https://bit.ly/3bxfCVg
"But when they said, 'Sit down,' I stood up"
Bon Jovi singlehandedly made New Jersey cool.
Or at least lifted it up from the depths.
Let's see...
Newark? Nothing good ever happened there, other than maybe the birth of Philip Roth. Growing up in the sixties all you knew about the biggest city in New Jersey was the riots. To this day, most people cannot remember that the capital of the state is Trenton. New Jersey was not hip, it was where you lived if you couldn't afford to reside in Westchester County. Sure, they had Atlantic City, but that was seedy...it's still pretty seedy. As for the western part of the state? Residents there often say they live in Philly.
Never mind the swamps, the crime...if you're gonna boast about the Garden State, you're gonna have a hard time.
Until Bon Jovi. Who climbed out of the swamp to dominate MTV and to embrace his heritage.
So many of the Boss's songs were about New York City. Bon Jovi embraced New Jersey, flew its flag high.
To the point where this special was aired, and many famous people from New Jersey, even if they no longer live there, appeared. Then again, the Boss moved back to Jersey from L.A. Generally speaking Jersey is someplace you're from, not someplace you're going to. But Bon Jovi legitimized it.
Now we've been enduring these streaming specials for a couple of weeks now, and no one has gotten it quite right. Too much gravitas, not enough humor. Give credit to Chelsea Handler, she tested the limits in this telecast, Jon Stewart was not wearing a suit, these were regular people doing regular things, in many cases the celebrities looked like us.
Especially Charlie Puth.
One unpredicted result of Covid-19 is the celebrity fallout. Even at this late internet date, "stars" don't realize they're seen as no better than the rest of us. Sure, there are nitwits who've barely reached puberty who adore them, but as soon as they can become influencers themselves, they see it's all a scam. It's all manipulated, and your only thing to sell is your credibility, your art, the public has not time for artifice, and certainly no time for grandiosity.
Like John Legend didn't realize the public would see his awards.
Even on Bill Maher, the guests all show their books right up front.
Self-promotion in this time of self-quarantine looks bad. But shoving your accomplishments in our faces? No one remembers John Legend's performance from the other night, but everybody remembers his tone-deaf display of his awards. Who cares about awards anyway. Legend is an entertainer, inoffensive, they didn't give Lou Reed awards, or Led Zeppelin either, those pushing the envelope are too dangerous to get awards, the committees embrace them last, if at all. And now, when Billie Eilish can go from zero to hero overnight, it just illustrates that we're all in this together, that the road from nowhere to somewhere can be seen. But it's damn hard to achieve your goals, to ring the bell, and if you get there, you'd better be humble.
So you're rich, so what? You couldn't have made it without the spending of the public, pay fealty to the people, don't brag, like David Geffen. Hell, if you post on Instagram you're looking for positive feedback, otherwise why do it?
So, although at times somber, "New Jersey 4 New Jersey" had a lighter, more fluid feel.
But the Boss disappointed.
Yes, we cut Springsteen a break, he sings about the underclass, but when you see his rehearsal room, when he sings these dour non-hits, it's hard to warm up to him, instead of making his point, he appears out of touch.
As for Jon Bon Jovi...his music is about bombast, about arenas, his studio was more low-key than Springsteen's, but somehow, without the band, Bon Jovi emoted and it did not connect.
And then we've got Charlie Puth in his bedroom.
Puth doesn't get a lot of respect. At best, people see him as talented. They know he went to Berklee, he's got his pedigree, then again, we anoint those from the streets.
So, on this show, Puth seemed about sixteen. With a barely there moustache. As for the wifebeater... One couldn't really understand... Was this about image? If so, it didn't work so well. Or, was Puth really showing his roots, do he and his relatives wear these tank tops? I don't know.
But unlike all the celebs of the past few weeks, livestreaming to embellish their image, Puth was playing from his bedroom, FROM HIS PARENTS' HOUSE!!
Sure, he's got a few bucks. God, maybe he even owns a house somewhere. Then again, he's traveling all the time.
And who wants to hole up alone during this crisis?
And the bed is unmade. Most guys do this, after all, they're gonna sleep in it again tonight.
And his dog ran in and out in the background, a black creature, not a show dog of some exotic breed which a famous person cradles in their arms and then discards.
And then Puth starts to play.
THIS WAS MUSIC!
He played a recognizable song, not even one of his own, but one of the Boss's!
Yes, Charlie Puth upstaged Bruce Springsteen on this telecast.
So Puth starts tickling the ivories and...you start to smile, you start getting this tingle in your body, THIS IS MUSIC, THIS IS TALENT!
And sure, his voice is not perfectly matched to the song, being sweet and high register, but he can certainly sing, he's got pipes.
And he's singing "Growin' Up."
Bruce Springsteen was sold as the new Dylan. And "Greetings From Asbury Park" was made that way. You'd think this was some Woody Guthrie, a man and his guitar. In retrospect you can hear the band mixed down low, but in 1973 Bruce was not yet the Boss.
But he wanted to be.
"Greetings From Asbury Park" is stuffed with enough words for three albums. This is a guy who's got something to say, who wants you to listen, who is doing his all to make it.
Now most people only knew Springsteen's debut from the covers, by Manfred Mann most specifically. But if you purchased this LP when it came out, there were three tracks that stood out.."For You," "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" and "Growin' Up."
"Well I stood stone-like at midnight
Suspended in my masquerade
I combed my hair 'til it was just right
And commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain
And I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone
And came out with my soul untouched"
It's the last line that really matters. Life is about making you conform, kowtowing to your parents and then your boss. But rock and roll threw a wrench in that. The people who made it didn't fit in, and those who didn't fit in themselves glommed on and made these acts known, before the rest of the public came clamoring. That's what engendered corporate rock, that's what's wrong with too much music today...it's not about the identity, it's not about the resonance, it's about the sell. Even the performances evidence this. They're for some theoretical rich people, billionaires, corporations, hovering above the arena, not even in attendance. It's about making your mark so you can climb into the pantheon of wealth and exclusivity. But no one ever wanted Lemmy at their party. Once you're invited, once you sell out...hell, even Iggy is acceptable these days, and in the Stooges days even insiders thought he was too outside.
And today you can fake it.
It's de rigueur for someone else to write the material. Through trickery, you don't even have to be able to sing well. Can you say J. Lo? But there are a zillion more. You just have to decide to be a music star, talent is secondary, whereas you can't compete in sports through sheer desire.
But, Puth can play the piano, you marvel.
And he sings too!
And he hasn't got a big rig, all he's got is a laptop and an electric keyboard, and a mic, of course, that's enough. Just like in the old days when you recorded to two track and performed live in the studio. If you've got the goods, the technology is not necessary, it's at most the cherry on top. Today, it's all about the cherry, the script has been flipped.
Springsteen was a star in his own mind in "Growin' Up." He lived in the stratosphere, untouched, if only everybody could see it.
And that's how we felt, especially in the suburbs. We yearned to break out, from where we weren't understood, where we weren't accepted.
And Charlie Puth does not display that edge in this performance.
But what the music does is set your mind and body free, makes you hover above the floor, think about your hopes and dreams, makes you believe it's gonna be all right, that you're gonna survive, that it's gonna work out for you...the performance gives you hope.
And isn't that what we want right now?
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Friday, 24 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 2020
Re-Bosch
Bob! Love the blog and hope you're doing well. I know it's gotta be tough worrying about whether this Virus is gonna take you out. I recur on Bosch and am glad people are starting to find out what a great show it is! It, like the Wire, truly gives a representation of the city where it takes place, the good and bad. And yes, Titus Welliver is amazing. My first ever scene on the show was just him and I. When you work with the #1 on the callsheet, you try to soak up any and every nugget of greatness that u can, and the overwhelming thing you get is STILLNESS, which is the mark of great actors. Amazing cast and crew all around. Thanks for the hype! Be well.
Reggie Watkins
Not even halfway done with the first episode of the new season and sucked in already. I'd blame you for my Bosch loving lack of productivity like every other season but quarantine has me being non-productive already so.....thanks Bob!
Cheers
Dave Schools
Bob,
I couldn't agree more. And know that the books are great too. Take care now more than ever.
Jeff Garlin
I love Bosch... and I watched all of season 6 in 2 days. One of the best shows out there
Andrew Zimmern
My good friend, former LAPD cold case detective, Rick Jackson was a technical advisor on Bosch, appeared on camera on the final episode of Season 1, was the inspiration for the character " Det. Rick Jackson" on a season or two, plays golf and hangs with Michael Connelly frequently. I know him because he used to go to a restaurant in Brea that I played at for 8 years and he always had a note pad on the table and scribbled incessantly. Usually, a case he was working on. Long ago Connelly was a reporter and would hit Rick up for inside info on whatever story he was working on. Rick never spilled any beans, apparently and later he and Connelly became friends.
Rick told me about this show he was working on, "Bosch" and I'm not a big "crime show" fan, so I put off watching it. After all, it was on Prime.
When Season 3 was released, my lady and I decided to give it a try. Instantly hooked us.
Halfway through Season 6, (not quite the binger that you are), and like the previous seasons, it's excellent.
Everyone should check it out.
Thanks for not issuing any spoilers.
Got a feeling and I can't let go...
Scott Sechman
We are on season 4 and we love it
Harvey Goldsmith
I couldn't agree more on Bosch. I love it. I am so excited that I have seasons 5 and 6 to watch.
I hope you are well and staying safe.
-Andy Schuon
Wow. How nice. Will send this to Connelly.
Best,
Jeff Pollack
Amen. "Bosch" is Raymond Chandler and Dash Hammett writ large for the 21st Century. You're right that Titus Welliver is the best embodiment of a noir character ever. He is the face and the demeanor of what I have been reading in Michael Connelly's books for years. Only Bogart even comes close. Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? You've got to be kidding. I'm starting my e-mail campaign to beg for a Season 7 right now, hoping that all the Lefsetz Letter readers will do the same.
Best,
John Boylan
The best cop show on tv, maybe ever. I read all the books over the years and the show is as good as the books. Kudos to Amazon for bringing the author Michael Connelly in to oversee it. Thanks for spreading the word. Now if they can only get the Daniel Silva books on tv.
Larry Stessel
1,000 amens to this email. THIS SEASON WAS SO GREAT!!! Makes me miss L.A. every time I watch it. Here's his house: https://bit.ly/2xSeoVW in case you're curious (I was). Great books, even better series. And it's the undersell and nuance that makes it incredible - they don't need to over-dramatize or inflate the stakes to grab and keep you. I hope it gets the credit it deserves.
Mac Reynolds
Welliver first got on my radar in what was little more than a bit part in "The Town," brilliant casting, talk about presence. It reminded me a bit of Mickey Rourke's breakout cameo in "Body Heat," you just couldn't stop looking at him. Everything about his performance in "Bosch" feels authentic. Authentic is exciting and intimate. I expect we'll see some amazing work from him over the next several years. Happy to see a character actor like this kill it like he's doing. Thanks for noticing and turning others onto him.
Steve Jones
Nice to see I've got company watching Bosch. Just started watching the show last week (Season 1)— yep I'm hooked.
Carmen Yates
Bravo
Bosch is what I think of as great American television and it is absolutely in the weeds on Amazon Prime.
Len Ottensen
Bosch is fantastic. Been watching it from day one. Glad you did a write up on it!
Matt Roberts
I watch Amazon TV all the time... Bosch is the bomb...Titus is so cool it hurts.
Stay safe Bob.
Leigh Goldstein
Big fan of BOSCH! Definitely worth spreading the word.
David Poole
I agree, Bosch is a strong TV series.
Unless you have read the novels. The Bosch character had to be dumbed down for the TV series. I am not saying that was a mistake, it was inevitable. The novels are written from a perspective that is deep inside the mind of Bosch 80% of the time. Bosch's thought process and psychology is different in The Brass Verdict than it was in The Concrete Blonde because of the stuff that has happened in all of the novels in between.
Titus Welliver does a great job creating a very interesting LA police detective. The director and the actor were savvy enough to realize that trying to replicate the psychology of Harry Bosch from the novels was impossible. They were smart to minimize the psychology and maximize the plot.
For those that have read Michael Connelly's 20+ Harry Bosch novels, the TV show never had a chance.
Connelly, Bosch and you all have a very deep appreciation of Jazz. That would make for a great Lefsetz column.
Mark McLaughlin
Couldn't agree more on Bosch/Prime – all 6 seasons. Apparently, next season 7 will be the last.
Been a fan of Bosch going back to Michael Connolly's first book that featured Bosch (The Black Echo in 1992).
And, yes, Titus Welliver embodies the Bosch character. No one could do a better job.
Ray Valencia
Thanks for another insightful and thought-provoking missive, Bob.
It occurs to me, the de facto move with streaming TV is to release an entire season of episodes at once, so viewers can binge.
(As you noted, Apple doesn't get this.)
And yet, with streaming music, the strategic move seems to be to release an album one single at a time, to best play the playlist+algorithm game.
Or am I missing something?
Daniel Strickland
San Francisco
Couldn't agree more. Welliver and the entire ensemble cast are brilliant. It all starts with the books. How about a shout for Call the Midwife?
George Laugelli
LOVE This Show! Just finished watching S6. Wish Amazon Prime would promote it more. Incredible casting all around but yes, especially Titus Welliver, who is Rock Solid in the lead role. - Growing up, my guy was James Rockford, THE ROCKFORD FILES, lead by the incomparable James Garner. My first car wasn't Quite the "Sierra Gold Pontiac Firebird Esprit, but I came as close as I could with my 74' Gold Chevy Camaro (with T-Tops).
Bosch isn't really nowhere near The Rockford Files in tone or style, & that's fine. Both are unique & distinctive on their own ways.
Bring on S7 !!
Steve Sequeira
Newport, R.I.
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I think of Bosch as Ray Donovan if he weren't a crook, I've read a lot of the books, too.
Bill Dobbins
Titus is a Florida Gator-also my alma mater. I loved him before I learned this tidbit. But I'm even more ardent a fan now. We've had dinner with Bosch every night since the lockdown. It's a bright bright spot in this totally weird time.
Go Gators.
Stay healthy,
Medea Bern
YES for Bosch. I wondered if there was ever going to be another season. Now I have to try and not watch all the episodes at one time.
dileomo
Had to reply. Your letter about Bosch is bang on the nail. My Wife and I have watched the first 5 series 3 times now, it never gets old. Last episode of season 6 tonight.
I've also read all of the books and believe me, Titus Welliver IS Bosch.
Brilliant work by every actor on the show. Watching Maddie grow up through the series, from a gawky teenager to a confident young lady has been fascinating.
Sadly I've read Season 7 will be the last, but it is a show that can enjoyed again.
Regards, and stay safe,
Peter Brentnall
Couldn't agree with you more about Bosch. But I do feel the high quality of the show starts with the writing of Michael Connelly, particularly the in the early seasons which were directly taken from his novels. I began reading the Michael Connelly Bosch novels some years ago and thought they were so well written. They created a movie in my mind and seemed to me like they would translate really well to movies or TV (I probably was late to the party as I believe Michael Connelly's writings had already been the basis for scripts). So I was very excited when Amazon announced the Bosch series and then I tuned in an found that Titus Welliver wasn't the Harry Bosch I had conjured up in my mind. A bit disappointed I kept watching and soon realized that Titus Welliver is Harry Bosch. He is so great that you never see any "acting" going on. I wonder if Michael Connelly thinks of Titus Welliver now when he writes his Bosch books? I sure do when I read them.
Regards,
Jay Fortunato
It's unfortunate that this is going to be the last season of Bosch. Savour it.
Wesley S.
Good call on Bosch. I've been into it since the beginning and you're correct...Titus Welliver has now made the character his own.
Also nice to see Bosch back as it will take some of the hurt of losing Ray Donovan away..
Craig Finley
Hands down the best detective drama ever on TV. When season 4 was over i was so jonesing for more i started reading the books and have now finished the entire series (including the "Lincoln Lawyer"cross-overs and the Renee cross-overs). I tell everyone this is the show to be on the couch with. It is interesting to see where the books and the show overlaps but you are right, it's him. He just gets better with every season. Thanks for spreading the word!
Stay safe. (Or to quote another great police drama, "Let's be careful out there.')
Michael Reinert
Bosch series never last a week for me, as each season came out, I binged!
Same with THE EXPANSE even before it was on Amazon. Binge-worthy.
David B. Cooper
Been a Boscher since the beginning...More Shield than Wire. As far as networks, Homicide and more recently Southland were decent. I could imagine Homicide on Showtime without censorship or restraints.
