Musicares

"I wake up in the morning and I raise my weary head
I've got an old coat for a pillow and the earth was last night's bed"

People forget that Jeff Beck played the guitar on "Blaze of Glory," if they even knew it in the first place.

It was the height of Jovimania. Not quite like Swiftmania, in that it was easier to get a ticket, Bon Jovi wasn't playing multiple stadium dates, but conversely everybody under the age of fifty knew that Tommy used to work on the docks. Today we're living on a prayer, but back in the eighties perception was things were good. Reagan had legitimized greed, but most people didn't realize that vast income inequality would ensue and ultimately fracture the nation.

And watching the video last night, of Jon Bongiovi back in the eighties, it was apparent how long ago that was. With the big hair and spandex. I lived through it, but at this point it's laughable, and host Jim Gaffigan did a good job of poking fun at Jon and the era.

Now usually Musicares is all about the schmooze-fest, you can do a year's worth of business in one night, because everybody is there. As for the music? Only those in the back in tuxedos seem to be paying attention throughout.

So what you've got is a bona fide star with too many has-beens and flavors of the moment performing bad renditions of their hits. Even worse, the lag time between songs could be interminable. Then again, that offered the chance to go out in the lobby and kibbitz.

But last night the show ran like live TV. Tight. And that was a blessing.

But what was not expected was how good the performances would be, at least up to a point.

So Bon Jovi opened the show, and the only person I remember doing this is Paul McCartney, a few years back. The band hit the intro to "Magical Mystery Tour" and heads exploded. But I must say, McCartney and his wife were sitting two tables up and I didn't tingle. Which I found surprising. Not a reflection on the man, but me. Somehow I've hit a point where we're all just people. Doing our thing.

And the thing the musicians do is to take the stage, amp it up, and entertain us. Does not mean they're reasonable people, does not mean they live reasonable lives, but what it does mean is they can do this one thing, that gains our attention and makes our lives worthwhile.

Bon Jovi began with a new song. Which is not a choice I would make. And did not follow that up with a legendary hit. Then again, the rest of the roster had to do the iconic numbers, right?

Well, I knew that Springsteen was going to come out and play with Jon, but I did not expect them to play "The Promised Land." The dogs on mainstream howled and we understood that this was the essence of rock and roll. Springsteen showed, despite the recent passing of his mother, and he smiled and played his Fender and all was right in the world. I stood and sang, like so many. "Darkness" is the best Springsteen album, concise and meaningful. And to hear a number live, what else could you expect?

Not much more.

So when Gaffigan started talking about a woman who won Grammys and had breast cancer I figured it was Sheryl Crow, who's been making the rounds recently.

I was not prepared for Melissa Etheridge. In tight leather pants and a leather cowboy hat. With Larkin Poe as support.

"I'm goin' down in a blaze of glory
Take me now, but know the truth"

I was stupefied. What I was experiencing was BETTER than the Bon Jovi original. Something I've never seen before. Because Melissa put her all into the song, she was the song, and when Etheridge is on... Let me just say her performance of "I'm the Only One" is one of the two best performances I ever saw on Letterman's late night show. Megan Lovell's slide guitar didn't quite reach Beckian heights, but who can?

When it was over... WHEW! I can't really convey how positively mesmerizing and powerful Melissa's performance of the number was, you had to be there. And isn't that the essence of the live concert experience?

Okay, it can only go downhill from here. These Musicares experiences are not transcendent, that's not the way the evening goes.

But then 39 year old country rap sensation Jelly Roll rolled out on stage and kicked "Bad Medicine" right through the goalpost, probably impressing Robert Kraft, who was sitting at Bon Jovi's table. Jelly Roll is as wide as he is tall. The antithesis of a rock star. But man, watching him you got it, the energy, the excitement, it felt thrilling to be in the presence of a man having his moment, impacting the culture, breaking all the rules in age and appearance.

Followed by Lainey Wilson's "We Weren't Born to Follow." Not the most major of Bon Jovi hits, but she was into it. She was wearing the de rigueur country hat, and sang with a twang, but she moved her body like a rocker, as if she had no bones. She was wearing a green suit and appeared like no one so much as Gumby. She was feeling it, she was not punching the clock.

And then the man with the voice came out and did "It's My Life." Yes, Pat Monahan of Train has the pipes, and this was good, but unlike what came before, it was not transcendent.

Whereupon Shania Twain took the stage. And all I could think about was how Mutt Lange took a middling country act and made her the biggest star in the world. And we all know how it ended, but Shania, er, Eileen, was convincing on "Bed of Roses." Actually, her performance was better than the song. And her image befit the legend. However, I must admit, and will probably be excoriated for it, she looked she hadn't had a bite since 2021. I mean to be that skinny...

But then came the second peak. Well, maybe the third if you're counting "Promised Land." No one could reach the height of Melissa Etheridge, that was as good as it gets. But Jason Isbell took the stage...

In a nightrider outfit. You know long black coat with matching hat. Like he just got up from the campfire and is gonna play a number on his gee-tar before he saddles up and rides into the next county.

And that gee-tar around his neck is a double-necked Gibson. Which confuses me, because most of the leads, the defining parts, had been played by the backup band.

But then those indelible notes begin. The best, if not the most famous, Bon Jovi song ever, "Wanted Dead Or Alive." Kept alive by its used in "Deadliest Catch" and elsewhere. Back in the day, Jon and Richie would take the stage and do it acoustic for the masses watching TV.

But last night was fully electric, like the original and...WHO KNEW JASON ISBELL COULD PLAY THE GUITAR!

"It's all the same, only the names will change
Every day it seems we're wastin' away
Another place where the faces are so cold
I'd drive all night just to get back home"

Jaw-dropping. Jason Isbell is an Americana artist. Specializing in heartfelt numbers, sung in a straightforward way. But here he's screwing up all his power, pushing his voice into the upper register and straining and damn, if that's not rock and roll... It was like Johnny Cash revisited, but more intense. It was eerie. Isbell was charismatic. A complete surprise and an unbelievable highlight.

I'd like to say the rest was as good.

But Johnny Rzeznik hit the stage with his Goo Goo Dolls partner Robby Takac and all I could think was it was time to change his hairstyle. Bon Jovi has. Yet even more impressive, he's let his hair go gray. But Rzeznik is locked in amber, it made him into a nostalgia act, and it's his own fault.

But then The War and Treaty came out and completely redefined "I'll Be There for You." This too was even better than the original. They turned it into something akin to a gospel number. Redefined it. Nobody knew who they were, but no one will forget their performance.

And then came the true rockers, from Bon Jovi's neighborhood. And the disappointment began.

Mammoth WVH thrashed like Musicares performers of the past. Bludgeoned through "It's My Life" and all you wanted to do was look away.

I will say Sammy Hagar bounced on stage with Orianthi and they blasted through "You Give Love a Bad Name," but it was faithful to the original, and although it evidenced energy, they were competing with those who'd blown the roof off the place.

In other words, just when I thought this was the second best Musicares ever, the show went downhill.

Oh, number one? No one can top Aretha, ever! Kind of like Prince at the Super Bowl.

The assembled multitude, sans Etheridge, too momentous to play nice with others, did an ensemble version of "Livin' on a Prayer" to end the evening, and Jon was smiling and everybody was hitting the notes, but all I could think about were Etheridge and Isbell. And The War and Treaty.

Now these industry events are clusterf*cks. Usually most people talk through the performances and leave early, no matter who is on stage. You don't expect much. So I was gobsmacked by so many performances last night.

And that's what they were, performances. Up close and personal in an industry environment where...everyone's seen the trick, everyone is jaded, everyone knows stars, it's hard to impress the crowd. But last night these acts did their jobs, as in they took the stage and gave it their all. I'm sophisticated enough to know that offstage they are almost never these people (excluding Steven Tyler, that's who this cat really is, 24/7). But even if you can't suspend disbelief, when the music is playing you let go, you're caught up in it, you sing at the top of your lungs.

Speaking of which, when I sang the echo "wanted" during "Wanted Dead or Alive" David Bryan turned around and gave me a look...

So you had to be there.

Because these were once in a lifetime performances. And three were definitely worth seeing and will continue to be remembered. It's nearly impossible to hit these heights, some people stop even trying. No one can perform at 11 every night, even though Springsteen tries. But when you give it your all and deliver that extra indefinable something...

That's rock and roll.


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Pivotal/Breakthrough Cuts-2-SiriusXM This Week

Tune in Saturday February 3rd to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863 

Twitter: @lefsetz

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz 


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TikTok/Universal

This is just about a number.

