to your point #6 “was this the last Mike Love show?”  If he can regain his health and strength, I am sure he will be back out there! Scott Totten Guitar, Voice, Production and Arranging ScottTotten.com ____________________________________________ An old friend of mine has been the tour accountant/lighting director for Mike Love and the current Beach Boys for the past twelve years. When they passed through San Diego last summer we connected and my wife and I had a chance to see the show, catch up with my friend, and hang a bit backstage. Here’s my two cents. Is Mike in great voice? No, but that’s not the point. He’s 86 and  the last living link to justify The Beach Boys touring and being on stage, and, as you pointed out, he’s all heart and genuinely loves it. The rest of the band, including Mike’s son as well as John Stamos, longtime genuine fan and talented goofball, are fantastic. The audience loved every second of it. These songs are timeless, but the original members aren’t. Mike is there. Literally, that’s all that matters. Whiners gonna whine and haters gonna hate. The show will sell out long before they should choose to not buy their ticket. More seats for the rest of us. And Mike works hard. When we saw them they were fresh off playing some dates in Ireland, and heading out the next morning to travel up the West Coast.. My friend that works for him and everybody else I talked to in the organization had nothing but positive things to say. We are lucky to be alive in this era when these folks are still among us and, in Mike’s case, wanting to share the experience with us, then let’s celebrate every moment of it we can. Thanks for all you do. Ralph Covert ____________________________________________ Mike is five years older than me. I hope I can hang on as long.   In 1980, I was a promotion rep for Boardwalk when he released his solo LP “Looking Back with Love.” The label had booked a promo tour, and I met up with him in Houston to hit the stations, do some press and visit some record stores. I figured “nothing but the best for a legend,” so I rented a loaded red Caddy to chauffeur him around in. When I picked him up at the airport, he smirked, “Got your daddy’s car, huh?” Fortunately, I managed to catch myself just before blurting out, “No, it’s from Avis.”    Jon Sullivan ____________________________________________ I produced a project with BILL CHAMPLIN for Warner Japan , and took him to Tokyo to compete in the Tokyo Music Festival in 1990. We sat in First Class and I had the seat next to Mike Love,  who was also going for the festival as the guest artist.  He got pretty blasted and liked to talk a lot. Very friendly and nice. He told me a lot of fun and interesting stories in the 12 hour flight. He talked  of how he was suing Brian Wilson for co-authorship on many songs. He seemed very confident that he would win . At the time, I was thinking he was talking thru the booze and that for him to win would be a long shot. Lo and behold, he did win!  Mike’s guest performance at the Festival was great ! He and his  polished band did an impressive 45 minute set of Beach Boys hits .  During the competition segment, Bill won Best Vocal Performance (beating out Bobby McFerrin , among others) and he and I shared the award for Best Composer.  Fun memories (seemed like yesterday!) Joey Carbone ____________________________________________ What a beautiful tribute to and analysis of Mike Love.  Mike's a problematic guy if you're a Beach Boys fan.  We know about the rants, the dumb interviews.  But even for the Brian-centric Beach Boys fans who think they hate Mike Love - who could ever have done Mike Love's parts better?  The music is what will last and I have no problem giving Mike his respect for making literally millions of people happy since the 1960's.  And as you pointed out - Mike had more to do creatively with the early Beach Boys stuff than people think.  His strong work ethic kept the band on the road - and money coming in for Brian, Al and the Beach Boys families.   Because of his snippy personality, it's hard for many of us to do what I am about to do now - which is to say THANK YOU MIKE LOVE!  The pleasure was all mine. -Ted Schreiber ____________________________________________ Thanks Bob. I hate it when people speak negatively of Mike Love. He did write the lyrics on most of the hits and he did sing the lead on many of them. He didn't have the advantage of having his father be their manager (who worked to promote Brian).    And he kept the band going and relevant when Brian couldn't or didn't want to. I always respected him for that. He put a great product out there too. The current band is excellent and I've seen them many years in a row.  All good things come to an end but what a great ride it has been and of course we'll always have the music. Feeling down? Just put on the Beach Boys and you can't help but feel better. The lyrics, melodies and the harmonies are timeless and emotionally evocative - like no other band!  They're America's Band!   Patrick Whitaker ____________________________________________ Beautifully expressed, Bob. And people need to lay off Mike Love. He's been unfairly overlooked for his role in those songs for decades and unfairly compared to Brian Wilson who was hardly a saint, just more spectacularly f*cked-up. And apparently had much better publicists. Cheers David Vawter ____________________________________________ Been a fan since..well… before the Beatles…first time live…Winterland 1973… opening with Blondie belting out a fabulous Sail On Sailor…after ball games…arenas…amphitheaters every time they played Maui (even a private gig).. That video of Mike hit hard… I know he’s been in bad shape but to see him like this? First thought was”time to hang it up”… but man what do I know? He’s been doing this pretty much nonstop his whole adult life…it’s his fuel…Over 40 songs every night…he’s going against Doctors orders and even his band…if he wants to ride this wave to the very end… he’s earned that right…we’re all a leaf on a windy day… Tom Clark ____________________________________________ Bravo for giving another face to the man.  I saw that pic of him onstage and could only think of how Paul Atkinson was at the Zombies “reunion” show at HOB in Hollywood years ago, not long before he died. Paul was a mensch, a lovely man. Oh, well…. Hugo Burnham ____________________________________________ '"Today, unless you live here, California is a pariah, a veritable joke, a hellhole with a government that doesn't work, stratospheric taxes and unaffordable real estate.” Keep in mind, California is the most populous state in the USA.   It is #1 in tech, #1 in entertainment, #1 in start up companies, #1 in agriculture, #1 in GDP (and is #4 worldwide !), #1 in venture capital, #1 in Fortune 500 companies headquarters. It ain’t perfect (I got my real estate tax bill today)……but it beats the sh*t out of Texas and Florida. Mike Bone P.S. AND I will put the UC and Cal State colleges up against ANY other states colleges ____________________________________________ Interesting piece, Bob. Lots to think about and lots to unpack.  I will tell you this: I had the honor of seeing Glen Campbell’s “The Goodbye Tour”, accompanied by several of his children, namely Ashley, a good artist in her own right…and it was a very special evening. Not without its “ouch” moments - but mostly, it was heartfelt, there were dashes of his brilliance, his playing and that voice. But, mostly - about how his kids and none other than the legendary TJ Kuenster embraced, protected and celebrated him and his music. Thank you for mentioning him in your piece, even if briefly.  Respect,  Alex Lopez Negrete  ____________________________________________ so much truth in your writing about mike love. these musicians still out there soaking up whatever love they can get from fans...and fans wanting the last ounce of whatever their rock idols have to share. seems like a win-win to me.  tom petty had it right: "i don't know but i've been told you never slow down, you never grow old." rock on! mary e. ____________________________________________ I went to Buddy Guy’s 90th Birthday at Radio City about a week ago.  He was doing it for the love of the music and the love of the crowd and for the love of other musicians.  A few years back I saw an 87 year old BB King delivering on his music.  So, maybe 85 isn’t so old if you love what you do.  John Parikhal ____________________________________________ I’ve seen the Beach Boys several times, mostly in the early 1980s. Even saw Brian with them in an odd one-off in Huntington WV of all places (Carl was sick so Brian filled in).  Point is, I love ‘em. The splintering makes me sad and I wouldn’t go to a show now. That said, I don’t have any problem with anyone who wants to go or if Mike et Al want to keep playing. They deserve to be the ones to choose when they hang up the forever symbolic surf boards. Tim Wood ____________________________________________ Hey Bob, the Beach Boys were the REASON I came to California.  Even though by 1965 I was more of a British invasion guy, the BB came first.  Ever since I heard their first hits in 10th grade I knew I would be California bound some day.  High school was 1961 to 1965 in Arlington, VA.  I went to one of the best public schools in the country, where almost everyone that graduated went to a 4 year college.  Not me, I had C minus average and barely graduated so I was off for Glendale Junior College.  Why California?  Hottest chicks, hottest hotrods, hottest weather is what the Beach Boys said, so why would anyone want to go anywhere else? So I tossed my drum set in the trunk of our 1960 Imperial and my mom and I drove across country.  We arrived on Friday the 13th of August,1965 and got a motel room in Glendale, close to the college.  My mom went to sleep and I drove off for the beach, with no map, but made it to Santa Monica via the freeway.  Coming back was another affair, got lost for hours, (half the fun), almost ran into the Watts riots, finally made it back to the motel by 3 am by asking numerous folks "Which direction is Glendale?"  I had arrived. The dream had started. My first night in CA! The Beach Boys were RIGHT! Sterling Howard, founder/owner  https://www.MusiciansContact.com ____________________________________________ If we are taking a side trip on musicians that died on stage, Col. Bruce Hampton comes to mind. Thank you, David Howard ____________________________________________ Mark Sandman from Morphine died on stage. Roderick Smith ____________________________________________ Man I love you for writing this. Mike Love is a living legend. Thank you. Jordan Holman ____________________________________________ Totally agree with you. Van Fletcher ____________________________________________ Loved this. So true. Two facts for you. One , I took my Mother to see Perry Como at Royal Albert Hall about 50 years ago . He was brilliant! Two, somewhere sometime I met Mike Love. He was brilliant! Sadly I was so fu*ked up I can’t remember where or when but I do remember he was so lovely. Richard Griffiths ____________________________________________ Hi Bob, nice piece. I had mixed emotions when I saw the first clips of Mike in his stool with Stamos championing the crowd around him … as you note it’s tough to see your hero’s lose their vocal chops and push through a show, largely on goodwill. But I think if anyone has earned the right to go out on his terms it’s Mike Love. I really appreciated your interview with him, I think he’s lived in the Wilson’s shadow way too long but he’s really been the glue that’s kept that band alive and a legit touring force. The footage wasn’t great but I hope he was basking in the adoration of that crowd, and however many more he can make.   Cheers Craig Eagleson ____________________________________________ I saw Brian maybe 10/15 yrs ago at the majestic Beacon Theater. I saw Mike with Uncle Jesse Stamos on drums after a AAA  baseball game in Buffalo in maybe 92? The latter was a celebration…people, all different stripes, singing songs and dancing in the aisles together . I was young , as were they relatively. Too much fun.  I actually sat through a baseball game to see the band. Not my sport.  The former I did to say that I saw him… like my friend saw Elvis in Niagara Falls the year he died.   Daniel C. Dwyer ____________________________________________ Thanks, Bob. John Stamos -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

