https://goo.gl/YvCwPa
I'm hooked on this book.
And you could be too, maybe.
It's not the kind of thing I read, the "Baltimore Sun" called it a "thriller," and I don't read genre books, no mysteries, nothing plot driven, I'm looking for a volume to touch my soul, but I started reading this and it keeps calling to me, chewing up my evenings, making me mad I have to turn out the light at night.
Steve Martin messengered it over. No, not the famous actor/writer/musician, I don't know him, funny how you can live in the same town and not ever come across somebody but there are those who live thousands of miles away that you see all the time, like Steve Martin of APA. We were at dinner, talking about reading, and he started raving.
And the very next day there was a messenger at my door, with a package from Book Soup. How much did that trip cost? Couldn't Steve just send me a Kindle version?
I hate the book business. Because they made Kindle books as expensive as the physical versions. In this case, the paperback "Power Of The Dog" costs LESS than the Kindle take and that makes no sense, there's no printing, no shipping, no returns... but you can't stay in the way of people inured to the old game, until it all collapses and they wonder where their lunch went. Ten plus bucks for an album of files is ridiculous, and now it's all about streaming, and don't blame Spotify, don't even blame YouTube, they're saviors, before that it was all piracy all the time and you didn't get paid at all.
And what I love about Kindle books is I always have a device with me, I don't have to schlepp the book around. In a stolen moment I can read the same damn book on my iPad or iPhone, it's always in reach, today's all about access, who'd want to sacrifice that?
And despite this being the golden age of the written word, hell, it's king on the internet, there's so much bad writing that when you encounter something good it's a pleasure, you don't want to put it down.
Don Winslow can write.
But despite getting the book back in February, I didn't crack the cover until last weekend, when I finished Angela Duckworth's "Grit," don't read it, it won't quite put you to sleep but it's close, she may be a good researcher but she's a mediocre writer. I only opened "The Power Of The Dog" so I could tell Steve I tried. But it cut like butter, I was immediately involved.
In a twisted tale of dope dealing.
There's the hooker with the heart of gold, the young punks who mess with the Mafia in NYC. Even the cocaine cowboys of Colombia. But what makes "The Power Of The Dog" work is the history, of Mexico, Central and South America. Because we in the U.S.A. are clueless, we're lucky if we know what's going on in the next town, George W. Bush was elected President and he'd never even left the country! But his father was involved in the shenanigans in Central America...
That's where the CIA operates, fighting communism, and on so many sides of the coin that you cannot spend it, it won't fit in the slot machine, it will only bring you tsuris instead of winnings.
What really happened in Nicaragua? Which side were the Sandinistas on? And guns for hostages with dope in the middle...
"The Power Of The Dog" explains it all.
And I'd whip out some great quotes if I read the digital version, where you can highlight and collect them quickly.
And I don't want to reveal the plot, like every lame reviewer extant.
I just want to give you the vibe. What if you got caught up in something you couldn't get out of, knowing it would all end badly, but enjoying yourself along the way? What if in your travels you encountered politics and dealt with so many players you were no longer sure which side was right or wrong? Then you'd be involved in the story in this book.
It's a long tome. I still have a hundred pages to go. And there's a sequel, "The Cartel." And it's not everybody's piece of candy, but if you like a long hard slog, if you like a dope or Mafia movie, you'll go down the rabbit hole and think this is what life's about, story.
Some of the descriptions go on too long. Some of the characters are two-dimensional. Sometimes there's too much plot. But when you read "The Power Of The Dog" you suddenly understand what all the shooting and the addiction and the government programs are about. You get a feel for the miasma. You examine motivations, wonder if we can ever get along, if there are any solutions.
Books are interesting. In that you can't sample them, you've got to read them. Someone can tell you about a track and you can immediately check it out and get it. A movie only takes an hour or two. But a book is a commitment.
And you never know what to read and you never know if you share the same taste, you're stumbling in the wilderness for something that resonates and then you devour it and it's over, you're hungry for more but there isn't any.
If you're going on vacation. If you're looking for something to eat up the long nights. If you want to know more about a life you never lived.
CHECK IT OUT!
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Saturday, 14 May 2016
The Hustle
No, not the seventies dance craze, but that classic Southern California interaction wherein an optimistic girl or gent spins their dream and tries to convince you to get on board.
Last night I had dinner at the Soho House, a private club of which I am not a member, speaking to its exclusivity. Upon arrival in L.A. the rooftop joint was seen as a gathering place for the connected, to see and be seen, because L.A. is a visual culture, how you look, showing off, is key.
But now the place has been overrun with wannabes. People strutting around like they're somebody even though they're unrecognizable. Yes, that's one of the Los Angeles sports, we may not have a playing professional football team, but we look for stars every day, and we find them. At the grocery store, the car wash and at dinner. We're all looky-loos.
And last night I did see someone, it was Miley Cyrus. Didn't she have somewhere better to go?
It's one thing to see someone famous at a fine dining establishment. It's another to be up close and personal with a famous face at a place I can get into. I always thought the rich and famous hung where we did not.
True.
But mostly they're techies and bankers, people with real money.
Entertainers ain't got that cash.
But they used to.
Used to be you went to L.A. to make your dream come true. Didn't matter if you had an Ivy League degree or were a graduate of the school of hard knocks. You shined up your personality and started doing the hustle. The only people who went to the head of the line were those with famous parents. And if you met one, you did your best to attach your star to them.
But most people were nobody from nowhere just like you. And you listened to the stories and had meetings and hung out thinking that you were getting ahead and living the life, that if you just paid enough dues you were gonna make it.
But then the dream changed.
Movies became about comic books. No one even knows who runs the studios anymore, they used to be the most famous people in town.
As for music, the record labels consolidated and the billboards were excised from the Sunset Strip, soon to go are the clubs. All that's left is condos and restaurants.
And it turns out people have to hang somewhere, I was stunned how crowded the boulevard was at midnight, with lanes blocked off for pedestrians waiting to get in. What is so enticing? What are they trying to achieve? Is this just a second tier tryst for those destined to dash their dreams and end up living in a far-off valley doing day jobs?
That's another element of Hollywood, it weeds out those not up to par. There's an endless supply of new faces and if you don't gain a toehold you're squeezed out. Some go home, most rationalize their decline. Their day job becomes their real job or they or their significant other gets pregnant and suddenly you're buying real estate and you find out it's far from your old haunts.
But until that fall from grace... You go to the gym, a toned body is everything in L.A., you go to the right places and you try to get ahead.
But now if you're educated, if you've paid your dues, you want nothing to do with this game, with its false hopes and culling of the herd.
Used to be doctors and lawyers, professionals around the world, looked with envy at the shenanigans in Los Angeles. They did what their parents told them, they played it safe, they had their nest egg, but they did not have fun, they did not live free and easy, their dreams were things they only thought of at night, when they put their heads on their pillows.
But then something changed. Life became tougher. The bottom was nowhere to reside. Hell, you used to be able to live in L.A. on far less than a grand a month, now that's a couple of dinners for you and your buddies. So those with brains trained their sights on new locations. Watergate killed the gravitas of attorneys, you refrain from telling people you're a member of the Bar and law school applications are way down, why spend so much to make so little, if you can make any at all? And the doctors themselves helped kill the status of the medical profession, bitching that they were only making hundreds of thousands instead of millions. And all that science was too hard anyway. So the truly gifted went into tech and the mules, those who know how to jump through hoops but need the hoops laid out for them, went into consulting, or banking, They wanted to make that money.
And there's a whole hell of a lot more money in those fields than entertainment. And a star ain't what it used to be. They're not looked up to and they're not rich. They're just striving to eat some of the crumbs falling off of the table of those with the true dough.
And if it's solely glamour you're interested in, you can go to Miami, it's much closer to New York anyway.
And if you just want to spend money and party, nothing is better than Vegas, where you can throw off your inhibitions and nothing is written down, although you may appear on Instagram.
And if you've got no education, if you've got no CV whatsoever, you come to Hollywood, to try to make it on your wits, charm and good looks. It's every person for themselves, hustlers abound.
They'll tell you where they've been, who they've seen, who they've hung with. Locations and personalities are the hustler's currency. And the great thing is none of this can be checked. There's no LinkedIn for parties. And Facebook won't tell you what you want to know. Is this person really engaged to so and so? Do they really have a development deal at the studio? Are they rich or broke and just waiting for you to buy them a drink?
Who the hell knows.
It's disconcerting. In the old days it was the only way to play. Now it appears to be a complete waste of time. An endless reality show where you lie, cheat and steal for attention, and then are instantly forgotten.
And in today's world where nothing lasts it's all about the money. And if they had any would they really be showing up here?
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Last night I had dinner at the Soho House, a private club of which I am not a member, speaking to its exclusivity. Upon arrival in L.A. the rooftop joint was seen as a gathering place for the connected, to see and be seen, because L.A. is a visual culture, how you look, showing off, is key.
But now the place has been overrun with wannabes. People strutting around like they're somebody even though they're unrecognizable. Yes, that's one of the Los Angeles sports, we may not have a playing professional football team, but we look for stars every day, and we find them. At the grocery store, the car wash and at dinner. We're all looky-loos.
And last night I did see someone, it was Miley Cyrus. Didn't she have somewhere better to go?
It's one thing to see someone famous at a fine dining establishment. It's another to be up close and personal with a famous face at a place I can get into. I always thought the rich and famous hung where we did not.
True.
But mostly they're techies and bankers, people with real money.
Entertainers ain't got that cash.
But they used to.
Used to be you went to L.A. to make your dream come true. Didn't matter if you had an Ivy League degree or were a graduate of the school of hard knocks. You shined up your personality and started doing the hustle. The only people who went to the head of the line were those with famous parents. And if you met one, you did your best to attach your star to them.
But most people were nobody from nowhere just like you. And you listened to the stories and had meetings and hung out thinking that you were getting ahead and living the life, that if you just paid enough dues you were gonna make it.
But then the dream changed.
Movies became about comic books. No one even knows who runs the studios anymore, they used to be the most famous people in town.
As for music, the record labels consolidated and the billboards were excised from the Sunset Strip, soon to go are the clubs. All that's left is condos and restaurants.
And it turns out people have to hang somewhere, I was stunned how crowded the boulevard was at midnight, with lanes blocked off for pedestrians waiting to get in. What is so enticing? What are they trying to achieve? Is this just a second tier tryst for those destined to dash their dreams and end up living in a far-off valley doing day jobs?
That's another element of Hollywood, it weeds out those not up to par. There's an endless supply of new faces and if you don't gain a toehold you're squeezed out. Some go home, most rationalize their decline. Their day job becomes their real job or they or their significant other gets pregnant and suddenly you're buying real estate and you find out it's far from your old haunts.
But until that fall from grace... You go to the gym, a toned body is everything in L.A., you go to the right places and you try to get ahead.
But now if you're educated, if you've paid your dues, you want nothing to do with this game, with its false hopes and culling of the herd.
Used to be doctors and lawyers, professionals around the world, looked with envy at the shenanigans in Los Angeles. They did what their parents told them, they played it safe, they had their nest egg, but they did not have fun, they did not live free and easy, their dreams were things they only thought of at night, when they put their heads on their pillows.
But then something changed. Life became tougher. The bottom was nowhere to reside. Hell, you used to be able to live in L.A. on far less than a grand a month, now that's a couple of dinners for you and your buddies. So those with brains trained their sights on new locations. Watergate killed the gravitas of attorneys, you refrain from telling people you're a member of the Bar and law school applications are way down, why spend so much to make so little, if you can make any at all? And the doctors themselves helped kill the status of the medical profession, bitching that they were only making hundreds of thousands instead of millions. And all that science was too hard anyway. So the truly gifted went into tech and the mules, those who know how to jump through hoops but need the hoops laid out for them, went into consulting, or banking, They wanted to make that money.
And there's a whole hell of a lot more money in those fields than entertainment. And a star ain't what it used to be. They're not looked up to and they're not rich. They're just striving to eat some of the crumbs falling off of the table of those with the true dough.
And if it's solely glamour you're interested in, you can go to Miami, it's much closer to New York anyway.
And if you just want to spend money and party, nothing is better than Vegas, where you can throw off your inhibitions and nothing is written down, although you may appear on Instagram.
And if you've got no education, if you've got no CV whatsoever, you come to Hollywood, to try to make it on your wits, charm and good looks. It's every person for themselves, hustlers abound.
They'll tell you where they've been, who they've seen, who they've hung with. Locations and personalities are the hustler's currency. And the great thing is none of this can be checked. There's no LinkedIn for parties. And Facebook won't tell you what you want to know. Is this person really engaged to so and so? Do they really have a development deal at the studio? Are they rich or broke and just waiting for you to buy them a drink?
Who the hell knows.
It's disconcerting. In the old days it was the only way to play. Now it appears to be a complete waste of time. An endless reality show where you lie, cheat and steal for attention, and then are instantly forgotten.
And in today's world where nothing lasts it's all about the money. And if they had any would they really be showing up here?
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Friday, 13 May 2016
Tracks
Spotify playlist: https://goo.gl/DVJKCR
"Dark Necessities"
Red Hot Chili Peppers
It doesn't sound quite like anything else.
I didn't even know this was out until I got an email about it from somebody.
This is intriguing, listen to it. The worst part is Anthony Kiedis' vocal, not that it's bad, but the rest of the sounds resonate so, especially Flea's bass, but also the sounds that you can't quite place the genesis of.
This is a work track, not the kind of thing that you hear once and have to hear a hundred times, I doubt it will escape the Active Rock ghetto, but if you don't listen to that format, and few do, you'll be surprised how entrancing and inviting this is. Credit Danger Mouse. Sometimes you've just got to mix it up, but best to work with someone with experience, that's Donald Trump's number one weakness, his lack of experience. You wouldn't want an amateur to perform surgery after watching YouTube videos and if you're a superstar act, and the Chili Peppers certainly are, you want to work with someone who's been there, who you have faith in.
But I don't understand the release paradigm here, it's so last decade.
In the old days you released a single way in advance and then ramped up publicity to generate first week sales. But now it's about continuing streams. Your first challenge is getting people to be aware of your music, the second is to get them to listen to it.
Which is why people drop their albums with no advance warning all on one day, the sound waves from the bomb erupt, it's the best way to create awareness these days.
I'm not a fan of the Chili Peppers, I thought they were done when Frusciante left for good, but this not only gives me hope, I LIKE IT!
"Fragile"
Prince Fox, featuring Hailee Steinfeld
I discovered this by listening to Spotify's New Music Friday playlist.
I'd like to tell you I heard a ton of winners, but I heard a ton of me-too tracks. Today it's all about incorporating non-organic sounds, it's become formulaic. Although this is a bit different, more EDM, and if I didn't know Ms. Steinfeld was an actress I'd cut her a break, she's good here.
This is on Republic (Casablanca to be exact, but same thing). And it's having almost zero impact. Is it because the track doesn't resonate or it hasn't been worked yet.
I'm leaning more towards the latter.
The YouTube clip only has 25,806 viewings as of this writing, it's got more impact on Spotify, where it's got 492,209 streams, but it begs the question whether YouTube is really the premier platform.
But what I'll tell you after listening to the New Music Friday playlist is today music discovery is overwhelming. There are a ton of playlists and even if you know which ones interest you, there's still too much to digest. Hell, I clicked on Afternoon Acoustic and didn't know one single artist. The sounds were good, but the songs were not revelatory, did I really want to listen to them all to uncover the couple of good ones, couldn't someone do this for me?
We're still at the advent of curation. Used to be radio culled the best tracks and those outside the formula got a lot of ink. The universe was comprehensible, now it's not.
"Adore"
Jasmine Thompson
This is a bit better than the Prince Fox track, maybe that's why it's got 23,258,655 views on YouTube...AND I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT!
But today I got an email about it clicked through and immediately liked it.
What hope do I have in this world?
Granted, this track had no chart impact in the U.S., although it did go to number 4 in Poland...
Doing my research I found out that Ms. Thompson made her bones by singing covers on YouTube, the means of success are in your own hands, it's like the actors who start off in commercials, you can't be afraid to begin at the beginning, doing stuff theoretically beneath you, finding yourself along the way.