Don't get your knickers in a twist. All this discussion about distribution overshadows the real story in the business today, which is the music itself.

We are in a crisis.

All the major media is focusing on the Grammy awards when in truth there should be touring awards. The business has flipped, completely. Now all the action, all the excitement, is in the live sector.

Used to be the live sector was dependent upon the labels to provide talent, to build it. Now the labels don't even support their acts' tours, they buy very few tickets. The acts are on their own. But even more interesting is the fact that so many of today's acts are not signed to the three major label groups, and don't need them whatsoever. Why give up AT LEAST fifty percent of your streaming revenues to your label when you can keep essentially all the money yourself. But the dirty little secret is for so many of these acts, the streaming income amounts to one extra show. So...

Recorded music is sexy. We love the bling, the stars. We're eager for the new.

Then again, the big story this week is the Apple Vision Pro. When was the last time we had an act that was a great leap forward, that gained everybody's attention? Music used to be the land of innovation, where the envelope was pushed, but the classic acts are usually superior to the vaunted acts of today. I can't find one person in the business who feels the same way about boygenius as the press. Most can't even listen to the album. Talk about a disconnect.

But there is one breakthrough story in music this year. And that is the Sphere. Quick, ask someone, ANYONE, if they know about the Sphere. And you will find out they do. The Sphere has penetrated the consciousness of America. And almost all of these people will tell you that U2 is the Sphere's opening act. Why? Because the Sphere itself is sexy, a breakthrough far bigger than that of any acts putting out music this year. Come on, have you seen the graphics on the OUTSIDE of the Sphere? They were the highlight of Formula One in Vegas, far superior to the race itself. And as far as what's inside... Talk to anybody who's been to the show, no one is equivocal, absolutely everybody testifies. Many have been more than once. This is the excitement we used to see in the music itself!

I can't tell you that the Sphere makes economic sense, but you've got to give credit to Jim Dolan, the most hated man in New York, for taking a risk, a very big risk. How is it that Jim Dolan is more of a visionary, is willing to risk more than any act plying the boards. Interesting, don't you think? But that's what happens when you think outside of the box, literally. That's what we're all hungry for, that which we cannot conceive of, that blows our minds.

TikTok is something different. TikTok is like the music itself. TikTok is selling humanity. It's a reflection of American society. And the cognoscenti don't like to look at it. Because they don't like what they see. They want everybody to be like them, to turn off their devices and do what? All this banter about TikTok in D.C... Never have so many talked about something they know so little about. And in moribund D.C. they no longer legislate, they just hold grandstanding hearings. Mark Zuckerberg apologized yesterday, whoo-hoo! Are we going to see meaningful change? No. Then again, when will D.C. realize you don't hamper, don't change what already exists, you get out in front of it. Like Spotify.

Yes, Spotify gave the public what it did not know it wanted. All of the music for a low monthly sum, on demand. And if you wanted to kick the tires, you could even listen for free, albeit with ads and a few restrictions.

And Spotify saved the recorded music business. You may not know this, but believe me, Lucian Grainge does.

Got to give Lucian credit, unlike his predecessor, Doug Morris, he's not trying to hold back innovation, he's trying to harness it, go along for the ride, hopefully lead the pack. But the music industry has failed consistently when it comes to tech innovation. Because it's a different mindset. How many musicians are great business people? That's how many record executives are good techies.

But at least Lucian is willing to license the music.

And that's what this TikTok fight is all about, licensing music.

But TikTok does not need the music. Sans the music, Spotify is dead. Music is Spotify's engine, its heart. As a matter of fact, Spotify is trying to broaden its business to be less dependent on music, which does not scale financially for them.

But TikTok has a business without music. TikTok can survive completely without music. And the Chinese company knows it.

But Universal knows that when the most powerful social media outlet only represents 1% of its revenues, something is wrong. And Universal is right.

But techies have no respect for content. And isn't it interesting, Hollywood was scooped and trumped by Netflix. Turns out that even Disney and Warner don't know how to compete. Weren't the big boys supposed to come in and teach Netflix a lesson? Well, that didn't happen, now these old wave studios are licensing content to Netflix for the income. Turns out Netflix is forever, the big kahuna. As for the rest... Wait for the consolidation. And never forget that music has it much more together than streaming television. Pay a bit over ten dollars a month and you can get everything. Whereas streaming TV is Balkanized. And now there are ads, which was the big breakthrough of Netflix, no ads. And you can't get everything for one low price, and you hate all the companies and players as much as you hated the cable company of yore. But you don't hate Spotify.

And maybe you love Apple and Amazon, Spotify's two biggest competitors. But let's be clear, they don't need music. It's a zit on the ass of their business. And that's not a good partner to have, one that does not need you.

And TikTok... It's not only the heart and soul of America, but the world!

And TikTok is asking for heinous things. Right to use music in ads without permission, much more. I don't believe ByteDance really thinks it can get all of this, it's just a negotiating ploy, if they ask for everything, the final result will be closer to their desires.

So Universal pulled their music from TikTok. Did TikTok shut down? Do you see public blowback? Not yet.

But TikTok not only brought a Fleetwood Mac song back from obscurity, TikTok breaks acts. Not only Universal acts, but acts with no label at all!

Not being on TikTok hurts Universal, but once again, TikTok is not Universal's only avenue of distribution, not only does it have Spotify, et al, it's got YouTube and radio, but...

This is where the younger, impressionable generation is.

Universal needs TikTok, unfortunately more than TikTok needs it. So Universal wants to make a deal, just one more favorable to them.

And by not making a deal with Universal, TikTok's image is tarnished. Government already hates the platform, and now it's using its power to marginalize one of America's major industries, entertainment? In an era where all the music is available to everyone?

And this is not like the auto strike. That shut the plants down, completely. Eventually the manufacturers caved, on very positive terms.

Ditto the writers and actors. Eventually a deal had to be made, without one there would be no production. (However, no production did help in the short run, for those with a backlog of product.)

But TikTok does not need Universal's music to survive. As big as Universal is, it's still got Sony and Warner, and even if it lost those two no one is preventing amateurs from coming up with new tunes on their computers and uploading it.

In other words, Universal has lost control of distribution. That was the major labels' ace in the hole, the essence of their business model. They controlled the number one avenue of exhibition, i.e. radio, and an indie might be able to get a record in a retail store, but good luck getting paid.

A record store without records has to close. But not TikTok.

So it's all about the number. Universal can't stay out of this forever. It's not like there's an alternative, although Instagram's Reels has turned out to be great competition for TikTok.

But, once again, this battle is a sideshow, taking eyeballs off the main issue, which is the music itself.

Distribution is easy to understand. We argued about it for a decade. We heard people would never pay for music again, that turned out to be untrue. That the major labels would sink, that proved to be untrue if for no other reason than their catalogs.

TikTok has a vaster audience than Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, the Beatles and the Eagles. That's the outlet's power, which is humongous.

But it's not only TikTok, look at Apple. Some of the world's most powerful content companies are railing against the App Store changes in Europe. Which are an improvement, but not anywhere near as much as they thought it would be, and want.

And in myopic America, we think it's all about America. The EU is stepping up for Ukraine, and when it comes to business regulation, the EU is far out in front of the U.S.A.

But you can't say that, because no one in America wants to believe they're inferior in any way, U.S.A, U.S.A!

So if you're focused on this TikTok/Universal kerfuffle, you're missing the point. You're focused on the battle instead of the war.

It's hard to come up with innovative music. And it's harder to quantify. Which is why everybody talks about these business and tech issues.

But music runs on that, music. That's the lifeblood of the music industry, not Universal, Spotify or TikTok. It's all about the fuel. And we've got more fuel than ever before, but if you want to know which way the wind blows, you don't listen to a record.

And there are many causes. The young and impressionable have been overloaded with imitative dreck, what would inspire them to create a breakthrough?

And income inequality is so bad and the odds of creative success so low that the best and the brightest don't go into music creation, it's too risky.

And as great as Morgan Wallen is, there's no artistic breakthrough there. As for Swiftmania, you very rarely hear about the music itself. Great business stories, but don't confuse this with the Talking Heads, who couldn't sell out stadiums but showed that what was in your mind, your conception, was more important than your looks.

MTV made music about the trappings. That has faded in the twenty first century, and there are all those acts that can sell tickets who don't stream in prodigious numbers.

But if you want to know what is going on in the music business, call Michael Rapino, not Lucian Grainge. Want to know what is happening? Talk to your local promoter/booker, you'll be surprised what is selling tickets.

But we're still looking for that one breakthrough act that will lift all boats, that will gain our attention and inspire others to follow them.

