Is cannabis the new music?
The week before CMW, Neill Dixon had a cannabis conference. With 3000 attendees! It's the wild west, nothing is settled, it's like music in the days of Napster.
Then again, Robbie Robertson spoke about the sixties. How you had to listen to a record to learn which way the wind blew.
Robbie told a good story. About being on tour with Bob Dylan. How Bob was a folkie and they were rockers and Dylan wanted some of what they had. So they went on tour, and people HATED IT! Normally when you get a bad reaction, you change up the set list. But Bob refused to do this. But it was Bob's show, so Robbie wasn't that worried about the response, other than dodging thrown objects. Night after night, he wondered whether it was them or the audience. After the tour the audience caught up with the music. Dylan was pushing the envelope when fans want you to stay in your own lane. That's death. And Dylan survives when the folkies...many of them are literally dead, or retired or playing to tiny audiences.
But we've got no one testing those limits today
Scott Cohen gave a futurist presentation. Hire him to speak at your conference. After Sony started telling him and Richard how to run the Orchard, Cohen ankled the business. And was hired by Max Lousada at Warner, even though he wasn't looking for a gig. I don't want to give away the secrets of our conversation after, but he remarked how the streaming services have all the data and the labels do not. And the money is in the data.
Yes, we have not reached the end of the line in music, there is still runway. Scott talked about AI helping amateurs to make music, so they don't have to practice for a decade to do this. Like amateurs with Instagram. They're not professional photographers, they don't know what an f-stop is, but they employ filters and have a good time.
As for Dave Grohl... I sat there wondering if he gained this personality from all those years on the road, being with a bunch of guys in the van, on the bus... To survive in that atmosphere you have to know how to poke fun, to duck for cover, to deflect. And even though he's overexposed, Grohl was the master of the quip. He was interviewing his mother, about her book about the mothers of musicians. He told her stuff she never knew and was consistently entertaining, you could not hate him.
Then at the urging of Larry LeBlanc, I went to the Palestinian panel. He's been bugging me to go to this conference on the West Bank, I've been anxious. And it was all copacetic until someone asked about Roger Waters and cultural boycotts and this woman on the panel said cultural boycotts don't work, that the Israelis stole their land and committed genocide and if you think there's gonna be peace in the Middle East, you're dreaming.
And then I went to the pitch panel, a mini Shark Tank.
Cracked me up. This woman pitching an app called Side Door about hooking up musicians for house concerts. Did she ever hear of SCALE?? It's not like Bon Jovi is gonna play in your backyard, certainly not for less than seven figures. The company takes 10% of revenue, how you make any money...
And then there were the guys pitching music for health purposes. They've got some AI, artificial intelligence for those out of the loop, that will help soothe people and they projected some insane eight figure revenue total in five years and after reading the Theranos book, I couldn't stop laughing. Did they pull that number out of their ass? Does anybody believe these business plans anymore?
But there was this one company called Squiggle or something similar. Their concept is to make electronic music... Let's just say instead of playing one tone at a time, you can have the tone go up or down and...
You'd have to see it.
And they put up the numbers for music software and it was very convincing, but when they said they were gonna do $35 million in five years, I wondered.
This came up at dinner. Someone wanted to create an app. THAT WAS TEN YEARS AGO! I told this person to hang with people who'd already had tech victories, to learn the lessons. But the curse of the amateur is they don't want to know much, they think they're the first person to ever tread these waters, they don't know that investors are only interested in grand slams as opposed to bunts or singles.
Maybe we should have had Linda Perry there to set them straight.
But Neill is now doing four cannabis conferences a year. He's the smartest guy in the room, he pivoted.
If you want to succeed, to paraphrase Sam Kinison, YOU'VE GOT TO GO WHERE THE MONEY IS! If there's not big money to be made, most people are not interested.
Then again, Scott Cohen said that the labels are now populated by thirtysomethings who worked in tech like drones and didn't get stock options and now want to have fun and make a difference.
The truth is music's in a lull, it's the last throes of the baby boomers.
The world is gonna change, it's just a matter of figuring out where it's going.
Like Neill Dixon.
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Friday, 10 May 2019
Thursday, 9 May 2019
Canadian Music Week-1
Linda Perry insulted the audience.
Unfortunately, I didn't hear the beginning, I walked in when someone from the audience was singing. After that, Perry said she was looking for rock stars, and no one in the audience was one.
She said you can feel it, you can see it, the way they dress, the way they handle themselves...and then she spread her arms and said I'M A ROCK STAR! I'M A ROCK STAR 24/7!!
She convinced me. And I can't say I'm her biggest fan.
But do you know how hard it is to make it, and to continue to have success? NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!
Perry radiated uniqueness, with attitude.
Then she started lamenting today's scene. Nile Rodgers did this too. Is today's music really that bad or are these oldsters over the hill?
I'll let you answer that question.
But there's a yearning for what once was.
Perry bemoaned the focus on social media. It was all about the RECORD!
Oldsters know this, but youngsters don't, they focus on social media.
This guy Rick Barker, a supposed social media guru, came next. It was billed as "How To Become A Social Media Ninja In Under An Hour." But he didn't have an hour, so he just hit the highlights. Actually, he said you could watch his presentation free at rickbarker.com/ondemand Go for it!
I had no doubt Barker was personally successful. He was driven, with attitude, but when he started telling the assembled multitude how to leverage Instagram Live, and to tweet twenty times a day because people don't see it, I wanted to stand up like the Nazi in "The Producers" and say...THIS IS EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THE MUSIC BUSINESS TODAY! THE ENDLESS HYPE TURNING US OFF COMPLETELY!
It was the opposite of Linda Perry.
And when Rick gave a commercial at the end, selling his services, with a cell phone number for emergencies, I realized he was just another hustler like everybody else. He said he was Taylor Swift's first manager, could be, but I've never heard of him. And if you're on the verge of superstardom his techniques would probably work, but like Linda Perry said, there were no rock stars in the audience.
I have social anxiety. So I don't introduce myself to people and oftentimes run in the other direction when I see people I know. But when Fran DeFeo buttonholed me and insisted I come to the green room to hang with Merck...
I only knew Merck in e-mail, so I agreed.
I did not know I was going to meet Dave Stewart.
The thing about celebrities is you have a mental image of them, often at odds with who they really are, especially musicians (as for "creatives," I hate that term, EVERYBODY is creative, and it's just a way for those struggling to label themselves, I've never heard anyone successful refer themselves as a "creative.")
And after telling Dave I saw the Eurythmics on their first American tour, at the Palace, we engaged in conversation.
I guess since he's produced so many hits, I expected Dave to be edgy, but he was soft. Like you could immediately become friends. We bonded over his great work with Stevie Nicks. If you haven't listened to "In Your Dreams," you should, it's the best solo work she's ever done, the only thing that comes close is "Bella Donna." That's the problem with oldsters, even if they cut great new stuff it can't get traction.
And Dave told me one of the albums he did with Stevie was cut in a week, live in the studio.
I remarked how it was about capturing the magic, more than perfecting the sound.
And Dave told me the acts often had a vision they were so busy trying to achieve that they missed the destination.
I said it was our mistakes that made us human, that endeared us to people, that we had to leave in.
And I thought the conversation was over, we'd entered the ballroom, but Dave wanted to continue. He said the intro to "Sweet Dreams" was a mistake, and then he demonstrated it to me, slapping an air drum, pushing out the sounds from his mouth.
I relate to musicians best. The business comes second, if it comes at all.
