Muggs

My mother died.

As Reggie Jackson claimed when he went to the Yankees, she was "the straw that stirred the drink," she made things happen and people followed her, everyone testified throughout my life how much they loved my mother, but I must say it was not easy being her child, in another lifetime my mother would have been a career woman, she may or may not have had a family, but it was a different era, in so many ways.

We lived in the suburbs. My parents had a rich social life, based on people my mother had met at the Jewish Community Center when she arrived in Bridgeport, Connecticut after marrying my father in 1948. Oh, did I tell you my parents met hitchhiking? My dad picked up my mom as she and her friends had their thumbs out after attending a concert at Tanglewood. My parents could never tell us not to hitchhike, then again, that hasn't been a thing since the seventies.

My mother grew up in Peabody, Massachusetts. Famous during my early years as the home of a mall, which was of the old stripe, i.e. outside, and then a second, indoor mall was built next door. I mention all this because a store in said mall, first in the outside one, then in the inside one, was Jordan Marsh, a department store that purveyed the best blueberry muffins you've ever eaten. The store is now gone, but you can find the recipe online. But good luck replicating the muffins, it would be like trying to make the famous tuna fish dip from Carlos 'n Charlies, essentially impossible.

Peabody was dominated by tanneries. That's where my grandfather and uncle worked. My grandfather and grandmother immigrated from the old country, Russia and Poland respectively, at least that's how I remember it, I'm not big on genealogy and I must say my older sister Jill was closer to my grandparents than me, she'd go there every summer, I got a bit freaked out by the smell, and the borscht, however we did go to Peabody regularly. One of my earliest memories was lying on the porch on the back of the three story apartment house my grandfather Louis owned, it sloped severely and I was afraid to go to the edge, and I was also afraid of nuclear war because it was the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. My mother came out and said not to worry, because if they dropped the bombs we'd all die.

That was my mother. She was opinionated and judgmental and it wasn't until I went to college that I realized she was not God. I didn't need to rebel against my mother in high school, she was already a liberal Democrat, and she lived to go to the theatre in New York City. There was an unlimited amount of money for the arts in my household. Ask for a physical item and there's a good chance you wouldn't get it, want to go to a movie or a play, the wallet was open. Then again, if I got too into something, there was a backlash, my mother was supportive of my skiing until I called the Stowe WATS line every day for the ski report and told her the conditions, until I bought so many records I had more than anybody else. But that's where my father came in. He was wound tight, he'd had a hard upbringing. He was not a dad's dad. He never sat on the couch with me and drank beer and watched sports, as a matter of fact, he might not have watched an hour of television in his life. But he did love "The Flintstones," because they had a STONEWAY! My father was very into music, he brought his violin everywhere, he didn't play well, but he loved to play.

So my mother was the middle of three children. Her older brother Herbie was the golden boy. He served in World War II and went to Tufts and became a chemical engineer. My mother had to convince her parents to let her go to Boston University. At first she lived at home, then in Boston, she made lifelong friends there, although they really didn't reconnect and hang out until after we were out of the house. And oh yeah, my mother was one of the most popular girls in her high school, which we drove by all the time, on the way to Lynn to see relatives, or to the Salem Willows, or candlepin bowling, that's what I did with my uncle Harvey, the youngest of the three children, in retrospect he might have had autism, he never went on a date in his life, but we were good friends. Harvey hurt his back at the tannery and had so many back operations that his pain became chronic and he ultimately O.D.'ed from pain pills in his forties. My grandmother, who he lived with, never recovered from his passing.

My mother studied for a library science master's degree down the road at Fairfield University. She ultimately switched to American Studies, and got a master's degree in that, but my older sister Jill insists she ultimately got the degree in library science too. It takes a village to write an obituary, and between the three of us, Jill, myself and my younger sister Wendy, we've pieced the details together. Then again, there have continued to be surprises even at this late date. Just a couple of years back, Jill told me my father had gastric bypass surgery. He had been fat, but I thought the surgery was for pain. He always said he'd had two-thirds of his stomach removed, turns out it was true!

Anyway, I mention the library because at the end of my tenure in elementary school my mother took a job as a librarian in a school in Bridgeport, in an impoverished neighborhood. I did not like that she worked, I liked having her at home when I came back from school. This was the fifties and sixties, none of the mothers worked, and no one was divorced. Then again, Selma was a nurse, occasionally. Yes, Selma Sheketoff. Everybody had a last name like that, "Smith" was rare. We were best friends with the Sheketoffs, went on vacation with them every summer to places like the Catskills or Atlantic City, and after school I could journey to their house and open the door without ringing the bell. Now no one even leaves their door unlocked.

My mother met Selma and her other friends playing volleyball at the Jewish Community Center. And they had a community. Parties constantly, get-togethers, the kids were nearly secondary, not that we were not paid attention, bring home a bad report card and it was death, and we all knew we were going to college and going to become professionals before we entered kindergarten.

And another tale my mother told me... I was born in April 1953, at the time my parents lived in an apartment in Bridgeport, we moved into our house in Fairfield on Halloween, and my mother did not move out until 2003. But one of the activities we used to have when I visited her in the past two decades, she moved into a condo in Bridgeport after selling the house, was driving down the old streets, by the house my father's mother lived in, in the neighborhood where he bought us lemon ice. Just a few years ago, my mother pointed out the laundromat she and her friends always used to go to, she said they left the baby carriages, with the babies in them, OUTSIDE! Yes, it was a different era.

So, my mother was very creative. She wrote musicals for the Temple. And she knew how to type, she'd type my term papers, she insisted I take typing in high school, maybe one of the best decisions ever.

So...

My mother was a culture vulture. She went to Judith Crist movie weekends. Movies were art to her. My high school friends would come over and always remark thereafter about their conversations with her, they were wowed. And one also said going to my house was like going to a museum. It was anything but stuffy, but my mother had purchased artifacts. Oh, one more thing, we had an open door policy at my house, anybody could stop by anytime, I never had to ask "permission" to bring my friends over. And, also, my father owned a liquor store, so there was endless soda at my house, you could have as much as you wanted, I once trooped my entire Little League team from the diamond to my garage so they could all have their own bottle. I never liked milk, and I never remember drinking it, except for chocolate milk, I drank soda. But at the time it was usually flavored Cott, and even Yoo-hoo, if you could call it a soda, which you can't. But the Yankees were aligned with Yoo-hoo and I lived for baseball. My dad threw like a girl, if at all, but he took me to the games, with my mother, even though my mother knew more about baseball than he did, she was very into sports, she lived to play golf, and twenty years ago, after back operations prevented this, she was devastated.

My mother would not let us watch TV during the afternoon, no way. She'd insist we leave the house, go outside. You could not lay about, at any time. We rode our bikes to friends' houses, and also there were music lessons and other activities, but don't ask my mother to drive. My mother never ever picked us up from elementary school, even if there was a hurricane, which actually happened. She'd always tell me to ask someone else for a ride. Maybe this exacerbated my social anxiety. I remember calling her from the even more distant high school, asking her to pick me up, and her telling me to walk home.

Oh yeah, my mother never ever made breakfast for us, NEVER EVER! She slept in until ten a.m. every day. I know, this stuns most people, but it was de rigueur for us, our mother had more important things to do. And she was a late night person and was lax on bedtimes. When everybody else was going to bed at 6:30, we stayed up until 8. And if there was something good on TV, like the Oscars, or on Johnny Carson, she made sure we watched it, once again, there were no rules for art. But she denigrated my watching of dumb television shows. "Bonanza" was cool, "My Mother the Car" and the "Beverly Hillbillies" were not. Then again, just before going out on a Friday night in November 1963, she insisted we watch Jack Paar to see this new musical group from England, the Beatles.

So, my mother made me who I am. It was my mother who kindled and supported my interest in the arts. Then again, once again, once I got too into them, that spelled trouble. I'd like to tell you my parents were supportive of my writing, of my life, but that would be dead wrong. My father always wanted me to be a lawyer, he didn't care whether I ever practiced, he said it was a good background, it would pay dividends in the future. I went, practiced law for ten minutes, and then moved on. But my mother had no patience for my struggle, she wanted me to live the life of a professional. For my mother it was never enough. If you said you had dinner with John Lennon, then spoke to the president and flew to the moon, she'd invariably ask...SO WHAT ELSE DID YOU DO?

And I remember forwarding an e-mail from Quincy Jones, back in the first decade of this century, before any dementia set in, when she could still go on the computer. I got no response. In our next conversation I asked her if she'd read the e-mail. She said yes, with no emotion. She thought it was just from someone named "Quincy Jones," when I explained the reality she famously responded...HOW WOULD YOU KNOW QUINCY JONES?

There was always someone better, who knew more. I'm only overcoming that at this late date. I've felt inadequate, I've believed there were men in white robes who knew more. And the "New York Times" was godhead, if it was written there it was fact, and the writers were superior beings. To her dying days she read the paper, even though with dementia I'd see her read the same section for hours.

Not that she was completely gone, but it had gotten worse in the last three years, and in the last eight months one step beyond that. She couldn't wrap her head around Covid, we'd have a whole discussion about it and then she'd ask me to explain the virus to her all over again.

And we were having these conversations because she wanted to move from Connecticut to California and I said to wait until Covid was over. But she insisted on coming. She arrived less than a month ago with undiagnosed cellulitis which begat sepsis and after being in the hospital for five days she was transferred to a rehab place where she died Wednesday night. She was 93, she would have been 94 next month.

And my mother had a good life, a great life. My father adored her and did whatever she wanted. As my mother often said, my father slept through some of the greatest theatre of all time. He'd go, but he could not stay awake. And as my father moved up the economic food chain, they'd travel incessantly. My father would just insist she tell him in advance, so he could block out the time. She insisted my father do no work on trips, but at times he couldn't help himself, he lived on the phone, get a message wrong and you would be hit, literally.

So my mother was the social one, my father the business backbone. You could talk to my mother for hours, you could listen to my father, but you could not really tell him your hopes and dreams, your feelings.

But it's all over now. They're gone. I'm an orphan, albeit at 67.

