"One generation got old
One generation got soul"
"Volunteers"
Jefferson Airplane
It's bottom up. And the oldsters have got no clue.
I found this story in my Twitter feed:
"TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans Say They Sank Trump Rally - Did a successful prank inflate attendance expectations for President Trump's rally in Tulsa, Okla?": https://nyti.ms/3hP7W4r
But it's not on the "New York Times" homepage, so if you think you're up to date by skimming the Gray Lady constantly, you're wrong. You've got to dig.
But it's easier to find out on the excoriated Twitter, where this is tonight's story. And tomorrow you'll know it too. Stories start on Twitter. The news is first on Twitter. You keep hearing about the opinions and the arguing, but who is following those people anyway, I'm just looking for INFORMATION!
Now the music business sees TikTok as its tool. After being caught flat-footed by the success of "Old Town Road," and then bringing it in-house at Sony, the labels decided they wanted some of that action. If TikTok could build the unknown Lil Nas X, imagine what it could do with a known quantity, a star?
The music business used to be first, but now it's last. Because it is controlled by old people who did not get the memo, who believe they are indispensable and that no one can resist their money.
But isn't it funny that not a single musical star has captured the zeitgeist of the Minneapolis/Black Lives Matter explosion in a song we all know. Illustrating that reflecting life, and opening up an audience's eyes as to the way of life, are not part of the equation. In the music business, it's all about collecting fans and milking them dry. When one of the biggest acts in the business, Justin Bieber, tries to manipulate the system to make his record number one, who in the hell is gonna listen to the words of a pop star?
They're listening to themselves.
This internet revolution has been going on for twenty five years. At least twenty, however you calculate it. But the power elite, in government and media, have still not gotten the memo. They think it's still top-down. Example #1, the utter failure of Quibi. Which is never going to make it. The parts will be sold to somebody and Katzenberg will declare victory, but don't you believe it. Turns out Jeffrey knew all the insiders, which is how the old game was played, he not only did not know the outsiders, he didn't understand their power, of user-generated content, of word of mouth.
So, you're asking if an outside entity, like Russia, could sway opinion and tilt the election...well if teens, many of whom can't even vote, can snooker the the Trump team and the entire media, the answer most definitely is YES!
And it wasn't only TikTok. It was K-Pop "Stans." You remember that old Eminem tune don't you? Set to Dido's "Thank You"? If you investigate, the K-Pop stars are not just dancing fools, two-dimensional cardboard acts manipulated by Svengalis behind the scenes. This is not the Backstreet Boys or 'NSYNC, the K-Pop acts evidence a whole culture, where the members of the act testify as to their truth online, and fans eat it up. Yes, the Spotify Top 50 come and go, but K-Pop sustains, because it's all about the CULTURE! We learned that back in the classic rock era, but we seem to have lost the formula.
And speaking of the classic rock formula, Jefferson Airplane released "Volunteers" in late '69 and you were either on the bus or you were off. And if you don't get the reference, you were most definitely not on the bus. And so many of the lyrics of that fifty year old number still resonate:
"Ain't it amazing all the people I meet"
Doesn't matter if someone is physically close, today's teens have friends all over the world.
"Hey now it's time for you and me"
Turns out the turning point is coming with Gen-Z, not the millennials. For all the talk about the millennial ethos, most of it wrong, how do you explain Zuck, it turns out change is truly coming from the younger generation, which is not old enough to have been beaten down yet, who grew up with the internet, never mind smartphones, and despite their parents wanting to be best friends, there's no way this can happen. Because they're digital natives, and their parents are not.
It's harder to learn new tricks when you're older. And you don't want to spend the time to learn new tricks. So, what you do is denigrate, push aside and then feel superior, however delusional that might be.
That's what happened in the sixties, with the generation gap. And it's happening again right now.
Look at the tweets. People with teens in the house knew about this prank. But they didn't have access to a megaphone. And those with the megaphone, the teens, didn't want to amplify the story, for fear of the joke getting out. IT WAS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT and the media and the Democrats missed it!
As for the low attendance...
It doesn't matter anyway.
Did you actually listen to Trump's speech? To a leftie, it was almost funny if it wasn't so horrifying. But if you were an acolyte, it spoke to you. Trump, however bumbling, is dynamic, he goes for the jugular, he gives the illusion of being relaxed, and is almost cracking jokes, however wooden they might be, failing to truly land because Trump can't let go of his hubris.
On the other side we've got...
Another bumbling septuagenarian, but this one can barely get it out, and when he does, he's prone to misstatements.
Oh, that looks good.
The best thing happening to Biden is Covid-19, it prevents him from reaching the people and screwing up his message and having these faux pas amplified by not only the right wing media, but the left wing media too, in an effort to appear fair. Biden is playing by twentieth century rules, Trump by twenty first, where it's all about followers, set yourself on fire, do whatever you need to gain attention. And he's winning at that.
And Gen-Z understands this too. Watch a few TikTok clips, this is not AP students commenting on Camus. The game is to be as outrageous as possible so that you'll go viral. But despite this focus on individual triumph, Gen-Z knows its collective power, and just like the millennials, and unlike their boomer parents, Gen-Z knows your primary desire is to be a member of the group.
And the power of this group can be harnessed.
So what really happened in Tulsa?
Were there just not that many people who wanted to see Trump? Or was some of his constituency afraid of getting Covid-19?
One thing is for sure, Trump and the media expected many more people than showed up. The narrative was incorrect.
As for facts... Trump's team is already saying he was joking when he said he told his people to not test for Covid anymore. It almost doesn't matter what he says... The left prints it and alternately laughs and screams, and the right doesn't even come across it, and if it does, it does not care.
So if the left thinks it is winning...
It's a long way to the election baby. And it's Biden's race to lose. And never underestimate his power to do this. This is not the first time Joe's run for president, last time he blew himself up, he's got a long tradition of doing this, as well as enough skeletons in his closet to fill a graveyard.
The Republicans are playing football.
Gen-Z is playing three-dimensional chess.
And the Democrats are playing checkers. Yup, they think it's easy, the game is not complicated, and if you do what you've always done before, you will win. Can you say Kerry? Can you say Hillary?
But forget the campaigning, it really comes down to just one thing...interference.
Did you see that corporations are now boycotting Facebook, trying to get Zuck to stand up to misinformation? The Republicans have learned the power of false facts and are doubling-down, seemingly every day a Trump fan sends me a manipulated video that they think is real. How do you fight that? The Democrats have no plan. The corporations are more savvy than the DNC!
As far as third party interlopers... The TikTokkers and K-Pop fans manipulated a presidential event, imagine what those with money and a sustained effort could do!
But you don't really need money, it's really about hearts and minds. And distribution is free on the internet. But you only gain acolytes if you burn yourself up, or you appeal to people's insides to the point where they must forward your message. People want to believe, they're looking for someone to believe in. And believe me, the younger generation doesn't think it's Biden, and neither do the protesters.
I'm just the messenger, sling your arrows all you want, that does not deny my point.
And my point is if anybody's got control, it's the younger generation, and the older generation doesn't even understand the game.
And this tech savvy is what is employed to manipulate the vote. What did we hear about Georgia, the vote was so slow because the elderly poll workers couldn't understand the new machines, didn't have enough training? TikTok does not come with a manual. But somehow kids figure out everything without instruction. And they don't bitch about the lack of tech help, because they know there is none, other than Google. And they've got all day to use these tools to their benefit. And tonight they did.
Oh, what a wonderful country!
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Saturday, 20 June 2020
Barr/Berman
It comes down to whether you have faith in the system.
Older people do. They vote, they believe their vote matters, and if we all just come together Trump will be out of office and harmony will reign.
But young people don't agree.
Young people have never lived in an era where the U.S. was indisputably the greatest, self-reliant, the peacekeeper of the world. Oldsters may hate China, all the youngsters know is all their hardware was made there, and unlike the youth of yesteryear, when "Made in Japan" was a joke, the equipment built in China works first time, for a long time.
But, the youth are concerned with working conditions in China. The youth are concerned with social issues and climate change and although they want to be able to pay the bills, they're willing to sacrifice economics for the good of the nation and the world.
Unlike the oldsters. The oldsters grew up in the sixties, an era of kumbaya, but after the rampant inflation of the seventies and the unbridled greed of the eighties, the boomers cottoned to their acquisitions and lifestyles, they pulled ahead upon what they believed was hard work and they're not going to sacrifice a single thing, no way. In most cases not even zillionaires. Wall Street titans, who control the money, rail about unjust treatment and class warfare whenever D.C. wants to regulate their industry, or increase their taxes. But the funny thing is those with the money control the politicians, because it takes money to run for office and win, so there's no substantial change.
And the Republicans hold up the Constitution, saying it is inviolate and we must run our country on the wisdom and foresight of those from 250 years ago, which is like a hedge funder doing math on an abacus, a youngster talking on a landline as opposed to texting on a smartphone.
And the youngsters know how to use these tools, to organize.
But they're no match against the disinformation campaigns.
For example, look at these videos from Tulsa today:
https://bit.ly/2CrItOc
That's right, Covid-19 is a plot, concocted by Bill Gates and George Soros. Not only do people have no faith in the government, they've got no faith in media, science or facts. It's like everybody is making up their own rule book all the time.
But it's one thing if you decide not to be fearful of being infected by Covid-19. It's quite another to fire the attorney who is investigating you.
Now those of us who are aged boomers...we will tell you that it's never been like this before. Used to be the pendulum swung back and forth. But now, it's only swinging in one direction. Trump has the power and his minions, in the Senate on Fox News and in the street, won't check him, and we're veering into authoritarianism.
But the left keeps saying the law says there must be an election. But who cares about the law?
Trump is not even testing limits, he's going beyond them, and the left keeps telling us to believe in the system. But the system has never worked for the younger generation. State schools are no longer cheap. You can't have a roof over your head and food on the table on minimum wage. That's the cognizant dissonance of employees making more on unemployment than they do working. Meanwhile, Mnuchin said he didn't have to say where the money went and...
Oldsters expect checks and balances to work it all out.
Young people do not. They're disillusioned.
Ergo the protests. Spun as being solely about Black Lives Matter, do you think that's what bringing out whites and other people of color in droves to protest? No, they're frustrated too, and this is the only way they can exhibit their frustration.
Meanwhile, commentators on the left and the right say to be wary, this anti-police clamor is going to get Trump re-elected.
They're too far into the game.
Sometimes the game is destroyed. And those who continue to play it are stunned when the old rules no longer apply. But the old rules haven't applied since Trump's inauguration, if not earlier. What about that?
So, I'm sitting in my car last night, and I see that Barr fired Berman, who refused to go, who supposedly Trump fired for good today. This is like cheating on the test and then firing the principal and putting your mother in charge. Drug dealers don't get to choose their own judges, they're not in cahoots with prosecutors. If you're not rich, you're living under a different legal system, that works against you.
And we always knew the rich had privileges. But now they get better health care so they live longer, they don't live amongst us, they don't fly with us, they don't vacation with us...it's like living in a feudal system, all the while the disinformation system saying the problem is us. Huh?
I've often wondered when I'd have left Nazi Germany. Leave my friends, my property, my whole life to start over in a different country where I don't even speak the language?
There are those Jews who got out early. Assuming they had the money and connections to do so. But the longer you stayed, the lower your odds of getting out. The Jews kept believing things would work out, that the Nazis just wouldn't take away their businesses, make them live in ghettos, ship them off to concentration camps and gas them. It was unfathomable.
And I'm not saying Trump is Hitler and he's going to gas his people. But Trump is akin to rising authoritarians all over this world. He keeps on telling us he respects Putin, Erdogan, the Saudis...why do we not believe him, when all along he has done what he said? He doesn't lie about his respect for authoritarians, he only lies on the littler stuff.
So what's it gonna take to get the populace to stand up?
Forget the brainwashed 40%, Trump's supporters who hate immigrants, have drunk the kool-aid, or are rich. They're not budging. Even though ignorant Democrats keep on telling us it's about unmooring them from the Republican party and bringing them back to the Democrats. That's like asking a punk to play classic rock, or a rapper to go classical. You stray from your roots, you react to the landscape and you don't return, never.
But we're playing a game of Jenga. With Trump continuing to remove pieces. And we keep being told that this shaky edifice is gonna stand, why?
So I'm infuriated, bizarred and shook-up, reading last night's story re Barr and Berman. But today, Barr got what he wanted and everybody's talking about Tulsa, the Barr/Berman situation is almost history.
And never forget, Trump not only appointed two Supreme Court justices, but packed the courts with loyal lackeys to the point where your chances of getting a fair hearing are slim if you're not in lockstep with their beliefs. Yes, the ultimate arbiter has been compromised, but you still think everything is gonna work out, that we're living in a just world.
And you also believe the polls and that Biden will win no problem.
Why should we have fair and just elections when Trump is all about opacity and putting his hand on the scale?
It's like we're living in Venezuela, or Hungary.
Meanwhile, lefties say the military hates Trump. Even if that were true, do you expect the military to depose the Donald and then just hand power to the left? That's not the way it happens, the military gains control, and their number one goal is law and order, which so much of the public wants.
As they give up their rights.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
We constantly hear that the past will prevail. Remember all those stories about the future of BlackBerry? I was on CNBC telling them it was all over in 2007. And of course it was, but the old guard not only could not understand the breakthrough of the iPhone, they thought the past was forever. And how could you forgo the physical keyboard?
So let's say Biden wins. The courts will still be controlled by Republicans, health care will still be tied to employers in the era of the gig economy, student debt will still exist and opportunities for the young will still be hobbled.
This is what you've got to watch, the reaction of the young. They may not vote, but that does not mean they do not care, or are uninformed on the issues.
The entire government has become disconnected from the youth. As if voting was the only criterion that counted, and if you didn't go to the booth you did not matter.
Hogwash.
So, the question is when is it too much. What twig Trump places is going to break the camel's back. And when the camel finally collapses, will we have enough power to right the ship, mixing metaphors, or will we be SOL in the desert?
Bit by bit Trump and his cronies are chipping away at your rights and your power. And you keep looking to the election to solve all your problems. But while you wait, Trump has only gotten more powerful, has only tested more limits.
And you read your news saying the rest of the world thinks the U.S. is a joke and no one you know is going to vote for Trump so you proceed with your little life, but rust never sleeps.
So, we're heading for a crisis. And it won't be a Constitutional crisis, it won't be based on law, it won't be about legalities, but hearts and minds. Trump will do everything to stay in power, and he will call out the military. And your face will be recognized and you will be put in jail as the corporations stand aside and...
And what?
We're heading for a revolution. Or complete authoritarianism. Don't keep telling me it can't happen here. Or shrug and say you'll be fine no matter what happens. Look at the history of the world, the American experiment has been relatively brief. When are we going to take the temperature of the youth and stop the insanity? If not now, when?
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Older people do. They vote, they believe their vote matters, and if we all just come together Trump will be out of office and harmony will reign.
But young people don't agree.
Young people have never lived in an era where the U.S. was indisputably the greatest, self-reliant, the peacekeeper of the world. Oldsters may hate China, all the youngsters know is all their hardware was made there, and unlike the youth of yesteryear, when "Made in Japan" was a joke, the equipment built in China works first time, for a long time.
But, the youth are concerned with working conditions in China. The youth are concerned with social issues and climate change and although they want to be able to pay the bills, they're willing to sacrifice economics for the good of the nation and the world.