But for now, we'll go to the Sphere.

But we're waiting for what's inside the building to be just as exciting as the Sphere itself. It will happen, could take decades, we never got a new Beatles, but that's where our focus should be, not on a negotiation between titans who will come to an agreement that will be quickly forgotten.


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Christopher Cross-This Week's Podcast

I loved talking to this guy. He wrote songs, played in cover bands and then connected with a last chance demo tape. He's a fan, just like you and me. You're going to enjoy this.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/christopher-cross-147043890/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christopher-cross/id1316200737?i=1000643785991

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rYO7uUkBKLnTCd5a1KNVM?si=KqZFAYXVSgm2RZFg2f0feg

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/ca278f0f-d11c-4106-96b8-07670c7d803c/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-christopher-cross


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More Melanie

Brand New Key is so good. You have never been so wrong. Same with all the replies of everyone trashing that song. It's epic. It's a perfect little pop song and always makes me smile. 

Next time I see you I'm gonna sing it right in your ear. Really close. I mean really close so you can feel the energy in your neck down to your cold Brand New Key hating heart. I'll sing it loud and soft. And then you can punch me in the face and I won't hit back. I'll turn the other cheek and sing it again. Then I'll follow it up with Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road by Loudo! 

And then Hello Muddah Hello Faddah here I am at Camp Granada by the Shermster. 

Melanie was lucky to have that hit. It still sounds great. It's all a part of her story. 

I rode my bicycle past your window last night -I roller skated to your door at daylight. 

This is poetry Bob. Poetry! 

Have some fun for once. Relax. Smoke a J. Eat a brownie. 

Dog bless you my friend,

Steve Poltz

____________________________________

Pete Fornatale and WNEW-FM played Melanie all the time. She was the soundtrack for us  free spirit hippie high school kids eating granola. In the summer of my freshman year of college I went to work for Michael Lang's Just Sunshine records which was part of Paramount Records in the tall building at Columbus Circle. Just Sunshine shared  a suite of offices with Neighborhood Records (the label owned/run by Melanie's husband Peter-Tony Martell was President of Paramount and his office was across the hallway)-Michael and Peter  did not like each other to put it mildly -they hated each other. One morning when I came to work-(Michael and staff did not come in til late afternoon)-Michael had hired a carpenter to build a wall between Neighborhood and Just Sunshine so Michael didn't have to see Peter. Many years later when I was consulting Live Nation in New York I tried to put together  concert with Melanie-Richi Havens-John Sebastian and Donovan. Long story and  it never happened but I had a meeting with Melanie and her husband Peter and son Beau in Florida.  Wild  fun meeting -their son had written a  classical concerto that was fantastic-Peter was trying to get me to invest in this magic lotion for your body that would "cure all" and had to kept in the freezer. Peter and Melanie were rubbing  it all over their arms and faces and  then rubbed in on my arms. Never felt a thing.  Anyway Melanie agreed to do the concert that never happened and said " I would love to play my music for my people"-she then proceeded to tell my how all her fans and the people who attended Woodstock were her love people.  She was a real hippie that believed in the magic of the 60's and the summer of love. The last time I saw Melanie was at BB Kings on 42nd street-she had taken over Mama Cass's body but still sang like an angel! 

In high school my wife Nancy loved Melanie and played her music all the time and also played guitar and sang Melanie songs. One of Nancy's fav songs was Alexander Beetle by Melanie-a fairly obscure fun kid like song.  If you dont know it check it out-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2hK-Ex-J88
Melaine-rest in peace-the above is the same as the below and the below is the same as the above. Eternal peace.  Ring the Living Bell!!

Harvey Leeds

____________________________________

I have some comments about Melanie who we just lost.  I'll confess, (like you, Bob), I hated her silly hit, "Brand New Key."   However I was a fan of so much of her work -- having discovered her years earlier via a couple of recorded versions of her great "Beautiful People."   Also her fine cover of The Rolling Stones'  "Ruby Tuesday" as well as originals like "What Have They Done To My Song Ma."   Saw Melanie perform several times -- always good -- she had incredible stage presence and was so nice when I met her.  Yet, for me, her best was when she was amongst almost every known folkie still alive then (except Dylan) as part of a fantastic 5 hour Felt Forum (NYC) tribute to Phil Ochs in the spring of 1976 shortly after he left us.  She excelled that night -- more than just 'holding her own' performing along with the likes of Tim Hardin, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Ritchie Havens, Peter Yarrow, Linda Ronstadt, Oscar Brand, Judy Collins, Eric Anderson and a score more!    And it was recorded with highlights shown nationally on PBS over the next couple of years (when their 'pledge begging was tolerable).  It's now a lost historical gem and no one (not even Phil's bro, famous archivist Michael Ochs) can locate it!  This was, perhaps, one of the 3 best concerts I ever saw!   And, trust me, I was fortunate to attend well over 1000 shows during my four decades in 'the biz!'   Melanie was indeed a star -- so deserving of the praise you and others are giving her!

Ron Farber

____________________________________

Melanie did play a Garden Party.
It was mine at the  Crystal Palace Bowl Garden Party in June 1972.
The artists who played in addition to Melanie were : The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, Richie Havens and Sha Na Na.
15,000 people attended and it was a great day.
Keith Moon arrived in a Helicopter and after trying to loop the loop finally arrived on stage by Hovercraft! He came to introduce The Beach Boys. Elton John played piano for The Beach Boys.
It was filmed for a special on NBC.
 
Best
Harvey Goldsmith

____________________________________

Her husband, Peter came to me after he heard that I helped Motown change the perception of Little Stevie Wonder to Stevie Wonder (the man).

I had a total marketing, graphic design and advertising agency
in the music industry at that time and had just opened a branch
office and studio in LA and brought Tom Wilkes in as a partner!

Peter wanted to get away from the teeny "Brand New Key"image!
We spent a lot of time together Melanie, Tom and myself. I called Tom Zito at The Washington Post and asked him to help us 
rebrand her as part of a feature story about Wilkes & Braun.

Then we took her to Joshua Tree and photographed her for the
Stoneground Words album package, which I'd conceived as a
Portfolio for Melanie dressed in soulful, outfits from that period 
ala Joanie Mitchell.

She was impressive, genuine and committed to our overall concept
and a delight to know and work with! She was loved by so many!  

I'm pleased to see all the comments and stories about her and
the talent she possessed… souvenirs for a lifetime!

All my best, 
Craig Braun 

____________________________________

hey Bob.....I worked Melanie's tour press a few years back.  she was a joy to work with and larger than life.  I'm glad you highlighted "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" as that is my favorite track of hers.

her kids are extremely talented as well, especially Jeordie.....check out this song and her voice, SO good: https://open.spotify.com/track/6dI1UBPUUY5XJVrABifcju?si=707f32af0fa7432d

Mike Farley

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Wow, Bob -- you put your finger on exactly why I quit loving Melanie -- I Got A Brand New Key.  Such a vapid follow up to Candles in the Rain.  Even before she passed away, I would occasionally watch her You Tube performance with the Edwin Hawkins singers to feel that sense of discovery again, as you described.

Denise Madden

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Interesting article. Regardless of anything else she ever did, and your opinion of "Brand New Key" is unnecessarily dismissive, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is an absolute tour de force. Every time I hear it, I get goosebumps. Her commitment to the song was complete, and her 1970 live performance in the Netherlands demonstrates her willingness to risk it all on stage. What a performance! I wasn't a big fan, but that is a song of songs. I'm sad that she's gone.

Sam Folmar

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Brand New Key was my introduction to Melanie, and I liked it. It WAS still her voice, after all. 

David Shilman
Toronto, ON

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As for 'Brand New Key', I was almost 14 and loved her 'Ruby Tuesday', and read about her at The IOW festival (that I was livid I wasn't allowed to go to). It was a great pop song. I doubt as many people claiming to hate it, did so back then. 
Hope you are well, Bob.

Hugo Burnham

____________________________________

Melanie played on the first day/night of Woodstock and went on in the rain right after Ravi Shankar. She played from 1:00am to 1:30am..She played in the rain because the Incredible String band who was scheduled to play after Ravi would not play in the rain. After she played Arlo Guthrie and then Joan Baez played. Sly did not play the festival until about 4 am on the Sunday the 17th right before The Who. Melanie was a  friend of mine who I saw many times when I lived and played in the village at places like Village Vanguard, Gerdes Folk City, Cafe Wha?, Bitter End, Night Owl during the late 60s before Woodstock.