And when I turned 67 last April, it was the first time I felt old. I'm not talking emotionally or physically as much as intellectually. I am going to die too, sooner rather than later, the younger generations are here to replace us, and they are pushing me and my generation down the line, even if so many boomers want to deny it.

As I referenced above, my mother was never satisfied, therefore I've been pushing for the brass ring my entire life. And I'm not about to give up now, but one has to wonder if those who've got a 9-6 job and a house and a family are better off. Then again, my mother never played in the big leagues, she never understood the business hierarchy. Not that she didn't have an opinion, not that she didn't tell you what to do.

So, as you can tell, I'm conflicted about my mother. She inspired me to be who I am, but she was also my nemesis. Then again, she mellowed in the past seven or eight years. But before that...it was intense.

And one more thing... If you have the ability to have children, please have more than one if you can, my conversations with my two sisters have gotten me through these past few days and we will lean on each other in the future. Also, do your best to have and maintain a love relationship, without Felice I'd be in outer space, reeling.

And Jill called me last night and said she felt guilty, that she wasn't grieving enough. I felt the same way, but I'd been afraid to say so. Is it because my mother was old, and I'd only seen her once since she'd moved to California in October, from a distance, for Covid reasons, or is it because of the chiaroscuro nature of our relationship? I don't know. But I do know my father had terminal cancer, so on one hand I was prepared for his death, but when he ultimately passed, I was not, I was numb for a month and it took a year for me to normalize, will it be the same with my mother?

And it's that time in our lives. The first parent is the worst. That's when you truly confront death, you cannot believe they're gone. Is the second just easier? Once again, I don't know.

We're shipping my mother's body to Connecticut, to be buried next to my dad. My mother never ever went to the cemetery, I did, it was weird, but it did bring me back, made me tingle, made me thing of interactions with my dad, then again those never fade, just like my mother will never fade from my mind.

Physical items are not as important as experiences. My parents lived by this mantra. And my mother didn't care in the least for physical items, if they broke, fine, it was my father who flipped out if you wrecked the car.

So I guess this brings me back to the beginning. My mother was a god in her world. Looked up to. The one who said "let's put on a play," let's go do this and that. Who joked all the while. She had a large personality, but it rarely rubbed anyone wrong, she had it all together. But she'd grown up in tougher circumstances, she questioned prices, she was cheap, it was my father who spent, albeit never extravagantly.

So I am numb, off-kilter, and it's such a strange time, verging on the holidays with Covid. And I'm in a better place than I've ever been in my life, although most of it is behind me.

But I am my mother's son. That is the person you know. She's the one who made me. Sure, my father taught me to stand up to people, to be myself, but the interests you see me write about, they all came from her. She did a good job, it's finished, there's nothing left to do, her work is done, so I guess she can move on. And on one hand, it's freeing for us three. Maybe our mother's judgment in our heads will dissipate. But she was too strong a force for her influence to be forgotten, ever.

P.S. Oh, just one more thing, her name was "Muggs." Never ever Muriel, NEVER EVER! She'd gotten the nickname in college, and I never heard a good explanation, but this was her. And just like the name, she was irreverent. She only sent humorous greeting cards, they were all you could send to her. She was anything but touchy-feely. Her idea of cooking was boiling Jolly Green Giant vegetables in a bag. But she and my father knew how to live the good life. They took us to ethnic restaurants, they broadened our horizons, they made us who we were...and for that I am thankful.

--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --

Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling-This Week's Podcast

You know Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling as Howard Stern's old writer/sidekick. Jackie claims to know more jokes than anybody, listen to hear about his journey from yesterday to today, from studying engineering to playing music to doing standup comedy. And he talks about the Stern Show too!

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jackie-the-joke-man-martling/id1316200737?i=1000499403718

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fp4jfLT2bG2LwgSaQuPdv?si=2DSA_4yZSD238kGhM4ZduQ

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/The-Bob-Lefsetz-Podcast

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast


--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25




-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --

Joy Of My Life

"She's sweet to me
Must be the luckiest man alive
Did I tell you baby
You are the joy of my life"

This is the track, at least on the first play through, second time through the new Chris Stapleton album it's got stiff competition, but the listening experience to this new LP is positively astounding, because they seem to be having so much FUN!

"Fun is the one thing that money can't buy," isn't that what the Beatles sang? And they had enough money to buy anything. But the joy of playing...

Yes, you can't buy the ability to play, you've got to pay your dues, and most people have no time for that, especially in today's era of distractions, but when you listen to Chris Stapleton's new album "Starting Over" you'll lament you didn't stick with it, that you cannot play, because as you're listening that's what you want to do most, JOIN IN!

How can Stapleton get it so right and everybody else get it so wrong? And believe me, Nashville knows, he's not a secret, they give him credit, but still they pour out their bogus songs about families and church, about partying and trucks, and it's like they're not even in the same universe, listening to Chris Stapleton you feel like someone is actually home, that the lights are on, this is the experience boomers grew up with, that got them hooked, which millennials and Gen-Z have never experienced, it's like the younger generations are playing checkers while Stapleton is playing chess.

Going to a show didn't used to be about dancing, not even standing, never mind shooting pictures. You used to sit in your seat and as the performers played your mind would be set adrift, to a place only music could take you, it was the only place you could get it, the records and the concerts were connected, you got hooked on the wax and then you went to the gig to hear the music breathe, truly come alive, before there were helpers on hard drives, it was the genuine article, and I'd say it was enough, but it was MORE THAN ENOUGH!

Not that some are not trying. But somehow they don't come close to Stapleton. Maybe it's because he's paid his dues. Get kicked around long enough, try to succeed and you don't, you ultimately decide to either quit or do it your way, you're sick of suits telling you how to do it, you know best, and when you listen to your inner tuning fork that's when your work truly resonates with the audience, alone together.

There's this roadhouse above Santa Barbara, at the crest of the mountain, called Cold Spring Tavern, I haven't been there for forty years but I remember it well, this old stagecoach stop hadn't changed in years, they served alcohol and you sat there listening to the music, back in an era before cell phones, when the music and your mood were all you had, it was magical. You'd find music at havens like this, they were isolated, yet connected. They had the same mind-set but it wasn't all part of an ascension, a route to the big time, oftentimes this was as far as the acts got, playing covers, then again the stars were true heroes back then, everybody was on the left, selfishness was not self-satisfying, we felt like we were in it together, and the truth is we lost our way over the ensuing years but when you listen to "Starting Over" you're immediately brought back there, to the starting point, but the music is not nostalgia, but part of a long continuum, it's like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert.

I could review the record, talk about the quality of the songs, but that's not what this is about, everything today is hit and run, but you drop the needle, push play on "Starting Over" and you're immediately taken to a special place, where the shenanigans of this crazy world no longer apply, you're in your own private bubble of satisfaction, your brain is set free, you relax, it's better than any artificial stimulant, even natural ones, that's the power of music.

I know, I know, this is not the music that's happening today, where it's about rhythm as opposed to melody, there's no 808, no electronic sounds on the record, just real people playing real music, we might all have smartphones but despite all the technology we haven't changed, we're still the same, we're still flesh and blood, we're looking for humanity, and as much as streaming television delivers it, music plays on a higher plane, it's a feeling, that is injected into your blood stream, it's not cerebral, but primal.

I've been thinking about "See the Changes." I was on the radio talking about the '77 Crosby, Stills & Nash album, "CSN," it was the comeback, the first studio record since "Deja Vu," albeit without Neil, and they never did anything as good thereafter, even with Neil, and the most meaningful song was Stills's "See the Changes." A heartfelt, introspective number, Stills earlier delivered the progenitor, "4+20," on the aforementioned "Deja Vu," in these songs it was like Stills pulled back the cover of his identity and revealed his inner truth, his hopes and dreams, his reality, unfiltered, and that's what resonated most, and that's what "Joy of My Life" delivers, Stapleton is not playing to the audience, it's not even a factor, the song and its performance are personal, essentially only written for one person, but we get to peek inside, and it's more about the sound than the words anyway, where else do you get music this good, it seems like only producer Dave Cobb can deliver it, he's captured the lost formula, which used to be available to all.

"I tiptoed in the room
I know you've got to have your rest"

"Joy of My Life" tiptoes into your life, it's slow and dreamy, but you can't brush it off, it stops your mind in its tracks, especially if you're listening to it on a high quality stereo system, I'm not saying earbuds, headphones are no good, but if you shrink the sound down so small and reproduce it poorly you miss the essence, you may not get it at all, maybe that's why today's music is so unsatisfying, it's made to sound good on the crummy reproduction systems we presently employ, but if you go back to the source, if you pull "Starting Over" up on a high quality service, like I am doing right now, on Amazon MusicHD, right in front of my Genelecs...I feel closer to Nashville than when I've been there, I feel like I'm sitting in the corner of the recording studio, making no noise, but my body is moving ever so subtly, I'm entranced by the music.

--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --

Resend-Mailbag-11/18/20

Unfortunately, a number of people did not receive the complete Mailbag as a result of a software upgrade that was needed for phpList. Therefore I am sending this missive again. Sorry to clutter your inbox.
Once again, you can also read past articles at: lefsetz.com/wordpress
----------------------------
From: Alyssa Garcia
Subject: Covid and touring crews

Hey Bob,

I've been receiving your emails for about a decade.  I had a music industry teacher in college recommend I sign up.  He would actually read a lot of your letters in class.  I ended up dropping out of school early when the opportunity to tour came along. 

I skimmed through my emails but wondered if you've covered anything on touring crews right now or would be interested in it?  I have to admit, I haven't read all your emails this year.  My depression has been really bad so if you have covered this, my apologies. I would really love to put a spotlight on this issue.  I feel like with the election, stimulus was thrown on the back burner and there just isn't any real help.

Everyone I know received their $1,000 from Crewnation and some people received $250 from the For The Nomads Fund.  Don't get me wrong, the money was extremely appreciated but for an industry that holds up so many celebrities, why aren't more bands and artists doing more? Sure, some pop and rock bands took out PPP loans but I work in country music and the help seems to be less in our industry.  I was lucky that my band paid me until the end of June, but my boyfriend was not a salaried employee and has been out of work since our tour was cancelled 2 days before we were supposed to fly to Europe.

