Max Martin decided to give back.
After dominating the airwaves for two decades with ear candy sans meaning he thought it was time to turn a corner, to go for the brass ring, to emerge from the slum and become not only an icon, but a legend.
Therefore, he hooked up with Bob Dylan.
No lie. The triple-disc standards package is a fake-out, a diversion, no different from "Self Portrait" decades back. I'll admit, I fell for the scam, but now that I've heard the new track I'm doing a mea culpa, Zimmy still has it, he was paying attention always and just needed a nudge from Max to prove his dominance.
Did you read the Martin interview?
You should.
"World exclusive: Max Martin, #1 hitmaker": http://storytelling.di.se/max-martin-english/?utm_source=phplist5800&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Finally%2C+A+Protest+Song
Max packs his tracks with hooks. Which is why he triumphs and you don't. My inbox is inundated with wannabes, who don't realize that greatness is the sole criterion, and that you must be able to get a song after one second, multiple plays are just gravy.
So it all transpired after the Grammys. Credit the organization for getting everybody in town. And for a minute there, instead of getting everybody together a la Quincy Jones and "We Are The World," there was the thought to do it virtually, with everybody logged in on Skype, but there's a vibe and an energy when people are together so the action took place in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport, so everybody could fly out private when it was completed. NetJets provided transport for those who don't have their own planes, because the Berkshire Hathaway company also wanted to give back.
But first was the track.
Then came the lyrics.
It's true, it's true, Dylan worked with Max's posse. But the secret sauce was Dr. Luke, back from the dead, recovering from the Kesha fiasco. He concocted the beats and Max just tuned them, with help from Shellback and all the rest of the usual suspects. Luke sees this as his comeback venture. Will the public forgive him?
Unclear.
As for the turn of the phrase, the icing on the cake, the zingers, the song doctor in this case was James McMurtry, the iconoclastic troubadour responsible for the last great protest hit, "We Can't Make It Here." They met through McMurtry's dad, Larry. Dylan has known the writer forever.
But the lead singer is Justin Bieber.
Adele is out, she wasn't called, this is positively an American venture, and, for the record, Max lives in L.A., as does seemingly everybody else outside of the country world, funny how the richies have taken over Manhattan and the city's lost culture in the process.
Pissed that he was not called to headline Coachella, Bieber insisted on singing the first verse. As for the rest...
Yes, there were some usual suspects, the people Max has worked with before. Katy Perry does a turn, but wait until you hear Kelly Clarkson, she hasn't been this good since she's been gone. And an interesting fillip is Max called Howie from the Backstreet Boys, and they pulled in their new duet partners, Florida Georgia Line. The Dixie Chick era is over, everybody's pissed about what's happening in D.C. Everybody wants clean air and privacy. So Nashville is on board. Will radio play the record? Maybe not at first, but this could be the first reverse crossover, going from pop to country, we'll see.
And Bob Pittman and John Sykes are leading the charge, they've committed each and every iHeart station to banging the record from the get-go. They've got a one week exclusive. Jimmy Iovine bid for one for Apple, but then Troy Carter said Spotify would boycott the track so there is no streaming exclusive. As for radio first, that's part of the agenda, everybody in the business is still inured to the old game so they decided to begin there, for however big Drake's "More Life" playlist is, it does not dominate radio, not yet, and this track is all about domination, the goal is to wake up the Trump voters and make them realize their mistake.
That's right, Max and Bob are taking a stand. Max is worried about his green card, but doing what's right is more important, what a change from the pussies of the past two decades, who put money first. And speaking of pussies, Taylor Swift begged off. There is no truth to the rumor that she was too busy with photographers, plotting a social media splurge for her birthday, but it is disappointing she wouldn't take a stand. Then again, Katy Perry is now wide awake, and she said if Taylor was involved, she was out.
The track debuts Monday night, during the March Madness finale.
Yes, there is a sponsor. Did you think the musicians were gonna cough up the dough for the commercial?
But it's Starbucks, a longtime music-centric company that has invested in causes previously.
So the name of the song is...
"What Do You Mean The Answer Is Blowin' In The Wind?"
I know, I know, it's unwieldy.
Actually, the true title is "Blow It Out Your Ass," but despite the President's crotch-grabbing they didn't think they could get away with it, kind of like how the Stones retitled that track "Star Star" instead of "Starf....."
And the words excoriate Agent Orange, go after him physically, just like he has with women.
Sean Spicer, Nunes, they're all in there. No punches are pulled, because unlike the Democratic Party, Max and Bob know there are new rules and nothing is politically incorrect. The public can handle the truth.
Now two weeks hence a hip-hop version will emerge. And no, it won't be on Jay Z's Tidal, it's gonna be done by Migos on YouTube, that's what Lyor's been cooking up in his days at the Googleplex. The goal is to have the biggest video of all time, even eclipsing PSY's "Gangnam Style."
And a month after that...
It's gonna be an add-on on "Hamilton." After every performance, on the soundtrack, BIOYA is going Broadway, so even those not teenagers, who don't listen to the radio, will be exposed.
There is no album. Come on, only old farts care about long players.
And there are no old farts involved other than Bob, who is young at heart. Believe me, they all called, worked the phones since they don't know how to use Slack, but they were rebuffed. Forget inclusiveness, it didn't work for Hillary and the Dems and it won't work now.
So get ready, unlike the new Lorde track, it's a one listen smash. With a tune you'll be humming and words you'll be singing for years. Even Guitar Center is in on the mania, they're gonna give away a home studio to the amateur who does the best cover.
But I don't want to reveal every marketing quirk.
But one thing's for sure, the Koch Brothers are not involved, Robert Mercer either, for the first time in a long time musicians are saying no, leaving money on the table, doing what's right as opposed to what's expedient.
And as a result the public will resonate and harmony will reign. Music will become the most powerful art form once again and Kanye will be President.
Er, no.
Yeezy is not involved, his ego was just too large.
Funny who was left out, Rick Rubin too.
But the word is they're all behind Mark Cuban. He's the next President. He's warmer and fuzzier than Trump and everybody knows his name from TV and Dylan loves the Mavericks, go figure.
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Saturday, 1 April 2017
Friday, 31 March 2017
One and Only Man Bun Response
Was just thinking the exact same thing! I hear nothing but ridicule for the man bun, yet it doesn't seem to stop anyone.
I was buying records from someone on Craigslist this week. He described himself for when we met as "tall with a man bun". I was shocked. He could have said "tall with terrible breath" and it would have sounded the same to me. I didn't realize people admitted to wearing one, even if you could see it. Funny stuff.
Eric Howarth
When did the man bun become a thing? I'd say Toshiro Mifune was the last person to pull it off (which inspired the attached meme), and judging by this Kayak commercial, it's already no longer a thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEBLnJ4iWmY&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Best,
Tami Lefko
I'm sending this to my 16 yr old son who has one.
Jeff Kew
HA!
I tried the thinning white/gray pony tail thing for 4 months after retiring - re-capture the hippie days, maybe. It looked like shit - looked like I was trying to re-capture the hippie days...
Cut it short and look more normal, but boring. Benefit: landing pad on top of head is less obvious, now.
Rock on, Bob.
Kevin Ritchie
"Kinda like all those bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won't know"
Would you rather they cling on to the few strands they've got or just be rid of it? My partner just recently made the transition. I'm glad he finally let go
Sharob Knight
Oh Bob, don't start judging people that way. Whatever works for them works for me. Personally, I've seen some fairly sexy looking men in buns. I'll give you Steven Tyler looks a bit like a grandmother whe he sports one but still, I thinks it's cool he doesn't give a damn. Lighten up, son :)
Patty Carlin
The man bun is over. The only person who looked good in it was Gavin Rossdale and he got rid of it. :-) (I liked it on Gavin.)
Kathy Kenyon
So, do you think I should get rid of my man bun, Bob?
I would if you told me to.
John M.
Yul Brynner and Telly Savalas have a bone to pick with you.....
Armand Sadlier
Check out Pony Tales from Kroll Show - re men and their excess hair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjs8tS57U0&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Been reading you for about 5 years now, alway interested in your perceptions. Thanks for trying to make sense of the chaos.
Best,
Khalid Hanifi
Yes, you are right--Women do make fun of them!!
Thanks,
Sheryl E Dial
Bob, I'm sure your being inundated by responses but ere's to the deluge!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bun_(hairstyle)?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response#Man_bun
Ancient hairstyle. Everything has been done and will be done again. Cycles like sounds waves.
Peace,
Dason Johnson
Unreal. Thom Yorke has a man bun, show some respect!
Tyler Blatchley
this is so idiotic, usually love your stuff though.
envious?
Connor Crawford
pppfffffftttt ... who hijacked your account & wrote that?
I WISH I could grow a decent mane again, so I could wind it up & tie it back, whatever.. (my old move was sunglasses pushed up, holding it off my face). Personally, I prefer seeing guys with fancy long hair than baseball hats any day. At least they're making an effort, right?
Justin Gray
There are those of right mind!
https://youtu.be/a8YgTaMyZRk?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Enjoy, Bob!
Mark Atherlay
Hahaha! Man I really enjoy your emails. Here's a great link combining two of the major problems in the world. Groupon and man buns!!
https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-instant-man-bun?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Philip P
BAMP project
Thanks Bob,I saw a guy with 2 man buns.1 on top,and 1 in the back.That was interesting.Have a great day,Ted Keane
Your finest comedic moment, laughing tears at my desk. Great one Bob!
Bob Kalill
Hi Bob - Great spoof on "The Tao of The Man Bun" from comedian JP Sears (2.6m views):
https://www.facebook.com/awakenwithjp/videos/vl.259496147786605/1335601943122331/?type=1&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Brandon Deroche
Yep, I'm with you Bob. But, as I'm frequently reminded when I comment this way, you need to end your rant with - "and get off my lawn...."
Bob Langlie
You' and whoever's sporting it are three years behind
Ps can you stop complaining about trivial stuff
Angel Parisi
The man bun has been standard equipment in the Jazz community of Tel Aviv for about the last 5-6 years beginning with the Trumpet player Avishay Cohen and more recently by Amit Freidman and the Grammy award winner Ruslan Sirota. It's become a rite of passage of sorts...go figure!
Best,
Hillel Wachs
2b Vibes Music
Tel Aviv-Jerusalem
Wrong. Bald guys shave their head because they KNOW that you know and why go around parading in a comb over? It's called Embracing your going-bald not holding on to your withering locks.
A. Haberman
Yeah Bob. Fire it up.
If you need a hug I'm here for you.
Lee Posner
Haha. Love it Bob.
It's as if Carrie Bradshaw never left our lives.
Simon Forman
Well Bob,
Wouldn't you agree it's a great thing if someone can still get their knickers in a twist about a hairdo, more than half a century since The Beatles? I find your post encouraging.
Cheers,
Peter van Vleuten
Hi Bob,
Man, I thought it was only me!!
Thanks for this, and for all you do.
Greg Calbi
Sterling Sound
Long enough for these guys to do this two years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YgTaMyZRk&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Also kind of amusing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiXixOXTqjA&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Joshua Freni
huh?
I don't do this but sometimes a "look" is just someone making a decision in this case getting the hair out of the eyes/face.
even commenting about how fashion sucks, sucks
LA must be horrible with everyone second guessing themselves like you're doing with this missive
who gives a fuck !!!!!!
:D
cheers
Marc Beck
Philadelphia
Jeez Bob give the bald guys who save their head some credit. It's the manly option in an age wigs can cost 5Gs and always leave you looking worse than Trump. They owned it. WTF else is there to do? Cheers Pete from Toronto.
HEY KID, GET OFF MY LAWN!
You must have watched Grand Torino last night. LOL
I must agree though that I think man buns look stupid. But then folks likely think this 63 year old with his (non-thining hair) thick ponytail looks weird too.
Denman Schmid
Uh oh. There goes half your subscribers!
(Not me!)
xxx
Richard Pachter
I think that the idea is coming from the ancient warriors. It's not a "bun" it's a top knot.
The Maori in New Zealand have been wearing top knots for centuries
As have the Samurai from Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLeSUsTprdk&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Cheers,
Lindsay Gregory
Bob,
You are so right and Man Buns are so, so wrong!
Omar Maskatiya
COO Official Charts Company, UK
It's just the new mullet! Haha!
Kenny Lee Lewis
not me! I look nothing like what's in my head...it's great! It's like I'm undercover. People have NO idea, and I like it that way.
fritzdoddy
I HATE the Man Bun!!! Watch the show Survivor and you will see wayyyyyy too many of them. Guys that wear them are too CUTE, and it makes me just want to SLAP them and tell them to "Wake up!" They look beyond lame. I was a longhair (huge Jewfro) in the 60's and 70's but that was cool. Even a pony tail is cool if you have to tie your hair back. But putting your hair up in a bun?? Sorry, that's where I draw the line. ;-)
Paul Rappaport
Careful this could easily veer back to talking about skin
James K
Bob, you are so late with this man bun stuff, my brother. We've moved on to a whole next wave of hairstyles. The hipsters are setting trends and it's exciting. Living in Hollywood, we are experiencing the newest. We are setting the trend.
Benjamin E. Cazares, Jr., Juris Doctor
Think it started with world pro soccer players to keep long hair out of their eyes while playing.
Robert Lovenheim
Hi Bob,
Man buns have been a thing long enough for a "Man Buns of Disneyland" Instagram account to exist: https://www.instagram.com/manbunsofdisneyland/?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Sorry to have to share that with you, but it couldn't be helped.
Deborah Speer
Associate News Editor
POLLSTAR
A man bun is just a ponytail with pretensions...
As my barber says, the only thing you find under a pony's tail is an asshole.
Enough said.
Timothy Ryan
Thank you for making me giggle during a crappy work day. You continue to be spot on regarding life/music perspective....You are appreciated by this human!
Melissa Provencio
The man bun is totally hot. It's been evolving for a while, I notice it while living in New York City for 16 years. Grow your bun Bob! In LA area, where I live now, there is a shortage of buns! Unless you go to In N Out!
Jennie Walker
Bob
Really? Not too judgmental. Seems to be coming from some of your own issues. Surprising you'd put it out there.
Jeff Bozler
I agree with all of this … except the comparison to "bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won't know." I think if you are balding, shaving your head completely is an aesthetically (and socially) reasonable choice; it looks better than a few desperate hairs clinging to the scalp like dying vines. I've been genetically blessed to still have a full head of hair at 56, and being the youngest of six with much older brothers with the same, I don't think I'll ever face that decision, but I have often said that if I were going bald I would just shave it all off and not fight it.
Tom Player
I am millennial. I have a shaved head, no manbun and therefore unbiased.
The manbun has come and gone many moons ago. The fact that you are raving about existence of the manbun is an insult to the common millennial.
In parallel this is simply like saying Bon Jovi's hairstyle hawks major D in 1992.
Thanks,
Zach Jones
haven't read yet, but you had me at the subject! THANK YOU
Danielle De Andrea
This one was a HOOT, Bob. I'm still laughing.
I shaved my head for 23 years, but no more. It is what it is, and it ain't coming back. I'm 58, I own it…
Bob Davis
Retired Tour Accountant
I envy you that you're just now becoming aware of this phenomenon. Here in Denver it's been a hipster thing for a while now. And the man-bun + the full beard? That's this generation's mullet...
Sam Smith
Like you, I'm a fellow bald guy - but I shave my head. Not because people will think I'm NOT bald - but because I'm not ashamed of being bald...and I think it looks better than having that horseshoe-shaped fringe. I always assume most guys who shave their heads ARE bald. I gotta say, it's the ones with the complicated comb-overs (Drumpf, for example), who seem to be trying to fool people...and wind up deluding only themselves.
David Allgood
Love you Bob...but I gotta ask...why are you writing about this?
David Bach
At last someone has said what needed to be said on this topic.
Greg Dennis
When I see someone sporting a man bun, yes, I think it?s ridiculous as I
thought the proliferation of goatees was ridiculous.
But most of all, I think how wonderful to still have a head of hair that
can support such ridiculousness.
What was once a head of hair that Thor could admire now seems more suited
to the crowd at a Channel 13 Doo Wop membership drive concert.
Ouch.
William Nollman
I was with you until the last line. I respect those baldies that just own it and bic it clean rather than getting implants or wigs or, god forbid, the dreaded combover. But yea, the man bun trend needs to die.
SG
Preach! Could not have said it better - man buns are just wrong on every level.
Stewart Lewis
Uh oh... pretty soon you're going to be yelling "getting off my lawn!" ;-)
Gonzo Rock
Sumo wrestlers!
https://www.insidejapantours.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/sumoakebono.jpg?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Craig Anderton
It was only acceptable for Riff Raff at the end of Rocky Horror. You know, the scene where you're supposed to shout out, "Hey Riff, who does your hair, Dairy Queen?"
David DiSanzo
Funniest post in ages Bob! Good therapy.
Seth Hodder
Bob the man bun became a thing along time ago. I used to think you were a step ahead of the curve, bob, on all fronts, but I can see clearly now that you have lost your grip and touch. The only thing you've got right these days Bobby's about the integrity of artists and maybe some of the trends in international business and tech. Bob you need to do some soul-searching of your own so I can depend on you further ...as for now you're one email away from being un subscribed
Howard Dlugasch
Hey dude, people are free to dress however they like. Same goes for the hair.
Regardless of that, here a "fun fact": I had a bun in 1991 and and got
more pussy than most see in their lifetime.
Cheerio
Lenny Ibizarre
I'm bald, so I let my hair grow as long as my wife will let me!
Peter Noone
Follow the wearer of the man bun. 'THEY' will lead you to your safe-space!
Wade Mosher
Worst male trend that I've ever seen
Kevin F. Sutter
ALL RIGHT, HAMILTON!!
Oscar Williamson
No definitive answer, but one of the very first people I recall seeing with a man bun, years ago, was Ringo. Somehow, he pulled it off.
Best,
George Varga
Hilarious! Jealous! Lol
Jake Gold
I saw a man bun who had a man purse too in Beverly Hills last week. Swear to you. :0)
Harry Levy
Haters gonna hate, Bob.
(My son has a man bun and it looks great. Takes confidence, and YOUNG women love them)
Michele Kalish
Now there is a name for a band. Albeit a band making yoga music but still. ...
Dan Waite
You rock Bob!!!
Steve Gerardi
Love your emails Bob.
The man bun has been a thing for a while though.
Cameron Ridenour
I tend to mimic the community I'm interested in photographing at any particular time.
In my long hair I've spent a couple years shooting rockers and pole dancers, now with my new short look, I'm set to shoot some fascists.
Scott Chmelar
Manbun.
Been around for about 10 years... that's it's becoming acceptable and a trend means it's on the way out. Here come the buzz cuts. :) Oh and the world keeps turning, turning, turning back on itself, like a snake eating the tail of the snake that's eating it's tail.
Rebekah Ann
Beautiful Bob. Let the hate mail begin LOL. Freakin hipsters.... they can take their man bun and skinny jeans and you know what with it. We hear you screaming for attention hipsters so please stop making us plug our ears… And eyes
J.Vieira
Great on all levels and you didn't use the words Trump or Park City!
Doug Epperson
Sometimes it's just more comfortable to wear hair up when it's long. I don't consider it a statement about my individuality - I am aware plenty of other men wear their hair the same way.
Sorry it makes you so angry.
Mike Greenberg
Say what you will... but it has only helped the cause over here, not hurt it. I play colleges all over the country with my percussion group and, no bragging here but just to report, it has been a popular attention getter. Alas, nothing lasts forever.
Dan Twiford
(Former bowl-cut wearer circa 1997)
I know you are going to get a load of mail about how bad the man bun is, so I decided to throw you my opinion. I'm a 50 year old woman, when I was 12 and just started to notice men, they all had long hair and they were hot. Then the 80s happened, god I hate short hair on men. When the man bun came back I was so happy, then the world started making fun of it and now I'm sad. Man, I really hate short hair on men. Thanks for asking ;)
Lee Vandeveer
Angry today Bob?
Take it easy you've got a big event coming up.. enjoy. And there may be some Man Buns there. Be patient with everyone.. we're only trying to find our own way home.
xo
Johnny Brower
By the time there's a name for it, it's passè; same as it ever was. Last time I was in LA without my stetson, somebody remarked on what a cliche it was for us 'sound engineers' to wear ponytails, but the very practical reason for this is if you don't tie your long hair back/up/somewhere, the headphones slide off your ears every time you turn your head. And did you know that wearing a hat with a brim puts a notch in your hearing?
Back in my spandex days, I sported pigtails instead of the teased mane typical of the era. Thank God there were no camphones back then. By the late nineties, I was shaving my head; not bald then nor now, just thought it was a cool look that I could never try prior, for fear of being mistaken for a nazi skinhead.Remember them? It was no wonder they were pissed off all the time; they never got laid. Hey, maybe we should ship prostitutes to the Middle East instead of bombs? It doesn't look like they'll be taking up football anytime soon.
Mojo Bone
Wow... my email server must be slow because this article would have been relevant two years ago. The man bun bothers people because it is a man appropriating something thought of as feminine... in the same way that a woman wearing pants (!) used to bother people.
C'mon, Bob. Write another great article about music!
Suzanne Nuttall a.k.a. Ponyta
Toronto, Canada
Haha...Ok Bob, you don't really think men shave their heads so that people won't notice they're half bald, do you??
Everyone knows... But they do it coz its neat and presentable (and I'd bet every guitar I own, that 10 out of 10 women would prefer their partner fully shaved than doing the Homer Simpson).
Hanging it on half bald men that shave their heads is like hanging it on people that cut their nails, or women that shave under their arms... just coz it grows on you doesnt mean you should keep it!
Please! lol.
Simon Hosford
I understand you're an older gentleman but you just discovered the man bun phenomenon? You're about 2 years too late.
Danny Jay
Us bald guys shave our heads to embrace our balding and not fight it. Those with comb overs are trying to hold into the past. It is no different than the streaming vs physical albums mentality.
Now as far as the man buns you are 100% correct.
Rock on
Nick Tuite
Bob, Bob, Bob
Complaining about hair styles on young people?
Now you're REALLY beginning to sound like my parents.
Jim Blaney
Nashville TN
Hey, a shaved head is the ironic combover.
David Scott Carlick
Hey Bob. I'm pretty critical of some aspects of people's style choices too; the millennial beard, tattoos on every ordinary white dude alive, cosmetic surgery (medical necessity not included), etc, but, shaving your head is not an attempt to not look bald, it's an attempt to not be a ridiculous guy clinging to the last bits of hair, trying to make it look like a hairdo. Believe me, it's way more comfortable than a comb over.
Chris Flesher
Jail term for man bun
" The Bitch Handle "
Mark Flores
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/manbun?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
-Jon Curtis
It became a thing at least 2 years ago...
You're out of touch... please stop writing about skin and man buns and focus on the music.
Leah Cardoz
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the snickering women of which you speak.
I'm oldish (38) but everyone I know thinks a well done man bun is pure sexy.
Show this to the cackling hens and let me know what they think:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdEzCzaYCBQ&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Also, man buns have been a thing for a looooong while (at least 3 years).
Jennifer Irizarry
As a boomer (loud and Proud) I had long hair in the 60s and 70s and reluctantly cut it to land a job. Grew it back a couple of times. But now, as my hair is retreating daily, I find myself thinking the same thing about man buns. Shit, I'm getting old.
