"Heartbreaker": http://bit.ly/4mhm6LB
1
This book is bumming me out. Because that's the way it was and it's not that way anymore. There used to be a rock culture with defined steps, you buy an instrument, form a band, play in bars and then try to move up the ladder, get a deal and become a success. Now all those steps have been eliminated, now you try to become a POP star, and having played in a bar is irrelevant, you may not have played live at all!
And if you cut in a big studio, it's only basics. The business is decentralized, done in various home studios.
And if you strike it big, you no longer become rich.
Scratch that... The Heartbreakers weren't getting rich even after they had hits. They were essentially destitute. Living on mattresses on the floor of houses with no furniture. Actually, that was when things were looking up! Before that you might be living in someone's garage, or sleeping on a couch...
I don't want to say no one lives that way anymore, but the standard of living in America has gone way up. As have expenses, affecting mobility, but the concept of struggle is different. I grew up in a classic split level, with all five of us on top of each other with three bedrooms and one bathroom. We added an addition in '62, but really... Today everybody seems to live in a mansion! The average person can live in a 4,000 square foot house... That was unfathomable back then, those domiciles didn't even exist!
But it's harder to live than before, costs are through the roof, which means a struggling musician...can't.
That's one thing no one acknowledges about today's college students, how savvy they are. I graduated and moved to Salt Lake to become a ski bum. Not a single person I knew was on the corporate track. But today? The kids know you're either a winner or a loser, and you don't want to be a loser without a leg up, no way.
Which means that so many of the middle class don't go into the arts, the odds are too long. Therefore, you get those without portfolio playing the game, who are malleable, who will do what their label and handlers tell them to.
Unlike Tom Petty.
Are you willing to put it all on the line, risk everything, your career, to protest a raw deal? Tom Petty did. Today you work with cowriters, do a cover, anything for a hit, the label has invested and it wants a return. And it was always a business, but more money was thrown around and more acts were making money...more acts were signed!
But how do you get signed?
2
It all started with the Beatles. Sure, there were Americans born in the forties who just happened to be players who benefited from the success of the Beatles, but those of us born in the fifties...we saw the band on Ed Sullivan, we heard the records on the radio, we wanted IN!
So everybody bought an instrument, and everybody played.
And everybody was forming bands.
And then you tried to get gigs. And there were a ton of gigs available. Not so every band could work, but if you were good...
There were school dances, sock hops. Battles of the bands. Bar and bat mitzvahs. Proms. Bars. There was seemingly an endless number of places to play. And now there are fewer and most want to spin records, they want a deejay. Why hire a not fantastic Top Forty cover band when you can play the records themselves, in a world that venerates the deejay?
As for bars...
They're a business, first and foremost. The entertainment is there to sell alcohol, that's it. They're not a service. And somewhere in the past decades, most of the public rejected live music by bands playing original material. There was no leeway whatsoever. Especially now, when the hits are available on everybody's phone.
And was it a good business proposition? Was it worth it to the bar to pay the band, did it get enough in return?
And even weddings now have deejays instead of bands. No one pooh-poohs the affair.
As for clubs... Even the ones that showcased talent with a deal have fallen by the wayside, even the Bottom Line closed. The economics just didn't work. People want to see and hear music, but they want to hear the STARS! They'll pay big bucks to see their favorite in an arena, but to see an up and coming act, wet behind the ears, play in their local watering hole? That's viewed as a bad experience.
OF COURSE there are exceptions. But there used to be a whole culture of developing bands in every region of the country, honing their chops, trying to make it.
You knew every player in your town. The bands were rarely static. Members were replaced, maybe because they weren't good enough, oftentimes because the players felt it was no longer worth it, they wanted to grow up, they wanted to have some MONEY!
3
Mike Campbell grew up relatively poor.
Even at this late date when someone says they grew up poor, don't believe them. They're oftentimes lying to embellish their credibility. You went to prep school? You couldn't have been poor. Your father was an attorney, or owned a car dealership? I've heard these stories from multiple musicians. You pierce the surface and you find they're lying. Because no one wants to say they were rich and comfortable, that goes against the ethos.
Benmont Tench came from money.
But Mike Campbell really had next to nothing until the band hit. I mean really hit, with "Damn the Torpedoes."
Mike made it. But a lot of the other people he played with in the band did not. And then where were they? Broke, with few options, too old to start over and go to college.
As for Tom Petty?
His image is pierced in this book. He was not a lovable everyman. He knew what he wanted and you couldn't stand in his way. And sometimes he'd poke you, needle you, make fun of you, just for the sport of it, with no goal whatsoever other than to make you uptight. Stars are a different breed. It's not only Tom, it's most of your heroes. Because do you know how hard it is to make it? To sacrifice everything for your dream with odds of success so damn low? Tom Petty made it, you don't know the names of all the people who tried and didn't.
As for the 50/50 deal...
Mike had told me this, but when you read about it in the book...
Tony Dimitriades brought in Elliot Roberts as co-manager. And a band meeting was called. And everybody was there except Tom. And Stan Lynch immediately senses that something was up.
And then Elliot told them. Going forward, Tom got 50% of the money and the other four spit the remaining 50%. And this didn't go over well with the band, they wanted to quit, after all, it was a BAND, they believed Petty couldn't do it on his own. HOWEVER, Mike reminded them if they stood on their principles and quit, where would that leave them? Right and broke without a band? Or should they suck it up and stay with Petty who had a deal and some success and was a great songwriter and frontman.
What Mike did not tell me in our podcast was that the resentment lasted for YEARS!
Ah, bands.
4
So what you've got here is the story of Mike Campbell begging for a guitar, and not getting one until he was already in his teens. And then he dedicated himself to it.
But he didn't believe in himself. He knew he was practicing, but how good was he? Not that good, right?
But when he got a chance to play with others they were impressed, and this ultimately led to working with Petty and getting a gig at a popular bar where everybody would end up with $100 a week, but...
The main draw was not the band, but the STRIPPERS! And the wet t-shirt contests. Ah, the seventies. Do they even have wet t-shirt contests anymore? As for nudity, just fire up Google!
And they're playing for YEARS!
And make a demo which generates nothing.
Ultimately Tom goes to California and goes to the labels and London might be interested, but then he gets a call from Denny Cordell at Shelter who is ga-ga, wants them to come to Tulsa and meet.
You've got to understand, he may have ended up as Tom Petty with his Heartbreakers, but at that point you're hanging on by a thread. If this guy isn't interested...there's not another person. You're nowhere.
And after signing with Shelter and being in the studio...
Nothing happened. The band broke up. Everybody was on their own other than Tom, who convinced Denny to throw a little cash at Mike too...very little cash.
This is the way it WAS!
And it's no longer that way anymore.
Even after the band starts to gain traction... They talk about Robert Hilburn writing about them and that having a positive effect. If it weren't for the efforts of promotion man Jon Scott, would ANYTHING have happened in America?
5
So I don't read most rock biographies, because usually they're print versions of "Behind the Music." They're not honest. You don't really see the struggle. You see the arc, and that's important, but not everything.
Mike goes into some of the details of playing the guitar, of instruments themselves. And it's not too much if you're a casual fan, and if you're more than that, you'll eat it up.
Mike was a fan. He knew the records, the ones you played, and he knew the labels and the business...all from afar. And he was not the only one. Back then there was a plethora of those people, maybe you too, reading this. We lived for the music and more, the whole penumbra. We just wanted to be involved. But one thing about the music business, they didn't need us, they didn't need ANYBODY specifically, they just needed people who could generate cash, and they didn't really care who that was.
So Mike is a shy, quiet guy, not the life of the party and not a ladies man... What was it like to be in the game, but trading only on your ability, that's it. Mike doesn't sound like a star, he sounds closer to you and me.
6
Now I'm halfway through the book, they're recording "Damn the Torpedoes" at Sound City with Jimmy Iovine and Shelly Yakus, and it's interesting, but not as interesting as what came before.
We've seen this movie in its various permutations. Making records, making them into successes. But what came before? That hasn't been heavily delineated, and that's what makes the first half of the book so interesting. Because if you were paying attention back in the late sixties and early seventies...YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT MIKE IS TALKING ABOUT! You didn't even have to be a player, just a listener, the vibe... It was a different era. Music was everything, we were all paying attention and you could struggle and figure out who you were and wanted to be on minimum wage. You couldn't live like a king, but you could get by.
And at that age, your late teens and early twenties, it's all about meeting people and their friends. Making connections, going places, taking risks. You're out and about, not always sunny and happy, but life was an adventure, anything but plotted out. Who could you believe in, who could you trust?
And if you were living in L.A. in the mid-seventies, what Mike talks about will resonate.
There was a free-flowing atmosphere. You could see the billboards, go to the clubs...where you might run into someone famous. But you knew behind closed doors it was a mobile society of studios and hanging out and doing drugs and...
It's not that way anymore. Now it's about being a brand and making money. Back then, just playing the music was enough.
Sure, sure, sure... There are still rock bands. But very few break through to big time success, they're niches in backwaters. Blues Traveler was on MTV, today you're either a Phish fan or you're not. There's a jam band scene, but there's no crossover. So everybody in America knowing your name and your music...it's nearly impossible. And whatever success you have either comes instantly, if you're a pop star, or takes a really long time if you're anybody else.
7
Yes, this book depressed me, but not all the way through. But there would come times when Mike was talking about situations I was in. Parallel societies, even in Los Angeles. And one thing is for sure, it's not that way anymore. There will always be a music business, always be hit records, but the stars of yore...they were different, don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, even Miley Cyrus? Musicians didn't start out in the mainstream, anything but. And they had contempt for those in the mainstream, you listened to FM rock, not AM pop drivel. You worked your way up from the bottom. It was unfathomable to be on a TV show and then leverage this into a musical career. Ricky Nelson was a progenitor, and pre-Beatles, and the Monkees were fabricated and whatever you think about their music today, many had disdained these acts back then.
No, you wore your jeans, smoked your dope, played your Telecaster to the hits of the day and constantly thought about original material, which was the only thing that would give you a chance, a break. And to form a band that could get by on original material only? That was the dream, but that was rare, VERY rare.
But a few broke through.
And it was a knife edge. It's not like everybody was clamoring for Tom Petty. He got a chance, and it ultimately paid off, but it just as easily could have gone completely bust.
So if you're thinking about the story of Tom Petty...
This is the story of the guy one step away. Who wrote some of the music and was there and it's a different perspective.
And at times it was so true, resonated so much, that I truly almost put the book down, it hurt too much. We lived through this and it is never coming back, this era is going to die with us.
So, if you have any interest at all in Mike's story...READ THIS BOOK!
--
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
Saturday, 13 September 2025
Friday, 12 September 2025
Al Kooper-SiriusXM This Week
Tune in Saturday September 13th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.
Phone #: 844-686-5863
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
--
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
Phone #: 844-686-5863
If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz
--
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
Charlie Kirk
I was sitting at my desk, doing homework, listening to WABC broadcast the hits, when the music was interrupted with the news that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. I was alone. It was a shock. Because it came out of the blue, was completely unexpected.
As was the shooting of RFK not long thereafter.
But with RFK it was a little bit different. Johnson was abhorred by the youth, who had a new candidate they were rallying behind, Eugene McCarthy. And once RFK entered the race there was a sense of deflation, that once again our hopes and dreams would be eluded.
RFK continued to live. News was not totally pessimistic, there was a decent chance he would pull through.
But then he died. And it was hard to metabolize it. Especially when Hubert Humphrey ultimately got the nomination. I mean we wanted McCarthy, but RFK was so much better than Humphrey. Humphrey was old school. RFK may not have been as aligned with the perspective of the youth as McCarthy, but he was definitely a creature of the sixties.
But now he was gone.
I saw that Charlie Kirk had been shot. That's the nature of being constantly online. You launch a browser window and you see the latest news, at least the highlights, assuming your homepage is a news site, and mine is.
But shot is one thing, dead is another.
So I closed my browser, turned on Do Not Disturb, and started to write. And when I was rereading my piece, I wanted to check a fact, and I launched a browser window, and that was when I saw Kirk had died. And I became numb. I'm still numb.
And then I tried to take the temperature of the nation.
All the Democratic officials and the left wing press like the "New York Times" immediately lamented Kirk's death and called for peace. Saying that political discourse had been amped up to the point where it overflowed, that violence was seen as an option and was happening too much.
Ditto on MSNBC.
Obama, Biden, all the usual suspects called for calm.
But on TikTok?
Reaction was completely different.
We keep hearing that people on the left were expressing joy that Kirk was dead. This is untrue, this is kind of like the Sydney Sweeney jeans/genes controversy. There was none. Those on the left were not up in arms. But those on the right said they were and it became a national issue.
No, everybody started off their video stating that they were sad Kirk had been shot and killed, that there was no place for that in America. HOWEVER, then they all went on to delineate Kirk's positions and how they felt about them.
Starting with gun control. The famous Kirk quote that said some have to die in order to defend the 2nd Amendment. The irony was noted.
And then the question was asked why was there not such a brouhaha when those Minnesota elected officials were shot. There was no flag at half staff. Trump didn't express this level of dismay.