And after being interviewed about his new company Hipgnosis, Merck and Nile Rodgers brought Dave up on stage to sign his new Hipgnosis contract. And then he started to talk...
About his teens asking if he'd heard of this act Etta James!
He laughed, said that's the beauty of the internet, it's all available.
And he said he was still writing songs, that he and Nile came up with one on the drive over.
He's a lifer.
And so am I.
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Unfortunately, I didn't hear the beginning, I walked in when someone from the audience was singing. After that, Perry said she was looking for rock stars, and no one in the audience was one.
She said you can feel it, you can see it, the way they dress, the way they handle themselves...and then she spread her arms and said I'M A ROCK STAR! I'M A ROCK STAR 24/7!!
She convinced me. And I can't say I'm her biggest fan.
But do you know how hard it is to make it, and to continue to have success? NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!
Perry radiated uniqueness, with attitude.
Then she started lamenting today's scene. Nile Rodgers did this too. Is today's music really that bad or are these oldsters over the hill?
I'll let you answer that question.
But there's a yearning for what once was.
Perry bemoaned the focus on social media. It was all about the RECORD!
Oldsters know this, but youngsters don't, they focus on social media.
This guy Rick Barker, a supposed social media guru, came next. It was billed as "How To Become A Social Media Ninja In Under An Hour." But he didn't have an hour, so he just hit the highlights. Actually, he said you could watch his presentation free at rickbarker.com/ondemand Go for it!
I had no doubt Barker was personally successful. He was driven, with attitude, but when he started telling the assembled multitude how to leverage Instagram Live, and to tweet twenty times a day because people don't see it, I wanted to stand up like the Nazi in "The Producers" and say...THIS IS EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THE MUSIC BUSINESS TODAY! THE ENDLESS HYPE TURNING US OFF COMPLETELY!
It was the opposite of Linda Perry.
And when Rick gave a commercial at the end, selling his services, with a cell phone number for emergencies, I realized he was just another hustler like everybody else. He said he was Taylor Swift's first manager, could be, but I've never heard of him. And if you're on the verge of superstardom his techniques would probably work, but like Linda Perry said, there were no rock stars in the audience.
I have social anxiety. So I don't introduce myself to people and oftentimes run in the other direction when I see people I know. But when Fran DeFeo buttonholed me and insisted I come to the green room to hang with Merck...
I only knew Merck in e-mail, so I agreed.
I did not know I was going to meet Dave Stewart.
The thing about celebrities is you have a mental image of them, often at odds with who they really are, especially musicians (as for "creatives," I hate that term, EVERYBODY is creative, and it's just a way for those struggling to label themselves, I've never heard anyone successful refer themselves as a "creative.")
And after telling Dave I saw the Eurythmics on their first American tour, at the Palace, we engaged in conversation.
I guess since he's produced so many hits, I expected Dave to be edgy, but he was soft. Like you could immediately become friends. We bonded over his great work with Stevie Nicks. If you haven't listened to "In Your Dreams," you should, it's the best solo work she's ever done, the only thing that comes close is "Bella Donna." That's the problem with oldsters, even if they cut great new stuff it can't get traction.
And Dave told me one of the albums he did with Stevie was cut in a week, live in the studio.
I remarked how it was about capturing the magic, more than perfecting the sound.
And Dave told me the acts often had a vision they were so busy trying to achieve that they missed the destination.
I said it was our mistakes that made us human, that endeared us to people, that we had to leave in.
And I thought the conversation was over, we'd entered the ballroom, but Dave wanted to continue. He said the intro to "Sweet Dreams" was a mistake, and then he demonstrated it to me, slapping an air drum, pushing out the sounds from his mouth.
I relate to musicians best. The business comes second, if it comes at all.
And after being interviewed about his new company Hipgnosis, Merck and Nile Rodgers brought Dave up on stage to sign his new Hipgnosis contract. And then he started to talk...
About his teens asking if he'd heard of this act Etta James!
He laughed, said that's the beauty of the internet, it's all available.
And he said he was still writing songs, that he and Nile came up with one on the drive over.
He's a lifer.
And so am I.
--
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--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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John Meglen-This Week's Podcast
One half of the Concerts West team, John is responsible for putting Celine Dion in Vegas. He's also promoted the Stones and Prince and many other household names.
John's a hustler with a sense of humor, he tells a good story, and if you want to know what it takes to make it in concert promotion...
Listen:
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-meglen/id1316200737?i=1000437608293
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5388VHvQ0zd7LF8CAc70H5?si=1RROExbjS5C1BjczOOm9mA
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=60579647
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John's a hustler with a sense of humor, he tells a good story, and if you want to know what it takes to make it in concert promotion...
Listen:
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-meglen/id1316200737?i=1000437608293
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5388VHvQ0zd7LF8CAc70H5?si=1RROExbjS5C1BjczOOm9mA
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=60579647
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Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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The Howard Stern Interview
https://nyti.ms/2PXqTUT
Honesty, credibility, vulnerability...these are the building blocks of a career, these are what bond people to you.
Distribution is king. After all, Stern gave this interview to the "New York Times," the paper of record, the one with gravitas, the one that has lasted.
Sure, you can say something on a website, but most sites are evanescent, they have no history, and therefore not the same imprimatur, but if it's in the "New York Times"...
The right might hate the paper, but it reacts to it. That's power. And power is the key in the twenty first century. We think it's about money, but it's not. Sure, money buys you power, but it does not deliver hearts and minds, and it's those that move mountains, that define our country.
If you've been listening to Howard's show, you know that he's been promoting his new book for over a month. But what I did not expect him to do was to reveal new feelings, to open his soul, to tell the truth in the promotion off the air.
Now let's go back to distribution. Only when he appeared on "America's Got Talent" did the rest of the world recognize Stern's power, which is why he gets all the A-listers on his show these days, Stern's fans are not passive, but active. If they like something, they buy it, they experience it, and have an opinion about it. This is the opposite of the late night TV world...that's soft entertainment to put you to bed. Maybe that's why Colbert is triumphing, speaking his truth, people feel like they belong to a tribe when they watch his show. Same deal with Rachel Maddow on the left and Tucker Carlson on the right.
But they don't have the reach of Howard Stern.
The politicos create tribes for what they say, Stern's tribe is in love with the man as well. Because he reveals himself, warts and all, in a guarded society.
Sure, people go on social media and say everything. Then again, at this point most only put forth their best selves. Isn't that the essence of Instagram? Nobody's life is that fabulous. As a matter of fact, inner life is littered with potholes, regrets, questions, depression, but those with a sustained audience don't reveal this stuff.
Usually an interview is negotiated. For a cover. What questions can't be asked. That's not interesting.
As for Stern asking about people's sex lives...to hear a celebrity talk about this is to realize they're just like you and me, no better. Sure, maybe they have opportunities we don't, but at the end of the day we're all the same.
Dedicated listeners will tell you Stern's show has changed. And it has, whether you like it or not. But kudos to the man for changing, in a world where you cannot contradict yourself or apologize unless it's to get the world off your back. In America, you have to do the same thing forever, you can never admit you're wrong. And in this interview, Stern regrets his mistakes, his two previous books, and he explains why. This is not fodder for the news, this is truth, this is vulnerability, this is honesty, and it draws you closer to him.
Admitting your mistakes... Howard does.
And back to that change... We want to evolve. Being 60 is not like being 30.
Then again, Howard talks about being 30, fighting for listeners on terrestrial radio, afraid they'll tune out, ratings were everything.
It's like talking to any professional, there are rules we're unaware of, Howard's revealing them.