Robert Tussey
It is funny, even though, it is I guess, a fashion thing (sometimes... lol),
I do find it funny, and I don't know why!
Best,
Glenda Rush
Hahaha Bob, you're tripping. My hair and I got a divorce some time ago now but I cut it so I don't walk around looking like black Bozo. Everyone that knows me I assume knows why I shave my head. When it ALL grew I had beautiful full locks. Every generation is different, just because you don't understand it...oh well. If they wanna rock Man Buns more power to them!!!
Widnikprod
Hi Bob, " hair " a way more complicated subject than you set out in today's piece. Good start but oh oh, watch the avalanche of mail coming! You may need a rescue dog! Best from a Toronto follower, keep up the great work. Rick Kesler.
Hair envy? I get it too, if I still could, it's likely I'd be sporting a 'mun'.
Matthew Aitchison
already came and went, thank god!!
Rob Reimer
Damn Bob, this is a lot of vitriol for a hairstyle. You say you can't tell the personality by the bun, but then you say it radiates follower, lack of individuality, looking for cred. Sometimes long hair makes you physically hot, so you put your hair up. I don't have long hair, but when I did, I put it up because I was hot. Not because I was "trying to gain some cred".
Rob Getzschman
I love you man!
Cuzin D
Even as a proud millenial, I have to admit that this is great (and hilarious). As usual, spot-on!
Joe Casey
Clearly, per other cultures BESIDES the only one you might pay attention to, this hairstyle has been in style for much longer than any hipster has been in existence. That includes back when you were in University.
Devin Nolcox
Bob, I love you and your work, and you do a great job of staying young in your mind and heart, but in this one you sound like an old guy who wants those darn kids to get off his lawn. Who cares how they wear their hair? Old people in 1964 could have used some of these exact same words to talk about the Beatles.
Bill Higgins
The women of London just say "No" to man buns - at least those of us over that age of 40.
Jane Clemetson
lol hilarious.
Coley
Making fun of people for the way they look or how they choose to wear their hair? Really? Who cares? Some people are outsiders and some are followers. If they're happy, don't let it bother you.
Tiffany
Pretty sure 'hating on man buns' just jumped the shark, and now they'll become cool again.
Jordan Walker
If you're a real samurai, I'll let the man bun/top knot slide as well. Otherwise…
Regards,
Ned Ward
"Now you tie it all on top of your head like a Teletubby." LOOOOOL
I love Bob Lefsetz! He's such a well-opinionated guy! Hah!
Destiny Johnson
Haters gonna hate! :)
John Conkle
Teletubby...that's really funny!
Carolyne Mas
I think in this day and age everyone is trying to appeal to everyone. Gay, straight, transgender or whomever. It's not only Gen Me it's Gen Wuss as well. lmao
M1
The man bun is kind of sad. Guys who can't figure out if they are getting old or just getting out of touch, guys who lost touch with what used to be cool, and guys who can't deal with the fact they are getting older. Most important, guys who lost touch with real style. Of course, I could be wrong.
John Parikhal
Bob, I am not praising or blaming, but the herd is huge and sporting the same fleece. The light beard, or
should I say 'beard-lite' and the checked shirt, or any shirt hanging out just below the belt line.
Hair is cropped and groomed just so, neat enough to please my very conservative late Dad. And the guys are in pants
and shoes with white soles. It's the least imaginative, most pervasive look in recorded memory. It's dullness is
only pernicious in that the herd expects everyone to dress that way and today, like-hires-like in the job market.
Your chances of getting hired drop drastically of you look fantastically different. Not in Paris or London, but in America. So it goes. And oh, there slips a man bun,
on a bike, as we were speaking. Tantric.
Enjoy your columns immensely.
Howard Stein
Man bun is hot. I think I first recall it 6 years ago in NYC when it became a "trend". There are specific kinds of guys who sport it (today), bohemian yet ironically professional with a groomed beard and yes, like you mentioned, yoga teachers and the hipsters. It's 2017 and men are embracing fashion more fiercely than ever before and I applaud it. We talk about women equality and rights all day long but, why do men get judged for breaking the norm with their hair style choice? Under every man bun are some sexy layered locks and women who snicker at it are probably middled-aged who's husbands have lost most of their hair and are, like most people who make fun of others, insecure about it. #WhoGivesAShit
Kristen Lucio
i rocked a man bun for eons before it was even called a man bun.
it was a ponytail wrapped around itself.
i loved my long hair, but i couldn't stand the man ponytail, so i wrapped it around itself.
hence, the bun.
women do it all the time !
its takes a real confident man to rock a man bun
mowgli
This was great...it sounds like it was written by Larry David!
Daryl B. Williams
Love it!
theshopdj
I'll take my man bun over baldness, any day.
Justin Forth
I'm not against anything you're saying but I'm curious as to what other options there are. Everything has been done already. There's nothing new under the sun. The 80's are back. The music has been the lowest common denominator and it's now trendy to be exploring new (old) sounds. The man bun is ridiculous as is that Muslim beard on non muslims (bald head, just beard - you've seen it) So what are these followers, non innovators, raised on devices vs. humanity, to do? They don't even know better. Just asking - Luv ya Bob!
Etan G
Jesus Bob sounds like some major repressed hair envy thing going on.
Derek Petrillo
for once in your life, i dare say you're behind the curve. i feel like the man bun hit its peak 2-3 years ago and is finally dying down, thank God!
Jeremy Mix
Been a thing for a while, and ridiculed for about one day less than that.
You wear one, you only have one strike left to convince me you're not a douche.
Then again, I'm not a fan of earrings on men either. Or tattoos on anybody.
If you're straining so hard to look cool, you're probably not cool.
Mitchell Brook
Speaking as a 50-year-old musician - still doing gigs by the way - the man bun is terrible. I've sported a pony tail - had to - back in the day my hair was nearly on level with my ass. The Man bun is style - and not good style.
My mother - a preacher - wore her hair in a bun to make it fit the silly hat the church required. I get that. It was what it was. But she probably would have preferred to rock her natural curls. She, by the way, at 80-plus - and being my first piano teacher - still does more gigs than I do on a weekly basis than I do. My mom, she was proud that I made a living from music, but, to me, she's the rock star.
I say that because she played/plays for everyone - her church congregation, at old folks homes and, back in the day, when I was wee, in prisons - my mom and dad were pastors for years in Kingston, Ontario and served every prison in the area. That ranged from minimum security digs to maximum security lockups in KP and Millhaven. My dad, god rest his soul, dealt with the worst of the worst. My mom, she played for them all.
I've played a lot of shows in my time, but I'm still playing catch up to my mother. And she did the ones that matter - not to fans, not to people who paid for the experience, but to those who needed it, right then and right there. That's the thing - we love the artist of the moment, we talk about them, we never talk about the folks for whom music is life, who never get the props they deserve because they work in the shadows. And those, my friend, are the people who matter the most in music.
Don't know how I went from man bun to mom, but just saying'.
Kevin Young
Mr. L--
I try not to weigh in too much, but this is important.
My buddy, "Beard Bates", has a Triple Man Bun!
Yeah you heard that right. T to the M to the B.
At first I was afraid, I was petrified...
But then right in the heart of Hollywood, it appeared.
It's a veritable Niagara Falls, cascading gently &/or offensively right down the back of his big ole noggin...
I bore witness. No one warned me!
I was aghast, & giggled behind his back.
Now, we're friends.
He has balls-- 3 of 'em?!?!?!
5 maybe?
Every Sunday, he appears like some kind of hipster unicorn at Harvard & Stone after midnight. A triple-corn? I feel you. I was also at a loss.
But then-- There's the another side to The Bun.
My bass player who will heckle The Man Bun all day from the confines of The Van...
I go to pick him up for tour, and he Peacocks his MB all around the house like there's no tomorrow.
There are protocols in place already apparently. The MB Ship sailed. To each their own.
For J-Sonic it's ok around the house. Otherwise, you get heckled.
For Beard, he triples down on that jam.
Beard Bates' 3X'sTMB...
https://instagram.com/p/-iFWUqyJT9/?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Live & let live, I say.
Hopefully, we can all laugh at ourselves and each other.
In good humor, good health, and bald &/or plentiful/strangely arranged locks,
PC
paulchesne.com
noticed watching one of those inside prison shows that a lot of inmates had hair out because of the heat. another fashion from incarcerated culture
Brio
And tattoos? Used to be only sailors - popeye.....now 20 to 40 year olds want to show their "individuality" by permanently inking their skin....we'll see how that looks in 20 years! Ever see the tat's of a 70 year-old? Yuk.
I always told my kids....shoot me if you ever see me with a ponytail....a man bun....OMFG.
David Epstein
It's true...all we women do is make fun of the man bun!
When much older men started growing those wimpy ponytails the girls and I vowed to run with scissors and chop off every one we could get to! Kind of ritual scalping or tonsuring!
And while we're on it, could you tell the rest of the male population to lose those Smith bros. cough drop beards? The only ones allowed to have them is the gibbons of zz top! And those two barefoot hillbillies in an old bugs bunny cartoon! That's it! For all who are left contact any of the razor websites that will send you a blade ASAP!
Phew! I feel better now! Thanks bob!
Goodnight from the east coast!
Roberta Shoten
I grew my hair out during a 200-hour Kundalini yoga training certification a few years ago. Our founder Yogi Bhajan--who helped bring yoga to America in the 1960's from his humble ashram in L.A.--encouraged his yoga teachers to embrace our natural divine state including not shaving or cutting our hair.
It's said to increase our awareness. My unshaven beard and hair work like antennae that detect subtle energy from my environment.
"It is said that when you allow your hair to grow to its full length and coil it on the crown of the head, the sun energy, pranic life force, is drawn down the spine. To counteract that downward movement, the Kundalini life energy rises to create balance. In Yogi Bhajan's words, 'Your hair is not there by mistake. It has a definite purpose, which saints will discover and other men will laugh at.'"
https://www.3ho.org/articles/all-about-hair-yogi-style?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Best,
Tony Velasco
Went to the Smithsonian in Sept. and found that even Homo Neanderthalensis is now sporting the man bun!
Carole A.
man bun = eww
Denise Mello
Fuck thank God Bob! Someone had to finally say it. I'm surprised it took you this long.
Vee Popat
When did this become a thing. About 2-3 years ago. I work at a university after all. My 22 year son stopped having one well over a year ago. It's over. Kind of like CDs.
Steven Ehrlick
Thank you for making me laugh.
Trump Man Bun: http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847983487202148352?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Vickie Nauman
better baldies shave than the comb over though surely?
saschadd
I started growing my hair a few years ago to donate for child cancer patients...during that time the man-bun became a thing and I now use it to wrap my locks up...
Over the corse of the last 4 years hearing the ridicule and jealousy (yes from women) people tend to change their tone when I mention I'm giving my hair to a little girl so she can have her dignity back...so I'll gladly let you take mine...
Brendan Carey, Jr.
Bob, I was with you till that last line. I shave my head because I think a fully bald head looks far better than a half bald head; on me or anybody.
Here's my picture of a guy at the theater. If being taller than the people behind you isn't enough pile your hair into a man-bun for even greater visual obstruction!
http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847984197327241216?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Dan Prozinski
Mpls., MN
Ugh...don't get me started. Wait… Too late!
Nothing irritates me more than the man bun. I have long hair...know what I do with it when it bothers me or gets in my way? I cut it short.
Guys: stop the man bun bullshit.
http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847984446624026624?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Brian Cooney
Samurai man bun: http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847984614320754688?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
George Drakoulias
Man buns haven't been a thing since last summer, man braids on the other hand...
http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847983989214203904?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
JL
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I was buying records from someone on Craigslist this week. He described himself for when we met as "tall with a man bun". I was shocked. He could have said "tall with terrible breath" and it would have sounded the same to me. I didn't realize people admitted to wearing one, even if you could see it. Funny stuff.
Eric Howarth
When did the man bun become a thing? I'd say Toshiro Mifune was the last person to pull it off (which inspired the attached meme), and judging by this Kayak commercial, it's already no longer a thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEBLnJ4iWmY&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Best,
Tami Lefko
I'm sending this to my 16 yr old son who has one.
Jeff Kew
HA!
I tried the thinning white/gray pony tail thing for 4 months after retiring - re-capture the hippie days, maybe. It looked like shit - looked like I was trying to re-capture the hippie days...
Cut it short and look more normal, but boring. Benefit: landing pad on top of head is less obvious, now.
Rock on, Bob.
Kevin Ritchie
"Kinda like all those bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won't know"
Would you rather they cling on to the few strands they've got or just be rid of it? My partner just recently made the transition. I'm glad he finally let go
Sharob Knight
Oh Bob, don't start judging people that way. Whatever works for them works for me. Personally, I've seen some fairly sexy looking men in buns. I'll give you Steven Tyler looks a bit like a grandmother whe he sports one but still, I thinks it's cool he doesn't give a damn. Lighten up, son :)
Patty Carlin
The man bun is over. The only person who looked good in it was Gavin Rossdale and he got rid of it. :-) (I liked it on Gavin.)
Kathy Kenyon
So, do you think I should get rid of my man bun, Bob?
I would if you told me to.
John M.
Yul Brynner and Telly Savalas have a bone to pick with you.....
Armand Sadlier
Check out Pony Tales from Kroll Show - re men and their excess hair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjs8tS57U0&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Been reading you for about 5 years now, alway interested in your perceptions. Thanks for trying to make sense of the chaos.
Best,
Khalid Hanifi
Yes, you are right--Women do make fun of them!!
Thanks,
Sheryl E Dial
Bob, I'm sure your being inundated by responses but ere's to the deluge!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bun_(hairstyle)?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response#Man_bun
Ancient hairstyle. Everything has been done and will be done again. Cycles like sounds waves.
Peace,
Dason Johnson
Unreal. Thom Yorke has a man bun, show some respect!
Tyler Blatchley
this is so idiotic, usually love your stuff though.
envious?
Connor Crawford
pppfffffftttt ... who hijacked your account & wrote that?
I WISH I could grow a decent mane again, so I could wind it up & tie it back, whatever.. (my old move was sunglasses pushed up, holding it off my face). Personally, I prefer seeing guys with fancy long hair than baseball hats any day. At least they're making an effort, right?
Justin Gray
There are those of right mind!
https://youtu.be/a8YgTaMyZRk?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Enjoy, Bob!
Mark Atherlay
Hahaha! Man I really enjoy your emails. Here's a great link combining two of the major problems in the world. Groupon and man buns!!
https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-instant-man-bun?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Philip P
BAMP project
Thanks Bob,I saw a guy with 2 man buns.1 on top,and 1 in the back.That was interesting.Have a great day,Ted Keane
Your finest comedic moment, laughing tears at my desk. Great one Bob!
Bob Kalill
Hi Bob - Great spoof on "The Tao of The Man Bun" from comedian JP Sears (2.6m views):
https://www.facebook.com/awakenwithjp/videos/vl.259496147786605/1335601943122331/?type=1&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Brandon Deroche
Yep, I'm with you Bob. But, as I'm frequently reminded when I comment this way, you need to end your rant with - "and get off my lawn...."
Bob Langlie
You' and whoever's sporting it are three years behind
Ps can you stop complaining about trivial stuff
Angel Parisi
The man bun has been standard equipment in the Jazz community of Tel Aviv for about the last 5-6 years beginning with the Trumpet player Avishay Cohen and more recently by Amit Freidman and the Grammy award winner Ruslan Sirota. It's become a rite of passage of sorts...go figure!
Best,
Hillel Wachs
2b Vibes Music
Tel Aviv-Jerusalem
Wrong. Bald guys shave their head because they KNOW that you know and why go around parading in a comb over? It's called Embracing your going-bald not holding on to your withering locks.
A. Haberman
Yeah Bob. Fire it up.
If you need a hug I'm here for you.
Lee Posner
Haha. Love it Bob.
It's as if Carrie Bradshaw never left our lives.
Simon Forman
Well Bob,
Wouldn't you agree it's a great thing if someone can still get their knickers in a twist about a hairdo, more than half a century since The Beatles? I find your post encouraging.
Cheers,
Peter van Vleuten
Hi Bob,
Man, I thought it was only me!!
Thanks for this, and for all you do.
Greg Calbi
Sterling Sound
Long enough for these guys to do this two years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YgTaMyZRk&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Also kind of amusing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiXixOXTqjA&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Joshua Freni
huh?
I don't do this but sometimes a "look" is just someone making a decision in this case getting the hair out of the eyes/face.
even commenting about how fashion sucks, sucks
LA must be horrible with everyone second guessing themselves like you're doing with this missive
who gives a fuck !!!!!!
:D
cheers
Marc Beck
Philadelphia
Jeez Bob give the bald guys who save their head some credit. It's the manly option in an age wigs can cost 5Gs and always leave you looking worse than Trump. They owned it. WTF else is there to do? Cheers Pete from Toronto.
HEY KID, GET OFF MY LAWN!
You must have watched Grand Torino last night. LOL
I must agree though that I think man buns look stupid. But then folks likely think this 63 year old with his (non-thining hair) thick ponytail looks weird too.
Denman Schmid
Uh oh. There goes half your subscribers!
(Not me!)
xxx
Richard Pachter
I think that the idea is coming from the ancient warriors. It's not a "bun" it's a top knot.
The Maori in New Zealand have been wearing top knots for centuries
As have the Samurai from Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLeSUsTprdk&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Cheers,
Lindsay Gregory
Bob,
You are so right and Man Buns are so, so wrong!
Omar Maskatiya
COO Official Charts Company, UK
It's just the new mullet! Haha!
Kenny Lee Lewis
not me! I look nothing like what's in my head...it's great! It's like I'm undercover. People have NO idea, and I like it that way.
fritzdoddy
I HATE the Man Bun!!! Watch the show Survivor and you will see wayyyyyy too many of them. Guys that wear them are too CUTE, and it makes me just want to SLAP them and tell them to "Wake up!" They look beyond lame. I was a longhair (huge Jewfro) in the 60's and 70's but that was cool. Even a pony tail is cool if you have to tie your hair back. But putting your hair up in a bun?? Sorry, that's where I draw the line. ;-)
Paul Rappaport
Careful this could easily veer back to talking about skin
James K
Bob, you are so late with this man bun stuff, my brother. We've moved on to a whole next wave of hairstyles. The hipsters are setting trends and it's exciting. Living in Hollywood, we are experiencing the newest. We are setting the trend.
Benjamin E. Cazares, Jr., Juris Doctor
Think it started with world pro soccer players to keep long hair out of their eyes while playing.
Robert Lovenheim
Hi Bob,
Man buns have been a thing long enough for a "Man Buns of Disneyland" Instagram account to exist: https://www.instagram.com/manbunsofdisneyland/?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Sorry to have to share that with you, but it couldn't be helped.
Deborah Speer
Associate News Editor
POLLSTAR
A man bun is just a ponytail with pretensions...
As my barber says, the only thing you find under a pony's tail is an asshole.
Enough said.
Timothy Ryan
Thank you for making me giggle during a crappy work day. You continue to be spot on regarding life/music perspective....You are appreciated by this human!
Melissa Provencio
The man bun is totally hot. It's been evolving for a while, I notice it while living in New York City for 16 years. Grow your bun Bob! In LA area, where I live now, there is a shortage of buns! Unless you go to In N Out!
Jennie Walker
Bob
Really? Not too judgmental. Seems to be coming from some of your own issues. Surprising you'd put it out there.
Jeff Bozler
I agree with all of this … except the comparison to "bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won't know." I think if you are balding, shaving your head completely is an aesthetically (and socially) reasonable choice; it looks better than a few desperate hairs clinging to the scalp like dying vines. I've been genetically blessed to still have a full head of hair at 56, and being the youngest of six with much older brothers with the same, I don't think I'll ever face that decision, but I have often said that if I were going bald I would just shave it all off and not fight it.
Tom Player
I am millennial. I have a shaved head, no manbun and therefore unbiased.
The manbun has come and gone many moons ago. The fact that you are raving about existence of the manbun is an insult to the common millennial.
In parallel this is simply like saying Bon Jovi's hairstyle hawks major D in 1992.
Thanks,
Zach Jones
haven't read yet, but you had me at the subject! THANK YOU
Danielle De Andrea
This one was a HOOT, Bob. I'm still laughing.
I shaved my head for 23 years, but no more. It is what it is, and it ain't coming back. I'm 58, I own it…
Bob Davis
Retired Tour Accountant
I envy you that you're just now becoming aware of this phenomenon. Here in Denver it's been a hipster thing for a while now. And the man-bun + the full beard? That's this generation's mullet...
Sam Smith
Like you, I'm a fellow bald guy - but I shave my head. Not because people will think I'm NOT bald - but because I'm not ashamed of being bald...and I think it looks better than having that horseshoe-shaped fringe. I always assume most guys who shave their heads ARE bald. I gotta say, it's the ones with the complicated comb-overs (Drumpf, for example), who seem to be trying to fool people...and wind up deluding only themselves.
David Allgood
Love you Bob...but I gotta ask...why are you writing about this?
David Bach
At last someone has said what needed to be said on this topic.
Greg Dennis
When I see someone sporting a man bun, yes, I think it?s ridiculous as I
thought the proliferation of goatees was ridiculous.
But most of all, I think how wonderful to still have a head of hair that
can support such ridiculousness.
What was once a head of hair that Thor could admire now seems more suited
to the crowd at a Channel 13 Doo Wop membership drive concert.
Ouch.
William Nollman
I was with you until the last line. I respect those baldies that just own it and bic it clean rather than getting implants or wigs or, god forbid, the dreaded combover. But yea, the man bun trend needs to die.
SG
Preach! Could not have said it better - man buns are just wrong on every level.
Stewart Lewis
Uh oh... pretty soon you're going to be yelling "getting off my lawn!" ;-)
Gonzo Rock
Sumo wrestlers!
https://www.insidejapantours.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/sumoakebono.jpg?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Craig Anderton
It was only acceptable for Riff Raff at the end of Rocky Horror. You know, the scene where you're supposed to shout out, "Hey Riff, who does your hair, Dairy Queen?"
David DiSanzo
Funniest post in ages Bob! Good therapy.
Seth Hodder
Bob the man bun became a thing along time ago. I used to think you were a step ahead of the curve, bob, on all fronts, but I can see clearly now that you have lost your grip and touch. The only thing you've got right these days Bobby's about the integrity of artists and maybe some of the trends in international business and tech. Bob you need to do some soul-searching of your own so I can depend on you further ...as for now you're one email away from being un subscribed
Howard Dlugasch
Hey dude, people are free to dress however they like. Same goes for the hair.
Regardless of that, here a "fun fact": I had a bun in 1991 and and got
more pussy than most see in their lifetime.
Cheerio
Lenny Ibizarre
I'm bald, so I let my hair grow as long as my wife will let me!
Peter Noone
Follow the wearer of the man bun. 'THEY' will lead you to your safe-space!
Wade Mosher
Worst male trend that I've ever seen
Kevin F. Sutter
ALL RIGHT, HAMILTON!!
Oscar Williamson
No definitive answer, but one of the very first people I recall seeing with a man bun, years ago, was Ringo. Somehow, he pulled it off.
Best,
George Varga
Hilarious! Jealous! Lol
Jake Gold
I saw a man bun who had a man purse too in Beverly Hills last week. Swear to you. :0)
Harry Levy
Haters gonna hate, Bob.