And how about those kids shot seemingly every day on school campuses? Why when Kirk is shot it's a national disaster, but when our children are it is not. Hell, school shootings are now de rigueur. They hit the news and fade, because we know another one is coming.
And then there Kirk's policies about race and sexual orientation. There was a complete listing and discussion of what Kirk spewed.
But the Democratic elected officials and their news outlets didn't reflect this. They were all on the back foot, doing their best to make sure they didn't ignite any anger whatsoever on the right.
Meanwhile, Trump went on record it was the violent left that was the problem. Which is a head-scratcher for anybody who follows the news. Most of the violent rhetoric comes from the right. Not that there's absolutely none from the left, but it's not the Democrats who are saying to beware of your speech and behavior.
And it's all Biden's fault. BIDEN? You mean that doddering old man? Who sent money to the states for infrastructure projects that Republicans voted against and are now taking credit for?
BIDEN?
Was there military in the streets under Biden? Democrats are about a social safety net. Which you don't need to agree with. But if you think Biden was evil...you've never looked in the mirror.
I mean you don't have to agree with Biden's policies, but Trump has been stirring up unrest for a decade now. Telling universities and news outlets to get in line. I wrote about the Apple presentation introducing new iPhones and what did I hear from multiple people? They weren't upgrading their devices because Tim Cook went and kissed the ass of the President with the rest of those tech bros who only care about their companies and themselves, who are afraid of standing up to an autocrat who might retaliate.
On TikTok I found the temperature of the public. And the irony is, there are more people on this side, the liberal side, than there are on the conservative one.
The people are not approving of Trump's rule. The people just want to live in peace, earn their living with the government out of their lives except when they're in a crisis.
But now the government is in their personal lives, not allowing them to get an abortion, and when there's a disaster... Where are the weather service and FEMA? Cut down and operating with a hand behind their back, if they're operating at all.
But this is not the message sent in the right wing echo chamber. Where anything anti-Trump doesn't even show up on Fox News. And then you have Karoline Leavitt quoting right wing propaganda sites like the Daily Caller...
It's topsy-turvy, it's bizzarroland.
Just like saying Charlie Kirk is a saint and it's the left wing that incites violence, not the right.
And, once again, the Democratic officials and the left wing press are afraid to say all this for fear of retribution. They're essentially hiding, playing by the rules that Trump has laid down and Congress (and the Supreme Court) has fallen behind.
Now my inbox will go wild with right wing blowback. And this is just the point. THEY'RE WORKING THE REFS! And where is the coach on our side arguing with said refs, for a level playing field? They're NONEXISTENT!
But the public? The liberal public, the majority? They see what is going on and are stating their truth.
But Congresspeople are too busy to spend time scrolling on TikTok. And newspapers and TV are too hoity-toity to do so either. As a matter of fact, the "New York Times" prints anti-technology screeds on a regular basis, convincing their educated elite readers that the smartphone and social media are the devil. To the point where oldsters have never been on TikTok, yet have a definitive negative opinion of the service.
But on TikTok anybody can play. ANYBODY! The opinion of nobody from nowhere sits right next to those with pedigrees. And everybody on TikTok knows that's where you go to really find out what is going on in America. And unlike YouTube, you don't already have to be famous for your clip to be boosted. No, it can be your very first clip and possibly be seen by millions. Incentivizing people to express themselves.
But those who have played the traditional game, the one of educational and job hoops, who feel superior because of their investment in their careers, pooh-pooh these upstarts. Who the hell are they?
The electorate.
And the electorate is not aligned with the Democrats and MSNBC taking a knee. Firing Matthew Dowd? Look what he said. If this is offensive, please stay in nursery school.
This is why the Democrats lost. Not because people don't have liberal beliefs, but because they think Democratic officials are namby-pamby people who don't want to rock the boat for fear of losing their job. And in this world where truth, honest and credibility resonate, they don't evidence these characteristics
As for Trump?
He was standing up for the whites, the economically-challenged and the rich. Don't dig deep and debate whether he delivered for these people, they believed he was on their side.
On the left... We got Biden and then Harris? If you can find a person who believes in Harris...they must be related to her.
It's a flaw in leadership and direction, not in the underlying principles. People are sick and tired of those on the left being afraid to rock the boat, and when they do point out bad behavior on the right, there is no plan of action. Other than fruitless protests in the street.
Meanwhile, Trump keeps blaming the radical left whilst saying he's going to take action against them.
Huh? What about the radical right?
Oh, they're o.k. They're on the side of God, and me, TRUMP!
If you think most Americans are falling for this, you're just not on TikTok, you're in a bubble.
Those on the left are not vociferously for political violence, that comes from the right. And although they believe Charlie Kirk had a right to speak and shouldn't have been assassinated, they also know that he was spreading hate and proffered positions that did not align with the majority of the public. Hell, he was anything but pro woman, and over half of Americans ARE women.
But Charlie Kirk gets shot and it requires think pieces and national mourning.
But if you get shot, or your kids, even your elected representatives, everybody shrugs and Charlie Kirk says it's the cost of doing business.
And that does not resonate with you, and you stand up and say so and what does everybody say?
YOU'RE THE PROBLEM!
Yet you're anything but.
What did F. Scott Fitzgerald famously say, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."?
Isn't that those on the left, who decry the killing of Kirk but also abhor his policies?
Or is it the knee-jerk free speech advocates on the right who can only see it one way, that one of theirs was shot and the left is evil and responsible.
Let's have a little perspective here. Let's not be afraid of our shadows and Trump. It is totally reasonable to say Charlie Kirk was a bad man who did not deserve to be shot and killed. Can't the brass on the left say this?
Looks not.
--
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
As was the shooting of RFK not long thereafter.
But with RFK it was a little bit different. Johnson was abhorred by the youth, who had a new candidate they were rallying behind, Eugene McCarthy. And once RFK entered the race there was a sense of deflation, that once again our hopes and dreams would be eluded.
RFK continued to live. News was not totally pessimistic, there was a decent chance he would pull through.
But then he died. And it was hard to metabolize it. Especially when Hubert Humphrey ultimately got the nomination. I mean we wanted McCarthy, but RFK was so much better than Humphrey. Humphrey was old school. RFK may not have been as aligned with the perspective of the youth as McCarthy, but he was definitely a creature of the sixties.
But now he was gone.
I saw that Charlie Kirk had been shot. That's the nature of being constantly online. You launch a browser window and you see the latest news, at least the highlights, assuming your homepage is a news site, and mine is.
But shot is one thing, dead is another.
So I closed my browser, turned on Do Not Disturb, and started to write. And when I was rereading my piece, I wanted to check a fact, and I launched a browser window, and that was when I saw Kirk had died. And I became numb. I'm still numb.
And then I tried to take the temperature of the nation.
All the Democratic officials and the left wing press like the "New York Times" immediately lamented Kirk's death and called for peace. Saying that political discourse had been amped up to the point where it overflowed, that violence was seen as an option and was happening too much.
Ditto on MSNBC.
Obama, Biden, all the usual suspects called for calm.
But on TikTok?
Reaction was completely different.
We keep hearing that people on the left were expressing joy that Kirk was dead. This is untrue, this is kind of like the Sydney Sweeney jeans/genes controversy. There was none. Those on the left were not up in arms. But those on the right said they were and it became a national issue.
No, everybody started off their video stating that they were sad Kirk had been shot and killed, that there was no place for that in America. HOWEVER, then they all went on to delineate Kirk's positions and how they felt about them.
Starting with gun control. The famous Kirk quote that said some have to die in order to defend the 2nd Amendment. The irony was noted.
And then the question was asked why was there not such a brouhaha when those Minnesota elected officials were shot. There was no flag at half staff. Trump didn't express this level of dismay.
And how about those kids shot seemingly every day on school campuses? Why when Kirk is shot it's a national disaster, but when our children are it is not. Hell, school shootings are now de rigueur. They hit the news and fade, because we know another one is coming.
And then there Kirk's policies about race and sexual orientation. There was a complete listing and discussion of what Kirk spewed.
But the Democratic elected officials and their news outlets didn't reflect this. They were all on the back foot, doing their best to make sure they didn't ignite any anger whatsoever on the right.
Meanwhile, Trump went on record it was the violent left that was the problem. Which is a head-scratcher for anybody who follows the news. Most of the violent rhetoric comes from the right. Not that there's absolutely none from the left, but it's not the Democrats who are saying to beware of your speech and behavior.
And it's all Biden's fault. BIDEN? You mean that doddering old man? Who sent money to the states for infrastructure projects that Republicans voted against and are now taking credit for?
BIDEN?
Was there military in the streets under Biden? Democrats are about a social safety net. Which you don't need to agree with. But if you think Biden was evil...you've never looked in the mirror.
I mean you don't have to agree with Biden's policies, but Trump has been stirring up unrest for a decade now. Telling universities and news outlets to get in line. I wrote about the Apple presentation introducing new iPhones and what did I hear from multiple people? They weren't upgrading their devices because Tim Cook went and kissed the ass of the President with the rest of those tech bros who only care about their companies and themselves, who are afraid of standing up to an autocrat who might retaliate.
On TikTok I found the temperature of the public. And the irony is, there are more people on this side, the liberal side, than there are on the conservative one.
The people are not approving of Trump's rule. The people just want to live in peace, earn their living with the government out of their lives except when they're in a crisis.
But now the government is in their personal lives, not allowing them to get an abortion, and when there's a disaster... Where are the weather service and FEMA? Cut down and operating with a hand behind their back, if they're operating at all.
But this is not the message sent in the right wing echo chamber. Where anything anti-Trump doesn't even show up on Fox News. And then you have Karoline Leavitt quoting right wing propaganda sites like the Daily Caller...
It's topsy-turvy, it's bizzarroland.
Just like saying Charlie Kirk is a saint and it's the left wing that incites violence, not the right.
And, once again, the Democratic officials and the left wing press are afraid to say all this for fear of retribution. They're essentially hiding, playing by the rules that Trump has laid down and Congress (and the Supreme Court) has fallen behind.
Now my inbox will go wild with right wing blowback. And this is just the point. THEY'RE WORKING THE REFS! And where is the coach on our side arguing with said refs, for a level playing field? They're NONEXISTENT!
But the public? The liberal public, the majority? They see what is going on and are stating their truth.
But Congresspeople are too busy to spend time scrolling on TikTok. And newspapers and TV are too hoity-toity to do so either. As a matter of fact, the "New York Times" prints anti-technology screeds on a regular basis, convincing their educated elite readers that the smartphone and social media are the devil. To the point where oldsters have never been on TikTok, yet have a definitive negative opinion of the service.
But on TikTok anybody can play. ANYBODY! The opinion of nobody from nowhere sits right next to those with pedigrees. And everybody on TikTok knows that's where you go to really find out what is going on in America. And unlike YouTube, you don't already have to be famous for your clip to be boosted. No, it can be your very first clip and possibly be seen by millions. Incentivizing people to express themselves.
But those who have played the traditional game, the one of educational and job hoops, who feel superior because of their investment in their careers, pooh-pooh these upstarts. Who the hell are they?
The electorate.
And the electorate is not aligned with the Democrats and MSNBC taking a knee. Firing Matthew Dowd? Look what he said. If this is offensive, please stay in nursery school.
This is why the Democrats lost. Not because people don't have liberal beliefs, but because they think Democratic officials are namby-pamby people who don't want to rock the boat for fear of losing their job. And in this world where truth, honest and credibility resonate, they don't evidence these characteristics
As for Trump?
He was standing up for the whites, the economically-challenged and the rich. Don't dig deep and debate whether he delivered for these people, they believed he was on their side.
On the left... We got Biden and then Harris? If you can find a person who believes in Harris...they must be related to her.
It's a flaw in leadership and direction, not in the underlying principles. People are sick and tired of those on the left being afraid to rock the boat, and when they do point out bad behavior on the right, there is no plan of action. Other than fruitless protests in the street.
Meanwhile, Trump keeps blaming the radical left whilst saying he's going to take action against them.
Huh? What about the radical right?
Oh, they're o.k. They're on the side of God, and me, TRUMP!
If you think most Americans are falling for this, you're just not on TikTok, you're in a bubble.
Those on the left are not vociferously for political violence, that comes from the right. And although they believe Charlie Kirk had a right to speak and shouldn't have been assassinated, they also know that he was spreading hate and proffered positions that did not align with the majority of the public. Hell, he was anything but pro woman, and over half of Americans ARE women.
But Charlie Kirk gets shot and it requires think pieces and national mourning.
But if you get shot, or your kids, even your elected representatives, everybody shrugs and Charlie Kirk says it's the cost of doing business.
And that does not resonate with you, and you stand up and say so and what does everybody say?
YOU'RE THE PROBLEM!
Yet you're anything but.
What did F. Scott Fitzgerald famously say, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."?
Isn't that those on the left, who decry the killing of Kirk but also abhor his policies?
Or is it the knee-jerk free speech advocates on the right who can only see it one way, that one of theirs was shot and the left is evil and responsible.
Let's have a little perspective here. Let's not be afraid of our shadows and Trump. It is totally reasonable to say Charlie Kirk was a bad man who did not deserve to be shot and killed. Can't the brass on the left say this?
Looks not.