Regards
Bob Goodman
YES!! Thank you! In fact I'm re-watching Season 1 because I wasn't ready to let go after ep 10 of season 6.
Barbara Barna Abel
Great email Bob, glad someone is talking about Bosch. It was a little rough at first and some of the minor actors are painful to watch, but it has developed into an amazing show. Can't want to consume season 6.
Amazon has some other fantastic shows:
Fleabag – one of the best shows I've ever seen with Season 2 just crushing
Maizel which you mentioned. Being Jewish helps with the context for sure.
Catastrophe is a hidden gem. Absolutely worth watching.
The Boys is a lot of fun
Suits – 100% worth watching
The Expanse – a good friend of mine who is into sci-fi says it's the best show on TV
Jack Ryan – could have been better but worth watching
-Paul Bassman
I agree with your analysis about pricing, distribution, packaging (release it all at once), and pretty well everything you say.
Having said that, I think Amazon is really good - for an old dog like me. Lots of great movies, Mrs. Maisel (one of the best shows - I wish there were more like it), old series. Just enough to keep it fresh at a time when many "series" on Netflix are now padded by far too many lazy, moody scenes of people sitting in dark places, saying nothing and emoting nothing, just so they can get to 10 episodes when 4 would have done the job.
Most important, it comes with Prime. Doesn't cost any more. And, as you said, it has Bosch.
John Parikhal
My wife and I finished Season 6 last night, next best thing to The Wire imho. I liked the books, but I like the TV series even more. What do we do now? - John S. Foster, KXXO, Olympia WA
Baby, Bosch is my favorite streaming show on Prime, along with Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton. Both on Prime and we'll take a look this weekend as you have it on your TV....and you're paying for it!!!!
Lynn
Love Bosch too. It's definitely the TV equivalent of a B movie because, like its lead character, it's just not trying too hard. I reckon the pitch was to make a Kojak for the twenty first century and they've struck gold. By the way, I know vinyl is dumb but Harry Bosch is more than doing his bit to make seventies hi-fi uber cool all over again.
Andrew Harting
Re: Bosch - Read the books. I did and by comparison the show moves at a snail's pace. I got three seasons in before I gave up.
Scott Murawski
I started watching Bosch when you recommended it at the beginning. When we started staying at home with this pandemic, I rewatched the first 5 seasons for comfort viewing. They were just as good the second time around. The sixth season was great. I love that the supporting characters are so much a part of the story, especially J. Edgar, Crate and Barrel, and LT. Billets. And I'm not in Los Angeles, but the city is a character too. Thanks for the recommendation! Great show!
Karen Merrifield in Louisiana
Bob - I LOVE Bosch. It is so good. We tried our best to string out this latest season, savoring each episode, but it's so hard to just watch one. When they started playing the song and showing the LA skyline from his house last night, I knew it was the end of the season, and I was so bummed. I surely hope that they roll out more seasons asap. Best show on TV IMO.
Best - Mary Jurey
I've been a fan of Michael Connelly's since Black Echo. I usually pickup his book the day I can get my hands on it, and devour it within a day or so. He just keeps getting better.
When I heard they were making a series from the books. I thought, here we go, it's going to get fucked up. But, not in this case. The casting has been brilliant. Its great to watch.
Titus Welliver is a terrific as Harry Bosch. Crate and Barrel nailed it. Harry's superior, Billups is exactly who I thought she'd be...Jerry Edgar, too. And Maddie is terrific.
I'm so into it (can you tell)?
I found myself really disappointed that there wasn't an episode 11. Can't wait for next season.
I was so excited to read that you also like it.
David Uosikkinen
I love Bosch! Yes, Titus Welliver is amazing. Each season has gotten better and better. I completely devoured season 6 last weekend.
The writing is so tight. The Bosch family is fascinating. I love how they show the relationship with his daughter.
And that house! I'd just sit outside and take in that view all the time like they do.
Next season is supposedly the last.
James Staubes
Culver City
Bosch = BADASS
The Innocence Files = heartbreaking
Caroline Lindsey
I saw Bosch season one, and agreed with everything you said, cuts like butter! The fact that it's on season 6 is gobsmacking! I watched season 1, and like you said, Amazon is an afterthought, and so I never picked it up again. Here's the rub though, I watched season 1 and 2 of Jack Ryan, knowing full damn well that it was nowhere near the caliber of Bosch. I feel like, how do I catch up now? I mean, we've got time now I guess.
L.A. Gonzalez
We powered through it in about 4 days. Sad that there is only one season left. We've really enjoyed the character arcs, especially his daughter.
Bruce Greenberg
good call, yeah if Bosch was on Netflix everyone would be talking about it.
pmrkr2
Thank you.
Jeffrey Fiskin
We love Bosch and you nailed its attributes. That and Maisel are our two fave streamers and coincidentally they're both Amazon - go figure. But I have to say if I'm just browsing I have an easier time finding something on Amazon, with its cornucopia of music docs, decent movie library, free Prime stuff and oddball but sometimes fun series'.
Anyway, no biggie but all I can say for the moment is thank god for TV!
Rob Wolfson
I was waiting for your email on this Bob. Bosch is the best - can't get enough!
Don Sizzle
Totally agree with ya on the greatness of Bosch!
Can't wait for Season 7. Titus is a babe, and all my girlfriends seem to agree.
Heads up on the CIRCUS OF BOOKS documentary on Netflix which came out this week which was written and directed by my insanely talented musician friend, Rachel Mason. It's her personal story about a porn shop run by her parents in West Hollywood, who just so happen to be the cutest Jewish couple in all of LA.
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/9363214/rachel-mason-give-you-everything-video
Sam Maloney
Bob, I have read every book Micheal Connollyhas written on Harry Bosch, going back about 20 yrs. Now, lots of writers come up with names like Dik Pitt, and for whatever reason, I just can't get on board with it. Hieronymus Bosch was no exception -was never gonna read any book with a ridiculous handle like that - way too contrived for me. But, I found Connolly's 'The Poet" on a bargain book rack in a gas station. And bought it. Was mesmerized from the start and thought if all the books are this good,,, well the rest is history. And I learn stuff. Especially about the jazz artists to whom Harry listens; ones I wasn't familiar with.
A few years back Amazon queried me in an email why I never watched anything on Prime. Didn't know I had it actually. When I found out they had TV Bosch, well the rest is history all over again.
Thanks for the heads up on season six!
P.S. I certainly didn't see Wellever as the man initially, but he fills the shoes.
Andrew Parr
London Ontario
Canada
Terrific!
I remember several years back when season one debuted I sent you a note. —— I like Bosch
Now it's the hip thing, and rightly so! For all the reasons you mentioned.
I gobbled the new season up in two days.
Thanks for keeping Bosch about Bosch without political analogies.
Good work.
Finished Season six of Spiral last week. I was already three seasons deep when you mentioned it, but I had forgotten about it.
Right up my alley, Hard, gritty without much gloss... Especially to be set in the breathtakingly gorgeous Paris. They make it a real point not to show the beauty of the city, because it doesn't support the story they're telling.
Thanks for the reminder!
Maybe one day Music will dominate my life again, as it may be a tsunami of irresistible acts. Not now though, We are experiencing the golden age of television.
Kindest regards & stay safe Bob
PS: Thanks for reviving Hogwash...great word.
Lavon Pagan
Totally agree. Bosch is the bomb.
Eric Nicolas
Love BOSCH...sadly I read next season # 7 will be the last. DAMN! Hope they reconsider, really like the guy who plays Sgt. Mankiewitz...Scott Klace.. we went to college together in Ohio! Stay safe and healthy!
Jim Ryan
i look forward to new seasons of Bosch probably more than any other show right now. Except maybe for Curb. Consistently one of the best shows in recent years.
Michael Pukownik
And when done bingeing, go ahead and read the novels. Titus obviously has, and having Michael Connelly hanging around obviously enhances the whole production.
Jeff Blair
Agree to all!
And Bosch is one of the only.....actually, literally the only example I can think of, where the film/series is eons better than the books.... Titus Welliver *is* Bosch and I can't read the books now without picturing his face....every author must dream of such an adaptation.
Hope Dlugozima
Agreed. Bosch is amazing. All done and no more to come.
Jon Lenes
I am obsessed with Bosch! I am so glad someone else is, too. I love the familiar feeling of it because it's set in LA. I love the character development, the understated acting... I binged Season 6, but I feel like I'm the only one watching it.
Kristin M
I loved Titus Welliver when I first saw him in Deadwood. I've watched Bosch since the first season and you have hit the mark once again.
Keith Michaels
I haven't watched this season of Bosch yet but last season was disappointing. I found the last season of Goliath unwatchable .
Mozart was cute at times but not "must see TV"
just my take
Jonathan from the Bx
Maybe this is my covid binge. Bob, should I start with season 1 or jump right into 6?
Timothy Pistell
And Bob, Titus Welliver reads the audiobooks of Connelly's character. Listen to one...any one....he is Harry Bosch.
Thanks for this post....spot on!
John Green
This show is Fen amazing!
I just finished Season 5 & will start season 6 tonight.
The way they shoot the scenes, the lighting, music & the actors!!
Eric Overmye brilliant & Titus easy on the eyes??
We can only hope for longevity of Harry Bosch!!
Cheers & stay safe!!
Annie Benson
Been watching Bosch from the start. Great show! Nuff said
nos218
I love Bosch as well....watched the first 4 episodes of the new season last night....
Michael Rosenblatt
Could not agree more. The episodes flow well and I think they could easily get 10+ seasons out of the source material.
Speaking of which - that's why the show is so good. It's mostly adapted from the books, although the writers do take liberties from time to time - and they do a good job of it. I have read most of those Michael Connolly books; for me it's rare to equally enjoy a book and it's onscreen adaptation. In this case - they are both great.
Maybe, in future seasons, they will mix in some of the Lincoln Lawyer's Mickey Haller (Harry and Mickey are half-brothers).
I rank Bosch right up there with the great "LA Noir" stories like LA Confidential, Heat, Mulholland Drive and Chinatown. All display the seedy underbelly of this town.
Long live Detective Harry Bosch.
Mark Dinerstein
Los Angeles, CA
Totally agree! I want to binge, I have to binge, but I'm trying to force myself not to binge because I want to savor each episode, all forty plus minutes and tight!
I've seen every season, only have 3 episodes left to season six...
Plus a lot of great jazz references--Art Pepper, Lester Young, Frank Morgan, and of course the dog is Coltrane...
Alan Eisenstock
Nice piece. Finished Season 6 last night and first thought was, wow, this show keeps getting better, more nuanced. Even the subplot of how the station chief wanted to screw over Lt. Betts with a sex harassment investigation. You saw the mechanics of it, and the mechanics were interesting. It doesn't have to be murder and mayhem to be good.
Peter Barsocchini
Thanks Bob, will endeavour to watch it here in London. I've read all of Michael Connelly's brilliant books and can't imagine the screen versions will be as good, but then I did like Matthew McConaughey as the Lincoln Lawyer.
Cheers for the heads-up,
David Stark,
SongLink
Dont forget a Jamie Hector!!!
Been hooked since season 1 but I mention it to other people they have never heard of it.
Thanks bob.
Matthew Meyers
I hope you and Felice are holding up under the CV lockdown, and are safe and sound and healthy.
I've loved Bosch since the first episode of the first season, and have watched every season since. Binged through season 6 in two days - as much as I want to, I can't spread it out over days or weeks, it's just too good.
Titus Willever so honors the craft as an actor - I totally believe he's Bosch, so well does he inhabit the character. And actress Madison Lintz is exceptional as his daughter. It's hard to get that dynamic right on screen. I have three daughters (all with freckles), and Titus and Madison's scenes together just resonate as real and sincere.
If you were a fan of Walking Dead, you may remember her as Sophie from 2010-2012.
Jamie Hector as J. Edgar is also excellent in this series - his quiet intensity makes the character compelling to watch.
So far you're batting 1000 on your TV show recommendations - I have yet to forgive you for all the sleep I lost binging The Stranger ;-)
All the best -
Gil Griffith
Bosch is the favorite streaming show of my wife and myself. And you're right, it gets better every season. And as I pointed out to my wife, as someone who once lived in LA, the city itself is the true star of the show. It takes you places you never bothered to go, or never knew about. Superb cinematography. And Harry's night time view from his house is the highlight of every episode.
Regards,
Sean Brown
Asheville, N.C
You're absolutely right about Bosch. It is what it is, a LAPD detective story that adheres to its perimeters, whereas that show Goliath...season 1 was barely tolerable, but was unwatchable by season 2. Didn't even get to 3. It was like David E. Kelly suddenly got to use the f-bombs like the cable guys, but it's obvious he's a network hack. Billy Bob seemed visibly embarrassed by the second season, as was I watching it. My guess it was written by a crew of young LA TV writers with minimal life experiences. Fake boobs and horrible actors. Bosch gets a solid B+ compared to the Sopranos, the A+ gold standard...
Kent Zimmerman
Read the books. This comes closer than anything I have ever seen to being
true to the books. Connelly is one of the producers, he makes it great. I
know nobody reads anymore but try it- you will like it!!!
Peace,
Paul Natkin
AGREED! 110% thank you!
Laura Jackson
Options Consulting Solutions
Ljackson@optionscs.com
Been into this since the beginning.you need to start a movement to keep him from bailing after season 7 which currently is the plan.
Larry Mazer
Agreed .. its the gift that keeps on giving
Wade Cawood
Yes it is!
Paul Zullo
Bob - I'm so happy you're giving love to one of my favorite shows on now. It's one of the very few adaptations that holds on to the spirit of the books while refreshing it.
Maybe it's because Michael Connelly the author of the books is involved in the show but isn't too precious about it, but the changes made for the show actually improve on the original. Characters play bigger roles in the tv show than in the books but these changes enhance the show and the character of Bosch.
The politics of the city and the police department in the show don't ever get too boring or cartoonish. The supporting actors are so damn good, I love the work that Jamie Hector as "J Edgar" and Lance Reddick as "Chief Irving" are doing, I've been huge fans of them both since The Wire.
I also love what a huge role that Los Angeles plays especially now that I'm not able to drive around the city to be able to see different parts of town and the different people that inhabit it.
I'm a single woman in my mid-30s so when I tell my friends that I love this show some look at me like I'm crazy asking "Isn't that a Dad show?" Maybe it's the way it's marketed but I've convinced may a friend to give the show a chance and all have been converts.
Marta Navas
My wife looked up from her iPhone and asked who is this guy while I was watching Borsch, told her and she said, "this guy is really good"
Agree with you 100% on this letter
Murph
This may not be "The Wire", but it has Marlo Stanfield in a Hugo Boss suit (a/k/a Jamie Hector as Detective Jerry Edgar)!
With so many people having everything delivered to their homes these days, spring for Amazon Prime and get Bosch. Plus Amazon Music delivers the best sound quality of any of the music streaming services.
Sky Daniels
I've been waiting on this from you.
Titus. Everything about him. Love.
Barbara Stevens
Totally agree. Love this show. Another I just got into (a bit late to the game) is Peaky Blinders. 1917 ish Birmingham gangs. You might enjoy.
Richard Stumpf
Bosch and Ozark are my most anticipated seasonal shows.
With all this free time, I've been looking for things I missed.
I just watched the first season of Bloodline. Holy Shit!!!
2 seasons to go.
Did you watch Hell On Wheels yet?!
Later,
Kevin Kiley
Fucking A
Hugo Burnham
Thanks for supporting BOSCH. It is one of the best Crime/Dramas on TV!
Bruce Holms
You nailed Harry Bosch! I'm getting to the end of season 3.... only need to sleep stops me... and thank you for Duty/Shame.... Giri/Haji? I've recommended it to many!
Schulyer Bishop
And Bosch is the only show I've ever seen that accurately reflects Los Angeles; this is OUR show! And the characters are wonderful: I love Crate and Barrel.
My favorite line from either last season or the one before: "Mariachis. Fuck. I'm outta here!" How many times in my 20's did I stick my head in a Mexican Restaurant only to back out and find another 'cause there was NO WAY I was gonna get hit up for a $2 tip I couldn't afford after spending all day and night in a recording studio. Shit, I ain't no tourist!
Sad spoiler: there's only one more season after this one. What a drag!
Thanks for this one Bob,
gPresto
Totally agreed re Bosch! I've been holding off an extra day on watching
Episode 10 of Season 6 so I can savor the feel of the new just a little
bit longer before I wait semi-patiently for Season 7 next year -- or
whenever we actually get it.
