Payback

BritBox trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0jviarTia8 This show is a winner. Which is a relief after a slew of so-so material. That's the problem with TV, even despite the reviews, you're never quite sure whether you're getting something traditional, maybe just a small step step better than network fare, or something deep which is equivalent to a movie. You might have read that the new "Mario" movie is doing boffo at the b.o. Seems like parents want to take the kiddies out. The only people who aren't being serviced at the theatre are those with a brain, those who remember when movies moved the culture. Unfortunately, too many of these people, mostly boomers, pooh-pooh what's on television, and that's a grave mistake. Should I mention the losers we watched? Well, not exactly losers, but stuff that isn't good enough for me to recommend. There was "That Night," a Spanish show on Netflix, which got some great reviews. Acting, plotting, everything was really good except for the tone, which alternated between being too light to serious, frivolous to intense. I enjoyed it, but if I'd never seen it, that would be okay. And then there was "Outrageous" on BritBox, whose main flaw was that it stopped in the middle of the story and as of now, a second season has not been commissioned. It's a true story about this aristocratic family in the U.K. prior to World War II whose members take opposite political sides, one is a communist eager to fight in Spain, another is involved with the fascist Oswald Mosley. Once again, the tone is too often light, yet there are good things about relationships and a peek into thirties Germany but the fact that the viewer is left hanging was unsatisfying. Then I wanted to watch "Gone" on BritBox, but it turned out it wasn't on BritBox yet. Reviews were stellar, but JustWatch.com told me I was out of luck. And that's when we decided to watch "Payback." Now I'd never heard of it. even though it was first released in the U.K. two and a half years ago. I.e. the buzz didn't translate across the pond. And the reviews were not as good as those of "Gone," but we were in a U.K. kind of mood, so we dove in, and were hooked from the first instant. That's what I want from a television series, to be taken away. Not so much to suspend disbelief, as a matter of fact the grittier and more true to life a show is, the more I like it. But if a show is good enough not only am I hooked, the rest of the world falls away. And this is hard to achieve, even in the theatre people are on their smartphones. I want to be invested. I want to know the people, the nuances, which is why I prefer series to movies. So, all you've got to know here is "Payback" stars Peter Mullan, who you'll recognize instantly, but you may not be sure where from... But research will tell you he played the evil Jacob Snell in "Ozark." You remember, he and his wife used their land to grow poppies... In "Ozark," a phenomenal show if you haven't seen it, Snell is not only a criminal, he's a bad guy, a local who threatens Jason Bateman's Marty Byrde. Byrde can never quite relax around Snell. And in "Payback," the character Mullan plays is just one step more intense. Not over the top in an American series way, but you constantly see the iron fist inside the velvet glove. Most of the time Mullan's Cal Norris is calm, anything but a hothead, running legitimate businesses, even being friendly, but he's got to get his way, you cannot cross him, and if you do... I mean I'm watching the show and I feel threatened! On the other side of the equation is Morven Christie, who was in one of my favorite streaming series ever, "The A-Word," set in the Lake District north of Manchester. Morven's Alison Hughes is the mother of autistic child Joe, who is soothed by rock music on his headphones and... "The A-Word" is not a sappy, heartstring-puller. It's real, which means you see moments of warmth and exasperation. So in "Payback," Morven Christie's Lexie Noble is forced to work for Mullan's Cal Norris and there's a death and the police are involved, however... This is not the usual police show, focusing on the officers figuring out what went down and who is guilty. Rather it's all about Lexie being stuck in the middle between the law and the criminal and trying to navigate the situation not to her advantage, but so that she and her children will survive. "Payback" is not predictable. Once you think you know where it's going, it twists, ever so slightly, not unbelievably, and you're kept on your toes. As for the rest of the cast, you will recognize Prasanna Puwanarajah as the pharmacist in "Line of Duty," which I hope you've seen, this show about "bent coppers." However, Puwanarajah is not the bumbling guy he was in that series. In "Payback" he plays a financial investigator for the police. As for the police...you will recognize Andi Osho as DI Royce. She too was in "Line of Duty," but you'll know her from a slew of other shows too. And Osho always projects competence, but is she the good person here, does she even know what is going on? And Derek Riddell plays DCI Adam Guthrie. And the question is raised in the series, is he ultimately trustworthy? Are cops in general trustworthy or do you have to look out for yourself? I don't want to tell you any more, because it's the twists and turns that keep you invested. But mostly Peter Mullan... Can the law ever compete with criminals? But it's his intensity that shakes you, I was scared of him and he was on my TV screen! Two thumbs up, I wholeheartedly recommend "Payback." -- 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

Best Song Not The Single-SiriusXM This Week

Albums where the best song is not the single. This is a live show, call in with your opinion. Tune in Saturday April 10th 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