Unlike "Fragile," "Adore" did not come out last week, it was released almost a year ago. Thompson is signed to Atlantic. And something is going on, "Adore" has 21,443,192 streams on Spotify, it grabs you immediately, it's hooky, it makes me want to see her live, to bask in the sound, the mood, the introspection, the darkness.
P.S. I just discovered on Spotify there's an acoustic take of this song, it's got a second side of "Tumbleweed Connection" feel, and that's a good thing!
"Stay Downtown"
Cole Swindell
I found out the new album was out on the Spotify new release page and I immediately put it on my phone, I was a big fan of his track "Ain't Worth The Whiskey."
Like Keith Urban's new album, "You Should Be Here" ain't really country, not by the traditional definition. There's not the upfront banjo and fiddle, although Swindell does have a twang, but without it this would be classic AOR music.
The best song on the new album was already a hit single, "You Should Be Here," check it out, it's got a great sound, and a great message, although it could use another verse, that's a problem with too much of the material on the new album, it's unfinished, it could use more. And it's safe, but that's Nashville today. Still...
I'm listening and thinking this is another Nashville booty call song, you know, like Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," but it's not.
She calls, but he tells her to stay in the bar, downtown.
How refreshing.
I've been there, you know you're gonna get laid, but you know your heart is gonna hurt thereafter, otherwise you'd still be together, doing it on a regular basis.
But I like this, I like Cole's sound.
"Getaway Car"
Alyssa Micaela
I discovered this about a month ago, on the Spotify Hot Country playlist, I was waiting for it either to fall off or to blow up, so far neither has happened. But I felt the same way about Jana Kramer's "I Got The Boy," which I heard on Sirius XM's Highway back in February of 2015 and didn't break on terrestrial radio for nearly six months, that's what's wrong with terrestrial, it's so slow, so far behind!
And what the Highway and Hot Country have in common is John Marks, who left radio for the streaming service, he champions new artists, he'll take a chance.
Kramer's song is an almost classic country lament, of regret, that someone else got her man, but she was there first, she got something. It's a ballad, with clever lyrics, whereas...
"Getaway Car"'s a tear.
"Well I heard you're gettin' married
How far along is she?"
Ha! I love a woman with sass. Obviously she's pissed, but she's spinning it her way, positively, and continues to do so.
"My god you're only twenty and she's not even pretty"
It's guys who focus on looks, but women always play the looks card when they want to put someone down.
"I've got the getaway car, I'm thankin' my lucky stars
Top down, foot on the gas
Nothin' here to hold me back
Don't wanna catch what's goin' around
'Cause everybody is barefoot and pregnant in this town"
HILARIOUS!
Why is it the women in Nashville are clever, but the men are dullards. This is right out of Miranda Lambert's playbook, if she sang it, it'd be a hit.
What is a hit?
Something I like?
Something everybody else likes?
Something radio plays?
Something that gets awards?
I've got no idea, I want to belong, but I can't find my club.
YouTube links:
"Dark Necessities": https://goo.gl/Q0D6jU
"Fragile": https://goo.gl/gZU1hC
"Adore": https://goo.gl/xEWT40
"Adore" (acoustic): https://goo.gl/Wk1xzB
"Stay Downtown": https://goo.gl/eOKbNT
"Getaway Car": not on YouTube
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"Dark Necessities"
Red Hot Chili Peppers
It doesn't sound quite like anything else.
I didn't even know this was out until I got an email about it from somebody.
This is intriguing, listen to it. The worst part is Anthony Kiedis' vocal, not that it's bad, but the rest of the sounds resonate so, especially Flea's bass, but also the sounds that you can't quite place the genesis of.
This is a work track, not the kind of thing that you hear once and have to hear a hundred times, I doubt it will escape the Active Rock ghetto, but if you don't listen to that format, and few do, you'll be surprised how entrancing and inviting this is. Credit Danger Mouse. Sometimes you've just got to mix it up, but best to work with someone with experience, that's Donald Trump's number one weakness, his lack of experience. You wouldn't want an amateur to perform surgery after watching YouTube videos and if you're a superstar act, and the Chili Peppers certainly are, you want to work with someone who's been there, who you have faith in.
But I don't understand the release paradigm here, it's so last decade.
In the old days you released a single way in advance and then ramped up publicity to generate first week sales. But now it's about continuing streams. Your first challenge is getting people to be aware of your music, the second is to get them to listen to it.
Which is why people drop their albums with no advance warning all on one day, the sound waves from the bomb erupt, it's the best way to create awareness these days.
I'm not a fan of the Chili Peppers, I thought they were done when Frusciante left for good, but this not only gives me hope, I LIKE IT!
"Fragile"
Prince Fox, featuring Hailee Steinfeld
I discovered this by listening to Spotify's New Music Friday playlist.
I'd like to tell you I heard a ton of winners, but I heard a ton of me-too tracks. Today it's all about incorporating non-organic sounds, it's become formulaic. Although this is a bit different, more EDM, and if I didn't know Ms. Steinfeld was an actress I'd cut her a break, she's good here.
This is on Republic (Casablanca to be exact, but same thing). And it's having almost zero impact. Is it because the track doesn't resonate or it hasn't been worked yet.
I'm leaning more towards the latter.
The YouTube clip only has 25,806 viewings as of this writing, it's got more impact on Spotify, where it's got 492,209 streams, but it begs the question whether YouTube is really the premier platform.
But what I'll tell you after listening to the New Music Friday playlist is today music discovery is overwhelming. There are a ton of playlists and even if you know which ones interest you, there's still too much to digest. Hell, I clicked on Afternoon Acoustic and didn't know one single artist. The sounds were good, but the songs were not revelatory, did I really want to listen to them all to uncover the couple of good ones, couldn't someone do this for me?
We're still at the advent of curation. Used to be radio culled the best tracks and those outside the formula got a lot of ink. The universe was comprehensible, now it's not.
"Adore"
Jasmine Thompson
This is a bit better than the Prince Fox track, maybe that's why it's got 23,258,655 views on YouTube...AND I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT!
But today I got an email about it clicked through and immediately liked it.
What hope do I have in this world?
Granted, this track had no chart impact in the U.S., although it did go to number 4 in Poland...
Doing my research I found out that Ms. Thompson made her bones by singing covers on YouTube, the means of success are in your own hands, it's like the actors who start off in commercials, you can't be afraid to begin at the beginning, doing stuff theoretically beneath you, finding yourself along the way.
Unlike "Fragile," "Adore" did not come out last week, it was released almost a year ago. Thompson is signed to Atlantic. And something is going on, "Adore" has 21,443,192 streams on Spotify, it grabs you immediately, it's hooky, it makes me want to see her live, to bask in the sound, the mood, the introspection, the darkness.
P.S. I just discovered on Spotify there's an acoustic take of this song, it's got a second side of "Tumbleweed Connection" feel, and that's a good thing!
"Stay Downtown"
Cole Swindell
I found out the new album was out on the Spotify new release page and I immediately put it on my phone, I was a big fan of his track "Ain't Worth The Whiskey."
Like Keith Urban's new album, "You Should Be Here" ain't really country, not by the traditional definition. There's not the upfront banjo and fiddle, although Swindell does have a twang, but without it this would be classic AOR music.
The best song on the new album was already a hit single, "You Should Be Here," check it out, it's got a great sound, and a great message, although it could use another verse, that's a problem with too much of the material on the new album, it's unfinished, it could use more. And it's safe, but that's Nashville today. Still...
I'm listening and thinking this is another Nashville booty call song, you know, like Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," but it's not.
She calls, but he tells her to stay in the bar, downtown.
How refreshing.
I've been there, you know you're gonna get laid, but you know your heart is gonna hurt thereafter, otherwise you'd still be together, doing it on a regular basis.
But I like this, I like Cole's sound.
"Getaway Car"
Alyssa Micaela
I discovered this about a month ago, on the Spotify Hot Country playlist, I was waiting for it either to fall off or to blow up, so far neither has happened. But I felt the same way about Jana Kramer's "I Got The Boy," which I heard on Sirius XM's Highway back in February of 2015 and didn't break on terrestrial radio for nearly six months, that's what's wrong with terrestrial, it's so slow, so far behind!
And what the Highway and Hot Country have in common is John Marks, who left radio for the streaming service, he champions new artists, he'll take a chance.
Kramer's song is an almost classic country lament, of regret, that someone else got her man, but she was there first, she got something. It's a ballad, with clever lyrics, whereas...
"Getaway Car"'s a tear.
"Well I heard you're gettin' married
How far along is she?"
Ha! I love a woman with sass. Obviously she's pissed, but she's spinning it her way, positively, and continues to do so.
"My god you're only twenty and she's not even pretty"
It's guys who focus on looks, but women always play the looks card when they want to put someone down.
"I've got the getaway car, I'm thankin' my lucky stars
Top down, foot on the gas
Nothin' here to hold me back
Don't wanna catch what's goin' around
'Cause everybody is barefoot and pregnant in this town"
HILARIOUS!
Why is it the women in Nashville are clever, but the men are dullards. This is right out of Miranda Lambert's playbook, if she sang it, it'd be a hit.
What is a hit?
Something I like?
Something everybody else likes?
Something radio plays?
Something that gets awards?
I've got no idea, I want to belong, but I can't find my club.
YouTube links:
"Dark Necessities": https://goo.gl/Q0D6jU
"Fragile": https://goo.gl/gZU1hC
"Adore": https://goo.gl/xEWT40
"Adore" (acoustic): https://goo.gl/Wk1xzB
"Stay Downtown": https://goo.gl/eOKbNT
"Getaway Car": not on YouTube
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Twitter War!
It's all about access.
Today people want to reach out and touch you, Facebook has flattened the earth, everyone feels equal, and if you stand above the fray...
It's only a matter of time before you're taken down.
This is how Donald Trump can get away with the sappy comments about his family, and his inane statements regarding minority groups, i.e the taco bowl, and the uneducated...people speak first and are analyzed never online. It's only the old wave players, working the refs, who believe that gotcha politics still plays. That's so last century, today you keep talking and adjust along the way. Everybody makes mistakes! Social media is riddled with the cookies of your humanity, being inappropriate, misstating facts, but we all know the truth will out in the end. At least enough of it to make a difference. Wikipedia rules the fact-based world, even though there are inaccuracies on my own damn page, but better the wisdom of the crowd than the wisdom of Karl Rove and the rest of the fat cats who think they can sway society. That's what's utterly laughable, the big time news media and inside the beltway movers and shakers who have utter faith, however misplaced, that they can shape the minds
of Americans.
No, we're all a compendium of our influences. Most of us are riddled with falsehoods, because there's truly no consensus, most people won't go to Wikipedia, they don't want to be shown up, but when the issues become really important, then it's necessary that we shine light upon the truth.
And Hillary Clinton has done a poor job of doing this.
But Elizabeth Warren is a Power Ranger, a member of the Fantastic Four, she's beating Donald Trump at his own game.
Trump owns Twitter. Anybody on the site knows that accumulating followers is a long hard slog. But you can get a leg up by ATTACKING someone with a ton of followers. Who, of course, could refuse to acknowledge your poke and leave you in the wilderness but...
The Donald can't do that.
Elizabeth Warren took on Trump on his own turf and eviscerated him.
IT WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS!
That's right, even if you can't comprehend Twitter, you heard about the war. How could Warren be so smart and Hillary so dumb? Hillary's so busy triangulating that she's not even playing. As for Bernie... Love ya man, but some people are just too elderly, you can't teach an old dog new tricks and most boomers, today's alta kachers, have all the technology but are clueless as to how to use it. But the truth is this is a battle amongst the younger generation, the ones who not only have downloaded Snapchat but know how to use it. And they're aware of this Twitter war. It may not be as high profile as Kanye's shenanigans, but it's much more important.
Trump is Kanye. A guy most people hate but think everybody loves because he's all over the news and constantly get a pass. But Warren is not afraid. She waded into waters she did not need to and then walloped the Donald.
Who even knew she had a Twitter account?
She's only got 426,000 followers. A mere pittance compared to Trump's 8.18 million.
But she knows Trump can tolerate no negativity, not when it comes to his brand.
So Elizabeth weighed in.
And didn't pull any punches.
And the Donald fell for the bait.
Mistake number one. You never punch down.
He calls her "Goofy Elizabeth Warren."
She says: "Goofy,' @real DonaldTrump? For a guy with 'the best words' that's a pretty lame nickname. Weak"
Whew, Warren turns the have a beer paradigm on its head, she's the one we want to hang with. By using the vernacular, she humanizes herself. But this is secondary to the fact that she's giving it right back, demonstrating that she knows Trump's games, with "the best words" reference, and ultimately the Donald looks small, because we all know you never win a Twitter war by calling people names, it just goes back and forth.
Warren attacks the Donald's identity and politics and...
Trump just comes back with pejoratives, says she's playing the "woman card," accuses her of not doing her job, wasting time on Twitter, but he's RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AND IS ALL OVER TWITTER? And who's running Trump, Inc?
Warren's got balls.
And unlike Clinton, she's not afraid to show them. Hillary's been castigated so much for not being a milk and cookies mom that she now fakes it and says she is. No Hillary, you're not warm and fuzzy. And we don't want warm and fuzzy, we want to see your killer instinct, something the Donald demonstrates not only day by day, but hour by hour.
So stay off social media at your peril. If you intentionally want to be removed, if that's your shtick, fine. But if you're stuck in the last century doing it the old way you're doomed. Everybody knows everybody and everything these days. Mystery is history. When you try to float above the fray you look like a doofus. Stop complaining someone moved your cheese and play by the new rules.
And Hillary Clinton... Don't you get it? We live in a new era, talk first and think later. No one remembers what you said yesterday. It's all about mindshare, which is why Trump tweets constantly. Hell, ever since he sewed up the nomination ten days ago it's been all Trump all the time in the media. Hillary's losing the war because she doesn't know she's in it. It's like America not realizing guerrilla warfare can't be defeated by bombs in Vietnam. It's like Republican bozos asking for more warships when the future of combat is in cyberspace.
Our heroes come and go ever faster in today's world. You establish your reputation by participating and then cement it by continuing to play. We only want winners, who are unafraid of the powers-that-be, who speak their mind, who go for the jugular when appropriate, because we all know social media is the land of bullies.
Elizabeth Warren took one down this week. When are her Democratic minions gonna wake up and follow her lead?
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Today people want to reach out and touch you, Facebook has flattened the earth, everyone feels equal, and if you stand above the fray...
It's only a matter of time before you're taken down.
This is how Donald Trump can get away with the sappy comments about his family, and his inane statements regarding minority groups, i.e the taco bowl, and the uneducated...people speak first and are analyzed never online. It's only the old wave players, working the refs, who believe that gotcha politics still plays. That's so last century, today you keep talking and adjust along the way. Everybody makes mistakes! Social media is riddled with the cookies of your humanity, being inappropriate, misstating facts, but we all know the truth will out in the end. At least enough of it to make a difference. Wikipedia rules the fact-based world, even though there are inaccuracies on my own damn page, but better the wisdom of the crowd than the wisdom of Karl Rove and the rest of the fat cats who think they can sway society. That's what's utterly laughable, the big time news media and inside the beltway movers and shakers who have utter faith, however misplaced, that they can shape the minds
of Americans.
No, we're all a compendium of our influences. Most of us are riddled with falsehoods, because there's truly no consensus, most people won't go to Wikipedia, they don't want to be shown up, but when the issues become really important, then it's necessary that we shine light upon the truth.
And Hillary Clinton has done a poor job of doing this.
But Elizabeth Warren is a Power Ranger, a member of the Fantastic Four, she's beating Donald Trump at his own game.
Trump owns Twitter. Anybody on the site knows that accumulating followers is a long hard slog. But you can get a leg up by ATTACKING someone with a ton of followers. Who, of course, could refuse to acknowledge your poke and leave you in the wilderness but...
The Donald can't do that.
Elizabeth Warren took on Trump on his own turf and eviscerated him.
IT WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS!