Titus Welliver was always one of those actors you knew was destined for
greater things whenever you'd see him in a medium-size or even small role
-- he's much like Lee Tergesen in that regard, imo -- and with Bosch, we
finally get to see the range of all he can do. Thank you Michael Connelly,
Eric Overmyer, et al., for giving him the right canvas.
Let us also give praise to the show's theme song, "Can't Let Go," by L.A
indie band Caught a Ghost -- the repetition of the phrase "I got a feeling
that I can't let go / I can't let go," buttressed underneath by that
simmering/droning synth line, horns, and those insistent drums, all fit
the M.O. of Bosch to a capital B, er, T.
All the best, and keep on staying safe!
Mike Mettler
The SoundBard
Recommend the Spotify Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5INrxHOOjsxJgvHA4OZmKh?si=_6Z41fO_TN-UUIT58r2eag
Raul Gochez
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Reggie Watkins
Not even halfway done with the first episode of the new season and sucked in already. I'd blame you for my Bosch loving lack of productivity like every other season but quarantine has me being non-productive already so.....thanks Bob!
Cheers
Dave Schools
Bob,
I couldn't agree more. And know that the books are great too. Take care now more than ever.
Jeff Garlin
I love Bosch... and I watched all of season 6 in 2 days. One of the best shows out there
Andrew Zimmern
My good friend, former LAPD cold case detective, Rick Jackson was a technical advisor on Bosch, appeared on camera on the final episode of Season 1, was the inspiration for the character " Det. Rick Jackson" on a season or two, plays golf and hangs with Michael Connelly frequently. I know him because he used to go to a restaurant in Brea that I played at for 8 years and he always had a note pad on the table and scribbled incessantly. Usually, a case he was working on. Long ago Connelly was a reporter and would hit Rick up for inside info on whatever story he was working on. Rick never spilled any beans, apparently and later he and Connelly became friends.
Rick told me about this show he was working on, "Bosch" and I'm not a big "crime show" fan, so I put off watching it. After all, it was on Prime.
When Season 3 was released, my lady and I decided to give it a try. Instantly hooked us.
Halfway through Season 6, (not quite the binger that you are), and like the previous seasons, it's excellent.
Everyone should check it out.
Thanks for not issuing any spoilers.
Got a feeling and I can't let go...
Scott Sechman
We are on season 4 and we love it
Harvey Goldsmith
I couldn't agree more on Bosch. I love it. I am so excited that I have seasons 5 and 6 to watch.
I hope you are well and staying safe.
-Andy Schuon
Wow. How nice. Will send this to Connelly.
Best,
Jeff Pollack
Amen. "Bosch" is Raymond Chandler and Dash Hammett writ large for the 21st Century. You're right that Titus Welliver is the best embodiment of a noir character ever. He is the face and the demeanor of what I have been reading in Michael Connelly's books for years. Only Bogart even comes close. Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? You've got to be kidding. I'm starting my e-mail campaign to beg for a Season 7 right now, hoping that all the Lefsetz Letter readers will do the same.
Best,
John Boylan
The best cop show on tv, maybe ever. I read all the books over the years and the show is as good as the books. Kudos to Amazon for bringing the author Michael Connelly in to oversee it. Thanks for spreading the word. Now if they can only get the Daniel Silva books on tv.
Larry Stessel
1,000 amens to this email. THIS SEASON WAS SO GREAT!!! Makes me miss L.A. every time I watch it. Here's his house: https://bit.ly/2xSeoVW in case you're curious (I was). Great books, even better series. And it's the undersell and nuance that makes it incredible - they don't need to over-dramatize or inflate the stakes to grab and keep you. I hope it gets the credit it deserves.
Mac Reynolds
Welliver first got on my radar in what was little more than a bit part in "The Town," brilliant casting, talk about presence. It reminded me a bit of Mickey Rourke's breakout cameo in "Body Heat," you just couldn't stop looking at him. Everything about his performance in "Bosch" feels authentic. Authentic is exciting and intimate. I expect we'll see some amazing work from him over the next several years. Happy to see a character actor like this kill it like he's doing. Thanks for noticing and turning others onto him.
Steve Jones
Nice to see I've got company watching Bosch. Just started watching the show last week (Season 1)— yep I'm hooked.
Carmen Yates
Bravo
Bosch is what I think of as great American television and it is absolutely in the weeds on Amazon Prime.
Len Ottensen
Bosch is fantastic. Been watching it from day one. Glad you did a write up on it!
Matt Roberts
I watch Amazon TV all the time... Bosch is the bomb...Titus is so cool it hurts.
Stay safe Bob.
Leigh Goldstein
Big fan of BOSCH! Definitely worth spreading the word.
David Poole
I agree, Bosch is a strong TV series.
Unless you have read the novels. The Bosch character had to be dumbed down for the TV series. I am not saying that was a mistake, it was inevitable. The novels are written from a perspective that is deep inside the mind of Bosch 80% of the time. Bosch's thought process and psychology is different in The Brass Verdict than it was in The Concrete Blonde because of the stuff that has happened in all of the novels in between.
Titus Welliver does a great job creating a very interesting LA police detective. The director and the actor were savvy enough to realize that trying to replicate the psychology of Harry Bosch from the novels was impossible. They were smart to minimize the psychology and maximize the plot.
For those that have read Michael Connelly's 20+ Harry Bosch novels, the TV show never had a chance.
Connelly, Bosch and you all have a very deep appreciation of Jazz. That would make for a great Lefsetz column.
Mark McLaughlin
Couldn't agree more on Bosch/Prime – all 6 seasons. Apparently, next season 7 will be the last.
Been a fan of Bosch going back to Michael Connolly's first book that featured Bosch (The Black Echo in 1992).
And, yes, Titus Welliver embodies the Bosch character. No one could do a better job.
Ray Valencia
Thanks for another insightful and thought-provoking missive, Bob.
It occurs to me, the de facto move with streaming TV is to release an entire season of episodes at once, so viewers can binge.
(As you noted, Apple doesn't get this.)
And yet, with streaming music, the strategic move seems to be to release an album one single at a time, to best play the playlist+algorithm game.
Or am I missing something?
Daniel Strickland
San Francisco
Couldn't agree more. Welliver and the entire ensemble cast are brilliant. It all starts with the books. How about a shout for Call the Midwife?
George Laugelli
LOVE This Show! Just finished watching S6. Wish Amazon Prime would promote it more. Incredible casting all around but yes, especially Titus Welliver, who is Rock Solid in the lead role. - Growing up, my guy was James Rockford, THE ROCKFORD FILES, lead by the incomparable James Garner. My first car wasn't Quite the "Sierra Gold Pontiac Firebird Esprit, but I came as close as I could with my 74' Gold Chevy Camaro (with T-Tops).
Bosch isn't really nowhere near The Rockford Files in tone or style, & that's fine. Both are unique & distinctive on their own ways.
Bring on S7 !!
Steve Sequeira
Newport, R.I.
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I think of Bosch as Ray Donovan if he weren't a crook, I've read a lot of the books, too.
Bill Dobbins
Titus is a Florida Gator-also my alma mater. I loved him before I learned this tidbit. But I'm even more ardent a fan now. We've had dinner with Bosch every night since the lockdown. It's a bright bright spot in this totally weird time.
Go Gators.
Stay healthy,
Medea Bern
YES for Bosch. I wondered if there was ever going to be another season. Now I have to try and not watch all the episodes at one time.
dileomo
Had to reply. Your letter about Bosch is bang on the nail. My Wife and I have watched the first 5 series 3 times now, it never gets old. Last episode of season 6 tonight.
I've also read all of the books and believe me, Titus Welliver IS Bosch.
Brilliant work by every actor on the show. Watching Maddie grow up through the series, from a gawky teenager to a confident young lady has been fascinating.
Sadly I've read Season 7 will be the last, but it is a show that can enjoyed again.
Regards, and stay safe,
Peter Brentnall
Couldn't agree with you more about Bosch. But I do feel the high quality of the show starts with the writing of Michael Connelly, particularly the in the early seasons which were directly taken from his novels. I began reading the Michael Connelly Bosch novels some years ago and thought they were so well written. They created a movie in my mind and seemed to me like they would translate really well to movies or TV (I probably was late to the party as I believe Michael Connelly's writings had already been the basis for scripts). So I was very excited when Amazon announced the Bosch series and then I tuned in an found that Titus Welliver wasn't the Harry Bosch I had conjured up in my mind. A bit disappointed I kept watching and soon realized that Titus Welliver is Harry Bosch. He is so great that you never see any "acting" going on. I wonder if Michael Connelly thinks of Titus Welliver now when he writes his Bosch books? I sure do when I read them.
Regards,
Jay Fortunato
It's unfortunate that this is going to be the last season of Bosch. Savour it.
Wesley S.
Good call on Bosch. I've been into it since the beginning and you're correct...Titus Welliver has now made the character his own.
Also nice to see Bosch back as it will take some of the hurt of losing Ray Donovan away..
Craig Finley
Hands down the best detective drama ever on TV. When season 4 was over i was so jonesing for more i started reading the books and have now finished the entire series (including the "Lincoln Lawyer"cross-overs and the Renee cross-overs). I tell everyone this is the show to be on the couch with. It is interesting to see where the books and the show overlaps but you are right, it's him. He just gets better with every season. Thanks for spreading the word!
Stay safe. (Or to quote another great police drama, "Let's be careful out there.')
Michael Reinert
Bosch series never last a week for me, as each season came out, I binged!
Same with THE EXPANSE even before it was on Amazon. Binge-worthy.
David B. Cooper
Been a Boscher since the beginning...More Shield than Wire. As far as networks, Homicide and more recently Southland were decent. I could imagine Homicide on Showtime without censorship or restraints.
Regards
Bob Goodman
YES!! Thank you! In fact I'm re-watching Season 1 because I wasn't ready to let go after ep 10 of season 6.
Barbara Barna Abel
Great email Bob, glad someone is talking about Bosch. It was a little rough at first and some of the minor actors are painful to watch, but it has developed into an amazing show. Can't want to consume season 6.
Amazon has some other fantastic shows:
Fleabag – one of the best shows I've ever seen with Season 2 just crushing
Maizel which you mentioned. Being Jewish helps with the context for sure.
Catastrophe is a hidden gem. Absolutely worth watching.
The Boys is a lot of fun
Suits – 100% worth watching
The Expanse – a good friend of mine who is into sci-fi says it's the best show on TV
Jack Ryan – could have been better but worth watching
-Paul Bassman
I agree with your analysis about pricing, distribution, packaging (release it all at once), and pretty well everything you say.
Having said that, I think Amazon is really good - for an old dog like me. Lots of great movies, Mrs. Maisel (one of the best shows - I wish there were more like it), old series. Just enough to keep it fresh at a time when many "series" on Netflix are now padded by far too many lazy, moody scenes of people sitting in dark places, saying nothing and emoting nothing, just so they can get to 10 episodes when 4 would have done the job.
Most important, it comes with Prime. Doesn't cost any more. And, as you said, it has Bosch.
John Parikhal
My wife and I finished Season 6 last night, next best thing to The Wire imho. I liked the books, but I like the TV series even more. What do we do now? - John S. Foster, KXXO, Olympia WA
Baby, Bosch is my favorite streaming show on Prime, along with Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton. Both on Prime and we'll take a look this weekend as you have it on your TV....and you're paying for it!!!!
Lynn
Love Bosch too. It's definitely the TV equivalent of a B movie because, like its lead character, it's just not trying too hard. I reckon the pitch was to make a Kojak for the twenty first century and they've struck gold. By the way, I know vinyl is dumb but Harry Bosch is more than doing his bit to make seventies hi-fi uber cool all over again.
Andrew Harting
Re: Bosch - Read the books. I did and by comparison the show moves at a snail's pace. I got three seasons in before I gave up.
Scott Murawski
I started watching Bosch when you recommended it at the beginning. When we started staying at home with this pandemic, I rewatched the first 5 seasons for comfort viewing. They were just as good the second time around. The sixth season was great. I love that the supporting characters are so much a part of the story, especially J. Edgar, Crate and Barrel, and LT. Billets. And I'm not in Los Angeles, but the city is a character too. Thanks for the recommendation! Great show!
Karen Merrifield in Louisiana
Bob - I LOVE Bosch. It is so good. We tried our best to string out this latest season, savoring each episode, but it's so hard to just watch one. When they started playing the song and showing the LA skyline from his house last night, I knew it was the end of the season, and I was so bummed. I surely hope that they roll out more seasons asap. Best show on TV IMO.
Best - Mary Jurey
I've been a fan of Michael Connelly's since Black Echo. I usually pickup his book the day I can get my hands on it, and devour it within a day or so. He just keeps getting better.
When I heard they were making a series from the books. I thought, here we go, it's going to get fucked up. But, not in this case. The casting has been brilliant. Its great to watch.
Titus Welliver is a terrific as Harry Bosch. Crate and Barrel nailed it. Harry's superior, Billups is exactly who I thought she'd be...Jerry Edgar, too. And Maddie is terrific.
I'm so into it (can you tell)?
I found myself really disappointed that there wasn't an episode 11. Can't wait for next season.
I was so excited to read that you also like it.
David Uosikkinen
I love Bosch! Yes, Titus Welliver is amazing. Each season has gotten better and better. I completely devoured season 6 last weekend.
The writing is so tight. The Bosch family is fascinating. I love how they show the relationship with his daughter.
And that house! I'd just sit outside and take in that view all the time like they do.
Next season is supposedly the last.
James Staubes
Culver City
Bosch = BADASS
The Innocence Files = heartbreaking
Caroline Lindsey
I saw Bosch season one, and agreed with everything you said, cuts like butter! The fact that it's on season 6 is gobsmacking! I watched season 1, and like you said, Amazon is an afterthought, and so I never picked it up again. Here's the rub though, I watched season 1 and 2 of Jack Ryan, knowing full damn well that it was nowhere near the caliber of Bosch. I feel like, how do I catch up now? I mean, we've got time now I guess.
L.A. Gonzalez
We powered through it in about 4 days. Sad that there is only one season left. We've really enjoyed the character arcs, especially his daughter.
Bruce Greenberg
good call, yeah if Bosch was on Netflix everyone would be talking about it.
pmrkr2
Thank you.
Jeffrey Fiskin
We love Bosch and you nailed its attributes. That and Maisel are our two fave streamers and coincidentally they're both Amazon - go figure. But I have to say if I'm just browsing I have an easier time finding something on Amazon, with its cornucopia of music docs, decent movie library, free Prime stuff and oddball but sometimes fun series'.
Anyway, no biggie but all I can say for the moment is thank god for TV!
Rob Wolfson
I was waiting for your email on this Bob. Bosch is the best - can't get enough!
Don Sizzle
Totally agree with ya on the greatness of Bosch!
Can't wait for Season 7. Titus is a babe, and all my girlfriends seem to agree.
Heads up on the CIRCUS OF BOOKS documentary on Netflix which came out this week which was written and directed by my insanely talented musician friend, Rachel Mason. It's her personal story about a porn shop run by her parents in West Hollywood, who just so happen to be the cutest Jewish couple in all of LA.
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/9363214/rachel-mason-give-you-everything-video
Sam Maloney
Bob, I have read every book Micheal Connollyhas written on Harry Bosch, going back about 20 yrs. Now, lots of writers come up with names like Dik Pitt, and for whatever reason, I just can't get on board with it. Hieronymus Bosch was no exception -was never gonna read any book with a ridiculous handle like that - way too contrived for me. But, I found Connolly's 'The Poet" on a bargain book rack in a gas station. And bought it. Was mesmerized from the start and thought if all the books are this good,,, well the rest is history. And I learn stuff. Especially about the jazz artists to whom Harry listens; ones I wasn't familiar with.
A few years back Amazon queried me in an email why I never watched anything on Prime. Didn't know I had it actually. When I found out they had TV Bosch, well the rest is history all over again.
Thanks for the heads up on season six!
P.S. I certainly didn't see Wellever as the man initially, but he fills the shoes.
Andrew Parr
London Ontario
Canada
Terrific!
I remember several years back when season one debuted I sent you a note. —— I like Bosch
Now it's the hip thing, and rightly so! For all the reasons you mentioned.
I gobbled the new season up in two days.
Thanks for keeping Bosch about Bosch without political analogies.
Good work.