The Rules

Why does everybody think they're so special, why are they convinced the rules don't apply to them? So I decided to run down the hill to get lunch and a few other items at Whole Foods. Now when Whole Foods came to L.A., they took over this chain Westward Ho, whose stores were small and its parking lots compact in accordance with the market's size. Now at this point, Whole Foods has been opening up superstores, with wide aisles, plenty of inventory and plenty of parking. But down the hill from me... Frustrated me that there were five men in the deli department and not one would help me. I have sympathy, I wouldn't want to do this job either, but they're standing around b.s.'ing and what do they say, time is money? We're all overscheduled and we all want it quick. If you're selling commodities, the process should be smooth and easy. If you're selling bespoke items, if you're selling service, it's a whole other ballgame. Then you must have enough employees so when I walk in the store I'm helped immediately, although I'm willing to have an experience, to spend some time, to bond with the salesperson, learn about the product. But not at Whole Foods. But what really bugged me today at Whole Foods, what I contemplate every time I go to this one former Westward Ho close to my abode, is the difficulty, at some times the impossibility, of getting a parking space. Now there were fewer than two hands worth of shoppers in the store. I covered the aisles. But in the parking lot? There were over fifty cars, I had trouble getting a space. So what was up with the extra cars? Well, this Whole Foods is right by a freeway interchange, so people leave their cars in the parking lot and they're picked up, sometimes they leave their automobiles all day long. After all, it's just one car, what difference does it make, everybody does it, right? Now when I was growing up, reading about crimes by politicians, I thought enough sunlight, enough press, would radically reduce these illegal acts. But no, every generation comes along with its own strategies to bend the rules, rip the public off. I mean you're an elected official and doing it in plain sight? Now one of the other things that sticks in my craw... I don't know if you're following this... Up to 40% of Stanford students have registered disabilities, they get special accommodations, like extra time on tests. Now it's one thing if you're going to a community college, but STANFORD? And at the Ivys and other elite institutions the rate is 20% or more. The best and the brightest get to have a thumb on the scale? As Bob Dylan sang: "Now each of us has his own special gift And you know this was meant to be true And if you don't underestimate me I won't underestimate you." Everybody's good at something. Maybe it's not school. Or maybe you should attend a school where the weather matches your clothes... But the dirty little secret is most of these kids are gaming the system. They've got parents who can pay for a diagnosis, whereas the rank and file don't have this privilege so they're squeezed out. And now it's the California Bar Exam! Forget that they recently made it shorter and easier, because very few could pass, but now 14% of test takers have registered disabilities, they can be as simple as anxiety. I'VE GOT ANXIETY! And believe me, it was sky high when I took the bar exam. A friend saw someone pull over and puke on the way to the test. The bar exam is supposed to be a level playing field, the same rules apply to all. Only now they don't. Furthermore, if this person needs special accommodation, do I really want them representing me as my lawyer? I mean if they need extra time on the bar exam... Of course there are those who are truly disabled, and they need cutouts in sidewalks and other benefits, but that's not what we're talking about here, most of these people are gaming the system. Then again, it comes from the top down. Trump is against mail-in voting, yet he just voted by mail. What did he say? That he is president, the rules are different for him. Don't we know it, the rules are completely different for the rich, who do their best to not even rub elbows with the hoi polloi. You get an expensive lawyer who knows the prosecutor and the judge and your kid gets off with probation whereas those less fortunate go to jail. And concert tickets... One way to keep prices low would be to tie the ticket to the purchaser. But the public doesn't want this. Because they want to be able to scalp their extra tickets. Wouldn't be fair to deprive them of this upside, and they're not like the big scalpers, right? Well, the little things add up. Want to really protest? Litter. Or maybe smoke. When I see someone throw junk out the window of their car... I mean who hasn't gotten the message, they know what they're doing, they just think it's one little piece of garbage and it doesn't make a difference, but it does, it all adds up! Even NIMBYISM. Don't want those people living in my neighborhood... So where they should live? Or this belief that you should not pay taxes... You drive on the roads, don't you? You like having a police force and the fire department just a phone call away. Who is supposed to pay for this? SOMEONE ELSE! Got to be the takers. Everybody rationalizes their breaking of the rules, it's not their fault, but someone else's, they're just keeping up with the Joneses, everybody does it. And everybody sometimes does do it. Sometimes the speed limit is set too low, and in California they raise it. Not every law is sound. But a ton of them are. People brag about cutting corners, getting ahead. And then you've got the corporations using their leverage... Microsoft made manufacturers pay for Windows on their computers even if they installed Linux. I don't think life will ever be fair. But it could be more fair than it is today. But that would require us all to agree we live in a society, that we're in it together. And ultimately we do. You can live behind a wall with a security guard and that doesn't mean you're totally immune to crime. Everywhere in America people don't want to wait their turn. I get it, you're time-challenged, but sometimes to get what you want you have to. But there's very little you need to have. And who can you complain to? Who is going to take up the cause? And even if someone did, they'd be seen as a goody-goody, impinging on the rights of others. After all, they had to leave their car in the Whole Foods parking lot because otherwise they'd have to pay for parking at their job. You don't want them to have to do that, do you? Then again, their job might give them just enough hours not to pay benefits, never mind a wage that they can live on. The older I get I know there is no solution. But that does not mean it doesn't bother me. -- 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