Unlike the oldsters. The oldsters grew up in the sixties, an era of kumbaya, but after the rampant inflation of the seventies and the unbridled greed of the eighties, the boomers cottoned to their acquisitions and lifestyles, they pulled ahead upon what they believed was hard work and they're not going to sacrifice a single thing, no way. In most cases not even zillionaires. Wall Street titans, who control the money, rail about unjust treatment and class warfare whenever D.C. wants to regulate their industry, or increase their taxes. But the funny thing is those with the money control the politicians, because it takes money to run for office and win, so there's no substantial change.
And the Republicans hold up the Constitution, saying it is inviolate and we must run our country on the wisdom and foresight of those from 250 years ago, which is like a hedge funder doing math on an abacus, a youngster talking on a landline as opposed to texting on a smartphone.
And the youngsters know how to use these tools, to organize.
But they're no match against the disinformation campaigns.
For example, look at these videos from Tulsa today:
https://bit.ly/2CrItOc
That's right, Covid-19 is a plot, concocted by Bill Gates and George Soros. Not only do people have no faith in the government, they've got no faith in media, science or facts. It's like everybody is making up their own rule book all the time.
But it's one thing if you decide not to be fearful of being infected by Covid-19. It's quite another to fire the attorney who is investigating you.
Now those of us who are aged boomers...we will tell you that it's never been like this before. Used to be the pendulum swung back and forth. But now, it's only swinging in one direction. Trump has the power and his minions, in the Senate on Fox News and in the street, won't check him, and we're veering into authoritarianism.
But the left keeps saying the law says there must be an election. But who cares about the law?
Trump is not even testing limits, he's going beyond them, and the left keeps telling us to believe in the system. But the system has never worked for the younger generation. State schools are no longer cheap. You can't have a roof over your head and food on the table on minimum wage. That's the cognizant dissonance of employees making more on unemployment than they do working. Meanwhile, Mnuchin said he didn't have to say where the money went and...
Oldsters expect checks and balances to work it all out.
Young people do not. They're disillusioned.
Ergo the protests. Spun as being solely about Black Lives Matter, do you think that's what bringing out whites and other people of color in droves to protest? No, they're frustrated too, and this is the only way they can exhibit their frustration.
Meanwhile, commentators on the left and the right say to be wary, this anti-police clamor is going to get Trump re-elected.
They're too far into the game.
Sometimes the game is destroyed. And those who continue to play it are stunned when the old rules no longer apply. But the old rules haven't applied since Trump's inauguration, if not earlier. What about that?
So, I'm sitting in my car last night, and I see that Barr fired Berman, who refused to go, who supposedly Trump fired for good today. This is like cheating on the test and then firing the principal and putting your mother in charge. Drug dealers don't get to choose their own judges, they're not in cahoots with prosecutors. If you're not rich, you're living under a different legal system, that works against you.
And we always knew the rich had privileges. But now they get better health care so they live longer, they don't live amongst us, they don't fly with us, they don't vacation with us...it's like living in a feudal system, all the while the disinformation system saying the problem is us. Huh?
I've often wondered when I'd have left Nazi Germany. Leave my friends, my property, my whole life to start over in a different country where I don't even speak the language?
There are those Jews who got out early. Assuming they had the money and connections to do so. But the longer you stayed, the lower your odds of getting out. The Jews kept believing things would work out, that the Nazis just wouldn't take away their businesses, make them live in ghettos, ship them off to concentration camps and gas them. It was unfathomable.
And I'm not saying Trump is Hitler and he's going to gas his people. But Trump is akin to rising authoritarians all over this world. He keeps on telling us he respects Putin, Erdogan, the Saudis...why do we not believe him, when all along he has done what he said? He doesn't lie about his respect for authoritarians, he only lies on the littler stuff.
So what's it gonna take to get the populace to stand up?
Forget the brainwashed 40%, Trump's supporters who hate immigrants, have drunk the kool-aid, or are rich. They're not budging. Even though ignorant Democrats keep on telling us it's about unmooring them from the Republican party and bringing them back to the Democrats. That's like asking a punk to play classic rock, or a rapper to go classical. You stray from your roots, you react to the landscape and you don't return, never.
But we're playing a game of Jenga. With Trump continuing to remove pieces. And we keep being told that this shaky edifice is gonna stand, why?
So I'm infuriated, bizarred and shook-up, reading last night's story re Barr and Berman. But today, Barr got what he wanted and everybody's talking about Tulsa, the Barr/Berman situation is almost history.
And never forget, Trump not only appointed two Supreme Court justices, but packed the courts with loyal lackeys to the point where your chances of getting a fair hearing are slim if you're not in lockstep with their beliefs. Yes, the ultimate arbiter has been compromised, but you still think everything is gonna work out, that we're living in a just world.
And you also believe the polls and that Biden will win no problem.
Why should we have fair and just elections when Trump is all about opacity and putting his hand on the scale?
It's like we're living in Venezuela, or Hungary.
Meanwhile, lefties say the military hates Trump. Even if that were true, do you expect the military to depose the Donald and then just hand power to the left? That's not the way it happens, the military gains control, and their number one goal is law and order, which so much of the public wants.
As they give up their rights.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
We constantly hear that the past will prevail. Remember all those stories about the future of BlackBerry? I was on CNBC telling them it was all over in 2007. And of course it was, but the old guard not only could not understand the breakthrough of the iPhone, they thought the past was forever. And how could you forgo the physical keyboard?
So let's say Biden wins. The courts will still be controlled by Republicans, health care will still be tied to employers in the era of the gig economy, student debt will still exist and opportunities for the young will still be hobbled.
This is what you've got to watch, the reaction of the young. They may not vote, but that does not mean they do not care, or are uninformed on the issues.
The entire government has become disconnected from the youth. As if voting was the only criterion that counted, and if you didn't go to the booth you did not matter.
Hogwash.
So, the question is when is it too much. What twig Trump places is going to break the camel's back. And when the camel finally collapses, will we have enough power to right the ship, mixing metaphors, or will we be SOL in the desert?
Bit by bit Trump and his cronies are chipping away at your rights and your power. And you keep looking to the election to solve all your problems. But while you wait, Trump has only gotten more powerful, has only tested more limits.
And you read your news saying the rest of the world thinks the U.S. is a joke and no one you know is going to vote for Trump so you proceed with your little life, but rust never sleeps.
So, we're heading for a crisis. And it won't be a Constitutional crisis, it won't be based on law, it won't be about legalities, but hearts and minds. Trump will do everything to stay in power, and he will call out the military. And your face will be recognized and you will be put in jail as the corporations stand aside and...
And what?
We're heading for a revolution. Or complete authoritarianism. Don't keep telling me it can't happen here. Or shrug and say you'll be fine no matter what happens. Look at the history of the world, the American experiment has been relatively brief. When are we going to take the temperature of the youth and stop the insanity? If not now, when?
--
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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Friday, 19 June 2020
The Live Nation Memo
https://bit.ly/2YP7hY4
Never EVER forget that this business runs on talent. Without the talent, there's nothing to sell. And talent is not fungible, except maybe in the case of the festival, which I will address below.
This is not the first time Michael Rapino and Live Nation have tried to reset the playing field. Just after Rapino got the gig, he came up with a three-tiered amphitheatre payment system. What you got paid was dependent upon how big a draw you were.
It failed.
Why?
Howard Kaufman.
Howard, an accountant by training, who made his bones with James William Guercio and then partnered with Irving Azoff and inherited the Front Line management clients when Irving moved on to MCA, was savvy. I remember discussing Fleetwood Mac with him. How much money he was gonna get them for their next tour. I asked him about a new album and Howard told me he'd be happy if Fleetwood Mac NEVER made a new album, because that would keep them off the road, where they could be making money, and there was no money in the recording anyway.
Howard knew where every dollar was buried in a live appearance deal.
This is where experience counts. Which is one reason the live business is run by oldsters as opposed to the recording business which is run by youngsters. The record label model is theft. Its goal is to not pay what it is supposed to. And the acts realized this, but had little leverage, but when they got it...they stopped wanting royalty payments, they just calculated how many albums they thought they'd sell, and they insisted on an advance. Theoretically, they might be entitled to further royalties if the album was a blockbuster, but if that was so...as one dealmaker told me, if the album went into royalties, they made a bad deal. As for the label? Sure, it can lose money on a star act by paying too much in advances, but not really. Because royalties are a small piece of income to begin with, and the act burnishes their roster and...
Now amphitheatres burgeoned. Whereas there used to be just a few, that had been around forever, like Tanglewood, regional promoters realized they could build their own amphitheatres, on low-cost land with minimum investment, these sheds didn't even require walls and they had endless lawns and there was a building frenzy. But most of these amphitheatres were built on the cheap, and the public realized it. People will show up anywhere to see a hit act, but not every act is a guaranteed sellout, so...people became less interested in going to the amphitheatre/shed. And then all these indie promoters were rolled up by Bob Sillerman into SFX, which became Clear Channel and then Live Nation, and Rapino was stuck with the amphitheatres. Rapino wanted the talent to help him out.
But it didn't.
Because Howard Kaufman had Jimmy Buffett, who got in excess of 100% of the amphitheatre gross, and other big acts and Howard said...
My acts are gonna skip the summer and play indoors this winter.
WHAT?
Of course it was a bluff. But it was not one that Rapino could play poker with. And if pushed, Howard would double-down and do as he said, to protect future income, so Rapino caved.
But this was when the live business started to resemble the record business. Concert promoters are inherently dishonest. But there are fewer streams of income and they are much easier to track down than recording royalties. So, to avoid dealing with an accounting, acts that could sell tickets demanded a guarantee akin to what they'd take out of the building on a successful night, just like the stars did with the labels. And as the labels stopped paying such healthy advances for records, because of the internet and the decline in sales, live became where all the money was and the acts wanted guaranteed income, they didn't want to take the risk of a percentage deal. And, once again, if the act went into percentage, that just meant the manager and agent made a bad deal.
But then it got even worse. Because promoters truly lost their power. There were no regional promoters with territories protected by Frank Barsalona. Every gig was up for grabs. And if Live Nation didn't pay, someone else would. There was always someone who would pay. Most especially the casinos, where the goal wasn't to make money on the gig, but to bring an audience to the tables.
So, Live Nation lost pricing power.
So, to ensure its market, Live Nation popularized the tour deal. We'll give you a boatload of money to do ALL of your dates. This was hard to resist, because if you went market by market, you never knew what might happen. There could be bad weather, an economic downturn...almost all big acts now take these overall deals. And AEG competes for said deals. Once again, superstar talent controls the business, not the promoter. The promoter hasn't controlled the business since Peter Grant, who knew Led Zeppelin would sell every ticket and wanted a 90/10 split, as opposed to the much worse deal the Beatles got with Sid Bernstein.
And the guarantees to the artists became so big, that ticket fees had to go up, because the promoter had to make money somewhere. And that's where they made it. Not all of it, not by a long shot, but the acts took essentially all of the gate revenue, there had to be a profit somewhere.
Of course if you can't sell out, the deal is different. It's all about leverage. And if you're an act that can't sell out arenas, inherently you don't make that much money, despite fan adulation, and Live Nation doesn't need you, so your deal is not going to be as good. Complain all you want, it'll do you no good. Just increase your ability to sell tickets.
So now we've got the Covid-19 era. Nobody's on the road, and this could sustain for another year or more. Live Nation is fine financially, it can borrow money, it's not going under, but it is taking a huge hit and therefore its stock is penalized. Amazon is selling during the Covid-19 era, Live Nation is not.
So Live Nation is trying to claw back a piece of the concert promotion pie.
Let's talk about festivals.
This is where a promoter makes beaucoup bucks. It takes a fortune, a truly deep pocket, to put one on. And even if you pay headliners multiple millions, you can still make much more than you can at the arena, so this is the goal of promoters, to have successful festivals.
But festivals fail all the time. Who should bear this responsibility?
Anybody on the talent side knows that it should be the promoter. The act's not sharing in the upside, the act is not doing its own independent festivals, with small exceptions, it depends on the promoter in this case. But, if the festival fails, the act survives. Whereas the promoter takes a huge hit.
Why should the act shoulder this responsibility? The festival happens every year, hopefully, whereas the act can't play the festival every year, no way, ticket buyers won't stand for it.
So, Live Nation wants a smaller guarantee. I can kind of understand that, but I'd need bumps dependent upon ticket sales. But in truth I don't want to risk an accounting, the promoter is inherently dishonest, if for no other reason than the act gets such a good deal.
As for penalties...
Let me see... I plan a year in advance. You book me for all these festivals, and if they don't happen...where does this leave me? I can't book a tour to replace these gigs at this late date. Never mind sell tickets at this late date, maybe all the money's been taken out of the market already, by acts going on sale even in excess of a year in advance. I've got to sit on the sidelines. NO WAY! The promoter wants to make the big bucks, it's got to take the big risks. The act is getting a flat fee. Unless Live Nation wants to put bonuses in contracts, like Live Nation stock... But agents won't want that, because what happens to it. The act gets its stock and it is happy. Does the agent or the agency get the Live Nation stock? What happens if the agent leaves the agency? At what point is the stock cashed out, and who makes that decision?
Now the reason Live Nation is such a good business is because of sponsorship. But to ensure that sponsorship, it's got to own a bunch of festivals and guarantee shows. But if there are no shows... Acts don't share in this sponsorship money, why should they take the hit if it evaporates? And, once again, the act doesn't have stock in Live Nation either, in almost all cases.
Going point by point, ticket prices have always been set by the promoter and agent and manager in concert, with the agent and manager having almost all of the power. The act is never gonna give this up. Of course, festivals are different. Because it's not the act's sole responsibility to sell the tickets, there is other talent, and the payments are flat fee and huge.
As for guaranteeing the act will promote said festivals via social media, et al... What, are they working on Maggie's Farm? Are they sold-out YouTube and Instagram influencers? Acts come and go, the promoter remains. The act has to guard its credibility, it can't be beholden to the promoter.
Streaming rights? Wait a second, right now they're not worth much, but you never know in the future. And maybe I've had an off night, there are a thousand reasons why I may not want to stream, I performed poorly, I looked bad, that's my decision and I want to retain that right unless you want to pay me for it.
Billing?
If you don't put me at the top, the entire world will no longer see me as a superstar! It'll hurt my image and income forevermore! Billing is heavily negotiated in movie contracts, but now you want me to forgo my right for concerts? Actors play a role, the act is the act, singing from its heart, there's a lot more at stake, no way!
Cancellation?
I agree, a penalty if I pull out for no reason is reasonable. Assuming it's outside our agreement as to what is grounds for cancellation. If a member is in the hospital, or their spouse is having a baby, or their parent died...put it in the contract, let's negotiate it, what, am I working for Procter & Gamble now? And, once again, give me all my money if you cancel. You convinced me this was a good prospect, I bought into it, I gave up other opportunities, we're not in bed together, when the TV network cancels my contract/show, like NBC did with Megyn Kelly, they pay up, as per the contract. Maybe they negotiate a lower price point, but the contract is a starting point, you want me to give up all my rights right up front?
And the dirty little secret is when concert promotion was regional, and you dealt with individuals who owned the company, you gave back, you worked with the promoter if they lost money, because you wanted them to stay in business, so they could pay you again. But Live Nation is a public company and Rapino makes more than almost all the acts and me, an individual act, has to shoulder the risk?