That's right, even if you can't comprehend Twitter, you heard about the war. How could Warren be so smart and Hillary so dumb? Hillary's so busy triangulating that she's not even playing. As for Bernie... Love ya man, but some people are just too elderly, you can't teach an old dog new tricks and most boomers, today's alta kachers, have all the technology but are clueless as to how to use it. But the truth is this is a battle amongst the younger generation, the ones who not only have downloaded Snapchat but know how to use it. And they're aware of this Twitter war. It may not be as high profile as Kanye's shenanigans, but it's much more important.
Trump is Kanye. A guy most people hate but think everybody loves because he's all over the news and constantly get a pass. But Warren is not afraid. She waded into waters she did not need to and then walloped the Donald.
Who even knew she had a Twitter account?
She's only got 426,000 followers. A mere pittance compared to Trump's 8.18 million.
But she knows Trump can tolerate no negativity, not when it comes to his brand.
So Elizabeth weighed in.
And didn't pull any punches.
And the Donald fell for the bait.
Mistake number one. You never punch down.
He calls her "Goofy Elizabeth Warren."
She says: "Goofy,' @real DonaldTrump? For a guy with 'the best words' that's a pretty lame nickname. Weak"
Whew, Warren turns the have a beer paradigm on its head, she's the one we want to hang with. By using the vernacular, she humanizes herself. But this is secondary to the fact that she's giving it right back, demonstrating that she knows Trump's games, with "the best words" reference, and ultimately the Donald looks small, because we all know you never win a Twitter war by calling people names, it just goes back and forth.
Warren attacks the Donald's identity and politics and...
Trump just comes back with pejoratives, says she's playing the "woman card," accuses her of not doing her job, wasting time on Twitter, but he's RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AND IS ALL OVER TWITTER? And who's running Trump, Inc?
Warren's got balls.
And unlike Clinton, she's not afraid to show them. Hillary's been castigated so much for not being a milk and cookies mom that she now fakes it and says she is. No Hillary, you're not warm and fuzzy. And we don't want warm and fuzzy, we want to see your killer instinct, something the Donald demonstrates not only day by day, but hour by hour.
So stay off social media at your peril. If you intentionally want to be removed, if that's your shtick, fine. But if you're stuck in the last century doing it the old way you're doomed. Everybody knows everybody and everything these days. Mystery is history. When you try to float above the fray you look like a doofus. Stop complaining someone moved your cheese and play by the new rules.
And Hillary Clinton... Don't you get it? We live in a new era, talk first and think later. No one remembers what you said yesterday. It's all about mindshare, which is why Trump tweets constantly. Hell, ever since he sewed up the nomination ten days ago it's been all Trump all the time in the media. Hillary's losing the war because she doesn't know she's in it. It's like America not realizing guerrilla warfare can't be defeated by bombs in Vietnam. It's like Republican bozos asking for more warships when the future of combat is in cyberspace.
Our heroes come and go ever faster in today's world. You establish your reputation by participating and then cement it by continuing to play. We only want winners, who are unafraid of the powers-that-be, who speak their mind, who go for the jugular when appropriate, because we all know social media is the land of bullies.
Elizabeth Warren took one down this week. When are her Democratic minions gonna wake up and follow her lead?
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Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Keith Urban's "Ripcord"
https://open.spotify.com/album/1IbfOjLqUSkhtXLpX31WZq
It's not country.
But the picking on the opening track, "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)," reminds me of one of my favorite Urban cuts, "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me," which starts off on a tear and then explodes, a veritable zero to sixty run down the highway that thrills you as you hold on to your hat. The verses are generic, but this predates bro country, and the chorus is so spectacular you can't help but smile and sing along, you know those moments when your life is perfect and you wouldn't change a thing, "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" encapsulates that, and when I'm not vying for the role of the Prince of Darkness I like to live in the land of elation. "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)" is not quite as good, but although slower it's got a similar energy, like Urban is fully aware of his powers and is refusing to hold back, you want to go along for the ride. Let this be a lesson, if the best track is not first, at least make the opener a killer, learn from the Rolling Stones.
And there is a ganjo on "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)," but if you excised that the track would not make you think of Nashville whatsoever.
And I wanted to listen to "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)" again, that's when you know you're hooked, but I let the album play, to see what other goodies were contained on "Ripcord."
I skipped "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" last year's hit single, I never cottoned to it, but it did make it to number two on the country chart.
But what came after...WAS COMPLETELY CONFOUNDING!
"Wasted Time" is closer to EDC than Fan Fair. With electronic pulsing that can't help but bring your blood to a boil. They say EDM is dead, but it's about as gone as disco, which didn't disappear but ultimately infiltrated rock. We love the beat and we love the pulse and "Wasted Time" is throbbing and you're along for the ride from the get-go. And if the lyrics weren't so generic, so pedestrian, you'd put "Wasted Time" in the summer song canon. As it is, you can't help but throw your hands in the air in exaltation... If only the lyrics were as realistic and engaging as those of Kid Rock's "All Summer Long." Maybe Rock was right all along, that it's about merging the old with the new, the rock with the country, because until you get to the break you'd be hard-pressed to call "Wasted Time" a country song. If Top Forty weren't so afraid of breaking the formula they'd have a field day with this, because we all love an airy, happy summer song.
But then comes the piece-de-resistance, "Habit Of You," which is closer to Hall & Oates than Brooks & Dunn. It's almost like when the Doobie Brothers moved to the mainstream with "Minute By Minute," put this on when you're lying on the couch with your honey sipping wine, reflecting and contemplating getting frisky.
"I could make a habit of you
Waking up in my bed
Staying up till two
'Cause you're stuck in my head"
Whew! The story of my life, all the good things happen late at night, when the world stops intruding and you can get down to it.
And country is playing "Wasted Time," even though it's closer to Hot AC, there's no twang involved, this is mainstream music.
And that's where Keith Urban lives, on the Australian "Voice" and the American "Idol." Moving to the mainstream for the paycheck and the attention, Urban ultimately delivered an LP to appeal to this audience, albeit hedging his bets. There are just enough country elements involved not to alienate the Nashville powers, he didn't pull the full Taylor Swift, but he did work with Nile Rodgers, why not Max Martin, was he unavailable?
And Martin was originally a metalhead and Urban was a rocker and we live in a land of mish-mash where rock and country and EDM all fit under the same umbrella, because the world is smaller than ever before, if you're paying attention you know all the hits, not only those in your genre. And having said that, the Rodgers track, "Sun Don't Let Me Down," featuring Pitbull, is execrable. Reminds me of when the Beach Boys went disco with "Here Comes The Night." Go all the way or don't go at all, otherwise you look like you're dabbling, following trends, and the greats either jump feet first, like Neil Young, who is not married to the past, or they remain true blue to what got them here, like AC/DC.
And I'd like to tell you the rest of the album is incredible, but it's closer to mediocre. "Gettin' In The Way" is another one of those cuts that country radio might play but is really much more pop, it doesn't have the signifying instrumentation that shows it's from Nashville, it's more MTV than CMT.
"Blue Ain't Your Color"'s got the feel of country, the old country, pre-Luke Bryan, more akin to the sixties than the twenty first century. But, it's reminiscent of fifties pop just as much. And it's good, but it's not great.
"The Fighter" features Carrie Underwood, but that's the only country thing about it. It's more Kenny Loggins than Kenny Rogers, with a bit of "Flashdance" thrown in, but it's too paint by numbers.
"Boy Gets A Truck" resonates sonically, but the lyrics are so pedestrian, winking so much at present day Nashville, that you wince. Still, this is more Red Rider than Red Headed Stranger. If Tom Cochrane changed the chorus he could have had a hit with it way back when.
"That Could Still Be Us" hearkens back to the sensibility of classic country but sounds like it not a whit. There's the yearning, but not the instrumentation. And if Urban were judging the track on one of his TV shows he'd give it a solid B, but we're looking for A's.
And "Wasted Time" and "Habit Of You" are solid B pluses or A minuses, they're close, but no cigar. And we're looking to partake of the elixir of excellence.
And it arrives now and again. Justin Bieber has hit the peaks recently. Justin Timberlake and the Chili Peppers are close. But we want Lorde's "Royals" or Avicii's "Wake Me Up," and there's none of that on "Ripcord," which is too long and plays it too safe at the same time it's testing limits, but it is better than the dreck Keith Urban has been purveying recently in search of hits, ending up with music neither fish nor fowl.
So, what we've learned is the barriers are breaking down. Acts are taking risks, especially in country, they're including raps, electronic elements, despite the bro lyrics and too much rote there are new sonic ingredients, and that's a good thing.
If you're a fan and buy "Ripcord" you'll be satisfied. You won't be overwhelmed, but you'll be glad to go to the show and hear these songs live.
And if you're from Nashville you're gonna wonder if Keith was ever one of you, or was he an Aussie infiltrator who needs to be excommunicated.
But if you're a student of the game, you're gonna find "Ripcord" very interesting. Because you're gonna see a guy taking chances and sometimes succeeding. And hopefully you'll be inspired and jump completely off the cliff.
We're waiting for you.
YouTube links:
"Gone Tomorrow (Here Today): https://goo.gl/b3381b
"Wasted Time": https://goo.gl/fa9lBE
"Habit Of You": https://goo.gl/a2y025
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It's not country.
But the picking on the opening track, "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)," reminds me of one of my favorite Urban cuts, "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me," which starts off on a tear and then explodes, a veritable zero to sixty run down the highway that thrills you as you hold on to your hat. The verses are generic, but this predates bro country, and the chorus is so spectacular you can't help but smile and sing along, you know those moments when your life is perfect and you wouldn't change a thing, "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" encapsulates that, and when I'm not vying for the role of the Prince of Darkness I like to live in the land of elation. "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)" is not quite as good, but although slower it's got a similar energy, like Urban is fully aware of his powers and is refusing to hold back, you want to go along for the ride. Let this be a lesson, if the best track is not first, at least make the opener a killer, learn from the Rolling Stones.
And there is a ganjo on "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)," but if you excised that the track would not make you think of Nashville whatsoever.
And I wanted to listen to "Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)" again, that's when you know you're hooked, but I let the album play, to see what other goodies were contained on "Ripcord."
I skipped "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" last year's hit single, I never cottoned to it, but it did make it to number two on the country chart.
But what came after...WAS COMPLETELY CONFOUNDING!
"Wasted Time" is closer to EDC than Fan Fair. With electronic pulsing that can't help but bring your blood to a boil. They say EDM is dead, but it's about as gone as disco, which didn't disappear but ultimately infiltrated rock. We love the beat and we love the pulse and "Wasted Time" is throbbing and you're along for the ride from the get-go. And if the lyrics weren't so generic, so pedestrian, you'd put "Wasted Time" in the summer song canon. As it is, you can't help but throw your hands in the air in exaltation... If only the lyrics were as realistic and engaging as those of Kid Rock's "All Summer Long." Maybe Rock was right all along, that it's about merging the old with the new, the rock with the country, because until you get to the break you'd be hard-pressed to call "Wasted Time" a country song. If Top Forty weren't so afraid of breaking the formula they'd have a field day with this, because we all love an airy, happy summer song.
But then comes the piece-de-resistance, "Habit Of You," which is closer to Hall & Oates than Brooks & Dunn. It's almost like when the Doobie Brothers moved to the mainstream with "Minute By Minute," put this on when you're lying on the couch with your honey sipping wine, reflecting and contemplating getting frisky.
"I could make a habit of you
Waking up in my bed
Staying up till two
'Cause you're stuck in my head"
Whew! The story of my life, all the good things happen late at night, when the world stops intruding and you can get down to it.
And country is playing "Wasted Time," even though it's closer to Hot AC, there's no twang involved, this is mainstream music.
And that's where Keith Urban lives, on the Australian "Voice" and the American "Idol." Moving to the mainstream for the paycheck and the attention, Urban ultimately delivered an LP to appeal to this audience, albeit hedging his bets. There are just enough country elements involved not to alienate the Nashville powers, he didn't pull the full Taylor Swift, but he did work with Nile Rodgers, why not Max Martin, was he unavailable?
And Martin was originally a metalhead and Urban was a rocker and we live in a land of mish-mash where rock and country and EDM all fit under the same umbrella, because the world is smaller than ever before, if you're paying attention you know all the hits, not only those in your genre. And having said that, the Rodgers track, "Sun Don't Let Me Down," featuring Pitbull, is execrable. Reminds me of when the Beach Boys went disco with "Here Comes The Night." Go all the way or don't go at all, otherwise you look like you're dabbling, following trends, and the greats either jump feet first, like Neil Young, who is not married to the past, or they remain true blue to what got them here, like AC/DC.
And I'd like to tell you the rest of the album is incredible, but it's closer to mediocre. "Gettin' In The Way" is another one of those cuts that country radio might play but is really much more pop, it doesn't have the signifying instrumentation that shows it's from Nashville, it's more MTV than CMT.
"Blue Ain't Your Color"'s got the feel of country, the old country, pre-Luke Bryan, more akin to the sixties than the twenty first century. But, it's reminiscent of fifties pop just as much. And it's good, but it's not great.
"The Fighter" features Carrie Underwood, but that's the only country thing about it. It's more Kenny Loggins than Kenny Rogers, with a bit of "Flashdance" thrown in, but it's too paint by numbers.
"Boy Gets A Truck" resonates sonically, but the lyrics are so pedestrian, winking so much at present day Nashville, that you wince. Still, this is more Red Rider than Red Headed Stranger. If Tom Cochrane changed the chorus he could have had a hit with it way back when.
"That Could Still Be Us" hearkens back to the sensibility of classic country but sounds like it not a whit. There's the yearning, but not the instrumentation. And if Urban were judging the track on one of his TV shows he'd give it a solid B, but we're looking for A's.
And "Wasted Time" and "Habit Of You" are solid B pluses or A minuses, they're close, but no cigar. And we're looking to partake of the elixir of excellence.
And it arrives now and again. Justin Bieber has hit the peaks recently. Justin Timberlake and the Chili Peppers are close. But we want Lorde's "Royals" or Avicii's "Wake Me Up," and there's none of that on "Ripcord," which is too long and plays it too safe at the same time it's testing limits, but it is better than the dreck Keith Urban has been purveying recently in search of hits, ending up with music neither fish nor fowl.
So, what we've learned is the barriers are breaking down. Acts are taking risks, especially in country, they're including raps, electronic elements, despite the bro lyrics and too much rote there are new sonic ingredients, and that's a good thing.
If you're a fan and buy "Ripcord" you'll be satisfied. You won't be overwhelmed, but you'll be glad to go to the show and hear these songs live.
And if you're from Nashville you're gonna wonder if Keith was ever one of you, or was he an Aussie infiltrator who needs to be excommunicated.
But if you're a student of the game, you're gonna find "Ripcord" very interesting. Because you're gonna see a guy taking chances and sometimes succeeding. And hopefully you'll be inspired and jump completely off the cliff.
We're waiting for you.
YouTube links:
"Gone Tomorrow (Here Today): https://goo.gl/b3381b
"Wasted Time": https://goo.gl/fa9lBE
"Habit Of You": https://goo.gl/a2y025
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Tuesday, 10 May 2016
Bernie Wins Again!
Is it 1968 all over again?
Wherein Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy put such a dent in Hubert Humphrey's campaign that despite garnering the nomination, the Minnesotan did not win. Kinda like Gore in 2000... Humphrey was tainted by Johnson and Gore was tainted by Clinton and despite both being reasonable, upright men, albeit politicians, they were defeated by their Republican competitors, unelectable Richard Nixon, who'd been shunned by his home state of California, and doofus George Bush.
All the energy was with the antiwar protesters, the younger generation was sick of the establishment, that's why Johnson declined to run, Vietnam was his Waterloo. And one can argue that Obama's steered the ship with a steady hand, but that ship has left so many out, college students are burdened by debt and the working class whites have been closed out.
Yes, we're in an economic crisis, despite all the hogwash in the papers about GDP and the number of jobs. The truth is you may be able to make it in America today, but just barely.
Trump is channeling this anger, rounding up all the nitwits and bozos who have anger but little knowledge. Whereas Bernie has rounded up the young, the educated...and these same damn people. That's right, Bernie just killed it with working class whites in West Virginia.
And this looks very bad for Hillary Clinton.