--
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
Thursday, 11 September 2025
David Freiberg-This Week's Podcast
Of Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Starship. He just turned 87, but he's still out on the road. He's been there and done that, from Ohio to San Francisco and beyond!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-freiberg/id1316200737?i=1000726192675
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1aJf1od6vxYKvsZZ0QTHnm?si=f0d9aaa7b0064b4f
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/david-freiberg-293736582/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/8a2a3bf8-7d4f-42af-85af-77e931a0a7c9/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-david-freiberg
--
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
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-freiberg/id1316200737?i=1000726192675
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1aJf1od6vxYKvsZZ0QTHnm?si=f0d9aaa7b0064b4f
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/david-freiberg-293736582/
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/8a2a3bf8-7d4f-42af-85af-77e931a0a7c9/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-david-freiberg
--
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
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Mailbag
From: Kevin Cronin
Subject: Re: Fandom
Hey Bob,
Back in the Roaring Eighties, REO tour manager, now my personal manager, Tom Consolo was famous for his ubiquitous "roll of hundreds." I once kicked and shattered an automatic plate glass door in the Little Rock airport, because it came too close to hitting me. (Of course, I was walking through on the wrong side!) Tom was there in a flash, peeled off a healthy batch of "hunskies", and saved my ass, once again. Ah yes, the good old days when frontmen could live life as they pleased and float comfortably above the law. You do make mention of a certain "frontman" who has managed to retain that privilege to this day. But that's not why I am responding here.
I want you to know that I appreciate the name-check, albeit in a difficult context. It's not like I didn't understand the power of the REO Speedwagon name and logo. When my friend Rob Light (CAA) reminded me of examples such as Daryl Hall, Ann Wilson, and John Fogerty, all amazing singers, songwriters, and front-persons, I understood what Rob was saying. But I feel it is safe to say that all of them, myself included, are musicians first, and let the music lead the way.
The Kevin Cronin Band has fed my soul in so many ways, and revived an energy in me that I didn't even realize I was craving. Was it the best business decision? Hell no. But I knew that going in. Our summer tour with Styx, (who have always had my back, and me theirs), is in its final weekend: St Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. The circle is complete, as Milwaukee's Busch Stadium was the final stop REO's 1981 Hi Infidelity tour.
That said, I feel like I am just hitting my stride. I am going on five years with my vocal coach, the great Jeffrey Allen. Just finished a rocking new song with my long-time friend and collaborator, Richard Marx. Zeroing in on completing my memoir. I love the fans. I'm still hungry. I am not done yet! … kc
_____________________________________
From: William Perkins
Subject: Re: Released In September 1970
"Idlewild South" by The Allman Brothers Band:
Idlewild South was the name of a fishing lodge where the band briefly stayed and often partied. It was located in the countryside just outside of Macon and was a favorite fishing spot of Duane's. Don't know if the name had any connection with the NY airport name? I was with the band when they played the track from that album "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'." for Eric Clapton at Criteria Studios just before Duane joined the Layla sessions. I will never forget the look on Eric's face as he listened to Duane's slide work. Neither of the first two albums sold very well until they were paired as "Beginnings" later and went gold.
Willie Perkins
_____________________________________
From: Gary Gold
Subject: Re: Pretzel Logic
Bob,
I must've played "Pretzel Logic" with Donald Fagen fifty times. Maybe more. It was never a question—it always found its way into the setlist, whether we were at the Lone Star on one of those electrifying birth of the whole damn thing New York Nights or upstate at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, where the air smelled like Chinese food and patchouli and the band smelled like guitar strings.
The funny thing is, I can barely remember what we called half of those shows. Libby's Place? Uptown Lone Star Nights? The names blurred, but the music never did. "Pretzel Logic" was the anchor, the secret handshake. And sometimes—every so often—it became a kind of religious experience.
There's one night burned into my head. Lone Star Café. Donald at the keys, doing that thing he does where he makes irony sound like gospel. Mac Rebennack tossing lightning bolts across the room with his voodoo piano. Phoebe Snow took a verse, and the whole place held its breath because she could crack your heart open with a single note. And then there was Mindy Jostyn—criminally underrated, a true narcissus in full bloom that night—stepping up, taking her verse, and blowing the roof off the joint. Drew Zingg on guitar and Libby Titus (the ultimate connector… whose spirit carried on in her daughter Amy at Levon's Barn.)
That was a once-in-a-lifetime molotov cocktail moment. Those people. That tune.
It was a blues. Infinitely, deceptively playable. We played that tune everywhere, with every combination of misfits and geniuses you could imagine. And it never got old. Sometimes ragged, sometimes transcendent, but always the real thing.
And then today—reading you Bob, going on about "Pretzel Logic"—it triggered something. A flood. The kind of memory you don't summon, it just ambushes you. Suddenly I'm back in that sweaty club, watching Donald lean into the mic, hearing Phoebe wrap her voice around the lyrics, seeing Mindy light the place up. It hit me like a freight train…
That's the thing about music. You think it's just another blues until it's not. Until one night, with the right people in the right room, it becomes a time machine, a soul-killer, a resurrection all at once.
So yeah, "Pretzel Logic." Fifty times or more. But that night at the Lone Star? That one was everything.
Thanks for reminding me Bob.
Gary Gold
_____________________________________
Subject: RE: As For Me...
Hey Bob,
At 75 I really understood your penultimate communication, I and my best friend of 50 years, same age, have been drifting along through 20 years of retirement, still enjoying most of the cultural and consumable parts of old age as if we were still 30, until a few months ago we both had check ups, and we are now both in the middle of treatment for cancers, mine a nice dual package of bowel/prostate and his a nastier version of the viral throat cancer that was made famous by Michael Douglas, it's strange, I smoked for 40 years and got the big C down south, he never smoked and got it in the neck, and he swears he can't recall having oral sex with over a thousand women like Kirk's little boy apparently did which apparently can spread the virus that causes the type they both acquired.
Needless to say, our outlook and lifestyles have been abruptly inhibited by the treatments and their side effects, and we like many of our contemporaries blissfully never thought it would happen to us… until it did. Prognoses are fairly positive, so we are still rockin' in the free world (Ha!) for now at least, but the aura of invincibility is long gone…
Cheers from Oz,
Tony Barnes
_____________________________________
From: George Kahn
Subject: Re: As For Me...
If you ask 100 people how they want to die, 90% will say, "I want to be healthy and active until the day I die".
BUT if you are healthy and active, you probably aren't going to die yet! So what is your plan?
Get ready, it's coming.
_____________________________________
From: MIke Garson
Subject: The Darwin Poison Exposed (Ageism)
There's a discrimination nobody talks about. It's not in the headlines, it's not on the protest signs. But it's everywhere: age.
When you're young, the world loves you. You're "productive." You can grind, hustle, stay up all night. The bodies move faster, the sex is rampant, the energy seems endless. Nobody questions your value.
But the moment you hit 70 or 80, society quietly files you under done.
Doesn't matter if you're writing, recording, teaching, creating every day.
The assumption is: you've had your time. You're expendable.
The root of it is Darwin's old program—survival of the fittest, natural selection. Somewhere in the back of people's minds, they justify it: "The old ones are weaker, so they don't count." That's ageism.
And it's nastier than racism or antisemitism in one way: at least those are visible. People call them out, protest them, push back. Ageism hides in silence. No outrage. Just the quiet delete key. And silence is deadly.
Because what really kills people isn't just the body slowing down—it's the feeling of being banished. Vanished. Like you no longer exist.
Here's the truth: older people aren't finished. We just operate differently.
Younger people run on speed and hormones; older people run on clarity and organization. What they burn in stamina, we multiply in leverage.
One sharp hour at 80 can outweigh sixteen scattered hours at 20. That's not decline—that's a different kind of power.
The antidote isn't marching or shouting. It's refusing to vanish. Staying funny, creative, alive, visible. Showing up.
Mike
_____________________________________
From: Edward Bicknell
Subject: As For Me...
Hi Bob,
Ok. Let me first brown-nose you as we say over here.
This is some of your finest writing in a catalogue of fine writings.
I bet it's resonated with many and you've had numerous responses, here are a few thoughts, print if you want, your call, I long since suffered ego death.
.
I'm 77 physically but I like to think my mind stopped developing at 50 and that I'm still as hip and happening as I was in 1985 aged 37 when Brothers In Arms was topper most of the popper most and I was King for a Day .
So 40 years ago.
Who knows where the time goes?
Then I was a huge sh*t, elephant sized.
Now I'm a tiny turd watching old videos of me interviewing Peter Grant in Toronto, and of Live Aid which was a great event punctuated by a good dollop of musical sh*t that nobody remembers and that doesn't matter.
The moment overshadowed the content and rock music morphed into MOR.
But for those in Ethiopia or a hundred such places since that didn't matter, when you are dying from lack of food where it comes from is irrelevant.
Oh, and I listen to your interviews of me at least once a week, hours ( literally) of fun which help me sleep way better than the pills, I have so many pills in me I sound like a maraca.
Supertramp (Rodger Hodgson I think) came to see me as many did but I passed, not because of them but I already had a creaking empire…..one "artist" was a bi polar alcoholic which eventually killed him, two others had become unbearable narcissists, a third took seven years to record 37 minutes of music and split his band up on the day they charted at 6 in the UK.
Only Scott Walker was a true artist, completely unmotivated by fame, celebrity and money, an extraordinary man touched by genius, him I miss.
By the time the Tramp arrived I had run out of gas and patience, the romance of being a fan having been at least partially destroyed by proximity to the creators, or at least the bunch that I got excluding Scott.
Yes I made alot of money which gave me and my family a good life, and I guess if that were now I'd be revelling in it, because when you're young you think that's what is important, money, glory and possessions.
Then you end up with a storage unit full of stuff you don't care about or maybe even remember you have.
I'm AFRAID to go to mine.
The Acquisition of Stuff would be a great name for a band.
I fit your description 110%.
I'm doing endless stuff knowing that none of it matters or that it certainly won't 15 years from now if I last that long .
Documentaries on forgotten lives.
I'm writing a memoir but when that's finished and I've done the book tour what then?
What comes after?
Painting?
Photography?
Fishing?
Or as Robert Plant said to me once "I've been telling lies to young girls".
I stopped doing interviews at conferences ( about 70 +) because I didn't know what the guests were talking about and found myself bored with the "process of pop" as it's become, that probably sounds big time but so be it.
Everything in modern culture is generational.
I still listen to Elvis and the Fabs and Duke Ellington and I know plenty of folks who have never heard of any of them and have no curiosity.
The Who I put on at University in 1968.
The only gig I've ever been involved in where when after they finished in a sea of destruction no one applauded and no one left.
They couldn't, too…….stunned, and deaf.
I watched a You Tube gig on the current tour last week and had to stop as they must for exactly the reason you offer.
There comes a time where both sides of the equation have to let go and listen to mid period Miles Davis or Vaughan Williams, or Ennio Morricone or Marvin Gaye, or Vangelis, or Leonard Cohen, or Sabrina C.
I saw Cat Stevens and Neil Young in Hyde Park in July, I wish I hadn't.
It reminded me of when my brother died and the undertaker asked me if I wanted to see his body.
I didn't, life is about the creation of memories and I didn't need to add that to the good ones I had of him.
My partner is way younger (of course!) but I have learned so much from her, so much.
A different way of thinking.
I have a 25 year old friend (woman) who is way more intelligent than me and uses words I can't spell, its like being plugged into the mains with the power turned on.
I had dinner with my son Joe last night, he's 43.
"You're middle aged" I told him, but he's into hip hop and Megan Thee Stallion, AND George Clinton.
My daughter Lauren is a couple of years older and has blessed me with two edible grandkids and is a mega lawyer ( "Make Entertainment Great Again". )
Ollie just sent to his first festival aged 16 and loved it. Travis Scott, Limp Bizkit, Hozier.
His sister Isabella is not far behind.
I worry for the lives they will have, especially right now as the worst government in my lifetime runs this country into the ground.
But aside from that I have the best family and amazing friends, I mean really extraordinary who have helped me when I needed without question as I like to think I would help them.
And I'm close with all my significant exs except one.
Plastic surgery is not on my screen but I am grateful for the glue that keeps my hair on in high winds.
We get alot of high winds here in the UK, especially "up North" where men are men and the sheep are frightened.
And I've got Peter Guralnick's book on Colonel Parker to read and Bill Curbishley's to look forward to and then maybe one from you?
There you go, I've solved your problem.
This is a bit like therapy.
One last thought.
The last text I got from Mark Knopfler was about a mutual friend who'd passed (I get and send alot of those now), "we've just got to keep on keeping on" it said.
So you're in good company Bob, and much loved though he's never heard of you.
Take care, we need you, write that other piece.
Your grovelling acolyte.
ED.
--
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
Subject: Re: Fandom
Hey Bob,
Back in the Roaring Eighties, REO tour manager, now my personal manager, Tom Consolo was famous for his ubiquitous "roll of hundreds." I once kicked and shattered an automatic plate glass door in the Little Rock airport, because it came too close to hitting me. (Of course, I was walking through on the wrong side!) Tom was there in a flash, peeled off a healthy batch of "hunskies", and saved my ass, once again. Ah yes, the good old days when frontmen could live life as they pleased and float comfortably above the law. You do make mention of a certain "frontman" who has managed to retain that privilege to this day. But that's not why I am responding here.