Al Marks

____________________________________

Melanie! I saw the headline and thought you had her on your podcast. 
I set it aside to read later.. and then saw the responses and realized she'd f*cking died.
How rude of her.
She's forever linked in my memory, to one of my close high school friends.
We went to see her when she played in Winnipeg when we were in high school and there's a silly memory there.
I mean we never saw Joni, but Melanie was this kind of hippy goddess..so, a big deal for us.
I lost track of my friend and about four or five years ago thought it was time to search her out.
The last I heard she was in Vancouver, so I searched her name and Vancouver and came across her memorial page at a funeral home..
She died when she was 57 or 58..
So for me, Melanie is intertwined with Pam and I'm still so sad about it that I haven't been able to write anything on her memorial page although I'd like to.
Your column said it all.. Each death like this is, for me, a reminder of something not just fading, but disappearing.
At least that's how it feels to me these days.. And I don't believe we die, but rather that we transition..
but these days that's not enough comfort. 

Karen Gordon

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Re-King Crimson Movie

I have a wonderful Robert Fripp story….

I was working for Polydor records at the time…

We released the Fripp album, "Frippertronics"…

Mr. Fripp came to L.A. for a promotion tour…

He was an "odd duck" to say the least….

I took him to KROQ and Jed the Fish interviewed him and Fripp started
playing.. it did not go over very well…. 

Our next outing was to drive to San Diego and do an interview with 91X and and in-store at Tower Records..

When I picked him up at his hotel, he said that he hadn't finished
doing his laundry…

I replied, "Now, we gotta' go"!

He said to me… and it has stuck with me to this day…

"A man is not a man until he does his own laundry." 

Ever since my week with Robert Fripp I've always done my
own laundry… not very glamorous but certainly cathartic

Jeff Laufer

___________________________________

I was Peter Gabriel's road manager during the making of 'Scratch' Peter's second solo album which was produced by Robert Fripp. I got to know him quite well. Many years later we re met at Ronnie Scott's club in London where we were attending a rare appearance by L'image, Tony Levin's jazz band with Steve Gadd etc. I shook his hand and the first thing he said to me was, - "Please tell me that you are no longer in the music business".  I think that tells you a lot about what he thinks of this business.
I absolutely loved the documentary.  So many gems in there.
Best wishes
Richard Macphail
Author of 'My book of Genesis'

___________________________________

I worked with Fripp when I first moved to Toronto..
He was here for 4 or 5 days doing an insane number of interviews. 
We'd work all day and I'd be ready to drop, but Robert would go out in the evening and hang out with people, have dinner..
and be ready to start the next day when I dragged myself back to the hotel.
I'd never really heard King Crimson before and was terrified for a bunch of reasons-- 
It's a funny story now, but I'll spare you because this is already long. 
But within five minutes of Robert getting in the car, I realized it was going to be ok.

He's just released Discipline and that was the leitmotif of his life--at least his artistic life, at that point.
But he was a total joy of a human being.
Inspiring, funny, kind, generous in his way, 
He didn't want or like fuss..

So I was interested in seeing this movie..
The way he comes is interesting.. 
You do see a bit of his humour--but it's not until the end, where you see the mischievous side of him..

I can't claim to know him well at all..so what do I know.
Still,  I was very moved by the documentary..

Karen Gordon

___________________________________

I'm sorry I let Covid keep me away from their last shows. I was never into them, really – had the one album that everybody bought – the 1st one. I bought Red out of curiousity while cruising the bins at the Westwood Warehouse store in 1975 during my UCLA days. Didn't really like it all that much.

But I passed the time during Covid by, among other things, reading the biography-for-hire about the band which was so fascinating I ended buying all the 20+-disc Crimson box sets with every take and every live show of his bizarre, ever-changing outfit. Fripp is a fascinating character. Coincidentally, Covid caused him to do all these hilarious cover song videos with his wife, who I only knew as the rejected mod girl from the "My Generation" party in Quadrophenia back in '79.
 
The scene where he takes close to 3 minutes to answer a question, perfectly still, until a small tear is coming out of his eye was incredibly powerful. 3 minutes of a guy staring into the camera thinking about how to answer a question. I'm glad the director left that in. By the end of this scene, I had a lot of empathy for the guy, even though he was obviously a difficult employer.
 
3 minutes of silence. Incredible. 
 
You describe the film perfectly. It really was unlike any documentary of a musician I've ever seen.
 
Gary Lang

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Big KC fan; incredible live show-front line of 3 drummers was amazing. My feeling on exiting the film-what an as*hole Fripp was . Lost years of respect for him. Drummer Bill Rifkin's story very sad, necrophelia joke was pretty funny though. 

Jeffrey Crowley

___________________________________

I was 12 years old, at Summer camp. hating almost every minute of it, but kept hearing this amazing song which I'd first heard on the radio at home in Toronto. "Heat of the Moment", by Asia. I was too young to dissect what I loved about it, but I knew it had a high tech sound, and a great chorus. 

Towards the end of the Summer, we did a road trip to Cleveland and Detroit to visit family, and along the way I bugged my parents into buying me a few LPs I really wanted, and one of them was Asia's self titled album (the other was Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger"!). 
When we finally got to Detroit, I had some hang time with some older cousins in their 20s, and my Asia purchase came up.  
I was told immediately that I needed to hear King Crimson - "forget about Asia". 
"King Crimson" - that distinctive name was immediately tattooed in my brain but I didn't take action. 

Four years later, after going through a few different musical phases, I found myself sitting in the back of a friend's car, cutting class in high-school, a few of us driving around, the driver's hash joint going around. The guy in the passenger seat, who I didn't know well, named Clive, was a wannabe drummer. He was given free reign over the stereo, inserting a cassette he wanted the driver, a guy named Larry who was a serious Deadhead - the first one I ever encountered, actually - to hear.
All of a sudden... a sound I'd never heard before - and I'd been into punk, and post-punk (in some of its "arty" incarnations), and Bowie (including side 2 of "Heroes"), and Classical music, and ska... My ears were far from virgin, but this was austere... precise, aggressive and menacing.... geometrical... The drumming was the feature - every heavy, layered phrase was finished by this elegant and muscular percussion. Then the vocal came in - filtered, distant, a bit cold... and a wah-wah driving things behind it.
"What is this???" I HAD to know. 
"King Crimson."
So that was King Crimson. 

("One More Red Nightmare", from Red, 1974)

Best regards, 

Jason Steidman

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Robert Fripp may be a challenge but he's in servitude to his view of the music.  
I watched the film and wasn't really impressed with the approach to KC at 50.  
We've always known RF to be difficult but I was hoping for more about recording of ITCOTCK.
Still, any attention given to the phenomenal KC is fun to watch. And this one is quite introspective. 
When he performed Frippertronics at my record store ( Disc Records) in '79, I found him quite the gentleman. Well he didn't have band baggage to deal with on that tour.  He was all himself.  

Tim Hurst

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Bob,
In addition to that excellent documentary, Robert Fripp published a book in 2022, "The Guitar Circle", which illustrates his philosophy of how he approaches life. It is not an easy read but it is fascinating and thought provoking. 

Jim Blaney

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I loved the Crimson Documentary, and having done two orbits of Guitar Craft with him, he is without a doubt one of the most unique characters on the planet. 
I learned more about being a musician in those two orbits of GC (probably about 8 days) than I had to that point in my life. I got to play with him multiple times (in circle at GC)  which was the thrill of a lifetime.
I've been playing guitar since I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. 
Toby Amies did a terrific job with the film that we all wanted to make. 

I wish you would do one of your in depth interviews with Robert. It would be spectacular. 
And now would be the time. He's coming to LA. I'll be going to see him speak at the Canyon in Agoura. If you haven't seen him speak it's well worth it. 
You'll come away inspired. I always do. 
The JG Bennett moment in the film was like nothing I've ever seen before. 

Keep up the good work. You rock. 

best,

Fred Raimondi

___________________________________

I haven't seen the movie yet, Bob, but it is near the top of the list. I saw the 2017 tour - from which much of this movie seems to have been filmed - at Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater on November 22. Fripp's "double quartet" with three drummers out front on the stage astounded a theater filled with Michigan and Detroit music cognoscenti. The crowd gave the band a standing ovation before they played a note. It was spectacular, more than I could have ever expected after being a fan of King Crimson for well over 40 years. It turned me into a fanboy that night, who bought a t-shirt (which still gets props at festivals and concerts here in Michigan) and some CDs. Anything by Fripp and King Crimson is worth diving into, and I hope Mr. Fripp keeps delivering his art. 

Ross Field
Shelby, MI

___________________________________

I loved this documentary. Bill Rieflin. That guy. I don't even have the words.