The Horse Race

People didn't love Donald Trump in 2024. But they did hate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, we constantly have to hear about Harris possibly running again, makes me tear out what little hair I have left, she is an inauthentic loser who couldn't even get one delegate back in the 2020 primary season! There, I said it, positively heresy. She's Black, she's a woman, how could I say anything negative? Now let me see... Joe Biden was too old and they said he was not and then he evidenced this on television and told us not to believe our eyes while he dilly-dallied for weeks deciding to retire, like a baseball player who has lost a step. And we Democrats are pissed. Because the team has been managed so poorly. It's hard to be a fan when the General Manager denies the truth and when changes are made, they are worse. I didn't vote for Kamala to be the candidate, and neither did you. She was foisted upon us. But she almost won anyway, because most of the country has Democratic values, and so many people hate Donald Trump. So Trump didn't win, the Democrats forfeited. And Trump has been showered with hosannas ever since. Until now, when the media is reporting that those who voted for him are disillusioned and are now leaning towards Democrats. OF COURSE, BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE WIDESPREAD SUPPORT TO BEGIN WITH! Meanwhile, all the reporting is about the mechanics, who will win in what state and although important, this is not the main issue in America today. No, people have lost faith in the Democrats and the system. The wishy-washy Dems? Who never raise their voices, who say their hands are tied, who won't stand up to Trump but also won't stand up to special interest groups? How many trans women are there in college sports anyway? But rather than say this, most Democratic candidates are afraid of pissing off...exactly who? The trans community, which is how big? This is a no-brainer, the Republicans are anti-trans, you can defend trans people without losing your mind. When even Martina Navratilova comes down against trans women in sports, you know you're on the wrong side. Once again, no problem with trans people, just everybody is not entitled to do everything! Kind of like when they refuse to say only biological women can conceive babies. This is a huge gift to the right, can't anybody on the left speak English? And speaking of English, only bleeding heart liberals could come up with the moniker "Latinx" for a group of people who hate the appellation. Ditto on defund the police, people in Black neighborhoods want MORE police! There's this endless rabbit hole of b.s. No one has a backbone. And then we get to Democratic Socialism... Traditional Democrats are missing the point, it's not about socialism whatsoever, but hatred of the usual suspects, the establishment. But the Democratic party can't reform itself, can't arrive in the twenty first century, never mind look forward. And the doofus Republicans in Congress, afraid of Trump and their own shadow. He's a paper tiger. It's like an invisible dog fence. They're all afraid of breaking ranks, crossing the line, when in truth liberation exists right outside the barrier. The public is not with Trump, he just won an election because the Democratic candidate was so bad. Sure, there's a hard core of Trumpers, but it's smaller than you think and in truth it's not about love of the Donald but hatred of the so-called coastal elite. Who even I hate. The self-anointed educated and rich who think they know better. But the irony is this is not a one party problem, there are self-righteous, pompous elite members of the Republican party, it's just that the Democrats never seem to make this point and hammer it down. We are looking for truth, for fighters, and all we get is wusses. People are more alike than different, and in truth James Carville had it right back in 1992 and for all time...IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID! Most people don't care about the day to day activities in D.C., they just want to be free to live their lives. And when you impinge upon those lives, like with the banning of abortion... The Democrats keep talking about packing the Supreme Court, doing something to undercut our rigged system, but then they never pull the trigger, they're waiting for the people to rise up and lead. Which could happen, because Trump is running the country off a cliff while the Democrats twiddle their thumbs. Find me a person who defends a Russian oligarch paying for Don, Jr.'s wedding celebration. Find me a person who is down with the closing of the Kennedy Center. Find me a person who is in support of the arch. No, Trump is acting with impunity, and no one will stop him, believing he has widespread support. HE DOESN'T! Now is the time for the true believer, not someone who equivocates, who consults polls before doing anything, who is afraid to offend anyone. We are looking for people who connect with us emotionally. Meaning both J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio have absolutely no chance of winning in 2028 assuming the Democrats run a reasonable candidate chosen by the people. We need someone to believe in. Trump got elected in 2016 because people were freaked out about the future, technology, opportunity, they wanted to put the brakes on society. Which, of course, is impossible. We needed a leader to navigate the new world, not someone who promised us a return to what once was, which wasn't so good and is never coming back again. The old farts in Congress... All they can do is hate on technology, after the fact, when it is already pervasive and dominant. And most people now hate Elon Musk, a blowhard too myopic to be aware of the public's perception of his personality and identity. But the news talks about him coming back to Washington like it's a fait accompli. There is a way out of this, and it's not so much moving to the left as in moving into the future. If one more Democrat asks me for money for TV ads... What next, radio soap operas? They hire consultants baked into the past who are only concerned with getting paid. So I'm disillusioned with both parties, as almost everybody is, especially on the left. It's only old people who are true Democratic believers, young people have never felt the power of a JFK, a politician who spoke to them. On the right... It's fear and disarray, and a refusal to acknowledge how weak Donald Trump really is, how he's out of touch with the populace. So what happens now? Maybe the Democrats take Congress. Maybe Trump interferes with the election. But gridlock will remain, a constant scrum wherein the two lines butt heads and the ball never moves either way. Meanwhile, while we're killing our young people as they get CTE from playing football. What next, executions on TV? YES! People don't want barbarism. They do want expertise. They want humanity. They want to be acknowledged and understood. People are reasonable, they don't require everything if they believe they are heard. Right now they do not feel they're being heard. So either the Democrats wake up and break the system, or Trump will bring us ever closer to true autocracy or... The public will revolt. People can only take it for so long. Gas is stratospheric in price because an uninformed idiot started a war he couldn't win, undermining the status of the U.S. in the process. The same man who takes the side of Russia against Ukraine. Do you really think the public is behind him? OF COURSE NOT! Can we at least speak English and admit this? And know that the fear for the Democratic party is not socialism, but extinction, because it has lost touch with its constituents. The right rules on fear. But when people see the light, they become less scared. But it's hard to shed light in our obtuse world where everybody gets their news from a different outlet, oftentimes biased. The Ten Commandments in school? We're sitting on the sidelines wondering what is going on. Isn't this exactly what the Constitution forbade? We live in bizarroland. Oldsters are tuning out, living on their savings. Young people have no savings and are constantly scolded by oldsters for utilizing technology, for not showing up and being abused at work. And you think this draws youngsters to them? But all we hear about is numbers. Establishment talking heads giving us analysis baked in the past. Everybody so locked into the game that they can't see what is truly going on. Meanwhile, we're on the outside, alternately detached and enraged. How come we can see the obvious and they can't? How come we can see it's not about the details, but the overall picture? How come there's no longer any agreed upon truth? How come even if I vote I still feel powerless? Change is coming. What it will look like, I don't know. A tightening of the noose or a breaking of the system. One thing is for sure, things can't go on as usual. The public knows this, the Democrats certainly do not. Rally the troops, don't divide them. Bring everybody in, don't give them a reason to stay out. Make people feel heard and included. That's the way they used to do it. But not anymore. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Richard Marx-This Week's Podcast

Like you've never heard him before... Richard has a new album, "After Hours." https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/richard-marx/id1316200737?i=1000793843006 https://open.spotify.com/episode/78xdiAIgH5GNzDgNqNWfFt?si=9q4pUMSfR26MH0lS5C6ZFA https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/richard-marx-347187490 https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d2a9e496-d122-4f49-b5f2-1ffb3f687550/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-richard-marx?ref=dm_sh_IvLT5YOyOughBPuYc2uwej0Yn -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