Even now, I just don't understand why more isn't being done.  Drop a piece of merch and all proceeds go to the crew.  Host an online concert!  Frank Turner is hosting one and all the money goes to his crew.  All my industry friends are suffering.  I've had friends kill themselves. I cry at least weekly because I don't know how I'm going to get through and I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones.  I'm supposed to get my job back as soon as it's safe but no one can last that long!  

The Ryman is hosting a benefit concert but the funds go to MusiCares, the Roadies Clinic and CMAF. None of those organizations are really giving out any relief, not like Live Nation did with it's Crew Nation campaign.

I receive $247 a week from unemployment.  We've almost blown through our savings and will not have enough money to pay our bills come Jan 2020. I've applied for jobs and haven't had any luck. I had a career and now I'm trying to pivot to another and people aren't even calling me for an interview. I have so many skills that are transferable to other industries but no one is biting.  I don't say all of this for pitty, I just want to shed a light on this and you reach a lot of people. 

Stay safe out there and thanks for all the emails!

Best,
Alyssa

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Bob, as a psychiatrist I particularly appreciated this post. It should be a public service announcement for understanding the differences in training and expertise among the myriad of mental health professionals, and debunking misconceptions about treatment. Outside of urban (and suburban) areas there is still stigma about mental illness. Access to good care is extremely challenging and, as you mention, expensive. Good treatment is out of reach for most people. Our health system has a long way to go in making treatment widely available. 

In many ways significant advances have been made in the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders. But the brain and mind are the final frontiers in medicine and really great discoveries are within reach, but sadly, probably not in your and my lifetimes. That being said, having access to good psychotherapy is immeasurable and life-changing. I'm glad you have benefitted so much from it. 

Please continue being a poster child for good therapy. Especially now, almost everybody I know could use some. 

Barry

Barry K. Herman, MD, MMM

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Thanks for highlighting the impact of good therapy, Bob. As someone who works as a psychologist for the touring music industry, I've watched therapy save many lives in the last decade. And as a long-time patient on the other side, it's certainly saved my life. 

Fortunately, the pandemic has brought mental health to the forefront, and I'm watching many people who never would have sought therapy previously now showing up, open to their own struggles and to seeking support. We've been running a free online therapy/support group for the music industry for 38 weeks already since the pandemic started, and it's pretty amazing to watch how group therapy has become "family" for touring pros and artists across the world who are struggling through the pain and isolation in this difficult time. Keep waving the therapy flag, and hopefully we can help as many people as possible continue to find their strength.

(One correction to your post. You inaccurately differentiate between psychologists and PsyDs. They're one and the same. Clinical psychologists can have either a PhD or PsyD degree, the former having a slightly more rigorous research training component. Clinically, they both receive similar training and internship experiences. Most of the country's top psychology graduate programs, however, are all PhD and not PsyD. That being said, I've seen incredible therapists with all types of degrees and training. And what matters most is not the letters, but if it feels right to the patient). 

Best,

Dr. Chayim Newman
Clinical Psychologist and Founder, Tour Health Research Initiative. Www.tourhealth.org

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Psychologists have PhDs or PsyDs in the state of California. The PsyD is a relatively recent degree that waters down the research component of the degree as relatively few Clinical Psychologists need the added requirements to do research. The key to a good/great therapist is post license advanced training like Psychoanalysis or Psychoanalytic Therapy. If there is a hierarchy PhD Psychologist would be above the PsyD but that hierarchy is a false characterization. For example Anna Freud a gifted therapist who is credited with the creation of child therapy had no advance degree. 
It's unlike you to get this type of information wrong. If you are trying to educate those reluctant to get into therapy there's no need to add in misinformation.

Ken Seider

_____________________________________

Re: Group

I've had good therapy - individual and group - and yes, it changed my life for the better. The okay/"bad" therapy was merely a waste of time.

Tim Brunelle
Minneapolis 

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Like I guess even yourself, I didn't see that coming… This might have been one of the most important posts I've ever read from you and I've been a reader for more than 15 years. In my small, Atlantic Canadian, music business world, I've had a couple of very dear musician friends decide life wasn't worth living, and it's heartbreaking. I've also known civilians who've taken the same route, with the same effect for those left behind and wondering why?

I'd be a liar if I said the same thing hadn't occurred to me during the darkest moments - to those on the outside looking in - of my life. I'm OK for the time being but who knows what the future will bring. I'll be far more open to seeing someone about it than I was before reading this. Thank you.

Mike Campbell

_____________________________________

Re: Group

I'm in grad school studying to be a therapist, so it's interesting you wrote about this topic. I decided to go back to school because of the state of our country and its people. We have a mental health crisis brewing in the U.S. that will take years and possibly generations to correct. So I'm with you on how critical the need is. 

I lived in LA for two years and could not find one therapist who took insurance, so I ended up paying one out of pocket who was marginally talented. I'm from Seattle, so I was surprised by this because healthcare is accessible here and excellent. Most therapists in Seattle take insurance and the going rate is around $120 an hour, some psychologists even have a sliding scale. I think your experience with therapists in LA and NYC is a bit insular; those people are serving the rich of the rich, which excludes middle and lower income folks. Seattle is a wealthy place too, but hasn't created that type of exclusivity in healthcare. And every other city I have lived in has had way better access to mental health services as well. It's funny, lack of access to good mental health services was my least favorite part of living in LA, which is ironic because considering the countless people I met there who were justifying their coke addiction, I'd say the people of LA need therapy more than "normals" raising 2.5 kids everywhere else.

My advice? Hire one up here, they are all doing Telehealth sessions because of the pandemic anyhow.

Cheers,

Andrea Bijou

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Interesting topic....mental illness can be so difficult if not impossible to treat. People can be so damaged that it can linger for decades while you're shackled having to drag it along through life. It's ballast that can sink you.  My take on an untreatable organic mental illness is you're fucked!

I've been a consumer of mental health services and can testify that had I not had that available I would not be writing this email.  I've learned to go see someone who's been practicing at least thirty years or don't waste your time nor money. It can seem like you never get better or more importantly relief.

Growing up in a family with a member mentally ill can seem normal.  Your lack of care or love from that significant person allows you to not understand how to provide self care for yourself let alone a significant other.  

Now decades on in my sixties I've learned to partially quell my inner critic, being able to identify and stay away from people who are themselves "fucked up", exercise regularly, eat better, try to sleep better, drink periodically and stay away from recreational drugs that can make you paranoid. I thought I'd never get better, but I did. 

We can start out with so little it may be impossible to catch up with the remainder of humanity.  If you're not chasing status or "stuff" then you're always going to be on the outskirts so you're treated differently. 

But everyone has problems. If people tell you they don't they are full of shit!

"Is my time up?  We need to wrap it up...see you next at Thursday at 2 pm..." I know the drill.

Tim Pringle

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Thank you for your piece on mental health.  You have touched on so many critically important real-world issues—if/when to seek help, what type of professional to pursue, what type of setting (i.e., individual vs. group), whether to seek/accept medication(s), what medication(s) to take, the social stigma that continues to influence decisions about whether and when to pursue mental healthcare, etc.—all of which highlight so much of the complexity that mental health involves.  But perhaps most significantly, the most important aspect of your piece is that you very openly addressed the subject, the importance of mental healthcare and your own experience with it.  As someone who has traveled around the country giving talks on the subject—presentations entitled "How to Talk to Someone In Crisis" and "Lawyering with a Healthy Mind", in addition to participation on panel discussion—I have been mindful that if I don't share my own experience with suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety and therapy, I can't expect anyone else to feel comfortable sharing their own experiences.  After a long societal history of mental healthcare being addressed, if at all, in the quietest of whispers, we've started seeing many high-profile folks openly discuss their experiences with mental healthcare, which has started to create a safer-feeling environment in which to pursue self-care.
 
From 1999, when I was a volunteer hotline counselor at Los Angeles's Suicide Prevention Center, until 2018, the annual rate of suicide in the U.S. has increased 35%, and in light of the bad behavior that we've seen from our political leaders, which appears to be considered by many to be a license to behave badly, and translates into things like bullying, together with the pandemic and its continuing impact on jobs and the economy, all of which directly affect people's peace of mind, sense of personal stability and emotional well-being, mental health has never been more important, and more important to talk about, than it is now.
 
As the founder and head of a nonprofit suicide prevention and action foundation, LightHopeLife Inc., I offer myself as a resource to your readers if and to the extent that anyone feels that they need direction/guidance, and I'm including my cell phone number below for that purpose.  Frequently, when mired in a difficult mental/emotional place, determining what the first step is toward the light can be the most difficult, which is commonly made all the more difficult by the reality that being mired in such a place saps one's energy, rendering it even more challenging to figure out the way forward.
 
With respect and gratitude for what you've just done,
Michael Rexford (partner at Manatt and CEO of LightHopeLife Inc.)
(310) 869-8442
 
Michael Rexford
Partner
https://www.manatt.com/Michael-Rexford

_____________________________________

From: Tish Iceton
Subject: "California sealed the deal"

'California' sealed the deal.
I quietly sold everything I owned, quit my job, didn't tell anyone where I was going and headed to California. Joni told me 'my problems would be gone and I would be free'.  I landed in Santa Cruz. It was 1978.
(Being from Canada was a mute point to me)

No musician/songwriter had more influence on my younger self than Joni.    I loved to quote " I told you when I met you I was crazy". "I can win my hand at poker but I'm a fool when love's at stake"   When your on a free teenage ride how can you NOT live by those lyrics?

In Santa Cruz I discovered my name was written in the California sand and my soul lived in each California ocean wave.
Today I own property on the California sand.

75th birthday at Dorothy Chandler 2 years ago was a must.  Graham Nash leading us through a 'Our House' sing along - priceless. For any Joni fan a moment of magic. (Graham's Songs for Beginners is a lyrical gem)

Larry Klein produces Melody Gardot's new album. I first met Melody when I worked at a jazz station-we were presenting. She walked to the stage with a cane, wore dark glasses and she blew us away.  Her story is amazing.

Music.  The breath of life.  Thanks for the Joni trip Bob.