Stuart Gunter

___________________________________

I went to UConn in 1981 and still remember meeting a guy in my dorm who had In the Court of the Crimson King. It was my first introduction to them and I took the deep dive.
I was lucky enough to see them at Toads Place in New Haven on the Discipline tour. The combination of Bruford, Belew and Tony Levin, who I knew from his playing with Peter Gabriel, plus Fripp was one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen. I can see it like it was yesterday.
Excited to check out this documentary. Thanks for shedding light on it.

Kevin Bennett

___________________________________

Saw them 1981 in Montreal- small venue. We sat on the floor in front of Robert. Loudest concert I ever attended, and it was terrific. Fripp, Bruford, Belew. I remember it like yesterday. Intense. Worth it.

Thanks,

Bob Sheehan

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We were briefly talking about Fripp yesterday, re his wife.

I saw King Crimson perhaps 6 times-each some of the most amazing performance experiences ever. 

I want to see this…

Eric Wynne

___________________________________

There are a couple of great things about Sunday Lunch with Robert and Toyah.
1) Apparently, some women are into King Crimson
2) Robert has a sense of humour and can smile

Or does that make it four great things for the stereotypical Crimson fan?

Peter Burnside

___________________________________

Im obsessed with King Crimson. My favourite band ever. I've seen them play all over the world.

I remember when I was at boarding school in Abingdon sneaking out to buy Court of the Crimson King in the local record store Listen .in.Company.

At the end of the year my Spotify most played tracks tells me they were Supertramp, King Crimson and Niall Horan! With a lot of the Cure, Four Tops and Miles Davis thrown in. I know that sounds weird. Particularly when you add Tears for Fears, Ozzy Osborne, Rage against the Machine and Pearl Jam!!!!!

I loved this dvd. It's been out for awhile.

You must listen to the MacDonald and Giles album.BRILLIANT!!
I could go on and on for hours about KC but I'm going to sleep.

Sadly he's not touring this year.

Richard Griffiths

___________________________________

King Crimson is challenging in all the right ways. For a fun experience with Fripp, check out "Toyah & Robert's Sunday Lunch" videos on YouTube. And yes, Robert DOES wear a tie in the kitchen.

Dave Logan

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Bill Bruford (Interview): King Crimson | Union | Close to the Edge | Topographic Oceans: https://youtu.be/9x4Y1vCL_9Y

wam

___________________________________

I think you'll enjoy this if you haven't already heard it. 

Podcast-The King Crimson Documentary Full Cast And Crew - 25 January 2024: https://twtr.to/qm8y4

'Full Cast and Crew' is always an awesome listen - and this ep is fab. 

Thanks for all the incredible writing, Bob - much admired and appreciated. 

Lara Acaster

___________________________________

Couldn't agree more. I posted about this doc on IG and a mutual connected me and the director Toby Amies, who I had a chat with on my podcast last week. I've been telling everyone they need to watch this film and not at all for the 'King Crimson' stuff, but the life and death and making of music stuff, which is said better in this film than in any music doc I've ever seen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-cast-and-crew/id1438276325?i=1000642866227

Jason Cilo

___________________________________

Fripp is one of the most fascinating (and funny) men I've ever been around. It's on my list!

Hugo Burnham

___________________________________

The Court of the Crimson King (with Coda) - King Crimson (live): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8da6h1

Steve Isaacson

P.S. Here is a longer one:

King Crimson - Rock in Rio: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dif4o

___________________________________

Just rented the film last week after waiting to see if someone/anyone would pick it up for distribution. Even waited to see if the International Documentary Association (documentary.com) where I'm a member, would have a screening. Nope :(

I thought the film was amazing and well done. I've been a fan since "in the court of the Crimson King" and saw them last year at the Greek Theatre by myself. My wife had no interest in joining me. Fine. I was surrounded by fellow members of the tribe and the show was amazing. 

There's still room on the bus. Hoping more will jump on for the ride.

Thanks, Bob. Great review.

David Niles White

___________________________________

I got to do two Fripp shows back in the late 90s/early 2000s. I was dutifully intimidated, but I asked him how he liked his coffee and his TM pulled me aside to say "He'll be your friend now. No one ever asks him how he likes his coffee." I don't know what they DID ask when they brought him coffee, but he gave me his business card (identifying him as a 'small mobile unit') and was all (sly) smiles for the rest of our 2-night stand. I think that my not being a fanboy made it all...to his liking.

Jesse Lundy

___________________________________

Nailed it, Bob. Never a big KC fan (loved Heartbeat and I Talk to The Wind tho not much else) but the doc is excellent. (Not sure how I saw it-maybe Bittorresnt?) but yeah, it should be on a streamer.

Fripp's videos with wife Toya Wilcox are a hoot (and far off-brand. Go figure.

Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3nHjBx7SY

Richard Pachter

___________________________________

This movie was released a year ago on DVD. I wonder if they sold enough copies to make it worth waiting a year to stream it.  .   I loved it and wished it was much longer than its 85 minute running time.  Fripp is doing in person talking shows at McCabes and the Canyon club in a month.   He was also on Live from Dary's House recently where they played Red of all things without a rehearsal.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkb783rNjO0  Great stuff.  It's awesome to see him still cranking away 
with not a whiff of nostalgia.   

Tim Redman

___________________________________

Not enough credit is given to Ian McDonald and Michael Giles for their contributions to King Crimson's masterful 1st LP ("In the Court of The Crimson King"). McDonald plays just about every imaginable instrument on the album, while Giles is a fabulous drummer /percussionist. After both departed the band at different points of time, they collaborated in 1970 on a LP release simply titled "McDonald & Giles." It's a combination of jazz and fusion LP, and speaks to both players enormously gifted musical chops and improvisational skills.  McDonald later became a founding member of Foreigner, which, although commercially successful, is a notch or three below his previous musical contributions to either KC or McDonald & Giles. 

Stuart K. Marvin

___________________________________

Thanks for the tip and can't wait to watch this.

'Discipline' is inarguably and demonstrably the best King Crimson album, meaning the most coherent, tuneful, memorable and artistically and commercially impactful.  The irony being that this lineup and release were the product of Fripp enlisting Adrian Belew, an artist that, while incredibly skilled and DISCIPLINED, brought a quicksilver quality to the quartet that one could easily say was directly at odds with Fripp's modus operandi.  

Artists often don't understand what makes their best work great, esp. vis a vis the contributions of collaborators and the ineffable magic of human chemistry.  There are many examples, not least of which John Fogerty, who consistently dismisses the contributions of his CCR bandmates, whose very limitations were what led to the band's development of the "chooglin'" groove that defined them.  Or see Van Halen and David Lee Roth, Robbie Robertson's lack of appreciation (and songwriting remuneration for) Helm and Danko and Manuel, etc.  There are so many examples. 

Dave Dederer

___________________________________

"There are no casual King Crimson fans.  Either you're a member of the tribe, or you're not."

Truer words were never spoken.   Who starts out their first album with 21st Century Schizoid Man? Did anyone even know what schizoid meant?  Who cared, anyway?  A true schizoid man is theoretically much tamer than what's described in those lyrics.  But he might have been able to dispassionately observe the horror.  But it was such a spooky word to hear back then for the first time.  And the heavy riff.   I was sold! And then Pictures of a City.  And all of the reinventions……..Discipline blew me away.  But if you're a member of the tribe you know the story.  I'm just having fun reminiscing and typing prog rock sh*t.  Those were great days!  I last saw them at Chicago Theater in 2017.  I've not seen the doc, but I will.  Thanks for the prompt.  

Bill Nelson

___________________________________

I have a Fripp tale that you will love. He and the Mrs. (Toyah Wilcox) spent most of an afternoon at my house in Old Bridge, NJ back in 1990 to do an extended interview about their then new band, Sunday All Over The World. It was a wonderful record that nobody listened to, except diehards like myself. They were as "normal" and down to earth as anyone. Robert and Toyah wanted to do separate interviews, one just about Toyah, who remains much less known here in the U.S. while in the U.K. she was pretty massive Pop star. They were funny, engaging and pranksters. While I was interviewing Toyah in my studio/den, Robert was in the living room playing with my jukebox and looking through my cutting edge collection of laser discs (1990, remember) and at one point we heard a cackle out of him as he ran down to where we were brandishing a copy of the film "Quadrophenia" laughing and fake-bragging, "You know, my wife's in this." pointing toward Toyah. I said "I know, Robert." and we laughed and got back to the task at hand. 