The Last First: Winter K2

Apple trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgGpyr5MFK8 Last night we watched "Learning to Fly," a documentary on ultra-marathoners on Prime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCY8NArDOgk So what you've got here is mostly mountain people, the other, who have dedicated themselves to this insane sport which is far from lucrative. And as I'm watching I say to myself, I KNOW THESE PEOPLE! Because I used to live amongst them, I used to be one of them. Not that there are ski bums anymore, they've been priced out of the resorts, rent is just too high. But back in the day, there was a subset of people, some college graduates like myself, many others dropouts, and even some who stopped their educations after high school, who moved to the mountains so they could ski every day. Living essentially off the grid. Now in the mountains it was not about physical assets. No one had any money and no one owned anything other than a few pairs of skis and a season pass. No, it was how good you were at your sport, and that was all we talked about, day after day after day. How you looked, what you wore? Essentially irrelevant. But to be able to be out in the mountain air every day, testing limits, that was enough to make your life work. Thank god I got out, many do not. Most who do not ultimately fall into day jobs, stop skiing and end up on the lower end of the economic scale. But my heart is still there. That's why I went to college in Vermont, because of the landscape, because the college had its own ski area. Truly. But the mountains are much bigger out west. And at first they focus on a 100 mile run in California, up Squaw Valley, over the mountains to Auburn. Forget running, I don't think I could WALK that far! And to be honest, I have a hard time running these days anyway. And then they go to Chamonix. Now the Alps are not as high as the Rockies. But the landscape is breathtaking, jaw-dropping. Reminded me of the last time I was there, back in 2011, just staring out the bus window, stunned at how steep these mountains were, the ones of your fantasies. But none of them compare to the Himalayas. Now "Learning to Fly" got good reviews, and it's an interesting picture, but "The Last First: Winter K2"? I'd say it's a must-watch, assuming you're into the monta?as, are fascinated by Everest. K2 is number two, the second highest peak on the globe. But K2 is no walk in the park, unlike Everest K2 demands technical climbing, it's not a long hike, but truly a challenge. And it had never been climbed in the winter. So... From the beginning you know that people are going to die. Unfortunately, they rarely make films about wholly successful attempts, people want to see the gore. Not that the blood and guts is in this movie, however. They're on the valley floor, surrounded by these peaks... This is far from civilization. But not as far as it used to be. Now there are satellite phones and internet... Nowhere on earth are you truly disconnected, hell, even your iPhone can speak to the satellite. I used to crave that isolation, it made me feel alive. But that's something we've lost with the technological revolution. I'd rather have the advances than the loneliness, did you read about the guy who was trapped by a boulder and called for help using his AirPods and Siri? "Oregon Man Pinned by Boulder Calls 911 Using Siri From His Earbuds - The man was trapped under a boulder that the police said likely weighed a 'literal ton' and could not reach his phone. He used Apple’s Siri to call 911, his mother said." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/us/oregon-man-pinned-boulder-siri-rescue.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.QNMp.z1oAstUam88M&smid=url-share In the old days he would have withered on the vine. In this case, drowned as the tide changed. So give me that connection all day long. But still, the Himalayas are daunting. Unlike in the Everest films, there is ice climbing involved. You've got to bang the toes of your crampons into the ice and haul yourself up with your axe and one false move... That's how critical your steps are. It's usually black or white, you live or you die. Now along with the raw issue of climbing the mountain, there is an underlying story about the people involved, the competition, love... I wouldn't quite call these people daredevils, but there is no margin for error, people die all the time. So it's forbidding. The wind is blowing. Are the ropes intact? And it always comes down to bad judgment. People ignore instructions. Even a casual reader of Everest stories know there's a turn around time, ignore it at your peril, it's there for a reason. You might make it up, but good luck making it down. And this ain't America, where corporations are so fearful of being sued that they dot every "i" and cross every "t"... Seven Summit Treks is a Nepalese company... That's right, like sisters, the Nepalese are doing it for themselves, the westerners have been squeezed out. Reminds me of being on a scary chairlift in Chile. In America when you're scared you can easily tell yourself not to be, there are so many regulations involved, the odds of an accident are extremely low, but in a foreign country? You can take the American out of America, but he does not take America with him, he's subject to the rules of the society he has traveled to. Now I may lament the passage of isolation, aloneness, but with the concomitant rise in technology... The images in this film are spectacular, and on your hi-def set... So if you're a mountain man or woman, fascinated by the hills, which are not alive with music in this case, "The Last First: Winter K2" is required viewing. But everybody is fascinated by the human condition and the challenges of nature. The tension between the steadfast mountain and human beings is inherently interesting, and it's depicted in this film, which is included in your Apple TV subscription. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

114°

Not really, but that's what the thermometer read when I got into my car in Hollywood. Car temperature gauges are notoriously inaccurate. For some reason they're better in the winter, but once it starts to get warm... First and foremost they're too high when you get into the car. But once the automobile warms up, it cools down, and the temperature becomes semi-accurate. But then you get into traffic and it JUMPS! On my way back from Tinseltown it said 107° on the freeway. I know it's not that hot, then again, once back home Alexa said it was 103. Ah, getting accurate weather. Used to be Dark Sky was the definitive statement, so good that Apple then bought it and ruined it. Apple will say it's going to be clear all day, but then it rains, like Carrot says. I find Carrot to be the best these days, although if you want any detail you have to pay for it, but since there's almost no real weather in Los Angeles, I don't. As for detail, I pay for OpenSnow, which is the definitive ski resort weather outlet/app. Every day you get a personalized analysis for every ski resort, and it's pretty damn accurate. Although sometimes depressing, like last year, when it didn't snow and got warmer and warmer... That's what I'm concerned about. The L.A. "Times" said it was going to be 76 in Aspen today, and that's completely unreasonable. That's what I'm worried about most, not the amount of precipitation, but whether it comes down as snow or RAIN! Used to be it never ever rained in Vail during the season. Maybe once or twice there were some drops at the absolute base, but as soon as you got on the gondola, it was snow. Unlike in Steamboat, where the altitude is 1,200 feet lower. In the spring, it has historically rained there. Could this be the end of winter as we know it? Certainly was in Europe during the summer. Year-round ski resorts like Zermatt and Saas-Fee had to close, they were rivers, veritable sluices of run-off water. As for St. Mary's Glacier in Colorado, where locals went to get summer turns, to keep their streak of skiing in every month intact, it just melted away. A for what's coming... All we're hearing about is El Niño. Live long enough and you no longer trust predictions. As much as we know, there's still even more that we don't know. Meanwhile, a hurricane from Mexico came up the coast and delivered rain on Labor Day weekend, something I've never experienced previously. And the story is about how the beach is eroding away. "Nobody on the road Nobody on the beach" Even the boys of summer are staying home. Because it's just too hot! Angelenos are weenies. If it rains, people stay home, and if it's hot they stay home too. Such that if you go to the grocery store, or shop elsewhere, it's empty. Even the freeway back from Hollywood just now, I'm screaming along at the speed limit, normally an impossibility at this time. So Alexa/Amazon says 103°. Generally speaking, don't trust it. Because oftentimes the reading is not where you're located, and that makes a ton of difference when at different altitudes. Apple says 96°. Carrot and Mercury the same thing, and although the latter two oftentimes agree, it's rare that all three do. But really it's not about the daytime, but the nighttime. It's not uncommon to have temperatures in the nineties at this time of the year, it's as a result of the Santa Ana winds. But it cools down at night, to a veritable seasonal temperature. But not now! It'll go into the seventies after midnight, but if you want to go out hiking...it's going to be just as hot, if not hotter, down at the beach, and this never happens. Now in the old days, if you lived west of the 405, you didn't need air-conditioning, maybe a week a year. But today? Without it you risk heatstroke. As for your car... I got in mine in Hollywood and couldn't hold on to the steering wheel it was so hot. Which reminded me of my '63 Chevy convertible, back in the days when not only the seats were plastic, but the steering wheels too. If the top was down you'd have to put a towel on the seat, as for touching the wheel... You'd grip it and let go, grip it and let go, do this ad infinitum until you cooled it down enough to drive. As for a/c... In the old days, only American cars provided good units, Cadillacs, other land yachts, were the best. German iron? It's like they'd never seen temperatures this hot over there, and weren't prepared for it. But today... Yet if your car has been sitting in the heat... You have to drive it for quite a while until it cools off, until you get that soothing blow of frigid air that satiates, that is somewhere down in the sixties, a great contrast to what is outside. But it's a dry heat! Not this summer. We actually had humidity in Los Angeles! The locals will crack you up. They'll talk about bugs, mosquitoes... If you grew up on the east coast, they don't even exist out here. And humidity? On the east coast you never need a jacket at night during the summer. Out here, you always bring a wrap, even in the San Fernando Valley! So what is happening? What has happened down here is the wind has changed. Yes, Randy Newman still loves L.A., but this is weather we haven't seen before. But at least it's good to know that climate change is not real. Good they lowered fuel economy standards. Yeah, right. Not only does the individual feel powerless, it appears no one is really addressing the issues. Then again, after Iran wipes out L.A. and San Diego, I guess it won't matter. It's like we're frogs in a tub of boiling water. And the temperature keeps going up. Will it reach 7800° Fahrenheit? Hopefully Bon Jovi will let us know. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