Love On The Spectrum-Season 4

They're doing a good job of ruining one of my favorite shows. We're living in an overwhelming, confusing time. What with the war, gas prices, other political and economic issues, it's hard to stay calm, to keep your head on straight. But this is not what the people on the autism spectrum on this show are concerned with. They're just trying to navigate life. And ultimately, it all comes down to life. Love and happiness. They're the root of being human. But too often, in the everyday struggle, we lose sight of this. And "Love on the Spectrum" focuses us. The people on this show... They're navigating human interactions, relationships, they're trying to find love. They're not covering up, manipulating, it's all out front, and it's fascinating and heartwarming. I thought I could watch this show forever, I love it. But as it got closer to the end... This is the problem with reality television, it becomes too self-referential, too inside, it disconnects from truth, it becomes entertainment as opposed to reality. Bottom line...these people are now stars. What have we learned about child stars? They end up on drugs robbing 7-11's. Not all of them, but they've been plucked from the pack and had the light focused upon them, oftentimes for not much of a reason other than being lucky, sometimes being cute, and then it ends. Then what? Try coping with that when you're on the autism spectrum. When the bottom falls out. But even worse than the attention these people get on the show, the greedy corporations are now using them as influencers, hawking products. Their promotional clips are all over TiklTok, Instagram Reels. We use this, we love this, buy this... Yeah, right. Forget that the influencers burn out, do you think these people will not? Do you think these corporations will be looking for them to promote products five years from now? Five months even? When they crash, then what? But there's a facsimile of truth, until by the end of the show, the prior participants get together to celebrate the engagement. Like they're all part of a special club. Do you get together with the people you were on TV with? No, because you weren't even on TV. And when you get together with your old school/camp buddies, no one is filming it for everyone to see. However, before we get to that point... James and Shelley... Now she sought him out, but how can she cope with him? She can't get a word in edgewise! I'd argue the true stars of the show are James's parents. Who are nice, regular, but with a sense of humor. They can chide James, poke him, soothe him... Their son who is 37 and still living at home. As for buying a house, where did the money come from? Certainly not James's work... There's so much revealed in this series, and so much held back. Connor is a savant. He knows so much about so many things. Makes me feel inadequate at times. But sometimes he seems so serious, nearly frozen, that you believe he is acting, when this is just who he is. Give him credit for leaving the show in the future, then again he was signed by UTA and is trying to become an actor. If you read online, he's mostly looking for voiceover work, and I can see that, but...what if it doesn't work out. It's hard enough to be a has-been if you're not on the spectrum. Emma? She's bubbly and alive. It's kind of stunning no man has ever approached her for a date. Then again, you've got to have sympathy for the parents. We only see their children for moments, they're exposed to them all the time, and that can be very difficult, with the repetition and meltdowns... Logan... Hailey works, has he, can he? Ditto on Dylan...nice guy, mother far from rich, they're living in a one bedroom apartment. He stays at home all day watching TV. He smiles, but it's so sad, and sometimes this sadness slips through in this show, which is why it's so compelling. But now Dylan is on social media too. The awkwardness of the interactions on the dates... They're not that far removed from the ones average people experience, which is one of the reasons the show is so relatable. What do you say? How do you engender conversation while you're evaluating all the time whether you like them and whether they like you. And there are too many holes. The show was shot a year ago, what has happened since. Abby and David, are they still together? They haven't been posting about each other on social media, scuttlebutt is it's over. But the real reason we're interested is they were on the verge of getting married... Are their parents fearful of this or is the relationship just over? As far as getting married... Then what? How are the bills paid? What about children? And little things slip here and there, Madison went to and graduated from college, yet she still has a helper. And then she has that meltdown when someone calls her "Maddie" as opposed to Madison. A person she labels a "fan." Is that what we want for these people? Fame? Fans? People who think they know them but really don't? God, musicians take drugs to cope, how about these people? And then you've got the parents cashing in with podcasts and... Do you remember that Afghan girl on the cover of "National Geographic"? You know, the one with the green eyes? If you've seen the photograph, you'll never forget it. But she didn't know she was on the cover, she didn't know she was famous. Ultimately "National Geographic" reconnected with her in 2002 and showed her the picture, but they said this was one and done, because they didn't want to screw up her life, like "Love on the Spectrum" has done with its "cast" members. Watching "Love on the Spectrum" makes you want to go deeper, work with people on the spectrum. But the bottom line is unless you're a psychiatrist, there's no money in it. So the best and the brightest don't help those who need aid the most. But this is life. Or at least it was, until the show gained traction and the people in it gained notoriety and not only did the producers start to trade on it, the participants did too. Bottom line, they're screwed up for life. Not that things were necessarily so great for them before, but at least they were rooted in life and its realities, its frustrations, its challenges. Now they're like those kids on the "Real World," famous for nothing, but still famous, when you see them as a waiter or in some other service job... They were on your TV, everybody knew their name...and many still do, but so many of these people are broke. So I'm conflicted. If I'd written about this show after the first three or so episodes, it would have been a complete rave. But now, I'm a bit creeped out. The participants are all just grist for the mill, tools for others to make money. The fame will remain, haunting them, but the money will not. As for the show itself... It's a club with a cast party at the end. Which is strange, because so many of these people have trouble making friends at all. And when they go back home... -- 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 Billy Preston Documentary-This Week's Podcast

The three main principals involved in the film, director Paris Barclay and producers Stephanie Allain and Jeanne Elfant Festa, opine about their careers and testify as to the making of the movie. All three are major hitters. Barclay is one of the most in-demand television directors, having worked on "ER," "The West Wing," "The Watcher" and many more. Allain was responsible for bringing "Boyz n the Hood" to the screen, and has even produced the Academy Awards. And Jeanne Elfant Festa is a principal at White Horse Pictures, where she has shepherded projects like "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week-The Touring Years," "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery." https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-billy-preston-documentary/id1316200737?i=1000760441021 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3r6THK93yd22c5JN7d8jjl?si=TG8thGqUQqKz_dDzecOIqA https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/the-billy-preston-documentary-329563851?app=listen https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/29495a14-9af2-4d81-9649-c88bc902ba83/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-the-billy-preston-documentary -- 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 Route To Modern Success