Finished Season six of Spiral last week. I was already three seasons deep when you mentioned it, but I had forgotten about it.
Right up my alley, Hard, gritty without much gloss... Especially to be set in the breathtakingly gorgeous Paris. They make it a real point not to show the beauty of the city, because it doesn't support the story they're telling.
Thanks for the reminder!
Maybe one day Music will dominate my life again, as it may be a tsunami of irresistible acts. Not now though, We are experiencing the golden age of television.
Kindest regards & stay safe Bob
PS: Thanks for reviving Hogwash...great word.
Lavon Pagan
Totally agree. Bosch is the bomb.
Eric Nicolas
Love BOSCH...sadly I read next season # 7 will be the last. DAMN! Hope they reconsider, really like the guy who plays Sgt. Mankiewitz...Scott Klace.. we went to college together in Ohio! Stay safe and healthy!
Jim Ryan
i look forward to new seasons of Bosch probably more than any other show right now. Except maybe for Curb. Consistently one of the best shows in recent years.
Michael Pukownik
And when done bingeing, go ahead and read the novels. Titus obviously has, and having Michael Connelly hanging around obviously enhances the whole production.
Jeff Blair
Agree to all!
And Bosch is one of the only.....actually, literally the only example I can think of, where the film/series is eons better than the books.... Titus Welliver *is* Bosch and I can't read the books now without picturing his face....every author must dream of such an adaptation.
Hope Dlugozima
Agreed. Bosch is amazing. All done and no more to come.
Jon Lenes
I am obsessed with Bosch! I am so glad someone else is, too. I love the familiar feeling of it because it's set in LA. I love the character development, the understated acting... I binged Season 6, but I feel like I'm the only one watching it.
Kristin M
I loved Titus Welliver when I first saw him in Deadwood. I've watched Bosch since the first season and you have hit the mark once again.
Keith Michaels
I haven't watched this season of Bosch yet but last season was disappointing. I found the last season of Goliath unwatchable .
Mozart was cute at times but not "must see TV"
just my take
Jonathan from the Bx
Maybe this is my covid binge. Bob, should I start with season 1 or jump right into 6?
Timothy Pistell
And Bob, Titus Welliver reads the audiobooks of Connelly's character. Listen to one...any one....he is Harry Bosch.
Thanks for this post....spot on!
John Green
This show is Fen amazing!
I just finished Season 5 & will start season 6 tonight.
The way they shoot the scenes, the lighting, music & the actors!!
Eric Overmye brilliant & Titus easy on the eyes??
We can only hope for longevity of Harry Bosch!!
Cheers & stay safe!!
Annie Benson
Been watching Bosch from the start. Great show! Nuff said
nos218
I love Bosch as well....watched the first 4 episodes of the new season last night....
Michael Rosenblatt
Could not agree more. The episodes flow well and I think they could easily get 10+ seasons out of the source material.
Speaking of which - that's why the show is so good. It's mostly adapted from the books, although the writers do take liberties from time to time - and they do a good job of it. I have read most of those Michael Connolly books; for me it's rare to equally enjoy a book and it's onscreen adaptation. In this case - they are both great.
Maybe, in future seasons, they will mix in some of the Lincoln Lawyer's Mickey Haller (Harry and Mickey are half-brothers).
I rank Bosch right up there with the great "LA Noir" stories like LA Confidential, Heat, Mulholland Drive and Chinatown. All display the seedy underbelly of this town.
Long live Detective Harry Bosch.
Mark Dinerstein
Los Angeles, CA
Totally agree! I want to binge, I have to binge, but I'm trying to force myself not to binge because I want to savor each episode, all forty plus minutes and tight!
I've seen every season, only have 3 episodes left to season six...
Plus a lot of great jazz references--Art Pepper, Lester Young, Frank Morgan, and of course the dog is Coltrane...
Alan Eisenstock
Nice piece. Finished Season 6 last night and first thought was, wow, this show keeps getting better, more nuanced. Even the subplot of how the station chief wanted to screw over Lt. Betts with a sex harassment investigation. You saw the mechanics of it, and the mechanics were interesting. It doesn't have to be murder and mayhem to be good.
Peter Barsocchini
Thanks Bob, will endeavour to watch it here in London. I've read all of Michael Connelly's brilliant books and can't imagine the screen versions will be as good, but then I did like Matthew McConaughey as the Lincoln Lawyer.
Cheers for the heads-up,
David Stark,
SongLink
Dont forget a Jamie Hector!!!
Been hooked since season 1 but I mention it to other people they have never heard of it.
Thanks bob.
Matthew Meyers
I hope you and Felice are holding up under the CV lockdown, and are safe and sound and healthy.
I've loved Bosch since the first episode of the first season, and have watched every season since. Binged through season 6 in two days - as much as I want to, I can't spread it out over days or weeks, it's just too good.
Titus Willever so honors the craft as an actor - I totally believe he's Bosch, so well does he inhabit the character. And actress Madison Lintz is exceptional as his daughter. It's hard to get that dynamic right on screen. I have three daughters (all with freckles), and Titus and Madison's scenes together just resonate as real and sincere.
If you were a fan of Walking Dead, you may remember her as Sophie from 2010-2012.
Jamie Hector as J. Edgar is also excellent in this series - his quiet intensity makes the character compelling to watch.
So far you're batting 1000 on your TV show recommendations - I have yet to forgive you for all the sleep I lost binging The Stranger ;-)
All the best -
Gil Griffith
Bosch is the favorite streaming show of my wife and myself. And you're right, it gets better every season. And as I pointed out to my wife, as someone who once lived in LA, the city itself is the true star of the show. It takes you places you never bothered to go, or never knew about. Superb cinematography. And Harry's night time view from his house is the highlight of every episode.
Regards,
Sean Brown
Asheville, N.C
You're absolutely right about Bosch. It is what it is, a LAPD detective story that adheres to its perimeters, whereas that show Goliath...season 1 was barely tolerable, but was unwatchable by season 2. Didn't even get to 3. It was like David E. Kelly suddenly got to use the f-bombs like the cable guys, but it's obvious he's a network hack. Billy Bob seemed visibly embarrassed by the second season, as was I watching it. My guess it was written by a crew of young LA TV writers with minimal life experiences. Fake boobs and horrible actors. Bosch gets a solid B+ compared to the Sopranos, the A+ gold standard...
Kent Zimmerman
Read the books. This comes closer than anything I have ever seen to being
true to the books. Connelly is one of the producers, he makes it great. I
know nobody reads anymore but try it- you will like it!!!
Peace,
Paul Natkin
AGREED! 110% thank you!
Laura Jackson
Options Consulting Solutions
Ljackson@optionscs.com
Been into this since the beginning.you need to start a movement to keep him from bailing after season 7 which currently is the plan.
Larry Mazer
Agreed .. its the gift that keeps on giving
Wade Cawood
Yes it is!
Paul Zullo
Bob - I'm so happy you're giving love to one of my favorite shows on now. It's one of the very few adaptations that holds on to the spirit of the books while refreshing it.
Maybe it's because Michael Connelly the author of the books is involved in the show but isn't too precious about it, but the changes made for the show actually improve on the original. Characters play bigger roles in the tv show than in the books but these changes enhance the show and the character of Bosch.
The politics of the city and the police department in the show don't ever get too boring or cartoonish. The supporting actors are so damn good, I love the work that Jamie Hector as "J Edgar" and Lance Reddick as "Chief Irving" are doing, I've been huge fans of them both since The Wire.
I also love what a huge role that Los Angeles plays especially now that I'm not able to drive around the city to be able to see different parts of town and the different people that inhabit it.
I'm a single woman in my mid-30s so when I tell my friends that I love this show some look at me like I'm crazy asking "Isn't that a Dad show?" Maybe it's the way it's marketed but I've convinced may a friend to give the show a chance and all have been converts.
Marta Navas
My wife looked up from her iPhone and asked who is this guy while I was watching Borsch, told her and she said, "this guy is really good"
Agree with you 100% on this letter
Murph
This may not be "The Wire", but it has Marlo Stanfield in a Hugo Boss suit (a/k/a Jamie Hector as Detective Jerry Edgar)!
With so many people having everything delivered to their homes these days, spring for Amazon Prime and get Bosch. Plus Amazon Music delivers the best sound quality of any of the music streaming services.
Sky Daniels
I've been waiting on this from you.
Titus. Everything about him. Love.
Barbara Stevens
Totally agree. Love this show. Another I just got into (a bit late to the game) is Peaky Blinders. 1917 ish Birmingham gangs. You might enjoy.
Richard Stumpf
Bosch and Ozark are my most anticipated seasonal shows.
With all this free time, I've been looking for things I missed.
I just watched the first season of Bloodline. Holy Shit!!!
2 seasons to go.
Did you watch Hell On Wheels yet?!
Later,
Kevin Kiley
Fucking A
Hugo Burnham
Thanks for supporting BOSCH. It is one of the best Crime/Dramas on TV!
Bruce Holms
You nailed Harry Bosch! I'm getting to the end of season 3.... only need to sleep stops me... and thank you for Duty/Shame.... Giri/Haji? I've recommended it to many!
Schulyer Bishop
And Bosch is the only show I've ever seen that accurately reflects Los Angeles; this is OUR show! And the characters are wonderful: I love Crate and Barrel.
My favorite line from either last season or the one before: "Mariachis. Fuck. I'm outta here!" How many times in my 20's did I stick my head in a Mexican Restaurant only to back out and find another 'cause there was NO WAY I was gonna get hit up for a $2 tip I couldn't afford after spending all day and night in a recording studio. Shit, I ain't no tourist!
Sad spoiler: there's only one more season after this one. What a drag!
Thanks for this one Bob,
gPresto
Totally agreed re Bosch! I've been holding off an extra day on watching
Episode 10 of Season 6 so I can savor the feel of the new just a little
bit longer before I wait semi-patiently for Season 7 next year -- or
whenever we actually get it.
Titus Welliver was always one of those actors you knew was destined for
greater things whenever you'd see him in a medium-size or even small role
-- he's much like Lee Tergesen in that regard, imo -- and with Bosch, we
finally get to see the range of all he can do. Thank you Michael Connelly,
Eric Overmyer, et al., for giving him the right canvas.
Let us also give praise to the show's theme song, "Can't Let Go," by L.A
indie band Caught a Ghost -- the repetition of the phrase "I got a feeling
that I can't let go / I can't let go," buttressed underneath by that
simmering/droning synth line, horns, and those insistent drums, all fit
the M.O. of Bosch to a capital B, er, T.
All the best, and keep on staying safe!
Mike Mettler
The SoundBard
Recommend the Spotify Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5INrxHOOjsxJgvHA4OZmKh?si=_6Z41fO_TN-UUIT58r2eag
Raul Gochez
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In Conversation With Jake Gold-This Week's Podcast-text
Join manager Jake Gold and me as we discuss life in the music business in the new world of Covid-19, along with political and musical differences between Canada and the U.S.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jake-gold/id1316200737?i=1000472395348
https://open.spotify.com/episode/133A2LBEwrStztx1W5aAwr
https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=69060779
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jake-gold/id1316200737?i=1000472395348
https://open.spotify.com/episode/133A2LBEwrStztx1W5aAwr
https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=69060779
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Bosch-Season 6
If this were on Netflix, everybody would be talking about it.
Once again, distribution is king. You might get paid a lot of money to make a show for Apple, but odds are almost no one is gonna see it. It's kinda like records. You can go with a major and they can promote it, give you visibility, or you can slug it out yourself. Sure, you can keep all the money, but getting notice is a bitch.
Kinda like the astroturfing employed to get governments to open up for business. These entities know how to stir the pot to get some people to act, which generates a certain amount of publicity, such that the issue becomes front and center. Come on, without the protests, without Trump telling people to liberate states, would we all be busy talking about when to open for business?
The dream was the internet would flatten distribution, everybody would start from the same place, all voices could be heard.
And that actually happened for a while, but the barrier to entry was so low that now anybody without money and a megaphone is ignored. The dirty little secret is when you hype your track, implore people to listen to it, they don't, because they've been bitten too many times, by clicking on lame tracks, and they only have so much time to begin with.
So, being part of a giant corporation, Amazon's TV offering looks like an afterthought. You get it for free. To the point where even a breakout hit doesn't change perception of the service. "Mrs. Maisel" got all that ink, but who else is watching Amazon television? I don't know a single person watching Apple TV+, and now they've got some new shows that have actually gotten good reviews, but they're starting behind the 8-ball, especially after the mishandling of "The Morning Show." By time it was done, those who hung in there actually liked it. But since they dribbled out episodes week by week, the publicity machine, the focus, was long gone. And you supersede the paradigm, you don't try to change it. You don't try to convince everybody to get a stick shift in an era of automatics, and you don't drop episodes week by week when Netflix releases them all at once. Furthermore, I only binge, I don't want to make an appointment for TV, I don't want to think about scheduling it, how important do these outlets think these shows are to us anyway?
And now you've got HBO Max.
Stick shifts were killed by Formula 1. At the elite level of auto-racing it's now automatic transmissions, with paddle shifters and no pedal clutch. Turns out the computer can shift faster than the person. So, car racing transmissions are superior to what you can buy off the lot, and the only people who still buy manuals are the same people who buy vinyl records recorded digitally. It's nostalgia, it makes no sense. Especially when automatics get better mileage than stick shifts!
You see, Formula 1 superseded the paradigm.
So, to compete with Netflix, the new entrants to streaming are underpricing the streaming giant. So, what does HBO do? CHARGE MORE! That's a recipe for disaster, it makes no sense. But, HBO wants to protect its cable partners, the same way record companies were so busy protecting their physical retail partners that Napster and other internet services undercut them. We heard all this hogwash about the value of music...yeah, but what are people willing to pay? Turns out they're willing to pay ten bucks a month, ad infinitum, for everything, but not fifteen bucks occasionally for a CD with only one good track.
So, "Bosch" is on Amazon.
"Mozart in the Jungle"... It won all of those awards, almost no one saw it.
The first year of "Goliath," great genre television, but almost no traction, and the following seasons have gotten worse.
But "Bosch"? "Bosch" keeps getting better!
Let's start with Titus Welliver. He's not quite James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, but Welliver has now truly become the character. He's three-dimensional, he marches to the beat of his own drummer, he's got his own code of ethics and nothing can persuade him to deviate from them. And he's intense and he cares and despite people chafing at his methods and his success, he doesn't change a whit. And he wants to go home and listen to jazz and he doesn't hit on everything that moves...he's a cop, and that's good enough for him.
But the surrounding cast is nearly as good. "Bosch" is now a well-oiled machine. And even Crate and Barrel area no longer cartoon characters.
This is not "The Wire," "Bosch" is not trying to recreate crime television. But it's a great leap forward compared to the competition. It's seamless and nuanced and you cannot turn it off, it cuts like butter.
That's right, watch episode one and you roll right into episode two. You see the season disappearing in front of your very eyes. You want it to last, but you can't hold back.
There is no deeper meaning. This is just about crime work. What happens in the police station, the politics, the government.
And it makes you yearn for L.A. in the summer, that's when it was shot, into the fall, when it's always bright and it never rains and... L.A. is not like New York, it's not gritty, it's suburban, but that does not mean there's no crime. Everybody's got a lawn, even if they've got bars on the windows. And you've got the loonies, the anti-government ones who don't want to pay taxes and...
There's this belief that Florida has superseded California when it comes to craziness.
That may be factually true, but all Florida has is craziness.
California is on the bleeding edge of innovation. To this day, it starts in California and spreads east. What you think is wackadoodle suddenly becomes a trend. As for the homeless problem...the homeless finally got smart, they've gone where the weather suits their clothes!
All of this is in "Bosch."
But it's Titus Welliver who glues it all together. He's a force of nature without the braggadocio.
That's the world we now live in, everybody's boasting, trying to pull themselves up the socioeconomic ladder. It's all about lifestyle baby!
But not Bosch. Harry Bosch is a cop. He can't let the cold cases slip his mind. He wants the perps to pay. He'll push the limits, but he won't go past them. He's on a mission, he wants to nail people. And not only the destitute and poor, but the rich who believe they're above the law.
Don't start with season 6, there are threads in this show that go all the way back to the first season. But on network TV, every season gets worse. Whereas with Bosch, each season supersedes the one before.
"Bosch" is made for bingeing, for how we watch television today.
And if you're looking for a diversion from Covid-19...THIS IS IT!