I want you to know that I appreciate the name-check, albeit in a difficult context. It's not like I didn't understand the power of the REO Speedwagon name and logo. When my friend Rob Light (CAA) reminded me of examples such as Daryl Hall, Ann Wilson, and John Fogerty, all amazing singers, songwriters, and front-persons, I understood what Rob was saying. But I feel it is safe to say that all of them, myself included, are musicians first, and let the music lead the way.
The Kevin Cronin Band has fed my soul in so many ways, and revived an energy in me that I didn't even realize I was craving. Was it the best business decision? Hell no. But I knew that going in. Our summer tour with Styx, (who have always had my back, and me theirs), is in its final weekend: St Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. The circle is complete, as Milwaukee's Busch Stadium was the final stop REO's 1981 Hi Infidelity tour.
That said, I feel like I am just hitting my stride. I am going on five years with my vocal coach, the great Jeffrey Allen. Just finished a rocking new song with my long-time friend and collaborator, Richard Marx. Zeroing in on completing my memoir. I love the fans. I'm still hungry. I am not done yet! … kc
_____________________________________
From: William Perkins
Subject: Re: Released In September 1970
"Idlewild South" by The Allman Brothers Band:
Idlewild South was the name of a fishing lodge where the band briefly stayed and often partied. It was located in the countryside just outside of Macon and was a favorite fishing spot of Duane's. Don't know if the name had any connection with the NY airport name? I was with the band when they played the track from that album "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'." for Eric Clapton at Criteria Studios just before Duane joined the Layla sessions. I will never forget the look on Eric's face as he listened to Duane's slide work. Neither of the first two albums sold very well until they were paired as "Beginnings" later and went gold.
Willie Perkins
_____________________________________
From: Gary Gold
Subject: Re: Pretzel Logic
Bob,
I must've played "Pretzel Logic" with Donald Fagen fifty times. Maybe more. It was never a question—it always found its way into the setlist, whether we were at the Lone Star on one of those electrifying birth of the whole damn thing New York Nights or upstate at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, where the air smelled like Chinese food and patchouli and the band smelled like guitar strings.
The funny thing is, I can barely remember what we called half of those shows. Libby's Place? Uptown Lone Star Nights? The names blurred, but the music never did. "Pretzel Logic" was the anchor, the secret handshake. And sometimes—every so often—it became a kind of religious experience.
There's one night burned into my head. Lone Star Café. Donald at the keys, doing that thing he does where he makes irony sound like gospel. Mac Rebennack tossing lightning bolts across the room with his voodoo piano. Phoebe Snow took a verse, and the whole place held its breath because she could crack your heart open with a single note. And then there was Mindy Jostyn—criminally underrated, a true narcissus in full bloom that night—stepping up, taking her verse, and blowing the roof off the joint. Drew Zingg on guitar and Libby Titus (the ultimate connector… whose spirit carried on in her daughter Amy at Levon's Barn.)
That was a once-in-a-lifetime molotov cocktail moment. Those people. That tune.
It was a blues. Infinitely, deceptively playable. We played that tune everywhere, with every combination of misfits and geniuses you could imagine. And it never got old. Sometimes ragged, sometimes transcendent, but always the real thing.
And then today—reading you Bob, going on about "Pretzel Logic"—it triggered something. A flood. The kind of memory you don't summon, it just ambushes you. Suddenly I'm back in that sweaty club, watching Donald lean into the mic, hearing Phoebe wrap her voice around the lyrics, seeing Mindy light the place up. It hit me like a freight train…
That's the thing about music. You think it's just another blues until it's not. Until one night, with the right people in the right room, it becomes a time machine, a soul-killer, a resurrection all at once.
So yeah, "Pretzel Logic." Fifty times or more. But that night at the Lone Star? That one was everything.
Thanks for reminding me Bob.
Gary Gold
_____________________________________
Subject: RE: As For Me...
Hey Bob,
At 75 I really understood your penultimate communication, I and my best friend of 50 years, same age, have been drifting along through 20 years of retirement, still enjoying most of the cultural and consumable parts of old age as if we were still 30, until a few months ago we both had check ups, and we are now both in the middle of treatment for cancers, mine a nice dual package of bowel/prostate and his a nastier version of the viral throat cancer that was made famous by Michael Douglas, it's strange, I smoked for 40 years and got the big C down south, he never smoked and got it in the neck, and he swears he can't recall having oral sex with over a thousand women like Kirk's little boy apparently did which apparently can spread the virus that causes the type they both acquired.
Needless to say, our outlook and lifestyles have been abruptly inhibited by the treatments and their side effects, and we like many of our contemporaries blissfully never thought it would happen to us… until it did. Prognoses are fairly positive, so we are still rockin' in the free world (Ha!) for now at least, but the aura of invincibility is long gone…
Cheers from Oz,
Tony Barnes
_____________________________________
From: George Kahn
Subject: Re: As For Me...
If you ask 100 people how they want to die, 90% will say, "I want to be healthy and active until the day I die".
BUT if you are healthy and active, you probably aren't going to die yet! So what is your plan?
Get ready, it's coming.
_____________________________________
From: MIke Garson
Subject: The Darwin Poison Exposed (Ageism)
There's a discrimination nobody talks about. It's not in the headlines, it's not on the protest signs. But it's everywhere: age.
When you're young, the world loves you. You're "productive." You can grind, hustle, stay up all night. The bodies move faster, the sex is rampant, the energy seems endless. Nobody questions your value.
But the moment you hit 70 or 80, society quietly files you under done.
Doesn't matter if you're writing, recording, teaching, creating every day.
The assumption is: you've had your time. You're expendable.
The root of it is Darwin's old program—survival of the fittest, natural selection. Somewhere in the back of people's minds, they justify it: "The old ones are weaker, so they don't count." That's ageism.
And it's nastier than racism or antisemitism in one way: at least those are visible. People call them out, protest them, push back. Ageism hides in silence. No outrage. Just the quiet delete key. And silence is deadly.
Because what really kills people isn't just the body slowing down—it's the feeling of being banished. Vanished. Like you no longer exist.
Here's the truth: older people aren't finished. We just operate differently.
Younger people run on speed and hormones; older people run on clarity and organization. What they burn in stamina, we multiply in leverage.
One sharp hour at 80 can outweigh sixteen scattered hours at 20. That's not decline—that's a different kind of power.
The antidote isn't marching or shouting. It's refusing to vanish. Staying funny, creative, alive, visible. Showing up.
Mike
_____________________________________
From: Edward Bicknell
Subject: As For Me...
Hi Bob,
Ok. Let me first brown-nose you as we say over here.
This is some of your finest writing in a catalogue of fine writings.
I bet it's resonated with many and you've had numerous responses, here are a few thoughts, print if you want, your call, I long since suffered ego death.
.
I'm 77 physically but I like to think my mind stopped developing at 50 and that I'm still as hip and happening as I was in 1985 aged 37 when Brothers In Arms was topper most of the popper most and I was King for a Day .
So 40 years ago.
Who knows where the time goes?
Then I was a huge sh*t, elephant sized.
Now I'm a tiny turd watching old videos of me interviewing Peter Grant in Toronto, and of Live Aid which was a great event punctuated by a good dollop of musical sh*t that nobody remembers and that doesn't matter.
The moment overshadowed the content and rock music morphed into MOR.
But for those in Ethiopia or a hundred such places since that didn't matter, when you are dying from lack of food where it comes from is irrelevant.
Oh, and I listen to your interviews of me at least once a week, hours ( literally) of fun which help me sleep way better than the pills, I have so many pills in me I sound like a maraca.
Supertramp (Rodger Hodgson I think) came to see me as many did but I passed, not because of them but I already had a creaking empire…..one "artist" was a bi polar alcoholic which eventually killed him, two others had become unbearable narcissists, a third took seven years to record 37 minutes of music and split his band up on the day they charted at 6 in the UK.
Only Scott Walker was a true artist, completely unmotivated by fame, celebrity and money, an extraordinary man touched by genius, him I miss.
By the time the Tramp arrived I had run out of gas and patience, the romance of being a fan having been at least partially destroyed by proximity to the creators, or at least the bunch that I got excluding Scott.
Yes I made alot of money which gave me and my family a good life, and I guess if that were now I'd be revelling in it, because when you're young you think that's what is important, money, glory and possessions.
Then you end up with a storage unit full of stuff you don't care about or maybe even remember you have.
I'm AFRAID to go to mine.
The Acquisition of Stuff would be a great name for a band.
I fit your description 110%.
I'm doing endless stuff knowing that none of it matters or that it certainly won't 15 years from now if I last that long .
Documentaries on forgotten lives.
I'm writing a memoir but when that's finished and I've done the book tour what then?
What comes after?
Painting?
Photography?
Fishing?
Or as Robert Plant said to me once "I've been telling lies to young girls".
I stopped doing interviews at conferences ( about 70 +) because I didn't know what the guests were talking about and found myself bored with the "process of pop" as it's become, that probably sounds big time but so be it.
Everything in modern culture is generational.
I still listen to Elvis and the Fabs and Duke Ellington and I know plenty of folks who have never heard of any of them and have no curiosity.
The Who I put on at University in 1968.
The only gig I've ever been involved in where when after they finished in a sea of destruction no one applauded and no one left.
They couldn't, too…….stunned, and deaf.
I watched a You Tube gig on the current tour last week and had to stop as they must for exactly the reason you offer.
There comes a time where both sides of the equation have to let go and listen to mid period Miles Davis or Vaughan Williams, or Ennio Morricone or Marvin Gaye, or Vangelis, or Leonard Cohen, or Sabrina C.
I saw Cat Stevens and Neil Young in Hyde Park in July, I wish I hadn't.
It reminded me of when my brother died and the undertaker asked me if I wanted to see his body.
I didn't, life is about the creation of memories and I didn't need to add that to the good ones I had of him.
My partner is way younger (of course!) but I have learned so much from her, so much.
A different way of thinking.
I have a 25 year old friend (woman) who is way more intelligent than me and uses words I can't spell, its like being plugged into the mains with the power turned on.
I had dinner with my son Joe last night, he's 43.
"You're middle aged" I told him, but he's into hip hop and Megan Thee Stallion, AND George Clinton.
My daughter Lauren is a couple of years older and has blessed me with two edible grandkids and is a mega lawyer ( "Make Entertainment Great Again". )
Ollie just sent to his first festival aged 16 and loved it. Travis Scott, Limp Bizkit, Hozier.
His sister Isabella is not far behind.
I worry for the lives they will have, especially right now as the worst government in my lifetime runs this country into the ground.
But aside from that I have the best family and amazing friends, I mean really extraordinary who have helped me when I needed without question as I like to think I would help them.
And I'm close with all my significant exs except one.
Plastic surgery is not on my screen but I am grateful for the glue that keeps my hair on in high winds.
We get alot of high winds here in the UK, especially "up North" where men are men and the sheep are frightened.
And I've got Peter Guralnick's book on Colonel Parker to read and Bill Curbishley's to look forward to and then maybe one from you?
There you go, I've solved your problem.
This is a bit like therapy.
One last thought.
The last text I got from Mark Knopfler was about a mutual friend who'd passed (I get and send alot of those now), "we've just got to keep on keeping on" it said.
So you're in good company Bob, and much loved though he's never heard of you.
Take care, we need you, write that other piece.
Your grovelling acolyte.
ED.
--
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
Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Nepal
The Epstein affair is not going to bring down Donald Trump.
It's a flashpoint for deluded conspiracy theorists and leftists who believe they've finally got him. But in truth, most people don't care. After all, the man is DEAD! I could go deeper and ask exactly what GOTCHA! they're expecting, but I do not want to give the controversy any oxygen when across the world we see how unrest could test the government and topple Trump's regime.
Three things conspired to create chaos in Nepal, to the point where the prime minister resigned. A generation gap, corruption and the banning of social media.
A generation gap? We've got a wide one here in America. Oldsters decry the tech the young depend upon. You can't afford a house. You may not even be able to get a good paying job. You're depleted and depressed, ready tinder for action.
Corruption? You find it in any enterprise, from private companies to the government. But one thing is for sure in America, the rich are getting richer and the American Dream the poor used to rely on is a mirage. Everybody knows the game is stacked against them. Trump said he was on their side, but then he started grifting right in front of their very eyes, with his crypto coins, his demand of a free airplane... The average person has no leverage and can't twist the world to their advantage, and they're not happy about it.
Social media?
Well, this gets back to the generation gap. Oldsters will laugh and say youngsters get their news from TikTok, can you imagine that? Well, C-SPAN is on TikTok, as well as CNN, MSNBC, even Fox. And if you're a good enough analyst, you too can gain traction. Look at the success of Kyla Scanlon. Who?
That's what Google is for.
But my point here is we're only one flashpoint away from mass rebellion in America. And it will be as a result of a policy affecting people. Period. Epsteingate does not affect the average person. The average person doesn't feel cuts in foreign aid. People have fought back against ICE, but many believe in the mission and ICE doesn't affect most citizens.
So what is going to piss people off?
We can't exactly say. It's kind of like George Floyd. The day before people couldn't foresee it. But then there was a conflagration.