Be different, me-too is everywhere. But different is a state of mind, that too often goes untaught in today's society., which is one of the reasons why so much "classic" music was made by baby boomers. Life was not as hard, their parents were not solely focused on ensuring their children got a leg up in life, college was not considered to be a trade school, but a place to have different experiences and open your mind. For the last few decades, all the innovation has been in tech, where people have been unafraid to challenge/break the rules. In music, creators didn't go to college at all. In tech, they dropped out because they got what they needed and saw opportunities to change the world elsewhere. And that was the mission, to change the world, which used to be the case in music. Hone your chops. The basics never go out of style, they're a jumping-off point. It's the extraneous that pays dividends. That film or TV series you saw, that picnic you went to. I'm not saying to live a life of hedonism, just that if you've had no experiences, you've got nothing to say. The script has been flipped where people see everything as being about instant success and money, whereas today, when literally everybody can be famous for a brief while, it's all about careers/staying power. Be unafraid to state or do the unpopular. Sure, shock effect can work, but living in an era of constant shock, it has less impact. So the unpopular is less about the exterior than the interior. March to the beat of a different drummer. Chances are if you're good at getting along, being part of the group, you're not going to change the world. Our heroes, those who make a difference, are singular, with a vision. Whether it be Steve Jobs or even Elon Musk. I'd love to list a series of musical acts, but we haven't had that spirit here since the internet became popular. Use the tools, don't be the tools. Use social media platforms, don't become them. In other words, unless you're making a living being an influencer, unless that's your goal, don't focus all your time and effort on that concentration. Then again, don't avoid it. Ignore the mores of the baby boomer generation, which is anti-tech. We are never going backwards. Social media is here to stay, whether it's the same platforms or different ones. People have a need to connect. Don't count on the institution to solve your social problems. You can't solve bullying by going to the principal, you've got to address it head-on yourself. And sometimes there's no solution other than grinning and bearing it. But everything you've heard is true, life is long, bullies fade into the background and you can thrive, the bad experiences growing up only serve to toughen you up. People don't want you to be successful, because it makes them question their own success, i.e. how good, how important they are. Which is why you have bullies in business. Those in power will do their best to thwart you, because they don't want to be challenged. Life is about putting yourself in the proper circles, gaining experience and seeing how to thrive. Find out what your area of expertise is and focus there. You may think you want to be an athlete or musician, but there are many other avenues to pursue if you just realize what you're good at. Everybody is unique, everybody has something to add, it's just a matter of perspective, seeing that you have this advantage. Question authority. Sure, some rules are valid, but many are outdated and others are there just to protect the infrastructure. If it came easy, it's not going to last. Success depends upon hard work. Keep innovating or you die. You've got to disrupt yourself. You can't be a prisoner of your customer/audience. Giving people what they want is a fool's errand, at best it is for business, not art. Take advice with a grain of salt. Too many either reject all advice or accept it. Bottom line, many have experience and wisdom that you can benefit from. But you must be able to parse fact from fiction. This is a skill. There is no one major breakthrough, no moment that lifts you into the land of success, but many minor triumphs. No one can reach everybody, don't try to. This just means you're blanding/dumbing your product down. People want information. People want someone/something to believe in. In the past, it was almost always artists, today it's mostly corporations. Like Apple. Because these lauded corporations are all about creating excellence on the bleeding edge, delivering what you could not even think of yourself. Artists today are mini-corporations, whored out to the man making expedient business decisions. Get in bed with sponsors at your peril. Their mission is different from yours. They detract from people's belief in you. There's plenty of money if you go your own way, if you're great. If you're not great, give up or double-down to be better. And maximize the product. Unless you're a lyricist as good as Bob Dylan, the person singing your songs should have a voice as good as one of the Beatles. Don't try to convince people you're great, either they know it/accept it, or they don't. Your job is not being a star, your job is to create. Don't be burdened by the constructs of the past. Craigslist killed newspapers by superseding the classifieds. The album was a result of technology, i.e. being able to put a certain amount of music on a piece of plastic. If you're not looking forward, you're burdened by the past. -- 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

Ackman/Universal

This is all financial engineering. The best explanation I've read is in the "Wall Street Journal": "Is Bill Ackman's Deal for Universal Music Really Worth $63 Billion?" https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-04-07-2026/card/is-bill-ackman-s-deal-for-universal-music-really-worth-63-billion--WYWiZPspSu6UibG7trfl?mod=Searchresults&pos=1&page=1 You don't need an MBA to understand all this, yet it still might be above your pay grade. Ackman wants to sell Universal's stake in Spotify, add debt to the company and list its stock in the U.S. All in the hope of raising the share price which has been languishing, he believes unfairly. What is depressing Universal stock? Primarily two things... AI and the fear that Spotify, et al, are running out of potential subscribers. Now somehow, Netflix keeps adding subscribers, even though the Street thought it couldn't and the stock cratered before it rebounded, and if you look at the number of people in the world...then again, only the low-hanging fruit can pay western prices. And Universal doesn't control the pricing, so... Analyze the numbers all you want, that's not what I'm concerned with. What does Bill Ackman know about music? I won't say absolutely nothing, but it's far from his area of expertise. Isn't this how we got into this mess? Edgar Bronfman, Jr. rolled up companies to form Universal, but then blew control to Vivendi and... Now the company is publicly traded, but... Kinda like Hipgnosis losing control of all those copyrights, them going to the bank. Ackman doesn't care about Taylor Swift, nobody on the Universal roster, he cares about MONEY! He wouldn't be proposing this deal unless he thought it was profitable. It's not like he's got a hit act in his back pocket... And then there was Guy Hands and EMI... Now the difference between tech and record companies is that in tech, the founders learned their lesson, they maintained control after their companies went public. You've got Zuckerberg at Facebook, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Google and... Zuckerberg might have been plain wrong about the metaverse, dropping nearly a hundred billion wasted dollars into the effort, but no Wall Street titan would approve such an investment. But one thing Zuckerberg knows about tech...you evolve, reinvent, disrupt or you die. It's not quite the same thing in music, where what you've done in the past, the catalog, is an incredible driver of revenue, and oftentimes pure profit. Actually, one could make a good case that Universal should stop investing in new music and just become a catalog house. One can look at the numbers that way. But music is not about numbers, but feel. But everybody with ground floor experience, the founders are not in control at record labels. Oh, we've got a couple of post-indie people like John Janick, but he doesn't call the big shots, he doesn't steer the ocean liner. Which is why innovation is all coming from the indie sphere. Which is why the majors woke up and invested in indie companies. So is Ackman's plan good for music? Well, the film/TV industry thought that Netflix's proposed purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery was bad for production... Then again, Netflix is a newbie. And nimble. There are no nimble newbies in the recorded music landscape, because financially it doesn't add up, because the majors all have their catalogs. If this deal goes through is it terminal? No, but it's a step in the wrong direction. Music is an entrepreneurial business. Not only can production be cheap, but distribution is now too. And this is good for music, but potentially bad for Universal... I mean where is the innovation at major labels? They don't take any major risks anymore, signing unknown talent in various genres and breaking it, they sign that which is already broken... If you sell out to the man too much, it ultimately bites you in the ass. Take that record deal, sell your publishing, if you think you got the better of money, you think money can write a hit song. It can't, but money knows finance, and it's not going to let you get the better side of a deal. And now these same financiers are in control. Look at Kyncl over at Warner, it seems his plan for growth is to continue to purchase new, mainly tech companies. Note that it's not about signing/breaking new acts. It's a sad day for recorded music. Then again, one can say the indies have already won. The hits are smaller than ever and the indie piece of the pie keeps growing and... Financial engineering is never good for art. Remember that. -- 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