Even if you don't know who Howard Stern is, you'll be riveted by this interview. Because he knows these people, he's not afraid to say it straight, this is what he's built his whole career on!
Now if you don't listen to the show, you might not understand the religion. But the truth is...
Most people pooh-pooh the man, then they get hooked and it's all they can talk about. All the peripheral characters, who cares? And then you do.
But you've got to pay. People keep talking about entertainment being free, news being free, that's hogwash, if you want the good stuff you have to pay. You pay for Netflix, right? You're paying for HBO? If you're not paying you're out of the loop.
The key is not to bitch about theft, about people wanting stuff for free, but to create something so great people want to pay. That's the essence of concert merch, correct? People want to feel closer. If no one wants to pay for your work, you're doing it wrong, or just haven't been doing it long enough.
Funny world we live in. Everybody's criticizing everybody else and their choices, to the point where many cower. Hell, I heard an interview with Pete Townshend the other day and he said he would never say this stuff on Twitter, it would cause a conflagration. To be in the mix and let your freak flag fly takes a lot of courage, which most people don't have. They say they want the attention, but when they get it, when eyes are upon them, they fold, or they react. If you see someone in a Twitter war you know they've lost the plot, this is exactly what the trolls want.
I was surprised by the Stern interview. I expected a rehash of the usual topics. But to find out Howard had a cancer scare...now you know why he missed work that one and only time. Talking about his family. Talking about Trump. This is a guy who's been there, but has always taken the position he's a schnook, just like us.
That's right, we're all schnooks. We're trying to hide it, we're faking it, but we're all insecure. And when someone reflects our schnookiness back to us...
We breathe a sigh of relief. We feel like we belong. In an ever more alienating world.
It's about people. It's always about people. Life is a struggle. You've got to keep on keepin' on. But it's constantly reinforced that we're inadequate. We're not attractive enough, rich enough, we don't know the right people, but the truth is we're all right.
That's the essence of Howard Stern's message.
And that if you work really hard, REALLY HARD, you might just get what you want.
But almost no one's willing to work that hard, even though they believe they're entitled to the rewards.
Hell, Howard is always imparting lessons on the show, how to manage your money, your relationship...
And we're all looking to learn.
You can start with this interview.
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--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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Honesty, credibility, vulnerability...these are the building blocks of a career, these are what bond people to you.
Distribution is king. After all, Stern gave this interview to the "New York Times," the paper of record, the one with gravitas, the one that has lasted.
Sure, you can say something on a website, but most sites are evanescent, they have no history, and therefore not the same imprimatur, but if it's in the "New York Times"...
The right might hate the paper, but it reacts to it. That's power. And power is the key in the twenty first century. We think it's about money, but it's not. Sure, money buys you power, but it does not deliver hearts and minds, and it's those that move mountains, that define our country.
If you've been listening to Howard's show, you know that he's been promoting his new book for over a month. But what I did not expect him to do was to reveal new feelings, to open his soul, to tell the truth in the promotion off the air.
Now let's go back to distribution. Only when he appeared on "America's Got Talent" did the rest of the world recognize Stern's power, which is why he gets all the A-listers on his show these days, Stern's fans are not passive, but active. If they like something, they buy it, they experience it, and have an opinion about it. This is the opposite of the late night TV world...that's soft entertainment to put you to bed. Maybe that's why Colbert is triumphing, speaking his truth, people feel like they belong to a tribe when they watch his show. Same deal with Rachel Maddow on the left and Tucker Carlson on the right.
But they don't have the reach of Howard Stern.
The politicos create tribes for what they say, Stern's tribe is in love with the man as well. Because he reveals himself, warts and all, in a guarded society.
Sure, people go on social media and say everything. Then again, at this point most only put forth their best selves. Isn't that the essence of Instagram? Nobody's life is that fabulous. As a matter of fact, inner life is littered with potholes, regrets, questions, depression, but those with a sustained audience don't reveal this stuff.
Usually an interview is negotiated. For a cover. What questions can't be asked. That's not interesting.
As for Stern asking about people's sex lives...to hear a celebrity talk about this is to realize they're just like you and me, no better. Sure, maybe they have opportunities we don't, but at the end of the day we're all the same.
Dedicated listeners will tell you Stern's show has changed. And it has, whether you like it or not. But kudos to the man for changing, in a world where you cannot contradict yourself or apologize unless it's to get the world off your back. In America, you have to do the same thing forever, you can never admit you're wrong. And in this interview, Stern regrets his mistakes, his two previous books, and he explains why. This is not fodder for the news, this is truth, this is vulnerability, this is honesty, and it draws you closer to him.
Admitting your mistakes... Howard does.
And back to that change... We want to evolve. Being 60 is not like being 30.
Then again, Howard talks about being 30, fighting for listeners on terrestrial radio, afraid they'll tune out, ratings were everything.
It's like talking to any professional, there are rules we're unaware of, Howard's revealing them.
Even if you don't know who Howard Stern is, you'll be riveted by this interview. Because he knows these people, he's not afraid to say it straight, this is what he's built his whole career on!
Now if you don't listen to the show, you might not understand the religion. But the truth is...
Most people pooh-pooh the man, then they get hooked and it's all they can talk about. All the peripheral characters, who cares? And then you do.
But you've got to pay. People keep talking about entertainment being free, news being free, that's hogwash, if you want the good stuff you have to pay. You pay for Netflix, right? You're paying for HBO? If you're not paying you're out of the loop.
The key is not to bitch about theft, about people wanting stuff for free, but to create something so great people want to pay. That's the essence of concert merch, correct? People want to feel closer. If no one wants to pay for your work, you're doing it wrong, or just haven't been doing it long enough.
Funny world we live in. Everybody's criticizing everybody else and their choices, to the point where many cower. Hell, I heard an interview with Pete Townshend the other day and he said he would never say this stuff on Twitter, it would cause a conflagration. To be in the mix and let your freak flag fly takes a lot of courage, which most people don't have. They say they want the attention, but when they get it, when eyes are upon them, they fold, or they react. If you see someone in a Twitter war you know they've lost the plot, this is exactly what the trolls want.
I was surprised by the Stern interview. I expected a rehash of the usual topics. But to find out Howard had a cancer scare...now you know why he missed work that one and only time. Talking about his family. Talking about Trump. This is a guy who's been there, but has always taken the position he's a schnook, just like us.
That's right, we're all schnooks. We're trying to hide it, we're faking it, but we're all insecure. And when someone reflects our schnookiness back to us...
We breathe a sigh of relief. We feel like we belong. In an ever more alienating world.
It's about people. It's always about people. Life is a struggle. You've got to keep on keepin' on. But it's constantly reinforced that we're inadequate. We're not attractive enough, rich enough, we don't know the right people, but the truth is we're all right.
That's the essence of Howard Stern's message.
And that if you work really hard, REALLY HARD, you might just get what you want.
But almost no one's willing to work that hard, even though they believe they're entitled to the rewards.
Hell, Howard is always imparting lessons on the show, how to manage your money, your relationship...
And we're all looking to learn.
You can start with this interview.
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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Wednesday, 8 May 2019
Part Of The Conversation
I don't like fantasy. I never read a comic book, other than "Archie," and the only shows I watch on HBO are Bill Maher and Jon Oliver.
So I don't watch "Game of Thrones."
Last week I was on the Howard Stern WrapUp Show. There'd been a kerfuffle during the main show, over the dark "Game of Thrones" episode. Jon Hein said it was brilliant, Howard said it sucked. Furthermore, Howard said Jon Hein lost credibility for defending the episode. This was the first segment of the WrapUp Show, I couldn't comment.