Once again, distribution is king. You might get paid a lot of money to make a show for Apple, but odds are almost no one is gonna see it. It's kinda like records. You can go with a major and they can promote it, give you visibility, or you can slug it out yourself. Sure, you can keep all the money, but getting notice is a bitch.
Kinda like the astroturfing employed to get governments to open up for business. These entities know how to stir the pot to get some people to act, which generates a certain amount of publicity, such that the issue becomes front and center. Come on, without the protests, without Trump telling people to liberate states, would we all be busy talking about when to open for business?
The dream was the internet would flatten distribution, everybody would start from the same place, all voices could be heard.
And that actually happened for a while, but the barrier to entry was so low that now anybody without money and a megaphone is ignored. The dirty little secret is when you hype your track, implore people to listen to it, they don't, because they've been bitten too many times, by clicking on lame tracks, and they only have so much time to begin with.
So, being part of a giant corporation, Amazon's TV offering looks like an afterthought. You get it for free. To the point where even a breakout hit doesn't change perception of the service. "Mrs. Maisel" got all that ink, but who else is watching Amazon television? I don't know a single person watching Apple TV+, and now they've got some new shows that have actually gotten good reviews, but they're starting behind the 8-ball, especially after the mishandling of "The Morning Show." By time it was done, those who hung in there actually liked it. But since they dribbled out episodes week by week, the publicity machine, the focus, was long gone. And you supersede the paradigm, you don't try to change it. You don't try to convince everybody to get a stick shift in an era of automatics, and you don't drop episodes week by week when Netflix releases them all at once. Furthermore, I only binge, I don't want to make an appointment for TV, I don't want to think about scheduling it, how important do these outlets think these shows are to us anyway?
And now you've got HBO Max.
Stick shifts were killed by Formula 1. At the elite level of auto-racing it's now automatic transmissions, with paddle shifters and no pedal clutch. Turns out the computer can shift faster than the person. So, car racing transmissions are superior to what you can buy off the lot, and the only people who still buy manuals are the same people who buy vinyl records recorded digitally. It's nostalgia, it makes no sense. Especially when automatics get better mileage than stick shifts!
You see, Formula 1 superseded the paradigm.
So, to compete with Netflix, the new entrants to streaming are underpricing the streaming giant. So, what does HBO do? CHARGE MORE! That's a recipe for disaster, it makes no sense. But, HBO wants to protect its cable partners, the same way record companies were so busy protecting their physical retail partners that Napster and other internet services undercut them. We heard all this hogwash about the value of music...yeah, but what are people willing to pay? Turns out they're willing to pay ten bucks a month, ad infinitum, for everything, but not fifteen bucks occasionally for a CD with only one good track.
So, "Bosch" is on Amazon.
"Mozart in the Jungle"... It won all of those awards, almost no one saw it.
The first year of "Goliath," great genre television, but almost no traction, and the following seasons have gotten worse.
But "Bosch"? "Bosch" keeps getting better!
Let's start with Titus Welliver. He's not quite James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, but Welliver has now truly become the character. He's three-dimensional, he marches to the beat of his own drummer, he's got his own code of ethics and nothing can persuade him to deviate from them. And he's intense and he cares and despite people chafing at his methods and his success, he doesn't change a whit. And he wants to go home and listen to jazz and he doesn't hit on everything that moves...he's a cop, and that's good enough for him.
But the surrounding cast is nearly as good. "Bosch" is now a well-oiled machine. And even Crate and Barrel area no longer cartoon characters.
This is not "The Wire," "Bosch" is not trying to recreate crime television. But it's a great leap forward compared to the competition. It's seamless and nuanced and you cannot turn it off, it cuts like butter.
That's right, watch episode one and you roll right into episode two. You see the season disappearing in front of your very eyes. You want it to last, but you can't hold back.
There is no deeper meaning. This is just about crime work. What happens in the police station, the politics, the government.
And it makes you yearn for L.A. in the summer, that's when it was shot, into the fall, when it's always bright and it never rains and... L.A. is not like New York, it's not gritty, it's suburban, but that does not mean there's no crime. Everybody's got a lawn, even if they've got bars on the windows. And you've got the loonies, the anti-government ones who don't want to pay taxes and...
There's this belief that Florida has superseded California when it comes to craziness.
That may be factually true, but all Florida has is craziness.
California is on the bleeding edge of innovation. To this day, it starts in California and spreads east. What you think is wackadoodle suddenly becomes a trend. As for the homeless problem...the homeless finally got smart, they've gone where the weather suits their clothes!
All of this is in "Bosch."
But it's Titus Welliver who glues it all together. He's a force of nature without the braggadocio.
That's the world we now live in, everybody's boasting, trying to pull themselves up the socioeconomic ladder. It's all about lifestyle baby!
But not Bosch. Harry Bosch is a cop. He can't let the cold cases slip his mind. He wants the perps to pay. He'll push the limits, but he won't go past them. He's on a mission, he wants to nail people. And not only the destitute and poor, but the rich who believe they're above the law.
Don't start with season 6, there are threads in this show that go all the way back to the first season. But on network TV, every season gets worse. Whereas with Bosch, each season supersedes the one before.
"Bosch" is made for bingeing, for how we watch television today.
And if you're looking for a diversion from Covid-19...THIS IS IT!
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Tuesday, 21 April 2020
The Fiona Apple Album
Well, it doesn't sound like anything else.
As a matter of fact, it resembles nothing so much as an early seventies experimentation, when the audience's ears were open to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Captain Beefheart and Terry Riley.
The audience outgrew AM radio. And before FM went top forty in most markets, via the Superstars format, there was a wealth of experimentation on the airwaves.
But really, you found out about records via print. There would be an ecstatic review by a writer you trusted and you'd buy the album. Then you'd go home and spin it and try to get it.
I can name so many albums like this. Whether it be Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" or John Cale's "The Academy In Peril."
Experimentation was baked in. That's what the sixties taught us. And all the innovation was on records, so to be in the know, you had to buy them and listen.
Now eventually, via the Superstars format, FM became dumb, what was played became gigantic and that begat corporate rock. Why not game the system and deliver exactly what the audience wants?
The audience does not want "Fetch the Bolt Cutters."
But the audience did not want Patti Smith. The audience didn't want a lot of what was purveyed in the seventies, but they dipped their toe because it was part of their religion, to only get your music news from the radio labeled you a dilettante, the hard core studied print and made purchases accordingly.
Then you'd come home, break the shrinkwrap, drop the needle, and listen.
There were no distractions, you were focused. You'd laid down your money. You wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And since you'd paid for the album, you were prone to like it, there was no way anybody could own everything, you were limited in your purchases.
It is not that way today.
Today there's a tsunami of hype. To the point where you ignore most of it. Which has me flummoxed as to why acts are holding back their releases during lockdown. This is when people have time, this is when everybody else is backing out, I figure artists would be clamoring to release their records, never mind books.
So, some people today find music via playlists. But really, that's akin to yesteryear's radio. Chosen tracks for the casual listener. But what's worse, with endless time there are so many losers it's hard to listen at all.
Therefore, all the focus is on the Spotify Top 50. And most of what's in the Spotify Top 50 is manipulated by the usual suspects. This is where Max Martin still makes hits, can you say WEEKND? This is where the songs written by committee reside. As for Billie Eilish...Interscope worked her for years, planting seeds on Soundcloud, this was not an overnight success, it was a manipulated success, and even back in the seventies no one had years to do this, you put it out and see if stuck, and if it didn't, you made another record. If you were any good at all, they let you make three to five, they were investing in you, they wanted a return.
But they, the labels, are first and foremost businesses. They want money. And in today's chaotic landscape you only make money if there's a plethora of streams, so the labels only invest in what can possibly achieve that. And they put out fewer tracks than ever, because of the opportunity cost, it takes just that long to push and make a track a hit. So, you want insurance, you don't want to take a big risk. It's corporate rock on steroids. And corporate rock was so obvious, so lowest common denominator, so lacking in innovation that disco slipped in, there was a war between the two genres and then the whole industry cratered, not to be rescued until the advent of MTV.
Now Fiona Apple made it in the MTV era. Via the Work label.
Work was a division of CBS Records, run by Jeff Ayeroff and Jordan Harris.
Jeff Ayeroff was a creative services genius, he tested the limits with videos and other promotional campaigns. And Work made Apple a star with the ultra-sexy, akin to kiddie porn video "Criminal." Yup, people couldn't stop watching this sultry young sexpot writing on their screen.
And when you had a hit in the nineties, the labels ramped up the press and convinced everybody the act was a star, as the label hoovered up money via those overpriced CDs.
And from there, Apple took a left turn. Her reputation plowed the way, she was seen as an artist and people paid attention, but she was no longer mainstream.
Now comes "Fetch the Bolt Cutters."
Now the team knows who the target audience is. The release of the album was presaged by a very in-depth story in the "New Yorker":
"Fiona Apple's Art Of Radical Sensitivity - For years the elusive singer-songwriter has been working, at home on an album with a strikingly raw and percussive sound. But is she prepared to release it into the world?": https://bit.ly/2XTULre
Normally the press gets it wrong. They send a writer with a chip on their shoulder who has to say something negative for their cred and... That's not the case here, Apple emerges unscathed. She seems surprisingly normal, without airs. Sure, she's revealing her neuroses, but that's what an artist does, stand in for us all, we're usually too uptight to speak our truth.
And Friday the album was released.
You need to listen to it. Because there's nothing quite like it. And what really makes it appealing is the lyrics.
But I'm not sure you'll listen to it more than once, if you can get through it to begin with.
"Fetch the Bolt Cutters" works on two levels, it embellishes the image of Apple, and it sets her up for a tour. But there is no tour.
So here is the difference between then and now.
Then, print would get you to buy the LP, and how much you played it was irrelevant.
Now, how much you play something is all that matters. And no track off of "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" will ever hit triple digit millions on Spotify.
But the truth is we live in a beat-oriented world, melody is secondary. So, is the audience ready for this?
Well, a certain cadre of females are. But this is not a record you play in the background, it demands attention, to say it's got edges...it's only edges! It's something you can admire more than embrace.
But it's Apple's truth. The album hearkens back to what once was, when it was about making an artistic statement more than sales.
But all these positive reviews... If you're expecting "Criminal," if you're expecting something instantly palatable, if you expect to be eating ice cream as opposed to glass, be forewarned.
So, the lyrics of every track are not so insightful they must be pondered ad infinitum. But a picture of Apple shines through. She's her own woman. She is affected by her relationships. She's thinking about her relationships. Men are an important focus of her life, seemingly the main focus in her life.
This is just the opposite of the feminism being sold in the media.
In the media women want equal pay, they don't want to be harassed at work. They don't want men to control them, men are an impediment.
But Apple is blowing off the facade to show what women really think. And it's messy and complicated and like I said, men are a prominent feature, and they may act badly, but you cannot ignore their blowback.
Not that Apple is not powerful.
The key track on the album is "Under the Table."
"I told you I didn't wanna go to this dinner
You know I don't go for those ones that you bother about
So when they say something that makes me start to simmer
That fancy wine won't put this fire out, oh"
Men are social climbers. They're networking all the time. They make lunch and dinner dates, they drag their significant others along, even though they ignore them and talk business all the time, always cheery, always boasting. Frequently, they view their significant others as eye candy. If you're good-looking or famous or rich or all three, they believe it burnishes their image. But Fiona Apple is all three, and she won't put up with it.
"Kick me under the table all you want
I won't shut up, I won't shut up"
Apple is anything but subservient. She cannot be controlled.
But she can be manipulated, even if she regrets it later.
But the truth is we all do things we regret when we fall in love, we're going with the flow, finding someone you can connect with is so difficult.
And Apple is insightful and empowering in "Ladies."
"Nobody can replace anybody else
So it would be a shame to make it a competition
And no love is like any other love
So it would be insane to make a comparison with you"
Far different from the good-timey, banal lyrics of the hit parade.
As for that dedication to men, in "Rack of His":
"It was because I was loving you so much
It's the only reason I gave my time to you
And that's it, that's the kick in you giving up
'Cause you know you won't like it when there's nothing to do"
Now that's a twist on the traditional kiss-off. She admits she was so into him, she's pissed he gave up, the loss to him is just a fillip at the end.
On the same note of connection to men, in "Cosmonauts":
"When I met you I was fine with my nothing
I grew with you and now I've changed
What I've become is something I can't be without your loving
Be good to me, it isn't a game"
She's in this and she's demanding good treatment. Sure, she's standing up for herself, but she's also admitting she's addicted to him. Life is not cut and dry, there's push and pull. Furthermore, the older you get, the harder it is to be pulled from stasis, your life works, even if there's no companion, but when you throw in, it's ever so serious.
I could quote more, but I won't.
The positive reviews are deafening. And that's cool, but they don't reflect what this LP actually sounds like. And sure, you hear the words of an outsider who is sick of getting the wrong end of the stick, however unjustly, but this is music you may have never heard in your life, and there's a good chance you won't like it. If the album wasn't so well-reviewed you'd put your hands to your ears and screech, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF!
So, "Fetch the Bolt Cutters' is a conundrum. It's pushing the envelope, but it will ultimately leave a small footprint, more in people's minds than in the listening.
But this is what artists do.
And I applaud Fiona Apple for her effort. She's unafraid to go down the path less taken. She's unafraid of judgment. She's just being herself.
Do you want to be her friend?
I'll let you decide.
--
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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As a matter of fact, it resembles nothing so much as an early seventies experimentation, when the audience's ears were open to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Captain Beefheart and Terry Riley.
The audience outgrew AM radio. And before FM went top forty in most markets, via the Superstars format, there was a wealth of experimentation on the airwaves.
But really, you found out about records via print. There would be an ecstatic review by a writer you trusted and you'd buy the album. Then you'd go home and spin it and try to get it.
I can name so many albums like this. Whether it be Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" or John Cale's "The Academy In Peril."
Experimentation was baked in. That's what the sixties taught us. And all the innovation was on records, so to be in the know, you had to buy them and listen.
Now eventually, via the Superstars format, FM became dumb, what was played became gigantic and that begat corporate rock. Why not game the system and deliver exactly what the audience wants?
The audience does not want "Fetch the Bolt Cutters."
But the audience did not want Patti Smith. The audience didn't want a lot of what was purveyed in the seventies, but they dipped their toe because it was part of their religion, to only get your music news from the radio labeled you a dilettante, the hard core studied print and made purchases accordingly.
Then you'd come home, break the shrinkwrap, drop the needle, and listen.
There were no distractions, you were focused. You'd laid down your money. You wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And since you'd paid for the album, you were prone to like it, there was no way anybody could own everything, you were limited in your purchases.
It is not that way today.
Today there's a tsunami of hype. To the point where you ignore most of it. Which has me flummoxed as to why acts are holding back their releases during lockdown. This is when people have time, this is when everybody else is backing out, I figure artists would be clamoring to release their records, never mind books.
So, some people today find music via playlists. But really, that's akin to yesteryear's radio. Chosen tracks for the casual listener. But what's worse, with endless time there are so many losers it's hard to listen at all.
Therefore, all the focus is on the Spotify Top 50. And most of what's in the Spotify Top 50 is manipulated by the usual suspects. This is where Max Martin still makes hits, can you say WEEKND? This is where the songs written by committee reside. As for Billie Eilish...Interscope worked her for years, planting seeds on Soundcloud, this was not an overnight success, it was a manipulated success, and even back in the seventies no one had years to do this, you put it out and see if stuck, and if it didn't, you made another record. If you were any good at all, they let you make three to five, they were investing in you, they wanted a return.
But they, the labels, are first and foremost businesses. They want money. And in today's chaotic landscape you only make money if there's a plethora of streams, so the labels only invest in what can possibly achieve that. And they put out fewer tracks than ever, because of the opportunity cost, it takes just that long to push and make a track a hit. So, you want insurance, you don't want to take a big risk. It's corporate rock on steroids. And corporate rock was so obvious, so lowest common denominator, so lacking in innovation that disco slipped in, there was a war between the two genres and then the whole industry cratered, not to be rescued until the advent of MTV.
Now Fiona Apple made it in the MTV era. Via the Work label.
Work was a division of CBS Records, run by Jeff Ayeroff and Jordan Harris.
Jeff Ayeroff was a creative services genius, he tested the limits with videos and other promotional campaigns. And Work made Apple a star with the ultra-sexy, akin to kiddie porn video "Criminal." Yup, people couldn't stop watching this sultry young sexpot writing on their screen.
And when you had a hit in the nineties, the labels ramped up the press and convinced everybody the act was a star, as the label hoovered up money via those overpriced CDs.