Tish
Toronto

_____________________________________

From: Jo Faloona
Subject: Re: Bruce Allen-This Week's Podcast

Bob,
Thank you for having Bruce as your podcast guest, I've been working for him over 16 years and I even learned a couple of things. When Bruce talks about staying in the game as long as he's winning-he means it! And you're so right, he's going to keep on winning. But what he doesn't say, is that the drive to win is for his acts. He works his ass off for their success. He does not take a minute to celebrate, he rarely looks back to reflect – he just keeps moving forward ensuring there's another win on the horizon.

It's such an honour to work for this legendary manager. I've learned so much from him. I'm forever grateful for his belief in me and the respect & freedom he gives me to do my job. 75 years young with a drive & passion like no other, I have a feeling we'll be doing this for a few more years to come!!

jo

_____________________________________

From: Larry Butler
Subject: Re: Richard Gottehrer-This Week's Podcast

Hey, Bob,
Listened to the Richard Gottehrer piece during my morning constitutional and thought I might put a finer point on an event he touched on - where (and how) he met the Rick Z Combo and turned them into the McCoys. For starters, it wasn't Columbus; it was Dayton.
In the summer of I guess 1965, the two Dayton Top 40s (WING and WONE) would inevitably have competing shows every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer season. My band, Ivan and the Sabers, had been around town the longest and generally got the first call. This one particular night we were offered either of two shows:
1) to support the Strangeloves in a warehouse north of town for $100, or
2) to headline an amusement park ballroom south of town for $125. 
Not only did the latter gig offer more money, but we could get free beer from the park concessionaires and there were girls aplenty. We took that gig and the Strangeloves support slot went to the Rick Z Combo.
Who knew that Gottehrer and friends ran a record company and were looking for bands? Missed our chance to be stars.
Larry Butler

_____________________________________

From: John Brodey
Subject: Re: Even More Covid

My close friend Fred Schepisi (film director) is Australian and Melbourne has always been his home.  He is now living/stuck at his vineyard down on the Mornington peninsula on the ocean south of Melbourne.  I asked him recently how they were doing with the pandemic there. 

He said it has been a total lockdown.  Forget coming in or leaving the country.  He is in Victoria but cannot cross the border into New South Wales etc.  There is also a restriction on how far you can travel from your home daily.  In Melbourne it's about 3 km.s  Rural areas higher.  Just enough to get to stores.  The exception is for medical emergencies etc.  I asked what the penalty is for violating the orders...he said it's a $5000 fine.  And they do pay a reward for reporting violators. 

I then asked how long they expect the restrictions to be in place and he replied, until there are no new cases.  How is it working?  Even though Australia only a population of 25million, their death toll to date from COVID is 902!  Of course we are bigger and have 14 times the population but if our death rate was the same as theirs, we would have only 12,628 deaths instead of 250,000.

_____________________________________

From: Bettye LaVette
Subject: Re: The Soft Coup

Oh ! Robert, Robert, Robert, Robert!
Did you  See a movie called "Something Wicked This Way Comes" ?
We've got to have pussies and thank "goodness" we do.
Imagine a country, or world, full of dicks !
Your inciting  , the pussies to " dissrupt  be vengeful, cheat and lie.....act like a dick
Like the evil did to the town in the movie.
Don't you think, ( with your thinking ass ) we could find some way to make both of them work together ?
 It would be the difference between fucking and screwing.
B

_____________________________________

From: David Stopps
Subject: Brexit

Hi Bob

Thought you might like to see all the bureaucracy that UK musicians will face after 1 Jan 2021 if they want to tour in Europe.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1326554078256656389.html

95% of the UK music industry voted to remain.

Love peace, live music and a vaccine

d

_____________________________________

From: sean brickell
Subject: Spencer Davis

SNIFF. . .
 
So, Spencer Davis died at 81. While I have many terrific musical memories of him through the decades, my favorite recollection was when he was an executive for Island Records in the mid-70s.
 
I was music editor for The Virginian-Pilot, and Spencer called. He was staying at a hotel next to the newspaper, in town doing advance work for a new Island artist named Robert Palmer, whose debut album was being released in a month.
 
Of course I walked to the hotel and met Spencer in the bar for a couple of hours of repartee. We talked about his career as an artist, what is was like working with Steve Winwood on classic tunes, and with Bob Marley at Island.
 
Spencer didn't hype. He told me Robert Palmer was going to be a huge artist and for evidence gave me an advance of "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley." He gave me his business card (which I still have) and told me to call and let him know what I thought after listening.
 
I was suitably knocked out, telling Spencer such. He arranged an interview at the venue following Palmer's upcoming concert, insisting I couldn't possibly do a story correctly without the live experience first.
 
Spencer was right.
 
For context, it was March, '77. Palmer, unknown to most that night in Norfolk Scope, was opening act on a bill headlined by ELO, with Journey in support. Palmer definitely not only held his own but won the crowd.
 
A year or so later when I was Mid-Atlantic promotions manager for Atlantic Records and Elektra/Asylum Records, my role model for how to do it best was what I learned through contacts with Spencer.
 
He also taught me a fun hotel game he said his bands always played whilst on the road. They bet on which elevator would arrive first. Seems simple, but he said during a tour, the debts could mount up.
 
Spencer was not only a genuine musical legend, but a superlative music person on many levels. And a helluva fun guy to be with as well.
 
Sniff. . .
 
Sean Brickell
Virginia Beach

_____________________________________

From: Saul Davies
Subject: Re: Big Hit Goes Public

Interesting. 
I'm 55 years old, been making a living as a musician, writer and producer for over 30 years, I love Neil Young, Zeppelin etc but also BTS. 
They're a revolution in the making. The dayglo positivity is totally infectious and I love it. I'm a convert, a fan. ?So are my fairly cynical kids ( my 13 year old daughter is mainly a Pink Floyd fan citing Live at Pompeii as her go to Youtube moment) but she also GETS BTS.... and she appreciates that they're not baring their pecs and arses to sell records...it's all about LOVE. 
There is also some deep ART in what they do. Their videos reference Shakespeare and contemporary art works, their collaboration with Anthony Gormley was brilliant. 
I'd rather this than old rockers moaning about not getting played on radio...
Keep up the good fight.

_____________________________________

From: Eric Bazilian
Subject: Even more Eddie

I know the news cycle has already moved past the passing of the most transformational guitarist of a generation, but I thought I'd give you this just for fun.

I met Eddie casually a few times in the 80s and early 90s, he didn't know me from Adam but he was always friendly and ready to geek out on guitars and guitarists. Then in '96 I was re-introduced to him at the Warners Grammy party, the year I'd been nominated for writing One Of Us. The first thing he said was, 'hey man, how did you play that riff'? I knew exactly what was going on in his mind... I wrote the song around a signature guitar part in E Minor. When I played it with Joan Osborne first the first time the next day I raised the key to F#, a better fit for her voice. The only way to play it comfortably and smoothly was with a capo which, unfortunately, I didn't have with me at the time, so I was forced to stumble through it without one (which you can hear on the demo version on the 20th Anniversary release of Relish). So, when Eddie asked me how I played it, I knew that it hadn't occurred to him to do the easy thing and he had toughed it out bareback.

I knew I had a once in a lifetime 'teaching moment' with a guitarist way out of my league so I paused a few seconds and gave him a one word reply... 'capo'. I saw the flash of realization on his face before he smiled at me and said, 'oh, no, man, it's way cooler without one'. I smiled back and said, 'well, it sure is harder without one'. He promised to show me how he did it next time we met which, sadly, never happened.

I doubt I'll ever make a list of Greatest Guitarists but that smile and those seven words were, for me, the greatest affirmation I could ever receive.

_____________________________________

From: Eric J. Kuhn
Subject: Re: The Queen's Gambit

Bob - 

In my spare time, I'm the co-manager of the number one chess player in America, Fabiano Caruana. He is number 2 in the world. Actually, last year, at 25, Fabiano went to the World Chess Championship, the first American since Bobby Fischer, in 1972. He eventually lost to Magnus Carlson but is one of America's greatest athletes most people don't really know about. 

Chess is at the zeitgeist right now for a few different reasons, but the game has more players in the U.S. than golf or tennis.  Technology (especially AI) has made it a more interesting game as players are competing and learning from computers and the game was recently considered to be part of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The players in it represent everything that is now: mindfulness, pattern recognition, smarts, and focus.

Hope all is well and talk soon.

Eric 

_____________________________________

From: Liam Glass
Subject: Re: The Queen's Gambit

Hi Bob,

I just finished the show. Wow. Never have I seen chess so incredibly accurately represented... from the games to the behavior and even down to the social interactions between players at tournaments. My two chess coaches were first the legendary Miron Sher, who sadly passed away recently, and then second the incredible Bruce Pandolfini, who, along with Kasparov, closely worked on the Queen's Gambit (Bruce had a cameo as Ed Spencer, the tournament director at the end of the second to last episode). If not for Bruce, I don't think you'd have thought the story was real! I particularly loved that I could pause to analyze the board, then Beth or her opponent would (for the most part) play the sequence or tactic real chess players would.

I am now certain that I need to get back to playing chess competitively – and I have a new goal of achieving a FIDE Master title. My rating and play certainly have far to go, but I think if I work hard enough I can do it over the next few years (and Bruce agrees, with enough very hard work). I know chess must play a larger role in my life.

Best,
Liam

_____________________________________

arren Miller

I so enjoyed watching this – but it was so sad. He was not connected to his children – I was looking for the connection I had with my son skiing down the powder at Keystone last week. With my new POW skis from Parlor in Vermont (Bob – these are amazing…!!) I can finally beat the 9 year old down the hill – he's on kids Fischer GS skis, so…
 
But god I love the style of the 70s ski world.
 
Skiing is super safe at Keystone. Everyone is masked (it is skiing) and the lifts are just you and your party – so Harvey and I were sitting on a chair for 6. Danger is in the plane getting there, and pre/post ski. 
 
Why not wait a few weeks and we can get a vaccine.
 
