http://www.aloaudio.com/the-international
I don't know how this thing works, BUT BOY DOES IT SOUND GOOD!
Remember 1976...
Scratch that, you probably weren't even alive back then. But not only was it the bicentennial year, the preoccupation of young males was the stereo shop. Saturday afternoons, nights alone with your magazines, you'd contemplate all the stereo gear you were gonna buy, TO GET CLOSER TO THE MUSIC!
Oh, I know, you're a hipster, you've got those giant headphones, you want to show everybody...that the music you listen to sounds TERRIBLE!
Yup, if Jimmy Iovine were truly interested in sound, not only money, he'd introduce a line of headphone amplifiers, to show people what they're TRULY missing!
Plug in the International and your jaw will drop... That's how lousy MP3s sound, even your CDs, because with an International and a pair of decent headphones you're so close to the music it's like you're on stage.
The International... What exactly is it?
It's a headphone amp, with a built-in DAC, i.e. digital to analog converter.
And you don't need a fancy home stereo, works just fine with your computer, it bypasses all the substandard insides and just pumps quality into your ears, assuming your source is that good.
But it comes with almost no documentation. It assumes you're a tweak, that you haunt the boards and know exactly what you're buying. And it's not impossible to figure out, but... DOES USB POWER IT OR JUST DELIVER THE SOUND?
Yup, I plugged the thing into my Mac Pro (I mention that, because it's got the USB jacks right up front, convenient, that's one of the reasons I bought it) and when I turn it on, it immediately bypasses the system settings, it selects itself, and then...music starts to flow.
Well, that's not what happened today. Today I could get no juice.
And after being flummoxed, completely nonplussed, figuring the thing was fried, having driven the big Sennheiser 800s with it last night, I decided to plug it in via the 12 volt adapter, AND THE LIGHT CAME ON!
And it worked for a minute in my computer thereafter, really, just a minute, and then the sound popped back to the speakers.
So I just plugged the juice back in and...
THE SOUND COMING INTO MY EARS IS TRULY WONDROUS! If you were here right now and you put the headphones on you'd be smiling like you were eating watermelon and eating ice cream and having sex all at the same time!
So I listened to some MP3s, and then I broke out some CDs...
Like Bonnie Raitt's "Luck Of The Draw," her best, engineered by my bud Ed Cherney. It was all wood, there was nothing slick and shiny about it, the sound was positively warm, it sounded HUMAN!
Who do we want to blame...radio, artists, mastering engineers? Even if you pay for the disc, it usually sounds like crap. I know, I tried many. But then there are the exceptions...
But truly, your MP3s will sound better than ever before, you won't believe that what is entering your ears is MUSIC!
You remember music, that thing made by people with real instruments that reflects what they feel inside, not that processed junk that makes your ears bleed?
Oh, I'm not saying it's got to be acoustic to sound good, but I will say digital has done a disservice to acoustic music, real music, it just doesn't sound good...
As for all you vinyl jerks (e-mail me, tell me, I've still got all my vinyl, more than you'll ever own), you want to hear something great as opposed to trying to look hip, purchase one of these little boxes, the size of a pack of cigarettes, then EVERYTHING you own will sound good, not just the overpriced vinyl you buy at the disappearing record store.
1. The International does come with a small card with rudimentary instructions, but I've still got so many questions, not only re power (did it come with the battery half charged and I ran it down or...), but what devices you can use it with, how much gain to employ (it's adjustable) and... Why does everything have to come without instructions these days, I know most people don't read them, but I do, because not only do I want to do it right, I want to eke every ounce of performance out of everything I buy. Hell, I read the "Missing Manual" for every new iteration of Mac OS X, to learn tips and tricks I guarantee you're clueless about... Did you put the little mail icon at the top of the Safari window, so you can click it and e-mail any page to anybody? There!
2. I'm listening to Keith Urban's "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me." It's hard to describe, but I'll try. I can hear the guitarist picking the notes, It's almost like my eyes and ears are two inches away. And the banjo, it sounds like it's two feet away, it sounds positively like MUSIC!
3. Wanna know one of the best sounding albums of all time? Elton John's American debut, you know, the one with the black cover, that preceded "Tumbleweed Connection." It sounds like it was cut in a cathedral... Just listen to "The King Must Die" or "Sixty Years On" in any iteration, MP3 original CD or remastered take. It's a religious experience!
4. Do you know "Blue Of Your Backdrop" by Honk, from the soundtrack to the greatest surfing movie ever made, "Five Summer Stories"? Well, listening to it via the International it's like you're at Waimea or Pipeline or down on the shore at Huntington, it truly takes you away, you're truly there.
5. This thing is not cheap, it's $599. But that's one third the price of a starter stereo of any quality in the seventies. As for headphones...the better the better, but truly you only need something in the two hundred dollar plus range to blow your mind.
I could listen to this thing all night... Hell, that's what I did yesterday!
"Leave them all to the trappings they choose
Values on what one may win or lose
I can't discern between the two
But with no God above
Guess we all start with the things we love"
And I love music.
And you do too.
And in this crazy world where gays can marry but it's difficult for the underprivileged to vote, what's there to do but put on a record, turn it up and drift away...
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Friday, 28 June 2013
Sean's Screed
"Weddings Used To Be Sacred And Other Lessons About Internet Journalism" by Sean Parker: http://tcrn.ch/14zWsoS
He's right, but he's wrong.
Is the blogosphere, the online "news" world, more interested in clicks than facts?
YOU BET!
Is this a problem?
OF COURSE!
But to hear a billionaire whine on for 9500 words that he's been misunderstood is like Mussolini taking to the telegraph to say the Allies have it wrong.
Huh?
You're rich, you're famous, get over yourself!
This isn't how the bluebloods did it. They didn't want their name in the paper. They didn't buy Ferraris, but Fords, they wanted no attention. But today's suddenly rich want all the perks and the adulation and they're suddenly surprised when those they want the accolades from turn against them?
This isn't a story about the press, this is a story about INCOME INEQUALITY!
Would I like a wedding in the redwoods? Hell, I've had dinner at Ventana, thirty-odd years ago, before most of these tech titans were even born. And I couldn't afford a room there then and I can't afford a room there now and I'm not bitching about it, I've chosen my path, but when those who won the financial lottery complain that they're misunderstood, all I can say is BOO HOO!
Did the press get its facts wrong? Did blogs jump on the story in a dash for both eyeballs and the resultant advertising cash?
YUP!
But what has Sean Parker done to raise the pay of teachers, to lift up those less fortunate than he?
Oh, I get it. He made it, so everybody else can march in his footsteps. But what if you grew up with not only an uninvolved parent, but no computer, how easy would it be to create Napster then?
Where's the social responsibility of these Silicon Valley wankers? Good that he donated to save the redwoods, but how about saving the people? Remember, that's what George Carlin said...Save the planet? Save YOURSELF! The planet's been around forever, it'll survive, it's you we're not sure of...)
But Carlin wasn't a billionaire. In the seventies he was a voice of reason, by the twenty first century he was just "content" so some overpaid schmuck at HBO could make millions. Come on, without the talent, what is HBO worth? ZERO!
This is not about file-sharing, this is not about the new economy. I'm all for the future, and there will be winners and losers, that's how life is, as opposed to those car dealers trying to pass laws preventing Tesla's direct sales model.
But somehow we've put the emphasis on all the wrong people.
I don't care about Sean Parker's wedding. And one thing he's got right, if he weren't a billionaire, it would have gotten no attention. But that's the crime of today's society, not bad press, but worship of money and the people who make it. Kim Kardashian is an icon because she's rich, not because she's got anything to say. Not because she's saving the redwoods or the whales or anybody or anything other than herself.
The greater good?
Screw that, I WANT MINE!
Give Bill Gates credit. He's giving away his money, he's trying to save the world.
But he's older than the Internet winners. Who believe just because they're rich that they're better than the rest of us, smarter, better-intentioned, all around winners.
That's complete b.s.
Or as Bob Dylan so eloquently sang:
"Now each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don't underestimate me
I won't underestimate you"
The only gift worth recognizing is not someone's bank account. The whole damn nation has to get over this, it's the essence of the problem. All that crap about I'm working hard and you're not. Ever try to survive on welfare? If you think that's rich, then you're not.
People shine in so many ways.
But now our whole country is skewed. If you get an arts degree at the university you're laughed at. Our whole nation has gone practical. Can you tell me where practical fits in with Bob Dylan or Alice Cooper or Joni Mitchell or even Sofia Coppola?
What are you gonna do with all that money? The movies have been ruined by sheer greed, the best and the brightest do not go into the arts, our whole society is headed straight for the cultural dumpster.
And what we've got here is a rich donut complaining he's misunderstood.
Hey Sean!
Every damn day people e-mail and tweet that I'm a jerk, much worse than that, I've survived, I'm sure you can. It goes with the territory. You're fortunate. If the worst thing that happens is you're misunderstood, you're lucky. Try getting sick with no health insurance, get back to me after that.
So yes, I love that the Internet allows Mr. Parker to respond, to set the record straight.
But how could he get it so wrong? How could he have no perspective? How could he not see that the ability to have this wedding is the problem, not whether it was or was not on federal land and affected the environment. If you think the poor are dumb and are unaffected by the privileged, holier-than-thou, antics of the rich, you're positively wrong.