The Choosin' Texas Kerfuffle

No one has heard it, despite the song being number one for 23 weeks, how can this be? Well, "Rolling Stone" posited that it's hatred of country music: "WHAT SOME FOLKS REALLY MEAN WHEN THEY CLAIM TO HAVE NEVER HEARD 'CHOOSIN' TEXAS' Proclaiming you’re unfamiliar with Ella Langley’s record-setting song has a lot in common with saying 'I listen to anything but country'" https://apple.news/Anai0_RnRTYWO_VKMj7A8CA "The Atlantic" dives deep into the data, claiming it's an innocuous tune that fits many formats and therefore it was on many playlists, driving up streaming counts: "ELLA LANGLEY CAN’T BELIEVE HER SUCCESS. MANY LISTENERS CAN’T EITHER. The criteria—and meaning—of a No. 1 hit are always changing." https://apple.news/AIullxF4IQeeL8D858O85sg Never have so many spewed so many words overanalyzing a quite simple concept: NOTHING IS UNIVERSAL! This is anathema to conventional news outlets, who believe they're aggregators for the masses. They find the universal and feed it back to the public. Only most people don't get their news from conventional outlets anymore. Forget newspapers, which have died on the vine, but TV news too. It's laughable that Hollywood was up in arms that the Ellisons might control CNN along with CBS. Have you checked the ratings recently? They're in the dumper and descending. Very few are watching. Appointment TV? That went out with the DVR, and is completely history today. Assuming you're interested in SNL or other network tripe...you know if anything good happens, it's instantly findable online thereafter, usually on YouTube, furthermore it appears in your TikTok feed! That's where I find "Weekend Update," usually the only worthwhile segment of SNL. And maybe SNL is the point. Major outlets have stories about what happened the night before, like this is Ed Sullivan and we're all watching. Just because SNL was a phenomenon in the seventies that does not mean it possesses the same place in the public consciousness today. But this is heresy to oldsters! If SNL is not all-encompassing and important, WHAT IS? I had lunch with Daniel Glass yesterday. He signed an act who built his career online. He's excited about the prospects. But everywhere he goes people tell him they're glad that analog is coming back. This is when Mr. Glass becomes increasingly intense. Decries these ignorant lunatics. It all happens on the handset today, and usage on TikTok is even going up! But this is akin to the endless anti-technology stories in "The New York Times." "My Dumbphone Made My Life Better. It Made Everyone Else's Worse": https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/opinion/dumbphone-smartphone-friendship.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.vLZR.XP8QARO7oM6-&smid=url-share This is oldster clickbait. And elder abuse. All you've got to do is scan the article and you'll find out... The writer couldn't call an Uber, couldn't use digital maps to find her destination. But she self-satisfiedly says she's happier. What next, churning your own butter? Kind of like the endless Waymos are dangerous stories. The future must be stopped, NOW! And while we're at it, kill all those AI data centers. Okay, okay, but don't expect to get an easy answer on Google, never mind talk to ChatGPT or Anthropic. This is like those who say manufacturing needs to come back to America. Sure, but are you ready to pay $4000 for a television set? And the queen of popular music is Taylor Swift. She's been anointed. She even dropped in on SNL during Dakota Johnson's monologue Saturday night. Did you know that? Probably not. And it might have come across your news transom, but did you click and see it? Highly doubtful. There is a very hard core addicted to certain verticals and the PR machine is amped up and news outlets take the bait and tell us things are universal when they are not. Forget whether Swift's music is good or bad, but I'd bet many more people have heard "Choosin' Texas" than anything off her recent album. There's just too much in the channel. And young women love Taylor, but other slices of the population want nothing to do with her. Never mind acts without the footprint of Swift. Let's look at last week's Senate hearing. Eric Schmitt called Jack Smith a "dirtbag" for lying about not being at a basketball game in Atlanta. Amy Klobuchar had him dead to rights, Smith was at an Iowa Hawkeyes game in Maryland, not an Atlanta Hawks game in Atlanta. This was all over MS NOW and other left wing sites. The right wing? It's like it didn't even happen. Schmitt still hasn't uttered a mea culpa. In the old, pre-internet days, Schmitt would be tarred forever, he might have had to resign. But not today, everything is grist for the mill, the river of stories is endless, what happens in the morning is not atop the homepage in the evening. And you're surprised people have not heard "Choosin' Texas"? It's kind of like equating today's Hot 100 with that of the 60's. Come on, is there anyone who grew up in that era who did not hear "Yesterday"? Today records constantly go top ten and only a student of the chart has heard all of them. But if you admit all this... Then you have to question your underlying beliefs. Like sales are coming back. No they are not, streaming killed them long ago. There is a sales business, but I point you to this story: "Luminate report: Taylor Swift fans drive millions in physical album sales" https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2026/09/04/luminate-report-taylor-swifts-fans-power-record-album-sales/91601521007/ All you need to know is this: "Luminate counted 65 different physical and digital product releases for Swift's 2025 album, 'The Life of a Showgirl.' Her previous two original albums had similarly sprawling rollouts: 'Midnights' had 67 product releases and 'The Tortured Poets Department" had 54." This isn't about listening, this is about merch. Selling to rabid fans who must have everything. No one ignored Swift and then weeks, months later, decided to buy the latest iteration of one of these albums, no it's FANS! I could go on, but the facts here are self-evident. But like Daniel Glass referenced, you'll tell me about cassette sales. I've got to ask you, do you know anybody with a cassette player? Do YOU have a cassette player? Now I'd like to say the three major label groups have their heads in the sand, ignoring reality, but in truth that ship sailed long ago. They put out few new releases, they find it almost impossible to break an act and their bottom lines are padded for paid-for catalog. As for news outlets... They don't want to admit they're fighting for attention, they don't want to question their platform, they'd just rather be holier-than-thou. So what do you print in the newspaper, on the paper's website? Well, you can't cover everything. Hell, look at all the news articles in Apple News+, never mind elsewhere online. No, you put forth a limited number of stories and say these are the important ones, and by the way we employ JOURNALISTS, educated and experienced, and we must be TRUSTED! Ain't that laughable. The emperor is wearing no clothes. And the news media is denying this. Telling us stuff is happening and important when it is not. Meanwhile, fewer than ever are paying attention to these traditional outlets. And oldsters decry social media. Forget entertainment, my TikTok stream is informative, that's where I find out about so much, that never shows up on mainstream media, if for no other reason than it's massive for me and miniature for others. This is the world we live in, but if we all admit it... We live in a Tower of Babel society. Everyone is in their own world, their own niche, there is no consensus. And we have the old guard saying there is consensus when there is not! Never mind too often they're in their ivory tower and detached from the street, having no clue what is really going on. The foregoing is daunting. But the solution is not to wear blinders or express a desire to jet back into the past. Funny, all the left wing intelligentsia/elite decry the right wing "Make America Great Again," yet they feel the same way! The Boomers want to bring back the past, and the Gen-X'ers too. And it seems the more educated you are, the more you're steadfast in the belief that technology is evil and if we could just go back to the old way of doing things... That is never going to happen. In eras of chaos... That's when you end up with authoritarians, they make the trains run on time, they say they're going to make society comprehensible. Which people are yearning for. If that's not scary... But D.C. in total, all the elected officials, are so out of touch with America it's mind-blowing. The only way out of this is through this. And in order to accomplish this, you've got to own the present, lock stock and barrel. There are no more universal number ones, no matter what the charts may tell you. That's history. Done for. Theoretically it could happen again, but everybody is so deep into their own niche...including the 808 in country songs, as if this is what the public is really interested in! "Choosin' Texas" is the biggest song of the year. But like the biggest movie and biggest TV show there's a good chance you've never heard it/experienced it. And that's got nothing to do with the song itself, it's got to do with society and how people spend their time today. Case closed. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