Medical Update

1 I'm kinda numb. That's where medical uncertainty will leave you. Bottom line... It's an infection, inflammation or bladder cancer. As for discovering which it is, that's what the following screed is about. I went to UCLA Medical Center a week ago today, to Clark Urology. You may have doctors as good in your neck of the woods, I'm not going to say mine are better, but I am going to say this is one of the advantages of living in the city, the access to first class medical care. It's one of the many reasons why I will never leave Los Angeles. Now there are excellent medical facilities around the country, from Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic in the east to the Mayo Clinic in the midwest and MD Anderson in Houston. But pound for pound, you want to be in the metropolis. I'd boil that down to New York and L.A. Your mileage may vary. Also, you want a PPO, not an HMO. Now I know some people don't have medical insurance at all...either because they can't afford it or they don't think they need it. But if you have the option, go for a PPO, so you can see your own doctors, sorta. The truth is in the city so many doctors don't take insurance at all, which the Eagles referenced in "Life in the Fast Lane," i.e. "The doctor say he's comin', but you gotta pay in cash." However, if they work for the hospital, they do take insurance. Which is great. And the other thing is Medicare is so damn good. But if you're on the cusp of being 65, I must tell you, be sure to purchase a supplemental policy. ALSO, and this is very very important, sign up for a drug plan at the same time. For if you do not, you'll be penalized when you ultimately do. You'll be paying more for the rest of your life. ALSO, you will need medication and don't be afraid to take it. For some reason, the Greatest Generation and the Boomers are anti-pill. And sure, there are addicts, but the bottom line is these medications keep you alive...statins, blood pressure meds... All I've got to tell you is I know a woman who was in her fifties, thin, and the doctor said she needed to go on blood pressure medication. She said she'd treat her high blood pressure naturally. Bottom line, SHE HAD A STROKE! So let that be a warning to you. Then again, trying to set someone straight about their health is like trying to get them to switch political allegiances. But you're not going to live forever, and you want a fighting chance. You're not gonna live forever. You think you are, but you're not. And something is gonna come along and bite you in the ass. The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 79...but that means half of the people die before that. So... I mean I've already got cancer, what are the odds I've got it again? But that's no insurance. May feel like it, but you can get it again. So... Last Tuesday I went for a scope. It's funny, the nurse lifts up your gown and prepares the area, spreading all this yellow anti-infectant on your dick while you're talking all the while. And in this case we were discussing football... I always talk to the people in the hospital. Not only does it assuage my anxiety, you want to let them know that you're on the case, sharp, so they don't punch the clock with you. She lived in Long Beach, and I asked her how long it took her to get to the hospital, that's a natural next question in L.A., the traffic. She said it varied between forty minutes and a bit over an hour to get there, but two hours to get home. And what did she do during this time? Listen to football podcasts! Whereupon she waxed rhapsodic about the Chargers and started talking about individual players in the league at the level of the commentators on TV. Me? I know enough to get by. She actually thought I knew more than I did. Pay attention, read enough, and you can fake it pretty good. And then she shot lidocaine up my penis. I'd say it was uncomfortable but it was nothing compared to what was coming. And then the doctor came in. He wasn't happy. This was breaking protocol. You don't do a scope without a prior consultation. So he was reluctant. Then he got out what appeared to be a caulking gun, with a long tube at the end, he stuck it up my dick, it started shooting water and he said it would be painful... You've got no idea. I've got a very high threshold of pain. But when it breaks, when it hits the limit... Usually if you're going to get this far, they numb you out completely. Believe me, I could feel it. I'm about ready to burst. And then the doctor says to look at the screen. Which is now filled with blood. Not the deep red of the previous weekend's piss, but red nonetheless. And then he says he's going to shut off the water in the pistol, that the pain will decrease, which it does, but only a bit. And when the tool is removed... He says the bleeding is coming from a spot on the bladder and I need a biopsy, to determine if it's cancer. As for the odds, he goes on record that they don't believe in "might," he will not speculate. So walking as if I'd been kicked in the nuts, I go to scheduling and get an appointment with the biopsy doctor, I just got home from this second appointment. 2 Now I didn't have to wait. But the assistant remembered me as a friend from an appointment back in October, it was like we were old school buddies, and I'm working the mental rolodex, trying to remember his story and it comes to me that he'd recently been married... He said it was his one year anniversary. And didn't he like to go to the show, wasn't he scheduled to go to a festival? I threw that out there...no, his wife went back to school, they're saving money now. And I'm just scanning Instagram Reels. When you're in the hospital you're in suspended animation, the outside world doesn't matter, life almost stops. And I don't want to work and be distracted, because I want to be totally present when the doctor comes in so I can I tell my story directly and completely and listen to the feedback. But his nurse comes in first. And she immediately starts talking about the biopsy. That first I needed "clearance." Did this mean I had to argue with insurance? No, my primary care doctor had to say I was okay for the procedure, which would be done in either the hospital or surgery center, they'd put out my lights. However, the odds of me staying overnight were slim, since I wasn't physically hobbled, in a wheelchair. So now this was totally real. And then the doctor came in... And he's talking about the biopsy and then he lets slip that he didn't do the scope, so he didn't see what was there, and if he had... And here's where my personality comes in, or maybe my education. I start asking questions. I'm looking for nuance. And I'm asking some questions more than once, because sometimes they respond with different answers. I'm slicing it by hair, after all, it's ME, and I want to do the right thing and get the best result. Sometimes I'm buying something and a friend is along and they don't understand the process. The salesperson has given an answer, let's move on. But I find if I quiz further, address the subject from different angles, usually ask the same questions ultimately two or three times, I reach a definitive answer/conclusion, I'm then comfortable with what I'm going to do. Now obviously, every purchase is not critical. But a lot, having to do with ski equipment and... You can read all you want and most salespeople are transitory and not as informed as I am on the subject, but when you get an expert, you want to hear what they have to say, cross it with what you already know. So... I pick up on the fact that this guy didn't do the scope and therefore it's unclear to him. What exactly is unclear? And that's when he says if HE did the scope he'd know if it was cancer or not. OK, so this begs the question, should we do another scope? And this seems to appeal to him, after all, it would avoid anesthesia, and the rest of the issues of surgery. For now anyway. But is this the right approach? You can't be scared, you've got to do what is right. Unlike all the men who are afraid of a colonoscopy. You've got to jump through the hoops if you want to live. I'm willing to have the biopsy, I'll go there, but...maybe I don't. So we kick the ball back and forth. Why would he be different from any other urologist? Well, this is what he does all day long, look for bladder cancer, and he can tell... So what are the odds he scopes me and misses it? Single digits. Well, those are not quite good enough odds for me. So I start parsing it out further, I want the guy to admit that this is the right choice, to get a scope first. And I'm slicing and dicing and then he commits. That's what he would do, get a scope first. So that's what I'm gonna do. 3 Now the wheels of medicine turn slowly. Unless you're about to die on the table. Oh, believe me, if there's a crisis, an emergency, they'll address it right away. However, methodically, they don't get as anxious and uptight as you do. So they said they'd squeeze me in. Which is in three weeks. But now it's more real. I mean it could be cancer. And if it is...I asked the guy the spectrum of outcomes... Well, he could cut it out or have to remove the entire bladder, somewhere in between those two. That made it real. But that's when I made him go through the possibilities once again... And that's when he said definitively, it could be cancer, an infection or inflammation. Well, I haven’t pissed blood since the day of the first scope. And although the tip of my dick still hurts, my urine has been clear. He was not too impressed with that, he didn't consider that definitive. So now I'm internalizing it... Well, the blood is gone, I was taking Aleve, which is an irritant... God, I've got no idea what it is. If you asked me to give an instinctual response I'd say it's nothing serious. I have no pain, I am not bleeding, I was taking anti-inflammatories and was very active. Furthermore, my kidneys are riddled with stones, that's been established, and a kidney stone can irritate the bladder. Then again, I had no pain, and with kidney stones you almost always do. Then again, I'd had that episode of being cold and shivering, and that tends to go along with an infection, but that's not definitive. So, as Jimmy Cliff would say, I'm sitting here in limbo. It could be worse, I've had it worse. I just don't know. But I will. -- 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