Tonight I had dinner with Jake in Toronto. He told me he'd caught up with "Game of Thrones," all 67 earlier episodes, it took him three weeks, because he wanted to be part of the conversation.
Leo, the same thing. He texted he was on a GOT marathon.
I'm not about to dig in, but I do feel left out. Doesn't bother me, but how many topics do we all have in common these days?
There's Trump. Jake talked about how the far right was gaining traction in Canada, how Ford was cutting services, how Alberta had gone really right. He believed the trigger was Trump. Nothing happens in a vacuum. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Japan...
But that's the world we live in today. We're looking for points of nexus, where we can weigh in, be part of the conversation.
Used to be music, everybody had an opinion. Now we don't even listen to the same thing. Give credit to GOT, it appeals to all ages and demos, but there's not a single song that does. Even Little Nas X's "Old Town Road." It's number one this week, but I'll posit at least half of America has never heard it. How do we create the heat, how do we get everybody to pay attention?
Of course we have niches, but concomitantly we have superstars.
Maybe you saw the story in the WSJ about the touring 1%. "Sixty percent of all concert-ticket revenue world-wide went to the top 1% of performers ranked by revenue in 2017." That's double what it was in 1982.
You can read that article in the "Wall Street Journal," it's no longer behind a paywall: https://on.wsj.com/2YbZstz
But by having no soft paywall, the WSJ takes itself out of discussion for most people. So it has less cultural relevance. Sure, it speaks to business people and right wing acolytes, but...
Then again, the readers of the WSJ are the movers and shakers who influence the world. So if you don't read it...
You're left out.
Now if you really want to know what is going on in the world, read the WSJ, NYT and the WaPo. But most people don't have the time, so they're left out. Happens all the time, I get into a political discussion with someone and all they know are the headlines, which is about as deep as they go on TV. You can't get the news from television, there's not enough in it.
So, let me restate this. The best way to reach everybody is to have free access. Call it the Spotify free tier or YouTube. These are good things, otherwise most people would be closed out, they'd never be aware of your product, because 100% of the people don't pay for any one product online. Maybe 70% use Google, but that's free.
So, we have the haves and the have-nots.
In news, music, across the board in today's internet world.
Those acts in the top 1%, most of them are legacy acts which broke before the balkanization of music. U2, Springsteen, GNR, the Stones, Coldplay. They benefit from the ubiquity of the old world, it's much harder to break through today. Furthermore, Beyonce and Adele made it at the tail end of the old world too. As for Bieber, he was an internet phenom, and 1D...that was a combo of TV and the net, I'd say the new model, but since that time TV means ever less.
So the winners are those where everybody has an opinion, where they know the music.
But, speaking of Lil Nas X... His track "Old Town Road" eclipsed Taylor Swift's "Me" for number one. "Old Town Road" had a 100 million streams this week, "Me" half that. (Sales are de minimis, forget them.)
So we live in a world where the supposed biggest act in the world can't even eclipse the fad. So, despite wall to wall coverage, on TV and in print and online, most people did not have a need to be part of the Swift conversation. What does that say about less successful acts?
Well, it does say that we're interested in the new and different, ergo the success of Lil Nas X, but even "Old Town Road" hasn't reached everybody. How do we reach everybody?
The major labels are satisfied reaching the niche. They missed the internet and now they're missing marketing in the late teens. There's an alley right up the middle appealing to more people, but they release niche product. And the audience has been burned to the point where people don't even bother to check out the new stuff.
But this is season 8 of GOT, over ten years, we don't invest that long in the music business anymore. We throw it up against the wall and...almost everything is evanescent.
Same deal with "Breaking Bad," it didn't break until it was on Netflix.
People want to be part of the conversation. The key is to deliver product they're interested in. We've learned what appeals most is edgy stuff, unrestrained by censors, that has deeper meaning, that affects your emotions, and that it takes years to reach everybody, I didn't hear of anybody doing GOT binges until this year, the final year, when the hysteria has reached fever pitch.
Hell, we don't even tune into the Super Bowl for the game anymore, it's about the penumbra, i.e. the party. Even the commercials are forgettable.
You see if you stay in your own lane long enough, doing the same thing over and over, you fade, it's inevitable, you've got to cannibalize yourself to stay on top. It's innovation that intrigues people. Hell, baseball attendance is dropping precipitously, used to be a day out in the sun with beer, now it's a car payment.
As much as we are divided , we're looking to be brought together.
We all don't have to agree, but we all want to be able to weigh in.
It's those who create product that brings in everybody who will win in the future. That's where the money is. The niches can be self-sustaining, touring clubs with no manager, but America is based on scale, and if you want to scale, you've got to dream and play big. You can conquer the world if that's your target. Especially producers who step to bat so frequently. But too many are afraid and brain dead. And the truth is only the creators can touch the public with their vision, in a world where we venerate the suits.
But we will have more touchpoints that we all can talk about.
Human nature demands it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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So I don't watch "Game of Thrones."
Last week I was on the Howard Stern WrapUp Show. There'd been a kerfuffle during the main show, over the dark "Game of Thrones" episode. Jon Hein said it was brilliant, Howard said it sucked. Furthermore, Howard said Jon Hein lost credibility for defending the episode. This was the first segment of the WrapUp Show, I couldn't comment.
Tonight I had dinner with Jake in Toronto. He told me he'd caught up with "Game of Thrones," all 67 earlier episodes, it took him three weeks, because he wanted to be part of the conversation.
Leo, the same thing. He texted he was on a GOT marathon.
I'm not about to dig in, but I do feel left out. Doesn't bother me, but how many topics do we all have in common these days?
There's Trump. Jake talked about how the far right was gaining traction in Canada, how Ford was cutting services, how Alberta had gone really right. He believed the trigger was Trump. Nothing happens in a vacuum. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Japan...
But that's the world we live in today. We're looking for points of nexus, where we can weigh in, be part of the conversation.
Used to be music, everybody had an opinion. Now we don't even listen to the same thing. Give credit to GOT, it appeals to all ages and demos, but there's not a single song that does. Even Little Nas X's "Old Town Road." It's number one this week, but I'll posit at least half of America has never heard it. How do we create the heat, how do we get everybody to pay attention?
Of course we have niches, but concomitantly we have superstars.
Maybe you saw the story in the WSJ about the touring 1%. "Sixty percent of all concert-ticket revenue world-wide went to the top 1% of performers ranked by revenue in 2017." That's double what it was in 1982.
You can read that article in the "Wall Street Journal," it's no longer behind a paywall: https://on.wsj.com/2YbZstz
But by having no soft paywall, the WSJ takes itself out of discussion for most people. So it has less cultural relevance. Sure, it speaks to business people and right wing acolytes, but...
Then again, the readers of the WSJ are the movers and shakers who influence the world. So if you don't read it...
You're left out.
Now if you really want to know what is going on in the world, read the WSJ, NYT and the WaPo. But most people don't have the time, so they're left out. Happens all the time, I get into a political discussion with someone and all they know are the headlines, which is about as deep as they go on TV. You can't get the news from television, there's not enough in it.
So, let me restate this. The best way to reach everybody is to have free access. Call it the Spotify free tier or YouTube. These are good things, otherwise most people would be closed out, they'd never be aware of your product, because 100% of the people don't pay for any one product online. Maybe 70% use Google, but that's free.
So, we have the haves and the have-nots.