Economic issues are at the heart of most rebellions. And the numbers in the wake of the tariffs don't look good. So when the average person can't pay their bills...
As for social issues... If there wasn't mass revolt after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, I don't think any ruling will get the public up in arms.
It's got to be something that does not affect a small group, but a huge group. Which is why there were protests in the sixties over the Vietnam war. Turn eighteen and every male was in jeopardy of being shipped overseas to be killed in a fruitless fight.
So in order for there to be change on a mass scale, the masses must be affected. It must be an issue that is truly neither red nor blue. Something that is not philosophical, but affects day to day living.
Do you believe in Trump? Good for you, but after denying the signature on the Epstein document was his...whatever credibility the man had has now been completely eviscerated. What next, the dog ate his homework?
No one believes Donald's denial. A document created long before he ran for president? That's one long con.
But this is the world we live in. You lie on the stand or else you apologize immediately, hoping attention switches to someone else. Veracity, honor, is out the window.
Got to give Trump credit, he tapped into white anger. We can debate the merits and impact of DEI all day long, but there were a ton of white people who believed they could never get to the front of the line. As for Democrats tapping into anger? Don't make me laugh. They're all about pulling their punches, calming the waters, irrelevant showmanship. Remember Cory Booker's twenty four hour speech? Grandstanding, it had no effect.
The public is burned out on the Democrats, which is why they cannot foment change. The only person fighting fire with fire is Newsom. And the most amazing thing is Trump and Fox can't seem to ignore him.
But for true change in America, we're going to need rebellion, revolution. And if it happens at all, it will come from the young. The oldsters have too much at risk, they don't want to rock the boat, but when you've got nothing, you've got nothing at all.
Don't say it can't happen here. You're just plain wrong.
Trump keeps on pushing and pushing. Congress rubber stamps all his efforts. He's even got the Supreme Court in his pocket. Didn't they say he was basically immune?
And all the while, Trump is ignoring legal decisions.
So what's it going to take?
No one watching MSNBC is going to start a rebellion. Nor anyone reading the "New York Times." Yes, the "Times" brought down Biden, but that was an inside job, all the lefties read the paper. (The righties in D.C. too!) But the "Times" has been castigating Israel's efforts in Gaza for months now. It amped up its message with the issue of famine. There were multiple articles a day. And what was the result? NOTHING! Because Netanyahu just doesn't give a f*ck. The only people who can change the course of Netanyahu's behavior are the Israelis citizens, who've got an entirely different viewpoint from the prognosticators and protesters thousands of miles away. Israelis know what is at stake. Some are now resisting. Reservists are not showing up. But so far, the movement hasn't gained much steam. Probably because of the issue of the hostages. Deep in their hearts Israelis want the hostages back, they're not about to sacrifice lives.
But back to my point... If you think protests in the street are going to change Trump's behavior...this will only happen if EVERYBODY protests in the street, but over half of voters went for Trump, and most of them are not about to rebel.
Which proves once again, it won't be a left/right, Democrat/Republican revolt. It'll be along class lines, or age lines...lines that don't really have anything to do with your political persuasion.
Now I don't expect Trump to get rid of social media, he seems to be solidly behind TikTok. So what would ignite the public?
Well, there's the military in the street. Just being there is not enough, but if one person is unjustly killed...we saw it with Kent State.
Now there are some who are in Trump's corner. It doesn't matter what he does, they'll support him. But this is not most people.
As for those out to own the libs... When they lose their jobs and their hospitals they're not going to be happy. Is this enough to make them revolt? I highly doubt it. But you need tinder before fire, and when you take from people, when you hurt people, they become agitated, they're ready to fight back, especially when they've got nothing to lose, like that Tunisian fruit vendor who sparked the Arab Spring.
It can't happen in America? We're only one match away.
You can be deep into politics, railing against Trump's endeavors. But change won't happen in Washington, it will happen in the streets.
But first online. That's where you organize and communicate.
Other countries have tried to shut down rebellion by cutting social media/internet access. If that happened in America?
Trump is too blind to see all this. Unfortunately, the Democrats are too. But the people? All politics is local, as is all change. Beware.
--
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
It's a flashpoint for deluded conspiracy theorists and leftists who believe they've finally got him. But in truth, most people don't care. After all, the man is DEAD! I could go deeper and ask exactly what GOTCHA! they're expecting, but I do not want to give the controversy any oxygen when across the world we see how unrest could test the government and topple Trump's regime.
Three things conspired to create chaos in Nepal, to the point where the prime minister resigned. A generation gap, corruption and the banning of social media.
A generation gap? We've got a wide one here in America. Oldsters decry the tech the young depend upon. You can't afford a house. You may not even be able to get a good paying job. You're depleted and depressed, ready tinder for action.
Corruption? You find it in any enterprise, from private companies to the government. But one thing is for sure in America, the rich are getting richer and the American Dream the poor used to rely on is a mirage. Everybody knows the game is stacked against them. Trump said he was on their side, but then he started grifting right in front of their very eyes, with his crypto coins, his demand of a free airplane... The average person has no leverage and can't twist the world to their advantage, and they're not happy about it.
Social media?
Well, this gets back to the generation gap. Oldsters will laugh and say youngsters get their news from TikTok, can you imagine that? Well, C-SPAN is on TikTok, as well as CNN, MSNBC, even Fox. And if you're a good enough analyst, you too can gain traction. Look at the success of Kyla Scanlon. Who?
That's what Google is for.
But my point here is we're only one flashpoint away from mass rebellion in America. And it will be as a result of a policy affecting people. Period. Epsteingate does not affect the average person. The average person doesn't feel cuts in foreign aid. People have fought back against ICE, but many believe in the mission and ICE doesn't affect most citizens.
So what is going to piss people off?
We can't exactly say. It's kind of like George Floyd. The day before people couldn't foresee it. But then there was a conflagration.
Economic issues are at the heart of most rebellions. And the numbers in the wake of the tariffs don't look good. So when the average person can't pay their bills...
As for social issues... If there wasn't mass revolt after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, I don't think any ruling will get the public up in arms.
It's got to be something that does not affect a small group, but a huge group. Which is why there were protests in the sixties over the Vietnam war. Turn eighteen and every male was in jeopardy of being shipped overseas to be killed in a fruitless fight.
So in order for there to be change on a mass scale, the masses must be affected. It must be an issue that is truly neither red nor blue. Something that is not philosophical, but affects day to day living.
Do you believe in Trump? Good for you, but after denying the signature on the Epstein document was his...whatever credibility the man had has now been completely eviscerated. What next, the dog ate his homework?
No one believes Donald's denial. A document created long before he ran for president? That's one long con.
But this is the world we live in. You lie on the stand or else you apologize immediately, hoping attention switches to someone else. Veracity, honor, is out the window.
Got to give Trump credit, he tapped into white anger. We can debate the merits and impact of DEI all day long, but there were a ton of white people who believed they could never get to the front of the line. As for Democrats tapping into anger? Don't make me laugh. They're all about pulling their punches, calming the waters, irrelevant showmanship. Remember Cory Booker's twenty four hour speech? Grandstanding, it had no effect.
The public is burned out on the Democrats, which is why they cannot foment change. The only person fighting fire with fire is Newsom. And the most amazing thing is Trump and Fox can't seem to ignore him.
But for true change in America, we're going to need rebellion, revolution. And if it happens at all, it will come from the young. The oldsters have too much at risk, they don't want to rock the boat, but when you've got nothing, you've got nothing at all.
Don't say it can't happen here. You're just plain wrong.
Trump keeps on pushing and pushing. Congress rubber stamps all his efforts. He's even got the Supreme Court in his pocket. Didn't they say he was basically immune?
And all the while, Trump is ignoring legal decisions.
So what's it going to take?
No one watching MSNBC is going to start a rebellion. Nor anyone reading the "New York Times." Yes, the "Times" brought down Biden, but that was an inside job, all the lefties read the paper. (The righties in D.C. too!) But the "Times" has been castigating Israel's efforts in Gaza for months now. It amped up its message with the issue of famine. There were multiple articles a day. And what was the result? NOTHING! Because Netanyahu just doesn't give a f*ck. The only people who can change the course of Netanyahu's behavior are the Israelis citizens, who've got an entirely different viewpoint from the prognosticators and protesters thousands of miles away. Israelis know what is at stake. Some are now resisting. Reservists are not showing up. But so far, the movement hasn't gained much steam. Probably because of the issue of the hostages. Deep in their hearts Israelis want the hostages back, they're not about to sacrifice lives.
But back to my point... If you think protests in the street are going to change Trump's behavior...this will only happen if EVERYBODY protests in the street, but over half of voters went for Trump, and most of them are not about to rebel.
Which proves once again, it won't be a left/right, Democrat/Republican revolt. It'll be along class lines, or age lines...lines that don't really have anything to do with your political persuasion.
Now I don't expect Trump to get rid of social media, he seems to be solidly behind TikTok. So what would ignite the public?
Well, there's the military in the street. Just being there is not enough, but if one person is unjustly killed...we saw it with Kent State.
Now there are some who are in Trump's corner. It doesn't matter what he does, they'll support him. But this is not most people.
As for those out to own the libs... When they lose their jobs and their hospitals they're not going to be happy. Is this enough to make them revolt? I highly doubt it. But you need tinder before fire, and when you take from people, when you hurt people, they become agitated, they're ready to fight back, especially when they've got nothing to lose, like that Tunisian fruit vendor who sparked the Arab Spring.
It can't happen in America? We're only one match away.
You can be deep into politics, railing against Trump's endeavors. But change won't happen in Washington, it will happen in the streets.
But first online. That's where you organize and communicate.
Other countries have tried to shut down rebellion by cutting social media/internet access. If that happened in America?
Trump is too blind to see all this. Unfortunately, the Democrats are too. But the people? All politics is local, as is all change. Beware.
--
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
The Apple Presentation
You're either part of the Apple ecosystem or you're not. Sure, there are still Android bros talking about the customability of that platform, but in truth a smartphone is now an appliance, and to argue which is superior is a waste of time. Having said that, many people get into the Apple ecosystem via the iPhone. Why do they purchase their first iPhone? Usually because their friends and family have them. And they want to be part of the blue bubble economy. And they don't want to feel left out at family gatherings while features are demonstrated. And frequently, after purchasing an iPhone, said newbie goes on to purchase a Mac, usually a MacBook Air, which is so advanced with Apple Silicon that most people require nothing more expensive.
Having said that, if you're into saving money, Apple is not your destination. But if you're a teen or college student, the iPhone is still a fashion item, you don't want to be without it. However, in the rest of the world Android dominates, frequently the iPhone is seen as a luxury product. But the bottom line is...
There are no breakthroughs here. Those evaporated somewhere back in the last decade. What we've got are minor improvements, and the question for most people is when do you upgrade.
Let's start with AirPods Pro, because that's the only product with true innovation, just like last year with hearing aid features. This time it's live translation, which is positively stunning. If you travel overseas it'll make you want these new AirPods Pro. But if you don't, is it worth it for better noise cancellation and better fit, incremental advances? Probably not.
As for the Watch... Once again, there's no need to upgrade unless yours is old. And there are two kinds of people, those who will wear a smartwatch and those who will not. Unlike a Swiss chronometer, there's no status in an Apple Watch. You buy one for the features, the other for the jewelry (the dirty little secret is mechanical chronometers keep lousy time, if you want accuracy, go with the Apple Watch).
Now if you've been standing on the sidelines...
They're busy selling the health features. Are they enough to get you to dip your toe? You can't be convinced to buy an Apple Watch, you wake up one day and decide it's time or you never do. Furthermore, no one testifies about their Apple Watch, no one testifies about any of these products anymore, this is not 2007 and the original iPhone, this is more like annual introductions of new cars like we had in the sixties.
All the breakthroughs are in AI.
Or are they?
If you want insight into the AI race, I advise you read this:
"The Fever Dream of Imminent Superintelligence Is Finally Breaking"
Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/opinion/ai-gpt5-rethinking.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kk8.SHXK.idFAElqVzKzG&smid=url-share
Bottom line? Large language models will not satisfy AI's issues. ChatGPT5 is a disaster. The platforms still hallucinate (make mistakes), and all of the efforts burn up a ton of cash and electricity.
So what is the future?
Well, when it comes to coding...maybe think about a different major from STEM.
But when it comes to everyday life...
Minor benefits, like popping up the app you want on your phone without asking, those are here, and kindal cool, but minor. Summarization? I turned that off...I can't risk the inaccuracy.
But all we keep hearing is Apple is behind the 8-ball on AI and the smartphone may not even exist in a few years.
This is akin to the dotcom bubble. AI is not taking over the world. Productivity increases are yet to be recognized. AI can only regurgitate what is already known, so breathe a sigh of relief if you're a creator. Are there uses? Sure. But if accuracy is key, you absolutely cannot rely on AI, it is just too inaccurate.
Will there be a great leap forward in the future, AI that can think? It's possible, but not in the near future.
Sure, AI can stimulate your thoughts, put up an outline. Sure, AI can make a song that sounds like an old one. But if you want a breakthrough, look somewhere else.