This was pre-children, so at the time my complete vinyl collection was completely intact and took up the entire basement, neatly organized in row after row of strict alphabetical order reflective of the true anal retentive music nerd I remain. Robert was interested and happy to see there was a wide range of music, this was no "pop" or "resale inspired" collection. Although I'm usually reluctant to ask for an autograph trying hard to not be fanboy, I knew I had to ask him because my collection of King Crimson bootlegs of the Larks/Starless/Red line-up of the band (my fave) had already been signed by my drum idol Bill Bruford.  At the end of the day, including tuna sandwiches and tea, prepared by my Sicilian Mother-In-Law who lived with us, rest her soul. I summoned the nerve to ask for his autograph, explaining why I was breaking my own rule and he instantly replied, "Sure, if you answer a question." I said of course and he asked, "You have a collection of wonderful music, supreme quality recordings that captured everything perfectly. Why would you be interested in a "bootleg" recording?"  He was not being flip or nasty, just genuinely concerned, which instantly made sense as his exacting recording methods and attention to detail and sonics were already the stuff of legend.  I said, fair question Robert, but as a FAN of the band, especially this particular line-up I need to hear everything I can find. I was actually in the Asbury Park audience when you recorded "Asbury Park" for the U.S.A. live album, I knew there had to be tons of tapes somewhere, so whatever I could find I picked up gladly. I wasn't looking for great sound quality, I needed to hear the performances, see if there were any "clams" and in my case as a drummer, Bill Bruford was a master on a level with players like Joe Morello, Buddy Rich, Art Blakey or Jack Dejohnette, so anything I could find was like gold to me. I could see in his eyes that he got it. 

A few years later a King Crimson officially sanctioned series of live recordings started to become available and has grown by leaps and bounds in the years since. I'd like to think the germ was planted that day, but who knows. Robert Fripp is an amazing artist and he and Toyah are warm and wonderful humans, still married and fully engaged. Have you ever seen their video series. Do a You Tube search.

Be well.

Mike Marrone

___________________________________

Hail Fripp!!

Although I played drums instead of guitar, I was a Robert Fripp Acolyte.  I had a Fripp button I used to wear improbably on my Members Only jacket in High School and College.  I had no idea why, other than I wanted to be identified as someone who got Fripp and loved King Crimson as opposed to a Kiss or Madonna fan. 

That button sure didn't get me laid or make any friends.  I stuck out as a weird burnout in the halls of college where I was even more of an outsider as an engineering student instead of a Business Major like 90% of the rest of the student population.  I suppose I wanted to be recognized as a musician with taste and discrimination, which was easier to contrive than talent or any success.  

But then when we'd go to the King Crimson shows - and I've seen many.   The most memorable was at NYC's Savoy Theater in 1981.  I can remember having a vividly  paranoid weed induced vision that everyone waiting in the line to go into the show was exactly alike.  As different as I saw myself, I was exactly like every 4th person in the queue, air drumming to Bill Brufford's parts that someone nearby was playing on a small portable cassette player.  And as I was just like 1/4 of the line, every 2nd and 3rd nerd was a guitar player or the guy mimicking parts on imaginary keyboards.  And every group of kids had a singer, roadie, or dad completing the quartet.  

We were all in bands.  Every funny looking, grungy haired, stoned kid on that line.  We knew every song.  We worshipped Fripp and Brufford and were learning about Levin and Belew, who looked familiar from the Talking Heads show the prior year or Peter Gabriel's solo shows.  If there was 5% female attendance on that line, I'd have been shocked.  Come to think of it' that was the female to male ratio of my engineering program too.

It was a very uncomfortable experience, thankfully pushed somewhat to the background by a completely original and mindblowing concert by the Discipline era KC line up;  A life changing concert that stood out for everyone lucky enough to be there.  I attended two nights of their weeklong run.  But years later I came to be embarrassed by my 19 year old self and could only remember the discomfort.  I also didn't listen to that music much anymore.  

But there were 3 real world interactions with Mr Fripp that allowed me to lighten up a bit.  (And his recent COVID videos with his wife also helped.)

The first was seeing Fripp's "League of Crafty Guitarists" play a show in a tiny church near NYC's Washington Square Park.  I went by myself and was late.  So I had the last seat in the last row of the church.  I had a pretty poor view.  But at some point Fripp and the "League" strapped battery powered Barbie sized Marshall Amps to their belts, and marched through the audience like esoteric mariachis, coming to stop at my chair!  One dozen guitarists plus Fripp then commenced to play the surf guitar classic 'Walk Don't Run" followed by a reprise of "Larks Tongue in Aspic Pt 2" standing around only me, to close the show.  It was nuts.

The second improbable Fripp encounter was seeing him do a solo show of his ambient Soundscapes at the former World Trade Center's Wintergarden space.  When he was done, he came off the stage to walk into the audience.  The guitar goons towered over Fripp yet cowered in his wake.  No one knew what to say to him or what to ask. Many were carrying his records and hoping for an autograph.  But he didn't seem to want that kind of interaction and no one got closer than 5 feet to him.  But he had a bag of cookies in his hand and in his most erudite way said, "Would anyone like a cookie?".   Everyone was too stunned to even answer!   I was the first one to say, "Sure!" and just like that he opened the bag and gave me a chocolate chip cookie. After that I just walked away with a smile on my face.  

My 3rd experience was seeing one of the last tours of KC, featuring 3 drummers. It was probably 2017.  And of course, I was by myself again.  I was also instantly regretting going to the show.  Many of the crowd had not changed much - other than they looked so much worse for wear.  Not to mention wearing the shirts they'd bought 40 years prior (and from the smell, not washed).  In that theater, very few had gotten the memo that punk rock had cleared the decks and pretentious music was uncool.  

But there I was, in the 6th row of some theater in Times Square.  Again.  And the same guys were yelling out the words at the same parts of songs they did in 1980. Again. Screaming "I Do Think It's Good" is like the Crimson fan's "Freebird".   I desperately wanted to leave. I was too close. It was too loud. One drummer would have been fine - and did they need 3 where none of them were my beloved Bill Brufford?!!  

And then I noticed right in front of me three 14 year old fans with a dad.  They knew every note.  One was air drumming, two were air guitar-ing, they all knew the words even from deep tracks of 1969's Court of the Crimson King.  They were enjoying every second of the show! 

And at that moment it all came back to me.  Thousands of hours in my parent's basement trying to play these and other songs with my small group of similarly uncool friends.  Going to raging parties but sequestering ourselves into a spare bedroom to find our own weirder musical camaraderies.  Pointing at the parts where the time signatures shifted.  Dreaming of instruments we couldn't afford or were just learning to play.  I miss those friends and those times dearly.  Some went on to play professionally.  Some like me play for the fun of it in our private bunkers.  More than a few are no longer with us.  

To this day, I'm not sure why I love that strange music - really any music - as much as I do.  Part of it are the puzzles it presents.  It takes work to parse and internalize music and it's harder when the music is less familiar, more dense, more complicated.  And you need to internalize music for it to resonate and give you pleasure.   But perhaps it's also that I came to realize that appreciating music is similar to appreciating empathy.  And you have to appreciate empathy to give it or properly receive it.  Without empathy, what's the point of life? 

Quite a lesson to get from a cold authoritarian like Robert Fripp!   Where's that button?....

 -Bill

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A great piece and Toby Amies deserves credit for persevering and directing the movie

Gary Twinn

___________________________________

I wanted to thank you for the very kind and in my opinion, perceptive, review of the King Crimson film. You describe exactly the film I had hoped to make.

I especially appreciated the comments made about how frustrating it is that it's not been taken up by any of the streamers. 

It was always my intention to make a film about the human condition using King Crimson as the medium and one that would reach out past the faithful, as King Crimson are a band who exemplify the importance of music in our lives whether as a musician or as a member of the audience. 

It was not, as I'm sure you can imagine, an easy film to make, but your review has gone a long way to assuaging some of my PTSD. 

Thank you again.

Cheers,

Toby

www.tobyamies.com

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Emergency Root Canal

I feel like sh*t.

Well, that wasn't on the agenda.

Friday night my paranoia struck deep. The pain in my mouth was intense. Not take a Vicodin intense, but something is definitely wrong intense. Now if it required an M.D., I could go to the emergency room, but a dentist? I'm sure I could get someone, but I doubt it would be my number one, the man I trust, the paragon of excellence.

People talk about leaving L.A. I'm NEVER leaving L.A., because of the health care amongst many other reasons. I need the big doctor, it's a Jewish thing. And I'll pay through the nose. Because all you've got is your health, right? You don't want to cheap out on your health.