The Ari Emanuel Book

"Roll the Calls: A Memoir": https://bit.ly/4dl125e I read this whole damn book and I still don't know who Ari Emanuel is. What we've got here is a package deal, as in Ari agented his own book. In other words, he hired J.R. Moehringer to write it. Moehringer is famous for writing the legendary Andre Agassi autobiography, wherein Andre revealed his inner truth, busting myths of the sport of tennis, never mind his personal identity, it is still considered the paragon of the form. Then Moehringer went on to write the autobiographical "Tender Bar," a very good read. So Ari obviously thought if he got the best writer, he'd end up with the best book, but nothing could be further from the truth. You start reading the book and there are just brief notes, mere paragraphs, before a break and another set of paragraphs. You think this is just the intro, but IT'S THE WHOLE DAMN BOOK! There's never a consistent narrative. I've got to believe Moehringer got overwhelmed by Ari, and this was the best he could do. Because if Ari gave up control, the result wouldn’t be this book. What we've got here is a timeline, a veritable syllabus, of Ari Emanuel's career. First I did this and then I did that. And it's not long before the reader decides he wants no part of Ari's world, hustlers fighting for power and money... And then they die, and they're forgotten. There's a scene with Warren Littlefield, one of the most-liked men in television, whose name I haven't heard in years, I truly thought he was dead until I just Googled him... If you want to be remembered, don't be an agent, don't be a BUSINESSMAN! Used to be people read these books for an inside view of Hollywood. Because Hollywood was the dream factory, running the world. That's far from the case today, for decades the focus has been on tech. Movies don't change the world, TV can...and that's where Ari starts out and... He keeps telling us he's dyslexic, he's got a chip on his shoulder. But this comes up over and over again. WE GET IT ARI! But we don't completely buy it, because whatever is going on you ended up very successful, it couldn't have held you back that much. And we've got people like Michael Ovitz. If you weren't around during his heyday, you've got no idea who he is. Kind of like Johnny Carson... A king in his era, barely a footnote in the future. And Michael Eisner... All these men, and they are almost all men, making deals, screwing each other, doesn't make you envious at all, makes them look like losers who don't know themselves. Because if Ari let Moehringer write the real story of his life... Ari keeps talking about going to his shrink, but it doesn't seem to have worked, because Ari doesn't grow, he doesn't gain insight into his abrasive personality, and all you really have to know is Ari makes his shrink break up with his girlfriend. That's an inherent weakness, a character flaw, never mind a shrink who doesn't know where the boundaries are. So Ari goes on and on about his rage. Gives example after example and... What are we to take from this? That oftentimes he gets his way? This entire book is about settling a score, getting more than even, elbowing the people who were in his way and justifying his ultimate success. After all, he bought the UFC and WWE! Ain't that the height of respectable entertainment. What next, cage fights? Oh, that's right, the UFC IS cage fights! Ari says that some people pooh-pooh the UFC, but since it makes money, how can you criticize it? And then he buys IMG, squeezes out Patrick Whitesell by comparing report cards, what Ari did and Patrick did not, and then he wants us to acknowledge that he's worthy. Meanwhile, he calls people ad infinitum to get his way. Okay, that evidences perseverance. But the ultimate woman he marries tells him again and again he's too old for her, but he browbeats her into caving. You see Ari needs someone who he can control, not an equal. Arm candy to impress his friends. So he's running all over town and then the world making deals. WHOO-HOO! You're rich and have famous friends, but to a great degree you missed your life, you were so busy doing that you were not in touch with your emotions and what it all means. So, Ari can't really be the guy in this book. Because this guy is completely unlikable. And no one could be successful and be this unlikable. He must have some redeeming characteristics, but they're not in this book. Otherwise, none of the talent would sign with him. You've got to connect, be empathetic, and I'm sure Ari has that talent, but it's nowhere in evidence. And Ari lives in a scorched earth world, believing if he gets all high and mighty, rages enough, not only will he get his way, but people will be afraid of him, to his advantage. God, there are very few negative reviews of this book, because people are sucking at the tit of whatever they're calling it this week, Endeavor, WME... It's like Trump in miniature, you don't mess with the king. You've got to be worried that Ari will write you out of his life, that you'll be dead to him. That would probably be a badge of honor, you've got to stand up to bull-headed people like this, show them you won't take any of their crap. But Ari keeps telling us everybody is inferior to him. He's working around the clock, he's reading even though he can't, everybody else is a loser... It's just a matter of when Ari is going to turn on you, because it's Ari's way or the highway, he doesn't want to hear anything conflicting, you're either with him or against him. Ari has a hair trigger, god, it's like he's never heard the words "can we all get along"? So he gets married in the south of France. I'm supposed to be impressed? He absconds from medical treatment to make deals. He will never shut the phone off. This is "What Makes Sammy Run" on steroids, and at the end of it all, Ari is still not fulfilled, he's still unhappy. He's constantly trying to make everybody else happy, that's his number one question, whether you're happy, but he seems to have no understanding of personal happiness whatsoever. Ari wants us to be impressed, he's a big swinging dick! But you'll squirm and laugh at him. What will you learn? Maybe if you didn't live through the agency wars and know none of this you'll learn a bit of history. But in reality, this book could be about the changing landscape of entertainment, the future, but all Ari does is say he knows, pisses on those who do not, and moves on. And as you read you realize there are always people bigger than Ari. so he's the majordomo of this entertainment complex... But ultimately, he's beholden to the billionaires, some bankers, some just plainly rich. Seems like Ari had more freedom when he was just a mere talent agent. As for lessons... Don't read this book for those, even though you can divine a few. That would be a useful book, but that is not this book. Or a self-examination, a coming clean, a tale of misperceptions and inner life. But that's not this book either. We've just got one business deal after another. Sure, Ari is sometimes in pain, but it always comes down to the same damn thing, HE'S WORKING TOO HARD! If he wants sympathy, I don't know who would give it to him. So "Roll the Calls" is a megalomaniacal victory lap. It is not unreadable, but at times you want to stop, because it's only "I did this and then I did that," over and over and over again. I don't care how much money you've got Ari, how many famous friends, reading this book I can only come to one conclusion... YOUR'E A LOSER! -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Songs Given Away by Major Artists-SiriusXM This Week

Tune in Saturday October 3rd to Faction Talk, channel 137, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West. Phone #: 844-686-5863  If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Charlie Worsham-This Week's Podcast

Charlie Worsham, a Country Music Association Musician of the Year, has a new solo album, "Once Upon a Second Time Around." https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/charlie-worsham/id1316200737?i=1000792547627 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XzairqacWHTqxfTS6B7g1?si=wr8mqpXITuOghml26ZcmNg https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/charlie-worsham-346625509 https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/311f0d5c-9e08-4982-91fc-40888187d9f3/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-charlie-worsham?ref=dm_sh_Woq7gJduK5cZuNtVfg7ibfhrF -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Fires In The Night

"Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the FBI, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FX1D81JS/?bestFormat=true&k=fires%20in%20the%20night&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_18_de&crid=EXP2NHPX5W05&sprefix=fires%20in%20the%20night I thought this book was going to be about the Vail fire. After all, there's a picture of Two Elk lodge burning right on the cover! But that's not what it's about, not really. I thought this was a niche book, for a narrow audience, those who remember this 1998 fire. But then I saw it getting mainstream reviews and actually selling and I wondered, do that many people care? Not about the Vail fire, but about the Earth Liberation Front, which is what this book is really about. As for the Vail fire... It was international news back in 1998. If for no other reason than Two Elk lodge sits on a ridge at the top of the mountain, how in the hell did they get up there? The logistics were beyond daunting. Now if you're looking for a delineation of what happened in Vail, and I was, you'll find a chapter on that, details that are intriguing, but the fascinating thing is the writer, Matthew Wolfe, gets it wrong. I mean if you don't know Vail, you won't know, but if you do know...it won't make sense. Wolfe keeps talking about the Two Elk expansion. There was no such thing. It was the BLUE SKY BASIN expansion, which is nowhere near Two Elk lodge. Now my old friend Tony Wilson told me about delivering inaccurate European football scores to the TV newsreader on a Saturday night. His boss was pissed, said the European soccer scores late on a Saturday night didn't make that much difference, but viewers would think if they got those wrong, what about the more major things, could the audience trust the station to get the big things right? The whole delineation of Two Elk, the landscape at the top of the mountain, is confusing and oftentimes inaccurate. And this is not complicated, it's a physical plant, not theoretical physics. And anybody who was around back then could tell you about the issues with the Blue Sky Basin expansion, but Wolfe did not do the work, or did not get it right, or both. So I'm slogging along, waiting for the book to get to Vail, realizing that "Fires in the Night" is really not about the Vail arson, but the Earth Liberation Front and... There's a lot of backstory, a lot of setting the scene, but then... Wolfe starts introducing the characters, and then describing the arsons/actions. So at times "Fires in the Night" is absolutely riveting, and at others if not quite a slog, less than calling out to you in the night to be read. But the book is definitely worth reading. No, let me say that I'm not going to wholeheartedly recommend "Fires in the Night," because you may get bogged down and put it down. But if you have an interest in the subject and... What makes the book so damn good is the people. WHAT IN THE HELL WAS GOING THROUGH THEIR MINDS? Most of these people were offbeat, on the fast track to nowhere. But not all of them, some were college educated. So they're in the crunchy Pacific northwest, mostly Eugene, Oregon, and they're focused on climate change and physical destruction of the landscape and although they're all fascinated with the established groups, playing by the rules, going through the motions, they didn't think these were having any effect, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. And they were very, very good at it. As in not getting caught for years. And how they are caught is in accident, law enforcement believes a member was involved in an action that they were not. So some of these people are from good families, others from bad. Some were square pegs in a round hole, others could function fine in society. Then again, keeping a regular job? If they worked, they were at the bottom of the ladder. Then again, most were in their late teens or twenties. But these are not the people we read about in the news, going to college, lamenting the loss of opportunity, no, these people are working to survive, at best. Living the kind of life you could live in the late sixties and seventies, where you could pay the bills on minimum wage and what was going through your brain was more important than what you owned. Now they never wanted to kill people, only property. But the potential downside! You could go to prison for decades! What kind of people would take this risk? That's what I found most interesting. I could never see myself in their shoes. But they existed. Now things are different today, because there are cameras everywhere. Just watch TV to be aware, especially British television. Unless you're alone by yourself in your bathroom, beware, you are not alone. And the government really cracked down on what became labeled ecoterrorism. And if you live on the east coast, this story may be incomprehensible. The vastness of the landscape at stake and the people without traditional roots in education, all the base values that east coasters take for granted. So when this book gives the details of the actions themselves, it's as good as any film, tense and true. But the history and machinations in between and... You will marvel and then be bugged at some of the words. You can't read much without encountering a word you do not know the meaning of, probably have never heard before. Is this really the writer's lexicon, did these words just pop out of his brain, or did he rewrite with a thesaurus? He is secretly showing off, thinking his erudition is in evidence, but really it's laughable. These words are completely unnecessary. I noticed it and as soon as Felice picked up the book she commented on it too. But who these people were, how they dedicated themselves to these actions, took all these risks... I can't stop thinking about it. -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Muse