But all of this is negotiable. Every single deal point.
But who is going to negotiate?
Live Nation controls a good chunk of talent through their Maverick management division, or whatever they're calling it this week.
Which leaves Irving and Coran as the big kahunas here.
These are the same managers who don't pay agents 10% on their acts. This has evolved just like concert deals. If I'm selling out arenas every night, why do I need to pay an agent 10% when really it's mostly a matter of paperwork?
And Irving and Howard Kaufman were partners. And Coran might be ten years younger, but has gotten quite an education since the days Dave Matthews was opening for the Samples.
Irving and Coran are not budging an inch, no way. And why should they? They're individuals and Live Nation is a corporation. And if Live Nation were to go out of business, someone would pop up to take their place. If the Eagles or Dave Matthews can't go on the road, there is no substitute for them, nada.
So this is just a trial balloon. And believe me, those acts with power, who can sell arenas, are never gonna fall for it.
But let's also say that Live Nation pays a ton to all the players. Look at the amount they pay WME and CAA every year. Are these agents on the side of the acts, which can fire them at any time, or the promoter?
Then again, do you really need an agent at all? Not if you're making big, worldwide touring deals, which is why some of these acts no longer have agents. To a great degree, the agent is an antiquated concept, when there are two big buyers, Live Nation and AEG, that control the lion's share of the market.
The act is always right. Acts come and go, record companies and concert promoters remain, and will screw the act every time. Which is why you need a savvy manager. Howard Kaufman got Aerosmith by telling the band he'd make them more money in two years than they'd made in their entire career!
Live Nation has leverage, but not that much leverage. In truth, their leverage only applies to acts that are not guaranteed arena sellouts. And why should acts help Live Nation through this Covid-19 era, Live Nation is not helping the acts!
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Never EVER forget that this business runs on talent. Without the talent, there's nothing to sell. And talent is not fungible, except maybe in the case of the festival, which I will address below.
This is not the first time Michael Rapino and Live Nation have tried to reset the playing field. Just after Rapino got the gig, he came up with a three-tiered amphitheatre payment system. What you got paid was dependent upon how big a draw you were.
It failed.
Why?
Howard Kaufman.
Howard, an accountant by training, who made his bones with James William Guercio and then partnered with Irving Azoff and inherited the Front Line management clients when Irving moved on to MCA, was savvy. I remember discussing Fleetwood Mac with him. How much money he was gonna get them for their next tour. I asked him about a new album and Howard told me he'd be happy if Fleetwood Mac NEVER made a new album, because that would keep them off the road, where they could be making money, and there was no money in the recording anyway.
Howard knew where every dollar was buried in a live appearance deal.
This is where experience counts. Which is one reason the live business is run by oldsters as opposed to the recording business which is run by youngsters. The record label model is theft. Its goal is to not pay what it is supposed to. And the acts realized this, but had little leverage, but when they got it...they stopped wanting royalty payments, they just calculated how many albums they thought they'd sell, and they insisted on an advance. Theoretically, they might be entitled to further royalties if the album was a blockbuster, but if that was so...as one dealmaker told me, if the album went into royalties, they made a bad deal. As for the label? Sure, it can lose money on a star act by paying too much in advances, but not really. Because royalties are a small piece of income to begin with, and the act burnishes their roster and...
Now amphitheatres burgeoned. Whereas there used to be just a few, that had been around forever, like Tanglewood, regional promoters realized they could build their own amphitheatres, on low-cost land with minimum investment, these sheds didn't even require walls and they had endless lawns and there was a building frenzy. But most of these amphitheatres were built on the cheap, and the public realized it. People will show up anywhere to see a hit act, but not every act is a guaranteed sellout, so...people became less interested in going to the amphitheatre/shed. And then all these indie promoters were rolled up by Bob Sillerman into SFX, which became Clear Channel and then Live Nation, and Rapino was stuck with the amphitheatres. Rapino wanted the talent to help him out.
But it didn't.
Because Howard Kaufman had Jimmy Buffett, who got in excess of 100% of the amphitheatre gross, and other big acts and Howard said...
My acts are gonna skip the summer and play indoors this winter.
WHAT?
Of course it was a bluff. But it was not one that Rapino could play poker with. And if pushed, Howard would double-down and do as he said, to protect future income, so Rapino caved.
But this was when the live business started to resemble the record business. Concert promoters are inherently dishonest. But there are fewer streams of income and they are much easier to track down than recording royalties. So, to avoid dealing with an accounting, acts that could sell tickets demanded a guarantee akin to what they'd take out of the building on a successful night, just like the stars did with the labels. And as the labels stopped paying such healthy advances for records, because of the internet and the decline in sales, live became where all the money was and the acts wanted guaranteed income, they didn't want to take the risk of a percentage deal. And, once again, if the act went into percentage, that just meant the manager and agent made a bad deal.
But then it got even worse. Because promoters truly lost their power. There were no regional promoters with territories protected by Frank Barsalona. Every gig was up for grabs. And if Live Nation didn't pay, someone else would. There was always someone who would pay. Most especially the casinos, where the goal wasn't to make money on the gig, but to bring an audience to the tables.
So, Live Nation lost pricing power.
So, to ensure its market, Live Nation popularized the tour deal. We'll give you a boatload of money to do ALL of your dates. This was hard to resist, because if you went market by market, you never knew what might happen. There could be bad weather, an economic downturn...almost all big acts now take these overall deals. And AEG competes for said deals. Once again, superstar talent controls the business, not the promoter. The promoter hasn't controlled the business since Peter Grant, who knew Led Zeppelin would sell every ticket and wanted a 90/10 split, as opposed to the much worse deal the Beatles got with Sid Bernstein.
And the guarantees to the artists became so big, that ticket fees had to go up, because the promoter had to make money somewhere. And that's where they made it. Not all of it, not by a long shot, but the acts took essentially all of the gate revenue, there had to be a profit somewhere.
Of course if you can't sell out, the deal is different. It's all about leverage. And if you're an act that can't sell out arenas, inherently you don't make that much money, despite fan adulation, and Live Nation doesn't need you, so your deal is not going to be as good. Complain all you want, it'll do you no good. Just increase your ability to sell tickets.
So now we've got the Covid-19 era. Nobody's on the road, and this could sustain for another year or more. Live Nation is fine financially, it can borrow money, it's not going under, but it is taking a huge hit and therefore its stock is penalized. Amazon is selling during the Covid-19 era, Live Nation is not.
So Live Nation is trying to claw back a piece of the concert promotion pie.
Let's talk about festivals.
This is where a promoter makes beaucoup bucks. It takes a fortune, a truly deep pocket, to put one on. And even if you pay headliners multiple millions, you can still make much more than you can at the arena, so this is the goal of promoters, to have successful festivals.
But festivals fail all the time. Who should bear this responsibility?
Anybody on the talent side knows that it should be the promoter. The act's not sharing in the upside, the act is not doing its own independent festivals, with small exceptions, it depends on the promoter in this case. But, if the festival fails, the act survives. Whereas the promoter takes a huge hit.
Why should the act shoulder this responsibility? The festival happens every year, hopefully, whereas the act can't play the festival every year, no way, ticket buyers won't stand for it.
So, Live Nation wants a smaller guarantee. I can kind of understand that, but I'd need bumps dependent upon ticket sales. But in truth I don't want to risk an accounting, the promoter is inherently dishonest, if for no other reason than the act gets such a good deal.
As for penalties...
Let me see... I plan a year in advance. You book me for all these festivals, and if they don't happen...where does this leave me? I can't book a tour to replace these gigs at this late date. Never mind sell tickets at this late date, maybe all the money's been taken out of the market already, by acts going on sale even in excess of a year in advance. I've got to sit on the sidelines. NO WAY! The promoter wants to make the big bucks, it's got to take the big risks. The act is getting a flat fee. Unless Live Nation wants to put bonuses in contracts, like Live Nation stock... But agents won't want that, because what happens to it. The act gets its stock and it is happy. Does the agent or the agency get the Live Nation stock? What happens if the agent leaves the agency? At what point is the stock cashed out, and who makes that decision?
Now the reason Live Nation is such a good business is because of sponsorship. But to ensure that sponsorship, it's got to own a bunch of festivals and guarantee shows. But if there are no shows... Acts don't share in this sponsorship money, why should they take the hit if it evaporates? And, once again, the act doesn't have stock in Live Nation either, in almost all cases.
Going point by point, ticket prices have always been set by the promoter and agent and manager in concert, with the agent and manager having almost all of the power. The act is never gonna give this up. Of course, festivals are different. Because it's not the act's sole responsibility to sell the tickets, there is other talent, and the payments are flat fee and huge.
As for guaranteeing the act will promote said festivals via social media, et al... What, are they working on Maggie's Farm? Are they sold-out YouTube and Instagram influencers? Acts come and go, the promoter remains. The act has to guard its credibility, it can't be beholden to the promoter.
Streaming rights? Wait a second, right now they're not worth much, but you never know in the future. And maybe I've had an off night, there are a thousand reasons why I may not want to stream, I performed poorly, I looked bad, that's my decision and I want to retain that right unless you want to pay me for it.
Billing?
If you don't put me at the top, the entire world will no longer see me as a superstar! It'll hurt my image and income forevermore! Billing is heavily negotiated in movie contracts, but now you want me to forgo my right for concerts? Actors play a role, the act is the act, singing from its heart, there's a lot more at stake, no way!
Cancellation?
I agree, a penalty if I pull out for no reason is reasonable. Assuming it's outside our agreement as to what is grounds for cancellation. If a member is in the hospital, or their spouse is having a baby, or their parent died...put it in the contract, let's negotiate it, what, am I working for Procter & Gamble now? And, once again, give me all my money if you cancel. You convinced me this was a good prospect, I bought into it, I gave up other opportunities, we're not in bed together, when the TV network cancels my contract/show, like NBC did with Megyn Kelly, they pay up, as per the contract. Maybe they negotiate a lower price point, but the contract is a starting point, you want me to give up all my rights right up front?
And the dirty little secret is when concert promotion was regional, and you dealt with individuals who owned the company, you gave back, you worked with the promoter if they lost money, because you wanted them to stay in business, so they could pay you again. But Live Nation is a public company and Rapino makes more than almost all the acts and me, an individual act, has to shoulder the risk?
But all of this is negotiable. Every single deal point.
But who is going to negotiate?
Live Nation controls a good chunk of talent through their Maverick management division, or whatever they're calling it this week.
Which leaves Irving and Coran as the big kahunas here.
These are the same managers who don't pay agents 10% on their acts. This has evolved just like concert deals. If I'm selling out arenas every night, why do I need to pay an agent 10% when really it's mostly a matter of paperwork?
And Irving and Howard Kaufman were partners. And Coran might be ten years younger, but has gotten quite an education since the days Dave Matthews was opening for the Samples.
Irving and Coran are not budging an inch, no way. And why should they? They're individuals and Live Nation is a corporation. And if Live Nation were to go out of business, someone would pop up to take their place. If the Eagles or Dave Matthews can't go on the road, there is no substitute for them, nada.
So this is just a trial balloon. And believe me, those acts with power, who can sell arenas, are never gonna fall for it.
But let's also say that Live Nation pays a ton to all the players. Look at the amount they pay WME and CAA every year. Are these agents on the side of the acts, which can fire them at any time, or the promoter?
Then again, do you really need an agent at all? Not if you're making big, worldwide touring deals, which is why some of these acts no longer have agents. To a great degree, the agent is an antiquated concept, when there are two big buyers, Live Nation and AEG, that control the lion's share of the market.
The act is always right. Acts come and go, record companies and concert promoters remain, and will screw the act every time. Which is why you need a savvy manager. Howard Kaufman got Aerosmith by telling the band he'd make them more money in two years than they'd made in their entire career!
Live Nation has leverage, but not that much leverage. In truth, their leverage only applies to acts that are not guaranteed arena sellouts. And why should acts help Live Nation through this Covid-19 era, Live Nation is not helping the acts!
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Thursday, 18 June 2020
Sober
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2BhaQhA
YouTube: https://bit.ly/2NcdJTy
What kind of crazy fucked-up world do we live in where a number one rock song has more melody than anything in the Spotify Top 50?
In case you missed the memo, in case you're out of the loop, Lil Baby has a big hit with his Black Lives Matter track "The Bigger Picture": https://spoti.fi/2YeXw6s Then again, despite all the hoopla, seven days after release "The Bigger Picture" has already fallen out of the Spotify Top 50. So what we have here is a hit you were unaware of that is already over, or at least in a downward spiral, what is going on here?
A hit is not as big as you think it is.
And either a track gets instant acceptance and goes down from there, or it takes a long time to climb the hit ladder.
But my main point is despite the myopia of the major label/major media circle jerk, hits do not have ubiquity and reach fewer people than ever in the history of formatted radio, charts, i.e. since the explosion of the business with the Beatles in 1964.
With the road business closed, most genres are ignored and get no traction. It's all hit music all the time. And many people, even active music fans, have no interest in what the business has anointed.
And then we come to Bad Wolves' "Sober."
I'd be unaware of it if I wasn't on Ryan Downey's e-mail list. He lists charts as well as grosses and other pertinent info in the rock world. You can check it out here:'
https://bit.ly/3eemTuH
I don't pay a lot of attention to the hard rock chart, it's too niche. A small slice of music and fans that is so far from the original hard rock of Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as to be incomprehensible, never mind unpalatable, unless you're a student of the game and have followed every change in between. If I've never heard of the act, there's a good chance upon listening I know why, and I don't care.
But Mainstream Rock Songs?
Unfortunately, usually the same rules apply. Rock is now a self-referential genre, akin to jazz.
But I had not heard of the number one act, nor its song, so I decided to play it, and was stunned. It was kinda good!
"For a moment I can wait
It's a fight I guess I'll never know"
People don't understand how hard it is to break addiction. The inner strength required is nearly insurmountable. People think it's just a desire to get the high, but it's the opposite, it's the desire not to feel so bad. And it's not just physical, it's mental primarily. You're playing tricks with your mind, telling yourself to hold on, not to cave, that you want to break the cycle, but as the minutes go by, ever so slowly, your will power fades and you cave.
And it's not only street drugs, it's those prescribed as well. Ever take opioids to cope with the pain of an operation? You get relief when the drug kicks in, but when you stop...be prepared for the worst night of your life, you will be unable to sleep.
As for street drugs...
The problem is cool people never say being clean is cool. It's cool to get high. Whether on alcohol, prescription drugs or street drugs. That's who we admire, look up to. Everybody else is a straight arrow, we're drawn to those testing limits...until they die, or ruin their lives, or both.
Then we get those with no knowledge saying to just say no. I wouldn't listen to these people, would you? Telling you how to live with no knowledge of your experience?
As for musicians... Many do drugs to cope with the routine of the road. And the industry looks the other way, as these acts are worked to death night after night until some O.D.
"For a moment I can wait
I'm holding on to hope
And I know you're stoned, I can see it
The struggle's getting old
For a moment I can wait"
Usually the addict burns out those surrounding them, to the point where the only people who will give them the time of day are fellow addicts.
"'Cause you said you're sober
Lying and I can't get closer
Tell me should I let you go
Tell me should I let you go"
Sometimes they say yes, they're in their cocoon, they'll sacrifice everybody and everything for the drug, their addiction.