(My son has a man bun and it looks great. Takes confidence, and YOUNG women love them)
Michele Kalish
Now there is a name for a band. Albeit a band making yoga music but still. ...
Dan Waite
You rock Bob!!!
Steve Gerardi
Love your emails Bob.
The man bun has been a thing for a while though.
Cameron Ridenour
I tend to mimic the community I'm interested in photographing at any particular time.
In my long hair I've spent a couple years shooting rockers and pole dancers, now with my new short look, I'm set to shoot some fascists.
Scott Chmelar
Manbun.
Been around for about 10 years... that's it's becoming acceptable and a trend means it's on the way out. Here come the buzz cuts. :) Oh and the world keeps turning, turning, turning back on itself, like a snake eating the tail of the snake that's eating it's tail.
Rebekah Ann
Beautiful Bob. Let the hate mail begin LOL. Freakin hipsters.... they can take their man bun and skinny jeans and you know what with it. We hear you screaming for attention hipsters so please stop making us plug our ears… And eyes
J.Vieira
Great on all levels and you didn't use the words Trump or Park City!
Doug Epperson
Sometimes it's just more comfortable to wear hair up when it's long. I don't consider it a statement about my individuality - I am aware plenty of other men wear their hair the same way.
Sorry it makes you so angry.
Mike Greenberg
Say what you will... but it has only helped the cause over here, not hurt it. I play colleges all over the country with my percussion group and, no bragging here but just to report, it has been a popular attention getter. Alas, nothing lasts forever.
Dan Twiford
(Former bowl-cut wearer circa 1997)
I know you are going to get a load of mail about how bad the man bun is, so I decided to throw you my opinion. I'm a 50 year old woman, when I was 12 and just started to notice men, they all had long hair and they were hot. Then the 80s happened, god I hate short hair on men. When the man bun came back I was so happy, then the world started making fun of it and now I'm sad. Man, I really hate short hair on men. Thanks for asking ;)
Lee Vandeveer
Angry today Bob?
Take it easy you've got a big event coming up.. enjoy. And there may be some Man Buns there. Be patient with everyone.. we're only trying to find our own way home.
xo
Johnny Brower
By the time there's a name for it, it's passè; same as it ever was. Last time I was in LA without my stetson, somebody remarked on what a cliche it was for us 'sound engineers' to wear ponytails, but the very practical reason for this is if you don't tie your long hair back/up/somewhere, the headphones slide off your ears every time you turn your head. And did you know that wearing a hat with a brim puts a notch in your hearing?
Back in my spandex days, I sported pigtails instead of the teased mane typical of the era. Thank God there were no camphones back then. By the late nineties, I was shaving my head; not bald then nor now, just thought it was a cool look that I could never try prior, for fear of being mistaken for a nazi skinhead.Remember them? It was no wonder they were pissed off all the time; they never got laid. Hey, maybe we should ship prostitutes to the Middle East instead of bombs? It doesn't look like they'll be taking up football anytime soon.
Mojo Bone
Wow... my email server must be slow because this article would have been relevant two years ago. The man bun bothers people because it is a man appropriating something thought of as feminine... in the same way that a woman wearing pants (!) used to bother people.
C'mon, Bob. Write another great article about music!
Suzanne Nuttall a.k.a. Ponyta
Toronto, Canada
Haha...Ok Bob, you don't really think men shave their heads so that people won't notice they're half bald, do you??
Everyone knows... But they do it coz its neat and presentable (and I'd bet every guitar I own, that 10 out of 10 women would prefer their partner fully shaved than doing the Homer Simpson).
Hanging it on half bald men that shave their heads is like hanging it on people that cut their nails, or women that shave under their arms... just coz it grows on you doesnt mean you should keep it!
Please! lol.
Simon Hosford
I understand you're an older gentleman but you just discovered the man bun phenomenon? You're about 2 years too late.
Danny Jay
Us bald guys shave our heads to embrace our balding and not fight it. Those with comb overs are trying to hold into the past. It is no different than the streaming vs physical albums mentality.
Now as far as the man buns you are 100% correct.
Rock on
Nick Tuite
Bob, Bob, Bob
Complaining about hair styles on young people?
Now you're REALLY beginning to sound like my parents.
Jim Blaney
Nashville TN
Hey, a shaved head is the ironic combover.
David Scott Carlick
Hey Bob. I'm pretty critical of some aspects of people's style choices too; the millennial beard, tattoos on every ordinary white dude alive, cosmetic surgery (medical necessity not included), etc, but, shaving your head is not an attempt to not look bald, it's an attempt to not be a ridiculous guy clinging to the last bits of hair, trying to make it look like a hairdo. Believe me, it's way more comfortable than a comb over.
Chris Flesher
Jail term for man bun
" The Bitch Handle "
Mark Flores
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/manbun?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
-Jon Curtis
It became a thing at least 2 years ago...
You're out of touch... please stop writing about skin and man buns and focus on the music.
Leah Cardoz
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the snickering women of which you speak.
I'm oldish (38) but everyone I know thinks a well done man bun is pure sexy.
Show this to the cackling hens and let me know what they think:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdEzCzaYCBQ&utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Also, man buns have been a thing for a looooong while (at least 3 years).
Jennifer Irizarry
As a boomer (loud and Proud) I had long hair in the 60s and 70s and reluctantly cut it to land a job. Grew it back a couple of times. But now, as my hair is retreating daily, I find myself thinking the same thing about man buns. Shit, I'm getting old.
Robert Tussey
It is funny, even though, it is I guess, a fashion thing (sometimes... lol),
I do find it funny, and I don't know why!
Best,
Glenda Rush
Hahaha Bob, you're tripping. My hair and I got a divorce some time ago now but I cut it so I don't walk around looking like black Bozo. Everyone that knows me I assume knows why I shave my head. When it ALL grew I had beautiful full locks. Every generation is different, just because you don't understand it...oh well. If they wanna rock Man Buns more power to them!!!
Widnikprod
Hi Bob, " hair " a way more complicated subject than you set out in today's piece. Good start but oh oh, watch the avalanche of mail coming! You may need a rescue dog! Best from a Toronto follower, keep up the great work. Rick Kesler.
Hair envy? I get it too, if I still could, it's likely I'd be sporting a 'mun'.
Matthew Aitchison
already came and went, thank god!!
Rob Reimer
Damn Bob, this is a lot of vitriol for a hairstyle. You say you can't tell the personality by the bun, but then you say it radiates follower, lack of individuality, looking for cred. Sometimes long hair makes you physically hot, so you put your hair up. I don't have long hair, but when I did, I put it up because I was hot. Not because I was "trying to gain some cred".
Rob Getzschman
I love you man!
Cuzin D
Even as a proud millenial, I have to admit that this is great (and hilarious). As usual, spot-on!
Joe Casey
Clearly, per other cultures BESIDES the only one you might pay attention to, this hairstyle has been in style for much longer than any hipster has been in existence. That includes back when you were in University.
Devin Nolcox
Bob, I love you and your work, and you do a great job of staying young in your mind and heart, but in this one you sound like an old guy who wants those darn kids to get off his lawn. Who cares how they wear their hair? Old people in 1964 could have used some of these exact same words to talk about the Beatles.
Bill Higgins
The women of London just say "No" to man buns - at least those of us over that age of 40.
Jane Clemetson
lol hilarious.
Coley
Making fun of people for the way they look or how they choose to wear their hair? Really? Who cares? Some people are outsiders and some are followers. If they're happy, don't let it bother you.
Tiffany
Pretty sure 'hating on man buns' just jumped the shark, and now they'll become cool again.
Jordan Walker
If you're a real samurai, I'll let the man bun/top knot slide as well. Otherwise…
Regards,
Ned Ward
"Now you tie it all on top of your head like a Teletubby." LOOOOOL
I love Bob Lefsetz! He's such a well-opinionated guy! Hah!
Destiny Johnson
Haters gonna hate! :)
John Conkle
Teletubby...that's really funny!
Carolyne Mas
I think in this day and age everyone is trying to appeal to everyone. Gay, straight, transgender or whomever. It's not only Gen Me it's Gen Wuss as well. lmao
M1
The man bun is kind of sad. Guys who can't figure out if they are getting old or just getting out of touch, guys who lost touch with what used to be cool, and guys who can't deal with the fact they are getting older. Most important, guys who lost touch with real style. Of course, I could be wrong.
John Parikhal
Bob, I am not praising or blaming, but the herd is huge and sporting the same fleece. The light beard, or
should I say 'beard-lite' and the checked shirt, or any shirt hanging out just below the belt line.
Hair is cropped and groomed just so, neat enough to please my very conservative late Dad. And the guys are in pants
and shoes with white soles. It's the least imaginative, most pervasive look in recorded memory. It's dullness is
only pernicious in that the herd expects everyone to dress that way and today, like-hires-like in the job market.
Your chances of getting hired drop drastically of you look fantastically different. Not in Paris or London, but in America. So it goes. And oh, there slips a man bun,
on a bike, as we were speaking. Tantric.
Enjoy your columns immensely.
Howard Stein
Man bun is hot. I think I first recall it 6 years ago in NYC when it became a "trend". There are specific kinds of guys who sport it (today), bohemian yet ironically professional with a groomed beard and yes, like you mentioned, yoga teachers and the hipsters. It's 2017 and men are embracing fashion more fiercely than ever before and I applaud it. We talk about women equality and rights all day long but, why do men get judged for breaking the norm with their hair style choice? Under every man bun are some sexy layered locks and women who snicker at it are probably middled-aged who's husbands have lost most of their hair and are, like most people who make fun of others, insecure about it. #WhoGivesAShit
Kristen Lucio
i rocked a man bun for eons before it was even called a man bun.
it was a ponytail wrapped around itself.
i loved my long hair, but i couldn't stand the man ponytail, so i wrapped it around itself.
hence, the bun.
women do it all the time !
its takes a real confident man to rock a man bun
mowgli
This was great...it sounds like it was written by Larry David!
Daryl B. Williams
Love it!
theshopdj
I'll take my man bun over baldness, any day.
Justin Forth
I'm not against anything you're saying but I'm curious as to what other options there are. Everything has been done already. There's nothing new under the sun. The 80's are back. The music has been the lowest common denominator and it's now trendy to be exploring new (old) sounds. The man bun is ridiculous as is that Muslim beard on non muslims (bald head, just beard - you've seen it) So what are these followers, non innovators, raised on devices vs. humanity, to do? They don't even know better. Just asking - Luv ya Bob!
Etan G
Jesus Bob sounds like some major repressed hair envy thing going on.
Derek Petrillo
for once in your life, i dare say you're behind the curve. i feel like the man bun hit its peak 2-3 years ago and is finally dying down, thank God!
Jeremy Mix
Been a thing for a while, and ridiculed for about one day less than that.
You wear one, you only have one strike left to convince me you're not a douche.
Then again, I'm not a fan of earrings on men either. Or tattoos on anybody.
If you're straining so hard to look cool, you're probably not cool.
Mitchell Brook
Speaking as a 50-year-old musician - still doing gigs by the way - the man bun is terrible. I've sported a pony tail - had to - back in the day my hair was nearly on level with my ass. The Man bun is style - and not good style.
My mother - a preacher - wore her hair in a bun to make it fit the silly hat the church required. I get that. It was what it was. But she probably would have preferred to rock her natural curls. She, by the way, at 80-plus - and being my first piano teacher - still does more gigs than I do on a weekly basis than I do. My mom, she was proud that I made a living from music, but, to me, she's the rock star.
I say that because she played/plays for everyone - her church congregation, at old folks homes and, back in the day, when I was wee, in prisons - my mom and dad were pastors for years in Kingston, Ontario and served every prison in the area. That ranged from minimum security digs to maximum security lockups in KP and Millhaven. My dad, god rest his soul, dealt with the worst of the worst. My mom, she played for them all.
I've played a lot of shows in my time, but I'm still playing catch up to my mother. And she did the ones that matter - not to fans, not to people who paid for the experience, but to those who needed it, right then and right there. That's the thing - we love the artist of the moment, we talk about them, we never talk about the folks for whom music is life, who never get the props they deserve because they work in the shadows. And those, my friend, are the people who matter the most in music.
Don't know how I went from man bun to mom, but just saying'.
Kevin Young
Mr. L--
I try not to weigh in too much, but this is important.
My buddy, "Beard Bates", has a Triple Man Bun!
Yeah you heard that right. T to the M to the B.
At first I was afraid, I was petrified...
But then right in the heart of Hollywood, it appeared.
It's a veritable Niagara Falls, cascading gently &/or offensively right down the back of his big ole noggin...
I bore witness. No one warned me!
I was aghast, & giggled behind his back.
Now, we're friends.
He has balls-- 3 of 'em?!?!?!
5 maybe?
Every Sunday, he appears like some kind of hipster unicorn at Harvard & Stone after midnight. A triple-corn? I feel you. I was also at a loss.
But then-- There's the another side to The Bun.
My bass player who will heckle The Man Bun all day from the confines of The Van...
I go to pick him up for tour, and he Peacocks his MB all around the house like there's no tomorrow.
There are protocols in place already apparently. The MB Ship sailed. To each their own.
For J-Sonic it's ok around the house. Otherwise, you get heckled.
For Beard, he triples down on that jam.
Beard Bates' 3X'sTMB...
https://instagram.com/p/-iFWUqyJT9/?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Live & let live, I say.
Hopefully, we can all laugh at ourselves and each other.
In good humor, good health, and bald &/or plentiful/strangely arranged locks,
PC
paulchesne.com
noticed watching one of those inside prison shows that a lot of inmates had hair out because of the heat. another fashion from incarcerated culture
Brio
And tattoos? Used to be only sailors - popeye.....now 20 to 40 year olds want to show their "individuality" by permanently inking their skin....we'll see how that looks in 20 years! Ever see the tat's of a 70 year-old? Yuk.
I always told my kids....shoot me if you ever see me with a ponytail....a man bun....OMFG.
David Epstein
It's true...all we women do is make fun of the man bun!
When much older men started growing those wimpy ponytails the girls and I vowed to run with scissors and chop off every one we could get to! Kind of ritual scalping or tonsuring!
And while we're on it, could you tell the rest of the male population to lose those Smith bros. cough drop beards? The only ones allowed to have them is the gibbons of zz top! And those two barefoot hillbillies in an old bugs bunny cartoon! That's it! For all who are left contact any of the razor websites that will send you a blade ASAP!
Phew! I feel better now! Thanks bob!
Goodnight from the east coast!
Roberta Shoten
I grew my hair out during a 200-hour Kundalini yoga training certification a few years ago. Our founder Yogi Bhajan--who helped bring yoga to America in the 1960's from his humble ashram in L.A.--encouraged his yoga teachers to embrace our natural divine state including not shaving or cutting our hair.
It's said to increase our awareness. My unshaven beard and hair work like antennae that detect subtle energy from my environment.
"It is said that when you allow your hair to grow to its full length and coil it on the crown of the head, the sun energy, pranic life force, is drawn down the spine. To counteract that downward movement, the Kundalini life energy rises to create balance. In Yogi Bhajan's words, 'Your hair is not there by mistake. It has a definite purpose, which saints will discover and other men will laugh at.'"
https://www.3ho.org/articles/all-about-hair-yogi-style?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Best,
Tony Velasco
Went to the Smithsonian in Sept. and found that even Homo Neanderthalensis is now sporting the man bun!
Carole A.
man bun = eww
Denise Mello
Fuck thank God Bob! Someone had to finally say it. I'm surprised it took you this long.
Vee Popat
When did this become a thing. About 2-3 years ago. I work at a university after all. My 22 year son stopped having one well over a year ago. It's over. Kind of like CDs.
Steven Ehrlick
Thank you for making me laugh.
Trump Man Bun: http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847983487202148352?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Vickie Nauman
better baldies shave than the comb over though surely?
saschadd
I started growing my hair a few years ago to donate for child cancer patients...during that time the man-bun became a thing and I now use it to wrap my locks up...
Over the corse of the last 4 years hearing the ridicule and jealousy (yes from women) people tend to change their tone when I mention I'm giving my hair to a little girl so she can have her dignity back...so I'll gladly let you take mine...
Brendan Carey, Jr.
Bob, I was with you till that last line. I shave my head because I think a fully bald head looks far better than a half bald head; on me or anybody.
Here's my picture of a guy at the theater. If being taller than the people behind you isn't enough pile your hair into a man-bun for even greater visual obstruction!
http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847984197327241216?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Dan Prozinski
Mpls., MN
Ugh...don't get me started. Wait… Too late!
Nothing irritates me more than the man bun. I have long hair...know what I do with it when it bothers me or gets in my way? I cut it short.
Guys: stop the man bun bullshit.
http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847984446624026624?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
Brian Cooney
Samurai man bun: http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847984614320754688?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
George Drakoulias
Man buns haven't been a thing since last summer, man braids on the other hand...
http://twitter.com/Lefsetz/status/847983989214203904?utm_source=phplist5799&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=One+and+Only+Man+Bun+Response
JL
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Thursday, 30 March 2017
Internet Privacy
Where is the outrage?
Tim Westergren rallies listeners to save Pandora from extinction.
Silicon Valley rallies the troops to save net neutrality.
But when it comes to coughing up your browser history to you ISP?
Crickets.
Pop stars and sports team agitate against heinous North Carolina legislation that oppresses minorities and the state blinks.
The Republicans decide to allow your ISP to sell your browser history so they can make money, costing you money in the process, since your wants and desires can be manipulated, and no one raises a finger.
Is it that we're all so fatigued? With new revelations about Trump and his posse every single day?
Or is it we're so overwhelmed by the loss of the election that we can't be counted on to stand up?
But we stood up against flight rules that were discriminatory. We stood up against health care policies that would have eliminated coverage for many, but when it comes to protecting each and every one of us, as individuals, we blink?
What is the nation we're now living in? One wherein we pledge fealty to the government and sacrifice our individuality, lose our lives in the cause of "progress"? Foul our air and scar our bodies so corporations can make more money increasing the GDP? Come on, all this relaxation of energy rules. Do you personally need a pipeline? Furthermore, coal has been eclipsed by natural gas and solar, the latter of which has been pushed by the government, proving that the institution can do some good, but I don't want to get down into the weeds too much because I think this is something we can all agree on, is there any person who wants LESS PRIVACY?
I need you to read this opinion piece by Tom Wheeler, the former head of the FCC:
https://nyti.ms/2owNbhs
You will be very scared.
Not only is this rollback gonna be signed by Trump after sailing through Congress, the bill prohibits the FCC from acting on behalf of the public in privacy matters in the future. There, you just lost a layer of protection.
And Wheeler makes the point that phone calls are protected, but now when you search for a new car, that info can be sold to dealers who can act upon it.
And I don't want you to be criticizing the NYT. I don't want you to be e-mailing me about George Soros. Those are false equivalencies trumped up by a right wing media that has resulted in this nincompoop becoming President. Sure, Soros donates to left wing causes, but if you believe he uses his money to threaten Democratic leaders and spearhead his own agenda contrary to the will of the majority just like the Koch brothers and Robert Mercer, you're just plain wrong. And no one has as many boots on the ground as the NYT. The WSJ has shrunk the newshole to such a degree there's nearly nothing left. It's like reading a pamphlet. And what is there focuses on general news as opposed to the business news I subscribed for.
And the "Times" itself had an editorial yesterday decrying the loss of privacy, read this one too:
https://nyti.ms/2nzbsFU
Have we learned nothing from Edward Snowden? How many whistleblowers have to be sacrificed before we get the message... Those in power are in the pockets of corporations and are not looking out for you and me, no way, meanwhile they eradicated whistleblower legislation, because that's the problem, the takers out for themselves impeding progress. You probably believe liability judgments and class actions are raising your insurance premiums. Not really, not by much. Even the WSJ admits this. The end result? You can't sue a company anymore, you've got to go to arbitration, where the odds of winning are infinitesimal.
So now they know where you are and they know what you're doing and you've got no recourse. Sound like a bad novel, maybe "1984"? It does to me.
And what I know is if this somnambulant public woke up and protested congresspeople would freak out and roll these changes back. We've seen it time and time again. When it comes to technology D.C. is clueless. And when the tsunami of people who live online, which is almost everybody, complains, elected officials back down.
But the Silicon Valley companies are quiet because they don't want to piss off the ISPs.
And the left wing is overwhelmed and the right wing wants us to jet back to the 1950s but the truth is we're living in the twenty first century.
So do you want a camera in your bedroom? Do you want everybody to know what you're doing? Almost thinking, because that's what browser history is all about?
Then welcome to 2017, where your elected officials just coughed up those rights, figuring you just didn't care and weren't paying attention.
God, I wish we had some leaders, people who had the attention of the masses, who were trusted, who had credibility, who could wake people up and make them take action.
But although Edward Snowden could stand up on principle, you can't get an artist to do the same, no way, they're afraid of the hit to their career.
And the corporation outlives its executives and it must be protected at all costs.
And do we expect Zuckerberg and the social nitwits to stand up here when they're doing the same damn thing, slicing and dicing our information, eradicating our piracy?
If it makes money, it's cool.
But I don't believe that. I believe the air that we breathe, the conversations we have, the searching we do, should be protected, inviolate.
I've coughed up enough of my privacy already.
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Tim Westergren rallies listeners to save Pandora from extinction.
Silicon Valley rallies the troops to save net neutrality.
But when it comes to coughing up your browser history to you ISP?
Crickets.
Pop stars and sports team agitate against heinous North Carolina legislation that oppresses minorities and the state blinks.
The Republicans decide to allow your ISP to sell your browser history so they can make money, costing you money in the process, since your wants and desires can be manipulated, and no one raises a finger.
Is it that we're all so fatigued? With new revelations about Trump and his posse every single day?
Or is it we're so overwhelmed by the loss of the election that we can't be counted on to stand up?
But we stood up against flight rules that were discriminatory. We stood up against health care policies that would have eliminated coverage for many, but when it comes to protecting each and every one of us, as individuals, we blink?
What is the nation we're now living in? One wherein we pledge fealty to the government and sacrifice our individuality, lose our lives in the cause of "progress"? Foul our air and scar our bodies so corporations can make more money increasing the GDP? Come on, all this relaxation of energy rules. Do you personally need a pipeline? Furthermore, coal has been eclipsed by natural gas and solar, the latter of which has been pushed by the government, proving that the institution can do some good, but I don't want to get down into the weeds too much because I think this is something we can all agree on, is there any person who wants LESS PRIVACY?
I need you to read this opinion piece by Tom Wheeler, the former head of the FCC:
https://nyti.ms/2owNbhs
You will be very scared.
Not only is this rollback gonna be signed by Trump after sailing through Congress, the bill prohibits the FCC from acting on behalf of the public in privacy matters in the future. There, you just lost a layer of protection.
And Wheeler makes the point that phone calls are protected, but now when you search for a new car, that info can be sold to dealers who can act upon it.
And I don't want you to be criticizing the NYT. I don't want you to be e-mailing me about George Soros. Those are false equivalencies trumped up by a right wing media that has resulted in this nincompoop becoming President. Sure, Soros donates to left wing causes, but if you believe he uses his money to threaten Democratic leaders and spearhead his own agenda contrary to the will of the majority just like the Koch brothers and Robert Mercer, you're just plain wrong. And no one has as many boots on the ground as the NYT. The WSJ has shrunk the newshole to such a degree there's nearly nothing left. It's like reading a pamphlet. And what is there focuses on general news as opposed to the business news I subscribed for.