https://ai.meta.com/muse/ The AI platform, not the band. Mark Zuckerberg gives piss-poor presentation. It's funny, Steve Jobs created the paradigm. You write it and you rehearse it, to the point where even Tim Cook could keep the audience's attention... But Zuck? He looks like a dweeb in AP English standing up to give a book report. Such that when he is announcing products, we shrug. Not that Zuck has a great track record. I mean he changed the name and direction of the company to focus on the metaverse, Facebook becoming Meta, blowing billions in the process, if he didn't control the company he would have been blown out, and then he introduced those spy glasses... Seemingly everything he accomplished since Facebook was based on an acquisition, like Instagram, or an imitation, like Threads. We did not look to Zuckerberg for breakthroughs. Those came from Apple... In the Jobs era. Has Apple missed the boat with AI or is it going to end up sitting pretty? The economics of AI...let's just say all the profits are theoretical, and the costs are beyond high...these are not railroad tracks, you've got to replace the infrastructure on a regular basis, chips are superseded seemingly the moment you get them installed (well, at least within a few years). So, the AI mania could be equivalent to the Enron mania or the Jack Welch GE mania. Seen as paragons of excellence, with hindsight... Remember when Welch was anointed the CEO of the Century? Now to say GE is a shadow of what it once was would be charitable, and Welch's lieutenants have gone on to wreak havoc and ruin other legendary companies, like Boeing. So... All those data centers, all those job losses, will they be seen as a boondoggle in the future? No one knows for sure, but sitting on the sidelines Apple could emerge a winner, having dodged a bullet. Meanwhile, the Cupertino company is experiencing a brain drain. Meta poached a lot of people for its AI effort. And all the hype has been about ChatGPT and Anthropic, Meta has been seen as an also-ran, but now... So Zuck gave a presentation last week, if there was a run-up, advance hype, it eluded me. And based on all his previous failures and/or less than exciting news, I wasn't paying much attention, until I was led to a clip about the new glasses functioning as hearing aids. Watch the demo... If you've lost some hearing, which seemingly every boomer has, and you wear glasses, and your vanity prevents you from wearing hearing aids, this could solve your problem. And then comes Muse. Okay, what exactly is Muse? An AI agent. Which I wasn't that excited about, which I was keeping on the periphery, until I read Joanna Stern's article. I mean I'd seen the stories, but I'm AI'd out. Yes, Muse could be my agent, but did I need an agent? Before I read Stern's piece, I was intrigued by Amazon declaring Muse off limits. And reading that Muse was number one in the app store. But then I read Stern's piece on Friday" "Musing around... How much should you give Meta?" https://thenewthings.com/p/musing-around That's a big question, should you trust Meta/Muse? It's not like Zuckerberg has earned our trust. And to tell you the truth, I'm not giving it access to my inbox, but I did try it (you can access Muse in a web browser using the link above or download the app). Try it out, Muse acts like a personal assistant. It does the work for you. Now the truth is we haven't seen anything this interesting...at least since ChatGPT itself, nearly four years ago. But, we used to see technology breakthroughs on a regular basis. First it was hardware (remember the iPod?), and then there was endless software from MySpace to music apps to... Now we used to have a new sound every three to five years in the music business. That ship sailed long ago. It's mostly just endless drivel, variations on a theme. Something that demands attention from the public at large... We really haven't seen that since Adele, who was more of a throwback than a great leap forward, focusing on singing and songs. But still... You've got to experiment with Muse. Give it a few assignments. Am I asking you to trust it with your data? NO WAY! But if you want to be part of the conversation, if you want to be in the now, this is truly a breakthrough, a harbinger of what's to come. It's exciting. Gentlepeople, START YOUR ENGINES! -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

The Todd Rundgren Interview

He takes swings at not only Taylor Swift, but Paul McCartney! Beck has a new album, I see the press everywhere. About an old girlfriend, a return to form...can't say I read any of them, for numerous reasons. First, I loved "Loser," an iconic number, nothing else Beck has done has been in the league of his initial hit. I mean if this is a major artist, who are the Beatles? Remember when stars walked the earth? They keep telling us today's acts are in the same league, but nothing could be further from the truth. But it's more than that, these articles are pure hype. Trying to convince us the latest work deserves our attention, that we should listen to it, believing if we see enough stories we'll think something is happening here, even if it is not exactly clear, and then like lemmings, we'll follow the bread crumbs to it. Assuming you think print means anything anyway. Even mainstream stuff online. We're overwhelmed, we do not want to waste our time on fluff, we're immune. And then comes this Todd Rundgren interview. I read about it on Twitter, now called X. There was some headline, not from "Vulture," the "New York" magazine section where the interview appeared, but some other source. If you're hyping yourself... You don't know how bad you look. Whenever someone's name is in the paper, they spam everybody they know to alert them to it. Cracks me up. Is this how desperate for attention you are, is this how insecure you are, that you need to be anointed by others in order to believe your life works? I mean if I'm on TV saying something interesting or funny, I'll let you know, but every time I'm in the news...I'm not that desperate. And I'm a Todd fan, so I click through. Now the funny thing is this interview/story has now been spread amongst all the other music sites, from Pitchfork to Consequence of Sound to NME...it's endless, they've got brain dead workers (they can't get anybody good, the pay is so bad), just plucking headlines from somewhere else hoping for clicks. And you wonder why the music press is derided. And in this case, you can go to the source. Then again, can you? The article is kind of behind a paywall, as in you have to register to read it for free. Assuming you do not subscribe to Apple News+. Now 60% of Americans use iOS, i.e. use iPhones, so they have access to Apple News, and they should sign up for +, for only $12.99 a month. You can read some articles for free, but I don't know what you can and cannot, but pound for pound, dollar for dollar, this is your best news investment period, even includes the "Wall Street Journal" and the "Washington Post" along with many other newspapers and magazines. In any event, here is the article: "The Wizard of Rock Would Like a Word - 'The biggest artists in the world are female,' Todd Rundgren observes, 'and that’s because of video games.'" https://apple.news/AtQKnT2jGR6-5O6_Bd66PCQ https://www.vulture.com/article/todd-rundgren-has-seen-everything.html Yes, Todd posits music is female-dominated because boys are too busy playing video games. I'm not sure if this is true, but it's an interesting theory, one worthy of debate, as opposed to the fluff in most interviews about acts' significant others and clothing. But there is that swing at Taylor Swift. "Taylor Swift, of course. There’s an argument to be made that she ruined music. It’s an understandable phenomenon. It’s just that, to me, Taylor Swift is the apotheosis of mediocrity." YOU CAN'T SAY THAT! There's some criticism of the four tracks Swift just added to her "Showgirls" album to increase its Grammy possibilities, but the media has agreed that Swift is an icon, deserving of 24/7 coverage, and if you say anything negative you're a mean hater who deserves to be driven back into the hole you climbed out of. Todd does praise Gaga as being a real musician, but then he sticks the knife in Swift's heart: "Taylor Swift doesn’t do anything particularly great except grow hair. She’s not a great singer. She’s not a great songwriter. She’s not a great dancer. She’s a role model for what was a very young generation of women, and now for those women’s daughters as well, because it’s mothers and daughters going to Taylor Swift shows." Chew on that as you see Swift cheer on her husband Travis Kelce from the skybox, finally able to be the cheer captain that she always dreamed of being. Then there's "Sir Paul." Why people insist on using the "Sir"...if John Lennon were alive, he'd be puking. Anyway, Todd says: "Paul McCartney, even today, is so afraid that people forget who he is that he’ll show up at a mall opening." This is sacrilegious! Paul is off limits, he's a Beatle! But it's true, McCartney even appeared on Chicken Shop Date to try and promote his last album. Did this even move the needle? Just because you can do it, that doesn't mean you should. And there's a lot of other meat on the bone in this interview. Makes for fascinating reading. Todd's got a personality, but not an agenda. He's not a rapper in a pissing match. These are his real opinions, ask him and he's going to tell you. HOW REFRESHING! READ IT! -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Re-Car Repair