And if you think attacking the Donald will win you the election, you've got no understanding of a populace scorned. Some people don't care what you say about him, they're sick and tired of being screwed. Carrying the water for the rich and established and getting little in return. And if you don't think the poor pay taxes, you know nothing about payroll taxes and sales taxes and so many other charges that eat at your income besides income taxes. The rich keep boasting they're paying so much but the truth is we're not buying that anymore. We know as much as they pay, the super-rich do a great job of avoiding paying so much more. And this fact has wreaked havoc on the Republican establishment, the party's been ripped apart, because giving tax breaks and business benefits to the rich whilst fighting for the social issues dear to the poor...just doesn't work anymore. Furthermore, it turns out the social issues...gay marriage, abortion, religion...are not what's important to the poor
white voters, what they want are JOBS! That's what all this bitching about immigration has been about, the theoretical loss of jobs. And one can say there's net zero immigration from Mexico and that whites don't want to do the work of browns but the truth is perception is all that matters, I can't make it and somebody's at fault. And that somebody is not only the immigrants, but the Congress, the party... What the Trump supporters want is to elect somebody who will DO SOMETHING!
And a huge swath of the public believes Hillary will not.
The Democrats have traditionally been the party of the working class. But on their watch not only have unions been eviscerated, the term itself has a stink upon it. This is what happens when you allow the enemy to define the terms. And so far, the enemy, the Republican party, has defined Hillary...as a duplicitous lifer out for herself who bends rules willy-nilly. Is this the truth? As we've established above, so many voters don't care about the truth!
Get you own house in order, that's what you do before you cast stones. The Democrats are lining up decrying Trump yet the truth is they've got so much work to do on their own side. Come on, a septuagenarian socialist is challenging an established player for the nomination? You know what happens when you play not to lose, you frequently do, just ask a golfer.
That's right, Hillary is not playing to win. She's not aggressive. People find no reason to believe in her. Sure, she's a woman, but is that enough to elect her?
Do you really expect the Bernie supporters to line up behind her when she gets the nomination? This same constituency abandoned Humphrey after their McCarthy hopes were dashed. And Sanders has made much further inroads than Clean Gene.
But she's winning it fair and square!
But everybody believes the game is rigged. Not only the nomination process, but the entire casino nation we inhabit. True or not, that's the perception, and that's the only thing that matters.
And the pundits and the polls have been wrong all year. Trump had no chance of winning and women and Latinos will never vote for the Donald. But is this really true?
I'm not sure Bernie could survive scrutiny, I'm not sure all of his plans are practical. But he has plans for a new deal that will aid the up and coming and the dispossessed. People believe the Bern is on their side.
It's getting ugly out there, and the Dems have the most to lose. Trump's got it sewn up on the other side, by time he gets to the convention it will be clear sailing, the wind will be at his back. Meanwhile, on the left Hillary will be limping into Philadelphia and paying lip service to the progressive wing all the while, and it's not only the right that believes she lies.
What we learned is when the public voted people wanted Trump.
And what we've learned is the same people angry enough to vote for Trump are voting for Bernie. That's right, the people the educated and entitled have shorn from the agenda on the left, the working class. If Bernie is done, so many of these people move over to Trump or don't vote. If the party line meant so much Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio would have gotten the nomination. If you expect the Bernie supporters to roll over and go Hillary...
You're probably living in the bubble.
And outside the sphere life is rough. It's every man for himself. We're looking for a leg up, a hand to help, and so far it's not only the right that distrusts Hillary, but the left.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
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Wherein Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy put such a dent in Hubert Humphrey's campaign that despite garnering the nomination, the Minnesotan did not win. Kinda like Gore in 2000... Humphrey was tainted by Johnson and Gore was tainted by Clinton and despite both being reasonable, upright men, albeit politicians, they were defeated by their Republican competitors, unelectable Richard Nixon, who'd been shunned by his home state of California, and doofus George Bush.
All the energy was with the antiwar protesters, the younger generation was sick of the establishment, that's why Johnson declined to run, Vietnam was his Waterloo. And one can argue that Obama's steered the ship with a steady hand, but that ship has left so many out, college students are burdened by debt and the working class whites have been closed out.
Yes, we're in an economic crisis, despite all the hogwash in the papers about GDP and the number of jobs. The truth is you may be able to make it in America today, but just barely.
Trump is channeling this anger, rounding up all the nitwits and bozos who have anger but little knowledge. Whereas Bernie has rounded up the young, the educated...and these same damn people. That's right, Bernie just killed it with working class whites in West Virginia.
And this looks very bad for Hillary Clinton.
And if you think attacking the Donald will win you the election, you've got no understanding of a populace scorned. Some people don't care what you say about him, they're sick and tired of being screwed. Carrying the water for the rich and established and getting little in return. And if you don't think the poor pay taxes, you know nothing about payroll taxes and sales taxes and so many other charges that eat at your income besides income taxes. The rich keep boasting they're paying so much but the truth is we're not buying that anymore. We know as much as they pay, the super-rich do a great job of avoiding paying so much more. And this fact has wreaked havoc on the Republican establishment, the party's been ripped apart, because giving tax breaks and business benefits to the rich whilst fighting for the social issues dear to the poor...just doesn't work anymore. Furthermore, it turns out the social issues...gay marriage, abortion, religion...are not what's important to the poor
white voters, what they want are JOBS! That's what all this bitching about immigration has been about, the theoretical loss of jobs. And one can say there's net zero immigration from Mexico and that whites don't want to do the work of browns but the truth is perception is all that matters, I can't make it and somebody's at fault. And that somebody is not only the immigrants, but the Congress, the party... What the Trump supporters want is to elect somebody who will DO SOMETHING!
And a huge swath of the public believes Hillary will not.
The Democrats have traditionally been the party of the working class. But on their watch not only have unions been eviscerated, the term itself has a stink upon it. This is what happens when you allow the enemy to define the terms. And so far, the enemy, the Republican party, has defined Hillary...as a duplicitous lifer out for herself who bends rules willy-nilly. Is this the truth? As we've established above, so many voters don't care about the truth!
Get you own house in order, that's what you do before you cast stones. The Democrats are lining up decrying Trump yet the truth is they've got so much work to do on their own side. Come on, a septuagenarian socialist is challenging an established player for the nomination? You know what happens when you play not to lose, you frequently do, just ask a golfer.
That's right, Hillary is not playing to win. She's not aggressive. People find no reason to believe in her. Sure, she's a woman, but is that enough to elect her?
Do you really expect the Bernie supporters to line up behind her when she gets the nomination? This same constituency abandoned Humphrey after their McCarthy hopes were dashed. And Sanders has made much further inroads than Clean Gene.
But she's winning it fair and square!
But everybody believes the game is rigged. Not only the nomination process, but the entire casino nation we inhabit. True or not, that's the perception, and that's the only thing that matters.
And the pundits and the polls have been wrong all year. Trump had no chance of winning and women and Latinos will never vote for the Donald. But is this really true?
I'm not sure Bernie could survive scrutiny, I'm not sure all of his plans are practical. But he has plans for a new deal that will aid the up and coming and the dispossessed. People believe the Bern is on their side.
It's getting ugly out there, and the Dems have the most to lose. Trump's got it sewn up on the other side, by time he gets to the convention it will be clear sailing, the wind will be at his back. Meanwhile, on the left Hillary will be limping into Philadelphia and paying lip service to the progressive wing all the while, and it's not only the right that believes she lies.
What we learned is when the public voted people wanted Trump.
And what we've learned is the same people angry enough to vote for Trump are voting for Bernie. That's right, the people the educated and entitled have shorn from the agenda on the left, the working class. If Bernie is done, so many of these people move over to Trump or don't vote. If the party line meant so much Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio would have gotten the nomination. If you expect the Bernie supporters to roll over and go Hillary...
You're probably living in the bubble.
And outside the sphere life is rough. It's every man for himself. We're looking for a leg up, a hand to help, and so far it's not only the right that distrusts Hillary, but the left.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
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Why Is All The Art Alike?
We've been racing towards the center ever since the internet blew a hole in distribution. Used to be we had controlled models that were very profitable. Now we've got unlimited channels with many more competitors and it's extremely difficult to scale.
Scale, that's the mantra of the tech companies. If it doesn't appeal to everyone, they don't want to sell it to anyone. And despite you having your personal favorites, those in charge look at the balance sheet and axe them. The WSJ reports today that BlackBerry is contemplating getting out of the handset business. There's just no there there.
Sure, we saw a concentration of eyeballs in the pre-internet era. MTV minted stars and the film companies employed their near monopoly to sell a ton of DVDs. But then MTV was usurped by the web, musicians as au courant as Justin Timberlake kept telling the channel to bring back videos, but that was never gonna happen, music was now an on demand item online.
But not every musician was inured to the past. It was Ozzy Osbourne who broke the barrier with his family on their TV show. It made Ozzy a household name. One can argue it ultimately dented his touring business, but that was in decline anyway, and new monetary opportunities were in the offing. Sharon became a mini-TV mogul, and the spoils rained down upon both of them.
The next hit to the body was Steven Tyler becoming a judge on "Idol."
He did it for the money.
Ozzy may have sacrificed his credibility on TV, but in the twenty first century it turns out credibility doesn't pay. Selling out pays. And now the floodgates were open, everybody was looking for a payday that granted exposure. There were coaches on "Idol" and the "Voice" was solely about the judges, the already famous, not a single contestant has ever broken through to the mainstream.
Because that's incredibly difficult. To go from zero to hero.
Used to be you got the company behind you. Which spent money and pulled strings to push you to ubiquity. But then ubiquity wasn't what it used to be. And with the decline in recording revenues there wasn't a big enough pot to support everybody. So now only a few get a chance. And those few play by the rules, they give the people what they want, via insurance bought from a cadre of usual suspects. Taylor Swift may be the biggest star in America, but her power is eclipsed by Max Martin, who cowrites not only her hits, but those of seemingly everybody else on the pop chart.
As for the film business, with the DVD pot gone, the only hope was to play to everybody, around the world, thus we got the comic book movies, which you could understand without even knowing the language. Furthermore, with television becoming a hotbed of story it wasn't worth it for the studios to compete, there just wasn't enough money in it, although they did make a lot of the television shows.
But despite living in the golden age of television, a hole is about to be blown into the heart of the medium, on demand streaming is going to eviscerate so many channels, which will fold because cable companies cannot afford to pay them, what with subscribers fleeing.
And it's not only drama, but sports too. ESPN is going down, down, down. Not only do people not want to pay for it, it turns out they only want to know what's going on with the behemoths, as Keith Olbermann just said:
"If it's not about the N.F.L. or N.B.A., they're gone."
http://goo.gl/zKDo70
So how do you succeed, how do you make bank?
By doing what already works, by giving people what they want. Niche is passe, unless you're rolling up a bunch of niche, then again, HBO has "Game of Thrones" and Netflix has not only "House of Cards," but some of the best movies ever made. If you're reinventing the wheel, you're gonna be lost in the noise. Because not only are you competing against the history of art, which is available at everybody's fingertips online, you're competing against everybody with an internet connection, who is a star unto themselves, posting on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat...they don't have time for anything but the popular, which they want to be able to comment upon.
And fantasize about. The Kardashians are aspirational figures. It's not about sitting passively at home, enjoying their antics, but imitating them, so you too can move up the ladder, in a cutthroat world where opportunities are limited and everyone's replaceable. Hell, even Taylor Swift went on the "Voice."
You go where the eyeballs are.
No one sits at home enduring commercials on the box.
And no one sits through either commercials or songs they don't like on the radio. However, the purveyors love the radio, the same way advertisers love television, because despite the lowered ratings it's the best way to reach mass, and all they care about is mass.
Radiohead just dropped a new LP which has been lauded by every press outlet. Then again, the public no longer trusts the press. But the truth is that without a hit single, something that plays on Top Forty, the band's new music has not only been forgotten by the masses, they're never ever gonna hear it, it's for fans only, the retreat from social media and the band's reappearance are a bigger story than the tunes.
And even the classic rockers are banding together to bank coin. None of the Desert Trip performers could make this kind of money alone. And they want to make money, because art is no longer a factor, they're too old and have lost their way.
But that happens to all of us, time eventually passes us by, we cling to old models wanting to believe the past will return. But that never happens.
So with success so elusive, with distribution open to all, those already established, with deep pockets, end up owning the game. Of course, enterprise needs new blood, but ultimately you play by their rules, because you yourself are afraid of being left behind. One stiff single and you're no longer mentioned.
Maybe a new platform will appear that will aggregate the outside, that which is different from what presently exists. Distribution always changes the art, it doesn't get enough attention.
And attention is what it's all about. How do you get it and keep it. And it's even getting hard to have a moon shot in tech. With the big four, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, so dominant. You can sell out to them, but going your own way is a struggle.
So, despite there being endless opportunities to get started, there's been a narrowing of options for success.
Not that Trump and Sanders haven't made inroads, but they were both the beneficiaries of huge cash outlays, whether by themselves or the traditional media.
You cannot do it alone, you need partners. And partners want it just like what came before. Which is why Trump was pooh-poohed and Sanders was ignored by the press and the establishment.
It takes a strong figure not to get blown by the wind.
And it takes an extremely strong figure to be willing to be left behind.
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Scale, that's the mantra of the tech companies. If it doesn't appeal to everyone, they don't want to sell it to anyone. And despite you having your personal favorites, those in charge look at the balance sheet and axe them. The WSJ reports today that BlackBerry is contemplating getting out of the handset business. There's just no there there.
Sure, we saw a concentration of eyeballs in the pre-internet era. MTV minted stars and the film companies employed their near monopoly to sell a ton of DVDs. But then MTV was usurped by the web, musicians as au courant as Justin Timberlake kept telling the channel to bring back videos, but that was never gonna happen, music was now an on demand item online.
But not every musician was inured to the past. It was Ozzy Osbourne who broke the barrier with his family on their TV show. It made Ozzy a household name. One can argue it ultimately dented his touring business, but that was in decline anyway, and new monetary opportunities were in the offing. Sharon became a mini-TV mogul, and the spoils rained down upon both of them.
The next hit to the body was Steven Tyler becoming a judge on "Idol."
He did it for the money.
Ozzy may have sacrificed his credibility on TV, but in the twenty first century it turns out credibility doesn't pay. Selling out pays. And now the floodgates were open, everybody was looking for a payday that granted exposure. There were coaches on "Idol" and the "Voice" was solely about the judges, the already famous, not a single contestant has ever broken through to the mainstream.
Because that's incredibly difficult. To go from zero to hero.
Used to be you got the company behind you. Which spent money and pulled strings to push you to ubiquity. But then ubiquity wasn't what it used to be. And with the decline in recording revenues there wasn't a big enough pot to support everybody. So now only a few get a chance. And those few play by the rules, they give the people what they want, via insurance bought from a cadre of usual suspects. Taylor Swift may be the biggest star in America, but her power is eclipsed by Max Martin, who cowrites not only her hits, but those of seemingly everybody else on the pop chart.
As for the film business, with the DVD pot gone, the only hope was to play to everybody, around the world, thus we got the comic book movies, which you could understand without even knowing the language. Furthermore, with television becoming a hotbed of story it wasn't worth it for the studios to compete, there just wasn't enough money in it, although they did make a lot of the television shows.
But despite living in the golden age of television, a hole is about to be blown into the heart of the medium, on demand streaming is going to eviscerate so many channels, which will fold because cable companies cannot afford to pay them, what with subscribers fleeing.
And it's not only drama, but sports too. ESPN is going down, down, down. Not only do people not want to pay for it, it turns out they only want to know what's going on with the behemoths, as Keith Olbermann just said:
"If it's not about the N.F.L. or N.B.A., they're gone."
http://goo.gl/zKDo70
So how do you succeed, how do you make bank?
By doing what already works, by giving people what they want. Niche is passe, unless you're rolling up a bunch of niche, then again, HBO has "Game of Thrones" and Netflix has not only "House of Cards," but some of the best movies ever made. If you're reinventing the wheel, you're gonna be lost in the noise. Because not only are you competing against the history of art, which is available at everybody's fingertips online, you're competing against everybody with an internet connection, who is a star unto themselves, posting on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat...they don't have time for anything but the popular, which they want to be able to comment upon.