And the "Times" itself had an editorial yesterday decrying the loss of privacy, read this one too:
https://nyti.ms/2nzbsFU
Have we learned nothing from Edward Snowden? How many whistleblowers have to be sacrificed before we get the message... Those in power are in the pockets of corporations and are not looking out for you and me, no way, meanwhile they eradicated whistleblower legislation, because that's the problem, the takers out for themselves impeding progress. You probably believe liability judgments and class actions are raising your insurance premiums. Not really, not by much. Even the WSJ admits this. The end result? You can't sue a company anymore, you've got to go to arbitration, where the odds of winning are infinitesimal.
So now they know where you are and they know what you're doing and you've got no recourse. Sound like a bad novel, maybe "1984"? It does to me.
And what I know is if this somnambulant public woke up and protested congresspeople would freak out and roll these changes back. We've seen it time and time again. When it comes to technology D.C. is clueless. And when the tsunami of people who live online, which is almost everybody, complains, elected officials back down.
But the Silicon Valley companies are quiet because they don't want to piss off the ISPs.
And the left wing is overwhelmed and the right wing wants us to jet back to the 1950s but the truth is we're living in the twenty first century.
So do you want a camera in your bedroom? Do you want everybody to know what you're doing? Almost thinking, because that's what browser history is all about?
Then welcome to 2017, where your elected officials just coughed up those rights, figuring you just didn't care and weren't paying attention.
God, I wish we had some leaders, people who had the attention of the masses, who were trusted, who had credibility, who could wake people up and make them take action.
But although Edward Snowden could stand up on principle, you can't get an artist to do the same, no way, they're afraid of the hit to their career.
And the corporation outlives its executives and it must be protected at all costs.
And do we expect Zuckerberg and the social nitwits to stand up here when they're doing the same damn thing, slicing and dicing our information, eradicating our piracy?
If it makes money, it's cool.
But I don't believe that. I believe the air that we breathe, the conversations we have, the searching we do, should be protected, inviolate.
I've coughed up enough of my privacy already.
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Thursday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/lefsetz/playlist/6fx0LfRbG4yTveD42gfWVg?utm_source=phplist5797&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Thursday+Playlist
"Eagles Fly"
Sammy Hagar
I discovered this during the Napster era. It was never a hit, but it could be one of Sammy's best productions ever, featuring an uncredited lead by Eddie Van Halen as well as credited bass work by that famous axe-swinger. And isn't it funny, neither Sam nor Dave could reach the same commercial heights without the elusive Eddie. Sure, Dave had some initial solo success right after "1984," but that dissipated quite quickly, seems the public knows where the magic lies.
"Eagles Fly" is an anthem. It's a revelation in an era where we have none. Where beats dominate and melody is anathema. And one thing's for sure, Sam can sing. I'm including this cut because I heard a live take on No Shoes Radio wherein Sammy claims to be 65, not denying his age, and he wails and loses not a step.
Used to be our airwaves were laden with anthems. Remember "Paradise City"? That's what's getting everybody out to see GNR at the stadium. But rock is in the rearview mirror and too many purveyors can neither sing as well as Sammy nor play as well as Eddie.
This is a one listen get, assuming you like this kind of music. Check it out.
"Spring Is Here"
Wendy Waldman
It most certainly is, in Southern California, I know the technical date was ten days ago but when I walked out the front door today and it was warm and sunny and I contemplated when I'd start wearing shorts I knew spring had finally sprung.
Funny how you live long enough and your favorites fade in the rearview mirror. Wendy Waldman is going to college to study composition, expanding her boundaries, and I applaud that, especially when so many aged boomers are relaxing and retiring. But what is weird is this excellent cut, which goes through my brain every year at this time and more is gonna be lost to the sands of time. It's the instrumentation and feel, the hope.
Hope, it's a funny thing. I feel best when I have it.
"Monday, Monday"
The Mamas & the Papas
I heard Papa John Phillips on Howard Stern today. Which is quite weird, since he's been dead for quite a while. I never knew he slept with Jane Fonda but it turned out Papa John had a book and had written about it and this whole segment was sex-oriented, funny how Howard's changed, but I was continuing to listen because the hype was that Steven Tyler, who was in the studio with Joe Perry too, eventually suggests to Papa John they write a song together and the folkie begs off. I never got to that point, but as they were playing a game I couldn't stop thinking back to when, when the Mamas & the Papas were gigantic.
"California Dreamin'" was the initial hit. A west coast counterpart to the east coast "Sound Of Silence," which shared the airwaves at the same time.
And then came "Monday, Monday," cementing the act's place in the firmament. This was long before we heard "Creeque Alley" and realized how many dues they'd all paid, except for Michelle, who is still alive and kicking, who suddenly had every girl in my high school imitating her look.
Now at this point, my favorite Mamas & Papas cut is "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)," even though it didn't make the top ten, I heard it, I knew it, but didn't come to love it until I bought a greatest hits album in the eighties and listened to it over and over again. And to be true, I've got to add "Words Of Love" in here too, which had a rollicking summer circus feel in contrast to the winter weather when it was a hit, remember when an act's next hit didn't sound exactly like the one had come before? And while I'm running through the catalog, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention "I Saw Her Again" too. It's the exuberance, the intro like an Association song, that hooks you. You walked down the street and sang this in your head and just felt happy, back before society became coarse and the street ruled. Come on, you've got no idea what it was like to have a crush in the sixties and be able to sing this song in your head.
And "California Dreamin'" may be forever, some of the other songs may be remembered, but the genius of Papa John...is being lost to the sands of time.
"The Way It Is"
Bruce Hornsby & the Range
This riff goes through my head on a regular basis, and I'm not sure why, but just this morning, standing at the sink, getting ready to put in my contacts, that descending piano lick...
This was a gigantic hit on KNX-FM, L.A.'s soft rock station, back in the summer of '86, I'd let the radio play and write articles on my Mac Plus in preparation for the first issue of "The Lefsetz Letter."
"A Long Time, A Long Way To Go"
Todd Rundgren
From "The Ballad of...", before he remade "Hello It's Me" and came out from behind the console to be a star. "The Ballad of..." is his best album, most people do their best work in obscurity, when no one is looking, no one is paying attention. Then again, if you had a record deal at all back then you got some attention, but this was released on Ampex/Bearsville, which meant it was almost like it never came out at all, this was before Albert Grossman moved his label to Warner Brothers, I bought "The Ballad of..." as a cut-out, back when music was scarce and you followed your favorites, especially if they got no significant traction, I was a huge Nazz fan.
Every track on "The Ballad of..." is a winner, and none of them are the same, they evidence exquisite craftsmanship in the writing and the production, and if there were any justice at all, and there isn't, Todd would have been inducted into the R&RHOF long ago, proving that honors and awards are worthless.
"Love Is The Answer"
Utopia
But it's really a Todd Rundgren song, absent the jazz fusion/rock sound of the band. Actually, "Love Is The Answer" is on "Oops! Wrong Planet," which is the most Rundgrenesque of Utopia's records, i.e. more straight ahead rock. But the winner is this, the closing track, which was a hit in a schmaltzy version by England Dan & John Ford Coley, but this is the one you've got to know...
"And when you feel afraid, love one another"
It's no sign of weakness to say you're scared, to ask for help.
"When you've lost your way, love one another"
The older you get the more you realize, you've got no idea where you're going, you're in a backwater, you need help, there's no harm in asking for directions.
"When you're all alone, love one another"
The scourge of humanity, loneliness. If only someone were there, we wouldn't be lost in the detritus of our own thoughts.
"When you're far from home, love one another"
It's a conundrum. The best things happen when you're on the road, but the pitfalls counterbalance the peaks and oftentimes you're at loose ends.
"When you're down and out, love one another"
People are afraid to look like losers. When they need help most they won't ask for it.
"All your hope's run out, love one another"
Did you see that scary Princeton study on the death rate of middle-aged whites? They're killing themselves in droves, they've lost all hope, there's no economic opportunity, it's scary.
"When you need a friend, love one another"
You can't make it alone, you need friends. Someone to listen to you, someone to call when you're down and out.
"When you're near the end, love..."
It's coming, you just may not know it yet. You're gonna die, sooner rather than later. And the closer you come to the conclusion the more stuff that you thought mattered doesn't. Assets especially. It's the intangible that counts. Your friends, your connections, your conversations.
"We got to love one another"
We most certainly do.
But in today's game we're fearful that if we're not on guard, we're gonna end up with the short end of the stick. Everybody's huddled, protecting what they've got, focusing on points of division as opposed to connection. And to tell you the truth, I was a bit O.D.'ed on all the love talk way back when from not only Todd, but John Lennon. But having achieved their goals, they knew there had to be something more.
We've got to love one another.
We've got to love the planet.
We've got to think long term as opposed to short, know we're just custodians of the Earth and we must protect it for future generations.
And I contemplate all this when I listen to such majestic music as "Love Is The Answer," from back when you could be wimpy and hard-edged and still be the same person.
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"Eagles Fly"
Sammy Hagar
I discovered this during the Napster era. It was never a hit, but it could be one of Sammy's best productions ever, featuring an uncredited lead by Eddie Van Halen as well as credited bass work by that famous axe-swinger. And isn't it funny, neither Sam nor Dave could reach the same commercial heights without the elusive Eddie. Sure, Dave had some initial solo success right after "1984," but that dissipated quite quickly, seems the public knows where the magic lies.
"Eagles Fly" is an anthem. It's a revelation in an era where we have none. Where beats dominate and melody is anathema. And one thing's for sure, Sam can sing. I'm including this cut because I heard a live take on No Shoes Radio wherein Sammy claims to be 65, not denying his age, and he wails and loses not a step.
Used to be our airwaves were laden with anthems. Remember "Paradise City"? That's what's getting everybody out to see GNR at the stadium. But rock is in the rearview mirror and too many purveyors can neither sing as well as Sammy nor play as well as Eddie.
This is a one listen get, assuming you like this kind of music. Check it out.
"Spring Is Here"
Wendy Waldman
It most certainly is, in Southern California, I know the technical date was ten days ago but when I walked out the front door today and it was warm and sunny and I contemplated when I'd start wearing shorts I knew spring had finally sprung.
Funny how you live long enough and your favorites fade in the rearview mirror. Wendy Waldman is going to college to study composition, expanding her boundaries, and I applaud that, especially when so many aged boomers are relaxing and retiring. But what is weird is this excellent cut, which goes through my brain every year at this time and more is gonna be lost to the sands of time. It's the instrumentation and feel, the hope.
Hope, it's a funny thing. I feel best when I have it.
"Monday, Monday"
The Mamas & the Papas
I heard Papa John Phillips on Howard Stern today. Which is quite weird, since he's been dead for quite a while. I never knew he slept with Jane Fonda but it turned out Papa John had a book and had written about it and this whole segment was sex-oriented, funny how Howard's changed, but I was continuing to listen because the hype was that Steven Tyler, who was in the studio with Joe Perry too, eventually suggests to Papa John they write a song together and the folkie begs off. I never got to that point, but as they were playing a game I couldn't stop thinking back to when, when the Mamas & the Papas were gigantic.
"California Dreamin'" was the initial hit. A west coast counterpart to the east coast "Sound Of Silence," which shared the airwaves at the same time.
And then came "Monday, Monday," cementing the act's place in the firmament. This was long before we heard "Creeque Alley" and realized how many dues they'd all paid, except for Michelle, who is still alive and kicking, who suddenly had every girl in my high school imitating her look.
Now at this point, my favorite Mamas & Papas cut is "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)," even though it didn't make the top ten, I heard it, I knew it, but didn't come to love it until I bought a greatest hits album in the eighties and listened to it over and over again. And to be true, I've got to add "Words Of Love" in here too, which had a rollicking summer circus feel in contrast to the winter weather when it was a hit, remember when an act's next hit didn't sound exactly like the one had come before? And while I'm running through the catalog, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention "I Saw Her Again" too. It's the exuberance, the intro like an Association song, that hooks you. You walked down the street and sang this in your head and just felt happy, back before society became coarse and the street ruled. Come on, you've got no idea what it was like to have a crush in the sixties and be able to sing this song in your head.
And "California Dreamin'" may be forever, some of the other songs may be remembered, but the genius of Papa John...is being lost to the sands of time.
"The Way It Is"
Bruce Hornsby & the Range
This riff goes through my head on a regular basis, and I'm not sure why, but just this morning, standing at the sink, getting ready to put in my contacts, that descending piano lick...
This was a gigantic hit on KNX-FM, L.A.'s soft rock station, back in the summer of '86, I'd let the radio play and write articles on my Mac Plus in preparation for the first issue of "The Lefsetz Letter."
"A Long Time, A Long Way To Go"
Todd Rundgren
From "The Ballad of...", before he remade "Hello It's Me" and came out from behind the console to be a star. "The Ballad of..." is his best album, most people do their best work in obscurity, when no one is looking, no one is paying attention. Then again, if you had a record deal at all back then you got some attention, but this was released on Ampex/Bearsville, which meant it was almost like it never came out at all, this was before Albert Grossman moved his label to Warner Brothers, I bought "The Ballad of..." as a cut-out, back when music was scarce and you followed your favorites, especially if they got no significant traction, I was a huge Nazz fan.
Every track on "The Ballad of..." is a winner, and none of them are the same, they evidence exquisite craftsmanship in the writing and the production, and if there were any justice at all, and there isn't, Todd would have been inducted into the R&RHOF long ago, proving that honors and awards are worthless.
"Love Is The Answer"
Utopia
But it's really a Todd Rundgren song, absent the jazz fusion/rock sound of the band. Actually, "Love Is The Answer" is on "Oops! Wrong Planet," which is the most Rundgrenesque of Utopia's records, i.e. more straight ahead rock. But the winner is this, the closing track, which was a hit in a schmaltzy version by England Dan & John Ford Coley, but this is the one you've got to know...
"And when you feel afraid, love one another"
It's no sign of weakness to say you're scared, to ask for help.
"When you've lost your way, love one another"
The older you get the more you realize, you've got no idea where you're going, you're in a backwater, you need help, there's no harm in asking for directions.
"When you're all alone, love one another"
The scourge of humanity, loneliness. If only someone were there, we wouldn't be lost in the detritus of our own thoughts.
"When you're far from home, love one another"
It's a conundrum. The best things happen when you're on the road, but the pitfalls counterbalance the peaks and oftentimes you're at loose ends.
"When you're down and out, love one another"
People are afraid to look like losers. When they need help most they won't ask for it.
"All your hope's run out, love one another"
Did you see that scary Princeton study on the death rate of middle-aged whites? They're killing themselves in droves, they've lost all hope, there's no economic opportunity, it's scary.
"When you need a friend, love one another"
You can't make it alone, you need friends. Someone to listen to you, someone to call when you're down and out.
"When you're near the end, love..."
It's coming, you just may not know it yet. You're gonna die, sooner rather than later. And the closer you come to the conclusion the more stuff that you thought mattered doesn't. Assets especially. It's the intangible that counts. Your friends, your connections, your conversations.
"We got to love one another"
We most certainly do.
But in today's game we're fearful that if we're not on guard, we're gonna end up with the short end of the stick. Everybody's huddled, protecting what they've got, focusing on points of division as opposed to connection. And to tell you the truth, I was a bit O.D.'ed on all the love talk way back when from not only Todd, but John Lennon. But having achieved their goals, they knew there had to be something more.
We've got to love one another.
We've got to love the planet.
We've got to think long term as opposed to short, know we're just custodians of the Earth and we must protect it for future generations.
And I contemplate all this when I listen to such majestic music as "Love Is The Answer," from back when you could be wimpy and hard-edged and still be the same person.
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The Man Bun
When did this become a thing?
I first started noticing it on hipsters. Yoga-pants wearing males sporting sandals who seemed to be saying I'm expending so much energy that I just cannot have my hair on my neckline preventing my sweat from escaping. Look at me, olfactory mess that I am, I'm a living, breathing human specimen you can only envy.
But you wouldn't want to touch.
That's the thing about man buns. The women make fun of them. I've never ever heard a guy talk about someone's bun but women constantly confide and snicker, laughing at the wearer.
And now it's expanded. If you've got enough hair it's a reasonable choice. You can no longer tell the personality by the bun. I was at the hospital yesterday and a blue collar denizen escorting his mother was sporting one.
Now when I was in college, and even nerds started growing their hair long, I cut mine off. But no one wants to stand alone anymore, everybody wants to join in.
And why should the man bun be any more acceptable than the ponytail? Maybe if you're a movie star, or a rock star, you can get away with long locks, indicating you're an outsider, marching to the beat of your own drummer, even though you're usually just a slave to the financial grind. But for decades we saw aged men with thinning hair pulling what was left back into a wimpy ponytail that would have any horse in the barn running away.
But that look has evaporated. Now you tie it all on top of your head like a Teletubby. As if it were a hook we could swing you by. Radiating to all the message that you're a follower, not an individual, trying to gain some cred when actually you're losing some. Kinda like all those bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won't know...
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I first started noticing it on hipsters. Yoga-pants wearing males sporting sandals who seemed to be saying I'm expending so much energy that I just cannot have my hair on my neckline preventing my sweat from escaping. Look at me, olfactory mess that I am, I'm a living, breathing human specimen you can only envy.
But you wouldn't want to touch.
That's the thing about man buns. The women make fun of them. I've never ever heard a guy talk about someone's bun but women constantly confide and snicker, laughing at the wearer.
And now it's expanded. If you've got enough hair it's a reasonable choice. You can no longer tell the personality by the bun. I was at the hospital yesterday and a blue collar denizen escorting his mother was sporting one.
Now when I was in college, and even nerds started growing their hair long, I cut mine off. But no one wants to stand alone anymore, everybody wants to join in.
And why should the man bun be any more acceptable than the ponytail? Maybe if you're a movie star, or a rock star, you can get away with long locks, indicating you're an outsider, marching to the beat of your own drummer, even though you're usually just a slave to the financial grind. But for decades we saw aged men with thinning hair pulling what was left back into a wimpy ponytail that would have any horse in the barn running away.
But that look has evaporated. Now you tie it all on top of your head like a Teletubby. As if it were a hook we could swing you by. Radiating to all the message that you're a follower, not an individual, trying to gain some cred when actually you're losing some. Kinda like all those bald guys who shave their heads so they think we won't know...
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Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Galaxy S8
Much ado about nothing.
Replacing your mobile phone today is like replacing your computer, something you used to do every couple of years and now do every six or seven. You see the functionality is good enough. Now it's solely about fashion.
I believe we need cultural signifiers. But they're disappearing in front of our very eyes. Buy that status iron today, because tomorrow we'll all be getting our cars on demand, owning nothing. And if you've got a phone with LTE, which has been around for half a decade at this point, your device is good enough, you don't need a new one. And now that they're making you pay the full price, now that T-Mobile has revolutionized the mobile sphere, people are scared, they don't want to pay the better part of a grand for a new handset. Of course they were paying that sum before, it was just buried in the contract, illustrating how subterfuge works, kinda like in concert tickets, but do you really need a new phone for a grand?
Most people don't think so.
Look around, very few people are using the latest hardware. And they don't care. I love my iPhone 7 Plus, but if Verizon didn't give me $650 for my iPhone 6, scared I might jump to another provider, I wouldn't have purchased it.
So what we have is media telling us a story is important when it's not. Either you're part of the Android or Apple ecosystem and chances are you're not gonna change, it's like trying to turn a Trumper into a left wing acolyte. Now it's about services.
Make no mistake, like Verizon, Apple and Google are doing their best to lock you into their ecosystems, doing a good job along the way. But it's got little to do with the handset. You don't need a new device to use Google apps or Apple Music.
And speaking of Apple Music, now that they've marketed to everybody they've got the e-mail address/credit card for, have they hit a wall?
But that just illustrates that the focus is now software.
You don't want to own anything, you just want it available when you need it. Everything else is a souvenir. Souvenirs can be treasured, but they're a sideshow in the acquisition economy.
People like cool new stuff. But most don't need it.
The days of cool hardware are done. The focus is on what the hardware, which is good enough, can do. Software reigns. And not only productivity apps software, but music, art, anything that can be accessed/streamed.
The ball is back in the creators' court. The retailers are taking a backseat.
What are you going to do with this opportunity?
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Replacing your mobile phone today is like replacing your computer, something you used to do every couple of years and now do every six or seven. You see the functionality is good enough. Now it's solely about fashion.
I believe we need cultural signifiers. But they're disappearing in front of our very eyes. Buy that status iron today, because tomorrow we'll all be getting our cars on demand, owning nothing. And if you've got a phone with LTE, which has been around for half a decade at this point, your device is good enough, you don't need a new one. And now that they're making you pay the full price, now that T-Mobile has revolutionized the mobile sphere, people are scared, they don't want to pay the better part of a grand for a new handset. Of course they were paying that sum before, it was just buried in the contract, illustrating how subterfuge works, kinda like in concert tickets, but do you really need a new phone for a grand?
Most people don't think so.
Look around, very few people are using the latest hardware. And they don't care. I love my iPhone 7 Plus, but if Verizon didn't give me $650 for my iPhone 6, scared I might jump to another provider, I wouldn't have purchased it.
So what we have is media telling us a story is important when it's not. Either you're part of the Android or Apple ecosystem and chances are you're not gonna change, it's like trying to turn a Trumper into a left wing acolyte. Now it's about services.
Make no mistake, like Verizon, Apple and Google are doing their best to lock you into their ecosystems, doing a good job along the way. But it's got little to do with the handset. You don't need a new device to use Google apps or Apple Music.
And speaking of Apple Music, now that they've marketed to everybody they've got the e-mail address/credit card for, have they hit a wall?
But that just illustrates that the focus is now software.
You don't want to own anything, you just want it available when you need it. Everything else is a souvenir. Souvenirs can be treasured, but they're a sideshow in the acquisition economy.
People like cool new stuff. But most don't need it.
The days of cool hardware are done. The focus is on what the hardware, which is good enough, can do. Software reigns. And not only productivity apps software, but music, art, anything that can be accessed/streamed.
The ball is back in the creators' court. The retailers are taking a backseat.
What are you going to do with this opportunity?
--
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Spontaneous Combustion
The youth in America are getting ready to revolt.
How do I know?
Because it happened in Russia.
Seen as apathetic, dormant for five years, the younger generation erupted over the weekend, inspired by a charismatic leader after a YouTube post on corruption in the nation garnered millions of views. Turns out you can only push people so far, eliminate their future whilst you grab today for yourself, before they erupt.
Trump and his cronies have eradicated internet privacy, fouled the air and have indicated a willingness to roll back all the progress, the leveling of the playing field, that occurred previously. These givebacks to the rich, to industry, are seen as too detached, far from the boots on the ground. Furthermore, they believe they've got the white working class behind them, however delusional those people might be.
But it's the college students who revolt.
There's been incredible pushback to the swarm at Middlebury, who wouldn't let Charles Murray speak. The administration was caught flat-footed, the editorial pages have been wagging their fingers, but the kids are not listening. And this is the only power they've got, they don't have any cash. Hell, did you read that "New Yorker" story about Robert Mercer, making 150 million a year and then influencing the political process? Citizens United has consequences. Income inequality has consequences. The price of college has consequences.
How do I know?
I lived through the Vietnam War. Wherein most Americans believed we lived in the greatest country in the world, and when we lifted a finger we would emerge victorious. But as the conflict dragged on, charismatic leaders swayed the youth who started protesting, ultimately halting the war, it was just too unpopular.