Warren Miller wouldn't have done that though…
 
Ross Mollison

_____________________________________

I grew up in Baltimore watching Warren Miller films and learned so much ski geography from watching them. I can name trails and ski resorts all over the world that I will never get to see in person! I moved to Boulder in 1991 and looked for an internship while attending grad school (broadcast journalism) at CU. When I realized Warren Miller Entertainment was based there I was determined to work for them. Somehow I got lucky and was hired as an Assistant to the Director (Brian Sisselman)... 2 days a week PAID!!! I was raking in $100 a week for work I would have done for free. Kurt was of course running the company but it was always so exciting when Warren would come to town. Hearing that crazy recognizable voice in the office was such a trip. I remember one day a guy dropped off his resume, printed on a pair of skis. My memory is that he didn't get hired, but his skis sat by the front desk for a long time.

I'm looking forward to checking out the doc, thanks for the reminder. 
Allison Fell

_____________________________________

Thanks to Bob Gedes and Terry Bassett for helping to make him successful

Whitten Pell

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Wow!!!  Bob!!  A one two punch.  You hit me with the band Boston and then my ski movie hero and right of passage Warren Miller !   

You're not allowed to ski unless you jam into, yes, a 2500 seat theatre and listen to Warren as much as watch!   

I remember the days of him standing by the side of the stage and "live" narration!  Not sure who else saw this.  Does this make me old!  Haha.  

Greg stump kinda took up the banner for awhile and I remember my days in whistler making sure SEAL didn't snowboard over my skis after penning the soundtrack to these movies which ultimately kicked off his career!  
Skiing cancelled??   No way.  My little mtn here in BC canada welcomes you my fellow planker...  silver star !   See you on the backside!  High desert dry powder. Just like you Utah days!!  

Loving your posts these days. 

Andrew Johns.

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

we haven't seen each other in a while.  you sound like you are holding up well.  i had been meaning to reply to this and then lost track.  coincidentally, i watched the mountain time zone virtual premiere of 'future retro,' the new wm presents annual film on Saturday.  they are doing a three-time-zone 'tour' virtually.  here is the link if you haven't checked it out yet:

https://warrenmiller.com/press/calendar

it was fun and re-solidified the annual ritual.  btw, tahoe and mammoth got a nice dump last week and it looks like more is on the way.  fingers crossed that they all stay open without incident.  i am optimistic.  so, thoughts are turning to the first day out, which won't be long now.

i watched the warren miller film 'ski bum' a while back as well.  i sort of knew his story - the trailer in the parking lot, the wind-up bolex, etc.  it's one of the great stories of chasing your passion into a career that you love.  of course, as a kid growing up in San Francisco, warren miller, and the soon to be defunct powder magazine, were my windows to the world of high alpine adventure.  and so, every year, my bros and i went to the premiere in the city or at marin civic center to get stoked for the season.  it started around 1978 and it's still going today.  But, the real shift was in 1988 when 'blizzard of aahhhs' was released.  That greg stump movie changed everything for me and my generation.  it was real, raw, unsweetened, and totally relatable.  and you got to know the rippers who were shredding the big mountain lines.  the best was seeing all these Tahoe and west coast hot shot compadres - and they all are - going to Cham and getting spooked...AND raising their games even higher.  and the soundtrack music was way better.  we all wanted to be extreme skiers.

in fact, when i started my career at EMI in the UK, i was expected to come back to the US and take on a domestic role at one of the US labels.  but after three years in London, i got a chance to work at EMI Italy and did not hesitate.  it might not have been the best career move, but i was in my early 20's, had an opportunity to get to know my italain family much better, and was intrigued with the lifestyle aspect of that position.  i had a 4 cylinder, diesel, front wheel drive volvo with snow tires, that could get like 600k per tank and crush any alpine pass in any weather.  i can report that every ski area worth skiing in the alps is within 4 hours, and one tank of diesel, from milano!

my first and most regular stop was obviously Chamonix.  yes, it's only a 2 hour drive from milano, but mostly because i had tahoe ski bum friends living there, and because of 'bilzzard.'  it was a new world of climbing, ropes, harnesses, pieps, shovels, ice axes, crampons, randonee/tele skis, skins, and steep, wild, huge, mountains.  in the alps, they live in and ski the mountains.  i can't explain what a combination of fear and euphoria it is and how much it changes your skiing.  it was a revelation of the highest order.  through the years of watching warrren miller and greg stump films, i was inspired to go literally everywhere - italy, france, switzerland, austria.  all the towns and ski areas were exhilarating and new and exotic, but also ever so slightly familiar thanks to those films.  so, thank you warren miller and greg stump for giving this scrawny little kid from north beach, SF a window to the world of possibilities and the inspiration to travel the globe in search of mountains to climb and new fresh lines to ski. and thanks bob for promoting the film and lifestyle to the masses.

tune 'em up!

piero giramonti

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Nobody does nostalgia better than you.  As for Miller, we are in distribution and we did work with Warren's films on DVD and Blu-ray back in the 90s.  Didn't sell much but it was an honor being associated with the brand.  I was introduced to Miller's work back in '75 when I sold the console stereo I won on a Canadian game show called Definition to my dad in exchange for some cash that I used on my first trip to Aspen which, back then, was a far far different place than it is today.  Because you merely were there, it entitled you to have a beer with Bob Beattie at the bottom of Ajax, or hang out with Spider Sabich or Wayne Wong at Annie's.  This was the coolest place on earth.  Our apres ski was consistently a bar called The Slope which was a tiered deal with carpeting so you could slouch back and watch whatever the projector was running from Lenny Bruce cartoons to the early work of Miller.  Being there, drinking it all in, you were part of a very cool club but what I remember most was the freedom.  That's what Miller was preaching, simple unfettered freedom.  And he did walk the walk.

We tried but the ski bum life got very expensive and although I had friends who were stockbrokers who swore they would give it all up for a room slopeside and a job waxing rentals....it never quite happened although they made enough dough to keep up with the lift ticket prices.  A lot didn't and now when you go to Aspen, it's the domain of very wealthy grandparents and their grandkids.  And very very old.

Sad.  But as the new world order encroaches on our personal space, we can at least remember what it was like to live, even for a few weeks, by the words and wisdom of Warren Miller.  We were offered distribution on this biopic  and although we loved it, the virus has killed whatever plans we had to release it in the social halls of ski clubs populated by the aforementioned old white people.  I would have loved to have seen the smiles.

Thank you again

Jonathan Gross

_____________________________________

I read your letter on The Warren Miller Documentary. Great piece. It really hit home for me, and I thought I'd share. I grew up in the Canadian Rockies, at a small ski resort called Silver Star. I've been skiing since I could walk, and almost every kid I knew growing up has gone on to be a professional skier or snowboarder. My neighbors have won gold, silver, and bronze, at the Olympics, and my best friends have won gold at X-Games numerous times. My Dad was a ski bum at Vail in the 70's, and His Aunt & Uncle were two of the very first investors in Vail. They were given lifetime passes for them and their family, and a house on the mountain for their contribution. My Dad taught me and my brother everything we know. Growing up in the skiing world, amongst that caliber of skiers, brought a whole new appreciation to the sport. Pushing myself to ski with professionals on a daily basis, made me a fearless skier. I attended college at UBC in Vancouver Canada, just so I could skip school as much as possible and head to Whistler. Me and my friends would count down the days on a calendar until the new ski movies dropped each fall. Being friends with the pros, I would attend every ski movie premier in Vancouver and Whistler. It was a blast. 

Skiing, music, and movies have always been my passions, and it was hard for me to pull myself away from the mountains, and head to LA to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter and in entertainment. Skiing is still a huge part of my life, and I make my way back to the mountains of British Columbia, and that small ski resort I grew up at, whenever possible. 

Anyway, in reading the last lines of your letter, I was reminded of this quote I read on Newshcoolers.com one time, (skiing website/blog for the avid freestyle skiing community), and I've never forgotten it. I think one of my all time favorite skiers, Tanner Hall, said it. I'll share it with you below. 

Thanks for that letter, Bob. I think I'll go watch another ski film now. 

"A Skier: an escape from an overly cluttered world; an example of inovation at work; an inspiration to ski better this year than last; an answer to anyone who ever doubted that skiing and all it stands for can still provide one of the most exhilarating days on the planet; a reason to quit your job, sell your matching bedroom set, and move to the mountains once and for all; a motivational speech to anyone needing some twin tips and a fresh learning curve to revitalize their love for the sport; a few frames of A-roll footage for an up-and-coming filmmaker with a camera and a head full of fresh ideas; evidence that not every kid in the country is sitting around super- sizing himself on drive-through fries and xbox; an education for every person on a passing chairlift watching the sport evolve before their eyes; an expression of freedom like these insignificant string of words could never hope to capture."

Best,
Magdalena Quintana

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Did you know I wrote the last two scripts that Warren read for Warren Miller Entertainment? Andy Bigford, with Max Bervy's blessing, hired me for "Impact," (if I remember correctly), and I also ghost-wrote the next one (Warren's last, before the final rupture with WME) and the next, the only one narrated by Jeremy Bloom.  It was a good gig, even though I wasn't in the credits, to maintain the illusion these were Warren's words. The movies were all assembled well after the footage was shot; the film editor, Kim Schneider, would send me videotapes that I would write to. Kim was a class act in every way. 
 
BTW, Warren was less than thrilled when instructed to read my script.  It must have been like eating a bowl of burrs for Warren to read SOME NOBODY'S WORDS WHEN HE IS WARREN EFFING MILLER!  I'm still amazed he endured another year of reading my swill. 
 
We never communicated once during this gig. He wasn't about to participate in the process of being shoveled into obsolescence. 

Jackson Hogen

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Bob
Thank you so much for writing about my Dad and your shared history.  It was so great to read all the comments of friends and fans of his films. 
For my family we still have a big missing especially this time of the year with the holidays and the ski season bringing up so many beautiful memories of our life together.
All the best,
Chris Miller

--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --

Mailbag

From: Alyssa Garcia
Subject: Covid and touring crews

Hey Bob,

I've been receiving your emails for about a decade. I had a music industry teacher in college recommend I sign up. He would actually read a lot of your letters in class. I ended up dropping out of school early when the opportunity to tour came along.