And fantasize about. The Kardashians are aspirational figures. It's not about sitting passively at home, enjoying their antics, but imitating them, so you too can move up the ladder, in a cutthroat world where opportunities are limited and everyone's replaceable. Hell, even Taylor Swift went on the "Voice."
You go where the eyeballs are.
No one sits at home enduring commercials on the box.
And no one sits through either commercials or songs they don't like on the radio. However, the purveyors love the radio, the same way advertisers love television, because despite the lowered ratings it's the best way to reach mass, and all they care about is mass.
Radiohead just dropped a new LP which has been lauded by every press outlet. Then again, the public no longer trusts the press. But the truth is that without a hit single, something that plays on Top Forty, the band's new music has not only been forgotten by the masses, they're never ever gonna hear it, it's for fans only, the retreat from social media and the band's reappearance are a bigger story than the tunes.
And even the classic rockers are banding together to bank coin. None of the Desert Trip performers could make this kind of money alone. And they want to make money, because art is no longer a factor, they're too old and have lost their way.
But that happens to all of us, time eventually passes us by, we cling to old models wanting to believe the past will return. But that never happens.
So with success so elusive, with distribution open to all, those already established, with deep pockets, end up owning the game. Of course, enterprise needs new blood, but ultimately you play by their rules, because you yourself are afraid of being left behind. One stiff single and you're no longer mentioned.
Maybe a new platform will appear that will aggregate the outside, that which is different from what presently exists. Distribution always changes the art, it doesn't get enough attention.
And attention is what it's all about. How do you get it and keep it. And it's even getting hard to have a moon shot in tech. With the big four, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, so dominant. You can sell out to them, but going your own way is a struggle.
So, despite there being endless opportunities to get started, there's been a narrowing of options for success.
Not that Trump and Sanders haven't made inroads, but they were both the beneficiaries of huge cash outlays, whether by themselves or the traditional media.
You cannot do it alone, you need partners. And partners want it just like what came before. Which is why Trump was pooh-poohed and Sanders was ignored by the press and the establishment.
It takes a strong figure not to get blown by the wind.
And it takes an extremely strong figure to be willing to be left behind.
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Monday, 9 May 2016
Mailbag
Re: Trump Is A Metal Band
Bob -
Once again, you're right on the money. You have been consistently focused on the state of this business of music that we've so passionately lived in and loved for so many years. Regarding Trump, my friend for many years and with all due respect to him - I came away from your amazing insight with the following nutshell reaction (which is one of a universal feeling, not specific to him)… NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANYONE WHO OVERESTIMATES THEMSELVES. Keep the integrity in motion.
Paul Anka
______________________________________________
From: Jack Endino
Subject: Re: Trump Is A Metal Band
Bernie = 70s prog. Fills stadiums, equally uncool.
______________________________________________
From: Steve Chrismar
Subject: RE: A Little More Trump
To keep it dumb and simple in a 21st century world -
Ratings + streams = winning!
Trump is the Charlie Sheen of politics!
______________________________________________
From: Rich Madow
Subject: Re: Oldchella
I totally agree about Dylan. It is sickening how the greatest musical artist of our time has gone beyond self-parody to an out and out scam. It is amazing that the ticket-buying public puts up with it.
True story - last time I saw Dylan (2008 or so) I was walking out of the venue with a friend who had never seen Bob before. As he was complaining how horrible the show was, I said, "Well, at least you got to see Bob Dylan play Blowin' In The Wind," to which he responded,
"What? He played Blowin' In The Wind?" Seriously Bobby D. - at least you could try......
______________________________________________
Subject: Re: Oldchella
Bob: Jerry Garcia said he provoked an "adversary relationship" with the producers of Monterey Pop for trying to do a free concert outside the fairgrounds for the people who couldn't get tickets. When we promoted the first dates the Dead ever played in L.A. in April of '67, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and Canned Heat all played for free to help launch The Kaleidoscope. Money was never the goal in those days. Music was the fuel of the revolution. The Millennials are going to finish what we started in '64 and was crushed by '69. Music ended a war, it could put Bernie in the White House, if it woke up for one more round. Sad that the voices that started the revolt aren't still in the fight.
Pax, Hartmann
______________________________________________
Subject: Bob Dylan
Just got tickets to see Bob Dylan. Along with the tickets I have an offer for a free cd of his new album. Couple observations:
1) I fully expect his new album to suck
2) I have streaming music so if I ever get a wild hair to listen to it I will stream it. What do I need a plastic cd for, a coaster maybe?
File under old old old school promotions.
Thanks,
Bob Daniel
______________________________________________
From: Daniel DeBlanke
Subject: Re: Prince
A few years ago I subbed on the Prince "Welcome to Canada" tour for 3 shows on a whim to help out a friend.
Three arena tours (with a middle of the night club show for fans at each stop).
"The man" (his nickname) ran the show as a half joyous child, half tyrant/perfectionist.
He demanded silence in the arena once he came in to sound check, but would then ride a bike around the floor just to relax.
Every night he watched the show, (after the show) to see what did and didn't work. Imagine if every act did that.
He wanted perfection. He demanded it.?He only cared about his fans, and he wanted every experience to be different and special. Each night had to be a snowflake.
That meant the band didn't see the setlist until doors!
Bands now work a specific set with 132 backing tracks running through ableton, with no improv no wiggle, lights and production syncing with the cpu....
Prince has his crew memorizing the entire Prince catalog, 75 % of the R n' B and funk fake book, plus whatever he might hear on the radio five minutes before showtime.
And they have to be ready to change it up at any second. And do it flawlessly.
At the club shows he sat on the side as his amazing band hit the funk hard for an hour before he popped up on stage to play/ sing/ grab an instrument...a prodigy... in 5 inch heels.
My favorite memory:?He had Maceo Parker on tour for that leg and one night as I sat there admiring Maceo's brilliant playing from the side of the stage, I suddenly realized Prince had snuck up next to me.
Maceo and the band hit the chorus and from his saxophone this soaring and blistering note blasted out. ?I nearly fainted, and screamed out "DAMN!".?I quickly glance down to Prince and he nods at me. He nods along with the group, walks on stage grabs his old hohner tele and immediately is on top of the action.
Tons of people complain about Prince. ?(Firing people, seeming cold, jehova witness stuff, etc.)?Those people don't get it, and they are never going to hold 50 thousand people in the palm of their hand and make a hockey arena seem as intimate as a cabaret.?
I am devastated.
- Daniel
______________________________________________
From: Steve Isaacson
Subject: Re: Prince Obervations
Many years ago David Hewitt, Phil Gitomer, Paul Prestopino and I took the Record Plant Remote Black Truck to First Avenue in Minneapolis to record a live album by the Time. The recording was produced by Prince. I had heard very little of Prince's music at that time. I was very moved and impressed by Prince. Late in the day I approached his crew and told them that I would like to work with Prince and was willing to move to Minneapolis. At that time I was primarily an onstage monitor mixer when not working on the Black Truck. A little while later the people with Prince came back and gave me his answer. He said that he knew who I was and appreciated my asking. But, he only hired people from Minneapolis to work with him. That Minneapolis made him who he was and that he felt he needed to pay the city back by hiring only from the city. A very moving answer, and a truly decent way to live and share a life of stardom. He was the only person in music that I ever asked for a job that did not
hire me.
______________________________________________
Subject: Re: Prince Obervations
Hey Bob-
I need to comment on one point you made in your Prince piece- music education in schools.
Yes, this is vital, and eliminating it has been really stupid, and tragic. And it turns out that music education not only matters for itself, but studies have shown that learning to play music stimulates development of the same part of the brain as is also used for mathematics, and science. So young people who learn to play music are get a win-win for themselves, and their community.
Music is a blessing in and of itself, but since most people will NOT have a professional career in it, the other side-benefit is kids better prepared to learn other complex things (we're short on engineers and doctors, for instance). And as you pointed out, life without culture is just thin and kind of boring. Humans NEED art, music, dance, expression, done by themselves for themselves, not only watching some superstar, altho we can't take our eyes off of them.
I benefited from piano lessons at 6, choir in church all through parochial school, trombone for 5 years in a marching band, then guitar at 13. Music education matters. Support it in your communities.
best
bernie leadon
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Subject: Re: Prince
YOUR WORDS ARE RIGHT ON POINT.....I WAS DEVASTATED WHEN I HEARD THE NEWS.....I WAS HONORED WHEN PRINCE CHOSE TO RECORD MY SONG 'CRIMSON & CLOVER' AND HAPPY WHEN IT BECAME A HIT FOR HIM.....ANOTHER VOID IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY....TOMMY JAMES
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Subject: Re: One More Steve Miller E-Mail
Bob,
I can confirm that the artist does not get any input as to who should induct them. The Allman Brothers Band suggested and really wanted President Jimmy Carter to induct them as they were very proud of their contribution to his successful presidential campaign. Alas, they were told, "No, we will select who inducts you." Fortunately old friend Willie Nelson was asked to do it and he did it masterfully, but a major country artist inducting a major blues rock artist was kind of bizarre, Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, or even Stevie Ray Vaughn if he was still alive might have been more appropriate.
Regards,
Bert Holman
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From: Russ Titelman
Subject: NoRe: Re-Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
It always rankled me that Steve wasn't inducted long ago (I was on the soap box about it for years) before so many of the younger and in some cases less deserving artists got in, and made my opinion known to as many of the RRHOF nominating committee members as possible. I remember the glazed look that came over their faces. ?As far as being more generous to the artists and their families, band members, etc., I suppose the policy is based on the Hall's desire/mandate to raise money, which would also account for the decision to move the venue from the beautiful Waldorf-Astoria ballroom to finally winding up at the Barclay Center. Same thing happened to the Grammys back in the 90's. From Radio City {the beauty of that hall only highlighted the importance of the event} to Madison Square Garden and then to the Staples Center in LA. When I attended the first Grammy ceremony at the Garden, to my horror, I was surrounded by people on their cell phones talking while speeches were being made
and music was being played. I thought to myself that it had now become a sporting event not a music awards event and from now on would lose the intimacy, importance and exclusivity it deserved. Why does everything have to be on steroids? Bigger isn't necessarily better.
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From: Keith Brown
Subject: RE: Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
I'm surprised to learn that Steve Miller has a reputation for being unfriendly. I was working with Sass Jordan who was on the Waking Up the Nation Canadian tour in 1992. Many of us felt the best thing about the tour was getting to know Steve. He was always organizing activities for all the musicians and crew on the tour. He carried all kinds of recreational gear in the bays of his two custom Prevosts; volleyball nets, baseball equipment, canoes and fishing gear and he would announce each day what the tour event would be. Sass told him how much she liked his songs and so he asked her to come up and join him in singing one of them. The next show a couple of the guys in Extreme joined Steve and Sass and as the tour went along, the "singalong with Steve Miller" segment snowballed to the point where you even had roadies and members of Bryan's band onstage. To say Steve was generous would be an understatement. When Sass' bus died in the middle of the Canadian Prairies Steve lent her his
band's bus, explaining that his band would rather fly anyway. Steve didn't take a cent from Sass and also incurred the added cost of airfares and ground transit for his own band. Maybe Steve Miller has a surly side but I came away with the impression that he was one of the most likeable rock stars I've ever encountered.
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Subject: Re: Re-Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
Hey Bob - I was in the Steve Miller Band with my brothers from 1988-1992. Steve is serious/passionate about education. He has volunteered on my college advisory board at the Minneapolis Media Institute for as long as I have been the Lead Instructor (7 years), and has shown up on my conference calls to weigh in on how and what we are teaching our music students. Not many rock stars would do this for ANYONE - He is the real deal.\
Paul Peterson
Bassist with Peter Frampton
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Subject: Steve miller, honest rocker
Not to beat a dead horse on Steve miller...but I thought you'd enjoy this short story.
Steve Miller while no one is watching...
In 2005, I was on the road playing keys/guitar for a country act, and on a two week break our guitar tech Joe picked up a stage production's assistant gig on a small festival from our soundman that Steve miller was headlining. Also...noteworthy, Steve's son's band was opening. So Joe is standing side stage smoking a cig listening to Miller's son's band and a grey haired inconspicuous guy walks up...joe starts small talking, "man these guys are terrible. I mean how are they direct support?" The grey haired man says, "well he's my son." Joe immediately feels awful..."oh my god, I'm sorry Mr. Miller; I had no idea that was you! I'm sorry man. I don't know what I'm talking about. Just a long day."
Steve turns to my friend..."you know you're the first person to ever tell me that. Everyone is always telling me how great I am and my son's band rocks. The truth is they ARE terrible. They're terrible because they never had to cut their teeth in clubs for five years. He's my son. He's gonna get booked. I love him, but damn. I like you man and don't apologize."
Bad father? Iconic asshole? I don't think so. Anyone who's worked their ass off to make something out of nothing in our industry who doesn't turn into a bit of a curmudgeon in their later rocking years in reaction to the state of current affairs was just not paying attention. Steve, Bruce, Mick & Keith, Steven Tyler, even Sting...no matter what we peasants think or the self entitled high rollers scoff at...these great artists still have the guts to keep rocking our balls off til the day they leave this earth.
Jared Leto would've been just as an irrelevant choice to induct Steve...but at least he probably would've spoken well, passionately and unselfishly of Miller. Welcome to the not so slow and completely fucked up passing of the guard! It's happening before our eyes.
Thanks for the words Bob.
Regards,
Ty Reynolds
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Subject: Re: Re-Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
hi bob!
finally saw steve's interview. steve miller is a bad ass since his first album.
his body of work before his mid seventies top 40 hit's is a legendary body of work alone.
saw him play acoustic at the berkley community theater in 1973…just the fm radio hits…an amazing body of work then.
love hearing him speak his mind.
a singular and iconic artist.
love ya steve!!
boo fat cats!
xx rick nowels
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Subject: Steve Miller
Bob,
I happen to have a history for which Steve played a big part, although he may not know it. Let me tell the tale.
When I was a freshman at Stanford back in 1967 coming from a big public high school outside Philadelphia, I took a creative writing class which was taught by a TA who thought himself really cool. So cool that the first week of school, the first writing assignment, was the following subject: A local blues band has just been signed by Capitol Records. What significance does this have? It was of course The Steve Miller Band. This was some kind of omen.
Skip ahead about 15 years to 1982, I own a production company in Hollywood and have started doing a bunch of presentations for Capitol Records like NARM shows, and had dabbled in music videos. One day they called up and said we have a song for which we want you to make a music video. They said they only had $25,000 but thought I could make it with stock footage of magic. The song was Abracadabra.
I checked out what stock footage was available which was very little and told them that I had to shoot something. I rented a sound stage for one day. I hired a cameraman who had come by introducing himself a few weeks previous. I put out the word that we needed a video chick (not in those terms). The morning of the shoot, I popped awake early and called Roy Johns of the Mums, a theatrical group I knew. Luckily they were available and asked what they should bring – I said to bring everything. On the way to the stage I stopped at an old theatrical storehouse of show props on the lot where my office was and picked out a trapezoidal window which they let me have and I put it on the roof of my Renault Le Car and drove to the stage. I had picked the girl because she was beautiful and can't remember how we got the other girl which turned out to be the daughter of the famous dolphin guru Dr. Lily. And I had an intern working for me who had discovered you could do fire effects with a can
of WD40.
We shot all day doing a medley of stunts. Turned out the pretty girl couldn't move so I just posed her. Even got my first daughter who had been born just one week earlier into a shot - "Kiss me, baby."
Dropped the film in the lab and called my old friend Larry who owned an editing company to see if he could come in the next day Saturday and edit the video. I remember when we laid out the 5 100' cans of 35mm film (the last one being just fire effects with the WD40) and he laughed. Two hours later we had a rough cut.
Then we had one week to use our electronic paint system which we had just finished and never yet used. We fed the 35mm film into our optical front end and proceeded to paint over the frames, shooting the pixels onto a new piece of 35mm film which got later telecine'd with the negative from the shoot. We also cut some frames out and put them into slide mounts and animated them, along with some pictures of Steve, on our slide animation system which was also output to 35mm film.