So all this anti-iPhone posturing... It's fed by all the companies in AI and the press, often ignorant, that is caught up in the hype. Remember all the press about that AI pin you wore on your shirt? The company failed.
Speaking of which... Being able to talk to your devices and get a response sounds great, but Alexa did not live up to its promise and so far AI hasn't either, and won't soon, when it comes to accuracy.
So...
Do you need a new iPhone?
If you own an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X or anything built before, you MUST get a new iPhone. Why? Because not only will they not get the new operating system, they won't get security updates. And I've got to ask you, how lucky do you feel?
If you have an iPhone this old and you buy a 17 you will be stunned at the increase in speed. If your iPhone is only a few generations old, you will not be wowed by the improvements.
Having said that, most older iPhones won't be able to take advantage of some new features, most notably AI features, but you probably neither need these new features nor want them.
So when should you buy a new iPhone?
When it's old and broken or you want the latest features/improvements. In truth, I wouldn't even think of upgrading unless you've got a 13 or earlier, UNLESS YOU WANT TO!
This is not the old days, there are not great leaps forward, only incremental ones, and despite the figures Apple touts in this presentation, most people won't even sense the difference. Used to be you did, but the 13 to 14 was the first time you didn't, and you haven't since, and I've had them all.
So, sit on the sidelines unless you've got a truly old iPhone or have a hankering for a new one, an emotional more than a statistical need.
But having said that...
There is one new iPhone, the Air. Which is pretty cool. It's thin and light, but you're sacrificing some features, most notably cameras and battery life. They say you can use it all day, but then they say how slim the additional battery pack is... Apple has never advertised added battery packs in presentations, meaning the Air cannot have great battery life, otherwise they wouldn't. So it's cool, but...
If you want an ultra-thin, light iPhone, maybe the Air is for you... But if it were me, I'd wait for field reports on the battery.
As for the 17s...
You always want to buy a Pro, ALWAYS! Yes, you're paying more, but you get more on the back end. Buy a regular iPhone 17 and you'll think you're saving money, but the truth is it's already one step behind technologically, which means you'll have to replace it at least one year earlier. As for Pro or Pro Max? If you do a lot of research on your iPhone, watch videos, go for the Max. Sure, the Max is bigger and heavier, but how addicted are you? My iPhone is the device I use most. Why sacrifice screen real estate?
So there you have it. If you're sensing a lack of emotion, you're right. There's very little to see here other than the live translation and thinner iPhone, just incremental improvements.
So what should we be excited about?
All the breakthroughs today come in software.
Having said that, if you're expecting the tech breakthroughs of the late nineties and first decade of this century, don't. That was a once in a lifetime experience. We all want useful devices, and that's what they truly are, tools, as Steve Jobs always sold them.
If you have an iPhone 17 with only two cameras instead of the three on the Pro will people judge you negatively? ABSOLUTELY! There are very few status markers left and that's one of them. Even worse is an Android. Yes, there are Android power users, kudos, but the truth is most Android users are cheap, that's why they bought their Androids, they don't use their devices for much, much less than the average iPhone user, and therefore they are objects of ridicule.
As for the elites, those in the "New York Times," saying the smartphone is the devil and to put it down, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! What next, go back to rotary phones, the horse and buggy? The smartphone is not only how you connect, but how you do business, it's the world in your hand, DO NOT let the naysayers convince you otherwise. These are the same people who told us Biden was young enough and Kamala was good enough, the same people out of touch with the public. Furthermore, the latest research shows the smartphone DOES NOT cause depression, actually the opposite.
But I probably can't convince you of this, you can't change anybody's mind.
But if you want to truly operate in this world you must be digitally native, connected all the time, otherwise you're opting out, the joke is on you.
I'll give you an example. I was driving in the middle of nowhere in Colorado lamenting that I was no longer disconnected from society like I was back in the seventies. But that feeling of aloneness in nature? I'd sacrifice that in a heartbeat for connectivity, not only for emergencies, but mental stability. Do you know how lonely it used to be out in the middle of nowhere?
I'm convinced, you may not be.
But if you're listening to me... Have a recent iPhone, and I'd say pay the premium over the PC for a MacBook Air, because you'll get more productivity, but trying to convince an Android/PC user of this is like trying to convince a Republican to be a Democrat, or vice versa.
But if you are not an Apple person... I'd say to give the products a try, you can return them no questions asked, see if you prefer the easier functionality. You might not, but at least give it a chance.
--
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
Having said that, if you're into saving money, Apple is not your destination. But if you're a teen or college student, the iPhone is still a fashion item, you don't want to be without it. However, in the rest of the world Android dominates, frequently the iPhone is seen as a luxury product. But the bottom line is...
There are no breakthroughs here. Those evaporated somewhere back in the last decade. What we've got are minor improvements, and the question for most people is when do you upgrade.
Let's start with AirPods Pro, because that's the only product with true innovation, just like last year with hearing aid features. This time it's live translation, which is positively stunning. If you travel overseas it'll make you want these new AirPods Pro. But if you don't, is it worth it for better noise cancellation and better fit, incremental advances? Probably not.
As for the Watch... Once again, there's no need to upgrade unless yours is old. And there are two kinds of people, those who will wear a smartwatch and those who will not. Unlike a Swiss chronometer, there's no status in an Apple Watch. You buy one for the features, the other for the jewelry (the dirty little secret is mechanical chronometers keep lousy time, if you want accuracy, go with the Apple Watch).
Now if you've been standing on the sidelines...
They're busy selling the health features. Are they enough to get you to dip your toe? You can't be convinced to buy an Apple Watch, you wake up one day and decide it's time or you never do. Furthermore, no one testifies about their Apple Watch, no one testifies about any of these products anymore, this is not 2007 and the original iPhone, this is more like annual introductions of new cars like we had in the sixties.
All the breakthroughs are in AI.
Or are they?
If you want insight into the AI race, I advise you read this:
"The Fever Dream of Imminent Superintelligence Is Finally Breaking"
Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/opinion/ai-gpt5-rethinking.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kk8.SHXK.idFAElqVzKzG&smid=url-share
Bottom line? Large language models will not satisfy AI's issues. ChatGPT5 is a disaster. The platforms still hallucinate (make mistakes), and all of the efforts burn up a ton of cash and electricity.
So what is the future?
Well, when it comes to coding...maybe think about a different major from STEM.
But when it comes to everyday life...
Minor benefits, like popping up the app you want on your phone without asking, those are here, and kindal cool, but minor. Summarization? I turned that off...I can't risk the inaccuracy.
But all we keep hearing is Apple is behind the 8-ball on AI and the smartphone may not even exist in a few years.
This is akin to the dotcom bubble. AI is not taking over the world. Productivity increases are yet to be recognized. AI can only regurgitate what is already known, so breathe a sigh of relief if you're a creator. Are there uses? Sure. But if accuracy is key, you absolutely cannot rely on AI, it is just too inaccurate.
Will there be a great leap forward in the future, AI that can think? It's possible, but not in the near future.
Sure, AI can stimulate your thoughts, put up an outline. Sure, AI can make a song that sounds like an old one. But if you want a breakthrough, look somewhere else.
So all this anti-iPhone posturing... It's fed by all the companies in AI and the press, often ignorant, that is caught up in the hype. Remember all the press about that AI pin you wore on your shirt? The company failed.
Speaking of which... Being able to talk to your devices and get a response sounds great, but Alexa did not live up to its promise and so far AI hasn't either, and won't soon, when it comes to accuracy.
So...
Do you need a new iPhone?
If you own an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X or anything built before, you MUST get a new iPhone. Why? Because not only will they not get the new operating system, they won't get security updates. And I've got to ask you, how lucky do you feel?
If you have an iPhone this old and you buy a 17 you will be stunned at the increase in speed. If your iPhone is only a few generations old, you will not be wowed by the improvements.
Having said that, most older iPhones won't be able to take advantage of some new features, most notably AI features, but you probably neither need these new features nor want them.
So when should you buy a new iPhone?
When it's old and broken or you want the latest features/improvements. In truth, I wouldn't even think of upgrading unless you've got a 13 or earlier, UNLESS YOU WANT TO!
This is not the old days, there are not great leaps forward, only incremental ones, and despite the figures Apple touts in this presentation, most people won't even sense the difference. Used to be you did, but the 13 to 14 was the first time you didn't, and you haven't since, and I've had them all.
So, sit on the sidelines unless you've got a truly old iPhone or have a hankering for a new one, an emotional more than a statistical need.
But having said that...
There is one new iPhone, the Air. Which is pretty cool. It's thin and light, but you're sacrificing some features, most notably cameras and battery life. They say you can use it all day, but then they say how slim the additional battery pack is... Apple has never advertised added battery packs in presentations, meaning the Air cannot have great battery life, otherwise they wouldn't. So it's cool, but...
If you want an ultra-thin, light iPhone, maybe the Air is for you... But if it were me, I'd wait for field reports on the battery.
As for the 17s...
You always want to buy a Pro, ALWAYS! Yes, you're paying more, but you get more on the back end. Buy a regular iPhone 17 and you'll think you're saving money, but the truth is it's already one step behind technologically, which means you'll have to replace it at least one year earlier. As for Pro or Pro Max? If you do a lot of research on your iPhone, watch videos, go for the Max. Sure, the Max is bigger and heavier, but how addicted are you? My iPhone is the device I use most. Why sacrifice screen real estate?
So there you have it. If you're sensing a lack of emotion, you're right. There's very little to see here other than the live translation and thinner iPhone, just incremental improvements.
So what should we be excited about?
All the breakthroughs today come in software.
Having said that, if you're expecting the tech breakthroughs of the late nineties and first decade of this century, don't. That was a once in a lifetime experience. We all want useful devices, and that's what they truly are, tools, as Steve Jobs always sold them.
If you have an iPhone 17 with only two cameras instead of the three on the Pro will people judge you negatively? ABSOLUTELY! There are very few status markers left and that's one of them. Even worse is an Android. Yes, there are Android power users, kudos, but the truth is most Android users are cheap, that's why they bought their Androids, they don't use their devices for much, much less than the average iPhone user, and therefore they are objects of ridicule.
As for the elites, those in the "New York Times," saying the smartphone is the devil and to put it down, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! What next, go back to rotary phones, the horse and buggy? The smartphone is not only how you connect, but how you do business, it's the world in your hand, DO NOT let the naysayers convince you otherwise. These are the same people who told us Biden was young enough and Kamala was good enough, the same people out of touch with the public. Furthermore, the latest research shows the smartphone DOES NOT cause depression, actually the opposite.
But I probably can't convince you of this, you can't change anybody's mind.
But if you want to truly operate in this world you must be digitally native, connected all the time, otherwise you're opting out, the joke is on you.
I'll give you an example. I was driving in the middle of nowhere in Colorado lamenting that I was no longer disconnected from society like I was back in the seventies. But that feeling of aloneness in nature? I'd sacrifice that in a heartbeat for connectivity, not only for emergencies, but mental stability. Do you know how lonely it used to be out in the middle of nowhere?
I'm convinced, you may not be.
But if you're listening to me... Have a recent iPhone, and I'd say pay the premium over the PC for a MacBook Air, because you'll get more productivity, but trying to convince an Android/PC user of this is like trying to convince a Republican to be a Democrat, or vice versa.
But if you are not an Apple person... I'd say to give the products a try, you can return them no questions asked, see if you prefer the easier functionality. You might not, but at least give it a chance.
--
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
Monday, 8 September 2025
As For Me...
I'm just totally weirded out about getting old.
No, scratch that, I'm just totally weirded out about being 72.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Almost all my contemporaries are in denial. They are over 70, but they're acting like they're in their forties, if not their thirties, as if they've got a lot of runway ahead of them, and we don't.
Classic rock stars are dropping like flies. Rick Davies. I'm a huge Supertramp fan, I saw the last tour, sans Rodger Hodgson. It's sad, then again Davies was 81. Not a bad run. My father died at 70. The Big C got him. That's what people don't realize, you can just be wandering through life and BAM!, cancer gets you. You'll say you're eating right, as if that really matters, but Neil deGrasse Tyson points out the fallacy in that argument here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@hasanminhaj/video/7532113904072215821
In caveman days, half of the people died by age 30. In 1840, it was 35. They were all eating organic, eating free range meats, but it wasn't until science came along that life expectancies increased by so much.
That's what Tyson says, many people will disagree, on both the left and the right, as if beliefs can undercut science, they can't.
So where was I...
Oh yeah, getting old.
I ask my contemporaries if they died tomorrow would they feel ripped-off. Most say no, that there are things they want to do, but if they passed they'd be satisfied with their lives. Not me! There's so much more I want to accomplish. But that requires I stay healthy and alive. And you can be alive and be hampered.
Anyway...
Can I tell you I saw a video of the Who on TikTok? Of Roger Daltrey, who's gone on record he can barely hear or see, waiting to hit the high note in "Won't Get Fooled Again"? With Pete Townshend standing nearby, waiting for the synth part to end to begin playing his guitar once again?
I was struck by one thing and one thing only, how old they both were. Both in their eighties. It's a pact between the acts and their fans, we're supposed to suspend disbelief and think everybody is young and chipper and still as good and will live forever.
But we won't.