And I know too many people who were misdiagnosed and abused in the hinterlands, even highfalutin' hinterlands, like Aspen. Whereas in L.A. you've got world class doctors. Who have access to the experts in every field. Yes, there's someone in America who spends their entire life dedicated to the problem you have. Like pemphigus. That guy's at Johns Hopkins, my dermatologist trained under him, she could have gotten me in to see him if I felt the need to make the trip. And let's not forget, three top-tier dermatologists misdiagnosed me before I found this woman.

So...

That football player died last month from a dental infection. And you don't always feel a dental infection. Like last September, I got a CT scan for a broken tooth and the oral surgeon started freaking out about a completely different tooth, where there was already an implant, there was an infection.

But it was Friday night.

Saturday it felt a bit better and I was convinced it wasn't a big deal.

Oh, did I mention that I thought it was a Covid side effect? Because the pain started at the exact same time my nose started to run. And if you Google, there is documentation that tooth pain and Covid can be related.

And then I had Covid for three plus weeks. So it wasn't clear who was zoomin' who. But my Covid symptoms finally faded on Friday, and on Saturday they were mostly gone. And on Sunday, I felt like myself, other than this pain in my mouth. I couldn't chew anything on that side. And I'm missing a molar on the other side, from that surgery back in September.

But I've got a podcast at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. And the dentist doesn't usually start until nine. And I don't want to distract myself. And it's no big deal anyway, right?

For the umpteenth time I'll tell you that it was illegal to be sick in my family. If I told my mother I had symptoms, she'd say to go to school and see if I felt better. So I've got a constitution of iron, and a totally warped perspective. I'm missing a body part as a result of this, I tolerated a condition that the literature says is the most painful experience a man can have.

I don't feel entitled to ask for more, to be squeezed in. But I called first thing and they said they were booked but then they called back, right before the podcast, and said to come in at four. NO PROBLEM!

So first I get the assistant who asks if I'm in pain. And when I tell her no...I figure she sees me like all the wankers who come in on a whim. I tell her if I bite down I'll be in pain.

And then the dentist comes in and I tell him the story from soup to nuts. And then he starts banging on my teeth and when he hits the chosen one... WOW!

So he pulls back and says we need to take a picture.

But there's no camera in this room.

But then he reconsiders. Why take pictures twice? I should see the endodontist first, to see if I need a root canal.

So they call and that guy can see me immediately and I walk a block away and...

Yes, it's like a glorified hospital. You can shop for clothes on Rodeo, but on Camden and Bedford they work on the inside.

And they come in and take a picture, after I tell them to turn off the TV. Drives me crazy. Doesn't anybody read anymore?

And I'm waiting and waiting. Convinced it's just a crack. And the dentist will leave for the day. And I've got an hellacious schedule this week, and I'm going out of town the next. And this dentist has his own lab and he can make a crown in a few days but it's best to start the process as soon as you can.

And I'm waiting and waiting and then, long after I've given up on the dentist, the endodontist comes in, and remembers me from ten years before. And tells me there's a crack in the tooth, and an infection, and he thinks I need a root canal, but he has to run these tests. Whereupon he starts banging on my teeth and I'm convinced I'm getting the expertise I'm paying for but is this guy a cowboy, does he just want to drill?

He's convinced of the problem, but to make sure he wants to take a CT scan.

You used to have to go to a separate location. But now they've got the CT scan in the office. At least the oral surgeon and the endodontist. Do they have these in the hinterlands? The one the endodontist has cost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Well, the good news is the root canal from ten years before is holding up perfectly.

The bad news is I do have an infection.

And after some prep, they start to drill. Yes, pay through the nose and they'll miss dinner, they'll do this stuff right away, they'll cater to your schedule.

And the guy is drilling and I'm thinking this is not that bad, I can't feel anything, but then he asks me to open my jaw wider and the strain is intense and I don't see how I'm going to continue to do this.

Whereupon he says we'll use a bite block. A hard rubber item they shove in your mouth to keep your jaw open.

And just when I'm thinking I didn't need anesthesia for the surgery back in September, the endodontist says normally he'd suggest anesthesia, as in putting you out, but he didn't think he could get an anesthesiologist at this hour.

So he's drilling and drilling and then EE-OWW!

WTF?

Well, the dude shoots me up a couple of more times.

But I'm still hurting.

He tells me some science about PH levels, express concern, that he never sees it this bad, and says it's all about the infection. Whereupon he shoots me up a total of TEN TIMES! Whereas normally it's only three.

Maybe that's why I feel so bad today. There's no pain, but my mind is swimming.

So ultimately he's done and...I want details. I want to make sure my money was wisely spent.

Well, the infection was really bad. There was puss. And it had eaten up part of the nerve and...

Man, what if I'd waited even longer?

But there's no guarantee this will work.

That's right. On Friday they're going to glue the tooth back together. And then wait three months and see if it holds. And if it does, the dentist will put a crown on it. Yes, the remnants of the tooth may collapse, and ultimately it might need to be pulled and I'll need to get an implant. Meanwhile, don't chew on that side. But I'm missing a molar on the other side, from the surgery in September!

So what does the average person do? Dental insurance is a joke, not worth paying for.

The endodontist tells me they have the tooth pulled.

Whereupon he says you can get the root canal for half the price, at a clinic, by an inexperienced person, but it probably won't be done right.

Yeah, but what am I looking forward to? I can't blow all my money on my teeth.

Well, he says the rest look good. And an implant is not a panacea. Which I know is true, since all that money I spent back in 2017 was a waste, because of the infection and ultimate bone replacement surgery in September.

And I walk out of the building into the dark with a prescription for an antibiotic and...

Man, if I spent this amount of money in my regular life, I'd have been thinking about it for weeks, maybe months. But I'll get the points!

Oh, they all take credit cards, they want the money right away. But they figure you're good for it, otherwise why would you be there?

And I'm thinking about what Narada told me when I asked him about his finances. "Money comes in, money goes out." I've got a payday this week, but it still won't cover the final bill for the tooth. Then again, it was an unexpected payday.

But I'm not the only one. It's a feature of getting older. The deterioration. And many are silent about it. Or when they open their mouth they're missing teeth. Or have dentures. Or...

Who knows, I could live only a couple more years and it all won't matter.

But if I keep on keepin' on...am I gonna be able to pay for this?


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The King Crimson Movie

"In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50" - trailer: https://twtr.to/ymC4G

The only thing wrong with this documentary is you're going to have to pay to watch it. Who knows, it may eventually be on one of the big streamers, but they've all tightened their budgets, stopped licensing what they see as niche, marginal material. But if this documentary was available as part of Netflix, it would be a cult classic, Robert Fripp would become if not quite a household name, more of a well-known icon than he already is.

You see this doc is absolutely different from any you've ever seen before. You know, they're all hagiography, with maybe one naysayer, who is ultimately contradicted. They're all love letters that cover the artist/band's life from birth to today. Delineating all the highlights you think you're interested in.

That's not this doc.

What we've got here is band members, past and present, primarily talking about making music with Robert Fripp. Most of whom have negative things to say about him. He's difficult, he's exacting, why can't he let a few mistakes slide by?

Robert is a taskmaster, but it's all in service to the music. Hell, how can you argue with a man who still practices his instrument for hours every day?

And the players tolerate Robert and Robert tolerates the players all in service to the music. The music is paramount. The live experience is paramount. They're trying for that elusive gig in the sky every single night. Where they get it right, there's a feeling in the music and the audience connects.

And the audience is all hard core fans. There are no casual King Crimson fans. Either you're a member of the tribe, or you're not.

But having said that, the doc makes you want to go to a King Crimson show, which you may never get to see.

And so many members of the band, past and present, tell their stories. Adrian Belew thought it was a partnership, he couldn't understand when Robert continued without him.

And Ian McDonald still regrets jumping ship during the first American tour.

And then you've got erudite and upbeat Bill Bruford. Who left Yes at its peak to join Crimson, and is now retired completely.

But really the film is about Robert Fripp. A unique character. Unlike seemingly everybody else in the music business.

Fripp reminds me of that great Pete Townshend song "Pure and Easy," written for "Lifehouse," the definitive version of which opens his 1972 solo album, "Who Came First."

"There once was a note
Pure and easy
Playing so free, like a breath rippling by
The note is eternal
I hear it it sees me
Forever we blend
And forever we die"

This guy sans a university degree is an intellectual. He's analyzing the music, the performance and life itself. He's on a mission and no one is going to get in the way. It's all about discipline. You make the decision and you live up to it. And if you're a player in the band you must respect and accept this.

And Robert speaks in such a fashion that he appears to be from Mars. Well, not this planet anyway. It's slow, and measured and everything he says is considered. There are no superfluous words. He comes across as anything but casual.