Anajak Thai

https://www.anajakthai.com

What kind of crazy, f*cked up world do we live in where the best Thai restaurant in Los Angeles is in the San Fernando Valley?

You've got to know, the Valley used to be the pits. Maybe you could be from there, but you certainly didn't want to live there in the seventies, eighties, even right up to this century.

The Valley is America. Endless boulevards, littered with strip malls.

And it's also cheaper than the real estate over the hill.

But it ain't so cheap anymore, except maybe over Pacoima way. Then again, I just Googled and found out the median price for a house in Pacoima is now $700,000, which might buy you a mansion in many communities.

But as the years went by, baby boomers in Los Angeles discovered that unless you struck it rich, had a big entertainment job or the like, you couldn't afford to live on the Westside, the most desirable neighborhoods, from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills. (And the gentrification of Silver Lake and Highland Park were still decades off). So, if they wanted to own real estate and raise children, they had to move to the Valley.

But concomitant with this traffic got worse and worse to the point where the Valley became its own, almost walled-off garden. You no longer crossed the hill on a whim, in either direction.

Now ultimately some of those with more than average bank accounts moved to Calabasas, because it featured its own school system, it was not part of LA., but still...it was the Valley.

You could get your car serviced, you could buy anything you wanted, manufacturing was rampant in the Valley, they even made Camaros in Van Nuys, but you didn't want to tell anybody you lived there.

But a funny thing happened as the years went by. The San Fernando Valley became the epicenter of sushi culture. Up and down Ventura Boulevard, in seemingly every strip mall, there was a sushi bar, some rated as good as anything on the other side of the hill, in the city.

Now Thai cuisine started to burgeon in the late seventies. Mostly on Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards, east of the 101. Which if you don't know L.A., is east of Hollywood and not a great neighborhood. The first standout was Jitlada. This was before Thai spread nationwide, it was still an L.A. thing, like sushi, in fact. But I ultimately favored a different outlet, if for no other reason than it stayed open until 4 AM, back when it was a badge of honor how late you stayed up as opposed to how early you awoke.

Now as the years passed, Thai spread across the city. And there was even an upscale place on Sunset, Talesai, which now only exists, ironically, as an outpost on Ventura Boulevard in the Valley, but Thai food was always seen as inexpensive.

Now you've got to know, Thai in L.A. became what Chinese is in the east. The Chinese restaurants were historically bad in Los Angeles. Cantonese and bland at best. But Thai? It was edgy, spicy, it delivered. And as I told Harry last night, if I could only eat one cuisine for the rest of my life it would be Thai? NOT ITALIAN? I pondered the question for a few seconds, I've been saying Thai for decades, but after thinking about it my preference still rules.