And from there, Apple took a left turn. Her reputation plowed the way, she was seen as an artist and people paid attention, but she was no longer mainstream.
Now comes "Fetch the Bolt Cutters."
Now the team knows who the target audience is. The release of the album was presaged by a very in-depth story in the "New Yorker":
"Fiona Apple's Art Of Radical Sensitivity - For years the elusive singer-songwriter has been working, at home on an album with a strikingly raw and percussive sound. But is she prepared to release it into the world?": https://bit.ly/2XTULre
Normally the press gets it wrong. They send a writer with a chip on their shoulder who has to say something negative for their cred and... That's not the case here, Apple emerges unscathed. She seems surprisingly normal, without airs. Sure, she's revealing her neuroses, but that's what an artist does, stand in for us all, we're usually too uptight to speak our truth.
And Friday the album was released.
You need to listen to it. Because there's nothing quite like it. And what really makes it appealing is the lyrics.
But I'm not sure you'll listen to it more than once, if you can get through it to begin with.
"Fetch the Bolt Cutters" works on two levels, it embellishes the image of Apple, and it sets her up for a tour. But there is no tour.
So here is the difference between then and now.
Then, print would get you to buy the LP, and how much you played it was irrelevant.
Now, how much you play something is all that matters. And no track off of "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" will ever hit triple digit millions on Spotify.
But the truth is we live in a beat-oriented world, melody is secondary. So, is the audience ready for this?
Well, a certain cadre of females are. But this is not a record you play in the background, it demands attention, to say it's got edges...it's only edges! It's something you can admire more than embrace.
But it's Apple's truth. The album hearkens back to what once was, when it was about making an artistic statement more than sales.
But all these positive reviews... If you're expecting "Criminal," if you're expecting something instantly palatable, if you expect to be eating ice cream as opposed to glass, be forewarned.
So, the lyrics of every track are not so insightful they must be pondered ad infinitum. But a picture of Apple shines through. She's her own woman. She is affected by her relationships. She's thinking about her relationships. Men are an important focus of her life, seemingly the main focus in her life.
This is just the opposite of the feminism being sold in the media.
In the media women want equal pay, they don't want to be harassed at work. They don't want men to control them, men are an impediment.
But Apple is blowing off the facade to show what women really think. And it's messy and complicated and like I said, men are a prominent feature, and they may act badly, but you cannot ignore their blowback.
Not that Apple is not powerful.
The key track on the album is "Under the Table."
"I told you I didn't wanna go to this dinner
You know I don't go for those ones that you bother about
So when they say something that makes me start to simmer
That fancy wine won't put this fire out, oh"
Men are social climbers. They're networking all the time. They make lunch and dinner dates, they drag their significant others along, even though they ignore them and talk business all the time, always cheery, always boasting. Frequently, they view their significant others as eye candy. If you're good-looking or famous or rich or all three, they believe it burnishes their image. But Fiona Apple is all three, and she won't put up with it.
"Kick me under the table all you want
I won't shut up, I won't shut up"
Apple is anything but subservient. She cannot be controlled.
But she can be manipulated, even if she regrets it later.
But the truth is we all do things we regret when we fall in love, we're going with the flow, finding someone you can connect with is so difficult.
And Apple is insightful and empowering in "Ladies."
"Nobody can replace anybody else
So it would be a shame to make it a competition
And no love is like any other love
So it would be insane to make a comparison with you"
Far different from the good-timey, banal lyrics of the hit parade.
As for that dedication to men, in "Rack of His":
"It was because I was loving you so much
It's the only reason I gave my time to you
And that's it, that's the kick in you giving up
'Cause you know you won't like it when there's nothing to do"
Now that's a twist on the traditional kiss-off. She admits she was so into him, she's pissed he gave up, the loss to him is just a fillip at the end.
On the same note of connection to men, in "Cosmonauts":
"When I met you I was fine with my nothing
I grew with you and now I've changed
What I've become is something I can't be without your loving
Be good to me, it isn't a game"
She's in this and she's demanding good treatment. Sure, she's standing up for herself, but she's also admitting she's addicted to him. Life is not cut and dry, there's push and pull. Furthermore, the older you get, the harder it is to be pulled from stasis, your life works, even if there's no companion, but when you throw in, it's ever so serious.
I could quote more, but I won't.
The positive reviews are deafening. And that's cool, but they don't reflect what this LP actually sounds like. And sure, you hear the words of an outsider who is sick of getting the wrong end of the stick, however unjustly, but this is music you may have never heard in your life, and there's a good chance you won't like it. If the album wasn't so well-reviewed you'd put your hands to your ears and screech, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF!
So, "Fetch the Bolt Cutters' is a conundrum. It's pushing the envelope, but it will ultimately leave a small footprint, more in people's minds than in the listening.
But this is what artists do.
And I applaud Fiona Apple for her effort. She's unafraid to go down the path less taken. She's unafraid of judgment. She's just being herself.
Do you want to be her friend?
I'll let you decide.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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New York Songs-SiriusXM This Week
Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3asnypi
Once again, SiriusXM streaming is FREE until May 15th.
Listen today, 4 PM Pacific, 7 PM East, on Volume 106 at:
siriusxm.us/VOLUMESXM
Listen to previous shows on demand:
https://player.siriusxm.com/query/lefsetz
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Once again, SiriusXM streaming is FREE until May 15th.
Listen today, 4 PM Pacific, 7 PM East, on Volume 106 at:
siriusxm.us/VOLUMESXM
Listen to previous shows on demand:
https://player.siriusxm.com/query/lefsetz
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Monday, 20 April 2020
Re-One World
"Tonight's Lady Gaga TV Extravaganza Comes from Global Citizen, a Group with Big Salaries that Does Not Feed the Poor or the Hungry": https://bit.ly/3cCG7ZM
Jesse Kornbluth
______________________________________
Everytime I'd go to CB's or whatever club and see everyone covered in tattoos... That's why I never got one.
Also the Lenny Bruce bit about having my arm buried in a Gentile graveyard
Chris Stein
______________________________________
hear hear
Peter Noone
______________________________________
This!!!
https://www.nypost.com/2020/04/19/lousy-one-world-together-at-home-concert-made-us-feel-worse/
Leigh Lust
______________________________________
Great email!
I have been wondering why I was disappointed in the show and couldn't figure it out. But you nailed it.
Unlike the show that Elton did a few weeks back which was enjoyable for its simplicity, this had too much money behind it and failed.
Your comments about the hosts in suits is the clincher. That is the issue.
And not to engage in a LEFT or RIGHT discussion but this was clearly Hollywood at their worst. Telling us how to behave and what we have to do. Have to also wonder about the whole WHO sponsorship in light of what was a major mishandling on their part of the Chinese connection of the virus (again trying to stay neutral).
Hollywood and the artists forgot that we only want them to do what they do..shut up and play or act
.
That's why award shows and all the other stages for them to lecture are plummeting in viewers.
This was the same.
Put those same artists on in their sweats and let them sing and you would have had a killer night.
brian kerzner
______________________________________
Unwatchable... we turned it off almost immediately
Colleen Kenny
______________________________________
The most memorable part for me was watching Gaga sing into the back of her microphone. As you can see from the settings on front it was set to cardioid which pretty much rejects most audio from where she was singing into it.
Michael Patterson
______________________________________
From John Legend's display of his "Awards," Sir Paul's interesting take on Lady Madonna, 3 Keith Urbans smiling at each other & the dour, humorless vibe, it was a dull, self serving show biz disaster.Of course the subject matter and the reason for it is this dreadful virus. I played live aid it was for starving children in Africa but Mick and Tina caressed each other while raising money. So the solemnity of this event is incomparable to that one.
Ill conceived & forgettable. Stay safe..
Michael Des Barres.
P.S. The stones kicked virtual ass..
Especially the hai cool of Charlie Watts.
______________________________________
Spot on!
Whitten Pell
______________________________________
Paul was awful. Stones were excellent, canned or not. Lady Gaga sang through the wrong end of a $20k Neumann mic.
I thought it was a nice way to waste a couple hours.
Best,
Rob Maurer
______________________________________
Hi Bob,
I agree with you. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't must see. It seemed to me like it was a quick thrown together bunch of performers. It needed some energy, lots of energy, and there just wasn't much there. The Stones crack me up though. They're the only Rock band that ages, but can still sound like themselves. Mick sounds great. I can't think of anyone else at that age who still sounds remotely like they did 30 years ago, but mick does.
Bill Scherer live in MN
______________________________________
bob;
I do so wish the Rolling Stones could still change your life.
they were perfect; they were the Rat Pack on CoronaVision .....
Charlie was the Nicholas Brothers, all three of them ....
they adjusted to the limitations and made them work for them , and us.
I was very proud to have been a part of the whatever.
best, Andrew Loog Oldham
PS Keith urban was very good as well. the common thread is humor.
______________________________________
I had no clue this was happening and don't care that I missed it either
-Stu Walker
______________________________________
Amen and amen, boring, too long and way overhyped.
Robert Heiblim
______________________________________
didn't even know about it until i saw someone making fun of keith urban's "higher love" on fb yesterday
Ryan Brown
______________________________________
Dear Bob
Go fuck yourself
I can't read your ridiculous newsletter anymore. I am especially glad I was not your roommate at Middlebury and I am not dating Felice.
If course the Stones were pre recorded. There was a drum track and Charlie was playing flight cases.....with a smile. Also wow Keith Urban might have used some pre recorded TV magic.
Who cares
Great distraction for those of us who have been in our homes for 2-3-4 weeks. I learned a lot from the PSA's
We are jaded wisemen and can find something wrong with everybody except Billy Jo Armstrong.
Bob, some people were terrible at Live Aid (Scorpions....really !) but it changed the world.
One World was great, fun, fluid. I watched most of it and loved it.
Joseph Overlock
______________________________________
Bob. One world was not live because we are not as advanced technologically as we might think. Have you been watching the horrible live streams artists are offering these days? Video and audio issues galore. There is no way for a multi-artist group to perform together from separate geo locations, too much lag. I'm not sure how long people will put up with these less than stellar live streams. The Disney sing along blew away One World with a less than stellar cast of front line acts. All prerecorded too. We are in serious need for a way to connect and engage with each other and musical acts live online. Whoever is first to find the answer (it's not gonna be Zoom or Stage It) will cash in big time.
Best
Terry Tompkins
______________________________________
J Lo wins with worst auto-tune performance
Billy Chapin
______________________________________
God bless them for raising money (what for again?). How many acoustic performances can a person tolerate over 8 hours?
Thank God they had the names at the bottom because I couldn't tell you 2/3 of the artists.
* Bright Spot: The Killers - Mr. Brightside
* Outdoor Performance: Elton John - true piano man.
* Fun to Watch: Keith Urban
* Sound Quality: Stevie Wonder - Let's all find out how he did it and duplicate.
* Best Spokesperson(s): Laura Bush and Michelle Obama - God bless them!
if there was ever a case made on the need for proper live production the One Word event was it.
"A" for effort though.
Rob Joseph
______________________________________
Actually made more depressed.
Eileen Marcussen
______________________________________
The greatest moment of One World: Together at Home? Watching Charlie Watts' face as he faux drummed. I needed a pick me up, and unsurprisingly Charlie was right on time.
Dan Glovier
______________________________________
I switched off the minute Gaga attempted a performance of Chaplin's "Smile" with the wrong chords.
Ramin Streets
______________________________________
Most of the pianos in the stars homes were out of tune. How could they not notice?
Rpopyk
______________________________________
I'll tell ya the worst... J-LO, all fatoots, singing People.
Are you kidding? With an orchestra? Auto-tuned?
Please.
Bonny Dolan
______________________________________
"then when the keyboard came in, I realized it was all prerecorded and massaged and I was disappointed."
…and bass, and Charlie air-drumming. +1 on the disappointment.
David
______________________________________
John Krasinski has been doing it right with Some Good News.
Unlike the late night hosts who've struggled to self-produce content, Krasinski has been a natural— because he seems to understand Youtube culture: he moves between bits quickly, over-delivers on promises and actually bothered to set up a good studio.
Kimmel and Fallon seem oblivious to the conventions of Youtubers and don't seem to understand how to produce video content solo. They should spend a week watching Casey Niestat, Mr Beast and Peter Mackinnon to understand.
- Steve Benjamins
______________________________________
I didn't watch a minute of it!!
Doug Gillis
______________________________________
Through all of this, our authenticity filters are on high alert and you can quickly see what artists are able to carry a tune. I'm looking at Billie Eilish, who was built for this medium and is crushing every one of her appearances!
Kevin King
______________________________________
Bob, as usual, you are on point. I had the same thought: where is hip hop, djs and more rock? Still, it warmed my heart to see this effort and hear the music. Produced or not.
stay well,
Violet Gonzalez
______________________________________
YOU'RE RIGHT ON EVERY POINT !
i was incensed !
stanley dorfman
______________________________________
You really can be a Debby Downer.
What a bummer, man.
Bob Sarles
______________________________________
Agreed 1000%. Even though pre-recorded there were still issues ie Billie's whisper-level voice getting drowned out by the keyboard of her brother/accompanist and other sound quality problems. A few minor home runs but overall, no FOMO, not worth tuning in more than occasionally and catching whatever you missed online.
Alex Skolnick
______________________________________
Lizzo—this gen's Aretha— was worth the whole show, Elton was defiant and energetic though there was no discernible pitch, we love Sir Paul, but he needs to hang it up at least until he can do the talking thing like Leonard Cohen did late in his career, Mendes and Cabello were cute together and sang well and come on Bob, Billy Joe Armstrong (my wife asked "who is that?"—what can I tell you?) hit "Wake Me Up" out of the park and Sting didn't appear. So it was better than you say.
Michael Fremer
______________________________________
I must confess I REALLY enjoyed Paul's song. It's rare that he takes a song and changes it so much. Some have said it wasn't good, but the shakiness in his voice actually matched the mood of the world I thought. Also am so GLAD that he's really taking care of himself and hasn't developed the diseases that would make him more likely to get caught up in this. Happy he and Ringo are still with us.
HappyRon Hill
______________________________________
It was a good sleep aid if you pre-recorded it and put it on as you were getting ready for bed. I'd have to say, white noise was still more exciting than watching this presentation of paint drying. Coming together to sedate us and put us to sleep worked well as I dozed off and was in deep REM half way through Lady Gaga's opening number.....
Not to be all negative it was nice to see the professionals who most of society take for granted on a regular basis finally get their due and attention they've earned by always being there on the front lines especially during difficult times.
It is my hope as a global community that now and in the future we start focusing on treating and taking better care of the people who take care of us when we need them the most. They are the stars of this show and we need to step up and make it better for them all around period.
Thanks
M1
______________________________________
is it me, or did Lady Gaga sing into the wrong side of the 20,000 dollar mic?
thanks for the great work, ignore the haters: they are dumb as grass.
stay funky,
derek sumisu
______________________________________
The depressing overtone that the prime time part of it displayed was disheartening, wasn't the goal of the show to lighten the mood for country?
Philip Brooks
______________________________________
Re: Leaders, followers, tattoos, etc...
If you're worried about how many followers you have, you're not a leader.
Dave Wood
______________________________________
I love the Stones, Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, et al, but ONE WORLD was like American Idol, The Voice and every other TV show that features music..."OK Boomer"
But guess who has the all money to donate?..."OK Boomer"
Steve King
Operations Manager: NRG Media
______________________________________
Lack of promotion? Yes. Never even heard about this happening 'til now.
Eric Howarth
______________________________________
Your constant rotation of "hip hop rules the world" "everything is fractured' "music used to mean something" misses the mark so badly here Bob. I read you regularly. I usually find it interesting if not always aligned to my outlook on things but bashing an event to raise money for an organization that exists to help mankind get through situations like the one we are in now is just lame. It's not bold or controversial. it's mean spirited. People need help Bob. They also need programming. You can complain about the promotion and the execution but it's better than a Kardashian marathon or 30 year old games on sports networks. Give us a break man you are better than this.
Henry T. Tracy
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This is one that shouldn't be critiqued... A big THANK YOU is all that was needed.
Doug Pomerantz
______________________________________
Hard to criticize people doing the right thing but damn they missed the mark and left out the street culture. Love that the 3 late night hosts joined forces but I agree why a suit but then again why are their shows formatted like they have been for 50 years with a desk ! Maybe Tom Snyder and Alan Burke were right!
Harvey Leeds
______________________________________
Seemed like a corporate sponsored event to hype the WHO.