Lefsetz testing out the new serpentine belt! https://www.facebook.com/reel/1773732606988416 Len Carter ___________________________________ Reminds me of my “leaf blower theory”: 20 years ago, I bought a 6hp Little Wonder leaf blower. Not the big-dog 11hp. Every single time I’m out there, I think to myself: Should have gone for 11. Pay for performance. You’ll never say: “Gosh, I wish this had less power.”  Mat Orefice ___________________________________ Yup, it's hard, but I can throw away food and even worn out clothes!   Mitchell Shapiro ___________________________________ You have a standard transmission?! That’s what I got out of this great story We rented one in France several years ago (that was all they had at the place we went to ) and my husband and I fought over who could drive it. It was SO fun.. I miss it. Love the clutch, the gear shift. I learned on it.  Can we all come over and just drive yours around the block? LOL I do want my kid to know how to drive one. Just because. Life is short.. drive what you want if you can. Jean Sievers ___________________________________ I just had the exact same mechanical issue. Same symptoms. The battery light came on. The power steering was GONE. Temp was crazy high. Turns out I shredded the drive belt. Only in my Porsche it was $2100 (plus a $500 tow). Glad you got off cheap! Mark Bast ___________________________________ Ten years ago we decided to downgrade from BMW's, which we'd been driving for 15 years.   Why continue to spend all that money?  Went with a Toyota RAV 4 after test driving subarus, hondas etc.    We leased it ( I know I know). After year one my wife and I agreed when the lease expired we'd go back to BMWs.  We didn't feel safe at highway speed compared to the BMW, particularly in the rain.   We did...we now own an X3 again.   It's spendy but for us we feel safer.   Also we have a local garage that has serious BMW repair chops. When this car wears out we'll probably test drive some more affordable options.   Michael Alex ___________________________________ I didn't realize we were raised by the same mom, I am almost incapable of throwing out food or not taking it home from a restaurant in a "doggie bag"  for later consumption. Alan Fenton ___________________________________ Bob, I’m 81. 20 years ago had a cancer was supposed to kill me and since then I have developed a system of sorts.  I mainly go for experiences. We’ve traveled to 25 countries in 22 years. If it isn’t fun, I don’t do it. No toxic people.  But I refuse to live above my means. I did that in my early years and regret it. So I just spend money on things that I like, but I never spent too much. I guess you’d call me cheap. I have 11 guitars because I still play n gig, but half of them are inexpensive things that just play well. Good enough for me. Pretty much everything else I touch is kind of the same way. It works for me, and that’s great. I refuse to overpay, especially for something that is just glittery and impresses other people. That’s meaningless at my age. I’ve had four BMWs and now I have a Kia. So much cheaper and it’s OK as my driving skills ain’t  what they used to be. At this stage, everything is a workaround. You’ll find out.  Love your stuff, keep writing.  Best,  Rik Shafer P.S. Might be Waterloo Sunset for your Subaru.  ___________________________________ As a fellow old I feel your pain. We bought a VW Tiguan this summer in such a base model that you can't even adjust the speakers front to back. Wtf?  But, gas mileage is great, its got turbo, and we love it. Until Monday when an engine light came on. I checked the screen and hit the diagnostic option. Nothing wrong. I called VW and the service boss asked if I had bought gas recently. Huh? I dunno, there's four of us who drive it. She tells me that if the gas cap isn't on correctly it sends a message to the computer and an engine light comes on. No, gas cap is seated properly. So i take it in.  $530 for a new battery.  But it's pre-owned certified! Yeah, sorry, batteries aren't covered. I've only had it a month. Good luck, Bob! -Rick Saunders ___________________________________ Throwing away or wasting food is still something I have a real problem with. Growing up, we used to call my father the “human garbage disposal”. After he “cleaned” his plate, he’d check out what was left on our plates - all five of us. There was also an old family adage that my parents used when we complained about dinner - “They fight for the heel in Sharon”. We didn’t learn until many years later that it referred to relatives in Sharon, MA, probably in the 50s and 60s, who were pretty destitute. Best, Tom Quinn ___________________________________ I always claim that everything in life I need to know I learned from music. Like Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party:” "But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself" Jim Charne ___________________________________ Love that you used to have an ADS system in your car! I discovered ADS a few years back and have owned a couple pairs….listening to a pair of 780 IIs right now! Unreal sound. Best Jason Blynn ___________________________________ 2023 WRX.  Six speed… Did the engine curve upgrade from COBB.  Fantastic stereo… Sunroof but cloth seats… Heated seats, but not electric seats. They know exactly where to put their tech without unnecessary upgrades.   Quad exhaust and CarPlay… I'll probably have it the rest of my life.  If I'm careful on the highway I can get 30 miles to the gallon but the around town brings that average way down.   WRXPLOR!   Matt Peyton ___________________________________ I had every mercedes from e class to sl class and a bmw 328. inloved the straight 6 in my sl and bmw 328, but the service costs? Mind Blowing. Switched to a suburu outback in 2021 and loved it. Now that I escaped to Mexico, Im driving a KIA. That Kia is perfect for the cobblestones in the village or the super highway to the beach. I'm so glad I got the status of MB and BMW out of my system. Stan Goman ___________________________________ I do have to remind myself occasionally to just spend the f'ing money... It's hard after a lifetime of saving and all, but if you have it and can enjoy it and can help others enjoy their time with you, well, just spend the f*cking money... Steve Funk ___________________________________ Yes I know the model. Cool car. Glad to hear you’ve kept it on the road. Keep on rollin’ Bob Cheers Simon Toulson-Clarke ___________________________________ I have to say I agree with all this. Life is too short not to enjoy your ride! Especially if you enjoy driving, and as long as that car makes you happy.  I’ve had a lot of American, Japanese, and of late, German cars. I’ve loved most all of them. So your article brought a smile to my face, as I enjoy seeing others enjoy their automobile. I think I got this from my Dad, he was an Oldsmobile man… As a fellow Angeleno, I also resonated with your words on loving to drive a stick, and the sensibleness of driving automatics in our town. I recently sold my BMW E39 M5 a few years back. Last naturally aspirated V8 with a stick, that BMW made. Less a computer, more an automobile. I bought it after my Mom passed, as I thought, “life is short”. It was great bang for the buck. Had it 11 years where I live in the valley. God that car was fun to drive! Now I buy the wife and kids the nice rides, and they let me borrow them.  I’ll see ya on the 405 sometime! Mark Haney ___________________________________ Bob, one of your best reads as I’m 67 (today) (Springsteen is 77 today….wouldn’t it neat to meet him on our birthday?) But I digress. I’ve been in your shoes. Last three cars: 1986 Acura Legend 425,000 miles; 1998 VW Passat 325,000 miles; current car 2017 Audi A4 166,000 miles.  Good luck…Bill Nietz ___________________________________ Great stuff, Bob. Feathering the clutch? When I was a kid,  I worked in the warehouse of a local department store. The warehouse was on the second story. They had a bay door up there. In order for the forklift to reach it, they had to build a little incline on the pavement. Now the forklift was a standard, so you had to feather the clutch on the incline. I got to be really good at it. There was a pallet load of soda cans that needed to go up. Single layer cases of 24. It was a heavy pallet. No one wanted to do it. I volunteered. I raised the pallet up as far as the forklift would take it. The load is swaying back and forth a little. There’s also two rows of cases that are over the backstop on the forklift. That’s a no-no. Everyone is watching. I’m feathering the clutch and inching it up the incline. Just as I’m getting ready to tilt the pallet towards the open bay, I popped the clutch. I looked up and saw about 20 cases of soda coming towards me. Luckily the forklift had a cage over me.  The boss wasn’t that concerned about the soda. It was a generic brand. Mostly just embarrassment for me. I got a little wet too. Best, Tom Quinn ps - The store was Moe Black’s in Waltham, MA. It was at the same time that Aerosmith had there “wherehouse” right around the corner. Some of the guys would come in to buy wax and cleaning supplies for their cars. ___________________________________ I like this Bob. It gave me a distraction from the details of my every day. Something art does to me. Thank you. -Dan Gellert ___________________________________ A great life story. Very enjoyable and relatable. Stevaj Varga ___________________________________ Love this piece!   Anne Buckley ___________________________________ Hi Bob! I don’t know why I enjoy your mundane stories but I do. Must be your a good writer! Elliot Cohen ___________________________________ It’s stories like this one that remind me of why I originally subscribed to the Lefsetz Letter. May you always have gas in your tank and still have a long, long way to go.  Dirk ___________________________________ Well, that was an engaging story. What a palaver! Meanwhile, an immature pine cone fell on my windshield last week and destroyed it.  Yes they dent cars, they are like missiles, but my windshield has the satellite and camera etc. and hit the camera bullseye — resulting in a nightmare argument with my insurance co who wanted to install a regular windshield. I won, but watch out for those pine cones! Lesley Bracker ___________________________________ Bob, you may already know this but when you mentioned the AAA extra mileage charge, I pay $50 more per year to get One Hundred Miles of towing free, and boy, has that come in handy several times.  I have THREE cars, all 1997's, all in very good shape with low milage.  I drive each one only about 2,000 miles per year, but still, stuff goes wrong, and that $50 deal has been priceless for me.  Oh, and I also have a 1955 Dodge! Sterling Howard, founder/owner  https://www.MusiciansContact.com ___________________________________ Twilight Zone reference!?!  It’s one of the episodes I recall the most. It was Burgess Meredith.  I can picture that final scene.  Good one.  Judd Marcello ___________________________________ Oi vey, Bob, that Letter is a symphony.  (I own a 2004 MINI:  I too know cars of a certain age.) And I certainly hope you will tell us how the repair turned out. Great writing and thank you for it! Chaz Jenkins (Writers' Workshop, Class of 1979 ;-) ___________________________________ You keep referring to yourself as old. I’m 87 and could bore you to death with old man stories. 70’s that’s a dream. My memory is mostly gone, but I still remember Middlebury. Barney Adams ___________________________________ Funny, my iPhone keeps treating this topic as a priority notification from my friend Bob who’s having car trouble. I guess after all of these years, sure, you’re a friend :)  Be well! Jon Gerber ___________________________________ More enjoyable than “The Odyssey”.  Dennis Brent ___________________________________ I truly loved your auto letter!  Hope you are well my friend .Stay healthy. much love, Felix Cavaliere -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Ron Alexenburg-This Week's Podcast