"Every moment I'm awake
It's a fight that you could never know
Every moment I'm awake
I'm clinging on to hope
And I feel so low but I'm dealing
The struggle's getting old
Every moment I'm awake"
Whoa, he was hooked too, he's struggling to stay clean.
And it is a struggle. Your problems are not solved after a week of rehab, never mind a month. You've still got those feelings, what do you with all that time, you're confronted with true life questions, who are you, where are you going, how do you fit into this world, and they are not instantly solvable.
"But I'm getting sober
Trying but I can't get closer"
He's hanging in there, but she's in her own addicted bubble.
"On and on we pray
Thinking 'bout time and our mistakes
Thinking 'bout time
Thinking 'bout time
It's about time"
The world keeps turning. People are finishing college, they're starting their careers, they're moving up the food chain at the supermarket, meanwhile you're in suspended animation, and when and if you get sober you're confronted with all that time you've lost and how far behind you are.
On one hand, the sound of "Sober" is not new. It's actually reminiscent of the Stabilizers' "One Simple Thing" from 1986. Which has been lost to history, it's not even on Spotify, but you can check it out on YouTube, and you should: https://bit.ly/3fFRsK6
Unfortunately, "One Simple Thing" has a better chorus and better changes than "Sober," proving that we seem to have lost the formula, when a minor hit from thirty plus years ago eclipses a number one from today.
Then again, the lyrics of the Bad Wolves song are more meaningful, even if the track is not as harmonious. But with a better chorus, "Sober" would be undeniable. If only someone at the label had pushed the band just a bit further.
But the interesting thing is "Sober" is on an indie label, Allen Kovac's Better Noise/Eleven Seven. Got to give credit to Kovac, unlike everybody else his age still releasing music he's not following the trends, releasing evanescent junk. Oh, that's one more thing about rock, the fans are loyal, they'll support you over years, as opposed to many on the hit parade, they're not dependent upon a hit to do business.
But "Sober" is a hit, however minor in the overall sphere.
But if more people heard it would more people like it? And if "Sober" were bigger would it inspire others to make this music?
Then again, the key member of Bad Wolves, Tommy Vext, has been playing in bands since the nineties, he's now thirty eight, whereas in the hit world, the younger and more inexperienced the better.
This is what happens in an uncurated, Tower of Babel world, it's hard to cross verticals, people are unaware of that which they would enjoy if only they were exposed to it. Meanwhile, the bigger companies don't want to take a chance/spend money/waste money on new territories, and will spew false facts to maintain their power.
Maybe you won't like "Sober." But if you were a rock fan, maybe you will.
Check it out.
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YouTube: https://bit.ly/2NcdJTy
What kind of crazy fucked-up world do we live in where a number one rock song has more melody than anything in the Spotify Top 50?
In case you missed the memo, in case you're out of the loop, Lil Baby has a big hit with his Black Lives Matter track "The Bigger Picture": https://spoti.fi/2YeXw6s Then again, despite all the hoopla, seven days after release "The Bigger Picture" has already fallen out of the Spotify Top 50. So what we have here is a hit you were unaware of that is already over, or at least in a downward spiral, what is going on here?
A hit is not as big as you think it is.
And either a track gets instant acceptance and goes down from there, or it takes a long time to climb the hit ladder.
But my main point is despite the myopia of the major label/major media circle jerk, hits do not have ubiquity and reach fewer people than ever in the history of formatted radio, charts, i.e. since the explosion of the business with the Beatles in 1964.
With the road business closed, most genres are ignored and get no traction. It's all hit music all the time. And many people, even active music fans, have no interest in what the business has anointed.
And then we come to Bad Wolves' "Sober."
I'd be unaware of it if I wasn't on Ryan Downey's e-mail list. He lists charts as well as grosses and other pertinent info in the rock world. You can check it out here:'
https://bit.ly/3eemTuH
I don't pay a lot of attention to the hard rock chart, it's too niche. A small slice of music and fans that is so far from the original hard rock of Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as to be incomprehensible, never mind unpalatable, unless you're a student of the game and have followed every change in between. If I've never heard of the act, there's a good chance upon listening I know why, and I don't care.
But Mainstream Rock Songs?
Unfortunately, usually the same rules apply. Rock is now a self-referential genre, akin to jazz.
But I had not heard of the number one act, nor its song, so I decided to play it, and was stunned. It was kinda good!
"For a moment I can wait
It's a fight I guess I'll never know"
People don't understand how hard it is to break addiction. The inner strength required is nearly insurmountable. People think it's just a desire to get the high, but it's the opposite, it's the desire not to feel so bad. And it's not just physical, it's mental primarily. You're playing tricks with your mind, telling yourself to hold on, not to cave, that you want to break the cycle, but as the minutes go by, ever so slowly, your will power fades and you cave.
And it's not only street drugs, it's those prescribed as well. Ever take opioids to cope with the pain of an operation? You get relief when the drug kicks in, but when you stop...be prepared for the worst night of your life, you will be unable to sleep.
As for street drugs...
The problem is cool people never say being clean is cool. It's cool to get high. Whether on alcohol, prescription drugs or street drugs. That's who we admire, look up to. Everybody else is a straight arrow, we're drawn to those testing limits...until they die, or ruin their lives, or both.
Then we get those with no knowledge saying to just say no. I wouldn't listen to these people, would you? Telling you how to live with no knowledge of your experience?
As for musicians... Many do drugs to cope with the routine of the road. And the industry looks the other way, as these acts are worked to death night after night until some O.D.
"For a moment I can wait
I'm holding on to hope
And I know you're stoned, I can see it
The struggle's getting old
For a moment I can wait"
Usually the addict burns out those surrounding them, to the point where the only people who will give them the time of day are fellow addicts.
"'Cause you said you're sober
Lying and I can't get closer
Tell me should I let you go
Tell me should I let you go"
Sometimes they say yes, they're in their cocoon, they'll sacrifice everybody and everything for the drug, their addiction.
"Every moment I'm awake
It's a fight that you could never know
Every moment I'm awake
I'm clinging on to hope
And I feel so low but I'm dealing
The struggle's getting old
Every moment I'm awake"
Whoa, he was hooked too, he's struggling to stay clean.
And it is a struggle. Your problems are not solved after a week of rehab, never mind a month. You've still got those feelings, what do you with all that time, you're confronted with true life questions, who are you, where are you going, how do you fit into this world, and they are not instantly solvable.
"But I'm getting sober
Trying but I can't get closer"
He's hanging in there, but she's in her own addicted bubble.
"On and on we pray
Thinking 'bout time and our mistakes
Thinking 'bout time
Thinking 'bout time
It's about time"
The world keeps turning. People are finishing college, they're starting their careers, they're moving up the food chain at the supermarket, meanwhile you're in suspended animation, and when and if you get sober you're confronted with all that time you've lost and how far behind you are.
On one hand, the sound of "Sober" is not new. It's actually reminiscent of the Stabilizers' "One Simple Thing" from 1986. Which has been lost to history, it's not even on Spotify, but you can check it out on YouTube, and you should: https://bit.ly/3fFRsK6
Unfortunately, "One Simple Thing" has a better chorus and better changes than "Sober," proving that we seem to have lost the formula, when a minor hit from thirty plus years ago eclipses a number one from today.
Then again, the lyrics of the Bad Wolves song are more meaningful, even if the track is not as harmonious. But with a better chorus, "Sober" would be undeniable. If only someone at the label had pushed the band just a bit further.
But the interesting thing is "Sober" is on an indie label, Allen Kovac's Better Noise/Eleven Seven. Got to give credit to Kovac, unlike everybody else his age still releasing music he's not following the trends, releasing evanescent junk. Oh, that's one more thing about rock, the fans are loyal, they'll support you over years, as opposed to many on the hit parade, they're not dependent upon a hit to do business.
But "Sober" is a hit, however minor in the overall sphere.
But if more people heard it would more people like it? And if "Sober" were bigger would it inspire others to make this music?
Then again, the key member of Bad Wolves, Tommy Vext, has been playing in bands since the nineties, he's now thirty eight, whereas in the hit world, the younger and more inexperienced the better.
This is what happens in an uncurated, Tower of Babel world, it's hard to cross verticals, people are unaware of that which they would enjoy if only they were exposed to it. Meanwhile, the bigger companies don't want to take a chance/spend money/waste money on new territories, and will spew false facts to maintain their power.
Maybe you won't like "Sober." But if you were a rock fan, maybe you will.
Check it out.
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Bob Ezrin-Part 2-This Week's Podcast
In part two of my conversation with legendary record producer Bob Ezrin we delve deeply into his production of the first Peter Gabriel album and Pink Floyd's "The Wall," and further discuss his work with Alice Cooper as well as Deep Purple, the Kings, Phish and so much more!
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bob-ezrin-pt-2/id1316200737?i=1000478453988
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4AGshf5LiyagHxKtaLFEUt
https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=71375044
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bob-ezrin-pt-2/id1316200737?i=1000478453988
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4AGshf5LiyagHxKtaLFEUt
https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=71375044
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Wednesday, 17 June 2020
The Bolton Book
Trump is breaking the number one rule of today's media.
You don't respond.
News outlets have already seen copies of Bolton's book. Today they printed all the juicy elements. What are they gonna print tomorrow? If Trump were smart, and he's not, and for someone who lives on social media he doesn't seem to completely understand it, he wouldn't sue, he'd let it go, it would be history and it would still be his word versus Bolton's, i.e. Trump would have plausible deniability.
Trump does understand the speed of the news cycle, which is why he tweets so frequently. But Trump is always playing offense, he doesn't seem to know how to play defense, at least not how to strategize defense.
Oh, Trump will roll over, like on the Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, there goes that plausible deniability once again, but when he sues to prevent publication of Bolton's book, all he does is amplify it.
I mean come on, if Trump were going to lose his job for faux pas, he would have been convicted at the Senate impeachment trial. But his supporters in lockstep, the Republicans in that chamber, wouldn't even allow Bolton to testify. In other words, if you're winning the war, SHUT UP!
The Democrats still don't understand social media. They are not aware that it's a land of mass, that it doesn't matter what you say if you don't have millions of followers. Today we all live in our own vertical, and the only chance to get wider distribution is to have a team of active followers who will spread the word. Numbers first, content second.
This is the exact opposite when it comes to art, as opposed to commerce. With art, you base your numbers on content. And when people are hooked by content, they stay glued, for quite a while, especially in an era where being attached to and proud of someone or something others are unaware of is a badge of honor.
But when you're at the top, never punch down. The only place you can go is down.
Don't defend yourself in today's media unless you are right. And even if you are right, there are a slew of people who still think you're wrong, who still believe Obama was born in Africa.
That's another thing you learn in the cyberworld. NEVER CORRECT SOMEONE! They tell you the sun was out at midnight and you correct them by not only telling them it set at 8:15 PM, you send pics, links...and what does the person say? THEY DOUBLE DOWN AND STILL TELL YOU YOU'RE WRONG!
It's funny, but anybody with a profile knows this. But if you're hiding behind the edifice, i.e. the newspaper, if you don't have a name, you mean nothing.
Your name, it's the most important element in today's social media world. Sure, people used to have fakes, but those disappeared when Facebook wanted real monikers. Sure, there are still trolls with fake accounts, especially on Twitter, but the great thing about Twitter is it's a bastion of data. They may be hating on you multiple times a day, but in some cases these trolls have ZERO followers. That's right, absolutely none! So there's no use in getting your knickers in a twist, because no one is even seeing the criticism. Furthermore, even people who have followers...most of the followers don't see their posts.
Twitter is news, TikTok is high school and Instagram is high school for graduates, who still want to gain status. That's another thing you learn when you leave school, no one cares about you, everybody isn't locked down in the same tiny environment. So, when you go on how great you are on Instagram, everybody thinks you're a chump who didn't get the memo. But you keep believing your number of followers and likes means something! But unless you've got millions of both, really you're essentially irrelevant, except for those followers paying attention. Everybody else doesn't know who you are and doesn't care. And Instagram is skin-deep at best.
TikTok... In junior high and high school it's all about impressing your friends, getting ahead, but people keep moving through the system and your status does not last. Meanwhile, you're deep in the scene in the meantime, in your petty wars, thinking you're popular until you graduate and find out the joke was on you.
As for the influencers?
That's just a news story.
Of course there are some people making money. But they're tools of the corporations, the product-providers, not vice versa. Sure, the Kardashians are the opposite, they dictate to the corporations, if they don't form a corporation themselves, but there's only one of them. That's today's society, winner take all!
As for those on Facebook... They didn't get the memo it's history. It's amateur hour, Facebook...with supposed gravitas that it doesn't really have anyway. You're sharing based on the concept that you're connecting instead of bragging, but no one believes that. And if you live on Facebook it proves you've got no life.
But Trump is not on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Because he knows they're irrelevant to his brand. That's another thing self-promoters don't get. Don't be everywhere, your fans are not everywhere, every platform is not right for you, go where your type of people are. If you're a nitwit entertainer who is just selling, don't bother with Twitter. Twitter is about news and your opinion thereupon. If you're not making news and you're uninformed and are unaware of and unable to comment on others' news...stay off Twitter!
Furthermore, other than Twitter, all these platforms are fads. Since it's based on news, Twitter is necessary. Sure, someone could come up with a better social media news site, but since Wall Street has convinced investors there's no money in Twitter, they don't. As for Facebook, it's already been superseded by Instagram, which Facebook was savvy enough to purchase. Same deal with WhatsApp. But all of these sites run on user content, based on the concept that people need to connect, which they do, but they don't have to do it on any of these sites! As for Snapchat, it's a sideshow, forget about it, like Second Life back in the day. A lot of ink, a small, passionate fan base, and that's it. Everything Snapchat invents, Instagram copies. Ideas cannot be protected.
And sure, the big kahunas want to keep down upstarts, the worst offender being Amazon, which will underprice, lose money to kill competitors. This is what Warren and Sanders were bitching about, but the DNC and inside media decided no one cared about that, so they focused on milquetoast Biden, promising a return to the past as they triangulate, imposing a flawed paradigm upon an era that does not exist. People use Amazon and Facebook products all the time, but they also hate them. it's kind of like the cable company, as soon as you get an alternative, you jump.
But having misplayed his hand with the Bolton book, give Trump credit, he understands much more of the game than the usual suspect players, said DNC and major media. Yes, by suing Trump will ensure the Bolton story stays on the front page longer than it would have. But Trump also knows that the internet runs on gossip and truth is one of the last priorities. Blame Fox News all you want, the truth is people are exposed to falsehoods all day long on the internet, have an opinion and express it, you'll see. Which is why Dorsey and Zuckerberg have so much power. And Trump knows he's got no power over them, not directly relative to their content, but he's jawboning to get them to blink all the while gaining adherents who hate social media. That's another thing, everybody who professes to hate social media is on it.
As for the content of Bolton's book...
A nonfactor.
The truth is the election is months away, and nothing negative sticks to Trump. Sure, he might have blown Covid-19, but no one you know died and you're already out and about, lockdown is in the rearview mirror to you.
And you...
Sympathize with African-Americans, as long as they don't get too uppity. And you don't like looting. And you won't say any of this out loud, but there's no way you're voting for old Joe, Trump has been good for you, you don't want any change.