I liked a few acts, Alicia Keys, Eddie Vedder. Yes, the Stones were good but anyone who knows, knew it was canned.
Funny I worked for the on their '81 tour and Mick and Ron look just the same as they were back then.
It's so so sad and I didn't watch it all. The three hosts were also terribly sad and awkward.
I had to turn it off.
Felt like a 1984/THX1138/choose your model presentation, or something like that!
Melissa Ward
______________________________________
You are spot on. I was psyched expecting the real deal. Watched in my screening room and paid dearly for not watching Force Majeure on Netflix with Mrs. Epstein in the bedroom. Gave my daughter in Los Angeles a heads up and my Amazon Prime creds. Talked to my other daughter in Brooklyn a Sunday night and she was oblivious to the existence of the show. Maybe it will be like Payroll Protection Program and they will get another chance? If for no other reason than the frontliners deserve appreciation now more than ever. Eron Epstein
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1) The music business better get its act together for the coronavirus age because this "concert" didn't cut it. Didn't seem like much thought or preparation was put into it.
2) Why do some performers not have the basic equipment at home to sound good online? It doesn't take that much; I was very surprised at the poor sound quality.
Tom Moore
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Give them some credit, Bob.
I was the first person to bring the Global Citizen founders to North America, 11 years ago, and am on the Canadian board. Then called The Global Poverty Project, these visionaries have done some amazing things in a short time. They put this TV special together in a matter of weeks, under unprecedented and dire circumstances with the help of great partners who all took a chance.
I think it united hearts and minds, in music, at least for a little while.
The proceeding live stream was fantastic, with The Killers, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Jennifer Hudson, etc. It should have been seen on the TV experience, too.
It was like a Digital Woodstock for this generation.
Paul Koidis
______________________________________
It was not ALL prerecorded! It's about authenticity! J. Lo obviously lip synched, and badly. Taylor Swift, no matter what you thought of her performance, at least got out from her usual big production and was therefore strangely charming. What made the Stones the best of the night was that they did not pretend. Mick, Keith and Ronnie were actually playing, there was a keyboard and drum track but it all worked because Charlie playing air drums was not trying to fool anybody and was hilarious and honest. Mick sounded great! Ronnie too. And Keith was real, if really playing minimally. Some artists faked it, some didn't.
Stones still The Greatest!
Mike Wilson
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Hey Bob, I saw the Stones and they sounded great, so I assumed it was air guitar. Then I saw Charlie Watts was playing a cushioned chair as a hi-hat!!! Oy Vey!!!
Philip B
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Couldn't agree more. It could've been hugely impactful culturally. It could have changed things. Instead all it did was make me change the channel.
Marc Reiter
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This was actually a very punk rock moment, but kind of in reverse...
Watching big names live streaming using modest home gear one gets a sense that perhaps there's not such a huge divide between the talent of the anointed few who 'make it' in the music industry and the talent of many lesser-known live streamers - another example of tech leveling the playing field, this time in the live setting. Of course once the lockdowns are lifted and the big shows get up and running again the big names will have access to all the big production bells and whistles, whereas the live streamers will only have their raw talent to lean on. I've seen a few really great (low budget) live stream performances, but not that many from big names.
Hugh Davison
______________________________________
My parents watched it, and called me the next day to get my opinion. They are in their seventies and thought it was great, "except for that girl with the blue or green and black hair who couldn't sing at all." My wife's grandmother is 92, she loves the Jimmies (Fallon and Kimmel), and also watched more of it than I did… I was listening on SiriusXM while I deep-cleaned the kitchen, and changed the station after three performances because I got bored and needed a little more pep to keep me motivated.
We weren't the target audience any more than we are the target audience for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame or the Grammies. As you point out, I knew when I saw the networks airing it that I wouldn't need to see it - when's the last time ANYTHING on network was "must see"?
I'd rather watch Kevin Martin (Candlebox), Gavin Rossdale (Bush) and Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum) do Instagram live streams… It's a lot more real, a lot more honest, and a lot more entertaining. I know I'm dating myself at many levels by saying that, but I'm not ashamed of my age or my tastes (as much as some people tell me I should be, haha).
FYI, new Soul Asylum album 'Hurry Up And Wait' came out Friday and is fantastic. I don't work with them, I just love the album - definitely worth checking out if you've ever been a fan of the band.
Thanks, again for your words… keep staying safe!
Paul Gargano
______________________________________
It wasn't must-see TV.
I had no desire to watch it but tuned in for the first 45 minutes or so. But, well-meaning as it was, the show only served to remind me how shitty things are at the moment. I shut it off and plugged in my Bull Durham DVD.
Maybe if they had put Paul and Ringo together. Or linked Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. Or had Ozzy…just sitting there and saying hello, I don't care if he sings but something to make us smile. Interact with your dogs, chat with Sharon.
We've been inundated with ads saying, "We're all in this together…and you can still buy a new Toyota."
To paraphrase Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, we long for the past and what was once good, and could be again.
John O'Mara (the Johnny Maraca who tweets during your Tuesday night show).
______________________________________
They raised $127m during this? Sounds like a job well done to me. You gotta find the fun and magic that was also there during this awful chapter in our history. I am so down over postponing show after show while we wait to see where the top of the curve is, this was a breath of fresh air.
This was a success in that fans got to see some of their favorite stars at home, some performing, some just talking. Very casual, very feel good, which we all need now.
The Stones bit was terrific, I do not care that it wasn't live, it was a hoot. Charlie was priceless. They lost cred? You are so far off base. Love it, guys, don't ever stop. So happy I grew up with them over 50 years ago and that they are still entertaining the world.
Jennifer Lopez doing People plus Shawn Mendes with Camilla doing Wonderful World was terrific. Chris Martin was cool. The ending with Bocelli, Celine, et all, was great, brought tears to my eyes. Gaga brought it too. Loved Paul's Lady Madonna. What was not to like? It wasn't the studio or live performance experiencewe are used to, granted. It was a nice visit though.
Not sure what room we have to be down on people who donated their time and talent in such a positive way. Let's find some good things to say about the stars who are here WITH us, as opposed to disappearing until this is all over. it is so hard to be upbeat these days, we are all in the entertainment business, let's not act like we are on Fox tv, being the naysayers. All the people who made it possible, along with the first responders this was done in honor of, should be applauded, by everyone who likes music and the culture. I am happy to be in this business with those people.
Thanks for all your writing Bob, agree or not, you bring stuff out of all of us at one time or another. Your attention to detail is always great, and I look forward to more. this kind of stuff will bring more people to the party once we can get back together. Can't wait.
Peace out.
______________________________________
1000% spot on.
and my wife made me feel guilty about saying I just hated the whole thing. the whole idea. then i actually started to 2nd guess myself and then went into a shame spiral and felt like a troll for raining on the rainbow parade. thanks for restoring me to sanity.
lavalle
______________________________________
They could always try again next week.
spuggard
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Jesse Kornbluth
______________________________________
Everytime I'd go to CB's or whatever club and see everyone covered in tattoos... That's why I never got one.
Also the Lenny Bruce bit about having my arm buried in a Gentile graveyard
Chris Stein
______________________________________
hear hear
Peter Noone
______________________________________
This!!!
https://www.nypost.com/2020/04/19/lousy-one-world-together-at-home-concert-made-us-feel-worse/
Leigh Lust
______________________________________
Great email!
I have been wondering why I was disappointed in the show and couldn't figure it out. But you nailed it.
Unlike the show that Elton did a few weeks back which was enjoyable for its simplicity, this had too much money behind it and failed.
Your comments about the hosts in suits is the clincher. That is the issue.
And not to engage in a LEFT or RIGHT discussion but this was clearly Hollywood at their worst. Telling us how to behave and what we have to do. Have to also wonder about the whole WHO sponsorship in light of what was a major mishandling on their part of the Chinese connection of the virus (again trying to stay neutral).
Hollywood and the artists forgot that we only want them to do what they do..shut up and play or act
.
That's why award shows and all the other stages for them to lecture are plummeting in viewers.
This was the same.
Put those same artists on in their sweats and let them sing and you would have had a killer night.
brian kerzner
______________________________________
Unwatchable... we turned it off almost immediately
Colleen Kenny
______________________________________
The most memorable part for me was watching Gaga sing into the back of her microphone. As you can see from the settings on front it was set to cardioid which pretty much rejects most audio from where she was singing into it.
Michael Patterson
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From John Legend's display of his "Awards," Sir Paul's interesting take on Lady Madonna, 3 Keith Urbans smiling at each other & the dour, humorless vibe, it was a dull, self serving show biz disaster.Of course the subject matter and the reason for it is this dreadful virus. I played live aid it was for starving children in Africa but Mick and Tina caressed each other while raising money. So the solemnity of this event is incomparable to that one.
Ill conceived & forgettable. Stay safe..
Michael Des Barres.
P.S. The stones kicked virtual ass..
Especially the hai cool of Charlie Watts.
______________________________________
Spot on!
Whitten Pell
______________________________________
Paul was awful. Stones were excellent, canned or not. Lady Gaga sang through the wrong end of a $20k Neumann mic.
I thought it was a nice way to waste a couple hours.
Best,
Rob Maurer
______________________________________
Hi Bob,
I agree with you. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't must see. It seemed to me like it was a quick thrown together bunch of performers. It needed some energy, lots of energy, and there just wasn't much there. The Stones crack me up though. They're the only Rock band that ages, but can still sound like themselves. Mick sounds great. I can't think of anyone else at that age who still sounds remotely like they did 30 years ago, but mick does.
Bill Scherer live in MN
______________________________________
bob;
I do so wish the Rolling Stones could still change your life.
they were perfect; they were the Rat Pack on CoronaVision .....
Charlie was the Nicholas Brothers, all three of them ....
they adjusted to the limitations and made them work for them , and us.
I was very proud to have been a part of the whatever.
best, Andrew Loog Oldham
PS Keith urban was very good as well. the common thread is humor.
______________________________________
I had no clue this was happening and don't care that I missed it either
-Stu Walker
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Amen and amen, boring, too long and way overhyped.
Robert Heiblim
______________________________________
didn't even know about it until i saw someone making fun of keith urban's "higher love" on fb yesterday
Ryan Brown
______________________________________
Dear Bob
Go fuck yourself
I can't read your ridiculous newsletter anymore. I am especially glad I was not your roommate at Middlebury and I am not dating Felice.
If course the Stones were pre recorded. There was a drum track and Charlie was playing flight cases.....with a smile. Also wow Keith Urban might have used some pre recorded TV magic.
Who cares
Great distraction for those of us who have been in our homes for 2-3-4 weeks. I learned a lot from the PSA's
We are jaded wisemen and can find something wrong with everybody except Billy Jo Armstrong.
Bob, some people were terrible at Live Aid (Scorpions....really !) but it changed the world.
One World was great, fun, fluid. I watched most of it and loved it.
Joseph Overlock
______________________________________
Bob. One world was not live because we are not as advanced technologically as we might think. Have you been watching the horrible live streams artists are offering these days? Video and audio issues galore. There is no way for a multi-artist group to perform together from separate geo locations, too much lag. I'm not sure how long people will put up with these less than stellar live streams. The Disney sing along blew away One World with a less than stellar cast of front line acts. All prerecorded too. We are in serious need for a way to connect and engage with each other and musical acts live online. Whoever is first to find the answer (it's not gonna be Zoom or Stage It) will cash in big time.
Best
Terry Tompkins
______________________________________
J Lo wins with worst auto-tune performance
Billy Chapin
______________________________________
God bless them for raising money (what for again?). How many acoustic performances can a person tolerate over 8 hours?
Thank God they had the names at the bottom because I couldn't tell you 2/3 of the artists.
* Bright Spot: The Killers - Mr. Brightside
* Outdoor Performance: Elton John - true piano man.
* Fun to Watch: Keith Urban
* Sound Quality: Stevie Wonder - Let's all find out how he did it and duplicate.
* Best Spokesperson(s): Laura Bush and Michelle Obama - God bless them!
if there was ever a case made on the need for proper live production the One Word event was it.
"A" for effort though.
Rob Joseph
______________________________________
Actually made more depressed.
Eileen Marcussen
______________________________________
The greatest moment of One World: Together at Home? Watching Charlie Watts' face as he faux drummed. I needed a pick me up, and unsurprisingly Charlie was right on time.
Dan Glovier
______________________________________
I switched off the minute Gaga attempted a performance of Chaplin's "Smile" with the wrong chords.
Ramin Streets
______________________________________
Most of the pianos in the stars homes were out of tune. How could they not notice?
Rpopyk
______________________________________
I'll tell ya the worst... J-LO, all fatoots, singing People.
Are you kidding? With an orchestra? Auto-tuned?
Please.
Bonny Dolan
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"then when the keyboard came in, I realized it was all prerecorded and massaged and I was disappointed."
…and bass, and Charlie air-drumming. +1 on the disappointment.
David
______________________________________
John Krasinski has been doing it right with Some Good News.
Unlike the late night hosts who've struggled to self-produce content, Krasinski has been a natural— because he seems to understand Youtube culture: he moves between bits quickly, over-delivers on promises and actually bothered to set up a good studio.
Kimmel and Fallon seem oblivious to the conventions of Youtubers and don't seem to understand how to produce video content solo. They should spend a week watching Casey Niestat, Mr Beast and Peter Mackinnon to understand.
- Steve Benjamins
______________________________________
I didn't watch a minute of it!!
Doug Gillis
______________________________________
Through all of this, our authenticity filters are on high alert and you can quickly see what artists are able to carry a tune. I'm looking at Billie Eilish, who was built for this medium and is crushing every one of her appearances!
Kevin King
______________________________________
Bob, as usual, you are on point. I had the same thought: where is hip hop, djs and more rock? Still, it warmed my heart to see this effort and hear the music. Produced or not.
stay well,
Violet Gonzalez
______________________________________
YOU'RE RIGHT ON EVERY POINT !
i was incensed !
stanley dorfman
______________________________________
You really can be a Debby Downer.
What a bummer, man.
Bob Sarles
______________________________________
Agreed 1000%. Even though pre-recorded there were still issues ie Billie's whisper-level voice getting drowned out by the keyboard of her brother/accompanist and other sound quality problems. A few minor home runs but overall, no FOMO, not worth tuning in more than occasionally and catching whatever you missed online.
Alex Skolnick
______________________________________
Lizzo—this gen's Aretha— was worth the whole show, Elton was defiant and energetic though there was no discernible pitch, we love Sir Paul, but he needs to hang it up at least until he can do the talking thing like Leonard Cohen did late in his career, Mendes and Cabello were cute together and sang well and come on Bob, Billy Joe Armstrong (my wife asked "who is that?"—what can I tell you?) hit "Wake Me Up" out of the park and Sting didn't appear. So it was better than you say.
Michael Fremer
______________________________________
I must confess I REALLY enjoyed Paul's song. It's rare that he takes a song and changes it so much. Some have said it wasn't good, but the shakiness in his voice actually matched the mood of the world I thought. Also am so GLAD that he's really taking care of himself and hasn't developed the diseases that would make him more likely to get caught up in this. Happy he and Ringo are still with us.
HappyRon Hill
______________________________________
It was a good sleep aid if you pre-recorded it and put it on as you were getting ready for bed. I'd have to say, white noise was still more exciting than watching this presentation of paint drying. Coming together to sedate us and put us to sleep worked well as I dozed off and was in deep REM half way through Lady Gaga's opening number.....
Not to be all negative it was nice to see the professionals who most of society take for granted on a regular basis finally get their due and attention they've earned by always being there on the front lines especially during difficult times.
It is my hope as a global community that now and in the future we start focusing on treating and taking better care of the people who take care of us when we need them the most. They are the stars of this show and we need to step up and make it better for them all around period.
Thanks
M1
______________________________________
is it me, or did Lady Gaga sing into the wrong side of the 20,000 dollar mic?
thanks for the great work, ignore the haters: they are dumb as grass.
stay funky,
derek sumisu
______________________________________
The depressing overtone that the prime time part of it displayed was disheartening, wasn't the goal of the show to lighten the mood for country?
Philip Brooks
______________________________________
Re: Leaders, followers, tattoos, etc...
If you're worried about how many followers you have, you're not a leader.
Dave Wood
______________________________________
I love the Stones, Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, et al, but ONE WORLD was like American Idol, The Voice and every other TV show that features music..."OK Boomer"
But guess who has the all money to donate?..."OK Boomer"
Steve King
Operations Manager: NRG Media
______________________________________
Lack of promotion? Yes. Never even heard about this happening 'til now.