And don't try and rewrite history, don't try to eliminate the uproar and upset of that decade. Things were going along swimmingly and then everybody wanted their rights, wanted to call foul on the establishment of old white men making the rules in back rooms. Black power? Today we've got gay power and trans power and you add them all up and you hit a critical mass of young people who are pissed. They got their social mores from MTV and the internet and all we're lacking is someone to crack the whip and inspire them.
In the sixties it was musicians. And then the Black Panthers and the Chicago 8. We've ben waiting for someone in the arts to lead, but the popular arts are so inured to money they won't. Taylor Swift is afraid of alienating her audience. She's been silent. They've all been silent. Sacrificing their credibility at the altar of mazuma.
But that does not mean someone else will not arise. Not someone built by a media preaching to an adult audience. Not someone promoted by a committee of gatekeepers. Not someone utilizing social media to build their brand. No, this leader will begin with a message. A younger Michael Moore with a "Roger and Me." Someone who speaks to the rapid turn away from enlightenment.
Your opinion does not matter. Whether you're shooting opioids or flying private. Paying attention to D.C.'s every move or somnambulant. This is not about the country at large, this is about a small segment that is actually quite large. Students.
We think they're pampered. Living on Mommy and Daddy's money in ultra-luxury on the campus. Ensuring their gold-plated future.
But no one knows how hard it is to get ahead as a student. You pays your money, you take your classes, and when you graduate you're lucky if you're not living with mommy and daddy in the basement working a minimum wage service job. You're not worried about immigrants stealing your gig, many of your best friends are immigrants and mixed-race. You know that some of the greatest breakthroughs in tech were made by foreign engineers living in America. The freedom you want is the ability to think. Whereas the right wing believes freedom is eliminating the government which is supposed to protect that right.
This is not a polemic.
This is a warning.
The government, the parents, they believe they're in control of their progeny. That they wouldn't do anything untoward or unexpected.
But they will.
In retrospect the seeds of conflagration will be evident.
But when most people hear about it it will look like spontaneous combustion. Like it came out of thin air, overnight.
You may be down in the trenches. Talking about the electoral college, the popular vote, legislation... But Agent Orange is poisoning not only our air, but the future of this planet, and the people who have the most at risk are the youngest, now living on campus, thinking for themselves, looking around at who is gonna save them other than themselves.
Nobody.
Which is why they're gonna blow.
"In Protests, Kremlin Fears a Young Generation Stirring": http://nyti.ms/2nvTFxD
"The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind The Trump Presidency, How Robert Mercer exploited Americas populist insurgency": http://bit.ly/2mXDwCk
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How do I know?
Because it happened in Russia.
Seen as apathetic, dormant for five years, the younger generation erupted over the weekend, inspired by a charismatic leader after a YouTube post on corruption in the nation garnered millions of views. Turns out you can only push people so far, eliminate their future whilst you grab today for yourself, before they erupt.
Trump and his cronies have eradicated internet privacy, fouled the air and have indicated a willingness to roll back all the progress, the leveling of the playing field, that occurred previously. These givebacks to the rich, to industry, are seen as too detached, far from the boots on the ground. Furthermore, they believe they've got the white working class behind them, however delusional those people might be.
But it's the college students who revolt.
There's been incredible pushback to the swarm at Middlebury, who wouldn't let Charles Murray speak. The administration was caught flat-footed, the editorial pages have been wagging their fingers, but the kids are not listening. And this is the only power they've got, they don't have any cash. Hell, did you read that "New Yorker" story about Robert Mercer, making 150 million a year and then influencing the political process? Citizens United has consequences. Income inequality has consequences. The price of college has consequences.
How do I know?
I lived through the Vietnam War. Wherein most Americans believed we lived in the greatest country in the world, and when we lifted a finger we would emerge victorious. But as the conflict dragged on, charismatic leaders swayed the youth who started protesting, ultimately halting the war, it was just too unpopular.
And don't try and rewrite history, don't try to eliminate the uproar and upset of that decade. Things were going along swimmingly and then everybody wanted their rights, wanted to call foul on the establishment of old white men making the rules in back rooms. Black power? Today we've got gay power and trans power and you add them all up and you hit a critical mass of young people who are pissed. They got their social mores from MTV and the internet and all we're lacking is someone to crack the whip and inspire them.
In the sixties it was musicians. And then the Black Panthers and the Chicago 8. We've ben waiting for someone in the arts to lead, but the popular arts are so inured to money they won't. Taylor Swift is afraid of alienating her audience. She's been silent. They've all been silent. Sacrificing their credibility at the altar of mazuma.
But that does not mean someone else will not arise. Not someone built by a media preaching to an adult audience. Not someone promoted by a committee of gatekeepers. Not someone utilizing social media to build their brand. No, this leader will begin with a message. A younger Michael Moore with a "Roger and Me." Someone who speaks to the rapid turn away from enlightenment.
Your opinion does not matter. Whether you're shooting opioids or flying private. Paying attention to D.C.'s every move or somnambulant. This is not about the country at large, this is about a small segment that is actually quite large. Students.
We think they're pampered. Living on Mommy and Daddy's money in ultra-luxury on the campus. Ensuring their gold-plated future.
But no one knows how hard it is to get ahead as a student. You pays your money, you take your classes, and when you graduate you're lucky if you're not living with mommy and daddy in the basement working a minimum wage service job. You're not worried about immigrants stealing your gig, many of your best friends are immigrants and mixed-race. You know that some of the greatest breakthroughs in tech were made by foreign engineers living in America. The freedom you want is the ability to think. Whereas the right wing believes freedom is eliminating the government which is supposed to protect that right.
This is not a polemic.
This is a warning.
The government, the parents, they believe they're in control of their progeny. That they wouldn't do anything untoward or unexpected.
But they will.
In retrospect the seeds of conflagration will be evident.
But when most people hear about it it will look like spontaneous combustion. Like it came out of thin air, overnight.
You may be down in the trenches. Talking about the electoral college, the popular vote, legislation... But Agent Orange is poisoning not only our air, but the future of this planet, and the people who have the most at risk are the youngest, now living on campus, thinking for themselves, looking around at who is gonna save them other than themselves.
Nobody.
Which is why they're gonna blow.
"In Protests, Kremlin Fears a Young Generation Stirring": http://nyti.ms/2nvTFxD
"The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind The Trump Presidency, How Robert Mercer exploited Americas populist insurgency": http://bit.ly/2mXDwCk
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Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Life Rules
1. We all want to be listened to.
Everybody's got a story, everybody wants to tell it, but too few people have the patience to extract it from them. If you listen to someone's story, they'll be your best friend forever. You'll bond. Everybody's got something to say, something you find of interest, everybody got here on a different path with moments of intersection. But beware of the taker, the person who only talks and never listens. They're to be avoided at all cost. I'm not sure why these people act the way they do, why they refuse to be reciprocal, why they're incapable of being interested in you. It's to their detriment.
2. Tell your story.
Look for the openings. If no one is listening, find a different audience. The myth is we're all alike. When you sit at home and you feel that you can't relate to a certain group, believe it. Sure, work on your skills of integration, but even more search out your peers. We're led to believe there's a hierarchy, of rich, popular and good-looking, and if you're not one of them, you're a loser. Also, there's all this fake nerddom going around, winners who tell you they're losers, ignore them. That's another problem with America, for all the people telling you how great they are there are even more who are self-deprecating, making you wince when they say they're just lucky. We're looking for honest connection, if you're honest, you'll draw people to you.
3. Life's too short to do something you hate.
But since money is king, a plethora of people are doing jobs they dislike while others are thrilled just to have a job. That's the challenge of life, fulfillment. Unfortunately that comes after food, money, shelter and love. But no one is gonna be remembered and no one is judging you in the end and the longer you live you realize it's all about forging your own path. If you need others for validation life is gonna be lonely. Do what satiates you.
4. Life boils down to dreamers who act and dreamers who are afraid.
The dreamers who take a chance believe it's easy but complain when they fail. Or, they blow up their life or their world and walk away like there are no consequences. When someone tells you they got divorced yesterday and are over it today, run. Emotional scars run deep. Even if many are afraid to look at them and accept them. Then there are those who are afraid to take a risk. Either they never end up taking one or their back is up against the wall and they do. Desperation makes people do crazy stuff, like lie, cheat and steal. But it also inspires you to jump off the cliff. Dylan's lyric is correct, when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.
5. Not everybody can win and there is no scorecard.
This is hard to fathom after years of schooling, after being inundated with the ravings of the social media entertainment complex. America is about making you feel inadequate, so you'll buy stuff. You're no more inadequate than the rich and famous, and the sooner you realize this the quicker you'll be on the road to happiness. What you think you want is often not what you need. What you need is someone who listens to you who'll support you, who'll call you on your b.s. but won't run away from you.
6. He who speaks loudest first is oftentimes wrong.
Some people are incapable of speaking up. Some people are afraid of blowback. And then there are those who always grab the mic and blather on. There might be a first mover advantage, but it's often squandered. Evaluate people on more than their image, on more than their public behavior. We've got an incredibly insecure President, who can't endure hate in a world where it's never been more prevalent. Don't be him. Not everybody's gonna like you. Let it slide off your back, not inhibit you. If you worry about what others say you'll never get started.
7. Know when to quit.
Perseverance is key, but it does not always yield rewards. Stay the course until the odds are low and then pivot. Forget all the stories of people who believed but were broke and then triumphed. The key is to always be looking for the pivot. But to honor your commitments. This is complicated, because too many people can't complete anything, and completion comes first. But for those who can finish, sometimes you shouldn't.
8. Just because everybody else is jumping off the bridge, that does not mean you should.
Remember the dot com era? You couldn't find anybody who said it was gonna come to an end, but it did. Which is why Warren Buffett is so successful. He looks at the fundamentals. You can't be a doctor without going to medical school and if there's no obvious revenue stream chances are the business will fail.
9. Sex and cunning and flirting will move you up the corporate food chain.
But it won't make you a success. Stop worrying about those utilizing their assets to get ahead, stabbing you in the back, sucking up to the boss. They're gonna Peter Principle themselves out of a gig or hit a ceiling. People know when you're dedicated and do good work. And if you're dedicated and doing good work and not reaping the rewards, you've got to change your situation. The corporation does not care about you, never ever, unfortunately you're in this all by yourself.
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Everybody's got a story, everybody wants to tell it, but too few people have the patience to extract it from them. If you listen to someone's story, they'll be your best friend forever. You'll bond. Everybody's got something to say, something you find of interest, everybody got here on a different path with moments of intersection. But beware of the taker, the person who only talks and never listens. They're to be avoided at all cost. I'm not sure why these people act the way they do, why they refuse to be reciprocal, why they're incapable of being interested in you. It's to their detriment.
2. Tell your story.
Look for the openings. If no one is listening, find a different audience. The myth is we're all alike. When you sit at home and you feel that you can't relate to a certain group, believe it. Sure, work on your skills of integration, but even more search out your peers. We're led to believe there's a hierarchy, of rich, popular and good-looking, and if you're not one of them, you're a loser. Also, there's all this fake nerddom going around, winners who tell you they're losers, ignore them. That's another problem with America, for all the people telling you how great they are there are even more who are self-deprecating, making you wince when they say they're just lucky. We're looking for honest connection, if you're honest, you'll draw people to you.
3. Life's too short to do something you hate.
But since money is king, a plethora of people are doing jobs they dislike while others are thrilled just to have a job. That's the challenge of life, fulfillment. Unfortunately that comes after food, money, shelter and love. But no one is gonna be remembered and no one is judging you in the end and the longer you live you realize it's all about forging your own path. If you need others for validation life is gonna be lonely. Do what satiates you.
4. Life boils down to dreamers who act and dreamers who are afraid.
The dreamers who take a chance believe it's easy but complain when they fail. Or, they blow up their life or their world and walk away like there are no consequences. When someone tells you they got divorced yesterday and are over it today, run. Emotional scars run deep. Even if many are afraid to look at them and accept them. Then there are those who are afraid to take a risk. Either they never end up taking one or their back is up against the wall and they do. Desperation makes people do crazy stuff, like lie, cheat and steal. But it also inspires you to jump off the cliff. Dylan's lyric is correct, when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.
5. Not everybody can win and there is no scorecard.
This is hard to fathom after years of schooling, after being inundated with the ravings of the social media entertainment complex. America is about making you feel inadequate, so you'll buy stuff. You're no more inadequate than the rich and famous, and the sooner you realize this the quicker you'll be on the road to happiness. What you think you want is often not what you need. What you need is someone who listens to you who'll support you, who'll call you on your b.s. but won't run away from you.
6. He who speaks loudest first is oftentimes wrong.
Some people are incapable of speaking up. Some people are afraid of blowback. And then there are those who always grab the mic and blather on. There might be a first mover advantage, but it's often squandered. Evaluate people on more than their image, on more than their public behavior. We've got an incredibly insecure President, who can't endure hate in a world where it's never been more prevalent. Don't be him. Not everybody's gonna like you. Let it slide off your back, not inhibit you. If you worry about what others say you'll never get started.
7. Know when to quit.
Perseverance is key, but it does not always yield rewards. Stay the course until the odds are low and then pivot. Forget all the stories of people who believed but were broke and then triumphed. The key is to always be looking for the pivot. But to honor your commitments. This is complicated, because too many people can't complete anything, and completion comes first. But for those who can finish, sometimes you shouldn't.
8. Just because everybody else is jumping off the bridge, that does not mean you should.
Remember the dot com era? You couldn't find anybody who said it was gonna come to an end, but it did. Which is why Warren Buffett is so successful. He looks at the fundamentals. You can't be a doctor without going to medical school and if there's no obvious revenue stream chances are the business will fail.
9. Sex and cunning and flirting will move you up the corporate food chain.
But it won't make you a success. Stop worrying about those utilizing their assets to get ahead, stabbing you in the back, sucking up to the boss. They're gonna Peter Principle themselves out of a gig or hit a ceiling. People know when you're dedicated and do good work. And if you're dedicated and doing good work and not reaping the rewards, you've got to change your situation. The corporation does not care about you, never ever, unfortunately you're in this all by yourself.
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Re-Money
"Maybe it's because I grew up in a different era, where your mind was more important than your money and no one had that much, back when a doctor was a king and lawyering was a safe profession and no one flew private and you were lucky if you owned a vacation house."
That's certainly how I grew up, but I ask myself the same questions as you do. My father also owned a liquor store and managed to get us to the middle of the middle class. He put three boys through college, but he only owned 2 cars during my entire growing up years and he traveled abroad three times during his life (not including his deployment in the South Pacific in the Navy in WW2). I know that's more than many, but it doesn't seem that much to me now.
I shouldn't complain. I went to med school, deferred making any real money until I was in my late 30s, but I can always have a job. Like you I know contemporaries, smart and talented all of them, who are essentially penniless. I make a decent living but I doubt I will ever have a second home or fly private.
I rationalize all of this by saying my life means something. I'm a physician and I have contributed to the health and welfare of others and to society at large. The bankers, the hedge fund managers, those Wall St suits, just suck out of the system. Their annual bonuses are more than I'll make in a decade. Are they happy? Do they feel good about themselves?
I wonder if it was all worth it.
Barry K. Herman, MD, MMM
__________________________________________
Bob, I love your writing! I'm a country boy from the Midwest. 54 yrs old, I use to work in the biz doing music marketing and indie record promotion with the late Tony Muscolo in Granada Hills, CA in the late 80's, and then was a regional promotion manager with SBK Records in 1990 when that label was just introducing the pop trio Wilson Phillips to the world. I now live back in my hometown in the SW corner of Michigan directly across the lake from Chicago. I live from paycheck to paycheck cleaning windows for the filthy rich 2nd homeowners from Chicago. The reason I'm writing you is that your one sentence in this article "money" hit home and I've often thought the same thing. If most people KNEW how the rich/elite truly lived, I GUARANTEE there would be revolution in the streets! Unfortunately as the gap forever widens between the have and have nots, the day of revolution is right around the corner! I hope I'll have enough ammo to protect my kids and my chickens! Keep up the great writing, I'll keep reading.
David Wolnik
Three Oaks, MI
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I'm 53, worked in radio for years, made 6 figures, loved what I did. Then the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed and things began to change. I was able to hang on for several years and make a great living doing it, but with the advent of technology and the corporatization and commoditization of the business, and me being more on the creative side than on the business side, I slipped thru the cracks... and now I ask the same questions of myself that you are asking in this posting...
Be well.
Tom Calococci
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Bob: I spent three days this past October, staying in a corporate den of iniquity in the heart of Deer Valley. My bud and I played some records, drank some piss poor beer and spoke of what you just covered. Figuring out how to use my law degree and his State school graduate degree to keep our selves and our kids on "the inside." Maybe we never belonged on the "inside" to be gong with. As the mighty Hetfield says "fuck em all and fucking no regrets." Keep rocking and writing until you have "blood on the ivories."
Kurt Lambeth
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Dad was a school teacher. He somehow put all three of us kids trough university (private). I still don't know how he did it. After university, I dabbled in corporate life and played in a great band four/five nights a week. I was burning the candle on both ends and the middle. Then, I said it's now or never and I dove into music full time. Aced the audition, quit the day job, moved to San Francisco and joined the Yanks. Lived in a North Beach dump. Hung out at the Mab. Made records, toured, the whole shabang. But the "next level" eluded us and finally, at age 30 with my wife pregnant, I realized that it is a young man's game. I gave it up as a full time thing and started working hard to make up for lost time.
Most of my talented music friends hung in there...one more album, one more tour. Well, an album and a tour is another 18 months minimum and then maybe do it again and the next thing you know you are 40 or 45 and never had a real job, savings account, a home you own, or a 401K. You are screwed at that point. You swam out too far, way past the bouy, and there is no way back. You are working in a coffee shop with 20 year olds making MW.
Then along came Nirvana and if you were over 30, and in a Seattle band, you were toast.
I'm blessed. Made it back to shore. Had a few good breaks, and balls that bounced my way. Lived abroad on full expat packages for 15 years (that helps A LOT). Put my kids through university (and one through law school). Now, I look back and say how did I do it? BTW, life comes full circle. I can and I am playing, singing and we are booked as much as we want to work. That's funny right? I have enough money banked to be able to play music again. On FB @dennyblainemusic
so it goes
steve aliment
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All the Jewish mothers who think that their sons (and daughters) who are gonna be doctahs are going to be rolling in the bucks are stuck at their 1975 Boca Raton mah Jong tables. That idea of a comfortable life if you're a doctor is just not the way it once was.
The truth is my MD husband has worked at least two or three jobs consistently since he was an 80 hour a week working neuro resident in New Haven. Those days we literally ate beans and rice nightly for dinner, and I saved money by nursing my babies rather than buying formula, which we couldn't afford.
The people making money today are those in venture capital and high tech. Serial entrepreneurs who sell their ideas or businesses are the ones making money. And they are all working crazy long hours.
Rachel Loonin
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Bob, I gotta say it. This note reminds of something I read a few days ago. It was my father's diary 1970-71. He complained about three things. His leg hurt, his arm is weak and no money. It's choices we make in life, laced with luck, backed by delivering the goods. Don't knock the wealthy and make them the bad guys and the not so wealthy the guys who get screwed. How do you do in the world of economics? You get to go to some pretty exciting places, you seem to live a good life.
How does that work? Still love your writings. Hope to see you soon. Tom.
Tom Battista
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Omg...thank you....
I can't retire...and I make a good living...
Still...it's never enough...and no matter...tough to prepare for old age....
Quality of life...you paid your dues....it's an ongoing vicious circle...never ends...
I'm tired
Barbara Stevens
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What I don't understand is how so many fucking mediocre bands with horrible singers and more than sub-par songwriting have a lot of fans, and I bust my ass making good music (literally GOOD music) and no one cares. What are your suggestions for indie bands and marketing? I'd be happy if I sold ONE song from Bandcamp at $1. One. What do you recommend for smaller-level indie/hipster/underground bands, for marketing? We all are not Taylor Swifts or country pop stars. But plenty of people make a living doing indie music-- Laura Gibson, Lemolo, Beach House, Memoryhouse, Azure Ray, Maria Taylor and more.... have any thoughts, Bob?
THANKS!!!
-Chris
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"I can't tell you how many people my age I know who are nearly broke. They
made six figures in the music business and then they got too old and got
squeezed out and then Napster hit and now they're working retail jobs
without health insurance, living in rental property, just hoping that
social security will pay the bills, because they've got no 401k."
Wow, my epitaph. May my family use this when my headstone is being
engraved?
William Nollman
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So true....
Peter Wheeler
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Dear Bob, U couldn't resist taking a swing at President Trump which proves you're a HAPLESS LIBTARD. I thank God every day that HITLARY or Bern-Me aren't in the White house. Trump is the ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT. MAGA, Mr. Melody TM
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You didn't go wrong anywhere, you're just not willing to be a scumbag and you know in your heart of hearts that money is no measure of a man.
Mike Caldarella
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Who do you think all the mega wealthy voted for? They got rich with the status quo. Income inequality created both Trump and Sanders.
http://stevenrattner.com/2015/09/morning-joe-charts-inequality-and-the-2016-race/?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Income inequality really began meaningfully under Clinton, expanded under Bush and was sustained under Obama. Both sides of the aisle are in the business of making the rich richer. If you believe anything else, you are not as smart as I had previously believed.
Timoth Schuler
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You do understand !
Gary
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(this was very, very well written and terribly, terribly true. Grazie)
Paolo Madeddu
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A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president (27 Oct 1858-1919)
There was no poverty until money was created and or introduced.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're giving none away.
Victor Krag
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Holy shit Bob one of your best posts ever. The Skin issue posts were entertaining but this one hits to the core of many of us. For me personally I've got one foot on the path to success and one foot on the path to rough times... Yes soon i'll be doing the splits and falling on my face if I don't reach critical mass soon..
J.Vieira
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Jesus, I feel so good after reading this, not
Judy LaVigne
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Well put sir!
I too am just another shell shocked nobody who invested in his dream!
Steve Mather
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I always thought you made bank Bob. Speaking at conferences or writing columns. Maybe you do but it's not enough. I'm about half your aged and freaked the fuck out. Apparently, I make more than most, low six figures, but I still feel poor and I'm single. Follow your passion is bullshit. Follow the money so you can be in a position to take of yourself and those you love and care about. People following their passion are always out asking people with money to invest or donate. I'd rather be on the other side.
Toks Ogun
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At a conference I attended a few years back a fraud examiner explained how the proliferation of personal debt explains how so many have so much, and makes detecting fraud much more difficult. Most people live beyond their means. Maybe that doesn't apply to the top of the top, but I suspect it does.
Great letter.
Britton Giroux
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Long time reader.
You're only gonna see the big house go up; you're not gonna follow the story of the owner/developer when it forecloses.
95% of people who drive Range Rovers can't afford them.
I'm sure you've heard but worth repeating: "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." -Will Rogers
Money really doesn't mean a thing, I know we all "know this" and preach it...but most of the wealthy people I know are also the saddest.
Quit stressing, keep writing.
Leland Grant
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It hits home brother, just like you say, reality check 101. If Bernie would have won…?
R C
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I know a good songwriter when I hear my feelings in his/her lyrics.
I know a good writer when I see my feelings expressed in words.