And the DNC blew it because it doesn't understand that the internet runs on passion! You win and lose elections online, few people watch TV news, whether it be network or cable. So, what you want to possess is a lot of followers who you feed with content with spreadability. Come on, is anybody spreading anything Biden says? Proving, once again, that as flawed as Trump might be in the internet sphere, the Democrats are positively clueless. The Democrats are running on an old playbook that they believe is inviolate. They're selling CRTs in an OLED flat screen world. They believe CDs have pristine sound and they won't trust their credit card information to Spotify.
What did we learn with Bernie Sanders this year?
The young people didn't come out. They professed belief in his agenda, they just did not bother to vote.
And now voting is harder than ever. You might not get a mail-in ballot, you might have even been stricken from the rolls! And if you do go to vote, it might take hours and you might get Covid-19. Meanwhile, all the oldsters say REMEMBER BUSH/GORE! But these antiquarians don't realize these young voters were not even alive then, of if they were, they were unaware.
It's hard to discern the method in Trump's madness. But one thing is for sure, the Democrats and the media just react to it. Constantly print the shenanigans, throw their hands in the air and expect you to agree with them. Meanwhile, so many have contempt for the talking heads and reporters, if they're even paying attention at all. Come on, whether it be Tucker Carlson or Joe Scarborough, both think their doody does not stink and what they say is uber-important, not having gotten the memo that the internet has flattened our society. Celebs have been brought down more than one notch, a few in fact, and the hoi polloi has been lifted. So, if you separate yourself from the rest of the public, you're a target, in a world where people can fight back and don't think you're any better than they are.
So stop all this b.s on facts. The election will be based on emotions. And Trumpers believe their man is unjustly attacked, that the fake news empire is after him. Meanwhile, those with a brain know the opposite is true, but they never decide on one strategy or angle to hammer over and over like Trump, which you've got to do in today's world to be heard, because there are so many messages.
So, stop being holier-than-thou, believing Trump is a doofus and there's no way he can get elected.
First and foremost, the Republicans are tilting the table, via voter suppression, saying it's all about eliminating fraud when fraud is de minimis. Second, never underestimate the instinct of those who have not to give it up. Third, people neither like to appear dumb or uninformed, so they'll double-down on inane positions just to save face.
So, the truly rich stay out of the fray, they pay in secret, via lobbyists, PACs...they're smart enough to realize it's hard to win the internet news game, even if you're right.
And the rest of the country is arguing 24/7 on social media.
The internet allows those without money to triumph, but only if they're organized and are clear on what they want.
Once again, the election will be decided on the internet. The news media always wants a new story and the public is inundated with messages and little sticks. So, it's all opinion, all the time. Go online, learn the game, it's hard, harder than ever, you can play, but you may not even be heard, never mind win. But if you do want to win, when it comes to politics, followers first, message second, veracity may be irrelevant. Remember that.
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You don't respond.
News outlets have already seen copies of Bolton's book. Today they printed all the juicy elements. What are they gonna print tomorrow? If Trump were smart, and he's not, and for someone who lives on social media he doesn't seem to completely understand it, he wouldn't sue, he'd let it go, it would be history and it would still be his word versus Bolton's, i.e. Trump would have plausible deniability.
Trump does understand the speed of the news cycle, which is why he tweets so frequently. But Trump is always playing offense, he doesn't seem to know how to play defense, at least not how to strategize defense.
Oh, Trump will roll over, like on the Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, there goes that plausible deniability once again, but when he sues to prevent publication of Bolton's book, all he does is amplify it.
I mean come on, if Trump were going to lose his job for faux pas, he would have been convicted at the Senate impeachment trial. But his supporters in lockstep, the Republicans in that chamber, wouldn't even allow Bolton to testify. In other words, if you're winning the war, SHUT UP!
The Democrats still don't understand social media. They are not aware that it's a land of mass, that it doesn't matter what you say if you don't have millions of followers. Today we all live in our own vertical, and the only chance to get wider distribution is to have a team of active followers who will spread the word. Numbers first, content second.
This is the exact opposite when it comes to art, as opposed to commerce. With art, you base your numbers on content. And when people are hooked by content, they stay glued, for quite a while, especially in an era where being attached to and proud of someone or something others are unaware of is a badge of honor.
But when you're at the top, never punch down. The only place you can go is down.
Don't defend yourself in today's media unless you are right. And even if you are right, there are a slew of people who still think you're wrong, who still believe Obama was born in Africa.
That's another thing you learn in the cyberworld. NEVER CORRECT SOMEONE! They tell you the sun was out at midnight and you correct them by not only telling them it set at 8:15 PM, you send pics, links...and what does the person say? THEY DOUBLE DOWN AND STILL TELL YOU YOU'RE WRONG!
It's funny, but anybody with a profile knows this. But if you're hiding behind the edifice, i.e. the newspaper, if you don't have a name, you mean nothing.
Your name, it's the most important element in today's social media world. Sure, people used to have fakes, but those disappeared when Facebook wanted real monikers. Sure, there are still trolls with fake accounts, especially on Twitter, but the great thing about Twitter is it's a bastion of data. They may be hating on you multiple times a day, but in some cases these trolls have ZERO followers. That's right, absolutely none! So there's no use in getting your knickers in a twist, because no one is even seeing the criticism. Furthermore, even people who have followers...most of the followers don't see their posts.
Twitter is news, TikTok is high school and Instagram is high school for graduates, who still want to gain status. That's another thing you learn when you leave school, no one cares about you, everybody isn't locked down in the same tiny environment. So, when you go on how great you are on Instagram, everybody thinks you're a chump who didn't get the memo. But you keep believing your number of followers and likes means something! But unless you've got millions of both, really you're essentially irrelevant, except for those followers paying attention. Everybody else doesn't know who you are and doesn't care. And Instagram is skin-deep at best.
TikTok... In junior high and high school it's all about impressing your friends, getting ahead, but people keep moving through the system and your status does not last. Meanwhile, you're deep in the scene in the meantime, in your petty wars, thinking you're popular until you graduate and find out the joke was on you.
As for the influencers?
That's just a news story.
Of course there are some people making money. But they're tools of the corporations, the product-providers, not vice versa. Sure, the Kardashians are the opposite, they dictate to the corporations, if they don't form a corporation themselves, but there's only one of them. That's today's society, winner take all!
As for those on Facebook... They didn't get the memo it's history. It's amateur hour, Facebook...with supposed gravitas that it doesn't really have anyway. You're sharing based on the concept that you're connecting instead of bragging, but no one believes that. And if you live on Facebook it proves you've got no life.
But Trump is not on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Because he knows they're irrelevant to his brand. That's another thing self-promoters don't get. Don't be everywhere, your fans are not everywhere, every platform is not right for you, go where your type of people are. If you're a nitwit entertainer who is just selling, don't bother with Twitter. Twitter is about news and your opinion thereupon. If you're not making news and you're uninformed and are unaware of and unable to comment on others' news...stay off Twitter!
Furthermore, other than Twitter, all these platforms are fads. Since it's based on news, Twitter is necessary. Sure, someone could come up with a better social media news site, but since Wall Street has convinced investors there's no money in Twitter, they don't. As for Facebook, it's already been superseded by Instagram, which Facebook was savvy enough to purchase. Same deal with WhatsApp. But all of these sites run on user content, based on the concept that people need to connect, which they do, but they don't have to do it on any of these sites! As for Snapchat, it's a sideshow, forget about it, like Second Life back in the day. A lot of ink, a small, passionate fan base, and that's it. Everything Snapchat invents, Instagram copies. Ideas cannot be protected.
And sure, the big kahunas want to keep down upstarts, the worst offender being Amazon, which will underprice, lose money to kill competitors. This is what Warren and Sanders were bitching about, but the DNC and inside media decided no one cared about that, so they focused on milquetoast Biden, promising a return to the past as they triangulate, imposing a flawed paradigm upon an era that does not exist. People use Amazon and Facebook products all the time, but they also hate them. it's kind of like the cable company, as soon as you get an alternative, you jump.
But having misplayed his hand with the Bolton book, give Trump credit, he understands much more of the game than the usual suspect players, said DNC and major media. Yes, by suing Trump will ensure the Bolton story stays on the front page longer than it would have. But Trump also knows that the internet runs on gossip and truth is one of the last priorities. Blame Fox News all you want, the truth is people are exposed to falsehoods all day long on the internet, have an opinion and express it, you'll see. Which is why Dorsey and Zuckerberg have so much power. And Trump knows he's got no power over them, not directly relative to their content, but he's jawboning to get them to blink all the while gaining adherents who hate social media. That's another thing, everybody who professes to hate social media is on it.
As for the content of Bolton's book...
A nonfactor.
The truth is the election is months away, and nothing negative sticks to Trump. Sure, he might have blown Covid-19, but no one you know died and you're already out and about, lockdown is in the rearview mirror to you.
And you...
Sympathize with African-Americans, as long as they don't get too uppity. And you don't like looting. And you won't say any of this out loud, but there's no way you're voting for old Joe, Trump has been good for you, you don't want any change.
And the DNC blew it because it doesn't understand that the internet runs on passion! You win and lose elections online, few people watch TV news, whether it be network or cable. So, what you want to possess is a lot of followers who you feed with content with spreadability. Come on, is anybody spreading anything Biden says? Proving, once again, that as flawed as Trump might be in the internet sphere, the Democrats are positively clueless. The Democrats are running on an old playbook that they believe is inviolate. They're selling CRTs in an OLED flat screen world. They believe CDs have pristine sound and they won't trust their credit card information to Spotify.
What did we learn with Bernie Sanders this year?
The young people didn't come out. They professed belief in his agenda, they just did not bother to vote.
And now voting is harder than ever. You might not get a mail-in ballot, you might have even been stricken from the rolls! And if you do go to vote, it might take hours and you might get Covid-19. Meanwhile, all the oldsters say REMEMBER BUSH/GORE! But these antiquarians don't realize these young voters were not even alive then, of if they were, they were unaware.
It's hard to discern the method in Trump's madness. But one thing is for sure, the Democrats and the media just react to it. Constantly print the shenanigans, throw their hands in the air and expect you to agree with them. Meanwhile, so many have contempt for the talking heads and reporters, if they're even paying attention at all. Come on, whether it be Tucker Carlson or Joe Scarborough, both think their doody does not stink and what they say is uber-important, not having gotten the memo that the internet has flattened our society. Celebs have been brought down more than one notch, a few in fact, and the hoi polloi has been lifted. So, if you separate yourself from the rest of the public, you're a target, in a world where people can fight back and don't think you're any better than they are.
So stop all this b.s on facts. The election will be based on emotions. And Trumpers believe their man is unjustly attacked, that the fake news empire is after him. Meanwhile, those with a brain know the opposite is true, but they never decide on one strategy or angle to hammer over and over like Trump, which you've got to do in today's world to be heard, because there are so many messages.
So, stop being holier-than-thou, believing Trump is a doofus and there's no way he can get elected.
First and foremost, the Republicans are tilting the table, via voter suppression, saying it's all about eliminating fraud when fraud is de minimis. Second, never underestimate the instinct of those who have not to give it up. Third, people neither like to appear dumb or uninformed, so they'll double-down on inane positions just to save face.
So, the truly rich stay out of the fray, they pay in secret, via lobbyists, PACs...they're smart enough to realize it's hard to win the internet news game, even if you're right.
And the rest of the country is arguing 24/7 on social media.
The internet allows those without money to triumph, but only if they're organized and are clear on what they want.
Once again, the election will be decided on the internet. The news media always wants a new story and the public is inundated with messages and little sticks. So, it's all opinion, all the time. Go online, learn the game, it's hard, harder than ever, you can play, but you may not even be heard, never mind win. But if you do want to win, when it comes to politics, followers first, message second, veracity may be irrelevant. Remember that.
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Tuesday, 16 June 2020
Fire Songs-This Week On SiriusXM
Show Playlist:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3fqbjwo
Pandora: https://bit.ly/2zHWhTO
Tune in today June 16th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive
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Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3fqbjwo
Pandora: https://bit.ly/2zHWhTO
Tune in today June 16th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive
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Monday, 15 June 2020
Dave Chappelle "8:46"
https://bit.ly/37zTCrJ
20,293,000 YouTube views.
What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where a comedian has more reach than any musician?
One in which Chappelle is trusted by his audience, because he's never lied to them.
Chappelle's got a long history of going his own way. Most notably when he walked away from his Comedy Central show. Word on the street was that he should continue, take those millions from the man! But it no longer felt right to Chappelle so he moved on. In a world where no one forgoes bucks...NO ONE!
That's the country we live in, money talks and we're the living proof, there ain't no limit to what money can do, money talks. That's what Ray Davies sang with the Kinks on the unheralded "Preservation Act 2" double album. Ray didn't complain people weren't listening, he just did his act. Diehard fans knew it, went to see the band live. And eventually, the Kinks signed with Arista and had another slew of hits. Meanwhile, Ray is as irascible as ever.
That's a rock star.
Those aren't musicians today.
What we've got is a ton of uneducated, unskilled crybabies who are pissed you're not listening and they're not rich. Oh, I'll get e-mail from people saying that's not them, with an MP3 attached...they're too stupid to see that they are the problem, and far from the solution.
So Dave Chappelle pays his dues. He's very good at what he does. And what he does is not exactly like what anybody else does. Sure, he's a standup comedian, but he's not an imitation, he's an original. Maybe you don't like him, that doesn't bother him, he's not about to compromise his act to satiate you, that's no life, certainly not for an artist.
And Chappelle is paid the big bucks. And it's not like he's unavailable. And now, a few weeks after the death of George Floyd, Chappelle speaks out.
Sponsored by Netflix.
And you wonder why Netflix wins the streaming wars. You've got to be artist-friendly. That used to be HBO, but HBO would dither and go to pilot and then not make your show. Netflix buys the idea, sets you on your way and doesn't interfere. And the dirty little secret of artistic greatness is it's hard to achieve. It's not math. You try to walk the razor's edge but even the greats fall off. It's kind of like baseball, if you hit .300, you're in the Hall of Fame.
So, does Netflix put the production behind its paywall? OF COURSE NOT! As a matter of fact, you couldn't even see it on the service. No, Netflix thought that what Chappelle was saying was so important, they had to make it available to all, for free, on YouTube.
Meanwhile, the major record companies believe YouTube is enemy #1. Because it's about the money. Money first, art second. The labels don't want to leave a single dollar on the table. And you wonder why they're hated. All this testimony about black lives mattering...they've been screwing black artists from time immemorial. BMG said it was gonna review old contracts, adjust royalty rates, but the big three? NOT A PEEP!
You can't give away money, what would the shareholders say, you'd make a smaller salary, the artists are fungible, screw-em.
And word on the street was Chappelle's twenty seven minute plus screed was not funny.
Hannah Gadsby wasn't funny, and her specials are some of the best on Netflix.
You see greats stretch the medium, they don't conform to it.
But there are a few jokes in 8:46. But mostly it's storytelling. Forget all the whites getting together to try to push the black ball forward. In most cases it's a circle jerk. Best to just listen to Brother Chappelle. Because he's schooling us in this screed. Whites have little knowledge of black history, and they believe black history is a joke, just a way for African-Americans to feel good about themselves, if it was so important they'd already know about it, it would be in schoolbooks...written by whites and approved by whites. Come on, Betsy DeVos, the queen of private schools, do you think she gives a rat's ass about black history, no she just wants to eradicate it, along with the underfunded public schools blacks are forced to attend. No, not everybody can go to a great private school, no matter how much choice you say there is, we don't live in Lake Wobegon, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." If you know math, you know that's impossible!