I skimmed through my emails but wondered if you've covered anything on touring crews right now or would be interested in it? I have to admit, I haven't read all your emails this year. My depression has been really bad so if you have covered this, my apologies. I would really love to put a spotlight on this issue. I feel like with the election, stimulus was thrown on the back burner and there just isn't any real help.

Everyone I know received their $1,000 from Crewnation and some people received $250 from the For The Nomads Fund. Don't get me wrong, the money was extremely appreciated but for an industry that holds up so many celebrities, why aren't more bands and artists doing more? Sure, some pop and rock bands took out PPP loans but I work in country music and the help seems to be less in our industry. I was lucky that my band paid me until the end of June, but my boyfriend was not a salaried employee and has been out of work since our tour was cancelled 2 days before we were supposed to fly to Europe.

Even now, I just don't understand why more isn't being done. Drop a piece of merch and all proceeds go to the crew. Host an online concert! Frank Turner is hosting one and all the money goes to his crew. All my industry friends are suffering. I've had friends kill themselves. I cry at least weekly because I don't know how I'm going to get through and I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm supposed to get my job back as soon as it's safe but no one can last that long!

The Ryman is hosting a benefit concert but the funds go to MusiCares, the Roadies Clinic and CMAF. None of those organizations are really giving out any relief, not like Live Nation did with it's Crew Nation campaign.

I receive $247 a week from unemployment. We've almost blown through our savings and will not have enough money to pay our bills come Jan 2020. I've applied for jobs and haven't had any luck. I had a career and now I'm trying to pivot to another and people aren't even calling me for an interview. I have so many skills that are transferable to other industries but no one is biting. I don't say all of this for pitty, I just want to shed a light on this and you reach a lot of people.

Stay safe out there and thanks for all the emails!

Best,
Alyssa

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Bob, as a psychiatrist I particularly appreciated this post. It should be a public service announcement for understanding the differences in training and expertise among the myriad of mental health professionals, and debunking misconceptions about treatment. Outside of urban (and suburban) areas there is still stigma about mental illness. Access to good care is extremely challenging and, as you mention, expensive. Good treatment is out of reach for most people. Our health system has a long way to go in making treatment widely available.

In many ways significant advances have been made in the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders. But the brain and mind are the final frontiers in medicine and really great discoveries are within reach, but sadly, probably not in your and my lifetimes. That being said, having access to good psychotherapy is immeasurable and life-changing. I'm glad you have benefitted so much from it.

Please continue being a poster child for good therapy. Especially now, almost everybody I know could use some.

Barry

Barry K. Herman, MD, MMM

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Thanks for highlighting the impact of good therapy, Bob. As someone who works as a psychologist for the touring music industry, I've watched therapy save many lives in the last decade. And as a long-time patient on the other side, it's certainly saved my life.

Fortunately, the pandemic has brought mental health to the forefront, and I'm watching many people who never would have sought therapy previously now showing up, open to their own struggles and to seeking support. We've been running a free online therapy/support group for the music industry for 38 weeks already since the pandemic started, and it's pretty amazing to watch how group therapy has become "family" for touring pros and artists across the world who are struggling through the pain and isolation in this difficult time. Keep waving the therapy flag, and hopefully we can help as many people as possible continue to find their strength.

(One correction to your post. You inaccurately differentiate between psychologists and PsyDs. They're one and the same. Clinical psychologists can have either a PhD or PsyD degree, the former having a slightly more rigorous research training component. Clinically, they both receive similar training and internship experiences. Most of the country's top psychology graduate programs, however, are all PhD and not PsyD. That being said, I've seen incredible therapists with all types of degrees and training. And what matters most is not the letters, but if it feels right to the patient).

Best,

Dr. Chayim Newman
Clinical Psychologist and Founder, Tour Health Research Initiative. Www.tourhealth.org

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Psychologists have PhDs or PsyDs in the state of California. The PsyD is a relatively recent degree that waters down the research component of the degree as relatively few Clinical Psychologists need the added requirements to do research. The key to a good/great therapist is post license advanced training like Psychoanalysis or Psychoanalytic Therapy. If there is a hierarchy PhD Psychologist would be above the PsyD but that hierarchy is a false characterization. For example Anna Freud a gifted therapist who is credited with the creation of child therapy had no advance degree.
It's unlike you to get this type of information wrong. If you are trying to educate those reluctant to get into therapy there's no need to add in misinformation.

Ken Seider

_____________________________________

Re: Group

I've had good therapy - individual and group - and yes, it changed my life for the better. The okay/"bad" therapy was merely a waste of time.

Tim Brunelle
Minneapolis

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Like I guess even yourself, I didn't see that coming… This might have been one of the most important posts I've ever read from you and I've been a reader for more than 15 years. In my small, Atlantic Canadian, music business world, I've had a couple of very dear musician friends decide life wasn't worth living, and it's heartbreaking. I've also known civilians who've taken the same route, with the same effect for those left behind and wondering why?

I'd be a liar if I said the same thing hadn't occurred to me during the darkest moments - to those on the outside looking in - of my life. I'm OK for the time being but who knows what the future will bring. I'll be far more open to seeing someone about it than I was before reading this. Thank you.

Mike Campbell

_____________________________________

Re: Group

I'm in grad school studying to be a therapist, so it's interesting you wrote about this topic. I decided to go back to school because of the state of our country and its people. We have a mental health crisis brewing in the U.S. that will take years and possibly generations to correct. So I'm with you on how critical the need is.

I lived in LA for two years and could not find one therapist who took insurance, so I ended up paying one out of pocket who was marginally talented. I'm from Seattle, so I was surprised by this because healthcare is accessible here and excellent. Most therapists in Seattle take insurance and the going rate is around $120 an hour, some psychologists even have a sliding scale. I think your experience with therapists in LA and NYC is a bit insular; those people are serving the rich of the rich, which excludes middle and lower income folks. Seattle is a wealthy place too, but hasn't created that type of exclusivity in healthcare. And every other city I have lived in has had way better access to mental health services as well. It's funny, lack of access to good mental health services was my least favorite part of living in LA, which is ironic because considering the countless people I met there who were justifying their coke addiction, I'd say the people of LA need therapy more than "normals" raising 2.5 kids everywhere else.

My advice? Hire one up here, they are all doing Telehealth sessions because of the pandemic anyhow.

Cheers,

Andrea Bijou

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Interesting topic....mental illness can be so difficult if not impossible to treat. People can be so damaged that it can linger for decades while you're shackled having to drag it along through life. It's ballast that can sink you. My take on an untreatable organic mental illness is you're fucked!

I've been a consumer of mental health services and can testify that had I not had that available I would not be writing this email. I've learned to go see someone who's been practicing at least thirty years or don't waste your time nor money. It can seem like you never get better or more importantly relief.

Growing up in a family with a member mentally ill can seem normal. Your lack of care or love from that significant person allows you to not understand how to provide self care for yourself let alone a significant other.

Now decades on in my sixties I've learned to partially quell my inner critic, being able to identify and stay away from people who are themselves "fucked up", exercise regularly, eat better, try to sleep better, drink periodically and stay away from recreational drugs that can make you paranoid. I thought I'd never get better, but I did.

We can start out with so little it may be impossible to catch up with the remainder of humanity. If you're not chasing status or "stuff" then you're always going to be on the outskirts so you're treated differently.

But everyone has problems. If people tell you they don't they are full of shit!

"Is my time up? We need to wrap it up...see you next at Thursday at 2 pm..." I know the drill.

Tim Pringle

_____________________________________

Re: Group

Thank you for your piece on mental health. You have touched on so many critically important real-world issues—if/when to seek help, what type of professional to pursue, what type of setting (i.e., individual vs. group), whether to seek/accept medication(s), what medication(s) to take, the social stigma that continues to influence decisions about whether and when to pursue mental healthcare, etc.—all of which highlight so much of the complexity that mental health involves. But perhaps most significantly, the most important aspect of your piece is that you very openly addressed the subject, the importance of mental healthcare and your own experience with it. As someone who has traveled around the country giving talks on the subject—presentations entitled "How to Talk to Someone In Crisis" and "Lawyering with a Healthy Mind", in addition to participation on panel discussion—I have been mindful that if I don't share my own experience with suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety and therapy, I can't expect anyone else to feel comfortable sharing their own experiences. After a long societal history of mental healthcare being addressed, if at all, in the quietest of whispers, we've started seeing many high-profile folks openly discuss their experiences with mental healthcare, which has started to create a safer-feeling environment in which to pursue self-care.

From 1999, when I was a volunteer hotline counselor at Los Angeles's Suicide Prevention Center, until 2018, the annual rate of suicide in the U.S. has increased 35%, and in light of the bad behavior that we've seen from our political leaders, which appears to be considered by many to be a license to behave badly, and translates into things like bullying, together with the pandemic and its continuing impact on jobs and the economy, all of which directly affect people's peace of mind, sense of personal stability and emotional well-being, mental health has never been more important, and more important to talk about, than it is now.

As the founder and head of a nonprofit suicide prevention and action foundation, LightHopeLife Inc., I offer myself as a resource to your readers if and to the extent that anyone feels that they need direction/guidance, and I'm including my cell phone number below for that purpose. Frequently, when mired in a difficult mental/emotional place, determining what the first step is toward the light can be the most difficult, which is commonly made all the more difficult by the reality that being mired in such a place saps one's energy, rendering it even more challenging to figure out the way forward.

With respect and gratitude for what you've just done,
Michael Rexford (partner at Manatt and CEO of LightHopeLife Inc.)
(310) 869-8442

Michael Rexford
Partner
https://www.manatt.com/Michael-Rexford

_____________________________________

From: Tish Iceton
Subject: "California sealed the deal"

'California' sealed the deal.
I quietly sold everything I owned, quit my job, didn't tell anyone where I was going and headed to California. Joni told me 'my problems would be gone and I would be free'. I landed in Santa Cruz. It was 1978.
(Being from Canada was a mute point to me)

No musician/songwriter had more influence on my younger self than Joni. I loved to quote " I told you when I met you I was crazy". "I can win my hand at poker but I'm a fool when love's at stake" When your on a free teenage ride how can you NOT live by those lyrics?