In news, music, across the board in today's internet world.
Those acts in the top 1%, most of them are legacy acts which broke before the balkanization of music. U2, Springsteen, GNR, the Stones, Coldplay. They benefit from the ubiquity of the old world, it's much harder to break through today. Furthermore, Beyonce and Adele made it at the tail end of the old world too. As for Bieber, he was an internet phenom, and 1D...that was a combo of TV and the net, I'd say the new model, but since that time TV means ever less.
So the winners are those where everybody has an opinion, where they know the music.
But, speaking of Lil Nas X... His track "Old Town Road" eclipsed Taylor Swift's "Me" for number one. "Old Town Road" had a 100 million streams this week, "Me" half that. (Sales are de minimis, forget them.)
So we live in a world where the supposed biggest act in the world can't even eclipse the fad. So, despite wall to wall coverage, on TV and in print and online, most people did not have a need to be part of the Swift conversation. What does that say about less successful acts?
Well, it does say that we're interested in the new and different, ergo the success of Lil Nas X, but even "Old Town Road" hasn't reached everybody. How do we reach everybody?
The major labels are satisfied reaching the niche. They missed the internet and now they're missing marketing in the late teens. There's an alley right up the middle appealing to more people, but they release niche product. And the audience has been burned to the point where people don't even bother to check out the new stuff.
But this is season 8 of GOT, over ten years, we don't invest that long in the music business anymore. We throw it up against the wall and...almost everything is evanescent.
Same deal with "Breaking Bad," it didn't break until it was on Netflix.
People want to be part of the conversation. The key is to deliver product they're interested in. We've learned what appeals most is edgy stuff, unrestrained by censors, that has deeper meaning, that affects your emotions, and that it takes years to reach everybody, I didn't hear of anybody doing GOT binges until this year, the final year, when the hysteria has reached fever pitch.
Hell, we don't even tune into the Super Bowl for the game anymore, it's about the penumbra, i.e. the party. Even the commercials are forgettable.
You see if you stay in your own lane long enough, doing the same thing over and over, you fade, it's inevitable, you've got to cannibalize yourself to stay on top. It's innovation that intrigues people. Hell, baseball attendance is dropping precipitously, used to be a day out in the sun with beer, now it's a car payment.
As much as we are divided , we're looking to be brought together.
We all don't have to agree, but we all want to be able to weigh in.
It's those who create product that brings in everybody who will win in the future. That's where the money is. The niches can be self-sustaining, touring clubs with no manager, but America is based on scale, and if you want to scale, you've got to dream and play big. You can conquer the world if that's your target. Especially producers who step to bat so frequently. But too many are afraid and brain dead. And the truth is only the creators can touch the public with their vision, in a world where we venerate the suits.
But we will have more touchpoints that we all can talk about.
Human nature demands it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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Monday, 6 May 2019
Your Best (& Worst!) Concert Seat-Sirius XM This Week
Tune in tomorrow, May 7th, on Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863
Twitter: @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive
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--
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-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863
Twitter: @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Sunday, 5 May 2019
Dead To Me
I wouldn't be watching this if it weren't on Netflix.
I like the foreign series, but most of them are crime-based, and Felice has a limit on that. Me? I could watch dark and dirty all day long. And I don't need likable characters or a happy ending, as long as it's deep and satisfying and riveting.
I'm addicted to story.
Everybody's addicted to story. That's one reason Netflix is so successful. All this talk about sports rights, turns out people are sick of overpaying for ESPN, that's one of the main causes of cord-cutting. A small segment of the public wants to watch sports, but everybody's interested in story. And now in the era of peak TV, with over 400 shows annually, we're inundated with story. It'd be like suddenly having tens of albums by our favorite musical acts, it's a veritable cornucopia of riches.
We finished the new season of "Bosch." The show keeps getting better and better. The casting is great, but Titus Welliver is superior. You wouldn't think he would fit the role, but he's just enough of a renegade to make it work, someone who doesn't fit in. Why do we adore those who don't fit in and then excoriate them? Uber's hobbled by the lack of Travis Kalanick. A prick, but one with insight, who fought hard, because it was his idea, he brought it to fruition. But the reality is everybody takes the safe path, going to business school, getting an MBA, when the truth is managing people and working within an organization, being part of the team, is not what delivers exceptionality. You can steer the boat, but I'm more interested in those who can BUILD the boat.
I think Prime Video fails because it's baked into Amazon Prime. As in, people are not aware they're paying for it. Prime is about fast, free delivery, not television. Sure, a hit will help them, but the first season of "Goliath" was great television and few tuned in anyway. They've got to rebrand it, make people aware they're paying for it, and jazz up the interface, and allow you to see the images when you're fast-forwarding. Maybe just call it "Amazon TV," so people will know it's there and what they're getting.
And Amazon doesn't make as many shows as Netflix and now Netflix is so busy satiating everyone, in all genres, that there's a dearth of great shows.
That's why we ended up watching "Dead To Me."
Reviews were not great. And with no time, I only have time for great.
But I couldn't find anything else on Netflix so we dove in. And got hooked.
I'll tell you, the twist at the end of the first episode almost made me duck out, but they keep developing it in further episodes, so watching is worthwhile.
Linda Cardellini made an impression in "Freaks and Geeks," but that was twenty years ago. And she was in a bunch of flicks and shows, but I didn't recognize her until "Bloodline," a family drama with a bad final season that before that had me hooked, a modern day "Body Heat."
But now Cardellini is 43. Whew! I mentioned Todd Rundgren to a bunch of millennials last week and they had no idea who I was talking about. You can be out of college and born in 1998. We think everybody knows history, but it's not like when I was going to high school, when W.C. Fields was all the rage, with so much incoming, people don't have time to comb through the past.
At least not together.
That's one of the reasons I'm writing this article, because of "all together." Other than politics, there's nothing we all do or see these days. It's the NHL finals, are you watching? Probably not. Are you addicted to the Spotify Top 50? Doubtful, unless you're on it or under the age of 16. But TV?
"Dead To Me" is up front and center on Netflix's homepage, the best promotional real estate in the world. Hell, if they sold advertising, those products would be known by everybody. But in the twenty first century if you include advertising, you're lost, you're sold out to the man, despite the stock play, most viewers think Netflix is for them.
Oh, I'll get e-mail decrying the service, just like I do saying that Spotify doesn't have obscure tracks. Those people immediately take themselves out of the discussion, they immediately make themselves irrelevant, the twenty first century is not about judging, but partaking. That's yet to be realized on social media. Ever notice it's the same few punks stirring the pot? Ignore them. As for the excoriation of Facebook... Good, go for 'em, but you're playing Whac-A-Mole, what about 8chan?
And if you're a member of Gen-Z, "Married...with Children," might have gone off the air before you were born, yes, that series ran from '87 to '97 and now Ed O'Neill is famous for "Modern Family," already long in the tooth, and Katey Sagal is known for the already off the air "Sons of Anarchy" and David Faustino is forgotten and Christina Applegate almost too.
Kelly Bundy is 47. Older than Katey Sagal was when she played her mother on "Married...with Children." But the funny thing is she has acting chops. She's done something to her face, some kind of plastic surgery or something, she looks different, but she owns the character of Jen, the widow.
That's right, Jen's husband Ted is dead. And she meets Linda Cardellini in a grief group and...
It feels like Laguna Beach, about lifestyle as opposed to the action of L.A. The suburbs. People aren't looking to get famous, just rich!
And every episode has a surprise. Just when you think you've had enough, you're dragged back in.