Or to paraphrase Judas Priest...
You've got another think coming.
Note 1: That Dylan quote is from "Dear Landlord," from "John Wesley Harding.
Note 2: You can read the original George Carlin transcript here: http://bit.ly/8IBnOX But you can't watch the video, HBO's blocked that, not that it's available anywhere else...
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
He's right, but he's wrong.
Is the blogosphere, the online "news" world, more interested in clicks than facts?
YOU BET!
Is this a problem?
OF COURSE!
But to hear a billionaire whine on for 9500 words that he's been misunderstood is like Mussolini taking to the telegraph to say the Allies have it wrong.
Huh?
You're rich, you're famous, get over yourself!
This isn't how the bluebloods did it. They didn't want their name in the paper. They didn't buy Ferraris, but Fords, they wanted no attention. But today's suddenly rich want all the perks and the adulation and they're suddenly surprised when those they want the accolades from turn against them?
This isn't a story about the press, this is a story about INCOME INEQUALITY!
Would I like a wedding in the redwoods? Hell, I've had dinner at Ventana, thirty-odd years ago, before most of these tech titans were even born. And I couldn't afford a room there then and I can't afford a room there now and I'm not bitching about it, I've chosen my path, but when those who won the financial lottery complain that they're misunderstood, all I can say is BOO HOO!
Did the press get its facts wrong? Did blogs jump on the story in a dash for both eyeballs and the resultant advertising cash?
YUP!
But what has Sean Parker done to raise the pay of teachers, to lift up those less fortunate than he?
Oh, I get it. He made it, so everybody else can march in his footsteps. But what if you grew up with not only an uninvolved parent, but no computer, how easy would it be to create Napster then?
Where's the social responsibility of these Silicon Valley wankers? Good that he donated to save the redwoods, but how about saving the people? Remember, that's what George Carlin said...Save the planet? Save YOURSELF! The planet's been around forever, it'll survive, it's you we're not sure of...)
But Carlin wasn't a billionaire. In the seventies he was a voice of reason, by the twenty first century he was just "content" so some overpaid schmuck at HBO could make millions. Come on, without the talent, what is HBO worth? ZERO!
This is not about file-sharing, this is not about the new economy. I'm all for the future, and there will be winners and losers, that's how life is, as opposed to those car dealers trying to pass laws preventing Tesla's direct sales model.
But somehow we've put the emphasis on all the wrong people.
I don't care about Sean Parker's wedding. And one thing he's got right, if he weren't a billionaire, it would have gotten no attention. But that's the crime of today's society, not bad press, but worship of money and the people who make it. Kim Kardashian is an icon because she's rich, not because she's got anything to say. Not because she's saving the redwoods or the whales or anybody or anything other than herself.
The greater good?
Screw that, I WANT MINE!
Give Bill Gates credit. He's giving away his money, he's trying to save the world.
But he's older than the Internet winners. Who believe just because they're rich that they're better than the rest of us, smarter, better-intentioned, all around winners.
That's complete b.s.
Or as Bob Dylan so eloquently sang:
"Now each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don't underestimate me
I won't underestimate you"
The only gift worth recognizing is not someone's bank account. The whole damn nation has to get over this, it's the essence of the problem. All that crap about I'm working hard and you're not. Ever try to survive on welfare? If you think that's rich, then you're not.
People shine in so many ways.
But now our whole country is skewed. If you get an arts degree at the university you're laughed at. Our whole nation has gone practical. Can you tell me where practical fits in with Bob Dylan or Alice Cooper or Joni Mitchell or even Sofia Coppola?
What are you gonna do with all that money? The movies have been ruined by sheer greed, the best and the brightest do not go into the arts, our whole society is headed straight for the cultural dumpster.
And what we've got here is a rich donut complaining he's misunderstood.
Hey Sean!
Every damn day people e-mail and tweet that I'm a jerk, much worse than that, I've survived, I'm sure you can. It goes with the territory. You're fortunate. If the worst thing that happens is you're misunderstood, you're lucky. Try getting sick with no health insurance, get back to me after that.
So yes, I love that the Internet allows Mr. Parker to respond, to set the record straight.
But how could he get it so wrong? How could he have no perspective? How could he not see that the ability to have this wedding is the problem, not whether it was or was not on federal land and affected the environment. If you think the poor are dumb and are unaffected by the privileged, holier-than-thou, antics of the rich, you're positively wrong.
Or to paraphrase Judas Priest...
You've got another think coming.
Note 1: That Dylan quote is from "Dear Landlord," from "John Wesley Harding.
Note 2: You can read the original George Carlin transcript here: http://bit.ly/8IBnOX But you can't watch the video, HBO's blocked that, not that it's available anywhere else...
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Rhinofy-Semi-Obscure Eagles
Yes, the Eagles are now on Spotify, or as Don Henley prefers it to be said...Eagles are now on Spotify, which puts them ahead of the Beatles and AC/DC and everybody else who believes they can hold back the future, who is angry at Spotify while all their tracks are being streamed on YouTube. And in honor of their appearance, I'm going to highlight some semi-obscure tracks. Then again, there are really no obscure Eagles tracks, since there were so few albums and they were all of such high quality. However, classic rock radio doesn't go deep, and if you were not alive in the seventies and never bought the albums, here's some stuff you might have missed, which you should know.
EARLYBIRD
Written by Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, two people who haven't been there for the long run, we didn't know back then, when the initial album was released, that it was Glenn and Don's band, we heard the single, bought the album and played it, unlike today, when even if you buy the LP, it's still all about the track.
What makes the track is the picking, the banjo, the country element Bernie brought to the band. Still, there's some grit, the guitar that enters about a minute into the track. And let's not forget the harmonies, Crosby, Stills & Nash pioneered this sound, but the Eagles could do it live, not that we knew it at this point...
This is the album experience. I've never heard "Earlybird" on the radio, but in my college dorm room, it was a staple. Yes, there were Top Forty charts, but most everybody was listening to FM and albums, where the non-hit tracks had just as much impact.
TRYIN'
The album closer, written and sung by Randy Meisner.
Usually bands put the ponderous track at the end, but this was as if the band had performed its set and was gonna do a runner, get in the bus and hightail it to a better place, with some wine and women to go along with the song.
The track is good, the vocal is good, the solo is good, but the magic is...at the two minute mark, when almost all the instruments drop out and they sing about keepin' on tryin'. And if you don't think that's life, you haven't lived it.
CERTAIN KIND OF FOOL
Another Randy track, cowritten with Don and Glenn. If this doesn't get you, doesn't bring you right back to the westerns of your youth, you're a city kid without dreams.
Yes, even at this late date the west is a dream, because of the wide open spaces, the freedom, the opportunity.
"He was a poor boy, raised in a small family
He kinda had a craving for somethin' no one else could see"
Today parents are their kid's best friend, they're supportive, whereas in the sixties...your parents were clueless as to who you were, they were constantly trying to keep you in line, which is why you got a jalopy and filled it with gas and drove to California to become the person you truly believed yourself to be.
"They got respect
Oh yeah
He wants the same
Oh yeah
And it's a certain kind of fool who likes to hear the sound of his own name"
That's who they were, a certain type of fool, who wanted to show everybody back home that they were not a loser... You don't get it by just saying so, you've got to prove it. And you can hear Randy and the band proving it all night long in this cut.
BITTER CREEK
Bernie wrote it and sang it, and it's got that loneliness we all felt back then and so many still feel today, but never discuss. Yes, today every singer is a winner, whereas in the classic rock era artists said the things we could not, they revealed their inner demons, we loved them because we identified!
Oh, the sound of this track....
MY MAN
Bernie's tribute to the suddenly deceased Gram Parsons, this is my favorite cut on "On The Border."
"Tell me the truth, how do you feel
Like you're rollin' so fast that you're spinnin' your wheels
Don't feel too bad, you're not all alone
We're all tryin' to get along"
It was okay to sing about being flummoxed back then, it's anathema today.
JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER
"One Of These Nights" cemented the band's reputation, they were suddenly playing stadiums, it all came together...and we had no idea "Hotel California" was around the corner. But if you were in SoCal in the summer of '75, "One Of These Nights" emanated from every window, it was in the air, and this instrumental cut was a staple, it sets your mind free...
WASTED TIME
And then Bernie was gone, soon Randy was to follow, Joe Walsh replaced the country element with rock and the Eagles became the biggest band in the land. And if you don't think it was a pleasure to hear "Hotel California" emanating from the car speaker...you didn't have an automobile or a radio. This was back when music wasn't all me-too, when a song could have more questions than answers.
And the massive success contributed to the Eagles hatred that lasts to this day, despite the fact that it's the earlier records that seem to get all the airplay. You see people hate success, they hate greatness, especially if you don't humbly say you suck. But the truth is everybody who becomes a superstar knows deep down inside how truly wonderful they are, it's just illegal to say it, but the Eagles had no problem doing so.
And in '77, not a conversation went by without someone saying they or someone they knew was living life in the fast lane. But the song that truly touched me, that made Don Henley's reputation as a songwriter, was "Wasted Time." (Oh, Glenn cowrote it, but the essence is so Don.)