So Chappelle starts telling a story and you've got no idea where it's going. He's talking about the earthquake, back in '94, in Los Angeles. He ultimately says how scared he was. And that was what, like thirty five seconds long? That cop had his knee on George Floyd's neck for EIGHT MINUTES AND FORTY SIX SECONDS!
That drove the length of time home. I was in L.A. during the earthquake. It was like the end of the world. If it had been eight minutes and forty six seconds long I would have died of fright.
So, George Floyd calls out for his mother. Chappelle says George KNEW HE WAS GONNA DIE!
Chappelle says how on his deathbed, his father called out for his grandfather.
I don't want to give it all away, but just when you think he's meandering, you find out he's not, Chappelle's ties it all together.
And the message is powerful and well-executed.
But what struck me is what I mentioned at the top. The people trust Chappelle.
Let me ask you, who can you trust?
Certainly not the President. Nor the DNC either.
The corporations? Their business model is screwing you over.
The cops? I'm white and I'm scared of the cops! They've never been there for me, they've only hassled me.
And I've sat down for the national anthem. Yup, people tell me to get up at the baseball stadium, the sixties were fifty years ago. But if you're not willing to question authority, think for yourself, then you're a lemming, a victim with no input. America is the land of the individual. And not only Republicans can be individuals, remember that.
So, we used to trust our rock stars. But can we trust Jay Z when he keeps telling us he's a business, man! Or Kanye who supports Trump and can't stop bitching that everybody's against him? Oh, Kanye is bipolar, but we'd rather just watch him self-destruct than get him in treatment, embrace him medicated.
As for the whites?
THEY'RE ALL AFRAID!
They all remember the Dixie Chicks. Whether they're in country or pop, rock and in some cases even hip-hop. You can't alienate a potential customer. Everybody's watched "Shark Tank," everybody thinks they're a business, everybody's got a home-schooled MBA when the truth is the heart and soul of our country is the denigrated liberal arts.
And they want to open the universities with social distancing. The only reason to go to college is to interact with others, hear contrary opinions and grow up. And it's an impossibility if there's social distancing, which won't be observed anyway, but the educational institutions need the bucks.
As for bucks... Even investment funds got money from the government. That's right, they made millions but the government gives them more while you're broke and can't make ends meet.
But they keep dangling that carrot, you can be just like them.
But Chappelle makes a good case how slavery wasn't that long ago. Listen and you'll see. Hell, Hitler killed Jews who practiced other religions, he said it was in their blood. You can't outrun your race or your religion, your background. And when you grow up Jewish like myself, you're taught to stand up, to correct people when they make anti-Semitic remarks. You see if you don't correct people, they don't know any better.
As for those who need to be corrected...
Only a comedian like Chappelle can properly eviscerate Laura Ingraham. All the writing in the paper...who are these people? Chappelle has a name, they don't. And you don't see any Republicans standing up to her while they lionize Candace Owens. Chappelle takes Owens down too. Just because you found one African-American to take your side, to become a Republican, that does not mean the right is not racist.
So you listen to Chappelle and his message sticks with you.
Listen to today's hit music and you're forgetting it while you're listening to it. Much of it is made for a good time. Well, THINGS AREN'T SO GOOD RIGHT NOW!
So we need messengers, we need leaders.
But we don't have any in government. And we don't have any in business. Hell, Elon Musk called for Amazon to be broken up because it wouldn't sell an anti-Covid book. But that goes against the right of a business to sell whatever it wants to, for Twitter and Facebook to disallow speech, but forget the law, when some bozo with power and a megaphone says otherwise, people believe it.
But Chappelle is not a bozo and he's got a great big megaphone.
He says it wasn't time for him to weigh in as a celebrity, it was the time of the people, they were doing a great job, as for criticism for laying back, he's been saying this stuff all along. What a breath of fresh air in an era where celebrities are using the death of George Floyd as a marketing tool.
So the only person with universal purchase in America is Trump. He's the only one who everyone knows almost everything about. Everybody else has a sliver of his audience.
But who is number two? Who else could get 20+ million views on YouTube?
And don't compare this with music streams. Music is made to be repeated, visual entertainment is not. And, the Chappelle video hasn't even been up for five days!
Watch this. It'll open your eyes. And make you think. And that's what we need more of, thinking instead of knee-jerk opinions. Our country has become close-minded. And money is used to keep thought controlled. And those with money say they're inviolate, that complaints against them are class warfare. Then how do we categorize the constant harassment of African-Americans?
Oh, that's right, we ignore it.
But Dave Chappelle cannot be ignored.
20,293,000 YouTube views.
What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where a comedian has more reach than any musician?
One in which Chappelle is trusted by his audience, because he's never lied to them.
Chappelle's got a long history of going his own way. Most notably when he walked away from his Comedy Central show. Word on the street was that he should continue, take those millions from the man! But it no longer felt right to Chappelle so he moved on. In a world where no one forgoes bucks...NO ONE!
That's the country we live in, money talks and we're the living proof, there ain't no limit to what money can do, money talks. That's what Ray Davies sang with the Kinks on the unheralded "Preservation Act 2" double album. Ray didn't complain people weren't listening, he just did his act. Diehard fans knew it, went to see the band live. And eventually, the Kinks signed with Arista and had another slew of hits. Meanwhile, Ray is as irascible as ever.
That's a rock star.
Those aren't musicians today.
What we've got is a ton of uneducated, unskilled crybabies who are pissed you're not listening and they're not rich. Oh, I'll get e-mail from people saying that's not them, with an MP3 attached...they're too stupid to see that they are the problem, and far from the solution.
So Dave Chappelle pays his dues. He's very good at what he does. And what he does is not exactly like what anybody else does. Sure, he's a standup comedian, but he's not an imitation, he's an original. Maybe you don't like him, that doesn't bother him, he's not about to compromise his act to satiate you, that's no life, certainly not for an artist.
And Chappelle is paid the big bucks. And it's not like he's unavailable. And now, a few weeks after the death of George Floyd, Chappelle speaks out.
Sponsored by Netflix.
And you wonder why Netflix wins the streaming wars. You've got to be artist-friendly. That used to be HBO, but HBO would dither and go to pilot and then not make your show. Netflix buys the idea, sets you on your way and doesn't interfere. And the dirty little secret of artistic greatness is it's hard to achieve. It's not math. You try to walk the razor's edge but even the greats fall off. It's kind of like baseball, if you hit .300, you're in the Hall of Fame.
So, does Netflix put the production behind its paywall? OF COURSE NOT! As a matter of fact, you couldn't even see it on the service. No, Netflix thought that what Chappelle was saying was so important, they had to make it available to all, for free, on YouTube.
Meanwhile, the major record companies believe YouTube is enemy #1. Because it's about the money. Money first, art second. The labels don't want to leave a single dollar on the table. And you wonder why they're hated. All this testimony about black lives mattering...they've been screwing black artists from time immemorial. BMG said it was gonna review old contracts, adjust royalty rates, but the big three? NOT A PEEP!
You can't give away money, what would the shareholders say, you'd make a smaller salary, the artists are fungible, screw-em.
And word on the street was Chappelle's twenty seven minute plus screed was not funny.
Hannah Gadsby wasn't funny, and her specials are some of the best on Netflix.
You see greats stretch the medium, they don't conform to it.
But there are a few jokes in 8:46. But mostly it's storytelling. Forget all the whites getting together to try to push the black ball forward. In most cases it's a circle jerk. Best to just listen to Brother Chappelle. Because he's schooling us in this screed. Whites have little knowledge of black history, and they believe black history is a joke, just a way for African-Americans to feel good about themselves, if it was so important they'd already know about it, it would be in schoolbooks...written by whites and approved by whites. Come on, Betsy DeVos, the queen of private schools, do you think she gives a rat's ass about black history, no she just wants to eradicate it, along with the underfunded public schools blacks are forced to attend. No, not everybody can go to a great private school, no matter how much choice you say there is, we don't live in Lake Wobegon, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." If you know math, you know that's impossible!
So Chappelle starts telling a story and you've got no idea where it's going. He's talking about the earthquake, back in '94, in Los Angeles. He ultimately says how scared he was. And that was what, like thirty five seconds long? That cop had his knee on George Floyd's neck for EIGHT MINUTES AND FORTY SIX SECONDS!
That drove the length of time home. I was in L.A. during the earthquake. It was like the end of the world. If it had been eight minutes and forty six seconds long I would have died of fright.
So, George Floyd calls out for his mother. Chappelle says George KNEW HE WAS GONNA DIE!
Chappelle says how on his deathbed, his father called out for his grandfather.
I don't want to give it all away, but just when you think he's meandering, you find out he's not, Chappelle's ties it all together.
And the message is powerful and well-executed.
But what struck me is what I mentioned at the top. The people trust Chappelle.
Let me ask you, who can you trust?
Certainly not the President. Nor the DNC either.
The corporations? Their business model is screwing you over.
The cops? I'm white and I'm scared of the cops! They've never been there for me, they've only hassled me.
And I've sat down for the national anthem. Yup, people tell me to get up at the baseball stadium, the sixties were fifty years ago. But if you're not willing to question authority, think for yourself, then you're a lemming, a victim with no input. America is the land of the individual. And not only Republicans can be individuals, remember that.
So, we used to trust our rock stars. But can we trust Jay Z when he keeps telling us he's a business, man! Or Kanye who supports Trump and can't stop bitching that everybody's against him? Oh, Kanye is bipolar, but we'd rather just watch him self-destruct than get him in treatment, embrace him medicated.
As for the whites?
THEY'RE ALL AFRAID!
They all remember the Dixie Chicks. Whether they're in country or pop, rock and in some cases even hip-hop. You can't alienate a potential customer. Everybody's watched "Shark Tank," everybody thinks they're a business, everybody's got a home-schooled MBA when the truth is the heart and soul of our country is the denigrated liberal arts.
And they want to open the universities with social distancing. The only reason to go to college is to interact with others, hear contrary opinions and grow up. And it's an impossibility if there's social distancing, which won't be observed anyway, but the educational institutions need the bucks.
As for bucks... Even investment funds got money from the government. That's right, they made millions but the government gives them more while you're broke and can't make ends meet.
But they keep dangling that carrot, you can be just like them.
But Chappelle makes a good case how slavery wasn't that long ago. Listen and you'll see. Hell, Hitler killed Jews who practiced other religions, he said it was in their blood. You can't outrun your race or your religion, your background. And when you grow up Jewish like myself, you're taught to stand up, to correct people when they make anti-Semitic remarks. You see if you don't correct people, they don't know any better.
As for those who need to be corrected...
Only a comedian like Chappelle can properly eviscerate Laura Ingraham. All the writing in the paper...who are these people? Chappelle has a name, they don't. And you don't see any Republicans standing up to her while they lionize Candace Owens. Chappelle takes Owens down too. Just because you found one African-American to take your side, to become a Republican, that does not mean the right is not racist.
So you listen to Chappelle and his message sticks with you.
Listen to today's hit music and you're forgetting it while you're listening to it. Much of it is made for a good time. Well, THINGS AREN'T SO GOOD RIGHT NOW!
So we need messengers, we need leaders.
But we don't have any in government. And we don't have any in business. Hell, Elon Musk called for Amazon to be broken up because it wouldn't sell an anti-Covid book. But that goes against the right of a business to sell whatever it wants to, for Twitter and Facebook to disallow speech, but forget the law, when some bozo with power and a megaphone says otherwise, people believe it.
But Chappelle is not a bozo and he's got a great big megaphone.
He says it wasn't time for him to weigh in as a celebrity, it was the time of the people, they were doing a great job, as for criticism for laying back, he's been saying this stuff all along. What a breath of fresh air in an era where celebrities are using the death of George Floyd as a marketing tool.
So the only person with universal purchase in America is Trump. He's the only one who everyone knows almost everything about. Everybody else has a sliver of his audience.
But who is number two? Who else could get 20+ million views on YouTube?
And don't compare this with music streams. Music is made to be repeated, visual entertainment is not. And, the Chappelle video hasn't even been up for five days!
Watch this. It'll open your eyes. And make you think. And that's what we need more of, thinking instead of knee-jerk opinions. Our country has become close-minded. And money is used to keep thought controlled. And those with money say they're inviolate, that complaints against them are class warfare. Then how do we categorize the constant harassment of African-Americans?
Oh, that's right, we ignore it.
But Dave Chappelle cannot be ignored.
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Severance
https://amzn.to/2B7wGE2
I found out about it through "Rolling Stone."
The last three episodes of the second season of "Ramy" are ASTOUNDING!
The second season does not start off like the first. There isn't as much humor, there's a lot of religion. I was wondering if I'd written about the series too soon.
And then...
There's the episode about Ramy's father.
The one about his uncle, Naseem.
And then a long one about Ramy, where the loose ends are tied up, or not.
Now Felice has a problem with Ramy, the character. Because on many levels he's a loser. No, more of a screw-up. I don't remember this in any sitcom previously, where the main character creates problems but is not ultimately lovable. Doesn't everybody love Raymond? Everybody does not love Ramy.
And so many issues are addressed. Love. What is it, who should you do it with? Can you lead with your head instead of your heart? And then there's timing and information and...it's hard to lock on and sustain.
Which brings me to Marc Maron's podcast with Jerry Seinfeld. It's a must-listen!
https://bit.ly/2UL0vkT
I've got a problem with Maron in that he does not prepare for his interviews, as a result he asks basic questions of guests that even a casual fan would know the answer to. After all, Jerry Seinfeld has been in the public eye for over three decades, he's been scrutinized, laundered...
But ultimately this podcast becomes a conversation. It's just not information, and that is very interesting.
Also interesting is when Maron says he gave up his show on IFC, because it just wasn't going anywhere. The outlet was not going to increase the budget, the audience was not shooting up, why do it?
This is what the system doesn't understand, that the paradigm changes.
Every comedian should aspire to a sitcom. The only problem is we no longer live in a three/four network world. You can make it and no one can watch it. You can put it on your resume but it won't buy you much.
Kind of like a book. I'm constantly dunned to write a book. Sure, like a comedian with a sitcom I can promote it as evidence of gravitas, but no one is more out of touch with the digital world than book publishers. But even worse, the number of people who read books, well, let's say the number of readers per almost all books is positively anemic! And it takes so long to do. You get an advance, you take a year or two or five or ten to then write a book that almost no one reads. I hit send and I reach a huge multiple of what almost all writers of books reach. But since it's free and it's online, it gets no respect. Except from readers. You see publishing is a club. And the world today is littered with clubs that only mean something to their members. Woo-hoo, you're a member of Soho House! Yippie-ei-o tayey! If you think it's exclusive, you don't know with a connection anybody can get in. But this is how people measure themselves, by these phony markers placed in a book no one is reading. Kind of like likes. They're meaningless.
But the podcast is interesting because of Jerry. Who is definitely different. He'd definitely on the spectrum somewhere, albeit high functioning. But he did the work when others didn't. He wrote when the others were hanging out and doing drugs. Richard Lewis made a career out of being unprepared, winging it on stage, but those who've followed in his footsteps...kinda like Maron himself, that's what's wrong with his comedy, that's what's wrong with his execrable intros to his podcasts!