You have done it many times, including a few sentences in this piece.
Thanks for not being afraid to say,"I don't understand it."
Jodey Smith
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Check this out:
https://workingnation.com/slope-curve-sneak-peek/?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Donald S. Passman
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Thank you for this.
Feeling Dazed & Confused.
Dave Weisz
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I think the term 'making an honest living' has become antiquated. The ones that do have barely enough to survive on... sure I'm not saying all well off people are bad guys, but something is seriously wrong...
tax codes are always favouring the rich... because the rich have done a great job of making people think that soon they will one of 'them'. We all know they (we) won't, but that doesn't stop the 'less than rich' from voting for leaders that don not have their better interests in mind... case in point Trump. We've reached the pinnacle in our democratic voting where people will actually buy plain bullshit being served up as 'change'. IMHO anyone who voted for that creep was/is either uninformed or just as much a monster as he is.
Mick Dalla-Vee
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Sad, isn't it?
Alice
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We used to go to Deer Valley every winter and marvel at Johnny Carson's and Stevie Nicks's ski-in/ski-out houses. DV is a spectacular display of wealth that is pretty well hidden, not unlike the G-4's at Teterboro and the Yachts at Ft. Lauderdale. If/when the people see it, they will man the pitchforks and the torches, if they can put down their smartphones.
Jon Sinton
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Again, this is the result of too much borrowed money with not enough GDP to pay it off. Back in the 1950s, we borrowed $1.80 to generate $1 of GDP. Today we're borrowing north of $3.50 to create $1 of GDP. So there's all this unused money sloshing around at the top and its corruption has colored everything we do. The problem is not with you but with our generation that essentially said "if it feels good, do it." So we went off half-cocked borrowing money will-nilly. Our kids are paying the price.
Peter Duray-Bito
Littleton, Colorado
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Hi Bob. As Bernie Sanders says about the oligarchy in his new book:
"In 1979, the top one-tenth of 1 percent owned about 7 percent of the wealth in this country. Today it owns 22 percent." In 2000, "51 billionaires worth $480 billion" - now there are "540 billionaires worth $2.4 trillion."
Joseph Mackin
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Bob, I don't think you made any mistakes, nor are you broke down and busted.
You just missed out on that LUCKY break.
In addition, you are an exceptional writer, have a huge following by way of your emails, and seem to be enjoying the traveling and speaking you are able to do.
AND, you lived this long and are still going forward.
RICHARD ROSENBERG
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Part of it was the day and age in which you grew up Bob.
America was the only country post-world war II with a functioning economy, infrastructure, deep government investment in basic research (from military spending, let's be intellectually honest here). The US was in a prime position to collect "excess" wealth, economic rent in economic parlance, from any growth in global trade. That "economic rent" lifted ALL BOATS, but most importantly it lifted the most boats the highest in the US. In a sense, through a number of bad or merely unconscious decisions, the US has frittered away that wealth. Our tax & social policies just acted as brakes/gas pedals depending on the circumstances, in that process.
Always thought-provoking, I hope you keep at it, regardless of the naysayers and/or ass-kissers.
- Roy Liu
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excellent. I know our folks complained how life is different but this really is becoming weirdly different….to everyone.
Kathy Rowe
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Bob, Excellent stream of consciousness. I've been on this mail list for 3 years or so and I've wondered how you make your money. Why don't you do a blog and sell ads? A book of your favorite posts... I never had the gift for creating music, or engineering skills, but I've always believed that if you're going to bust your ass, and money is important to you, play where the reward is significant. Yeah, you have to get on the field but there are ways if you are persistent and resourceful. You were there. I still believe in this country you can accomplish most anything. I believe I'm proof. And if the last eight years taught us anything, if a gifted, charismatic junior senator with no apparent record can climb the highest mountain? It can still be done. I hate cliches, but I gotta throw one at you - ""Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford. Self confidence is a powerful thing. It beats getting bitter.
Jim, Castle Rock CO.
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i think you would enjoy tony robbins new book about money and how the little guy can make a ton
no bs
www.unshakeable.com
Mastin Kipp
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Great post!
Jake Udell
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A few observations regarding the newsletter below...
Wondering what the "have's" are doing to help society? Many of them are entrepreneur/business owners. That's how real wealth can be created in this world. So... they are delivering a product that consumers apparently want, and are willing to pay for at a price that allows the entrepreneur to make a profit. To get there, the entrepreneur had to give up the security of a regular paycheck. He (could be she, of course) had to hire others to help him build and deliver the product/service. The entrepreneur, as well as all his employees pay taxes, all of which contribute to the national kitty. None of his employees are slaves... all are there of their own free will. Creating and continuing to provide gainful employment for many is a worthy endeavor and helps all involved, including the government who taxes both the income as well as the spending of all the folks at the company that might not exist but for the risks, capital, and hard work the entrepreneur put into the venture.
As for the uber wealthy folks with crazy houses in Deer Valley that they don't live in full time... rest assured about one thing... The real estate taxes in Utah for property owned by folks from out of state is roughly DOUBLE that of those who live there. It's the craziest thing I ever heard of. They use very little government services (libraries, parks, schools, roads, etc), yet they PAY DOUBLE the real estate taxes. It caused me to look elsewhere when I was looking for a vacation ski home... ended up in Colorado, obviously! Maybe those folks paying double makes you feel better... not sure.
In any case, maybe we can ski together some time in the future! I ski about 20-30 days a year.
Lastly, thought you might enjoy my essay on the Health Care Conundrum. It discusses the real problem... and how I see it all ending.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/health-care-conundrum-heres-how-end-byron-udell?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Byron Udell, JD, CLU, CFP, ChFC
President/CEO
AccuQuote
Saving You Money for Life™
Get insurance tips and advice: visit our blog,
follow us on Twitter or
"like" AccuQuote on Facebook
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I always enjoy your insights. You're spot on I grew up in rural Virginia and now spilt time between there and NYC. I've won a few and lost a few through working, living in conditions most my kind would not to save and invest. Things look ok for now.
There are a lot of good people out there doing the right thing and the right thing just is not good enough anymore.
Like you always say It should be about: "Smiling on your brother and loving one another."
The rich and 75% of those in government don't care as long as they are getting theirs. Those benefiting from the system like many I've seen in various unions here are happy to pay lip service to the little man but darn sure not going to share a slice of their pie with those on the outside. Seems people used to get rich and go into government to do good, now it's to do good for themselves.
As always looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Justin Jones
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When you elect a novice promising change,
you have allow them more than 60 days, especially when the other party and the mainstream news media are doing there best I stop them.
The rich got filthy rich under Obama and he's getting rich too, all on the back of the little people.
Let the change happen!
Bill Jackson
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Hi Bob,hope the skiing was good.Did you have the turkey chili?I did plumbing in alot of those houses at DV.Most people don't even use the house as much as you think.They have to keep it heated,security,cleaning,plowing the driveway,making sure the hot tub is working,and everything else.And never use it.And they have other houses,beach,city,europe,and the main house.How do they do it?Stay well.Thanks Bob,Ted Keane
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I often swear you have a microphone in my home and you write your letters about the conversations I'm having with my dead father, asking where the answers, or doors, are. Then I head out and make another piece of work for someone that both a) isnt going to pay me, and b) isn't going to benefit anything more than a portfolio nobody cares about.
Are you inside my head Bob Lefsetz? Are we on the same wire, where you hear my thoughts and write the words I'm thinking right back to me? It happens so often I am starting to believe there is some sort of weird duality happening and you're really reading the thoughts I have, when I have them. Thanks for another letter ... that I should have known would be in my inbox an hour ago.
Joe Dolan
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As a parent of 2 young children your emails give me a damn panic attack when you start talking about the future. I end up feeling like I'm behind the 8 ball, and this is coming from someone who was born, raised, and still lives in in "Ground Zero, Sunnyvale, CA, Silicon Valley".
Please don't publish my name if you do.
Regards,
_____ _______
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bob:
i feel ya brother, i am a talented, poor guy watching the show I can't turn off, bewildered…
love your writing
-al quattrocchi
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Bob--Thanks, yet again. I've said out loud, more than once, that if I ever saw the guy who said "do what you love and the money will follow," I'd punch him in the throat.
Stuart Gunter
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Phenomenal email. I wonder the exact same constantly and am disheartened.
I live in New York City and have a great salary, much better than any of my music peers. More than probably 80% of the country. Yet I know what I can afford and look around constantly and see so many people going on bigger better longer vacations, driving cars that I wouldn't think to get, living in homes that I know how much cost and couldn't get myself, and I wonder.
I wonder what the fuck is it that everyone does that makes them all so fucking rich.
I feel so far away from it all. But then I feel so far from those poorer and find myself feeling guilty constantly.
Weird.
Oscar Scivier
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Bob, thanks for this true description of what the 1% is doing to the rest of us.
Being a member of a small-time Montreal hard rock/metal band at near age 60, I know I will never get rich or famous, but I really enjoy the music I'm creating for myself and only then after for others making albums in any musical direction I want in my home studio. I've been lucky enough to have guys like Don Airey of Deep Purple and Vinny Appice of Black Sabbath amongst others on a couple of my songs and isn't that really the thrill? To get the great players and have them on your songs, that blows away riches for me anytime. Look, I'm struggling and in massive debt because of a leaking roof that the insurance didn't pay for and a divorce 10 years ago! But I got remarried to a beautiful lady who is now my singer as well and gave me a beautiful little boy with perfect pitch. So we get screwed by the system as you say and I completely agree with you, but I'll take the small victories, because that's all that most of us unknown musicians will get in our lifetimes.
Thanks for your letter, as always insightful and incisive.
Best,
Jerry Fielden
AraPacis
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I love your articles because, even when they make my blood boil, you never fail to make me think.
But I have to say, it is not about left vs. right, or even rich vs. poor. It is now Establishment vs. Us. The establishment takes care of itself. It is the horrible, twisted combination of powerful business and powerful politicians. They throw red meat to the masses to get us screaming at each other while they spend us blind and leave office wealthy.
Our education system is run by the establishment, and it is run by, but more importantly, for the teachers unions. Hey, I want teachers to be paid well, but only the good ones. The unions defend the failing status quo with all they have. That has to change our our country will ultimately fail. You just have to wonder if that is all part of the plan.
Blair Schrum
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"wrist band" Paul Simon
Mark Birnbach
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Best current song on this subject: Paul Simon's "Wristband"
Robert Miranda
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That's why you buy when you can afford it, and you don't bet on paying monthly for enjoyment forever. You never know when, and if, future income will arrive or not.
The paradigm of renting, leasing, crowd sharing, streaming, etc. is solvent as long as there is constant cash flow. Give your readers a reality check. What will their lives be like if it ends?
Ron Linder, MD
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brilliantly fair assessment. As always, a pleasure to read you.
Scott El. McIntyre
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if you find a good place for that remedial education please let me know...
and i don't really even want money... just don't want to think about it
-dan yotz
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The biggest lie that I've heard all my life is that money can't buy you happiness. As if debt, constant worry, wondering every month if you can keep your head above water, trying to stay relevant in a profession that panders to the young & fickle, somehow brings light shooting through the fucking clouds joy. Sure, I'm talking about the music biz & I'll be in it til I choke to death on self doubt & regret, but I know way too many people in 'regular' jobs who have very little chance of a comfortable retirement, if they have one at all.
The Millennials are pissed that the Boomers won't retire & the Boomers are pissed that the Millennials are threatening their jobs & usefulness, but at the end of the day they both, we all, have a common foe. And neither seems to see that. Just like the pro & anti Trumpers.
Wade Mosher
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Eloquently put.
You're on a roll lately.
RIk Shafer
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You have an enormous audience. You are a celebrated maven. I find it incredible that you can't monetize this.
Of course, you do live in one of the most expensive cities on earth.
Get someone to sponsor your newsletter?
Do a Kickstarter campaign to compile your scriptures into a book?
Whatever, you have an enormous audience. Seems like there must be SOME way to draw money from it. Charge some pittance for your newsletter. Like a dollar a week or maybe $45 per year? I would pay it to support you
Richard Sales
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Unfortunately, amen, dude
Alan Fenton
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It was a record year for the richest people on earth, as the number of billionaires jumped 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 last year, the first time ever that Forbes has pinned down more than 2,000 ten-figure-fortunes. Their total net worth rose by 18% to $7.67 trillion, also a record. The change in the number of billionaires — up 233 since the 2016 list — was the biggest in the 31 years that Forbes has been tracking billionaires globally. Gainers since last year's list outnumbered losers by more than three to one.
https://goo.gl/5ejxIH?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Levi Pervin
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I understand what you're saying, and I can't argue.
There's a 'secret' in the tech world though, that the best people will work for little or possibly no money if they have to.
This is what happens when people are on a mission to prove something - to others, and to themselves.
They don't want to be a 'part' of whatever is setting the world on fire, they see themselves as being the ones pouring the fuel on!
Most tech people don't learn Excel because they want to - I'm pretty sure you could drive it if you needed to ;)
Evan Linwood
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I know Excel like the back of my hand, can draw up a business plan in a couple of days, and worked until I couldn't keep my eyes open. But your right. I wasn't willing to screw others over, didn't brown nose the He-men, or shell out six figures for my education and ended up getting squeezed out. But I'll be damned if I end up "working retail jobs without health insurance, living in rental property, just hoping that social security will pay the bill."
As silly as it may seem I do still want in. The only difference is nowadays when you can't find an open door, you tear down a wall and make your own. Know your worth and others will see it too.
Busted by the side of the road but still willing to change a tire,
Jackie Agor
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Have you watched the British documentary called 'Money Matters?'
It may help you to understand.
Kevin
Kevin Canning
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Oh, Bob Lefsetz.
My heart is broke, and there's an asterisk over my head.
Yrs,
Britt Speakman
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I hear you, Bob
how many people are making good money, and doing something beneficial for humanity.
Sure there must be some - the likes of Elon Musk.
But the rest? Creating social apps that make us less social, and new software programs where no one got the first version (I am with you on Excel), or a new drug that lowers your blood pressure, but causes all sorts of other issues.
Somewhere it all became about survival... not just making a living, making a life.
Back in the day, the fisherman traded with the chap who had chickens.
These days, everyone is trying to tell you you need 100 things to go with the fish or the chicken... but they just trying to survive.
For most, surviving means building up a huge bank account, because we have all learned how fickle wealth is, and quickly it, and your value, can disappear.
The problem? Too many people, not enough seats.
Shaun Booysen
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Event zero:
Repeal of the fairness doctrine.
Irony or accuracy in a name?
Jack Morer
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Enough
You may not have made 90 gazillion bucks but you've done well.
And you made the choices, not 'the man'.
But the hard truth is that anyone, let me repeat that, anyone can
in fact make it if they possess the willingness to think about what
product or service folks need and then work their ass off to provide it.
And there will be a bunch of failures along the way, but for those that
learn from their mistakes, adjust their enterprises, tweak success will come.
I've started any number of businesses, from tech to the mundane, and along
the way have hired all sorts of folks, and many of them have gone on
to be incredibly successful.
It's not whom you know, although that can help; it's how hard you work
how hard you refuse to fail.
Enough lamentations on the fact that you feel you didn't make it. Guess what Bob,
You did make it.
Joe Vitka
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This made me think-no matter what class you come from or get to, it's not what or how much you make, it's how much you save. No one will be there for us so we have to do it ourselves!
Mommy and Daddy aren't forever so it's up to each person. Nothing is owed. We may feel entitled but the fact is we are entitled to only what we make/create and nothing else.
The facts don't care about our feelings as Ben Shapiro says and that's very true
All the best!!
Jeff Harris
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Been meaning to hit reply a few times, but thought I'd quickly say that the real gap is between destitute and OK. From OK to filthy rich isn't that big a gap, whatever the salary multiple involved. So someone owns an olympic-size swimming pool; if I can save up the change to go swimming in a public pool, their swimming experience is pretty much the same as mine. Hell, I might listen to Peter Kafka's podcast on the way there and hear about your newsletter. Thanks for your work; it's very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Gerald Schmidt
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Money is the reason everything is cheaply made and the world is bad. We literally torture animals for the bottom line. It's the reason pop music sucks. A sad, unenlightened world, it is.
Gary Wilson
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"I don't understand it."
Fuck yeah. Me neither. But I'm convinced I'm happier not being obsessed with it.
Glen Burtnik
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What I find insulting is the amount of freebies the richie riches keep getting in addition to all the kiss ass. They are the ones who can afford all the extras in life yet much of it is basically handed to them on a gold platter. It's ridiculous....
M 1
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Bob, I like this piece! It triggers a lot of thoughts about my own life. Keep in mind people voted for Trump INSTEAD of Hillary. Now look at how the Clinton's made bank.. The Clinton Foundation is HISTORY, with no influence to peddle. Me? I just invested in the wrong kind of CDs. I should have bought certificates of deposit instead of compact discs!
Lavon Pagan
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What Americans want is cradle to grave welfare that they pay for themselves plus the possibility of winning the lottery of life. So give it to em and take the rest.
Iman Lababedi
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from 'citizen kane'
https://youtu.be/87indycxudo?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Sandy McKnight
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It's all about cutting corners.
There is a very small minority who got rich, who have valid arguments on how they got rich without taking short-cuts. They do exist, but they are far and few between. Perhaps some inventors might make claim to this. A pure intellect thing.
But for business people and a lot of professionals, it's about selling, and selling is largely about glossing over the truth to persuade a customer to buy something they otherwise don't need or understand. Whether you are a dermatologist or a dancing school, this MO will always put extra bucks in your pocket. America knows this better than any other country on the planet.
But the really big wins are the cons, where the perpetrator misleads and manipulates his/her audience for the big kill. Bernie Madoff was a maestro, as just one example.
Even the POTUS is a master of deception. He has a history of taking things which didn't belong to him. Short cuts are the fastest way to grabbing the loot.
So there you have it Bob, some people are well equipped at cutting corners, and some people are not. I suspect you are in the latter category.
We are who we are. Nothing much changes.
Cheers
Pete Meehan
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I'm an Orthodox Jewish attorney (idk, felt like mentioning) and I look forward to your writings every day :)
Keep it up and thank you for contributing to the world.
- Julian Maxwell
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...hi bob......a sad commentary, but true...........i have a simple theory i call 3 UP, 3 DOWN.....it goes something like this:......the barrier to entry for a good life is money, brains, or talent(3 up)........money is king because it can BUY brains and talent, but brains ant talent can EARN........if you don't fall into those categories, your options are low income job, the military, or prison(3 down)...........there are exceptions of course, but in broad strokes, here we are, slaves, circus performers and whores.......................the first 100 pages of howard zinn's "a peoples history of the united states" illustrates exactly why we are at this point..........human nature: ain't it a bitch............
Tommy Allen
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dark Bob, darker than usual when you go dark...
I'm 51 and we're speaking with financial managers/advisors to put the assets in line for retirement in the next 15 years. He foresees fewer and fewer people owning more and more of the homes in LA because fewer and fewer 30 somethings can come up with cash to purchase a house that seems to be eternally going up in value. So what is the business he suggests to become part of: Property Management...
that's as dark as I can go today.
- Dan Gellert
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Bob, you have a permanent and all time focus on big money. Typical American I guess. You just have been skiing for 2 days so there's nothing to complain about. Free time is priceless.
And don't visit the big expensive music shows cause in most cases sound quality sucks.
Next thursday we will visit a live show of Eric Bibb at Bird (small jazz cafe) in Rotterdam. Tickets were only Eur 15,-
Looking forward to it!
I am just a retired John Doe with average income and love being saved of clueless managers only creating share holder value, foolish team building sessions, 7 ? 24 responsibilities for IT services etc.
Perfectly happy in my average comfortable 200 k home in a row and free of any mortgage. Probably you would complain that this simple house does not provide any status. Now, who cares?
You do not need much money to be happy.
On the other hand if you purchase an Apple laptop of 4k dollars you are just stupid. This shows you have to much money and lost your skills to evaluate financial deals and to do your own financial planning.
Try to use Youtube in your advantage! Yesterday I repaired the autofocus function of my wife's Canon IS 18-55 zoomlens. I needed to replace a broken flat cable and Youtube showed me how! It did cost me an afternoon and it works perfectly OK again. Nothing more satisfying... And of course I ordered the cable in China via Aliexpress. Cost ca 2 dollars for 2 cables so I still have 1 spare. In NL the same cable would cost me ca 25 dollars for 1 cable. Besides I saved a lens from the garbage dump! With the help of Youtube I also repaired receivers/amplifiers, electrostatic headphones and speakers etc etc.
There is so much to enjoy and like you I am 'to old to die young' as you stated some days ago!
Best regards,
Nico Aarts (the Netherlands)
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Much of what you write here is true. But what one often trades in for stability - or in the case of the ultra elite, a much higher income - they lose in peace of mind, in feeling fulfilled, in living an interesting, thoughtful, redeeming kind of life.
True, with education, connections, maybe even a little hard work, you can become one of the lucky ones, fly on the private jet and buy the 30,000 square foot house you only step inside of three times a year, though you may still find yourself awake at night, tossing and turning, wondering how much better things would be had you made some different decisions with your life.
And the good times for those people, the good times that seem never-ending, they don't always last. We need to only look back ten years - this time, 2007 - when the economy began to crater, and suddenly, people who seemed to have it all figured out, were forced to confront their dark night of the soul, their 'come-to-jesus- moment, when they lost their homes, lost their families, lost themselves.
We are no doubt living in a golden age of commerce and capitalism; yes, a few - actually, much more than a few - have become and are continuing to become extremely wealthy, ultra-wealthy, super-wealthy. But a massive corrective is likely to hit at some point soon, as it did then, and as it did five years before that, and will make these people, and others aspiring to be like them, wonder if they made the right decisions.
It is moments like those when people turn inward, and ask themselves whether that big house and that expensive car and that beautiful wife really matter. Or is what matters something else, something that people like you, and I and many others who read this newsletter, have been doing all along?
Paul Cantor
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bob -
this is all true only if you buy into the current mindset that you've gotta be a "have," which means having too much.
i'm your age. i've been a recording engineer for over 30 years, mostly making records of acoustic music and jazz. not particularly lucrative, but very satisfying, with 5 grammy nominations along the way, if they matter (not much, right?).
so i don't fly private. i don't have 4 houses, or a tesla, or any of that other pricey stuff. i have a wife i love, 2 great kids who are making their way in the world, and a long career that has always given me happiness. i drive a 12-year-old car, and have lived in the same small house we stretched to buy in 1983. am i lucky? you bet! and the longer i live, the more lucky i realize i am.
and a big reason i'm a happy guy is that i don't yearn for "stuff." i've got what i need, and what i've done has given back to me: i've helped musicians create recordings of performances that move people (often including me). so yeah, i bought into the 60's mentality, and it's served me well.
my advice to you is to think back on how you viewed the world when you were younger. did you want to own huge vacation houses? fly private? hang with rich people who you have nothing in common with? from reading your blog, it sounds like you have it pretty good! you travel the world, you are sought out as a pundit on the music biz, and tens of thousands of people listen to your opinions every week.
you're a success. appreciate it, and let those who need more crap chase it.
-gary mankin
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How can you possibly write this? "But the rest of us are dazed and confused, broke down and busted by the side of the road, wondering what the hell happened". Is this really who you are?