Or maybe you caught the video of Paul McCartney at the Oasis show. Maybe you notice he's shrunk a bit. That's a feature of aging, it happens to all of us. But the truth is Paul's voice is shot. Or nearly shot, depending upon where you want to draw the line. You heard him on the SNL anniversary show...
BUT YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT PAUL MCCARTNEY!
That's not the point. Can you stand back and see what is going on? We're all fading into the woodwork, and no one has all their faculties, skills and looks.
But you can try and cheat. Did you read that "New York" magazine article about facelifts?
"The Forever-35 Face - The face-lift is better than ever and everybody wants one. Deep inside the uncanny world of the surgically ageless."
https://apple.news/Ao2CAADOBTaOArhJxEUIdKA
Ozempic and plastic surgery. You can present an image to the world. But it's just an image, your insides don't know any better. Never mind lying about your age.
Now this is coming across with the wrong attitude. I don't care if you love seeing the dinosaurs or get plastic surgery, all I'm saying is time is marching on and you can't stop it. So what do you want to do with the rest of your life?
You're certainly not going to be remembered. You realize that as you get older. As far as possessions? I was always creeped out how the aged ended up in one room in retirement homes, sans all their crap. I completely understand it now, most of that stuff you never use. And if you're trying to impress people with what you've got...you don't know that that's a young person's game, no one cares.
So what do you do with your time?
You can travel. But that's weird too. Because you can no longer go everywhere. You've got to pick and choose. And take a good look around when you're there, because chances are you'll never be back.
I wanted to ski at every area in America. That ain't gonna happen. Nor every mountain in Europe.
But what's important to me, what are my priorities?
And then there's books and movies and TV shows... I know people watch stuff multiple times, but I don't get it, there's still so much I haven't seen!
And then there's politics... There could be massive change before I die, we had a Black president and legal marijuana, which were unfathomable in the twentieth century, but chances are it will just be push and pull and...
You start to realize, I've started to realize, that people just can't get along. Hell, Rodney King is dead. There are going to be wars. As for people like Putin...I don't understand it. Who wakes up and says they want to be a rich dictator in a corrupt system. I mean money and power are nice, but why this desire to lord it over people?
These are questions I think about all the time.
Kind of like when I talk about music business stuff, if money was made the discussion ends there. You can't criticize, can't even analyze something if money is being made.
So you become further and further isolated.
And the separation between people, people you know, who all started from the same line. Some made something of themselves, others didn't. Fine. But then there are those who didn't who have contempt for those who did. So what do you do, hide your achievements or hang with those who've had similar successes?
It's the nature of life. You start to become more and more detached.
When you turn 60, you've seen the trick, you know the game, you're no longer beholden to the hype. If a movie or product is good, you'll find out about it when it's in the marketplace, you're not going to get all excited and waste time in anticipation.
70? That's when you realize you're not going to be here forever.
But almost everybody I bring this up with gives me a blank stare. Tells me what they're doing, as if they'll be able to do it forevermore. But they won't.
Yes, your buddies will die. And then what... You'll just keep on keepin' on.
So what do you do with your time?
I certainly don't want to waste it. I don't want to spend time with people selling me, which so many want to. Let's talk on the phone so I can convince you to help me make money!
Or those who don't want to talk about the deeper issues.
Or those who can never challenge their preconceptions.
Like that David Brooks piece in the "Times" last week, "Why I Am Not a Liberal." http://bit.ly/3Ke7Rtq I'm all for a social safety net. But is Brooks right, that some programs just don't lift people and ultimately it's culture that creates change? I'm not sure, but I've been thinking about it, even though his piece is contrary to liberal orthodoxy.
Orthodoxy...
Kamala was a good candidate. Trans kids should be able to play in all sports. Sabrina Carpenter is a talent for the ages. Question precepts and you're a pariah.
So what do I do with my time?
That's another piece.
--
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
No, scratch that, I'm just totally weirded out about being 72.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Almost all my contemporaries are in denial. They are over 70, but they're acting like they're in their forties, if not their thirties, as if they've got a lot of runway ahead of them, and we don't.
Classic rock stars are dropping like flies. Rick Davies. I'm a huge Supertramp fan, I saw the last tour, sans Rodger Hodgson. It's sad, then again Davies was 81. Not a bad run. My father died at 70. The Big C got him. That's what people don't realize, you can just be wandering through life and BAM!, cancer gets you. You'll say you're eating right, as if that really matters, but Neil deGrasse Tyson points out the fallacy in that argument here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@hasanminhaj/video/7532113904072215821
In caveman days, half of the people died by age 30. In 1840, it was 35. They were all eating organic, eating free range meats, but it wasn't until science came along that life expectancies increased by so much.
That's what Tyson says, many people will disagree, on both the left and the right, as if beliefs can undercut science, they can't.
So where was I...
Oh yeah, getting old.
I ask my contemporaries if they died tomorrow would they feel ripped-off. Most say no, that there are things they want to do, but if they passed they'd be satisfied with their lives. Not me! There's so much more I want to accomplish. But that requires I stay healthy and alive. And you can be alive and be hampered.
Anyway...
Can I tell you I saw a video of the Who on TikTok? Of Roger Daltrey, who's gone on record he can barely hear or see, waiting to hit the high note in "Won't Get Fooled Again"? With Pete Townshend standing nearby, waiting for the synth part to end to begin playing his guitar once again?
I was struck by one thing and one thing only, how old they both were. Both in their eighties. It's a pact between the acts and their fans, we're supposed to suspend disbelief and think everybody is young and chipper and still as good and will live forever.
But we won't.
Or maybe you caught the video of Paul McCartney at the Oasis show. Maybe you notice he's shrunk a bit. That's a feature of aging, it happens to all of us. But the truth is Paul's voice is shot. Or nearly shot, depending upon where you want to draw the line. You heard him on the SNL anniversary show...
BUT YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT PAUL MCCARTNEY!
That's not the point. Can you stand back and see what is going on? We're all fading into the woodwork, and no one has all their faculties, skills and looks.
But you can try and cheat. Did you read that "New York" magazine article about facelifts?
"The Forever-35 Face - The face-lift is better than ever and everybody wants one. Deep inside the uncanny world of the surgically ageless."
https://apple.news/Ao2CAADOBTaOArhJxEUIdKA
Ozempic and plastic surgery. You can present an image to the world. But it's just an image, your insides don't know any better. Never mind lying about your age.
Now this is coming across with the wrong attitude. I don't care if you love seeing the dinosaurs or get plastic surgery, all I'm saying is time is marching on and you can't stop it. So what do you want to do with the rest of your life?
You're certainly not going to be remembered. You realize that as you get older. As far as possessions? I was always creeped out how the aged ended up in one room in retirement homes, sans all their crap. I completely understand it now, most of that stuff you never use. And if you're trying to impress people with what you've got...you don't know that that's a young person's game, no one cares.
So what do you do with your time?
You can travel. But that's weird too. Because you can no longer go everywhere. You've got to pick and choose. And take a good look around when you're there, because chances are you'll never be back.
I wanted to ski at every area in America. That ain't gonna happen. Nor every mountain in Europe.
But what's important to me, what are my priorities?
And then there's books and movies and TV shows... I know people watch stuff multiple times, but I don't get it, there's still so much I haven't seen!
And then there's politics... There could be massive change before I die, we had a Black president and legal marijuana, which were unfathomable in the twentieth century, but chances are it will just be push and pull and...
You start to realize, I've started to realize, that people just can't get along. Hell, Rodney King is dead. There are going to be wars. As for people like Putin...I don't understand it. Who wakes up and says they want to be a rich dictator in a corrupt system. I mean money and power are nice, but why this desire to lord it over people?
These are questions I think about all the time.
Kind of like when I talk about music business stuff, if money was made the discussion ends there. You can't criticize, can't even analyze something if money is being made.
So you become further and further isolated.
And the separation between people, people you know, who all started from the same line. Some made something of themselves, others didn't. Fine. But then there are those who didn't who have contempt for those who did. So what do you do, hide your achievements or hang with those who've had similar successes?
It's the nature of life. You start to become more and more detached.
When you turn 60, you've seen the trick, you know the game, you're no longer beholden to the hype. If a movie or product is good, you'll find out about it when it's in the marketplace, you're not going to get all excited and waste time in anticipation.
70? That's when you realize you're not going to be here forever.
But almost everybody I bring this up with gives me a blank stare. Tells me what they're doing, as if they'll be able to do it forevermore. But they won't.
Yes, your buddies will die. And then what... You'll just keep on keepin' on.
So what do you do with your time?
I certainly don't want to waste it. I don't want to spend time with people selling me, which so many want to. Let's talk on the phone so I can convince you to help me make money!
Or those who don't want to talk about the deeper issues.
Or those who can never challenge their preconceptions.
Like that David Brooks piece in the "Times" last week, "Why I Am Not a Liberal." http://bit.ly/3Ke7Rtq I'm all for a social safety net. But is Brooks right, that some programs just don't lift people and ultimately it's culture that creates change? I'm not sure, but I've been thinking about it, even though his piece is contrary to liberal orthodoxy.
Orthodoxy...
Kamala was a good candidate. Trans kids should be able to play in all sports. Sabrina Carpenter is a talent for the ages. Question precepts and you're a pariah.
So what do I do with my time?
That's another piece.
--
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
Personality
It's astounding how good some of these TikTok clips are.
Sure, there are stuntsters, but then you're dependent upon cooking up a new idea on a regular basis, constantly upping the ante. But if the draw is you...
This is the antithesis of the hit ethos we've seen since the nineties on MTV. You lead with the product, i.e. the music, and you present a massaged image that works for media outlets, all the while professing love of your fans and sponsors.
Sure, the focus should be on the music, but today's music is so me-too, it's not enough. If music were so hot, there would be a TikTok equivalent solely for tunes, but the truth is non-musical clips are just as enthralling, if not more so.
Now it used to be that acts evidenced their personalities in their songs. But this is hard to do when your numbers are written by committee. One of the reasons music burgeoned with the Beatles is the acts wrote their own songs, and therefore their personalities were up front and center. They were in the lyrics! You felt you knew who John Lennon was. And he didn't censor himself, smooth off the rough edges to be accepted.
So if you want to be a successful musician today, focus on writing your own material, with your own personal experiences and attitudes included, so people can relate. You want spikes, things that can hook people, not moon in June. The music itself must tell a story. This is more important than any outfit/stage show/production. The music can even have mistakes.
But you must have the talent.
Look yourself in the mirror. Are you a good singer? If not, don't try to front your music, get someone else to sing. Or maybe you shouldn't be a musician at all.
So many of the people on TikTok are not lowest common denominator, they are educated and beam intelligence. And they're not afraid to wade into controversial subjects. All we hear is about the dumbing down of America, but this is not true on social media. Of course there is lowest common denominator stuff, but what sticks out is the people with a brain with something to say, but even more an IDENTITY!
If you want to sell your music online, you must have a personality. Just posting a music video to TikTok is not enough. You must go on and talk about what interests you, what pisses you off. You can talk about what inspires you to write a song, the roadblocks you hit. People eat this stuff up! If you have any traction at all, focus on the bond with your audience more than the music. The label can't do this for you, no handler can do this for you, YOU MUST DO THIS YOURSELF!'
Enough with the two decade b.s. from musicians saying that's what they are, just players, they shouldn't have to post on the internet. The joke is on THEM! They are the ones who are missing out.
Gaining traction is a whole 'nother thing. Then again, employ a bit of creativity. People are constantly e-mailing me Jesse Welles clips. Furthermore, Welles doesn't wait for a clip/song to catch fire, he keeps creating new ones. He's not worried about the potential fan, but the fans he has, and if he does it right, they will spread the word.
Artists have personalities. Being able to play is not enough. Which is why Berklee students don't dominate Spotify. It's about conception, innovation...
Do yourself a favor. Get on to TikTok and scroll. And scroll. And scroll. And discover what interests you.
It's always someone with a personality. Which might be off-putting, but...
There's this guy the car wizard. He is always negative at the outset, usually dissing manufacturers, but then he digs deep and solves unsolvable problems. Likable he is not, yet he is fascinating and you keep watching, like so many musicians...can you say "Van Morrison"?
Then there's the financial guru. She goes on about not being able to afford a four year school, just going to community college. She talks about varying issues and then will sneak in items like taking a GLP-1, even though she is not severely overweight. Did people come down on her for this? Of course, but it goes with the territory. If you're not getting any negative reaction, you're not doing it right, you're not reaching enough people.
Then there's another mechanic who had a series of videos telling how he got from there to here. We're all interested in your backstory, warts and all. You just didn't show up with a record deal.
Do you crack jokes? Are you serious?
Once again, NO ONE CAN DO THIS FOR YOU!
Your music is no longer enough. If you're not posting on TikTok and Instagram Reels yourself, at least a few times a week, the joke is on you. View it as a new avenue of expression, not hype. The key is to glue people to you.
But no platitudes, no asks, just you. Raw you.
--
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
Sure, there are stuntsters, but then you're dependent upon cooking up a new idea on a regular basis, constantly upping the ante. But if the draw is you...
This is the antithesis of the hit ethos we've seen since the nineties on MTV. You lead with the product, i.e. the music, and you present a massaged image that works for media outlets, all the while professing love of your fans and sponsors.
Sure, the focus should be on the music, but today's music is so me-too, it's not enough. If music were so hot, there would be a TikTok equivalent solely for tunes, but the truth is non-musical clips are just as enthralling, if not more so.
Now it used to be that acts evidenced their personalities in their songs. But this is hard to do when your numbers are written by committee. One of the reasons music burgeoned with the Beatles is the acts wrote their own songs, and therefore their personalities were up front and center. They were in the lyrics! You felt you knew who John Lennon was. And he didn't censor himself, smooth off the rough edges to be accepted.
So if you want to be a successful musician today, focus on writing your own material, with your own personal experiences and attitudes included, so people can relate. You want spikes, things that can hook people, not moon in June. The music itself must tell a story. This is more important than any outfit/stage show/production. The music can even have mistakes.
But you must have the talent.
Look yourself in the mirror. Are you a good singer? If not, don't try to front your music, get someone else to sing. Or maybe you shouldn't be a musician at all.
So many of the people on TikTok are not lowest common denominator, they are educated and beam intelligence. And they're not afraid to wade into controversial subjects. All we hear is about the dumbing down of America, but this is not true on social media. Of course there is lowest common denominator stuff, but what sticks out is the people with a brain with something to say, but even more an IDENTITY!
If you want to sell your music online, you must have a personality. Just posting a music video to TikTok is not enough. You must go on and talk about what interests you, what pisses you off. You can talk about what inspires you to write a song, the roadblocks you hit. People eat this stuff up! If you have any traction at all, focus on the bond with your audience more than the music. The label can't do this for you, no handler can do this for you, YOU MUST DO THIS YOURSELF!'
Enough with the two decade b.s. from musicians saying that's what they are, just players, they shouldn't have to post on the internet. The joke is on THEM! They are the ones who are missing out.
Gaining traction is a whole 'nother thing. Then again, employ a bit of creativity. People are constantly e-mailing me Jesse Welles clips. Furthermore, Welles doesn't wait for a clip/song to catch fire, he keeps creating new ones. He's not worried about the potential fan, but the fans he has, and if he does it right, they will spread the word.
Artists have personalities. Being able to play is not enough. Which is why Berklee students don't dominate Spotify. It's about conception, innovation...
Do yourself a favor. Get on to TikTok and scroll. And scroll. And scroll. And discover what interests you.
It's always someone with a personality. Which might be off-putting, but...
There's this guy the car wizard. He is always negative at the outset, usually dissing manufacturers, but then he digs deep and solves unsolvable problems. Likable he is not, yet he is fascinating and you keep watching, like so many musicians...can you say "Van Morrison"?
Then there's the financial guru. She goes on about not being able to afford a four year school, just going to community college. She talks about varying issues and then will sneak in items like taking a GLP-1, even though she is not severely overweight. Did people come down on her for this? Of course, but it goes with the territory. If you're not getting any negative reaction, you're not doing it right, you're not reaching enough people.
Then there's another mechanic who had a series of videos telling how he got from there to here. We're all interested in your backstory, warts and all. You just didn't show up with a record deal.
Do you crack jokes? Are you serious?
Once again, NO ONE CAN DO THIS FOR YOU!
Your music is no longer enough. If you're not posting on TikTok and Instagram Reels yourself, at least a few times a week, the joke is on you. View it as a new avenue of expression, not hype. The key is to glue people to you.
But no platitudes, no asks, just you. Raw you.
--
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
More Oasis
If you don't get on the gravy train, you're a hater.
Oasis played five dates in America, in large venues. Let's just call it 80k a night, even though that's excessive. That means that...
400,000 people went to see Oasis.
In a country of 340.1 million.
Could they have sold more tickets? ABSOLUTELY! The Oasis tour was the ultimate in FOMO. Hell froze over, get it while you can. It wasn't only oldsters who went to the gigs, but youngsters too. And if you're on social media you've been exposed to video after video of the throng singing along, as well as Liam with his sneering voice actually endearing himself to the audience.
Fine. But is this what the mass of Americans want? Do the masses want ANYTHING?
______________________
From: Tim Brunelle
Subject: Lizzo on TikTok
She's speaking your truth!
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Sdw7HM/
______________________
Watch this video. Wherein Lizzo says it's nearly impossible to break through and your only hope is to focus on your hard core fans and superserve them.
This is a completely different paradigm from yesteryear. Evidence of which was displayed on last night's VMAs. Once a must-see, now a drive by car crash. Most stars appearing for the publicity. Is there any underlying meaning? This was the 41st show. Talk about long in the tooth...
Kind of like the classic rockers, who if not retired are positively geriatric. But the boomers who supported them then still believe, you can't say anything negative about their heroes of yore, even though they're on their last legs.
So there's no perspective. But a lot of people yelling telling you if you don't agree you're dog sh*t. It's not much different from politics.
As for the media... They LOVE this stuff! All-encompassing tours/shows that they can milk for months. It's kind of like all the press about "White Lotus." I gave up after the first season, that was enough.
But it isn't much different from the hype about "Succession" and "Severance."
What do all these shows have in common? Like tours, they play out week by week, keeping the story alive. But the viewers?
One of the biggest hits of the summer was "Happy Gilmore 2." What is a hit? SOMETHING PEOPLE WATCH!
"'Happy Gilmore 2,' the 29-years-later sequel to Adam Sandler's golf comedy, set a record on Nielsen's streaming charts for its premiere weekend. The film amassed 2.89 billion minutes of viewing time in the United States from July 25-27, the highest single-week total for a movie in the five-year history of the ratings provider's streaming charts. Happy Gilmore 2's total — 2.893 billion, to be precise..."
http://bit.ly/4geyU43
Yet media coverage of "Happy Gilmore 2" was de minimis.
As for "KPop Demon Hunters," despite the recent press about live showings, the reality is that the film was released on June 20th, to veritable crickets. The fans adored it, watched it multiple times, but the media ignored it. The tracks dominated the Top Ten and there still were no stories. Because the success did not fit the classic paradigm. Of advance hype, continuing press, the milking of every ounce of potential news out of a production. No, that is reserved for classic fare released by classic streamers.
BUT THE AUDIENCE DOESN'T CARE!
And how many people care about Oasis?
If Oasis was as big as fans and attendees want you to believe, there would be concomitant streaming evidence. But there's not a single Oasis track in the Spotify Top 50. You'll find Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac and Radiohead, but not Oasis. Because despite the magic of "Wonderwall," it's a niche enterprise.
As a matter of fact, only two Oasis tracks have in excess of a billion streams on Spotify, "Wonderwall" has 2,473,583,534 and "Don't Look Back in Anger" has 1,152,938,602. As a matter of fact, other than "Champagne Supernova," which has 515,735,185 streams, not a single other Oasis track has half a billion streams, most nowhere close!
Fleetwood Mac has four billion streamers, with "Dreams" at over 2 billion. Radiohead has two tracks at more than a billion, with "Creep" over two. Coldplay? They have a double digit number of billion streamers.
So where does Oasis fit in here? Definitely a significant act, but based on the press and the buzz you'd believe they're huge in America, dominant, when that's completely untrue.
But if you say that...
Let's have a little perspective. There are fifty percent more people in America than there were in the heyday of stadium shows back in the seventies. Meaning a lot more acts can sell a lot more tickets. Kudos. But if you're trying to convince me they're dominant, I'm laughing. They're NICHE! Why can Lizzo see this and seemingly nobody else?
My point is not to diss Oasis. Then again, I'll diss the fans, who'd have you believe going to a show is like going to see the Beatles. Hell, Oasis wasn't that big in America even in their heyday. It's a thirty year old band. If Noel Gallagher wasn't a member he'd be pissing all over it. But no, he's silent in this dash for cash.
Welcome to America. With niche news whose attendant readers/viewers believe everybody is in on the story, or should be.
My inbox is full of e-mail from right wingers complaining that the NYT, WSJ and WaPo are not covering the stories all over Fox, never mind the right wing blogosphere. Meanwhile, stories in the aforementioned NYT, WSJ and WaPo are not covered on Fox. And you can't convince either side that these are not huge stories. They'll argue about it, vociferously.
The same way they'll tell you that if you don't think everybody in the country is enamored of, enthralled by, foaming at the mouth over Oasis or Taylor Swift, you're just plain wrong.
But in this case, they're wrong.
But you can't convince them of it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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
Oasis played five dates in America, in large venues. Let's just call it 80k a night, even though that's excessive. That means that...
400,000 people went to see Oasis.
In a country of 340.1 million.
Could they have sold more tickets? ABSOLUTELY! The Oasis tour was the ultimate in FOMO. Hell froze over, get it while you can. It wasn't only oldsters who went to the gigs, but youngsters too. And if you're on social media you've been exposed to video after video of the throng singing along, as well as Liam with his sneering voice actually endearing himself to the audience.
Fine. But is this what the mass of Americans want? Do the masses want ANYTHING?
______________________
From: Tim Brunelle
Subject: Lizzo on TikTok
She's speaking your truth!
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Sdw7HM/
______________________
Watch this video. Wherein Lizzo says it's nearly impossible to break through and your only hope is to focus on your hard core fans and superserve them.
This is a completely different paradigm from yesteryear. Evidence of which was displayed on last night's VMAs. Once a must-see, now a drive by car crash. Most stars appearing for the publicity. Is there any underlying meaning? This was the 41st show. Talk about long in the tooth...
Kind of like the classic rockers, who if not retired are positively geriatric. But the boomers who supported them then still believe, you can't say anything negative about their heroes of yore, even though they're on their last legs.
So there's no perspective. But a lot of people yelling telling you if you don't agree you're dog sh*t. It's not much different from politics.
As for the media... They LOVE this stuff! All-encompassing tours/shows that they can milk for months. It's kind of like all the press about "White Lotus." I gave up after the first season, that was enough.
But it isn't much different from the hype about "Succession" and "Severance."
What do all these shows have in common? Like tours, they play out week by week, keeping the story alive. But the viewers?
One of the biggest hits of the summer was "Happy Gilmore 2." What is a hit? SOMETHING PEOPLE WATCH!
"'Happy Gilmore 2,' the 29-years-later sequel to Adam Sandler's golf comedy, set a record on Nielsen's streaming charts for its premiere weekend. The film amassed 2.89 billion minutes of viewing time in the United States from July 25-27, the highest single-week total for a movie in the five-year history of the ratings provider's streaming charts. Happy Gilmore 2's total — 2.893 billion, to be precise..."
http://bit.ly/4geyU43
Yet media coverage of "Happy Gilmore 2" was de minimis.
As for "KPop Demon Hunters," despite the recent press about live showings, the reality is that the film was released on June 20th, to veritable crickets. The fans adored it, watched it multiple times, but the media ignored it. The tracks dominated the Top Ten and there still were no stories. Because the success did not fit the classic paradigm. Of advance hype, continuing press, the milking of every ounce of potential news out of a production. No, that is reserved for classic fare released by classic streamers.
BUT THE AUDIENCE DOESN'T CARE!
And how many people care about Oasis?
If Oasis was as big as fans and attendees want you to believe, there would be concomitant streaming evidence. But there's not a single Oasis track in the Spotify Top 50. You'll find Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac and Radiohead, but not Oasis. Because despite the magic of "Wonderwall," it's a niche enterprise.
As a matter of fact, only two Oasis tracks have in excess of a billion streams on Spotify, "Wonderwall" has 2,473,583,534 and "Don't Look Back in Anger" has 1,152,938,602. As a matter of fact, other than "Champagne Supernova," which has 515,735,185 streams, not a single other Oasis track has half a billion streams, most nowhere close!
Fleetwood Mac has four billion streamers, with "Dreams" at over 2 billion. Radiohead has two tracks at more than a billion, with "Creep" over two. Coldplay? They have a double digit number of billion streamers.
So where does Oasis fit in here? Definitely a significant act, but based on the press and the buzz you'd believe they're huge in America, dominant, when that's completely untrue.
But if you say that...
Let's have a little perspective. There are fifty percent more people in America than there were in the heyday of stadium shows back in the seventies. Meaning a lot more acts can sell a lot more tickets. Kudos. But if you're trying to convince me they're dominant, I'm laughing. They're NICHE! Why can Lizzo see this and seemingly nobody else?
My point is not to diss Oasis. Then again, I'll diss the fans, who'd have you believe going to a show is like going to see the Beatles. Hell, Oasis wasn't that big in America even in their heyday. It's a thirty year old band. If Noel Gallagher wasn't a member he'd be pissing all over it. But no, he's silent in this dash for cash.
Welcome to America. With niche news whose attendant readers/viewers believe everybody is in on the story, or should be.
My inbox is full of e-mail from right wingers complaining that the NYT, WSJ and WaPo are not covering the stories all over Fox, never mind the right wing blogosphere. Meanwhile, stories in the aforementioned NYT, WSJ and WaPo are not covered on Fox. And you can't convince either side that these are not huge stories. They'll argue about it, vociferously.
The same way they'll tell you that if you don't think everybody in the country is enamored of, enthralled by, foaming at the mouth over Oasis or Taylor Swift, you're just plain wrong.
But in this case, they're wrong.
But you can't convince them of it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)