Now every time I drive by Anajak there's a crowd of people out front, waiting to get in. So when Harry said he could get a reservation on Saturday night at 7...

What I didn't know was he had pull. He'd had Anajak cater this private event for his client Niall Horan in Calabasas earlier in the week. Funny how the business changes. Niall has only had one hit in America, but he can sell out arenas. So, they decided to honor the superfans, with a sit-down dinner and acoustic performance at the Bunetta compound.

Which engendered a conversation about the modern music business. You don't play to the press, you play to those who are dedicated, who come to every show, who spread the word, who keep you alive.

Anyway, being familiar with the menu, I told Harry he could order.

Now we were sitting outside, which was a shock to me, having just spent a couple of months in Colorado. I mean it was warm in Vail, so warm that you didn't need a jacket the past couple of weeks, so warm that all the snow melted and they're closing the mountain early, but you could not go out in shirtsleeves at night. Yet in the San Fernando Valley? You didn't even need a jacket.

Now everything we ate was good, and we ate plenty, but I want to single out one specific dish, the Kampachi crudo.

Have you eaten tiradito at Matsuhisa? It's their signature dish, along with the black cod. I'm just gonna quote from Google:

"Tiradito at Matsuhisa is a signature Nobu dish blending Peruvian ceviche with Japanese sashimi techniques. It features thinly sliced raw fish (often halibut or whitefish) arranged in a Japanese style, topped with citrus sauce, yuzu, chili, and cilantro, famously omitting onions for a clean, spicy, and acidic flavor profile."

The fish is sliced thin, the serving plate is covered in slices, there's a tiny dot of hot sauce on top of each piece, but what makes it so good is the tang...not subtle, but not overwhelming. It's a must-eat.

But I found it was superseded by Anajak's Kampachi crudo.

Oh, they're not exactly the same thing. And I don't want to say anything negative about Matsuhisa/Nobu, whose dishes are unique and always deliver, but when it comes down to raw fish in sauce with zing, I'd rather have Anajak's Kampachi crudo.

Now if you go to Anajak's Instagram page, they've got a picture of the dish:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C40_JxSPgBY/

To be honest, I don't remember the sauce being that yellow, not at all. I remember it being clear, but with all that chozzerai pictured included.

So, you pick up a piece of fish and...

(No chopsticks, just regular silverware...)

You put it in your mouth and it is soft and only slightly chewy and ultimately delectable, but what puts it over the top is the sauce...which was so good when the fish was gone I ended up spooning it into my mouth again and again and again, I just couldn't stop.

I live for that zing. But unlike with the Tiradito, it's not just one flavor, it's a composite...I could make a whole meal of Kampachi crudo.

Of course we ate more, and everything was great, a lot of stuff 10 on a 10 scale. But I just can't get the Kampachi crudo out of my mind. It's sticking there, like the after-effect of a great concert, you wake up the next morning still thinking about it, still feeling it, in this case, still tasting it...in your brain anyway.

So I did some research when I got home. Is Anajak really the best Thai restaurant in Los Angeles?

Well, there's a debate, but many people think so. And I've eaten a lot of Thai, and this was definitely one step above.

As far as getting a reservation... I don't know, go on OpenTable, it ain't easy, but it's not impossible, you don't have to know someone.

As for the mass of people out front, maybe I've been driving by on Tuesday, because that's Taco Tuesday, when they feature a special menu of tacos and the restaurant doesn't take reservations.

Scroll down on this page to see Tuesday's offerings. If they don't immediately appeal to you, ignore everything I've said above.

https://www.anajakthai.com/menu/

As for the elements of the Kampachi crudo...

You can see them here:

https://www.starchefs.com/recipes/dry-aged-kampachi-crudo

Give it a shot if you want to, but we could never recreate the Carlos 'n Charlie's tuna fish dip...

But that was the seventies.

This is worth a special trip. Not for a special occasion, but to tickle your taste buds.

Anajak is not glamorous, but it's not East Hollywood down and dirty either.

It's worth a trip to the Valley!


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Switchboard Susan

https://open.spotify.com/track/5GV9rMlkPYHXDBIO95K3sO?si=2bf95f7ffb5a42a8

"I'm a long distance romancer
I keep trying 'til I get an answer
Gimme gimme one more chance
She's a greater little operator"

I didn't know it was written by Mickey Jupp!

So I was reading today's "Los Angeles Times" and there was an interview with Nick Lowe. Wherein he said he never wanted to record "Cruel to Be Kind," that his A&R guy at Columbia, Gregg Geller, made him. That he just threw off the vocal.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-03-26/nick-lowe-biggest-hit-cruel-to-be-kind-was-almost-never-recorded

And that turned out to be Nick's biggest hit in the U.S., assuming you can call something that was an alternative FM staple a hit. Then again, years later Elvis Costello's version of Nick's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was included in "The Bodyguard" soundtrack and that sync has provided a living for Lowe all these decades later (which he claimed in a prior interview). Once again kids, when the big bad businessman tells you to sell your publishing rights, just remember, you never know when you'll get lucky. And this luck is not built into the multiple they're paying you today, because it's unforeseen. Life is short, but it's also long (of course if you're aged, your mileage may be different).

But what I did not know was that "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was originally recorded by Brinsley Schwarz, when Nick was in the band. I knew Nick's history, but you've got to know that pub rock never broke in America, some of the records were ultimately released over here, but none got airplay. I actually bought Ducks Deluxe...do you remember Ducks Deluxe?