Bottomline is that the song Abracadabra went global big and the video gets shown even today. Got a nomination as best director at one of the first MTV Music Awards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCuTrfTfGd0
Then 3 years later in 1985, got to do another video for Steve called Bongo Bongo. Shooting on 35mm in about 10 locations, I used a new 3d computer animation system called a Bosch 4000 which I had just been learning and which was available in one of the video editing facilities in Hollywood. Like Abracadabra, we did not shoot Steve except for one scene where he was to appear very briefly in a recording studio at Capitol. He shows up at the shoot having just gotten a haircut. A haircut, OMG, he was overweight and it was the worst choice. I blame myself for not thinking to side light him because the flat lighting, even though the shot of him lasted no more than 2 seconds, was not flattering. The artist not looking great was only part of the problem. The song bombed in the marketplace which was the biggest reason Bongo Bongo got buried. But too bad because it was a great video. Had the same Mums as performers that were in Abracadabra.
http://milesconsulting.org/motion.html
Always have the fondest thoughts for the space cowboy.
-Peter Conn
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From: Jack Ingram
Subject: Re: One More Steve Miller E-Mail
Steve Miller
To the email replying people whose closest encounters with real Rock Stars, Artists or any viable connection to the workings of a CAREER/LIFETIME in music:
Unless you've spent a LIFETIME on the road playing shows & making records & playing shows & making records...LASTING records...while being largely overlooked by the "tastemakers and popularity chasers AND haters"...only to be invited to be inducted to the RRHOF thinking of it as an incredible recognition of your art, your songwriting, your work ethic, your musicianship...then just to be reminded- by not having control of your performance, not being ALLOWED to pass the love on down to the people (REAL PEOPLE) who have stood by you through the thick and mostly thin times with tickets as well as being dictated to as to who will induct you at the ceremony...which, once again, reminds you, with an iron fist that "you should be lucky to be here", that none of this is about you, kid (old man)- it's about people with business savvy making sure their agenda is taken care of by surrounding themselves with REAL TALENT (the artists)! Unless that specific scenario has happened to you
personally...then your opinion of Steve Miller, outside of to what degree you love or hate his music, is of ZERO VALUE and what he says to the RRHOF "Brass" is not for you to concern yourself with! He is a rock star...that's where it begins and that's where it ends!
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Subject: Re: Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
I'm sorry to trouble you with such a late response so I'll edit:
1) worked with capitol 82-83..my first #1 was "abracadabra"...Steve did a live show at Pine Knob outside of Detroit that was broadcast live on a network of non major tv stations..channel 50 in Detroit, for example....needless to say, a lot was going on...but...he was kind enough to say hello to the new Cap guy....I had been warned by everyone that he wasa major a-hole....he was, in fact, the nicest guy in the world and gave me much more time than I deserved considering the circumstances...he asked about the Cap staff working at home instead of at offices (a new development) and how I liked it...asked a ton of questions and was just the nicest guy you'd ever wanna meet...and it was just me...no radio guy by my side...then he apologized and said he had to go....explaining there were a lot of sound issues for this TV broadcast.....my jaw is on the floor just remembering......
2) I worked with Elektra 83-91 and , once again, I was warned by everyone that Jackson Browne was the biggest a-hole on the planet....he was the nicest and most wonderful person...passionate in his beliefs and willing to talk to me even though he knew I leaned right....I asked him a question once and he gave me this short look of disbelief and then said, "Okay.to answer that, I need to give you the history of Nicaragua"...and off he went.....we were told not to mention Daryl Hannah on threat of being fired and Jackson put me on the phone with her...I took a few radio bullets for him and would take many more even today.....saw him at the Troubadour about a year after leaving Elektra....he had no idea who I was....looked right into my ideas and had no idea....But Buddha did and I guess that's what matters....(Buddha wasn't there but we spoke again later)....
so...love your work
Louis Heidelmeier
just a used-to-be
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Subject: Re: Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
Dear Bob,
As a 40 year member of the touring sound and production army––the man behind the man if you will––I want to clarify, that for better or for worse, every penny I have ever earned has been a direct result of this line of work. I have stories to tell. Not theoretical, actual. If any vote counts, it might be mine. Maybe, maybe not.
Mr. Miller did many shows with us in the seventies, and is a giant of this now comically fetid business. His remarks at the idiotic gathering in Cleveland were apparently controversial, but utterly diplomatic considering what a shameless shithole of a business that the music industry has become.
I believe your own words at one point might have included, "a business populated by uneducated hustlers'. You were also being very polite.
When all the Mount Rushmore guys and gals, like Steve Miller, were coming up in the world, they devoted themselves to sitting on the knee of the generations in show business who went before, while thousands of others who did not avail themselves of history and knowledge, faded into dust. Just like the Black Keys will. Who are these derivative invertebrates again?
There is a direct correlation between people who educate themselves and people who do not….people who think they have a better way, etc…? Well, the road is littered with their bleached bones.
Experience and wisdom intensify over time, not the reverse.
I laugh while crying when I hear the I-wanna-be-somebody-someday crowd say 'he's just an grumpy old guy'. It kills me that kids, even my own children sometimes, do not understand that we boomers are giving them the answers to the test; just like the generations before helped us understand the lay of the land.
Ignore Miller at your own peril as they say. And to all those shameless cocksuckers in their corner offices and all the remora powdering their asses; know that thousand of others are keen to take your place, and will. With a bit of luck the new regime will bring a bit of dignity back to the game. One can hope….
And not that it matters, but I've had the most fortunate career in live music as anyone could have dreamed of and never, not once, have I been interested in stopping by the so called RRHOF. Even when I was right down the street. I steer well clear of it and all that it represents.
Who falls for this shit???
Thanks Bob.
Dave Dalzell
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From: peter hollander
Subject: Re: Barbarian Days
To me, your biggest point is we used to do things for the experience— not the money. Now everyone is worried the kindergarten their kids get into will determine their success. Which is just outrageous.
The other point is none of these people with all this education do blue collar work anymore. Even in the summer.
That's where you learn about life. Not in a classroom. Not in a office punching emails, and generating powerpoints. You learn about the world from working with the people who build and maintain it.
That's why everyone watches these home improvement shows, America's Dirtiest Jobs, etc. To see people doing real work, because none of them are doing real work anymore— and most wish they were.
Great stuff.
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From: Jordan Lyga
Subject: Recommendation
Hey Bob,
Wanted to send some new music your way. Artist named Skrizzly Adams. He came up on my Spotify discover weekly playlist two weeks ago and I fell in love with it right away. I decided to look up if he was touring and sure enough he was going to be in Minneapolis last night with a girl called Lissie. Tickets were sold out, but I shot him a tweet and he put me on the guest list, which I was very grateful for cause he was phenomenal live. Also he had a very unique sales idea. Apparently, aside from music, his other passion is making beef jerky. He announced from stage that he would be selling some of his homemade stock at his merch table, which was brilliant because most venues don't sell any food. I myself hadn't ate lunch, so I bought three bags, and the line at his merch table was crazy long as a result. He made bank, and most people bought his cd as well as the jerky.
His style is refreshingly unusual, as it morphs a lot of things that traditionally don't go together. He's a mix of Americana melodies and a Hip Hop backbeat and has voice that's got so much emotion you can't help but feel your heart break along with him. His biggest problem is inconsistency. Of his 6 songs, only two of them will grab you right away, but he just got signed to Atlantic Records who I'm sure will help clean that up.
Anyway, here's the song that got me interested.
Skrizzly Adams - Me and You
-----------------
-Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmWbQ3hXdnA
-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/0qYRFiRGd9R5CyDSEFN5BK
And here is his first single for Atlantic which I think is his best work.
Skrizzly Adams - Tipping Point
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-Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCIZoO3tUWM
-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/1l2NCml9M2fGmaUngSYdww
Let me know what you think.
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Subject: Re: Mailbag
Bob:
Danny Kortchmar may have opened up a really "fun" can of worms on your last post. The first three singles I ever bought (in no particular order because I can no longer recall which was which) were:
1) "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
2) "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry
3) "Bimbo" by Jim Reeves.
If the third one seems a bit out of character, I should add that it was pressed on red vinyl. Hey, I was like eight years old...:-).
My first album was the first Elvis. I loved singles before I loved albums, of course. I'm just that old.
Jimmy Fox
PS: Anyone else wanna play...?
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Re: Wendy Waldman and Her Minions Weigh In
Her first few paragraph's surmise of the record industry is right on the money - though I think she is being overly polite not to call it what it was and still is - a form of indentured slavery. However, her upbeat nature and realization that this "yardstick" of "success" is nothing more than an artificial creation of mass-manufacturing and to ignore it and soldier on is definitely inspiring.
This one's a keeper. I will re-read it again later.
And probably later again, when I get depressed looking at the world around me.
Dave Bass
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Re: Wendy Waldman and Her Minions Weigh In
Bob,
Sorry I'm so late to this discussion. I was just telling my husband about Wendy's Cypress album, Letters Home, and how it was one of the finest records that no one heard. If you decide to do another round of Wendy, I would like to say it was an honor and pleasure to work with her. There are quite a few really good female bands coming into their own. They don't know it, but artists like Wendy, who didn't compromise on her artistry help paved the way for them. Maybe we can, collectively, make a lot of noise about Wendy so these bands will want to seek out her music and become inspired.
Thanks for the trip.
Lori Nafshun
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
You nailed it on your piece about Wendy Waldman and I'm glad she chimed in too
I will now hunt down her recent stuff too
The wind in New York City always killed me ( late 70,s I think)
Best
Michael B
Radio guy and music lover for over 50 years
Gold Coast Australia
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
When Maria Muldaur had a hit with Midnight at the Oasis, I went out and bought her next 2 or 3 albums. Like you, I read every single thing on the liner notes, as well as the composer credits buried on the label itself.
Yeah, Vaudville man was cool, so I wondered who was this Wendy Waldman?
But the song that really set me off was Gringo En Mexico. I listened to Maria Muldaur for years. I learned who Benny Carter was through Maria Muldaur
So the name Wendy Waldman has been on my radar for years, thanks for keeping her name in the spotlight.
Had Wendy been a few years earlier, maybe she would have been another Carole King. Ain't it funny how life rolls around and around? Uhh, funny for those of us with day jobs, not as much fun as those who had to make a living at music with all it's ups and downs.
Anyway, keep spotlighting all the people who are the artist, but not the rock star.
---Dale Janus
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
My Uncle Henry was a big deal nuclear scientist. Had I been able to introduce him to Wendy it would have changed everything. Nothin' and nobody produces more pure energy than Wendy Waldman. Best, twhitlock
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
always was and will always be. As a booking agent I never made a dime doing her tours, but the beautiful music was always with me and that was worth more then double the pay I would earn. And it still holds today.
Dennis Rubenstein
P.S. You missed a very important part of her career, Chuck Plotkin (who produced Bruce Springsteen) back in the early 70's. and was involved with early Eagles when they backed Linda Ronstadt, was a big part of WW career, with Norm Epstein. God did I love that first Warners album, I knew I was going to working with someone that I loved(her music). I was too young to know that it's not just talent, and all the right pieces in place, HOW COULD THIS MISS???? But it did.
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I signed Wendy for "Letters Home" at Cypress, she danced at my wedding, two events I cherish.
Ted Cohen
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
She also co-wrote a great song on Kim's Mistaken Identity album. "Still Hold On" which was always one of my faves on that album!
Val Garay
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I saw Waldman a few years back by accident. Stopped by Sam Ash in Margate to pick up a snare head or some such for my late drummer son and she was doing a demo/performance, and I was mesmerized. Had heard her records but never saw her perform. Managed to stutter a brief introduction when she finished but I was late for dinner and had to split ... though I did mention my favorite song of hers, which elicited a sweet smile.
(Even though the credits are shared, is this not a Wendy Waldman song? Sure sounds like it to me!)
My favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2y-sSjH3z4
Richard Pachter
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
The only thing better than Wendy Waldman's music is her humanity. She is so lovely, so warm & engaging -- she imbues confidence in any creative she encounters and incredible amounts of understanding for them in the people who deal with those creatures.
Met her in Nashville when she was working w my dear friend Matraca Berg ("Strawberry Wine," "You Can Feel Bad (If It Makes You Feel Better)" "You + Tequila"). Such an engager + elevater!
But as an artist she was my generations Laura Nyro: bold emotions painted with nuance, real time moments captured alive. You had to really know music to know who Waldman was; thankfully, having the coolest babysitters, I did.
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
Yo, Robert...u missed her song Living Is Good from The Main Refrain...I played the shit out of this song on my free form progressive WOUR-FM 96.9 radio show in '76 and '77...fit nicely in the pocket of SoCal ez rolling country rockin' asylum type music! Always found the string arrangement from producer Peter Bernstein extremely moving. TYVM 4 inspiring me to find and listen to this song again!
Tony Yoken, CRMC
Sirius XM
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I woke up this morning with a different plan. I was gonna make a smoothie, take a shower, and take myself on the short walk to the library to do a bit of personal writing. Laying in bed, I opened my eyes and reached for my phone to check my email.
Wendy Waldman, I had never heard of her.
But I love when you create these experiences, and I decided to delve before doing anything else. It had rained through the night, the birds were singing early morning tunes, and it was the perfect opportunity.
There is nothing like getting the first hand account of someone who was like me in another time. A true music fan.
For the last two hours, I listened, I read. I was taken on a journey through a remarkable career. And I thank you for it.
By the end, I had ordered the "Which Way to Main Street" record, for fear that I might not ever get to have it close to me, or to ever hear the song "Lovin' You Out of My Life" A hit in waiting?! I HAVE to hear it. I might need to be the one to cut it, right? Haha. But that's just it. I could relate to both you and Wendy. We dream. And life happens. And dreams morph, but they're still the same seed. And those of us that truly believe in what we feel, never give up on it. Hence the pain sometimes. But I felt like Wendy understood. I experienced her career today and it started to take off and then what? No explosion. But she found a way to continue to create, and that inspires me. I'm now in my early 30s, and things don't go as planned.
"What is the Price of Love" reminded me of "Dog Eat Dog" Joni. Its essence. You gave that to me. And Jackson Browne. Sure, I was a fan and loved their music my own way. But your playlists gave me a perspective I didn't, couldn't, have before. Life experiences woven into it. I have my own, and I hope to share it the same way you do.
I just really appreciate it. When you speak from the heart. When you inspire other artists. Thanks for being an artist.
"And only a song has the power to keep the dream alive." Amen.
Andrew Samples
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I saw her about ten years ago in a house concert here which fulfilled a yearning I'd had since hearing the first album in college. "The Main Refrain" is one of the great LA records of the '70s. The whole Browne-Ronstadt-Little Feat-Andrew Gold-Eagles vibe is filtered through Wendy's beautiful voice, piano, and introspections. She may have been a tad subtle for mainstream success, who knows? But I know other musicians who love her.
Phil Hood
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
Restless In Mind has been one of my favorite songs since the first time I heard it when you wrote about it a few years ago. Knocked me cold on first listen and those words and melodies still stick with me and ring in my head today the same as the first day I heard it. I have learned a tremendous amount about the industry and discovered a great many talented artists from reading the Lefsetz Letter over the years, but Wendy Waldman has got to be one of the biggest takeaways I've had. Restless In Mind alone has been absolutely huge for me.
"My dreams keep me on the run, I'm certainly restless in mind. I'm still going, I'm still growing."
You and I both…
Thanks again for introducing me to this phenomenally great artist!
Elliot Kleinfelder
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
No "Back By Fall"? A big fave of mine, in my top three WW.
Rob Meurer
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From: ronnie
Subject: Re: Barbarian Days
If there was one thing that I could sit my children down and explain to them it would be to explain to them how fast time flies.
If someone were to pin me to the wall and ask what I would do differently or manage the short time that we have on Earth I would tell them to live every moment to the fullest.
It is cliche' but it's the truth. The high achievers either get it or are just born with it. They take risks and approach life with a degree of zeal that the 99% don't. It's that simple and that complicated.
Politics or cultural ethos will never trump what psychology calls the high achiever syndrome.
Put a litter of 10 puppies at one bowl of food and inevitably, one will alpha the others. Is he or she bad or good...right or wrong?
The have nots become increasingly frustrated and resent the haves while the haves account for 99% of productivity.
We demonize the haves.
99% of all wars are about someone wanting what someone else has.