I'm very confused. You ski the finest resorts, you attend great events with movers and shakers, people pay you to speak, you travel the world. Your life is centered on the one thing that drives you, music. You live in Santa Monica, a liberal's paradise, where the weather is amazing and every day offers the promise and opportunity of living in one of the world's truly great metropolises, Los Angeles. So, What's the problem?
Your obsession with extreme wealth and flying private seems to be destroying your ability to enjoy what really matters in life. The joys that come from good friends and a loving family, and knowing that you, among the seven billion on the planet, are one of the lucky ones. That you are free to pursue your dreams, whatever they may be.
Compare your life to those living in Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Brazil, etc., where everyday people struggle to just survive to the next day, and your whining is inexplicable.
Much of life is a lottery. Yes, some people win the jackpot, but look around. Most people live lives of quiet desperation, unaware even of why their dreams will never be fulfilled. They work hard, really hard, yet there is little reward. And there, but for the grace of god, could have gone you. You are blessed. What's sad is that you don't seem to know it; and this is very much to your personal detriment. Otherwise, how could you write today's rant.
I once asked a group of my warehouse employees what their plans for the future were, not one of them had an answer. They were too busy just trying to survive. Or, were so settled in accepting their circumstances that they fully expected that great wealth, or big success, would never be theirs. Most interesting was that they truly liked and found satisfaction with their jobs. Jobs that you and I would never consider doing. But the real lesson I learned from them is that these people were tremendously HAPPY! Happy to have good friends and big families that were the center of their lives. Their focus was not on flying private, but thinking about the new baby in the family and their kids doing well in school, and looking forward to the next holiday and sharing it with family. Ever notice how many big families are at the parks of the poorer neighborhoods of LA enjoying themselves on weekends. I never see this in West LA where everyone seems to have an endless supply of money.
Simple pleasures are the best.
You yourself have stated many times that fame and fortune does not solve life's problems. True happiness and satisfaction with one's life comes from within one's self. It's something that flying private, or living behind gates, or being a billionaire can't buy.
Open your eyes, Bob. You are one of the lucky ones. Be thankful for what you have, because you seem to have a lot to be thankful for. Most of the world would trade places with you in a heartbeat.
Frank A. Gagliano
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Bob, Take a deep breath, sit down and take your meds(uppers). You go skiing every other week at all the hot spots and then come back to LALA land and feel inadequate. How many times do you have to go through this syndrome? Face it, you made life choices that didn't take you down the yellow brick road. Your Dad was actually a great role model, you must have fashioned yourself after your mother. (Nothing wrong with that, just didn't pay the trifecta).
Some guy (90 years old) responded to your "skin" column, " celebrate how lucky you are to still be young at 63 and smarter than you were at 35"! You need to hang out with a different crowd. Your constant reversion to the sin of "envy" is not only boring, but totally non productive. You want big bucks, "find a need and fill it". It's no harder than that. It has nothing to do with who you knew in kindergarten or even at Harvard MBA school. What you don't understand is that the guys graduating from Harvard and all the other fancy pants school are taught how to steer the Ship without deviating more than one degree to either starboard or port, dead north. The guys from those schools are always looking for an outlier that will produce and develop into home run deals. They very rarely are the thought leaders or originators of game changing, disruptor technologies or even low tech deals. Think I am wrong, look at who is really rich from franchising; Chick a filet, a right wing religious nut ( now dead)who hates gays. Dominos Pizza, a radical Catholic who will defend outlaw priests etc. Jewish real estate radical Zionists like Sheldon Adelman, who borrowed money in huge swathes to build casinos. There are hundreds of rich guys that I know who are simply of average intelligence, but had focus and/or luck ( often supported by inflation from 1970-2000) or they married money!
The good news is, it's not too late to get rich. The problem is your envy has put dark shades over your vision of what is really a BIG opportunity. Look what Wolfgang PUCk did with a few new ingredients on an oven baked pizza. Who ever imagined paying $26 for an eight inch pie?
You want instant gratification, not gonna happen. Here's a hint, look for something that is being produced as a by product of a high demand consumer good and invent a new use. Example, when we grew up we ate bacon. Then a few farmers ate " side pork" (unsmoked bacon) , now go to the Asian market and see how much pork belly sells for and how many restaurants buy it and feature it.
Too low tech for your? Look up Organogenesis on Google. They make artificial skin for burn victims. Find out how they grow that skin. The company has been for sale for two years. Get some rich broke friends and buy it. The applications for diabetic patients is huge.
Good luck, go to bed earlier and spend less time wandering around in the wee hours. All the smart guys are sleeping, getting ready for opening bell at 4:30 am.
Thomas Geimer
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Preach man. Thanks for saying all that. Helps me feel less crazy for feeling like the money is all locked up where the new artists can't get it—unless you're willing to march to the right beat.
I've always admired C.S. Lewis's thoughts as to how it got like this:
"Nearly all those evils in the world that people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride.
Take it with money. Greed will certainly make a man want money, for the sake of a better house, better holidays, better things to eat and drink. But only up to a point. What is it that makes a man with 10,000 pounds a year anxious to get 20,000 a year? It is not the greed for more pleasure. 10,000 pounds will give all the luxuries that any man can really enjoy. It is Pride - the wish to be richer than some other rich man, and (still more) the wish for power. For, of course, power is what Pride really enjoys: there is nothing makes a man feel so superior to others as being able to move them about like toy soldiers.
Pride is competitive by its very nature: that is why it goes on and on. If I am a proud man, then, as long as there is one man in the whole world more powerful, or richer, or cleverer than I, he is my rival and my enemy. The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But Pride always means enmity – it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God."
Read the chapter called "The Great Sin" in "Mere Christianity" if you want more. Marvellous book on the way of the world, and an especially poignant chapter.
Thanks for doing your thing Bob,
Chris Pulsifer
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Are none of those artists enabled by Daniel Ek a part of the middle class? Are only 1 percenters "rich?" Do you consider yourself middle class? If you don't qualify as rich by your standards, well, I'm sure you do by the standards of the "have nots" (You are skiing at Deer Valley in the middle of the week, after all, and I assume that, unlike many of your generation, you live within your means).
We know how society's upper echelon spend their time and money...we have Google. And Facebook. And Instagram. And Twitter. And Snapchat. And, these platforms have opened up all kinds of jealousy-laden looks into the lives of both those who are rich and those who act like they're rich (see: a large percentage of Los Angeles). This window into the "other half" is absolutely part of the populist Brexit/Trump/Bernie origin story, even if the reaction doesn't strike the establishment as logical, equal, or opposite to the impetus.
And, come on now, don't feign ignorance about making money when "how to" has become your mantra: Write a hit song. Start a tech company. Work on Wall Street. We all make choices. We all have our talents. We all have our opportunities. Some make more of what they have than others, and some have to do a lot less than others to reach the top. Regardless, keeping score only with bank accounts and trophy properties and assorted luxuries is a sad and vacuous approach to life.
eric behrns
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"America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves. To quote the American humorist Kin Hubbard, 'It ain't no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be.' It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: 'if you're so smart, why ain't you rich?' There will also be an American flag no larger than a child's hand - glued to a lollipop stick and flying from the cash register.
Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue. Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say Napoleonic times. Many novelties have come from America. The most startling of these, a thing without precedent, is a mass of undignified poor. They do not love one another because they do not love themselves."
? Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
(via Ali Shakeri)
That's certainly how I grew up, but I ask myself the same questions as you do. My father also owned a liquor store and managed to get us to the middle of the middle class. He put three boys through college, but he only owned 2 cars during my entire growing up years and he traveled abroad three times during his life (not including his deployment in the South Pacific in the Navy in WW2). I know that's more than many, but it doesn't seem that much to me now.
I shouldn't complain. I went to med school, deferred making any real money until I was in my late 30s, but I can always have a job. Like you I know contemporaries, smart and talented all of them, who are essentially penniless. I make a decent living but I doubt I will ever have a second home or fly private.
I rationalize all of this by saying my life means something. I'm a physician and I have contributed to the health and welfare of others and to society at large. The bankers, the hedge fund managers, those Wall St suits, just suck out of the system. Their annual bonuses are more than I'll make in a decade. Are they happy? Do they feel good about themselves?
I wonder if it was all worth it.
Barry K. Herman, MD, MMM
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Bob, I love your writing! I'm a country boy from the Midwest. 54 yrs old, I use to work in the biz doing music marketing and indie record promotion with the late Tony Muscolo in Granada Hills, CA in the late 80's, and then was a regional promotion manager with SBK Records in 1990 when that label was just introducing the pop trio Wilson Phillips to the world. I now live back in my hometown in the SW corner of Michigan directly across the lake from Chicago. I live from paycheck to paycheck cleaning windows for the filthy rich 2nd homeowners from Chicago. The reason I'm writing you is that your one sentence in this article "money" hit home and I've often thought the same thing. If most people KNEW how the rich/elite truly lived, I GUARANTEE there would be revolution in the streets! Unfortunately as the gap forever widens between the have and have nots, the day of revolution is right around the corner! I hope I'll have enough ammo to protect my kids and my chickens! Keep up the great writing, I'll keep reading.
David Wolnik
Three Oaks, MI
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I'm 53, worked in radio for years, made 6 figures, loved what I did. Then the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed and things began to change. I was able to hang on for several years and make a great living doing it, but with the advent of technology and the corporatization and commoditization of the business, and me being more on the creative side than on the business side, I slipped thru the cracks... and now I ask the same questions of myself that you are asking in this posting...
Be well.
Tom Calococci
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Bob: I spent three days this past October, staying in a corporate den of iniquity in the heart of Deer Valley. My bud and I played some records, drank some piss poor beer and spoke of what you just covered. Figuring out how to use my law degree and his State school graduate degree to keep our selves and our kids on "the inside." Maybe we never belonged on the "inside" to be gong with. As the mighty Hetfield says "fuck em all and fucking no regrets." Keep rocking and writing until you have "blood on the ivories."
Kurt Lambeth
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Dad was a school teacher. He somehow put all three of us kids trough university (private). I still don't know how he did it. After university, I dabbled in corporate life and played in a great band four/five nights a week. I was burning the candle on both ends and the middle. Then, I said it's now or never and I dove into music full time. Aced the audition, quit the day job, moved to San Francisco and joined the Yanks. Lived in a North Beach dump. Hung out at the Mab. Made records, toured, the whole shabang. But the "next level" eluded us and finally, at age 30 with my wife pregnant, I realized that it is a young man's game. I gave it up as a full time thing and started working hard to make up for lost time.
Most of my talented music friends hung in there...one more album, one more tour. Well, an album and a tour is another 18 months minimum and then maybe do it again and the next thing you know you are 40 or 45 and never had a real job, savings account, a home you own, or a 401K. You are screwed at that point. You swam out too far, way past the bouy, and there is no way back. You are working in a coffee shop with 20 year olds making MW.
Then along came Nirvana and if you were over 30, and in a Seattle band, you were toast.
I'm blessed. Made it back to shore. Had a few good breaks, and balls that bounced my way. Lived abroad on full expat packages for 15 years (that helps A LOT). Put my kids through university (and one through law school). Now, I look back and say how did I do it? BTW, life comes full circle. I can and I am playing, singing and we are booked as much as we want to work. That's funny right? I have enough money banked to be able to play music again. On FB @dennyblainemusic
so it goes
steve aliment
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All the Jewish mothers who think that their sons (and daughters) who are gonna be doctahs are going to be rolling in the bucks are stuck at their 1975 Boca Raton mah Jong tables. That idea of a comfortable life if you're a doctor is just not the way it once was.
The truth is my MD husband has worked at least two or three jobs consistently since he was an 80 hour a week working neuro resident in New Haven. Those days we literally ate beans and rice nightly for dinner, and I saved money by nursing my babies rather than buying formula, which we couldn't afford.
The people making money today are those in venture capital and high tech. Serial entrepreneurs who sell their ideas or businesses are the ones making money. And they are all working crazy long hours.
Rachel Loonin
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Bob, I gotta say it. This note reminds of something I read a few days ago. It was my father's diary 1970-71. He complained about three things. His leg hurt, his arm is weak and no money. It's choices we make in life, laced with luck, backed by delivering the goods. Don't knock the wealthy and make them the bad guys and the not so wealthy the guys who get screwed. How do you do in the world of economics? You get to go to some pretty exciting places, you seem to live a good life.
How does that work? Still love your writings. Hope to see you soon. Tom.
Tom Battista
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Omg...thank you....
I can't retire...and I make a good living...
Still...it's never enough...and no matter...tough to prepare for old age....
Quality of life...you paid your dues....it's an ongoing vicious circle...never ends...
I'm tired
Barbara Stevens
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What I don't understand is how so many fucking mediocre bands with horrible singers and more than sub-par songwriting have a lot of fans, and I bust my ass making good music (literally GOOD music) and no one cares. What are your suggestions for indie bands and marketing? I'd be happy if I sold ONE song from Bandcamp at $1. One. What do you recommend for smaller-level indie/hipster/underground bands, for marketing? We all are not Taylor Swifts or country pop stars. But plenty of people make a living doing indie music-- Laura Gibson, Lemolo, Beach House, Memoryhouse, Azure Ray, Maria Taylor and more.... have any thoughts, Bob?
THANKS!!!
-Chris
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"I can't tell you how many people my age I know who are nearly broke. They
made six figures in the music business and then they got too old and got
squeezed out and then Napster hit and now they're working retail jobs
without health insurance, living in rental property, just hoping that
social security will pay the bills, because they've got no 401k."
Wow, my epitaph. May my family use this when my headstone is being
engraved?
William Nollman
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So true....
Peter Wheeler
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Dear Bob, U couldn't resist taking a swing at President Trump which proves you're a HAPLESS LIBTARD. I thank God every day that HITLARY or Bern-Me aren't in the White house. Trump is the ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT. MAGA, Mr. Melody TM
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You didn't go wrong anywhere, you're just not willing to be a scumbag and you know in your heart of hearts that money is no measure of a man.
Mike Caldarella
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Who do you think all the mega wealthy voted for? They got rich with the status quo. Income inequality created both Trump and Sanders.
http://stevenrattner.com/2015/09/morning-joe-charts-inequality-and-the-2016-race/?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Income inequality really began meaningfully under Clinton, expanded under Bush and was sustained under Obama. Both sides of the aisle are in the business of making the rich richer. If you believe anything else, you are not as smart as I had previously believed.
Timoth Schuler
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You do understand !
Gary
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(this was very, very well written and terribly, terribly true. Grazie)
Paolo Madeddu
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A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US president (27 Oct 1858-1919)
There was no poverty until money was created and or introduced.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're giving none away.
Victor Krag
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Holy shit Bob one of your best posts ever. The Skin issue posts were entertaining but this one hits to the core of many of us. For me personally I've got one foot on the path to success and one foot on the path to rough times... Yes soon i'll be doing the splits and falling on my face if I don't reach critical mass soon..
J.Vieira
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Jesus, I feel so good after reading this, not
Judy LaVigne
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Well put sir!
I too am just another shell shocked nobody who invested in his dream!
Steve Mather
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I always thought you made bank Bob. Speaking at conferences or writing columns. Maybe you do but it's not enough. I'm about half your aged and freaked the fuck out. Apparently, I make more than most, low six figures, but I still feel poor and I'm single. Follow your passion is bullshit. Follow the money so you can be in a position to take of yourself and those you love and care about. People following their passion are always out asking people with money to invest or donate. I'd rather be on the other side.
Toks Ogun
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At a conference I attended a few years back a fraud examiner explained how the proliferation of personal debt explains how so many have so much, and makes detecting fraud much more difficult. Most people live beyond their means. Maybe that doesn't apply to the top of the top, but I suspect it does.
Great letter.
Britton Giroux
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Long time reader.
You're only gonna see the big house go up; you're not gonna follow the story of the owner/developer when it forecloses.
95% of people who drive Range Rovers can't afford them.
I'm sure you've heard but worth repeating: "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." -Will Rogers
Money really doesn't mean a thing, I know we all "know this" and preach it...but most of the wealthy people I know are also the saddest.
Quit stressing, keep writing.
Leland Grant
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It hits home brother, just like you say, reality check 101. If Bernie would have won…?
R C
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I know a good songwriter when I hear my feelings in his/her lyrics.
I know a good writer when I see my feelings expressed in words.
You have done it many times, including a few sentences in this piece.
Thanks for not being afraid to say,"I don't understand it."
Jodey Smith
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Check this out:
https://workingnation.com/slope-curve-sneak-peek/?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Donald S. Passman
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Thank you for this.
Feeling Dazed & Confused.
Dave Weisz
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I think the term 'making an honest living' has become antiquated. The ones that do have barely enough to survive on... sure I'm not saying all well off people are bad guys, but something is seriously wrong...
tax codes are always favouring the rich... because the rich have done a great job of making people think that soon they will one of 'them'. We all know they (we) won't, but that doesn't stop the 'less than rich' from voting for leaders that don not have their better interests in mind... case in point Trump. We've reached the pinnacle in our democratic voting where people will actually buy plain bullshit being served up as 'change'. IMHO anyone who voted for that creep was/is either uninformed or just as much a monster as he is.
Mick Dalla-Vee
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Sad, isn't it?
Alice
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We used to go to Deer Valley every winter and marvel at Johnny Carson's and Stevie Nicks's ski-in/ski-out houses. DV is a spectacular display of wealth that is pretty well hidden, not unlike the G-4's at Teterboro and the Yachts at Ft. Lauderdale. If/when the people see it, they will man the pitchforks and the torches, if they can put down their smartphones.
Jon Sinton
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Again, this is the result of too much borrowed money with not enough GDP to pay it off. Back in the 1950s, we borrowed $1.80 to generate $1 of GDP. Today we're borrowing north of $3.50 to create $1 of GDP. So there's all this unused money sloshing around at the top and its corruption has colored everything we do. The problem is not with you but with our generation that essentially said "if it feels good, do it." So we went off half-cocked borrowing money will-nilly. Our kids are paying the price.
Peter Duray-Bito
Littleton, Colorado
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Hi Bob. As Bernie Sanders says about the oligarchy in his new book:
"In 1979, the top one-tenth of 1 percent owned about 7 percent of the wealth in this country. Today it owns 22 percent." In 2000, "51 billionaires worth $480 billion" - now there are "540 billionaires worth $2.4 trillion."
Joseph Mackin
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Bob, I don't think you made any mistakes, nor are you broke down and busted.
You just missed out on that LUCKY break.
In addition, you are an exceptional writer, have a huge following by way of your emails, and seem to be enjoying the traveling and speaking you are able to do.
AND, you lived this long and are still going forward.
RICHARD ROSENBERG
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Part of it was the day and age in which you grew up Bob.
America was the only country post-world war II with a functioning economy, infrastructure, deep government investment in basic research (from military spending, let's be intellectually honest here). The US was in a prime position to collect "excess" wealth, economic rent in economic parlance, from any growth in global trade. That "economic rent" lifted ALL BOATS, but most importantly it lifted the most boats the highest in the US. In a sense, through a number of bad or merely unconscious decisions, the US has frittered away that wealth. Our tax & social policies just acted as brakes/gas pedals depending on the circumstances, in that process.
Always thought-provoking, I hope you keep at it, regardless of the naysayers and/or ass-kissers.
- Roy Liu
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excellent. I know our folks complained how life is different but this really is becoming weirdly different….to everyone.
Kathy Rowe
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Bob, Excellent stream of consciousness. I've been on this mail list for 3 years or so and I've wondered how you make your money. Why don't you do a blog and sell ads? A book of your favorite posts... I never had the gift for creating music, or engineering skills, but I've always believed that if you're going to bust your ass, and money is important to you, play where the reward is significant. Yeah, you have to get on the field but there are ways if you are persistent and resourceful. You were there. I still believe in this country you can accomplish most anything. I believe I'm proof. And if the last eight years taught us anything, if a gifted, charismatic junior senator with no apparent record can climb the highest mountain? It can still be done. I hate cliches, but I gotta throw one at you - ""Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford. Self confidence is a powerful thing. It beats getting bitter.
Jim, Castle Rock CO.
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i think you would enjoy tony robbins new book about money and how the little guy can make a ton
no bs
www.unshakeable.com
Mastin Kipp
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Great post!
Jake Udell
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A few observations regarding the newsletter below...
Wondering what the "have's" are doing to help society? Many of them are entrepreneur/business owners. That's how real wealth can be created in this world. So... they are delivering a product that consumers apparently want, and are willing to pay for at a price that allows the entrepreneur to make a profit. To get there, the entrepreneur had to give up the security of a regular paycheck. He (could be she, of course) had to hire others to help him build and deliver the product/service. The entrepreneur, as well as all his employees pay taxes, all of which contribute to the national kitty. None of his employees are slaves... all are there of their own free will. Creating and continuing to provide gainful employment for many is a worthy endeavor and helps all involved, including the government who taxes both the income as well as the spending of all the folks at the company that might not exist but for the risks, capital, and hard work the entrepreneur put into the venture.
As for the uber wealthy folks with crazy houses in Deer Valley that they don't live in full time... rest assured about one thing... The real estate taxes in Utah for property owned by folks from out of state is roughly DOUBLE that of those who live there. It's the craziest thing I ever heard of. They use very little government services (libraries, parks, schools, roads, etc), yet they PAY DOUBLE the real estate taxes. It caused me to look elsewhere when I was looking for a vacation ski home... ended up in Colorado, obviously! Maybe those folks paying double makes you feel better... not sure.
In any case, maybe we can ski together some time in the future! I ski about 20-30 days a year.
Lastly, thought you might enjoy my essay on the Health Care Conundrum. It discusses the real problem... and how I see it all ending.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/health-care-conundrum-heres-how-end-byron-udell?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Byron Udell, JD, CLU, CFP, ChFC
President/CEO
AccuQuote
Saving You Money for Life™
Get insurance tips and advice: visit our blog,
follow us on Twitter or
"like" AccuQuote on Facebook
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I always enjoy your insights. You're spot on I grew up in rural Virginia and now spilt time between there and NYC. I've won a few and lost a few through working, living in conditions most my kind would not to save and invest. Things look ok for now.
There are a lot of good people out there doing the right thing and the right thing just is not good enough anymore.
Like you always say It should be about: "Smiling on your brother and loving one another."
The rich and 75% of those in government don't care as long as they are getting theirs. Those benefiting from the system like many I've seen in various unions here are happy to pay lip service to the little man but darn sure not going to share a slice of their pie with those on the outside. Seems people used to get rich and go into government to do good, now it's to do good for themselves.
As always looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Justin Jones
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When you elect a novice promising change,
you have allow them more than 60 days, especially when the other party and the mainstream news media are doing there best I stop them.
The rich got filthy rich under Obama and he's getting rich too, all on the back of the little people.
Let the change happen!
Bill Jackson
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Hi Bob,hope the skiing was good.Did you have the turkey chili?I did plumbing in alot of those houses at DV.Most people don't even use the house as much as you think.They have to keep it heated,security,cleaning,plowing the driveway,making sure the hot tub is working,and everything else.And never use it.And they have other houses,beach,city,europe,and the main house.How do they do it?Stay well.Thanks Bob,Ted Keane
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I often swear you have a microphone in my home and you write your letters about the conversations I'm having with my dead father, asking where the answers, or doors, are. Then I head out and make another piece of work for someone that both a) isnt going to pay me, and b) isn't going to benefit anything more than a portfolio nobody cares about.