Eric Howarth
______________________________________
Your constant rotation of "hip hop rules the world" "everything is fractured' "music used to mean something" misses the mark so badly here Bob. I read you regularly. I usually find it interesting if not always aligned to my outlook on things but bashing an event to raise money for an organization that exists to help mankind get through situations like the one we are in now is just lame. It's not bold or controversial. it's mean spirited. People need help Bob. They also need programming. You can complain about the promotion and the execution but it's better than a Kardashian marathon or 30 year old games on sports networks. Give us a break man you are better than this.
Henry T. Tracy
______________________________________
This is one that shouldn't be critiqued... A big THANK YOU is all that was needed.
Doug Pomerantz
______________________________________
Hard to criticize people doing the right thing but damn they missed the mark and left out the street culture. Love that the 3 late night hosts joined forces but I agree why a suit but then again why are their shows formatted like they have been for 50 years with a desk ! Maybe Tom Snyder and Alan Burke were right!
Harvey Leeds
______________________________________
Seemed like a corporate sponsored event to hype the WHO.
I liked a few acts, Alicia Keys, Eddie Vedder. Yes, the Stones were good but anyone who knows, knew it was canned.
Funny I worked for the on their '81 tour and Mick and Ron look just the same as they were back then.
It's so so sad and I didn't watch it all. The three hosts were also terribly sad and awkward.
I had to turn it off.
Felt like a 1984/THX1138/choose your model presentation, or something like that!
Melissa Ward
______________________________________
You are spot on. I was psyched expecting the real deal. Watched in my screening room and paid dearly for not watching Force Majeure on Netflix with Mrs. Epstein in the bedroom. Gave my daughter in Los Angeles a heads up and my Amazon Prime creds. Talked to my other daughter in Brooklyn a Sunday night and she was oblivious to the existence of the show. Maybe it will be like Payroll Protection Program and they will get another chance? If for no other reason than the frontliners deserve appreciation now more than ever. Eron Epstein
______________________________________
1) The music business better get its act together for the coronavirus age because this "concert" didn't cut it. Didn't seem like much thought or preparation was put into it.
2) Why do some performers not have the basic equipment at home to sound good online? It doesn't take that much; I was very surprised at the poor sound quality.
Tom Moore
______________________________________
Give them some credit, Bob.
I was the first person to bring the Global Citizen founders to North America, 11 years ago, and am on the Canadian board. Then called The Global Poverty Project, these visionaries have done some amazing things in a short time. They put this TV special together in a matter of weeks, under unprecedented and dire circumstances with the help of great partners who all took a chance.
I think it united hearts and minds, in music, at least for a little while.
The proceeding live stream was fantastic, with The Killers, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Jennifer Hudson, etc. It should have been seen on the TV experience, too.
It was like a Digital Woodstock for this generation.
Paul Koidis
______________________________________
It was not ALL prerecorded! It's about authenticity! J. Lo obviously lip synched, and badly. Taylor Swift, no matter what you thought of her performance, at least got out from her usual big production and was therefore strangely charming. What made the Stones the best of the night was that they did not pretend. Mick, Keith and Ronnie were actually playing, there was a keyboard and drum track but it all worked because Charlie playing air drums was not trying to fool anybody and was hilarious and honest. Mick sounded great! Ronnie too. And Keith was real, if really playing minimally. Some artists faked it, some didn't.
Stones still The Greatest!
Mike Wilson
______________________________________
Hey Bob, I saw the Stones and they sounded great, so I assumed it was air guitar. Then I saw Charlie Watts was playing a cushioned chair as a hi-hat!!! Oy Vey!!!
Philip B
______________________________________
Couldn't agree more. It could've been hugely impactful culturally. It could have changed things. Instead all it did was make me change the channel.
Marc Reiter
______________________________________
This was actually a very punk rock moment, but kind of in reverse...
Watching big names live streaming using modest home gear one gets a sense that perhaps there's not such a huge divide between the talent of the anointed few who 'make it' in the music industry and the talent of many lesser-known live streamers - another example of tech leveling the playing field, this time in the live setting. Of course once the lockdowns are lifted and the big shows get up and running again the big names will have access to all the big production bells and whistles, whereas the live streamers will only have their raw talent to lean on. I've seen a few really great (low budget) live stream performances, but not that many from big names.
Hugh Davison
______________________________________
My parents watched it, and called me the next day to get my opinion. They are in their seventies and thought it was great, "except for that girl with the blue or green and black hair who couldn't sing at all." My wife's grandmother is 92, she loves the Jimmies (Fallon and Kimmel), and also watched more of it than I did… I was listening on SiriusXM while I deep-cleaned the kitchen, and changed the station after three performances because I got bored and needed a little more pep to keep me motivated.
We weren't the target audience any more than we are the target audience for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame or the Grammies. As you point out, I knew when I saw the networks airing it that I wouldn't need to see it - when's the last time ANYTHING on network was "must see"?
I'd rather watch Kevin Martin (Candlebox), Gavin Rossdale (Bush) and Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum) do Instagram live streams… It's a lot more real, a lot more honest, and a lot more entertaining. I know I'm dating myself at many levels by saying that, but I'm not ashamed of my age or my tastes (as much as some people tell me I should be, haha).
FYI, new Soul Asylum album 'Hurry Up And Wait' came out Friday and is fantastic. I don't work with them, I just love the album - definitely worth checking out if you've ever been a fan of the band.
Thanks, again for your words… keep staying safe!
Paul Gargano
______________________________________
It wasn't must-see TV.
I had no desire to watch it but tuned in for the first 45 minutes or so. But, well-meaning as it was, the show only served to remind me how shitty things are at the moment. I shut it off and plugged in my Bull Durham DVD.
Maybe if they had put Paul and Ringo together. Or linked Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. Or had Ozzy…just sitting there and saying hello, I don't care if he sings but something to make us smile. Interact with your dogs, chat with Sharon.
We've been inundated with ads saying, "We're all in this together…and you can still buy a new Toyota."
To paraphrase Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, we long for the past and what was once good, and could be again.
John O'Mara (the Johnny Maraca who tweets during your Tuesday night show).
______________________________________
They raised $127m during this? Sounds like a job well done to me. You gotta find the fun and magic that was also there during this awful chapter in our history. I am so down over postponing show after show while we wait to see where the top of the curve is, this was a breath of fresh air.
This was a success in that fans got to see some of their favorite stars at home, some performing, some just talking. Very casual, very feel good, which we all need now.
The Stones bit was terrific, I do not care that it wasn't live, it was a hoot. Charlie was priceless. They lost cred? You are so far off base. Love it, guys, don't ever stop. So happy I grew up with them over 50 years ago and that they are still entertaining the world.
Jennifer Lopez doing People plus Shawn Mendes with Camilla doing Wonderful World was terrific. Chris Martin was cool. The ending with Bocelli, Celine, et all, was great, brought tears to my eyes. Gaga brought it too. Loved Paul's Lady Madonna. What was not to like? It wasn't the studio or live performance experiencewe are used to, granted. It was a nice visit though.
Not sure what room we have to be down on people who donated their time and talent in such a positive way. Let's find some good things to say about the stars who are here WITH us, as opposed to disappearing until this is all over. it is so hard to be upbeat these days, we are all in the entertainment business, let's not act like we are on Fox tv, being the naysayers. All the people who made it possible, along with the first responders this was done in honor of, should be applauded, by everyone who likes music and the culture. I am happy to be in this business with those people.
Thanks for all your writing Bob, agree or not, you bring stuff out of all of us at one time or another. Your attention to detail is always great, and I look forward to more. this kind of stuff will bring more people to the party once we can get back together. Can't wait.
Peace out.
______________________________________
1000% spot on.
and my wife made me feel guilty about saying I just hated the whole thing. the whole idea. then i actually started to 2nd guess myself and then went into a shame spiral and felt like a troll for raining on the rainbow parade. thanks for restoring me to sanity.
lavalle
______________________________________
They could always try again next week.
spuggard
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-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
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One World: Together At Home
It was not must see TV.
I thought the Stones were good, Mick Jagger sounded great, and then when the keyboard came in, I realized it was all prerecorded and massaged and I was disappointed.
Yes, "One World" was not live. And it played to the lowest common denominator, the supposed one world we all live in, whereas when music was in its heyday, it was us versus them.
Even during the heyday of MTV. MTV made music into a monoculture, you were either on the station or off. But Live Aid was a seminal event yet to be repeated. Because it was about those in the know versus those out of the loop. Live Aid did not need to be on every television outlet, just MTV, because that's where the youth lived, where the heartbeat of music lived, it was a club for those who not only had a sense of humor but could be irreverent and make fun of the status quo. It was about testing limits. The VJs were our heroes.
Instead, Saturday night we got late night hosts in suits. Come on, are you wearing a suit and tie at home every day? Isn't all the scuttlebutt about how people are wearing no pants, yet you dress up like it's business as usual?
Sure, it was cool to see the first responders, they got their due. And I can't argue with the $127 million they raised, but this show missed the mark.
First and foremost it was not promoted properly, you did not get the feeling you had to be there, had to watch, or you were gonna miss out.
I chalk that down to promotion. Funny how a business based on promotion doesn't know how to do it, especially when it's out of their comfort zone. MTV would give away a house, constantly embellish the brand, but there was no innovation in the promotion of this show. No regular member of the population featured because they raised the most money themselves, no engagement of the audience in an era where it's all about the audience.
The Stones built their rep on calling themselves the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band to the point where it was nearly impossible to get a ticket. Whereas you knew you didn't have to watch on Saturday night, because if anything good happened, you could replay it on YouTube the next day, just like with SNL, just like with everything in today's world other than sports. Once again, MTV had this right, with its VMAs. You had to tune in because of the antics, you never knew what you might miss, you wanted to be able to be part of the discussion right away, whether it be about Pee Wee Herman opening the show after being arrested, or the give and take between RuPaul and Milton Berle. We live for these moments.
As for the two hour TV show... This is what network does best, condense the product, remove all the edges for consumption for a mainstream that does not exist. Either it's an all day event that we have to sit on the couch for, or we're just not interested. As for tape delay on the west coast...even the Grammys don't do that anymore.
And hip-hop rules the world, but it was markedly absent here. You can get the Stones, but not Jay-Z, Kanye and Drake to perform? The show was safe, when music has always prospered when it's dangerous.
We do not live in a one love world. As a matter of fact, we live in an incredibly fractious world. But this was not addressed, for fear of offending someone.
Meanwhile, John Oliver goes on HBO from his house, makes jokes about the lame cellphone signal of AT&T, his boss, and then proceeds to eviscerate Fox News and Donald Trump, there were no false equivalencies, he attacked the preacher who blew away the virus, picturing his private jet in the background...this is what music did in its heyday, shine a light on hypocrisy.
And when the acts don't do it live, oh some did, but when you don't, you lose credibility. Give Alicia Keys credit for appearing without makeup, everybody else was so busy massaging their image and their music as to be homogenized. As for the tattoos... It's just like in the seventies, long hair no longer made you a dangerous outlaw and today neither do tattoos. Years ago, but not now. Now you look like a follower more than a leader. Leaders always do the opposite. Want to test the limits today...get no tattoos!
But they're part of the image today, and it's solely image.
And there was no metal... For a show that claimed to want to bring us all together, a lot of musical elements were left out.
It's easy to pat yourself on the back, say you did a good thing. But people who make a difference do more. They push the envelope, they make people uncomfortable, they make people think. Hell, there wasn't even a DJ on this show, would that have been too hard to include?
Just because you raised some money, that does not mean you're immune from criticism. Next time, make it must see. Everybody plays live live, it's done in real time, the edgy genres are included. It's the mistakes that draw people to you. Everybody would accept a technical glitch, especially under these circumstances. But instead we got a seamless production that no one is talking about now that it's over. Hell, I just checked the Spotify streams, and not one has broken six figures! Sure, it's early, but this show was up Saturday night, and if there was a huge desire to experience it, those streams would be through the roof, they'd dominate the Top 50. But the Top 50 is still dominated by the Weeknd, strangely absent here. Even Dua Lipa, promoting a new album, was left out. Tones and I, still at number six, with one of the absolute biggest tracks of the year?
This could have been done so much better.
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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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If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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I thought the Stones were good, Mick Jagger sounded great, and then when the keyboard came in, I realized it was all prerecorded and massaged and I was disappointed.
Yes, "One World" was not live. And it played to the lowest common denominator, the supposed one world we all live in, whereas when music was in its heyday, it was us versus them.
Even during the heyday of MTV. MTV made music into a monoculture, you were either on the station or off. But Live Aid was a seminal event yet to be repeated. Because it was about those in the know versus those out of the loop. Live Aid did not need to be on every television outlet, just MTV, because that's where the youth lived, where the heartbeat of music lived, it was a club for those who not only had a sense of humor but could be irreverent and make fun of the status quo. It was about testing limits. The VJs were our heroes.
Instead, Saturday night we got late night hosts in suits. Come on, are you wearing a suit and tie at home every day? Isn't all the scuttlebutt about how people are wearing no pants, yet you dress up like it's business as usual?
Sure, it was cool to see the first responders, they got their due. And I can't argue with the $127 million they raised, but this show missed the mark.
First and foremost it was not promoted properly, you did not get the feeling you had to be there, had to watch, or you were gonna miss out.
I chalk that down to promotion. Funny how a business based on promotion doesn't know how to do it, especially when it's out of their comfort zone. MTV would give away a house, constantly embellish the brand, but there was no innovation in the promotion of this show. No regular member of the population featured because they raised the most money themselves, no engagement of the audience in an era where it's all about the audience.
The Stones built their rep on calling themselves the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band to the point where it was nearly impossible to get a ticket. Whereas you knew you didn't have to watch on Saturday night, because if anything good happened, you could replay it on YouTube the next day, just like with SNL, just like with everything in today's world other than sports. Once again, MTV had this right, with its VMAs. You had to tune in because of the antics, you never knew what you might miss, you wanted to be able to be part of the discussion right away, whether it be about Pee Wee Herman opening the show after being arrested, or the give and take between RuPaul and Milton Berle. We live for these moments.
As for the two hour TV show... This is what network does best, condense the product, remove all the edges for consumption for a mainstream that does not exist. Either it's an all day event that we have to sit on the couch for, or we're just not interested. As for tape delay on the west coast...even the Grammys don't do that anymore.
And hip-hop rules the world, but it was markedly absent here. You can get the Stones, but not Jay-Z, Kanye and Drake to perform? The show was safe, when music has always prospered when it's dangerous.
We do not live in a one love world. As a matter of fact, we live in an incredibly fractious world. But this was not addressed, for fear of offending someone.
Meanwhile, John Oliver goes on HBO from his house, makes jokes about the lame cellphone signal of AT&T, his boss, and then proceeds to eviscerate Fox News and Donald Trump, there were no false equivalencies, he attacked the preacher who blew away the virus, picturing his private jet in the background...this is what music did in its heyday, shine a light on hypocrisy.
And when the acts don't do it live, oh some did, but when you don't, you lose credibility. Give Alicia Keys credit for appearing without makeup, everybody else was so busy massaging their image and their music as to be homogenized. As for the tattoos... It's just like in the seventies, long hair no longer made you a dangerous outlaw and today neither do tattoos. Years ago, but not now. Now you look like a follower more than a leader. Leaders always do the opposite. Want to test the limits today...get no tattoos!
But they're part of the image today, and it's solely image.
And there was no metal... For a show that claimed to want to bring us all together, a lot of musical elements were left out.
It's easy to pat yourself on the back, say you did a good thing. But people who make a difference do more. They push the envelope, they make people uncomfortable, they make people think. Hell, there wasn't even a DJ on this show, would that have been too hard to include?
Just because you raised some money, that does not mean you're immune from criticism. Next time, make it must see. Everybody plays live live, it's done in real time, the edgy genres are included. It's the mistakes that draw people to you. Everybody would accept a technical glitch, especially under these circumstances. But instead we got a seamless production that no one is talking about now that it's over. Hell, I just checked the Spotify streams, and not one has broken six figures! Sure, it's early, but this show was up Saturday night, and if there was a huge desire to experience it, those streams would be through the roof, they'd dominate the Top 50. But the Top 50 is still dominated by the Weeknd, strangely absent here. Even Dua Lipa, promoting a new album, was left out. Tones and I, still at number six, with one of the absolute biggest tracks of the year?
This could have been done so much better.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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