Humanity rationalizes over and over the innate and basic dynamic via generalized ethos...religion, class whatever. It all comes down to basic evolutionary tendency.
It has a good beat and I can dance to it.
Live your 80 years, give or take, to its fullest.
Sorry about the corruption of the system and the quality of the music.
You are owed nothing. You get what you get via perseverance, persistence and patience...add a healthy dose of pure inexplicable luck.
It's that simple and that complicated.
Dylan writes deep lyrics but the only time the majority perks up is when his songs have good beats and cool melodies. Primal shit.
We think too much but it's a necessary element to evolution.
Major on sound bites, look at Trump. He gets it. He's from the trenches. He's not an idealist, he's a brutal realist.
Stones or Beatles ?
....I'm banking on a combination of both.
If you're one of of the pups that doesn't get your fill do you turn on the ones that do, yep. He has something that you don't for whatever reason. The solution is an issue of complex
Darwinism. Only time will solve the issue. Until it does... live it up to the best of your ability, it's all you're going to have.
Lastly, if you can't clap on the beat don't sit on the front row...someone in the band is going to make fun of you.
Ronnie Dunn
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Bob -
Once again, you're right on the money. You have been consistently focused on the state of this business of music that we've so passionately lived in and loved for so many years. Regarding Trump, my friend for many years and with all due respect to him - I came away from your amazing insight with the following nutshell reaction (which is one of a universal feeling, not specific to him)… NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANYONE WHO OVERESTIMATES THEMSELVES. Keep the integrity in motion.
Paul Anka
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From: Jack Endino
Subject: Re: Trump Is A Metal Band
Bernie = 70s prog. Fills stadiums, equally uncool.
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From: Steve Chrismar
Subject: RE: A Little More Trump
To keep it dumb and simple in a 21st century world -
Ratings + streams = winning!
Trump is the Charlie Sheen of politics!
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From: Rich Madow
Subject: Re: Oldchella
I totally agree about Dylan. It is sickening how the greatest musical artist of our time has gone beyond self-parody to an out and out scam. It is amazing that the ticket-buying public puts up with it.
True story - last time I saw Dylan (2008 or so) I was walking out of the venue with a friend who had never seen Bob before. As he was complaining how horrible the show was, I said, "Well, at least you got to see Bob Dylan play Blowin' In The Wind," to which he responded,
"What? He played Blowin' In The Wind?" Seriously Bobby D. - at least you could try......
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Subject: Re: Oldchella
Bob: Jerry Garcia said he provoked an "adversary relationship" with the producers of Monterey Pop for trying to do a free concert outside the fairgrounds for the people who couldn't get tickets. When we promoted the first dates the Dead ever played in L.A. in April of '67, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and Canned Heat all played for free to help launch The Kaleidoscope. Money was never the goal in those days. Music was the fuel of the revolution. The Millennials are going to finish what we started in '64 and was crushed by '69. Music ended a war, it could put Bernie in the White House, if it woke up for one more round. Sad that the voices that started the revolt aren't still in the fight.
Pax, Hartmann
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Subject: Bob Dylan
Just got tickets to see Bob Dylan. Along with the tickets I have an offer for a free cd of his new album. Couple observations:
1) I fully expect his new album to suck
2) I have streaming music so if I ever get a wild hair to listen to it I will stream it. What do I need a plastic cd for, a coaster maybe?
File under old old old school promotions.
Thanks,
Bob Daniel
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From: Daniel DeBlanke
Subject: Re: Prince
A few years ago I subbed on the Prince "Welcome to Canada" tour for 3 shows on a whim to help out a friend.
Three arena tours (with a middle of the night club show for fans at each stop).
"The man" (his nickname) ran the show as a half joyous child, half tyrant/perfectionist.
He demanded silence in the arena once he came in to sound check, but would then ride a bike around the floor just to relax.
Every night he watched the show, (after the show) to see what did and didn't work. Imagine if every act did that.
He wanted perfection. He demanded it.?He only cared about his fans, and he wanted every experience to be different and special. Each night had to be a snowflake.
That meant the band didn't see the setlist until doors!
Bands now work a specific set with 132 backing tracks running through ableton, with no improv no wiggle, lights and production syncing with the cpu....
Prince has his crew memorizing the entire Prince catalog, 75 % of the R n' B and funk fake book, plus whatever he might hear on the radio five minutes before showtime.
And they have to be ready to change it up at any second. And do it flawlessly.
At the club shows he sat on the side as his amazing band hit the funk hard for an hour before he popped up on stage to play/ sing/ grab an instrument...a prodigy... in 5 inch heels.
My favorite memory:?He had Maceo Parker on tour for that leg and one night as I sat there admiring Maceo's brilliant playing from the side of the stage, I suddenly realized Prince had snuck up next to me.
Maceo and the band hit the chorus and from his saxophone this soaring and blistering note blasted out. ?I nearly fainted, and screamed out "DAMN!".?I quickly glance down to Prince and he nods at me. He nods along with the group, walks on stage grabs his old hohner tele and immediately is on top of the action.
Tons of people complain about Prince. ?(Firing people, seeming cold, jehova witness stuff, etc.)?Those people don't get it, and they are never going to hold 50 thousand people in the palm of their hand and make a hockey arena seem as intimate as a cabaret.?
I am devastated.
- Daniel
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From: Steve Isaacson
Subject: Re: Prince Obervations
Many years ago David Hewitt, Phil Gitomer, Paul Prestopino and I took the Record Plant Remote Black Truck to First Avenue in Minneapolis to record a live album by the Time. The recording was produced by Prince. I had heard very little of Prince's music at that time. I was very moved and impressed by Prince. Late in the day I approached his crew and told them that I would like to work with Prince and was willing to move to Minneapolis. At that time I was primarily an onstage monitor mixer when not working on the Black Truck. A little while later the people with Prince came back and gave me his answer. He said that he knew who I was and appreciated my asking. But, he only hired people from Minneapolis to work with him. That Minneapolis made him who he was and that he felt he needed to pay the city back by hiring only from the city. A very moving answer, and a truly decent way to live and share a life of stardom. He was the only person in music that I ever asked for a job that did not
hire me.
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Subject: Re: Prince Obervations
Hey Bob-
I need to comment on one point you made in your Prince piece- music education in schools.
Yes, this is vital, and eliminating it has been really stupid, and tragic. And it turns out that music education not only matters for itself, but studies have shown that learning to play music stimulates development of the same part of the brain as is also used for mathematics, and science. So young people who learn to play music are get a win-win for themselves, and their community.
Music is a blessing in and of itself, but since most people will NOT have a professional career in it, the other side-benefit is kids better prepared to learn other complex things (we're short on engineers and doctors, for instance). And as you pointed out, life without culture is just thin and kind of boring. Humans NEED art, music, dance, expression, done by themselves for themselves, not only watching some superstar, altho we can't take our eyes off of them.
I benefited from piano lessons at 6, choir in church all through parochial school, trombone for 5 years in a marching band, then guitar at 13. Music education matters. Support it in your communities.
best
bernie leadon
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Subject: Re: Prince
YOUR WORDS ARE RIGHT ON POINT.....I WAS DEVASTATED WHEN I HEARD THE NEWS.....I WAS HONORED WHEN PRINCE CHOSE TO RECORD MY SONG 'CRIMSON & CLOVER' AND HAPPY WHEN IT BECAME A HIT FOR HIM.....ANOTHER VOID IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY....TOMMY JAMES
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Subject: Re: One More Steve Miller E-Mail
Bob,
I can confirm that the artist does not get any input as to who should induct them. The Allman Brothers Band suggested and really wanted President Jimmy Carter to induct them as they were very proud of their contribution to his successful presidential campaign. Alas, they were told, "No, we will select who inducts you." Fortunately old friend Willie Nelson was asked to do it and he did it masterfully, but a major country artist inducting a major blues rock artist was kind of bizarre, Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, or even Stevie Ray Vaughn if he was still alive might have been more appropriate.
Regards,
Bert Holman
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From: Russ Titelman
Subject: NoRe: Re-Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
It always rankled me that Steve wasn't inducted long ago (I was on the soap box about it for years) before so many of the younger and in some cases less deserving artists got in, and made my opinion known to as many of the RRHOF nominating committee members as possible. I remember the glazed look that came over their faces. ?As far as being more generous to the artists and their families, band members, etc., I suppose the policy is based on the Hall's desire/mandate to raise money, which would also account for the decision to move the venue from the beautiful Waldorf-Astoria ballroom to finally winding up at the Barclay Center. Same thing happened to the Grammys back in the 90's. From Radio City {the beauty of that hall only highlighted the importance of the event} to Madison Square Garden and then to the Staples Center in LA. When I attended the first Grammy ceremony at the Garden, to my horror, I was surrounded by people on their cell phones talking while speeches were being made
and music was being played. I thought to myself that it had now become a sporting event not a music awards event and from now on would lose the intimacy, importance and exclusivity it deserved. Why does everything have to be on steroids? Bigger isn't necessarily better.
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From: Keith Brown
Subject: RE: Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
I'm surprised to learn that Steve Miller has a reputation for being unfriendly. I was working with Sass Jordan who was on the Waking Up the Nation Canadian tour in 1992. Many of us felt the best thing about the tour was getting to know Steve. He was always organizing activities for all the musicians and crew on the tour. He carried all kinds of recreational gear in the bays of his two custom Prevosts; volleyball nets, baseball equipment, canoes and fishing gear and he would announce each day what the tour event would be. Sass told him how much she liked his songs and so he asked her to come up and join him in singing one of them. The next show a couple of the guys in Extreme joined Steve and Sass and as the tour went along, the "singalong with Steve Miller" segment snowballed to the point where you even had roadies and members of Bryan's band onstage. To say Steve was generous would be an understatement. When Sass' bus died in the middle of the Canadian Prairies Steve lent her his
band's bus, explaining that his band would rather fly anyway. Steve didn't take a cent from Sass and also incurred the added cost of airfares and ground transit for his own band. Maybe Steve Miller has a surly side but I came away with the impression that he was one of the most likeable rock stars I've ever encountered.
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Subject: Re: Re-Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
Hey Bob - I was in the Steve Miller Band with my brothers from 1988-1992. Steve is serious/passionate about education. He has volunteered on my college advisory board at the Minneapolis Media Institute for as long as I have been the Lead Instructor (7 years), and has shown up on my conference calls to weigh in on how and what we are teaching our music students. Not many rock stars would do this for ANYONE - He is the real deal.\
Paul Peterson
Bassist with Peter Frampton
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Subject: Steve miller, honest rocker
Not to beat a dead horse on Steve miller...but I thought you'd enjoy this short story.
Steve Miller while no one is watching...
In 2005, I was on the road playing keys/guitar for a country act, and on a two week break our guitar tech Joe picked up a stage production's assistant gig on a small festival from our soundman that Steve miller was headlining. Also...noteworthy, Steve's son's band was opening. So Joe is standing side stage smoking a cig listening to Miller's son's band and a grey haired inconspicuous guy walks up...joe starts small talking, "man these guys are terrible. I mean how are they direct support?" The grey haired man says, "well he's my son." Joe immediately feels awful..."oh my god, I'm sorry Mr. Miller; I had no idea that was you! I'm sorry man. I don't know what I'm talking about. Just a long day."
Steve turns to my friend..."you know you're the first person to ever tell me that. Everyone is always telling me how great I am and my son's band rocks. The truth is they ARE terrible. They're terrible because they never had to cut their teeth in clubs for five years. He's my son. He's gonna get booked. I love him, but damn. I like you man and don't apologize."
Bad father? Iconic asshole? I don't think so. Anyone who's worked their ass off to make something out of nothing in our industry who doesn't turn into a bit of a curmudgeon in their later rocking years in reaction to the state of current affairs was just not paying attention. Steve, Bruce, Mick & Keith, Steven Tyler, even Sting...no matter what we peasants think or the self entitled high rollers scoff at...these great artists still have the guts to keep rocking our balls off til the day they leave this earth.
Jared Leto would've been just as an irrelevant choice to induct Steve...but at least he probably would've spoken well, passionately and unselfishly of Miller. Welcome to the not so slow and completely fucked up passing of the guard! It's happening before our eyes.
Thanks for the words Bob.
Regards,
Ty Reynolds
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Subject: Re: Re-Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
hi bob!
finally saw steve's interview. steve miller is a bad ass since his first album.
his body of work before his mid seventies top 40 hit's is a legendary body of work alone.
saw him play acoustic at the berkley community theater in 1973…just the fm radio hits…an amazing body of work then.
love hearing him speak his mind.
a singular and iconic artist.
love ya steve!!
boo fat cats!
xx rick nowels
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Subject: Steve Miller
Bob,
I happen to have a history for which Steve played a big part, although he may not know it. Let me tell the tale.
When I was a freshman at Stanford back in 1967 coming from a big public high school outside Philadelphia, I took a creative writing class which was taught by a TA who thought himself really cool. So cool that the first week of school, the first writing assignment, was the following subject: A local blues band has just been signed by Capitol Records. What significance does this have? It was of course The Steve Miller Band. This was some kind of omen.
Skip ahead about 15 years to 1982, I own a production company in Hollywood and have started doing a bunch of presentations for Capitol Records like NARM shows, and had dabbled in music videos. One day they called up and said we have a song for which we want you to make a music video. They said they only had $25,000 but thought I could make it with stock footage of magic. The song was Abracadabra.
I checked out what stock footage was available which was very little and told them that I had to shoot something. I rented a sound stage for one day. I hired a cameraman who had come by introducing himself a few weeks previous. I put out the word that we needed a video chick (not in those terms). The morning of the shoot, I popped awake early and called Roy Johns of the Mums, a theatrical group I knew. Luckily they were available and asked what they should bring – I said to bring everything. On the way to the stage I stopped at an old theatrical storehouse of show props on the lot where my office was and picked out a trapezoidal window which they let me have and I put it on the roof of my Renault Le Car and drove to the stage. I had picked the girl because she was beautiful and can't remember how we got the other girl which turned out to be the daughter of the famous dolphin guru Dr. Lily. And I had an intern working for me who had discovered you could do fire effects with a can
of WD40.
We shot all day doing a medley of stunts. Turned out the pretty girl couldn't move so I just posed her. Even got my first daughter who had been born just one week earlier into a shot - "Kiss me, baby."
Dropped the film in the lab and called my old friend Larry who owned an editing company to see if he could come in the next day Saturday and edit the video. I remember when we laid out the 5 100' cans of 35mm film (the last one being just fire effects with the WD40) and he laughed. Two hours later we had a rough cut.
Then we had one week to use our electronic paint system which we had just finished and never yet used. We fed the 35mm film into our optical front end and proceeded to paint over the frames, shooting the pixels onto a new piece of 35mm film which got later telecine'd with the negative from the shoot. We also cut some frames out and put them into slide mounts and animated them, along with some pictures of Steve, on our slide animation system which was also output to 35mm film.
Bottomline is that the song Abracadabra went global big and the video gets shown even today. Got a nomination as best director at one of the first MTV Music Awards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCuTrfTfGd0
Then 3 years later in 1985, got to do another video for Steve called Bongo Bongo. Shooting on 35mm in about 10 locations, I used a new 3d computer animation system called a Bosch 4000 which I had just been learning and which was available in one of the video editing facilities in Hollywood. Like Abracadabra, we did not shoot Steve except for one scene where he was to appear very briefly in a recording studio at Capitol. He shows up at the shoot having just gotten a haircut. A haircut, OMG, he was overweight and it was the worst choice. I blame myself for not thinking to side light him because the flat lighting, even though the shot of him lasted no more than 2 seconds, was not flattering. The artist not looking great was only part of the problem. The song bombed in the marketplace which was the biggest reason Bongo Bongo got buried. But too bad because it was a great video. Had the same Mums as performers that were in Abracadabra.
http://milesconsulting.org/motion.html
Always have the fondest thoughts for the space cowboy.