And this show was originally pitched to CBS, but it could have never been on that network, because of the language and the drinking and... Networks constrain you, Netflix releases you.
And I'm a binger. I usually only watch TV one day a week, if that. Usually Saturday or Sunday afternoon. As Freddie Mercury sang, I want it all and I want it now, I haven't got time for appointment television, I've got too many appointments anyway. But the Luddites are against self-driving cars and pro-HBO and they want to stay stuck in the past, even though they're addicted to technology, most obviously their smartphones, which they keep on telling us will ruin our lives. But these are the same people who created an uproar when Netflix announced it was going to streaming anyway. The public are sheep. The great seers, almost always a single individual, are one step ahead, they're driving not only our economy, but our leisure time.
Now I'm not exactly recommending "Dead To Me," but chances are you might have already seen it. So we can talk about it. And we can talk about so little. And everybody's fighting for attention, but then we come to the public square once again, the Netflix homepage. You start there, you check out the new stuff. You want to be hooked.
That's what purveyors don't understand. We're LOOKING for great stuff, we're DYING for great stuff, and we've got little time for anything else. So if you're clamoring for attention, if your marketing exceeds your product, give up, you're on the wrong path. But in this era of "Shark Tank" and entrepreneurship the truth is very few people can succeed on the bleeding edge of creativity, first and foremost because it requires you to walk into the wilderness, people don't want to be alone, but more importantly because the creators don't have the right stuff, they refuse to pay their dues, and the truth is our educational system does not reward uniqueness. Most of the creators never fit in, and they've learned to live with that. They stayed home on Saturday night, they didn't go to the Prom. They lived alone with their brains, and the truth is so often they create to get that adulation, that connection, to be accepted. Weird, isn't it? But when they said nerds will inherit the earth, they were right. But no one wants to be a nerd, a true nerd, not someone who wears glasses and says they like cosplay, but someone who is rejected and alone and unhappy about it. Ironically, those are the people who bring us together, those are the ones who can reflect humanity, because we're all lost inside, we all have more questions than answers, even though we can't admit that we feel lonely surrounded by people, but it's those not at the party who are pushing the envelope, who are making our lives rich.
We live in interesting times.
I like the foreign series, but most of them are crime-based, and Felice has a limit on that. Me? I could watch dark and dirty all day long. And I don't need likable characters or a happy ending, as long as it's deep and satisfying and riveting.
I'm addicted to story.
Everybody's addicted to story. That's one reason Netflix is so successful. All this talk about sports rights, turns out people are sick of overpaying for ESPN, that's one of the main causes of cord-cutting. A small segment of the public wants to watch sports, but everybody's interested in story. And now in the era of peak TV, with over 400 shows annually, we're inundated with story. It'd be like suddenly having tens of albums by our favorite musical acts, it's a veritable cornucopia of riches.
We finished the new season of "Bosch." The show keeps getting better and better. The casting is great, but Titus Welliver is superior. You wouldn't think he would fit the role, but he's just enough of a renegade to make it work, someone who doesn't fit in. Why do we adore those who don't fit in and then excoriate them? Uber's hobbled by the lack of Travis Kalanick. A prick, but one with insight, who fought hard, because it was his idea, he brought it to fruition. But the reality is everybody takes the safe path, going to business school, getting an MBA, when the truth is managing people and working within an organization, being part of the team, is not what delivers exceptionality. You can steer the boat, but I'm more interested in those who can BUILD the boat.
I think Prime Video fails because it's baked into Amazon Prime. As in, people are not aware they're paying for it. Prime is about fast, free delivery, not television. Sure, a hit will help them, but the first season of "Goliath" was great television and few tuned in anyway. They've got to rebrand it, make people aware they're paying for it, and jazz up the interface, and allow you to see the images when you're fast-forwarding. Maybe just call it "Amazon TV," so people will know it's there and what they're getting.
And Amazon doesn't make as many shows as Netflix and now Netflix is so busy satiating everyone, in all genres, that there's a dearth of great shows.
That's why we ended up watching "Dead To Me."
Reviews were not great. And with no time, I only have time for great.
But I couldn't find anything else on Netflix so we dove in. And got hooked.
I'll tell you, the twist at the end of the first episode almost made me duck out, but they keep developing it in further episodes, so watching is worthwhile.
Linda Cardellini made an impression in "Freaks and Geeks," but that was twenty years ago. And she was in a bunch of flicks and shows, but I didn't recognize her until "Bloodline," a family drama with a bad final season that before that had me hooked, a modern day "Body Heat."
But now Cardellini is 43. Whew! I mentioned Todd Rundgren to a bunch of millennials last week and they had no idea who I was talking about. You can be out of college and born in 1998. We think everybody knows history, but it's not like when I was going to high school, when W.C. Fields was all the rage, with so much incoming, people don't have time to comb through the past.
At least not together.
That's one of the reasons I'm writing this article, because of "all together." Other than politics, there's nothing we all do or see these days. It's the NHL finals, are you watching? Probably not. Are you addicted to the Spotify Top 50? Doubtful, unless you're on it or under the age of 16. But TV?
"Dead To Me" is up front and center on Netflix's homepage, the best promotional real estate in the world. Hell, if they sold advertising, those products would be known by everybody. But in the twenty first century if you include advertising, you're lost, you're sold out to the man, despite the stock play, most viewers think Netflix is for them.
Oh, I'll get e-mail decrying the service, just like I do saying that Spotify doesn't have obscure tracks. Those people immediately take themselves out of the discussion, they immediately make themselves irrelevant, the twenty first century is not about judging, but partaking. That's yet to be realized on social media. Ever notice it's the same few punks stirring the pot? Ignore them. As for the excoriation of Facebook... Good, go for 'em, but you're playing Whac-A-Mole, what about 8chan?
And if you're a member of Gen-Z, "Married...with Children," might have gone off the air before you were born, yes, that series ran from '87 to '97 and now Ed O'Neill is famous for "Modern Family," already long in the tooth, and Katey Sagal is known for the already off the air "Sons of Anarchy" and David Faustino is forgotten and Christina Applegate almost too.
Kelly Bundy is 47. Older than Katey Sagal was when she played her mother on "Married...with Children." But the funny thing is she has acting chops. She's done something to her face, some kind of plastic surgery or something, she looks different, but she owns the character of Jen, the widow.
That's right, Jen's husband Ted is dead. And she meets Linda Cardellini in a grief group and...
It feels like Laguna Beach, about lifestyle as opposed to the action of L.A. The suburbs. People aren't looking to get famous, just rich!
And every episode has a surprise. Just when you think you've had enough, you're dragged back in.
And this show was originally pitched to CBS, but it could have never been on that network, because of the language and the drinking and... Networks constrain you, Netflix releases you.
And I'm a binger. I usually only watch TV one day a week, if that. Usually Saturday or Sunday afternoon. As Freddie Mercury sang, I want it all and I want it now, I haven't got time for appointment television, I've got too many appointments anyway. But the Luddites are against self-driving cars and pro-HBO and they want to stay stuck in the past, even though they're addicted to technology, most obviously their smartphones, which they keep on telling us will ruin our lives. But these are the same people who created an uproar when Netflix announced it was going to streaming anyway. The public are sheep. The great seers, almost always a single individual, are one step ahead, they're driving not only our economy, but our leisure time.
Now I'm not exactly recommending "Dead To Me," but chances are you might have already seen it. So we can talk about it. And we can talk about so little. And everybody's fighting for attention, but then we come to the public square once again, the Netflix homepage. You start there, you check out the new stuff. You want to be hooked.