He wasn't gonna have me on anyway. He's already pissed about something else I wrote. Who cares, like I need to say I was on Marc Maron? Whoop-de-doo!
Not that I have a problem with the man. The one time we met he was cordial. But that's personal, and this is business.
But most people don't have Hulu so they can't even watch "Ramy," never mind having the outlet and pulling it up. There's too much product. But we're all looking for a recommendation, but we trust almost none of the traditional infrastructure, it's hype.
So why did I trust "Rolling Stone"?
Well, I didn't.
Well, I guess I did.
Anyway, "Rolling Stone" raised the price to $70 a year. For twelve issues. That's insane! Especially when it's included in Apple News+ for ten bucks a month, along with "New York" which essentially costs the same, at least with digital access.
So I can rationalize my ten bucks a month for Apple News+. Even though I don't love the format.
And if you're coming out every month you're inherently irrelevant. In an era where this morning's news is history this afternoon...you've inherently taken yourself out of the discussion. And the truth is "Rolling Stone" has a very active website, with some articles of note, but there are too many articles, what ever happened to curation? But it's even worse over at "Billboard," an endless spew of irrelevant stuff written by those who can't write. But I get that as part of Apple News+ too, but I never subscribed, "Billboard" is an alternative universe for those not really in the game. Then again, it prints charts the labels love, because they are inherently manipulated, if it was just streams, why would you need "Billboard"? Then again, how interesting is this news, isn't it supposed to be about the music? And if anyone thinks today's music is the heartbeat of the culture, they haven't watched television.
But I'm talking about a book.
Yes, "Rolling Stone" put the idea in my mind. So I looked "Severance" up, and it got uber-good reviews, from respectable outlets.
So I downloaded the sample chapter to my Kindle. Try before you buy, it's the only way to do business...isn't that how dope dealers work?
And I'd be lying if I told you I loved the sample, but I'd come off a bad book and "Severance" was my best option and...
This was no Rufi Thorpe. Ling Ma had gotten an MFA, and you could tell. Because the writing was somewhat stilted.
And I was pissed I bought it until about halfway through, when the book, the characters, the situation, came alive.
Yes, it's a pandemic book. And what is so fascinating is despite being two years old, it presages the Covid-19 era. The virus is different...you don't get it from people and you don't die soon...but is your allegiance to your job or your life? And who do you look to lead you? And what happens when the institutions decline and hit their demise?
You're on your own buddy.
But Candace yearns for connection and hooks up with others who've survived. Led by Bob, an authoritarian. There's always someone who takes control, do you become subservient or stand on your principles or...there are no clear answers.
And what are the consequences of breaking the rules?
You go through school playing a game, and then you graduate and there is no game, even though many try to construct one. Maybe you've got to bend the rules to get ahead, even break them! Maybe the penalties for screwing up are not that severe. Maybe those in control of the game are clueless.
So...
Most people are not famous. Even if they think they are based on their social media follower numbers. Sure, the celebrities are no longer as big as they think they are, as big as they used to be, I mean why in hell do we listen to actors, who recite others' lines, but that does not mean you're the new star, even though you may think you are.
No, you're probably overeducated and thrilled that you have this boring irrelevant job. In Candace's case, printing Bibles.
And choices...do you get picked up for the one night stand or do you stay at home out of the fray missing out...
So once you get into it, "Severance" is a whole world, you will no longer think about this world, the one you're inhabiting every day. It's like Candace is a good friend, you're continuing to learn more about her, her parents, her upbringing, her relationships, as she tries to figure out how to navigate life. Just like you, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself. The world is littered with lawyers who hate their jobs, they went to law school because their parents told them to, got jobs, and now this is their life, banging out the hours, they never questioned the system, to their disadvantage.
And there's wisdom:
"It was the anonymity. He wanted to be unknown, unpossessed by others' knowledge of him. That was freedom."
That's why I live in the big city, nobody knows who I am, and in Los Angeles everybody's so self-centered they don't care who I am. And that's just how I like it. I've lived in small communities where you're instantly labeled and judged and cannot get out of the hole they've put you in. Furthermore, I'm not the usual suspect. I don't hone off my edges to make friends, then stab them behind their back. I'm upfront about everything, but if we connect, I'm as loyal as they get.
"When other people are happy, I don't have to worry about them. There is room for my happiness.
BINGO! I'm always worrying about other people's happiness. I can't relax until everybody's taken care of, and when they are, there's room for me. It's kinda like Ramy's dad... Farouk tells Ramy he has to live in the future so Ramy and his sister and their mother can live in the present. Reminded me of my dad...it ain't easy being responsible for a household.
"Evan took special pleasure in teasing Ashley, the way a schoolboy might make fun of a girl he crushed on."
I don't know why this is, but it's true. I saw it in the "Rugrats" once. Chuckie or Tommy kicked his crush on the playground. You don't know how to show your affection, so you make trouble, just trying to gain their attention, just trying to get close.
"New York has a way of forgetting you."
The city lives on, you are forgotten.
"I have always lived in the myth of New York more than in its reality. It is what enabled me to live there for so long, loving the idea of something more than the thing itself."
You're young. You move to New York. It's difficult. And eventually...you move on, to where the living is easier.
Kinda like L.A. But L.A. is a giant suburb, so...you used to be able to move to the San Fernando Valley, but now even that is becoming expensive, so...maybe you do leave.
The country is reopening as Covid-19 is flaring and you don't know whether to be scared or elated. You don't know whether to live your life or stay home. And one thing is for sure, there is no leadership, no one is truly in charge. And then there are those convinced they know the way, who refuse to wear masks, who refuse to adhere to safety measures...in "Severance," some of those die too.
So, the book won't instantly hook you and wow you, like "Knockout Queen," but when it's over, it'll stick with you, you'll have a hard time reintegrating into regular life. And what more can you ask from art?
I found out about it through "Rolling Stone."
The last three episodes of the second season of "Ramy" are ASTOUNDING!
The second season does not start off like the first. There isn't as much humor, there's a lot of religion. I was wondering if I'd written about the series too soon.
And then...
There's the episode about Ramy's father.
The one about his uncle, Naseem.
And then a long one about Ramy, where the loose ends are tied up, or not.
Now Felice has a problem with Ramy, the character. Because on many levels he's a loser. No, more of a screw-up. I don't remember this in any sitcom previously, where the main character creates problems but is not ultimately lovable. Doesn't everybody love Raymond? Everybody does not love Ramy.
And so many issues are addressed. Love. What is it, who should you do it with? Can you lead with your head instead of your heart? And then there's timing and information and...it's hard to lock on and sustain.
Which brings me to Marc Maron's podcast with Jerry Seinfeld. It's a must-listen!
https://bit.ly/2UL0vkT
I've got a problem with Maron in that he does not prepare for his interviews, as a result he asks basic questions of guests that even a casual fan would know the answer to. After all, Jerry Seinfeld has been in the public eye for over three decades, he's been scrutinized, laundered...
But ultimately this podcast becomes a conversation. It's just not information, and that is very interesting.
Also interesting is when Maron says he gave up his show on IFC, because it just wasn't going anywhere. The outlet was not going to increase the budget, the audience was not shooting up, why do it?
This is what the system doesn't understand, that the paradigm changes.
Every comedian should aspire to a sitcom. The only problem is we no longer live in a three/four network world. You can make it and no one can watch it. You can put it on your resume but it won't buy you much.
Kind of like a book. I'm constantly dunned to write a book. Sure, like a comedian with a sitcom I can promote it as evidence of gravitas, but no one is more out of touch with the digital world than book publishers. But even worse, the number of people who read books, well, let's say the number of readers per almost all books is positively anemic! And it takes so long to do. You get an advance, you take a year or two or five or ten to then write a book that almost no one reads. I hit send and I reach a huge multiple of what almost all writers of books reach. But since it's free and it's online, it gets no respect. Except from readers. You see publishing is a club. And the world today is littered with clubs that only mean something to their members. Woo-hoo, you're a member of Soho House! Yippie-ei-o tayey! If you think it's exclusive, you don't know with a connection anybody can get in. But this is how people measure themselves, by these phony markers placed in a book no one is reading. Kind of like likes. They're meaningless.
But the podcast is interesting because of Jerry. Who is definitely different. He'd definitely on the spectrum somewhere, albeit high functioning. But he did the work when others didn't. He wrote when the others were hanging out and doing drugs. Richard Lewis made a career out of being unprepared, winging it on stage, but those who've followed in his footsteps...kinda like Maron himself, that's what's wrong with his comedy, that's what's wrong with his execrable intros to his podcasts!
He wasn't gonna have me on anyway. He's already pissed about something else I wrote. Who cares, like I need to say I was on Marc Maron? Whoop-de-doo!
Not that I have a problem with the man. The one time we met he was cordial. But that's personal, and this is business.
But most people don't have Hulu so they can't even watch "Ramy," never mind having the outlet and pulling it up. There's too much product. But we're all looking for a recommendation, but we trust almost none of the traditional infrastructure, it's hype.
So why did I trust "Rolling Stone"?
Well, I didn't.
Well, I guess I did.
Anyway, "Rolling Stone" raised the price to $70 a year. For twelve issues. That's insane! Especially when it's included in Apple News+ for ten bucks a month, along with "New York" which essentially costs the same, at least with digital access.
So I can rationalize my ten bucks a month for Apple News+. Even though I don't love the format.
And if you're coming out every month you're inherently irrelevant. In an era where this morning's news is history this afternoon...you've inherently taken yourself out of the discussion. And the truth is "Rolling Stone" has a very active website, with some articles of note, but there are too many articles, what ever happened to curation? But it's even worse over at "Billboard," an endless spew of irrelevant stuff written by those who can't write. But I get that as part of Apple News+ too, but I never subscribed, "Billboard" is an alternative universe for those not really in the game. Then again, it prints charts the labels love, because they are inherently manipulated, if it was just streams, why would you need "Billboard"? Then again, how interesting is this news, isn't it supposed to be about the music? And if anyone thinks today's music is the heartbeat of the culture, they haven't watched television.
But I'm talking about a book.
Yes, "Rolling Stone" put the idea in my mind. So I looked "Severance" up, and it got uber-good reviews, from respectable outlets.
So I downloaded the sample chapter to my Kindle. Try before you buy, it's the only way to do business...isn't that how dope dealers work?
And I'd be lying if I told you I loved the sample, but I'd come off a bad book and "Severance" was my best option and...
This was no Rufi Thorpe. Ling Ma had gotten an MFA, and you could tell. Because the writing was somewhat stilted.
And I was pissed I bought it until about halfway through, when the book, the characters, the situation, came alive.
Yes, it's a pandemic book. And what is so fascinating is despite being two years old, it presages the Covid-19 era. The virus is different...you don't get it from people and you don't die soon...but is your allegiance to your job or your life? And who do you look to lead you? And what happens when the institutions decline and hit their demise?
You're on your own buddy.
But Candace yearns for connection and hooks up with others who've survived. Led by Bob, an authoritarian. There's always someone who takes control, do you become subservient or stand on your principles or...there are no clear answers.
And what are the consequences of breaking the rules?
You go through school playing a game, and then you graduate and there is no game, even though many try to construct one. Maybe you've got to bend the rules to get ahead, even break them! Maybe the penalties for screwing up are not that severe. Maybe those in control of the game are clueless.
So...
Most people are not famous. Even if they think they are based on their social media follower numbers. Sure, the celebrities are no longer as big as they think they are, as big as they used to be, I mean why in hell do we listen to actors, who recite others' lines, but that does not mean you're the new star, even though you may think you are.
No, you're probably overeducated and thrilled that you have this boring irrelevant job. In Candace's case, printing Bibles.
And choices...do you get picked up for the one night stand or do you stay at home out of the fray missing out...
So once you get into it, "Severance" is a whole world, you will no longer think about this world, the one you're inhabiting every day. It's like Candace is a good friend, you're continuing to learn more about her, her parents, her upbringing, her relationships, as she tries to figure out how to navigate life. Just like you, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself. The world is littered with lawyers who hate their jobs, they went to law school because their parents told them to, got jobs, and now this is their life, banging out the hours, they never questioned the system, to their disadvantage.
And there's wisdom:
"It was the anonymity. He wanted to be unknown, unpossessed by others' knowledge of him. That was freedom."
That's why I live in the big city, nobody knows who I am, and in Los Angeles everybody's so self-centered they don't care who I am. And that's just how I like it. I've lived in small communities where you're instantly labeled and judged and cannot get out of the hole they've put you in. Furthermore, I'm not the usual suspect. I don't hone off my edges to make friends, then stab them behind their back. I'm upfront about everything, but if we connect, I'm as loyal as they get.
"When other people are happy, I don't have to worry about them. There is room for my happiness.
BINGO! I'm always worrying about other people's happiness. I can't relax until everybody's taken care of, and when they are, there's room for me. It's kinda like Ramy's dad... Farouk tells Ramy he has to live in the future so Ramy and his sister and their mother can live in the present. Reminded me of my dad...it ain't easy being responsible for a household.
"Evan took special pleasure in teasing Ashley, the way a schoolboy might make fun of a girl he crushed on."
I don't know why this is, but it's true. I saw it in the "Rugrats" once. Chuckie or Tommy kicked his crush on the playground. You don't know how to show your affection, so you make trouble, just trying to gain their attention, just trying to get close.
"New York has a way of forgetting you."
The city lives on, you are forgotten.
"I have always lived in the myth of New York more than in its reality. It is what enabled me to live there for so long, loving the idea of something more than the thing itself."
You're young. You move to New York. It's difficult. And eventually...you move on, to where the living is easier.
Kinda like L.A. But L.A. is a giant suburb, so...you used to be able to move to the San Fernando Valley, but now even that is becoming expensive, so...maybe you do leave.
The country is reopening as Covid-19 is flaring and you don't know whether to be scared or elated. You don't know whether to live your life or stay home. And one thing is for sure, there is no leadership, no one is truly in charge. And then there are those convinced they know the way, who refuse to wear masks, who refuse to adhere to safety measures...in "Severance," some of those die too.
So, the book won't instantly hook you and wow you, like "Knockout Queen," but when it's over, it'll stick with you, you'll have a hard time reintegrating into regular life. And what more can you ask from art?
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Politics Today
It's Napster.
What do we know about Napster?
It happened as a result of technological change. Same deal here, but instead of high speed connections, it's smartphone cameras.
In the late nineties and early 2000s, only college students had high speed connections. The public came along later. Same deal with smartphones. Sure, some had them in Ferguson, but now everybody has one. Come on, go on YouTube, whenever there's a newsworthy event, there's footage. A rock falls onto the freeway and hits a car? There's video! Almost nothing is undocumented.
And the people trading files were pissed at the record companies. They did studies back then. Labels were some of the most hated entities extant, down there with cable companies. People were sick and tired of paying ten plus bucks for a CD with one good track. The labels thought they were winning, by eliminating the single, but they were wrong.
Today the rank and file don't believe the government works for them. That the game is rigged, that it's run by a professional cabal and corporations and they have no say.
So they protest.
So what does Trump do? CALL OUT THE NATIONAL GUARD! Push back, employ tear gas.
This is exactly what the labels did in the early 2000s, to support their business model, they sued their customers. Nobody agreed with this philosophy other than the labels themselves. This just made customers angrier and even the press questioned the tactic.