Ron Alexenburg signed the Jacksons to Epic and more. Here we talk about his fifty year career in the record business. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ron-alexenburg/id1316200737?i=1000791441282 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KeuyMtaAlEs7lD4wGQW4n?si=umeAHqedSRyfkSU198V-GQ https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/ron-alexenburg-346142286 https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/69108320-afc4-43bd-b995-d9a26769fb9d/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-ron-alexenburg -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

Automobile Update

$346.78 for two serpentine belts, installed. And with oil service and checkup, a grand total of $439.03. I haven't had my car serviced in one day...IN MEMORY! Guess it was worth it waking up at ten to seven. They got right on it. But I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't anxious right now. This is the bad side effect of the growing old experience, you've experienced too many f*ck-ups. I can't tell you how many times I had to bring my car back to the BMW dealer for service, they could never get it right. AND THEY KNEW HOW TO CHARGE! The above total wouldn't even cover a minor checkup on a BMW, never mind parts and further labor. That's an advantage of having a cheaper car. They know they can only charge you so much. Feels good. So I'm kinda numb. I really wasn't expecting it to be ready today, I heard nothing until after four p.m., I figured it would take a day to get the parts. And Betsy was going in that direction, so she gave me a ride. And I got behind the wheel and I was exactly where I was yesterday, at 8:20 PM, before this adventure began. It's almost like it never happened, but not really. MY CAR I could not afford another BMW, but after driving the so-called "Ultimate Driving Machine," I couldn't just buy a Camry or another car that was good transportation, but was more of a boulevard cruiser. You can't go backward in handling/performance. Just like with car stereo. So I kept reading about this rally car the Subaru WRX. It was featured in videogames and it was turbocharged and I figured that would satisfy my performance requirements, so I went to the Subaru dealer in Santa Monica for a test drive. Now for those in the know, you know that the parent company of Subaru was Fuji Heavy Industries, at least until 2017, when they changed the moniker to Subaru Corporation. And as the salesman is walking me by a sign in the showroom designating this, he pointed it out, and he said it stood for "F*cking Unbelievable Japanese Import." Kinda weirded me out, I felt like we were not on the same page, the only thing that would convince me was driving the damn thing. Which I did. Even took it on the freeway. And the performance was fantastic, but the ride was so STIFF! I realized I couldn't buy this car. So what were my options... Well, there was this Acura, but it was front wheel drive and for performance you want rear wheel drive, or four wheel drive, as the WRX is. And Subaru's four wheel drive is not like all of its competitors. It doesn't only kick in when you need it, it's full-time. And the end result of this is fuel economy SUCKS! Now they finally had to address this, they were one of the first companies to employ a CVT transmission. Which have been refined at this point, but for a number of years they were known for failures and odd driving characteristics, although they do render better gas mileage. But I was going to get a stick anyway. I mean how can you buy a performance car with an automatic transmission? Now at this point, automatic transmissions are even quicker than sticks. You only buy a stick if you want to row through the gears old-style. It might be considered fun, but there is no performance advantage. And my next car, whatever it is, I'm going to get an automatic. For no other reason than the stop and go traffic in L.A. Hell, when I valet my car (something that is required in L.A., don't think that this is exotic if you live elsewhere), I have to consider whether any of these drivers even know how to drive a manual! Now it turned out that Saab offered the same car, in a gussied-up fashion, and I could get $9500 off, even cheaper than the WRX, because there was an industry wide recession and Saab couldn't sell them. The Saab version of the WRX is called the 9-2x. And it came in two iterations, the Linear and Aero, the Aero being the turbocharged version. And the interior was a bit more luxurious and the suspension was softer than the WRX (akin to a BMW), and it had the steering of the STI, you know, the Subaru with the wing. So I bought it. What were my options? And I was unhappy. I mean after driving a BMW... You get what you pay for. And this Saabaru is noisy and has almost no electronics. Yup, that's what they call it, a Saabaru. You see GM owned Saab as well as a portion of Fuji/Subaru, and in all its wisdom GM thought since Saab didn't have a four wheel drive automobile, this would solve the problem. Only it didn't, because it was way overpriced. But with my discount... And they only made it for two years, GM was in financial trouble and it sold its Fuji/Subaru interest. And then they closed Saab down, along with Oldsmobile and Pontiac and those with Saabs were now SOL, but not me, because my car is really a Subaru! After the warranty ran out, I started going to the Subaru dealership for service, almost all of the parts are identical (however the hood is unique and there are no more left so if the hood needs to be replaced, they total the car). And I tried living with the factory stereo for a few weeks, but that wouldn't do after my ADS system in my old car. So I ended up with top of the line Focals in every speaker hole and an AVI subwoofer and a JL five-way amplifier and an Alpine head unit. I'd be stunned if your stereo sounds better (and it would cost so much to replace in today's dollars). Now with four wheel drive, I found the 9-2x twitchy. Just move the steering wheel a tiny bit and...it required full time attention. And there was so much power, the car jumped. Today you can get this performance more broadly, but back in 2005, this was a cut above. And people knew it. Those who knew the WRX. Which was nobody I knew, but twentysomethings. They call them "Rice Rockets," kids customize them and race them and there used to be a competing car, the Mitsubishi Evo, which some people said was even a bit better, but I'm not buying a Mitsubishi, I mean look at the repair records, never mind the lack of dealerships. So over time, I got into my car. Because the performance was so good. Especially in the hills, the curves of Los Angeles. And just the other day I was getting on the freeway and a Tesla jetted ahead of me, thinking I was a slowpoke, and I floored it and got ahead of him, not that I usually do this, but this guy had been tailgating me for a while. So do I love my car? Not really. But I rationalize it because the performance is so good. And it's a baby station wagon, which makes hauling stuff easy. AND IT'S PAID FOR! With a lower registration fee and a lower insurance rate (but not that low, because insurers know what this car really is, and they know the kind of person who owns one is going to be pushing it, testing the limits). And now it's twenty one years later. CONCLUSION I still can't spend any money, even though I have some right now. I waited until seventy to take social security...but my main goal is not maximizing my assets, just making sure I don't run out. Because then what am I gonna do, who is gonna take care of me, I guess I'd kill myself. Assuming I live that long. And how long am I gonna live? My father died at seventy, and I'm already past that. My mother lived just shy of ninety four, but she was losing it the last few years. So should I go for the gusto now? It's so hard for me to do. I'm always saving. I bought this gazpacho at Gelson's, it's really good, chunky. And I saved it to savor it, and it turned and became sour and inedible! Such that when I was eating some sashimi the other day, I told myself not to save any, to eat it all now, because it would definitely be worse tomorrow, and after that? I'm getting to the point where I can throw food out, but it's still hard. But there are things I spend on. Like ski equipment, whatever it costs, I am not looking for a deal, I'm looking for the ultimate performance, and I can tell the difference. And health care, I mean if you're not alive, what difference does it make how much money you've got. And my car. It may not look so great from the outside, I will never buy a black car again, although Saab/Subaru never provided a good paint job to begin with. But the performance, I don't let anything slide, I like it to be in tip-top shape. Now when I was debating all that money to upgrade the stereo in that last BMW, I felt the shrink I was seeing would judge me for the expenditure, I mean who else would spend thousands on a state of the art car stereo? Nobody I knew, I figured he'd come down on me harshly. But what he said was "Driving around in your car listening to music is what you love to do most!" And I popped for the equipment, and I was thrilled thereafter. You've got to spend where it's important to you. There's satisfaction in that, if you're always worrying, cutting back, that's not really living. Assuming you've got the money, which I did not for longer than I wish to admit. And you don't want to be cheap. Split the bill equally, even if they got drinks and you did not, unless they offer to pay the difference. Tip 20%, or more. Nickel and diming does not pay in the end, the joke is on you, all that effort for what is ultimately meaningless. So I paid the freight on my car. I probably could have gotten it done cheaper at an independent, but they see this car every day at the dealership, at least the Subaru WRX version. And the funny thing is I'll get all kinds of hate mail disagreeing with me, contradicting some of the stuff above. But I've lived long enough to know you really only have to answer to yourself. If they're happy, fine, but I'm not gonna change my life and style to comport with their wishes, only my own. Onward and upward! -- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25