That's what purveyors don't understand. We're LOOKING for great stuff, we're DYING for great stuff, and we've got little time for anything else. So if you're clamoring for attention, if your marketing exceeds your product, give up, you're on the wrong path. But in this era of "Shark Tank" and entrepreneurship the truth is very few people can succeed on the bleeding edge of creativity, first and foremost because it requires you to walk into the wilderness, people don't want to be alone, but more importantly because the creators don't have the right stuff, they refuse to pay their dues, and the truth is our educational system does not reward uniqueness. Most of the creators never fit in, and they've learned to live with that. They stayed home on Saturday night, they didn't go to the Prom. They lived alone with their brains, and the truth is so often they create to get that adulation, that connection, to be accepted. Weird, isn't it? But when they said nerds will inherit the earth, they were right. But no one wants to be a nerd, a true nerd, not someone who wears glasses and says they like cosplay, but someone who is rejected and alone and unhappy about it. Ironically, those are the people who bring us together, those are the ones who can reflect humanity, because we're all lost inside, we all have more questions than answers, even though we can't admit that we feel lonely surrounded by people, but it's those not at the party who are pushing the envelope, who are making our lives rich.
We live in interesting times.
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Daisy Jones & The Six
"Rock on gold dust woman
Take your silver spoon
Dig your grave"
I hate oral histories, but I love this book.
Because it's fiction. In non-fiction it's a device, often of laziness, just tell me the true story, don't make we wade through the various opinions, oftentimes shading and not telling the truth.
But oral history is a genius move in telling the story of this fictional band.
The reviews weren't spectacular. But "Daisy Jones & The Six" became a best-seller. Proving once again, you've got to look at art through the eyes of the target audience. You don't send a dyed-in-the-wool rocker to review BTS and you don't let someone from the literati review a book that's the best rock tome in eons, a landmark.
Sure, "Daisy Jones & The Six" is based on Fleetwood Mac, author Taylor Jenkins Reid reveals her devotion to Stevie Nicks in the acknowledgements at the end of the book, but really it's the story of the seventies, when the boomers came of age, before the legitimization of greed by Reagan, when we were all still in it together, looking for personal fulfillment as opposed to riches, when music drove the culture and if you wanted to take the pulse of the nation you turned on the radio.
Now if this were still the twentieth century, prior to the social media explosion and the fragmentation of the music business, never mind society, "Daisy Jones & The Six" would be the talk of the town, certainly of Hollywood, of the whole industry, akin to "Hit Men," because Taylor Jenkins Reid captures perfectly the ethos of yesteryear, takes us back to the garden when today music has lost its way and all the excitement is on the internet, when personal stories were the gossip we were interested, when there were not manufactured feuds played out in the tabloids, on the internet, to give their perpetrators traction.
We all formed bands. That's what the Beatles inspired us to do.
And some stuck with it.
Life was hard. The girls were good, the dope soothed your soul, but you didn't get rich. You started out at weddings and bar mitzvahs, school dances. Then you graduated to clubs, and from there you went on tour, locally, east coast, the south, the northwest, building an audience no one was aware of unless you lived there. Labels didn't look at the numbers, they listened to the music.
And then if you had the balls, you moved to Los Angeles. Sure, there was a punk movement starting in the midseventies in New York, but L.A. was for the experienced, the skilled, the hungry, the beautiful, not the antiheroes.
And you lived in one house and scuffled, played gigs, made connections, and if you were lucky you got signed.
Meanwhile, there was a social infrastructure propping this all up. Sure, you've heard of the GTOs, Miss Pamela, but there were a lot of other groupies haunting the Strip who were unknown, and boys as well as girls, it was a vibrant scene that started in the sixties, with Pandora's Box and "For What It's Worth," and the progenitors had impact, but in the seventies it was those influenced by the prior decade who made their mark.
Daisy Jones is a child of privilege, a free-rein kid back before parents were afraid to let their kids walk to school, never mind go downtown unsupervised. A whip-smart woman whose young beauty was so stunning it got her in, the Whisky and the Riot House, and taken advantage of by rockers who didn't care she was underage.
That's right, this book is accurate. Except for the hazy timing of "Tapestry," Taylor Jenkins Reid got it right. Hell, she even spells "Whisky" correctly, without the "e." If you lived through the era, you won't be wincing, you'll be nodding your head and lapping it up.
And the Dunne Brothers were from Pennsylvania, without a father, like the Allman Brothers, like so many other damaged musicians who've succeeded.
And the band was made up of personalities, not all in agreement, tension permeated.
And everybody worried about how to follow up their big hit.
And the producer and the label had input, but not the final say, and were oftentimes very convincing.
And if you didn't have a college degree, it didn't matter. You didn't want your wedding in the "New York Times," you were not building a resume, but a career, all based on your talent and your wits.
And the first LP didn't have to be a smash.
You developed your act. If it was going in the right direction, it was all right.
This was the era wherein the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac sold in excess of ten million albums, when everybody knew not only the songs, but the names, when "Rolling Stone" ruled the roost and everywhere you went current music was on the stereo.
You start realizing this is the story of Fleetwood Mac when the Six record at Sound City, where Buckingham and Nicks famously met that band in crisis. But there's enough different to keep you interested.
And Daisy Jones is uncontrollable.
But she guests on a single and then...
She becomes a member of the band. Sure, I'm giving something away, but hell, IT'S IN THE TITLE!
And Stevie Nicks doesn't get enough credit. Our nation is ruled by identity politics, we keep hearing about the lack of women in music. But the thing about Stevie was she did not sacrifice her femininity to win, she stood up to the men, did the drugs, she eclipsed the rest of the singers in the band and illustrated in art you can triumph by just being yourself, if not in the corporation, there's no glass ceiling in music.
Then again, maybe in country music.
But this was a different era. When radio was just looking for hit records, and they'd play anything if it resonated. We were all addicted to the sound. And yes, rock ruled, which it does not today. Hell, "Daisy Jones & The Six" is more rock and roll than any record released this year. Because it's not self-conscious. It's not so out there that no one can relate. It's refining the ground we tread upon, not trying to reinvent a wheel that cannot be, after all, Clapton, Beck and Page, were influenced by Delta blues records from decades before.
Remember when you used to go to the record store and buy a highly anticipated LP, come home and break the shrinkwrap and drop the needle and digest it, listen to it by yourself, over and over until it penetrated your soul, that's what reading "Daisy Jones & The Six" is like. You won't be able to put it down, I finished it in less than twenty four hours.
If you lived through the era...it's like discovering a time capsule that gets it exactly right, unlike those documentaries on CNN and those biopics.
We had extra time back then, we could get bored, there was not only no internet, but no HBO. So reading books was a regular thing. "Cat's Cradle," "The Bell Jar," "Catch-22," they were building blocks, they were rabbit holes you went down to not only inform you, but make you a citizen, part of the conversation, back when society was still coherent, and an album could be universal, and I don't mean the label, hell, MCA was the worst in the business back then, there was Universal Pictures but no Universal Music and A&M and Island were still independent and Warner Brothers was artist friendly.
"Well did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
And is it over now, do you know how
Pick up the pieces and go home"
Sexual tension, unrequited love, these are the essence of life, not the money and the trophies. Your bank account won't keep you warm at night, but another person will, and if you've got a crush you won't be able to sleep, it'll be the only thing you can think about.
WISDOM
"We love broken, beautiful people."