In Santa Cruz I discovered my name was written in the California sand and my soul lived in each California ocean wave.
Today I own property on the California sand.

75th birthday at Dorothy Chandler 2 years ago was a must. Graham Nash leading us through a 'Our House' sing along - priceless. For any Joni fan a moment of magic. (Graham's Songs for Beginners is a lyrical gem)

Larry Klein produces Melody Gardot's new album. I first met Melody when I worked at a jazz station-we were presenting. She walked to the stage with a cane, wore dark glasses and she blew us away. Her story is amazing.

Music. The breath of life. Thanks for the Joni trip Bob.

Tish
Toronto

_____________________________________

From: Jo Faloona
Subject: Re: Bruce Allen-This Week's Podcast

Bob,
Thank you for having Bruce as your podcast guest, I've been working for him over 16 years and I even learned a couple of things. When Bruce talks about staying in the game as long as he's winning-he means it! And you're so right, he's going to keep on winning. But what he doesn't say, is that the drive to win is for his acts. He works his ass off for their success. He does not take a minute to celebrate, he rarely looks back to reflect – he just keeps moving forward ensuring there's another win on the horizon.

It's such an honour to work for this legendary manager. I've learned so much from him. I'm forever grateful for his belief in me and the respect & freedom he gives me to do my job. 75 years young with a drive & passion like no other, I have a feeling we'll be doing this for a few more years to come!!

jo

_____________________________________

From: Larry Butler
Subject: Re: Richard Gottehrer-This Week's Podcast

Hey, Bob,
Listened to the Richard Gottehrer piece during my morning constitutional and thought I might put a finer point on an event he touched on - where (and how) he met the Rick Z Combo and turned them into the McCoys. For starters, it wasn't Columbus; it was Dayton.
In the summer of I guess 1965, the two Dayton Top 40s (WING and WONE) would inevitably have competing shows every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer season. My band, Ivan and the Sabers, had been around town the longest and generally got the first call. This one particular night we were offered either of two shows:
1) to support the Strangeloves in a warehouse north of town for $100, or
2) to headline an amusement park ballroom south of town for $125.
Not only did the latter gig offer more money, but we could get free beer from the park concessionaires and there were girls aplenty. We took that gig and the Strangeloves support slot went to the Rick Z Combo.
Who knew that Gottehrer and friends ran a record company and were looking for bands? Missed our chance to be stars.
Larry Butler

_____________________________________

From: John Brodey
Subject: Re: Even More Covid

My close friend Fred Schepisi (film director) is Australian and Melbourne has always been his home. He is now living/stuck at his vineyard down on the Mornington peninsula on the ocean south of Melbourne. I asked him recently how they were doing with the pandemic there.

He said it has been a total lockdown. Forget coming in or leaving the country. He is in Victoria but cannot cross the border into New South Wales etc. There is also a restriction on how far you can travel from your home daily. In Melbourne it's about 3 km.s Rural areas higher. Just enough to get to stores. The exception is for medical emergencies etc. I asked what the penalty is for violating the orders...he said it's a $5000 fine. And they do pay a reward for reporting violators.

I then asked how long they expect the restrictions to be in place and he replied, until there are no new cases. How is it working? Even though Australia only a population of 25million, their death toll to date from COVID is 902! Of course we are bigger and have 14 times the population but if our death rate was the same as theirs, we would have only 12,628 deaths instead of 250,000.

_____________________________________

From: Bettye LaVette
Subject: Re: The Soft Coup

Oh ! Robert, Robert, Robert, Robert!
Did you See a movie called "Something Wicked This Way Comes" ?
We've got to have pussies and thank "goodness" we do.
Imagine a country, or world, full of dicks !
Your inciting , the pussies to " dissrupt be vengeful, cheat and lie.....act like a dick
Like the evil did to the town in the movie.
Don't you think, ( with your thinking ass ) we could find some way to make both of them work together ?
It would be the difference between fucking and screwing.
B

_____________________________________

From: David Stopps
Subject: Brexit

Hi Bob

Thought you might like to see all the bureaucracy that UK musicians will face after 1 Jan 2021 if they want to tour in Europe.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1326554078256656389.html

95% of the UK music industry voted to remain.

Love peace, live music and a vaccine

d

_____________________________________

From: sean brickell
Subject: Spencer Davis

SNIFF. . .

So, Spencer Davis died at 81. While I have many terrific musical memories of him through the decades, my favorite recollection was when he was an executive for Island Records in the mid-70s.

I was music editor for The Virginian-Pilot, and Spencer called. He was staying at a hotel next to the newspaper, in town doing advance work for a new Island artist named Robert Palmer, whose debut album was being released in a month.

Of course I walked to the hotel and met Spencer in the bar for a couple of hours of repartee. We talked about his career as an artist, what is was like working with Steve Winwood on classic tunes, and with Bob Marley at Island.

Spencer didn't hype. He told me Robert Palmer was going to be a huge artist and for evidence gave me an advance of "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley." He gave me his business card (which I still have) and told me to call and let him know what I thought after listening.

I was suitably knocked out, telling Spencer such. He arranged an interview at the venue following Palmer's upcoming concert, insisting I couldn't possibly do a story correctly without the live experience first.

Spencer was right.

For context, it was March, '77. Palmer, unknown to most that night in Norfolk Scope, was opening act on a bill headlined by ELO, with Journey in support. Palmer definitely not only held his own but won the crowd.

A year or so later when I was Mid-Atlantic promotions manager for Atlantic Records and Elektra/Asylum Records, my role model for how to do it best was what I learned through contacts with Spencer.

He also taught me a fun hotel game he said his bands always played whilst on the road. They bet on which elevator would arrive first. Seems simple, but he said during a tour, the debts could mount up.

Spencer was not only a genuine musical legend, but a superlative music person on many levels. And a helluva fun guy to be with as well.

Sniff. . .

Sean Brickell
Virginia Beach

_____________________________________

From: Saul Davies
Subject: Re: Big Hit Goes Public

Interesting.
I'm 55 years old, been making a living as a musician, writer and producer for over 30 years, I love Neil Young, Zeppelin etc but also BTS.
They're a revolution in the making. The dayglo positivity is totally infectious and I love it. I'm a convert, a fan. ?So are my fairly cynical kids ( my 13 year old daughter is mainly a Pink Floyd fan citing Live at Pompeii as her go to Youtube moment) but she also GETS BTS.... and she appreciates that they're not baring their pecs and arses to sell records...it's all about LOVE.
There is also some deep ART in what they do. Their videos reference Shakespeare and contemporary art works, their collaboration with Anthony Gormley was brilliant.
I'd rather this than old rockers moaning about not getting played on radio...
Keep up the good fight.

_____________________________________

From: Eric Bazilian
Subject: Even more Eddie

I know the news cycle has already moved past the passing of the most transformational guitarist of a generation, but I thought I'd give you this just for fun.

I met Eddie casually a few times in the 80s and early 90s, he didn't know me from Adam but he was always friendly and ready to geek out on guitars and guitarists. Then in '96 I was re-introduced to him at the Warners Grammy party, the year I'd been nominated for writing One Of Us. The first thing he said was, 'hey man, how did you play that riff'? I knew exactly what was going on in his mind... I wrote the song around a signature guitar part in E Minor. When I played it with Joan Osborne first the first time the next day I raised the key to F#, a better fit for her voice. The only way to play it comfortably and smoothly was with a capo which, unfortunately, I didn't have with me at the time, so I was forced to stumble through it without one (which you can hear on the demo version on the 20th Anniversary release of Relish). So, when Eddie asked me how I played it, I knew that it hadn't occurred to him to do the easy thing and he had toughed it out bareback.

I knew I had a once in a lifetime 'teaching moment' with a guitarist way out of my league so I paused a few seconds and gave him a one word reply... 'capo'. I saw the flash of realization on his face before he smiled at me and said, 'oh, no, man, it's way cooler without one'. I smiled back and said, 'well, it sure is harder without one'. He promised to show me how he did it next time we met which, sadly, never happened.

I doubt I'll ever make a list of Greatest Guitarists but that smile and those seven words were, for me, the greatest affirmation I could ever receive.

_____________________________________

From: Eric J. Kuhn
Subject: Re: The Queen's Gambit

Bob -

In my spare time, I'm the co-manager of the number one chess player in America, Fabiano Caruana. He is number 2 in the world. Actually, last year, at 25, Fabiano went to the World Chess Championship, the first American since Bobby Fischer, in 1972. He eventually lost to Magnus Carlson but is one of America's greatest athletes most people don't really know about.

Chess is at the zeitgeist right now for a few different reasons, but the game has more players in the U.S. than golf or tennis. Technology (especially AI) has made it a more interesting game as players are competing and learning from computers and the game was recently considered to be part of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The players in it represent everything that is now: mindfulness, pattern recognition, smarts, and focus.

Hope all is well and talk soon.

Eric

_____________________________________

From: Liam Glass
Subject: Re: The Queen's Gambit

Hi Bob,

I just finished the show. Wow. Never have I seen chess so incredibly accurately represented... from the games to the behavior and even down to the social interactions between players at tournaments. My two chess coaches were first the legendary Miron Sher, who sadly passed away recently, and then second the incredible Bruce Pandolfini, who, along with Kasparov, closely worked on the Queen's Gambit (Bruce had a cameo as Ed Spencer, the tournament director at the end of the second to last episode). If not for Bruce, I don't think you'd have thought the story was real! I particularly loved that I could pause to analyze the board, then Beth or her opponent would (for the most part) play the sequence or tactic real chess players would.

I am now certain that I need to get back to playing chess competitively – and I have a new goal of achieving a FIDE Master title. My rating and play certainly have far to go, but I think if I work hard enough I can do it over the next few years (and Bruce agrees, with enough very hard work). I know chess must play a larger role in my life.

Best,
Liam

_____________________________________

arren Miller

I so enjoyed watching this – but it was so sad. He was not connected to his children – I was looking for the connection I had with my son skiing down the powder at Keystone last week. With my new POW skis from Parlor in Vermont (Bob – these are amazing…!!) I can finally beat the 9 year old down the hill – he's on kids Fischer GS skis, so…

But god I love the style of the 70s ski world.