"Wasted Time" is the best breakup song of all time, because it encapsulates all the pain of the transition.
"Well baby, there you stand
With your little head down in your hand
Oh my god, can't believe it's happening again
Your baby's gone and you're all alone
And it looks like the end"
The first breakup is the hardest, but the ones thereafter are tough in their own way. You see you thought this was the one, you gave it your all and suddenly...you're back in the dating pool. It feels like you're living in "Groundhog Day."
"And you're back out on the street
And you're tryin' to remember
How will you start it over
You don't know what became
You don't care much for a stranger's touch
But you can't hold your man"
Whew! The person you can no longer be with was so...familiar! The nooks and crannies of their body, you don't want to experience the uncomfortableness of someone new, you don't want to kiss a frog, you just want to go back to them...but you can't.
"You never thought you'd be alone
This far down the line
I know what's been on your mind
You're afraid it's all been wasted time"
That's the problem, as you get older, closer to the end, the termination of your reproductive window, you just can't believe you wasted so much time!
Or did you?
"So you can get on with your search, baby
And I can get on with mine
And maybe someday we will find
That it wasn't really wasted time"
But it's too soon for that perspective. You're still hurting, but you've jumped back into the game, and it's painful. But you can't look back, you can only look forward.
And looking forward we had disco and MTV and ultimately, in 1991, punk.
Oh, we had punk in the middle seventies, but it just couldn't topple classic rock. And this is another source of Eagles hatred. They didn't fade away, they didn't let themselves be replaced, rather they stepped up their game and they triumphed.
And then they expired.
But now they're back on the road, have been for nearly two decades. And I care not a whit if you don't go, neither do they, but they're America's most consistent ticket sellers, because baby boomers want to go...
To not only remember their youth, but to contemplate who they once were and now are and what a long strange trip it's been, with the Eagles providing the soundtrack all the while.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
EARLYBIRD
Written by Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, two people who haven't been there for the long run, we didn't know back then, when the initial album was released, that it was Glenn and Don's band, we heard the single, bought the album and played it, unlike today, when even if you buy the LP, it's still all about the track.
What makes the track is the picking, the banjo, the country element Bernie brought to the band. Still, there's some grit, the guitar that enters about a minute into the track. And let's not forget the harmonies, Crosby, Stills & Nash pioneered this sound, but the Eagles could do it live, not that we knew it at this point...
This is the album experience. I've never heard "Earlybird" on the radio, but in my college dorm room, it was a staple. Yes, there were Top Forty charts, but most everybody was listening to FM and albums, where the non-hit tracks had just as much impact.
TRYIN'
The album closer, written and sung by Randy Meisner.
Usually bands put the ponderous track at the end, but this was as if the band had performed its set and was gonna do a runner, get in the bus and hightail it to a better place, with some wine and women to go along with the song.
The track is good, the vocal is good, the solo is good, but the magic is...at the two minute mark, when almost all the instruments drop out and they sing about keepin' on tryin'. And if you don't think that's life, you haven't lived it.
CERTAIN KIND OF FOOL
Another Randy track, cowritten with Don and Glenn. If this doesn't get you, doesn't bring you right back to the westerns of your youth, you're a city kid without dreams.
Yes, even at this late date the west is a dream, because of the wide open spaces, the freedom, the opportunity.
"He was a poor boy, raised in a small family
He kinda had a craving for somethin' no one else could see"
Today parents are their kid's best friend, they're supportive, whereas in the sixties...your parents were clueless as to who you were, they were constantly trying to keep you in line, which is why you got a jalopy and filled it with gas and drove to California to become the person you truly believed yourself to be.
"They got respect
Oh yeah
He wants the same
Oh yeah
And it's a certain kind of fool who likes to hear the sound of his own name"
That's who they were, a certain type of fool, who wanted to show everybody back home that they were not a loser... You don't get it by just saying so, you've got to prove it. And you can hear Randy and the band proving it all night long in this cut.
BITTER CREEK
Bernie wrote it and sang it, and it's got that loneliness we all felt back then and so many still feel today, but never discuss. Yes, today every singer is a winner, whereas in the classic rock era artists said the things we could not, they revealed their inner demons, we loved them because we identified!
Oh, the sound of this track....
MY MAN
Bernie's tribute to the suddenly deceased Gram Parsons, this is my favorite cut on "On The Border."
"Tell me the truth, how do you feel
Like you're rollin' so fast that you're spinnin' your wheels
Don't feel too bad, you're not all alone
We're all tryin' to get along"
It was okay to sing about being flummoxed back then, it's anathema today.
JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER
"One Of These Nights" cemented the band's reputation, they were suddenly playing stadiums, it all came together...and we had no idea "Hotel California" was around the corner. But if you were in SoCal in the summer of '75, "One Of These Nights" emanated from every window, it was in the air, and this instrumental cut was a staple, it sets your mind free...
WASTED TIME
And then Bernie was gone, soon Randy was to follow, Joe Walsh replaced the country element with rock and the Eagles became the biggest band in the land. And if you don't think it was a pleasure to hear "Hotel California" emanating from the car speaker...you didn't have an automobile or a radio. This was back when music wasn't all me-too, when a song could have more questions than answers.
And the massive success contributed to the Eagles hatred that lasts to this day, despite the fact that it's the earlier records that seem to get all the airplay. You see people hate success, they hate greatness, especially if you don't humbly say you suck. But the truth is everybody who becomes a superstar knows deep down inside how truly wonderful they are, it's just illegal to say it, but the Eagles had no problem doing so.
And in '77, not a conversation went by without someone saying they or someone they knew was living life in the fast lane. But the song that truly touched me, that made Don Henley's reputation as a songwriter, was "Wasted Time." (Oh, Glenn cowrote it, but the essence is so Don.)
"Wasted Time" is the best breakup song of all time, because it encapsulates all the pain of the transition.
"Well baby, there you stand
With your little head down in your hand
Oh my god, can't believe it's happening again
Your baby's gone and you're all alone
And it looks like the end"
The first breakup is the hardest, but the ones thereafter are tough in their own way. You see you thought this was the one, you gave it your all and suddenly...you're back in the dating pool. It feels like you're living in "Groundhog Day."
"And you're back out on the street
And you're tryin' to remember
How will you start it over
You don't know what became
You don't care much for a stranger's touch
But you can't hold your man"
Whew! The person you can no longer be with was so...familiar! The nooks and crannies of their body, you don't want to experience the uncomfortableness of someone new, you don't want to kiss a frog, you just want to go back to them...but you can't.
"You never thought you'd be alone
This far down the line
I know what's been on your mind
You're afraid it's all been wasted time"
That's the problem, as you get older, closer to the end, the termination of your reproductive window, you just can't believe you wasted so much time!
Or did you?
"So you can get on with your search, baby
And I can get on with mine
And maybe someday we will find
That it wasn't really wasted time"
But it's too soon for that perspective. You're still hurting, but you've jumped back into the game, and it's painful. But you can't look back, you can only look forward.
And looking forward we had disco and MTV and ultimately, in 1991, punk.
Oh, we had punk in the middle seventies, but it just couldn't topple classic rock. And this is another source of Eagles hatred. They didn't fade away, they didn't let themselves be replaced, rather they stepped up their game and they triumphed.
And then they expired.
But now they're back on the road, have been for nearly two decades. And I care not a whit if you don't go, neither do they, but they're America's most consistent ticket sellers, because baby boomers want to go...
To not only remember their youth, but to contemplate who they once were and now are and what a long strange trip it's been, with the Eagles providing the soundtrack all the while.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8
Previous Rhinofy playlists: http://www.rhinofy.com/lefsetz
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Emily Ratajkowski
Used to be nudity killed your career.
But that was back when movie stars didn't do television, before everything we knew turned out to be wrong.
Where's that girl in the Billy Idol video today?
And while you're at it, where are the girls in the Robert Palmer video?
I've got no idea.
Emily Ratajkowski may not be a star tomorrow, but she's positively global today, all because of her appearance in the Robin Thicke video.
It was the only thing that had me watching, who was the girl with the perfect breasts?
And then I wrote about it and started getting e-mail...she was all over Tumblr!
But it's hard to talk about sex and bodies in America, the blowback is...
But I'm at dinner tonight, and Lisa brings up the girl in the video and the two thirtysomething women immediately chime in, "If I had a boob job I'd want hers!"
Huh?
That's the difference between yesterday and today, women own not only their bodies, but their sexuality. And that's how Emily Ratajkowski ended up being the star of the "Blurred Lines" video. Hell, she's new, the song is not.
But are they real?
That's what everybody at dinner was wondering.
So I took to the Internet...
Whereupon I found conflicting opinions. Men saying they were definitely natural and women, on a breast implant site, claiming they saw telltale scars.
And then I found this:
https://twitter.com/realemrata/status/289577960200105985/photo/1
For those too lazy to click through, this is Emily Ratajkowski's Twitter feed, and it says...
"For those meanies that insist I have had a boob job, here I am at 14 sooooo pic.twitter.com/MMZZvAMr"
Well that solves that, they're natural.
But what stuns me is there's no handler, no PR person saying no, it's just unfiltered Emily, responding to her critics on her Twitter feed with 66,217 followers.