-Peter Conn
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From: Jack Ingram
Subject: Re: One More Steve Miller E-Mail
Steve Miller
To the email replying people whose closest encounters with real Rock Stars, Artists or any viable connection to the workings of a CAREER/LIFETIME in music:
Unless you've spent a LIFETIME on the road playing shows & making records & playing shows & making records...LASTING records...while being largely overlooked by the "tastemakers and popularity chasers AND haters"...only to be invited to be inducted to the RRHOF thinking of it as an incredible recognition of your art, your songwriting, your work ethic, your musicianship...then just to be reminded- by not having control of your performance, not being ALLOWED to pass the love on down to the people (REAL PEOPLE) who have stood by you through the thick and mostly thin times with tickets as well as being dictated to as to who will induct you at the ceremony...which, once again, reminds you, with an iron fist that "you should be lucky to be here", that none of this is about you, kid (old man)- it's about people with business savvy making sure their agenda is taken care of by surrounding themselves with REAL TALENT (the artists)! Unless that specific scenario has happened to you
personally...then your opinion of Steve Miller, outside of to what degree you love or hate his music, is of ZERO VALUE and what he says to the RRHOF "Brass" is not for you to concern yourself with! He is a rock star...that's where it begins and that's where it ends!
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Subject: Re: Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
I'm sorry to trouble you with such a late response so I'll edit:
1) worked with capitol 82-83..my first #1 was "abracadabra"...Steve did a live show at Pine Knob outside of Detroit that was broadcast live on a network of non major tv stations..channel 50 in Detroit, for example....needless to say, a lot was going on...but...he was kind enough to say hello to the new Cap guy....I had been warned by everyone that he wasa major a-hole....he was, in fact, the nicest guy in the world and gave me much more time than I deserved considering the circumstances...he asked about the Cap staff working at home instead of at offices (a new development) and how I liked it...asked a ton of questions and was just the nicest guy you'd ever wanna meet...and it was just me...no radio guy by my side...then he apologized and said he had to go....explaining there were a lot of sound issues for this TV broadcast.....my jaw is on the floor just remembering......
2) I worked with Elektra 83-91 and , once again, I was warned by everyone that Jackson Browne was the biggest a-hole on the planet....he was the nicest and most wonderful person...passionate in his beliefs and willing to talk to me even though he knew I leaned right....I asked him a question once and he gave me this short look of disbelief and then said, "Okay.to answer that, I need to give you the history of Nicaragua"...and off he went.....we were told not to mention Daryl Hannah on threat of being fired and Jackson put me on the phone with her...I took a few radio bullets for him and would take many more even today.....saw him at the Troubadour about a year after leaving Elektra....he had no idea who I was....looked right into my ideas and had no idea....But Buddha did and I guess that's what matters....(Buddha wasn't there but we spoke again later)....
so...love your work
Louis Heidelmeier
just a used-to-be
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Subject: Re: Steve Miller At The R&RHOF
Dear Bob,
As a 40 year member of the touring sound and production army––the man behind the man if you will––I want to clarify, that for better or for worse, every penny I have ever earned has been a direct result of this line of work. I have stories to tell. Not theoretical, actual. If any vote counts, it might be mine. Maybe, maybe not.
Mr. Miller did many shows with us in the seventies, and is a giant of this now comically fetid business. His remarks at the idiotic gathering in Cleveland were apparently controversial, but utterly diplomatic considering what a shameless shithole of a business that the music industry has become.
I believe your own words at one point might have included, "a business populated by uneducated hustlers'. You were also being very polite.
When all the Mount Rushmore guys and gals, like Steve Miller, were coming up in the world, they devoted themselves to sitting on the knee of the generations in show business who went before, while thousands of others who did not avail themselves of history and knowledge, faded into dust. Just like the Black Keys will. Who are these derivative invertebrates again?
There is a direct correlation between people who educate themselves and people who do not….people who think they have a better way, etc…? Well, the road is littered with their bleached bones.
Experience and wisdom intensify over time, not the reverse.
I laugh while crying when I hear the I-wanna-be-somebody-someday crowd say 'he's just an grumpy old guy'. It kills me that kids, even my own children sometimes, do not understand that we boomers are giving them the answers to the test; just like the generations before helped us understand the lay of the land.
Ignore Miller at your own peril as they say. And to all those shameless cocksuckers in their corner offices and all the remora powdering their asses; know that thousand of others are keen to take your place, and will. With a bit of luck the new regime will bring a bit of dignity back to the game. One can hope….
And not that it matters, but I've had the most fortunate career in live music as anyone could have dreamed of and never, not once, have I been interested in stopping by the so called RRHOF. Even when I was right down the street. I steer well clear of it and all that it represents.
Who falls for this shit???
Thanks Bob.
Dave Dalzell
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From: peter hollander
Subject: Re: Barbarian Days
To me, your biggest point is we used to do things for the experience— not the money. Now everyone is worried the kindergarten their kids get into will determine their success. Which is just outrageous.
The other point is none of these people with all this education do blue collar work anymore. Even in the summer.
That's where you learn about life. Not in a classroom. Not in a office punching emails, and generating powerpoints. You learn about the world from working with the people who build and maintain it.
That's why everyone watches these home improvement shows, America's Dirtiest Jobs, etc. To see people doing real work, because none of them are doing real work anymore— and most wish they were.
Great stuff.
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From: Jordan Lyga
Subject: Recommendation
Hey Bob,
Wanted to send some new music your way. Artist named Skrizzly Adams. He came up on my Spotify discover weekly playlist two weeks ago and I fell in love with it right away. I decided to look up if he was touring and sure enough he was going to be in Minneapolis last night with a girl called Lissie. Tickets were sold out, but I shot him a tweet and he put me on the guest list, which I was very grateful for cause he was phenomenal live. Also he had a very unique sales idea. Apparently, aside from music, his other passion is making beef jerky. He announced from stage that he would be selling some of his homemade stock at his merch table, which was brilliant because most venues don't sell any food. I myself hadn't ate lunch, so I bought three bags, and the line at his merch table was crazy long as a result. He made bank, and most people bought his cd as well as the jerky.
His style is refreshingly unusual, as it morphs a lot of things that traditionally don't go together. He's a mix of Americana melodies and a Hip Hop backbeat and has voice that's got so much emotion you can't help but feel your heart break along with him. His biggest problem is inconsistency. Of his 6 songs, only two of them will grab you right away, but he just got signed to Atlantic Records who I'm sure will help clean that up.
Anyway, here's the song that got me interested.
Skrizzly Adams - Me and You
-----------------
-Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmWbQ3hXdnA
-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/0qYRFiRGd9R5CyDSEFN5BK
And here is his first single for Atlantic which I think is his best work.
Skrizzly Adams - Tipping Point
------------------
-Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCIZoO3tUWM
-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/1l2NCml9M2fGmaUngSYdww
Let me know what you think.
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Subject: Re: Mailbag
Bob:
Danny Kortchmar may have opened up a really "fun" can of worms on your last post. The first three singles I ever bought (in no particular order because I can no longer recall which was which) were:
1) "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
2) "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry
3) "Bimbo" by Jim Reeves.
If the third one seems a bit out of character, I should add that it was pressed on red vinyl. Hey, I was like eight years old...:-).
My first album was the first Elvis. I loved singles before I loved albums, of course. I'm just that old.
Jimmy Fox
PS: Anyone else wanna play...?
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Re: Wendy Waldman and Her Minions Weigh In
Her first few paragraph's surmise of the record industry is right on the money - though I think she is being overly polite not to call it what it was and still is - a form of indentured slavery. However, her upbeat nature and realization that this "yardstick" of "success" is nothing more than an artificial creation of mass-manufacturing and to ignore it and soldier on is definitely inspiring.
This one's a keeper. I will re-read it again later.
And probably later again, when I get depressed looking at the world around me.
Dave Bass
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Re: Wendy Waldman and Her Minions Weigh In
Bob,
Sorry I'm so late to this discussion. I was just telling my husband about Wendy's Cypress album, Letters Home, and how it was one of the finest records that no one heard. If you decide to do another round of Wendy, I would like to say it was an honor and pleasure to work with her. There are quite a few really good female bands coming into their own. They don't know it, but artists like Wendy, who didn't compromise on her artistry help paved the way for them. Maybe we can, collectively, make a lot of noise about Wendy so these bands will want to seek out her music and become inspired.
Thanks for the trip.
Lori Nafshun
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
You nailed it on your piece about Wendy Waldman and I'm glad she chimed in too
I will now hunt down her recent stuff too
The wind in New York City always killed me ( late 70,s I think)
Best
Michael B
Radio guy and music lover for over 50 years
Gold Coast Australia
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
When Maria Muldaur had a hit with Midnight at the Oasis, I went out and bought her next 2 or 3 albums. Like you, I read every single thing on the liner notes, as well as the composer credits buried on the label itself.
Yeah, Vaudville man was cool, so I wondered who was this Wendy Waldman?
But the song that really set me off was Gringo En Mexico. I listened to Maria Muldaur for years. I learned who Benny Carter was through Maria Muldaur
So the name Wendy Waldman has been on my radar for years, thanks for keeping her name in the spotlight.
Had Wendy been a few years earlier, maybe she would have been another Carole King. Ain't it funny how life rolls around and around? Uhh, funny for those of us with day jobs, not as much fun as those who had to make a living at music with all it's ups and downs.
Anyway, keep spotlighting all the people who are the artist, but not the rock star.
---Dale Janus
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
My Uncle Henry was a big deal nuclear scientist. Had I been able to introduce him to Wendy it would have changed everything. Nothin' and nobody produces more pure energy than Wendy Waldman. Best, twhitlock
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
always was and will always be. As a booking agent I never made a dime doing her tours, but the beautiful music was always with me and that was worth more then double the pay I would earn. And it still holds today.
Dennis Rubenstein
P.S. You missed a very important part of her career, Chuck Plotkin (who produced Bruce Springsteen) back in the early 70's. and was involved with early Eagles when they backed Linda Ronstadt, was a big part of WW career, with Norm Epstein. God did I love that first Warners album, I knew I was going to working with someone that I loved(her music). I was too young to know that it's not just talent, and all the right pieces in place, HOW COULD THIS MISS???? But it did.
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I signed Wendy for "Letters Home" at Cypress, she danced at my wedding, two events I cherish.
Ted Cohen
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
She also co-wrote a great song on Kim's Mistaken Identity album. "Still Hold On" which was always one of my faves on that album!
Val Garay
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I saw Waldman a few years back by accident. Stopped by Sam Ash in Margate to pick up a snare head or some such for my late drummer son and she was doing a demo/performance, and I was mesmerized. Had heard her records but never saw her perform. Managed to stutter a brief introduction when she finished but I was late for dinner and had to split ... though I did mention my favorite song of hers, which elicited a sweet smile.
(Even though the credits are shared, is this not a Wendy Waldman song? Sure sounds like it to me!)
My favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2y-sSjH3z4
Richard Pachter
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
The only thing better than Wendy Waldman's music is her humanity. She is so lovely, so warm & engaging -- she imbues confidence in any creative she encounters and incredible amounts of understanding for them in the people who deal with those creatures.
Met her in Nashville when she was working w my dear friend Matraca Berg ("Strawberry Wine," "You Can Feel Bad (If It Makes You Feel Better)" "You + Tequila"). Such an engager + elevater!
But as an artist she was my generations Laura Nyro: bold emotions painted with nuance, real time moments captured alive. You had to really know music to know who Waldman was; thankfully, having the coolest babysitters, I did.
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
Yo, Robert...u missed her song Living Is Good from The Main Refrain...I played the shit out of this song on my free form progressive WOUR-FM 96.9 radio show in '76 and '77...fit nicely in the pocket of SoCal ez rolling country rockin' asylum type music! Always found the string arrangement from producer Peter Bernstein extremely moving. TYVM 4 inspiring me to find and listen to this song again!
Tony Yoken, CRMC
Sirius XM
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I woke up this morning with a different plan. I was gonna make a smoothie, take a shower, and take myself on the short walk to the library to do a bit of personal writing. Laying in bed, I opened my eyes and reached for my phone to check my email.
Wendy Waldman, I had never heard of her.
But I love when you create these experiences, and I decided to delve before doing anything else. It had rained through the night, the birds were singing early morning tunes, and it was the perfect opportunity.
There is nothing like getting the first hand account of someone who was like me in another time. A true music fan.
For the last two hours, I listened, I read. I was taken on a journey through a remarkable career. And I thank you for it.
By the end, I had ordered the "Which Way to Main Street" record, for fear that I might not ever get to have it close to me, or to ever hear the song "Lovin' You Out of My Life" A hit in waiting?! I HAVE to hear it. I might need to be the one to cut it, right? Haha. But that's just it. I could relate to both you and Wendy. We dream. And life happens. And dreams morph, but they're still the same seed. And those of us that truly believe in what we feel, never give up on it. Hence the pain sometimes. But I felt like Wendy understood. I experienced her career today and it started to take off and then what? No explosion. But she found a way to continue to create, and that inspires me. I'm now in my early 30s, and things don't go as planned.
"What is the Price of Love" reminded me of "Dog Eat Dog" Joni. Its essence. You gave that to me. And Jackson Browne. Sure, I was a fan and loved their music my own way. But your playlists gave me a perspective I didn't, couldn't, have before. Life experiences woven into it. I have my own, and I hope to share it the same way you do.
I just really appreciate it. When you speak from the heart. When you inspire other artists. Thanks for being an artist.
"And only a song has the power to keep the dream alive." Amen.
Andrew Samples
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
I saw her about ten years ago in a house concert here which fulfilled a yearning I'd had since hearing the first album in college. "The Main Refrain" is one of the great LA records of the '70s. The whole Browne-Ronstadt-Little Feat-Andrew Gold-Eagles vibe is filtered through Wendy's beautiful voice, piano, and introspections. She may have been a tad subtle for mainstream success, who knows? But I know other musicians who love her.
Phil Hood
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
Restless In Mind has been one of my favorite songs since the first time I heard it when you wrote about it a few years ago. Knocked me cold on first listen and those words and melodies still stick with me and ring in my head today the same as the first day I heard it. I have learned a tremendous amount about the industry and discovered a great many talented artists from reading the Lefsetz Letter over the years, but Wendy Waldman has got to be one of the biggest takeaways I've had. Restless In Mind alone has been absolutely huge for me.
"My dreams keep me on the run, I'm certainly restless in mind. I'm still going, I'm still growing."
You and I both…
Thanks again for introducing me to this phenomenally great artist!
Elliot Kleinfelder
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Re: Wendy Waldman Playlist
No "Back By Fall"? A big fave of mine, in my top three WW.
Rob Meurer
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From: ronnie
Subject: Re: Barbarian Days
If there was one thing that I could sit my children down and explain to them it would be to explain to them how fast time flies.
If someone were to pin me to the wall and ask what I would do differently or manage the short time that we have on Earth I would tell them to live every moment to the fullest.
It is cliche' but it's the truth. The high achievers either get it or are just born with it. They take risks and approach life with a degree of zeal that the 99% don't. It's that simple and that complicated.
Politics or cultural ethos will never trump what psychology calls the high achiever syndrome.
Put a litter of 10 puppies at one bowl of food and inevitably, one will alpha the others. Is he or she bad or good...right or wrong?
The have nots become increasingly frustrated and resent the haves while the haves account for 99% of productivity.
We demonize the haves.
99% of all wars are about someone wanting what someone else has.
Humanity rationalizes over and over the innate and basic dynamic via generalized ethos...religion, class whatever. It all comes down to basic evolutionary tendency.
It has a good beat and I can dance to it.
Live your 80 years, give or take, to its fullest.
Sorry about the corruption of the system and the quality of the music.
You are owed nothing. You get what you get via perseverance, persistence and patience...add a healthy dose of pure inexplicable luck.
It's that simple and that complicated.
Dylan writes deep lyrics but the only time the majority perks up is when his songs have good beats and cool melodies. Primal shit.
We think too much but it's a necessary element to evolution.
Major on sound bites, look at Trump. He gets it. He's from the trenches. He's not an idealist, he's a brutal realist.
Stones or Beatles ?
....I'm banking on a combination of both.
If you're one of of the pups that doesn't get your fill do you turn on the ones that do, yep. He has something that you don't for whatever reason. The solution is an issue of complex
Darwinism. Only time will solve the issue. Until it does... live it up to the best of your ability, it's all you're going to have.
Lastly, if you can't clap on the beat don't sit on the front row...someone in the band is going to make fun of you.
Ronnie Dunn
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