Are you inside my head Bob Lefsetz? Are we on the same wire, where you hear my thoughts and write the words I'm thinking right back to me? It happens so often I am starting to believe there is some sort of weird duality happening and you're really reading the thoughts I have, when I have them. Thanks for another letter ... that I should have known would be in my inbox an hour ago.
Joe Dolan
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As a parent of 2 young children your emails give me a damn panic attack when you start talking about the future. I end up feeling like I'm behind the 8 ball, and this is coming from someone who was born, raised, and still lives in in "Ground Zero, Sunnyvale, CA, Silicon Valley".
Please don't publish my name if you do.
Regards,
_____ _______
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bob:
i feel ya brother, i am a talented, poor guy watching the show I can't turn off, bewildered…
love your writing
-al quattrocchi
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Bob--Thanks, yet again. I've said out loud, more than once, that if I ever saw the guy who said "do what you love and the money will follow," I'd punch him in the throat.
Stuart Gunter
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Phenomenal email. I wonder the exact same constantly and am disheartened.
I live in New York City and have a great salary, much better than any of my music peers. More than probably 80% of the country. Yet I know what I can afford and look around constantly and see so many people going on bigger better longer vacations, driving cars that I wouldn't think to get, living in homes that I know how much cost and couldn't get myself, and I wonder.
I wonder what the fuck is it that everyone does that makes them all so fucking rich.
I feel so far away from it all. But then I feel so far from those poorer and find myself feeling guilty constantly.
Weird.
Oscar Scivier
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Bob, thanks for this true description of what the 1% is doing to the rest of us.
Being a member of a small-time Montreal hard rock/metal band at near age 60, I know I will never get rich or famous, but I really enjoy the music I'm creating for myself and only then after for others making albums in any musical direction I want in my home studio. I've been lucky enough to have guys like Don Airey of Deep Purple and Vinny Appice of Black Sabbath amongst others on a couple of my songs and isn't that really the thrill? To get the great players and have them on your songs, that blows away riches for me anytime. Look, I'm struggling and in massive debt because of a leaking roof that the insurance didn't pay for and a divorce 10 years ago! But I got remarried to a beautiful lady who is now my singer as well and gave me a beautiful little boy with perfect pitch. So we get screwed by the system as you say and I completely agree with you, but I'll take the small victories, because that's all that most of us unknown musicians will get in our lifetimes.
Thanks for your letter, as always insightful and incisive.
Best,
Jerry Fielden
AraPacis
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I love your articles because, even when they make my blood boil, you never fail to make me think.
But I have to say, it is not about left vs. right, or even rich vs. poor. It is now Establishment vs. Us. The establishment takes care of itself. It is the horrible, twisted combination of powerful business and powerful politicians. They throw red meat to the masses to get us screaming at each other while they spend us blind and leave office wealthy.
Our education system is run by the establishment, and it is run by, but more importantly, for the teachers unions. Hey, I want teachers to be paid well, but only the good ones. The unions defend the failing status quo with all they have. That has to change our our country will ultimately fail. You just have to wonder if that is all part of the plan.
Blair Schrum
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"wrist band" Paul Simon
Mark Birnbach
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Best current song on this subject: Paul Simon's "Wristband"
Robert Miranda
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That's why you buy when you can afford it, and you don't bet on paying monthly for enjoyment forever. You never know when, and if, future income will arrive or not.
The paradigm of renting, leasing, crowd sharing, streaming, etc. is solvent as long as there is constant cash flow. Give your readers a reality check. What will their lives be like if it ends?
Ron Linder, MD
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brilliantly fair assessment. As always, a pleasure to read you.
Scott El. McIntyre
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if you find a good place for that remedial education please let me know...
and i don't really even want money... just don't want to think about it
-dan yotz
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The biggest lie that I've heard all my life is that money can't buy you happiness. As if debt, constant worry, wondering every month if you can keep your head above water, trying to stay relevant in a profession that panders to the young & fickle, somehow brings light shooting through the fucking clouds joy. Sure, I'm talking about the music biz & I'll be in it til I choke to death on self doubt & regret, but I know way too many people in 'regular' jobs who have very little chance of a comfortable retirement, if they have one at all.
The Millennials are pissed that the Boomers won't retire & the Boomers are pissed that the Millennials are threatening their jobs & usefulness, but at the end of the day they both, we all, have a common foe. And neither seems to see that. Just like the pro & anti Trumpers.
Wade Mosher
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Eloquently put.
You're on a roll lately.
RIk Shafer
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You have an enormous audience. You are a celebrated maven. I find it incredible that you can't monetize this.
Of course, you do live in one of the most expensive cities on earth.
Get someone to sponsor your newsletter?
Do a Kickstarter campaign to compile your scriptures into a book?
Whatever, you have an enormous audience. Seems like there must be SOME way to draw money from it. Charge some pittance for your newsletter. Like a dollar a week or maybe $45 per year? I would pay it to support you
Richard Sales
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Unfortunately, amen, dude
Alan Fenton
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It was a record year for the richest people on earth, as the number of billionaires jumped 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 last year, the first time ever that Forbes has pinned down more than 2,000 ten-figure-fortunes. Their total net worth rose by 18% to $7.67 trillion, also a record. The change in the number of billionaires — up 233 since the 2016 list — was the biggest in the 31 years that Forbes has been tracking billionaires globally. Gainers since last year's list outnumbered losers by more than three to one.
https://goo.gl/5ejxIH?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Levi Pervin
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I understand what you're saying, and I can't argue.
There's a 'secret' in the tech world though, that the best people will work for little or possibly no money if they have to.
This is what happens when people are on a mission to prove something - to others, and to themselves.
They don't want to be a 'part' of whatever is setting the world on fire, they see themselves as being the ones pouring the fuel on!
Most tech people don't learn Excel because they want to - I'm pretty sure you could drive it if you needed to ;)
Evan Linwood
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I know Excel like the back of my hand, can draw up a business plan in a couple of days, and worked until I couldn't keep my eyes open. But your right. I wasn't willing to screw others over, didn't brown nose the He-men, or shell out six figures for my education and ended up getting squeezed out. But I'll be damned if I end up "working retail jobs without health insurance, living in rental property, just hoping that social security will pay the bill."
As silly as it may seem I do still want in. The only difference is nowadays when you can't find an open door, you tear down a wall and make your own. Know your worth and others will see it too.
Busted by the side of the road but still willing to change a tire,
Jackie Agor
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Have you watched the British documentary called 'Money Matters?'
It may help you to understand.
Kevin
Kevin Canning
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Oh, Bob Lefsetz.
My heart is broke, and there's an asterisk over my head.
Yrs,
Britt Speakman
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I hear you, Bob
how many people are making good money, and doing something beneficial for humanity.
Sure there must be some - the likes of Elon Musk.
But the rest? Creating social apps that make us less social, and new software programs where no one got the first version (I am with you on Excel), or a new drug that lowers your blood pressure, but causes all sorts of other issues.
Somewhere it all became about survival... not just making a living, making a life.
Back in the day, the fisherman traded with the chap who had chickens.
These days, everyone is trying to tell you you need 100 things to go with the fish or the chicken... but they just trying to survive.
For most, surviving means building up a huge bank account, because we have all learned how fickle wealth is, and quickly it, and your value, can disappear.
The problem? Too many people, not enough seats.
Shaun Booysen
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Event zero:
Repeal of the fairness doctrine.
Irony or accuracy in a name?
Jack Morer
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Enough
You may not have made 90 gazillion bucks but you've done well.
And you made the choices, not 'the man'.
But the hard truth is that anyone, let me repeat that, anyone can
in fact make it if they possess the willingness to think about what
product or service folks need and then work their ass off to provide it.
And there will be a bunch of failures along the way, but for those that
learn from their mistakes, adjust their enterprises, tweak success will come.
I've started any number of businesses, from tech to the mundane, and along
the way have hired all sorts of folks, and many of them have gone on
to be incredibly successful.
It's not whom you know, although that can help; it's how hard you work
how hard you refuse to fail.
Enough lamentations on the fact that you feel you didn't make it. Guess what Bob,
You did make it.
Joe Vitka
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This made me think-no matter what class you come from or get to, it's not what or how much you make, it's how much you save. No one will be there for us so we have to do it ourselves!
Mommy and Daddy aren't forever so it's up to each person. Nothing is owed. We may feel entitled but the fact is we are entitled to only what we make/create and nothing else.
The facts don't care about our feelings as Ben Shapiro says and that's very true
All the best!!
Jeff Harris
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Been meaning to hit reply a few times, but thought I'd quickly say that the real gap is between destitute and OK. From OK to filthy rich isn't that big a gap, whatever the salary multiple involved. So someone owns an olympic-size swimming pool; if I can save up the change to go swimming in a public pool, their swimming experience is pretty much the same as mine. Hell, I might listen to Peter Kafka's podcast on the way there and hear about your newsletter. Thanks for your work; it's very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Gerald Schmidt
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Money is the reason everything is cheaply made and the world is bad. We literally torture animals for the bottom line. It's the reason pop music sucks. A sad, unenlightened world, it is.
Gary Wilson
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"I don't understand it."
Fuck yeah. Me neither. But I'm convinced I'm happier not being obsessed with it.
Glen Burtnik
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What I find insulting is the amount of freebies the richie riches keep getting in addition to all the kiss ass. They are the ones who can afford all the extras in life yet much of it is basically handed to them on a gold platter. It's ridiculous....
M 1
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Bob, I like this piece! It triggers a lot of thoughts about my own life. Keep in mind people voted for Trump INSTEAD of Hillary. Now look at how the Clinton's made bank.. The Clinton Foundation is HISTORY, with no influence to peddle. Me? I just invested in the wrong kind of CDs. I should have bought certificates of deposit instead of compact discs!
Lavon Pagan
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What Americans want is cradle to grave welfare that they pay for themselves plus the possibility of winning the lottery of life. So give it to em and take the rest.
Iman Lababedi
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from 'citizen kane'
https://youtu.be/87indycxudo?utm_source=phplist5792&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=Re-Money
Sandy McKnight
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It's all about cutting corners.
There is a very small minority who got rich, who have valid arguments on how they got rich without taking short-cuts. They do exist, but they are far and few between. Perhaps some inventors might make claim to this. A pure intellect thing.
But for business people and a lot of professionals, it's about selling, and selling is largely about glossing over the truth to persuade a customer to buy something they otherwise don't need or understand. Whether you are a dermatologist or a dancing school, this MO will always put extra bucks in your pocket. America knows this better than any other country on the planet.
But the really big wins are the cons, where the perpetrator misleads and manipulates his/her audience for the big kill. Bernie Madoff was a maestro, as just one example.
Even the POTUS is a master of deception. He has a history of taking things which didn't belong to him. Short cuts are the fastest way to grabbing the loot.
So there you have it Bob, some people are well equipped at cutting corners, and some people are not. I suspect you are in the latter category.
We are who we are. Nothing much changes.
Cheers
Pete Meehan
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I'm an Orthodox Jewish attorney (idk, felt like mentioning) and I look forward to your writings every day :)
Keep it up and thank you for contributing to the world.
- Julian Maxwell
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...hi bob......a sad commentary, but true...........i have a simple theory i call 3 UP, 3 DOWN.....it goes something like this:......the barrier to entry for a good life is money, brains, or talent(3 up)........money is king because it can BUY brains and talent, but brains ant talent can EARN........if you don't fall into those categories, your options are low income job, the military, or prison(3 down)...........there are exceptions of course, but in broad strokes, here we are, slaves, circus performers and whores.......................the first 100 pages of howard zinn's "a peoples history of the united states" illustrates exactly why we are at this point..........human nature: ain't it a bitch............
Tommy Allen
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dark Bob, darker than usual when you go dark...
I'm 51 and we're speaking with financial managers/advisors to put the assets in line for retirement in the next 15 years. He foresees fewer and fewer people owning more and more of the homes in LA because fewer and fewer 30 somethings can come up with cash to purchase a house that seems to be eternally going up in value. So what is the business he suggests to become part of: Property Management...
that's as dark as I can go today.
- Dan Gellert
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Bob, you have a permanent and all time focus on big money. Typical American I guess. You just have been skiing for 2 days so there's nothing to complain about. Free time is priceless.
And don't visit the big expensive music shows cause in most cases sound quality sucks.
Next thursday we will visit a live show of Eric Bibb at Bird (small jazz cafe) in Rotterdam. Tickets were only Eur 15,-
Looking forward to it!
I am just a retired John Doe with average income and love being saved of clueless managers only creating share holder value, foolish team building sessions, 7 ? 24 responsibilities for IT services etc.
Perfectly happy in my average comfortable 200 k home in a row and free of any mortgage. Probably you would complain that this simple house does not provide any status. Now, who cares?
You do not need much money to be happy.
On the other hand if you purchase an Apple laptop of 4k dollars you are just stupid. This shows you have to much money and lost your skills to evaluate financial deals and to do your own financial planning.
Try to use Youtube in your advantage! Yesterday I repaired the autofocus function of my wife's Canon IS 18-55 zoomlens. I needed to replace a broken flat cable and Youtube showed me how! It did cost me an afternoon and it works perfectly OK again. Nothing more satisfying... And of course I ordered the cable in China via Aliexpress. Cost ca 2 dollars for 2 cables so I still have 1 spare. In NL the same cable would cost me ca 25 dollars for 1 cable. Besides I saved a lens from the garbage dump! With the help of Youtube I also repaired receivers/amplifiers, electrostatic headphones and speakers etc etc.
There is so much to enjoy and like you I am 'to old to die young' as you stated some days ago!
Best regards,
Nico Aarts (the Netherlands)
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Much of what you write here is true. But what one often trades in for stability - or in the case of the ultra elite, a much higher income - they lose in peace of mind, in feeling fulfilled, in living an interesting, thoughtful, redeeming kind of life.
True, with education, connections, maybe even a little hard work, you can become one of the lucky ones, fly on the private jet and buy the 30,000 square foot house you only step inside of three times a year, though you may still find yourself awake at night, tossing and turning, wondering how much better things would be had you made some different decisions with your life.
And the good times for those people, the good times that seem never-ending, they don't always last. We need to only look back ten years - this time, 2007 - when the economy began to crater, and suddenly, people who seemed to have it all figured out, were forced to confront their dark night of the soul, their 'come-to-jesus- moment, when they lost their homes, lost their families, lost themselves.
We are no doubt living in a golden age of commerce and capitalism; yes, a few - actually, much more than a few - have become and are continuing to become extremely wealthy, ultra-wealthy, super-wealthy. But a massive corrective is likely to hit at some point soon, as it did then, and as it did five years before that, and will make these people, and others aspiring to be like them, wonder if they made the right decisions.
It is moments like those when people turn inward, and ask themselves whether that big house and that expensive car and that beautiful wife really matter. Or is what matters something else, something that people like you, and I and many others who read this newsletter, have been doing all along?
Paul Cantor
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bob -
this is all true only if you buy into the current mindset that you've gotta be a "have," which means having too much.
i'm your age. i've been a recording engineer for over 30 years, mostly making records of acoustic music and jazz. not particularly lucrative, but very satisfying, with 5 grammy nominations along the way, if they matter (not much, right?).
so i don't fly private. i don't have 4 houses, or a tesla, or any of that other pricey stuff. i have a wife i love, 2 great kids who are making their way in the world, and a long career that has always given me happiness. i drive a 12-year-old car, and have lived in the same small house we stretched to buy in 1983. am i lucky? you bet! and the longer i live, the more lucky i realize i am.
and a big reason i'm a happy guy is that i don't yearn for "stuff." i've got what i need, and what i've done has given back to me: i've helped musicians create recordings of performances that move people (often including me). so yeah, i bought into the 60's mentality, and it's served me well.
my advice to you is to think back on how you viewed the world when you were younger. did you want to own huge vacation houses? fly private? hang with rich people who you have nothing in common with? from reading your blog, it sounds like you have it pretty good! you travel the world, you are sought out as a pundit on the music biz, and tens of thousands of people listen to your opinions every week.
you're a success. appreciate it, and let those who need more crap chase it.
-gary mankin
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How can you possibly write this? "But the rest of us are dazed and confused, broke down and busted by the side of the road, wondering what the hell happened". Is this really who you are?
I'm very confused. You ski the finest resorts, you attend great events with movers and shakers, people pay you to speak, you travel the world. Your life is centered on the one thing that drives you, music. You live in Santa Monica, a liberal's paradise, where the weather is amazing and every day offers the promise and opportunity of living in one of the world's truly great metropolises, Los Angeles. So, What's the problem?
Your obsession with extreme wealth and flying private seems to be destroying your ability to enjoy what really matters in life. The joys that come from good friends and a loving family, and knowing that you, among the seven billion on the planet, are one of the lucky ones. That you are free to pursue your dreams, whatever they may be.
Compare your life to those living in Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Brazil, etc., where everyday people struggle to just survive to the next day, and your whining is inexplicable.
Much of life is a lottery. Yes, some people win the jackpot, but look around. Most people live lives of quiet desperation, unaware even of why their dreams will never be fulfilled. They work hard, really hard, yet there is little reward. And there, but for the grace of god, could have gone you. You are blessed. What's sad is that you don't seem to know it; and this is very much to your personal detriment. Otherwise, how could you write today's rant.
I once asked a group of my warehouse employees what their plans for the future were, not one of them had an answer. They were too busy just trying to survive. Or, were so settled in accepting their circumstances that they fully expected that great wealth, or big success, would never be theirs. Most interesting was that they truly liked and found satisfaction with their jobs. Jobs that you and I would never consider doing. But the real lesson I learned from them is that these people were tremendously HAPPY! Happy to have good friends and big families that were the center of their lives. Their focus was not on flying private, but thinking about the new baby in the family and their kids doing well in school, and looking forward to the next holiday and sharing it with family. Ever notice how many big families are at the parks of the poorer neighborhoods of LA enjoying themselves on weekends. I never see this in West LA where everyone seems to have an endless supply of money.
Simple pleasures are the best.
You yourself have stated many times that fame and fortune does not solve life's problems. True happiness and satisfaction with one's life comes from within one's self. It's something that flying private, or living behind gates, or being a billionaire can't buy.
Open your eyes, Bob. You are one of the lucky ones. Be thankful for what you have, because you seem to have a lot to be thankful for. Most of the world would trade places with you in a heartbeat.
Frank A. Gagliano
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Bob, Take a deep breath, sit down and take your meds(uppers). You go skiing every other week at all the hot spots and then come back to LALA land and feel inadequate. How many times do you have to go through this syndrome? Face it, you made life choices that didn't take you down the yellow brick road. Your Dad was actually a great role model, you must have fashioned yourself after your mother. (Nothing wrong with that, just didn't pay the trifecta).
Some guy (90 years old) responded to your "skin" column, " celebrate how lucky you are to still be young at 63 and smarter than you were at 35"! You need to hang out with a different crowd. Your constant reversion to the sin of "envy" is not only boring, but totally non productive. You want big bucks, "find a need and fill it". It's no harder than that. It has nothing to do with who you knew in kindergarten or even at Harvard MBA school. What you don't understand is that the guys graduating from Harvard and all the other fancy pants school are taught how to steer the Ship without deviating more than one degree to either starboard or port, dead north. The guys from those schools are always looking for an outlier that will produce and develop into home run deals. They very rarely are the thought leaders or originators of game changing, disruptor technologies or even low tech deals. Think I am wrong, look at who is really rich from franchising; Chick a filet, a right wing religious nut ( now dead)who hates gays. Dominos Pizza, a radical Catholic who will defend outlaw priests etc. Jewish real estate radical Zionists like Sheldon Adelman, who borrowed money in huge swathes to build casinos. There are hundreds of rich guys that I know who are simply of average intelligence, but had focus and/or luck ( often supported by inflation from 1970-2000) or they married money!
The good news is, it's not too late to get rich. The problem is your envy has put dark shades over your vision of what is really a BIG opportunity. Look what Wolfgang PUCk did with a few new ingredients on an oven baked pizza. Who ever imagined paying $26 for an eight inch pie?
You want instant gratification, not gonna happen. Here's a hint, look for something that is being produced as a by product of a high demand consumer good and invent a new use. Example, when we grew up we ate bacon. Then a few farmers ate " side pork" (unsmoked bacon) , now go to the Asian market and see how much pork belly sells for and how many restaurants buy it and feature it.
Too low tech for your? Look up Organogenesis on Google. They make artificial skin for burn victims. Find out how they grow that skin. The company has been for sale for two years. Get some rich broke friends and buy it. The applications for diabetic patients is huge.
Good luck, go to bed earlier and spend less time wandering around in the wee hours. All the smart guys are sleeping, getting ready for opening bell at 4:30 am.
Thomas Geimer
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Preach man. Thanks for saying all that. Helps me feel less crazy for feeling like the money is all locked up where the new artists can't get it—unless you're willing to march to the right beat.
I've always admired C.S. Lewis's thoughts as to how it got like this:
"Nearly all those evils in the world that people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride.
Take it with money. Greed will certainly make a man want money, for the sake of a better house, better holidays, better things to eat and drink. But only up to a point. What is it that makes a man with 10,000 pounds a year anxious to get 20,000 a year? It is not the greed for more pleasure. 10,000 pounds will give all the luxuries that any man can really enjoy. It is Pride - the wish to be richer than some other rich man, and (still more) the wish for power. For, of course, power is what Pride really enjoys: there is nothing makes a man feel so superior to others as being able to move them about like toy soldiers.
Pride is competitive by its very nature: that is why it goes on and on. If I am a proud man, then, as long as there is one man in the whole world more powerful, or richer, or cleverer than I, he is my rival and my enemy. The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But Pride always means enmity – it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God."
Read the chapter called "The Great Sin" in "Mere Christianity" if you want more. Marvellous book on the way of the world, and an especially poignant chapter.
Thanks for doing your thing Bob,
Chris Pulsifer
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Are none of those artists enabled by Daniel Ek a part of the middle class? Are only 1 percenters "rich?" Do you consider yourself middle class? If you don't qualify as rich by your standards, well, I'm sure you do by the standards of the "have nots" (You are skiing at Deer Valley in the middle of the week, after all, and I assume that, unlike many of your generation, you live within your means).
We know how society's upper echelon spend their time and money...we have Google. And Facebook. And Instagram. And Twitter. And Snapchat. And, these platforms have opened up all kinds of jealousy-laden looks into the lives of both those who are rich and those who act like they're rich (see: a large percentage of Los Angeles). This window into the "other half" is absolutely part of the populist Brexit/Trump/Bernie origin story, even if the reaction doesn't strike the establishment as logical, equal, or opposite to the impetus.
And, come on now, don't feign ignorance about making money when "how to" has become your mantra: Write a hit song. Start a tech company. Work on Wall Street. We all make choices. We all have our talents. We all have our opportunities. Some make more of what they have than others, and some have to do a lot less than others to reach the top. Regardless, keeping score only with bank accounts and trophy properties and assorted luxuries is a sad and vacuous approach to life.
eric behrns
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"America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves. To quote the American humorist Kin Hubbard, 'It ain't no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be.' It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: 'if you're so smart, why ain't you rich?' There will also be an American flag no larger than a child's hand - glued to a lollipop stick and flying from the cash register.
Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue. Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say Napoleonic times. Many novelties have come from America. The most startling of these, a thing without precedent, is a mass of undignified poor. They do not love one another because they do not love themselves."
? Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
(via Ali Shakeri)
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