And did you see that Andrew Bodnar of the Rumour died? Back in January, but the obit was only in "The Guardian" a week ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/mar/30/andrew-bodnar-obituary

Now the thought was that Graham Parker was going to have a renaissance after Judd Apatow included his songs in "This Is 40," but that didn't happen. Just like Jonathan Richman didn't break through after he and his music were featured in "There's Something About Mary," which was an iconic picture of the era. But Richman never got the traction Parker did, he's still unknown by most. But for a minute there, Graham was up front and center, with the hipsters during his Mercury tenure, and then the press when Clive Davis snatched him up and paired him with Jack Nitzsche and the album "Squeezing Out Sparks" was released. People say that's the apotheosis, but I never agreed with that, it's really all about the first two, "Howlin' Wind," produced by Nick Lowe, and "Heat Treatment," which was produced by Mutt Lange before we knew who he was, before his breakthrough with AC/DC (along with one track, "Back Door Love," produced by Lowe). Now all these years later, I've got to admit that "Howlin' Wind" is better, but I loved, loved, LOVED, "Heat Treatment"...two songs especially, the white reggae "Something You're Going Through" and the anthemic closer "Fool's Gold."

But the true breakthrough was Elvis Costello and "My Aim Is True," which came out in 1977. Now although Nick Lowe was the producer on all of Costello's albums from the first through "Trust" (where he shared credit with Roger Bécherian), it's the first that stands out for me. Because it lacks the Vox organ of the later albums, the backing group was not the Attractions, but Clover...which featured John McFee, now of the Doobie Brothers, and Sean Hopper of Huey Lewis and the News (Huey was in Clover, but not on the Costello album). The backup did not detract from the lyrics, Costello's delivery, which on subsequent albums it tended to do, the band was competing with Costello, even though I know most people don't agree with me.

SO, Elvis Costello was the new wave breakthrough. As big as the Ramones are today, at least on t-shirts, punk didn't triumph until Nirvana in the nineties. And sure, there was a new wave scene in New York, but Blondie didn't really make it until 1978, after leaving Private Stock and working with Mike Chapman at Chrysalis, and even though their debut was entitled "Talking Heads: 77," it wasn't until the RISD band worked with Brian Eno on their second album, "More Songs About Buildings and Food" that they were taken to the river in 1978.

So, wherever it started, the new wave was seen by most people as an English thing. And after Costello broke down the door, Stiff Records followed up with Ian ("Wake Up and Make Love to Me") Dury and Lene Lovich and Wreckless Eric and England had not been so hip since the sixties. Skinny ties, short hair, the antithesis of the bombast of the headbangers and corporate rockers.

And at the center of all this was Nick Lowe.

Like Graham Parker, his music didn't really fit in, but his name was on all the records and when his first album came out, we bought it. But I always preferred the second, "Labour of Lust," it was less precious, a bit more in your face.

Yes, "Labour of Lust" started with "Cruel to Be Kind," but it truly took flight with the second track, "Cracking Up," with its descending line and irreverent vocal. That's one thing about Lowe, he had a sense of humor, he oftentimes delivered his tunes with the wink of an eye, and you've got to be smart to be funny, Lowe radiated intelligence, but unlike those before him, he didn't lead with it, he didn't lord it over us.

And after "Cracking Up" came "Big Kick, Plain Scrap."

But the song I liked just as much as "Cracking Up," they being the two best on the LP, was "Switchboard Susan."

"Switchboard Susan, won't you give me a line"

You've got to know, even back in '79, switchboards were in the rearview mirror, they went out the window along with prefixes... Forget area codes, our home number in Connecticut started with "Forest," you had to dial FO before the rest of the numbers. And on TV, we always were told to dial "Murray Hill"...

"I need a doctor, give me 999"

This was a regular theme back in the day, before acts were brands, when they saw themselves as the other, outcasts, with emotional problems.

"When I'm near you girl, I get an extension
And I don't mean Alexander Graham Bell's invention"

A good turn of the phrase, but a bit obvious for Lowe.

And then at the end:

"Hey babe, you're number's great
38-27-38"

This always seemed a bit base for Nick, but now that I know the song was written by Mickey Jupp, it all makes sense. You remember "Juppanese," don't you? Another Stiff act with a sense of humor.

Well I just learned today that Jupp's version of the song was produced by Nick Lowe, and his band Rockpile provided the backup. But Jupp considered it "sh*t from top to bottom" and Lowe got Mickey's permission to add his vocal to the backing track, and voila!

And it's the instrumentation that puts Lowe's version of "Switchboard Susan" over the top... It's the lead guitar work that echoes, adds a coda at the end of the chorus. And repeats with a solo later in the number. It's a thin sound, but it feels so right, it's like the instrument is answering the lyrics, commenting on them, the guitar adds meaning.

And that solo, it's almost like out of the circus, but it's perfect for the whole number, because it's FUN!

Now ultimately Mickey Jupp saw the error of his ways and recorded his own version of "Switchboard Susan," and it's good, but it doesn't have those guitar tweaks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E83UP0wIgs

And I knew the Searchers did a cover, but I never knew Gary Brooker did one too:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7E4XpvvX7ohGix2fOsDO7D?si=22f4df1731474d7e

But even crazier, my old friend Per Gessle redid the lyrics in Swedish for his band Rockfile, before Roxette:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVtdzC02tIk

So can Mickey Jupp live off of "Switchboard Susan"?

Well, the stunning thing is Mickey Jupp is still alive, he's 82. And he's still making new music, when so many superstars of yore have given up.

As for Elvis Costello, he's now respectable. However, if he used the n-word today like he did back in that bar in '97, would he pay the same price as Morgan Wallen? Even crazier, it's the Costello fans who have contempt for Wallen, who won't forgive him.

As for Nick Lowe... He married and divorced Carlene Carter and then slowly faded into the woodwork. He's made more records, for ever more indie labels, and he goes on the road now and again, but he can go to the grocery store unnoticed. He could walk the fields of Lollapalooza and I don't think anybody under the age of 40 would recognize him.

But if you were around back then, you've never forgotten him.

Sure, he was behind the board on some great albums, but he also recorded some great tracks.

Like "Switchboard Susan."

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