Skiing is super safe at Keystone. Everyone is masked (it is skiing) and the lifts are just you and your party – so Harvey and I were sitting on a chair for 6. Danger is in the plane getting there, and pre/post ski.

Why not wait a few weeks and we can get a vaccine.

Warren Miller wouldn't have done that though…

Ross Mollison

_____________________________________

I grew up in Baltimore watching Warren Miller films and learned so much ski geography from watching them. I can name trails and ski resorts all over the world that I will never get to see in person! I moved to Boulder in 1991 and looked for an internship while attending grad school (broadcast journalism) at CU. When I realized Warren Miller Entertainment was based there I was determined to work for them. Somehow I got lucky and was hired as an Assistant to the Director (Brian Sisselman)... 2 days a week PAID!!! I was raking in $100 a week for work I would have done for free. Kurt was of course running the company but it was always so exciting when Warren would come to town. Hearing that crazy recognizable voice in the office was such a trip. I remember one day a guy dropped off his resume, printed on a pair of skis. My memory is that he didn't get hired, but his skis sat by the front desk for a long time.

I'm looking forward to checking out the doc, thanks for the reminder.
Allison Fell

_____________________________________

Thanks to Bob Gedes and Terry Bassett for helping to make him successful

Whitten Pell

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Wow!!! Bob!! A one two punch. You hit me with the band Boston and then my ski movie hero and right of passage Warren Miller !

You're not allowed to ski unless you jam into, yes, a 2500 seat theatre and listen to Warren as much as watch!

I remember the days of him standing by the side of the stage and "live" narration! Not sure who else saw this. Does this make me old! Haha.

Greg stump kinda took up the banner for awhile and I remember my days in whistler making sure SEAL didn't snowboard over my skis after penning the soundtrack to these movies which ultimately kicked off his career!
Skiing cancelled?? No way. My little mtn here in BC canada welcomes you my fellow planker... silver star ! See you on the backside! High desert dry powder. Just like you Utah days!!

Loving your posts these days.

Andrew Johns.

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

we haven't seen each other in a while. you sound like you are holding up well. i had been meaning to reply to this and then lost track. coincidentally, i watched the mountain time zone virtual premiere of 'future retro,' the new wm presents annual film on Saturday. they are doing a three-time-zone 'tour' virtually. here is the link if you haven't checked it out yet:

https://warrenmiller.com/press/calendar

it was fun and re-solidified the annual ritual. btw, tahoe and mammoth got a nice dump last week and it looks like more is on the way. fingers crossed that they all stay open without incident. i am optimistic. so, thoughts are turning to the first day out, which won't be long now.

i watched the warren miller film 'ski bum' a while back as well. i sort of knew his story - the trailer in the parking lot, the wind-up bolex, etc. it's one of the great stories of chasing your passion into a career that you love. of course, as a kid growing up in San Francisco, warren miller, and the soon to be defunct powder magazine, were my windows to the world of high alpine adventure. and so, every year, my bros and i went to the premiere in the city or at marin civic center to get stoked for the season. it started around 1978 and it's still going today. But, the real shift was in 1988 when 'blizzard of aahhhs' was released. That greg stump movie changed everything for me and my generation. it was real, raw, unsweetened, and totally relatable. and you got to know the rippers who were shredding the big mountain lines. the best was seeing all these Tahoe and west coast hot shot compadres - and they all are - going to Cham and getting spooked...AND raising their games even higher. and the soundtrack music was way better. we all wanted to be extreme skiers.

in fact, when i started my career at EMI in the UK, i was expected to come back to the US and take on a domestic role at one of the US labels. but after three years in London, i got a chance to work at EMI Italy and did not hesitate. it might not have been the best career move, but i was in my early 20's, had an opportunity to get to know my italain family much better, and was intrigued with the lifestyle aspect of that position. i had a 4 cylinder, diesel, front wheel drive volvo with snow tires, that could get like 600k per tank and crush any alpine pass in any weather. i can report that every ski area worth skiing in the alps is within 4 hours, and one tank of diesel, from milano!

my first and most regular stop was obviously Chamonix. yes, it's only a 2 hour drive from milano, but mostly because i had tahoe ski bum friends living there, and because of 'bilzzard.' it was a new world of climbing, ropes, harnesses, pieps, shovels, ice axes, crampons, randonee/tele skis, skins, and steep, wild, huge, mountains. in the alps, they live in and ski the mountains. i can't explain what a combination of fear and euphoria it is and how much it changes your skiing. it was a revelation of the highest order. through the years of watching warrren miller and greg stump films, i was inspired to go literally everywhere - italy, france, switzerland, austria. all the towns and ski areas were exhilarating and new and exotic, but also ever so slightly familiar thanks to those films. so, thank you warren miller and greg stump for giving this scrawny little kid from north beach, SF a window to the world of possibilities and the inspiration to travel the globe in search of mountains to climb and new fresh lines to ski. and thanks bob for promoting the film and lifestyle to the masses.

tune 'em up!

piero giramonti

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Nobody does nostalgia better than you. As for Miller, we are in distribution and we did work with Warren's films on DVD and Blu-ray back in the 90s. Didn't sell much but it was an honor being associated with the brand. I was introduced to Miller's work back in '75 when I sold the console stereo I won on a Canadian game show called Definition to my dad in exchange for some cash that I used on my first trip to Aspen which, back then, was a far far different place than it is today. Because you merely were there, it entitled you to have a beer with Bob Beattie at the bottom of Ajax, or hang out with Spider Sabich or Wayne Wong at Annie's. This was the coolest place on earth. Our apres ski was consistently a bar called The Slope which was a tiered deal with carpeting so you could slouch back and watch whatever the projector was running from Lenny Bruce cartoons to the early work of Miller. Being there, drinking it all in, you were part of a very cool club but what I remember most was the freedom. That's what Miller was preaching, simple unfettered freedom. And he did walk the walk.

We tried but the ski bum life got very expensive and although I had friends who were stockbrokers who swore they would give it all up for a room slopeside and a job waxing rentals....it never quite happened although they made enough dough to keep up with the lift ticket prices. A lot didn't and now when you go to Aspen, it's the domain of very wealthy grandparents and their grandkids. And very very old.

Sad. But as the new world order encroaches on our personal space, we can at least remember what it was like to live, even for a few weeks, by the words and wisdom of Warren Miller. We were offered distribution on this biopic and although we loved it, the virus has killed whatever plans we had to release it in the social halls of ski clubs populated by the aforementioned old white people. I would have loved to have seen the smiles.

Thank you again

Jonathan Gross

_____________________________________

I read your letter on The Warren Miller Documentary. Great piece. It really hit home for me, and I thought I'd share. I grew up in the Canadian Rockies, at a small ski resort called Silver Star. I've been skiing since I could walk, and almost every kid I knew growing up has gone on to be a professional skier or snowboarder. My neighbors have won gold, silver, and bronze, at the Olympics, and my best friends have won gold at X-Games numerous times. My Dad was a ski bum at Vail in the 70's, and His Aunt & Uncle were two of the very first investors in Vail. They were given lifetime passes for them and their family, and a house on the mountain for their contribution. My Dad taught me and my brother everything we know. Growing up in the skiing world, amongst that caliber of skiers, brought a whole new appreciation to the sport. Pushing myself to ski with professionals on a daily basis, made me a fearless skier. I attended college at UBC in Vancouver Canada, just so I could skip school as much as possible and head to Whistler. Me and my friends would count down the days on a calendar until the new ski movies dropped each fall. Being friends with the pros, I would attend every ski movie premier in Vancouver and Whistler. It was a blast.

Skiing, music, and movies have always been my passions, and it was hard for me to pull myself away from the mountains, and head to LA to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter and in entertainment. Skiing is still a huge part of my life, and I make my way back to the mountains of British Columbia, and that small ski resort I grew up at, whenever possible.

Anyway, in reading the last lines of your letter, I was reminded of this quote I read on Newshcoolers.com one time, (skiing website/blog for the avid freestyle skiing community), and I've never forgotten it. I think one of my all time favorite skiers, Tanner Hall, said it. I'll share it with you below.

Thanks for that letter, Bob. I think I'll go watch another ski film now.

"A Skier: an escape from an overly cluttered world; an example of inovation at work; an inspiration to ski better this year than last; an answer to anyone who ever doubted that skiing and all it stands for can still provide one of the most exhilarating days on the planet; a reason to quit your job, sell your matching bedroom set, and move to the mountains once and for all; a motivational speech to anyone needing some twin tips and a fresh learning curve to revitalize their love for the sport; a few frames of A-roll footage for an up-and-coming filmmaker with a camera and a head full of fresh ideas; evidence that not every kid in the country is sitting around super- sizing himself on drive-through fries and xbox; an education for every person on a passing chairlift watching the sport evolve before their eyes; an expression of freedom like these insignificant string of words could never hope to capture."

Best,
Magdalena Quintana

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Did you know I wrote the last two scripts that Warren read for Warren Miller Entertainment? Andy Bigford, with Max Bervy's blessing, hired me for "Impact," (if I remember correctly), and I also ghost-wrote the next one (Warren's last, before the final rupture with WME) and the next, the only one narrated by Jeremy Bloom. It was a good gig, even though I wasn't in the credits, to maintain the illusion these were Warren's words. The movies were all assembled well after the footage was shot; the film editor, Kim Schneider, would send me videotapes that I would write to. Kim was a class act in every way.

BTW, Warren was less than thrilled when instructed to read my script. It must have been like eating a bowl of burrs for Warren to read SOME NOBODY'S WORDS WHEN HE IS WARREN EFFING MILLER! I'm still amazed he endured another year of reading my swill.

We never communicated once during this gig. He wasn't about to participate in the process of being shoveled into obsolescence.

Jackson Hogen

_____________________________________

Re: Warren Miller

Bob
Thank you so much for writing about my Dad and your shared history. It was so great to read all the comments of friends and fans of his films.
For my family we still have a big missing especially this time of the year with the holidays and the ski season bringing up so many beautiful memories of our life together.
All the best,
Chris Miller

--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --