Mailbag

From: Wendy Waldman Subject: Re: Social Media Is the New Rock and Roll Date: July 21, 2026 at 10:46:15 PM MDT I love TT. Been following it a long time. First post I did on it was years ago of my cat’s first new year, with a re-write of Dylan’s “If Dogs Run Free” I think it’s called “If cats run free”. “Luz’s First New Year” it was stupid and way fun to do. And  I like Instagram. And Facebook. All of it. I’m from the generation where there were gatekeepers who often didn’t get what you were doing anyway or you didn’t have the right whatever it was that made them push the button without which you floundered or were relegated to the corner of the room they thought was where you belonged. Only a small percentage of label artists got the big push  back then but unlike today, there was no recourse, no alternative road. Now it’s all alternative road. And of course at the labels, nothing’s changed really, only a small percentage of label artists get the push. But at least the majority of the overlooked label acts can engage the audience on their own.= now if they choose. I do a lot more work these days and there’s no record company anymore (except the one that still owns my old masters) but I love the fact that I can talk with the audience myself. Not easy but amazing when it works. Everything I know about the internet I was taught by my co- manager and mentor 20 years younger than me, Mark Nubar. He started teaching me at the end of the last century :) I learn every single day. There are other as you call them “oldsters” who also get this. My partners in the Refugees are big users of the internet. We are sometimes challenged but we figure it out. And we LOVE being able to hear music from anywhere and any time. And people don’t care anymore if it’s an old track or a new track or even who you are. If they like the tune, that’s good enough. Did I say it’s a lot of work? Yeah. No problem. Price of admission. Parenthetically I also love the vast library of knowledge that is now available to me. It’s the next best thing to the library at Alexandria, alas, not available to us. Is it a double edge sword? Duh. In our hands, it’s a fantastic tool that has totally changed the game for us. Having more fun than ever. XW ____________________________________________ From: Dave Schools Subject: Re: Rick Beato Responds Date: July 17, 2026 at 1:54:25 PM PDT 100% In fact Rick was the guy who broke me into realizing how positive and pervasive platforms like YouTube can be. What was once "non-traditional" has now become the way. It was the breakdown of Boston's More Than A Feeling (episode 71 of  "What Makes Music Great") that did it for me. I've been hooked ever since. I was bowled over by a streaming music feature that went deep about all of the facets of the production of such an overwhelmingly popular and groundbreaking song. I thought to myself, "THIS is interesting and informative!" I know I wasn't alone. Rick delivers the goods in a way that satisfies the listeners and the creators. And Rick says what so many of us are thinking and struggle with in the video link you provided...and he cites the eyeball numbers to back up what he says. People have a thirst for this content...especially on a platform where it can reside forever. Thank you for sharing. Cheers, das ____________________________________________ From: Reg Subject: Re: Ideas Date: July 17, 2026 at 9:46:35 AM PDT Can't tell you how much I love this line: "I learned all this from reading. Which sparks ideas. Try it." In my opinion, this is what's wrong with our country. Everyone needs to pick up a book, magazine, newspaper, indie-zine... My 9-year-old devours books like they are candy. My 5-year-old is learning to read and already loves books. Trying to get my 26 and 23-year-old sons to read before they went to college was like trying to get them to take medicine. But something happened in college and they both read books all the time now. What was the old ad line, "Reading Is Fundamental"? The truth in 3 words. When's the last time you heard someone talking about RIF? I learned that thanks to PBS 50 years ago and it's still stuck in my head. If you don't read, you don't learn. And if you don't learn, you stagnate. Thanks for stating this. Anyone who argues with you about it is ignorant. Peace, Reg Scott Register Think Indie Distribution/Coalition Of Independent Music Stores ____________________________________________ From: Seth Berg Subject: Re: The Atlantic Lizzo Story Date: July 6, 2026 at 7:34:07 PM PDT Bob, Lizzo writes by committee, and when you have a decline in success, people leave.  Dylan, Taylor, The Beatles, Springsteen...when times were rough they wrote and pulled themselves out of a rut.  Jesus, didn't Bruce have a decade of nothing until he did?  But it was all his and authentic. Lizzo can't pull herself out when she has no ability to do it by herself. The market is thining itself as it should, and maybe the singer songwriter will, once again, rise.  SB  ____________________________________________ From: Patrick Smith Subject: RIP Bonnie Tyler Date: July 9, 2026 at 6:18:03 AM PDT Hi Bob, This is incredibly sad news. I was very fortunate to meet and work with Bonnie Tyler during my time as a Senior Music Producer at the BBC in the UK. We were filming promotional content for the Six Nations Rugby Championship, featuring an artist from each competing nation - Bonnie representing Wales, Andrea Bocelli representing Italy, and others. I received a call from Bonnie’s husband and manager, Bob, asking if we could film at their home in The Mumbles, Swansea, as Sunday was the only day she was available. My response? "Absolutely!" I was based in Cardiff at the time, just over an hour away, as were most of the crew. When we arrived, it felt less like turning up to film a global music icon and more like visiting your favourite aunt or grandmother. Bonnie and Bob couldn’t have been more welcoming. There was an endless supply of tea, sandwiches, cakes and laughter, and they made every member of the crew feel completely at home. Bonnie was one of the most down-to-earth, genuine and generous people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Of course, her extraordinary voice and talent spoke for themselves, but it was her warmth and kindness that left the biggest impression on me. Rest in peace, Bonnie. Thank you for the music, the memories, and for one unforgettable Sunday afternoon in Swansea. I’ll treasure it forever. Nos da! ❤️ Kindest regards, PATRICK SMITH ____________________________________________ From: Scott Richman Subject: Re: Re-The Jeff Beck Book Date: July 20, 2026 at 9:07:04 PM MDT Bob, Your piece on Jeff Beck brought back a memory. I toured with Lou Reed throughout the 2000s. At the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concerts at Madison Square Garden in 2009 (where I was working), Jeff Beck took the stage. Lou heard him from the dressing room, walked out, and watched the entire set. It’s the only time I ever saw him leave before or after one of his own performances to watch another artist. That told me everything about the respect Lou had for Jeff’s musicianship. Scott ____________________________________________ From: Ralph Covert Subject: Re: Re-The Jeff Beck Book Date: July 20, 2026 at 10:37:20 PM MDT My favorite Jeff Beck story was one David Gilmour told… Beck was apparently staying over at his house, and in the morning Gilmour and his wife initially couldn’t find him. After searching the house they found him sitting in their enclosed back porch with an unplugged electric guitar, surrounded by their cats. As the cats meowed at him, he’d imitate the sound back at them on his guitar, and they’d respond in turn. A humble genius who even mesmerized the family pets with his instrument. It doesn’t get any better than that. Cheers, Ralph ____________________________________________ From: Bill Gerber Subject: Re: Re-The Jeff Beck Book Date: July 20, 2026 at 9:49:10 PM MDT I only had a brief time with Jeff after Stanley Clarke invited me as his Nemporer Records exec to go on the road with he and Jeff in Europe for a tour in 1979 which was, as a musician, one of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve ever had. To watch those guys with Simon Phillips and Tony Hymas every night as we traveled throughout Europe, was one of the master classes in musicianship that will never be repeated. As we all know, Stanley, one of the most important bassists and composers in history is a great dude and a great hang and Jeff who I shared being a vegetarian with could not have been kinder, humbler or more down to earth. Not entitled in any way. Also was very shy. I tried to help him get over that. At the time he was managed by Marshall Chapman  who was no fun at all but Jeff liked that he had an office lined with leather bound books. He bought the whole English gentleman thing. I was lucky to reunite with Jeff at the Grammy Museum performance he did a few years ago courtesy of Harvey Goldsmith and we had a great night at Soho House in West Hollywood laughing about our time on the road. They’ll never be another one like him. ____________________________________________ From: frankie sullivan Subject: Re: Blow by Blow: The Jeff Beck Story Date: July 21, 2026 at 8:42:08 AM MDT Hey Bob, That’s the thing about Jeff Beck. No one really knew him unless he allowed it. And unlike some of his friends he would poke fun at, Jeff Beck never sold out. He could have been much bigger—as in huge. But he was the consummate player, always looking for what no one else was doing. And boy, did he find it. The guitar, when he touched it, could sound like a train coming down the line or sing like a violin played by the very best. I saw him play several times, beginning when I was 17 years old. He blew my mind. I never missed a Jeff Beck show after that point. I saw him at the Park West in Chicago, where my friend Jerry Michelson (what a great guy) put me at a table right up front, just off the stage. He was absolutely amazing. The gal I took with me said out loud, “How does he do that?” I got a tap on the shoulder from the guy behind me who said, “Tell her he’s Jeff Beck.” That sums it all up. I traveled to see Beck play.  He often joked, in a friendly way, about people posting 30-second videos of themselves playing a Stratocaster. Can you imagine if Beck ever did it? But he would never do that stuff. Jeff Beck didn’t do the whole “social anything.” And I’ve heard the bullsh*t stories about him playing nonstop, when the fact is he did not practice much. Talk about hands born from the work of God. He was a builder of his beloved cars who also happened to be the greatest guitar player of all time. I saw him when he toured with Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Alex Hodges got me within bone-chilling distance. It was the only time I watched him take off his Telecaster and bow down to another player. And it wasn’t Eric—it was Stevie Ray Vaughan. Yes, I was at the show where we lost Stevie afterward. What an amazing show. That was a real package show: three of the best guitar players to ever pick up the instrument.  Jeff Beck, even amongst those killer players, stood it like a sore thumb.   The first time I shook his hand, I noticed the grease under his fingernails. If you caught him early enough on the road, you would notice how hard it was for him to play that way. Not just bending the strings, Bob, but working the volume knob, tone knob, five-way switch, and, oh boy, the way he used that bar to reach up and down for those magic notes. Yes, there are those who think they can copy Jeff Beck, I don’t even give that crap a listen. This is a guy who walked into a music store, plugged into a newer-model Fender Deluxe, and there it was—boom. Everyone afterward who said, “Let me try that amp,” sounded like sh*t. Oh, the magic of those fingers. I could go on forever. Perhaps you can reach out to the one guy who probably knew him best, Johnny Depp. He lived with Jeff and his wife for over a year. Can you even imagine? I cannot. I hawked over his amp settings. All the knobs were in very odd positions that would not work for any other player.   Give a listen to “Where Were You” from the Guitar Shop record, Bob. Close your eyes, and when it’s over, play it again. Then stop for a moment and say what I do: “How the f*ck does he do all of that—and all with such magical melodic sense and technical skill? Most of those guys overplay.” Then say what I say: “Because he is Jeff Beck.” Nice note, Bob. How’s your dick doing after that scope job? frankie s P.S. Ask Luke. He played in Jeff’s band for a few years. P.P.S. And what about his right hand, Bob? F*ck the guitar pick. With a bad back, he got tired of reaching down to pick them up off the floor. P.P.P.S. A friend from a Chicago vintage guitar shop went backstage to sell him a 1958 LP.  Beck replied, “I don’t pay for guitars.” -- 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