That's why they're stars. We could stay off drugs, we could save money, but we could never become stars to begin with.
"I am not the muse. I am somebody. End of fucking story."
Talk about female power.
"Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people."
Ain't that the truth. Just because you're not raping women that does not make you part of the solution.
"I think you have to have faith in people before they earn it. Otherwise it's not faith, right?"
Today no one has faith, no one can see your potential, you've got to prove it yourself and then they skim the cream and take the lion's share.
"Women will crush you, you know? I suppose everybody hurts everybody, but women always seem to get back up, you ever notice that? Women are always still standing.
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. One plays arenas, the other plays clubs. Case closed.
"Daisy Jones & The Six": https://amzn.to/2VfnHK9
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Take your silver spoon
Dig your grave"
I hate oral histories, but I love this book.
Because it's fiction. In non-fiction it's a device, often of laziness, just tell me the true story, don't make we wade through the various opinions, oftentimes shading and not telling the truth.
But oral history is a genius move in telling the story of this fictional band.
The reviews weren't spectacular. But "Daisy Jones & The Six" became a best-seller. Proving once again, you've got to look at art through the eyes of the target audience. You don't send a dyed-in-the-wool rocker to review BTS and you don't let someone from the literati review a book that's the best rock tome in eons, a landmark.
Sure, "Daisy Jones & The Six" is based on Fleetwood Mac, author Taylor Jenkins Reid reveals her devotion to Stevie Nicks in the acknowledgements at the end of the book, but really it's the story of the seventies, when the boomers came of age, before the legitimization of greed by Reagan, when we were all still in it together, looking for personal fulfillment as opposed to riches, when music drove the culture and if you wanted to take the pulse of the nation you turned on the radio.
Now if this were still the twentieth century, prior to the social media explosion and the fragmentation of the music business, never mind society, "Daisy Jones & The Six" would be the talk of the town, certainly of Hollywood, of the whole industry, akin to "Hit Men," because Taylor Jenkins Reid captures perfectly the ethos of yesteryear, takes us back to the garden when today music has lost its way and all the excitement is on the internet, when personal stories were the gossip we were interested, when there were not manufactured feuds played out in the tabloids, on the internet, to give their perpetrators traction.
We all formed bands. That's what the Beatles inspired us to do.
And some stuck with it.
Life was hard. The girls were good, the dope soothed your soul, but you didn't get rich. You started out at weddings and bar mitzvahs, school dances. Then you graduated to clubs, and from there you went on tour, locally, east coast, the south, the northwest, building an audience no one was aware of unless you lived there. Labels didn't look at the numbers, they listened to the music.
And then if you had the balls, you moved to Los Angeles. Sure, there was a punk movement starting in the midseventies in New York, but L.A. was for the experienced, the skilled, the hungry, the beautiful, not the antiheroes.
And you lived in one house and scuffled, played gigs, made connections, and if you were lucky you got signed.
Meanwhile, there was a social infrastructure propping this all up. Sure, you've heard of the GTOs, Miss Pamela, but there were a lot of other groupies haunting the Strip who were unknown, and boys as well as girls, it was a vibrant scene that started in the sixties, with Pandora's Box and "For What It's Worth," and the progenitors had impact, but in the seventies it was those influenced by the prior decade who made their mark.
Daisy Jones is a child of privilege, a free-rein kid back before parents were afraid to let their kids walk to school, never mind go downtown unsupervised. A whip-smart woman whose young beauty was so stunning it got her in, the Whisky and the Riot House, and taken advantage of by rockers who didn't care she was underage.
That's right, this book is accurate. Except for the hazy timing of "Tapestry," Taylor Jenkins Reid got it right. Hell, she even spells "Whisky" correctly, without the "e." If you lived through the era, you won't be wincing, you'll be nodding your head and lapping it up.
And the Dunne Brothers were from Pennsylvania, without a father, like the Allman Brothers, like so many other damaged musicians who've succeeded.
And the band was made up of personalities, not all in agreement, tension permeated.
And everybody worried about how to follow up their big hit.
And the producer and the label had input, but not the final say, and were oftentimes very convincing.
And if you didn't have a college degree, it didn't matter. You didn't want your wedding in the "New York Times," you were not building a resume, but a career, all based on your talent and your wits.
And the first LP didn't have to be a smash.
You developed your act. If it was going in the right direction, it was all right.
This was the era wherein the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac sold in excess of ten million albums, when everybody knew not only the songs, but the names, when "Rolling Stone" ruled the roost and everywhere you went current music was on the stereo.
You start realizing this is the story of Fleetwood Mac when the Six record at Sound City, where Buckingham and Nicks famously met that band in crisis. But there's enough different to keep you interested.
And Daisy Jones is uncontrollable.
But she guests on a single and then...
She becomes a member of the band. Sure, I'm giving something away, but hell, IT'S IN THE TITLE!
And Stevie Nicks doesn't get enough credit. Our nation is ruled by identity politics, we keep hearing about the lack of women in music. But the thing about Stevie was she did not sacrifice her femininity to win, she stood up to the men, did the drugs, she eclipsed the rest of the singers in the band and illustrated in art you can triumph by just being yourself, if not in the corporation, there's no glass ceiling in music.
Then again, maybe in country music.
But this was a different era. When radio was just looking for hit records, and they'd play anything if it resonated. We were all addicted to the sound. And yes, rock ruled, which it does not today. Hell, "Daisy Jones & The Six" is more rock and roll than any record released this year. Because it's not self-conscious. It's not so out there that no one can relate. It's refining the ground we tread upon, not trying to reinvent a wheel that cannot be, after all, Clapton, Beck and Page, were influenced by Delta blues records from decades before.
Remember when you used to go to the record store and buy a highly anticipated LP, come home and break the shrinkwrap and drop the needle and digest it, listen to it by yourself, over and over until it penetrated your soul, that's what reading "Daisy Jones & The Six" is like. You won't be able to put it down, I finished it in less than twenty four hours.
If you lived through the era...it's like discovering a time capsule that gets it exactly right, unlike those documentaries on CNN and those biopics.
We had extra time back then, we could get bored, there was not only no internet, but no HBO. So reading books was a regular thing. "Cat's Cradle," "The Bell Jar," "Catch-22," they were building blocks, they were rabbit holes you went down to not only inform you, but make you a citizen, part of the conversation, back when society was still coherent, and an album could be universal, and I don't mean the label, hell, MCA was the worst in the business back then, there was Universal Pictures but no Universal Music and A&M and Island were still independent and Warner Brothers was artist friendly.
"Well did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
And is it over now, do you know how
Pick up the pieces and go home"
Sexual tension, unrequited love, these are the essence of life, not the money and the trophies. Your bank account won't keep you warm at night, but another person will, and if you've got a crush you won't be able to sleep, it'll be the only thing you can think about.
WISDOM
"We love broken, beautiful people."
That's why they're stars. We could stay off drugs, we could save money, but we could never become stars to begin with.
"I am not the muse. I am somebody. End of fucking story."
Talk about female power.
"Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people."
Ain't that the truth. Just because you're not raping women that does not make you part of the solution.
"I think you have to have faith in people before they earn it. Otherwise it's not faith, right?"
Today no one has faith, no one can see your potential, you've got to prove it yourself and then they skim the cream and take the lion's share.
"Women will crush you, you know? I suppose everybody hurts everybody, but women always seem to get back up, you ever notice that? Women are always still standing.
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. One plays arenas, the other plays clubs. Case closed.
"Daisy Jones & The Six": https://amzn.to/2VfnHK9
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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