And there is some history of the band involved. But it's not paint-by-numbers like most docs.

I don't care if you hate King Crimson, I don't care if you've never even heard of King Crimson, you're going to dig this movie. Watching it is anything but a chore. You'll be engrossed. These people live in a world where music is paramount. Fame isn't even part of the equation. Sure, there's money involved, but it's all about the performance. Nailing it.

I don't know anybody like Robert.

I've never seen a film exactly like this.

It's hard to get it out of my head.


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December

Spotify: https://rb.gy/9abmmz

YouTube: https://twtr.to/MC8jr


Why do I know this record?

After waking up, I immediately laid down on the couch to finish my book.

No, that's not true. First I read my e-mail, checked up on the news and got hooked on Instagram Reels, which I oftentimes prefer to TikTok because the videos are shorter. The longer people talk the more they display their vacuity. And I must admit I'm fascinated by people, their lives, want to meet each and every one of them, but probably wouldn't want to hang with them thereafter. But that's the magic of social media, the people, the humanity. Not that I'm getting as much satisfaction from TikTok as I used to, however I do love the automobile clips, where they analyze problems and fix them.

And I'd love to talk about the book "The Late Americans," but it mostly focuses on gay people and the sex they have, and I find a lot of people who are not gay have a hard time tolerating this, they get squeamish. But what I liked about the book was it created an environment completely different from the one I normally inhabit, in my everyday world. Then again, too many writers center their books in Iowa, where they went to graduate school. And this book is about graduate school, and the questions lingering in the future, like what you're going to do with your life, and my life path has already been established.

And after finishing I sat at the kitchen table and started to dive into the "Times." I started with Maureen Dowd, with an anti-Trump screed. It's hard to disagree with her, but then I wondered how many Trumpers would be up in arms. Then again, these people can't cancel their subscriptions because they don't read the "Times" to begin with.

And there were endless stories about Trump in the Opinion section, and now the paper has some right wing writers and...why do I care what these people have to say? They've been wrong about everything else, they didn't see Trump coming and still can't figure him out. And the election isn't until November, enough already. (Not that I'm not rooting for Nikki Haley, miracles do happen.)

But on this extremely warm late January day in Southern California it's in the mid-seventies and Felice opened the windows and the bubbler in the birdbath was driving me crazy, distracting me, getting under my skin, so I got up to shut the windows and that's when my eye caught Alexa. I wasn't looking, but I saw what she had to say, and it was "December."

Now oftentimes Alexa will display the last cut you told her to play. I didn't call out "December." Did Felice? But I couldn't imagine that. And I sat back down to the "Times" and my coffee yogurt and...

I couldn't get that line out of my head. You know, that descending guitar intro.

Not that I was a big fan of "Shine." Although I must say that stutter in the pre-chorus and the chorus itself are infectious. But I didn't foresee it being the number one hit it became, at least on rock radio, when that was still important. "Shine" was ubiquitous. Back in the eighties, right?

Well, actually, no. "Shine" was a smash in 1994, after Nirvana and the Seattle sound supposedly wiped hair bands and mainstream rock from the airwaves.

Not that Collective Soul was a hair band, it wasn't even a band at first.

But I loved "December." Not that I would have put it that way prior to today. I always liked it, but thinking about it and playing it this morning made me smile.

And think about how I was not the only one who knew it. EVERYBODY knows it. Because it was a different era.

MTV in the nineties was not as powerful as MTV in the eighties, and certainly not as new. And there were now half hour shows, and non-music programming. But the imprimatur of the station made the rest of media fall in line. And MTV reached everywhere. And we still tuned in, if not quite as much. So, if it was on the station...

But conventional wisdom is the nineties was when rap infiltrated MTV. And that is true. Along with expensive videos made by pretty faces with little talent. So why do I know every beat of "December"?

Which somehow makes me think of Matchbox 20, or Matchbox "Twenty" as the band insists. And although that's a great Carl Perkins song, with a legendary cover by the Beatles, does anybody know what a matchbox is today?

I guess thinking of "December" made me think of "Push." Which is a great cut, but I didn't realize it until I heard the acoustic version recorded in the Star Lounge of radio station 98.7. I bought a CD of performances on the station, at Music Plus, on a bad Love@AOL date. Well, it was a little more complicated than that. I drove to the far west valley to sit down at a sushi bar where the woman professed love at first bite, which freaked me out, but by time I'd calmed down she wasn't as infatuated, and then I played Van Halen's "And the Cradle Will Rock..." at top volume on the Alpine/ADS system in my car and that sealed the deal, as in she put her hands over her ears and insisted I take her back to her automobile.

And at this point there's tons of acoustic takes of "Push" out there, but what this slowed down version made me do was focus on the lyrics, which are great. That is, unless you see "push" as physical as opposed to emotional.

And looking at that first Matchbox Twenty album... It's got four hits. And the one that resonates with me most these days is "Back 2 Good." Don't we always want to get back to good?

And I know all these songs. By heart. And I'm not the only one.

Now there are a lot of hit songs, tracks that climb the chart and then disappear, from not only the chart, but your mind. But that is not "December."

It's that hypnotic guitar figure, that sustains. And the dark vocalizations. And then the whole thing speeds up:

"Don't scream aloud
Don't think aloud
Turn your head now baby, just spit me out"

I didn't even know the song was entitled "December" for the first trillion listens. Not that another lyric sticks out. It's a track you know by the sound.

And I'm not a good forensic listener, but are those strings, or maybe a keyboard that give the song a sense of majesty?

And then the record takes a complete left turn, just before 3:30:

"December promise you gave until me
December whispers of treachery
December clouds are now covering me
December songs no longer I sing"

And then again.

And again.

And then these words are blended with the verse and then...

You get that guitar figure once again, and it's all over, with a hard finish, not a fade-out. WHAT WAS THAT?

Yes, the structure is not traditional. And yes, Ed Roland does mention "December," but at this point it's all a wash of sound.

It's like they performed the track in one place, and then moved down the road, over hill and dale, marching to another.

Not that I could tell you what it was all about, but through the magic of the internet I now know it's about Roland's anger/dissatisfaction with the band's original manager.

Huh.

On the surface not a song that would be a hit, part of the firmament, but it was!

And nothing is that big today. Forget Zach Bryan, even Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift's hits don't reach as many people. They're well-loved by their fans, but not everybody is a fan. But we were all fans back then. Of not only this cut, but music.

And then something changed.

Music was the driver of the internet revolution, with Napster. And unlike seemingly every other media vertical, music figured it out, you can get all the music for just over ten bucks a month. Not in TV. Not in news. Probably not ever.

And with everything at our fingertips...

Everything's smaller, including music itself.

As for cuts like "December"? They're nowhere to be found.

Where would you be exposed to them anyway?

The industry wants something narrower, or blander. Edgier. To appeal to the people in the silos. Active Rock is hard-edged. And a lot of hip-hop has edges too, when it's not cartoons.

And if you're sitting at home, writing a rock song, trying to become famous...

That paradigm doesn't even exist anymore. Oh, you can write it, but the odds of people hearing it are tiny.

This is not a lament for what once was. This is just a reminder of what once was. The goals of quality and ubiquity or worth shooting for. It's just a matter of how you achieve this.

In the old days the record labels found unknown talent and foisted it upon us. Today the labels just try and maximize what the data says already has an audience. The tail wags the dog.

Then again, we can't even agree on the news, what are the odds we can agree on what music to listen to?

Then again, "December" was one of those cuts you only had to hear twice to be infected by, to be moved, to want to hear it again. Not once, because its magic was somewhat subtle, but once your head rearranged itself to be open to it...

Not that the nineties were a paragon of musical excellence, of musical breakthroughs. But somehow "December" doesn't sound quaint, it still retains its edgy, meaningful quality.

And I'm doing some research, trying to find a video, and I stumble upon the band's performance of "December" at Woodstock '99.

No one has anything good to say about Woodstock '99.

And most bands can't replicate the sounds of their hits live. It's more about a feeling, being there, connecting with the record in your head.

But I'm watching the video and soon the guitarist starts playing that figure. On his Japanese guitar in front of a wall of amps, when that was a feature of rock and roll.

And another guitarist is playing a Les Paul.

And then Ed Roland steps up to the mic with an acoustic around his neck and...

The hairstyles are dated. Making me realize this is twenty five years ago. But this is not the festivals of today, with a zillion stages. This is a veritable sea of people focused on Collective Soul singing "December." It's like a visual Dead Sea Scroll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj24-kU6CUc


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