She took control of her own career, she demanded the ball and is running down the field and everybody in the demo knows all about it, and the baby boomers who control the mainstream media are clueless.
Yes, the oldsters might be afraid of boobies in the wild, but to the youngsters they're as de rigueur as gay marriage. Yup, that's how fast things change, we've got a black President, legal dope and homosexuals are getting married. If you think you can jet us back to the past, I'd like to see your rocket ship.
1. There are no rules. Profanity may be taboo on network TV and terrestrial radio, but it's an everyday occurrence out in the wild. The oldsters are in future shock, the youngsters know that not only does nothing last forever, yesterday is history and if you were big then, you might be nobody now, so you'd better capitalize on your moment of fame.
2. The definition of a star has broadened. Used to be a star had talent. Today, that's not the case, unless you consider self-promotion a talent, and to be truthful, it is!
3. Capitalize on what you've got. Don't downplay your assets, embrace them. Don't try to be a musician if you can't sing or play, there are many more ways to gain the fame you want, and they're probably easier to achieve.
4. Young is not the clothes you wear, but who you are inside. In other words, you can get plastic surgery and wear skinny jeans and still be an antique. We're going through the greatest cultural revolution since the sixties, only this time the baby boomers are the odd people out, they're the parents. Revolution was enabled back then by radio and the music, today it's enabled by the Internet. Yes, the Internet is the tool, and it's enhanced by smartphones and Twitter and Instagram and...you can build your own identity online, don't pooh-pooh it, that's today's reality!
5. The Internet could kill American puritanism. Kids who grow up sexting are not afraid of their bodies.
6. Everyone can play, the tools are cheap. Used to be it was expensive to make a record, not only is it cheap to make a record today, it's cheap to make a YouTube video, tweet and have an online identity. Yes, today's kids are embracing the sixties ethos of freeing their minds and becoming who they want to be, since the baby boomers wrecked the economy and took away all their opportunities.
7. Emily Ratajkowski is for them, not us. She's not on a pedestal, she's positively reachable. For all those oldsters who say they don't want to waste time on social media, social media is today's game, not radio and SoundScan and all the metrics of yore.
8. You can't wait and contemplate, you've got to play. Risk is anathema to oldsters, it's everything to youngsters.
9. You might not be able to meet Emily Ratajkowski, but she can certainly inspire you, teach you how to live your life. Yes, more kids are now going to reveal their boobies and dance freely. You cannot put this genie back into the bottle.
10. Look behind the facade. "American Idol" and "X Factor" and "The Voice" are not about singing or careers, they're about television and advertising. If you're bitching about them, you're missing the point. The point is it's more fun to be a star yourself than to listen to the whored out performers. Yes, musicians are rarely heroes, but they do provide the grease for your lifestyle. Hell, you can't dance without the tunes!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
But that was back when movie stars didn't do television, before everything we knew turned out to be wrong.
Where's that girl in the Billy Idol video today?
And while you're at it, where are the girls in the Robert Palmer video?
I've got no idea.
Emily Ratajkowski may not be a star tomorrow, but she's positively global today, all because of her appearance in the Robin Thicke video.
It was the only thing that had me watching, who was the girl with the perfect breasts?
And then I wrote about it and started getting e-mail...she was all over Tumblr!
But it's hard to talk about sex and bodies in America, the blowback is...
But I'm at dinner tonight, and Lisa brings up the girl in the video and the two thirtysomething women immediately chime in, "If I had a boob job I'd want hers!"
Huh?
That's the difference between yesterday and today, women own not only their bodies, but their sexuality. And that's how Emily Ratajkowski ended up being the star of the "Blurred Lines" video. Hell, she's new, the song is not.
But are they real?
That's what everybody at dinner was wondering.
So I took to the Internet...
Whereupon I found conflicting opinions. Men saying they were definitely natural and women, on a breast implant site, claiming they saw telltale scars.
And then I found this:
https://twitter.com/realemrata/status/289577960200105985/photo/1
For those too lazy to click through, this is Emily Ratajkowski's Twitter feed, and it says...
"For those meanies that insist I have had a boob job, here I am at 14 sooooo pic.twitter.com/MMZZvAMr"
Well that solves that, they're natural.
But what stuns me is there's no handler, no PR person saying no, it's just unfiltered Emily, responding to her critics on her Twitter feed with 66,217 followers.
She took control of her own career, she demanded the ball and is running down the field and everybody in the demo knows all about it, and the baby boomers who control the mainstream media are clueless.
Yes, the oldsters might be afraid of boobies in the wild, but to the youngsters they're as de rigueur as gay marriage. Yup, that's how fast things change, we've got a black President, legal dope and homosexuals are getting married. If you think you can jet us back to the past, I'd like to see your rocket ship.
1. There are no rules. Profanity may be taboo on network TV and terrestrial radio, but it's an everyday occurrence out in the wild. The oldsters are in future shock, the youngsters know that not only does nothing last forever, yesterday is history and if you were big then, you might be nobody now, so you'd better capitalize on your moment of fame.
2. The definition of a star has broadened. Used to be a star had talent. Today, that's not the case, unless you consider self-promotion a talent, and to be truthful, it is!
3. Capitalize on what you've got. Don't downplay your assets, embrace them. Don't try to be a musician if you can't sing or play, there are many more ways to gain the fame you want, and they're probably easier to achieve.
4. Young is not the clothes you wear, but who you are inside. In other words, you can get plastic surgery and wear skinny jeans and still be an antique. We're going through the greatest cultural revolution since the sixties, only this time the baby boomers are the odd people out, they're the parents. Revolution was enabled back then by radio and the music, today it's enabled by the Internet. Yes, the Internet is the tool, and it's enhanced by smartphones and Twitter and Instagram and...you can build your own identity online, don't pooh-pooh it, that's today's reality!
5. The Internet could kill American puritanism. Kids who grow up sexting are not afraid of their bodies.
6. Everyone can play, the tools are cheap. Used to be it was expensive to make a record, not only is it cheap to make a record today, it's cheap to make a YouTube video, tweet and have an online identity. Yes, today's kids are embracing the sixties ethos of freeing their minds and becoming who they want to be, since the baby boomers wrecked the economy and took away all their opportunities.
7. Emily Ratajkowski is for them, not us. She's not on a pedestal, she's positively reachable. For all those oldsters who say they don't want to waste time on social media, social media is today's game, not radio and SoundScan and all the metrics of yore.
8. You can't wait and contemplate, you've got to play. Risk is anathema to oldsters, it's everything to youngsters.
9. You might not be able to meet Emily Ratajkowski, but she can certainly inspire you, teach you how to live your life. Yes, more kids are now going to reveal their boobies and dance freely. You cannot put this genie back into the bottle.
10. Look behind the facade. "American Idol" and "X Factor" and "The Voice" are not about singing or careers, they're about television and advertising. If you're bitching about them, you're missing the point. The point is it's more fun to be a star yourself than to listen to the whored out performers. Yes, musicians are rarely heroes, but they do provide the grease for your lifestyle. Hell, you can't dance without the tunes!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Seinfeld On Stern
"Pop-Tarts...they can't go stale because they were never fresh!"
Long form entertainment, it's the wave of the future.
Huh? Don't we live in the short attention span era?
WRONG! Ignore everything said by anybody who proffers this theory. Ever see a kid play video games? You can't tear him away. The truth is we all want to dig deeper, and he who realizes this will own the future.
Huh? Aren't you the wanker who tells musicians to stop making albums?
"A small amount of too much spoils the whole thing."
That's why Jerry didn't do another season of "Seinfeld." He was worried about compromising the white hot relationship between the show and its fans. Once it's not quite as good, it's awful. Kind of like a standup...he's genius if he kills for an hour ten, after an hour and a half, it's way too much, you're looking at your watch, you're ready to go home. Come on, you've had this feeling at the gig. You can't believe you're there, that they're playing your song! And it's not that you don't want to hear any more, but that special feeling...it's evaporating.
But first you need an audience. That's your goal. And if you think you gain an audience through an album, you're clueless about relationships. Relationships are fostered on specialness, then you bring on the quantity.
I watched Seinfeld's show from its inception, because I was aware of him from late night TV, with his routine about the supermarket and women...that's why they call it the "checkout" line. But despite being on Johnny Carson for nine years, NBC never offered him a gig. It was his manager, George Shapiro, who started the conversation. Shapiro sent a one sentence letter to the NBC brass, saying he saw Jerry on NBC in the future.
Huh. I was just discussing this last night. Trink said you need to put yourself out there, you need a plan...I always wait for things to come to me. Maybe Trink's right.
And Jerry takes the meeting and doesn't pitch an idea. He hasn't got one. But then he tells the story to Larry David, they go to a restaurant, goof on some people, and Larry says...THIS IS THE SHOW!
And the rest is both TV and comedy history.
And recently, Jerry's bugged me. He's so self-satisfied.
But listening to him on Stern I became aware...that's who Jerry is! It isn't because he had a hit TV show and made millions, he was the same damn guy before he made it. That's what long form does...give you insight.
Yup, I sat in my car in the eighty degree heat for over an hour, parked, I couldn't turn Seinfeld off.
And I'm not saying you'll be just as fascinated, but I am saying that we've got unlimited time for that which interests us.
And Jerry kept stressing that Stern's show is all about honesty, so he kept telling the real story. How he really didn't put that much time in before he made it, only four years. How he saw no need to put women and blacks on "Seinfeld," but after ten episodes Colin Quinn told him he was gonna get in trouble for it, and he did.
Howard didn't ask Jerry about meeting his wife right after her honeymoon, but that's not to say the questions were softballs. But the more you heard Jerry speak, the more you liked him. Because first and foremost he's a comedian.
That's the problem with "artists" today. They want fame, they want riches, but they don't want to be the thing that got them there. They want to go to the Lakers game, but they don't want to rehearse.
Yes, Jerry is working all the time.
No, he cannot go to a restaurant and turn it off. He's always looking for what's funny. Thank god his wife is amenable to that. You think you want to marry a celebrity? Be ready to have little one on one time with your beloved, and when they're there, they still might be checked out.
Kind of like Seinfeld's father. His mother married him because he was the life of the party. But once he got home...he could be morose and depressed.
Which is what Jerry said about life... You want to find the gig you can tolerate. Yup, that's where you end up, with the torture you can handle. It ain't fun. Oh, sometimes it is. But really, it's work!
That's what wannabes don't understand. That's why I respect people who graduate from college. Not because they learn anything there, but because they endured it! Everything I learned in college was outside the classroom. I spent hours reading "Rolling Stone" and "Fusion" and "Crawdaddy" and so many magazines you've never heard the name of. But I knew what the game was, I played it, stretching its limits, of course, I could tell you stories, and it's like I survived boot camp, or a war, it informs who I am.
But the youngsters and the dropouts... They've got the will, but no history. The army breaks you down, turns you into someone who can be counted on... That's what I want, someone I can count on!
I don't want the most beautiful wife.
And I don't want the most loquacious friend.
First and foremost I want people I can count on. Who will be there. Because life is no picnic, I want to be lifted up when I'm worn out and pushed forward when I don't want to play anymore. It takes a special kind of person to do this, look for them.
And I'm interested in process. Howard gets that from musicians too, but you don't see it anywhere else. Based on the music press, you'd think songs are delivered instantaneously, by God. The truth is many are written by committee, there's no there there, whereas Jerry said he wouldn't want to use anybody else's jokes, the thrill is in working it out yourself.
In other words, most of the act no one ever sees. If you're only interested in the fame, good luck! It ain't never gonna work for you.
And Jerry knows who he is. He says he's not as good as Carlin or Pryor, then again, he knows how great his TV show was, he's loath to do another one, he knows it could never be as good.
But Jerry's not about sitcoms or movies, he's about being a comedian. He won't go on Fallon and only do the couch, he's got to perform, he's got to do standup, that's who he IS!
P.S. It was the human things that really touched me...the uncomfortableness of going to parties. Jerry's found out that people love to talk about themselves, and if you listen long enough, everybody has an interesting story to tell. But really, he'd rather talk with comedians. I feel exactly the same way, the discomfort, the listening and the desire at the end...to have been somewhere else!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4_163_AWWE
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Long form entertainment, it's the wave of the future.
Huh? Don't we live in the short attention span era?
WRONG! Ignore everything said by anybody who proffers this theory. Ever see a kid play video games? You can't tear him away. The truth is we all want to dig deeper, and he who realizes this will own the future.
Huh? Aren't you the wanker who tells musicians to stop making albums?
"A small amount of too much spoils the whole thing."
That's why Jerry didn't do another season of "Seinfeld." He was worried about compromising the white hot relationship between the show and its fans. Once it's not quite as good, it's awful. Kind of like a standup...he's genius if he kills for an hour ten, after an hour and a half, it's way too much, you're looking at your watch, you're ready to go home. Come on, you've had this feeling at the gig. You can't believe you're there, that they're playing your song! And it's not that you don't want to hear any more, but that special feeling...it's evaporating.
But first you need an audience. That's your goal. And if you think you gain an audience through an album, you're clueless about relationships. Relationships are fostered on specialness, then you bring on the quantity.
I watched Seinfeld's show from its inception, because I was aware of him from late night TV, with his routine about the supermarket and women...that's why they call it the "checkout" line. But despite being on Johnny Carson for nine years, NBC never offered him a gig. It was his manager, George Shapiro, who started the conversation. Shapiro sent a one sentence letter to the NBC brass, saying he saw Jerry on NBC in the future.
Huh. I was just discussing this last night. Trink said you need to put yourself out there, you need a plan...I always wait for things to come to me. Maybe Trink's right.
And Jerry takes the meeting and doesn't pitch an idea. He hasn't got one. But then he tells the story to Larry David, they go to a restaurant, goof on some people, and Larry says...THIS IS THE SHOW!
And the rest is both TV and comedy history.
And recently, Jerry's bugged me. He's so self-satisfied.
But listening to him on Stern I became aware...that's who Jerry is! It isn't because he had a hit TV show and made millions, he was the same damn guy before he made it. That's what long form does...give you insight.
Yup, I sat in my car in the eighty degree heat for over an hour, parked, I couldn't turn Seinfeld off.
And I'm not saying you'll be just as fascinated, but I am saying that we've got unlimited time for that which interests us.
And Jerry kept stressing that Stern's show is all about honesty, so he kept telling the real story. How he really didn't put that much time in before he made it, only four years. How he saw no need to put women and blacks on "Seinfeld," but after ten episodes Colin Quinn told him he was gonna get in trouble for it, and he did.
Howard didn't ask Jerry about meeting his wife right after her honeymoon, but that's not to say the questions were softballs. But the more you heard Jerry speak, the more you liked him. Because first and foremost he's a comedian.
That's the problem with "artists" today. They want fame, they want riches, but they don't want to be the thing that got them there. They want to go to the Lakers game, but they don't want to rehearse.
Yes, Jerry is working all the time.
No, he cannot go to a restaurant and turn it off. He's always looking for what's funny. Thank god his wife is amenable to that. You think you want to marry a celebrity? Be ready to have little one on one time with your beloved, and when they're there, they still might be checked out.
Kind of like Seinfeld's father. His mother married him because he was the life of the party. But once he got home...he could be morose and depressed.
Which is what Jerry said about life... You want to find the gig you can tolerate. Yup, that's where you end up, with the torture you can handle. It ain't fun. Oh, sometimes it is. But really, it's work!
That's what wannabes don't understand. That's why I respect people who graduate from college. Not because they learn anything there, but because they endured it! Everything I learned in college was outside the classroom. I spent hours reading "Rolling Stone" and "Fusion" and "Crawdaddy" and so many magazines you've never heard the name of. But I knew what the game was, I played it, stretching its limits, of course, I could tell you stories, and it's like I survived boot camp, or a war, it informs who I am.
But the youngsters and the dropouts... They've got the will, but no history. The army breaks you down, turns you into someone who can be counted on... That's what I want, someone I can count on!
I don't want the most beautiful wife.
And I don't want the most loquacious friend.
First and foremost I want people I can count on. Who will be there. Because life is no picnic, I want to be lifted up when I'm worn out and pushed forward when I don't want to play anymore. It takes a special kind of person to do this, look for them.
And I'm interested in process. Howard gets that from musicians too, but you don't see it anywhere else. Based on the music press, you'd think songs are delivered instantaneously, by God. The truth is many are written by committee, there's no there there, whereas Jerry said he wouldn't want to use anybody else's jokes, the thrill is in working it out yourself.
In other words, most of the act no one ever sees. If you're only interested in the fame, good luck! It ain't never gonna work for you.
And Jerry knows who he is. He says he's not as good as Carlin or Pryor, then again, he knows how great his TV show was, he's loath to do another one, he knows it could never be as good.
But Jerry's not about sitcoms or movies, he's about being a comedian. He won't go on Fallon and only do the couch, he's got to perform, he's got to do standup, that's who he IS!
P.S. It was the human things that really touched me...the uncomfortableness of going to parties. Jerry's found out that people love to talk about themselves, and if you listen long enough, everybody has an interesting story to tell. But really, he'd rather talk with comedians. I feel exactly the same way, the discomfort, the listening and the desire at the end...to have been somewhere else!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4_163_AWWE
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Blurred Lines Explicit Version
http://vevo.ly/14CYBUh
What stuns me is there are only 468,309 views.
In other words, virality is still in the offing.
You see the clothed version:
http://bit.ly/Zeb2NV
Has 63,798,395 views as of this writing. And the track, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," is sitting at number one on the iTunes chart, as well as the tippity-top of "Billboard"'s Hot 100.
So far, it's been a tempest in a teapot, the mainstream newspapers and the television stations appear to be unaware that in this major label video, viewable on Vevo, there are BOOBIES!
I'd like to tell you this a big deal, that I watched the video a dozen times, but the truth is boobies are all over the Internet, just go to Google! Yup, Google is the gateway to porn, just turn off safe search and enter your own sexual predilection, and whoomp, there it is!
I know, I know, that's not all there is to it, the controversy, wherein the intelligentsia is calling it "rape hop," but when they show the shot wherein it's stated "Robin Thicke Has A Big Dick," if you don't laugh you've got a tiny one.
Huh.
So, does she want it? Is he taking advantage of her or...is he imploring her to give him some?
Oh, there are dope and sexual references and you've got to give this track credit, it's delineating the truth of today's society.
In other words, it ain't the seventies anymore, where you flaunt your body hair and burn your bra. And we could lament the passage of that ethos, but the truth is we presently live in a sexualized society where you don't go to the show to stand silently enraptured by the stars on stage, but the club wherein you do your best to be the star yourself.
In other words, baby boomers believe in winners and losers. Millennials believe everyone gets to party, they're all in it together, but the oldsters do not understand.
So what do we have here?
A rip-off/remake of a Marvin Gaye track, "Got To Give It Up": http://bit.ly/67xbxm
Unfortunately, Marvin Gaye was a musical innovator, and Robin Thicke is not, but there are worse influences.
But come on, you've got to give Thicke, et al, credit for testing limits. Sure, it's about the marketing, but in a nation where gay marriage is front and center, puritanism too often rules the media.
In other words, you can't use the F word on radio.
But it's just fine on the Internet.
As are the aforementioned boobies.
P.S. In the old days, the label would have sent out a press release about this video, i.e. when Madonna's clip was banned from MTV. But today, you just put it out and let the story percolate. And it's always the same, insiders shrug their shoulders and those who've got no interest pontificate. Kinda like Amanda Palmer not paying backup musicians. De rigueur when she was a nobody. But once she gained some traction, people weighed in who didn't care. And now Amanda's a big star, assuming you equate publicity with stardom, believe Kim Kardashian has achieved the pinnacle of success, but if you can sing one Amanda Palmer song, I'd be stunned.
P.P.S. Controversy sells. But you've got to go up and toe the line, you can't be shy. I've e-mailed this clip to people who would not only never listen to Robin Thicke, but have no idea who he is.
P.P.P.S. Music is not what it once was. It's the sauce, not the main meal. You see what we've got here is good time party culture. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's wholly different from sitting alone, stoned at home, spacing out to Pink Floyd or Yes. Then again, both Pink Floyd and Yes broke because they were different and great, qualities those bitching they've got no traction in today's public consciousness rarely have.
P.P.P.P.S. Pop music, when done right, is a reflection of society. Truth is boys don't wear jeans to clubs and girls do dress like they might be headed for the pole. I'm uninterested in fashion, but I do understand it's about personal expression. And with today's cheap attire, you can wear a different costume every day. Once again, you're the star.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Summer means freedom, this song and video match the season perfectly.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Paula Deen may have lost her job, but in music, races integrate, and that's a good thing.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. If you've got your knickers in a twist over this, Robin Thicke and his cohorts are laughing. You bought in. The way to make something go away is to ignore it, not to throw gasoline on the fire, opining when it's not your field to begin with.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. No, "Blurred Lines" is not made to last. That's not the point of today's pop music. It's grist for the mill, it's disposable, just like that dress you bought at Forever 21.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Dancing is sexual, music is sexual, if you're denying this, you've never hit the dance floor. Instead of criticizing, jump in!
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. No means no. Boys do cross the line, unfortunately. But girls have more power than ever before.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
What stuns me is there are only 468,309 views.
In other words, virality is still in the offing.
You see the clothed version:
http://bit.ly/Zeb2NV
Has 63,798,395 views as of this writing. And the track, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," is sitting at number one on the iTunes chart, as well as the tippity-top of "Billboard"'s Hot 100.
So far, it's been a tempest in a teapot, the mainstream newspapers and the television stations appear to be unaware that in this major label video, viewable on Vevo, there are BOOBIES!
I'd like to tell you this a big deal, that I watched the video a dozen times, but the truth is boobies are all over the Internet, just go to Google! Yup, Google is the gateway to porn, just turn off safe search and enter your own sexual predilection, and whoomp, there it is!
I know, I know, that's not all there is to it, the controversy, wherein the intelligentsia is calling it "rape hop," but when they show the shot wherein it's stated "Robin Thicke Has A Big Dick," if you don't laugh you've got a tiny one.
Huh.
So, does she want it? Is he taking advantage of her or...is he imploring her to give him some?
Oh, there are dope and sexual references and you've got to give this track credit, it's delineating the truth of today's society.
In other words, it ain't the seventies anymore, where you flaunt your body hair and burn your bra. And we could lament the passage of that ethos, but the truth is we presently live in a sexualized society where you don't go to the show to stand silently enraptured by the stars on stage, but the club wherein you do your best to be the star yourself.
In other words, baby boomers believe in winners and losers. Millennials believe everyone gets to party, they're all in it together, but the oldsters do not understand.
So what do we have here?
A rip-off/remake of a Marvin Gaye track, "Got To Give It Up": http://bit.ly/67xbxm
Unfortunately, Marvin Gaye was a musical innovator, and Robin Thicke is not, but there are worse influences.
But come on, you've got to give Thicke, et al, credit for testing limits. Sure, it's about the marketing, but in a nation where gay marriage is front and center, puritanism too often rules the media.
In other words, you can't use the F word on radio.
But it's just fine on the Internet.
As are the aforementioned boobies.
P.S. In the old days, the label would have sent out a press release about this video, i.e. when Madonna's clip was banned from MTV. But today, you just put it out and let the story percolate. And it's always the same, insiders shrug their shoulders and those who've got no interest pontificate. Kinda like Amanda Palmer not paying backup musicians. De rigueur when she was a nobody. But once she gained some traction, people weighed in who didn't care. And now Amanda's a big star, assuming you equate publicity with stardom, believe Kim Kardashian has achieved the pinnacle of success, but if you can sing one Amanda Palmer song, I'd be stunned.
P.P.S. Controversy sells. But you've got to go up and toe the line, you can't be shy. I've e-mailed this clip to people who would not only never listen to Robin Thicke, but have no idea who he is.
P.P.P.S. Music is not what it once was. It's the sauce, not the main meal. You see what we've got here is good time party culture. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's wholly different from sitting alone, stoned at home, spacing out to Pink Floyd or Yes. Then again, both Pink Floyd and Yes broke because they were different and great, qualities those bitching they've got no traction in today's public consciousness rarely have.
P.P.P.P.S. Pop music, when done right, is a reflection of society. Truth is boys don't wear jeans to clubs and girls do dress like they might be headed for the pole. I'm uninterested in fashion, but I do understand it's about personal expression. And with today's cheap attire, you can wear a different costume every day. Once again, you're the star.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Summer means freedom, this song and video match the season perfectly.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Paula Deen may have lost her job, but in music, races integrate, and that's a good thing.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. If you've got your knickers in a twist over this, Robin Thicke and his cohorts are laughing. You bought in. The way to make something go away is to ignore it, not to throw gasoline on the fire, opining when it's not your field to begin with.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. No, "Blurred Lines" is not made to last. That's not the point of today's pop music. It's grist for the mill, it's disposable, just like that dress you bought at Forever 21.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Dancing is sexual, music is sexual, if you're denying this, you've never hit the dance floor. Instead of criticizing, jump in!
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. No means no. Boys do cross the line, unfortunately. But girls have more power than ever before.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Monday, 24 June 2013
The Tesla
I was scared out of my wits.
On the very first weekend of college, I was in the backseat of a Pontiac Trans Am driven 110 MPH down the curves of Route 125, separating the two halves of the Middlebury College campus. Frijid Pink was on the 8-track, I was wearing no seat belt, and I was about to scream for my Mommy.
I felt exactly the same way last night. Only the driver of the Trans Am had been to racing school, and the Tesla had quicker acceleration.
Is Elon Musk the new Steve Jobs?
Looks like it. When he said he was going to solve the 405 construction clusterf*&^, everybody in L.A. believed him. He's the new rock star. Because unlike the phonies in the magazines, he's beholden to nobody and he plays by his own rules. And as monumental as his achievements are with SpaceX, it's his consumer product that's truly making inroads into the public consciousness, the electric car, the Tesla.
Maybe you're aware of the "New York Times" brouhaha, wherein the writer pooh-poohed the range of the automobile and Elon Musk provided the data. Whoops! That's what's wrong with old media, it no longer understands the game. The fact that this car was more computer than automobile never occurred to the scribe, that Musk was tracking every move that was made, from the venues visited to the speed driven to the length and the amount of the fill-ups.
Yes, that's what's holding back the electric car. The range.
Not that anybody in L.A. is going to exceed the two hundred plus mile range of the Tesla Model S, because there's nowhere to go that's not close and if you can afford one of these automobiles and you desire to go that distance...you fly.
Yes, Tesla is for the rich.
For now.
What an interesting perspective. Musk is selling technology, not an automobile. You know technology, you price it high for the early adopters, and when you've got all the kinks worked out, you lower the price and you've got a bona fide hit.
In other words, if you've been to Beverly Hills recently, you'd think they're giving Teslas away, that's how prevalent they are. And I've been up close and personal, even at the "showroom" on the Third Street Promenade, but I've never been inside, I've never been taken for a spin.
But how do you get inside?
You see the door handles are recessed into the body. There's nowhere to grip!
Turns out as you approach the automobile, it senses this fact, and the door handles pop out. It's mesmerizing...
And you don't bother to turn the car on. You just sit down and it knows, it fires up by itself.
And then there's the dashboard screen. The size of two iPads, bigger. Touch-sensitive. With not only maps and radio controls, but Internet access, yup, all your e-mail is right there.
In other words, Elon Musk is making a car for today. This ain't the music industry, this ain't Detroit, there's no shrugging of shoulders and talk of legacy customers and insurmountable challenges...the Tesla is positively now, as my buddy says, it's not a car, it's a computer.
And you can barely hear it.
And there's none of that jerkiness as you switch gears. Because there's not a transmission, but a rheostat, and when you floor it...IT TAKES OFF LIKE A ROCKET!
0-60 in 3.9 seconds. All you've got to do is press the pedal to the metal.
Or as "Automobile Magazine" said:
"It's the performance that won us over. The crazy speed builds silently and then pulls back the edges of your face. It had us all endangering our licenses."
I was scared s*&^less! It was like being at Magic Mountain, but without the confidence that engineers had assured my safety. Could my buddy handle all this speed?
Jon Landau may have declared Bruce Springsteen the future of music.
But I'm declaring Tesla the future of the automobile.
You've just got to go for a test drive.
Yup, I've seen all the accolades, the highest rating ever in "Consumer Reports," but in a world filled with hype, with superlatives straining credulity, you never really get it until you experience it. Kind of like music, the hardest thing is getting people to listen. How many people getting the new Jay-Z album for free are gonna listen to it through and through, ad infinitum? Not many!
But everybody with a Tesla can't stop talking about it. The media isn't selling the Tesla, the owners are. How the car updates itself overnight. How they come to your house to fix it. How there's a trunk not only in the back, but the front!
Leafs are great. Hybrids are cool. But if you truly want to penetrate public consciousness, shoot for the apex, the pinnacle, wow them, then you've got a chance.
You couldn't understand why you needed a computer.
Then AOL connected the world and you rushed out to buy one.
You couldn't understand why you needed a smartphone...then your friends were frustrated they could not reach you on the run.
Oh you're gonna drive an electric car, you just don't know it yet.
This is no Bricklin, this is no DeLorean, because unlike those failed experiments, the Tesla just works.
I'd love to be pontificating so positively about a record.
But I haven't heard one so groundbreaking, so flawless, in a very long time.
While you're trying to placate the gatekeepers, while you're trying to fulfill expectations, Elon Musk is ignoring Detroit, ignoring the naysayers, he started with a clean slate and delivered something jaw-dropping.
This used to happen in music.
Remember the Beatles? Remember Bob Dylan?
Then again, they were enterprises unto themselves, they didn't bitch that they couldn't make enough money.
Elon Musk is not a crybaby.
And that's why he's successful and you're not.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
On the very first weekend of college, I was in the backseat of a Pontiac Trans Am driven 110 MPH down the curves of Route 125, separating the two halves of the Middlebury College campus. Frijid Pink was on the 8-track, I was wearing no seat belt, and I was about to scream for my Mommy.
I felt exactly the same way last night. Only the driver of the Trans Am had been to racing school, and the Tesla had quicker acceleration.
Is Elon Musk the new Steve Jobs?
Looks like it. When he said he was going to solve the 405 construction clusterf*&^, everybody in L.A. believed him. He's the new rock star. Because unlike the phonies in the magazines, he's beholden to nobody and he plays by his own rules. And as monumental as his achievements are with SpaceX, it's his consumer product that's truly making inroads into the public consciousness, the electric car, the Tesla.
Maybe you're aware of the "New York Times" brouhaha, wherein the writer pooh-poohed the range of the automobile and Elon Musk provided the data. Whoops! That's what's wrong with old media, it no longer understands the game. The fact that this car was more computer than automobile never occurred to the scribe, that Musk was tracking every move that was made, from the venues visited to the speed driven to the length and the amount of the fill-ups.
Yes, that's what's holding back the electric car. The range.
Not that anybody in L.A. is going to exceed the two hundred plus mile range of the Tesla Model S, because there's nowhere to go that's not close and if you can afford one of these automobiles and you desire to go that distance...you fly.
Yes, Tesla is for the rich.
For now.
What an interesting perspective. Musk is selling technology, not an automobile. You know technology, you price it high for the early adopters, and when you've got all the kinks worked out, you lower the price and you've got a bona fide hit.
In other words, if you've been to Beverly Hills recently, you'd think they're giving Teslas away, that's how prevalent they are. And I've been up close and personal, even at the "showroom" on the Third Street Promenade, but I've never been inside, I've never been taken for a spin.
But how do you get inside?
You see the door handles are recessed into the body. There's nowhere to grip!
Turns out as you approach the automobile, it senses this fact, and the door handles pop out. It's mesmerizing...
And you don't bother to turn the car on. You just sit down and it knows, it fires up by itself.
And then there's the dashboard screen. The size of two iPads, bigger. Touch-sensitive. With not only maps and radio controls, but Internet access, yup, all your e-mail is right there.
In other words, Elon Musk is making a car for today. This ain't the music industry, this ain't Detroit, there's no shrugging of shoulders and talk of legacy customers and insurmountable challenges...the Tesla is positively now, as my buddy says, it's not a car, it's a computer.
And you can barely hear it.
And there's none of that jerkiness as you switch gears. Because there's not a transmission, but a rheostat, and when you floor it...IT TAKES OFF LIKE A ROCKET!
0-60 in 3.9 seconds. All you've got to do is press the pedal to the metal.
Or as "Automobile Magazine" said:
"It's the performance that won us over. The crazy speed builds silently and then pulls back the edges of your face. It had us all endangering our licenses."
I was scared s*&^less! It was like being at Magic Mountain, but without the confidence that engineers had assured my safety. Could my buddy handle all this speed?
Jon Landau may have declared Bruce Springsteen the future of music.
But I'm declaring Tesla the future of the automobile.
You've just got to go for a test drive.
Yup, I've seen all the accolades, the highest rating ever in "Consumer Reports," but in a world filled with hype, with superlatives straining credulity, you never really get it until you experience it. Kind of like music, the hardest thing is getting people to listen. How many people getting the new Jay-Z album for free are gonna listen to it through and through, ad infinitum? Not many!
But everybody with a Tesla can't stop talking about it. The media isn't selling the Tesla, the owners are. How the car updates itself overnight. How they come to your house to fix it. How there's a trunk not only in the back, but the front!
Leafs are great. Hybrids are cool. But if you truly want to penetrate public consciousness, shoot for the apex, the pinnacle, wow them, then you've got a chance.
You couldn't understand why you needed a computer.
Then AOL connected the world and you rushed out to buy one.
You couldn't understand why you needed a smartphone...then your friends were frustrated they could not reach you on the run.
Oh you're gonna drive an electric car, you just don't know it yet.
This is no Bricklin, this is no DeLorean, because unlike those failed experiments, the Tesla just works.
I'd love to be pontificating so positively about a record.
But I haven't heard one so groundbreaking, so flawless, in a very long time.
While you're trying to placate the gatekeepers, while you're trying to fulfill expectations, Elon Musk is ignoring Detroit, ignoring the naysayers, he started with a clean slate and delivered something jaw-dropping.
This used to happen in music.
Remember the Beatles? Remember Bob Dylan?
Then again, they were enterprises unto themselves, they didn't bitch that they couldn't make enough money.
Elon Musk is not a crybaby.
And that's why he's successful and you're not.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Guidance
DON'T STRIVE FOR UBIQUITY
We no longer live in a monoculture, we no longer all watch MTV and listen to the same radio station, so don't plot your career like we're all still living in the pre-Internet era.
PUBLICITY IS OVERRATED
You may feel good that there's a story about you in the newspaper, but it will probably have little impact on your career. Kind of like the Jason Isbell buzz. He was in the "New York Times Magazine" and less than a month later everybody's talking about Kanye and Jay-Z. And the Kanye buzz is already declining. There's just too much information today, and the more you try to appeal to everybody, the less people actually care.
DON'T DEPEND ON THIRD PARTIES
Being an artist is doing it your way. Now you no longer need a label, gatekeepers are not as powerful as they once were, so why are you playing to them? Of course it's more difficult going your own way, but that's the paradigm of the future. He who plays by the rules gets left behind.
EVERYTHING THAT LASTS STARTS OUT SLOW
If you get hosannas immediately, your work is probably not challenging or different enough to sustain. If people don't look at you quizzically after being exposed to your work, you're not doing it right. You can either be a leader or a follower. Leading is much more difficult, which is why you see everybody following, whether it be making soundalike music or competing on a TV talent show.
YOU'RE SELLING YOURSELF, NOT A PHYSICAL PRODUCT
Focus on your identity. Not only your work, but your personality. In a world where everybody's tweeting, facebooking and vining, having no edge is anathema. Give Kanye credit for stating his positions. The media trumpets what he has to say because it's so radically different from everything else. Jay-Z makes a new business deal, Kanye focuses on the art...there's a difference.
WORLDLINESS PAYS
Ever wonder why teen phenoms fade? Because their fame is all they've got, there are no underpinnings. Life is the basis of your art, your personal experiences, what you learn. Taking business classes in college might get you a gig at a bank, but if you want to be an artist, you've got to focus on the humanities.
THERE IS NO SAFETY NET
Unless you're willing to walk into the wilderness and never come back, you'll never make it.
SUCCESS HAPPENS AFTER YOU'RE READY TO GIVE UP
Every legend contemplated giving up, if not committing suicide. Artists are outsiders, loners, it hurts to be estranged from society when all you really want to be is understood.
TRUTH SELLS
That's what broke the original hip-hop hits.
PERSONAL SELLS
Anybody who tells you to bland your work out to make it more relatable is clueless. It's the personal that's universal.
TRUST NO ONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF
You're the only one with your agenda.
IF YOU'RE UPSET ABOUT FAILING, YOU HAVEN'T FAILED ENOUGH
That's from Meredith Whitney, in this week's "Bloomberg Businessweek." She was the lone woman where she worked...forget the hogwash about mentors, about help, you help yourself. Furthermore, in 2008 Whitney was on the cover of "Fortune" and says "There really wasn't that much recognition about it at my firm, and that was disappointing to me. Not even a pizza party. I know that sounds silly, but it felt important." Whew! If you're looking for a pat on the back, if you're looking for recognition from your peers, you're not testing any limits.
HAVE OUTSIDE INTERESTS
You will not get your best insights, your best stimulation, from hanging with musicians and reading trade magazines.
THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST ARE NOT IN MUSIC
Read this "Fast Company" story about Toms shoes: http://bit.ly/11GtjVO
You'll learn more and gain more insight than devouring an issue of "Rolling Stone," because this story is not all hype and this guy is not purely about the sell. He failed before he succeeded and he's evaluating what he's done. Today's musicians are all winners, how boring.
PERSEVERANCE IS KEY
Never quit.
And isn't it interesting that the people who say they won't quit do, and those who continue keepin' on just do so silently. Perseverance is a skill, too often untaught in today's instant gratification world. Greatness comes from frustration. If you haven't lost sight of the destination, you're on the wrong road.
TALENT IS EVERYTHING
The name of the band, the album cover...they're irrelevant if the music is great. Same deal with live performance...you can't give away tickets to something no one wants to see, time is too precious, it's too much of an effort to go.
TECH IS NOT MUSIC
It's just that the best and the brightest go into tech as opposed to music. Sure, Steve Jobs dropped out of college, but so many of the winners in tech have graduate degrees, frequently from prestigious institutions. They're willing to pay their dues in a way musicians are not.
10,000 HOURS IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS
Read Gladwell's book. Timing is key. Furthermore, it's 10,000 hours of hard practice. Not playing the same classic rock covers over and over again in a bar.
HAVE YOUR OWN OPINIONS
Everybody's got an agenda. When someone tells you something evaluate where they're coming from as opposed to accepting it as truth.
LEARN HOW TO SAY NO
There could be a cost to taking that money.
IGNORE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Netflix was godhead, then toast and now godhead again. Huh? People can't see the future and they're not living in the building. Most of what people say is uninformed crap.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE SAY
It's a full time job dealing with the haters. Furthermore, their goal is to get you to engage and to drag you down into the hole they're in. Blaze your own path and forget about them.
EXPOSURE DOES NOT ALWAYS PAY DIVIDENDS
People ask you to work for free, put your music in their production for the "exposure." They're hustlers. The exposure frequently results in nothing. Oftentimes their audience is limited. Ask for money, if they're unwilling to pay, walk on. Yup, if you get your music in a TV show be thrilled with the check, not the exposure, most of it's just gonna float down the river into the great big sea, i.e. be forgotten.
DON'T BE HOLIER THAN THOU
Oh, people may accuse you of this, ignore them. The point is don't get defensive and don't stand on the mountaintop preaching that you know the answer. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret...we're all clueless!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
We no longer live in a monoculture, we no longer all watch MTV and listen to the same radio station, so don't plot your career like we're all still living in the pre-Internet era.
PUBLICITY IS OVERRATED
You may feel good that there's a story about you in the newspaper, but it will probably have little impact on your career. Kind of like the Jason Isbell buzz. He was in the "New York Times Magazine" and less than a month later everybody's talking about Kanye and Jay-Z. And the Kanye buzz is already declining. There's just too much information today, and the more you try to appeal to everybody, the less people actually care.
DON'T DEPEND ON THIRD PARTIES
Being an artist is doing it your way. Now you no longer need a label, gatekeepers are not as powerful as they once were, so why are you playing to them? Of course it's more difficult going your own way, but that's the paradigm of the future. He who plays by the rules gets left behind.
EVERYTHING THAT LASTS STARTS OUT SLOW
If you get hosannas immediately, your work is probably not challenging or different enough to sustain. If people don't look at you quizzically after being exposed to your work, you're not doing it right. You can either be a leader or a follower. Leading is much more difficult, which is why you see everybody following, whether it be making soundalike music or competing on a TV talent show.
YOU'RE SELLING YOURSELF, NOT A PHYSICAL PRODUCT
Focus on your identity. Not only your work, but your personality. In a world where everybody's tweeting, facebooking and vining, having no edge is anathema. Give Kanye credit for stating his positions. The media trumpets what he has to say because it's so radically different from everything else. Jay-Z makes a new business deal, Kanye focuses on the art...there's a difference.
WORLDLINESS PAYS
Ever wonder why teen phenoms fade? Because their fame is all they've got, there are no underpinnings. Life is the basis of your art, your personal experiences, what you learn. Taking business classes in college might get you a gig at a bank, but if you want to be an artist, you've got to focus on the humanities.
THERE IS NO SAFETY NET
Unless you're willing to walk into the wilderness and never come back, you'll never make it.
SUCCESS HAPPENS AFTER YOU'RE READY TO GIVE UP
Every legend contemplated giving up, if not committing suicide. Artists are outsiders, loners, it hurts to be estranged from society when all you really want to be is understood.
TRUTH SELLS
That's what broke the original hip-hop hits.
PERSONAL SELLS
Anybody who tells you to bland your work out to make it more relatable is clueless. It's the personal that's universal.
TRUST NO ONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF
You're the only one with your agenda.
IF YOU'RE UPSET ABOUT FAILING, YOU HAVEN'T FAILED ENOUGH
That's from Meredith Whitney, in this week's "Bloomberg Businessweek." She was the lone woman where she worked...forget the hogwash about mentors, about help, you help yourself. Furthermore, in 2008 Whitney was on the cover of "Fortune" and says "There really wasn't that much recognition about it at my firm, and that was disappointing to me. Not even a pizza party. I know that sounds silly, but it felt important." Whew! If you're looking for a pat on the back, if you're looking for recognition from your peers, you're not testing any limits.
HAVE OUTSIDE INTERESTS
You will not get your best insights, your best stimulation, from hanging with musicians and reading trade magazines.
THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST ARE NOT IN MUSIC
Read this "Fast Company" story about Toms shoes: http://bit.ly/11GtjVO
You'll learn more and gain more insight than devouring an issue of "Rolling Stone," because this story is not all hype and this guy is not purely about the sell. He failed before he succeeded and he's evaluating what he's done. Today's musicians are all winners, how boring.
PERSEVERANCE IS KEY
Never quit.
And isn't it interesting that the people who say they won't quit do, and those who continue keepin' on just do so silently. Perseverance is a skill, too often untaught in today's instant gratification world. Greatness comes from frustration. If you haven't lost sight of the destination, you're on the wrong road.
TALENT IS EVERYTHING
The name of the band, the album cover...they're irrelevant if the music is great. Same deal with live performance...you can't give away tickets to something no one wants to see, time is too precious, it's too much of an effort to go.
TECH IS NOT MUSIC
It's just that the best and the brightest go into tech as opposed to music. Sure, Steve Jobs dropped out of college, but so many of the winners in tech have graduate degrees, frequently from prestigious institutions. They're willing to pay their dues in a way musicians are not.
10,000 HOURS IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS
Read Gladwell's book. Timing is key. Furthermore, it's 10,000 hours of hard practice. Not playing the same classic rock covers over and over again in a bar.
HAVE YOUR OWN OPINIONS
Everybody's got an agenda. When someone tells you something evaluate where they're coming from as opposed to accepting it as truth.
LEARN HOW TO SAY NO
There could be a cost to taking that money.
IGNORE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Netflix was godhead, then toast and now godhead again. Huh? People can't see the future and they're not living in the building. Most of what people say is uninformed crap.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE SAY
It's a full time job dealing with the haters. Furthermore, their goal is to get you to engage and to drag you down into the hole they're in. Blaze your own path and forget about them.
EXPOSURE DOES NOT ALWAYS PAY DIVIDENDS
People ask you to work for free, put your music in their production for the "exposure." They're hustlers. The exposure frequently results in nothing. Oftentimes their audience is limited. Ask for money, if they're unwilling to pay, walk on. Yup, if you get your music in a TV show be thrilled with the check, not the exposure, most of it's just gonna float down the river into the great big sea, i.e. be forgotten.
DON'T BE HOLIER THAN THOU
Oh, people may accuse you of this, ignore them. The point is don't get defensive and don't stand on the mountaintop preaching that you know the answer. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret...we're all clueless!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
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
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)