Meanwhile, revenue went up. This file-trading thing needed to be eradicated, but CDs were still flying out of the bins and the iTunes Store came along and proved...what, I'm not sure. That people without technological skills would pay for music while the rest of the customer base continued to steal? And now the labels' great fear was reality, in other words, the single was broken out of the album. Oh, you could still buy an album, but why?
And then revenue cratered. To the point where half of recorded music income was lost, and it only bounced back with streaming services, most notably Spotify, which offered a free tier.
You still hear insiders saying they want to get rid of the free tier. And they keep bitching about music on YouTube. But the truth is the free tier, supported by advertising, was a disincentive to steal. Same deal with YouTube. These days, streaming numbers on paid services oftentimes outstrip those on YouTube. If Spotify had been able to launch earlier, music on YouTube wouldn't have been such a big deal. But not all labels would sign on, and therefore Spotify's launch in the U.S. was delayed.
And let's be clear, it is about Spotify. Sure, you read the Apple numbers, but the truth is subscribers on Spotify are much more active, they listen to more music, and that's what drives the business, active customers. As for Amazon...it's got a unique strategy. The Echo is a Trojan Horse and unlike Spotify or Apple Amazon has a hi-res tier. To gain a foothold you must be different, which Amazon is. Try out their high quality tier. It's not as expensive as Tidal's. And Tidal is a joke, a gnat on the ass of paid music consumption.
So, the Democrats and Republicans have been acting in a vacuum for decades now. It's a closed game, and you're affected by who wins and loses. Disruption was impossible, because of the Constitution! There was no way around it.
So, taxes were lowered for the rich. Republicans thought no one would notice. But today news is everywhere, and many people noticed.
And the Republicans have been focusing on social issues to win elections. Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage...but these don't put food on the plate. Of course there's a hard core of constituents who continue to vote Republican, but there are people who buy CDs TO THIS DAY! Furthermore, you'll find people who won't sign up for a paid streaming service. They've got all the answers. What if there's no cell signal? They're too ignorant to know that you can download the tracks to the device, so as long as it has juice, you've got tunes. They say they need to own it. When the format they possess won't even last. Come on, when was the last time you saw a VCR in somebody's house, never mind a LaserDisc player. As for DVDs... My computers don't have drives. My last DVD player didn't have an HDMI port...so what did I do? I tossed it, and didn't bother to replace it.
We live in a world of on demand. And one of the great things about on demand is the product can always be improved and your gear is never obsolete. Even the car companies went to on demand. They outsourced manufacturing to third parties and they only want delivery when they need it, oftentimes just hours before car construction. And I know I'm mixing virtual with physical. But like the hoi polloi, who are constantly denigrated, the car companies had no savings and look to the government to be saved during times of crisis. So, the government rescues corporations and banks, and you're plum out of luck. Maybe you got $1200. See how long that lasts. It's socialism for the rich, and capitalism for the poor.
But it gets worse! The rich constantly brag about their lifestyle and believe since they're wealthy they know better, fomenting anger in the lower classes, who are the overwhelming majority in numbers, if not bucks.
But big time media, in bed with those in the government, say politics is all about the money, even the Supreme Court endorses this, and gets rid of the Voting Rights Act to boot.
As for said media... This was the same media that beat up the record business for being unprepared and ignorant, meanwhile, it was just a matter of time until the internet came for them, and most of them were wiped out. And even the big ones today are essentially begging. It's a glorified GoFundMe campaign. Keep local news alive! Why? You charged us more for less and it gotten to the point where your newshole is so small, I don't need to subscribe. Instead of investing, you cut in order to maintain your profit margin. So, the only publications which survive are the "Wall Street Journal," owned by Rupert Murdoch, who uses the paper as a right wing mouthpiece, irrelevant of income, the "Washington Post," owned by the world's richest man, Jeff Bezos, and the "New York Times," which is so self-congratulatory while at the same time being self-flagellating that it seems removed from what is happening on the street. Furthermore, these outlets just report, as the country's government turns to the right, as authoritarianism raises its ugly head. These reporters are tied into the system, they're friends with the bigwigs, they want to get rich too, so the consumer is left out.
Yes, the consumer has been taking it up the yin-yang for years.
But now the consumer has the tools, the aforesaid smartphone and social media distribution, to get its message heard.
And then George Floyd gets killed in Minneapolis...
They've been killing African-Americans willy-nilly for years, but there were no cameras, there was always an excuse. Hell, until there was footage in Georgia the jogger was at fault, he was breaking into houses, you've got to take the white man's word.
So, after being sick of overpaying for one good track on a CD, being labeled lazy, the African-American community revolted.
But it turned out they were not the only ones who were pissed. The white people came out too. Other people of color. There were demonstrations in 750 cities in America. You see it's no longer an African-American problem, it's an underclass problem. And compared to the wealthy, almost all of us are members of the underclass.
So, what do the insiders and fat cats tell us to do? VOTE! As if that's gonna make a difference. They believe in the system, after all, it's working for them! You know, buy CDs!
And then there are the people afraid to steal. But when they see everybody surrounding them doing it, they jump on board.
You see disruption doesn't only happen in technology. And right now, we're seeing politics disrupted.
The Republicans sold their souls to Trump, to keep their jobs. Just like the execs at the labels, they were thinking about themselves first.
And the Democrats said we had to return to the past, we could not venture into the future. The people couldn't handle it, they didn't want it, they needed to feel safe, they abhorred chaos, so the DNC nominated Joe Biden, someone no one is excited about. The Democrats are rock in an era of hip-hop. And let's be clear, most rockers HATE hip-hop! They give it no respect, they say it isn't music, they vilify streaming services, meanwhile hip-hop keeps getting bigger.
And AOC comes on the scene, a young 'un, part of the demo, who understands the plight of those disadvantaged by the system, and she is EXCORIATED! Shut up you loud mouth, you're too big for your britches, get in line and be quiet.
But she was on to something.
And then you've got septuagenarian Bernie Sanders, who suddenly seems like a seer. In light of Covid-19, Medicare-for-all seems necessary, to protect the health of the country's citizens from those who are too poor to get medical treatment if nothing else. And as the big get bigger, Amazon and Google rule and we suffer, Biden is in bed with them.
You might think I'm a party of one, you might ignore my call, just like you ignored it in the days of Napster. But yesterday on the "Washington Post" app I saw this:
"New generation of activists, deeply skeptical of Democratic Party, resists calls to channel energy into the 2020 campaign": https://wapo.st/30QmeM9
Why trust the Democrats? They're disconnected from the voting public. They're just the party of the elite, the entrenched, who want to maintain what they've got. At least the Republicans are more honest about it.
You see both parties have lost the confidence of the rank and file. And we're not going back to what once was. A return to normal Biden proffers? Well, normal wasn't that good for most people to begin with!
As for gradual change, trusting the system, it didn't benefit the African-Americans.
We are only going forward.
Change always comes from outside, insiders don't want it, we saw this with Shawn Fanning and Napster. Insiders can't see the future.
And the new leaders follow at best, the labels are no longer in control of recording. If nothing else, everybody can record at home essentially for free on their computer and promote themselves on the internet/social media. As for the labels, they don't develop, they just skim the cream and promote as they continue to lose market share.
Adapt or die.
Hell, we're dying on the street, and we're sick and tired of it!
What do we know about Napster?
It happened as a result of technological change. Same deal here, but instead of high speed connections, it's smartphone cameras.
In the late nineties and early 2000s, only college students had high speed connections. The public came along later. Same deal with smartphones. Sure, some had them in Ferguson, but now everybody has one. Come on, go on YouTube, whenever there's a newsworthy event, there's footage. A rock falls onto the freeway and hits a car? There's video! Almost nothing is undocumented.
And the people trading files were pissed at the record companies. They did studies back then. Labels were some of the most hated entities extant, down there with cable companies. People were sick and tired of paying ten plus bucks for a CD with one good track. The labels thought they were winning, by eliminating the single, but they were wrong.
Today the rank and file don't believe the government works for them. That the game is rigged, that it's run by a professional cabal and corporations and they have no say.
So they protest.
So what does Trump do? CALL OUT THE NATIONAL GUARD! Push back, employ tear gas.
This is exactly what the labels did in the early 2000s, to support their business model, they sued their customers. Nobody agreed with this philosophy other than the labels themselves. This just made customers angrier and even the press questioned the tactic.
Meanwhile, revenue went up. This file-trading thing needed to be eradicated, but CDs were still flying out of the bins and the iTunes Store came along and proved...what, I'm not sure. That people without technological skills would pay for music while the rest of the customer base continued to steal? And now the labels' great fear was reality, in other words, the single was broken out of the album. Oh, you could still buy an album, but why?
And then revenue cratered. To the point where half of recorded music income was lost, and it only bounced back with streaming services, most notably Spotify, which offered a free tier.
You still hear insiders saying they want to get rid of the free tier. And they keep bitching about music on YouTube. But the truth is the free tier, supported by advertising, was a disincentive to steal. Same deal with YouTube. These days, streaming numbers on paid services oftentimes outstrip those on YouTube. If Spotify had been able to launch earlier, music on YouTube wouldn't have been such a big deal. But not all labels would sign on, and therefore Spotify's launch in the U.S. was delayed.
And let's be clear, it is about Spotify. Sure, you read the Apple numbers, but the truth is subscribers on Spotify are much more active, they listen to more music, and that's what drives the business, active customers. As for Amazon...it's got a unique strategy. The Echo is a Trojan Horse and unlike Spotify or Apple Amazon has a hi-res tier. To gain a foothold you must be different, which Amazon is. Try out their high quality tier. It's not as expensive as Tidal's. And Tidal is a joke, a gnat on the ass of paid music consumption.
So, the Democrats and Republicans have been acting in a vacuum for decades now. It's a closed game, and you're affected by who wins and loses. Disruption was impossible, because of the Constitution! There was no way around it.
So, taxes were lowered for the rich. Republicans thought no one would notice. But today news is everywhere, and many people noticed.
And the Republicans have been focusing on social issues to win elections. Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage...but these don't put food on the plate. Of course there's a hard core of constituents who continue to vote Republican, but there are people who buy CDs TO THIS DAY! Furthermore, you'll find people who won't sign up for a paid streaming service. They've got all the answers. What if there's no cell signal? They're too ignorant to know that you can download the tracks to the device, so as long as it has juice, you've got tunes. They say they need to own it. When the format they possess won't even last. Come on, when was the last time you saw a VCR in somebody's house, never mind a LaserDisc player. As for DVDs... My computers don't have drives. My last DVD player didn't have an HDMI port...so what did I do? I tossed it, and didn't bother to replace it.
We live in a world of on demand. And one of the great things about on demand is the product can always be improved and your gear is never obsolete. Even the car companies went to on demand. They outsourced manufacturing to third parties and they only want delivery when they need it, oftentimes just hours before car construction. And I know I'm mixing virtual with physical. But like the hoi polloi, who are constantly denigrated, the car companies had no savings and look to the government to be saved during times of crisis. So, the government rescues corporations and banks, and you're plum out of luck. Maybe you got $1200. See how long that lasts. It's socialism for the rich, and capitalism for the poor.
But it gets worse! The rich constantly brag about their lifestyle and believe since they're wealthy they know better, fomenting anger in the lower classes, who are the overwhelming majority in numbers, if not bucks.
But big time media, in bed with those in the government, say politics is all about the money, even the Supreme Court endorses this, and gets rid of the Voting Rights Act to boot.
As for said media... This was the same media that beat up the record business for being unprepared and ignorant, meanwhile, it was just a matter of time until the internet came for them, and most of them were wiped out. And even the big ones today are essentially begging. It's a glorified GoFundMe campaign. Keep local news alive! Why? You charged us more for less and it gotten to the point where your newshole is so small, I don't need to subscribe. Instead of investing, you cut in order to maintain your profit margin. So, the only publications which survive are the "Wall Street Journal," owned by Rupert Murdoch, who uses the paper as a right wing mouthpiece, irrelevant of income, the "Washington Post," owned by the world's richest man, Jeff Bezos, and the "New York Times," which is so self-congratulatory while at the same time being self-flagellating that it seems removed from what is happening on the street. Furthermore, these outlets just report, as the country's government turns to the right, as authoritarianism raises its ugly head. These reporters are tied into the system, they're friends with the bigwigs, they want to get rich too, so the consumer is left out.
Yes, the consumer has been taking it up the yin-yang for years.
But now the consumer has the tools, the aforesaid smartphone and social media distribution, to get its message heard.
And then George Floyd gets killed in Minneapolis...
They've been killing African-Americans willy-nilly for years, but there were no cameras, there was always an excuse. Hell, until there was footage in Georgia the jogger was at fault, he was breaking into houses, you've got to take the white man's word.
So, after being sick of overpaying for one good track on a CD, being labeled lazy, the African-American community revolted.
But it turned out they were not the only ones who were pissed. The white people came out too. Other people of color. There were demonstrations in 750 cities in America. You see it's no longer an African-American problem, it's an underclass problem. And compared to the wealthy, almost all of us are members of the underclass.
So, what do the insiders and fat cats tell us to do? VOTE! As if that's gonna make a difference. They believe in the system, after all, it's working for them! You know, buy CDs!
And then there are the people afraid to steal. But when they see everybody surrounding them doing it, they jump on board.
You see disruption doesn't only happen in technology. And right now, we're seeing politics disrupted.
The Republicans sold their souls to Trump, to keep their jobs. Just like the execs at the labels, they were thinking about themselves first.
And the Democrats said we had to return to the past, we could not venture into the future. The people couldn't handle it, they didn't want it, they needed to feel safe, they abhorred chaos, so the DNC nominated Joe Biden, someone no one is excited about. The Democrats are rock in an era of hip-hop. And let's be clear, most rockers HATE hip-hop! They give it no respect, they say it isn't music, they vilify streaming services, meanwhile hip-hop keeps getting bigger.
And AOC comes on the scene, a young 'un, part of the demo, who understands the plight of those disadvantaged by the system, and she is EXCORIATED! Shut up you loud mouth, you're too big for your britches, get in line and be quiet.
But she was on to something.
And then you've got septuagenarian Bernie Sanders, who suddenly seems like a seer. In light of Covid-19, Medicare-for-all seems necessary, to protect the health of the country's citizens from those who are too poor to get medical treatment if nothing else. And as the big get bigger, Amazon and Google rule and we suffer, Biden is in bed with them.
You might think I'm a party of one, you might ignore my call, just like you ignored it in the days of Napster. But yesterday on the "Washington Post" app I saw this:
"New generation of activists, deeply skeptical of Democratic Party, resists calls to channel energy into the 2020 campaign": https://wapo.st/30QmeM9
Why trust the Democrats? They're disconnected from the voting public. They're just the party of the elite, the entrenched, who want to maintain what they've got. At least the Republicans are more honest about it.
You see both parties have lost the confidence of the rank and file. And we're not going back to what once was. A return to normal Biden proffers? Well, normal wasn't that good for most people to begin with!
As for gradual change, trusting the system, it didn't benefit the African-Americans.
We are only going forward.
Change always comes from outside, insiders don't want it, we saw this with Shawn Fanning and Napster. Insiders can't see the future.
And the new leaders follow at best, the labels are no longer in control of recording. If nothing else, everybody can record at home essentially for free on their computer and promote themselves on the internet/social media. As for the labels, they don't develop, they just skim the cream and promote as they continue to lose market share.
Adapt or die.
Hell, we're dying on the street, and we're sick and tired of it!
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